Bandits Down

The tunnel proved to be a good deal darker than Knave had originally anticipated, and the marimo found himself rushing through what felt like an endless expanse of pitch black, unable to see even a single inch ahead of himself. “Gahh, this is annoying,” he gave in, “Gopher, can you see anything?”

“Probably more than you can,” his feline companion answered, his eyes perfectly visible within the expanse of black, “want me to just fly you the rest of the way?”

“Can your wings take it?” Knave asked, slightly worried about the green-furred cat.

“The tunnel can’t go on for THAT much longer, right?” Gopher said back confidently, “I can fly ya for at least three more miles, and I’m pretty sure that we’re not running in a three mile-long cave.”

“Then lead the way!” Knave said confidently, putting all his trust and faith into his best friend, even throwing his hand up into the air to illustrate that trust! “I’ll follow you wherever you’re gonna take me!”

“Right!” Gopher nodded, then turned around, his eyes peering at the area around them, seeking out the way ahead. Quickly enough, the cat’s eyes locked onto very small slivers of light, all illuminating the way towards what he believed was the end of the path. “This way!” the cat confirmed, before adding a bit more -umph to his wings, pushing him forward at a faster pace while Knave ran behind him...

How do they even manage to move through these tunnels? Erie thought to herself as she forged ahead, her ears and eyes perked and scanning the area with all their might, in the hopes of picking up any stimulus from the area around her. Unfortunately, the most she managed to pick up was the sound of her own feet constantly hitting the floor. Enough was enough, and the black-haired female mage decided to act. She raised up her wrist and gave it a small flick, a magical raven quickly sliding out and spreading its wings, taking flight. It soared down the passageway, vanishing into the inky blackness that surrounded Erie on all sides. She waited patiently, slowly slowing her run in order to both conserve energy and making it easier for her raven to find her again.

And find her again it did, the magically created creature flapping back into view in a manner very similar to the way it had left. It promptly flew over and landed on Erie’s shoulder, rapidly vanishing back into her own body. Erie closed her eyes, the raven’s more enhanced senses revealing its perception of the tunnel directly to her. Opening her amber eyes once more, the black-haired female mage now moved with a sense of both purpose and confidence, racing through the tunnel at a much greater speed than she had previously.

After several minutes of this running, she finally came to what she assumed was the proper, actual exit, as evidenced by the large amount of light emitting from it. Putting on a final burst of speed and raising up an arm to shield her eyes from the unexpected glare, Erie pushed through the wall of light and stepped into the room waiting for her on the other side.

The room itself was essentially a massive cavern, the walls purely earthen and looking like it had recently been excavated, this assumption being further evidenced by the large wooden pillars placed strategically throughout it, presumably holding the very ceiling above her head where it actually was. It was cavernous, and mostly bare, leaving plenty of walking room... or, rather, fighting room, considering the fact that Ladron was standing at the opposite end of the room, the effeminate bandit smiling in an oddly kind manner at her.

“Welcome,” he said cheerily, bowing slightly, “this place is where you will be meeting your maker, my dear.”

Damn... Erie thought to herself, completely ignoring the ‘S-class’ bandit’s words and glancing around at the room, I ended up going farther down than I expected. She glanced forward again, her eyes zeroing in on the area right behind Ladron, which featured among even more featureless rock a rather gaping exit that she presumed would lead to her actual destination. “So,” she finally spoke out loud, “I have to fight you, right?”

“Fight?” Ladron raised an eyebrow, that now slightly sinister smile still locked on his face, as he lifted up his heavily bandaged hand, some of the bandages in question beginning to fall down and droop off, “this will not be a fight. Rather...” And at this he threw his arm down, as a couple of sparks flashed in the air, lightning suddenly surging through the air around the arm and causing the very air near it to sizzle with intensity, “...it will be a single-handed massacre!”

Erie sighed, moving her right hand to her said and opening it up, palm facing downwards towards the floor. “That’s cliche,” she said simply, “but I guess I have to humor you on this one, considering I’ll be shutting that mouth in a few minutes.” She concentrated, and a massive bulge of black matter slowly pushed its way out of the palm. Once it had almost fully freed itself, it split apart, uncovering its identity as a massive clump of the magical ravens! They flew rapidly through the air for a moment, briefly relishing existence, before flying towards each other once more. They collided against each other, and began to merge, their own forms disappearing and returning to black mass state, in a way. This done, the mass pulsed once more, shaping itself into a vague sword shape. Erie’s hand closed down, grabbing it, and the construct snapped into its final appearance. This was an odd, pure black sword with the same faint purple, glowing trim that the magical ravens had. In terms of structure, the best way to describe this sword would be to call it a unique fusion of the efficient broadsword and the elegant katana.

“Raven Blade: Valravn!” Erie said simply, lifting up the sword from the hilt into a surprisingly honed and perfected fighting position, one that was capable of receiving attacks from most angles.

“...So let’s get this over with,” she finished, eyes narrowing.

“God damn it!” Duncan huffed to himself as he too plunged through foot after foot of pure, inky darkness, unable to see anything around him, “how are those guys supposed to make their way through here if I can’t even seen a single damn step ahead of me?!” The barfighting mage let out all the air in his lungs out in a single explosion of oxygen from his nostrils, before closing his eyes and bracing himself for what he was going to do next.

The purple-haired young man lifted out his hand, initially clenched into a fist, and slowly opened it, his palm now facing the ceiling and his fingers splayed out ever so slightly, their tips still pointing resolutely towards the ceiling of the tunnel. He concentrated, and a mass of purple energy emerged from his palm, whisping around in the air before forming into singular and brightly glowing orb.

“Genie Lantern,” Duncan said simply, allowing his hand to relax ever-so-slightly, his eyes opening and glancing ahead, as the tunnel around him was now fully illuminated (albeit with a slight purple tint), and increased his speed, the muscles on his legs gaining some definition as he began to explode through the tunnel! “Alright!” he said, “now to just get on out of here!” The ‘out of here’ in question quickly came into sight: a massive hole of pure light at the end of the tunnel. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Duncan plunged through it, and found himself in a new room entirely.

In terms of appearance the room looked almost exactly the same as the one that Erie had found herself in, though this one lacked any support beams or similar structures, and was a simple cavern, with almost no signs of human habitation. On the other end of the cave was an exit, light flooding through this portal as well. However, in front of it stood the other ‘S-class’ of Quick Hands, the brute of a man known as Faltrero, who snarled as he saw the barfighting mage enter.

“So you finally decided to show up,” the bandit leader huffed, crossing both of his arms, his eyes glaring beneath thick brows at Duncan, who responded by simply dropping into a crouch, both hands raised up in a fighting position that allowed for both easy attack and respectable defense.

“We’re gonna fight it out, right?” the purple-haired one asked simply, his expression blank and questioning.

“Keh!” Faltrero smirked, an edge of glee appearing in his voice, as he stood fully up, his head nearly touching the ceiling of the cavern. The brute threw both hands to his sides, slightly extended and opening up, exposing his palms, “then let’s just get the damn show on the roads already, okay?”

“Perfect!” Duncan grinned, his own excitement easily being matched (and possibly superseded) by the ‘S-class’.

“Almost there, Gopher?” Knave asked, a small bit of a yawn escaping from his mouth as he did so. The marimo had been running behind his cat friend for quite some time, and even Gopher was starting to get tired, his wings drooping and his whiskers following suit shortly thereafter.

“Uhh...” his feline friend pondered, his eyes having changed their gaze to focus on the floor briefly. As he brought them up to stare at the path ahead once more, the cat’s expression suddenly brightened! “Yeah!” he said happily, pointing ahead, “we’re not far away from it! Just a few more inches, I think!”

“Alright!” Knave exclaimed with an equal amount of enthusiasm, throwing both of his hands into the air as he ran and a cheery grin appearing on his face, his eyes closing to accommodate it, “then let’s head on through, okay?”

“Actually, you should be able to see our destination about now!” Gopher pointed out, flying back to match Knave’s pace and pointing the forefinger of his paw ahead. Knave followed his friend’s gaze, and indeed there it was, a massive hole straight ahead through which an immense amount of light poured freely through. The marimo didn’t hesitate, and he and Gopher rushed through the entrance, arriving at their destination!

They now stood in a much more furnished room than the ones that their companions had ended up in. It’s walls and floor were lined with the finest oak wood, and the floor itself was positively drowned in incredibly plush carpets. A variety of expensive portraits decorated the various walls, though the inhabitants of said portraits where either completely unknown to Knave, or he couldn’t quite make them out. And at the very end of the room, rather than an exit, was a massive mahogany desk, and sitting on it was a tall and strange-looking man. He was stoutly built, with prominent bones and muscles, and had odd, scar-shaped lines running down parts of his face from his unblinking eyes. He wore simple, privateer-esque clothes, as if he hoped to convince others that he was in fact, a pirate of sorts.

His name was Rapante, and he was the Guild Master of Quick Hands.

“Now, what is this?” the bandit leader asked, pushing his well-constructed chair backwards as he stood up, his hands gently gliding through the air towards the two swords that were strapped around either side of his waist, “I had heard that there was a disturbance, but this... this I did not expect.”

“I dunno what the hell you said!” Knave answered, his voice ringing out and confident. The marimo lifted up both his hands, and storm quickly wrapped around them, arming them for combat, “but I get to fight ya now, right?”

“If you so desire,” Rapante bowed, both hands now gripping the two weapons of his as tightly as they possibly could, “though I warn you: I am not one to afford mercy, especially against the likes of you.”

“You talk funny,” Knave groaned, rubbing his head briefly, before gaining his wind back and preparing to attack, “but it doesn’t matter! Let’s go!”

“Sparking Upper!” Ladron cried as he launched his now lightning-covered fist at his adversary! Erie responded quickly, leaping back slightly and promptly having to duck and weave, as not only did his punch send lighting towards her, the lighting itself began to branch out and slash the area around her, in an attempt to strike her no matter where she went. However, the female mage kept her eyes on every single one, flashing between them as fast as she could and watching each one, mentally recording their position and predicting their branching paths accordingly!

Using this strategy, she managed to successfully navigate through the lightning tendrils and came to a stop a safe few inches from them, still keeping Valravn gripped tightly by the hilt in her hand. She straightened up, watching as the ‘S-class’ bandit recalled the lightning, allowing it to simply emanate softly from his hand again.

“I confess that I’m a bit impressed,” Ladron complimented her, giving her a small nod to illustrate his sentiment further, “not many can dodge an attack like that with such skill and finesse. I daresay, is this the first time that you’ve faced combat? Of course, it couldn’t be, but it’s still proper etiquette to ask.”

“No, it isn’t,” Erie answered shortly, “and this isn’t going to be the last time either.” She glanced around her, taking in the environs one last time before planning her next move. Unfortunately, her rather frank response and apparent ignorance of his words stuck a fair bit in Ladron’s craw, and he was not the sort of man to take such attitude lightly.

“So uncouth...” he snarled, veins popping out on his forehead slightly as he raised his sparking arm once more, “I shall put an end to your and your impudence right here and now! Prepare yourself.”

“Hm,” Erie said in way of reply, crouching back down into the position she had initially been in after avoiding his lightning. This, as it turned out, was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and a straw that did it’s job wall, as it managed to push the ‘S-class’ into a bout of pure, unfiltered rage.

“JUST PERISH ALREADY!” he howled, throwing his hand up into the air. Lightning surged, the arm emitting a much greater amount than it would normally! The air itself began to crackle with the power and ferocity of the substance, and all the light in the room found itself tinted by the pure, very cool blue of the electricity itself! This done, the bandit clenched his fist, and the lightning seemed to explode, wave after wave of pure voltage hurtling throughout the area and aiming straight for his opponent! “SPARKING PURGE!”

Seeing her cue, Erie began to move! She exploded forward in a burst of speed that caught her opponent by surprise, darting and weaving around all of the various bolts that came her way! Finally, the road to victory became fully clear to hear, as she spied a clear path leading directly towards Ladron himself, seemingly frozen in place thanks to the amount of power required to maintain the spell in its current form. Having seen this, she put on an even greater explosion of speed, and seemed to vanish completely! After less than a second, she appeared in front of him, her raven blade clashing against his arm, which was still surging with lightning!

“First Raven Sword Blow: Reafan!” she cried as she put a great amount of force into her strike! This act caused her opponent to stumble backwards slightly, the combined backlash of his own spell and her attack taking their toll on his stamina.

“D-damn it...” he growled, then attempted to press forward! “Then I’ll just feed more magical power directly into the voltage!” True to his word, the lightning his hand was emitting suddenly upped a level in both power and potency, and Erie was pushed back slightly, it being her turn to press her heels into the ground in an attempt to keep her in her original position; an attempt that was ever-so slightly futile, as she still found herself being knocked back anyway.

However, she was never one to give up, even in a situation such as this, and the black-haired young woman summoned a hefty portion of the courage and strength that she had, increasing the power of her own strike! “TOOOOUUU!!!!” she called out, her legs and arms putting in a final burst of effort, as her own strength managed to match and then succed her opponents! As soon as this was done, she seemed to vanish completely once more! Ladron stood frozen in place, as Erie reappeared behind him, lowering her raven blade to the side. She let out a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing somewhat.

Ladron gasped as a line of blood suddenly spurted along both his arm and his chest! The ‘S-class’ bandit let out a small cough, a bit of blood spurting from there as well, as he collapsed to the ground, now in a full sitting position and desperatley placing his free arm over his wounds. Erie, for her part, began to walk towards the fully lit exit, before pausing, and slowly looking back at her defeated adversary.

“That arm,” she said simply, “what happened to it?”

Ladron slowly looked down, his eyes zeroing in on his damaged appendage. “A long time ago...” he said slowly, “...a magical artifact I managed to steal from some rich-looking targets... I’m not sure exactly what happened, but ever since then, the arm’s always been emitting sparks in some way, shape, or form. I just have to decide the way to use it...”

The female mage let out a sigh, turning around, but not moving forward into the tunnel. After another long pause, she began to speak again. “There’s a doctor I ran into in a town called Flaurence,” she said with no emotion leaking into her voice whatsoever, “he said he specialized in magical ailments. He went under the name of Salem. You might want to check him out.”

And with that, she walked into the tunnel, Ladron staring confusedly after her...

“EARTH CANNON!”

Faltrero plunged both of his hands into the ground around them, small magic circles appearing underneath the earth, barely visible thanks to their location but with some of their glow still escaping. As soon as the spell’s name left his mouth, the ground around him began to shift, with two massive stone pillars exploding out of the ground and arching straight for his adversary!

“Tch!” Duncan grunted, leaping backwards himself, “like those damn things are going to be able to hit me!” The barfighting mage landed on the ground and skidded a few paces back, taking special care to keep his balance.

“‘That so?” the more brutal of the two ‘S-class’ bandits grinned, his slightly rotting teeth now fully visible to all those who could be potentially watching, “then I’ll just have to increase the range of this attack, righ’?” He clapped his palms together, another magical circle appearing between them, and slammed both hands down into the ground one more time. As he did so, the earth began rumbling with a greater amount of intensity and fervor than it had ever before!

“EARTH STORMGROUND!”

Duncan leaped away and into the air as before, but this time Faltrero was slightly more prepared for this tactic. Rather than simply two earth pillars exploding from the ground and flying towards him, the entirety of the floor seemed to transform into massive pillars, launching up and aiming towards the ceiling, hoping to strike Duncan no matter where he would doge or hide!

“Got ya now!” Faltrero roared in triumph, laughing as happily as someone like him and in his line of work could.

“Heh,” Duncan finally smirked, his hair falling slightly over his eyes as he did so. Right as the pillars neared him, the purple-haired mage struck out with his foot, landing solidly on the edge of one of the pillars. As soon as the foot had landed, Duncan began racing down the side of the pillar, before focusing the muscles in his legs and taking another flying leap! He managed to land on yet another pillar, and began to leapfrog between them, alternating between running and jumping and worming his way through the sudden labyrinth, heading directly towards his bandit opponent!

“WHAT?!” Faltrero took a stumbling step backwards in an attempt to get away from the independent mage. Unfortunately for him, however, his back landed on one of the various other pillars that he had created, trapping him with his very own spell. Unable to do anything else, the ‘S-class’ bandit simply turned and waited for Duncan to head towards him, hoping to prepare his own attack in time.

“GENIE...” Duncan began as he leaped between the various columns, moving faster and faster and finally coming into full view of his target. His fist was surrounded by a massive amount of purple energy that seemed to come from his very being himself, and he finally reached hitting distance of the bandit, who countered by surrounding both of his fists with rock armor and aiming his own punch to match the barfighting mage!

“...KNUCKLE!”

“STONE PUNCH!”

The two attacks clashed, and the pure force of the both of them caused the area around them to explode slightly, dust rapidly filling the air and slowly moving upwards in a large cloud. The pillars proceeded to slacken, and then crumbled completely into dust, signifying a sudden absence of magical power to continue to power their movement. The cloud slowly began to clear, and revealed the winner...

Duncan stood up, looking down at Faltrero’s unconscious form. Duncan’s spell had caught him directly in the face, and bruises now covered all of his face and even partially obscured his features. Duncan opened his mouth to say something, but then a sudden ‘impact crater’ appeared on his stomach, and the barfighter stumbled back, spitting out a mix of actual spittle and blood! He placed his hand on his stomach, and looked at his former opponent with a greater sense of respect in his eyes.

“Heh,” he said aloud, “not bad, man. Not bad at all.”

And with this, Duncan walked through the now fully available exit.

Rapante pulled out both of his swords, his not too shabby magical power surrounding him in a powerful aura. As he did so, the aura seemed to reach and sink into the two blades he was holding, and one burst completely into flames, the sword remaining 100 percent unharmed, while the other was suddenly surrounded by what appeared to be a wave of water, complete with froth flickering around and sending bits of foam flying everywhere.

“Oooh!” Knave gasped, his eyes lighting up in the likeness of stars as he gazed at the act of magic before him, “that’s awesome! It’s like what I can do with storm.... except, y’know, swords, I guess. Then again ‘Ken’ is both sword and fist, I think... Uhh...” He looked at Rapante with a bit more scrutiny. “You’re a sword user, right? Sorry, I’m just not too good with language and it gets me all confused sometimes.”’

The leader of the bandit guild stayed silent, simply staring at Knave without the slightest sign that he was actually paying attention. After a solid five minutes of the marimo simply waiting for his opponent to reply, he finally leaned his head forward, examining the bandit leader. “You okay?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as Gopher flew up behind him, having finished idly looking at the various decorations around the room.

Rapante opened his mouth, as if to finally reply to the young Dragon Slayer, only for his eyes to completely blank out to white, his body collapsing like a sack of potatoes onto the ground. Only now could the small trail of smoke emerging from a hole in his back be clearly seen. Knave took a step back, appalled by the sight. “What the...?” he said to himself, “who could’ve-?!”

“T~han~k~y~ou, St~or~m-k~un,” a silky voice rang out in singsong, as a tall and extremely thin man with a weaselly face stepped into view from behind one of the various bookshelves that were placed along the walls. The man threw back his white hood with the red flame trim, exposing his light tan colored hair that almost matched his skin. He raised up a cigarette, flicking his fingers at the time. A small explosion occured, and the smoke was quickly lit. The man took a long and drawn out puff, before removing it from his mouth, a bit of smoke working its way out between his lips.

“You’ve been a great help to our cause, Storm-kun,” he said simply, grounding the cigarette against the mahogany desk, evidently done with it, “but honestly, you and your little friends are gonna be a bit bothersome if we just let you around, doing as you please for too much longer. So, while we appreciate your help in taking out this lying, cheating, not-paying guild, your role in this play has safely ended. On the behalf of my little guild...”

He lifted up the cigarette and pointed it directly at Knave, the tip still smoking slightly.

“You’ll have to die now.”