Bandits

Led by the caravan boss, the small caravan moved along a relatively fixed trade route, passing by numerous villages along the way.

At each village, the caravan would stop and enthusiastically engage in trade, exchanging handmade goods like cloth and pottery for the villagers' agricultural products, planning to sell them in the cities later. Although the trading market seemed bustling, the boss sold mostly inexpensive items, and the profits were quite limited.

But the boss always received heartfelt thanks.

"Thank you so much! Our poor little village is so glad you came by!" the village elder expressed his gratitude sincerely. After all, their remote village, not located on any major road, couldn't expect large caravans to visit. The villagers relied on small traders like this one for regular supplies of cloth and salt.

"No, no! I should be the one thanking you for allowing me to do business," the caravan leader, dressed simply like the villagers, responded. His appearance was modest, but his demeanor indicated his status.

"Thanks to your help, I can regularly purchase some grain and dried fruits," the merchant expressed his gratitude again, then directed his assistants to quickly pack up and head to the next village.

Norn watched the caravan boss with interest. Although the boss was still in it for the money, the caravan did provide convenience to some remote villages, ensuring that the farmers could regularly obtain essential supplies.

"Guys, hurry up! If you don't want to spend the night in the wilderness with wolves and snakes, let's get moving and reach Beziers village before dark," the caravan boss shouted enthusiastically. Somehow, his words spurred the young men into action, and everyone's pace quickened.

Travel, after all, was just constant movement.

Norn, Jinn, and Anna walked alongside the caravan's wagons, bored on a forest path. Dense trees and shrubs lined both sides of the road, and sunlight could only filter through the thick canopy, casting a dim light and limiting everyone's visibility.

Just as Norn was about to doze off while walking, a loud shout jolted him awake.

"Charge!" About a dozen bandits burst out from both sides of the road. The bandits were all in tattered clothes, with sallow faces and thin bodies. Their "weapons" were nothing more than wooden clubs and farming tools like sickles. They looked more like beggars than bandits. But their eyes were filled with a hungry, fierce gleam as they rushed towards the caravan.

"Trouble!" The boss was sweating bullets. He had assumed that since the caravan was traveling on familiar routes, there was no need to hire too many mercenaries. The entire caravan, including Norn, had only seven mercenaries. The other dozen or so were the boss's apprentices and hired laborers, most of whom had no weapons.

With no other choice, the boss stood on the wagon, pulled out a dagger, and shouted, "Mercenaries, drive them away! The rest of you, come here!"

The apprentices and laborers immediately ran to the lead wagon where the boss was, while the mercenaries formed a combat group and charged towards the area with the most bandits.

Jinn, who had never experienced a surprise attack, was momentarily stunned until a small hand slapped his back hard.

"Snap out of it! Get ready to fight!" Norn's calm voice reached Jinn's ears again, prompting him to immediately grip his spear tightly.

Norn and Jinn positioned Anna behind them, stood with their backs against the wagon, and raised their spears, ready to face the bandits.

The bandits, seeing the two sharp spears, quickly and in unison bypassed them and charged toward the other wagons that were not protected by mercenaries.

"Kill!" The mercenaries, armed with short swords and spears, charged into the bandits. Although the mercenaries' equipment was nothing to write home about—leather armor and helmets—they still had the upper hand against the even more poorly equipped bandits.

Not to mention that mercenaries were professional soldiers who wielded their weapons without hesitation. In just one charge, three bandits lay in pools of blood.

But more bandits bypassed the tough mercenaries and exploited the gaps in the defense to rush to the wagons, looting the grain on board.

"Protect the goods!" the boss shouted in agony. The wagons were his property. Although the profits were slim, losing them would be a significant loss.

The mercenary squad immediately dispersed as well, with each member pursuing their targets.

Norn swiftly stabbed a bandit who was trying to climb onto the wagon and then directed Jinn, "I'll hold this spot. You go watch the wagon next to us."

Jinn nodded firmly and charged to the adjacent wagon, where three bandits were working together to move the grain.

One bandit, his face filled with panic, was about to drop a sack of wheat when Jinn's spear pierced his chest. Blood instantly stained the grain sack, and the bandit's face twisted from panic to agony as he collapsed lifelessly.

"Ruf!" Another bandit, seeing his companion fall, immediately charged Jinn with a sickle.

But how could a short sickle compete with a spear that had the advantage of length? Jinn simply stepped back, maintaining a safe distance from the bandit, and his spear lunged like a cheetah once more.

In the bandit's eyes of disbelief, a blood-soaked spearhead pierced through the flesh, shattering the fragile life within.

The remaining bandit on the wagon, witnessing Jinn's bravery, turned pale with fear, grabbed a sack of flour, and fled into the depths of the forest.

Watching the retreating enemy, Jinn exhaled deeply, trying to steady his racing heart. But as he turned around, he saw two bandits, seemingly underestimating Norn's small stature, charging towards Norn and Anna.

Norn's eyes gleamed sharply as he thrust his spear at the leading bandit. The bandit tried to dodge, but before he could twist his body, he was impaled by the lightning-fast spear.

Before Norn could pull out his spear, the other bandit was already close, and with the wagon behind him, Norn couldn't retreat to gain distance.

Norn simply dropped his spear, crouched down, drew the short knife from his waist, and held it in his hand, ready to pounce like a cheetah.

The bandit, thinking victory was within reach, raised his axe high, preparing to eliminate the last obstacle.

Facing the impending axe, Norn mimicked someone's move, lunged forward, darted past the bandit, and his right hand's knife swiftly slashed across the bandit's waist.

The bandit, writhing in pain, twisted his entire body and fell to the ground. He tried to grab the wheel with one hand to stand up, but a cold blade pierced through his back and exited his chest.