161 Initial Encounter

The party used the teleporter to teleport to Emporia City. Space vibrated in the teleporter before they disappeared.

The party noticed the obvious aquatic theme surrounding them after they arrived in the city. Marine blue to turquoise. These shades of blue were abundant. These colors blended together to form some beautiful patterns such as sea reefs and sea creatures.

"I like how this place looks," Nimble Rod said with awe in his voice.

"You like blue?" Emile asked.

"Yeah, it's my favorite color," Nimble Rod said as he scratched his head.

"This could be a good way to connect with each other. Let's talk as we walk out of the city," Scarlet Sunset said to the party.

"What's everyone's favorite color," Scarlet Sunset asked as they walked towards their destination. Emile had a general idea of where they were going but still had to follow the party instead of leading them. He could rest instead of leading the group.

"I already said mine, but I'll say it again. It's blue," Nimble Rod said as he put his hands behind his head.

"Mine's orange," Emile said. Emile didn't have a specific reason for liking the color. It stood out in his mind.

"That's my favorite color as well!" Scarlet Sunset said. According to a study, the most unpopular color for a woman is orange, so it was strange for her to like the color.

"Really? Mine's purple," Flower Queen said.

"I like light green," Severn said. Severn would normally remain silent whenever the party talked about different subjects, but he responded to the party to feel the same sense of unity.

"How about you?" Scarlet Sunset asked FBS Fulcron who remained silent. He was oddly silent and needed someone to ask him.

"Uhh... I like the color pink, dark pink to be specific," FBS Fulcron said with embarrassment.

"Well, pink is a manly color," Emile said with a laugh.

"There's nothing wrong with liking a color," Flower Queen said.

"True. Blue is my second favorite," FBS Fulcron said with a laugh. The party continued talking.

While talking they reached the edge of the city.

After around 15 minutes walking, they arrived at the location that had the bandits. They were on the side of a mountain of rough gravel, mushy dirt from the rain, and jagged rocks.

The hideout was on the side of the mountain which was relatively flat. The party scanned the surroundings and noticed three people standing around and looking at the surroundings. They wore bandanas that covered their neck and mouth. A fierce look in their eyes.

Their base was on a relatively flat piece of ground. The party had the height advantage which allowed them to look down on the bandits without getting caught.

"Do we attack them head on?" Emile asked.

"I don't think we should," Flower Queen said. She looked at the gray sky with slight holes for the light.

"I might knock them out from the back. If I can't, then back me up," Flower Queen said. She didn't want to overestimate her abilities.

Flower Queen activated sneak which caused her steps to be light and allowed her to camouflage with her surroundings. She snuck towards the back of the bandits.

The party waited at the same area as she walked with soft steps. Her hand ready to chop at the neck of the bandit and knock them out in one fell swoop. The bandit at the back of the group was unaware of the approaching enemy.

A hand shaped like a dagger hit the neck of the bandit. The bandit let out a gasp as he fell forward. Flower Queen caught him during his fall and placed him on the ground with gentleness.

She continued moving and put the other bandits into unconsciousness. She messaged the party that the coast was clear. The party walked towards her and regrouped.

They moved deeper into the mountain range. In the distance, they could see a group of people fighting. The bandits wore their traditional bandanas that covered their mouth and neck. The other party were overwhelmed by the bandit group and were trying hard to defend against the attacks.

"Should we go rescue them?" FBS Fulcron said.

"They might have information about the bandits. Also, I think we should help them since it's nice to lend a helping hand sometimes," Scarlet Sunset said with a shrug.

"All right, let's attack the bandits," Emile said. He charged forth guns blazing as he shot out the many basic spells he had.

The other party member didn't expect Emile to charge forward without informing the party.

The party members also rushed forwards since they were no longer hidden. Elemental attacks flew across the air towards the bandits.

Emile didn't like stalling around and waiting, so he attacked. His spells caused the bandits to leap back and stop attacking.

They took a defensive stance at the assault. Emile took out his sword and charged at the group of six. From the bottom of his heart, he felt he could take them on with no help. He was confident in his abilities after the enlightenment.

Emile slashed out towards the leading bandit. His attack hit the man on his chest. The man attacked Emile with his blade. Emile blocked the attack with his sword. The other bandits attacked him from the side. The parties spell reached the bandits and stopped them from attacking Emile.

Emile continued attacking the main bandit who realized the threat that Emile posed. He felt a fear for this man who attacked without mercy.

"Attack this guy!"

The other bandits listened and attacked Emile. Emile used his sword to block each attack as they came. Two of the bandits coordinated their attacks. Emile used his blade to block one attack and duck underneath the other.

His attack would target the weak points of the bandits whenever he had the chance. Spells continued flying towards the bandits. Nimble Rod attacked the bandit after a few moments. The adventurers joined in on the action.

They quickly outnumbered the bandits with their numbers. As always Veronica stood at a distance whenever the party fought. It had a keen sense for fights which allowed it to avoid most of them and not be a burden for Emile.

"Run in random directions!"

The bandit in the lead said as he ran in a random direction. Emile and the others each attacked one bandit. They coordinated themselves to target one person each.

The party didn't want to kill the bandits since they had valuable information they could use. The bandits look miserable after all the attacks that lay upon them. The party caught them and tied them up with ropes courtesy of Scarlet Sunset who happened to carry them around.

These bandits were in terrible conditions. It all happened due to the party's elemental attacks.

Fire to burn their clothes, water to douse the clothes, wind to rustle the clothes, lightning to shock them, and mud to make them look dirty. They were close to death after everything they suffered through.

"You better release us or our boss will rob everything from you!"

"You're not in a position to threaten us," Emile said.

"I can't thank you enough. My name's Hazane!" A man with a clean-shaven face and dark brown hair said with delight. He was with two other adventurers.

"Why are you guys fighting here?" Emile asked.

"We wanted to eliminate the bandit group, but we overestimated ourself which lead us to this situation," Hazane said as he scratched his head.

"Why did you think you had the ability to take them out?" Emile asked.

"I thought by being level 17 we could easily storm their base, but we got caught by the six bandits who were all level 16. Those bandits could fight us evenly at first, but then they played dirty and used sneak attacks," Hazane said as he clenched his fists.

"Understand your enemy before a fight. Those are some wise words that I read somewhere, but I don't follow them. I lost a few times, but I learned from my fails and tried not to make the same mistakes," Emile said to Hazane.

Emile walked away and began focusing on the bandits.