Vivan staggered up. He needed to find a safe place to rest. After walking through the deeper woods some more he found a tree, big enough to cover an elephant in height, was standing alone keeping distance from all other trees surrounding it.
Its branches painted the moonlight sky with abrupt flow of lines. There was not a single leaf on its branches. Visually it was not a great spot to rest up as no leaves means no cover to hide himself.
But something inside his mind told him this is safe. Something took all the worry he had and vanished in thin air. He climbed up, found a branch wide enough to hold his body, then he sat on that branch supporting his back by the trunk and closed his eyes.
Sleep took him away from all of his struggles.
Hours were spent on that branch, unknown to Vivan. He opened his eyes with murmurings of people and dragging noise of a broken wheel on the ground. The silver moon was covered by the clouds carrying unknown pride in their chest.
Silhouettes of 3 people, dragging a cart covered with hood, could be seen coming towards the bald tree from the east.
Vivan hurriedly swapped the branches. As the unknown party came beneath the tree he saw them clearly, Bandits. There cloths were torn in places, blood was spilling out from the wounds and their cart was missing a wheel leaving only some of it attached to the cart.
Vivan was keeping sharp observation on them from a branch way above their head from the opposite to the side where they took shelter under the tree.
They lit up a small fire then placed their horse drawn cart near it and used some fallen old tree trunk as their chairs circling around the fire.
As the bandits got busy discussing something among them in furious and serious gesture, Vivan crawled down slowly behind their back. Then silent steps helped him to reach the open back of the hooded cart.
He looked inside. There were 4 people inside the cart, tied up firmly with ropes and their faces were covered with white masks to conceal their identity. A small boy wearing clothes that signified his ties with noble lineage, a teenage girl in half ragged skirt and top, a soldier brutally wounded and an old man wearing a purple gown revealing his wrinkled hands tied up by the ropes.
"Illegal Human Trafficking?" – Vivan murmured.
Then he took a closer look at the bandits. One was wearing a bandana and a sword painted in blood was hanging from his worn out belt. The second one was with a cross shaped scar at his left cheek and toned muscles were reflecting battle experience.
And finally the big guy with an eye patch on his right eye. A long sword was hung on his back. The leather jerkin on his torso was tight enough to show his muscles even out of that thick layer. The red shirt was folded to reveal his veiny forearms.
The guy with bandana asked in a tensed voice-
"What's now Paul?"
The scar face partnered his tension-
"We are trapped. Noble guards of town are chasing us while the king of the forest is guarding our exit route. How do we deliver the goods in these situations?"
The big guy Paul opened his mouth in come tone.
"Do not worry! Wait for sometimes. Let the noble guard to scatter in search of us first then we take care of them one by one."
"But what about that beast Paul?" – scar face asked as sweat dripped from his forehead.
"The king is territorial and his territory is at the heart of this jungle, so I don't think he will be on that route for much of a time."
That's when Vivan received a quest.
[System Chime]
Main quest: Destroyer of Evil unlocked – defeat the bandits and protect the citizens. Due to moral implications mental multipliers will be active once you accept the quest.
Vivan's eyes smiled as he accepted the quest.
"Let's take down bandits! Shall we?"
With that whisper he ran towards the bandana guy in extreme speed a blue flash of light flickered from his ankles. A right chop on the bandit's back of the neck made him unconscious. Scar face and Paul pulled out their swords looking at Vivan's silhouette in high speed. Then another flash flickered and a sharp upper cut connected the jaw of scar face, flicking him away.
Vivan used his motion of uppercut and channel it to a next step side kick at Paul. But Paul was in different league than the other two. He swiftly dodged that kick to its right then He roared.
"Wind Blade!"
The long sword got covered in a green hue of energy and furious wind blade came charging vertically at Vivan.
He dodged the strike by twisting his body as the blade touched the end of his hair and then he channeled the twisting motion to a vertical sword slash from upward.
"Mana strike!!"
Paul parried it with his blade leaving sparks of fire as the metals touched each other in fury.
The collision force pushed both of them away from each other a little bit.
Paul looked at Vivan with curious gaze.
"What are you kid? You dodged my wind blade?"
Vivan pivoted his front foot bending his body holding his word with right hand placing it on his left forearm, sword tip pointing at Paul.
"You don't need to know."
Paul smiled with cruel grin and charged at Vivan.
"At least you should drop your name before you die, kid!"
Vivan responded to his blows with parries and counter attacks.
"Dead old men should not boast about their ego."
Two flashes of blue and purple danced inside the deep woods, colliding with each other leaving sparks flashing due to sharp clangs of metal.
Blow after blow, parry after parry, counter attacks after counter attacks awoke the silent woods with birds chirping out of their nests in panic.
Blood started dripping from their wounds. A small pause to regain composure and then Vivan charged his mana strike at him.
Paul parried it with a smooth flick of his sword hilt and a turbulent wind slash stroke Vivan.
"Vorpal Strike."
A roar from the bandit and a deep wound on his chest left Vivan on the ground. With a boastful gesture Paul held his sword up with both hands in an attacking stance.
"It's been a while since someone gave me a good fight. With due to respect Let me end you with my strongest attack."
That's when Vivan noticed a silver pendant at his neck flickering purple lightning around him. Then Paul's sword and body got covered in that purple lightning. Vivan's eyes widened as he felt the pressure of energy.
"Earth Cleaver!!" – Paul's long sword roared with power.
"It's the same as the fire hog!" with a scared whisper he grabbed his blade.
The vertical strike came closer at Vivan's forehead as he shouted.
"OVERRIDE!!!!"
With a Grand *Boom* earth cleaver hit the ground, shattering it through air. No contact. Paul looked around hurriedly but Vivan! He was moving at such tremendous speed that a jolt og lightning will feel slow compare to him.
Vivan grinned as he saw all of his unique skills back in his skill window.
[System chime: Override cool down count T minus 20 seconds.]
"Battle Vision!"
"Wind Walker!"
"Resolve of the death!!"
He spelled breathlessly. His body got covered in sparkling black lightning, eyes shining in blue sparks and then he stepped forward.
"Chrono Severance!"
Time stopped for the rest of world and Vivan moved freely. Black lightning coated beginner's sword landed strike after strike to the immobile Paul like a torment.
As the last strike finished its job on the bandit's body system chimed.
[Override cool down initiated]
Paul's body dropped to its knees, blood spilling out through the thousand slashes. Slowly the dead man's body dropped on ground, face first.
Vivan looked back at the body.
"EHH! I thought it was the design of the main game that prevented me so far to see opponent's HP and MP so far, but it seems it was the property of battle vision all alone."
[System notice]
Successfully defeated the bandits Successfully defeated an overpowered enemy Quest: Destroyer of Evil completed Calculating loot and rewards [Loot acquired] 10000 gold coins have been added to inventory Hood of the Bandits has been added to inventory Pendant of Immoralis has been added to inventory +15 stats for all general stats for completing the quest +1000 EXP for completing the quest +100 Empathy for rescuing the hostages
Vivan looked at his status.
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Player Level – 2
Player EXP- 1200/1500
HP – 2000/2000
MP- 400/400
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General stats: Mental stats:
STR – 69 Courage –1000
AGI – 69 Resolve – 1000
INT – 81 Blood thirst – 700
LUK – 59 Empathy – 200
SPD – 69
HP – 500/1000
MP – 40/200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vivan walked towards the cart. One by one he released the hostages out of their bindings. 4 hostages and Vivan now sat around the fire those bandits lit for them.
From their order of sitting Vivan understood who was related to whom. The soldier guarded the noble child by standing behind him, The Girl sat by the old man.
As Vivan took his sit the soldier came forward and kneeled in front of him and plunged his sword in the ground.
"Thank you for rescuing us! Adventurer, you have done a great favor to one of the noble houses of Novarim. Our Lord will surely reward you."
The girl bowed her head in silence to express gratitude to save her and the old man. Her beautiful silver hair sparkled under the moonlight.
The boy opened up with noble gesture-
"Let us guide you to our home, Novarim."
Vivan looked at the girl and the old man. The old man nodded to express they will be following. With that the five man party departed towards Novarim.
After some walking through the jungle a slick path came into view out of the jungle.
At the end of the path a Great wall was bordering a beautiful town that glowed in silver under the starry sky as the prideful clouds were gone.
As they approached the huge Iron Gate two guards came to verify. The soldier showed them a metal plate, small rectangular and a symbol of lion was carved on it. The guards bowed in respect and the gate opened leaving a peaceful night view of a grand town in night lamps.
The girl and the old man left after they crossed the market of the town and the soldier took him to an Inn.
Beneath the silver moon and a blanket of stars, the inn's warm lantern light spilled onto cobblestone streets.
Its timber frame casting gentle shadows that whispered of rest and quiet tales. And the name The Starlit Hearth glowed in golden hue.
They moved inside, the innkeeper bowed to them as soon as she saw the soldier and then kneeled in front of the boy.
"How may I assist you Sir?"
Soldier responded pointing at Vivan.
"This honoured adventurer is our guest. Prepare a room for him and the tabs are on us."
The girl hurriedly went back to arrange the room as the soldier and the boy bid their farewell to Vivan.
Vivan turned from the gate towards the inn and the innkeeper was back, bowing. She handed him a key and led him to upstairs.
The room had polished oak walls, thick velvet curtains, and a warm fire in the hearth. A large feather bed waited in the centre, offering comfort and quiet rest.
"Well is not this some really costly service? Who the hell is that kid?" – he thought in his mind as he lay down on the comfy bed.
He opened up his inventory as he wanted to take a look at the pendant dropped from Paul but his eyes fixed on the memory fragment.
He took the fragment out of inventory and a small notification window popped up.
Do you want to see the recovered memory stored in the fragment?
YES NO
He tapped yes. Extreme pain strangulated his head as if something was preventing him to access the memory but the memory got activated with a system notice.
[Protocol Over ride detected]
Accessing recovered memory of real world.
At the top of the screen a date was mentioned.
20/09/2048, 5:45 p.m.
Vivan saw himself sitting by a river side on earth. The golden sunlight of tired sun was reflecting on the slow tides of ever flowing river. Warm breeze was carrying leaves on its back as he saw a beautiful girl was coming toward him from his right.
Her silky black hair swayed gently in the breeze as she tucked a loose strand behind her ear. A soft, beautiful smile was visible on her lips as she walked toward Vivan.
She sat beside him, took his hand, and leaned her head on his shoulder. Together, they watched the sun sink beyond the riverside, painting the water in gold.
The calm in that memory made Vivan forget the fights and struggles he'd faced. Before he knew it, sleep had taken hold of the worn-out adventurer.
.....To be continued.