'Derrick Tinell huh?'
Following the Hesitant Elf from a distance while she was chained up by well tied up ropes my thoughts continued as they consumed my mind.
'So he's the owner of the investigative bureau? It checks out that they're corrupted then if the head really just took advantage of the elves kindness'
'Aren't elves supposed to be more powerful than humans? Why'd he do that?'
Sighing as I pondered over the question plaguing my own mind, I held the ropes binding the elf woman in front of me as she hesitantly led me to the location of their group of elves.
We were going to join forces.
Not of their own volition but because I just want to beat up the guy who tried to loot everything from me.
And I didn't like scammers.
Grinning maliciously as I thought about how to take everything back from the scamming bastard.
I ducked to avoid the arrow flying over my head and hoped to God that the plant woman who for some reason was still following me was safe.
But I couldn't pay attention to her right now as I was preoccupied with something else.
Watching as I was surrounded by the tree tops filled with people in black garb wielding all manners of weapons.
I saw how they either had bows or weapons made of steel.
The most common were the ones holding the [twin daggers] or the [assassin's dagger]
"Wait! Don't fire! I've come with an offer!" Shouting those words out loud, some random guy in the trees retorted me.
"Why should we trust you!? You have bound one of our own and revealed their identity! Why should we listen to you!?"
"..." Thinking about the situation a bit more it did seem like a bad impression has been made.
Because I convinced the woman who's name I didn't know to bring me to her group's hideout so that I could make an offer to them.
I tied her up in the meantime and made her lead the way.
So yeah.
Even I would be on guard when some stranger came out of nowhere with one of my partners or members in the middle of the forest while shouting for a bargain while holding said member hostage.
Not that I cared as I was consumed with finding out how to deal with the bastard who seemed to want everything I had.
"Hey!" Manifesting the balanced blade in my hands the aura around me tensed like a viper about to strike as the figures tensed.
Ignoring the aura I slashed downwards.
And used my reflexes to parry all of the arrows away from me like a gun.
[Ramparts]
Using the residual forcefield to protect me for a moment, I used the rest of the shields time to parry the rest of the arrows heading for my head.
---
"Huh?" That sound involuntarily left the mans mouth as he stared at the insane event that was happening right in front of his eyes.
If he hadn't seen it for himself than even he wouldn't have believed it if others had told him this.
Right in front of his eyes.
After slicing the rope surrounding Erindel, the Warriors he had trained underneath his watch for a long time.
Without missing a beat had fired their arrows to kill the man who seemed to attempt to end their comrades life.
The Man than in a way that defied all forms of reality had parried all of the arrows while using a strange art before making the rest of the arrows that were flying from all five directions fly away without harm.
Seeing the grin on the mans face, the man stood up from his place on top of a stone pillar and stared at the man who was near a kilometer away.
Feeling a fire in his heart slowly spark to life for the first time in a long time in his long life as the forest separated him and the man.
'But first'
Turning to look at some place at the distance where the birds were flying away as the trees fell in the face of some stronger power.
He unsheathed the blade on his waist.
'I should deal with that, my disciple can wait'
It seems, even though Slade didn't know of it.
He was already marked as a disciple of the unknown man.
Underneath the sun, he flickered from his place before disappearing.
---
"Woo!"
Rolling my shoulders and limbering myself up my grin stayed on my face as I enjoyed the superhuman feeling of doing something that I could only dream of doing in my previous world.
"So are we now open to negotiations now?"
Speaking those words I was only met with the combined silence of the figures hiding in the trees.
Feeling the gazes tingle on my skin with a mixture of fear, awe and confusion.
A sound from my right attracted my attention as I moved from my place and turned to look at the newcomer.
And instantly recognized who the person was for they held the easily recognizable [Blood Sword] on their waist.
'It's this guy'
Recognizing my foe, my foe seemed to have recognized me as well as with hostility evident in their tone.
They greeted me.
"What do you want?"
Smirking slightly at those words I opened my mouth and revealed my offer.
"Derrick Tinell, I want to take revenge on that bastard"
Unlike before where my surroundings were silent, a buzz filled the air as the sounds of whispers were transfered all over the place.
Narrowing their eye into slits they opened their mouth from underneath the mask.
"Why? how are you so sure that we aren't working for the City owners son?"
Nodding at those words I replied and sold out the elf I brought here.
"She told me you guys were on bad terms with Derrick and I am as well, so my offer is of allegiance"
The eyes who were on me all focused on her as I sold her out, flinching as the weight of the gazes fell on her.
She nodded and confirmed my words as the figure fiddled with the handle of their blade in contemplation.
Looking at me with slits for eyes they unsheathed their bloody blade and pointed it at my general direction.
"Alright"
'Yes!'
"But to make sure that you won't drag us down and become dead weight"
Stabbing their blade into the ground and causing blood to splash everywhere they opened their mouth and recited words from memory.
"The Blood Captain requests for a duel"
Hearing those words, my surroundings seemed animated as the figures caused the buzz in the air to increase.
"The Blood Guard will decide upon accepting your offer of alliance upon defeating me"
Seeing this sight and sensing that the people surrounding me were moving away and forming a rough circle I looked at the figure.
The woman who brought me here already left and the plant woman had at some point disappeared from here.
Perhaps it was naïve of me to think that these guys would accept my offer of allegiance right off the bat.
But it was disappointing to see that the guy I had beaten up one sidedly was still thinking that I was weaker than them.
But nevertheless.
Opening my inventory and equipping the Shield of Cthulhu in my accessory slot while moving my weapons into my hot bars.
I held the balanced blade diagonal to my chest.
"Yeah, let's do this I guess, hopefully you put up a better fight than last time"
Even though I couldn't see it, I could tell that the bastard was smirking for some reason.
"Oh don't worry"
Making the plants move to their will, they formed around the figures body like armor.
"I don't intend on losing"
+++
Tree