We stood at the place where Relona last saw the footprints leading into the forest. The scout crouched as she studied the ground with a clinical intensity, eyes flickering along the faintly pressed earth. There were only the two of us, since the more people who came along, the more likely we’d lose the tracks to our footprints.
Relona suddenly stood, staring forward with a frown. “Stay close and stay quiet. I’ve picked up their trail.” Without waiting for my response, she shot into the thick forestry upon light steps.
I followed her without trouble, keeping pace as my eyes flickered through our surroundings. As I kept pace with her, I reached behind me to double check the new weapon that Sora had given me before heading off with Relona…
“Wait a moment.” I stopped at the entrance of the inn, turning around to see Sora walking up to me, an object in her left hand. She came to a slow stop and held out her hand, showing to a black sheathed knife. The sheath was primarily black, though there was a white streak along the inner curve. There was a curved, ovular guard, reminding me of a K-bar, though with a stylistic medieval bent.
I lifted the weapon from her hand, holding it by the sheath. Overall, it seemed to be around seven and a half inches long, from tip to pommel. An electric-like tingle raced up my hand as I held it, but it didn’t feel like my Affinity triggering, considering I’ve held daggers and knives before.
“This is Kato,” Sora explained, causing me to look back up to with a frown.
“We just picked me up a sword…”
Sora let out a faint laugh. “And we both know your history with them.” I rolled my eyes at that, though I focused them on her when her hands rested on mine, wrapping my fingers around the hilt. “Should your sword break, Kato will not.”
I tried to ask more, but a combination of factors prevented from doing that. The knife was attached to my belt, parallel to it, lengthwise. My feet raced along the cluttered earth, skipping past exposed roots and around bushes to keep noise to a minimum. I occasionally lost sight of Relona, but I could still see flickers of a muted red, that faded in and out as I caught sight of her again and again. She moved like a shadow, vanishing as the light faded in and out as we ventured further into the woods.
Suddenly, she came to a stop by a thick trunk of a nearby tree. Lifting a hand, Relona waved me down. I ghosted over to her side and peeked around the tree. “We’re close.” She explained, her gaze focusing in the distance through narrowed eyes. “The entrance to the camp is just up ahead.” Relona turned her head to looked towards me. “The hostages are likely kept in the back of the camp, farther from the village.”
“And if you want to search for them, I’ll slow you down.” She nodded in response to my blunt assessment. “Then, go. I’ll keep watch from here.” Relona didn’t reply at my words, just studying me. I found myself rolling my eyes at her subtle disbelief at my willingness to follow her lead. “Look. Pride has nothing to do with this. I want them saved just as much as the next person. You do what you need to do, and I’ll support you.” I kept my voice low but tried to convey my sincerity to her.
Relona’s lips curled downwards, not responding to my words for a few moments before she nodded. “Stay and keep watch. If they realize that something is wrong, then get their attention.” She then stepped around me, vanishing in the underbrush. Waiting a few moments for her to gain some ground, I turned my attention back to the opposite side of the tree. Leaning against it, I peered around the tree and took Relona’s former position.
From where I stood, I could see the bandit camp. Cloth tents were raised, covered fire pits created in the center of the field, with several wooden cages that riddled the far end of the site. A hastily crafted wooden shed rested on the other end, with men in leather and cloth armor going in and out of it in random intervals. They spoke to one another in voices that I couldn’t hear, laughing about something.
“They’re laughing about the village’s poor defenses.” A feminine voice whispered behind me, causing me to twist around, unsheathing the knife that Sora had given me. Pressing the blade to the newcomer, I roughly grabbed her by the shoulder and spun us around to hold her against the tree. The stranger appeared to be a young woman around my age with black bangs and short black hair that fell to just above the bottom of her ears. She wore a set of formfitting black leathers that hugged her lithe, feminine figure, clearly meant to distract those she fought. An empty sheath poked out from below her left elbow, diagonally pointing to the ground. Dark eyes studied me, showing no fear, only curiosity. Her skin had a naturally pale pallor; her face from the bridge of the nose downward covered by a cloth mask.
“Who are you?” I demanded an answer from the stranger, watching as she lifted her head when I pressed the knife closer to her neck.
“Kato.” Her voice came out in a faint monotone, eyes watching me closely.
I furrowed my brow, flickering my gaze between her and the camp to make sure I would remain aware of my surroundings. I looked back at the woman. “Kato? The hell do you mean? The same as the knife?”
Her expression twisted, brows furrowing at my answer, though her lips remained unmoving. “Knife? I am no simple ‘knife.’” She sounded insulted by my summation of the weapon in my hand.
Confusion filled me at her answer. “What? What are you-” I felt my eyes widen before they narrowed. The air around her seemed to shift as I focused solely on her, a flicker of light dancing in her dark eyes, like a reflection in the steel of the blade. “You’re the dagger…” I continued, choosing a different name for the weapon.
She still didn’t look happy at my name for her weapon form but nodded nonetheless. I pulled the blade from her throat and shifted to the side, allowing her to step to my flank. “We can speak later, if you wish, Milord,” Kato spoke silently, her stern gaze turning from me to the bandit camp.
“You’re damn right, we are,” I replied with a murmur, leaning back against the tree and I returned the dagger to the sheath at my back. Watching the men go back and forth, I kept an eye out for anything that would give me the warning to support Relona.
“The half-elf is too skilled for you to notice at your current level of awareness,” Kato spoke softly, her gaze watching the camp. She peered around the other side of the tree. “The best time for you to act would be when a majority of them move towards the cages in the back of the camp.”
I frowned at her unwarranted advice but said nothing to disregard them. Merely taking in her words, I continued to observe, until they finally sunk in. Shock flew through me. “Wait?! Half-elf?” I whispered to her, surprised at the description of Relona.
Kato frowned at me, a hint of disapproval in her gaze. “You didn’t know?” A second of silence passed, before she nodded once, her expression smoothing over. “You didn’t know. You’ve yet to learn how to discern species at sight.” Her eyes went from me to the camp, then back to me. “You will learn of your abilities as time passes. If you have any questions, feel free to bring them towards myself or Soralynn.”
I couldn’t help but give her a disbelieving stare, blinking at her blunt admission as if she hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on me. Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. Holding back a sigh, I turned my attention back onto the camp. They were still milling about, though I did catch strange movement near the back. Colors danced in my vision, illuminating different members of the group. I narrowed my eyes and watched they began to get rowdy, happily exclaiming as a few of them decided to head to the back.
“We need to get closer.” I murmured as I slipped away from the tree and crouched closer to the brush. Kato silently followed after me, sticking to my shadow in a strangely unobtrusive manner. I slid forward with silent footsteps until I managed to gain a better view of the camp. Reaching a rather thin tree closer to the edge of the area, I crouched down and leaned against it with most of my body weight to keep the majority of pressure off my legs, hand resting on the trunk. At this point, I could hear them.
“How much did the boss say we needed to get before returning?” One of them spoke up as they milled about in their tents.
“As much silver as we can carry.” The second started in a raspy voice. “But, if they have gold, then we bleed ‘em for all they’re worth.”
“Heh. I ‘member bossman calling this place a ‘treasury’ or somethin’ like that.”
A third one cut in. “Hostages would work pretty good. Making sure they know we mean business.” He meandered around an unlit firepit. “They probably know we got ‘em by now.”
“Yes. Because one idiot got too excited.” The first one spoke up, his shadow peeking out from inside of a tent. “Now we got to keep watch; else we’ll get surprised.”
The third man snorted. “Those old fools won’t dare. We got their women and brats.”
“I still say we pull one of the woman-folk out and have some fun.” The raspy one grumbled, walking out of the tent. “There were a bunch of plump bitches I’d love to pick from.”
“And the boss said no ‘tasting the merchandise.’” The first snarled at him, causing the raspy one to flinch away. “That sort of shit pisses off the townsfolk, makin’ them call in the knights. We don’ need that kind o’ heat.”
“Milord.” Kato’s monotone voice pulled me from my observations. “Your hand.” I looked to what she pointed out and saw that my fingers had dug into the wood of the tree. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to calm down and lessen the pressure my fingers gave off.
“Fuck it.” The raspy one snarled. “Oi! You! Bring out one of the girls. I’m bored!” My eyes shot open as I stared at the source. The man pointed to one of the grunts. “Take one to my tent, now!” The man took off running as if shocked.
The owner of the first voice stormed forward and grabbed him by the collar of his armor. “What did I just say?!”
“The boss said to enjoy ourselves.” The raspy one retorted, pushing him back. “’ Sides, we’re not sellin’ all of them to those slavers.”
“You stupi-” The three of them froze and turned to face the direction I was in, standing as they did. “Who the hell are you?!”
As they argued, I had decided that I would wait no longer, done listening to their pointless arguments. I wasn’t going to stand by and allow them to take advantage of a defenseless young woman. The fact that I was a ‘Demon Lord’ meant nothing compared to that. I had a fucking conscience, and it demanded a single thing from me: stop these bastards, no matter what.
If they had to die? Then so be it.
I stood and strode into the campsite without a care in the world, already drawing my sword from its sheath. Kato fell into step with me, a foot behind me, and to my right. At his question, I turned my attention solely on him, causing him to flinch back. They all wore similar armor, with little variation. Basic, black leathers that hung loosely, while carrying an assortment of bladed weaponry. From the other tents, more men walked out, each of them covered in dirt and grass stains, all bringing their weaponry, from bows to daggers, to swords.
I stared at the trio who I heard speak before showing myself. “Who I am doesn’t matter to you, because I’m here to make one thing clear.” I hefted my sword, allowing the late morning sunlight to bounce off of it. “I’m going to break you.”
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The first and third stared at me, appearing unnerved. Whether it was at my appearance or demeanor, I didn’t know. The second one, though, laughed at me with a raspy voice. The man's dirty face marred by a scar along his ear and over his lips sneering at me. “Gonna break us, eh? You and your girly, there? Don’t make me laugh.”
I saw Kato shift in my periphery, a flicker of steel in her hands, palms facing behind her. She seemed to be waiting on my word.
I took a single step forward, causing the two I mentioned earlier to flinch. “You’re a cocky one, aren’t you? Go ahead. Bring me your best.” I challenged him, allowing my anger to come forward, shaping the grin that I gave them. At that, all three were unnerved. “Because I’ll take your best and bend it over my knee. Everything you’ve ever accomplished; all the pride you’ve felt? I’ll make it all pointless.” Adrenaline surged through me, my heart pounding, as I finally voiced my newfound confidence.
The raspy one snarled at me. “Keep your delusions to yourself, boy.”
The first grimaced as he looked from me to his comrades. “I don’t like the look of this kid…” He pulled a pair of hand axes from his belt, his hands flexing as he adjusted his grips.
The third shook his head, lifting the spear from his back. “I think…the smart thing would be to retreat.”
The second bandit sneered at his comrades. “You fools are scared of this brat? He’s just a kid!” He pointed at me. “Get ‘em, boys!” At that, all the men that had stepped out of their tents charged towards Kato and me.
I felt nothing at the difference in numbers, only disappointment. “Kato. Keep them off my back. I’m going to take out the garbage.”
Kato bent her legs, her hands opening at her flanks, naked blades falling from between her fingers. “At your command, Milord.” She threw her hands forward, causing the knives to fly through the air. She was a black streak as she raced ahead of me, intercepting the men who charged towards me.
I kicked forward, seconds after her, allowing a grin to appear on my face. The raspy one flinched as I reached him, clearly surprised by my exuberance. Thrusting my sword forward, I aimed to disembowel the poor bastard. The man managed to get his sword in the way of my attack, pushing it aside with a grunt. Before he could retaliate, though, I slugged him across the jaw with my free hand. Blood streaked from his mouth as I felt his teeth cut the skin on my knuckles. He staggered from me, looking woozy. Before I could continue my assault, the remaining two bandits joined to support their comrade.
They attacked me from both of my sides, aiming to hem me in from the left and the right. I lifted my sword and swiftly parried both attacks, following up with a kick to the third guy’s stomach and a backhanded slash at the first outlaw. They staggered from me, grimacing from my attacks and glaring at me in turn. I let out a laugh at the trio, lowering my sword to show how little of a threat I considered them.
The three of them managed to gather their wits and looked to one another, each looking torn between frustrated and accepting. After a few seconds, they reluctantly nodded following one another. The trio separated and began to surround me, stepping out of my periphery. I turned my head to look to each of them, allowing my grin to grow even more. I clenched the hand holding the sword, and I heard my knuckles crack. My eyes flicked about them as I willed my shoulders to relax. “Time to go in order,” I muttered to myself.
I exhaled softly and whipped around to face the first guy that I heard. He didn’t look surprised as I charged him, my sword singing as I swung it towards him. He brought up one of his axes and blocked my sword with the haft, directly beneath the blade. Twisting his weapon, he tried to rip my sword from my hand, but I stepped forward and into his guard, drilling an elbow into his chest. The bandit exhaled painfully, staggering back from the impact of my strike. I pulled my sword free from his attempt to disarm me and unleashed another barrage of attacks.
My sword sang as I slashed at him again and again. I struck from all sides, forcing him to stay on the backfoot. Steel clanged and echoed from the clash of our blades, but I slipped forward and punched him in the throat. He gagged and staggered back, but as I tried to follow up, I felt a tingle race up my spine. Ducking down, I dodged a stab of the third’s spear. Jerking to the side, I threw my left arm upwards and against the haft of his spear with my armored vambrace. Stunned by my counter, the third grunted and tried to recover. The point of my sword rocketed to his open flank.
The second roared and slashed at my back; I caught sight of him through my periphery. Abandoning my current attack, I dug the heel of my left foot in the earth and pivoted to the side. Ducking beneath the attack, I rotated around and jammed the hilt of my sword in the second bandit’s flank. He exhaled painfully from the blow, nearly dropping his sword as he took a step back. I stomped my foot into the ground and sprang forward, my sword spearing forward with a twist of my waist. He grimaced, but blocked my lunge, though I forced his sword aside.
In my periphery, an ax flickered into sight, clearly aiming for my back. My sword intercepted its path and was forced to stagger back from the impact. The spear tried to gore me from behind me, but I sidestepped it, aiming an overhead slash at the third.
Time and time again, the three tried to use the fact that they had surrounded me to strike me down, but all it proved was that my heightened instincts were beyond what they were before my death. My reflexes answered every one of their attacks, and I pushed them back again and again. They thought they had me; that all it’d take for them to kill me finally was a single lucky strike. Unfortunately for them, this was just a moment for me to feel how different my body became after my resurrection.
My senses were sharper; I could hear the whistle of steel swung through the air; I could taste their frustration, their anger, at being unable to hit me. My instincts were almost precognitive, forcing my body to react literally seconds after catching their movements. I felt stronger, able to brush aside their strikes with little effort. I could predict where they’d move next by studying their expressions, reading them like an open book. My Affinity had seemingly triggered with my very body, considering it a weapon in and of itself. But I knew that wasn’t the case, because this was me. This battle, these actions, was all me.
Throwing my free hand to the side, I caught the haft of the spear as the third once again failed to pierce me with it. Throwing it downwards, I heard the bandit grunt as he fell to a knee. Stepping towards him, I planted my foot onto the haft of his spear and pushed it onto the ground. The third bandit, now disarmed, tried to flee with a stutter step backward, but I was too fast for him. Kicking forward, I flexed my arm as my sword ripped through his armor and out of his back. He hacked out a cough, blood painting his chin.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and made an about-face, turning to the remaining two bandits. They looked on in shock and rage at what I had just done. The second let out a growl as he raced ahead, much to the first’s surprise. A kick from me forced my impromptu shield to tear himself off my bloodied sword and crash into the charging bandit. The two of them became a mass of chaotic limbs before falling to the ground with a thud and echoing snarls.
I turned my attention to the first bandit with a grin, slashing my sword to the side to force the blood to fly off it. Leaning forward, I raced towards him with a lunge. He swung an ax to counter my thrust, aiming at my face, but I ducked passed it. The bandit attempted to jerk to the side to avoid a fight-ending stab through his gut, but couldn’t evade the gash that I opened up on his side. He growled and unleashed a flurry of ax swipes, clearly hoping to overwhelm me. My sword answered his every strike, meeting them at every blow, every swing.
With a twist of my blade, I hooked my sword beneath the edge of his ax and ripped one of his weapons from his right hand. It flipped midair, soaring upwards until I swiped it off the air with my free hand. Within the same swing, I slashed downwards and felt flesh give way as his left hand fell to the ground, blood dripping from his severed wrist. Stunned from the loss of his hand, he froze and stared at where it once was. Just as he appeared to break from his stupor, I flipped the sword in my grasp until the blade pointed to the ground. Stabbing downwards, I pinned his foot to the earth with my sword.
The first bandit let out an echoing cry as I stabbed his foot into the earth. Ripping my sword free, I slid backward and viciously kicked him in the chest. He fell to the ground with the air knocked out of him. I dropped my foot back to the ground and sauntered over to him. Reaching down, I grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head up. His mouth opened as his eyes widened with fear, but I did not let him speak, just punching him in the face with the cross guard of my sword. Blood spurted from his shattered nose as his head lolled in my grip as he fell limp.
Letting him go, I turned around just in time to see the second bandit climbing to his feet, after having separated from his beaten comrade. He panted and looked from me to his fallen allies. Fear flickered in his gaze before he snuffed it with rage. “The hell are you?!”
“Your ‘boss’,” I growled out, my voice rougher than usual and lips parted to reveal my teeth, ignoring his question. “What is his name?” Even as my heart pounded in my chest, I didn’t feel tired. No. I felt excited, ready to continue, ready to push myself even harder. I wasn’t winded. It was such a rush, not having to worry about my asthma crippling me anymore.
“Fuck you!” The bandit took a reluctant step back.
A laugh bubbled within my chest. “You’re going to be stubborn? Now?” I took a step forward, causing him to stagger backward. “Your comrades got off easy. You’re all kidnapping scum, but at least they weren’t planning on violating anyone.” I lifted my sword and pointed the tip at him. Blood dripped off the guard and the blade, from my previous attacks on the defeated men at my feet. “Your comrades are alive at my mercy, but you’ll get far worse if you don’t answer my question. Who is your leader?”
He gritted his teeth, looking around frantically. “He doesn’t-” He slashed at me with his sword, clearly trying to surprise me. I scoffed as I lazily flicked my sword to the side, the flat of the blade smacking him on the arm. He jerked back as I stepped forward and threw a left jab at his face. My bloody knuckles broke his nose with an echoing crack. He dropped his sword and put both hands over his nose, letting out a cry of pain.
With the same hand, I reach forward and grabbed him by the throat, digging my thumb into the point between his jugulars. He gagged nasally, dropped to his knees, his hands grabbing my wrist to try and pry himself free. I stared down at him, keeping my expression neutral as I felt my frustration rising. “You’re trying my patience. Tell me what I want to know.” He nodded as frantically as he could despite my grip on his neck. I narrowed my eyes at him, noticing the rising fear that began to color the air around his body, overriding the anger that had dominated him earlier. “I’m going to let you go. If I don’t get the answer, I want…” I placed the tip of my sword below his left eye, very carefully breaking the skin to cause a drop of blood to surface. He whimpered at my threat, grunting in assent and holding himself back from nodding.
Releasing him, I stepped back and watched as he sucked in breath after breath, gingerly rubbing his neck. I waited patiently as he gathered himself. “Well?” I prompted him, his shoulder stiffening.
“The Boss…” He sucked in a breath, his voice even raspier than before. “The boss normally goes by Yin.” He flinched as I narrowed my eyes at his answer before he tried to explain himself. “We don’t know his real name! He hasn’t told anyone aside from his righthand man! We’re just grunts!”
“Yin, huh.” I mused as I considered the name. Something like seems painfully obvious, considering what Sora has told me. ‘Yin’ is a Chinese term, if my memory serves me well. Is it wrong of me to assume it’s Guang? I’ll have to shelve it for later. “I see.”
The second bandit nodded frantically, before grimacing as he gingerly rubbed his throat. “I told you all I know! Can-can-can, I go?”
“Can you go?” I gave him an incredulous stare before I snorted. My foot snapped out, catching him in the throat. Blood erupted from between his lips as he fell backward, gagging as he held his throat. “Kidnapping innocent women and children; threatening to ‘taste the merchandise.’” I felt my upper lip peel back, baring my teeth in an obvious sneer. “You must be delusional if you think I’ll let you go after hearing that. I’ll let you live, all of you, but only until the villagers can get their justice.”
I stood there, feeling better than I ever have had before. It felt like adrenaline raced through my veins, yet I had no jitters, no shaking limbs, nothing. My lungs flared, sucking in air and expelling it with an ease that frightened me, knowing my history with asthma. I felt stronger, more focused, and capable of doing so much more than before. I sucked in air through my nose and rolled my shoulders.
I turned away from him, ignoring his pained gagging and gasps for breath, to see that Relona had returned and stood next to a motionless Kato. Both seemed to watch me; the former with a stoic curiosity and the latter radiating a silent approval. “Is everyone safe?” I asked Relona.
She offered me a slow nod, her eyes rolling over the beaten bandits around me. She appeared torn between amusement and frustration. “I saw where they held the hostages.” Relona started with a whisper. She frowned, eyes narrowing as she stared at them. “Why didn’t you kill them?”
My response didn’t come immediately. Why didn’t I kill the outlaws? I defeated them. I proved my dominance as a better warrior; I proved my might. In a world like this, the common thread of society is ‘might makes right.’ So why didn’t I kill them? Do I want that weight? Do I even care about these men? They’re kidnappers, thieves, murderers and much worse. I shouldn’t care, but…
“It’s not my place to decide if they live or die,” I answered her, reaching into a pocket of my jacket. Pulling out a clean, white rag, I wiped down the blade of my sword. “I’ll leave it to the people they’ve hurt to decide how they’re punished.” Studying my sword, I nodded as I thoroughly cleaned it of their blood. “That is the justice I will offer. No more, no less.”
Relona took in my answer with a curious frown, studying me with a surprising intensity. Her forest green eyes stared deep into my own, before examining my face. Then she closed her eyes and nodded. “I fired the flare. The militia will be here soon.”
“What about the rest of the bandits?” I didn’t see any other bodies around the pair.
“They have been tied up, Milord,” Kato explained, bowing her head to me. “I managed to defeat a few of them before she decided to join me.” There was a hint of frustration in her tone as if she wanted to do more. Did she want to kill them? Or was she angry that Relona stepped into her fight? I’ll have to ask her when we’re alone.
“The militia will decide their fate,” Relona stated, closing her eyes as she nodded.
I hummed and looked around me, wondering what happens next.