Saying that this situation is nerve-wracking would be an understatement. For the first time since my arrival, I've finally felt what it's like to be someone else's prey.
From the beginning of our nighttime journey to right now at around midnight, we all felt like someone had been watching us and waiting for when our guard was at the lowest point.
The tears of the orphans only made everyone feel worse as it seemed conflict was inevitable. There was no guarantee that all of us would get out of this unscathed, but we had to do this or face the wrath of an even worse predator.
I'm sure many of the knights were trying to hype themselves up by thinking, 'It's only a few bandits.' But it didn't seem to work as most of them were visibly nervous, sweaty messes.
I doubt they've ever played the part of bait before.
'There's a possibility that they might not come.' Unless they were specifically paying attention to us, I doubt they would make us their target in such a short amount of time. Especially since there's just too much ground to cover.
Though I guess the members of Silvervale wouldn't approach us if we weren't in the bandits' hunting ground. 'Screw this! When they come, I'll prioritize my safety.' Even if I can help Dirk or Amelia, I will save myself first and then assist them.
During the following 3 hours, I tried sensing any of the bandits' mana, but I soon realized that it was a fruitless endeavor.
If I have a card to hide my mana, then, of course, the more experienced bandits who have evaded members of the Silvervale guild would. How can an inexperienced kid like me possibly be able to do what they couldn't?
Fear has made everyone very jumpy, so having kept our guards up for an extended period, a lot of us are exhausted, and some of the children, despite their fear, have fallen asleep.
The knights are fairing a little better, but most of them didn't appear to be able to keep this up for much longer.
I am fine thanks to my cards, but my confidence in being able to survive this is dwindling if even my protectors are having a hard time.
'If they're going to strike, they'll do it now.' It's the period when we're most vulnerable. Right before sunrise. The light of day signifies hope, and if we can last a couple more hours, then the bandits would lose their element of surprise.
Listening out, I hear nothing.
'They're here!' The entire night there was always the sound of owls and crickets or some other animal, but right now, the forest had become completely silent.
Time seemed to slow at this moment as my danger sense made the threat known.
In my peripherals, I see what looked like an arrow whiz past one of the knights. Hearing a disgusting cracking noise, I poke my head out of the window to see the arrow that missed the first knight connect with the head of another.
Brains, blood, and what looked like skull fragments came from the back of his head, dying the grass red.
'Fuck me!' Bringing my head back inside, I try to resist the urge to vomit. Looking over at the other kids who also witnessed the event, 2 had already fainted while the last one was throwing up out of the opposite window.
Screams could be heard from all over the place as the children began to panic.
After the first attack, many more came similarly but the knights were ready. Faustus and Sir Burns didn't make a move as the knights either used cards or pure physical abilities to counter the onslaught of arrows.
Looking at Dirk and Amelia who were also staring at me, I guided them toward the floor. "Stay down, the window is dangerous. But always be on your toes and if I tell you to move don't question it just act."
I received a nod from both of them. They were a lot more calm than the others and seemed to put their faith in me.
Poking my head up once more, I go right back down to the floor as an arrow comes my way but is swiftly blocked by a large knight carrying an equally large shield.
Facing the opposite direction from Dirk and Amelia who had their heads down, I bring out a new canvas uncaring of the other children who were still wailing.
Creating a new spell card, I write the words 'Spell - X-ray vision' and create an image depicting a man bypassing a wall to see a person behind it.
This took me a few minutes as I rushed the process but I finished it just as I heard metal clashing against metal.
Activating my newly acquired card, I see many battles going on throughout the caravan. For most of them, the knights were outnumbered one to 3 or 4 but there were a few 1v1s probably with the stronger knights and the equivalent in the bandits.
Thankfully my card has the effects I wanted since unlike normal X-rays this is just seeing through walls, I used the name to make the card better. The intensity can be adjusted by focusing but it uses slightly more mana the more objects I peer through. The bandits were wearing all-black clothing that covered their faces and had unique weapons akin to what ninjas would use.
Unexpectedly, I could see more lingering in the forest all around us. Though I couldn't identify the leader as I am only able to see their physical appearance.
If I were to go by normal standards then the well-built one standing the farthest away would be the leader. But if I'm going by anime standards then the rather thin one closest to the carriages is their leader and the other is a lookout.
Choosing not to think about this anymore, I continue to keep an eye on the whole battlefield.
About 20 minutes have passed but the knights were losing their footing with each death among them. Only 5 of the 12 knights remained and some of the collateral damage caused the death of 3 kids.
Though they seemed to be deliberately avoiding us. Besides the arrow that was heading my way before, I haven't felt any danger since then.
'Unfortunately, I can't hear what they're saying but I doubt it would help me anyways.' Making more cards can be risky as I don't know how much mana each card will siphon upon creation.
I'm lucky that my X-ray vision card didn't suck me dry. I was being reckless from fear, I didn't even consider that until now.
As the remaining bandits close in on the knights, Faustus and Sir Burns who had gotten entangled by 9 very strong bandits, just finished their battle and turned their attention toward the carriages where the knights were buying time.
Anger appeared on Sir Burns' face as Faustus looked coldly upon the bandits who were besieging his escorts.
With a flick of his wrist, a fireball the size of a bus appeared and headed right for us. 'Is this friendly fire?' My danger sense wasn't going off but as the fireball approached, a blue barrier formed around the knights and carriages protecting us from the intense heat.
The fireball hit the barrier and exploded, killing the bandits who tried their best to flee.
Once the smoke cleared, the damage was immense. A whole chunk of the forest was gone and the only semblance of life is within the dissipating barrier.
The charred corpses of the 18 bandits and whatever was left of the dead knights and other bandits were the only things that remained in the decimated area.
'Where did they go?!' Although I had been keeping a close eye on the 2 bandits standing in the forest, they were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly making a realization, I stand up. Looking up through the window, I see 2 figures floating in the air.
"There's more above!" Yelling as I point up, the knights who had just let their guards down were now on full alert once more.
Faustus didn't need my warning as he was just about to say something as well but Sir Burns gave me a nod of approval before his expression turned serious.
'Are those Silvervale jackasses trying to kill us?!' I don't know what they're waiting for but I doubt these 2 will be easy opponents since they're so confident in their strength not to escape.
Feeling a gust of wind, I go back to my position on the floor and look up at the battle that ensued.
The tall and muscular man beside the thin one that I assume to be the leader, descended from the sky with the grace of a swan. His lance was sharp and had an aura of death surrounding it making everybody feel a sense of dread even worse than before.
Lifting his arm he makes a come-hither motion as the 5 remaining knights steel their resolve before sending various attacks his way. A combination of arrows, fireballs, and wind blades were sent out toward the bandit.
Watching as he shrugs them off with his weapon like they were nothing, Faustus and Sir Burns decided to intervene.
"We fight together. You 5 provide support while Sir Burns and I will fight head-on. Be careful of the man in the sky and protect the children when necessary."
Having said this, Faustus brings a staff out of thin air. It had a crystal embedded into the top and was covered with strange markings that were reminiscent of the runes I saw in the library.
Raising his staff, Faustus began to glow as Sir Burns brandished his claymore and began sprinting toward the bandit at speeds that I could barely follow.
*Rumble* Hearing the sound of thunder, I see lighting swimming through a cloud that wasn't there before.
The bandit widened his eyes a bit as he marveled at the spell forming in the sky. As he blocked Sir Burns' sword swing, his attention was still on the spell when his eyes gradually came toward Faustus.
Effortlessly blocking all of Sir Burns' frantic but technically perfect swings, the bandit raises his right hand while holding the lance in his left.
Pointing a single finger at Faustus who was bringing down his staff to attack, a spark appears followed by a beam of lightning headed straight for Faustus.
Sir Burns tried his best to deviate his hand but the bandit was just too strong.
As the beam pierced through Faustus' abdomen, my eyes widen as he suddenly appeared behind the bandit with his staff pointed at him.
The Faustus who was struck suddenly disappeared alarming the bandit as the lightning from the sky struck his location.
Seeing such a cool move from Faustus, I wanted to cheer him on but seeing as he is in the heat of battle, I didn't want to disrupt him.
The bandit survived as he probably had some type of lighting resistance card or just had a strong physique.
This stalemate continued for the next 5 minutes as Faustus would attack from unexpected angles while Sir Burns and the knights managed to keep the bandit occupied.
He had sustained a few non-serious injuries but his face wasn't as calm as before since Faustus kept pulling out different tactics that would catch him off guard each time.
Using his decoys in creative ways, Faustus kept the bandit on his toes while waiting for the right moment to strike.
Having bought himself enough time, Faustus erects a barrier around all of us. This surprised even the man in the sky who was also trapped inside.
I noticed Faustus appearing all around the battlefield leaving items in each spot he stopped but I didn't know the purpose.
Now with a barrier around us, the bandits wouldn't be able to escape. 'Silvrvale were probably waiting until the bandits had absolutely no means of escape. With this barrier, they should come to help now.'
This new hope brought my mood up a bit but there were still some doubts.