Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 39: Cruelty (2)

Vargi is one of the Four Immortals disciples before he was excommunicated by Western Serpent

They don't know what is going on. Their confidence shattered. When they saw they were fighting kids a while ago, they were confident they can handle this.

They never fight strong people like the Arathorne Brothers that roam the martial art world, and they would never raid or attack caravans in the places that Northern Badger rumored to be in.

They chose city that has low security and no threats.

But these three kids have proven to be more than just pesky little brats of Knights.

Even the kid guarding the back is persistent, his strike strong while the girl strikes with accuracy and another throws hidden weapons that strikes accurately.

But the most dangerous is the kid at the front. He flies around the battlefield like lightning. The moment you noticed him, you're dead.

They had been certain of their victory, but now confusion took over, and their confidence was shattered.

The two men decided to coordinate their attacks and flew around Arial, looking for a blind spot.

They pounced and lunged and stabbed, but not once did their weapons make contact with the boy.

Arial started using his swordmaship technique.

Using the sword, knowing that if he channels to much energy to the sword it will shatter, Arial performs Wind God Dance.

By using his sword, he moves like winds, diverting all attacks towards him onto someone else.

After some clashing the other bandits that are being pushed back can see from the distance that Aragir and Vargi were colliding numerous times but not once it hit Arial.

Aragir yelled

"Change our positions" Vargi began changing his positions, blood still pouring out from his arm.

But no matter what they do, Arial skillfully and gracefully diverts the sword direction to themselves.

"It's like a dance" Helia said seeing Arial in the distance. A very beautiful and lethal dance.

In the back of the chamber, only a few bandits still stood among decapitated corpses and severed limbs.

Kyle, Lisa and Helia had made great progress, and for a moment Arial looked at them with pride.

In a skipped heartbeat, a man strode into the chamber and through the bodies.

He was a boulder of a man with a ring through his nose and upon sight of him, every bandit stopped in their tracks.

"If swords won't work then use your fists!" he thundered to Aragir and Vargi.

They didn't hesitate for a second, their swords clattering to the ground.

Aragir threw a punch and missed, his knuckles colliding with the stone wall.

The boulder-man, who Arial assumed was their leader, joined the brawl, but try as they might, not one of them could land a punch. Arial whipped around the chamber like the wind.

But no matter how they try, they could not touch Arial who moved like the wind, fast and unpredictable.

Sometimes his attack is slow, another time it's fast, baiting the opponents and pulling and pushing.

The bandits in the back are repressed and already surrender but in the front a fierce battle still ensue.

The other bandits did not try to interfere the fight, so instead of fighting they just watch the kid and their bandit leaders, Larale, Aragir and Vargi having a battle shaking the chambers each time they punch, while the kid slipped over and over again from their grasp.

Hundreds of strokes and technique employed while Kyle and Lisa and Helia watch the back worried that the surrendered bandits will suddenly do a surprise attack.

Sparks sometimes fly, lighting the chambers and they could not even see the fast movement these people executed.

It was a high level battle.

Helia could not contain her admiration, while Lisa could not help but be impressed of her childhood friend.

From the beginning he was different than me she mused.

On the other hand, these three people in the midst of these life and death battle all have almost reached their limits.

At this point the three of them realizes it is harder and harder to win as time passed.

Aragir jump suddenly and from his sleeve a hidden weapon shot out.

"Take this, boy!" Aragir yelled, slipping a hidden blade out of his sleeve.

Arial caught sight of the weapon just before it sliced him, and turned sideways to dodge it.

Pulling the bandit leader with his internal energy while making a circular motion, Arial thrust him in front of Aragir and into the exposed blade.

Blood spurted like a crimson geyser as Aragir and his leader looked down in horror, and a blood-curdling scream escaped the wounded man's lips.

The remaining bandits, seeing their leader had fallen, lost their willingness to fight and backed away from the bizarre little boy with his inexplicable power.

Vargi and Aragir, who had picked up their blades again, circled Arial, tired, weakened but furious, striking and missing the deft boy.

Both of them were getting furiously mad and just when they were desperately launching themselves from each of his sides, but then Arial performed the Eight Stance of Wind God Dance, Song of Winds, as both of his feet left the ground and flipped smoothly in the midair, landing far away.

He landed gracefully outside of the circle of the battle.

'What is that technique!' Kyle said in shock as he looks at Arial like a flying bird. Lisa and Helia also curios of the technique.

Vargi and Aragir rammed into each other both stabbing each other in the neck.

Disbelief flashed across their faces before they collapsed together, still connected by their blades, a red tinge seeping through the moss beneath them.

Arial admired the three bodies in front of him, while Lisa and Helia secured some surrendered bandits in ropes.

They were not that dangerous after all, Arial realized. The real threat had been the three dead men before him.

"Hey, Arial," Kyle muttered, appearing beside him. "The bandits have just told us that Engel the Mad Surgeon is here. Should we go for it, or should we get out?"

Arial had heard of Engel, the deranged surgeon and extremely wanted man.

Knights had searched high and low for him, and Arial realized he could solve two quests at once. Turning around, he headed to a connecting chamber where the bandits had claimed Engel was hiding.

The smell of rotten flesh hit him before the sight did.

A woman lay naked on the ground, maggots wriggling in and out of the gaping hole in her stomach.

Arial stepped over her and spotted another stripped woman locked in a cage. Her fearful eyes met his, desperate and pleading.

Engel stood in front of a large stone table, upon which lay the mangled corpse of a third woman.

Her organs had been removed and delicately placed on the table beside her.

Her reproductive organs had been cut, her breasts burned, and her cheeks sliced.

As Engel turned to look at Arial, the woman's intestines spilled and splattered to the floor. The man let out a manic shriek of laughter.

Arial's face twisted in disgust and, flying to the mad surgeon, swiped his blade down and chopped off his hand.

Engel squealed in pain, but the smile did not leave his face. Genuine anger spread through Arial's veins for the first time since they had entered the mine.

Spinning round, his sword became a deadly tornado and he lunged at Engel, slicing through his neck before the man had time to blink.

Engel's head dropped and rolled until it hit the table, facing the ceiling, the demented grin still twisting his face.

Arial kicked the headless corpse before rushing over to the cage where the young woman was cowering.

"Are you alright?" Arial said releasing the girl from the cage

Between gasps and sobs, she informed Arial that there were many more girls being held captive within the inner chambers.

After ripping open the cage door, he sent the shivering girl to Lisa and Helia, before delving deeper into the mine to find the others.

Arial and his friends left the mine with eleven survivors and fifteen bandits, then headed to the city.

They paraded the bandits, still in ropes, through the streets while awestruck families ran up to hug their children.

"Thank you. Thank you" a father thanks Arial while hugging his daughter, his face is full of tears and his daughter hugged her father tightly.

The other families are also informed of their children condition. Some cried hearing that their children has left the world, while some was crying tears of joy in knowing that their children and loved ones has been saved from the clutch of the bandits.

There were mixed emotions.

The bandits are being jailed and will be tried by House Rodan.

When they reached the city council, they were greeted by a very surprised mayor.

"Well done I can't believe you actually did it" he said, his voice thick with disbelief and joy. "You have done our city a tremendous service, we cannot express our gratitude enough."

He signed their quest card as complete, with the addition of killing Larale the bandit leader, Vargi, Aragir, and Engel.

"Son of Aries? House of Vermont?" the mayor asked, noticing the ring on Arial's finger.

"Yes, I am."

"Your father is becoming a merchant prince; did you know? There's talk in Dented Shield that Hadrian Alan is considering giving him the title of Count. He would be proud to know that his son is an accomplished knight."

Arial nodded politely and turned to his friends. All of them looked filthy, exhausted and ready to leave.

Just as Arial was about to bid the mayor farewell, he announced loudly that a feast was being prepared in their honor, for ridding the city of terror.

Arial sighed inwardly, but smiled at the mayor and accepted his offer to stay.

The townspeople needed to heal, he thought, and a celebration could ease their pain, though Arial knew the scars of the survivors would never fade.

Some wounds and scar do not heal. Not truly. Those who survived have seen unspeakable horror.

If only they hadn't stopped to enjoy the festival, could he have saved the girl on the table? The parasite-ridden girl on the floor?

How many more had died whilst they had laughed and wandered?

He sighed and thought if the least he could do for this town is to attend the feast and ease their heart, it would be good.

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