NOVEL WEB Chapter 301: Observe.
"How many that have been following us so far?" Rasmus asked as he looked around the pub where adventurers and mercenaries gathered for information.
"Six, and there were eyes on us when we entered the tavern, so make it eight," Aris answered as she made sure the hood covered her white hair and pale face.
Rasmus noticed the gaze when he entered the tavern, and it was normal for everyone to look at them. They both hid their faces and wore black cloaks to cover their tall figures.
"It has been two days since we left, and we already have eyes on us..." Rasmus said as he took a sip of the rum. He looked at the mug and realized his tongue was no longer numb. He could barely taste the fermented sugarcane, only the fermented part not the sweetness.
Rasmus began to wonder if his body showed signs of overcoming the first stage of awakening. He was intrigued by the sign of progress, and he wondered what would Aris would do next to his body.
"Do you want to get rid of them?" Aris asked and took a sip of her rum.
Rasmus put aside his growth and the changes in his body because of the situation he was in. He could feel the intense and unmoved gaze from the corner of his eyes. Two men wearing scarves to hide the lower half of their faces, and they seemed to be whispering to each other.
"No, not yet..." Rasmus muttered as he sat straight and looked down at his cane. "We don't know what they want yet. They could be thugs, bandits, or some opportunists. However, if they kept following us for days and keeping their distances, that means they were observing us. And those are the ones that we need to get rid off, and find out who sent them," he continued as he took another sip of his rum.
Aris hummed with understanding and began to ignore the gazes that were pointed at her. She enjoyed her rum and the sandwich in her hand while listening to the commotion.
They left the tavern and they planned to find an inn to rest for the night. However, they were stopped by a dozen people with their weapons in their hands. They were showing off their numbers and the sharpness of their blades under the moonlight.
Aris and Rasmus stared at the two men with scarves that covered their lower faces. They were the same people they saw in the tavern, and it seemed they were a part of the rumored scarfed bandits that had terrorized the merchants and travelers.
"There you are... we have been waiting for you..." A man who stood at the front said.
Based on how the man spoke, he seemed to be the leader of the bandits.
"We don't have anything to give, what makes you think we have anything to offer?" Rasmus asked, keeping his face covered under the hood and cloak.
"Oh, you can't fool us! Look at your horses! They're strong horses, they're even from the rare breed! Your horses alone can give us a fortune!" The leader pointed his sword at the white horses that Rasmus and Aris rode on. "Now, since you rode that kind of horses, and you don't have any bags on you, we can assume you have those rings, the special rings that can store items," he continued as he began to chuckle mischievously.
Rasmus was quite amazed by how sharp and observant the bandit leader was. He realized that he might be standing in front of an experienced person. He then glanced at Aris, checking what she was thinking based on her stoic and cold expression. However, he could only see her nose from the side because of the cloak and hood that covered her face.
"You want to fight them?" Aris asked as she glanced at Rasmus. "They're weaker than you. You can handle them, except for that man," she pointed at the bandit leader.
Rasmus wondered why Aris suddenly offered him to fight those bandits. When he stared into Aris's eyes, he realized that she was being considerate. She knew that he didn't get the chance to blow off some steam ever since he knew that Julius and Arandil were there in the Holy Nation. He indeed had been feeling frustrated since he couldn't do much with his condition.
"Then I'll take that offer," Rasmus said as he carefully and slowly got down from his horse.
Rasmus struggled to get down from his horse, and the bandits began to scoff and snicker at him. They underestimated him because he struggled to even get down from his horse and the fact he used a cane to help him stand.
"Old man, just give us your belongings already and we will let you leave," the bandit leader laughed. The other bandits began to laugh at Rasmus as well. "Don't you value your life?" He asked as he crossed his arms, letting his sword hang in his right hand.
"Do you have a choice if I don't give my belongings willingly? Just come and get it," Rasmus said as he stabbed his cane in front of him and rested his hands on it.
The bandit leader sighed, and then looked at his underlings as he tilted his head toward Rasmus. Without thinking twice, six bandits began to walk toward Rasmus with their swords and axes in their hands.
Rasmus didn't want to use his sword because the cane he was holding was well-made. He didn't know where Videl got the cane or how Videl made it, but what mattered was the fact it was sturdy and strong.
The bandits began to raise their weapons and charged toward Rasmus. When they were at range, they swung their weapons at Rasmus. However, Rasmus was quite surprised that his body suddenly hardened and things moved slower.
"(What's this...)" Rasmus thought as he looked around him where the bandits surrounded him. "(This is as if my body is in alert mode unconsciously...)"
Rasmus pulled the cane and swung it with extreme precision, hitting the bandits right on the liver. Two of the bandits fell to the ground, screaming in pain while the remaining four swung their weapons at Rasmus. However, Rasmus dodged them and immediately pulled counter moves, stabbing and hitting the bandits on the nose or throat.
In less than ten seconds, the six bandits were defeated and couldn't fight anymore. The bandit leader was shocked that he had lost half of his force to a crippled man. He began to realize that the other person was still on their horse, watching the whole thing unfold. He began to doubt himself that he might have chosen the wrong target. However, he didn't want to hurt his pride running away when his underlings were behind him.
"You know how to fight, huh? Then I'll get rid of you first!" The bandit leader dashed toward Rasmus, and then the remaining bandits followed him from behind.
Rasmus kept Aris's words in mind, but he wanted to know how strong the bandit leader was. He readied his stance, using his stronger leg to support his body while he held the cane like a sword.
When the bandit leader's sword clashed with Rasmus's cane, he noticed how strong Rasmus's cane was and how great his stance was. However, the moment he added more strength to his sword, he realized he could overpower Rasmus. After all, he was fighting against a cripple, and his underlings could stab Rasmus from the sides, killing him while he took Rasmus's attention to him.
Rasmus purposefully weakened his grip, allowing the bandit leader to lean in closer to him. When his left hand was in range to grab the bandit leader's face, he reached out his left hand at the bandit leader's face. He gouged the bandit leader's eyes with his index and middle fingers.
The moment the bandit leader lost his sight, Rasmus grabbed the bandit leader's right hand. He bent the bandit leader's hand and took the sword from his hand, tossing his cane to his left hand. He then swung the sword right on the bandit leader's neck, slicing it open.
The other bandits were close to him and were ready to stab him in the back and sides. Rasmus used the cane and the sword he took to block five bandits. He then dashed backward when the bandits tried to overpower him.
When the bandits lost their footings and were about to hit each other, Rasmus threw the sword at one of the bandits right in the head. The sword pierced through the bandit's skull and killed him instantly.
Rasmus dashed in and hit one of the bandits right on the knee so hard it made a loud cracking sound. He immediately pulled the sword from the bandit's skull and fought the remaining four. And when one of the bandits got stabbed in the chest, the remaining three decided to run away for their lives.
Rasmus looked at the injured bandits, and they all ran away with a struggle. They laughed at Rasmus earlier but then they ended up swallowing their own spit.
"I was wrong, you could defeat that man," Aris said as he looked at the bandit leader's dead body.
"No, it's because you said that he was strong that I could use a different approach to kill him," Rasmus shook his head.
"Why didn't you kill the remaining of them?" Aris asked.
"Because I don't kill for pleasure or for no reason," Rasmus answered as he approached his horse and struggled to get on it. "Let's continue our journey," he said and threw the sword away, and landed right on top of the dead bodies of the bandit leader.
Aris nodded and they both continued their journey.