Roan slapped a bug away that was buzzing around in his face and crouched down to hide his body behind a bush. The leaves prickled his skin but he ignored it and kept his eyes at the prize in front of him. What he was hiding from was a Gohel, a scaly lizard-like animal with a pointed snout. It was at least five feet long with its tail which kept moving left and right as the beast walked along the bank of a small river. It stopped after some walking and lay on the sandy bank. Its brownish-coloured body basked in the sun with a slightly open mouth.
Roan was around twenty metres away hiding in a bush right behind the beast. It was completely unaware that it was being stalked. It just leisurely lay there on the sandy bank of the river and basked in the sun, just enjoying its life.
I almost feel bad. Roan muttered to himself but shook his head with a slight smile. This beast was cute looking and harmless but was dangerous when encountered alone. And the most dangerous aspect of this beast wasn't its aggressiveness or even its sharp claws and teeth but it was its intelligence. It was considered one of the most intelligent beasts found in Mervielle by the Adventurers Guild. So, he had to be careful when fighting it. But Roan had full confidence after practising his newly gained powers. It would be no fight. Roan knew it.
Roan slowly unsheathed the newly bought sword on his hip. It was the black sword that he had bought from Cecil's shop. It was an excellent weapon. The Ethered iron that Cecil had said was mixed in the steel to create this sword must be related to the Ethereum metal which was said to be some magical metal. And because of the Ethered iron, the sword was extremely sharp without even using his death ether. With death ether, it cut through anything. On top of that, it was even immune to corrosion from death ether. Something he didn't ask for but needed. It was worthy of the twenty silver coin price.
He slowly stood up trying not to make a sound and was about to come out of his hiding when twigs snapped behind him as a lot of footsteps approached him.
He was surprised but quickly reacted and turned around. It was people that were approaching him wearing rags and looking dirty just like the group of thugs that he had fought before. He stared at the group as they approached him and realized that they didn't just look like the group that he had fought before. They were the same group of people.
How did they find me? Roan thought. Did they follow me from town? Whatever the method that they used to find him, it meant nothing now. They had found him and all that mattered now. And after killing one of their people Roan didn't expect them to leave him alone. It was a kill-or-be-killed situation.
He lifted his sword and got ready to fight as he tried to nudge the ball of Ether on his chest. The new abilities that he was hoping to use on beasts were now going to be used on these people.
But contrary to Roan's expectations, they didn't immediately rush to kill him. There was a new man in the group who was walking in front. He had a smile on his face as he slowly walked towards Roan, seemingly unarmed which unnerved Roan. Not him being unarmed but his smile. And it wasn't the only thing that unnerved Roan. It was his physical appearance too. He was muscular, even more so than Seth who he used to call muscle head. Especially his hands which were massive. A punch from that hand would send him to Mahor in heaven.
His shoulder-length hair and leather armour vest with spikes of small silvery metal made his appearance much more intimidating. He had vambraces in both hands which were made of leather with metal plates embedded for extra protection. It seemed he knew how to use his extra-large hands.
"Woah. Put the sword down, boy. I don't want to fight a kid that's the age of my son." He said with a cordial voice contrary to his appearance as he lifted his huge hands and gestured for him to put his sword down.
But Roan kept it firmly in front of his chest and became ready to inject Ether into the sword as soon as they made any strange moves. But he was bound to be disappointed as they stopped approaching him and stayed at least ten metres away. Roan heard a splash behind him but it was far away. Probably the Gohel running away after hearing the man's voice.
"What do you want?" Roan asked as he slowly backed away.
"Nothing much. I just want to know where George and Sol are. Just like my friend wanted whom you brutally killed." The man said his smile slowly fading away. He sighed and continued," But I'll forgive you. You seem like a good kid. Just tell me where they are." He paused and walked a step forward, "You might not know it but they are related to someone that you wouldn't want to mess with. So, just tell me and be done with this farce."
Someone I wouldn't want to mess with. Roan gulped as he thought about what the man said. Whether it was true or not, he was definitely in some deep mud here. And to get out of it, he either had to lie again which definitely wouldn't work. Who the heck would even split before getting his reward for a mission they completed?
Or he had to kill these guys and flee this town which was even more hard. The rippling muscle and those gigantic hands probably weren't just for show.
He wanted to say that they were dead and hope that the muscular man would keep his word but it was a hopeless thought. George and Sol were supposed to be related to someone important so being honest would probably just speed up the process of him dying.
Roan clenched his teeth and said, " Who are they related to?"
The man let out a small smile and said," Let's just say he is a knight. And not a squire like these adventurers you see in town but a Proper True knight. "
As soon as Roan heard the word, True Knight, Roan knew that he wasn't in the mud but a whole swamp which was filled with at least twenty Gohels that have been starved for at least a year. And getting out of it wasn't just hard now but near impossible without shedding some blood or even limbs.
True knights were a rank above the squires which most of the people who claimed to be a knight were. Just like William who was a squire too. He didn't know much about the difference between a squire and a true knight except for one fact that William had told him after he beat him in a fight.
"To beat a knight, at least ten of me are needed." William had said. So, it seemed that Roan was in deep trouble without even doing anything. It wasn't his fault that they died in an ambush that had also claimed his friend's life.
"But I really don't know where George and Sol are," Roan replied and pushed the ether that he had slowly moved before towards his hands. It was quickly sucked into the sword causing the sword to glow darkly just like it did every time. Barely noticeable.
The man seemed disappointed in Roan's reply and shook his head, "Surround him." He ordered in a cool voice and started walking towards Roan in a relaxed way. The man didn't consider Roan an opponent to be taken seriously. With a scrawny body and a grey oversized tunic draped over him, Roan had no relation whatsoever with the word intimidating or strong.
The thugs quickly started walking around Roan and surrounded him in a matter of seconds. But they stayed far enough that he couldn't reach them with his sword. They had seen had he had done to their previous leader.
Roan looked left and right at the thugs and gripped his sword tighter.
I have to kill this man first. Roan thought as he watched the muscular guy slowly walk towards him. Time deceleration which he had named the ability to slow down time was the only skill that could get him out of the mess. But after using it for five seconds, he would be exhausted. So he had to finish the fight in these five seconds or he was in for some hard time.
But first, he had to let the main man get closer so he wouldn't have to waste time going after him. He was Roan's first target.
Roan waited till the man got within five metres of him, his sword ready to strike. The man stopped suddenly and balled his fist in front of his chest, "Listen, kid, my name is Emre and I am a squire." He said and started running towards Roan. The thugs did the same and lunged towards him almost at the same time. It was an impossible situation to escape
But not for me.
Roan activated his time deceleration and watched as the man named Emre slowed down to almost a standstill with his right hand extended. The other thugs were in the same situation. Some even floated in the air with their blades extended.
Roan wasted no time and slashed at Emre, his sword leaving a black trail as it travelled through the air. The leather vest on the metal man's chest stood no chance against Roan's sword. The sword cut through the leather like paper and left a deep gash on his chest. But no blood came out. Roan didn't wait and again slashed at the man's extended head and swiftly cut through it right above the elbow.
He then quickly turned around and stabbed a couple of the thugs from behind. Roan could feel the heat in his chest dissipate at a rapid rate. His death ether ball wasn't going to last much. It had already been more than five seconds. Roan could feel his body get heavier and his stomach twisting. But he pushed on.
As soon as he pulled out his sword from the third thug's back, time resumed. Blood sprayed out from the wounds of the thugs and Emre filling the air with its distinct metallic tang. Roan could almost feel it on his tongue, the taste of blood. The blood that he had spilt.
The four wounded men fell to the ground clutching their chests as they howled in pain. Emre stared at his bloodied hand which had been soaked by blood spraying from his chest as he kneeled on the floor.
"How?" He asked as he stared wide-eyed at Roan. But Roan didn't hear him.
Roan brandished his sword as he forced his knees not to buckle and force him to the ground. His legs were shaking. He had used time deceleration more than he should have. But he had done enough to scare the thugs that he hadn't managed to wound. They scrambled away, tongue-tied for the second time in their second meeting with Roan. They didn't look back once at their dying comrades as they vanished in the dense foliage of the forest.
Roan heaved a sigh as he stared at the running thugs. It was a relief that they ran away. Otherwise, it would have been a hard fight. He stared at his shivering hands and he could feel his heart in his throat which was dry as a desert. He coughed and turned towards the lying four men. The three thugs were already dying but he seemed to have made a mistake. He hadn't stabbed but slashed at Emre. And that man who should have been on the verge of death was glaring at him with poison akin to a snake in his eyes.
"You hid the fact that you are a mage but you made a mistake." Emre coughed as he staggered to his feet. Roan quickly dashed towards him hoping to rectify his mistake but Emre jumped back at least three metres back with uncanny agility.
Roan wanted to chase after him but he felt something rising in his chest. He stopped and clutched his stomach as he vomited the half-digested food from his lunch which gave Emre enough time to recover. The time deceleration had taken a huge toll on his body.
"You made a mistake in not killing me with whatever spell you used, kid." Emre spat on the floor and quickly rushed at Roan and threw a punch which hit the heaving Roan squarely on his face. Roan's head was thrown back and he fell to the ground on his back, his head hitting the ground and nearly knocking him out.