"Only a few more hours now." Reid commented as the carriage rocked him back and forth.
Following their discussion with the Goddess Vaya, Reid had successfully snuck back into camp. In the end he decided it was best to keep the meeting a secret from Anna. If it ever got out that he had access to void magic and she knew about it, she could be branded a criminal as well. Though in truth, Reid just couldn't stand getting other people involved with his personal problems.
The intense afternoon sun angles its way into the rear of the carriage before finding its way into the boy's eyes. He winces in pain before he looking away. He reaches further into the carriage before finding and rummaging through his bag.
"Aha!" He shouted triumphantly.
From the depths of his bag emerged a long-brimmed newsboy cap. The boy's wolf ears gently flattened against his head as he placed the spacious cap on top. He adjusted it up, down, and all around, before finally stopping with a nod of satisfaction. His squinted eyes released their tension as he leaned back in his chair.
"Are you as excited as I am to be done with this carriage?" He asked.
"I can't wait! Three days of sitting down like this is torture, my butt is so sore!" She griped while trying to massage away the pain.
"We should buy some cushions next time we have to travel by this long." He says while his gaze unconsciously followed the girls movements until he was looking at her rear.
"That's a good idea. Let's save up and get the best cushions money can buy!" She looks up to meet his eyes.
After tracing his gaze, a mischievous smile paints her face. "So… what are you looking at Reid?"
The boy's face blushes the moment he realizes he's looking at her butt.
"Oh, uh, just at your tail. It looks a lot more matted than normal, so I was wondering if you wanted help brushing it?" He replied with a hastily made smile.
"My tail huh? I guess it is looking a little rough at the moment, but it'll be fine after a nice bath in town. Nice save by the way." She said with a playfully accusing smile.
"Save? I have no idea what you mean." He said while turning his head to look into the forest. He pulled his brim even lower, the tip passing his eyes.
"Are you sure?" She pressed him while leaning forward.
"BANDITS!!" The driver shouted unexpectedly.
"Uh oh, looks like we gotta go!" His movements were quick. He grabbed his spear and jumped from the moving carriage before the girl could reply.
The boy had somehow found a way to retreat and charge into battle at the same time.
"What terrible luck, I was just starting to have fun." She sighs deeply before grabbing her own spear.
The carriage grinds to a halt as the hunters make their way to the front.
"Where are the bandits?" Reid asked as he arrived first.
"Dead ahead, they're attacking that carriage in front of us." Bill replied.
The situation in front of them appeared dire. An elegant carriage was surrounded by dozens of masked bandits, with the only resistance being four armored warriors guarding the single side door. A constant barrage of fireballs impacted against a translucent jade barrier that fluctuated with each impact. The knight closest to the door had his sword driven into the ground while his hand were joined together in prayer, radiating the same jade hue.
"What should we do?" Asked the driver.
"I want to help them, but I don't want to leave you unprotected." Reid replied with his eyes still fixed on the battlefield. His knuckles turned white as he gripped down on the spear.
"In that case, I can guard the carriage while you two attack. If worst comes to worst, I can always use my summoned beast to push though and escape." Ivir offered before warning them. "But if I do have to retreat, we wont have time to pick you up and take you with us. You'd be on your own."
Reid watched the battlefield with a steady, unblinking gaze.
"I can live with that. Is that okay with you, Anna?"
"Of course, we can't sit around doing nothing!"
"Then let's go!" The boy shouted confidently.
The bandits formation was simple, but effective. Their front line consisted of fighters using one-handed weapons paired with shields to block and apply pressure. Behind them were spearmen who waited patiently for a chance to strike at any opprotunity their opponents gave them. In the very back were their mages, eight in total, all grouped up in one small area.
Given the disparity of their numbers, the mages had free reign to cast as they pleased. None of the guards had the range to challenge them, so they were free to reign down spells with unbridled fury.
That is, until back-up arrived.
The mages never heard Reid and Anna's approach through the unrelenting cacophony of fireballs. The unseen hunters snuck forward with weapons drawn until they finally came within striking distance. The opening move came from Amadeus. Five red runic circles flashed into existence, their pattern far more complex than the beginner runes he once used. They took a second longer to activate than the old ones, but the effect was well worth it.
Each rune created an intense blue fireball that launched forward with impressive fury. All of them found their marks, exploding on impact. Five circles, five mages incapacitated. The remaining casters barely had time to react before they were taken down as well.
Anna's spear flowed like water as it struck down two unprepared mages on the right flank. At the same time Ried's spear struck quick and clean through the mage on the left. The enemies were caught so off guard that they hadn't even thought to scream as they were cut down.
The tide of battle had changed in that instant. The bandits at the front turned, searching for the now absent barrage of magic. In their moment of distraction, three knights pushed forward, breaking their formation and cutting down bandits with ruthless efficiency. Seeing their friends cut down, the bandits lost all reason and charged forward recklessly. Their steel swords and spears rammed into the knights. The blows were painful, but their heavy steel plate armor held strong as their will. The knights roared and pressed the attack again, pressing even deeper into their lines.
The frontline had descended to pure chaos.
"Dammit, don't lose formation! Reform and push together!" A bandit near the middle shouted.
His hulking build and impressive gear were league above the men around him. For some odd reason, he was the only one who had refused to wear a mask, instead his magnificently shining head was on full display.
The bald bandit turned to face the new enemies at the rear. He lifted his greatsword with one hand and pointed it toward Reid in challenge.
"You bastard! You die for that!" He shouted.
The bandits behind him finally pushed the knights back just enough to regroup. They tightened their formation to get rid of any gap the armored opponents could exploit. Unfortunately for them, grouping so tightly just made them easier targets.
From his position at the back, Reid dropped to one knee, placing his hand on the ground. A complex brown rune appeared on the ground below his palm. It shot forward along the ground, heading straight toward the mass of bandits.
"Oh no you don't!" The leader shouted as he charged forward.
His charge was intercepted by Anna, who swung her spear in a wide arc. Her timing was perfect, forcing the leader to retreat, or risk decapitation. Behind him, the rune completed its journey and was directly below the bandit's frontline.
The rune expanded dramatically before igniting. The land itself began to sink deep into the ground. Unsuspecting bandits screamed as the floor gave out from below. The mass of groaning bodies settled at the bottom of what was now a three meter deep hole. That was the final nail in the coffin for the bandit's formation. With half of their numbers now stuck in a pit, the knights pushed forward one more time. The knights killed the stragglers with ease. Without the overwhelming numbers raining blows on them, the skill gap became obvious.
With the enemies above dealt with, the knights turned their attention to the pitfall.
"Prisoners, Captain?" The chivalrous knight asked to the one who was praying with glowing hands.
Before he got an answer, two more brown rune circles rushed to opposite ends of the pit. When they ignited, the walls of the pit began to close. Screams rang out before the earth swallowed them whole with a sickening crunch.
While his troops perished behind him, the bandit leader found himself completely outmatched by the young girl in front of him. He had her beat in raw speed and power, but her technique dismantled every strike, every blow he tried to make.
He was blocked, redirected, and counterattacked in a never ending flow. Superficial cuts began to accumulate on his body as panic took hold. His pulse quickened and his blood boiled as he was helpless before the young girl that practically danced in front of him. That's when it happened. The girl stumbled as she tried to move away. His face twisted into a wicked grin as he prepared his greatsword for a powerful vertical strike. He shouted with renewed vigor as he brought his sword down.
For her part, the girl calmy sidestepped the heavy swing and flowed into a horizontal swing that found purchase with the bandit's throat. It cleaved clean through, leaving only a small piece of flesh that kept him from being decapitated completely. His eyes went wide. Time crawled to a standstill as his final moment replayed in his mind. That last attack, the movement, the timing, it had all been to perfect to be mere instinct.
His mind perished with a single thought. 'Trap...'
The battle only lasted a few minutes all together. The result?
The bandits were utterly decimated.
"Thank you for your assistance, young warriors." Said the knight Captain while tilting his head for a slight bow.
"Of course, glad we could help." Reid answered.
"Is everyone alright?" Anna asks while looking around at the bloody corpses.
"Unfortunately, no. Our driver ended up getting hit by an arrow in the initial ambush. They should be treating him in the cabin, but he will probably need to get more intense treatment in town." The knight admitted with a pained expression.
"That is unfortunate. If you would like I could try to heal him. I can use the patch spell. It might not be enough to heal him completely, but it might be enough to stabilize them." Reid offered.
"I'm pretty low on mana after that fight. I'll only have enough to cast two patch spells at the most." Amadeus warned him.
"Are you sure?" The knight replied in a surprised tone.
"Yes." He replied with a nod of his head.
"Thank you so much! Name's Dagon by the way, I'm the leader of this order of knights."
"Reid, D rank hunter."
"Anna, also D rank hunter."
They shake hands with the knight before following him to the carriage.
"Right in here." Dagon says while opening the carriage door.
"Dagon, what is the status out there?" A lady's voice calls out with regal authority from inside the cabin.
"The bandits have been dealt with thanks to the help of two passing hunters my lady. They have offered to cast healing magic on O'rian."
"Is that so? Let them in, his situation appears dire" She replied while expressing the urgency of the situation.
Inside the cabin was a lady around 16, who wore an elegant black and gold dress that contrasted harshly with her flaming red hair and light blue eyes. Next to her sat a boy, even younger than Reid or Anna, in a mages cloak. Across from them, sprawled out on a seat all his own, was a man with an arrow lodged deep in his chest. The area around the wound was completely soaked in blood.
"Can you truly help him, kind hunter?" The red-haired lady asked.
"Let me see." Reid said plainly while moving deeper in to properly gauge his wounds.
"What do you think?" The boy asked Amadeus.
'analyze'
"He's lost a significant amount of blood. The arrow missed his heart, but hit his lung. The damage to the organ is shallow enough that we can heal it, but he will have fluid filling his lungs regardless. For treatment, we'll have to remove the arrow while simultaneously applying patch and pouring a healing potion onto it. After we heal him, he'll need to be taken to a proper hospital or he won't make it."
"I'll have to move quick." The boy declared suddenly.
He grabs a potion from the pouch on his hip while he kneels down, right in front of the wound.
"Count us down, I'll cast patch on go." Amadeus commands.
Tension grows in the cabin as he opens the potion and gets a tight grip on the arrow.
"Alright. 3. 2. 1. Go!"
With a swift motion he removes the arrow from shoulder while dumping the potion into the wound. At the same time a green and gold runic magic circle appears and creates golden wisps that flood into the wound. In seconds his flesh begins to knit itself back together until his wound appeared to be superficial at the worst.
The lady's pursed her lips tight as she watched the boy work, only relaxing when he seemed to be done.
"There. He's lost a lot of blood, and still has fluid built up in his lungs. You need to get him to a proper doctor as soon as possible, but he should live."
"I see. Frederick, prepare to summon another beast!" She commands.
"Yes, Milady!" The young mage shouts as he runs out of the cabin.
"Thank you so much for what you've just done. My employees are like family to me, I couldn't bear to lose any of them." She says while bowing her head slightly.
"Think nothing of it, I'm happy to help." Reid says while pulling on the brim of his cap.
"On my honor as a merchant, I cannot do that. I must repay you somehow, Mr…" She pauses, allowing him to give his name.
"Reid." He says simply.
"Reid." She repeats thoughtfully. "In the name of Amelia Von Clyde, I swear that I will reward you properly. Come by our shop, The Graceful Wisp, and I will give you an appropriate reward for your actions today. And that includes you as well, Miss…"
"Anna." She answers in a hushed tone.
"Reid and Anna. Thank you both. Now I hate to be rude, but we must be leaving soon."
"Of course. May Agalia watch over him. It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Amelia." Reid says, before bowing his head with a hand over his heart.
"Likewise, Reid." She replied with seated courtesy, smiling as the young hunter left.
Outside the carriage, Reid and Anna walked away casually. The carnage outside had already been cleaned up by the knights. The blood stained road with no bodies to be found would be an eerie sight for future travelers. But that was their problem.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Amelia." Anna says mockingly.
"What? That's the proper thing to say in that situation. My family didn't teach me much, but they did teach me etiquette. Although, it was only so I wouldn't embarrass them." He explained.
"If you say so." She said, still grumpy.
"In that case," Reid gets down on one knee, with one hand on his chest and another extended toward Anna.
"Lady Anna, might thou find it in your magnanimous heart to overlook my grievous lapse in judgement." He declared theatrically.
She couldn't help but giggle at his ridiculous display.
"Fine." She says as she takes his hand and helps him to his feet.
"Thou hast been forgiven, Sir Reid."