Bandits

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

A series of bells set off. Panic and befuddlement spread across the features of the meek players. Elena, on her knees, was wide-eyed, her body refusing to move. Within the noise, there was a shriek. A scream of raw pain.

"Somebody set off the trip wire on the east."

Marta asked, "Isn't it possible that it's just an animal?"

"No. There's not enough weight for any creature in that forest to set it off. It has to be a person. Now,. the question is whether it's an innocent or the bandits."

Yamato limped forward. "I'll go with—"

"No, you won't. Aisha, please hold this guy back. I'll meet up with the others."

The gravity of the situation sprung the scarfed woman into action. She grabbed the shorter, younger man by the arm and pulled him back. Yamato winced, wanting to fight but struggling with the spike of pain on his knee.

Heading to the courtyard, the players capable of fighting had already arrived. Tension wrung the air. Noor clutched her wooden staff tightly. John's wrist rested on the sheathed sword on his hip. Sun-young and William had already summoned their weapons. Then there was Aiko, the young girl holding onto her bamboo sword to prepare for battle.

"What was that?" John asked. "An intruder?"

"I strung up a system of bells to our perimeter, so yes." All eyes on him, Kazi composed himself to a semi-serious, semi-cheery state. Smiling but not overly relaxed, he went on to explain their plan of action. "John, Noor, you two stay at our vanguard. Me, Ms. Sun-young, and William have fought together before and you might get in the way. If you do see an opening, take it. Got it?"

"Just don't cry if it gets too hot," Noor remarked.

"W-what's going on?" David entered the fray, his face etched in concern.

"Keep Aiko here," Sun-young instructed, to the younger girl's shock. "Stay far back."

"I can fight!" Aiko exclaimed.

"You'll only get in the—"

Kazi cut her off, "What she means is that we need someone to be our last line of defence. A bandit could slip past us. Defeat them as soon as you see them. Remember what Sun-young taught you."

Aiko nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir!"

Kazi wasn't able to elaborate on a plan as footsteps came into earshot. In the dead of night, they were loud and distinct. Stopping, the peaceful night returned, except the atmosphere could never be the same. They were here at their front door. It was time to act. To fight.

At the foot of the front entrance, the second Kazi's fingers pulled up to slide it, a red box appeared.

[ Warning! Mini Boss in vicinity! ]

He could feel the goosebumps from the other players. Sun-young shifting her feet and William gulping audibly.

"It's just like you guessed, a mini boss." Noor remained unfazed. "Let's do this."

Kazi sent a thumbs-up over his shoulder. "Yeah!"

Nine bandits, one of which was a mini boss. The veil of the night should have shrouded their enemies but three of the bandits were holding up torches. Faces and weapons were revealed.

At the forefront was the fabled mini boss—Ronin, his name stated—a tall man with a weathered face and a grim intent to kill in his eyes. His unkempt hair fell over the collar of his tattered kimono and two scars ran down his left eyebrow. His katana, an exquisite weapon, hidden in its sheath yet touched with deadly intent.

His companions did not exude the same aura but matched Ronin's fierceness. Mismatched garments and wielding katana swords, yari spears, and wakizashi daggers. There was an incline, giving the players a subtle highground.

Kazi stepped forward. Ronin did the same.

"Foreigners," Ronin began. "No wonder those traps were so unorthodox."

'So he managed to dismantle them, hm? He's definitely not for show then. He's a real samurai.'

There was no excitement, no rage or happiness at what happened. Kazi was merely looking at results and what he could learn from them.

"You injured one of our men!" a bandit with a torch screamed, thrusting the flame forward dangerously. "You WILL pay for that."

"Indeed," Ronin said. "Perhaps you have heard of me. Choose your words carefully and the price may not be as steep."

"Don't tell me…" Kazi put a hand to his mouth, feigning surprise. "Miyamoto Musashi!?"

"What? No, no, no, I am Kanbei Ando!"

The name hovering on his head shifted to Kanbei Ando.

[ Name: Kanbei Ando

Level: 21

Class: Ronin ]

"Never heard of you," Kazi said.

"Me neither."

"Nope."

William and Sun-Young were by his side, chipping in comedically. In spite of their words, he could feel the apprehension—this man was stronger than the Slime Queen.

The bandits got riled up. Two of them came forward, one in front of the other, and yelled, "Don't you dare disrespect our—"

"Fire Ball!"

A blast of heat flew past the players and directly into the stomach of the left bandit. The bandit collided into his comrade behind him, his clothes and flesh burnt and his throat screaming. The Fire Ball wasn't small, it was the size of a watermelon and on impact exploded and distracted the bandits from its wisps of flames.

In an explosive burst of speed, Kazi slashed at the horrified bandits watching their comrades. One down at the shoulder and the second across the chest. It was a moment that lasted less than three seconds yet Kazi managed to make full use of it. Getting into position, equipping his blades, and properly dismantling two bandits in one swift move.

Sun-young was a step behind him and went straight for the Kanbei Ando. She didn't hold back and lit her sword up in flames. There was a clash of blades.

"An onna-musha." Kanbei Ando did not unsheathe his blade yet. One handed, using the scabbard, he managed to overpower and push Sun-young back. "And magic too. How interesting."

"Fire Ball!"

Another powerful ball of intense fire flew, and who else casted it but Noor? She stood at the door, her staff out, aiming her magical attack at the mini boss.

Swish!

Only for the fire to be split apart like butter. Kanbei Ando unsheathed his sword. Its white glow shimmered in the night.

Kazi couldn't analyze the former samurai for long as the six bandits had him surrounded. Katanas, spears, and daggers were readily pointed.

'Levels 16, 16, 13, 12, 15, 15…' His heart started to string together into a symphony of excitement. The two bandits he managed to slash weren't bleeding, their armour having taken the brunt of the damage. He should have targeted their exposed lower half. His mistake. 'This isn't going to be easy considering I'm level 16 myself.'

The bandits didn't spring on him yet. The bandits were waiting for the two that had been knocked down. One with the burnt stomach and the other that had been toppled.

They were waiting.

Meanwhile, Kazi was strategizing. Visualizing where to go, how they would react, and how he would counter.

His party members couldn't interfere, too occupied by the might of Kanbei Ando. In other words, it was just Kazi and eight bandits. Two swords versus eight men.

His senses were operating at max capacity. His ears listened to the crunches of dirt. His nose smelled the shifts of their disgusting odours.

Flow of Mana activated too. His body surged with newfound energy. Numerically, ten points for strength, agility, and resilience.

Two spears thrusted at him from behind. He neatly stepped to the side, twisted his torso, and thrusted down at the line of the spear with Spark Strike. The two spears didn't break and his failure was met with another attack from behind.

'Level 12, wielding knives,' he recalled.

Kazi coolly defended it with a sword planted to his back. Without looking, his sword met and protected him from the seven dangerous slashes.

At the same time, front wards, the two spearmen turned and attacked him, only for Kazi to shove their attacks aside with a wide sweep. Spark Strike was activated for both swords, supplying him with additional strength.

To his sides, two level fifteen bandits came at him. One at the left, one at the right, their swords coming with the intent to slice his head off.

"Whoop!"

So he dropped down, missing the blades by a hair's breadth, and filled his arms and shoulders with mana.

'Double Super Spark Strike!'

He had never done this before. He could feel the supercharged connection from his arms to his shoulders and exploding into his blades for an attack that struck the knees.

[ Critical hit landed! ]

[ Critical hit landed! ]

"Raaah! Agh!"

The bandit to the left recoiled back, screamed, and then fell back. The deepness of his wound plus the massive electrical shock put him into a state of pure agony. His muscles stiffened and he eventually couldn't move, his eyes having rolled back. The second level fifteen bandit wasn't able to utter a sound, having fallen into shock from the loss of his foot.

The bandits that had been surrounding him backed away. There were looks of anxiety and fear.

"What just…"

"How did he—"

Kazi swung his swords nonchalantly and the bandits widened the distance. He grinned.

The two spearmen were level 16 and though at the front of the attack were clearly apprehensive about charging in. A level 13 bandit that was also wielding a spear but hadn't attacked was behind the stronger spearmen. The level 12 knife wielder was bouncing on his feet, afraid and ready to fight at the sign of trouble.

Then there were the two katana wielders he took down. Their health bars were in the red zone. Blood spilled from their wounds.

'Double Super Spark Strike took out half my mana. I can't lean on it.'

Kazi licked his lips. Like a puzzle, he was going to solve this and win.