As Arthur and his companions arrived at the outskirts of the bandit camp, they found themselves immediately surrounded by more than fifty bandits.
54 Bandits in total!
Garret gasped, "It's Keiran's underling!" then he continued. "Please give punishment for my carelessness my lord!"
"Stay focused and calm," Arthur whispered to his Garret, his voice steady despite the growing tension. "Remember our plan, and trust in your Lord."
Garret, a mix of guilt and concern on his face, nodded in agreement as his confident rise.
A knowing smile played at the corners of Arthur's lips as he observed the bandits closing in around them.
Soon, a man with a large and burly body, and a woman with a slender and voluptuous body emerged from the crowd with contemptuous smirks, they were Jareth and Kieran, the Bandit Leaders.
[Name: Jareth Algebra]
[Class: Bandit]
[Strength: White-High Tier]
[Name: Keiren Rose]
[Class: Bandit]
[Strength: White-High Tier]
"HAHAHA look at him Keiren, if it isn't Garret, the traitor who's become nothing more than a lap dog for a lord," Jareth sneered.
Garret stood tall, his expression unwavering. "I have abandoned the life of slavering and plundering, Jareth. Don't stand against us, Jareth, Keiren, you two should join us instead and serve our lord. Together, we could build a better future for our live under our lord's grace."
Jareth's laughter filled the air, his voice laced with mockery. "Join you? A lord and his pitiful bandit subjects? You've lost your mind, Garret. The only path for us is the path of slavery and plunder."
Kieran's gaze narrowed, her voice dripping with disdain. "It seems you've forgotten where you come from, Garret. You were once one of us, a pitiful child who wanted to make a better life with any means necessary and became a bandit, haven't you forgotten? But now, you betrayed us, and bowed before some unknown lord."
Arthur's voice cut through the tension, steady and resolute. "We offer a chance at redemption, a chance to leave behind a life of lawlessness and find a purpose greater than ourselves. You can choose to fight against us, but it will only lead to your downfall."
The bandits tightened their grip on their weapons, their eyes filled with a mixture of uncertainty to their leaders. But before any further words could be exchanged, Arthur activated his legendary-grade Talent, [Group Persuasion].
[Prompt: Group Persuasion has successfully taken effect]
[Target: 54 Bandits]
~ding
[70% of the Bandits have become your subjects.]
Arthur now has an additional 38 bandits instigated over to his side without anyone noticing!
Jareth who didn't know what just happened burst into mocking laughter, his voice echoing through the camp, "Our downfall? I'll sooner believe in fairy tales, Lordling" and continued. "BOYS!! kill them all and capture Garret and that lord alive, HEHEHE."
But to Jareth's bewilderment, his words fell on deaf ears. His bandits stood motionless, as if they wouldn't even listen to Jareth's words.
Jareth's eyes darted around, searching for a glimmer of understanding amidst the chaos. His voice trembled with a mix of rage and disbelief as he locked eyes with Arthur. "What have you done? What kind of sorcery is this? My men... they should be following my command!"
Keiren, standing beside him, had already grasped the situation. She urgently whispered to Jareth, "Call the bandits who still listen to us. We need to find a way out to escape from this place, quickly!"
Unbeknownst to them, Arthur had anticipated their attempt to flee.
Soon, he swiftly issued a command to his army to surround the two Bandit Leaders and the remaining bandits, effectively cutting off their escape route.
"This..."
The table has been turned! 38 of the 54 bandits had become Arthur's subordinates, with that, he now had an army of 60 men surrounding Jareth, Keiren, and the remaining Bandits!
Realizing the dire situation they were in, Jareth and Keiren started to fight fiercely, driven by desperation.
~swoosh
Garrett with 10 bandits, fought Jareth in battle, and completely restrained Jareth in an instant.
Meanwhile, Roderick and Amelia confronted Keiren, their combined forces proving too formidable for the Bandit Lord.
Though Keiren had advantage in level, she was ultimately subdued and held down, unable to break free from their grasp.
Jareth's anger grew with each passing moment. His face contorted with a mix of desperation and fury. "You think this would changes anything? Your subjects will rise against you one day. They will see how manipulator you truly are! -ugh!"
~stab
A knife suddenly stuck in Jareth's head by Keiren's fast knife throw, she then knelt down on her knees voicing her concern. "Forgive me for my previous act of foolishness, I hope that you will still give me a chance to live, I promise I will be your most devoted subordinate, milord."
~ding
[Keiren Rose has become your subject.]
[Name: Keiren Rose]
[Class: Bandit]
[Strength: White-High Tier]
[Skill: Knife throw (White-High Tier), Knife Mastery (White-Mid Tier)]
[Loyalty: 0]
[Background: A Bandit Leader with an exceptional skill. A person who would do anything to survive.]
Arthur with a displeased look then ordered without hesitation. "Kill her!"
~slash
[Your subordinate, Roderick has killed Keiren Rose, the Bandit Leader. EXP+20.]
Even though killing her cost Arthur a formidable fighter, it didn't affect him too much, as he didn't want to risk getting killed while his talent was still on cooldown, and knowing there was 1 strong person who had zero Loyalty towards him.
Arthur, his expression solemn, surveyed the aftermath of the clash. the opponent was now subdued and under his control.
`A manipulator, huh?` Arthur laughed at himself.
However, he then turned to look at the gains and losses of this battle.