*SCREEECH*"Oi, Wake up you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" Joe abruptly pulled the reigns of the horses and roared.
Caesar"s eyes snapped open and he grabbed his two spadroon"s at the side, he kicked open the carriage door and hopped off.
"Whoa, easy now rich boy" a middle-aged man spoke up from the front of the carriage after seeing Caesar hop out.
The man had an eyepatch over his right eye and a large scar running from the right side of his chest to the left.
Caesar observed this man for a few seconds and glanced around to examine the surroundings, he could sense roughly 20-25 people surrounding them… their arrowheads were barely discernable through the tall gra.s.s and thick trees.
The man with the eyepatch furrowed his brows, "lookie here pretty boy, I ain"t looking to take any lives… I just want your valuables" the middle-aged man spoke once again.
"And if I declined?" Caesar tilted his head and asked curiously.
"Although I don"t wanna kill n.o.body, sometimes a necessary sacrifice is needed… you"re a smart guy, right lad? Do the smart thing and don"t get you and your companions killed" the middle-aged man had a heavy accent.
*creak*
Ahri poked her head out of the carriage "what"s wrong?" she asked Caesar in a worried tone.
The man with an eyepatch halted his footsteps once he caught sight of Ahri, his breath quickened and his face blossomed with a l.u.s.tful smile.
"Heh, actually, as long as you hand over that woman… I"ll let you keep your miserable life haha" the man laughed loudly and pointed his rusted scimitar towards Ahri"s head.
Caesar turned his head slightly and pecked Ahri on the lips, "nothing is wrong, just stay in the carriage…" Caesar spoke calmly.
"I"m not weak, you know?" Ahri protested.
"I am aware, it"s just that your hands should not be dirtied on sc.u.m such as these" Caesar"s lips curled as he explained.
Ahri glanced at the middle-aged man and their surroundings for a second before she begrudgingly entered back into the carriage.
*slam*
The carriage door close and the surroundings were silent.
"Do you not realize what is happening kiddo? Oh, let me guess… You"re trying to be a hero!?! Hahaha" The middle-aged man grabbed his gut and roared in laughter.
Caesar could hear other bursts of laughter from his surroundings, presumably the other bandits. Joe furrowed his brows and looked around.
"This isn"t good, there should be at least 20 people around us," Joe thought to himself and glanced at Caesar with an anxious expression.
"Hehe, I don"t condone killing children, how about you hand over the la.s.s inside the carriage and we can both go on our ways" The middle-aged man stopped laughing and took a step forward.
Caesar squinted his eyes and unsheathed one of his swords, he could feel the killing intent from the surrounding bandits.
"Huh, you are going to waste your life because of one woman? Are you an idiot? Listen here kid, being a hero won"t get you anywhere in life" the man with an eyepatch spoke loudly once again.
"It"s been a long time since someone looked down on me, it"s been an even longer time since someone called me a child" Caesar"s voice was like a cold blade striking the bandits hearts, they felt their spines shiver in fear.
The middle-aged man looked into Caesar"s eyes and instinctually felt fear, "w-what the h.e.l.l are you?" the man stuttered for words and raised his scimitar in a defensive stance.
Caesar kicked off the ground and charged the man, the bandits surrounding them didn"t even see when Caesar left his position.
*CLANG*
Caesar cleaved down with his sword, however, the man blocked with his scimitar.
"W-what strength, I haven"t seen such speed since the last war haha!" the man roared out and laughed manically.
Caesar"s expression was calm and he focused on the man"s body, he could see many different red dots and lines that streaked across his current fighting stance… Caesar cleaved down once again with his sword.
"That won"t work a second time!" the man roared back and blocked Caesar"s sword once again, right as their swords collided, Caesar stepped forward and kneed the man"s belly.
The man clenched his teeth and tried to punch with his left hand, Caesar easily evaded it and let go of his sword… He stomped on the man"s toes and grabbed him by the neck.
"W-what kind of swordsman doesn"t rely on his sword" the man spoke angrily.
"What is your name?" Caesar asked coldly.
"Cleft" the man barely could say his name as Caesar gripped his neck tightly.
"Well Cleft, If I used my sword, It would have taken me around three moves to kill you, whereas if I let go of my sword… It merely took two, I prefer efficiency" Caesar explained calmly as he slowly tightened his grip.
*whish*
A few arrows landed next to Caesar"s feet and the bandits walked out of the tall gra.s.s, "let Cleft go this instant, or the next arrow is going in your heart!" one of the bandits spoke vehemently.
*crack*
As if to answer the bandits, Caesar tightened his grip and broke Cleft"s neck. he swiftly picked up two of the arrows that landed at his feet, he threw both of them and easily penetrated two of the bandit"s skulls.
Caesar picked up his sword that was lying on the ground and charged at the bandits, immediately 20 or so arrows rained down on Caesar"s location.
Caesar"s eyes moved swiftly and the most efficient path slowly formed in front of him, Caesar"s eyes radiated a deep crimson as he moved forward.
Caesar raised his sword and easily parried a few of the arrows, he jumped up and acrobatically moved his body to evade the rest.
"SHOOT HIM, HE"S IN MID AI-" Before the bandit could finish his words he was already impaled from the sword Caesar had thrown down at him.
*WHISH*
Arrows once again flew towards him, a black mist suddenly erupted from his back and disintegrated the arrows from his behind, Caesar maneuvered in mid-air and caught two arrows that were flying at him from his front.
*WHISH*
*WHISH*
Caesar once again threw the arrows down and swiftly killed two more bandits, Caesar finally reached the ground again and picked up his sword.
Three of the bandits in front of him pulled out their swords and struck down at him, Caesar moved quicker than them, however, and moved through them in a zig-zag fashion.
*puch*
Three heads flew into the air and blood spurted from their necks similar to a fountain.
*WHISH*
Arrows once again madly flew at him, Caesar didn"t panic and grabbed one of the nearby bandits by the neck. He charged towards the bandit archers with the bandit"s body blocking all of the arrows.
"STOP, PLEASEEE" The bandit screamed out in pain as dozens of arrows pierced his back.
Caesar moved quickly and nearly instantly made it towards the dozen or so bandit archers, he flung the dead bandit towards one of them and started his slaughter.
The archers couldn"t shoot Caesar who was right next to them, they started to run away in fear as Caesar beheaded them one by one.
"H-help, It"s a monster!"
"MOMMY"
"G.o.d SAVE US"
"Your praying is in vain" Caesar spoke coldly and stabbed the heart of the last bandit.
*plop*
The bandit"s body fell to the ground, the ground was littered with bodies and blood flowed like a river.
Caesar could feel a slight stinging pain in his right eye, "as I had thought, this power isn"t omnipotent… Although it shows me the most efficient path, that doesn"t mean my body is capable of following through" Caesar thought to himself bitterly.
*step*
*step*
"My G.o.d, I didn"t know you were such a beast!" Joe ran towards Caesar and looked at him admirably.
"My body still needs tempering, although my physical strength is astonishing and I can clearly see the most efficient path… I have never actually been trained in the way of the sword" Caesar replied humbly.
"Haha, that doesn"t matter… Humans crafted sword techniques because they needed to make up for the strength other races had, I don"t think any strong races ever practiced in sword techniques" Joe laughed loudly and patted Caesar on the back.
"That is because they were complacent, who is the superpower of the world currently?" Caesar reb.u.t.ted and asked a simple question.
Joe looked down towards the ground and spoke bitterly… "the humans…"
Caesar walked past Joe and went towards the bandit leader he had killed first, he grabbed the eyepatch that covered his right eye and stashed it in his pocket.
"What are you going to do with that?" Joe asked curiously.
Caesar"s right eye stung from merely 2-3 minutes of fighting, he needed to practice his eye and control his power much more effectively, the eyepatch would help him do so.
"No reason, just figured I would keep it, just in case" Caesar didn"t tell Joe the real reason, however.
Caesar entered the carriage and left Joe alone standing there, he went to go calm the spooked horses and they continued their journey once again.
"Joe does not seem to be deterred at the sight of blood or battle, he is hiding something" Caesar contemplated to himself as he stepped inside the carriage.
"Are you okay?" Ahri asked Caesar once he appeared in her line of sight.
"I"m fine, just a few bandits… that"s all" Caesar replied softly and sat down next to her.
Caesar"s clothes miraculously didn"t have even a drop of blood, but, with Ahri"s superior senses how could she not smell it.
"You reek of blood," Ahri said as she scrunched up her nose.
"Haha, I apologize… I will wash in the next river or lake we pa.s.s by, perhaps there will be one in the mountains" Caesar laughed softly and responded back swiftly.
"You better, Mr.clean" Ahri also chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulders, they should reach the tall mountains in an hour or so.
Ahri lived in the dark continent, she was no stranger to the smell of blood and killing.
Pa.s.sing the mountains would mean they made it to the half-way mark.