‘Percy!’

‘What is it?’ the young man asked, sensing the crow’s urgency through their bond.

Getting used to hearing actual words from Micky would take a while.

‘People…’

He sighed. They were bound to run into somebody sooner or later – it was the downside of travelling along a paved road. Especially one leading to a destination as popular as the Alchemists’ Guild. If anything, it was more surprising it had taken three days for this to happen.

‘Hermes’ message must’ve spooked everyone.’

Percy guessed most merchants would steer clear of the Spire for the next couple of weeks, waiting for the dust to settle. Yet some people didn’t care, apparently.

‘How many?’

‘Three.’

‘On horses?’

‘Yes.’

The young man nodded, assuming they had at least one person below Yellow with them. Ideally, it would be nice to know their exact grades, to decide the best course of action, though that might be asking for too much. Micky couldn’t get too close to them, or they might notice something was off. That’s why Percy had asked his familiar to fly wide circles around him and Nesha, scouting the area while remaining at least a mile away. That way, he might pass for a wild bird that just happened to roam the region.

Back when they’d first headed to the Spire, things hadn’t been as bad. Orange beasts weren’t nearly as rare, nor as dangerous, so one flying above somebody wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Now that Micky had evolved, however, he was more than a little conspicuous. Not to mention, it would be easier to spot the crow’s bandage from up close. Naturally, Percy had wrapped it around his familiar’s abdomen again after escaping the hive, though it looped fewer times now.

“Nesha.”

“Hmmm?”

“There’s a group behind us. Let’s find some cover just in case.”

Honestly, Percy was confident they could handle them. He doubted they were too strong and, if they were, they were unlikely to be bandits. Nobles and Yellow-borns didn’t need to dabble in petty crime. That said, he’d prefer to avoid them altogether – whoever they were – for multiple reasons. First, he was still half-naked, his body covered in dirt and grime. It made the prospect of meeting people a little embarrassing. Second, he’d rather not be seen anywhere close to the Spire.

Making up their minds, he and Nesha upped the pace, to keep their distance from their unwitting pursuers. They scanned the surrounding scenery for a good place to hide. Most of it was flat, entire fields of yellow grass stretching to the horizon. Though it wasn’t tall enough to shroud them properly. Finding something they could work with took about an hour. Straying from the path once more, they made their way to the first hill they spotted, hoping to wait there for the group to pass.

Alas, despite their caution – or perhaps because of it – they were caught off guard by what happened next…

“Well, well… what has the wind delivered today?” a creepy voice asked. It sounded quite off – as if the man behind it was wheezing.

In front of Percy stood a trio in mismatched leather outfits, all of them sporting scraggly beards, grinning with yellowed teeth. The one who’d spoken appeared to be their leader, standing in the middle of the bunch. He had a nasty scar marring the upper half of his neck and up his chin, all the way to his bottom lip. Right where it ended, the man’s canine was missing.

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“How…” Nesha began to ask, though she trailed off as she put two and two together.

This was the only place in the surrounding area where one could take cover, so… didn’t that work both ways? Evidently, it also made for a great ambush spot. In fact, if Percy’s guess was right, the other three were probably on their way here, the two groups being in cahoots.

“Hahaha. I’ll tell you what. Hand over that enchanted bandage and the girl, and we’ll let you go. We don’t get off killing punks.”

Yeah, right. Fat chance they were willing to leave a survivor behind. Especially once they found out about the spatial amulet hidden beneath his bandage. But Percy wasn’t paying attention to the bandit’s “offer”.

‘Two Yellows and one Orange…’

It wasn’t that intimidating a lineup. Nesha didn’t have much experience fighting, but she shouldn’t have much trouble dealing with the weaker guy. As for the other two, Percy felt confident fighting them by himself. Stepping forward, he took a couple breaths in quick succession, building up his reserves. His body was still sore from all that madness in the hive, but otherwise uninjured.

“Brat, are you deaf? Toss me your bandage, or else…” the leader spoke.

Then, he manifested a fireball the size of a watermelon above his palm, trying to spook him. He must’ve thought it was working too, judging from the smirk on his face. Though Percy didn’t blame him. Seeing him breathe rapidly, they were probably under the impression he was hyperventilating or something. Well, if the idiots thought so, they were in for a rough awakening.

“Let me make you a counteroffer.” Percy replied, the calmness in his tone eliciting a frown from the bandit. “Back off now, or it’ll be too late once I start.”

“…” the criminal just stared at him for a few seconds, blinking a couple times. The others also looked at each other, until one of them broke into a cackle, causing the others to follow.

“Hahahahaha!”

“Start what?” the rightmost guy asked, but Percy remained silent. He already had his answer.

‘Micky. Keep an eye out for the other three. If they come this way, kill them all.’

The young man wasn’t concerned about his familiar’s safety in the slightest. Following his promotion, the crow might even be stronger than he was. As long as the other group didn’t have somebody at Green, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

Truth be told, this situation felt a little nostalgic. Hadn’t they run into bandits on the way to the Guild too? Back then, Percy had relied on deception and sneak attacks to survive. Rick’s group had been weaker than today’s enemies too.

‘Let’s see how much I’ve grown then.’

The bandits’ eyes widened as a series of cyan lines lit up underneath Percy’s skin. They were static and orderly, spreading out of his abdomen, reaching every corner of his body. At the same time, a silver maelstrom raged within, carving violent gushes through Percy’s soul, drawing a constantly shifting vortex around his sternum.

Panicking, the leader tossed the fireball right at him.

But Percy had seen the attack coming before the man even launched it. Hooking his arm around Nesha, he leapt backwards, calmly watching the spell blast a patch of grass into ashes where he’d previously stood.

Everyone gave him odd looks. The girl had seen his boosting art back when he rushed out of the tunnel, though they hadn’t discussed it. Now that it appeared again, she couldn’t help but examine him curiously. As for the bandits, they now sported a strange mix between greed and caution they had lacked a moment ago.

The young man didn’t care about any of them, however. He’d already decided to not keep much from Nesha anymore. They were in this together now. As for his enemies? Well, their fate had been sealed the moment he activated Circulation. Though he didn’t stop there. Inhaling again, he pushed his body further, his muscles tensing as they brimmed with strength, his abs causing his bandage to stretch. Beads of sweat popped up all over his reddened skin, as motes of two colours leaked out of his pores, shrouding him in a twin halo of cyan and silver.

“Nesha. Take the rightmost guy on. I’ll handle the others.” he muttered, though the bandits must’ve heard him too, as all three began to prepare their own spells. The guy in the middle formed a new fireball, as the other two both used water.

“W-What?! By yourself?! They’re both at Yellow!” the girl was taken aback. “What are you going to do?”

Percy shrugged. If anything, this was a good opportunity to test something else he’d been working on. Neither the Starry Knight, nor the horde of wasps had been suitable opponents, but these people were. Next, he focused on his mana, as the two halos around his frame began to change. Cyan and silver blended together into a single aura, as smoky wisps of teal enveloped him.

“What else? I’m going to get myself some new clothes.”