The camp looks like a disturbed anthill, and at least a dozen bandits rush out of their tents.
Most of them wear simple brown leather vests and dirty cloaks. A few have them colored green or black to hide them better in the woods or at night.
These don't qualify as armor so they won't slow down the arrows, making them only difficult to spot in the open.
At least they come in a few different varieties.
While all give the same Exp and share the bandit name, the game didn't make the same mistake as with the villagers.
Even their shouting has some flavor, sporting heavy dialects.
If COTTONEYEJOE sounded cockney, these guys must be Scottish.
The devs gave them more personality than the ratters for sure.
"Find the shooter, damn it!" One of them yells, and the others start running in random directions.
They would be difficult to hit, so stick to the few remaining men in their lair.
This bow gets harder to shoot each time and it would be a shame to waste these arrows.
[You killed a Bandit +100 Exp.]
Of course, it's still devastating. A man rushes to where his mate has fallen, providing an excellent next target.
It's tempting to say he stayed back to check on his comrade, except every corpse turns into pixels in this game.
The arrow smashes into his stomach, and this is the first hit that didn't kill someone right away.
Pull back more for the next one damn it. It shows the avatar is too weak for this, but the follow-up shot takes him out.
[You killed a Bandit +100 Exp.]
It's hard to tell if this is a glitch or if they are this dumb when another bandit rushes to the same place.
He checks on the area where the corpses would be if they existed, and gets a taste of these arrows too.
He stumbles back onto a tent and takes out an iron shield.
Fuck, that thing will bounce off anything. It has eight Resistance and is large enough to cover his vitals.
There are more to shoot at though, with twelve more arrows in the quiver. My strength might run out before the ammo does.
The next target runs straight this way without looking, providing an easy shot.
It rips open his throat which looks more visceral than anything in this game until now, but it does the job.
[You killed a Bandit +100 Exp.]
[You killed a Bandit +100 Exp.]
Two? The iron shield leans against the tent without anyone holding it, so did that guy die too?
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What was the delay? Bleeding effect?
It almost killed the character too, so it's good to know the system doesn't give plot armor to the baddies either.
Let's focus on the ones still alive, as they finally spot this position.
With a lot of yelling and sword swinging, they all run this way.
The math might be off under such pressure, yet it must be at least twelve of them. Seven is already down.
They still don't show up as a number on the minimap which means a few more shots can even the odds.
The question is if the arms can pull that string hard enough to make them drop.
Once they spotted the hill, they became smarter too, running in a zigzag line, and taking cover.
That Tank was right about the archery training. It rarely happens that you get a clear shot at an unmoving target.
At least he explained how to lead them and fire at the right moment. Deep breath, pull, come on, all the way, and release.
[You killed a Bandit +100 Exp.]
The closest one bumps up the counter to one before dying to reset it to zero. Okay, they are getting close.
It's a surprise that none of them tries to shoot back when the best bow before this one came from a bandit too.
They should be more than capable of using it, don't take this as a complaint though.
The numbers start to increase, and the next shot knocks one over without killing the bastard.
Let's hope he's bleeding, or at least won't be able to keep running with an arrow in his thigh.
The counter jumps at five, and more of them appear from the tents too.
The time when I'll have to switch to the shield and sword is near, although they will shred the avatar in a melee.
Where is DragonSlayer? There are only red dots on the map, coming in fast.
The guy shot in the leg stands up, and gives up on advancing.
He's smart enough to deal with the bleeding first.
There are others to worry about anyway.
One last arrow before they come too close, and it doesn't kill the fucker.
Damn it, make the swap.
He slows down enough, losing his breath that the rusty blade can follow up and put him out of his misery.
The character leaps forward, swinging at his neck, and the iron shield can't stop the blade.
It's funny if they struggle with that thing as much as I did.
[You killed a Bandit +100 Exp.]
The current shield is lighter than the training one and has its combat debut against the bandits.
It doesn't have too many Structure Points, yet the high Resistance should make it last longer.
At least that's the plan.
The first strike of the next assaulting mob takes out three hit points at once.
What the hell, didn't their swords have a plus-six median?
He must have dealt ten or more.
Was it a lucky roll, or did the assault give them a bonus? Analyze it later, damn it, there's stuff to do.
The enemy blocks a puny response, and the second guy catches up.
A third attempts to flank and the one with the arrow in his leg closes in too.
The counter goes wild, showing seven people nearby, and things don't look great.
Where the hell is DragonSlayer?! These hands move slower than they should.
Drinking one of those yellow potions before they catch up would have been a good idea.
It's too late for that now, the best bet is to focus on the defense and hold out until the player returns.
How long until he does though? Blocking the attacks of two enemies at the front is one thing.
The ones flanking have free reign at the back. It doesn't matter how fast the retreat is, this looks bad.
And they move so fast that there's no chance to open the inventory for a potion. Practice or not, this combat is on another level.
Did I start sniping at them too early?
[The player DragonSlayer wants to form a party with you (no reasons given). This will be temporary until you clear the objectives. Do you accept?]
Holy fuck, yes, please.
A bandit cuts from behind as the request is green-lit, and it does almost no damage.
What the heck? There's a status effect called Stone Skin that gives what?! Plus five Res on the entire body?
This guy is mad OP. And his stats became visible too, now that we're in a party.
[DragonSlayer, Level 158 (Multiclass) HP 13/13, Party Leader.]