A faint spark ignited in front of Xavier not even a full minute after he dealt with the three Demonic Card Holders.
The signal!
He recognized the first signal and started counting in his mind. Exactly ten seconds later, Xavier used Whispering Energy to relay his mother’s command to his allies.
[Attack together!]
Xavier grasped a faint shadow thread and jumped through the shadows to appear behind the southern gate without making a sound. His head flicked in all directions as Glut and Umbra emerged from the Soul World. Umbra merged with the shadows surrounding the makeshift buildings whereas Glut soared high up into the air where Zora’s sparrows were already waiting for him.
The sparrows conjured blazing flames all around them and compressed them into blades and spears before releasing them into the Bandit Camp. It was important to precisely aim at the targets because nobody wanted to injure the captives in the Bandit Camp. Luckily, it was not difficult to distinguish the Bandits from the helpless. The sparrows released the blazing blades and spears with a burst of energy. They cut through the air with terrifying velocity and hit most targets. Some Bandits perceived the danger early, but the majority were oblivious to the incoming attacks. They felt safe and sound in the Bandit Camp.
Only one Bandit died from the sparrows’ initial attack, but that was good enough. The attack was not yet over. The barrage of projectiles had yet to cease.
Following that, massive roots burst out of the ground. The tremors destroyed some makeshift buildings and parts of the camp walls. The massive roots smashed against the northern gate and tore it apart. Fragments of the wooden gate shot in all directions, hitting two unguarded Bandits in the back and side.
Silvia, Mark, and Leyla stepped into the Bandit Camp through the northern entrance. Mark’s body was coated in a red hue that attracted everyone’s attention whereas Silvia willed the massive roots to move forward. More, smaller roots emerged around Silvia. They lunged at the Bandits and coiled around their limbs and waists, restraining their movements.
“Your Card Set is amazing, darling!” Mark praised his wife, who rolled her eyes.
“We don’t have time for pleasantries. Block their attacks and keep an eye out for their leader. We cannot miss him!” Silvia chided, her stomach twisting and turning as Leyla’s arrows hurled past her…straight at the Bandits and through their eyes or throats.
She clenched her fists and bit on her lower lip so hard that blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. Mark worried about his wife but he couldn’t say much to console her. The new world wasn’t merciful. It was probably not the last time they would have to fight humans. Kill them.
He turned his head back to the front where he saw a group of six men emerge from a wooden hut. They wielded two-handed longswords and large battle-axes and flexed their protruding muscles as they swung them around menacingly.
“Some help would be great,” Mark said in a voice barely loud enough for his wife to hear. She regained her senses and used the Cards of her Uncommon Card Set to control the surrounding roots freely. Mark charged ahead, followed by the surge of dozens of roots. The Bandits slashed some roots before they could touch them but the roots kept moving even after their blades cut neatly through them.
Mark blocked two attacks and used Attention Grabber, a superior version of Taunt, to force the Bandits to look at him. The moment they looked at him, Mark changed into a defensive stance. He waited until the roots coiled around the Bandit, restraining their movements significantly. Some were strong enough to tear the roots apart with brute force but the roots were relentless. They slowed the Bandits, and tightened their grip like a python, creating an opening for Leyla and Mark.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Several arrows whizzed through the air in a beautiful arc before they embedded into the Bandit’s necks, chest, or eye sockets. The Bandits struggled and used several Cards to destroy the roots around them but the arrows had already found their way into their bodies by the time they regained freedom to move. Two Bandits collapsed lifelessly to the ground, a puddle of blood forming around them, while the others sustained severe injuries. Mark used Heavenly Strike on the closest Bandit, severing the man in two before a shield formed around him.
A young man appeared next to Mark Vador. His hand was pressed against his back as he used several Cards. Mark’s physical strength and Agility increased by more than 30% for the next 30 seconds.
“Thanks for the boost!” Mark shouted as he kicked the ground, propelling his body forward. The shield around him moved according to Mark’s will. He didn’t have to switch into a different gear to wield the shield in one hand and the heavy blade in his other hand. He blocked two incoming attacks with a precise mental command that pushed the shield between him and the axes that were about to cut him down.
In the next instance, Mark’s power erupted. He slashed at the nearest enemy, shattering the Bandit’s blade as he raised it to block Mark’s attack. However, the blade was not the only thing that shattered. Mark’s attack was not yet over. He didn’t lose much momentum to shatter the Bandit’s blade. His attack continued. The razor-sharp edge of his blade cut deep into the Bandit.
The poor man’s eyes widened in terror as he realized what happened, yet he wasn’t even given the grace to scream aloud. Mark kicked the dying man into the other Bandits that were charging at him. He twisted his body and executed Fatal Strike, an Uncommon Card, which granted his next attack a drastic boost in power. His weapon thrust forward and pierced neatly through the thick metal breastplate of the burly Bandit before him.
An arrow whizzed past his head, reaping the life of another Bandit, only for Mark to deal with the rest – not that there was much left to deal with, in the first place.
After their first encounter with Bandits inside the camp, Mark decided to focus on protecting Silvia and Leyla. They paced around the outskirts of the Bandit camp and searched for the captives. And what the ladies saw made their stomachs twist and their eyes widen with horror.
There were a few makeshift huts that were densely packed and built in a corner. The huts looked like they would collapse any moment. As the trio neared the huts an overpowering stench invaded their nostrils. The huts were nothing short of an open defecation area filled with human waste that nobody bothered to clean.
The smell was so horrible that Silvia turned to the side and retched before emptying her stomach. Leyla wrinkled her nose in disgust at the horrific state the captives were kept in the settlement. Most of them were chained to the walls, covered in tattered and threadbare clothes and could barely move. They looked sick, malnourished and just like skeletons with a thin layer of skin over their fragile bodies. When the trio arrived, most did not even move or look up, fearing that their captors had returned to torture them.
Mark went to Silvia’s side and patted her back gently before offering her water to wash her face and then a mask to cover her face with. He then did the same with Leyla who said no to the water but accepted the mask. After ensuring that both were okay, Mark headed inside the huts to rescue the prisoners.
He did not say a word but his expression was grim. This camp went against his ideals in every possible way. The leaders hurt the innocent, preyed on the weak and were abusing their strength. He grimaced in disgust and vowed to kill every single person who did this.
The remaining members of the strike force had barged through the eastern and western gates as well. But they didn’t charge into the Bandit Camp’s center. On the contrary, the Archers and Sorceress stayed far away from the center. Their attention was on the camp walls where they got into position with a vanguard protecting them from all kinds of attacks.
Once the Archers and Sorcerers got into position, several Cards were used to pinpoint the location of all life. Once the locations had been exposed, the Archers and Sorcerers could release their attacks mindlessly – almost. They’d been ordered not to hit the weak signals of the living spread throughout the Bandit Camp. After all, hunting innocent, defenseless victims was not their mission.
The Bandits were attacked from all sides. They didn’t even know what was happening when they collapsed to the ground. Some tried to hide but the Pyromancers and sparrows’ fireballs possessed enough destructive power to smash their hideouts into smithereens.
The cacophony of desperate screams, thunderous explosions, and pained groans reached everyone. It was terrifying, but they didn’t stop.
The Bandits had to die if they didn’t want to fall victim to their attacks next.