Max looks at the alert bandit in front of him and somehow he has to get him distracted by something. So, he will focus on that, not him but using magic right now isn't the good idea as he has to save his mana as much as possible cause just to use this mist spell he wasted 30% to 35% mana and he already wasted around 15% to 20% before the fight.
Max looks around in their surroundings and he can feel the gaze of a few beasts still lingering on them even though he casted this spell, it shows that there is still a beast who is powerful enough to see through this mist and not affected by anything.
Suddenly, an idea comes to Max's mind, Max bent down and picked a fistful of snow and made two snowballs and Max used a little bit of mana. His palm started to glow with white with ice element mana and made an ice layer around the snowball making it a bit hard to hit anything.
Max look at bandit in front of him and hold the ice ball in his hand tightly and pull back his hand took the aim for the strike and throw the ice ball in air up above it directly flew past above the bandit head and bandit didn't even saw or hear the sound of ice ball flying above him until its landed on snow behind him and making sound on thrashing in snow.
Max threw the second ice ball in the same way and in the same direction with just a little bit ahead compared to the first ball and it did its magic as a bandit that was looking in his direction turned around and looked at the mist behind him where heard the sound.
"Who's there, show yourself or tell me your name?" Bandit said tense face as he doesn't want to hurt he fellow men or be vulnerable to whatever that might be lurking inside this mist.
"I said, who are you? Tell your name." but all he got was a silent answer.
The young bandit with fear and irritation expression on his face took one step forward towards the ice ball and was thrown by Max.
Seeing the bandit walking towards the direction where he threw the ice ball Max rejoiced a little bit inside as there's no-one standing around in that place making the young bandit all alone from the group. Max silently gently took each step to follow behind the bandit and when he got behind the bandit close enough to attack him.
Max quickly uses his mana to make ice wall bandit shoulder length, trapping him inside and exposing only his head in air.
The young bandit got scared by the ice wall trapping him tightly from the all side. He couldn't turn around to look behind but he has confidence in himself to break out this trap as long as he gets enough time as he can tell that this ice wall isn't strong but would he get enough time?
The answer arrived to his face shortly after as he turned his head to look behind him sharp edge of dagger enters in eyes and that was the last thing also he saw as Max stabbed the dagger in young bandit eye to his head ending his life before he even gets a chance to scream.
Max look at the blood dripping dagger to young bandit face and flowing down from ice wall to snow below like small trail, Max hold the dagger handle with right hand and pull out the dagger from bandit eyes blood spurted out like small stream from the bandit eyeball hole along with this comes out the young bandit eye and few piece of his brain and flesh matter on dagger blade.
Few seconds later the ice wall got destroyed by itself as it wasn't cast to hold this bandit for a long time just for a short time to end his life, and the bandit's body fell to the ground. Max took deep breath as he head is covered in sweat from using too much mana and physical labour, he didn't killed anyone for long time without using his magic just purely relying on cold weapon and mages also don't have good body to fight this much with any weapon but this dagger happen to be short and lightweight fit in perfectly in his hand to use.
"Another 16 or 17-year-old young boy, it seems this group seems to be full of new recruits for bandits." Max looked at the young bandit's face and bent down on his knees to look at the dead body and hold the dagger tightly in his hand to cut open the robe bandit was wearing exposing the dead bandit's chest and stomach in open air.
Max look at the dagger in his hand for last time and stab the dead bandit stomach with it and cut it opened and keep slashing it till the all intestine within the dead bandit stomach fall out on snow and sight in front of anyone eyes would be too gruesome but this was living has to do to survive here, Max stab the rib centre part of the bandit chest from the top cut it in vertical line and froze his both fist with ice to not get any blood on his hands and opened up the bandit ribcage with his bare hand exposing his lungs and heart in air.
Max pulled out the bandit's heart with his bare hand but there was no sign of sympathy in Max's eyes for this dead bandit, it was like the most natural thing for him to do. Max got up on his feet and started to walk towards the boundary of his spell near the woods and leaving behind a trail of blood on snow.
As he gets closer to the woods, the sound of growling and howling becomes louder as if the beast is ready to fight him or warn him to stay away from them.
After getting closer Max stopped and throw out the bandit heart in the woods near the beasts, after throwing the heart Max didn't stay there to check whether or not heart got eaten and he start walking towards the other three bandits he killed but two of the bandit body has completely turned blue and it start to crumble down into the piece of ice.
While one had only he's legs that didn't turned blue yet, Max got down and start cutting up the leg of bandit in gruesome way and spreading the blood and flesh of dead bandit leg near the other bandits that still trying gather around each other and just like before Max picked up the legs bone and throw the into the woods.
Soon the sound of the beast growling intensified and a fight was about to break out between the beast for the flesh of humans.
Now, his work has been completed here as the rest of the thing would be handled by blood frenzy. Who won't be able to resist the flesh and smell of human blood.
It might seem that lots of time passed since he cast a trapping spell mist but everything happened within just a few minutes and Max started to run towards the Claude direction as he was standing alone near the woods at the boundary of this spell.
Claude is looking around his surroundings but the only thing he can see is white mist as its blocking his vision completely. It would be a lie if he said he isn't afraid right now but he also trusts Max. He saw that it was Max who casted this spell; he must have his own reason and plan in his mind.
Suddenly Claude heard the sound of footsteps approaching him from up ahead but he couldn't see who this sound of footsteps belong too, only thing he can do now is leaving everything to fate as if its bandit he wouldn't survive and if its Max there's still hope for tomorrow but would they able to survive from the beast that hiding in forest.
Soon the sound of footsteps reached really close to him and one hand stretching out from mist appeared out front his eyes, Claude eyes wide open as he saw the face of the man in front of him.
Max put his hand on Claude's shoulder and was physically tired and only left with half of the mana. His head covered in sweat in this cold weather, Claude hugged Max after seeing him but Max pushed away.
"Claude, we don't have time for any of this, we have run now as quick as possible." Max didn't give any chance to Claude to speak as their situation has turned quite grave.
Max hold the Claude wrist and start walking at the boundary, while to Claude it appears as the blindly walking inside mist but he didn't voice out his opinion after walking for minutes Max stopped and start to murmur Claude couldn't understand what his saying but he understood that it's related to magic and this mist as mana start to gather around Claude feet and his vision start to become clear and Max let go off the Claude wrist soon they were out of the mist.