Prey or predator?
"Yes chief!"
It wasn't long before Maxime and his group arrived at the mountain designated by Romain.
"It was indeed the mountain of rumors, but no one could have thought that their base would be at the very bottom of it, and hidden in such a way," said Andrew, addressing Maxime.
"That's for sure. You'd almost think, given the means employed, that it would be a magician's secret base," replied Maxime, thinking it over.
He already had some knowledge of knights, but magicians were merely a notion briefly mentioned in class and in popular culture, but 99% of watch owners would never see one in their lives.
Shaking his head slightly, Maxime gave an order to his group.
"Divide into groups of 5 and look for the secret entrance as described by Romain. Everyone meet back here in an hour."
The division of power within the saber-toothed tigers having been effected some time ago, Maxime's order was swiftly carried out.
Most of the 5-person groups were led by a mercenary from Quessoi.
A few of the mercenaries drew their swords and made a few holes in nearby trees, gently collecting the flowing sap.
The process took half an hour, so that all the mercenaries could drink it and avoid being attacked by carnivorous plants.
Then everyone split up, including Maxime, who led his own team of Romuald, Rodrigo, Ernest and Tena.
After half an hour of pacing the mountain, or rather the forest that grew on it, they came to a strange place.
"Chief, this place gives me a special feeling," Rodrigo murmured.
This alerted Maxime and his team.
"Let's stay here for a while and observe," Maxime ordered discreetly, as they all hid high up in the trees.
For each of them, climbing trees was easy with their physique.
In front of them was a wasteland, where only a little grass grew and the sun could shine.
Not far away were flowers of astonishing height.
"We've probably hit the jackpot," said Maxime, talking to himself as a vague excitement coursed through him.
For him, this world was just a game where his life wasn't really in danger.
However, only in this world could he escape all fear and fight to his full potential.
If it were up to him, he would have already charged into the strange plants and started fighting with the bandits.
But he knew that the mercenaries accompanying him were real living beings, although no science could yet describe how this was possible.
Yet it wasn't long before the abnormally tall flowers shifted of their own accord, leaving a vast passageway leading to a cave behind.
Maxime's eyes sparkled at the sight.
Soon a dozen men emerged from the cave, each dressed in civilian clothes but carrying a sword at their waist.
"Commander Organ and Commander Laura have already returned but Jorgi is still hanging around, it's weird."
"I know for a fact that he simply had to destroy a new mercenary group, so normally there shouldn't be any problem."
"I agree, Jorgi and his 50 men are more than enough to even destroy a small known mercenary group, let alone a new one."
"Commander Jorgi could at least have got away with it, with his physique even a horseman would have trouble catching up with him."
Discussions between the bandits continued as they exited the cave without any discretion.
"Anyway, I hope Jorgi returns soon, because if Baron Irut sends a knight, even the chief will be in danger, not to mention us."
As Maxime listened to their discussion, his eyes shone with a rare madness.
Without hesitation, he leapt from the tree he'd been hiding in, landing with a deafening thud.
The bandits stopped their discussion and looked in the direction of the blond-haired young man now standing before them.
The menacing tip of his sword seemed to glow as the sun's glare fell precisely on that spot.
"Who are you?" asked a bandit as he stood on guard.
"Just a madman," replied Maxime, sounding very excited.
The next moment, he rushed towards the man who had just spoken to him.
The man barely had time to block Maxime's sword, which was coming from his left, as he felt a powerful force push him.
"What power!" murmured the bandit, his eyes widening.
The next second, his sword snapped in two, but he barely escaped Maxime's grasp.
"Beware, this man is extremely strong!" he shouted as he hid behind the other bandits.
Unfortunately for them, the blond-haired young man in front of them had only just begun to exert his strength.
Thanks to his swordsmanship, now at a very high level for ordinary people, and his physique, none of the bandits could withstand more than two blows.
They all fell one after the other as blood began to stain the grass red.
"No, no, it can't be! Monster!"
The last bandit, who was also the first to be attacked by Maxime, panicked.
"How many comrades do you currently have in your base?" asked Maxime as he slowly approached.
But when he saw the completely frightened man, he shook his head and put an end to his victim's agitated emotions.
Romuald, Rodrigo, Ernest and Tena climbed down from the trees one after the other.
They all had strange thoughts about their leader's life as they watched him.
He was so strong, so intelligent, but also so crazy.
Even a man with a 3-point physique wouldn't easily dare attack a group of armed men like that, let alone head-on.
After all, no matter how good they looked, if a sword pierced their heart, they'd all die.
But Maxime, with a physique of just over 2 points, charged at this group alone.
And what's worse, he destroyed the group with frightening agility and fighting spirit.
Maxime took a deep breath and turned to look at his team members.
He'd already used up some of his stamina on his moment of madness, so now he had to call on the members of his mercenary group.
Looking at his team, he smiled, then inserted two fingers lightly into his mouth and whistled loudly.
"That should be enough to attract our comrades," Maxime explained to his team.
"But chief, it will also attract the bandits inside the cave," Romuald asked hesitantly.
Rodrigo, Ernest and Tena also sided with Romuald, shaking their heads.
Seeing this scene, Maxime simply replied:
"Then you'll stop them while we wait for reinforcements."
Ernest frowned and walked over to Maxime.
"Hey Maxime, I joined the saber-toothed tigers to get stronger and make a name for myself, not to croak under some idiot leader."
"What's the name of our mercenary group? Can you say it again Ernest?" replied Maxime apparently not caring about Ernest's lack of respect.
"The saber-toothed tigers..."
"That's right, and why do you think I chose that name for our mercenary group?"
Ernest didn't understand directly, so Maxime took a step forward towards Ernest, reducing the distance between them to almost nothing.
Seeing Maxime so close, Ernest panicked and took a step back.
"That's the difference between us, Ernest," Maxime added.
"The saber-toothed tiger was an animal at the top of its food chain in an ancient era of my world. Even the mighty mammoth was just another prey item for a saber-toothed tiger."
"And now that scenario has played out again."
"You were my prey and I was the predator."
"Do you understand now, Ernest?"
Watching the blond-haired, blue-eyed youngster, Ernest was completely intimidated and even overwhelmed by Maxime's aura.
Rodrigo, Romuald and Tena, who were watching from further away, all closed their mouths. Swearing to themselves that they would never question their leader's orders.
Simply because he was such a madman, but at the same time gave off such a powerful vibe when he did. They now had far too much respect for him.
Romuald was one of them, at the age of 30.
He hoped this young man would change his life completely.
He wasn't afraid, just hopeful and bold.
Soon, footsteps could be heard in the distance of the cave.
"I heard noises over there, Baron Irut's men may have found our base!"
"Hurry up and save our men!"
Hearing these voices in the distance Maxime smiled and looked at Ernest.
"So now what are you going to do Ernest?"
"Will you be the prey or the predator today?"
The pressure Maxime was exerting seemed palpable. As if he'd already become a powerful man in this world.
But in the end, that aura only barely suited that of a man who possessed a talent of unknown rank.
"I..."
Ernest bit his lips as the bandits' footsteps could be heard more and more easily.
"There's five men over there!"
"Shit there's dead bodies all around them!"
"Those are our comrades on the ground, kill them to avenge them!"
At that moment Ernest made a decision.
He unstrapped the bow and quiver from his back.
He picked up one of the swords lying on the ground.
Then he turned towards the bandits, leaving Maxime to see only his back.
Rodrigo arrived first at his side, followed by Romuald and Tena.
"Ernest, your bow was so important to you..." Rodrigo whispered quietly to Ernest.
But Ernest ignored him completely.
"Chief, I still don't agree with your methods."
"But never mind, since I'm going to use you chief to become stronger, then I'll let you use me."
As he said this, Ernest made a few warm-up moves and cracked a few strained neck muscles.
"Today, I will become your most loyal saber-toothed tiger."