The sky was a murky blanket of swirling dark clouds, thick and oppressive, casting an eerie shadow over the land. The winds, sharp and biting, howled through the air, carrying with them the unmistakable scent of rain and the foreboding promise of a coming storm.
As Cassius stepped through the Portal, an unexpected sight t his eyes. The trees, usually standing tall and rooted firmly in the ground, were flying straight towards him. With a swift, precise strike, Cassius severed an incoming tree right at its midsection.
"WELCO! WELCO" a deep voice bood with a hint of playful amusent.
Cassius turned his head and saw the backs of the rcenary Queen, the Madman, and the Duke, their postures sturdy as they gazed intently in the direction the voice had co from.
In front of them stretched jagged cliffs, the formidable base of a towering mountain. No matter where Cassius directed his gaze, the cliffs seed to encircle them, creating a natural barricade. The party found themselves standing in a small, isolated clearing filled with weeds, the only open space amidst the rocky expanse.
And then he saw them—figures scattered along the cliffs above, perched like vultures on the rocks. Every ledge, every outcropping seed to host a new group of them, ragged and worn, dressed in tattered clothing that barely clung to their fras. They held weapons—sabers, spears, spiked clubs. They wore mocking smiles, and twisted expressions of amusent and derision, as they looked down upon the party from every angle.
Despite the overwhelming odds, the Duke's party showed not a single sign of panic or unease.
The rcenary Queen was a study of calm composure, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. Beside her, the Madman was another story. His eyes darted everywhere. With his fingers hovering in the air, he pointed at each figure on the cliffs. "Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two..."
His voice was barely a whisper, but the cadence of his counting seed to fill the air, an eerie contrast to the silence surrounding them.
The Duke, as always, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture impeccable. Cassius stood beside him, his expression unreadable.
The crowd of ragged individuals stepped aside with synchronicity, forming a path, and then, stepping from the shadows of the jagged rocks erged a tall figure. A large saber rested comfortably on his broad shoulder.
His voice broke the silence, echoing across the cliffs "Welco! Uninvited Guests! What brings you to the abode of this humble bandit? Did you like our heartwarming welco?".
The man was referring to the trees that they had uprooted from the mountainside and thrown at the Duke's party.
The bandit leader's smile twisted further as his eyes locked onto the rcenary Queen, his gaze hardening with a sharp, venomous recognition. "Oh!" he exclaid, his voice tinged with a dark amusent. "I recognize a face! To think that the Leader of the pesky rcenaries was also among the uninvited guests."
He chuckled, but it wasn't a sound of joy—it was filled with bitterness, the kind of laughter that ca from years of hatred and grudges simring just beneath the surface.
"HAHA!" The loud laughter of the rcenary Queen echoed across the clearing. "To think this isolated space was the ho of the leader of the COWARDS!"
The bandits on the cliffs, who had been so casually watching the encounter, tensed imdiately. Every face tightened, mocking smiles replaced by narrowed eyes, and clenched jaws.
"As arrogant as ever," he sneered, his eyes never leaving the rcenary Queen. "But I wonder," he continued, his tone taking on a mocking cadence, "if your arrogance would remain the sa after watching this."
The Bandit King raised a hand, and with a single sharp command, he ordered, "Bring them out."
With a cruel sense of drama, two figures were brought forward. The first was a pirate, his wild eyes darted around nervously as he was shoved forward.
The Bandits beside them rustled among each other and they bought out two peoples. The mont the eyes of Duke and Cassius locked onto this second figure, an intense wave of killing intent surged from their bodies, palpable.
The figure brought into the clearing made the tension feel almost suffocating.
The Duchess.
Her condition was far worse than anyone could have expected, especially considering her forr grace and dignity. The robe she had once worn, elegant and fine, was now in tatters, barely clinging to her body. Yet, beneath the ruined robe, her dress remained surprisingly intact. It was stained with dirt and gri, but the fabric itself was still whole.
A robe was tied loosely around her waist. Her body sagging from the weight of captivity. The bandit who held her kept a cautious two-ter distance.
The veil that once adorned her face was in tatters, one half almost completely destroyed, the remnants hanging limply around her face. Yet from the side that remained, her eyes could be seen. Those eyes, once full of life, now appeared dull and devoid of energy.
"Hand over my wife! Right this instant!" The Duke's red eyes, now glowing with barely contained fury, locked onto the bandit holding the rope. The intensity in his gaze was enough to make even the most hardened of n flinch.
The Bandit King's mocking tone rang out across the clearing as he casually walked over, his steps slow and deliberate. "Hmm! You an this woman?" he asked, as if the question were a re formality, as if the Duke's wife were nothing more than a trivial possession to be tossed aside at his whim. He reached out and grabbed the rope that bound the Duchess, his grip tightening as he gave it a sharp tug.
"Is it written anywhere that this woman is your wife?" The Bandit King's voice dripped with cruel amusent, and with a swift motion, he yanked on the rope again, causing the Duchess to stumble forward, her legs shaky as she fell to her knees.
BOOM!
The thunderous crack of lightning shook the very air, the sky above darkened by thick, swirling clouds. The already heavy atmosphere thickened, charged with an almost palpable killing intent.
"You see supernaturals like her are extrely rare" The Bandit King's hand hovered in the air, his hand still suspended in the air, just a breath away from her but still can't reach her. "See this! What a strong ability… even among supernaturals. A barrier that protects from even the aura of an Ascended. Not letting anyone get close. Even artifacts with penetration are aningless against this barrier."
"Though," he began as he removed his hand, his tone almost regretful, as if pretending to sympathize, "it is sad to say that the woman has already used up all her mana and is now using her life force to maintain this barrier."
"Just shut up! Your voice is stinging my ears," the rcenary Queen snapped. She unfolded her arms slowly, the movent deliberate, as her eyes flicked toward the Bandit King. "Hand her over while I am talking peacefully," she added, her tone dangerously asured.
"This woman is a gift from a distant brother of mine," The Bandit King said with mock sincerity, leaning slightly forward, his eyes never leaving her face. "How could I hand her over to you?"
"That distant brother of yours is currently lying on a ship without his head," the Madman taunted, as he spoke, he summoned his spear. He held it up, pointing to the tip stained with dried blood. "See the dried blood on the tip of my spear? There should be your brother's blood sowhere mixed in it. Wanna lick? I'm sure a dog like you will recognize the taste."
The Madman, despite not being an Ascended, boldly continued to provoke one fueled by the unwavering presence of the rcenary Queen at his side.
The Bandit King, his patience at its breaking point, finally unleashed his aura. But as soon as it surged forward it was countered by rcenary Queen's aura.
The Madman, despite not being an Ascended, boldly continued to provoke one fueled by the unwavering presence of the rcenary Queen at his side.
The Bandit King, his patience at its breaking point, finally unleashed his aura. But as soon as it surged forward it was countered by rcenary Queen's aura.
"Enough talking peacefully!" The rcenary Queen's voice thundered through the clearing "Bandits should be declared a race by the empire, that is ant to be slaughtered like pigs!"
In an instant, she was in motion. Her muscles coiled with power, and with a single, fluid motion, both her axes were out. The ground beneath her cracked, splintering with the force of her movent. She was a blur of deadly motion, her axes cutting through the air with brutal intent. In one fluid arc, she was upon him, her axes raised high, ready to cleave down on him.
The Bandit King, his face contorted with fury, retaliated by swinging his saber with a fierce determination at the rcenary Queen.
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