Princess Thief [✔]

17. White Bandits

The autumn-colored sky transitioned into dark looming clouds by the time I had arrived at the nearest town in Mt. Grisly. Recalling back the map, we headed further North.

The shrine was located at the foot of the mountain but it was surrounded by abundant trees so it took me some time to find my way. We toured around but came to a full stop when I heard noises. The smell of fire was subtle but looking up, the smoke passed above the lush forest.

We were not too far from it. I pulled Lightning's reigns to leave the area but I was too late. A swift whoosh of an arrow came, barely evading my cheek.

My limit was approximately ten feet radius yet I did not even feel anyone.

Sensing the alarm, Lightning galloped away. Not a minute later, the sound of Lightning's hooves was not the only thing resounding in the forest. Several more had followed.

I glanced back and saw men clad in white behind us.

What the? Why are they chasing us? They were persistent as Lightning ran rapidly. The rushing wind had blown away my hood as we continued to escape.

Lightning immediately halted when a figure appeared ahead of us. In just a matter of seconds, I was instantly surrounded by all eight of them.

"You bastards are here again."

I did not know who spoke since everyone had a white cloth covering their mouth. They looked like bandits. No, more like neat bandits if there was such a thing. They had pristine white capes draped around their shoulders that made them stand out from this forest.

They all raced towards me with weapons in hand. Without delay, I took out my dagger and pressed the hilt as it transformed into a twin blade.

I reached for the man who was posing for a strike and he fell down his horse. Another sword attacked, and I knocked him off the ground. Lightning was pacing wildly and I had to get down from him.

They hopped off from their horses, too, and continued their simultaneous assault.  All at once, an arrow rushed past in front of me. On instinct, I cut it into two, the arrow mere inches from my face.

Damn it! I cursed. This was why I hated team plays. They always had someone long-ranged while I had to fend off everyone. There was no choice but to flee in this situation. The problem was that I could not even evade their attacks properly.

One person slashed through my arm but I kept going. I was kicking, slicing, and dodging but they were stronger and they had an advantage in numbers, too.

Fighting had always been a walk in the park for me. Although, I struggled in fighting Night, when it comes to other people it was always easy until now.

I grunted as I felt a swipe of metal on my back. I fell down, enclosed by their large bodies.

"Let me have his head, boys. Let's display his body in front of his race so they'll know to never mess with us again. I'm sure the leader will be proud," stated the man in a boastful tone.

I had one of my knees propped up with my head down. The injury in my back was surely deep as I was even struggling to stand up. Looking in the untrimmed grass, I saw one of the men's shadows as he raised his arm.

"Hold him, boys," I heard the man command.

I tried adamantly resisting their hands. I would never yield in this situation. I accepted these missions just because of the freedom and I would not let myself die here. No way in hell!

My emotions surged. The desperation was evident as I struggled to get away from them. The dread, the anger, and the hopelessness. All these feelings resurfaced just like how I always felt when I was in the oubliette.

In an instant, a man had grabbed my injured arm but as soon as he touched me, his body thudded on the ground.

"Did he awaken?" one of them spoke.

The person nearest to me tried holding me again but it was the same as the other one. He was rendered unconscious.

"Damn these monsters!" a person grunted.

This time, I managed to stand up as I felt the tear on my back healing. I raised my blade at the man who had wanted my head. In return, a total of five swords were all pointed at me. He was obviously their leader.

"I could kill you without touching you. Do you want to try?" I threatened.

It was a pure bluff. I had no idea what happened but I had no choice but to act seeing their confused state.

"As if we are afraid of you monsters! Just one strike on your eyes and you are good as dead!"

"Then, let's try it."

I bent down and clashed my blade with the swords on both sides in front. I nimbly swerved my body before the other swords could land on me. That brisk movement was enough to reach their leader. I was on his side and circled my arm on his back but I was caught off-guard by his sudden weight, almost crashing in my direction. I hastily pushed him away towards his men.

Seriously? The man really collapsed as soon as my fingers grazed his neck.

"You arse!"

"I told you so. Who's next?" I stretched up my arm and they backed away.

"We're not done yet, monster!" one of them said before the rest of them disappeared into the night.

I was sure Cindra would have been proud of my acting prowess as soon as I told her this.

I glanced at the three men lying on the grass. If there were other people here, it was better if I disguised myself. I went towards the first man who was defeated. I took off his clothes except for the white robe. There was no way I would wear that.

I bandaged my wound before dressing up. I kept the mask and torn cloak inside the bag before putting my fingers in between my teeth. The whistle signaled Lightning and we continued our travel.

***