Gallium Bandits [1]
Around two hours passed after we ate breakfast and began approaching the location of the Gallium bandits that were part of our punishment.
Since Yuzu transformed into a girl, Rena became a little jealous and kept telling her off and teaching her what to do.
I just left them to it and instead mourned the loss of my spare boxers cut apart and burned by Yuzu's wakizashi...
"Listen, Yuzu, you cannot sneak into Aki's tent or follow him to the bathroom..."
"Why?" The blonde fox tilted her head, fluffing her tail out as it slapped the ground, and she fluttered her eyes towards me like I had the answer.
My head turned away as we walked ahead.
The surroundings were a little eerie, with broken trees and burnt patches on the ground, and the grass was dark, dead and seemed to have been ruined by too much passage, leaving only a muddy passage between two tall walls.
"Is this the passage that they mentioned?"
"Hmmmm? I don't know. Do you think the Gallium bandits would be in such a horrible place?"
"Yuzu smells cooked meat... It smells nice."
I trusted Yuzu's nose, and if there was cooked meat, humans likely existed on the other side of this place.
"Well, it seems Yuzu is a useful, good girl!" Rena chirped while stroking the soft golden hair on Yuzu's head, causing the fox to squint and run towards me, hiding behind my body to escape Rena's pursuit.
"Let's stop playing around, Rena. Shall we take a look? Keep an eye out for any traps."
Yuzu grabbed my hand, whose height was up to my chest, as her sparkling light blue eyes peeked at me.
I began to push through the dirt, using my eyes to check for any traps or tracks that might have remained from the last people who passed through.
Rena looked a little jealous as she pouted, leaning her long black mace over her shoulder and swaggering with heavy steps. It seemed the idea of stealth and subtlety didn't apply to goblins like my girlfriend...
The forest was still and quiet, but every small snapping sound would cause a bird or rabbit to immediately rush to the sky or vanish into its burrow within a few seconds, showing an environment of animals and monsters afraid of confrontation.
"It seems the bandits are quite ruthless..." I saw the various monsters dead and hanging from posts along the cavern walls, likely to be some warning or deterrent.
The passage was around ten metres long before reaching another forest. Nevertheless, the area was quite secure, with huge mountains surrounding the edges beside this exit and, in the distance, a small area with countless wooden huts and a large building that seemed to be the bandit's village.
"Looks fun! Aki, let's destroy them!" Rena clenched her weapon, looking more and more enthusiastic, while Yuzu squeezed my hand tighter.
"Hmmmm? Aki, something stinks... Like rotten eggs..." Yuzu complained, sniffing a few times.
My eyes focused on the bandit's village and saw them running back and forth in a strange panic, grabbing Rena and Yuzu before dragging them into a huge bush filled with verdant leaves that itched my skin slightly as we watched them.
"Aki?"
"Shh!" I placed my finger against her lip, stroking the soft, squishy flesh before pointing towards the large group of bandits.
Yuzu's furry tail and hair began to fluff up as she growled gently slightly. A bandit looked over, but thankfully, it seemed he just thought she was an animal as he spat on the ground and moved away.
"That bastard wants us to bring more corpses, or he will start using us..."
"Fuck it, why do we listen to that wrinkled guy?"
"The boss said he owes him his life..."
Three bandits were just a few metres from Rena, me and Yuzu, sitting in front of a fire as many other bandits were heading out of the village, rushing past the large bush and almost catching us. It was extremely stressful, so I pulled both girls against my body to make us all even smaller and hidden.
"Why are they panicking so much?" Rena whispered gently, her hot breath touching my neck and sending a tingling feeling down my body.
Yuzu licked my hand a few times before whispering. "Yuzu smells rotten meat and blood... Lots and lots of blood..."
I was confused and slowly raised myself, keeping Rena and Yuzu beside my waist, as the large bush allowed me to see the bandit's village.
No... those left behind were not bandits.
They were living corpses, like that game with Leona and Clarice. However, their bodies were dark grey and bloody, walking around without brains, but their guts were hanging from their stomachs, and blood covered their clothes.
"Be calm and take slow breaths. Most of the current people are zombies or undead, and only those bandits near the fire are human."
I was partly worried that these zombies could make Yuzu or Rena into their kind, which caused me to slow down, taking my bow and searching desperately to ensure no other bandits were hiding in the dark.
But it seemed this necromancer had their boss scared...
[Do not worry—they are not like those films and games. You won't become one by getting bitten. Only those below level five would.]
Okay... But zombies can still infect diseases, right?
My mind was thinking of all the bad bacteria that animals carried. Wouldn't zombies be the same?
[...]
[You know you are a vampire, immune to all diseases and viruses, right?]
Right... Vampire...
"Let's destroy them!" Rena grumbled quietly, her eyes sparkling with violence and excitement.
Yuzu whimpered a little, causing me to stroke her head and smile.
Knocking two arrows, I began to stretch myself, adding a third. The increase in my attributes meant the strain was nothing; was it due to the high STR or my huge DEF? But with these attributes, I no longer feared the enemies.
[Random Training/Caress Choice Triggered!]
1. Show Yuzu there is nothing to be scared of and help her overcome the terror she feels towards the smell of death and help conquer part of her trauma. [Level + 1, Bond + 5, Gain 10% of Yuzu's attributes and become her official master.]
2. Remain slow and steady, avoid danger, and don't let yourself get bitten to show no harm. [Level +1, Bond +5, Yuzu develops trait "Cowardly"]
3. Rush in like Rena wants! Destroy the bandits, crush the zombies and show both women exactly how powerful their master has become!
[Level +2, Bond +10, Gain 20% of Yuzu's attributes and become her true master—Yuzu develops the trait "Inspired."]
(Choosing Option Three will cause the battle to be extremely dangerous, and you will fight the Necromancer and Bandit Chief with NO advantage. Please be aware of the negative of this choice.)
I selected option three as Rena rushed out, smashing her mace into the ground and crushing two bandits and a zombie as the entire village looked towards us.
"Aki!" Yuzu clung to my body, whimpering gently and licking my neck a few times.
The next moment, as everything in the village seemed to turn our way, my bow shot three arrows in rapid succession.
My increased power allowed me to slightly overdraw the bow as my arrows tore through the air like sharp blades and penetrated three zombies' necks, shattering their spines and destroying their skulls as they collapsed into the ground.
[You Gained 18 Experience (58/1000)] x 2 Bandits
[You Gained 32 Experience (90/1000)] x 4 Zombies
I tossed it to the ground while stroking the soft fur of Yuzu, wanting her to be more confident as I used my vampiric senses to the limit, detecting more than fifty zombies and the buildings were also filled with corpses that began to animate.
It seems that my skill is strange and can change fate...
[Everything is balanced—otherwise, I could have given you even more power.]
"Rena, you make sure none of them approach Yuzu. I am going to massacre some zombies!"
"Aki!?"
"Don't worry, my defence is more than yours! I am strong enough now!"
Holding my blood lance, I stepped forward as the bandit awoke from the death of his friends and lunged at me, only for my spear to impale his heart and twist before tossing him towards Rena, who smashed him into pieces.
My skill moved fast, stabbing out multiple times as my spear skewered zombies' heads, instantly killing them as I began rushing towards the bandit village, laughing a little as I enjoyed the rush of battle.
A bandit tried to shiv me from behind, but the blade only sliced my chest before I crushed his jaw with a brutal knee to his face.
[You Gained 18 Experience (108/1000)] x 2 Bandits
My spear flashed around me like a crimson viper, piercing the zombies' skulls or stabbing their hearts, leaving many crippled corpses and brains on the ground as the bandits looked towards me with fear.
I was excited by the sudden increase of my body's power, the speed, accuracy and sheer damage each blow did, causing their shoulders and bones to shatter with less power than before.
Somehow, I was beginning to believe...