This is the first time I’ve ever seen them fight, but I didn’t think they’d be this formidable. Then again, they all hail from the temple where Dias grew up, so I guess I should have expected them to be capable warriors. And I have to imagine that they’re all in good shape because they believe in eating well, just like Dias...
As Klaus thought, he swung his spear in the same manner as one of the paladins might—targeting the arms and legs, and without holding back in the slightest—and knocked down a trembling bandit where he stood. He then moved right on to the next one—he knew he was using a spear and that a slight misjudgment might kill someone...but also he didn’t want to overthink things and have the paladins think he was a weakling.
In time, the bandits started to lose their will along with their weapons. Some considered hiding among the trees, but others, who saw their position weakening, tried to flee altogether. However, the paladins had known that this was coming and were quick to make those same bandits reconsider their plans...by bashing their legs.
“If you were going to flee, you should have done so far, far sooner, friend!” boomed Patrick, overcome with glee. “You will learn that fleeing at this point will only burden you with more sin!”
The other bandits who had attempted to flee were now surrounded, and it seemed inevitable that they would be summarily beaten into submission. After all, in front of them was Klaus, behind them were the paladins, and to their left and right were the darkness of the forest and the dangers that lurked within. Thinking Klaus the easier target than four paladins, some of the bandits launched themselves at him. Klaus knew that they’d made a simple calculation, but he also knew that in truth they stood a better chance against the paladins—after all, behind him in the border station proper were the dogkin and the onikin.
Even if the bandits did manage to take down Klaus, the border station gates would not go down easily. The bandits were simpleminded men in the end, and Klaus sighed internally as he swung his spear in a wide arc while the remaining bandits either took their chances in the forest or tried to make their way through the paladins.
None of the bandits actually believed they stood a real chance against the paladins at this point. Victory was a fool’s errand. They needed only enough room to make it past and flee.
The paladins showed them no quarter.
As Klaus watched them from the corner of his eye, he held his spear blade low to the ground and swung it left and right at tremendous speed. Bandits caught on either side of it went flying and flipping, most of them landing so hard that they were knocked unconscious, the rest left in so much pain they could barely stand. When the dust settled, the survivors were moaning and groaning and clutching their wounds.
In this way, Klaus and the paladins brought the majority of bandits under control. Those who had braved the forest did not stay there for long and quickly popped out in front of Klaus. One look at them showed that the dogkin had made them reconsider escape—their clothes were torn, and their arms and legs were covered in bite marks. They had experienced terror in the forest and emerged from it only to find the rest of their crew broken, battered, or out of commission.
These bandits—most of whom appeared to work under the beastkin bandit—immediately settled on a course of action. Half of them threw down their weapons, threw up their arms, and surrendered on the spot. Of the other half, three ran towards Klaus, while the rest launched themselves at the paladins, hoping to find a way to escape.
That was when Klaus gasped. He couldn’t allow the bandits to get away, but the three bandits on him would not give him a chance to get to the others.
They’re not fighting me, they’re just keeping me from getting to their allies! These few aren’t just mere bandits! They move like they’ve had military experience...!
Klaus fought back, and while ordinarily he would have handled the three men like children, they were not interested in a fight—they were only interested in buying time. Klaus needed to get them out of the way, but they knew this and so they remained just out of range, not even trying to engage him.
Meanwhile, Patrick’s laughter once again filled the air.
“Try again! You’ll only learn the same lesson!”
The paladins were preparing to handle the incoming bandits as they had the others, but this time they were up against beastkin, who boasted enhanced physical abilities. They leaped up high, they bounded left and right, or they took to all fours to dodge the paladins’ attacks and evade capture.
The bandits let out whoops of joy at being out of harm’s way and a step closer to freedom, but they did not account for what came next...and an instant later arrows could be heard slicing through the air at the fleeing bandits. The onikin locked on to their targets by the light of the guard tower flames and were ready to fire again at a moment’s notice.
“Oh, you think you’re home free, do you?!” barked one. “Don’t think it’s going to be so easy! We’ll at least take your weapons if we can’t take your lives!”
“Hey! Boss! Round them up and be quick about it!” shouted another. “We’ll be in some trouble if they get around the other side!”
Klaus and the paladins did exactly as the onikin women told them, moving to capture all the bandits that now had arrows in their butts. While Klaus and the paladins did that, a few dogkin appeared from the forest, dragging bandits with them—more men who had tried to flee through the forest and failed.
Klaus looked around and did a rough head count before letting out a relieved sigh. He was fairly certain that this was all of them.
“Whew,” he said. “I’m glad we got that settled. But we’ll have to do far better next time... This border station’s going to need some more renovations...”
Klaus knew that one or two bandits might have given them the slip, but he also knew that the dogkin knew the area far better than them. Those bandits would be sniffed up, tracked down, and flushed out soon enough. Klaus reported this to the paladins, the onikin, and Canis, then took the rope passed down from the other side of the station and started on the work of tying all the bandits up.