These guys are professionals. No doubt about it. They were pressing their numbers advantage quite well, but Marina’s dual-wielding style is a good match for fighting two opponents at once. Normally, a person trying for this style would use a longer sword in their dominant hand and a shorter one in the other, but Marina, being ambidextrous, prefers to use two shortswords. They’re light enough to allow a lot of freedom during combat.

When one of her opponents swings at her, she blocks by catching the blade with her two swords. That prompts the other to attack her from behind. Just as expected.

Swiftly, Marina lets go of the sword in her left hand, letting it fall. She immediately catches it in a reverse grip at the same time she pushes the enemy’s blade away with her right. She turns her body and stabs with her left sword, catching the bandit unaware and on the leg.

That should make her work easier.

One of her partners is dead, and the other is wounded. Honestly, she didn’t know them very well at all. They are fairly new to the guild, so she was instructed to take them along in this job to let them gain some field experience. But that doesn’t mean she feels nothing. They still were/are her comrades.

Ideally, she would incapacitate these bandits and leave them alive to be brought back to the capital for interrogation and trial. However, killing them now is fine too.

She clicks her tongue.

Killing them WOULD be fine, but that would also make her job more difficult later.

She finishes turning with a high kick to the wounded bandit’s head that slams him into the ground. An accurate kick like that would normally be enough to knock out a normal person. But this bandit had enhanced his body through the use of prana. He should be more resistant. That’s why that wasn’t a normal kick. It was a Prana Flow enhanced kick. There is zero chance that man is conscious right now.

Without wasting any time, knowing she has another guy behind her, she immediately lowers her stance and swings back blindly, her right sword parrying the stab coming her way. A couple steps back and she’s stable again, with only one enemy remaining.

“Who are you? Why did you attack the caravan?” She asks.

The bandit doesn’t answer, instead pulling a small throwing knife from his pocket and hurling it at her in a well-practiced motion.

Marina reacts in time. The flow of prana in her body changes. What she’s doing now isn’t as simple as Prana Flow. Instead of flowing from deep in her chest towards her limbs, this is like loading a crossbow near her heart. Her chest heats up as the energy flows and concentrates there. Then, she pulls the metaphorical crossbow trigger and swings her sword.

“!?” The bandit gasps. His flying blade was repelled in the literal blink of an eye.

[Martial Arts]. By means of constant practice, a person proficient enough in the control of prana can perform techniques that have come to be called [Martial Arts]. They focus on concentrating prana and releasing it in one go to force the body to unleash a predetermined action.

In this case, the energy building up in Marina’s chest was released in one go, traversing her body not as a constant and gentle flow, but like a jet stream. Her arm moved as if with a will of its own, following the predetermined path and pushing beyond physical limits to swing the sword faster than the normal human body can on its own, intercepting the knife in the air. The person who taught her this technique called it [Quick Slash]. Not very creative, but it does the job.

She takes advantage of the enemy’s surprise and lunges forward with another [Martial Art]. This time, the focused prana shoots to her legs as she lunges. This one is called, well… [Lunge]. By kicking off the ground with more strength than usual, she’s launched forward at near-blinding speed for a short distance.

Once she’s close enough, she slashes at him with both swords. However, her attacks miss. The bandit pulled away, as if being grabbed by the back of his clothes and pulled with great force.

The smug smirk on his face tells her it was intentional. If she had to guess, she’d say that is a type of defensive Martial Art that uses prana to forcefully pull the user away, as if the magical energy grabbed them and pulled them back. It’s a kind of move the body can’t normally do, but becomes possible if you use prana to force it.

Marina has to stop and catch her breath. It’s not terrible, but she has a chance now, so it’s better to take it. She used two Martial Arts in a row. That’s taxing both in the body and the [Soul]. After all, you’re asking the body to do things it can’t accomplish normally. That’s why they call [Martial Arts] ‘the magic of warriors’. You need to have a strong body to perform these kinds of techniques.

There’s a short stare down between Marina and the bandit. And as soon as she prepares to engage again, the bandit’s eyes go wide. She hears a strange sound, then his face twists in agonizing pain and he screams at the top of his lungs.

He falls to one knee on the ground, allowing her to see the reason for his pain. A spear is lodged in his back. So the sound she heard was the spear piercing through his armor and flesh.

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She doesn’t miss a beat and quickly runs up to the bandit and gives him a kick on the head, just like his friend. His body drops unconscious on the ground and she lets herself breathe for a moment, but then remembers there’s a third bandit around. That assassin.

She turns her head in the direction the spear came, and sees one of the guards. The one that spoke to her first is running towards her. There’s blood running down his right shoulder, which is limply hanging at his side.

“Where’s the other?” Marina asks, deciding that there’s not time to worry about his condition. If he can run and throw a spear this accurately, he’s fine.

“She kidnapped one of our bosses. My partner is chasing her down.” He informs quickly, giving her an urgent look that she understands all too well.

“I’ll go back him up. You stay here, tie these two up and try to keep them alive if possible. Also, check the goods you’re carrying again. I bet you’ll find something you didn’t know you had.”

“…” The guard bites his lip and grits his teeth in frustration. Fortunately, he understands that he can’t very well leave these two who could wake up at any minute alone with his boss. “This is that kid’s first real fight. Please, back him up.”

“…” She sighs mentally. She’s no bodyguard or caretaker. However, this request does come from a guy that just helped her. “Sure.” She answers.

She starts running as fast as she can in the direction the guard points out

----------------------------------------

She’s nearing the western edge of the Noble Woods. If the assassin wants to lose them, coming here is a good idea, but dangerous nevertheless. There’s always a chance they’ll encounter a monster stronger than them.

The trees of the Noble Woods are big. They’re tall and have thick trunks. At this time of the year, during summer, the leaves are green and plentiful, letting very little sunlight in. The mix of heat and shadows make the place somewhat humid.

After her first steps into what could be considered the “inside” of the forest, she hears the sound of metal clashing, then shattering. She hurries up in the direction of the sound, only to find the younger guard with his back against a tree and trying to peek behind it.

His shoulders rise and fall with his breath. Has he been fighting? For how long? Why did she hear the clash of blades when the assassin is nowhere to be seen?

“Where are they?” Marina asks, needing to be informed of the situation if the guy wants help. However, she doesn’t get a response. Instead, the guard just looks at her with wide eyes, shocked to see her. He then clicks his tongue and runs toward her, holding his sword at the ready.

“Hold it, you fool! I’m here to help!” She yells, but still readies her own weapons to defend herself. She wonders what to do. She can feel the prana signal coming from him. It’s ridiculous. If she compares it to flowing water, he’s like a river when most people are a gentle stream. This might be his first real fight, but that power and form still say he can be a threat. The true problem is that, with her eyes on that guy, she doesn’t feel the true danger until it’s right next to her.

She turns her head and sees a sphere of magical energy coming directly at her face. Her whole body screams for her to get out of the way, but there’s no time to move. That thing’s going to hit her… and it will kill her.

Again, the sound of metal hitting metal echoes through the woods. From her point of view, all she sees is a sword striking the magic projectile from above, creating sparks as they clash before the magic shatters like cheap iron.

She sees the boy smirk and turn his head up to the trees.

“There you are, lady.” He mutters with excitement. “How many more of those can you shoot, I wonder?” He then backs away from her and hides behind another tree. “Hide!” He yells at her, his smile vanishing. “The woman has my boss and is hiding at the top of the trees, shooting those things.”

Marina curses herself and hides. She’s always been aware that death in battle can be swift, unannounced and without glory, but she still can’t help the feeling of disgust that settles in her throat. Everything she’s worked for could’ve ended right there. She feels her senses sharpening. This assassin is not like the two previous bandits.

“How many times has she shot that?” She asks with urgency. There’s not even time to thank him for saving her life.

The guard starts counting in his head before he answers. “Five.”

Five.

Marina clicks her tongue. They’re dealing with someone truly skilled here. She still doesn’t fully understand the theory behind it, but what the assassin is doing could be called the halfway point between [Martial Arts] and [Magic Spells]. In other words, an [Arcane Art]. Giving form to the prana inside the body and pushing it outwards.

Should they also stop Prana Flow and hide? No. If they did, not only would they be defenseless against a surprise attack, the assassin could very well take the opportunity and escape.

How can they get her?

“She’s… throwing it outwards…” She hears the guard mutter. Does he know what an Arcane Art is? There’s something about the glint in his eyes that warns her of something, but… She can’t really say she dislikes that look.

She sees the guard lick his lips. She watches in confusion as he comes out of hiding and points his left arm in the direction they last felt the assassin’s presence. With his palm open, she can feel the huge amount of Prana flowing through his arm and into his hand.

Is he trying to shoot Prana, just like their opponent!? Does he know how to do it? He has to, right? He couldn’t be so stupid as to try it for the first time mid-fight, right?

The magic is forced out of his arm, but instead of being shot like a projectile, it bursts the moment it’s out. The idiot lets out a pained scream as the Prana practically explodes in his arm. She can’t see the wounds because of the sleeves of the gambeson he’s wearing, but blood is dripping from his hand. Did he just tear off his skin? Or was it worse and he completely ruined his arm?

“Fuck!” The guy curses, letting his arm hang limply as his eyes are still focused on the last known location of the assassin.

“Are you an idiot!? Did you just try that out without knowing how to do it!?”

“You tell me how we’re supposed to get her, then.” He answers back through gritted teeth.

The guy really is a daring idiot, but he has a point. While they’re here tiring themselves by keeping a constant flow of Prana, the enemy is resting and conserving her strength. They need to do something quickly.