Our first escorting quest to the Fraser's Kingdom! Part 2

Then the sun is up, and we make our own breakfast and wake up the ladies. We ate our breakfast and continue our journey. As Zee said, I get some sleep before I train with Zee. Vivi woke me up and it's already noon, and we stopped for lunch. I get out from the carriage and Zee already waiting for me on the field far from the others. He told me to grab the black wooden sword, I'm holding it with my two hands and he says,

"Try to swing it over and over until you can feel the wind breaking your swing. Do that every lunch break and all night."

I did what he told me, I swung my swords over and over for an hour. I wounded my palms from forcing myself to swing this heavy wooden sword. Vivi healed my palms, I'm exhausted and go back to the carriage and fell asleep. I woke up and it's already night, and everyone is preparing dinner and making a tent. I forgot to eat my lunch, so I will eat a lot of food for dinner. After I ate dinner, I continue my training. I swung my sword over and over for 10 hours straight, I'm starting to feel the wind breaking on my sword, I didn't realize that I have torn my palms. The sun is almost up and I woke Vivi up and asked her to heal my palms, I'm so exhausted and don't have enough energy to eat breakfast, so I get inside the carriage and get some sleep.

This is the third day, one more day and we will be arriving at Bulark's Kingdom. Vivi woke me up for lunch, I ate a lot more this time. Then Zee calling me from afar, I approached him and he asked if I felt the wind breaking my sword, I said I did. Then he says,

"Now grab your real sword, and imagine the feeling when the wind-breaking your sword when you swinging it. Try to cut that tree over there from here."

I'm holding my sword then I swung my sword as strong as I can while imagining the feelings when the wind-breaking on my sword. I did it, the flowing winds flew to the tree. I didn't cut the tree, but I chopped it down and the trees behind it. Zee laughed and says,

"You overdid it, Val, I think you shouldn't use your two hands to do projectile attacks."

I try to use one hand this time, I imagined that feeling again and swung my sword. I did it again, I see a flowing air flew to the tree and chopped it down. I tried using my left hand now and I did the same damage as my right hand. Then I tried with the wooden sword, I did it but the projectile is too weak and didn't reach the tree. I remembered back when Zee and Edith having a duel, he easily swung two wooden swords and made a projectile attack and the wind was thicker than mine. My objective now is to chop a tree with a single projectile attack using the black wooden sword. After I'm done testing, Zee teaching me more swordplay. An hour has passed and we are all prepared to go.

The sun is almost down when we're on our way, suddenly the carriages stopped. A group of bandits surrounded us, there are 40 bandits more or less. Zee told us to protect Myord carriage, Vivi and Kiel on the left side of the carriage, me and Shive on the right side of the carriage, while Zee sitting on top of our carriage, Den and Edith on the right side, Vex, and Secra on the left side. Then Zee says,

"What a pleasure to meet all of you, what brings you all here today? Is it for the noble family we have here? Ohh my apologies for being rude, let me introduce myself, my name is Zee and I'm the party leader of Black and White. Can I ask who's in charge here?"

A huge bald guy with scars on his face came out and say,

"I'm the leader of the Jungle bandit, Boerno Gilas. As you said, we are here for Myord's head. You can leave and we will spare your life kid."

Zee replies,

"I'm sorry old man, we can't do that. We're here to escort the Myord family. How do you know that Myord is coming? Is that mean someone wants them dead? How about we make a deal? You guys leave and we will spare your life, and you Boerno Gilas. We will have some talk."

Boerno laughing then says,

"What a cocky brat, you think 9 of you can beat 40 of us? Don't make me laugh kid."

Zee smiles and replies,

"It seems the deal is off. Well... we don't want to waste our time here. Val, can you kill a man? Since they called themselves the Jungle Bandit, there are rules in the jungle and you know what that is. Survival of the fittest, kill or be killed. So what do you think Val?"

I reply,

"I don't know yet Mister Zee, but I know the feeling of dying helplessly over and over, and I'm not planning to feel that feeling today."

Zee and his friends laughing and says,

"Good answer Val, let us see The Underdogs that we trained for a month. So let the massacre begin."

I'm a party leader if it means protecting my friends. I will do anything to make sure they are safe. I say to Vivi and Kiel,

"Vivi, Kiel. We promised to help each other's back for our goals, and trust our lives to each other. I will keep that promise to you both. So let's go all out!"

Vivi and Kiel replies,

"Alright, Val you got it."

Vivi buffs me and Kiel. Then Kiel released a gravity manipulation spell, all the bandits on her side flew into the air, then she cast Ice spikes on the ground and pull all the flying bandits to the ground and impaled them to the Ice spikes. With that, they killed all the bandits on her side. She's a cute little girl but when it comes to killing, she became a different person. Now it's time for me to do my job, I run towards the bandits on the front I decapitated them one by one with ease, my body moves like a wind. They can't even react to my attacks, then Shive calling me to look at the Myord's carriage. The bandits start running towards the carriage. I guess it's a good time to test my projectile attack, with no hesitation I hold my sword with both hands and swung my sword with all my strength. The projectile attack cut them all in half, from front to the back, but Shive is in the way of my projectile. She punched the air and distorted my projectile attack, and she smiled and says,

"Not bad, but it's too weak Val. Train more."

I smiled and getting more motivated from her words, I rushed and kill all the bandit on my way, and so we killed all the bandit. This is the power from just a month of training with Shive, I didn't get a single scratch and not even feeling tired. If I didn't meet them, maybe I'm still as weak as the first time I arrived at Crude village now. I'm grateful for them all that willing to spend their time just for us. Now that is left is Boerno and he alone, we surrounded him and Zee jumped down and approached him, then say,

"Well Boerno, I did offer a deal with you but you choose this instead of the deal I offered. Well, it's time for an interrogation shall we? And Shive will do the work."

Me, Vivi, and Kiel looking at each other with a pity face. That guy is not going to have a good time with Shive, I wish you all the best Boerno. I'm sure he is going to die after giving Zee the information. While the others cleaning the bodies we just massacred and burn them in the pit. I go to check the Myord family, I knocking on the door and they open the door and let me get inside. They all look scared and worried, I say to them,

"It's okay Mister and Missus Myord, everything is done now. You guys are safe. We promised Miss Marie, she believes in us to escort you to Bulark's Kingdom safely. We don't want to get scolded by Miss Marie, she's a scary woman."

They are starting to smile and laugh, I'm happy that they are looking back to normal. When we talking more about ourselves, someone's knocking on the door. I opened and Zee asked if he can get inside to talk about this incident, Rorin let him inside and then Zee says,

"Do you know Eida Portman? Well, he is the one ordered and paid the bandits on you."

Rorin shocked and replies,

"He is our colleague, A famous merchant that sold us this Sword for 5 Royal Coins. I think this sword worth ten times more than the price when we bought it. Maybe that's why he paid the bandit to steal the sword."

Zee replies,

"Hmm you're correct, but they're here to kill you as well and steal the sword. Anyway, can I look at the sword?"

He gave Zee the sword, while Zee staring at it he noticed something and say,

"This sword imbued with Dragon's hearthstone, it worth of 100 Royal Coins or 100.000 Gold Coins. Now I understand. He sold you this sword at a low price as an excuse to kill you and make you think that this is just because of the sword, but that's not entirely true. You might want to be careful from now on and find the answers. By the way, this sword can cut the dragon's skin like butter, one of The Dragon Slayer Swords. You're lucky to have one of these."

Zee gave back the sword and said that we're leaving soon, and left. After I said goodbye to them, I go back to our carriage. Then Edith says,

"Val, Vivi, Kiel. Are you feeling okay? Are you feeling guilty for them?"

I reply,

"I don't know, but if they are here to kill innocent people, then I don't."

Kiel replies,

"We-well... I don't feel anything at all, they're bad people, and I did that so I can protect Vivi from them."

Vivi replies,

"I feel guilty, but if we let them around. No matter what, they will do the same thing to other people. Since we're nowhere, if we tie them up and left them there, they will die from starvation, and we can't bring them all to Bulark's Kingdom. So yeah, no other option."

Edith says,

"Good. Next time, if you don't have to kill them, then don't. If you have to kill them, then do it. Your answers showed me that you all kill to protect if that's your reason then keep that in mind. You kill to protect."

We three nod. Edith chanted a mind stability spell, making us feel better and we continue our journey to Bulark's Kingdom. It's already night and we arrived at the Village called Clives. We rented a room and go to the bar to eat dinner, while Vex and Den guarding Myord family. We finally eat good food and drinks as much as we can, we go back to the Inn and brought food and wine for Vex and Den. Edith, Secra, Shive, Vivi, and Kiel sleeping in the same room, while the rest sleeping in the same room, and we take turns to guard Myord family until the morning.