Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 633: Bandit Ambush I

CH633 Bandit Ambush I

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As Mogal and Kavakan split off to fend off the beasts in pursuit, the orc brothers Hargul and Harum seized control of the raiding party, guiding everyone toward the hilltop Kavakan had marked.

Yet right as they neared the raised terrain—

A hidden force made its appearance.

Shapes burst from cover encircling the hill, their ambush spots set long before.

They had lain in wait for the raiding party's approach.

Swoosh—!

"Ah—!"

The raiders barely had time to respond before arrows poured down on them like rain.

Taken aback, the group hurried to shield themselves, though the shock assault threw them into chaos.

A handful dropped dead in that opening clash.

"Kill them all!" bellowed the foe leader.

Instantly, the concealed attackers rushed ahead.

Protected by relentless arrow barrages, they drove the assault hard, aiming to crush the raiding party prior to any recovery.

Fortuna’s warriors wasted no time staying on the defensive.

Survivors of the first arrow storm struck back fast.

Barbarians with bows unleashed their own shots, pinning down the enemy bowmen.

Meanwhile, the orc brothers directed the surviving close fighters onward, slamming into the oncoming enemies directly.

Clang—! Bang! Boom!

Metal smashed against metal.

Bodies rammed into bodies.

Choosing aggression over withdrawal, the raiding party grabbed the upper hand—facing their assailants headlong with savage pushback.

Orcs harnessed their immense power to hack through the surrounding foes, as barbarians tapped swiftness and dexterity to shatter the closing noose.

Hargul and Harum traded a swift look while judging the opponents.

’They’re weak...’

The notion flashed through both minds nearly at the same instant.

’Could they be—?’

"AH—!"

A piercing yell sliced across the fray.

An orc got sliced neatly in half through the midsection.

The brothers' faces turned grim in a flash.

Such devastating might far exceeded what most assailants could muster.

Something felt off.

Their gazes swept the chaos more intently.

"There—! Over there, brother!" Hargul yelled.

Harum traced his sibling's stare and swiftly pinpointed the outlier.

Among the attackers—one garbed in rags like the others—fought with mastery worlds apart from the rabble.

The gap was like heaven and earth.

Nor was he solo.

A handful more of equal prowess slithered amid their ranks, hiding behind lesser thugs while methodically felling raiding party members.

Fury surged within Harum.

Shattering ranks, he barreled toward one elite foe—mere moments after the warrior bisected yet another orc.

"Leave your life behind!" Harum thundered, hurling his glaive in a savage sweep at the fleeing slayer.

Clang—!

Blades met with a crash.

Harum’s eyes bulged wide.

The foe parried the blow with eerie casualness.

A rapid riposte shoved Harum rearward.

Then a golden glow ignited around the man—betraying Gold Rank—as his shortsword lashed out in a vicious cut.

Harum deflected it, yet the sheer power flung him back farther.

Even so, his goal stood fulfilled.

The distraction granted the raiding party precious moments to escape the trap.

Harum broke off without pause, falling back alongside them.

Pursuers lunged after—but halted cold upon spotting two massive silhouettes storming back into the fight.

Kavakan and Mogal were back.

Most attackers dug in their heels, refusing to press on.

Only the elite lurkers advanced—though stripped of shields, even they faltered.

Well... almost all.

Three standout Gold Rank foes kept charging, undaunted by the peril ahead.

Swoosh—!

The instant one hoisted his blade to fell a retreating raider—

Kavakan’s axe whistled through the sky.

It shattered the man's cranium before burying deep in the dirt ahead.

Leap!

Moments after, Kavakan bounded forth.

He soared past the withdrawing party, crashing down right in the path of the last two hunters.

Whirlwind!

Yanking his axe seamlessly, he whirled with fury—blades outstretched.

A lethal whirlwind erupted about him, carving the air and shredding the pair on the spot.

Kavakan’s thunderous entry—and overwhelming aura—etched an unseen barrier parting raiders from foes.

A line no enemy dared breach.

That tense standoff gave both factions time to rally.

A quick survey laid bare the imbalance.

Assailants dominated—in manpower and brute might alike.

The raiding party set out with about thirty members initially—but their numbers had shrunk after taking heavy casualties.

By contrast, their foes tallied nearly a hundred strong, concealing over a dozen Gold Rank warriors in their midst.

Kavakan narrowed his eyes sharply.

"Why are you attacking us?" he shouted.

Swoosh—!!

No words came back—instead, a barrage of arrows rained down.

Mogal surged forward without delay, reaching Kavakan’s side and unleashing a punch straight into the empty air.

The raw power of that blow warped the atmosphere around it—sending the arrows flying astray and diverting them from their deadly path.

The leftover arrows clattered uselessly onto the dirt.

"Sir!"

Harum and Hargul dashed up to stand with them.

"They’re bandits," Harum said darkly. "From the group we wiped out before."

Dawning realization flickered in the eyes of both Kavakan and Mogal.

Memories surfaced of the bandit crew they’d run into while probing the Berserk Humans’ sudden rise in the valley—a trail that eventually guided them to the Heaven–Earth Concordance talismanic field.

They had utterly destroyed that group.

In the aftermath, they’d raised the bandits’ flag as a bold warning—to scare off other bandit gangs from coming after them.

"I’m sorry, Captain," Harum said, bowing his head low. "It was my idea. I led us into this."

"Don’t concern yourself with that," Mogal answered. "Your idea wasn’t wrong. Up until today, it saved us a great deal of trouble."

Kavakan nodded with resolve.

"The boss warned us this might happen eventually," he added. "It’s not as though I was unaware of the risk when I allowed us to keep flying that flag."

He shot a look at the enemies closing in around them, his hands squeezing tighter on his axes.

"Blame can wait," he stated icily. "Right now, our focus is getting out of here alive."

***