That girl! Why is she here?
For a moment William's mind was stuck, he didn't know what to do. He looked back at Muriel who was hiding behind a large tree trunk. William did not dare to shout at the girl. He didn't want to be found out. So he could only make a stern look on his face, to show Muriel that he was very upset to see Muriel following him all the way to this place.
What's in that girl's head? Why does she always argue and don't want to listen to William's words just once?
Not yet lost his fear, the next incident made William even more panicked. The two boats that were previously drifting were now moving closer to the river bank. They were now quite close to where Muriel was hiding, maybe only about a dozen steps. If those people were observant and alert enough, they would be able to spot Muriel easily.
William quickly waved his hand, telling Muriel to come running towards him. In the dim moonlight now viciously pouring out from behind the clouds, Muriel's pale face became even clearer. The girl was still shivering, not daring to move, but at the same time knowing that four people were approaching. She lifted herself up, ready to run.
But the girl's sudden movement caught the attention of a bandit who had just gotten off the boat. The bearded man with the scar on his cheek, which Rogas had mentioned earlier. The man exclaimed while pointing at Muriel. His three companions also watched. The scar-faced man shouted an order. Two bandits, including himself, stepped away to help Mornitz fight Rogas, while the other two walked towards Muriel.
William cursed as soon as he knew what was going to happen. Without thinking he darted out of hiding, slipping through the thickets. He managed to reach Muriel faster and went straight past the girl to approach his two enemies.
The two bandits were shocked to see his arrival. One man failed to react. Before that villain could lift his sword, William's dagger had already stabbed his right waist, cutting him from front to back. The man screamed. Blood spurted everywhere.
The other bandit swung his sword around. William looked down, crouching as low as he could. His dagger stabbed straight ahead, piercing the bandit's stomach. The man screamed too. With all his strength William then pushed the knife that stuck in his stomach, making him fall on his friend who was lying down. The two bandits were covered in blood.
Near them, Muriel huddled with a trembling body, while William stared at the bloodied dagger in his hand. He had learned to use the sword for a long time, about a few months, and he knew from the start that one day, if he became a soldier, he would shed someone's blood, maybe even kill.
Of course, if it wasn't himself who was killed. He had often heard stories like this from Rogas and other people in the village. At one time such battle stories sounded exciting and exhilarating, but at other times they could be gruesome enough to make the hairs on his neck stand on end. When listening to it, excitement and horror can even be mixed into one at the same time.
He had that mixed feelings now. He knew what he might go through and do, once he received the dagger from Master Horsling. He will injure someone, maybe even kill him. Or on the contrary, he himself will be injured and killed. He was horrified, relieved that he wasn't the one injured, and at the same time shuddered at the thought that it was his hands that had inflicted fatal wounds on the bandits' bodies.
But this wasn't over yet. Death was still very close if he was careless. Not far from him Rogas was still fighting, but Mornitz's sword skills were comparable to him. Coupled with the appearance of two other bandits, Rogas was now pushed and cornered under a cliff. William must immediately help his friend without having to wonder why all this happened. As soon as possible, before it was too late and he regretted it.
William held the dagger with his left hand while his right hand grabbed the enemy's sword that was lying on the ground. He tried to ignore his first two enemies who were moaning to death. For a while, he was also forced to leave the crying Muriel behind in the thicket.
William ran toward Rogas and his three enemies, trying to shake off fear and replace it with anger. Actually, he wasn't sure. It was a foreign feeling to him. But if this was true anger, then he needed it more than fear, if he wanted to act cruelly and hurt his enemy mercilessly.
The next fight was not easy. The enemy was already more alert once they saw him successfully incapacitate their comrades quickly. A bandit confronted William, while Mornitz and the scarred man surrounded Rogas. The first bandit swung his sword while cursing.
William replied with an equally powerful slash. He moved wildly, without much force, but strong and ferocious. He continued to put his sword against the enemy's sword.
William's massive and explosive power seemed to take his enemy by surprise. The man was pushed back. William knew he had just found an opportunity. His left hand which was still holding the dagger found an opening. The dagger slashed towards his enemy's waist.
The bandit tried to dodge, but unfortunately for him, his foot stumbled on a broken tree trunk that was about an inch high. His body tumbled backward, and before he could react, the tip of William's sword had already come into his stomach, stabbed through the back.
The bandit's muffled screams sounded, his eyes bulged, his body swayed, before finally dying. Meanwhile, William getting used to blood.
Finished dealing with three people, he approached the scar-faced man who was now starting to despair because he and Mornitz had not succeeded in killing Rogas. Seeing William coming, the scarred face immediately shifted his sword.
"Bastard!" the bandit cursed. His eyes glazed over at William. He started to panic. "You devil child! Who are you? We have nothing to do with you!"
William gulped, then glared back and growled as horribly as he could while brandishing his sword. In fact, he was really nervous. His heart seemed to be jumping. But he strengthened his heart. He couldn't show his fear. He must not be careless, nor can he blink for a second.
Mornitz who was keeping his distance from Rogas immediately rebuked, "Stupid! He's just a kid! You don't have to be afraid! Kill him! Fast!"
The black-robed man glared at William. William gasped, imagining that he had intended to go with the man and even work for him. Crazy!
Whereas yesterday he had considered Mornitz a good person, not a thief let alone a robber. Turns out he was worse. The two sazets that he gave in front of the workshop were mere inducements! And the two pieces would also mean nothing to William if he died here.