Arthur

BOOM

The lightning bolt smashed into the centre of the gathering. Arcs of lighting flew everywhere crashing into nearby bandits reducing them to a fine mist. The arc’s split into multiple arcs colliding with a second layer of bandits burning large holes clear through their chest. The lightning split a third a final time arcing off into the most distance of the bandits striking them down. I looked around the camps out of the sixty men that had once been in the centre. There were five people left standing, four of those were right at the edge while one was right in the middle and had survived by pure luck. I readied my knives throwing them towards two of the bandits on the outside of the circle, that had not recovered from the shock. The knifes made contact one of the sticking out of a bandit’s eye while the other connected with a bandit’s stomach dropping him to his knees, taking him out the fight. I reached my sword drawing it in one smooth movement. By this point, the two bandits on the outside of the circle had gathered their wits. The one in the middle stood there dump stuck painted red by the fine mist of blood.

“ATTACK, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK” one of the bandits shouted.

I ran forward then towards the two bandits quickly making ground. They had only just finished drawing their weapons when I had crossed the thirty meters over the camp towards them. The benefit of having a high-speed build.

As I reached the first one, I swung with a cross swing cutting into the bandit’s chest. I turn around from the collapsing bandit to see a sword swinging at me, I stepped to the side, striking out at the stomach of the attacking bandit spearing him through the kidneys. Grabbing hold of this body I pushed at it freeing my blade from his stomach.I looked around then, around twenty bandits had exited a number of the wagons. There was a group of six with four of them wearing plate male and another two wearing archers’ leathers. The other group was a group of fourteen wearing a mismatch of armour and gear. A number of them where still strapping on belts and reaffixing their gear, I would have to check that wagon. I stood there for a second looking at the new group of bandits standing there.

“What are you waiting for its only one man, get him” one of the armoured bandits shouted.

So that was their leader then. I pulled at my mana quickly gathering it into my hand. I pulled much more mana than I normally put into a lightning bolt spell almost fifteen per cent of my mana dropping my reserves to ten per cent. I wanted this to be flashy, to inspire fear.

̷̳̠͌̌L̷̻͝i̸͙̍̑g̸͓͎̍ḧ̵͎̟́t̵̰͋n̶̲͗̒i̸̱̹̒̒n̵̢̐g̶̼͘ ̴͚̳̈́b̷̮̩͒̊ó̴̰l̴̡̩̈t̷̘̦̏̓

The bolt shot out colliding with the leader's group the lighting collided with the leader then arced off colliding the other six. There was a large hole in the leader’s chest where the lighting had torn through. The other armoured bandits collapsed falling to the floor. One of the men wearing leathers also collapsed the other remained standing on his feet.

I looked up towards the group of fourteen men, most of them hadn’t even drawn weapons and had frozen halfway in strapping on pieces of amour. I ran towards them quickly covering the ground. Just before I reached them the first of them snapped out their stupor reaching for a weapon, but it was too late. I was upon them slicing with my blade I gutted the first of them keeping up momentum I dodged to the right cutting down two men as I ran. I stepped into the middle of them, the next few second where a rush of dismemberments, blood and sweat as I gutted the unprepared bandits. I had seven more dead before they had even drawn their blades. Two of the three remaining tried to dogpile me coming from both sides but with my speed I was able to decapitate one before turning around to deflect the strike of the other following through with a riposte, cutting him down. I turned to the last of the group walking slowly towards him. He stood there stock still barely moving an inch. When I took my final step, I felt a sudden presence behind me. Trusting my instincts, I threw myself to the right just as the arrow flew past me by colliding with the bandit in front of me. Turning around I saw the remaining archer standing there reaching for a second arrow. I turned towards him walking slowly towards him. He notched an arrow loosening it towards me. I brought my sword up cutting the arrow down in mid-flight. As I moved towards him, he notched and fired four more arrows each of which I cut down mid-air.

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As I reached him, he threw down his bow turning a running away from me. He didn’t make it far, only five steps before I caught him up and disembowel him. I shelved my sword then looking around the camp. The man that had been standing in the middle coated with his friends’ blood was nowhere to be seen. Looking out the ring of wagons I saw five men running towards the woods. Three bodies littered the clearing arrows sticking out of their backs. It seemed that the Alexis girl was good with a bow. As I stood there another dropped falling on his back an arrow sticking out of this back. It would not do to let them escape.

̷̳̠͌̌L̷̻͝i̸͙̍̑g̸͓͎̍ḧ̵͎̟́t̵̰͋n̶̲͗̒i̸̱̹̒̒n̵̢̐g̶̼͘ ̴͚̳̈́b̷̮̩͒̊ó̴̰l̴̡̩̈t̷̘̦̏̓

̷̳̠͌̌L̷̻͝i̸͙̍̑g̸͓͎̍ḧ̵͎̟́t̵̰͋n̶̲͗̒i̸̱̹̒̒n̵̢̐g̶̼͘ ̴͚̳̈́b̷̮̩͒̊ó̴̰l̴̡̩̈t̷̘̦̏̓

̷̳̠͌̌L̷̻͝i̸͙̍̑g̸͓͎̍ḧ̵͎̟́t̵̰͋n̶̲͗̒i̸̱̹̒̒n̵̢̐g̶̼͘ ̴͚̳̈́b̷̮̩͒̊ó̴̰l̴̡̩̈t̷̘̦̏̓

̷̳̠͌̌L̷̻͝i̸͙̍̑g̸͓͎̍ḧ̵͎̟́t̵̰͋n̶̲͗̒i̸̱̹̒̒n̵̢̐g̶̼͘ ̴͚̳̈́b̷̮̩͒̊ó̴̰l̴̡̩̈t̷̘̦̏̓

In quick succession, I shot four lightning bolts dropping my mana to almost zero, but reducing the last of the bandits to corpses. Strangely as I stood there the bandit covered in blood was not to be seen he was not part of the bodies. Never mind one or two escaping would make no big difference as long as Alexis believed the camp to be completely wiped out.

I quickly turned walking towards the wagons. Moving towards the leader's wagon I pulled on the cloth covering opening it up. Within it was a number of crates and a table on which was a map. To the side, there was a small chest almost full of coins. To the right of it was several necklaces and other oddments of jewels as well as a small open pouch with around twenty Gems inside. As well as several barrels I assume were full of beer and wine. I reached over grabbing a large handful of coins as well as the pouch of gems placing them into my coin purse. Moving around the wagon I visited all but the last. The six of them were full of large amounts of wooden boards and lumber that they had stolen from the village. One of them was full of food and drink, enough to feed this group for months. The next one was empty bar a number of cloth packages lay strewn around. Obviously where they stored all the tents.

Then I came to the final wagon the one I had been dreading. At this point, Alexis had made her way to me just entering into the circle of wagons. I stepped into the wagons and it was as I feared. Within the cramped wagon, around twelve young women and girls were sitting the bound. Ten of them were forced up to the end of the wagon, kept in by a small steel cage. All of them were naked and quivering in fear. Two of them lay strewn across the wagon floor outside of the cage. One of them was catatonic not even registering my entrance into the wagon, the other was tucked into a ball quietly weeping. I took a step forward reaching out my hand.

“ARRRR” screamed the girl, quickly rushing back crawling into the corner.

I took a step back them. A man like me wearing ill-fitting armour and covered in blood could do little in this situation. I stepped out then stepping out of the wagon. Alexis was rushing towards me looking towards the wagon, as she passed me, I grabbed her arm.

“Steal yourself its grim in there,” I said.

I let go of her arm and she rushed in. I walked away. Judging from there conditions the girls hadn’t been fed. I walked over to the food wagon pulling a large pot vegetable and some beef, along making my way to the fire. I set up to stuff liberating a knife from one of the dead and set about making a stew.