? Pov
"So, this is the place," I said to myself as I looked on at a bandit camp.
At first glance, you would think that this bandit camp is a normal village. I mean, what kind of bandit camp has wood houses? They're too inconvenient to build and the camp itself needs to stay mobile. But upon closer inspection, the camp itself is devoid of any women and children; all the guards lack any kind of plate armor, even the poorest villages will have at least one or two with plate armor, and all of its inhabitants have some kind of scar and carry a weapon of some kind.
As I got closer, the "guards" started to notice me and two of them walked up to me.
"Well, well, well. What do we have 'ere?" the tall one with an eye patch said as he walked right in front of me.
His shorter comrade walked behind me and I could tell they didn't have any good intentions.
"What's a pretty thing like you doing with them swords?" the tall one said while tapping his chipped shortsword against Murasama's saya.
" 'Em look well made too." His shorter comrade said. "You're som kinda noble's daughter ain'tcha?"
I grinned as I turned Murasama towards the first bandit's chin.
"Oh? This?" I said as I flicked Murasama out of its saya.
Murasama catapulted upwards and its kashira (buttcap) struck the bandit's chin. The force of the impact snapped the bandit's neck with a crack and launched his body into the air.
Not forgetting about his comrade, I jumped and snatched Murasama out of the air and using Spacial Maneuvering, I backflipped and landed behind the shorter bandit. Before he could even turn around, I sliced him in two.
As his torso slid off, I flicked his blood off of Murasama's sparking red blade and sheathed it. As I faced the camp, a bell started ringing and more bandits started to flood the entrance.
Without hesitation, I charged at the bandits. Murasama flew out of its sheath and cleaved through the first bandit. Murasama's blade hummed and sparked with electricity as it hacked through bandit after bandit. Its Cutting and Lightning attributes allow it to force its way through any solid object.
Detection warned me about the oncoming arrows and I effortlessly sliced them all in half. The newly halved heads veered off course and missed me.
The bandits, the smart ones at least, tried to take advantage of the monetary distraction by attacking me while I was distracted but I was too fast for them.
As one of them came behind me, I executed a back kick and severed his spine. The brave ones continued to charge at me but I fended them off using a mixture of martial arts and Murasama's crimson, sparking blade.
As more and more bodies started to pile up, more and more bandits started to run away, their previous courage and bloodlust all evaporated. I wasn't worried about that. I can track them down by their scent and Kumoko wants all of them dead.
As the body of one of the last bandits remaining fell, I heard someone clapping behind me. I turned around to see another bandit, but he was different from the rest.
For one, he's wearing cast iron plate armor instead of the tough hide or chainmail the others are wearing. He looks like he's in his forties but his silver hair makes him look far older than that. He's clearly the leader.
"Ya've done well dispatching ma boys," he said gruffly. "Someone sent ya to wipe us out no?"
I didn't answer him. I don't need to answer a dead man.
"Well, it don't matter." He said as he stood up. "I'm gonna to kill ya anyways. What ah'll do after, ah still dunno. What's yer name lassie?"
"Rosemary Whites, and you are?" I answered as I got into a ko gasumi stance. It's common courtesy to introduce yourself before a battle. Sam Sensei had taught me that much.
"Call me Thunda." He answered.
He unsheathed his two meat cleavers from his back and got into a stance of his own.
We stared at each other for a while until I cast Lightning Magic on my legs and, in the blink of an eye, flashed behind him and bisected him.
"Thunder may be impressive, but it is lightning that does all the work," I said as I flicked the blood off of Murasama.
As Murasama clicked into its sheath, Thunder's body split in two and his two halves fell lifelessly onto the ground.
"Now… to hunt down the rest of them.