I grabbed Erin's hand, and we both booked it outside. As we made it outside, that is when I saw the village for the second time. Houses were run down and set ablaze. I looked over to my right and saw a bandit towering over an elderly woman with a knife to her throat.
"I demand my money, you old hag."
The old woman spit in his face and tried to fight back, but the bandit was about to slash her throat as I appeared behind him with my sword drawn to his neck.
"Your move, pal."
I kicked the bandit to the floor, and he took a tumble and fell into a barrel of raw sewage.
"You bastard," the bandit yelled as he popped out of the barrel.
I saw him drawing a magic circle with his fingers, and that is when I felt a swift punch in the stomach. He had managed to teleport from the barrel right in front of me and vanished in a way. I coughed a bit to clear my air and get the pain out of my stomach. Erin looked at me with a worried expression.
"Don't worry, I got this."
I started tracing my fingers in a circular motion and managed to summon a fireball. I sent it at the bandit at close range. He started screaming as he was burning. I swung my sword into his neck and finished him.
"I refuse to let a man burn to death. That is worse than being defeated by an enemy who is looking at you."
Another bandit stepped off a bike.
"Hey, you killed Phil. He was my blood brother."
I smirked. "And? Yall are going after a run-down village and hurting elderly people and taking kids. You're lucky I did not let him suffer."
I stared at the bandit, trying to predict his next move. The bandit started chanting some spells, and that is when I realized he had paralyzed me. He then teleported in front of me and hit me with some purple liquid that was coated on his fist. I looked at Erin and at the old lady to make sure they were okay.
"I can't lose her; I need to protect them. What was that spell that my sister taught me?"
I started saying a chant in my head, and that is when I felt the paralyze spell run its course. I drew my sword in my right hand, and with my left hand I started doing a magic spell circle to teleport in front of the bandit.
"Yo there."
I stabbed him in the foot, and he was now stuck to the floorboard.
"You're going to talk to me now, you fowl creature."
The bandit tried to spit at me, but I dodged it.
"Look, do you still have her brother, and if so, where do I find him? Actually, better yet, who put you up to this? I want to speak to your leader."
The bandit laughed like a madman.
"You speak to the boss? You're just a weakling compared to him. Though if you have a death wish, meet us at our base in Compound City."
The bandit ended up biting his tongue hard enough that he ended up offing himself.
"Weakling."
I looked at the dead bandit as I noticed another running. I tried to catch up to him, but he vanished in front of me.
"That can't be good that he got away."
I went over to Erin, who was applying first aid to the old woman.
"Thank you, child. If not for you I would have been gone."
I looked down at her before I knelt next to her.
"It was nothing. I was saved by Erin, so I wanted to do the right thing and help out."
The old woman looked at my sword and then looked back at me.
"You're trained in swords?"
I looked up at the sky before looking back at her to answer the question.
"Yeah, I'm trained in swords despite being somewhat decent at magic. I just liked using swords. You can get more reach with them, plus I was taught by my sister who is no longer upon the world of living."
"Oh child, I'm sorry for opening old wounds."
I clenched my teeth to hold back tears.
"It's fine. In this world you have to accept that not everyone can live as long as others. You just have to be happy they existed in the first place."
I stood up and walked over to sit on a barrel, looking up at the roof of a run-down shop.
"God damn it," I thought to myself.
I saw Erin walk over to me, twirling her hair.
"You know, you were very heroic there, like someone out of a story."
I looked at Erin and smiled.
"I was just following a code I set up for myself. There really is nothing to it."
Erin kept looking at me.
"So can I ask you something?"
I leaned back on the barrel.
"What's up?"
Erin poked up from her barrel and stared straight into my eyes.
"You're not from this world, are you?"
I fell off the barrel at her question.
"What do you mean? I am from this world."
Erin shook her head.
"No, you're not, because if you were you would be scared of the bandits, but you jumped headfirst and took them on."
I sighed. "Okay, can we talk in private, like a place where no one can hear?"
Erin took my hand and led us to an area by the riverfront.
I stared at the river and looked at the rocks in the water as I took a seat on the grass.
"Okay, so I am not from this world, you are right about that. I was in the military specialized in magic and swords over there. I had a mission where during a spy segment that went wrong someone set a nuke off underground. Realistically I should have been dead, but here I am alive and still able to remember everything."
Erin looked into the water.
"Well, that is interesting, but what is next for you?"
I stood up.
"Well, I want to get stronger with magic and take a fight to Compound City."
Erin had a shocked face.
"You're going to take on Compound City and the leader there? He's not an easy person to fight. He uses ice magic."
I drew a magical circle and summoned a fireball.
"See that orange ball of fire? That can melt ice."
Erin hit me on the head.
"I know that stupid."
I let out a chuckle.
"Well, you make it seem like I am going in unprepared, but I really do want to get better at magic. Do you know anyone?"
Erin poked her cheek, thinking for an answer. "Oh, I know. My old teacher lives in the village. He might be willing to teach you."
I stood up and brushed the grass off. "So, you are a magic user yourself?"
Erin looked down before answering, but she poked right back up. "No, I have zero mana in my body so I cannot use magic. I wish I could. Then I would not have had my baby brother taken from me."
I looked at Erin and grabbed her hands.
"I promise I am going to get stronger, and I am going to save your brother. So, let's go meet this old man. The sooner the better."
I smiled at Erin.