The first to cooperate with the demands of these strange men was the old man. He stepped out of the carriage before being quickly swarmed by the group. One of them grabbed him by his hair before slinging him onto the group. He protested, but that attempt was ultimately short-lived. A sword found itself pointed towards his neck, threatening to cut the remainder of his existence into shreds.

  From what I could tell, there was something odd about this group. Several of the men in his group appeared to be beastkin, but there were also some humans present. The beastkin were ragged in comparison to the already dirty humans. Yet, it was the second-class citizens who did most of the manhandling.

  "Uncle!" the younger teen called out.

  "Carilius! Don't!"

  Unlike his uncle, he leaped out to meet our aggressors, but his vigor didn't last long. He managed to punch one of them before he was quickly blindsided with a fist to his side. He remained standing, but even his attempt fell flat when the humans got involved. They promptly held him on his stomach on the ground.

  "Boss! There doesn't seem to be any cargo. Just people here!" one of the humans shouted out.

  Considering that I didn't know how many people had us surrounded, I decided to play along with their apprehension. Carilius, the fool, had shown everyone present just what would happen if you were to resist them. I had hoped that they would assume that we wouldn't resist.

  Next to exit was the woman and her children, and as I anticipated, no real harm came to them. One of the beastkin escorted them to the others, and finally, it was mine and Claire's time to exit. I already knew where this was going, so I quickly took action and separated the woman and her sword.

  She was so shell-shocked that he just allowed it to transpire, and I quickly pulled her along. I clutched her tightly under my arm for her protection before my presence startled one of our captors.

  "Y-You'd better not try anything! Your physique can be cut just like the others!"

  That threat was weaker than the wind that was currently blowing. Naturally, I opted not to respond. Instead, I led Claire to where the others were being held. The men before us would best be described as an inter-species gang. The majority of the group were beastkin, with about seven members buzzing around the carriage.

  They were also following the instructions of the others. Aiding them in the apprehension of our traveling party were three elves, each slightly more impoverished than their human counterparts. They went out of their way to bind everyone, including the coachman, while we stood on our feet.

  They were looking for anything of value, but to their dismay, they had stopped the wrong group. We weren't merchants, and besides the belongings of the other passengers, there weren't many valuables.

  "Look what I found over here, boss! This is a high-class rapier!" one of the men mentions.

  Being pleased with his findings, one of the men who had climbed from the carriage brought forth Claire's sword. The owner of the sword had been acting rather strangely since the initial explosion. Her lively eyes seemed glazed over, and her face seemed stiff. If you told me that what I was looking at was a statue of Claire rather than the original, then I would believe you. There were slight tremors that triggered a response in her body.

  'This is not good. She's going to need that sword for our quest. I can't just lie down and let them rob us. What is the best course of action…'

  My thoughts raced as I observed the group of petty thugs ransacking the belongings of the other passengers.

  My primary focus was on the individual who held Claire's sword. He ran to the front of the carriage, and I lost sight of him. To say that I was afraid would be incorrect, but I was definitely cautious. There was a resistance around my wrists, and it came from the rope bindings that they were using to contain us.

  Considering that, I am under the impression that I could easily break the bindings if I desired to do so. They didn't seem too resilient or magical in any way. The leading obstacle to that is the number of people who would pounce on me once that happened. I don't know just how powerful the people present are, so it is plausible that I might encounter someone who could delay my victory.

  In my eyes, a delayed victory could be disastrous, as that leaves room for those uninvolved with the scuffle to be heartened. The last thing I need on my conscience is to allow one of these families to get injured. They were going about their business, and my decision managed to ruin their lives.

  There must be a way out of this predicament. A way that the people behind me don't get trampled by accident. I shifted my eyes towards the mentioned people and saw fear shadowing every movement of theirs. The coachman begged and pleaded with them to just let us all go and to spare the woman and her children. None of our captors paid his pleas any mind.

  "Oi! Shut up!"

  A voice, followed by that previous weird laughter, originated from the front of the carriage. The horse bucked and neighed, but the individual finally made his way back. He was a hulking, bear-like man with deep black fur. I would say that he was more beast than man, but then again, he reminded me of the chained individuals from Astana's Golden Market.

  He had a larger-than-life presence, and this thick, putrid smell filled our noses. It would be hard to think that this man ever considers cleaning himself up. Despite his bearish features, he wore a thick set of metal armor and carried a large handle on his back. Each of his steps carried a thick thud.

  Within his shadow was another man. He was much smaller and deer-like. The two must have been one of those Beastmen that were mentioned yesterday. He had two majestic antlers atop his head. Instead of the armor like his companion, the deer Beastman wore a lavish blue suit.

  There was a monocle under his left eye. I don't know why he chose to wear a monocle, considering how ridiculous it looked under his beady eye, but I digress. In his hand was Claire's sword, and he seemed to be examining it as he approached.

  "Schlelelele! All of that beggin' is pointless, boy! Ya ain't got much, so we takin' the carriage as well! That horse would make a mighty fine catch!" the bear-man said.

  His thick fingers rested on his waist, and his eyes peered down at us.

  "This sword is quite a catch as well. I didn't expect such beauty to be with a couple of ruffians. That just means that we have an adventurer here as well," the deer-man says. His voice was low, akin to an actual deer's bellow.

  "An Adventurer?! Schelelele! That means that one of them thinks that they could take us! If so, then I'm afraid I've got some bad news for ya!"

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  The duo managed to stand in front of the ensnared group with the bear's boastful lungs wheezing for air. He loomed over us like a bad omen, and eventually, he started to size me up.

  "Ya ain't nuthin', but a fool if ya think ya can beat me! I'm the Bearer of Bad News, Bernard of the Gold Coin Brigade! We rule this side of Astana! What I say goes!" Bernard leaned toward where we could be face to face, and his sharp claw scraped against the leather armor on my shoulder, "Ya best be on ya best behavior, Hired Help! Step out of line, and we take that pretty friend that ya've been hidin'!"

  Being this close to Bad News Bernard was the equivalent of being close to a wet dog. His threats didn't offend me, but his stench did. It should be evident that I didn't take being threatened lightly, but with Claire in her current state, I was left with few options. This shit would be much easier if one of the other two were here. No. I'll handle this by myself!

  "Oi! She's trying to escape!"

  What? A body bumped into mine, and when I turned around, there was nobody there. The person who suddenly took off was Claire.

  'Is she really about to abandon me now?!'

  That fool! Here, I thought she was serious about her goals, but it appears she's turning tail at the first sign of adversity. Some of the men scattered and began pursuing the woman into the forest. Over time, more and more smoke began filling the air. My blood began to boil at the very thought of being abandoned. This was a blatant betrayal, if ever I saw one… no, wait. One…two…three…four…six.

  'She's not abandoning me! What the hell am I thinking?! She's created an opportunity for me! My priorities were fucked up! Then let's do it!-'

  While Bernard and the others shifted their focus to Claire, I acted almost instantly. By focusing my strength on my wrists, the bindings around them snapped as if they were paper. Something that flimsy was not durable enough to keep me in check, but now they will have to learn that lesson the hard way.

  "Oi! Bernard! Watch-"

  I wasn't merciful enough to grant the deer-man the opportunity to finish his warning to his partner in crime. A warming sensation filled my body as my strength reverberated throughout my body. My fist clenched up, and in that moment, my fist arched through the air to strike Bernard in his side. The metal of his armor cracked, creating a spider-web-like fissure to race from the impact zone.

  "Heh- Best ya got?!" Bernard roared following the punch.

  The Beastman didn't budge a single inch. Not a single flinch arose from the man despite the power I put into it—instead, a smug smile perforated from his lips. I was genuinely surprised to see that he withstood that punch without conceding any ground. Instead, he moved to counterattack. His thick, heavy fist swiftly found itself pressed against my forearms. Yet, like he had done mine, I resisted his strength without conceding a single inch.

  I swiped aside his wrist and delivered two mighty punches to the face of the bear, and he still withstood those with little effort. He merely shook them off before returning to that large, overarching punch that he had done before. This time, I wasn't going to let it scratch me.

  In a display of my agility, I allocated my strength to leap backward out of range of his punch. The ground erupted in rocks as his fist crashed into, creating a fist-shaped hole that he had to pull his fist out of.

  "Oi, Bernard. You alright?" the deer-man says to him, flustered after witnessing our display.

  Bernard didn't offer him an immediate reply. Instead, the man shook his freed hand and then began rolling his neck. His sharp claws scratched the areas on the side of his face that I managed to rock with my attacks.

  "I was wondering why we only found one weapon on the carriage! I see now! Both of em' are with the guild! The sword belongs to the woman! She has a sheath on her side!" Bernard says. A loud grunt could be heard as the man rolled his shoulders and stepped forward.

  He stretched his fingers, and suddenly, his claws pierced through the air towards me. They found nothing, and in return, I fired back with a right hook. I mustered my strength, and the impact blasted his neck like a shotgun. Despite being point-blank and on target, Bernard merely smiled it off.

  "You bastard! Bernard is a member of the Ursa Major clan! A mere human like yourself can't beat him by yourself! I recommend that you give up that pointless resistance of yours. We may still spare you and your female companion as well as the others.-"

  "No-No, Charleston! I've been itching for a good dance, and I think I found myself a partner!" Bernard exclaims immediately.

  The upper lip of the Beastman curled at his proclamation. Looking at him, I found myself wondering what kind of situation I found myself in. With his armor slightly fractured, Bad News Bernard placed his fingernails and traced the fissures on it.

  "Everyone, stay back!" Bernard orders, his hand held out. He was blocking any of his subordinates from stepping forward.

  "We'll take care of this one. Get the girl and bring her back here before she gets back to the city," Charleston instructs before the other men depart towards the forest.

  I wanted to stop them, but before I could move again, Bernard lashed out. His claws arched through the air, threatening to sink into my flesh. Troubled by the prospect, I twisted my torso out of the way, allowing the attack to travel to the ground once more. With his attacks having such a large over-arch due to his large frame, it would be too difficult for the man to land a decisive strike against me.

  The reverse would also be true for me. Punch after punch after punch landed against the sides of Bernard's face, but still, he wasn't staggered by it. Instead, he just tanked each and every one of my punches as if they came from a child. He had that same, devious smirk on his face the whole time. Despite being 100% percent accurate when it came to landing my vicious strikes, I remain in the same situation as I was at the start of our encounter.

  'How the hell am I going to best this guy?'

  Once more, I extended my arm, catching the side of his head with a vicious strike. This time, the outcome was different. I mustered more of my strength and caught Bernard square in the chin. His head snapped back, causing him to stagger backward. His footsteps trudged across the ground as the man aimed to recuperate from the shock of the attack.

  I was not so merciful as to allow such an opportunity to go uncontested. Stepping forward, I crossed the short distance between us and moved to press my advantage.

  "Aight, bastard. Think you're tough? Try this shit on for size!" I yelled, leaning forward to deliver another punch. This one would no doubt be necessary to crack the skull of this fool.

  Having my words uttered into existence, the air whipped up around us, and in that instant, the battle was decided.

  "Schelelele! Not bad, but not good enough either!"

  The ground around us shattered, disrupting the accuracy of my punch. With the uneven playing field, I managed to miss the mark with my punch. I tumbled forward, and upon attempting to regain my balance, a boot found itself buried into my side. The world blurred until, ultimately, everything came to a screeching halt!

  There was a snap, and with it came leaves, branches, and splinters that littered my vision. Out of instinct, my hand found itself clenching my side. At that moment, my lungs felt starved, and they were not shy about venting out their desire.

  That wasn't a bad counter. In fact, I might actually be a little impressed. Compared to that bald fucker under Percival's command, Bernard was far stronger. Just his kick to my side was enough to deprive my lungs of oxygen. Not only that, but he managed to hit me almost as far as I had hit Dante at the banquet.

  "Normally, a human would be out for the count, but you ain't no normal human! Good! Splendid! Perhaps, I'll go all out for ya!" Bernard declares, followed by his weird laughter.

  "I recommend that you wrap this up quickly, Bernard. If the woman is half as resilient as this man, then you would need to beat her as well. That is before she-"

  Fwip!

  This was not a time to stand around and dilly-dally. While those two shifted their attention for a split second, I struck like a cobra. It must have been fate that I was pushed back and landed towards my favorite projectile. Nature itself had prepared a cluster of rocks, and the first one was launched directly towards the Deer Beastman. The air whipped up in a righteous fury and then…

  'What…no way…'

  With his heavy palms, Bernard reached out and, in doing so, caught the small pebble much like a professional baseball player. Without delay, he returned it right back to home base for an easy out. The rock split the airwaves, barreling towards me like a missile. My eyes widened, but there was not much that I could do.

  The rock whiffed by, shredding the fabric on my shoulder and staining my flesh. Pain rippled from the epicenter, racing to my brain and alerting me of the damage done.

  There was nothing but the crashes of dislodged trees falling to the ground as the rock barreled behind me. Without even turning around, I knew Bernard had rolled a perfect strike. At that moment, within this situation, there was only a single question pinging around my skull.

  'Ah shit. What to do next?'