The bandits and thieves of the desert tended to work in small groups. It made handling provisions easier, and the loot gained from robbery didn't need to be split with too many people. In addition, smaller groups didn't attract too much attention and were simpler to hide.
However, there was one exception to that rule, and this one exception was outstanding enough to be known by nearly every person in the whole desert.
Yassukan, Prince of Rogues.
That man was the leader of the largest group of outlaws ever seen before, and not few feared him for his trickeries. His appearance was unknown to the public, but the tales of his deeds weren't. The disappearance of a son of a rich noble, the extermination of a large merchant party, even a raid on a whole city. Concerning Yassukan, people were sure of only two things:
He was clever enough to pull the craziest actions and get away with them, and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
This ability of his made others fear him, but some also adored him. The size of his organization, the "Red Vipers", grew steadily, to the point where it could compare with a small army. No one knew what Yassukan's intentions were, creating such a large organization, but many rumored he wanted to conquer one of the big cities and rule like a real king. However, none of this was ever confirmed by him, and Yassukan didn't tell his own followers either. They didn't care, though, as long as they could steal, plunder and kill as much as they wanted.
Their agenda this time was to ambush the large expedition party on their way south, and rob them of everything they had. Yassukan was in Tarrov at the same time as them by coincidence, and caught many information and rumors regarding them. He even eavesdropped on some of the members in taverns and shops, so he could get a clear picture of their power, resources, and travel plans. Once he had acquired those, he predicted the route they would take and began to prepare his plan. He told the majority of his forces to stay inside the abandoned village and lay low, waiting for the arrival of the expedition party. Then, he followed the expedition at a reasonable distance and slowly but surely gathered his other soldiers from the nearby encampments.
The moment everything was ready, he let his trap snap. The forces brought by him, and the ones he had hidden inside the village, were closing in on the expedition party from both sides, cutting off any means of escape. Furthermore, the party's defensive line-up was only covering them on one side, their back was completely exposed to the main force of the Red Vipers. If everything went according to plan, they would annihilate the expedition party in a few minutes and gain all of their fortunes. Yassukan couldn't wait for that moment to arrive.
(We are going to be crushed at this rate!)
Corwyn was greatly alarmed by the sudden appearance of a second force from the village. This unexpected development took him completely by surprise, and he wasn't the only one. The adventurers around him were panicking, several of them unsure of what to do. They had to defend the backside of their formation, but that would weaken their defense against the impending onslaught of the cavalry from the front. Although camels were not as fast and imposing as horses, in the desert they were definitely fast and strong enough to trample over human beings. They could not be underestimated.
The ability users were in even greater distress. They didn't excel in close combat, but in ranged attacks. Behind the soldiers providing them cover, they amounted to a strong force, but now that attacks were incoming from both sides, there was no one to hide behind. They were looking around, unsure of where to go and what to do.
Corwyn drew his swords, but he too felt deep fear in his heart. This would be the first time he participated in a real battle, clashing swords with the intent to kill the enemy. He had mentally prepared himself for this moment, but now that it was actually happening, his knees felt weak, and his arms were shaking. Hanaan and Dalios beside him looked ready for battle, without a trace of nervousness visible on their faces. Teo was much tenser, but he too, managed to remain calm and face the incoming forces with a cold gaze. None of them spoke a single word to Corwyn, even though they must have sensed his uneasiness.
But now that they were in this situation, what could they possibly say to calm him down? The moment when both forces would clash was only seconds away, and all of their focus had to be fixed on surviving the imminent collision. There was no place for distractions, as cold as it may seem. All they could do now was to hope that Corwyn would get himself together and manage the situation on his own.
"Everyone, spread out a bit! Staying in formation will only lead to our disadvantage at this point!"
Rogar's voice droned even over the stamping of the camels. His orders puzzled them for a bit. Wouldn't spreading out give the opponent an even easier time to overwhelm them with their superior numbers? But Jarrok didn't give them the time to refute.
"What are ya folks still standing around for? Didn't ya hear tha orders!? Fucking move, or I'll make ya!!"
His roar woke the adventurers from their trance, and everyone quickly began to distance themselves from the rest, splitting into smaller groups. The enemy forces had almost closed in on them at this point, and the clash between the armies was on the eve of happening. Yassukan, who was at the head of the cavalry, was briefly puzzled at the sight of the expedition party's forces splitting up, but it was too late for readjustments. The battle would now begin, and the outcome was completely open.
The last seconds before the collision felt like an eternity to Corwyn. He could now clearly see the features of the attackers in front of him. Grim faces, bloodshot eyes, some even had a few scars on their bodies. Each of them had their weapons brandished, eager to carve them into the flesh of their enemies. The bloodlust in the air felt suffocating to Corwyn, and his breathing was heavier than before.
The seemingly endless moment finally passed, and the armies collided with each other, instantly drowning out the sound of the many footsteps, and replacing them with others.
Clang! Boom! Aaahhh!
Metal weapons clashed with each other, ability users fired of their respective powers, and the screams of the people dying made no space for any other sound to reach Corwyn's ears. The blood shot to his face, and for a moment, he felt like he would faint at any second. However, he had no time to deal with those issues. Several bandits approached the direction he was standing in, letting out a battle cry and launching their attacks at the adventurers. Corwyn's eyes opened up wide and he staggered backward, in a fruitless attempt to fall back.
The first strike finally reached him. It was a one-handed axe user with a wooden shield, swinging his weapon towards Corwyn. The axe was aimed at his chest, so Corwyn moved the sword in his left hand to intercept it.
Clang!
The two weapons met, sparks flying from the point were they connected. Corwyn's left arm felt numb, but he endured it and pushed the axe back. He then hurled his right sword at his staggering foe, who managed to defend with his shield though. However, that was what Corwyn had predicted. His opponent's eyes were currently focused on his shield blocking Corwyn's right sword. While his right sword was still in the process of bouncing off the shield, his left sword moved forward with a fast thrust at the lower part of the chest.
The bandit couldn't move his axe or shield in time, the attack hit. Blood was spurting out, covering the body of the rogue and Corwyn's sword. His foe took a step back, his right arm holding the wound, his face wearing a pained expression. Corwyn felt like hurling. Even though what he did was out of self-defense, he couldn't bare seeing someone dying in front of him.
He took a step forward, and announced in a weak voice:
"Go! I don't want to kill you, and you can't fight anymore! If you take care of this wound immediately, you can still save your life!"
The bandit looked up at him, disbelief showing on his face when he heard Corwyn's voice. But it lasted only for an instant. He suddenly grinned from ear to ear and bellowed as he sprung forward:
"You're too weak for this, kid! Let me do you a favor and kill you painlessly!"
Without warning, his axe flew at Corwyn. He somehow managed to block again, but this time, his arm holding the sword felt too weak. The weapon fell out of his hand, and the man in front of him grinned even brighter, bloodlust gleaming in his eyes.
In a panic, Corwyn tried to push him back by swinging his other blade at his foe, but unfortunately, his desperation made him all too predictable, and his swing got easily blocked by the shield. Once again, the man raised his axe, and swung it down at Corwyn, aiming for his heart. Corwyn closed his eyes in resignation.
(Is it really going to end here? Am I going to die here, having achieved nothing at all?)
He didn't want to die. But what could he do? His right sword couldn't help him, and his left sword lay in the sand, out of his reach. Corwyn cursed himself for hesitating, since this was the reason why he was going to die now. He still had some Arcor stored in his body for strengthening his physical powers, but that wouldn't be enough to defend himself from a point-blank attack.
Time stood still. His brain worked meticulously at a solution that could get him out of this predicament. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. He had already concluded that using Arcor to strengthen his body wouldn't save him. Then, what if he transformed it into metal? If he made the simplest iron out of it, the creation process should be quite fast. He didn't need a complete sword, a simple plank of metal would suffice to save his life.
Only three seconds separated the axe from his body. Corwyn's thoughts accelerated. All the Arcor in his body was gathered in his left palm.
Faster! He had to be faster than he ever was before, or there would be no saving him. Everything else was blended out, only the Arcor in his left hand mattered.
Finally, the blade of the axe reached Corwyn. The bandit was delighted at the thought of killing the very young boy who had inflicted this unsightly injury on him. The boy tried blocking with his arm, but it was useless! An axe swung with such power could never be stopped with just an arm!
However, the impossible became possible right before his eyes.
Clank~~~!
The axeblade felt a strong resistance, and didn't progress any further than Corwyn's palm. The bandit was dumbstruck. He had no idea what had happened just now.
Corwyn was also stunned, as if he had snapped out of a trance. He couldn't remember what his thoughts were while the axe was descending onto him, but the small piece of metal in his left hand told him the answer. Somehow, he had managed to create enough metal in this short instance to ward off the attack aimed at his chest.
By the time Corwyn's opponent realized what had happened, it was already too late. Corwyn recovered first, and pushed his still baffled enemy back. With a kick, the shield got knocked to the side, and Corwyn's right sword slashed at his foe, leaving a deep red wound on his body.
"Damnit!"
The bandit let out a final curse, before his body fell to the ground and he let his last breath out.
Corwyn retracted his sword from his opponent, then picked up his second sword again. He felt awful. This was the first time he had killed a person, and nearly died himself as well. And the battle was far from over too.
Corwyn didn't want to be in this place, but he sadly had no choice in this matter. All he could do now was to fight! To fight for his survival, and to protect his friends. He could worry about the rest after the battle had ended.
Confirming that no other rogue tried to attack him at the moment, he took one last deep breath before he turned his attention towards the battlefield around him.