Doyen's caravan was traveling through the wilderness, seemingly as always. The area was dangerous in the first place, so the bodyguards surrounding all the wagons with their weapons drawn weren't unusual.
Actually, their wariness was more than justified with the suspicious lack of monster activity in the area, while earlier in their journey, fending off beasts was the norm.
If they really knew that something was amiss, they would turn back.
And even if they were stupid enough to try to fight back what was waiting for them, they would have more than one archer ready.
Said archer was a plain-looking platinum-haired man with a disorderly beard.
He was sitting on the driver's seat, next to Doyen Adonis herself although judging by her body language, she didn't seem she was particularly fond of that development.
However, in that case, the platinum-haired man could not have been the main reason for her disdain, as the particular bow he wielded had some eerie vibe around it.
It was made out of monster bones and tendons. The method used to create it must have been a special one as the weapon seemed to be carrying the grudge of the creature that died for the materials.
Who knows?
It might very well be a cursed one~!
Oh, the potential and allure of cursed equipment~!
How could anyone resist it?
"Ooohhhh~! I bet it prevents the user from moving in exchange for a massive increase in damage~!"
A bandit whose every inch of exposed skin was covered with scars shivered in excitement and licked his lips, hidden in the branches of a tree in the distance.
He himself was holding an unusual weapon, a longbow that appeared to be a part of a ballista, more of a siege weapon operated by a squad than something a human should or even could use.
Even though his weapon looked so impressive and was larger than him, barely staying hidden within branches, the arrows in his quiver were standard store-bought ones, making it difficult to imagine the weapon's full potential could be used.
"I call dibs on that bone bow. I had enough of this junk."
The bandit with a bow declared without taking his eyes away from the caravan in the distance approaching his position.
"It's about time you get rid of that thing. It's wasted on you."
A stouty woman with some dwarven blood in her veins sitting on the same branch as him snickered at him, reaching behind her back, taking out one of a dozen throwing spears she carried in an oversized quiver.
"You're a waste. Even without Haste, I can shoot faster than any elf."
"That's what I'm talking about, idiot. That bow isn't made for speed-oriented archery."
The scarred man scoffed and grinned mockingly at the woman, who rolled her eyes.
"Those low-lives Trevor rounded up this time better be worth it."
The scarred man's expression turned serious as he noticed the platinum-haired bowman on the first carriage shift in his place as if noticing something, prompting the comment.
"They know to wait until the caravan enters your range if that's what you want to complain about."
His companion assured lightheartedly, also keenly observing as the people and wagons pulled by Four-Eyed Goats walk right into their tra…
*thunk* x12
Without any warning or even additional hint, the platinum-haired bowman from the caravan stood up on the driver's seat and unleashed a lightning-fast volley of arrows, all aimed at the treetops where the other bandits were hidden!
"!!!"
Although their caravan hadn't entered the effective range of the bandit archers, the bandit archers were clearly within the platinum-haired bowman's range, with each projectile reaching its targets.
Although only three or four shots were lethal, all the others succeeded in at least knocking a bandit out of balance, leaving the rest to gravity, which claimed an additional two lives.
"Hiih…!"
One arrow was aimed at the stouty woman next to the scarred bandit, and she let out a panicked yelp, trying to get out of its way without falling off the tree, but her reaction wasn't fast enough!"
*THUNK*
"..."
Without a word, the scarred bandit moved his oversized bow, having the arrow strike it instead of his companion.
"Enchanted with Wind Boost. Little fucker thinks he's the hunter!"
As a green aura evaporated from the arrow stuck into his weapon, the scarred bandit let out a low growl.
"Wh-what are you do…?!"
The next moment, he threw himself on the woman, causing her to shout in agitation as both of them fell off the tree…
*WHOOSH*
"!!!"
Only for her to shut up when three consecutive enchanted arrows sped right through the spot where she was a second before.
*THUMP*
Even with the added weight, the scarred bandit landed while holding the oversized bow in one hand and the stouty woman with the other, his legs almost split and his back arched forward, but he didn't let his companion back even touch the ground.
*THUNK* *THUNK* *THUNK*
The bandit's bow-wielding arm moves seemingly independent of the rest of his body, intercepting more incoming arrows while the scarred man was straightening his back and helping the stouty woman get a foothold.
"Either a Magic Archer or worse, a Sniper, and that's only if he doesn't have a royal-type archery ability. Change of plans. Do me a favor, doll, get Trevor."
The scarred man spat to the side, glaring towards the caravan where the platinum-haired archer was picking off the already wounded bandits.
*plap*
"HFF!? YOU…! F-fine! But will you be able to hold them back without getting killed…?!"
The scarred man then affectionately smacked the stouty woman's butt, making her gaps with exasperation before nodding, nervously glancing at the troublesome situation that their ambush ended up devolving into, and asking.
*THUNK* *THUNK*
"Probably not. I mean, I'm sending off my lucky charm. Now go, or else I might actually end up dead."
"!!!"
The scarred man snickered, blocking two more arrows, and shrugged his shoulders as a send-off, greatly worrying the stouty woman.
"You're supposed to say something cool like - If you don't hurry, I'm going to finish them before you get Trevor - stupid! Here. Haste!"
The woman cried out, taking off the oversized quiver and tossing it at the scarred man's feet before using a spell on herself and dashing off.
*THUNK*
"And now we're talking."
After blocking an arrow that was aimed perfectly at his forehead, the scarred man chuckled, reaching down and picking up one of the spears and placing it on the bowstring like an arrow.
Then he straightened his back and took aim, physically unable to draw the massive bow with the span of his arms.
And then….
*SQUELCH*
…the skin on his forearms got torn apart, splashing out crimson blood as his bones, muscles, and tendons grew, elongating his upper limbs exponentially.
"..."
With that and an ice-cold look in his eyes, the scarred man overdrew the massive bow as if it were a mere feeble toy - but it wasn't even done.
As it turned out, the blood that gushed from his arms wasn't normal and began to move along the ground.
It took a mere second for it to form a magic circle that activated seemingly without any incantation, illuminating the scarred man from below with a murky red light.
"Fuck you."
*UMPH*
The scarred bandit scoffed, releasing the spear that unleashed a shockwave.
The oversized projectile knocked all the other arrows sent by the platinum-haired archer without losing even a fraction of its speed.
"...!"
The green-haired woman sitting next to the archer raised her hands, holding some kind of item, and shouted something, which seemed to engulf their wagon in a pale blue light.
*CRACK*
But the moment the tip of the spear touched it, the light broke apart like a pane of glass, and the wagon was struck…
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
Ending up blown into smithereens, sending the two people riding it flying as the hellish projectile pierced right through a whole row of wagons behind it with the same effect until it got stuck in the reinforced wall of the carriage in the middle of the caravan.
The force of the spear was still so ridiculous that the carriage stood up on its back wheels - together with the pair of Four-eyed Goats pulling it - and crushed into the wagon behind it…!
"Huh…?"
The scarred bandit flinched and let out a shocked gasp as if he was the one most bewildered by what happened.
"..."
While the caravan members were scrambling about, calling out to their wounded, dying, or dead comrades, the bandit with mutated arms moved his body in a slithering motion as if testing something.
"That old fuck lied to me…! Whose body is deteriorating rapidly because it went through too many modifications?"
The scarred man's body trembled from the laughter bursting out as his expression changed into one of exhilaration and excitement as he reached down and picked up a second spear from the oversized quiver.
"I'll show Jill that she will not have to use her ability! Fuck over all of you…"
The scarred man cheered out, drawing his bow and, this time, taking aim at the one person in the caravan who could do anything to him at such a distance.
"...and then raze that monster village to the ground mysel…!"
He grinned triumphantly and…!
*SQUELCH*
"...huh…?"
His drawing arm got torn in two, with a nauseating sound, at the skinless elbow, causing him to let out a shocked cry and…
*BOOOOOOM*
"!!!"
The projectile slammed into the ground a couple of dozen feet away from the scarred man, but the explosion it caused was still so powerful that it tossed him away like a ragdoll.
"...h-huh…?"
The concussed rugged bandit sat upright, staring at his bow - or rather at his torn hand still holding onto the bowstring…
"...b-but… my body…"
He muttered, looking away from one piece of his arm only to stare at the profusely bleeding stump it was torn out of.
"...it was feeling fine… Wh-HNGH…!?"
The scarred man mumbled without being able to comprehend what happened - until an arrow enchanted with Wind Boost pierced his throat.
"...fhuck… it c…hant b…"
The struck bandit gurgled out blood but couldn't even properly say his last words.
*thunk* *THUMP*
The next arrow pierced through his left eye, and his torso slammed down as his head got nailed to the ground.
D:<
More than half of the caravan was completely destroyed.
Forget about the merchandise. The merchants, their helpers, and the bodyguards' bodies were sprawled around the debris.
All of that from a single shot.
A single arrow.
Well, a single spear, actually.
"..."
For a few seconds, Norn could not focus his sight properly after he got thrown off the exploding wagon and slammed against the tree.
His eyes wandered absentmindedly along the destruction, the bodies, the blood, and the gore.
The body of Severyn, the merchant who bought monster parts from him, had been torn in two, with both halves tossed in opposite directions.
Old man Wits's legs were convulsing from under the body of the now headless Four-eyed Goat.
Roy, the bodyguard, was leaning against a tree, standing upright despite missing most of his torso from his left side, and his comrade Bern was in front of him, impaled on the splintered axle of the armored carriage.
"...ghh…"
Still concussed, Norn shook his head, trying to pull himself together or at least crawl up on all fours. He was still holding onto the best bow he had made to date, although the threatening-looking medium-quality bow lost its intimidation factor by being broken.
That alone wasn't that much of a loss, though, as it really didn't have much going for it except for looks.
What was intact was the quiver with the enchantment of Wind Boost still active and infusing the few remaining bone arrows with it.
"...ghet up… Get up…!"
Norn gritted his teeth, furiously tossing the broken bow aside and fighting with his own body to sit upright.
"...!"
He flinched, and his eyes widened as he spotted that the nightmare of an archer in the distance was picking up another spear for his outrageous ballista-like bow.
"...one bone bow…"
The platinum-haired man spat through his teeth, gritting them as he took one of the arrows, giving off swirls of the bright green light, and placed it on a not-as-much intimidating bow that appeared in his hand.
If only he would manage to be faster than the bandit…
"...!"
The blurriness just wouldn't leave Norn's eyes, making him bite his lips as he desperately attempted to focus his aim, already seeing how the monstrous archer took aim once more.
Cold and cruel like a grim reaper who decided to try out another weapon…
"...damn it…!"
Norn's face twisted with despair as the feeling of powerlessness clenched its cold fingers around his heart.
And then…
"...?!"
*BOOOOOOM*
A burst of red was immediately followed by the ground in front of the monstrous archer exploding, sending him flying!
"..."
For a second, Norn could not comprehend what was happening.
But then he saw the bandit's body tumbling back while splashing red everywhere…
And then he even managed to sit upright…!"
"!"
Norn's face twisted again, this time with pure hatred. His shaking arms calmed down, and his aim became steady, allowing him to shoot an arrow that sped up thanks to the enchantment and reached its target.
Although it was slightly off course, the arrow still pierced the bandit's throat, yanking him back but somehow not killing him despite the clearly critical hit!"
"Ghh!"
Norn showed his teeth like a rabid dog and unleashed the next arrow, reaching out for the third one and releasing it before the previous one even reached the target.
He would shoot out more, but with the second one felling the enemy, depleting his HP, and the third arrow simply flying over the corpse, wasting all of his ammunition would be the most foolish move.
*thump*
"Gh-haaaah…!"
Norn plopped to the side pitifully, the haziness and nausea hitting him like a speeding carriage, making him draw a desperate breath as if he had almost drowned.
The sound of level-up ringing in his ears was so loud that it felt as if it was about to split his head, and it certainly didn't help.
The few remaining members of the caravan struggled to get up, struggled to find the healing scrolls - a bulk of which got destroyed by the monstrous bandit's attack - and struggled to get them to their wounded comrades.
"All recovery potions…"
Noticing the others, Norn shifted in place and groaned, completely expelling certain items from his Pocket Storage.
The potions worked outside combat, but when used during an encounter, their healing properties were boosted significantly.
"Here… the scrolls work better…"
"...!"
The platinum-haired man couldn't stop flinching when someone suddenly spoke to him.
"!"
He then flinched again when he turned his head and saw a limping green-haired leader of the caravan offering him a healing scroll without tending to her own injuries first.
And she was in a far worse state than he - the limping was caused by the ankle twisted in a definitely wrong direction, her left arm was just limply handing down while oozing blood from the gaping wound where the pinky and ring fingers should be, and even more blood was dripping from the side of her head.
From his perspective, Norn could more or less peek at Doyen's face for the first time, catching a glimpse under her thick fringe, and it was easy to notice that there was something wrong with her eyes.
Doyen's right eye was normal, although a bit bloodshot, but her left eye was… lazy, to the extreme. The pupil of her left eye seemed to be stuck in the left corner of her eye with no sign of movement, regardless of her right eye's position.
It seemed that she hit her head a lot harder than even Norn, resulting in her left eyeball getting stuck.
And even with all that, she still got to Norn and offered him the healing scroll.
The reason was pretty obvious.
"Heal up. If the encounter didn't end, it means that party members of that freak are far too close."
Doyen gritted her teeth and wheezed in pain. She stared down at the wobbly platinum-haired man, seemingly getting tired of extending her hand and tossing the healing scroll onto his lap instead.
Then she slowly and carefully sat down while wincing in pain and reached to grab one of the healing potions.
"You know? Around three months ago, in Jade City of Emeraldios Empire, a miracle happened and turned all maneless water into healing potions."
Doyen pulled off the cork of the bottle and drank it up in one go, pointing out before taking the next one.
"...wh-what…?"
Norn, who was clearly out of it, flinched and looked at her in confusion.
"A miracle. I'm talking about a miracle. Because… we will definitely need it. Now use the scroll."
"...why didn't you use it on me…?"
Doyen shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the item in Norn's lap, making the platinum-haired man shake his head and ask.
"...use it…"
The green-haired woman frowned, staring at the platinum-haired man with accusation, but the only words he spoke to him were the one of hastening.
"Target, myself."
Norn groaned, propping himself upright, and grabbed the scroll, tearing it in half to activate it.
As the paper dissolved, the green light it released engulfed the man in a warm cocoon, sipping into his body and restoring his HP.
It wouldn't heal a serious or complicated injury, but luckily, nothing of the sort seemed necessary.
Although…
"...Healing Scrolls don't lift status effects… One Cleansing Potion."
Norn yelped while standing up and holding his head. He felt as if it was about to float off his shoulders at any moment, and he called out a specific item from his Pocket Storage.
And as he was drinking…
"I wasted two scrolls on you before coming over with this one. Your name isn't Norn, is it?"
"PFGHHH…!"
…Doyen said coldly, causing the platinum-haired man to choke on and spit out at least half of the medicine...
"Are you a bandit after all? Although not one associated with that bunch…"
The green-haired woman asked with a bitter expression, motioning at the corpses pierced with Norn's arrows.
"Or maybe you had a falling out or something?"
"I am not a bandit in general, Lady Doyen."
She added with a sigh, but the platinum-haired man denied her sternly.
"The name was the only willing lie you've experienced from me."
"...?"
He then added rather awkwardly, making Doyen lean away from him while carefully examining his expression.
"I have no connection to the bandits, especially someone so bizarrely powerful, and although this will be of no help to us in this situation, my name is Es…"
"LORENS, NO!"
The platinum-haired man added, taking a deep breath about to reveal his actual name, but his words were cut short by a faraway scream.
O_O
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