*Bang! *Bang! *Bang! Micah fired several shots at his enemies until they were brought to their knees.
"Now, Rudi!"
Once the enemies were incapacitated, Rudi advanced and slashed at the kneeling soldiers.
*Slash! *Shunk! *Clank!
The soldiers quickly fell unconscious and lifeless. Rudi's spinning movements resembled a dancer stabbing a piece of wood (a human body in this case).
"Archers and crossbowmen (pointing at them)!" shouted Micah.
Six archers were deployed on the rooftops, and two crossbowmen were in a mobile wooden tower.
Rudi immediately dashed behind buildings. He raised his hand towards Micah as a signal to switch roles.
Micah nodded and started moving forward, perching on a pile of crates (perhaps belonging to Doris).
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
From behind the crates, Micah fired blindly at the archers.
None of the shots hit. He tried peeking out slightly, but as soon as his hair was visible, an arrow shot towards him.
*Ducked quickly!
'That was close!' he thought to himself.
He tried peeking again, and just like before, arrows and bolts shot at him.
*Dodged!
Micah jumped to the side, exposing himself from cover.
But the risk paid off. Micah had a clear view of the enemies' positions.
*Bang!
With one shot, Micah took down an archer.
*Reloading!
Quickly, a rain of arrows and bolts targeted him.
Micah had no choice but to run forward, closing the distance between him and the archers. He moved to a building closer to them.
He felt pressured now. The building he was using for cover only had sturdy walls to shield him from the arrows. The distance to the next cover, a crate, was too far. Moreover, one crossbowman had a clear view of Micah's head from there.
*Raised hand!
He signaled to Rudi. The path was clear now as all eyes were on Micah.
Rudi nodded and moved. He navigated the village alleys swiftly, his footsteps nearly silent. This was not due to his assassin instincts but the loud noise produced by the soldiers around him.
Reaching the wheeled tower, Rudi climbed up quickly and—
*Swoosh!
Rudi took down one of the crossbowmen aiming at Micah.
Seeing this, Micah dashed out, braving the rain of arrows that followed.
*Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! *Bang!
Micah fired rapidly from left to right, taking down one crossbowman and four archers.
*Bang!
However, he missed one archer with his sixth shot.
*Swoosh!
The remaining archer immediately drew his bow.
*Bang!
Trying to shoot again, Micah missed once more, now in a state of panic.
"You're dead!" the last archer shouted.
*Swoosh!
A sharp object flew, but it wasn't the archer's arrow; it was a single-edged sword. The sword struck the archer's hands precisely.
"Arghhh!" the soldier screamed.
"Micah, now!" Rudi yelled from atop the tower, waving his hands.
Micah quickly reloaded his pistol after hearing Rudi's command. He aimed at the soldier writhing in pain from his severed hands.
*Bang! With one shot, Micah ended the archer's screams.
***
The battle in the village was over. Micah, Rudi, and Floria gathered at the village center where the four entrance roads met.
*Removed helmet.
Under the helmet, Rudi's exhausted face, drenched in sweat, was visible. The sweat flowed like a waterfall down his face. He could barely stand, his knees supported by his hands.
"We've cleared the village... But why... can't we find Doris and Sherry?!" Rudi said, panting heavily.
"Blo— I mean, Floria, do you know where your big bro and sister-in-law are?" Micah asked, his breathing labored but not as badly as Rudi's.
"I know where my brother is, but not that liar..." Floria replied, averting her gaze when mentioning the pink-haired woman.
"Tell us what you know!" Rudi growled softly. He couldn't shout loudly in his current state, his breathing was too strained.
"Um..." Floria felt pressured by the growl but still spoke up. "...Near the sea, on the cliff. There, my brother and the liar made fake graves for friends (looking down) who are no longer with us."
"I'm sure the liar is with him too, especially since she's pregnant," she added.
"Do the soldiers know?" (Rudi)
"No, but... they forced me to talk."
Rudi and Micah's eyes widened. Micah stomped the bloody ground hard and punched the air furiously.
"Damn it! Rudi, we have to go there!"
"Hmm (nodding)!"
Perung, who was lying down, immediately moved and flew towards them. They were ready to move at full speed.
But before taking off, Rudi stopped Micah. He looked at Floria, who was standing still, seemingly rooted to the spot.
"Floria, aren't you worried about your brother?"
"I'm worried, but he told me to stay here!" the girl whimpered. Tears began to stream down her face, accompanied by sobs. Floria was genuinely scared, but her brother, Doris, had forced her not to cry.
"Come with us! If you're with us, I'm sure he'll allow it."
"Really? We'll meet him?"
"Yes (nodding with a smile)!"
"But remember (pointing firmly at Floria), don't jump off from Toti while there are still soldiers around!" Micah added. He didn't want any obstacles like Floria suddenly running into the battle out of concern for her brother and ending up as a hostage.
"Toti?" Both Rudi and Floria were unfamiliar with the name.
Micah smiled and patted the flying turtle's shell. "Toti..."
At first, Floria tilted her head but then changed it to a cheerful smile. "Alright, I'll stay with Toti until you finish!"
Floria climbed onto Toti, followed by Rudi who secured her.
"Since when is it called Toti?" Rudi asked.
"Since now (chuckling)..."
They flew on Perung, newly named Toti by Micah, towards the northeast where the fictitious graves of the bandit attack victims were. This time, they were sure to meet them.