The shadows stretched long across the road as the forest seemed to close in around me. I decided to press forward, knowing I couldn't outrun them, and knowing I likely wouldn't die forever if my host was taken out, so I had less risk than they did. Every muscle in my borrowed body was taut and ready, or at least as ready as I could be. My heart hammered in my chest, the weight of my hatchet and skinning knife suddenly feeling like little more than toys in my grasp.
The bandits made themselves known with chuckles spread amongst them as they emerged around me standing in a loose circle, their postures relaxed but something about them told me they were ready to go on a moment's notice. They were predators sizing up their prey, unfortunately for them, I wasn't what I seemed. There were four of them, each one armed and armored in mismatched scraps that spoke to their profession. A life lived on the edge, stealing from the unfortunate souls who wandered into their trap.
The archer stood furthest back, leaning against a tree with his bow in hand. He hadn't even bothered to nock an arrow, but his eyes tracked me with the focus of someone exceptionally confident in their abilities. Another bandit, a wiry man with a short sword and a battered buckler, shifted his weight impatiently, as though he had somewhere better to be and I wasn't worth his time. The third, a lanky figure with two gleaming daggers, twirled his blades in his hands as if the whole thing was a game to him. But it was the fourth who drew my attention the most. Their leader, a towering brute with a greatsword resting lazily on his shoulder. His armor was thicker, his smirk more confident. He didn't just think he could win. He knew it.
"Well, well," the leader drawled, his voice rough but almost cheerful. "Looks like we got ourselves a lost little puppy. Lost, are you, boy?"
I'm a cat you idiot. And then I realized, no I'm not, I'm a human now, and that caused me to let out a short laugh that stole his smirk away and a flash of rage flickered over his face almost too quickly for me to notice, before returning to his cocksure attitude. My skinning knife was tucked at my side, but I didn't want to reach for it yet. Not until I knew what I was dealing with. Despite my accidental outburst, I could feel my blood going cold as my pulse increased. I was certainly afraid, but part of me was also excited as well.
"You some kind of silent simpleton, boy?" the man with the daggers sneered. "Come on, mate. Make it easy on yourself. Drop the bag, strip off that armor, and we might just let you walk out of here alive."
Might. That one word carried enough weight to remind me of the stakes. Why would they leave me alive, it didn't do anything for their image, it didn't matter to anyone else if I was alive or dead. I doubted patrols would increase on the road because some naked farm boy was found dead one morning.
I stayed silent, my mind racing. The sun was low, and the heavy shadows spilling across the road might be useful if I could see in the dark, but I was human now and they were just another obstacle in my upcoming fight. I bet each and every one of these guys has dozens of night raids under their belt, they're likely most comfortable right then. That was a sickening thought, but I too just came from being a night hunter, things had just changed a little bit since then.
The leader sighed, his smirk widening. "Fine. Be stubborn. Makes no difference to me. Vin, show him why that was a mistake."
The wiry man with the sword and buckler stepped forward, rolling his shoulders. "Don't worry, kid. I'll make it quick."
I wasn't sure if he meant that as a mercy or an insult, but I didn't wait to find out. My grip tightened on my hatchet as I shifted into a defensive stance. I tried to remember how I'd seen fighters move in movies and games, but it all felt clumsy in practice. My body was human again, but I wasn't used to it. My instincts were all wrong, my movements sluggish and uncoordinated.
Vin closed the distance in an instant, his sword flashing out in a quick, probing strike. I barely dodged, the blade grazing my side and cutting through the leather armor like it was nothing. The sting of the wound was sharp but shallow. He was toying with me.
[Damage Received: 5]
"Come on," he taunted, his grin predatory. "That the best you've got?"
I swung the hatchet clumsily, the weight of it unfamiliar in my hand. He deflected it easily with his buckler, the impact reverberating up my arm. My grip faltered, and he lashed out again, another shallow cut slicing across my arm.
[Damage Received: 5]
"You've got to do better than that," Vin said, his voice dripping with mockery.
I gritted my teeth, the frustration boiling over. Every movement felt wrong like my limbs were moving through molasses. But I couldn't let that stop me.
Vin lunged again, his blade aiming for my leg. This time, I sidestepped, barely avoiding the strike. My footing was shaky, but I managed to swing the hatchet again, this time aiming higher. The blade glanced off his buckler, but the force of the blow pushed him back a step.
That's it. Momentum. Keep him moving. I need to press my advantage. Wait… That's right!
[Nerve Surge Activated: Send a surge of adrenaline through the host's nervous system, granting a temporary burst of speed or strength at the cost of the host's stamina. Costs 6 Mana. Prolonged use may cause host damage.]
[Host Mana: 44/50]
I adjusted my grip, shifting the hatchet in my hand as I tried to anticipate his next move. He came at me again, feinting left before slashing right. I reacted on instinct, and with my boost in speed and strength, things just got a lot easier. I raised my hatchet to deflect his attack, the edge of his blade skittered off the metal head, throwing his balance just slightly. It had to be enough.
With a desperate roar, I swung the hatchet with everything I had, aiming for his head. He tried to bring up his buckler, but he was too slow as my muscles surged with a less-than-healthy dose of adrenaline. The blade connected with a sickening crunch, burying itself deep into his forehead.
Vin's eyes widened in shock, his body going rigid as blood poured from the wound. He staggered, his sword falling from his grasp, before crumpling to the ground in a lifeless heap.
[Critical Hit: Fatal Blow]
[Experience Gained: 300 XP]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 300 XP]
[Total XP: 7,592/12,800]
The clearing fell silent other than my panting breath as I deactivated Nerve Surge. It was only going for a short time, but it really sucked out my stamina like… My thoughts flashed to Morgana but I shook my head and glanced over to see what my opponents were doing. The other bandits stared their expressions ranging from shock to disbelief. Even the leader's smirk faltered, though it didn't disappear entirely.
"Well," he said after a moment, his tone more serious now. "Looks like you've got some fight in you after all. Keep it up and you might find a place with us, even a simpleton could be useful if deadly enough. Show us what you're made of kid."
He gestured to the man with the daggers. "Your turn, Soren. Let's see what he's really made of."
The dagger-wielding bandit stepped forward, twirling his blades as he sized me up. His confidence was still intact, but there was a flicker of caution in his eyes now as he took more of a defensive stance.
I left the hatchet buried in my first foe and picked up his sword, holding it in one hand with relative ease, though it was certainly heavier. My chest was heaving as I caught my breath. The first fight was over, and I could only hope that they weren't going to jump me, or at the very least, maybe stop attacking me after this fight?
Soren stepped forward, his daggers catching the fading sunlight as he twirled them with casual ease. Unlike the first bandit, who charged in with confidence, this one moved carefully, his steps calculated, his body loose and ready to react. He was testing me, gauging my skill, or lack thereof.
I tightened my grip on the sword, the weight still unfamiliar in my hands but more reliable than the hatchet had been. My muscles burned from the adrenaline rush of the last fight, and while my stamina was far from depleted, I couldn't afford to waste energy. My mind raced, trying to anticipate Soren's moves, but my combat experience was so limited.
He struck quickly, darting in with one blade while keeping the other held defensively. I raised the sword to block, but his dagger veered at the last moment, slicing across my forearm. I hissed in pain, staggering back as a thin line of blood welled up.
[Damage Received: 5]
Soren smirked. "You got lucky with Vin," he said, his voice smooth and mocking. "Let's see how far that luck takes you."
He lunged again, this time feinting high before sweeping low. I jumped back, the blade missing my leg by inches. My own strike came a moment too late, his quick footwork carrying him out of range before I could connect. He was fast, too fast for me, and his probing attacks would cripple me if I let more land.
He saw my lucky strike on his associate and had developed a plan to avoid meeting the same feet. He was wearing me down, forcing me to overextend or exhaust myself. I needed to turn this around before he made good on his strategy.
As Soren darted in for another strike, I swung the sword wide, a desperate attempt to force him back. It wasn't clean, but it worked. He stumbled slightly, just enough for me to press forward. I swung again, this time aiming for his dominant hand. The blade glanced off his right dagger, jarring it loose and sending it spinning into the air.
[Damage Dealt: 10]
But before I could celebrate, Soren's hand shot out, catching the dagger mid-air. He spun it once, readjusting his grip with an ease that told me I might have landed another strike. His skills were so far beyond my own.
"You've got some fight in you," he said, nodding almost appreciatively. "But you're still out of your depth."
His eyes flicked to the archer, who was still lounging against the tree. The slight nod was almost imperceptible, but I caught it. My stomach tightened as the archer straightened, casually drawing an arrow from his quiver and nocking it to his bowstring.
"Shit," I muttered under my breath.
Soren surged forward, his attacks coming faster now, more aggressive. He wasn't playing anymore, he was driving me back, forcing me into a fully defensive stance. The sword in my hands felt heavier with each swing, my arms burning as I struggled to keep up, wildly deflecting the flurry of attacks. His daggers had little range, but they might as well have been polearms with how quickly he bridged the gap.
I saw the archer draw his bowstring, the tip of the arrow gleaming as he took aim. Soren feinted left, then lunged right, his daggers slicing toward my chest. I stumbled back, my foot catching on a root, and tumbled into a patch of shadow cast by a large tree.
[Shadow Dance Available]
Wait, what the fuck? I'm a human, how can I? The arrows were sailing toward my head and I couldn't waste any more time. My gaze darted over past the arrow to the archer that sent it at me. Activate Shadow Dance, now!
[Shadow Dance Activated: 20 Mana Cost] [Mana: 25/50]
[Shadow Dance Leveled to 4 from 3]
This was new, the ability hadn't had a mana cost before, when I was the Shadow Lynx I could spam the ability as much as I wanted. What was different? Was it some kind of racial ability? The system said that humans could use the ability, so maybe it transferred? If this was true, I kind of wish I picked up more abilities.
The world shifted. One moment, I was falling onto my ass. The next, I was somewhere else entirely. The shadow enveloped me, cool and suffocating, before spitting me out behind the archer.
His arrow loosed the instant I reappeared, sailing harmlessly into the clearing where I'd stood moments before. He froze, his head snapping around in confusion as I drove the sword into his back, angling upward toward his heart.
[Critical Hit: Fatal Blow]
[Experience Gained: 400 XP]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 400 XP]
[Total XP:8,392/12,800]
The archer gasped, his bow slipping from his fingers as he crumpled to the ground. I pulled the blade free, blood dripping from its tip, and turned to face the remaining bandits.
Soren had stopped moving, his daggers lowered as he stared at me with wide eyes. The leader, however, didn't seem fazed. If anything, his smirk had returned, sharper and more amused than before.
"Well, well," the leader drawled, resting his greatsword on his shoulder. "Looks like you're full of surprises, kid, that kind of skill doesn't come from nothing, you must have seen some shit."
I dropped my sword and picked up the archer's bow, along with an arrow. I crouched and took aim, nocking an arrow before firing it mere heartbeats later at the leader, followed with a second shot sent at the rogue.
A couple of lucky shots could end this now.