Desmond peered down at the unconscious bandit, Nev, sprawled on the ground with signs of stirring. It seemed that no matter how hard the man had been hit, his thick skull had somehow reduced the damage, and he was quickly regaining consciousness.
I guess it’s an added bonus from his higher level, he wondered.
Glancing at his lucky Portal Box, Desmond realised he had only one option left as he leaned down.
Gained item: Nev.
Still unsure about the workings of his Portal Box, Desmond knew he would have to deal with the two bandits later on and gathered they wouldn't be able to pass back through. He imagined that being a Portal Smith gave Desmond the unique ability to interact with portals. So, the Bandits would be hard pressed to duplicate such feats. That at least explained why it was so easy for him to go in and out of the Portal Box with such ease.
"Hopefully they won't cause more trouble," he muttered to himself as he jogged along the topside of the wall, heading towards where Melly had run off to.
As he ran, a peculiar thought came to him. But then, why hadn't the pink portals appeared right away? There must be something special about the tower... After all, it was called the Miracle Workers Laboratory, where unimaginable things were meant to happen.
As he rushed past the town on his left, Desmond approached the still open gate, where a row of players had turned around ready to defend, following the instructions of a commanding presence above them. Melly's voice rang out, shouting orders as the new wave of bandits, now twenty strong, were spotted in the distance.
Desmond's heart raced as he joined the group, ready to face the impending wave. The bandits may have been stronger in numbers this time, but he wasn't about to back down. With Melly's leadership and his Portal box, he was determined to protect the town and repel the onslaught of the bandit wave.
And maybe get some handsome rewards in the process.
Chat:
FluffyDinos: Uh-oh, things are getting intense!
Viewers online: 1
Desmond took a deep breath, steeling himself for the upcoming battle. It was time to show these bandits that they had picked the wrong town to mess with. With a spark of determination in his eyes, he readied his weapons, ready to fight alongside his fellow players and defend the town with all his might.
Chat:
FluffyDinos: Go Ph0en1x! You've got this!
Viewers online: 1
User has entered the channel.
Chat:
Garbles500: Morning... Oh what's going on here?
FluffyDinos: Hi Garbles... towns about to get shat on.
Garbles500: Oh nice, did you end up leveling last night?
FluffyDinos: Nearly...
Viewers online: 2
Desmond ignored Fluffy’s flip in optimism and greeted the newcomer. "Hey Garbles," Desmond said quickly, his focus already on the line of bandits ahead.
In the distance, he surveyed the bandits. He had to squint but he could see that all of them were at level two. But amidst the group, there stood a more formidable foe, a level three bandit leader carrying a massive club over one shoulder.
As Desmond approached Melly, he waved, listening to her continue to bark of orders towards the rabble below. As she turned to face him, she greeted him with a nod.
"There's no rocks nearby, so we'll have to think of other ways to take them down a notch," she said quickly.
"Okay, any ideas?" Desmond asked, eager to contribute to her strategy.
Melly shrugged, scanning the battlefield and glancing at the players below.
"I'm not sure we have the upper hand," she replied clearly concerned.
Desmond looked down and realised what she meant. The new players were ill-equipped, armed with nothing more than sticks and perhaps a pair of gloves or shiny boots. It was clear that their meagre gear wouldn't be enough to defend against the twenty bandits, clad in loose gambeson armour and wielding rusty weapons.
Chat:
Garbles500: I’m sensing its portal time?
FluffyDinos: Just suck them up in your portal box thingy...
Viewers online: 2
Desmond glanced at the chat and shook his head. "No, I'll get surrounded too quickly if I try that. Even if I manage to fit them all inside the box, I won't be able to handle them alone later."
"What?" Melly asked, clearly confused by Desmond talking to himself.
He grinned sheepishly. "I'm talking to the chat. They're trying to help."
Melly gave him an odd look, but quickly dismissed it, turning her attention back to the pressing issue at hand.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Chat:
FluffyDinos: Why are they walking so slow?
Garbles500: LOL?
Viewers online: 2
"What do you mean?" Desmond asked, squinting his eyes. "What is that?"
Far in the distance, he could see that the bandits were struggling to get closer to the town due to a fallen log blocking their way. "It's just a small log, but they seem to be having a hard time moving it," he explained.
Melly followed Desmond's gaze and turned back to him; her expression baffled. "Why don't they just walk over it? It's only about a foot high."
Desmond chuckled, realizing the comical reason. "I think the bandits are just computer-generated characters."
He pondered for a moment, recalling the information he had read online before starting the game. It mentioned that most of the creatures outside towns are non-player characters had been programmed into the game since the beginning, including various monsters for players to engage. From what Desmond was currently witnessing, it seemed that the bandits were part of that programming.
Desmond couldn't help but burst into laughter, catching Melly off guard as she flinched at his sudden outburst of mirth.
Chat:
Garbles500: Oh... He’s thought of something.
FluffyDinos: Here we go, get ready for something op.
Viewers online: 2
He gave a confident grin to Melly and said, "Let's go."
She nodded begrudgingly and followed as Desmond climbed down the wall, manoeuvring through the obnoxious players. Among them was the proud and boisterous Clemiticus, who was engrossed in showing off his repaired stick to a group of onlookers, completely oblivious to the impending threat.
Desmond's grin widened. "Perfect, we'll need a distraction."
Melly mirrored Desmond's expression and called out, "Clem, we've got a job to do!"
The blonde elf turned around, a hopeful puppy dog expression on his face, expecting them to throw his stick for a game of fetch. Without another word, he abandoned the conversation with the newbies and eagerly ran to join them.
Instead of running straight down the road and confronting the blocked bandits, Desmond employed the same tactic he used against Bill and Nev earlier. The trio dashed down the side of the road, utilizing the thick tree cover as a natural barrier, concealing their sprinting forms from the enemy's sight.
As they neared the bandits, Desmond noticed that none of them had names like his two trapped friends. Some even appeared to be identical, as if the developers had been lazy with their programming. He chuckled to himself, realizing they were exactly as he had suspected—computer-generated enemies with pathing issues.
The fallen log, though a natural obstacle in the real world, proved to be a stumbling block for the program.
Chat:
Garbles500: Rofl stupid bandits.
FluffyDinos: This is funny and all, but doesn’t this kill the immersion?
Viewers online: 2
"True," Desmond whispered. “I guess some Ai is smarter than others.”
Clemiticus grinned as he observed the bandits, formulating his own plan as he watched them struggle fruitlessly to lift the fallen log, only to abandon it in frustration, one after another, in a feeble attempt replicated by the next in line. The funny thing was If more than three of them tried at once they probably could move the darn thing.
"They're stuck," Clemiticus whispered. "This is going to be like shooting a frog in a bakery."
Melly and Desmond exchanged quizzical looks, shaking their heads in unison.
“You mean fish in a barrel,” Melly corrected.
“Why would you keep a fish in a barrel?” Clemiticus asked.
“Why would you keep a frog in a bakery?” Melly replied.
"Well, anyway, we need to come up with a plan," interjected Desmond.
"Clem, don't just rush in," Melly said in a strained whisper.
The adventurer nodded and surveyed the road.
Desmond almost burst out laughing when he spotted exactly what he was searching for. On the other side, he saw a large boulder covered in leaves, partially obscured by a bush. If he hadn't been intentionally looking for something like it, he would have easily missed it.
His eyes darted between the boulder and the road. They didn't align. "Damn," he muttered.
"What's the matter?" Melly whispered.
Desmond pointed at the boulder, and Melly's eyes lit up as she grasped his plan. She repeated, "Damn."
Clemiticus shook his head and asked, "What's got you two looking so glum?"
Desmond pointed once more, and Clem chuckled. "Oh, that's easy. Leave that to me." As he spoke, he reached into his trouser leg and pulled out a rusty hatchet hidden under his belt.
"Where the heck did you get that?" Melly asked in astonishment.
"The first bandit guy was a logger, I think."
Desmond grinned. They had a plan, and now it was time to put his theory to the test.
"What do I do then?" Melly asked.
Desmond grinned and leaned in to whisper, "You can be Clemiticuses handler," ensuring only she could hear.
She nodded in understanding, resigning herself to the role, and stealthily positioned herself behind the adventurer, heading towards the nearest tree.
Chat:
Garbles500: That Clem guys...
FluffyDinos: Interesting... And not in a good way.
Viewers online: 2
Desmond couldn't help but agree as he stealthily made his way further down the road, staying out of sight from the bandits. It took him about three minutes to reach the required position. During that time, he could hear the rhythmic sound of a small axe striking wood, but the bandits, too focused on attacking the town and taking turns attempting to remove the log, paid no attention to it.
Desmond stood below the large boulder and swiftly began clearing away the bush that had grown in front of it. The orange leaves rustled as he uprooted the soft, damp soil, revealing the bed of stones beneath where the boulder rested.
This was his chance, but timing and positioning were crucial.
Chat:
Garbles500: What are you doing?
FluffyDinos: Ew bugs.
Viewers online: 2
Desmond disregarded the crawling critters he disturbed and turned to observe the position on the road, just in time to witness a log begin to tip towards the ground.
"Timber!" shouted Clemiticus.
The bandits spun around in alarm, but it was too late.
Thud!
The fallen tree blocked the road a few feet behind them, trapping the bandits between two barriers.
However, they were not in the correct position—they were on the town's end of the road and clearly out of Desmond's firing range.
"Oi, dipshits!" a familiar adventurer's voice echoed out.
Desmond smiled. Clemiticus wasn't as useless as he seemed.
Grinning, Desmond shifted his attention to the boulder's footing. He plunged his fingers among the stones, ignoring the retreating centipedes and ants, as he cleared the soil from the gaps. Visibility was essential for his spell, a lesson he had learned the hard way with the thick-skinned slime. When he had removed enough soil to peer through the gaps, he took a step to the side and spoke clearly, "Open minor Portal."
-15 mana.
As soon as he uttered the words, a few pebbles fell through the portal, along with some small stones. Yet the opening was too small to pass anything substantial. He clenched his teeth and closed the portal. He needed to think. His gaze swept over the footing until he spotted it.
Directly underneath the massive boulder was a medium-sized rock, about a meter in width. It seemed to be supporting most of the boulder's weight. However, what held the medium stone in place was just a small rock the size of his hand. If he removed that one, both rocks would surely fall.
"Open minor Portal."
-15 mana.
As the portal opened beneath the small rock, the sheer weight of the boulder above crushed the pebble, causing it to shatter as the entire mass of stone shifted.
Desmond had only a few seconds to jump back before the boulder moved. Gaining momentum as it fell, it rolled towards the road with a surprisingly amount of speed.
Thud!
He could feel the impact reverberate through the ground as the boulder continued downhill. Trees were uprooted and birds scattered into the sky as the boulder made its way. The bandits, too busy with Clemiticuses' colourful language, paid no attention to the impending doom until the very last moment. They spun around in place, their eyes widening, as the boulder rolled by, turned them into instant bandit pancakes.