White Ravens: Advent of War

The Bandit's Pass

At the break of dawn, the squad rode for Mirea. Along the way, Rune was still yawning, while everyone was focused on the road ahead.

Leading the pack was Sigil. Riding on a dark horse heightened his commanding presence. 'He really does look like a captain now,' Rune thought to himself. 'Perhaps I should emulate his self-discipline—nope! I'm good as is.'

Rune directed his steed towards Sigil. "What's up, cap? Did you sleep well last night?"

Sigil just glanced at him, and didn't even dignify his question with a response. "Bah! You're at your worst during mornings," Rune remarked.

Since the captain ignored him, he decided to gab with his other colleagues. The first one to humor his question was Tatiana. "I actually didn't get to sleep that much. I was too excited, since this is our first official mission as rune knights. Who knew we'd be working a day after our investiture?" she stated.

After hearing Tatiana speak, Yelena decided to chime in. "I slept right after I got home. It's imperative that I'm mentally and physically prepared for the battle. It would be terrible if I were to fall asleep while we're in the fray." She then looked at Rune and noticed the bags under his eyes. "You look like you haven't slept at all. How do you have so much energy to waste on talking?"

Rune clicked his tongue, and turned his head away. "I was up all night training. We've been trained to fight beasts and monsters in real combat, but we've never been prepared to engage in war. All of us in this squad could be considered as novices. They can call us heroes, brave knights, or whatever the f**k they want, but they're asking us to kill people, and none of us are prepared to do that..." For a moment, Rune trailed off as he gazed into the distance. "At least not yet," he added.

"I am," said Gust.

The way he said it so casually made everyone look at him. Even Sigil was surprised to hear that from him. "What's everyone looking at me like that for?" Gust asked, smiling nonchalantly. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. Anyway..."

Gust directed his horse next to Sigil's. "I'd like to fill you in on the details of this mission, Captain."

"Please," replied Sigil, "spare no detail."

"As you all know already, we've been assigned as reinforcements for the soldiers of Mirea. But that's not where our mission ends." The way Gust said that last sentence made it seem foreboding of something ominous.

Zeke felt tense. It seemed he already knew what Gust meant.

"It will take us a few more hours before we could get to Mirea. Given the situation, we're not sure if Mirea will remain at the queendom's hand by the time we arrive. If that's the case, we'll be tasked to spy on the enemy's forces and pinpoint the location of their campsite," Gust continued. "Yelena and I will do the recon, while the rest of you will search for survivors and safely escort them back to the nearest town."

"Okay, but what happens if the town stands?" asked Rune.

"We push the enemy forces back," said Sigil. "Our top priority is to ensure minimum casualties. As rune knights, it is our duty to get there as soon as possible. Zeke! You've been to this town, haven't you? What's the shortest route to Mirea?"

Zeke cleared his throat, and then he pointed at the distant valley to the east. "If we take the Bandit's Pass, we'll be able to cut our travel time by half. But I wouldn't advice going through there. The pass lives up to its name."

Tatiana pounded her fists together. "f**k the bandits! We'll get rid of them, too!"

Upon hearing that remark, Gust chuckled. "Sounds fun! Let's do that!"

"No," said Rune. "That will only delay our journey further. We need to get across the pass without being noticed. Otherwise, we might have to make some tough calls along the way."

"I'm surprised you're taking this seriously," Yelena commented. "Normally, you'd enjoy a good brawl."

"The keyword is normally, Yelena," replied Rune. "We're not here on a mission from the academy. Lives are at stake, and I damn well won't let a single man die before my eyes!"

To his surprise, Gust was looking at him intensely. "What are you looking at, boy?" asked Rune.

"I developed a newfound respect for you, but you just lost it," Gust responded, along with a sarcastic laugh.

"That's enough gabbing, squad," Sigil said commandingly. "Let's pick up the pace!"

A few minutes later, the squad arrived at the Bandit's Pass. Trees, bushes, and other greeneries as far as the eye could see were scattered across the valley. If it weren't for the valley's reputation, this would've been a great place to have a picnic.

The sound of chirping birds, rustling leaves, and the running river rang in their ears. All those tranquil sounds eased the tension they were all feeling. And the warmth of the sunlight, piercing through the canopy's veil energized their weary bodies.

Suddenly, Sigil raised his hand, halting his horse and the rest of the squad. He cast Gust a glance, and Gust nodded at once.

Gust dismounted his horse, and started sweeping his eyes across their surroundings. He could tell that someone was watching them. Upon hearing the sound of a rustling bush, he threw a knife at its location, hitting a man's leg. "Captain, we're surrounded," said Gust.

"We can all see that!" Rune remarked. "On your guard everyone! I don't think they're willing to listen to reason!"

Everyone dismounted their horses, taking out their weapons. Tatiana remained on horseback, holding her halberd steady. She had trained herself to fight on horseback to heighten her effectiveness in battle. Within a matter of seconds, she led the charge, directing her horse forward while swinging her halberd and successfully incapacitating three men.

Following her into battle, Yelena and Gust bolted forward, throwing knives in succession with pinpoint accuracy. Rune and Zeke were fending off more than ten men by themselves. Zeke skillfully swung his greatsword in swift, continuous motions. With every flick of his wrist, he parried attacks from enemies while launching counterattacks in one fell swoop. Within the blink of an eye, the agonizing scream of bandits filled the forest. Zeke had taken down five men on his own.

Rune, on the other hand, took a deep breath while forming his signature battle stance; sword pointing forward at shoulder level. Three bandits attacked him at the same time. He parried an axe from the left, spun while slashing the first bandit's waist. He lunged forward, disarming his second foe, and punching the bastard's sternum. While said bandit was vomiting blood, Rune hit the back of his head with the pommel of his sword. Three foes remain before him, uncertain if they will continue fighting.

"He's... merciless. I'm out of here!" one of them exclaimed while dropping his weapon and running away. But before he could make an escape, the bandit leader blocked his path. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Boss, we can't fight them. T-they're too stro—" Before the cowardly bandit could finish his sentence, the bandit leader lopped off his head. "Anyone who tries to escape, will meet the same fate as this coward!"

Upon hearing that declaration, the other bandits got riled up. They would rather take their chances fighting the knights than to go against their boss.

Rune glanced at Sigil and nodded. Sigil took that as a sign that Rune was leaving the bandit boss to him. Eager to clear a path for their captain, Zeke roared. The sound of his battle cry was so harrowing that it sent shivers down everyone's spine.

Shaken by fear, the bandits backed away from Zeke, but it seemed that his personality had completely changed. He rushed towards his enemies, cutting down anyone that were barring his path and Sigil's. Surprisingly, Sigil wasn't startled by the change in Zeke's behavior. On the contrary, he used it as an opportunity to reach the bandit boss.

'This is why I'm wary of Zeke,' Rune thought to himself. 'He might go out of control, it's best that we end this fast.'

With that in mind, Rune gathered his mana, slowly building it around his body. The air around him suddenly rose in temperature, and he was soon cloaked in fire. It didn't take long for Yelena, Tatiana, and Gust to notice that Rune was about to make a big move, so they kept their distance from him.

All of a sudden, the cloak of flames engulfing Rune gathered at the edge of his sword as he performed a somersault. Seconds later, he landed amidst the remaining enemies sword-first. The edge of his sword pierced the solid ground, and the impact knocked his adversaries away.

"f**k this! I'm outta here!" said one bandit. Soon, others followed his example and bolted out of there. Perhaps they thought that remaining there would cost them their lives; it was only a matter of who would kill them; their boss or the knights?

At this time, Sigil was a few feet away from the bandit boss. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, but the enemy managed to parry his attack with a blade and backed away immediately. It seemed that the bandit boss was eager to keep his distance from Sigil.

"I assure you, I'm not like those rubble you fought off." The bandit boss wiped the sweat from his temples, and combed his long hair back, revealing a horizontal scar on his forehead. "Heh, my work here is done! I will not waste another second playing with brats!"

Before anyone could react, the bandit boss threw a smoke grenade in the form of a ball to the ground. Within the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

"Damn it!" Rune exclaimed. "We almost had him."

"Peace, Rune. He wasn't our goal," said Sigil. "But that last thing he said... it was strange."

Gust came to Sigil's side. "Captain, I recognize that man." The tone of his voice sounded portentous. "He's an ex-rune knight."