Sometime after the two bounty hunters escaped.
35. More than 35 killers have been sent after me.
And that's not counting the shamans that have tried to blind me and kill me with magic before I raised my Facere Mortis and summoned a shield and defended them all.
Is there a sort of irony that something like that this have happened? And the events that will happen after this?
The blade bubbled slightly underwater with its reptilian eye dotted around fish to fish inside this lively lake with frustration and energetic glee. passing by underwater grasses and corals, away from the crater that was likely made from the capital. The thing might as well be floating from what little its support is from here.
Not the weirdest anomaly I have seen and not the most impressive by anything but it is worthy to point out from what little time I have here.
Even though my own heavy weight is not enough to not be able to swim, He'd rather not deal with the annoyance of projectiles flying at him, even if wouldn't scratch anything other than his suit and skin. Besides it would be much faster reaching the land by traversing underwater by using his weight to stay more grounded.
And as two minutes passed since his dive, he has almost reached the land, he slowed down and breathed deeply as his helmet breached the surface and the waters parted away for air. And his vision was met with creatures, all shape and sizes carrying from poison knives to halberds and bows to cross bows, now as close as 30 ft away from him, wearing shoddy and leather armor or light cloths.
"I knew those bubbles were something else!"
"Thats the quarry and damn his huge!"
"What an easy bounty, he's not even running!"
They all look have the look of predatory and overconfidence that had bordered on arrogance, likely because there are no other bears in sight. This was likely planned for a while, didn't someone said about a caravan?
And after all my time I have faced many dangers in this world, and thats includes many animals that dabbled the chaotic weather of life and death. And what I see in front of me has no magic users in sight, not even a group of shamans that set these robes to Aflame.
Did they ran away? Aren't this there compatriots? They're all going blindly to there deaths, even if it would change anything.
Did I just heard music far from here? That doesn't matter.
So I have given them a warning. Useless words that these morons would never listen. "Whoever thought who wanted to kill someone right here in all places are either shit-eating idiots or someones is suicidally loyal to follow this plan, you have your only chance."
Gripping harder of my katana, and letting out a red and dark aura with ill intentions, evaporating water left from the blade to the hilt. "Come here and die or run away and live."
To my surprise, they pondered and faltered for that moment from my voice as they looked at the red eyed blade and my tall form, some of them noticing the reptilian eye's gaze quickly flicking to them assassin by assassin, with the first to look at them to whoever looked back.
But sadly They are still idiots as what it seemed to be the leader, A light brown dog that have seemed to like what I have in my back and whats in my hand more than me, commanded his archers.
"Its thirtysix to one It doesn't matter if he's as tall as our king. Archers shoot him! I want those swords!" He barked with authority in his voice.
Truly idiots.
With a firing line of 8 shooters let their projectiles loose and time slowed down, waiting for that moment and readied my lowered blade.
When the time was right I swung twice, obliterating three of them into nothingness and 2 cut in half as it faced a charged hi-tech blade with wide swings from that short-span of time as I shifted my form for the rest to whiz by me, And in a display of acrobatics, not one of them have scratched my robe. And then calmly walked towards them. Buying time not for myself but for there's.
"Idiots then." This time one of my thoughts have left from my mutated and mutilated throat. And have given my enemies a wary sensation as they readied there weapons. I'm getting closer towards them.
The light brown, black-tipped and pointy-eared dog, as I have looked more attentively. Is wearing a chainmail with padded clothing underneath that is up to his shoulders, up to the sides of his upper furred arms as his body armor with a red cape and wore iron greaves with brown gloves on his wrists and paws but no lower armor and a helmet, a huge weakness waiting to be exploited. Commanded once more to his archers to shoot again, this time at much closer distance.
I only swung my blade to the side once and tilted my head, this time one bolt managed to catch the wet hood and forcefully tore it away. And it showed nothing but a snoutless and fully encased helmet that no one have ever made in this place, making the enemies even more wary as they saw it. Now seeing the stranger coming towards them is covered head to toe in metal armor.
Before the leader could say anything I raised my free hand and gripped, turned a claw and swiped across from right to left, showing light from my left hand along the way.
And just like that, bows and crossbows alike glowed white as the Alchemy circle appeared before disappearing from the archers hands, leaving them shocked and confused as they have been relieved from those weapons. Forever.
He was about to say a command when he saw his target had let magic out of his hands, fearing the worst he looked around of his band and saw the archers are now useless as their weaponry were gone in an instant.
"A Wyld user?" The dog's eyes showed shock as he saw a unique form of spell he had never seen before then looking back at the foreigner. Now seeing the robes turned newly made, which made him growl and bared his fanged teeth.
And now only 12 ft away from between us he foolishly signaled his charge.
He pulled out his bastard sword and aimed it at me. "Get out your swords out and kill this prick NOW!"
Everyone roared and to meet a battle they wont win, Polearms first.
The mammal-at-arms, a boar missed his swing as I snap-dodge with his bardiche and I retaliated with a strike, his defenceless but thick neck parted away from his shoulders and his head flew by behind me.
As I placed myself from my dodge to the side and ready for the encirclement and see all of the enemies watched their friend's headless corpse fall to the ground, seeing that I have achieved first blood so, so soon made them falter by the slightest before they roared with their animal voices, in hoped to drown out their fear as they all show of there dominance and perhaps in hope to bring me fear.
None of them know what a real roar is. And they'll never do for the rest of their lives.
And another one with as spear tried for a stab but only met the ground as a boot stomped downed on it before meeting his end by severing the spine of his neck.
Grabbing the spear as the a hare falls I quickly flung towards a halberd user, piercing through his leather chest and back in the middle and fell down from a pointblank throw.
Now for a dance.
With only one blade in one hand I parried and shifted away from there combined blows as all of them encircled me and I riposte in return. As the fourth one of them screamed and a little mixture of a whine as he lost a limb from an overextension and quickly silenced with my own blade, another one was disemboweled completely, his wrought-iron chest plate was completely useless to defend against it as he bring his axe at its highest, the horned bull eyes widen in shock before falling down.
From those moments, I maintained my controlled breathing.
I dodged a mace and cut a short spear that have tried to pierce me from behind but only tore a little from the newly repaired robe from its wooden handle, I parried a blade and in retaliation and riposted back, with my swing met a stoat right on top of his armored head and stopping short at the torso due to height differences, the surprised shouts from the nearby crowd that have witnessed exposed gore and a brutal display failed to reach my covered ears as I danced. Slowly loosing myself in my own world as wounds I inflict slowly turning more and more gruesome but still holding back and corrected their failures.
Again from those moments, I maintained my controlled breathing. With my attire slowly getting noticeably more bloody.
A foolish roar from one that was about to strike was beheaded and another had himself flung away with a broken arm from a backhand, the little weasel tried to lunge from what he thought a weak spot with his poison drenched knives. Flung over his friends and away from the losing engagement.
I changed my stance to be completely on the defensive in for a few moments as I let my Facere Mortis to be charged once more, waiting for a decisive blow to end this time consuming hassle.
And once again, from those moments, I maintained my controlled breathing.
A roaring bear has charged in with a big kite shield with a black banner and a white animal skull and bashed me, hoping knock off my footing or even knock me down to the ground but of course. Both of the favored scenarios didn't happen as I rammed the shield with my own palm, doing the opposite to him instead with his kite shield shattered but still alive and armed with his mace.
Which was snuffed away as a boot crushed his skull with a force of a heavy metal mallet, breaking the ground behind it.
The katana has finally glowed to a red, sinister and deadly aura. Ready for the next swipe.
All of them have backed away and hesitated from the execution of there bear, waiting for me to strike. A massive mistake to for an engagement like this, something that will pay with a heavy price.
And again and again from those moments I maintained my controlled my breathe-
"!" Until a shake on the ground is felt around me.
Giant, green and thorny vines have manifested everywhere, scaring the quickly damaged band around the ground just in front of them and tried to wrap around and enclosed like a cocoon on me.
Buts its already too late as I have a charged blade in my hand.
With speed where none were able to predict, I vault over a vine used it to lunged towards a crowd of unfortunate souls, breaking the vine behind me from the force.
With the leverage of my long arm I reaped 3 souls like a scythe, all of them consumed by the bite of the blade from its littlest of cuts and launched one of them back with its disintegrating body to there brethren while both fall to the ground as it sizzled loudly like pressurized steam out of an opening before quickly disappeared, with Brigands ahead screaming out of shock and fear from the disappeared corpse that have been launched at them.
There were nothing left of them except from the weapons they carried.
Less a minute of playing has passed and 11 have already died.
Less a minute of playing has passed and the group have finally started to back away in fear, there were no other sound other than my deep breath.
And no other interventions to save them.
I did not move after the first turn of an aggressive attack. And as the sound of breath becoming quiter then I spoke "I will walk towards you, to give you a chance to run away with your lives. And after all of you are farther away from me I will disappear."
"So do you want to die?" I have said And raised my bloodless blade. A clear contrast from the dirtied robes and the blood spatted helm I werar, because it disintegrated from the charged power of the last attack.
You know this shit isn't very waveless of me but if they're this pretty pathetic might as well go for full waves, they already know that I'm here due to fucking prophesies or other bullshit anyways.
"Wait! Wyld's sake, let me go!" A commotion between the weakened crowd, the leader's voice was heard and finally have broken through the group that tried to keep him away.
It was the same dog that have been the leader of the group, which was held back from his own two allies which are unsurprisingly even more dogs, an alaskan malamute and an akita sheperd, Both of them had failed to keep The leader out of all of this.
And he voiced out is anger. Not going to live this down easily "I didn't come prepared for this for a full week and just to see my band run away from one person in an instant!" He put his sword on both of his gloved paws.
"My name is Dom and I challenge you to a duel!"
For fucks sake.
The Band have backed away but still in an encircle to give us space. Watching intentively from what would happen next. Like a miracle that's about to happen.
Is this a practiced custom? I have heard of duels before but never dabbled with them as I never stayed with most for long, especially at a time of war.
"No magic, No trickery. Only the skills of our prowess will be used." He said in a tone with such decisive decision.
This absolute moron, such hubris.
"If you win we'll I swear by the Wyld that once I lose this fighting will be considered our loss and do whatever you say."
Fine lets hear him out. "And if you win?"
But his reply made me want to slap my face with my hand and rest on it.
"This is a battle to the death, you have no other clans or even families here to repay your loss!"
Alright thats it. "... You know what fine I'll accept it."
I can see the sparkles and adrenaline in the dogs eyes before adding more. "But you pissed me off."
Even if animals weren't as expressive from humans with there faces, Dom has that look of confusion with downed ears as he see his challenger sheath back his blade with an audible click then pulling the entire sheathed sword out and flipping it.
"This wouldn't be a battle to the death." From what comes next shocked all of them from the sudden change in demeanor
"You're going to live through this, I swear it. You'll be in such a beating that you'll be a different dog after this, a dog that isn't this fucking greedy and prideful son of an ungrateful bitch!"
From what was meant to be a light insult ticked the black tipped dog hard while the crowd gasped with wide eyes.
Now why would they have that reaction? Is it really that worse than calling them a whore?
"How! DARE YOU!" His eyes is filled with fury and hate that was once filled with shock and charged with the bastard sword held tightly to his chest.
Maybe it is, oh come on now I have mellowed out a lot for this disney animal's sake now I can't say bitch here now? The dogs where I come from didn't bawl out like this.
And so I breathed deeply once more.
As I dodged his lunge down low he continued with a swipe of upwards towards me, which was deflected with a flick from the blunted katana, directing it high in the sky and closed in fast enough for me and slammed down on him by tripping and pressed on his upper chained chained chest, minding not to use too force for his little bones after he lost his breath. Dogs from this world thankfully aren't smaller nor that much weaker than wolves. If there were weakness at all, I couldn't tell as I never faced one but they definitely aren't that brittle.
I'm mostly cybernetic is all.
As he stands up I give him an instruction. I promised he will be a different dog. "Don't lose your temper like that, you'll never think straight and many would take advantage of like I did."
"Just, die!" He snapped at me and took another swing, this time its swing came to the sides.
Despite what he said, of course he listened and the actual duel and instruction has started.
When I perfectly parried away, he continued it with a stab.
I stepped back from it, focusing on the sword more rather than him to disarm him as he keep it pointed at me, using the length advantage of his bastard sword.
I give him no quarter as I swung it away, he gritted his teeth from the force no one can have but to his credit, he defended himself just in time from 1 strike, 2 strikes 3 strikes.
The 4th went past his guard as a blunted slash hit his leg.
He lost his focus for that moment but recovered as he give a parry of his own from a stab to the stomach.
As I gave him time to breath he riposted with his own with an upwards strike, backing me off.
There was an argument around the crowd, likely from the two dogs that I won't look at as I pay what little attention I had in this beating that he calls a duel.
He continued with a downwards- he quickly fainted with to stab, which was swiped away again like it was nothing, lightly slashing his other leg for his ill gamble.
He faltered with his ears pointed downwards from his damaged legs, in panic he used his sword as leverage before he falls to the ground.
Perfect time to point out his weakness. "Have you ever thought about getting any protection for you lower regions Dom? That's your family jewels you letting out and about."
His eyes widen a that and looked at me with gritted teeth.
I continued on, not bothered in the slightest "If it was anyone else you will never get to duel again due to no able legs for you to use." To someone like Dom, everytime Stultus' speaks he felt more and more ominous and wrongness to him. Enough to let his fur stands on his back beneath his armor.
His frustration of insults and his confusion for actually telling him this like a trainer. He genuinely hates it.
He was no rookie in sword play. Other than lions and wolves, his body type and his will can be a great ingredient for a warrior. But The stranger's strength was like those holy scriptures he heard about from his friends, about the boasts of strength from the king himself.
This job was actually legitimate about the 200 gold on this stranger's head, he thought of it was a joke at first, but when they said shamans would help guide them to the heart of the bear clan silently and make a distraction as they all joined, his interests piqued.
And now he's here, standing up to might as well be a one armed monster.
And stand he shall, ignoring his legs protest and readied a stance, finally getting himself together.
"Just shut up and finish this already you freak."
"Yes." Those were the only words the priest had to say he changed to a proper stance, the blade raised high with only a hand, his robes going down from the arm and showed the metal plates and black bodysuit that covered his entire being, his legs shifted beneath the bloodied robes. The arm was clearly thick than any of there entire band, maybe even thicker than bears themselves as the plates and the suit hugged tightly to the skin.
The air was still in the last round.
In a last act of intervention Dom felt significantly lighter, faster than before, something I didn't let go unnoticed.
In silence we stand there, waiting for an opportunity.
How much time has past since I went out of the waters, 3 minutes? 5 minutes now? What were they doing, Enjoying themselves in an amusement park?
Dom's tensed in the slightest of his leg muscles, disturbing his still fur and made a motion of his blade.
The speed he made was enhanced by magic from shamans from afar, enough for the audience too see nothing but a blur.
But I was faster.
So I swung down, a hard thwack to the back of his chainmail and cape that I can faintly hear the crack of his bones and fell to the ground. And lay there chest first, injured but alive.
And the duel was over.
"Not bad, not good either." Touching the robe to my chest where a diagonal slash tore the robe at the front and connected the chestplate. Didn't even scratched it completely as he blunted his word by the end of it.
It was a trade off.
He was panting hard pained from the cracked bone, as he laid there from the ground, no longer have a blade in his hand.
The encircled hired arms went silent from that quick conclusion.
I looked around the crowd and saw beyond what beyond them. A few bears are coming.
Its about time I leave. Putting back the beaten sword back to its original place,
I grabbed the downed leader by the red cape of his neck by the right hand and lifted him up to too look at him in the eyes. His still holds defiance in his eyes but still in pain.
"Time is running out and you lost." With the right hand holding him I checked his shoulder by the mental powers I have grown accustomed to for a long time.
The bones of his shoulder has been broken, used too much force that his armor can't save him much from it. If the swing where anymore straighter and it would've been his ribs or even the spine.
I wanted a him to be a different dog, not crippled to never fight again so I fixed it with the glow of my hand. Sacrificing my blood infused nanomachines to repair his bones enough for him to be able to make full recovery but still injured.
He made an uncomfortable expression and his companions started calling him that I get the general meaning from it, still muffled from outside sources from not caring out of all of them, either its subconscious or not. It didn't matter at this point.
"Now get the fuck out of here." And then threw him towards the two dogs that have been worried sick and caught him in with a surprise.
"Didn't you all hear what I said? Its done. Get the fuck out of here now." They all looked themselves before surprisingly followed what I say and they all ran away carrying what little wounded they have and left the dead bodies.
Leaving the sword the leader dropped behind.
I could here shouts from the bears. I think I see Sana on one of them And.. A tree golem? Odd combination.
I won't be talking to them now. Not right now with all of these shamans.
So I brought my hand to hovered on the sword and one more from the corpses, using Alchemy to repair any damages of my attire and then...
There one of the shamans far and one of the branches of a tree, laid bare as the enhanced eye zoomed in on him, exposing from his cloak of invisibility.
And then I aimed my hand and simply took his place.
"He's gone!" Ghor had said it from his panted inside his tree form.
"He's probably fine! but those bandits though are running away, where were those shamans to look out for?" Harvey continued, also exhausted from the trip across the place.
If it weren't for Sana herself they would have spent all their time in the caravan. But Harvey didn't want to say that there was a wandering larger than usual circus for a surprise. Its what brought most of the bears to the west of the clan's home. Enjoying the whole day in for lightening up the spirits in modern entertainment.
And it was pretty good, there was sweet snacks and drinks that everyone loved and a show of feline acrobatics to enjoy. Until Sana said herself that the wyld had warned her of something badly and brought us and some of the ones in charge of guarding were brought along.
Who would have thought there was bandits here of all places crowding around the warrior-priest that had the personal talk with the important people at the heart of the wyld.
Sana was silent from the rush, there were only labored breath just like the rest of them.
"Whoa." One of the guards have said as they looked at the group of brutalized bodies and all of them slowed to a halt in there tracts.
8 laid on the field, covering the grass in blood and there body parts splayed out body parts. An impaled corpse of a brigand were arguably the most intact corpse out all of them
A guard puked out his consumed drinks and treats from the circus as he gaze at the sight of one them have themselves split in half.
Sana was in shock as she looked a bear like her laying on the ground, his head crushed with such force the earth behind it was dug itself in.
Ghor is struggling as harvey in front of him and telling him to not to look at it as he covered the glowing eyes of the Wyldkin. Telling him to let go.
"Did Stultus did this?" Sana had said as she placed her left paw to her mouth as she holds a staff in the right.
Sana had saw something about what Stultus did before he disappeared like that. He turned to a direction and raised a hand at it before disappearing.
She turned to where priest had looked at. And shocked even more as she saw a tree splattered blood on the side, bloodying the branches, leaves and the grass next of it. Lots and lots of blood.
She swear she can see an animal mask that the shamans wore laying on the ground, bloodied like the rest of it.
And so The armored monk had left as quickly as it came. Leaving with nothing but blood from the lives he took on his figure.
Despite many fluffy animals among the populated the land of peace called Armello. They are as chaotic from what life made all of them to be. Our peculiar Culter Dei may not kill everyone, either they are foe or not but this is still a medieval world and a fantasy where people turn into zombies and kids get sacrificed for rituals, He will gain brouzouf's no matter how many years he had mellowed out.
