The old man and the boy were lying on their belly on each of a tree branch, the old man was on a higher branch while Simon was just below him. They were still in a forest, southern part of the eastern continent.
“Have you counted them right? What’s your bet?” the old man asked in a low voice, it had been three days after that incident. Simon and the old man finally found the thieves' hideout, it was a ruin.
These ruins; many of them were scattered all around the continents. The similar and common thing about them was it's impossible to use external magic when inside it. Buffs and some enchantments were possible though.
The old man taught Simon how to track bandits, it was the reason they let one get away, it was actually easy since humans leave much more traces than animals and monsters who would live among nature. The location of the ruins was a walk going south of the forest where they met the merchant and his family.
They have been observing them for 2 days already. “20 plus” Simon guessed.
“Oh you are getting better at counting I see! We will have to tackle some math sometimes but for now, let’s check your answer!” the old man said laughingly.
“How about you, your bet?” the laugh made the boy doubt his own answer.
“26… 2 captives probably they have some women,” the old man answered. He deducted it from the dirty smiling face of the thieves.
“Don’t hesitate, boy, break their arms, their neck… don’t get hit by anything…” he added as he stood up. It was time to act. It was an autumn thing when bandits became active because it was time to gather bounties from the lands and such.
<--->
The inside of the ruins was dark. A lone man sat on a wooden chair, there were clutters of treasures and sacks of food all around him.
A forgotten hero. A son of a fallen noble. How far has he fallen? Now he was the leader of a band of thieves the Red Raiders. He blamed fate, he blamed his peers. He suddenly started to hear something strange.
The dim light and his broken conscience were slowly eroding his mind and senses.
There was still some fresh meat ready to be violated tonight, they found these 2 girls in a nearby forest; foraging, and the boys took them, one was still young and the other was in the right age. He ignored the noise as he started to salivate on what they would do tonight. His creepy smile made the two girls tied in front of him shiver.
Suddenly his back hairs stood up, all of his senses screaming danger. He was one to trust his instincts, he rolled as a blow missed his neck.
“What the hell?” he muttered.
His eyes squinted trying to make out what tried to hit him. The dim lights didn’t help that much.
“Boy… this is your chance… try fighting him, he might offer you something good,” an old man said following the child’s direction, he nonchalantly walked and went to the tied girls who were tied shivering in fear.
“Who the hell are you!!!” the bandit leader grabbed his sword and unsheathed it but as soon as their eyes met his blood ran cold, sweat began dripping from his face and his back shivered.
“Old man… don’t break his mind,” Simon said.
t was the same suffocating blood thirst that the old man used to Simon that made him pee and weak in the knees, Simon knew that for some reason, the ways of the old man were extreme.
“You… if you can beat the kid… I will leave you with your life,” the old man said as he freed the captives. “Follow me, let me guide you outside, it's safe now!” the old man said and the girls hugged him. “Now! Now, let’s go girls!”
The bandit leader just stood as the old man and the girls passed him by. There was a part of him telling him to let them go, he was sure that if he tried anything he would die. ‘Who the hell was this old man?!’ he thought as they passed by him.
He guided the girls out and looked at Simon and the leader of the bandits. “He is strong Simon… but I’m probably stronger…”
The leader of the Red Raiders was silent. He couldn’t understand what just happened. As soon as the old man said that he would leave him with his life he felt scared and relief.
“The old man is lying… he is probably going to kill you… he just said that to make you fight me seriously,” Simon said reading the man’s face.
The leader smiled, he was a wind magic user, a sword master too, he swung his sword and it instantly killed the dim lights in the room. It was not magic, rather it was a show of force.
“Doesn’t matter kid… I will kill you and I will kill the old man,” the leader said but a hard hit landed on his face.
Another one on his stomach then into his knees. Finally, he rolled out and he kept moving. Slowly, his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He saw a yellow glimmering eye… snake eyes.
“You are not human?” the leader asked.
And the blood on the child’s body was not his… how old is this child? How could he be like that? He felt coldness from the eyes of the boy.
“Magic Edge… Strength Enhance-” There was a slight glow on the leader’s body and sword. Although the ruins expelled any kind of magic fired, enhancement and enchantments or any magic that was inside the body were somewhat allowed. “-I hate demi-humans,” he muttered and began an onslaught of attacks.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Simon quickly felt the danger escalate as he dodged the slashes.
Simon got caught on the slashes a few times and there was already blood splashing everywhere.
“It hurts, ouch!!” some on his arms and a little on his hip. He should have spun off from that last 2 slices.
“Who the hell are you kid!!! Grahh!” the leader still got kicked on his sheen which made him grit his teeth.
“Left and right…” Simon muttered. It was the same move the leader did and he dodged it… the boy was starting to adjust in the fight.
“You damn… kid…” the leader started glaring and releasing an endless blood lust.
Simon easily got overwhelmed and almost jumped back but he held his ground, planting his feet properly… It was the first time he had ever felt it. He controlled his emotions, it was different knowing that the old man would just hurt him unlike the one in front of him that was out to kill him.
“I will kill you kid… even if you try to run or not…” he attacked with a swarm of swings, wild swings to be exact.
“Feels like a wild boar…” Simon muttered again. He dived into the slashes, using his small body to dodge it.
“Not enough kid!” the leader said and he landed a kick on Simon's stomach.
The boy flew his back into a wall, he broke some parts of his body. The leader didn’t hesitate as he tried to attack the child. Still, Simon utilized everything that he had to dodge it and he survived the finisher, the boy immediately rolled away from the wall so as not to be cornered.
Simon stood up with his knees shaking. For some reason the leader of the bandits felt a chill as he was looking at the boy’s eyes… it was snake eyes… he paused admiring the boy’s eyes but resisted it as he began attacking again.
As he was relentlessly attacking, the boy was slowly getting slashed but he was deflecting any of the attacks that were deemed to cut off his arms. The leader of the bandits then started throwing pierces in the mix of rapid slashes and the boy got hit on his arms a few times before he started adjusting to his attacks. The boy was a monster but still, a fight to the death meant everything could work.
He kicked the boy again on the stomach making sure that he would hit the wall hard, Simon flew into the wall gasping air as it escaped his lungs, the kick to the stomach and the hit on the wall almost made him puke, but the leader of the bandits didn’t care as he dashed a lunge aiming on Simon’s neck.
“CLANG!!!”
As the blade almost touched Simon’s neck the old man stopped it with his own blade.
“You would really try to kill a child?” the old man queried with contorted eyebrows.
The old man then checked at Simon, he was really in a pinch.
“Simon… this why you have to learn magic… he is using enhancement and Magic Blade… see the faint glow? You can match them as far as you could with your own body strength but it would now be enough…”
“Damn you old man! Who the hell are you!!!” the leader screamed, he couldn’t push through the blade that his sword was touching.
The old man’s sword was glowing a little bit. He swung it and pushed the leader off his feet, the leader made some distance from where he was standing…
The leader was shaken by that, had no idea… but for some reason, he was sure that he couldn’t beat the old man…
“Gregory… the wind blade… how far have you fallen?” a cold voice from the old man.
The leader of the bandits stopped for a while “You know me?” he asked.
“Doesn’t matter… I will end you now… look at the kid… we have to make a great show… in the least” the old man smiled.
He finally remembered him, how could he not remember that unique way the old man smiled, a suffocatingly intimidating smile? Flashbacks in his mind began, it was the same face, and he could still remember when he was once saved… the old man was the legendary hero of the era… the conqueror of the hundred dungeons. Alphecca the sword of light. He instantly regretted his past actions… the light in his eyes turned clearer.
He was the reason he became a hero… his life was forfeit now.
“I see… Release…” Gregory muttered and his sword radiated brighter… it was impossible to use external magic in the ruins. The ruins around the continent were like that.
But Armas was different. Each Armas technique was different… for Gregory who was once a hero his release was a wind-like armor around his body.
Simon’s eyes glowed, as he felt the wind move the stagnant air inside the ruins, the boy took everything in as he watched what was unfolding in front of him.
“Nice… at least you have the decency to use it in front of me… I will honor it too… release,” The old man transformed, 3 swords floated on his back and he was covered with armor of light.
“You were my hero…” Gregory said.
“Fuck off kid… I won’t show you mercy,” the old man smiled.
<--->
The ruins were already void of life. The two young women who had been saved saw the remains of the thieves and, despite everything, felt sorry for them. However, the old man reassured them that it was okay. Now, they were waiting outside the ruins.
Suddenly, a howl of pain reverberated from within. “Graaaaaah!!!” The sound made the two women run away in terror.
The echoes of the voice led deeper into the ruins. Inside a room within the ruins, an old man, a wounded swordsman, and a boy were gathered together.
A broken arm, his left eye is already gone… left ears pierced and shattered apart… he was going to die today it seemed… this was the prize he had to pay.
“Stand up… you have to struggle,” the old man said.
Simon was just on the side, trying not to pass out as pain engulfed his whole body.
The old man was a reckoning force for his age, the fight was like the old man was on a different plane. Still, Gregory didn’t let go of his consciousness.
Gregory had read it before, the old man’s release was some kind of light emitter, it would leave his slashes in the air, and he could activate it as a slash again anytime, truly a monstrous ability… he was one of the few figures that was still alive and was already written down the history, a true living legend.
Forcing him to struggle must be some kind of way for the old man to cleanse him… in exchange for his life. Gregory still bravely attacked upfront, his release was some kind of an upgrade for his technique it, allowed him to charge in safely, he called it the Wind Charger. From the tip of his sword to his body, he became covered with wind that protected and increased his speed.
But it was useless against the old man, by activating the slashes that he left the wind protection becomes nothing. The old man would specifically activate the slashes behind the wind wall that the fallen hero generated.
This was the summary of their whole fight.
“This is the last one sir… a final charge,” Gregory said as he stood steady. The wind converged to gather going through him.
“So you are ready now… are you sure, your Armas is good but you never explored the possibilities didn’t you?” the old man smiled and he finally held his sword with 2 hands.
The old man was right. The Armas technique had an unlimited application. It was totally on Gregory why he got stuck to his level now.
Simon was quietly watching the fight. If anything he was not getting anything through the fight, what the boy felt was just he wanted to know how it would end.
Gregory charged into the old man.
“Well done… I call this skill the 2nd phase,-” the old man spoke and he disappeared… even Simon couldn’t follow what was happening. The old man then reappears just beside Gregory who just stopped his charge. “-I can retrace all of my attacks before,” the old man said… he was sure Gregory was not there.
The body of Gregory turns into ribbons… slowly falling down. He dropped his sword which was also broken into pieces except the hilt.