Although perhaps running faster wasn’t always the best solution. It didn’t seem like Savekio had any intention of getting anywhere quickly. Their journey was slow, careful, and traceless.
“Before the two of you throw yourselves into a dangerous situation against poachers” Savekio said one morning as they packed up, “I think it’s best if you both get some more practical experience first.” He poked a thumb behind his shoulder, “Scouted the road earlier, there’s signs of highwaymen seeking tolls. They likely won’t pass up the opportunity to shake down an old man and two children lugging a bunch of goods with them.”
“They’ll be adults won’t they? Can’t we avoid them?” Dreiki asked.
“If my job was to coddle you and keep you safe from any risk, yes. But as my disciple, it’s important for you, Ezo, and Luna to get some more combat experience. Especially when I’m in a position to help you if things go wrong.”
Dreiki thought back to the three boys who had abused Ezo. The Brigands would likely be full grown adults, and in greater numbers.
“Rest assured that if I didn’t think you could handle it, I wouldn’t be telling you to do it. With the training you’ve been doing, you can likely surpass the untrained adult. Highwaymen usually rely on intimidation, though there can be the odd mercenary or veteran in their ranks. As I said, I’ll be there if it’s too much.”
That gave Dreiki a bit of hope. He knew he had gotten stronger in the last two years. He could carry a quarter of a tree trunk over his shoulder weighing about ten times heavier than he was. He had run from the cabin to the river- a distance of about two kilometers- in under three minutes before without need for his magic.
According to Savekio, his newfound strength was a combination of his training and his near death experiences. The soul had ways of strengthening the body and nourishing it. Dreiki had learned that while injuring the soul might have been dangerous, doing so was also necessary for growth.
He had no doubt he could beat those three boys as he was now, but an untold number of adult highwaymen with weapons was a different story altogether. Even if Savekio would be their safety net, he didn’t want to fail again.
“But it would be foolish of us to charge in recklessly even if we know you’re watching. If that’s the case, then we’ll need more information, right? This isn’t just experience, it’s also a test isn’t it? You want to know if we’ve absorbed our training properly and not just when it comes to throwing a punch.”
Savekio grinned, “You’re sharp as ever. You’ve got three questions. What do you want to know?”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Dreiki paused, choosing his words carefully, he wanted to know their number but he also wanted to know how they were spread out. He didn’t want to waste a single question, “How have they grouped and distributed their forces with regards to number and element?”
“Good question. They’ve got five groups total, two groups of two as patrols and scouts, and three larger forces of five to seven. As for their elements, the patrols have at least one wind user in their ranks. As for the rest, it’s likely a mix of the common elements of water, earth, wind, and fire.”
Imperfect information, but Savekio had always taught him to expect that. He wanted to ask about weapons and equipment, but knowing that wasn’t as useful as it seemed at first. Dreiki could already surmise that they likely weren’t heavily equipped, just armed enough to intimidate the average traveler. No, Dreiki had a deeper question, “With the equipment they have at their disposal, who would be the most dangerous traveler they would try to threaten on the road?”
“They likely wouldn’t stop anyone too wealthy for fear of angering a noble. Anyone with armor would also be off their list of potential victims. The most dangerous traveler would likely be either a group of no more than five, or a single traveler wearing light armor and carrying a weapon.”
“So then that means they don’t want to be injured or killed. They want guaranteed wins. Either to overwhelm with numbers, or intimidate with weapons. I’m not going to underestimate them, but it sounds like they aren’t confident in their strength, or they don’t want to risk bounty hunters coming after them.”
Dreiki recalled a few stories involving bandits. Thieves and thugs, much like predators, wouldn’t go after prey that could wound them back unless the payoff was worth injury. Even if xiozians healed quicker than humans, infection and disease were still threats.
If him and Luna proved themselves troublesome enough, they might be able to get them to run.
That was good. He didn’t like the idea of having blood on his hands. But what happened to people who couldn’t fight back? Even if the three of them got the highwaymen to run, they would just harm someone else.
He thought about his last question. What could he ask next? There was something he still needed to know, but he couldn’t think of it.
Luna spoke up first, “What are the conditions of our victory?”
Savekio nodded, “Excellent question. Your condition of survival is to ward off the bandits. But your condition of victory is to render them incapable of mugging other travelers for as long as possible.”
That last sentence caught Dreiki’s ear. They didn’t need to fight, at least not in the beginning. They knew where the ambush was, but that’s exactly why they should avoid it.
Hunters never expected to become prey, but dangerous prey only makes a hunter look elsewhere. Even Bandits needed food, warmth, and a place to stay dry in the rain.
Those who relied on intimidation were also fearful of things they could not intimidate.
A smile curled on Dreiki’s lip as a plan formed in his head, “I know what to do now,” he turned to Luna, “What’s the most terrifying elemental you can summon?”