In front of large Nattunnia city gate. Grand Ecstasy is waiting patiently alongside other few gold rank adventurers the client selected for an escort mission.
"Our client is surely taking his time." Claustrine commented as boredom starts to settle in.
"Bored?" Mateo asked.
"Of course."
"Good. Spend all of that boredom now as you going to become even more bored later as we travel.
Claustrine smugly smiles.
"Not with my books in my disposal."
As Grand Ecstasy casually chatting. A girl approaches them. Her motions are shy and timid.
"H-h-hello."
Mateo and Beltrand looks on the girl and slightly surprised.
"Oh you're that one on the Forest of Savagery." Beltrand says with amusement.
"Yes!" The girl is happy that the two still remembers her.
"Nice to meet you again and also I'm so sorry for breaking your sword." Mateo apologize while scratching the back of his head.
"Hehe it's fine. Besides, I already bought a new and more powerful sword." The girl proudly says as she taps the sword hilted on her side.
"Who is she?" Sophia asked.
"Oh we meet her while we're training on Savagery Forest." Beltrand answered.
"My name is Helyna. Nice to meet you!" Helyna bows with grace.
Grand Ecstasy introduce themselves friendly.
"By the way Helyna. Where's your friends?"
"Oh. They take another quest, I decide to join this mission so I can return to Bolaire and visit my dad." Helyna happily answers.
Their chatter is interrupted when a group of 7 carriage arrives and stops in front of them. In the more luxurious carriage, a stumpy middle aged man descends while his male servant assist him.
"Salutations everyone. Some of you might already know me but for the sake of professionalism I'll introduce my self. My name is Uruoga, a famous businessman and I entrust the safety of me and my goods to you in exchange of handsome payment according to contract. Good luck and stay safe."
The assistant then give them paper contracts.
The adventurers after investigating the contracts, signs the papers and pick their preferred carriage. In one of them is Grand Ecstasy alongside Helyna and a male and female adventurers similar to their age range.
The preperations went smoothly and the caraven proceeds to leave the city and now several meters away.
"You seem nervous Helyna. Is something wrong?" Sophia asked as she was concerned on Helyna's nervousness.
"Ah N-nothing. It's just that this is my first time doing an escort mission. Sorry for my unsighly appearance." Helyna awkwardly laughs.
"Hahaha don't worry that much. All of us here experience the same." The male adventurer says. Grand Ecstasy alongside the female adventurer nods in agreement.
"But let me ask you this Helyna. What do you expect on this quest?" Mateo asked.
"Hmmm... I believe we just gonna defend the carriage from monsters." After hearing Helyna's answer, Mateo frowns.
"Oh you sweet summer child. I also want to believe that's the case."
"What do you mean Mr. Mateo?"
Everyone becomes serious as they listen. Waiting for Mateo to break Helyna's innocence.
"Helyna, did you kill a human before?"
Helyna's eyes widen due Mateo's sudden and serious question.
"No. I didn't."
"You should prepare yourself because you might have your first human kill during this quest."
Then Helyna realizes what Mateo is implying.
"Bandits..." She softly said.
"Yes. And with us escorting a well known businessman. We should expect some organized ambush."
Helyn frowns.
"Did all of you already killed a human before?" Helyna asked.
"I killed twelve." Mateo answers.
"Three." -Claustrine.
"Five." -Shirna.
"Seven." -Beltrand.
"Zero." -Sophia.
"Six." -Male adventurer.
"Four." -Female adventurer.
Helyna's expression becomes somber.
"Is it difficult?"
Mateo painly smiles.
"Killing a fellow human is always difficult for a moral person."
Helyna's mood lowered as she understand Mateo's words.
"Don't be sad Helyna. After some time, you would understand what being an adventurer truly entails. There might be bad times but there's also good times." Claustrine reassures her and pats her shoulder.
"Thanks Ms. Claustrine."
Beltrand meanwhile, watching the mood gets darker. He opens his Bag of Storage and pulls out the brand new guitar gifted to him by Mateo.
"Is that a lute? It looks larger and different." The female adventurer asked.
"In fact, the shapes looks very... erotic." The male adventurer commented which make him recieve a light smack to head from his female companion.p
"Your thoughts are running wild again."
"You can't really blame me. I mean, look at it!" The male adventurer angrily points on the guitar.
"Stop reaso-... Ohh. On closer inspection, yeah."
"See?!"
Everyone laughs because of the two adventurer's ruckus and then Beltrand proceeds to play some music he learned when playing the lute years ago. The carriage becomes quiet as they vibe on the music. Even the driver listens as he enjoys the tune.
.
.
.
After some time...
"Kalimutan na munaaaa!
Ang lahat ng problemaaaa!
Huminga ka ng malalim!
At tayo'y lalarga naaaaaa!
Handa na baaaaa! Gumala.
Beltrand, Shirna and Mateo are passionately singing as Helyna, Sophia and the two adventurers bops their head slowly as they join the fun.
Because of the mysterious Auto-Translate. The lyrics are translated on everyone's mind thus making them understand the song.
Paparapapapa papapa papa papapa~
Claustrine just sigh and smiles as she can't really stop them having fun. And despite not admitting it, their performance removes her boredom.
A day of travel gone by without any problem and the adventurers take turns on guarding the caravan at night.
The next day is also peaceful. The adventurers comes more familiar to each other and in friendly terms. Especially Grand Ecstasy's group.
The group is assigned to guard the caravan. They surround a campfire which their source of heat for the cold and starry night.
Mateo prepares a cream coffee on a cup and give it Norm, the mage adventurer they befriend.
"I don't know what is this but thanks." Norm smile.
Mateo then prepares a choco coffee for Fleur, a swordswoman.
"Hmmm... Smells weird yet amazing."
Mateo then finally gives another cup of choco coffee to Helyna who happily accepts.
The three takes a sip and a weird sensation rushes on their body. The taste is so great and unique that they drink more.
"Woah! I suddenly feel so awake." Norm commented.
"I love it." Fleur then elegantly take another sip alongside Helyna.
Grand Ecstasy meanwhile happily observes the three enjoy their first coffee while enjoying the coffee of their own.
"I still can't believe that we got grouped alongside Grand Ecstasy and we just realized it." Norm said with awe.
"Hehe. We're just Gold ranked adventurers like you." Sophia awkwardly chuckle.
"But you guys facing a Legendary Hero is such a big feat!" Helyna replies.
"But we lose though, terribly." Mateo smiles.
"Doesn't matter!" Helyna insist as she shows her admiration.
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"Besides fighting one of the Legendary Heroes, Grand Ecstasy's good reputation is talked by most adventurers." Fleur commented.
"Thanks." Beltrand proudly said.
Clauatrine and Shirna just silently listens on them while drinking their coffee.
"But with your achivements and exploits. Do you guys think that it's good to try a Platinum Rank promotion quest?"
Hearing Norm's question, Mateo remembers Gilmore and his capabilities. One thing is sure in his mind.
"Oh no. We're still too far for becoming a Platinum rank. Those guys on that rank are genuine monster and it might take more years for us to reach such feat." Mateo's honest reply.
"Afterall. It's Gilmore a Platinum ranked the one that defeated the Legendary Hero unlike us who got our ass kicked." Beltrand laughs joyfully.
"Wow. Grand Ecstasy is surely humble."
"We're just being honest Helyna." Sophia smile.
"By the way Helyna. How you exactly meet Mateo and Beltrand?" Claustrine suddenly ask Helyna.
Helyna happily tells the story on how Mateo and Beltrand saves her party for being killed.
The group spends the night telling their stories of adventures until the sun rises where they finally can sleep inside the carriage while the other adventurers takes guard.
~~~~~~°~~~~~~
Few days later. The caravan is smoothly traversing the beaten path in the plains. The adventurers seems relaxed as the open field is so visible that any ambush happening is low...
But not zero.
As walls of soil quickly arise in four corners, surrounding the Caravan with ease.
"AMBUSH!" One of the battle harden adventurer screams.
"But how they manage to hide?! My detection is literally spread wide around us!" One of the mages reponsible for spreading her mana to detect magic screams in disbelief.
After the walls, numerous boxes of soil rise from the ground and then opens revealing the bandits. Each one holding a tube made of wood.
"Cleaver bastards. No wonder they didn't get detected." Claustrine commended the ingenuity of the bandits.
"What do you mean?!" The mage asked.
"They make spaces underground with the help of mages for them to hide and uses those wooden tubes to breath air. While they wait, the mages ensures that their mana would not spill out further." Claustrine's explanation makes the mage flabbergasted.
Once the bandits reveal themselves, one of them observes each adventurers.
"Boss! We're lucky today! So many beautiful girls!" The same bandit screams.
"You hear him boys! Kill all the males and don't kill the females as much as possible. After this, we going to party!"
The bandits howls in frenzy.
"Group C! Protect the main carriage containing our client!" The battle hardened adventurer screams.
Group C consisting mostly of swordsman, spearman and Sword-and-Shield goes closer to the main carriage.
The fighters then engages the bandits in close combat. The adventurers being gold ranked are skilled fighters, but the bandits are not lowly fodders either. The two side are equal in terms of abilities as they dodge, parry and attack each other.
"Shit! These guys are not your normal bandits!" One of the adventurers commented as she holds a bandits sword with her own blade.
Shirna notices that bandits are on the top walls aiming their bows. He shoots one on the head.
"Archers on the walls! Beware!"
Shirna's warning makes the adventurers even more alert.
"Mages!"
"Got it!"
Norm casted an earth spike and throw it to one of the archer bandits too focus on aiming to shot one of the adventurers, striking it to his stomach and pushing it to fall.
Other mages successfully hit most archers but some manages to throw their arrows hitting one female mage in her shoulder.
"Cleric!" The mage screams. The available adventurers pull the injured mage in the backside where a cleric and a doctor quickly tend her wound.
Sophia observes that the adventurers are getting pushed by the bandits with their great numbers. Concerned, she quickly run towards the middle of the fray and opens her bag of storage.
She grab one red pole with a carved head of a wolf and planted it to the ground, she grab another and planted a green pole with a head of a Cafira - A creature known for its stamina and tenacity. Then she conjure mana in each of her hand holding the totem as she start to chant.
"Dear Garunta, the god of war that rules the batllefield. Help my companions to win this battle with your overwhelming support."
Sophia successfully activates the poles and each emits shockwaves with their respective colors. Once the shockwace hits the adventurers, they suddenly feel a rush of power.
"ORAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Beltrand screams as he feel the increase of energy and casually throw the group of strong bandits that he holds with his shield.
"I don't know what you did Sophia but thanks a lot!" Beltrand's gratitude.
Mateo meanwhile opens his Bag of Storage and picks a spear. He throws it on the earth wall the bandits created, the spear planted itself deep. Mateo then run and leaps, bypassing the bandits below until he landed on the spear he thrown earlier. And from there, he jumps to now reach the top.
Mateo landed on the top of the earth wall then starts to run towards the archers, decimating each one that he reach. Some tries to shot arrows on him but Mateo just casually parried them. He notice a barrage and instead of parrying, he picks the bandit that he just slashed and use him as human shield. After blocking the arrow barage, Mateo throws the bandit out to fall on his more guaranteed death.
"Fuck! I thought all of them are just low Gold rank! How the fuck that one is so strong!?" One of the bandit mage behind the battle complains.
"Our informer says that the adventurers are nothing to worry about! Was our calculations wrong?!" Another mage screams.
"Informer huh? Interesting."
The two mage bandits quickly looks behind the moment they hear a voice of a woman but before they even cast any spell, an earth spike penetrating their stomach halts their movements.
"So who's the informer you talking about?" Claustrine asked the now slowly dying bandits.
"Augh! A-as if we t-tell you b-bitch."
Claustrine just sigh and just leave the two bandit mages die. By manipulating the ground below her feet, she quickly moves the huge enclosed battlefield. She reach the earth wall and makes an opening, exits and close it again."
After ensuring that the adventurers are now in advantage, Sophia rush towards to the group of adventurers with injuries. She starts to heal an adventurer that calls for a cleric.
"Sorry, I need to help our friends."
"No worries, I can see that you truly give them a huge advantage." The adventurer smile but flinch when she suddenly feel a sudden rush of pain from the wound where an arrow is stuck earlier. It was removed by a doctor included on the journey.
Sophia quickly starts to heal the injured adventurers. Meanwhile, the adventurers are still fighting the horde of bandits.
"Shit! It's like we're fighting an entire army!" One of the adventurer screams.
"But we can still fight! Don't falter!" The battle hardened adventurer screams.
The boosted adventurers are pushing towards the horde of bandits. The menacing bandit leader just watch intently.
"It becomes more difficult than I thought. Mages! Prepare to cast a huge deistic magic!"
But no one responds on his call. Because he's too pre-occupied on observing the battle and chaos in front. He didn't notice that his mages are now all dead.
"But who?!" He franticlly looks on the surroundings. He looked on top of the walls and see Mateo still killing the archers 1 by 1 so he's out of question. But when he looks down of the walls, he see Claustrine quickly gliding on the ground as she move towards the wall. Claustrine notices the bandit leader looking at her and she gives a mocking wave of hand before leaving the wall and closing the exit.
A vein appears on his forehead as she starting to lose his temper.
Meanwhile, near the main carriage. Helyna alongside four adventurers are struggling on fighting the skilled bandits who manages to sneak behind the wall of adventurers on the front.
The enemies understand that the four would protect the client at all cost so they devise a strategy of using their numbers to their advantage.
And the bandits focus their numbers on the side where Helyna is guarding after noticing her refusal to kill them.
"To your left!" Helyna's fellow adventurer mage at the top of carriage screams.
Helyna quickly follows and see a bandit rushing towards the carriage's door. She kick the bandit he currently fighting to the stomach and sent him several meters away, then Helyna rush to the invader whos still running to the carriage. Helena manages to reach him.
Yet the bandit make a quick halt and look at Helyna with a twisted grin.
"Got ya." The bandit said as he change his target to Helyna.
Helyna notice a shadow on the ground, sending a message that an enemy is also behind her ready to strike. With her sides threatened by another group of Bandits rushing towards her and not risking luring the bandits near the carriage, Helyna have no choice but to choose between the bandit in front and behind her.
Helyna decides to deal with the bandit from behind as it's the one closer. When she make another step, Helyna twist her body with a sword on her hand moving on a centrifugal motion. Helyna just making a wild guess if she can hit the bandit and to her luck, her sword reach the bandit's neck. Cutting it clean and sending the head to the ground.
Watching his teammate getting decapitated, the other bandit still charge forward but now with a doubt if he can stay alive as he got surprised on Helyna's sudden killing.
The bandit lunges his sword aiming on her side, yet Helyna already anticipated the follow up attack and prevent the stab by parrying the flat side of the bandit sword with her leather armguard, moving the attack by inches while she's still refreshing her posture. And the moment she regains footing, Helyna counter attacks. Piercing the bandit's heart with a sword.
She pulled her sword and watch the bandit fall to the ground. Helyna breaths heavy as she watch the two bandit she killed.
Not feeling any guilt nor remorse, Helyna just look on the bodies for a mere second before focusing her attention to the living bandits. The danger surrounding them just not giving her enough time contemplate and think. Her mind being flooded with adrenaline and the instincts to survive.
Beltrand continues to fend off the bandits alongside other adventurers. They already killed a huge amount of bandit and now doubt lingers on them as they're now unsure if they can win the battle.
Claustrine returns to the group while Mateo leaps back from the wall.
"Where have you been Claustrine?" Beltrand asked.
"I just killed their mages hiding on their backlines. How about you Mateo?"
"I'm klling the archers at top of their wall."
"I see."
"They're now losing their morale! Charge!"
The adventurer in front scream with confidence followed by her fellow warriors.
But he suddenly halt followed by other adventurers' grim surprise as there's now a hole on his chest where his heart would be. He falls dead to the horror of the people behind him.
Claustrine looks up and see a barrage of red fluid. Her pupils dilate to her horror as she recognize them but most of the adventurers are clueless on what's happening.
"RETREAT! THOSE ARE A DEISTIC MAGIC!"
Hearing Claustrine's scream. The adventurer panics especially when they see one of them die easily after getting hit by the sinister attack.
"Fuck it's too late!" Mateo screams as he watch that most adventurers will not escape the area.
Claustrine swipe her staff with force from the ground upwards and from the tip of it spawns an earth wall. It started small and then it becomes larger as the wall moves between the barrage and the fleeing adventurers.
The massive wall created by Claustrine blocks the red fluids, each of them quickly melts the soil they touch, turning the area into magma, thus creating numerous holes on the wall.
But one red blob manages to bypass the height of the wall and now falling down.
"Norm!" Fleur screams as he tries to run, trying to race the blob on who can reach Norm who have no time to dodge to stray attack that capable on melting the ground.
But the distance between them is just too much despite Fleurs physical prowess, She can't reach Norm at time.
Suddenly, Fleur feels a sudden gust of wind on his side and in an instant, he see Beltrand now in front of Norm as he blocks the blob using his metal shield.
Knowing the nature of the attack after watching the similar deistic spell made by Claustrine in the past. The moment Beltrand stops the momentum of the blob, he quickly removes his shield and drop it on the ground.
Beltrand watch as the red fluid melts the steel of his shield. Making a huge hole then the blob digs on the soil beneath the shield until it runs out of power.
"Thank the gods!" Fleur's gratitude, a tear flow on her cheeks.
"Are you ok?" Beltrand asked Norm.
"Y-yes I'm fine. Thanks a lot Beltrand." Norm's genuinely gives her sincere gratitude to Beltrand for saving his life.
"Good."
Beltrand looks on his shield again.
"Aww... That's my newly bought shield."
Every adventurers then looks on the remaining Bandits with the Bandit Leader on the center. Claustrine primaly focus her gaze on the Leader, his hands are coated with the red fluid. Some tiny amount drips to the ground melting it on touch.
"A personalized Deistic Magic: Flame God's Blood. And I assume that its must be chantless. I admire his guts for even using that dangerous spell on such way." Claustrine commented.
"What a heretical way of using Deistic magic." Sophia says with spite as not chanting any Deistic magic is equal to disrespecting that gods that gifted the spell to humanity.
"I respect your tenacity for fighting us longer than what I expected! But your resistance is futile!" The Bandit Leader says loudly.
"And what you gonna do? Make a deal with us?" Mateo replies in a mocking manner.
The Bandit Leader laughs maniacally.
"No. That's not how our group handle things. Besides, everything is in our advantage." The Bandit spreads his arms to the surroundings, emphasizing that the adventurers are cornered with the tall walls and the still sizable number of bandits.
"So it doesn't matter if you guys surrender or not, we still going to kill all of you and loot whatever we want." The Bandit Leader continues, his words are full of malice.
Mateo sighs then go into his combat posture.
"As expected."
"Sir, leave the Bandit Leader to us. Focus on killing his henchman." Mateo's request to the battle hardened adventurer that acts as a leader for everyone.
The adventurer looks at Mateo and see his determination.
"Fine. Just be careful." The adventurer says before going to the rest to give his command.
"Beltrand and Claustrine. Come with me."
"Okay bro." Beltrand gives a wide confident grin. Claustrine nods with a slight smile.
"Shirna, don't engage on close combat and shoot him everytime you got a chance."
"Understood."
"Do you guys need buffs?" Sophia's suggestion.
"No need. Focus on healing the injured adventurers. You alongside 2 others are the only cleric so your healing would be highly needed by them."
"Yes!" Sophia ethusiasticly says then she run towards the protected carriage where the injured adventurers stays.
"Your overconfidence will be your downfall." The Bandit Leader says.
"Let's see if thats the case." Mateo's only reply.
The Bandit Leader then commands his henchman to attack.
"Here they comes! Stay focus on defense and be aware on the Leader's deadly attack!" The battle hardened adventurer screams, the adventurers screams back.
Mateo and Beltrand then rushes towards the Bandit Leader. Some bandits tries to block their way only to get eliminated with the sheer power the two have.
"I knew it! You two are completely different from the rest!" The Bandit Leader screams in ecstasy as he prepares for the incoming fight.