Saviours

Gerard and the Red Lotus adventurers approached the village. Davik and another guard stood watch. This time, the other guard rested against the gate while he snored.

"Who goes there?!" Davik brandished his spear.

The other guard almost toppled over after suddenly waking. The guard shook his head, grunted, and unsheathed his sword.

*How nostalgic.*

They stepped out of the darkness, and Gerard raised his hands. Gerard tried his best to make his empty gauntlets remain upright.

*I need to fix these damn stumps as soon as I can.*

"What brings all of you to Therinus?" Davik thrust the spear forward slightly.

*Ah, so that's the village name. I never got a chance to learn it last time.*

~Look, Davik, we don't have time to talk, but bandits are making their way here, and if we're not prepared, many people could die.~ Gerard swatted Davik's spear out of the way.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

~I'm Gerard, and these are the Red Lotus Adventurers. We're here to help since bandits are heading to attack the village.~ Gerard gestured to his companions.

Davik looked at Jerrick and his party and squinted through the darkness.

"He's right. Get everyone inside the safest building you've got." Jerrick spoke sternly, a lot different to the casual and friendly tone Gerard was already used to.

"B-but-" Davik stuttered.

"We've got this; now go!" Jerrick stamped his foot.

Davik and the other guard ran inside.

Gerard and the Red Lotus Adventurers watched the guards go from house to house, convincing people to move to the tavern. When everyone had evacuated, Davik approached them again.

"Do you need any of us to help?"

"No, it's an adventurer's job to protect the people. We don't need a reward for this, either. We're doing this on Gerard's behalf."

"Thank you, Gerard. If bandits really come, I thank you from the depths of my heart."

~Go, Davik. Be with your wife.~

"Do I know you?"

~You wouldn't remember me, but you helped me a long time ago. Just go. We have to prepare.~

Davik nodded and ran to the tavern. Gerard heard tables being rearranged to barricade the entrances to the tavern.

---

A little under an hour after they'd arrived, Gerard saw the glint of moonlight reflect off metal in the distance.

~They're coming.~

"How do you know?"

~Another benefit of this curse is seeing in the dark.~

"And you're sure they're bandits?"

~Wait and see for yourself if you want.~

Jerrick nodded.

Eventually, they could hear whispers among several people.

"What a lucky night! Maybe the gatekeepers are taking the night off!" A bandit cackled.

"Don't let your guard down. We're here to do a job." The bald man from his past life whispered sternly.

The bandit leader held his sword with both hands as he and the bandits passed through the gate.

"Got it, boss."

~Enough proof?~

"It'll have to be, won't it?"

~Good. Jerrick, I'll leave the small fries for you and your team. I'll take the leader.~ Gerard crept along the edge of the perimeter wall.

"Got it," Jerrick whispered.

When Gerard had a clear line of sight, he charged into the group and tackled the boss of the bandits. With all of his strength, he pushed until they were both clear of the other bandits.

*Field!*

The world around Gerard opened up to him. He saw everything that moved in the five meters around him.

The bandits all stood in a daze.

"Don't just stand there; kill him!" The boss shouted as he brought his elbows down into Gerard's back.

The bandits scrambled to help, but arrows penetrated three bandit skulls, killing them instantly. Quinne loosed several more arrows while perched atop a house.

*She loves taking the high ground. I'm glad she's my ally this time.*

Rose disappeared and climbed out of the shadow caused by a lantern before gutting several bandits with her knives.

Without any element of stealth, Emille and Jerrick rushed forward to punch and slash at as many enemies as possible. With each blow, bandits were killed or knocked unconscious.

~It's just us now.~ Gerard smiled with his mostly fleshless face beneath his helmet.

"What are you?!" The bandit boss pushed himself free of Gerard's grasp.

~A nightmare of your own making. If only I could kill you after an extended torture session, but my companions would frown upon that, and I need you alive.~

Gerard jumped and hit the giant of a man.

Unexpectedly, he felt the man's jaw crack beneath his blow. The bandit leader dropped his sword before collapsing.

*Huh? I don't even have hands, and a strike from my stumps finished him?*

"The boss is dead!" One bandit dropped his weapon and raised his hands.

Several others followed suit. As the others attempted to flee, the adventurers cut them down before they could pass the village gate.

*Sprite? He's alive, right?* Gerard examined the leader's body.

[Yes. You fractured his jaw, and he is unconscious, but there is no threat to his life.]

*Good. Maybe the bandits were just lucky to get me before. Or maybe having a higher level creates that much of a gap in strength.*

"One blow? Is he dead?" Jerrick asked, looking over the bandit.

~Just unconscious.~

"Nice job, then." Jerrick grabbed Gerard's shoulder and smiled.

~It was actually a little disappointing, to be honest.~

"You and Emille will get along just fine, I think."

~It's not that I love combat like him; I just want someone to test my strength out on.~

"I'm pretty sure that's what all battle maniacs think deep down."

~Oh, right.~

[You're a battle maniac. You're a battle maniac.]

*Shut up, Sprite. I'm not. I simply want to see how much stronger I've become since my last life.*

[Yeah, yeah.]

*Well, maybe I do enjoy the thrill of life-or-death situations a little bit.*

[At least you're admitting it.]

Cheering began not far from him as villagers rushed out of the tavern to thank them all.

"You weren't kidding! We wouldn't have stood a chance against this many." Davik laughed before sticking his spear in the dirt and hugging Gerard.

~Could we ask a favour from you?~ Gerard lightly pushed him away.

"Of course!"

~We'd like a wagon to escort the prisoners to Solares and a place to keep them for the night.~

"We can do that. We've got a beat-up wagon we can fix and an empty warehouse. Is that really all you want?"

~Yes.~

---

After tying up the bandits and throwing them in the warehouse, a couple of villagers got to work on repairing a wagon. Several villagers carted the corpses of the other bandits off after removing their equipment.

Even though Gerard's requests were simple, the village threw a feast for them in the middle of the night.

Many villagers lobbed questions at Gerard and his companions all night. They asked about the strongest enemies they've faced, what life as an adventurer is like, and some rather personal questions.

"Come on, Gerard, sir. Remove your helmet and partake in the feast!" Davik waved around some chicken that was barely attached to a bone.

~I wouldn't even be able to remove it easily if I tried.~

Gerard looked down at his gauntlets resting on the table in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Davik. Gerard is uncomfortable with taking his helmet off around others. He is rather disfigured and prefers to eat and drink alone."

"Oh, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable, Gerard."

Jerrick smiled and nodded at Gerard.

*Good save, Jerrick! Thank you!*

As the festivities ended, morning crept closer. The villagers provided Gerard and the adventurers with a spacious room inside the inn with three beds.

Gerard practised using smaller versions of his spells to see the decrease in MP consumption while the others slept.

*Tonight was nice. Even if I couldn't eat or drink, having people almost worship me was a pleasant feeling.*

[Worship? I suppose you could see it that way.]

*I'm not sure why I phrased it that way... Hey, Sprite. Do you think it's possible to give and receive spells and skills with the Transference skill?*

[Where did that come from? I suppose it's entirely possible, but you would use a lot of MP, and you don't currently have a way to replenish it.]

*I'd like to test it tomorrow. There's a skill I don't need, and it'll be a perfect chance to see if it works.*

[Don't leave yourself vulnerable if you can.]

*Of course.*