Chapter 42 – Bandits.

"Say, Why we are even doing night patrols anyway?" – asked the villager.

"The monsters were already dealt with by the adventures and all."

"Well, the villager said that there may be more pigmans hanging around than the group we spotted. So, he said that we will have to do some nigh patrol for several days for safety." – said the second villager.

"…"

"Hey. Are you- "

When the villager turned around, he saw the other villager being gaged with a hand by the person behind him while also bleeding from his throat.

"Wh- "

Before the villager could say anything, an arrow flew and pierced his head, killing the villager instantly.

"…"

"This was the last guys on patrol." – said the man with bandana.

"So, I guess we can start?" – asked the man with the bow.

"Yea."

"Let's go."

The man took the torch one of the villagers was holding before and began waving it around.

"…"

"Boss. It's the signal." – said the man in the bushes.

"Good." - said the man with the golden tooth.

"Well then ladies, it's time for some fun!"

[Meanwhile at the inn.]

"Hm?"

"For crying out loud…. Who the heck is having a party this late." – said the archer while waking up with annoyed look.

"?"

"?!"

"Everybody! Wake up!" – said the archer while shaking the party leader body.

"Hm? No mom. I didn't ate cookies you hid away."

"…"

The archer bitch slapped the party leader.

"?!"

"WTF MAN?!"

"SHHHH!"

"I think the village is being attacked right now! Wake everybody up!" – said the archer.

"!"

Both the archers and the party leader began waking every single party members and as soon as the last member was woken up, the party immediately began gearing up.

"What is the situation?! Is it pigmans?!" – asked the mage.

"No! Its bandits! The bandits are raiding the village!" – replied the archer while trying to peek through the window.

"Bandits?! How many?!" – asked the chubby warrior.

"Do you think I can freaking tell without getting spotted and from this window?!" – said annoyed archer.

"But… The screams seem to be coming from everywhere, so I guess they are everywhere."

"We should- "

Suddenly, a sound of door being broken could be heard from downstairs.

"Good. This place seem to be the inn. Check the kitchen. There should be some supplies inside." – said the man that just broke into the inn.

"...Yes sir!" – said the bandit henchman before walking away.

"…"

The man walked towards the stairs and as soon as he did, he quickly ran on them before swinging his fists.

"?!"

The party leader raised his sword, somehow blocking the attack but ended up being send flying into the war.

"Sorry kidos. But when you are trying to lay an ambush, you should consider the freaking sound of your footsteps when you walk on freaking wooden floor."

"Tch!"

"[Arm Block]."

The archer who was trying to hide, reaved himself before firing with his bow.

The bandit moved his hand in the arrow trajectory, blocking the attack with his arm and making the arrow barely do any damage to the man, besides having a little bit of the tip arrowhead being stuck in him.

"Ah. I think I'm getting rust. You managed to wound me."

"Anyway- "

The bandit quickly rushed towards the young adventurer and punched the young man right in the face, knocking him out instantly.

Afterworlds, the mage who was hiding in the room and was preparing the spell was found out as soon as the bandit knocked out the archer and saw the mage through the open door.

"!"

"[Wa- "

However, the man quickly landed a hit on the mage stomach, making her ruin her spell and be knocked unconscious.

The warrior who was waiting inside the room in order to protect the mage was unable to fulfil his job and tried to attack the bandit, but when bandit looked at him, the young man feezed in fear.

"Hey. I found a whimp!" – said the bandit before hitting the chubby warrior with a quick jab.

"!"

"FUCKER!"

The party leader charged at bandit leader from behind, but before he could swing his sword, the bandit leader swinged his hand at the party leader without even looking at him.

"You know, when you are supposed to do the sneak attack, shouting like an idiot "FUCKER" is quiet stupid." – said bandit.

"I-I'm g-going to fuking kill you!"

The party leader who was hit and ended up rolling on the ground tried to get up, but the man came to the boy and kicked him in the stomach, making the boy fall on the ground again.

"Stay down. Or I will have to kill you." – said the bandit.

"And you. Priest. I heard from the villagers that you were with these guys. So, if I were I wouldn't bother hiding, unless you want to get beaten up."

"!"

The priest who was hiding behind the door came out from her hiding spot, revealing herself to the bandit while shaking in fear.

"Good. Now, heal up your buddies. Especially the girl the archer. I kind of roughen them up."

"?"

"What with that look? Get to it!" – said the bandit.

"Y-YES!"

The healer of the party began healing the mage and the archers before moments later the entire party as well as inn owner and workers were taken away by some other bandits.

However, the party of adventurers as well as inn workers were not the only kidnapped, but also most of the villagers were kidnapped and were bringed to the center to the village where all the villagers and bandits were gathered.

"…"

"W-what do you want from us?!" – asked the nervous village chief.

"Oh well, some pillows, some hot stew and other things."

"We are a mothefuking bandits, we want literally everything you own. Why the hell you are even asking that kind of stupid question." – said the bandit that defeated the adventure one sidedly. Revealing himself as the leader of the bandit group.

"But you know- "

The bandit leader took the sword from one of his subordinates before then cutting off the village chief head.

"You are not needed." – said the bandit leader.

The villagers began screaming in fear and begging for their lifes.

"HEY!" – shouted the bandit leader.

"!"

The villagers instantly stopped screaming.

"…"

"Good."

"Now. Here is the deal."

"Everybody above age of 30 will be checked. And if they are too old or weak, we will kill them immediately."

"?!"

"W-what?!" – said the inn owner Amber.

"What "What"?" – said the bandit leader.

"Don't you get it? We are planning to sell you as slaves."

"?!"

"Recently, the illegal slave traders are way more active for some reason, so selling you people will be quite easy."

"But, having to drag around useless or old people will be not worth it."

"So we will just get rid of those trashes right now."

"So hurry up, before I start getting a bit rough with you all." – said the bandit leader as the other bandits began laughing as if they were enjoying the situation.

"…"

"Ah…"

"This is annoying." – said a little girl.

"?"

Suddenly, from the crown of villagers, the little girl who was working at the inn came forward, catching attention of both the bandits and villagers.

"Hm? Hey little girl. What are you doing? You are definitely not- "

One of the bandits approached the little girl, but as soon as he got near her, the man stood still before then falling on his back, revealing a shard of ice in his head and showing to everybody that the man was just killed.

"?!"

"Look what you made me do." – said the little girl.

The little girl grabbed the cloth that was wrapped round her hair, removing it and revealing her long two tone with green top and white bottom parts.

"Now I have to deal with you all." – said the little girl.

"!"

One of the bandits tried attacking the girl from behind, but the girl quickly turned around and slashed the man across his torso.

"?!"

(Wait! Since when she was holding an axe?!) – though the confused bandit leader.

"!"

The bandit leader saw second of his men getting killed by a weird white one handed axe that the girl somehow took out without nobody noticing.

And not only that, the wounds that the axe inflicted on the bandit ended up freezing.

"Be carefully! This is not a normal axe! Its magic item!" – shouted the bandit leader.

(Who is this little girl?! She killed in cold blood two of my men in instance and she even has a magic item?!) – though bandit leader.

The bandits began targeting the little girl after she killed two of the bandits.

One of the bandit tried to attack the girl with his mace, but the girl arm suddenly was covered in layer of ice before she then grabbed the mace with her ice covered hand, stopping the attack.

"?!"

(W-what the?! How strong is she?!)

The man was extremely confused to the point he didn't realized that a bunch of vines spread from the ground and wrapped themselves around him.

"!"

Man tried resisting the vines, but in the end, he ended up being dragged down to the point he got on his knees.

And as soon as he was brough down, the girl swinged her axe at the man head, killing him with a single a solid strike that destroyed man brain.

"!"

(Ice and plant magic as well?! Or were these a skills?!) – though the bandit leader.

"Tch. Screw it! Kill her already! She is too dangerous!" – shouted the bandit leader.

"!"

"B-but leader! If we sell her- "

"I don't care. Go at her with intention of killing her. If we are lucky, we will be able to capture her." – said the bandit leader.

"…"

"Well, I was planning on killing you all anyway, so come at me, little bitches." – said the little girl with evil grin on her face.

"By the way, its better if you all don't move from this spot, if you want to survive." – said the little girl to the villagers.

The bandits began rushing at the girl and two of the bandits tried attacking the girl with her spear, but as soon as they tried to, they both slipped suddenly and fallen on the ground.

"?!"

Before they noticed, the ground underneath them was frozen and slipper.

However, the girl didn't showed any mercy and did a swift strike with her axe, killing one of the spearman and before the other one could try to get up, a bunch of roots sported from the ground, wrapping themselves around the man neck before snapping it.

Another bandit with the axe tried attacking the girl, but the girl summoned a wave of leaves that ended up blocking the man view instantly and forcing him to protect his eyes with his arms, since he noticed that the leaves were cutting him left and right.

However, before man even realized, he was sliced across the chest, giving the man a lethal wound.

But suddenly, the girl swinged her axe at the back, not hitting anything and instead getting hit right in the face and send flying by the bandit boss.

The girl ended up bouncing like a pebble on the water 1 time before then rolling on the ground and then finally stopping, ending up laying on the ground like the corpse.

"…"

"That was mean, you know that?" – said the little girl while lying on the floor.

The girl got up from the ground as if nothing happened.

"?!"

(She is fine?! That was a solid hit!) – though the shocked bandit leader.

"Ah. I accidently tried to attack, thinking I would have reached you. I forgot my arms are way smaller and shorter than my other form."

"Well, I also didn't fought for very long time and I barely have done any combat training using this form."

"Well, I wanted to kill you all using this form, but its better if I don't mess up and take it bit more seriously."

(This form? What the hell is she talking about?!) – though the confused bandit leader.

Suddenly, the girl sported a pair of deer like horns before moments later an ice and roots began speeding and appearing all across her body.

The ice and plants fused together and grew in size and before long, a giant monster figure began emerging from combination.

The figure was more than 3 meters tall.

The legs of the creature were long and were made out of white ice bones and plant flesh surrounding it.

The creature feet were dark green hooves with an claws sticking out from them.

The creature torso was made out of plant flesh, but it has a white ice ribcage sticking out outside. It also had a white ice spine on its back that was also sticking out. Both spine and ribcage looked as if they were an armor.

The creature also posed a long mane made out of two tone leaves that had green beginning and white end.

The man itself was big, to the point it covered part of the creature chest as well as hid its joints that connected the torso and the arms (Pivots).

The creature arms were also long like the legs. They were made out a plant and had white ice bones sticking out from the backs and front like an armor.

The creatures posse a set of 5 fingers in each hand, but they were not human looking.

Instead, they were long and big to the point there were as long as the monster forearm. The monster palms was also big.

The fingers themselves were like the monster arms with being made out the plant parts and a white ice bones sticking out from front and back.

However, the creature fingers themselves like a long sharp blades and the tip of their fingers (Distal phalanges) were completely made out of white ice. Making the creature have a sets of icy claws.

The creature neck was covered by its leafy mane.

Now the creature head.

The creature head was in mix between a wolf and a deer.

Its jaws were long.

The creature head was made out of a wood, but it was covered by a white ice, making it being unseen and making it look like the creature head was a giant skull.

The creature mouth was also filled with numerous thorn shaped fangs with white tips.

The monster had also a pair of two glowing blue eyes that resembles that of a beast.

From the creature head, there were two horns that resembles a bit the deer antlers, but were much bigger and had way more points sticking out to the point it did not looked anything like deer antlers.

The horns themselves were made out of the wood, but on each of the pointy end there was a sharp white ice bones, making the horns themselves appear like a crown of blades.

"!?"

"W-what is that?!" – said the bandit.

"M-monster?! That girl was the monster?! But what the heck is this thing?!" – said the other bandit.

"…"

"You know. If you planned to kill everybody instead of planning the sell them as slaves, I would have let you go." – said the monster with now a deep voice that sounded nothing alike to its cheerful girly form.

"But now I have to change my plans and kill you all."

"Blame yourself. You have digged your own grave."

[Monster]

[Race: Winter Forest Leshy]

[Variant: Ice/Forest]

[Estimated danger rank: Unknown]