BXBX NOVEL Chapter 86: ch.86
"Couldn\'t sleep," Astrid explained, her hand lingering on his shoulder. "Didn\'t trust those new \'allies\' of ours. Decided to keep watch."
Azrael\'s cheeks burned with shame. He\'d readily accepted the bandits\' offer to join forces, desperate for some camaraderie in this strange tomb. Now, Astrid\'s words echoed the unease gnawing at his gut since overhearing their conversation.
"Oh," he mumbled, scratching his head awkwardly. "Uh, right."
There was no time for self-flagellation. "We\'re outnumbered," Astrid continued, her voice low and serious. " They are strong, too. We need to warn the others. Maybe come up with a plan."
A silent nod escaped Azrael\'s lips. Together, they crept back to their shared campsite. Reaching their tent, they found the others, Enia and Vera were sleeping while Tyler and Kim were found awake.
With hushed urgency, Azrael and Astrid explained what they had overheard. Disbelief and anger flickered across their faces.
"I knew those guys were fishy!" Kim exclaimed, arms crossed and a frown marring her usually carefree features.
"Bandits?" Tyler muttered, incredulous.
"And they\'re planning something," Azrael confirmed, a knot tightening in his stomach.
"Too many, and they pack a punch," Azrael said, voicing the harsh reality. "We need to slip away before they notice."
Enia and Kim, usually quick with witty remarks, remained silent, the gravity of the situation sinking in. A grim nod was their only response.
"But we can\'t just leave them to their… plans," Vera interjected, her voice resolute. "We need to buy some time. A distraction, a delay. Something to give us a chance to escape. Amd if we can we should bring them down"
"I have some herbs," Tyler offered, rummaging through his bag. "Not fully lethal, unfortunately, but they can slow them down. Weaken them, knock some out,severe ailments and pain… the effects vary. It\'s a cocktail of poison herbs"
A collective nod of agreement circled the group. It wasn\'t a perfect solution, but it was their only shot at escaping the clutches of these bandits with their nefarious intentions. With newfound determination, they began to formulate their plan. If the poison proved effective they would consider another way instead of running away.
Tyler, his brow furrowed in concentration, meticulously combined a selection of herbs from his pouch. He then burnt it and began channeling a gentle breeze that directed the concoction towards the bandits\' camp. The poison mixture, invisible and odorless, wafted through the air, carried by the wind magic.
Azrael\'s group, positioned strategically upwind, felt no ill effects. However, the bandits stirring within their makeshift tents were soon met with a wave of debilitating symptoms. Plop. Plop. Plop. Sounds of bodies hitting the hard stone floor echoed through the chamber.
Confusion turned to panic as the bandits experienced a myriad of reactions. Some gripped their heads, faces contorted in agony. Others doubled over, their insides rebelling in a violent revolt. A few bled inexplicably from various orifices, adding to the unsettling scene.
" It\'s effective. Plan B. We subjugate the bandits." Said Kim as the others nodded.
Azrael was somewhat reluctant to go through with the plan of killing but he knew this was a situation he couldn\'t avoid. Also Vera told him that he doesn\'t have to kill anyone and just let the others do it. To this he still felt bad but it lessened his guilt.
"What\'s happening? Ahhhh!" one bandit shrieked, his voice raw with terror.
"It hurts so bad!" another echoed, clutching at his throbbing chest.
"I feel something crawling in my skin," a third whimpered, his voice barely a whisper.
The leader, alerted by the commotion, burst out of his tent to witness the carnage. Disbelief clouded his features. This wasn\'t part of the trials. He scanned the room, searching for the source of the attack. Was it another unforeseen test? Impossible, the trials wouldn\'t disable half the participants.
Poison then? But how? They hadn\'t shared food or drink, and their own rations were not shared everyone had his own.
Suspicion flickered in his eyes. Airborne poison? An ambush? By who? The students or maybe a third party or even subbotage? But why?
Was he discovered?
Still he had to check if the students were responsible.His gaze landed on the seemingly serene area where Azrael\'s group resided.
Desperate for answers, he ignored the growing discomfort in his chest, the early warning signs of Tyler\'s herbal concoction. He needed confirmation. With a determined glint in his eye, he activated a small wind barrier around himself, momentarily halting the poison\'s effects, and cautiously approached their tent.
"Students!" he called out, his voice strained. "Are you there? I think we\'re under attack!"
Silence greeted him. He reached out, his hand hovering over the fabric door, a sliver of unease slicing through his confidence. As he prepared to yank it open, a sudden, sharp pain shot through him. He stumbled back.
One moment he was calling out, the next a searing wave of fire erupted from Azrael\'s outstretched hand, bathing the fabric door in a sudden, blinding light.
The leader, startled, barely managed to throw himself back as the flames danced across the doorway. Disbelief morphed into fury as he realized he\'d been tricked. With a snarl, he lunged forward, a whirlwind of wind swirling around him. A shimmering blade materialized in his other hand – a short sword, deadly and sharp.
But Azrael was ready. He infused with the strengthening aura that pulsed around him, he met the leader\'s charge head-on. His longsword, imbued with a faint golden glow, deflected the wind-buffeting short sword with a clang of steel.
Astrid, ever the immovable force, materialized on the other side of the leader, her battle hammer a blur of motion. Her Earth magic granted her a solidity that allowed her to stand firm against the leader\'s wind attacks. With a thunderous roar, she slammed her hammer down, aiming for the leader\'s legs.
The leader, agile as a cat, twisted away just in time, the force of the blow sending a tremor through the chamber. He lashed out with his wind magic, creating a miniature cyclone that threatened to engulf Astrid. Azrael reacted instantly, a torrent of fire aimed directly at the vortex, disrupting it and sending the wind dispersing with a hiss.
The fight devolved into a whirlwind of clashing elements. Azrael and Astrid, their movements honed to a deadly dance, kept the leader on the defensive. Azrael used his fire offensively, forcing the leader to expend energy maintaining his wind shield. Astrid, unyielding and relentless, provided a solid counterpoint, her earth magic creating walls and obstacles to disrupt the leader\'s movements.
The leader, initially confident in his skills, grew frustrated. These weren\'t mere students, but formidable opponents working in perfect sync. His initial advantage of surprise had been squandered, replaced by a bitter realization: he had underestimated them and the poison.
" tsk... If only the tomb hadn\'t weakened me. I could crush these two. Also the poison is starting to affect me also looks like the poison resistance I have is useless."
He knew he couldn\'t maintain this defensive dance for long. He needed to create an opening, to exploit a weakness. But Azrael and Astrid moved as one, their attacks coordinated and relentless. His once lightning-fast movements were beginning to falter, exhaustion creeping in.
With a desperate gamble, the leader unleashed a powerful gust of wind, aiming to push them both back. The force slammed into them, sending Astrid stumbling back a step. Azrael, however, stood his ground, the strengthening aura anchoring him like a rock.
Seeing his chance, the leader lunged, aiming a vicious slash with his short sword at Astrid\'s exposed side. This was the opening he\'d been waiting for.
But Azrael wasn\'t done yet. With a surge of will, he channeled his fire magic, not into an attack, but into a blinding light. A searing beam erupted from his outstretched hand, momentarily blinding the leader.
In that split second, Astrid recovered. Grounding herself with Earth magic, she unleashed a devastating uppercut with her hammer. The blow, laden with the raw power of the earth, caught the leader square on the jaw with a sickening crunch.
Tye leader though somewhat experienced and strong couldn\'t Last long against the relentless attack of two blessed even though they were weaker than him.
The fight was over. The leader, his face contorted in pain, crumpled to the floor. Azrael and Astrid, panting but victorious, stood above him, the silence broken only by their ragged breaths and the distant echoes of groaning bandits succumbing to Tyler\'s herbal concoction.
********
Tyler, his brow furrowed in concentration, nocked an arrow on his bow, the fletching glinting under the faint magical glow. He had spent the night meticulously concocting the poison oak concoction, but now his focus was on deadlier precision. His first target, a hulking brute, stood swaying precariously, the poison already clouding his judgment.
With a whisper-quiet release, the arrow found its mark, burying itself deep in the bandit\'s forehead. Another convulsion, a choked gurgle, and the bandit crumpled to the floor, lifeless.
Kim and Enia, not to be outdone, moved like a whirlwind. Kim, her daggers flashing like twin vipers, danced through the disoriented bandits, exploiting their weakened state. Enia, her earth magic thrumming beneath her feet, manipulated the very ground itself, tripping and sending bandits sprawling into unconscious heaps.
Vera, her calm demeanor a stark contrast to the unfolding chaos, became a beacon of support. A wave of her hand produced a rain of water spikes, raining down on those succumbing to the poison\'s stabbing their limbs, allowing Tyler and Kim to finish the job.
But not all the bandits succumbed easily. A particularly burly individual, a seven-star mage, roared in defiance, his eyes blazing with hatred. He unleashed a torrent of wind, sending Kim flying backwards. Before she could regain her footing, another bandit, his face contorted in pain but fueled by desperation, charged at her.
Just as the bandit\'s blade was about to connect, an arrow materialized in its path, the fletching brushing Kim\'s hair. It was Tyler, his bow a blur as he fired a second, then a third arrow. Each one found its mark – one in the head, the others anchoring the bandit to the ground. The fallen warrior collapsed with a groan, the fight draining out of him.
The remaining bandits, in pain and weakened, lost their will to fight. They fell prey to Tyler\'s relentless arrows or were subdued by Kim and Enia\'s combined assault.
It was clear that Azrael\'s group was winning. Until a voice was heard," what is happening here?"