"Oi, Bernard! Bernard! Get up and do it! End this pointless fight! Here and now!"
Charleston's pleas resonated, and the desperation in the deer beastman's face was clear in his beady eyes. Yet still, as he bellowed in concern, his comrade remained fixed into his crevice. Now, it was time to finish these clowns off and track down Claire.
The two men that had attempted to jump me had now fled to Charleston's side. They seemed just as frightened and stunned as their superior. Surely, in their eyes, I must've been a monster. One that swallowed their boss up.
The frightened beastman suddenly pushes the two men forward as a meat shield. Driven out of what I may assume as self-preservation, one of them charged at me. He had a dagger in his hand, and his pointy ears wiggled in distress.
He didn't know what to do and, with that indecision, brought a swift demise. I didn't have to move since he willingly sacrificed himself to the fire. For his trouble, I backhanded him and sent him flying to my right. Out of sight and out of mind.
"You thought shit was sweet, huh?", I called over to the two remaining men. "Ain't no fun when the rabbit got the gun, amiright?"
I began my approach with every one of my steps, kicking up a gust of debris. Although my laughter boomed, there was one place that managed to catch my eyes. On the ground next to Charleston's feet was an item. That item was Claire's sword, the only one that took off of her in the carriage.
While it seemed like a good idea at first, I now saw the error of that decision. Now she had nothing when she ran away, and now a group of men pursued her. That thought alone boiled my blood even hotter.
"You fool! Don't stand there! Do something! Hold him off while I escape!", Charleston ordered. His finger traced through the air as the man jumped up and down frantically.
The only one separating us was the man from before. It was the bastard who hit me in the back of my head with his club. While in hindsight that shit didn't amount to anything, I still wasn't keen on allowing such disrespect to stand uncontested. I expected him to charge me as well, but he didn't. Instead, he circled around to my right.
His intent was clearly to lead me away from his boss, but I didn't give a damn. Whether he comes to me or not now is irrelevant, an ass-whooping is due his way. I had one goal now, and that was retrieving Claire's sword. So I stomped towards Charleston, and when I got close to him, he scattered like a bumbling insect.
"Yes! Yes- the woman! The children too!"
As I picked up the sword, Charleston found some semblance of boldness, and it didn't take long before I knew away. A screech came out, and I snapped around instantly. The other passengers!
Right before my eyes, the man that I had overlooked had pulled the mother away from her children. Although she was restrained, she attempted to resist until the bandit held the blade close to her neck. Her children cried out for her, and even Carilius had attempted to assist her. Instead, he found a boot to his face, and the man continued to pull her away from the group.
"Alright! Alright! Your physique can't be cut, but do you think she'll survive a good slashing?!", the bandit cackled out in a disgusting fit of superiority.
I had taken my eyes off of him for one second, but I could hear the scampering of Charleston behind me. That deer bastard truly intended to flee, and when I turned to face him, the mother cried out in distress. It was truly despicable. The more my eyes took in the sight of that helpless woman, the hotter my face became. Yet, if I chose to pursue Charleston, she could become injured. In fact, she could be killed.
'Damn it! Damn it! Now I've gotten the others involved! I should've battered his ass earlier!'
It was too late for those types of thoughts. If Bishop and Mark were here, then.. No- They aren't here. I'll have to think of something by myself. There are no tutorials, and there is no assistance. No support is present or backup is on the way. How can I get through this situation without getting anyone else harmed? That is the question. The predicament that I found myself facing.
"You're not so tough now, huh? Wait - Not step closer.", the man ordered.
"You know that I don't know that woman, right? Once you cut her throat, I'll just beat your ass. Whether or not she is alive is irrelevant. Imma put my foot up your ass regardless.", I informed him.
While there was some sense of truth to my words, I would rather not watch this innocent bystander slash in front of me. Despite my bold words, I made only a few more steps before the man jerked his hostage around a bit more. Her pleas to spare her made me stop in my tracks.
"My children! Please don't let them see this!", the mother begged. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her face contorted with despair.
If I had a projectile, then I would definitely attempt to obliterate the man without a second thought. Doing so would be a risk as the man could still cut the woman's throat upon falling down. He could also stab her when she attempted to free herself. I highly doubt that this bastard would be kind enough to allow me to retrieve one now.
Behind me, there was a small scuffle. The high pitches of neighs erupted, and then the thundering of hooves raced ahead. That only means one thing. In his decision to flee, Charleston had stolen one of the horses that we used to pull the carriage.
"Tch- You won't do anything. I can see it in your eyes!", the bandit says. He was clearly attempting to draw my attention. With the predicament that we are in, there are a few options left available. Save the woman or pursue Charleston. Those were the options. The answer to that was clear.
"You won't let this woman get harmed, so that means that I will be walking out of here, and she'll be coming with me! Now drop that weapon while you're at it!"
The man pulled his hostage and more distance began accumulating between us. He shuffled over before stopping near the Bernard-shaped hole in the ground. The man kept his eyes on me, his eyes gleamed like a cornered rat.
If I am not careful, then this cornered rat will bite, and I will not be the one paying the price. I was not keen on following his orders, but this was not the time to be stubborn. Therefore, I dropped Claire's sword onto the ground, and it thuds against the dirt below.
"How about this then? You can leave, and I will not pursue it, but you will have to leave the woman behind. Sounds favorable to you, right?", I propose to the man.
"Nice try, but I won't fall for such an obvious lie. There is no way that you will allow me to just leave now! Especially not in this situation. I'll do what I must to survive so I will not allow you to defeat me, and the guards will not take me in! I'll maim her and cut her to ribbons if you take another step further! Her blood will be on your hands!"
"No, it won't. Like I said, I don't know the woman. I didn't kill her, so I will not lose any sleep over it. In fact, we won't meet again after today, so why would I give a damn whether she lives or dies? In fact, it is in your best interest to keep her alive. The moment she isn't viable as a meat shield and you'll be planted in the ground. She can take solace in knowing her death will be avenged, and her children will be safe. Isn't that right?", I asked the woman.
"Y-Yes..", the woman replied sheepishly.
"You bitch! Don't agree with him or-", the bandit growled. He gritted his teeth at her response. He had attempted to sway her opinion with a dose of intimidation, but I would take the chance to remind him of his situation.
"Or what? You'll kill her? You're dead the moment that blade finishes piercing her neck. Try it then. That is if you have the courage for it.".
A bead of sweat raced down my temple, dampening the dry skin as it passed. My words were empty threats, but it appeared that was enough to deter him. As long as he viewed that it was more advantageous for him to keep the woman alive then there was still a chance to save her.
His face was gripped with indecision and the cries of the children for the mother seemed to deter any rash actions from him. The blade against her neck seemed to tremble slightly and the man seemed to see the dangers around his corner.
"Hey! Boss! Time to get up! You with me?", the bandit says.
His feet slid across the dirt and in a swift motion, he began tapping Bernard with his feet. It seemed that he was out of options at the moment. Usually, that was a bad sign, but here I figured that it was advantageous for me. The more fear wrapped him, the longer that he would hold out.
His tapping became more and more rapid by the second. Each tap was fueled with his desperation to reawaken his slumbering boss. There was quite the distance between us at the moment, and I do not think that I had the speed necessary to traverse it in time. I only had one chance at trying to break his hold on her.
Although I couldn't make the distance myself, I do know that I could throw something if given the chance. After all, my body may be too slow to reach it, but I am confident that my throwing speed may exceed his reaction speed. Although the risk of error was high, I could not afford to allow him to escape.
The sun beamed down from above, warming the fur that rested atop of my shoulder. This costume may look good, but it was a bit uncomfortable in direct sunlight. I could tell that the same was the case for the bandit. Sweat leaked from his sandy hair as it stuck to his face. Whether it was from the sun or his nerves, nonetheless he was sweating bullets.
'Damn! It's getting hotter by the second. This Sun is no joke…. Hold on…'
From where we stood, the sun had begun its ascent beyond the treeline, so there was no longer any shade being produced. Not only did that showcase the passage of time, but it may present me with an opportunity. Instinctively, I moved my forearm to wipe away the sweat that had begun accumulating.
That was when I felt the metal bracer on my right forearm kisses my forehead. My eyes widened as an idea suddenly struck me like a bolt of lightning. The metaphorical light bulb lit up when my eyes glanced up at the item.
My plan was simple. The tool that I needed to change the tide of this situation was present this whole time. The braces that withstood the mighty grip of his boss will now be the device for his downfall.
"Hands where I can see them!", the bandit barked. "Or-"
A scoff rushed out of my lips when I began acting out my new plan. With the sun beaming down, I began subtly raising the metal braces on my forearm up in the air. It took a second, but then a bright flash of light enveloped the man's eyes. The shiny metal of my bracer had reflected the sunlight towards him.
This was the opportunity that I had been waiting for. The bandit yelps in distress at the moment that his eyes had been overwhelmed with the light. Seizing the chance, in a single motion I slid the left bracer off of my forearm, and took aim.
Considering the distance between us, I took a split second before the item flew. The wind whipped up as the bracer was catapulted through the air. It twirled on its axis before the thick thud of flying metal hitting flesh filled our ears.
The bandit grunts loudly as the bracer collides with his head, and as a result, he goes flying alongside it on its path. His dagger dropped to the ground at the sudden blindside. Freed from her capturer's grasp, the mother rushed over to her children's side. She was practically tripping over herself to be reunited with them. The wails of a family ran a chill down my spine, but I did my best to block out their reunion.
Instead, I had my focus shifted toward the moving man that I just blasted with my bracer. With Charleston escaped and Bernard alongside his goons defeated, things were looking up. Upon reaching his destination, I reached over and pressed my fingers against the neck of the now-slumped bandit.
There was a gash atop his forehead with his fresh blood, staining his pale complexion. Thankfully, he was breathing, but it was obvious to me that he was unconscious at the moment.
"Hey, Stagecoach!", I called over to the man.
When I turned to face the restrained collective, it appeared that the man had acted without my instructions. He huddled towards the knife on the ground and attempted to use the blade to free himself from the ropes.
"It'll be easier for you to free one of the others than you can have them free you in return. It should be straightforward.", I suggested to the man.
It was an obvious idea in concept, but the expression on the man's face showed me that he didn't think of that. In fact, you would have sworn that I just told him the lucky numbers on a lottery ticket.
"Good idea! Hey- son. Come over here and I'll cut you free."
The Stagecoach gestured towards the younger Carlius. He shuffled towards him before the two individuals began freeing the others. Once freed Carlius marched over to where Claire's sword had been dropped. The sight of it reminded me of the very next thing that I needed to do. Considering that our position had been constantly swapping occurred during this confrontation.
That alongside the destruction had made the task of finding her entry point in the forest to be more complicated than before. I found myself simply twisting and turning around. This was ultimately little hope in figuring it out. My face contorted with my brewing frustration, and I felt a distinct sense of dizziness after turning so much.
"Excuse me… Sir."
The soft words of the woman caught my attention. Considering that there was only a single woman present, I shifted my attention to the collective. Once my eyes laid on the woman, she immediately lowered her head my way. The action actually startled me, so I was quick to dismiss the action. I raised my hand and immediately she thanked me.
"Your strength is quite remarkable, young man. Without you, we would likely have been killed by those heinous criminals."
Those words came from Carilius' Uncle as the man ushered the young man with Claire's sword. It was high praise from the man, but he was just stating the obvious. One could make the argument that if we weren't here, then things would have been just as okay. That was neither here nor there though in my opinion. I reached out towards Carilius and he returned the sword to me.
"Don't worry about it. Say, I don't remember what direction my friend ran off to. It would be helpful if any of you remembered."
The two looked towards each other and with a nod and a shrug they proved to be not useful here. I rubbed at the bridge of my nose in frustration as they apologized for not remembering. It wasn't their fault, but I guess it couldn't be helped.
"She went along this way."
This time it was one of the children who spoke up. She looked about eight or nine, and her brown hair matched that of her younger brother and mother. Her finger was directed towards a specific spot in the forest. It was a chance that this kid misremembered, but I guess there's little choice now.
"She's right.", says the Stage-coachman. The older man pulled himself off the ground and rubbed his wrists. "Though if your comrade is half as strong as you, then she will be able to hold out for the time being."
While on the surface such logic would be sound, but I really didn't know how powerful Claire really is. It is clear that she knows some type of magic, but all that we've seen has been her camouflaging spell. Besides that, I haven't seen anything to attest to her strength. Therefore I could only hope that she was capable enough to hold out until I arrived to assist her.
"We still have to complete a quest in Ava, so I'm going to track her down. I would prefer that we get a move on before it gets hotter than it currently is, so troubleshoot the carriage's condition.", I instructed.
The Stage Coachman seemed to be thrown in confusion at the sudden order that I thrust at him. He almost looked as if he was offended, but a glance at the down Bernard pushed him into a swift agreement.
"It's too hot out here. You can take your children back inside the carriage. It's bound to be a little bit cooler from the shade.", I gestured towards the mother.
The woman nodded in agreement. I could see the tiny beads of sweat rolling down the foreheads of the children. I wasn't too sure how long it would take for me to find her, but I'd hope for things to be done by the time of her return.
I tightly gripped the handle of the sword and from there I started making my way towards the location that was pointed out to me. Looking inside the forest, a single thought popped into my mind, 'Would Claire continue straight, or…would she run in a zigzag motion?'
Both of those options were solid and either was plausible. That made the situation that much more difficult. I was scratching my head.
'Well. Time to make a proper decision, and-'
"Schelelele-"
Not that laugh again. Here I thought that I managed to finally put things to rest between me and that giggling bastard. While it was an annoyance to me at this point, when I looked toward the others, a wave of dread washed over their faces.
"Not going to make things easy for me, Bernard?", I asked the man as I turned to face him.