Chapter 14: Bandit Den

Andric zipped through the forest until he spotted light up ahead. He quickly landed, casting an invisibility spell to keep himself hidden. He took a few minutes to survey the area, noting more details about the light’s source.

The illumination came from several small fires scattered around a wide area. Some were on the ground, others were in the trees. Andric also noticed people moving through the branches—around fifty bandits patrolling the outer edge of their camp.

The camp wasn’t really a fortress but more of a campsite. There were no sturdy walls or mounted weapons, and the dense trees made it hard for a wagon to get through. If someone attacked, cavalry would have a tough time getting in.

The bandits had set up a complex network of branches for quick movement, giving them an advantage over anyone not familiar with the area. Andric frowned as he thought about his attack options. He could use powerful magic, but he wasn’t sure if any bandits had martialists strong enough to withstand his spells. If there were, he’d need to take them out quickly before they had a chance to react.

Using overly destructive spells was risky because he didn’t want to damage or destroy any loot the bandits might be carrying. In his last attack, non-metal items were disintegrated, and the swords got twisted beyond use.

After pondering his options, Andric decided on using poison. Poison had a long history of taking down even the strongest foes, and it was a good way to avoid direct confrontation. His only challenge was figuring out how to distribute it effectively.

The first idea was to poison the air. Andric knew several colorless, odorless airborne poisons that could incapacitate people in seconds. However, he wasn’t sure how these poisons would affect martialists, and if any were inside buildings, they wouldn’t be exposed.

The next option was to poison their water. He knew Novice realm martialists still needed to drink, but he wasn’t sure about higher realms. If they didn’t drink water, the poison wouldn’t reach them. He did have strong waterborne poisons, but they needed to be ingested to be effective.

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After some more thought, Andric decided to use a different approach. He would create a heavy rainstorm to inconvenience them and cover his tracks.

A few hours later, a relentless rainstorm started, extinguishing many of the campfires and making life difficult for the bandits. The ones in the trees were hit the hardest, while those inside tents and buildings were only mildly inconvenienced.

By morning, the storm showed no signs of stopping. A few bandits asked about the rain, but no one had a good answer. The rain stopped about five hundred feet from the campsite, but the bandits had no way of knowing that.

That evening, before the sun set, a group of ten bandits left the campsite, dressed in thick cloaks and carrying crossbows. Andric saw them leave and grinned, knowing this was his chance.

He followed them for a bit, then cast ten spells that turned into massive icicles. These icicles shot forward with incredible speed, instantly killing each bandit with a headshot. In an instant, ten bandits were down.

Andric checked their gear but found nothing of interest except some coins and jewelry. He was puzzled why they carried jewelry when they were supposed to be robbing others. He didn’t dwell on it.

The loot from this group increased Andric’s total to nearly one hundred silver coins, and he had enough copper coins to make up the rest of his funds. He had a total of one gold coin now.

He reinforced the rain spell over the campsite and resumed his watch. He was prepared for a long wait but knew the frequency of bandits leaving would increase. Eventually, more bandits would leave to resume their activities, or their leader might emerge.

Throughout the night, several groups of bandits went out. Some groups were small, others were large. By midnight, Andric had killed nearly eighty bandits, all with his icicles, and disposed of their bodies not far from the camp.

By morning, the camp was abuzz with nervous chatter. No groups had returned, and the bandits inside were starting to panic. Andric, still hidden, knew the time was right for his final move.

As dusk fell, the camp was in chaos. The missing groups were presumed dead, causing unrest among the bandits. An elderly man, likely a leader, emerged from a building and took to the roof, displaying his martial prowess. The camp fell silent as he spoke, rallying the bandits with a fiery speech.

As the old man spoke, a younger man, Veremund, appeared at the building’s entrance. The bandits began chanting his name. Andric watched carefully from his hidden spot, noting the features of the new figurehead.

To prepare for the final assault, Andric cast a spell to create a massive underground explosion. The spell traveled through the dirt and detonated beneath the campsite, creating a giant crater. Buildings and tents were sucked into the pit, and only a few skilled martialists managed to escape. Hundreds of bandits fell into the muddy hole, trapped and unable to climb out.