[Quest Progress Made]
[Level 11 Bandit Dead.]
[EXP Acquired: 1700]
[Luck Bonus Applied: Critical Hit]
[Bandit Killed: 1 / 5]
The battlefield went silent for a micro-second. The Temple Guardian who was about to be stabbed looked at the dead bandit, then at Leo. The two Level 19s had already paused their attacks, staring at the boy who had just casually no-looked decapitated his bandit.
Leo blinked. He looked at his sword, and then looked at the dead guy.
"Ahemm!" He straightened up, clearing his throat and smoothing his coat. He bowed slightly to the stunned Guardian.
"Oops," Leo said, his voice carrying in the sudden quiet, "My bad. It’s a bit cramped in here. No elbow room. You should really watch where you stand."
The Guardian just stared at him, mouth open. And before anyone could say anything, he turned back to his guys.
"Right," Leo clapped his hands, turning back to his three blinded stooges who were still rubbing their eyes, "This venue is too crowded. I can’t work like this."
He pointed to a small clear area about fifty yards away.
"You three!" Leo shouted at the weeping, sneezing bandits, "We are moving! The VIP section is over there!"
He didn’t wait for them to agree. He sprinted away, his boots eating up the distance.
He stopped in the new clearing, spun around, and put two fingers in his mouth.
WHISTLE!
The sound was sharp and piercing.
"What are you waiting for? Here puppy, puppy, puppy!" Leo called out, waving his arms, "Co and get it! Fresh at!"
The three blinded bandits, humiliated, in pain, and filled with a rage that bordered on madness, roared. They grabbed their weapons from the mud.
"KILL HIM!" the Level 8 bandit scread, tears streaming down his red face, "I AM GOING TO EAT HIS LIVER!"
They charged after him, away from the main fight.
anwhile, Bane watched the scene from his spot.
He had seen the "accidental" kill. He saw the backswing. He saw his man drop.
He adjusted his monocle, a flicker of annoyance crossing his handso face.
"Sloppy," Bane muttered, "Fucking useless piece of shit!"
He looked at the main lee. His n were winning, but it was taking too long. The Temple Guardians were stubborn. They were bleeding, their armour was dented, but they refused to die. They fought with desperate, fanatical strength.
"Inefficient," Bane sighed.
He reached into the inner lining of his velvet jacket. He pulled out a set of three throwing knives. They were thin, balanced needles of steel, glowing with a faint, purple arcane aura.
"Let’s speed this up," he whispered, "If the Boss gets impatient..."
Bane shook his head, not wanting to think.
He watched the fight. A Guardian raised his shield to block an axe blow from a Level 23 bandit.
Bane flicked his wrist.
ZIP!
The knife flew through the air, a streak of purple light. It struck the Guardian in the exposed wrist holding the sword.
"ARGH!" The Guardian cried out, his grip failing. His sword tip dropped.
The Level 23 bandit didn’t miss the opening. He slamd his sword into the Guardian, knocking him back, and slashed a deep gash across the man’s chest.
Bane smiled. He pulled another knife.
Another Guardian was preparing to strike. But before he could, Bane threw his knife again. The knife embedded itself in the back of the Guardian’s knee. The leg buckled. The Guardian fell, his strike missing, and he was imdiately kicked in the face by the Level 16 Bandit.
Blood began to flow freely. The Guardians were being whittled down by invisible strikes they couldn’t see and couldn’t block. Their formation was crumbling.
anwhile, fifty yards away, Leo was back to fighting his three stooges.
The pepper had mostly washed out of their eyes with their own tears, restoring their vision to a blurry haze. They were angrier than ever.
The Level 8 bandit swung his axe with lethal intent, "Hold still, you little rat!"
Leo ducked. The axe whistled past his head and bit deep into the trunk of a pine tree with a solid, wooden THUNK.
The bandit snarled and yanked, But the axe didn’t budge.
Leo’s eyes lit up. It was an Opening.
He pivoted on his heel, sword flashing as he lunged in for the killing blow... But...
"GET DOWN!" one of the Level 6 bandits scread. The level 8 bandit dropped on his knees, and by the ti Leo could dodge, sothing whistled through the air.
Leo barely had ti to register the incoming blur before it smacked into the side of his head.
THWACK!
"Fuck !" Leo cursed.
It was a rock. A stupid, fist-sized rock.
Leo staggered mid-strike. His sword went wide.
Instead of a clean thrust into the Level 8’s ribs, the blade slamd point-first into the sa pine tree.
The blade buried itself horizontally, wedged solidly into the trunk at about chest height.
Leo stared at it.
The Level 8 bandit stared.
They both stared at the sword embedded in the tree, right next to the axe.
"...Seriously?" Leo muttered, "You got to be kidding !"
The Level 8 let out a triumphant bark of laughter, "Ha! Now you are mine..."
The bandit let go of the axe and lunged forward, throwing a heavy punch.
Leo jerked back to avoid it. His foot slipped. He stumbled sideways, one leg kicking out as he tried to keep his balance.
At that exact mont, a Level 10 bandit burst into the scene.
He was moving desperately fast dodging a sweeping spear thrust from a Temple Guardian on his heels.
"MOVE!" the Guardian shouted at Leo.
The Level 10 twisted, ducking the spear, but... He caught Leo’s outstretched leg.
"Aaaauuhhh!"
His montum betrayed him. He pitched forward, neck snapping sideways as he fell straight across the blade.
There was a sharp, aty SCHLK! And the sword sheared clean through.
The bandit’s head spun away into the mud, eyes still wide in surprise.
His body staggered two more steps before collapsing bonelessly at the base of the tree, right at Leo’s legs.
Silence.
[System Notification]
[Level 10 Bandit Defeated.]
[EXP Acquired: 1500]
[Luck Bonus Applied: Critical Fumble]
[Quest progress: Bandits killed 2 /5]
Leo froze.
He looked at his leg.
He looked at the sword stuck in the tree.
He looked at the headless corpse.
The Level 8 bandit’s fist hovered inches from Leo’s face. His expression drained of all color.
The other two bandits stared in mute horror.
Leo slowly pulled his sword free. Blood dripped from the blade.
"...Wow," Leo said after a mont. "That was... extrely unfortunate. And not what I intended to do!"
He glanced at the Temple Guardian, who had skidded to a halt, staring at the scene.
Then back at the bandits.
Leo shrugged, offering a sheepish grin.
"Clumsy," he said, "You really shouldn’t run during a fight."
He tapped the sword lightly against his boot.
"Trip hazards are everywhere."
** ** ** ** ** **
Reviews
All reviews (0)