Bandits!

It happened during the night halfway through our second week, and just a few days from Ashbern Town. Me and Tuk both just happened to be asleep at the time when we heard the shouts of the ones keeping watching. I quickly got up and called for Tuk to fly around and give me a count of the bandits.

30 bandits, though he couldn't tel if they had mana cores or not. I took up a spot next to Durk as he called out commands.

"Conjurers provide covering fire from on top of the wagons, augmenters pair up and if you're below A rank. Rez keep your mind clear and don't do anything rash, you may be strong but mistakes are costly on a battlefield." I gave a nod while channeling fire mana into my sword.

"Everyone fight smart and help the others if they get into trouble. We can do this." He finishes with a strong and loud voice, as everyone takes up their positions. I was on one side and Durk was on the other with the other augmenters in between us.

Patrick and Damien had partnered up while Waylon and Corvin could be seen standing side by side ready for the fight. If I take 10 and Durk takes 10 then that would leave the 4 of them with 10 and making it much easier for them, but I'll take down as many as I have too.

'Hatchling, there are a few waiting further back just watching.' Tuk sends a mental messsage.

'Understood.'

With that I started in a walk before gradually increasing speed and I could see 5 bandits head toward me.

"Lets start with the shorty, and we can take them down one at time!" I heard a bandit yell as he dashed at me with his hand axe raised in the air.

Gripping my sword a little tighter I met him halfway and flared the fire mana in my sword to life covering it in glowing red flames. I swung diagonally catching his axe against my blade, but instead of stopping I felt no resistance as my blade went through the axe and then through the bandits body. Cutting him from his left shoulder to his right hip, I could see the light leave his eyes as his body disconnected and fell to the ground.

I could feel the bile rise in my throat, but wasn't allowed to think on it as sword came swinging at me. I partied it away and quickly retaliated with a horizontal slash and that's when I saw the flames extend from my sword from the swing and cut the man in half from his waist. I now made the conscious effort to stop that blade of flame from coming out and just disabled the remaining 3 that initially charged me with swift breaks of their legs and then knocking them out.

My tunnel vision cleared and I saw that Corvin and Waylon were struggling against a group that had a conjurer backing them up. Our own conjurers we're doing their best to deflect the attacks flying in, but I could see some wounds on their bodies from fighting the group of 10 that came after them.

I begin charging up a condensed fire spell that takes the form of an arrow and shoot it at the earth conjurer. Being my first time trying with an arrow form it only caught his arm, but it was enough to send him to the dirt rolling in pain. I took the opportunity and charged him with a quick stab into the chest, I didn't want to take any chances with confirmed mages getting back up and fighting.

With him taken care off i backstab a bandit that was about being down his hammer on a prone Waylon. His leg seemed to be bleeding badly, so I picked him up and moved him closer to wagon. I'm grateful for mana because I would have never been able to pick him up in normal circumstances.

I return to help Corvin finish off the remnants and see that Durk is also helping Patrick and Damien. Both looking haggard and I could see some blood on Durks chest but I wasn't sure if it was his or not.

'The 3 I was telling you about have fled.' Tuk communicated to me and I just gave him a grunt of understanding as I moved with Corvin to help Durk, Patrick and Damien finish off the last 10 bandits. Knocking each of them out and tying them up.

The battle was short, far shorter than I would have thought, but as I thought I remembered the first 2 bandits I had bisected and the smell of burnt flesh that had entered my nose. I turned from the group lifting my mask slightly as I puked. I knew that this was a possibility as I came from a life where I didn't have to see dead people up close and I definitely didn't have to take their lives myself. Better it happened now though and not during the battle.

'Are you okay hatchling? I know for humans it's hard to take another life for the first time.' Tuk sent with concern. I spit the remaining taste of the throw up from my mouth and sent back.

'I'll be fine. I'm just glad I made it to the end before I did.' I said as I leaned my head back and looked at the stars, seeing a faint glimpse of Tuk flying around.

'Get some rest hatchling, your party still has about 3 days to the next town if the pace doesn't decrease.'

'I don't know if I can sleep, my blood and heart are pulsing so fast.' I respond with a mental chuckle. The adrenaline from the battle still coursing through me.

'I said rest, not sleep.' He said before he dropped the connection. I just snorted at the bird and looked back at everyone, seeing them circled around Waylon. I walk up and see that they are currently bandaging his leg, but he looks to be fine.

"How is he?" I ask and everyone seems to jump at my sudden appearance.

"Eek!" Naomi squeaked as I happened to step right beside her, and she jumped away slightly.

"Don't do that! How are you silent?!" She yells at me and I just shrug my shoulders.

"Always have been. Now how is Waylon? I wasn't able to check on him after I sat him by the wagons." I answered before asking again.

"So it was you who saved my ass? Thanks a lot Rez! It happened so fast I couldn't see who moved me." I tilt my head in confusion

"Fast? It felt pretty slow." I said the confusion evident even with the distortion of my voice.

"Slow?! You were moving crazy fast! From one bandit to the next like a blur from your flaming sword." Waylon recounted in excitement. I just hummed as I thought back to the fight, I guess it did seem like they were moving slowly, but I just thought that was my adrenaline pumping.

"Ya, you took down half the bandits so fast I was almost forgot you were a newbie adventurer until you puked." Durk was the one to speak this time.

"I took down 15?" I suppose it possible, but honestly I can only remember the ones I killed, the ones I knocked out and disabled just kind of blended together.

"Ya it was very impressive. You helped us prevent any more injuries. And as for Waylon he'll be fine after a few days rest. The cut was deep, but not enough to be fatal." It was the bald Velk that spoke this time.

"Alright I'll take up watch, everyone else get something to drink and take a break. If 2 people volunteer the rest can got to sleep." Durk said aloud.

"I'll do it. I don't think I can sleep right now." I said immediately.

"Same." Came the voice of Naomi.

"Good everyone else can go to sleep if they can. It's close enough to the next day that we won't do any switch outs." The rest let out a collective sigh and me and Naomi followed Durk to the lookout spots. Getting to my spot I sat down and pulled out my cleaning supplies for my sword. While there was no blood or anything on the blade, I felt like it would ease my nerves if I did something monotonous. As I did I felt myself zone out before entering my mine like when I meditate.

I saw the same man I saw when I first held the sword and meditated. It's been about half a year since I last saw him. He looked at me impassively with his arms crossed over his chest and red hair flowing as if there was a breeze. A small smile crossed his lips and he gave me a nod.

"You have been blooded and you have claimed your first life. This is a big moment for any warrior." He said in stoic and flat tone. I just stared at the man for a little longer and eventually he spoke again.

"There is much you don't know yet, young scion. Your origins, your family, your blood and even your potential. From now on I will guide you during your meditation in the way of the sword.

At the moment you know how to hack and slash like any upstart, but you will learn that anything can be cut with a powerful enough will. Right now your understanding is only beginning, but trust in the sword and it won't lead you astray young scion.

For you have a grand journey ahead of you against enemies, you don't quite understand yet. But you will. When the time is right you will take your rightful place." With that he began to fade away and his essence drifted to the sword in my mind. I felt a peace settle over my mind as if I was one step closer to being whole.

My eyes drifted to the sword and I felt a heat surge from it before I was brought back to the present, still sitting in my lookout position. It seems I won't hear anymore from him tonight, the calm before the inevitable training I will be out through to hone my sword as sharp as I can.

I go back to my mana control exercise, instead of just pulsing in a circle I formed shapes and various objects and just moved it to my will. He said I could cut anything with a strong enough will, but how does one get a will that strong. I had read a story called Dragon Heart, we're the MC could could use a stick that could cut like a sword. He could use anything like a sword as he traveled the path of the sword.

I wonder if I'm on to something similar, will I be able to cut mountains and the very wind itself with my sword one day?

[3 Days Later- Ashbern Town]

We're finally here, the place that the original story started. Where Arthur Leywin was born. Ashbern was another vast farming town with lush fields filled with crops and cattle like animals and mana beasts roaming the pastures. I really wanted to see the Leywin home, but there was no telling which one of these homesteads would be theirs.

I remember that they had remodeled and left all their things in the house, when they left. I wonder if anyone moved into the house after they left? I was just looking around until I saw a house that brought up a sense of nostalgia. I had seen the comic show pictures of the house, but I honestly never expected it to look the exact same. A tree stump I'm the yard that looked like someone had blasted the top part off and smaller tree was regrowing.

I could still see the pile of boards from the old house and even the ground never got fully restored from when Arthur formed his mana core. My actions decided, I was going to come back to this house after Mr. Zany gets done selling his wares for the day. Still gazing at the house, I don't see any indication of new tenants, but that doesn't mean nobody came and took the stuff they Leywins left behind.

We reached the center of town just a few minutes later, and watched as only a few villagers came and bought things. Most sold us food, and different skins from animals that their hunters had killed. I had expected Mr. Zany's seemingly perfect mood to drop from not selling much, but he didn't seem to mind. I fact he had the caravan drivers build a big fire pit and told the towns people that he would be telling a new story tonight.

The townspeople looked excited and the kids even more so as they all took off to let everyone know about the story tonight. I used this opportunity to be allowed to explore, and snuck off to the Leywins house. Reaching the house much faster than we left it I cautiously approached before knocking on the door. With no response I took that as a sign to enter.

Once inside I see the nostalgic rooms from the comic. The kitchen where Alice and Rey and an imagined food war in Arthur's head. Down the hall were the bedrooms and truthfully were the story started.. the study. All their books were still there minus the ones Arthur took with them on the journey to Xyrus. Seeing familiar books, such as 'The history of Sapin.' And other such schooling books lined the walls. Popular stories from this world were also up there.

I immediately began to store all the books into my ring to take back to them. I went to each room and stored the remaining clothes and accessories that were left behind in effort to save space. I even found Alice's diary that she wrote in while Arthur was growing up. I know it will be painful to see these things again, but I know that Arthur is still

alive and I'm pretty sure they've already received his mental message with the help of Diviner Rinia.

Something that I didn't remember from the books or the comic was a door frame with little notches in it and dates and initials.

"AL - 4" was the last mark at the highest point, that came up to my neck. It was Arthur's height throughout his younger years. Though I'm not sure how much they would want this, I'll still take it just in case.

Looking through the rest of the house I couldn't find much else besides little toys here and there. There just wasn't as many sentimental object to be left around, and with the place locked clean I made my way back to the center of the village.

The story that Mr. Zany ended up telling was our fight against the bandits and the focus was on a masked swordsman with a flaming sword. Cutting down the enemies as and protecting his comrades. Very much beautified from the adrenaline fueled novice that didn't even mean to kill the first 2 bandits, of what actually happened. But I suppose it was flattering to be the inspiration for a character of one of his stories, and the kids seemed to enjoy it. So who was I to ruin their fun?

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Author's Note

First off I hope the bandit fight scene was at least somewhat good. It feels weird writing such "large"scale fights that I wasn't sure how to go about it.

We also got some more insight into the sword though everything is still kept pretty vague. I ask for your patience.

We also skipped over a town and that was on purpose, I honestly was going to skip this one too, but decided to write a little scene of him visiting the Leywin house.

Sorry if the story feels too "cultivatey" with the sword thing, but tbf this is practically a cultivation story with the core and everything.

Also I'm thinking of starting another story. Don't worry I'll still be mainly focusing on this one and continue to try and upload a chapter a day( which may not always happen). The other story will be uploaded less frequently. I haven't decided what it will a FF of yet, but I'm leaning toward

Pokemon(which tbh probably won't happen as I feel I wouldn't be able to bring anything new or worthwhile to read to such an over saturated FF category)

Naruto, but same applies to it as what I said to pokemon. Though I do have an idea but it would be a combination of at least 2 worlds

Game of Thrones, same still applies really.

The Walking Dead, feel like there is a lot of potential for someone to make a really good one, but most that I've found the MC is too OP so it's not even a story, or they are MCxDaryl. Which to each their own as there's not really much to really do without hanging around the main crew.

Lastly is Reincarnated as slime, but that show has so many abilities and such that its kind of a pain, as I found out the last time I tried to write one.

I don't really expect any of you readers to care about that, but sometimes it helps me to write things out rather than just think about them. Makes me more likely to do it I guess.

Thanks for reading.

-SocioPhobia