Land: The Chronicles

Chapter 13: The Situation is precarious

"Thank God nothing bad happened along the way". Alean shone Ego and Me.

"Honestly, I kind of wish that bad things would happen, right later ...." The ego grinned while rubbing its index finger with its thumb. Money, what else.

Alean's forehead immediately sweated. "Haha ... Our sense of humor seems a little different". Dark is also this Ego. But the contents of my head and Ego don't seem to be much different.

"Are you still one-way with us? Maybe I can make a new contract with you guys until we get to the destination city". Alean offers a contract extension, although Ego's words are enough to make him fall asleep, but he seems to think that Ego can be trusted. Perhaps it was because he could realize something that only the captain of the bodyguards could realize.

Ego shaking. "To be honest your offer is very tempting, but there's still something that Arion and I need to finish". Why did he bring my name?

Alean smiled even though he looked a little disappointed. "Alright, that means we're separated here". His word.

The captain of the guard got off his horse and approached us. "It's a pity that there's a lot I want to talk to Mr. Ego about". He shines Ego, Ego smiles and welcomes his outstretched hands, but they are silent and stare at each other for a few moments. Then Ego smiled and let go of his hand.

The captain of the guard sighed. "All right, have a nice trip". Finally we parted ways, Alean thanked him for the last time before he got onto the staff train.

After which, Alean and his entourage resumed their journey, the porters and a few bodyguards nodding at us as farewells.

Alean's caravan looked further away from our sight, Ego then climbed on his horse, I also climbed on my horse.

"There's still something to take care of, you're coming with me, right?" The Ego horse walked back towards the forest, of course I came, indeed if there was no him I would do what?

I followed the Ego back into the forest. "What business is it?" I don't know what he's up to, but my intuition tells me it has something to do with those bandits.

"The fucking bandits were obviously lying, you know that, right?" Obviously I know. "It would be foolish if anyone believed". I said, Ego smiles.

"It's too futile that Alean's money is used by the bandits, so we'll ask them for it". Evidently.

"Where may be loved". My legow

"Yes, just take it forcibly".

"...."

I stopped my horse, my intuition was absolutely right, this guy ... Looks like the screws on his head are already starting to sag. Ego just laughs at my reaction.

"And you can practice the science of fighting". Say lightly.

"That's right, even I don't know how to use this Machete right yet". My complaint. "This is why I study". His ideal.

"You know? Some people say, 'if you fight someone once and kill them, then you will be stronger than you were before, and will continue to grow stronger as lives are lost because of your strength' ". Which guy said that?

"It makes sense". My solute. "If killing people only gets stronger, maybe serial killers will become the most powerful people in the world. It continues to mean that the rulers of the country like to kill people dong".

"You missed the most important point, the guy said 'fight against someone and kill him' wasn't killing crap. Then what is meant by getting stronger is not physical strength, let alone deep strength. But mental strength". Ego pointed at my chest.

"Many people have gone through physical training, learned fighting theory, know how to deal with opponents. But instead die when fighting people who are weaker than him by force". Ego speech at length.

"Do you know why?" I'm shaking.

"Because they're scared". Ego looks at me seriously. "When fighting using real weapons instead of replica weapons, they realized that once the weapon hit them, it was over. Because they are aware of it and fear begins to overwhelm them, they cannot act as they should. When they saw the opponent's attack, they thought 'Ah, what should I do? Am I going to stop it? Or Avoiding? Or launch a counterattack? I have to how?' before they finished thinking, their heads were already floating".

I swallowed spit.

"Sometimes they know what they have to do, but their bodies can't react like what's on their minds". The ego approached me and with just one blink of an eye, its Scimitar blade was already stuck on my neck shaft.

Ego looks at me petrified, then back sheathed his scimitar. "The bottom line, fear makes you slow, slow will make your opponent find a gap. When the gap is wide open, koek!" The ego scratches its index finger to the neck.

"The most powerful way to overcome it is to fight without much thought, instill one thing in you. 'I have to kill before I get killed', okay?" He poked my head.

He again spurred his horse to walk into the forest deeper, I followed him with many thoughts in my mind. What Ego said just now was quite reasonable, I never really thought that when fighting, then one would die, and that could be me.

...****************...

Meanwhile, Alean trade group.

"What do you think, Yugo?" Alean who was inside the staff carriage asked from behind the curtain to the captain of the bodyguard who was apparently named Yugo.

Yugo fell silent for a moment. "The man named Ego ... He's dangerous, when I shake hands with him, I think he's at my level or lower because of his young age. But after I drained my energy, I immediately felt a tremendous energy crushing my body."

Alean and the other staff listening to it gulped. "That moment only happened a fraction of a second, if only it continued for five ... No, just two seconds of feeling that energy might be making me unconscious". Further.

"Is that strong?" One of the staff mused, Yugo is the strongest person their trading company has, his strength is said to be on par with high-ranking military officers.

He was a former mercenary who was recruited by the company to escort the company's leader, but this time the trade expedition included the daughter of the trading company's leader, who was a former mercenary, he assigns Yugo and several elite guards to escort the expedition.

"You think, among the top military or high-ranking mercenaries you know. A man named Ego is as strong as who?" One of the staff asked a question, Yugo was silent for a moment, he dug into the memory of the entire fight he had experienced.

"Veteran mercenaries, former forty-nine ranked world, or rank three Orthras. Fergus Edain's". Everyone gasped to hear the name called.

Fergus Edain was a mercenary who chose early retirement in his thirties, even though he was predicted to be number one in Orthras. But it was later revealed the reason he retired was because he had a deadly disease that could not be cured. Fergus Edain finally left at the age of forty.

"He's that strong?" Alean gaped in disbelief, as did the entire staff. But Yugo shook his head, "I fought against Fergus once when he was at a lower rank. Although in the end I lost, but I was able to fight back and even give him a wound. This guy called Ego, from what I feel, he's many times stronger than Fergus".

The staff looked at each other, what did they hear from Yugo made no sense at all, but why did Yugo lie?

What stuck a little in Alean's mind was the person with such quality received for a fee of 10 gold plates? Although it was only a contract to become a temporary bodyguard, but higher ranked mercenaries usually requested sky-high pay. Also, even though he was that strong but no one had ever heard of his name.

There are times when a mercenary uses a pseudonym, but they never change their name in the middle of their career, because their reputation as a mercenary will be recorded along with the name they use. In the past, the person who had reached a high rank in the mercenary ranks changed his name and repeated his career from the beginning?

"Who are you!? Identify yourself right now!" Suddenly there is a voice of Yugo screaming at someone.

The staff immediately opened the curtains, checking what was happening. In front of their caravan, stood at least fifteen people in bandit clothes, each of them riding a horse with unsheathed weapons.

The bandits were led by someone whose face was full of black streaks, forming a certain pattern. The man was seen grinning at the caravan with a sword in both hands.

"Yeah, if I have to say. We're the people who happened to cross paths with you in the woods a few hours ago". Said the man leading the mob.

"What do you want!? Didn't we give you what you asked for!?" Alean shouted out in protest.

The leader of the mob scratched his ear. "Mmmm ... Maybe because ...." He pretended to think, then returned to grinning. "The money less times?" The entire bandit laughed out loud.

Yugo and all the other bodyguards are ready to fight, this bandit is completely non-negotiated. "You're their leader, right?" Yugo asked the leader of the horde while brandishing his sword.

The bandit laughed. "Grandfather, isn't it obvious? I am in the front position".

"I mean. You're the real leader, right? That Buraka bandit was just your puppet, wasn't it?"

Instantly the look on the bandit's face changed, then he giggled. "Kheehehe ... Apparently there's someone who's quite troublesome here. Finish them".

Soon there is a clash between the bodyguards and the bandits, their numbers are slightly out of balance, but Yugo quickly takes out two kerocos and immediately duels with the bandit leader.

Their swords clashed, Yugo was a little overwhelmed because the bandit was a two-sword user. "Heeee~ People like you why join a small group like them?" The bandit chatted in the middle of the fight.

"What else? Of course because the pay is big". The bandit laughed at Yugo's reply.

Yugo dodged the bandit's double slash and immediately gave a powerful counterattack, making the bandit slightly retreat to keep his distance. But Yugo did not give the bandit a chance to breathe, he immediately lunged and sent out an extremely powerful side slash, the bandit trying to deflect the direction of the attack with one of his swords, which he did, but because Yugo's slash was too powerful, the bandit remained wounded in the end. He again makes distance from Yugo who looks a little shaky, blood pouring from his thighs.

"Heheheh ... You're a really troublesome opponent". The bandit bared the blood on one of his swords at Yugo, as he took a step back, he also slashed his sword at Yugo's unprotected thigh.

"Don't daydream. Once your focus is diverted, your head will come off". Threaten the bandits. Yugo grinned at hearing that. "I just wanted to say that".