The bandit leader finally made it to the clearing. Stopped suddenly.
For a moment he was still.
He could not move all.
His eyes got really wide as he stared at what was in front of him. His mind was having a time understanding what he was seeing.
It was already afternoon and thin rays of sunlight were coming through the trees. The sunlight was spreading across the forest floor.. The forest felt really quiet like even the wind was not moving.
There were no voices.
No movement.
The only sound was the drip of blood.
It was falling from above landing softly on the leaves on the ground.
The leader slowly lifted his head.
What he saw made his face freeze.
His men were hanging from the trees around him. Some were tied by their arms and others by their legs. Their bodies were just dangling in the air.
There were stains of blood on their clothes and the blood was dripping down towards the ground.
Every way the leader looked he saw another body hanging from a tree.
The clearing had turned into a scary and quiet place.
The bandit leader just stood there for a time frozen in place staring at the bodies of his men.
Then suddenly the bodies started to move.
One after another they fell to the ground.
Thud…
Thud…
Thud…
The sound of their bodies hitting the ground echoed through the clearing.
For a moment the leader just stood there confused by what was happening.
Then a voice came from somewhere in the forest.
It was calm, cold and really angry.
"When you kill someone without mercy they feel like this " the voice said.
The voice seemed to be coming from the trees. It was hard to tell where it was really coming from.
The leader quickly turned his head looking around.
The voice kept talking.
"Now it's your turn " it said.
There was a silence and then the voice spoke again.
"You will die here like the many people you killed. Now it's your turn."
The bandit leaders face twisted with anger as he looked around the clearing.
"Where are you you piece of crap?" he shouted. "How dare you kill my men?"
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"If you have the guts come out and fight me " he yelled. "Stop hiding!"
From somewhere in the trees Harutos voice cut through the silence.
It was calm and steady.
"I know what your magic skill is " he said.
The leaders eyes narrowed, trying to find where Haruto was hiding.
"You use sword techniques and support magic " Haruto continued. "When you're near your men you get stronger."
"But now you're alone " he said.
There was a pause and then Haruto kept talking.
"You won't get that power anymore."
The bandit leader let out a laugh.
"What an idiot " he sneered. "You think those fools gave me power?"
He spat on the ground.
"They were pawns in my game " he said.
He raised his sword. You could tell he was really arrogant.
"I have sword skills " he said, his voice sharp. ". With support magic I can get stronger than you can imagine."
His eyes moved slowly between the trees.
". When I find you…"
His smile got darker.
"I will kill you " he said.
From the shadows Harutos voice came again.
It was low and deadly.
"Lets see how you die here " he said.
A moment later Haruto slowly stepped out of the grass.
The bandit leader immediately turned towards him.
By then it was starting to get dark.
The two of them stood in the middle of the forest surrounded by trees that blocked most of the fading sunlight.
The forest was getting darker and long shadows were stretching across the ground.
Haruto tightened his grip on his sword. Raised it getting ready to fight.
The leader also grabbed his sword his eyes locked on Haruto.
Without saying another word the two of them rushed towards each other.
Their swords clashed with a metallic sound.
It quickly became clear that Haruto was losing.
He did not really know how to fight with a sword.
His movements were rough and untrained while the leader moved with a lot of confidence and experience.
After an exchanges Haruto stepped back.
The leader immediately moved forward to attack
As he stepped forward his foot caught something hidden in the grass.
A thin rope trap tightened around his leg.
His step. His leg twisted painfully as the rope got tighter around his ankle.
The leader growled in anger. Tried to move forward again.
As he stepped with his other foot another trap snapped shut tightening around his second leg.
One by one the hidden traps started to catch him.
Then the leader refused to give up.
He ground his teeth. Forced himself forward dragging his injured legs as he tried to reach Haruto.
Haruto slowly stepped back keeping his eyes fixed on the leader.
Suddenly Harutos foot struck a rock hidden in the grass.
He lost his balance. Fell forward onto the ground.
Harutos sword slipped from his hand. Landed a short distance away from him.
The leader quickly crawled closer seeing his chance.
With an expression he raised his sword high, ready to strike and kill Haruto.
At that moment a sharp sound cut through the air.
An arrow shot down from above. Pierced straight through the leaders chest.
Yet the leader did not stop.
Another arrow. Then another.
Five arrows in total struck his chest one, after another.
His body trembled before he finally collapsed onto the ground.
Above them Miyuki stood on a tree branch her bow still raised.
The forest grew silent again.
The bandit leader lay motionless on the ground.
He was dead.
Haruto slowly stood up breathing heavily.
He had known from the beginning that he could not win in a sword fight.
That was why he had prepared the traps before the leader arrived.
He had waited until evening, when the forest would get darker.
Miyuki could sense the surroundings clearly. Haruto knew exactly where every trap was placed.
His plan had worked.
A moment later Miyuki jumped down from the tree branch. Landed lightly on the ground.
She walked towards Haruto with a smile.
"Your plan worked " she said happily. "We killed them all."
She looked around the forest.
"Now we are safe " she said.