Seeing the driver of the carriage set off like that, a wave of concern filled all three of them. Opening the door, the three of them exited, and it was quite clear why the driver had run off like he had just moments ago.
"How, how do we keep on getting ourselves into these types of situations!" Simyon commented.
Blocking their path in front of the carriage and horses were six rough-looking men. They were in tattered clothing that only covered their manly chests and only a little part of their legs.
The men looked like those who barely bathed, and they had several missing teeth as they grinned widely with their weapons in hand. Setting eyes on them, Simyon knew immediately that these were bandits.
Bandits were a common group of people in the world of Pagna. They didn't live in the villages, towns, or cities because they were outlaws. Instead, they would set up camps in the deserts, forests, and various other landscapes across the continent. They would target all those traveling along the paths between the cities and villages, hoping to earn a pretty penny or at least take their goods.
It was because of them that several people would have to hire respectable warriors for their journeys. Which they had none.
"I knew it, my plan was perfect!" The large-bellied, six-foot man said. His facial hair covered the entire lower half of his face, making him look more like a bear than a human.
"With the assessment taking place today, there are plenty of those who would have to take this path. Those rich nobles and clan members wouldn't dare send their precious children away without giving them some coin, so hand them over."
Simyon slapped his head into the palm of his hand and was constantly shaking it. "We're poor orphans; we're not the ones you want!" Simyon shouted. "Do you think if he had any money, our driver would just run off like that?"
The bandits looked at each other, but they didn't believe them.
The thing was, what Simyon had said wasn't actually true. Raze had quite a bit of the payment left from what he received from Alter, and he had also received coin from selling one of the power stones.
"Haha, that's what everyone says!" The bandit declared. "And if we can't get anything from you, we can kill you and at least take the horses."
Two bandits went toward the horses but stopped in their tracks when Raze turned his head and glared at them.
"I paid for these horses, which means at this point in time, they belong to me," Raze declared. "I don't feel like taking the horses either, so I don't grant you permission to do so."
The gaze Raze gave them penetrated the back of their minds, and they were reluctant to take another step further. It was then that Simyon thought that maybe they could get out of this situation without needing to fight.
That was until a bandit drew his curved blade from the side and went ahead to strike Raze. Immediately, Raze moved to the side, placing both hands on Simyon's shoulders, and then lifted his body and placed it in the path of the sword.
Simyon raised his hands instinctively, and a loud clang was heard as the sword was stopped by Simyon's body.
"What the… how is my sword not getting through!" The bandit shouted.
"Ah, what the... Is this how you treat what you call a family? You shoved me in front of dangerous things!" Simyon shouted. Tears were almost running down his cheeks. He was already frightened by the situation as it was, and then he was thrown right in front of a sword. No matter how strong his body was, he couldn't get used to it and didn't quite like the feeling of being a human shield either.
Not wasting the opportunity, Safa struck with a punch, hitting the side of the bandit's ribs, and a loud crack was heard as he was thrown off to the side.
'She's good; she knows when to take advantage of the situation and is quick to act in response as well. Safa was already one of the very best at the temple, and she hadn't even been there a long time. And now that she was , her speed and power were at another level, a level that these bandits couldn't handle.'
"You should think about the situation with a clear mind," Raze said. "If these guys were any decent, then they would have joined a clan themselves in the first place. Bandits are just those who failed to make it anywhere in life. Besides, you said that you wanted to train, right? Well, here is your chance."
There was a slight shock factor with the bandits seeing one of their allies going down. The truth was, this was the first group the bandits had come across which they believed was an easy target.
The Bandit leader was worried that his plan was going to fail, seeing those that came through here were littered with guards, and then he saw an opportunity right in front of him. With six of them, he was sure he could take on warriors who had yet to experience the real world.
"Get them, get them all at once. If you go one at a time, it will give them a chance to act!" The leader shouted.
One of the bandits swung the sword to the side. Simyon, now a little more aware of the situation, swung his arm toward the sword, adding the power of Qi in his swing. With the power of Qi and his steel body, when the two collided, the sword was snapped in half.
Following up with a punch to the stomach, the bandit fell to the floor on his knees.
'Wait, he fell with one punch; should it really be this easy?' Simyon thought.
The two of them had been through a life or death situation, with the added effects of the earring and the fact that Safa had gotten rid of her hesitation. Slowly, the two were realizing that they were strong and what it meant to be a Pagna warrior.
The leader had charged forward in a panic, not believing that his plan had failed, and seeing how two of them were fairly skilled, he had gone toward the one person who had yet to do anything.
"I'll kill you and take all your money to hire new men!" The bandit exclaimed.
"Why does this always happen?" Raze thought. The other two weren't the only ones who had grown in strength. Raze had absorbed the Qi pill as well, having already established a dantian core; he was at the peak of the first stage.
Shifting forward with his Qi, he moved in quicker, and when he struck with his hand, he had activated his wind magic, activating a spell.
Raze had already gone past his opponent, his hand covered in the wind. Out from the bandit's neck, blood started to spurt out.
"I am not as kind as the others. If you try to take my life, then you should be prepared to lose yours."
[Dark Attribute 28>>>> 29]
[Wind Attribute 5 >>> 6]