"This bra-"
*Slap*
"Next!" Aaron immediately appeared in front of Kanderion and slapped him right across the other cheek and sent him flying in the air before his feet even touched the ground after Teleporting he added : "I already dared him to call me a brat once again, now he got what he deserved." The kid was looking towards his victim's father when he said that before shrugging his shoulders carelessly as if it was expected of him to do so.
Chief Chadrion looked at his oldest son which was sprayed awkwardly on the ground and knocked out once again before gesturing to one of the female gang members to check on his son : "Did it have to be the face though?" The man asked while rolling his eyes at the boy which is daring enough to face an army's worth of people so fearlessly.
Aaron nodded seriously before answering : "Duh! Of course it had to be on the face! Why else would it be called bitch slap? He ran his mouth like a bitch and I had to show him how little bitches are treated around here, I just handled this whole matter by the book bro."
"Hahaha... now I like you more and more kid, well done!" Tess held her belly and laughed before looking up and giving the kid the thumbs-up gesture.
*Snort*
"Remember which side you're on here woman!" Carson looked towards the woman and glared through the visor of his silver Helmet.
Tess removed the short Axes from her belt and threw them right in front of the man's feet one by one while saying : "What has that got to do with you? Don't think you get to order me around because we're working together, we're still enemies once this is all done and over with."
"Are you looking for a fight you crass woman?"
"That's exactly it you batshit crazy knight."
Right when the two of them were about to jump at each other they sensed danger and jumped backwards instead.
*Boom*
Both of them saw the ground right in the center of the two of them explode and everyone standing ten or so meters got practically covered in mud and dirt!
*Humph*
"Both of you can have your fun later when our business is settled, but bring it first and let's see which side is going to come up on top in this deal." Aaron said before gesturing for them to attack.
Name Aaron Pratt Race [Half-Blood] Age 5-Y/6-d Class Magician Title Hope in Justice Profession None Level 11 Experience 179,925/640,000 Strength 9+7+70(86) Agility 12+7+50(69) Vitality 12+7+50(69) Intelligence 40+7(47) Wisdom 35+7(42) Health Points 3121/3121 Mana Points 9921/9921 Physical Condition Energetic, Dynamic Mental Condition High-Spirited, Vibrant Physical Attack 560 Physical Defense [Epic]+13.8%% Stamina [Superior+41]+6.9% HP Regeneration-Speed [Above-Average]+20.7% Stamina Regeneration-Speed [Above-Average]+3.45% Magical Attack 627 Magical Defense [Epic]+49.2% Concentration [Above-Average]+8.4% MP Regeneration-Speed [Above-Average]+24.2% Concentration Regeneration-Speed [Above-Average]+4.3% Movement Speed [Rare+3]+34.5% Attack Speed [Rare+3]+20.7% Reaction Speed [Rare+3]+13.8% Luck [Average]+6.9%
'Let's see if these two can put a dent on my HP bar!' He thought while activating Identify to heighten his Awareness.
Carson was the first to make his move but a split-second later he was frozen solid and felt a tug at his head after weight fell on his shoulders!
"Why are you still wearing your Armor when it's supposed to be a hand-to-hand fight with no Weapons allowed? Off with that Helmet! These Greaves and these Gauntlets too! The Pauldrons and Upper-Armor Piece." Funny enough he could see and hear the kid speak while removing piece after piece of his Armor, but he couldn't move or say anything at all.
Aaron took a step back and watched the masterpiece which he created after stripping this Knight of his Armor completely then nodded while saying : "That's much better, now you're going to feel my fists sink into your flesh!" Afterwards he twisted his hip and delivered a punch into the man's solar plexus!
*Gasp*
Once the Knight regained the ability to move he fell on his knees and started foaming from the mouth while having difficulty breathing but Aaron didn't show mercy at all and kicked him right in the liver which forced Carson to fall on his side before shrinking like a shrimp on the ground while groaning from pain and coughing over and over.
The kid looked towards Marshal Cesar and smirked while shaking his head as if to say : "Was that the best you got?"
Afterwards he looked towards Tess which kept looking at him with a pair of eyes practically glowing with excitement, she seemed like a Cheetah eager to pounce on her prey.
"I might go easy on you lady Tess," Aaron muttered before walking towards the woman, "Just because you actually tried to make it look like you were planning to play by the rules, but... you still need to get rid of the knives you're hiding in your boots and the needles in your hair." He spread his arms before adding : "That's only if you don't want me to punch you in the face, I'd still do it if you keep being stubborn though."
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
*Tsk*
Tess rolled her eyes at the kid before shaking her head as if to say : "You can't blame me for trying!" Then she removed the needles from her hair which fell free on her back before bending to remove the small knives from her boots too.
"Here!" The woman straightened her body afterwards before asking : "Happy now?"
The kid nodded before smiling while answering : "Yeah... as long as you don't use the "You know" around your waist!"
This time Tess squinted her eyes but she appreciated him for not exposing her biggest secret to everyone.
"You take care because close-combat is my specialty and I don't want to hurt you." Afterwards the woman took a quick step forward and attacked with her hand forming a claw swiping downwards at his left shoulder.
Aaron knocked her hand backwards with a fist targeting her wrist but Tess attempted to scratch the back of his hand with her long and sharp fingers on her way out from this exchange!
But he had no time to assess the damage she was able to inflict on him MP bar because her other hand was already midway through swinging towards his other shoulder, the kid didn't choose to duck underneath or take a step backwards to avoid and opted for going forward instead while letting her claw slide forwards and hitting air after missing its target.
His right elbow sank into the inner part of her left thigh and Tess found herself losing balance but Aaron didn't relent after his first attack landed and kicked her right ankle which caused her to reflexively used her left hand to support her body on the ground instead of targeting his back like she was planning to do after her second attack missed.
*Ba*
The sound of firecrackers could be heard when the kid punched her right hand away from him once the woman attempted to bring him down with it and he simply ducked underneath her right leg and twisted his body while holding her ankle with his left hand.
"Whoa!" Tess was surprised when Aaron pulled her body in the air then let go of her and she landed a few meters away then lost her balance and rolled a few more meters and stopped right in front of Phyllia and her gang of women.
"Consider this me being merciful for the fairer sex but this is the only chance you'll get today, not to mention that your right ankle and wrist needs someone to look after them and you're in no shape to actually fight again any time soon." The kid warned the woman once she struggled to stand on her feet again.
*Tsk*
Tess just grunted while massaging her right wrist and winced from pain once she tried to put weight on her right leg.
Aaron looked towards Phyllia then Chadrion before finally looking upwards towards Cesar who nodded before getting down from his War Horse once he noticed the kid showing clear annoyance in having to look up at him in this situation.
"You've all failed my test since your champions lost one way or another, do any of you have anything else to say to me?" Aaron calmly asked.
The three Bandit Leaders looked at one another and waited for the others to say anything but all of them understood that this time they've hit an Iron board.
The kid retrieved a chair and took a seat before continuing to say : "Then I have a lucrative suggestion for all of you instead, care to hear it?"
Marshal Cesar was the first to latch on this opportunity to carry favor with this boy by saying : "Of course, this old man is all ears."
*Tsk*
Phyllia clicked her tongue before saying : "I see that you old fellow are still as quick as always when it's time to switch camps!" Afterwards she looked towards Aaron and smiled so sweetly while adding : "Go on young master Ron, you can make sure that every one of my Axe-Gang are going to serve you well in the future. Me included of course if that's your wish."
*Humph*
Chadrion rolled his eyes when this shameless old hag attempted to sway the brat with a honey-laced promise of drowning him in women.
"My Wolf-Gang accept our defeat and admit the amount of Gold Coins we owe you young master Ron, I just ask of you to give us a chance to prove our worth to you later on." The Chief said while patting his chest then hugged the neck of his massive Dire Wolf with one of his muscular and hairy arms.
Aaron nodded before saying : "Good. This isn't a good place for us to talk business, follow me." Afterwards he walked towards the east-gate which the guards opened for him.
The people of Pine-Breeze Village were shocked when they saw these Bandits not only moving together without showing hostility to one another but also stay obedient and civilized while walking the streets.
The Dire Wolves ignored everything as long as nobody dared to provoke them first.
But the sight which attracted the interest of the Villagers was the women from the Axe-Gang, most of them were beautiful and had this unique charm since there's this aura of wildness to them.
Pio and Lucas descended from the walls with Sherry who hugged her pet and followed after their young master, then Roger and Manji joined them.
Roger was interested in the Dire Wolves while Manji seemed to have something going on between her and Tess from the Axe-Gang! Both women seemed at odds but tried to ignore one another.
"Huh!" Aaron entered the first floor of his house and was surprised to find three women sitting at the long table in the dining hall and enjoying their meal, "You guys are here so quick, I thought it'd take you two or three more days to arrive." He rolled his eyes because he doesn't want to discuss business with Bandits in the presence of these Whispering Sisters.
"Little Ron? What happened to you the past week? You don't look like someone who's five! Where did your chubby cheeks go?" Lucy jumped from her seat and began circling him while holding a juicy drumstick in her hand and chewing on it, afterwards she finished it with a few quick bites and threw the bone towards an empty plate on the table and began to tug at his cheeks while showing an expression of sadness and sorrow.
"Stop touching other people's faces when your hand is dirty!" The kid removed her hands while expressing his annoyance on his face.
Lucy scrunched her nose and pouted before turning towards Heena and saying : "This brat is no longer cute like he used to be before, bullying him is no longer going to be fun."
"Hehehe... That's where you're wrong Lucy! We can always find other ways to make him suffer." Heena covered her mouth and laughed before staring at the boy with interest.
"You two stop annoying Ron, did you forget what Sera told us?" Nina warned before reminding them of a piece of important information which their sister gave them before parting ways and taking Snow with her.
Lucy and Heena gawked before exchanging a glance then hiding behind their big sister Nina.
"S-so what if he's strong? Me and Heena each have a Centipede now... I-I bet we can take him on if we join hands! Humph." Despite saying that, both of them were acting like timid bunnies.
Aaron rolled his eyes when he saw them act this way and said : "You guys rest and relax while I talk with my guests, Pio."
"Yes young master."
"Have Todd and Betty take care of the Honorable Sisters and make sure they prepare a welcoming feast for the Leaders and don't forget to be hospitable to their people outside, also warn them not to ruin my gardens or I'll beat them to shit." The kid ordered before gesturing to the three Bandit-Leaders to follow him with their men to the backyard where there's another table big enough to accommodate all of them.
"Sit." Aaron took his seat at the head of the table while Lucas and Sherry stood behind him.
Roger, Manji, Cesar, Chadrion, Phyllia, Tess, Carson, and Kanderion with his face looking funny once the swelling left it fully rounded like a ball.
The kid ignored the amusing sight of the young man when he tasted the juice carefully then emptied it all at once afterwards, "You all owe me a lot of Gold Coins and the situation is forcing you to withhold paying it back because there's the Beast-Wave and the seasons are slowly but surely shifting towards winter."
"Correct."
"Absolutely right."
"Indeed."
Aaron nodded once he saw everyone at the table nodding their heads but most of them were already distracted by the complementary drinks and appetizers set in front of them.
"Then work for me!" He rested his elbows on the table and leaned forward, "Because let's be clear here, the amount of Mice meat I'm bringing to the table were going to saturate the surrounding markets one way or another.
"You can pay yourselves out of debt by making sure everything gets transported in and our or through your territories without any issue, and I'm going to show you another side of me by generously offering you a share of the profits from the meat sold outside your territories and give you a discount to all meat sold within your territories."
Marshal Cesar eyes glowed with joy when he said : "Would you really do so young master Ron?"
Aaron nodded and answered : "I just said it didn't I?" Afterwards he stressed the next word : "But... I don't want to hear about any troubles in the future, handle these issues with Sen and only think of coming to me when there's an issue that you can't solve on your own."
"I agree, my Wolf-Gang is behind you on this and you can send for me if there's anything else you'd like from my group in the future." Chadrion immediately emptied the glass in front of him afterwards.
"How can I say no when young master is willing to take care of a group of helpless women trying to fend for themselves in a harsh and cruel world." Phyllia said before winking at Manji who seemed to want to say something before rolling her eyes and keeping her silence.
Cesar studied the boy then looked at the people sitting at the table while thinking : 'First he used the stick then dangled the carrot in front of us, he not only is powerful and smart... There's also three Honorable Sisters guarding in his house! Who the hell is this kid? How come I never heard anything about him so far? I thought Dalair planted a few spies in every Village, Town, and City around us!'
"Consider my Head-Reapers Army yours from here onwards young master Ron, whoever dares disrespect you is most certainly going to suffer the consequences for sure." Marshal Cesar said while giving a respectful salute in a Knight's traditional fashion by thumping his chest with a fist and lowering his head.
"I guarantee that you wouldn't regret your decisions today, eat and drink all you want... this day calls for a celebration." The kid raised his glass and drank before dropping it to the table while adding : "I also don't want to see any of you fighting one another, whoever backstabs the other is going to get eradicated to the last person by me... I take care of my people that way so you better tell your people to behave in the future or you're most certainly going to get it once you find me breathing on your necks."
The Bandit-Leaders shivered once they got affected by Hero's Echo and their courage waned, all of them exchanged a glance before nodding to silently agree on this truce unanimously and to never break it while this new yet massive player is still on the board.