Two Bandits

Six months passed by, the Deathclaw valley was established. The settlement vanished overnight, and a new organization of canine beastmen took over. The dog-beast army developed the territory into a fortress. The enslaved mortals were used as breeding machines and manual labor. Deathclaw, the new leader, started raiding his kind, especially the feline beastmen, for supplies and workforce.

One of the forces fighting back against Deathclaw was a colony northwest of them. A feline variant's spaceship was set up in the ruined city of Denver, Colorado. The leader of this troop of beastmen was a black-furred feline variant. The general was a late stage Core Builder, and her name was Unit 698. The units underneath Unit 698 nicknamed her Tigra.

The past two months she has lost all patrols southeast to Deathclaw's warriors and any caravan that heads north two bandits raid them. In the command room on the spacecraft, Tigra was surrounded by her captains. "Unit 1452, have you located the two outlaws plundering our convoys from the main headquarters in the north."

"Tigra, we have failed you. Punish this one for my inadequacy."

"Alright Unit 1452, you will work the mines for a week."

"Yes, Mam." Unit 1452 got up and left the table. The beastman headed straight to the mines.

"Unit 1432, you will be in charge of guarding the cache. I can't have another failure."

"Yes, Mam."

Unit 1432 left the council chamber and looked at a guard. "Call my team to gather down in the bay room." 1432 grabbed the elevator and headed down to the 1st floor. After 15 minutes, all eight members of her team including herself showed up.

"Alright squad, we need to rendezvous with the incoming convoy and protect it. We leave in 2 hours." Two hours went by, and four hovercrafts left the hanger. While the ships were flying en route to the site, not a single mishap happened.

When Unit 1432 saw the convoy, she met up with the bear variant guards and relieved them of their duty. "Team encircle the supply ship and protect it at all cost."

Two figures watched the new guards rotate out. The bandits started to formulate a plan to steal the cache of supplies from the beastmen who are escorting.

An hour went by, and the caravan was moving southward. One ship escorted the front and one in the rear. On the left and right, a hovercraft guarded. The portside and starboard side, the ships were decked out heavy plasma blasters.

"Unit 1676 and 1679 do not slack off and watch the rear properly."

"Boom!" An explosion from the road penetrated the hovercraft and destroyed the front vehicle. Unit 1432 jumped out before it killed her. The beastmen piloting the craft for Unit 1432 died.

"Be on the alert! Bandits are attacking." Unit 1432 yelled looking around to see where the bandits would attack.

Two massive plasma blast came from each side of the road. The beastmen in the massive blaster ships bailed. The hovercrafts exploded, and shrapnel flew everywhere.

"Arrgh." Unit 1677 was stabbed by flying metal. Trying to pull out the piece of material in his leg, a giant flying rock crushed the beastman's skull. The soldier was knocked out.

"Boom!" The rear ship was blown up killing Unit 1676 and 1679.

"Damnit. Come out here!" A shadow jumped into the road behind the burning front wreckage.

"Come and get me if you can." The shadow dove into the grove of trees and rocks.

"Unit 1673, 1674, and 1678 go after them. I will stay and protect the cargo." The three feline beastmen chased after the raider.

A second shadow appeared in the rear. "Now that the small ones are gone. Get ready to fight. Beastmen Art: Shadow Walk." The bandit disappeared and used Shadow strike towards Unit 1432 chest. Quickly reacting to the chest jab, 1432 performed her own Shadow Strike, and both were blown backward.

Staring down each other, both of them started Shadow Walking. Clashes of mana kept appearing all around. The bandit finally landed a hit and Unit 1432 flew into the cargo ship. "Argh." Coughing up some blood onto her hand, she looked around. "This marauder must be a feline variant and is way stronger than me," 1432 thought to herself.

Just then Unit 1432 ducked, and the bandit's fist dented the convoy ship. The attacking beastmen kicked 1432, and she was booted backward. She spitted out a mouth full of blood. "I'm going to need to go all out. Beastmen Art: Feline Release." Burning her life force and vitality, 1432 momentarily enters the Middle Core Building plane.

"Shadow Walk." 1432 emerged behind the thief and used Mana Clawed. The beastmen shredded the garb on thief's body.

The bandit tried to counter with a "Lunar Claw." The piecing yin-mana claw stabbed Unit 1432 in the collar. The bleeding beastman kicked the bandit back and propelled a Mana Claw. The beastmen blocked the strike with both arms, and the hit burst open both forearms.

Looking at the feline variant unveiled, Unit 1432 knew who it was. "Unit 1300, you were behind these ambushes..... I thought we lost you when you were sent southeast to slaughter that settlement."

"I learned that all life deserves to fight back. Now you better get ready, only one of us is coming out of this alive." The two beastmen disappeared and clashed. Unit 1300 and 1432 were landing hit after hit on each other.

"Mana Claw." Unit 1432 threw the claw strike at Unit 1300, but the beastman jumped up.

"Descending Moon!" The beastman dropkicked and knocked down Unit 1432.

"You will be hunted down, and Tigra will kill you." A Lunar Claw was plunged into the beastman's chest killing her. Unit 1300 tore her claw back out and shook the blood off her fingers.

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Three feline beastmen were chasing after the first bandit through a thicket of trees.

"Rock Shot." A flying boulder was fired at the middle beastman and landing center of its chest. Unit 1674 and 1678 continued pursuit. Unit 1673 was panicking because its legs being pulled down. "Hello, beastman. Bison Art: Earth Burial." Closing his hand, the bandit pulled the beastman underground suffocating her. "I'm sorry."

"Sir, the other two beastmen are circling and coming back."

Pulling out a modified blaster, "Sprite let me know at what direction the two of them will be at in 50 kilometers."

"Sir, they will be 15 degrees to your left and straight ahead. Fire now." The blasts tore through the trees, and the hit two beastmen.

Both of the beastmen hid behind a tree. "Unit 1674, where were you hit?"

"Unit 1678, I lost an arm. Where were you hit?"

Looking down at his side, Unit 1678 pulled his hand off his abdomen wound. "I am not gonna be able to fight."

"Neither one of you will be. Ascending Sun!" Unit 1678 was knocked out. The bandit walked up the Unit 1678. "Do you want to live or die for your boss?"

The beastmen was at a loss for words. This bandit was speaking a broken version of beastmen language and was asking him to forsake his brethren. "No, I shall die doing my duty." Nodding his head, the bandit understood. He held the blaster up and ended the beastman.

Even when Unit 1678 came too, she chose the same fate. So, Leo buried them both.

Taking off his bandit garb, Leo looked at the beastmen he just killed. He wondered why the beastmen were so loyal. He had to talk to Shadow later and find out how she and Lycan gave up their beliefs and defected.

Heading back to the convoy, Leo spotted Shadow packing supplies into a hovercraft they used. Leo had parked that craft off on the near the road before the caravan arrived.

"Shadow, how long are we going to do this?"

"Until we have enough arsenals to attack the main base."

"Sir, there is a team of four Mana Fighters and five Core Builders almost here."