Chapter 15 - Erfdag Bandits

A massive sinkhole suddenly opened up beneath the bandit den, swallowing everything below. Those who fell into the sinkhole were crushed or suffocated by the collapsing earth. The Human realm martialists had no chance of resisting the pull of the mud and met their end without a fight. The Novice realm martialists managed to resist for a few seconds, but many were quickly consumed by the ground or barely managed to escape to solid ground.

When the dust settled, only about twenty bandits remained. Andric was pleased with the results of his sinkhole attack. He had spent a good chunk of time digging out the dirt beneath the bandit den, and now he had a sizable crater to search through later for any valuable loot that might have been swept in.

Among the survivors was Veremund, who had made a daring leap of over fifty feet, landing on a sturdy tree branch. Several other bandits managed similar jumps, though not as high or as gracefully. The remaining bandits, confused and panicked, backed away from the sinkhole, scanning their surroundings for any clues about what had just happened.

Andric watched from his hidden vantage point, a smirk playing on his lips. The sinkhole had caused chaos without directly revealing his presence. If he had used long-range magic attacks, the bandits would have known immediately that they were under attack. But a sinkhole was something they would never expect to be caused by a person.

“What is this? Outrageous!” Veremund bellowed as he surveyed the destruction that had overtaken his den. His anger was palpable, almost tangible. Andric could almost feel the intensity of Veremund's rage from where he hid.

‘Is this what killing intent feels like?’ Andric wondered, trying to keep his composure. If he were a regular Human realm martialist, Veremund’s sheer presence would have made him tremble.

“Lord Veremund, we should check the mine,” the old man with Veremund suggested, his face showing anxiety as he pointed towards a dimly lit tunnel leading underground.

“Right, I’ll check it. You look for survivors in the hole,” Veremund ordered before leaping into the cave.

Andric hadn’t noticed the cave when he had been observing the campsite. It was outside the sinkhole’s radius. As Veremund disappeared into the cave, the remaining bandits began to sift through the debris, trying to find any survivors. Most were either crushed or couldn’t hold their breath long enough to be rescued.

With the leader gone, Andric saw a perfect chance to finish off the remaining bandits. He could eliminate them before Veremund returned, which would leave him free to face the bandit leader alone. However, he didn’t know exactly when Veremund would come back, so he had to act fast.

He revealed himself from his hiding spot and took to the air. While flying, he was visible from a distance, but he didn’t intend to stay aloft for long. Andric cast several spells to make the trees around the campsite grow uncontrollably. Within moments, they formed a massive, one-hundred-foot-tall wall of branches, trapping the bandits inside.

“What’s happening?” a bandit shouted, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the tree barrier. The bandits turned their attention from the sinkhole to the encroaching wall of branches.

Andric wasted no time. He cast spells that transformed the air inside the campsite into toxic gas. Novice realm martialists were particularly vulnerable to such poisons. Within seconds, the remaining bandits began to drop dead from the poisonous air.

Once the bandits were dealt with, Andric landed near the mine entrance and prepared for Veremund’s return. He had observed that Veremund could jump up to fifty feet, so Andric calculated that he wouldn’t be able to escape the tree barrier without taking a significant risk. This meant Andric had the upper hand while Veremund was still at the base of the den.

The Human and Novice realm bandits were easy targets. The Humans were as vulnerable as any ordinary person, while the Novice realm martialists, though tougher, were no match for Andric’s poison. The tree barrier kept the poison from dispersing, ensuring it thoroughly permeated the campsite and even the mine.

Minutes later, Veremund emerged from the mine, still exuding a palpable killing intent. As soon as he appeared, Andric launched a spell aimed at his head, designed to explode upon impact and shatter Veremund’s skull. However, just as the spell was about to hit, Veremund anticipated the attack and leapt out of the way.

In a swift motion, Veremund drew his sword and threw it at the spell. The sword intercepted the spell, causing it to explode harmlessly. Veremund’s head snapped toward Andric’s position, and he immediately recognized him as a threat. With a powerful jump, Veremund propelled himself seventy feet into the air, closing in on Andric.

Andric quickly responded by casting several Explosion spells at the trees near Veremund’s landing zone. His spells, faster than Veremund’s jump, destroyed the branches and left Veremund with only the option to fall.

Realizing he wouldn’t reach Andric in time, Veremund extended his fist and unleashed a bolt of lightning. The lightning bolt came too quickly for Andric to dodge completely, but it missed its mark and struck a nearby tree, causing a shower of wood fragments and a jolt of electricity that knocked Andric off balance.

“Ah!” Andric yelped, feeling an intense pain. He closed one eye and focused on Veremund with his remaining vision. Despite the shock, he managed to stabilize himself and move to another tree branch. Veremund, now on the ground, retrieved his sword and prepared for the next phase of the fight.

Andric launched more spells, targeting Veremund, but the bandit leader skillfully evaded them. Veremund punched the base of a tree, causing it to topple with a loud crash. Andric, now on a different tree, tried to stay out of range while casting spells. Veremund’s agility was impressive, and he used his sword as a distraction, taking advantage of Andric’s momentary lapse in focus.

The battle continued in a fierce stalemate. Veremund employed his second martial technique, performing a series of unusual steps before stomping the ground. The resulting eruption of dirt and rocks forced Andric to fly higher to avoid being buried.

In the chaos of the mud and debris, Veremund used the distraction to close the gap between them. Andric, now maneuvering in the air, tried to keep his distance while casting spells. Veremund, using his Thunder Fist technique, fired bolts of lightning, narrowly missing Andric.

Andric responded by creating a cloud of black gas to obscure Veremund’s vision. As the gas dispersed, he quickly recast his flight spell and launched two Flesh Eruption spells toward Veremund. The complex trajectory of the spells was calculated to hit Veremund as he fell.

As Andric fell twenty feet, he recast his flight spell and steadied himself. He watched as the two spells hit their target, causing Veremund to explode into bits.