Chapter 211: Aurelia (2)
"Huh?"
Aurelia was confused, and so were the bandits, unable to make sense of the words spoken by Riku.
Riku ignored them. His gaze was still fixed on Lady Aurelia. A slow, thoughtful smile spread across his face.
"It’s incredible," he said, his voice a quiet murmur.
Aurelia stared at him, her face a mask of confusion. "What... what are you talking about?"
"You," Riku said, his smile widening. "You are exactly the kind of person I have been searching for."
He looked at her, his eyes filled with a strange, sincere light. "I came to this kingdom looking for people who are strong enough to be kind. People who, even when faced with their own death, would try to protect a stranger."
He let out a short, soft laugh. "It seems that fate has a strange way of bringing people together. The circumstances could be better, of course. But I promise you, Lady Aurelia. I will save you."
Aurelia was speechless. She stared at him as if he were a madman.
The bandits, however, were not so quiet. They burst into a new round of loud, ugly laughter.
"Fate?" the scarred leader roared, wiping a tear from his eye. "Did you hear that, boys? He thinks he’s the hero of some grand story!"
He pointed his sword at Riku. "You are a fool. And fools die first in Eldoria."
His expression turned to a cold, murderous snarl. "I have had enough of your games. End this. Use the Thunder Cage."
The other three bandits stopped laughing. Their expressions turned serious. They moved with a sudden, terrifying speed.
One moved to the north. One to the south. One to the west. The leader remained at the east. They formed a perfect square around Riku and his companions.
"You should be honored, southerner," the leader sneered. "We have not used this technique since the Unification Wars. It is a coordinated attack that can bring down a Grand Magnus."
He raised his sword. "Now, witness the true power of the storm!"
The four bandits began to chant in unison. The air crackled with raw, untamed energy. Blue lightning erupted from their hands. It did not shoot forward. It shot upwards, into the sky.
The four bolts of lightning met high above the clearing. They merged, forming a swirling, crackling vortex of pure thunder.
The vortex expanded. It formed a dome of lightning that completely enclosed the clearing. They were trapped.
"Now!" the leader roared.
The four of them thrust their hands forward. The walls of the Thunder Cage began to contract. Jagged bolts of lightning, each one thick as a man’s arm, began to lash out from the walls, striking the ground around Riku’s group.
"Noooo."
Aurelia stared at the collapsing cage of pure destruction. She saw the calm, smiling man who had promised to save her. She saw the four brave, foolish women who had followed him.
She squeezed her eyes shut. She could not bear to watch what was about to happen. A single, silent tear of despair traced a path down her cheek. They were all going to die. And it was all her fault for screaming out loud and involving some bystanders who had no business with her or the bandits.
"Sob. I am sorry."
The Thunder Cage roared. It was a dome of pure, destructive energy. Jagged bolts of lightning lashed out, scorching the earth. The air crackled with the smell of ozone.
Aurelia had her eyes squeezed shut. She heard the deafening roar. She felt the ground tremble. She waited for the inevitable end.
But it did not come.
Instead, a calm, quiet voice cut through the chaos. "My turn."
She dared to peek. She opened her eyes a sliver.
Riku stood in the center of the storm. He was untouched. The lashing bolts of lightning seemed to bend around him, avoiding him as if he were a sacred statue. He looked completely unconcerned.
He raised a single hand, his palm open.
Domain. [-500 Goodwill Points]
There was no flash of light. No grand explosion.
The roaring simply stopped.
The Thunder Cage, the bandits’ ultimate attack, did not shatter. It did not explode. It just... dissolved. The crackling lightning faded into harmless sparks. The swirling vortex of thunder unraveled into a gentle breeze.
The clearing was silent again. The only evidence of the attack was the scorched, blackened earth around them.
The four bandits stared. Their mouths hung open. Their faces were masks of pure, slack-jawed disbelief.
"What... what happened?" the stocky bandit stammered. "The cage... it’s gone."
The scarred leader stared at Riku. His earlier confidence was completely gone. A fear of the unknown replaced it.
"That’s... impossible. The Thunder Cage has never failed. Never! How is this possible?"
He took a step back. His eyes were wide with terror. "Who are you? What are you?"
Riku did not answer. He just looked at them. His expression was cold. "You had your turn," he said, his voice flat. "Now it is mine."
The leader’s fear twisted into a final, desperate rage. "He is just one man!" he roared to his companions. "He is a mage! Get in close! Do not give him time to cast!"
They charged. They were no longer a disciplined unit. They were a pack of cornered animals, lashing out in a final, hopeless frenzy.
The first bandit swung his rusty sword in a wide, desperate arc.
Riku did not dodge. He simply raised a hand. The sword stopped dead in mid-air, a few inches from his face. It was held fast by an invisible force.
The bandit stared, his eyes wide with terror. Riku flicked a finger. The bandit was thrown backward, landing in a heap at the edge of the clearing.
The other three faltered. They saw what had happened. They hesitated.
"What are you waiting for?" the leader screamed. "Attack him!"
They charged again, fueled by desperation rather than confidence this time.
Riku sighed. He had wanted to teach them a lesson. But he was growing tired of this game.
He raised his hand one last time.
Gravity Well. [-500 Goodwill Points]
A heavy, invisible pressure descended upon the clearing. The three charging bandits stopped dead. Their faces contorted with effort. They grunted, their muscles straining. It was as if they were trying to run through thick, heavy tar.
Then, the pressure intensified.
They were forced to their knees. The ground beneath them cracked under the immense, unseen weight. Their swords fell from their nerveless fingers, clattering to the ground.
Riku walked over to them. He moved with a calm, unhurried gait. He looked down at the four men. They were completely helpless. They were pinned to the earth by a power they could not see, could not comprehend.
He used a simple binding spell. Ropes of light erupted from the ground, wrapping around their arms and legs, securing them completely.
The fight was over. It had not been a battle. It had been a boy toying with the grown men.
Riku sighed and then turned to walk back to the center of the clearing. He looked at Aurelia.
She was staring at him. Her face was pale. Her eyes were wide with a look of awe. She had seen him use a simple light spell. She had seen it fail. She had seen him face down a coordinated attack.
And then she had seen him end the fight with a wave of his hand.
She looked at the bound, defeated bandits. She looked at the calm, unassuming man who stood before her. She looked at the four beautiful women who were now walking towards him, apparently unfazed by what had just happened.
Lila walked up to Riku, a proud smile on her face. She turned to the stunned Aurelia. "You don’t have to look so surprised," she said, her voice cheerful. "I knew he’d win."
Sherry followed, a cynical smirk on her face. "Please," she scoffed. "He was just playing with them from the start. That first spell was obviously a test. They never stood a chance."
Aurelia could only look at Riku and the girls, unsure what to say.
She finally found her voice. It was a small, trembling whisper. "Thank you."
She looked at Riku, then at each of the girls. Her eyes were filled with a sincere, profound gratitude. "All of you. You saved my life. I... I don’t know how I can ever repay you."
Riku offered a small, reassuring smile. "You don’t have to. We were just in the right place at the right time."
He gestured with his head towards the four bound bandits. They were groaning on the ground, defeated and helpless.
"The real question," Riku said, his tone practical, "is what do we do with them?"
Aurelia looked at the bandits. Her earlier fear was gone. It was replaced by a look of confusion. She was a noble lady. She was used to giving orders, to attending balls, to studying politics. She was not used to dealing with captured criminals in the middle of a forest.
"I... I don’t know," she admitted, her voice uncertain. "I suppose we should take them to the nearest town? To the authorities?"
She looked at Riku, her eyes wide and helpless. "What do you usually do with bandits?"