n

n

nA snapping sound sounded to the right.

nKrow pivoted, quickly sending five bullets into the shadow in the bushes.

nYou've eliminated a Lvl 12 bandit and gained four (4) silver serpens! 1

/10

nThey really were bandits.

nHe half-thought it was just the leader mocking him.

nThen his eyes stuck on the last symbols.

nTen?

nHe only saw five.

nWhere were the others?

nA small crackle of dread bounced down his spine.

nHe glanced at the Map, expanded to a local view.

nTsk.

nThe spirit-bird must have only passed above. Enough to mark the group, but not the individuals.

nHe called the ghost-snake back.

"Find the enemies nearby.

"

nThe snake dove into the undergrowth.

nA few seconds, and a red dot blinked into existence on the Map.

nThat worked.

nSeveral more dots glowed into being.

nThe leader must really be confident in his people. He was still on the road with one of his group.

nKrow had killed one.

nTwo more on the mountain.

nOne lower and the other was…

nKrow dived behind a tree.

nThe hooked blade of the chain-sickle grazed his temple as it followed, drawing blood. The edge of the wickedly curved blade flashed.

nIt buried itself in the tree trunk beside Krow's head.

nEyes wide, he could feel his hair curl at the close shave.

nChain weapons were rare in Marfall Continent. They were more common in the islands of Amvard, the seafaring people there.

nThere was a player guide in the future that would mention it was a great secondary weapon for a Swordsbearer.

nKrow pulled the sickle out of the trunk, strode the short distance to a small drop and jumped. He heard a grunt and a crash behind him as the bandit was dragged forward.

nA double-jump upward and their eyes met. The other's pupils dilated in shock, registering the revolver barrel aimed right at his head.

nKrow emptied the cylinder.

nYou've eliminated a Lvl 8 bandit and gained two (2) silver serpens! 2

/10

nHe landed beside the corpse, reloaded.

nA sharp pain in his shoulder staggered him. He dropped, rolled behind a bush, pulled out the dart embedded into the scapular area of his back.

nMinor Paralysis, his status offered.

nShkav.

nHe quaffed a Revitalit and double-jumped to a mass of boulders. Better cover.

nThe scout-marks on the Map hadn't moved.

nGah, useless. It wasn't tracking the enemy?

nHe called the spirit-snake back.

"Track the enemies nearby.

"

nThe snake slithered off.

nThe thwip-thwip sound of two objects cutting through air had Krow dodging. He studied the surrounding area. The other bandit couldn't be seen.

nStealthy bandits? Whoever heard of stealthy bandits? Most stealth-heavy criminals stayed in the cities!

nOr were there assassin bandits now? Weeping skies.

nMost rural bandits were pillage and burn types, highwaymen, low-grade thugs. The Bloodcrows, being a larger and more diverse group, did have assassins.

nWere they Bloodcrows?

nKrow glanced downward, to the dead bandit. They didn't dress the part, to be honest.

nHe inhaled, let out a long breath.

nThis was taking too long. He still didn't know where half this group was.

nThe red marks on the Map flickered. Finally.

nKrow oriented himself.

nHe charged, leaped, twisted in mid-air, revolvers aimed upward at a mass of tree-roots under an overhang. He shot a single shieldburst first, catching the darts that flew at him. Then the darkspears. Four rounds, five, six, seven.

nNine before the notification pinged.

nYou've eliminated a Lvl 15 bandit and gained five (5) silver serpens! 3

/10

nThe Paralyzing Mist was still dissipating when Krow strode out of it onto the road. Wordlessly, he began shooting.

nHe was well aware of the intimidating look of the dark on dark armor and coat, accented in white, coming out of the mist.

nLooking slightly menacing, he found in his last life, worked wonders with a certain type of negotiations.

n…if only people would stop commenting on the gangly frame of this avatar, shkav.

nEveryone under Lvl 13 looked like they were in the middle of a growth spurt, alright? He was Lvl 14 already.

nUnfortunately, he hadn't been planning to come out of the mountain at all.

nBut once more, the enemies had moved from the last scout-marks the spirit-snake made.

nApparently real-time tracking was out on individuals?

nHow was that logical?

nFine.

nThat was fine. Even this much was incredibly useful. More than he expected when he chose Ghostcaller, really.

nThe two bandits on the road recovered from his hail of darkspears, because the leader came at him full confidence, like a hurricane.

nWas it a player?

nKrow deflected a mace from caving in his chest with his revolver, retreated to put space between them.

nThe leader's form flickered as the other charged.

nWhat?

nHe quickly drew his second gun, shot a shieldburst.

nTwo maces crashed onto the barrier. The leader's form flickered again, hazy, and he was right in front of Krow.

nA movement spell.

nThis was definitely not an ordinary bandit, despite the poor clothing.

nKrow blocked again, tried to retreat, but the other locked his maces with Krow's revolvers.

nLvl 17 Bandit Captain

nHP: 3200MP: 821

nNo wonder the man was spamming his movement spell, with that much MP to burn.

nNot a player though.

nThe man smiled, almost welcoming.

"You are the mercenary I hear the farmer village hired?

"

nSo someone did notice him being the designated weapon bearer.

nAnd hah, suspicions confirmed; this was an attack aimed at Cerkanst.

n

"And who hired you?

"

nHe kept his voice low and even. Nothing at all like his brief role of Krow the bandit, king of the mountain, may he never live again.

n

"If you want a better deal,

" the bandit hummed, then his eyes crinkled in humor.

"Then I'd tell you.

"

nThis was…a recruitment?

nBro, he just swore off being a mountain bandit, alright?

nKrow grunted noncommittally.

n

"Your compatriots on the mountain are dead, and I assume, so are mine.

" The bandit continued.

"You get a treasure, I get a skilled subordinate. What do you say?

"

n…his ruse was that believable?

n

"All you need to do is give us the butcher and the village head's daughter. Two people, one hundred drax.

"

nOooookay then.

nHaha.

nObviously the man hadn't noticed the butcher knives sheathed on his left leg.

nThank you, Travelcoat.

nHe gave way, twisting his wrist to knock one mace out of alignment, freeing his guns.

n

"Too bad.

" The bandit leader chuckled. He stepped back, a smirk forming on his face.

nWhat?

nA force crashed against his ribs. He flew sideways, wrapped around a tree.

n-8% HP

nOw.

nThe last bandit!

nHe flipped to his feet, both guns out.

n

"Equip-one.

"

nKrow went cold.

nNon-players were able to quick-change armor in the middle of battle. It was an ability specially seen in mid to high-level bosses. But that specific phrase….

nThat was player-only.

n