Chapter 23: The Three Kidnapped
I stepped over his corpse without a second glance, my attention focused entirely on the remaining threats. Including Arlos, there were still four of these animals left to deal with.
"He’s just a kid!" Arlos’s voice cracked with panic as he screamed at his remaining men. "Kill him, you idiots! What are you waiting for?"
The three surviving bandits drew their weapons with trembling hands, their earlier confidence completely shattered.
But Arlos himself wasn’t taking any chances. Instead of joining the fight, he grabbed Lisa roughly by the hair and pressed his dagger against her throat, using her as a human shield while his men advanced on me.
The first bandit—a burly man with arms like tree trunks—charged forward with a desperate war cry, swinging his sword in a wide arc aimed at my head. I swept my hand upward, and the earth responded to my call.
A wall of packed soil and stone erupted from the forest floor, rising between us with a sound like distant thunder. The bandit’s sword bit deep into the earthen barrier, the blade sinking nearly to its hilt in the magically hardened dirt.
His eyes widened in shock as he realized his weapon was completely stuck. He tugged desperately at the grip, putting his full weight behind the effort, sweat beading on his forehead as he fought to free his sword.
He was still struggling when my fist punched through the wall like it was made of paper.
The impact of my knuckles against his nose was sickeningly wet—a sound like breaking kindling mixed with the squelch of crushed cartilage. Blood exploded across his face as he stumbled backward, his hands flying up to cover his ruined features.
Before he could recover, I yanked his sword free from the earthen wall and stepped forward in one fluid motion. The blade slid between his ribs with surprising ease, finding the gap in his leather armor and piercing his heart. He let out a single, choked cry before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed, his blood pooling in the fallen leaves beneath him.
Two down.
The remaining pair tried to flank me, coming at me from behind with their weapons raised. But the water that had killed their crossbow-wielding friend was still under my control, and it responded to my will like an extension of my own body.