In surprise, the wanderer took a step back - he was not a professional fighter who could repel an armed gang. To be honest, he was a downright bad fighter. In training in the use of edged weapons, the wanderer was one of the worst. Losing to a fifteen-year-old forced him to quit training. He carried his expensive sword with him as a form of “intimidation.” Usually, at the sight of this formidable weapon, lonely robbers left, but not this time...

- Why are you frozen? Just show us what you've got. The big man also took a step forward, nervously reaching for his axe. - We just want to talk. And then we’ll let you go, don’t be shy. - An evil grin appeared on his face.

- What do you need? I have nothing. - The Stranger tried to answer menacingly, but notes of anxiety distorted his voice, which began to sound rather pitiful.

- Really? And it seems to us that you were on that mountain. - The third bandit pointed his finger towards the mountains from which the traveler had descended. The female voice finally confirmed the idea that it was a woman. - It's not every day that someone goes there.

Sweat appeared on the man’s face, his heart began to beat faster, and his hands began to shake with excitement. It immediately became clear to him that they would not let him go just like that. In fact, there were reasons to worry. And these reasons are quite serious. As mentioned earlier, the wanderer went to the mountains for a reward. He was tasked with bringing one rare flower - Rockhem. The flower grew only on the tops of the mountains. It was a stone stem and the same stone leaves, the length of which was comparable to a human finger. If handled correctly, the flower could provide its owner with good protection in the form of thickening the skin in times of danger. According to ancient scriptures, the skin became as hard as stone from the heights of the mountains.

- Why are you silent? We know perfectly well what you are hiding from us. I repeat, if you give it to us, no one will get hurt. You will go your way, and we will go ours. - The “average” robber began to deftly twirl the sword in his hands, showing his good command of the weapon.

The wanderer, due to his lack of education, did not know about the properties of the flower. As he himself guessed (and as he was told), this was simply a rare species that the king wanted to see in his garden. Therefore, for one moment the man thought - is it worth risking his life for the sake of some lousy plant?

- I repeat again. - The big man stepped forward sharply, forcing the wanderer to step back a couple more steps. - And this is the last warning. Give it to us.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

- Okay, I'm not stupid. I'll give it back. Wait. - The Stranger slowly took the bag from his back, opened it and took out a flower. In the sun, oddly enough, it shimmered with different colors, which looked especially good on the rough stone surface.

- Wow... - Through the mask on the face of the female bandit, the wanderer seemed to see a surprised face with wide open eyes.

- Yes, an interesting thing. - The “middle” man said, stopping rotating his weapon.

The Stranger was distracted, turning his head towards the speaker. This was his main mistake. Without having time to look at the “big” man, the wanderer was kicked in the chest. He fell on his back, dropping the flower from his hand. Rockhem fell somewhere near the head. Without hesitating, the bandit tried to hit the traveler on the head with his ax. By a happy coincidence, the wanderer managed to roll on the ground. After a couple of seconds, he raised his sword and raised it above his head. The next moment there was a crushing blow from the ax, which landed exactly in the center of the expensive sword. The air shook with a sound that sounded like lightning. The shocked bandit fell as if he had been pushed away by a powerful stream of air.

The man felt some new feeling that was not there before. He would describe it as a rush of strength mixed with rage, revenge and fear. Without thinking twice, he struck with his sword, wounding the bandit in the leg. A cry followed, indicating pain from the wound received. Oddly enough, the wanderer liked this feeling. He wanted to hit the robber again, he swung it... But he received a blow to the back of the head. The stars sparkled before my eyes, and my mind became clouded. In ordinary life, the man would have fallen unconscious on the cold ground, but now for some reason this did not happen. Like a madman, he turned around in one movement, holding his sword in front of him.

Because of this peculiar movement, he managed to leave a long wound on the chest of the “average” robber. He fell like a rag doll that had been gently pushed by a hand. There was an almost perfect line on the leather jacket with blood flowing through it. Oddly enough, the traveler could say that everything seemed to become unnaturally slow for him. It was as if he was moving faster than before. He was filled with a feeling of anger. Wanting to finish his job, he reached the “big” man in one leap, plunging a sword into his chest, which went into the ground almost to the hilt. The robber wheezed heavily, trying to cover the huge wound with his hands.

Turning back, the wanderer only now remembered the third bandit, who behaved quietly. Wiping the blood from his face, the man looked at her. The mask on her face did not allow any emotions to be seen, but the woman stood firmly on her feet, her appearance showing maximum determination. The woman slowly pulled out an unusually shaped sword from behind her back. It was rounded like a sickle, but at the same time very straight. The length of the blade was about a meter, maybe a little more.

The bandit swiped her sword through the air. It seemed to the Stranger that she managed to cut the air.

- Now show me what you can do.