"Well, three against one," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the odds.

The leader sneered, his cruel smile widening. "All at once," he ordered, his voice cold and confident. "No need to risk it."

"Your bravery is commendable," I retorted, hoping to provoke him into making a mistake.

He growled in response, and the three bandits charged. I did the only thing I knew, using my Emotional Intelligence to send confusion their way. I felt the familiar drain on my mana, but the effect was immediate. Their coordinated charge faltered, their eyes darting around as if trying to remember their plan.

I rotated my positioning, moving quickly to keep them from surrounding me. The leader snarled, swinging his sword in a wide arc. I dodged, my axe ready, and focused my Telekinesis on the bandit to his right. As the underling swung his weapon, I subtly nudged it off course, making him strike the other sidekick.

The struck bandit yelled in pain, dropping to his knees and clutching his side. The leader cursed, his face twisting with fury. "You idiot!" he shouted at his sidekick, who was already apologizing profusely.

Seizing the moment of chaos, I swung my axe at the kneeling bandit, finishing him off with a quick, decisive blow to the chest. Luckily, I was quickly able to pull the head of the axe out and spin to the side. The leader's eyes widened with rage, and he lunged at me, his sword aiming for my throat.

I parried his strike, the force of the blow sending vibrations up my arm, but I spun and hit the leader with the back of my wrist near my left stump, sending him reeling. I wasted no time coming out of my spin in a run directly at the remaining sidekick. I activated Emotional Intelligence as I ran to apply fear to him, but he was already terrified. Capitalizing on this, I feinted at an attack as I drew near.

The sidekick moved to block, his eyes wide with panic. I pulled out of the feint and rushed forward, his guard completely out of position. My axe sliced through the air, and connected at the space between his armor and his chin, slicing clean through his neck and making a sickening squelching sound as I passed through, blood gushed everywhere, but I did not dwell.

I turned to face the leader. He was shaking, seething, his face a snarl of emotion. His eyes locked onto mine with a murderous rage. Without warning, he charged at me, swinging his sword in huge, reckless blows.

I dodged most of his attacks, but he managed to nick me once in the side. I felt the small regenerative power of my tattoo kick in instantly, the warmth spreading through my wound as it began to heal. I stayed on the defensive, letting him tire himself out. The regenerative power of my compass tattoo helped my stamina too, as his swings became increasingly lethargic, each one slower and less controlled than the last, I stayed near fresh.

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Finally, he gathered himself for one last blow. I dodged to his right as best I could and let loose my first counterstrike—a titanic, looping strike to his side beneath his armpit. My axe bit deeply, and he fell to the ground instantly, his weapon slipping from his grasp.

I could hear his dying breaths, raspy and labored, as I worked to remove my axe from his body. It was actually quite hard to do with one hand, the blade stuck fast in his flesh. I planted my foot on his side and yanked hard, finally freeing my weapon with a wet, sickening sound.

Panting, I took a moment to survey the scene. The remaining bandits were either dead or fleeing, the guards and I having secured the area. The sounds of battle faded, replaced by the groans of the wounded and the crackling of the campfires. I was again amazed that I was in a VR simulation. The pain that my tattoo was quickly lessening felt real. The sounds of the bandit leader dying felt real. I wondered what dying would feel like in a place like this? Real no doubt

The guard captain approaching me interrupt my thoughts, his face was a mix of relief and respect. "Well fought," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. "You saved us."

I nodded, wiping the blood from my axe. "We need to get to Templeton," I said, my voice firm.

The captain glanced at the retreating bandits and then back at me. "Agreed. We'll leave at first light. For now, let's regroup and tend to the wounded."

I agreed with the captain, but my first thought was to go and find Maya, to make sure she was okay guarding the caravan's goods. My heart pounded with lingering adrenaline as I made my way through the camp, the aftermath of the battle still fresh in the air.

I found her with the merchants and the goods, a few dead bandits scattered around her. She was surveying the area, ensuring everything was intact. I saw her before she saw me.

"How did it go?" I asked, approaching her. "Were you hurt?"

Her face took on a crooked grin. "Look at you, so sweet. You were worried," she said with a little bite to her tone.

"Well yeah, we are a team," I said, matter of factly.

She laughed, the tension easing from her shoulders. "A team, huh? I like the sound of that." She glanced at the bandits she'd taken down, her expression shifting to one of satisfaction. "These guys weren't much trouble. How about you?"

"I handled it," I replied, trying to sound casual. "Took down their leader and a couple of his sidekicks."

Her eyes widened slightly, impressed. "Not bad, Professor."

I couldn't help but wonder at her nickname for me. Had I told her I was a professor? I couldn’t remember. Her face turned from a smile to questioning at my delay as I thought of our past conversations. "Thanks.” I stammered quickly. “We need to leave at first light, head to Templeton. I need to find Elyria.” Maya frowned a little back at me in response.