There were two bandits who advanced in the direction of Zuri and Alex. One wielded a dagger and the other brandished a sword.
They wore masks on their faces so as not to be identified. They were of average height; the dagger bandit had a frailer build, while the one with the sword had a more athletic physique.
Zuri runs back onto the road, and the dagger bandit chases him until he can no longer escape, so he had to take a risk and confront the bandit.
Alex grows worried, but in front of him the bandit attacks with his weapon, though he defends himself with his short sword. This bandit is quite experienced, Alex assumes, and decides to fight more aggressively in order to try to help Zuri.
Zuri draws his short sword and the dagger bandit dismounts, facing him directly. Then the bandit speaks:
"Got anything of value there, kid? You'd better not resist; I only want the things in your bag."
Zuri refused to hand over the bag, as it belonged to Alex—there might be something valuable in it. Zuri remembered that he saw a golden compass in his hand while they were at the cabin; it might be made of gold, truly something that cannot be given up easily. Thus, he decided to resist and not hand over the bag.
"I'm not giving it to you," said the boy, staring him down with overwhelming seriousness.
"You're stupid, don't you see your disadvantage? I'm not going to kill you—I'm not one to kill a child—but I'm going to take you down," the bandit said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not going to let you."
"Alright, then! You asked for it."
He lunges with his daggers, coating them in flames using a weapon enchantment he employed. Zuri blocks the dagger with his sword; because of the bandit's greater mass, the dagger grazes his face and lightly burns his cheek.
With his face nearly being burned and cut at the same time, Zuri uses gravitational magic to leap away from the bandit. He places his hand on his face and feels the burn. Before reaching the ground, he conjures the spell "Ignis Pila" (fireball).
The bandit is amazed to learn that the boy knew how to fight and then charges forward carelessly, believing that the "fireball" spell would be easy to fend off.
But as foolish as he was, he receives the magic from Zuri. Zuri's magical power is quite high for a child, and it was a mistake to underestimate him. The bandit tries to dodge, but it's already too late.
Not having time to evade, the bandit raises a stone wall instantly. Placing his hands on the ground, he executes an earth spell and a wall is raised, but it wasn't fast enough and he is struck with extreme force. The impact of the flames causes an explosion that hurls the man backward.
The bandit rises in pain, clutching his chest as one of the stone fragments hit him. He exclaimed:
"Defeated by a child!? This is ridiculous—if people find out, they'll never call me for ambushes again. Now get serious, kid, prepare yourself."
Zuri's problem was that he only knew how to use two spells: "fireball" and the gravitational jump.
"If the criminal uses spells, how will I defend myself? I don't know any earth magic. I'll have to dodge and wait for Alex to show up." Distraught by anxious thoughts, the little Zuri despaired.
Ahhh! With extreme speed, the bandit charges at Zuri. To protect himself, the boy begins casting fire spells one after another, but the bandit's doubled attention meant that Zuri's imprecise spells did not hit him. He couldn't land another hit. In order to escape, Zuri grabs his backpack and starts leaping backwards using gravitational magic; his only way out was to head into the forest, hopping from branch to branch until the bandit gave up the chase.
He didn't know how to perform this branch-leap maneuver, but he had to take a risk. Once in the forest, he tried to evade the bandit, but he did not put enough distance between them. Zuri climbs a tree and attempts to concentrate his mana in his feet before leaping.
He masterfully executes the jump the first time; however, he goes too high and becomes frightened by the height. Falling, he desperately uses antigravity to land, a bit violently but successfully.
And he repeats the maneuver. Then a breaking branch is heard as Zuri lands with difficulty, sustaining minor injuries on his body. Yet he managed to escape; it was easy to lose sight of that pursuing man.
Trying to find a sense of direction, he climbs a tree. From afar, he sees the road again, so he decides to jump from branch to branch, but he jumps cautiously so as not to remain in the bandit's sight.
(…)
While Zuri fought against the dagger bandit, Alex faced the other outlaw. Alex jumped back and kept an eye on his adversary. Retrieving his sword back into its sheath, Alex planned to fight using only magic—his specialty.
The bandit pulled out small poisoned daggers from his jacket that were used like darts against an opponent.
Alex began by using "Infernal Fire" and waited to see the bandit's reaction; Alex wanted to know just how strong this man was.
The bandit executed an earth spell, "Stone Wall," but it wasn't just any wall—he enchanted it at the moment of conjuring to make it resistant to any magic that Alex might cast.
Alex's spell hit the wall, and while the dust swirled in the air, several daggers were thrown at him. Noticing the bandit's strategy, Alex ran to the left and leaped to attack the bandit from behind in an attempt to subdue him. But the bandit ignored him and ran towards Zuri and his other accomplice. Alex had been easily deceived; the bandit must have realized he couldn't face him and decided to flee.
Alex muttered, "How could I fall for this? I'm a master of dark magic, of course he could have recognized me."
Alex suspected that the bandit intended to use Zuri as a hostage, and so he used gravitational magic to rush to Zuri's aid.
(...)
Zuri was no longer there, much to the bandit's misfortune. He searched for his friend without saying his name, so they wouldn't be identified as searching for someone in the nearby towns.
Zuri jumped from branch to branch, stopping when necessary to make sure he was heading in the right direction and not getting lost in the forest.
The other dagger-wielding bandit returned to the road and considered lying to his partner in order to avoid the humiliation of having lost to a child.
The two bandits met and spoke:
—Where's the kid and his bag? We need them.
—He ran into the forest and I went after him to grab the bag, but a salamander appeared, and I had to defend myself and let the boy go.
—You... You let a child escape? I can't believe it. We needed him as a hostage.
—Use him as a hostage against that man? Why don't we just forget the kid, kill his guardian, and run off with his belongings and the carriage, along with the others. (He said this referring to the other two bandits who had stayed behind watching the carriage.)
—You idiot, face that man? Impossible. You must not know who he is—that's Alex, the Dark Magic Master of Epaimir!
—What?! What are we going to do?
Up above, Alex shouted, —Where's Zuriiiii?! As he fell on top of the bandits at incredible speed. When he landed, a small crater formed, and both bandits were struck and knocked unconscious.
Alex looked around, but with no sign of his student, he woke the one who had chased Zuri and asked him where the boy was. With a hoarse voice, he replied:
—He... went... into the forest... and passed out again.
Alex grew thoughtful, wondering how to handle the situation. He decided to return to the carriage—perhaps Zuri would return to the meeting point. He swiftly made his way back, keeping his focus on the forest for any unusual movement. As he approached the edge of the forest near the carriage, he heard a noise—and it was Zuri coming closer.
Relieved, Alex asked Zuri if he was hurt and apologized for not protecting him this time. Smiling, Zuri said:
—Don't worry, it was fun! I felt my blood rushing through my body. I really wanted to bring him down, but I couldn't manage it.
—Idiot!!! shouted Alex. You have to understand—there's no second chance for those who die. Remember, your life isn't a tavern poet's tale—it's real life.
—He could've killed you. If you want recognition, survive at any cost—so your deeds can be remembered for a long time. Survival is what allows us to keep existing.
Hearing the scolding, Zuri lowered his head, feeling Alex's concern for him. —Sorry, Zuri said softly.
—Let's go to the carriage now and face the other two bandits. Knowing we've defeated those who attacked us, maybe they'll lose courage and flee.
The two—boy and master—were seen from a distance by the remaining bandits. The two thieves understood that their boss and the dagger-wielder had been defeated, and they ran away.
The owner of the carriage, seeing the bandits flee, realized that Alex and Zuri had defeated the strongest of them and trusted that they were good people. He approached and asked:
—Are you citizens of any town? the old man asked, trembling.
—Yes, I'm from Epaimir, and he is my student from Demitris, Alex replied confidently to the man.
—Were you the ones who drove off the bandits?
—Exactly.
—Thank you! Thank you so much! If there's anything I can do for you… If you come with me, I can offer some coins as thanks, said the carriage owner with tears in his eyes.
—Where are you headed?
—Demitris.
—Then just give us a ride. That would be a great reward.
—Thank you. It'll be good to have you with me—in case others try to rob us along the way.
Alex and Zuri got into the wagon, and after about two days, they arrived in Demitris.
Looking up at the sky, Alex praised Zuri:
—Zuri!
—Yeah?
—I'm sorry for yelling at you. You did well facing that bandit. I saw, before I took them down, that he was injured. I believe you fought him wisely and fled when you had to. That's what surviving means. I recognize your efforts.
—Ah, hmm… Zuri scratched his head with an awkward smile. —Thanks.
Zuri's desire is to be strong and to have value in the eyes of others.
—This world is beautiful, but there are people who are chained, who don't have the freedom we all deserve. I wish everyone could appreciate the world the way I do.
As both looked up at the sky, Alex agreed:
—Yes, that wish of yours is a virtue, Zuri… "I'm counting on you." He didn't finish the sentence—he fell asleep. But in his thoughts, he showed great trust in his student.