Chapter 19

Two bandits in armor made out of bones were standing outside a cave. The cave was in a valley and the only way to get to it is to walk down a steep hill or climb down the rocks. "Did you see those soldiers from the kingdom? They were tracking us earlier" said one of the guards "Yeah they were very weak. After finding us they thought they could eliminate us. They didn't stand a chance." The guards laughed.

"And neither will you if you yell for help," said a ferocious voice. The bandits could feel a chill down their spines as something sharp touched their necks. They felt a powerful killing intent behind them that made them sweat. "I want to know how many of you are in the cave," said the voice. "45," said the bandit. "Good" the man then knocked out the bandits and tuned to the hill where 30 figures in dark red armor could be seen walking down towards the cave.

Kane looked at his troops heading to him and smiled. Their power had grown with the new armor that the system had given him as well as the new weapons Kane had bought from the shop. It had cost him 125 shop points so now he had 1000. Kane planned on buying them horses eventually as well but for now, he decided to hold off as they would not be very useful in the cave. The better quality armor and weapons would do for now.

When the Crimson Crusaders arrived in front of Kane he told them what he learned from the guards and told them a plan. The cave looked pretty big so he decided to have some of the bandits carry bows to attack from further away. The rest would follow him to confront the bandits. He wanted to offer them a chance to join him first before attacking. His men's gear was superior to most bandits as it was steel plate armor. Even low-quality plate armor like the armor that Kane's men had was far better than any armor bandits could wear. The new weapons were also of better quality. Kane was tempted to bring some Romans along as well but decided to leave them. He will introduce his bandits to them later along with the Orcs and Dwarves.

Kane knew that the bandits would probably not want to join him but luckily he had the power of intimidation on his side. Whether it is his blood aura or Crimson Calvery he knew he could gain a few men. Kane also had a decent sales pitch. He led his men into the cave with him while activating the blood aura. He hoped this would go well. He planned to kill the leader. first, as without a leader, the Ivory Eagle would not have anyone to follow. Plus Dallin had said that the Ivory Eagles liked to follow the strong. Kane would have a better chance to convince the bandits after he defeated the leader in single combat. He would also let them know of the benefits they could get by following him.

"There is a big opening up ahead. The bandits are residing in there" said Sandford. "Well let's go make some friends" responded Kane. They marched to the clearing which alerted the bandits. The Ivory Eagles rushed to confront them. A pale-looking man led them. The Eagles looked a bit nervous but still gave fierce looks while their leader looked calm and collected. "Who are you and what do you want with the Ivory Eagles," asked the man.

"You can call me Kane. I am here to challenge you to single combat. After I kill you I have an offer for your men." Kane said while giving his mace a swing. "You barge in our home with a bunch of knights and expect me to want to fight you? You should know that we are not afraid of others and I suggest you leave here now" responded the man. "So what your saying is that you would all rather die," said Kane. He increased his killing intent that came from Blood Aura to scare the bandits more. "You will be the one dying. I accept your challenge!" snarled the man. 2 daggers made out of bone appeared in his hand as he rushed towards Kane. He was very fast and reached Kane easily. Kane was surprised at his speed but snapped out of it right before a bone dagger stabbed him. He then swung his weapon at the man who in turn easily dodged it and sent a few more hits toward Kane.

While they were fighting the Crimson Crusaders and Ivory Eagles surrounded the duo. They both cheered for their respective leaders. The Ivory Eagles' morale had gone down due to the ferocity of the Crusaders but luckily it was now rising due to their leader fighting with the enemies' leader. Neither had landed a hit and it seemed like they were evenly matched. But Kane had a few surprises left.

The Eagles leader was wondering what to do with the man. He was as strong as him and could dodge the weapons even though he prided himself in speed. He was shocked by how fast this masked man was while holding a heaving-looking morning star. It baffled him. He was about to rush him again but to his shock, the masked man had stepped back. Then out of nowhere, a bow appeared. "How is that possible!?!" the bandit wondered. The only way something can just appear like that is with a space ring but those were extremely rare. The masked man shot a flurry of arrows toward him and he did his best to dodge but one hit his calf.

"FUCK!" said the man falling down after being shot. Kane looked at the man whose face had scrunched up in pain. Kane knew this was his chance and ran to the man with his morning star now in his hands. The man threw his daggers at Kane but Kane flipped over them with ease. He landed in front of the bandit kicking him in the face which gave Kane time to use his weapon to crush the man's skull open.

The Eagles leader was left there motionless. The corpse brought fear to the surrounding Ivory Eagles. They thought their leader was stronger but they had been proven wrong. This masked man showed them the skill to fight their leader as well as a mind that could adapt to different situations. His men looked tough and now they knew that he was someone they did not want to mess with.

"Well now that that's over with I have an offer for the rest of you," said Kane. The bandits looked at this man. Some were angry towards him while some were cautious. "I am here to gather an army to conquer the Iron Rose Kingdom and even one day the world. I give you the chance to not be common bandits anymore. I give you the chance to become true warriors! Join me and you will no longer have to scavenge for food! Join me and you can sleep on real beds and eat proper food! You can drink, fuck, and fight! People will look at you with respect and fear. You can follow me and I promise to treat you well. Together we will show the world that you can rise from even the humblest beginnings! Will you join me?" said Kane.

Many of the bandits looked at this man in awe. Some were still angry at him. But no one said anything. "I will join you!" said one bandit. That started a chain and many other bandits began to join Kane. There were only a few who still remained loyal to the old leader and were promptly killed. With this Kanes forces grew. He was excited and was happy to get this many new forces. But it was not enough and he needed more. Time to go recruiting! Kane prepared to take over the other bandit groups and build his army. War was brewing and Kane was going to win.