A few days have passed since we left Cassandra, and during that time, we've been attacked roughly three times; once each day, and every time, the 'bandits' have gotten noticeably better at attacking. They would be stronger, have greater numbers, set up traps, and even use battle formations against us. Clearly, they've all failed; not a single one has gotten through Lazuli, Vanye, Talis, and I, which has left Yuki frustrated since she hasn't been able to join the action, having been tasked with protecting the wagon during every attack.
We'd actually just finished dealing with our fourth attack, which happened early in the morning, just after returning to the road. "Happy, Vanye? You finally got to kill a few of them." Tossing a [Fire Ball] at a few corpses around Vanye, I smirked while nudging her side with my elbow, causing her to snort as she grabbed a rag, wiping the blood off her blade. "I don't enjoy killing; I just find it stupid to let people who were attempting to kill you live. That is all." Said Vanye blandly as she gave me a side-glance while I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. Just not really a fan of killing if I can help it; all life is precious… Besides, didn't you say you loved that about me?" With a faint sigh, I holstered my swords onto my back, only to faintly smirk as I leaned closer to Vanye's face, causing her to blush slightly underneath her helmet.
Lightly chuckling, I kissed her cheek before approaching the remaining bandits, whom Talis and Lazuli had rounded up; Jasmine was seen healing them as some suffered quite severe injuries that otherwise would've killed them. 'I know I'm a bit soft, but I don't think I've ever done that.' With a wry smile, I waited for Jasmine to finish before ordering them to drop everything and run into the forest; however, unlike the previous three groups, a few of these fools were a bit stubborn, though, once Vanye ruthlessly killed one, they quickly fled for their lives into the forest. "You saw a smile, right, Lazuli?" "Hmm, so I wasn't mistaken." Gazing at Vanye, she averted her gaze with a scoff while the two of us lightly chuckled.
Returning to the wagon after looting everything, I slapped Yuki on the butt to help cheer her up before we continued down the road, as Fashu wasn't very patient; however, while walking, I noticed Jasmine was unusually quiet. "Hmm, something the matter, Jasmine?" Spinning around, I walked backwards while looking at Jasmine, who raised her head, glancing at me. "Eh, I-I'm fine, just not used to killing and death… The first time I ever experienced those was when we first met." Said Jasmine softly while I nodded before quietly humming. "Why do people kill so much, Alex?" Jasmine asked curiously, causing me to wryly smile before shrugging my shoulders.
"I don't know, it's just nature, I suppose; when you really think about it, I think it's impossible for any sentient species to not partake in killing." At my words, Jasmine silently nodded before lowering her head, prompting me to turn back around and face forward.
The rest of the day was relatively chill; we had our lunch break, and Talis used that chance to fly around. Meanwhile, Vanye and Lazuli got into a rather heated argument that Yuki and I had to break up. Despite how friendly they've gotten, whenever they get into an argument, it's an ARGUMENT. After being admonished by Fashu for being unable to keep my party in check, which was a bit annoying, we continued until night, where I once again took watch till morning. The next day was the same as the others; our attackers were stronger than before, though again, it was nothing the four of us couldn't handle.
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"Keep your guard up, we'll arrive at our city today, which means our competitors will finally launch their all-out attack." Said Fashu sternly as she snapped the reins while I nodded. "Got it!" As usual, Talis flew into the sky and scouted slightly ahead, while we slowly trailed behind her. For several hours, nothing happened, not even an inkling of enemies or anything else. However, just when the sun finally began to set, I saw Talis darting towards us from the sky, causing all of us to ready our weapons. "Found something, Talis?" "Yep, but it's not what you think, Alex. I spotted a city a little further ahead, and at our pace, we'll probably arrive in an hour… I flew around the neighboring forest, but I still didn't see anyone." Said Talid lightly as she perched herself atop my shoulders, causing me to frown, both at her information and the fact that she stood on my shoulders.
"Hmm, weird. You've been able to spot our enemies in advance every time… Everyone, stay on guard, I'm going with Talis." Tapping my chin, I glanced at the four, who all nodded, before gesturing for Talis to take me into the sky. Using her large talons, she easily clutched my arms and, with a single flap of her wings, she effortlessly shot into the sky, carrying an extra four to five hundred pounds of cargo. "I'm not too heavy, right, Talis?" "No… I've carried Yuki in her armor, you're light." Said Talis as she gazed down at me while soaring through the sky, causing me to nod as I used [Heroes Gaze] and looked down at the forest below.
Thanks to Talis's speed, it didn't take long for me to find something suspicious. "Talis, head left." As we got closer, I saw an illusion of a forest, but with my eyes, I could see through it, allowing me to gaze upon the sight of nearly seventy heavily equipped men and a group of ten mages donned in large robes. 'No wonder she didn't see anything; they've hidden themselves within an illusion.' Although I would have liked to examine their weapons and equipment more, I didn't want them to know we were aware of them. "Talis, do a full circle before taking us back… Also, fly above the road, I want to check something!"
With a nod, Talis spent a few minutes performing a full search before returning to the group, and along the way, my suspicions were proven correct; the road was littered with traps hidden with illusions. "Given that hard expression, I take it you found something, Alex?" Asked Vanye with a raised eyebrow while Talis dropped me onto the ground before landing beside me, informing everyone about the trap laid head, everyone's gaze slightly hardened, except for Yuki, who flashed a toothy grin underneath her helmet, clearly dying for some action. "Tch, unbelievable! I'm not surprised, though; given how much we've sabotaged them in the past, they're looking to get their revenge." Said Fashu angrily.
Since we still had time, I spoke with everyone, forming a plan with me taking the lead while flanked by Vanye and Lazuli, as for Talis, she'd perform guerrilla attacks, constantly sabotaging the mages and keeping them busy, as for Yuki, well… "Ugh, please, Alex! I want to fight as well!" Said Yuki pleadingly with a pouting expression while I wryly smiled. "Yuki, I-I know you want to fight, but–" "Please! Please! Please!" Begged Yuki as she tightly grabbed before lifting me into the air, causing me to sigh deeply as I finally relented. "Haa, okay, okay, you win; you'll take my spot, Yuki… Vanye, Lazuli, Talis, the plan will stay the same."
With a large smile, Yuki embraced me in a tight hug, squeezing me against her breastplate before releasing me. "Heh, I've been waiting for this all week!" With an enthusiastic grin, Yuki raised her shields into the sky while Lazuli approached me from the side. "Can you handle protecting both Jasmine, the wagon, and Fashu?" Asked Lazuli, gazing at me with a bit of concern, though I merely waved my hand. "Don't worry too much, I'm confident; I wouldn't take a needless risk like that… Besides, they will likely be too preoccupied dealing with you four to even think about the wagon." With a faint smirk, I patted Lazuli's shoulder while she nodded.
"Alright, get ready, I can see them hiding in the forest, we're only a few minutes out!" At my words, Lazuli, Vanye, and Yuki stood on the left side of the carriage while Talis flapped her wings, though Jasmine stopped her. "W-Wait, let me bless you all." Said Jasmine anxiously as she clasped her hands close to her chest and whispered a few words, causing a golden light to illuminate from her, only for my mind to feel clearer, my body stronger, and my senses sharper.
"Woah, so this is a [Blessing]? I feel so much stronger, I can't believe this is just considered a rare blessing." "I, too, feel much stronger." "It's like improved adrenaline." "Huh, that's a great analogy, Lazuli, and you should see how strong her legendary blessing is, Yuki. Heh, I nearly felt like a whole different person." Smirking, I gently smacked Jasmine's back while she beamed from the compliments. "T-Thanks."