I had thought that we could make it and save the commander and the woman who seems very important to those soldier NPCs. We have defeated the bandits outside the forest and saved most of the surviving soldiers. And yet...
The next thing we see is a cruel bandit about to strike down the people we are trying to rescue.
Damn it, we're too late. This is bad. I knew we could be revived if we died in battle since it was the logic behind these video games, but I don't know if it also applies to NPCs. And with the bandit just inches away from the two friendly NPCs, I don't know if we can make it in time. We are so close, so close! J-Just let me... reach them... So I can't...
CLANG!!!
Huh?
"Hey, I know what you're trying to do to this prim and proper lady right here. And there is no way in hell I'm letting you do it!"
Before my eyes, I see my friend, Zac... no... Arthur stands in-between the bandit who was feared by the kingdom as a cruel madman and the knight protecting a young, defenseless lady, as he uses the blade of his sword to block the cleaver's blow. But how in the world had he managed to get in front of us so fast?! I'm no video game buff, but I know that knights wearing metal armor are usually the slowest and I am a bit faster than the others thanks to my skill set. Before I can call out to him, he breaks the blade lock and swings his sword towards the bandit. However, the bandit quickly jumps back and blocks it with his cleaver as he does so.
I'm so shocked at this turn of events that I stop running and start watching the events unfold right in front of me. Razul also stops to watch what happened.
[Y-You...] The bandit snarls. [Who the hell are you?! Do you know who are you dealing with?! I am <Bane Zephil>! The demon who rules this land!]
"Yeah, I'm Arthur, but I doubt you will remember that for long," he sarcastically introduces himself. "As for your cliché introduction, that is nothing more but an empty boast you use to scare weaklings. I mean, "A demon who rules this land" kind of shtick? Seriously, whoever falls for that?!"
Uh oh... he shouldn't have said that, especially to a rumored vicious criminal like this Bane guy.
[Young man, what are you doing?!] The commander calls out to Arthur. I can tell how angry he is, believing that Arthur's reckless actions are not helping this situation. [Fall back! That man is dangerous!]
Of course, Arthur refuses to budge from his spot as Bane keeps his sword pointed at Arthur as the bandit begins growling over his insult.
[A boast? I see, so you must be one of the many clueless adventurers who are foolish enough to try and face me. Tell me, can you guess how long will you survive against my blade?]
Usually, in these situations, someone would have wet their pants if a bad guy pointed a dagger or sword at their neck. But not Arthur. He just stands there flashing a big grin like a reckless madman.
"That depends. Why don't you try? But without your lackeys to help you", he boasts as he points at the said henchmen by Bane's side. "Judging by their looks alone, I have a feeling we might have an unfair advantage if we fight here. If I recall, this forest is rumored to test anyone brave enough to traverse and endure the obstacles waiting for them."
That is true. But I doubt reminding this to a bunch of heartless criminals will have any effect on them. I saw Bane staring at my friend for a few seconds before he lets out a creepy laugh.
[Who cares about those shitty rumors? As long they have as many trees covering the sun, a forest is a forest.]
[Yeah! Besides, why do you even care about this shitty forest in the first place?!] One of his lackeys spoke up, at which I started to get some negative vibes from him. [All that matters to us is that it will make a great hideout once we kill all the monsters living here!]
"Hey, this place is one of the landmarks that keep the whole world from chaos!" I interject. He is right that there were plenty of monsters living here. But one of our friends lives here as well, and it's one of the [Mana Landmarks]. Just hearing those insults against the very place Kazu and I strived to protect gets on my nerves.
[Landmarks? What's so important about this forest? There's nothing but trees and a bunch of weeds!]
Before I can interject again, he quickly stomps on a bush of flowers nearby, squashing them like a bunch of cockroaches. That is one strike for me.
[You fool! How dare you degrade this sacred place like that?!] I turned to see the commander gritted his teeth as he continues to hold the young woman on his arms.
[Sacred this, sacred that. This is nothing more than a dump that we are going to renovate for our fearless leader! Nothing more, nothing less!]
Before he can say any more dirty words, Bane gestures for him to stop and turns his attention back to Arthur.
[Enough, Basta. We'll talk more once we deal with miss little magic over there. Besides, like you said, this place is already shitty. I already like the hideout we've got and I rather burn this all down once we're done.]
And that's a second strike for the [Tested Wilds] itself.
[In fact, I was planning to keep her alive after we killed her bodyguard and those wannabe adventurers. There is no way I pass up a chance to sleep with a pretty face like her.]
And upon seeing him lick his lips, those words are the third strike for Arthur as he grits his teeth and hangs his head. Apparently, we now have no choice. Without a word, I blink my eyes to activate my [Investigate] skill.
[Cruel Crime Lord Bane Zephil]
[Level: 20]
[True to its title, Bane is known for killing many innocent women and foolish low-ranked adventurers in the <Lucidus Kingdom>. Because of his infamy, only high-ranked adventurers and soldiers of the monarchy are allowed to hunt down the crime lord.]
[HP: 1200/1200]
So even the flavor text is aware of his cruel actions. I wish I could have more information about him and inform everyone about it through voice chat, but...
<<Hey, Arthur.>>
<<Yeah?>>
<<Think you can deal with that so-called crime lord alone? His level...>>
<<Yeah, yeah. I know what you're thinking, Wind. And there is no way I going to back down no matter how strong he looks. And don't you two dare try to stop me.>>
I mentally sigh in defeat at this answer. Looks like it has already been decided.
<<Alright. We're counting on you.>>
With that, I quietly pull out my bow and arrow as I notice Razul did the same with his [Mana Pistol].
"If you're done talking about burning the forest, how about we'll get things started?" Arthur called out to the bandits. "Or better yet..."
He suddenly sprints towards Bane as I quickly aimed my bow.
"How about I'll give myself a head-start?!"
With a downward swing at the bandit, I watch as Bane raises his cleaver to block it.
[Don't get all cocky with me, you damn brat!] He then pushes Arthur back with his weapon, which he manages to land and run up to him again. [I told you before that all foolish adventurers who have dared to turn their blades against me have died by my hands!]
"Really? Well, then let's see what you've got."
Once he said this, the fight between Arthur and the crime lord really begins. However, I can't just sit back and watch, especially after I notice Bane's lackeys about to ambush Arthur. I release the bowstring and let the arrow fly right into one of the bandits' right arm who dared to insult the [Tested Wilds].
[ARGGGHHH!!!] He screams as he dropped his dagger and holds his arm. [Y-You little piece of shit!]
I just give him a smirk, wanting to fuel his anger at me a bit more. As I turn to Razul, I can see from the smoke coming out of his gun that he has done the same to the other bandit. Now, all that's left is this.
"Sorry about that. But like Arthur said, three-against-one is against our rules."
With that, Razul and I quickly rush up to the crime lord and jump up to get to an open path behind him.
[We'll take care of those shitty adventurers, sir!]
[Go ahead. I'll take care of this brat in armor myself!]
That's all I can hear as we run farther away from the area. I wish we can fight there, but there's a chance we might disturb Arthur's battle against Bane. So the only option is to go to another area to fight his lackeys far away from them. I knew this is a bit cowardly, but it is the only way to help him.
<<Arthur! Don't die on us while we're gone, or I swear, you're going to pay the next time we go out for another set of ice cream parfaits! Got that?!>>
<<Don't worry, I can take this sucker out in an hour!>>
That's the last I hear from Arthur as Razul and I lead Bane's henchmen away from their fight.
----
Looking around as we run, I see many trees passing by with no signs of any monsters ahead. Good thing too, because we don't need to deal with them at the moment with the two crazy bandits on our tail. Speaking of which, I didn't know if it would work, but...
<<Bai Hu, can you hear me?>>
[Oh, young Wind!] I hear the white tiger's voice blasted in my head. [I never expect you to hear from you after our meeting yesterday. I wish I can speak with you more, but...]
<<Yeah, yeah. Sorry to sound rude, but can you do a favor for a bit? It's a long story, but I really need your abilities as a guardian to help us!>>
I know using his abilities is a bit cheat-ish, but if Razul and I want to defeat those bandits at our current levels, we need a slight advantage over them.
[No need to speak any further. I can sense that you and your new friend are being followed by some wretched humans who have dared to defile my land. I was about to take care of them by myself, but I can sense a bit of hostility against one of them.]
Huh. I might have underestimated his abilities a bit. That's the [Guardian of the Tested Wilds] for you.
<<Think you can let me handle one of them until then?>>
[HAHAHAHA! Why wouldn't I? As for the outsiders in your circle, I can wait until they take care of those other evil humans too. Besides, a friend of my forest's saviors is a friend of mine!]
I secretly smile at myself, happy that he recognizes Arthur and Razul as my allies. Maybe if this is all over, I could introduce Bai Hu to them once Kazu returned.
[Now then, what kind of favor are you asking from my powers, young Wind? As a [Guardian], I must refrain from abusing them, but just for you, I'll make an exception. With that said, speak.]
Without any hesitation, I begin explaining the favor I had in mind for those violent jerks.
----
Wind's Masteries
[Archery] Level 17
[Woodcrafting] Level 7
[Swordsmanship] Level 16
[Cooking] Level 6
[Wind] Level 14
[Physical Enhancement] Level 14
[Hunting] Level 14