As the light from the portal faded, we found ourselves in a dense forest. The trees were tall and majestic, their leaves a brilliant green that sparkled in the sunlight. The air was fresh and clean, filled with the scent of moss and earth.
Suddenly, we heard sounds in the distance - the clang of steel on steel, loud shouts, and the groans of injured people. Without hesitation, we rushed in the direction of the sounds.
When we reached the clearing, we saw a scene of chaos. A merchant's cart had overturned, its goods strewn across the ground. A group of robbers was in the process of looting the cart, while the few remaining guards were desperately trying to fight them off. It was obvious that they were outnumbered and would not hold out much longer.
I grabbed the sword I had brought with me and charged into battle. With each blow I struck, I was able to fend off one raider after another. But despite my efforts, there were still too many.
At that moment, I heard the loud bang of a gun. I turned around and saw Mark standing with his gun drawn. He fired pointedly at the robbers, and with each shot one of them fell to the ground. The remaining robbers, startled and surprised by the sudden turn, fled.
Mark lowered his gun and came over to me. "That was close," he said as he tucked the pistol safely into his holster. "But we made it."
I nodded, still breathless from the fight. "Yes, we did." And so we stood there, in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the remnants of the battle, ready for what Xianxia would yet bring us.
After the raiders fled, an eerie silence fell over the clearing. Only the soft crackling of the overturned cart and the occasional groan of the injured guards broke the silence. Mark and I stood there, in the midst of the devastation, staring at the bodies of the raiders we had killed.
Mark was pale and his hands were shaking slightly. He had never killed anyone before. Even I, though I had experienced many battles in the fantasy world, was shocked. Until that moment, I had not really thought of this world as real. It was as if I had landed in a video game or one of my favorite stories. But the deaths of these robbers and the blood that stained our hands were frighteningly real.
"Tim...," Mark began, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I... I've never... I mean, I knew we were going to fight, but..."
I put my hand on his shoulder. "I know, Mark. I feel the same way. But we didn't have a choice. They would have killed the merchant and his companions if we hadn't done anything."
Mark nodded, but I could see he was still struggling with what had happened. I couldn't blame him. I felt the same way.