I reincarnated in game

13 Beset on all Sides

While they were walking along the road, Hugh took in the scenery; mentally, he compared what he was seeing to the sights he saw on the quests he had undertaken on Fourth Level Land while playing Ether Sword.  He was quite comfortable in his surroundings because of the familiarity, but everything seemed much more vivid in this life.

“Have you ever been to the Abyss of the Demon?” Hugh asked Judi.

“I was pretty close once but didn’t feel comfortable because of the bad energy.  Most people tend to stay away from that place.  Why do you ask?

“When I was falling from the third level, I could see a black void that seemed to stretch for miles; the edge had a vile purple glow; wicked cracks and crevasses showed all along the surface.  It seemed very foreboding.”

“It was a good thing that you didn’t fall into the abyss; you would never have survived!” Judy exclaimed.

“Yea, I know.  Guess I am just lucky!”  Hugh said.  Then, switching topics, he asked, “Have you ever been to Riah before?”

“Yes.  I’ve been there a few times.  Nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”

“Why?” Hugh was curious.

“Well, you may not know it, but before I met you, I didn’t have a whole lot to do with people.  I preferred to keep to myself.  The townspeople in Riah were too friendly for my taste; always wanting to know my business, so I never stayed very long.”

Hugh and Judi continued their easy banter, enjoying the sunshine, as they travelled along.  All of a sudden, they were beset upon by eight bandits, dressed all in black; five blocked their way at the front; three were positioned behind them, cutting off their retreat. 

The two friends looked at each other; Judi moved in front of Hugh; Hugh faced behind, his back to Judi.  Hugh pulled out his short sword; Judi pulled out her knife. 

Judi advanced on the bandit closest to her, slashing through his jugular and across his neck; the bandit fell, clutching at his throat; blood gushing through his fingers.

Hugh sidestepped, deftly, avoiding the downward slashing blade of the bandit on his right; he parried with a strike that went straight to the heart of the would-be attacker.

Judi turned and charged the bandit to her left; her momentum knocked them both to the ground.  As they fell, Judi stabbed the brigand in his eye, mortally wounding him.  With the agility of a cat, she quickly regained her footing and faced the three remaining attackers.  The closest one to her, rushed forward with his sword drawn.  Judi blocked his attack with her sturdy knife; her knee connected with his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, causing him to double over.  Judi then stabbed him through the back of the neck; gurgling could be heard as his lungs filled with blood.      

The eight bandits were now reduced to four; two facing each defender.

The assailant to Hugh’s left, advanced for an attack; Hugh retreated a few strategic steps.  The result was that Hugh was now facing both the advancing bandit and the second combatant, immediately behind.  Two quick slashes by the foremost hoodlum were blocked; Hugh countered with a quick, upward stab under the chin; the point of his blade protruded through the top of the villain’s head.  The dead man’s body fell into Hugh, creating an awkward angle which prohibited him from withdrawing his sword from the opponent’s head.  The remaining attacker facing him saw Hugh’s predicament and moved in for the kill.  “Judi … Help!”

Judi took in the gravity of the situation in immediately.  Seeing there was no other option, she sheathed her knife.  Her eyes glowed green; her hood fell; she grabbed her bow and drew two arrows from the quiver.  Both arrows were notched to the string; both flew with deadly accuracy; both hit their targets simultaneously; both men fell, a greenish glow emanating from the arrows protruding from their foreheads.

“Hugh … duck!”  Judi said, spinning around towards Hugh.

An arrow flew over his shoulder and embedded itself squarely in the head of the only remaining bandit.

Hugh spun quickly; Judi stood before him, breathing deeply from the fray, eyes glowing green, elfin ears exposed.       

Hugh was speechless.  In all the time that he had spent with Judi over the last few weeks, never did he imagine she was an elf!

Judi returned her bow to its place under her cloak and replaced her hood. 

Hugh continued to stare.

Judi retrieved her arrows and, starting with the last man killed, began a systematic search of the bodies, looking for clues to their identity and where they could be based.  Hugh followed her movements with his eyes.

“I think these guys are local … they don’t have a lot of road dust on their clothes, so they haven’t travelled far.  Their clothes aren’t sweaty, so they haven’t been exposed to the elements for any length of time.  They all have a tattoo of an upside-down man, hanged by the foot, within a spiked crown, on their forearms; this shows they are all part of an organized gang … their lair has to be close.”

“You’re an elf?” Hugh said, ignoring Judi’s careful analysis of the bandits.

Judi looked at him, rolling her eyes.  “Let’s deal with these guys first … we can talk later,” she said, and then continued, “I have heard tales about an organized gang in this area who have been doing a lot of evil deeds … looting, robbing, burning and even k********g for ransom.  We need to track them back to their lair.”

“How are you going to do that?” Hugh questioned.

“Well, I have been told that I am a good hunter; I will just treat these guys like beasts and track them like the animals they are.”  With that, Judi examined the ground and saw where they had laid in wait by the side of the road.  The tracks led back towards the trees. 

Judi led; Hugh followed.  In a moment of introspection; he saw that he was now at Level Three and realized he must have levelled up, earning another attribute point, sometime after the fight; he had been too pre-occupied keeping alive to notice.

Using her honed hunting skills, Judi was able to follow the trail of the cutthroats through the woods and along a stream.  The two of them came to a halt when they spied a dilapidated building, partially hidden in a clump of trees just ahead.

“There is probably a couple more of that gang in there.  We need to approach with caution, and take them out quickly if they are, in fact, inside,” Judi whispered.  “They could possibly have hostages.”

They approached stealthily and entered the building from the rear.