Chapter 66: The River's Strangest Bandits

If they'd had time, Kai would have looked toward Zae Zin Nim, or asked Razzagah questions to figure out if he was even fighting on the right side. But there were a lot of armed men and women staring at him, and when they attacked, he had no choice but to fight for his life.

A man with a Spellslinger Class tried to attack first. He drew on his mana much too slowly: Kai leapt forward and kicked him in the chest before he could strike. To his shock, the man's breastplate crumpled and he went flying back, breaking through a tree.

Could he have been faking his strength? Was the whole ambush just a bluff? Kai was so taken off guard that he hesitated, giving the nearest two bandits time to attack him. A spear glanced harmlessly off his head while a Knight Class's sword barely drew blood on his raised forearm. Both fighters looked shocked and it was Kai's turn to take advantage.

He knocked them flat and the bandits retreated, crying out to one another in terror. Even as he fought, Kai couldn't quite believe it was so easy. According to his human strength alone, he should only have had a slight advantage. It might be possible to win with the proper tactics, but he shouldn't be able to annihilate the group like this.

Kai's thoughts were interrupted by a giant of a man charging him. Not only was he seven feet of solid muscle, his Physique was rated F-6, almost as high as Kai himself. The man wrapped his enormous arms around Kai, binding him in place, straining his muscles to make him vulnerable to the others.

And yet he didn't feel that strong. As Kai freed his arms, he realized that his Physique was working together with the monstrous Direboar's Strength within him. He couldn't measure his exact total strength and the man must not be able to either, because he stared in shock as Kai began to push him backward.

Despite everything, Kai grinned as he overwhelmed the other man's strength. Monster-born or not, this power was part of him. It didn't replace his Physique or all the work he put into his training, it was the ultimate manifestation of those struggles. And he had more fragments within him... what could he do if he managed to tap into Rockspider's Claw or Isulfr's Bite?

Flames struck him from behind. Kai grunted in mild pain and threw the man aside to find who was targeting him. To his surprise, it was a woman with a full Flamecaster Class, with over 50 Power. That much mana should have pierced his defenses and started burning him alive, but his body resisted it. He could practically feel his minor injuries regenerating.

Kai laughed out loud and advanced on her. She took a step backward, then suddenly arrows struck her side. Shot by the hunters on the boat. As he came out of his fugue, Kai realized that focusing on the flow of his new power had completely blinded him to the rest of the battle.

Since he had taken on the bulk of the group, Zae Zin Nim and the hunters had been free to mop up the others. They had been entirely outclassed by the bandit group, but Kai had turned the tide of the battle on his own. He should have been happy... except for the fact that now he had to think about what these supposed bandits really were.

"What's going on?" Kai demanded. He turned back to the barge and glared at Razzagah, who looked faint.

"I don't..." The younger man shook his head slowly. "They don't feel like real bandits, do they?"

"Why would hunters from the city be targeting you? Are you smuggling something illegal?"

"Nothing like that!" Razzagah rushed to the edge of the barge, fists clenched. "Look at their equipment: they're dressed like bandits, but equipped extremely well. This is all a ruse: they wanted to destroy my shipment before it could reach the city."

Merchants killing one another over a little profit? That seemed ridiculous to Kai, but there was an easy way to confirm. Many of the attackers had only been disabled, not killed, so Kai grabbed a delirious man and lifted him into the air.

"Who sent you?" Kai asked. The man's eyes didn't focus until Kai shook him a few times. "Who are you really?"

"Just mercenaries..." The man shook his head wildly. "We're just... just hirelings..."

Before Kai could question him any further, he heard a sharp sound from the barge. The hunters were beginning to look downriver nervously, and when Kai followed their gaze and saw a speck in the air, he realized that things weren't going to end so easily.

The speck revealed itself to be a flat diamond of amber crystal carrying two warriors. A Krysali woman with a crystal around her neck crouched near the front, presumably piloting the diamond. A knight in full Goralian armor stood behind her with his arms folded, staring down at them.

Both had over 100 total power. Kai felt as though he could almost pierce through to see their power in more detail, but he knew they wouldn't fall as easily as the false bandits. Before he could push through with his spiritual sight, they swept closer.

"Razzagah Lantrian!" The knight spoke up as the diamond kept pace in front of the barge. "Unfortunately, your shipment has been waylaid by bandits. Unless you want this to end in tragedy, we suggest you get to shore."

"This is absurd!" Razzagah stepped to the front of the barge to glare at them, frightened but holding his ground. "Your real ambush failed. The two of you aren't even attempting to disguise yourselves. If you attack, everyone will know that the Corinins bankrolled this attack on me."

"Can you prove that?" the Krysali woman asked with a smirk. "I'm a foreign mercenary, you know. You shouldn't make accusations against important clans so lightly."

"You're welcome to try to prove it in court." The knight unfolded his arms and hefted a greatsword from his back. "But then you might have to explain just what cargo you lost. And that would lead to all kinds of questions about permits, wouldn't it?"

Razzagah gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, but he had to back down. He turned back toward Kai and shook his head grimly. "They did this just to send a message, but we can't fight them. These two are the Corinin elites, so this is way beyond what I've paid you. I'm just sorry that it ends this way."

The sailors appeared to already be using their poles to nudge the barge closer to one of the shores. They looked nervous and Kai understood why: the Krysali mercenary was manifesting a thick spear of crystal in one hand that looked like it was going to go straight through the barge. Razzagah didn't actually own it, but apparently they didn't care if a few barge workers lost their vessel. And maybe their lives.

"Kai?" Zae Zin Nim appeared at his side so silently he didn't realize until she spoke. "I could not possibly care one stroke less about who is right in this conflict. Do we fight or not?"

"Can we take them?" Kai asked. He wanted to check the two elites again, but there was almost no time left. The crystal spear hovering overhead could be coming down at any moment.

"In a straight fight? No. But our goal is only to keep the barge safe until it gets within sight of the city, and that might be possible."

He didn't have an answer for her. The Corinin clan sending mercenaries like this was shady, but the way they spoke about the permits made him wonder if Razzagah was up to something worse. Taking action could well embroil him in a new conflict and he had no idea which side was right.

Seconds ticked on and the sailors appeared to be struggling to get the barge out of the current. The Krysali mercenary rolled her eyes and then lifted a hand toward the spike. That was what pushed Kai to a decision in the end: whichever clan they represented, these two were willing to risk the lives and livelihoods of innocent bystanders.

"We fight."