Ch 6: Bandits and a Bunny - Pt 2: The Ambush

The following morning, we ate breakfast at a diner style eatery. Their specialty was their super fluffy pancakes. Yuuna of course had hers topped with ichigo and whipped topping. Her sweet tooth was almost admirable.

It was a very lighthearted start to the day, but I could not shake this feeling that someone was keeping tabs on us. I was uncertain whether my senses had been heightened or if I was simply being paranoid. Both were possible outcomes from being on the run for so long. I kept quiet as not to worry Masato and Yuuna over something that might not have even existed.

Masato explained he wanted to make another stop to procure some more goods that were scarce in Erindring, so the next destination of our journey was decided. After we returned to the inn and packed up the rest of our things, we made it through the day and were well on our way. But then my suspicion presented itself.

We were surrounded by a dozen men. Six were on horses evenly split to block our path forward and remove our option to turn around. The other six had jumped from the bushes along the side of the road. This attack was clearly staged, and there was only one word to describe this situation -- ambush.

"Hand over everything you have in the back, and we'll let you go quietly." The man on the horse in the center in front of use pointed his sword at Masato.

"Don't forget about that coin bag you were flaunting around at the tavern, too!" The spiked blonde riding on the horse to his left pitched in on the demands.

"Really? I thought you were after the girl?" On the other side of the presumed leader, the emo-looking fellow completed the duo that had been hitting on Yuuna the day before.

"Shh! We can't just tell 'em to hand her over and expect 'em to listen, you moron!" The more thuglike of the two apparently had some hidden intentions.

Masato, calm as ever, answered straightforwardly. "You know I cannot simply give you everything we have." He stared down the blondie. "And is this what you call winning over a girl? You must have realized you stood no chance against my companion here."

The jerk gritted his teeth and drew his sword, but his boss extended his arm across him. "That's quite enough of that. It is quite clear you refuse to surrender without a fight, but you will regret it soon enough."

The rest of the gang armed themselves, ready to pounce. I reached behind me and equipped myself with Hakuma's sword and passed Masato his. It might as well have been a rule in this world to keep a weapon nearby, but Masato's sword was practically useless with how dull it was. Knowing him, though, it was likely intentional to avoid killing anything.

I jumped down and ran in front of our distressed horse who was whinnying and kicking its front legs. "I'll take care of these guys first. Masato, you'll have to guard the back to keep them form taking anything, but we are largely outnumbered."

Masato placed his hand on his shaking daughter's shoulder. "Yuuna, please stay put. We’ll make it through this." He then climbed over the back of the seat to take his position protecting his merchandise.

The crooks after Yuuna charged at me, and with swift clashes of our swords, I deflected both of their attempts. Three of the foot soldiers joined the fray, but the bandits were proving to be total weaklings. I disarmed the small swordsmen like it was nothing, and they fled for their weapons.

Another round of galloping came behind me, and I leapt into an aerial somersault, landing with my feet spread and touching a hand to the ground to disperse the impact. Without giving me a moment to reposition myself, all three of the men on horseback were rushing as if to trample me. To their dismay, and instead of focusing on the riders, I struck a blow to the horses' shoulders. Only one of them was able to keep its footing, but its movements were heavily restricted by a limp.

The numbers changed to three cavalry and nine footmen versus one fighter and one defender, but I considered this as a significant shift in our favor. It was about time all my training with Hakuma paid off. With the sense that Masato and Yuuna preferred not to fatally injure anyone, I focused my efforts on parrying and using the hilt of my sword while throwing in a few kicks here and there.

Around the back, Masato had the advantage of being on higher ground. It was proving more difficult for the bandits to raid the wagon than they anticipated. Trying to simultaneously climb in, battle against Masato, and steal the goods was no small feat to accomplish. Masato clearly was not well-versed in swordplay, but all he had to do was deliver some blunt blows to bruise them up and knock them down. The role of the remaining horsemen was primarily to carry the loot, so they remained still, doing nothing but shouting at their failing comrades.

Meanwhile, the five amateur sword fighters on my end had formed an arch in front of me. The sixth combatant who had been oddly reserved stayed near the bushes. I caught a glimpse of him between the front line, and I realized he was their sole archer. However, his sights were not on me.

An arrow flew through the air straight toward the only innocent bystander still seated on the bench. With a gasp, I shifted my weight and pushed off the ground with all my strength. Knowing it would have been a helpless endeavor to tackle her out of the way, I dove across her body. The arrow pierced me and was lodged slightly below my left collarbone. This scene feels kind of familiar.​

The goon with one thing on his mind let the archer have it. "What the hell do ya think yer doing?! The girl's precious merchandise yo!"

Getting fed up, the spiky-haired guy and the gloomy dude ran to the back and shoved a pair of the riders off their horses and claimed them as their own. But instead of coming back for me, their target was Yuuna. Riding along the side of the carriage, Spike snatched her arm, pulling her out as she screamed, and Gloom caught her and held her down on her stomach over her lap. Abandoning the rest of their gang, they rode away into the dusk.

Yuuna was kidnapped.