The bandit leader coughed harshly, struggling to catch his breath, his eyes narrowing as he tried to see through the smoke-filled haze.

“Clever… really clever…”

The bandit swung his halberd, creating a powerful gust of wind that pushed the smoke in front of him away.

He lunged and swung his halberd wildly, forcing me to split my attention between both bodies. Feyt ducked low, the tip of the halberd grazing my hair, while Carine sidestepped, narrowly avoiding a second swipe.

How is he still so fast?!

The bandit leader growled, eyes flicking around the room, assessing the spreading fire. He rested his halberd on his shoulder, turning his body around to look at the room.

“My crew and I have collected these for a while already. To think you two would burn them all to the ground…” His last word lingered, almost as if he was sad.

“Hmph,” I scoffed through Feyt, eyes still narrowed. “Those aren’t yours. They’re stolen!”

The bandit leader pointed his halberd at both of me. “You’re just delaying the inevitable. But you’ve got guts. I fought people older than you two combined who would’ve given up the moment the fight started.”

He slammed his halberd to the ground, creating a deep dent in the rock floor. “[Enhanced Strength] and [Enhanced Agility]. Both of them are common Talents anyone can have, but combine that with [Polearm Mastery]—!”

He jumped forward, raising his halberd that aimed for a horizontal swing.

“—You can do this!!”

“—?!”

I quickly commanded both of my bodies to duck. The bandit leader flew right above us. What followed was a loud booming noise behind us.

I took a peek through Carine’s eyes. The bandit leader was standing there, his halberd deep inside the wall behind us. A massive crater stretched from one end of the wall to the other. It slowly crumbled, the wreckage blocking the stairway.

No! That’s our only way out!

The bandit leader yanked his halberd from the cratered wall with a grunt. He turned to face us, his eyes looked as if they glowed as they reflected the fire surrounding us.

“Sorry ‘bout that. Had to make sure you don’t run away mid-duel.”

““Are you crazy?!”” I shouted as both Carine and Feyt.

“What? You weren’t planning on actually running away, were you?” He spun his halberd and rested them on his shoulder once again. “The fun’s just getting started, I can’t have you two ruin it!”

Then, something changed. His usual cold, calculating demeanor cracked, and a wide grin spread across his face. For the first time since this fight started, I saw it clearly.

The bandit leader was smiling.

Was he… enjoying this?

What… what do I do?

I shook my heads. I shouldn’t despair.

If I could finish this fight quickly, there would be enough time to clear the wreckage and make a getaway before everything was engulfed in flames.

I steadied both of myselves. Swords on hands. Senses primed.

Feyt’s ears could hear every ragged breath he took, every shift in his weight, every crackle of the burning wood beneath his boots.

Carine’s eyes stayed locked on his every movement, tracking the subtle twitch of his muscles, the slight twitches before his attacks.

I was ready. As if sensing this, he chucked to himself.

“Alright! That’s what I like to see!”

He charged again, faster than before, his halberd a blur of steel as it cut through the smoke. I barely managed to dodge with Feyt, the wind from the blade whipping against my face.

I swung as Carine in retaliation, but he blocked my sword with the haft of his weapon, shoving me back with a force that shook me to the core.

“Come on! You can do better than that!” he shouted., his voice brimming with excitement.

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What is with this guy?! He’s a total battle maniac!

Frustration was boiling over as I attacked with both bodies, one after the other.

Feyt aimed low, Carine aimed high, but the bandit deflected both strikes with ease, his movements fluid and practiced.

“Good! Good! Keep it up! Show me your potential!” he roared, his grin widening.

He was faster now, more aggressive, his attacks relentless. Every time I tried to strike, he countered with an efficiency that left both of myselves scrambling to keep up.

The fire blazed around us, the heat scorching my skin, but the bandit leader seemed to enjoy himself more and more.

Dammit! This guy is insane! At this rate… I’ll burn to death!

“It’s been too long since I’ve had a real fight. You’re making me work for it. I like that!” he pointed the tip of his halberd to Feyt. “You have potential, boy. After this is over, watch as I turn you into a man of dignity.”

How?! We’ll burn to death here! There’s no way out because of you!

I had to do something, and fast, or we were done for.

The intense heat was becoming unbearable. Sweat dripped down my faces, and each breath felt like inhaling fire. My mind raced as I tried to find a way out, but the only exit was blocked, and the bandit wasn’t giving us any room.

He was stronger than us. Faster than us.

But then, an idea struck. The smoke I had deliberately created, its effects were minimal, or so I thought.

Although he looked as if he wasn’t bothered by it much, the slight changes in his movements, his ragged breathing, his watery eyes, they were becoming more prominent.

Since both of my bodies were relatively short compared to him, we had plenty more room to breathe and move.

I realized then that the key to winning wasn’t to overpower him—it was to outlast him.

I hatched a quick plan, all I needed to know was if he would take the bait or not.

I feigned exhaustion on both of my bodies: Feyt struggling to keep up the stance while Carine’s grip on her sword was loosening.

Fortunately, I read him like a book. His eyes widened at the sight of us gasping for air.

“What? Tired already?” he scoffed. “Time to end this then!”

He charged forward with renewed vigor, convinced that the battle would end soon. But I had no plans on letting him do that.

I had both bodies focus on evading his strikes, conserving energy while forcing him to exert more.

I threw an occasional attack, just to keep him engaged enough not to notice I was just stalling until he ran out of air to breathe.

The three of us danced through the flames. Dodging not only each other’s strikes but also the heat from the fire around us.

The bandit leader’s frustration grew visibly in the form of his expression as his attacks began to miss their mark more often, his swings cutting through empty air.

Despite being chased all around, death being one single mistake away, I was doing surprisingly fine.

Hate to say it, but Fray's training was paying off...

Minutes passed, each one feeling like an eternity, but I could see the plan working. The bandit was breathing harder now, his coughs growing harsher by the second.

His swings lost their ferocity, becoming slower and more predictable.

Eventually, he stopped his attacks. He leaned on his halberd as he let out strings of violent coughs.

“Damn… you… kid…” he wheezed, his voice strained. “You’re… smarter than… you look…”

It would seem he realized my plan already. But it was too late for him.

He dropped to one knee, his halberd slipping from his grasp as he coughed violently, unable to get enough air. His eyes, once fierce and determined, were now bloodshot and watery.

“Fine… I admit,” he rasped. “You win…”

I didn’t lower my guard, but even I knew he would struggle standing up after all that.

“You knew this would happen,” I said as Carine, keeping a safe distance. “You knew you couldn’t keep going like that.”

“Yeah… I did. But I had to see… if you were really worth it. And you are… you’ve got potential. You fight smart… like a real warrior.”

He coughed again, this time more violently, before gesturing weakly to the far side of the room. “There’s… a way out. Behind the crates… inside one of the rooms in the back… There’s a hidden door.”

I narrowed my already narrowed eyes, unsure if I should trust him. But the sincerity in his voice, combined with the desperate situation, left me with little choice.

As both of me were about to rush to the hallway though, I hesitated. I turned towards the barely standing bandit.

“What about you?” I asked, reluctantly. “Will you follow us?”

“Heh,” he scoffed. “I’ll be fine… Now go.”

Both of my bodies rushed towards the room in the back, Carine leading the way.

Although the hallway was lit bright red due to the fire, the room the bandit leader pointed to was still pitch black.

As Carine’s eyes scanned through the room, I found the secret door the bandit leader was talking about. It wasn’t hidden behind any crates at all.

No, judging by the dust, it was hidden by the crates beside the door, but someone moved them recently.

Coincidentally, the room was right across from the one where we fought those two bandits.

But, for some reason, I couldn’t hear their breaths or anything. Were they the ones who moved the crates? Does that mean they escaped while being tied?

I didn’t have time to ponder, the fire was spreading.

The hidden door, made entirely out of rock, was pulled aside, revealing a small hole leading to the surface.

—

Ahh~ Fresh air.

How long has it been?

The calming sound of a running river. The mesmerizing sight of beautiful stars.

I never felt so relieved in my entire lives.

The smoke from the underground base was seeping out of the hole we climbed out of, and I wondered when the bandit leader was going to come out.

But I probably shouldn't wait for him, who knows what he'll do if he found us.

Now... How do we go home from here?

But then, I heard a small chatter behind me, quite a distance away.

“The cave’s empty, there’s really nothing here, Lord Kyrat!”

“But this cave has to be it! There’s no other explanation!”

Kyrat? Wait, could it be?!

I ran with both of my bodies to the edge of the river, waving my arms. Eventually, several figures entered my line of sight, huddling around in a small cave, confused.

Among those figures were two familiar faces. Dad, and Father.

“Dad! Over here!” I shouted as Feyt, waving my arms.

“Father!” I did the same as Carine as well.

Both Dad and Father looked in our direction from across the river. Both of them widened their eyes in surprise as they saw both of me.

“Carine?!”

“Feyt?!”

Against all odds, I made it.

I survived a kidnapping and won against the bandits, all by myselves.

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image [https://i.imgur.com/RdC5Gde.png]