Chương 18: Nova’s Resolution.

My chest felt heavy, his words cut deeper than any blade. He showed the twig figures in his hands, a symbol of him still remembering his wife and daughter. I looked at Oren sitting on his knees near dead fire. He was not looking at me, he was looking at those twig figures, his tears dropped on it. It was important to him, even though it was dusty and rough from the edges. Like he was holding on to his memories of time spent with them. Like a photograph of your loved ones.

It reminded me of my parents when I lost them. When they died I felt all alone, like they had been taken from me. Then my crew… Iris. The pain of separation, the pain of losing someone. That pain I knew it, very well. Ten years, three years after that and he was still living that life, still carrying all of it without any questions, without blaming it on someone. Nobody should go through that. He has suffered enough. These people…. They have suffered enough. They don't deserve this.

I know I am not some kind of superhero, and I know this is dangerous. But… My fingers balled into fists and knuckles cracked. I will save him. SAVE THEM!

"Oren" I called his name, and he looked up.

"How many people are serving this Drago person?"

"There are many of us…" I crouched down near him, my one hand still on his shoulder and I looked at him straight in his eyes.

"Oren, you need to tell me precisely, how many."

"You are actually going to help?" his voice came out slowly.

"Yes. I am, so tell me everything." He straightened slightly, his posture shifted. A spark, the same kind when someone is excited to tell you something that they have been holding it in for a while.

"There are sixty two of us." He paused.

"Sixty one now." Drago just killed one of them. I knew that trail of blood which I saw earlier, I wasn't sure before but I am now. That these bandits are killers.

"And his men, how many in total?" He paused and started thinking for a second.

"Over hundred." OVER HUNDRED! I did not let that show on my face. The sheer number was enough to send a shiver down my spine. I had to think of something. I knew there was no way that I would've fought these many men all at once, even if I had the Log with me. If I am careless even for a second I could die.

"Do you know anything, how Drago operates his men?"

"Yes, I know very well. I've been with Drago for over ten years. I know how his men work."

"Good, You'll tell me everything then." He nodded. He told me everything, Ten years of his invisible observation that came out of his mouth, every precise detail, where they were located — which men were lazy, which guards patrol and how many of them at a time. Which path was less guarded. Every tiny detail. I listened to all of it, I was amazed how precisely he had observed everything. All those years he spent serving under Drago, he must have learned all those to escape at some point.

That detail allowed me to think of a plan.

"How close are his men to the city?" I asked.

"Close enough, Drago and his men won't let anyone escape the city." Oren said.

"He had positioned them to cut off every direction. So if anyone tries to escape he will kill them." This guy is probably using the citizen as an insurance policy of some sort. Making sure that people stay within the city, so the ones serving him won't try to escape. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I walked around back and forth, thinking.

"He thought of everything." I said"Yes" Oren said, something in his voice had bitterness, his eyes looked down. A small smile came to my face.

"Almost everything." I said. He looked at me all confused. I did not explain it to him, not yet. I heard footsteps approaching in this direction, my perception skill detected those movements.

"Oren" I kept my voice low.

"They are coming."

"What!" His eyes widened.

"Shh.. Calm down, go and hide behind those bushes, and don't come out until I tell you to. Do you understand?"

"But—""Now Oren!" I said. He moved.

"Wait… Wait, take them with you." Oren grabbed two of the unconscious men's legs, and quickly dragged them, with him behind the bushes. Okay… concentrate, how many people are there. I hear four different footsteps. I quickly sat at the log, like nothing had happened. If they had found me standing over two of their men the conversation would go differently. The footsteps got closer. I could sense them getting closer each second. They were here. I didn't move, just stayed still.

"Hey you!" One of them spoke.

"What are you doing here?" I turned back and looked up at four men who were looking at me.

"Waiting" I said.

"For who? And where are our men?" He said.

"I am actually waiting for them too, they told me to stay here," I gestured my hand, like I hadn't known where they were. The man ignored what I had said and asked me another question.

"Did you kill them?" He said. That didn't work huh… Man, I'm good at lying.

"No… Like I said, I am waiting. They just suddenly left."

"You're lying." Another one of those men said.

"Do you think I would be sitting around here? If I had killed your men." They looked at each other, then the man walked closer to me.

"Activate fracture point." I whispered. FRACTURE POINT ACTIVATED. WEAKNESS IDENTIFIED: ANKLES FRACTURE ZONE: ACTIVATED.

"That's not possible, do you think we are that stupid."

"Uhmm…. Yes." I turned around and dropped low as both of my hands touched the ground, body rotating. As my leg extended and connected to his left ankle with the back of my boots at the exact fracture zone. It landed on the perfect point where the joints were weakest. CRACK. The man fell down sideways as his head hit the ground and then he was done.

"You will pay for that." The man extended his arms in the distance, I looked closely. Something came from his hand. A fire. Wait, that's magic. My eyes didn't believe it but then I already realised that magic does exist here, that's what Oren said to me. My body moved on its own, instantly. To attack his weakest point before he releases that fire at me. That's what I thought. I ran up to him, faster. But it was not enough, he blasted the ball of fire from his hand.

It was the size of a watermelon, heading faster in my direction. I dove to my left, ducking underneath it carefully. It went over me, close enough that I felt the heat over me and I dodged it, just in time. I hit the ground and rolled up and kept running towards him. WEAKNESS IDENTIFIED: RIBS. I jumped in the air, legs stretched forward and another underneath it. My jump carried my legs with force and connected to the ribs. The flying jump kick.

It pushed the man back as he fell to the ground and another sound popped. CRACK. The remaining two men rushed in to attack me at once. One from my back and one from my front. WEAKNESS IDENTIFIED: NOSE WEAKNESS IDENTIFIED: CHIN I didn't move and let them come closer to me. The man rushing behind me was here, I closed my fist and swung my right hand back, elbow connecting to his nose. CRACK. Then the last man rushed and swung his club at me, I stepped back dodging it. But his attack motion left an opening.

An opening for a perfect uppercut. My hands moved upwards, fist closed. Then it connected. CRACK. He fell down on his back and all of them were down.

"You can come out, Oren." He came out from the bushes, he looked at four of them on the ground. Then looked up at me.

"How did you do that?"

"Not important." I walked up to him.

"Now, listen I need you to do as I say okay." He didn't move for a moment, just watched those fallen men.

"Oren! Are you listening?" He nodded.

"Good. Listen carefully." I said.

"We need to free those sixty one men. But to do that you need to keep them together."

"You can't let them wander around, because this plan is dangerous, what we are about to do is dangerous."

"One wrong move, and people could die. You understand?"

"Yes." He nodded "But how will I do that? They are scattered around Drago's men." He had a good point, there was no way I could've known which one was Drago's men and which weren't.

"Now this is dangerous, but for this plan to work you have to do this Oren."

"I will create a diversion — a distraction, which will get the attention of those men."

"They will all follow me and try to find me, and then you gather everyone at one place."

"But are you sure this will work?" He asked. The fear was still on his face and why wouldn't it be, If anyone would've been in his shoes they would have backed down. But he didn't.

"Of course it will work, trust me." I said to him slowly.

"But you have to do your part, Oren. Can you do it?"

"Yes," he said confidently. I could tell something within him had changed all of a sudden. I know I could trust him to do his part.

"Good, everything depends on you, Oren." I said"Now follow me." We walked closer to his men, quietly. But not far away from that campsite, I still kept it in my range. There were many of them just patrolling, maybe thirty or forty of them, that's how many I saw. We were still behind trees, hidden from their vision. Oren stood near me, behind another tree. He was within earshot distance.

"Okay, you're ready?" I whispered. He nodded. I opened my inventory and took out my flare gun. Oren didn't see me take out my inventory, I opened it away from his vision… I didn't want him to get scared, fear would ruin the plan. Then he looked at me reloading the flare gun. He asked.

"What's that?" I knew if I told him the truth he wouldn't have believed it. I had to tell him something that he would've believed.

"This is a weapon, by which anyone can use magic." He stared at it, like he couldn't believe it. Afterall, this was an ancient era and the world where magic was everything. This world where technology roots never existed, because they relied on magic. His eyes never left the flare gun.

"Wait anyone?" He asked.

"Even a misfit like me." Whatever I'd said to him, it would become harder for him to believe.

"Just watch…" I pointed the gun at the campsite where me and Oren just came from. It was far away but still in range. I closed one of my eyes and focused on the target which was in front of me a tent shaped canopy. Then pressed the trigger. It flew right at it. Oren's eyes followed it and watched it burn. I walked close to him.

"Take this with you." I said.

"But… how —""Oren, I'll explain it to you later, just listen carefully." He stared at me.

"When you have gathered everyone with you at a safe place, only then you point this up in the sky. And press this backward."

"Do not press this carelessly, or you could die." I handed him the gun.

"Do you understand, Oren." He swallowed.

"Only use this magic like I told you to." He nodded.

"Now hide this and go." He quickly put the flare gun in his robe type shirt, and ran. I looked at the men, the fire caught their eye and they began to rush towards the campsite. Okay, Nova let's get this started.