Chapter 4: Humans Against Humans

    We got startled and readied our weapons. Humans came out from the dark trees. I turned around, a lady took the collar.
    Kasean aimed her reloaded bow at her "Even if you behind that tree, I can penetrate it and shoot you on the head!"
    "Woah, that's pretty badass" 
    "What do you want?" I asked
    The man on front smirked "Oh, I just want to... Take that collar ourselves and get ourselves some money"
    Even in this world there are bullies. But This time, I am gonna fight back.
    I can't tell what rank they are so we can fight back. I looked at my pocket bag, I still have 3 health potions but 0 stamina potions. I put my gaze at Iramor, he is a magician, mages always have an ability that is an AOE or area of effect to wipe them all out.
    "All talk and no fight. What, weak?" Iramor mocked with a mocking face
    "What did you just say? Seize them!"
    Fast assassin's ran up to us and held us tightly.
    "Jayden, take the collar and take the reward quickly! We can take care of ourself!"
    Jayden swiftly took the collar from the lady and ran towards back to the kingdom.
    "H-hey!"
    Assassins chased after Jayden. The assassin holding me down made me drop on my knees. The man kicked me on the face.
    "So you're their leader? I see that you are very... Ignorant" 
    He started kicking me on the face. I looked at Iramor's situation, they are beating and kicking him on the ground. They are using somekind of a sucking device like a blower but sucking, and that device drains mana.
    Oh no, what have I've done. If only I just gave them the collar, this is not happening. Greed has taken over me, that money is just to high I can't give up the collar and also I need the rank up. We worked ourselves to hard just to get that.
    "Stop it! Get off of me!" Kasean is shrieking
    Assassin's are holding her, pointing their daggers at her
    The man chuckled "Now this is where you face the consequences"
    My actions have cause the others to get hurt, this wasn't what I said to them. This is my fault. I have to do something!
    "Let's fight one on one! I am just a F-Rank and if you don't want then you are just weak!"
    A vein popped on the man's head "Oh you are really a hard headed one. Release him, give him his sword"
    The assassin let go of me. I stood up and pointed my sword at him. He unsheathed his daggers, a team full of assassins seems a bit odd. The others stopped and watch, they took Kasean's bow and tied Iramor's hands.
    "Come at me"
    I charged up to him and swung my sword. He hit my sword with his dagger and kicked me on the stomach, making me stagger backwards. 
    I regained myself and looked, he is in front of me about to deliver somekind of an ability with his dagger.
    "Impenetrable Defence!"
    His dagger hit my body, his attack went through, it penetrated to my armor and stabbed me inside.
    "Urch"
    That means he is level D-Rank and above. I hit his head with the hilt of my sword and kicked him on the side of his stomach. 
    He staggered back "I can't believe it a noobie landed a hit on me"
    The fight went on, swinging our swords at each other. He gave me more wounds than I only made a scratch on him.
    I am exhausted after fighting the Orc and now I am fighting these guys, my armor is wearing me down, I can't lift my sword properly. 
    I took one step on front and swung my sword. He deflected my sword, I losed my grip. My sword fell to the ground.
    "Looks like a knight needs a sword. Come on, go get it"
    I raised my fists.
    "Oh I do not need that anymore"
    "Tch, you are really something else"
    He attacked, I pushed his attacking dagger away and punched him on the face. I followed him as he back off and headbutted him. I kicked him to the ground, I went on top of him and started punching his face.
    Am I... Am I actually winning? Hahahaha, c'mon, you are fighting F-Rank. Fight ba-!.
    "Akr!"
    I flew away, there was an assasin that kicked me away. 
    "I see you are in trouble, so I helped"
    The man stood up and patted the dust off him. 
    "No I am not! I can actually do it by myself"
    The weak Iramor chuckled "An experienced old man who can't even beat a begginer. What a joke"
    "You shut up. Wait I know you, you are that crazy guy they are calling around town. They say you assaulted a woman, I wonder how your imbecile parents raised you"
    He then looked at me "And you" he kicked me on my back "How dare you disrespect me like that"
    Disrespect? You accepted my fight.
    "You should really learn some manners"
    He kicked me on the back repeatedly. I may have lost, but I have showed them I can fight back even how weak I am. 
    I carried my self up.
    "What, are you trying to stand up again?"
    He tried to forcefully kick me back down to the ground, I continued. He backed off as he watched me get my self up. 
    I stood and raised my fists, my face are all bloodied and sore.
    I... I am dying, but I am going to make it count. I threw a right fist at him, he dodged. I followed a left, he parried it and punched me on the face. I ignored the pain and exchange a punch at his face.
    "Will you ever give up!?"
    An assasin teleported in front of me and kicked me on the chest, knockbacking me. There is no use, I can't beat him if his allies kept backing him up. All of my health potions were used during our fight. I wonder if Iramor has lef-.
    "What did you say about my parents?" A voice
    I turned around, it was Iramor standing weak. There is a drop of blue liquid on his mouth, smoke rising from the ground. We looked at the ground, there is an empty bottle of mana potion and a burning vanishing rope. His hand is outstretched, his middle finger and thumb touched.
    "What are you doing? Drain his mana!" the man ordered his assassins
    "Assault? First of all I was trying to help that woman but she misunderstood"
    The assassin went to him and was about to drain his mana. Suddenly, a figure came out behind him, it was Jayden with his daggers ready. He kicked the incoming assassins away and defended Iramor.
    "I learned to control my own magic to not hurt me. What I am about to do is dangerous. Mathew, use your Impenetrable Defence by the time this landed"
    "That cost a lot of stamina, I ran out"
    He tossed me a bottle of stamina potion.
    "That slide out of you during the Orc fight"
    I started drinking the stamina potion. An assasin was about to stop me.
    "Fast piercing Arrow!"
    An arrow hit the assassin through his hand like a flash, the assassin flew with the arrow and hit a tree, he was left hanging.
    It was Kasean, the assasins guarding her was gone. 
    "I took care of them first if you wonder" Jayden said
    "Jayden, take Kasean out of here as fast as possible" Iramor order
    "Got it, good luck"
    Jayden carried Kasean and dissapeared through the woods.
    "Don't just watch? Go get them!"
    Before they moved, a tiny light blue circled popped in front of Iramor's meeting thumb and middle finger. It looked like a tiny wind moving.
    They laughed "What does a tiny thing can do?"
    "Mathew, you fought well even in the urge of death. You are... really crazy"
    He flicked the little ball, it went towards the man.
    "Tornado Disaster, Wind"
    I readied myself, by the time it hit the man, I activated my Impenetrable Defence ability. A tornado was formed in an instant, the enemies shouted and we're sucked in as they shout.
    My Impenetrable Defence is going crazy. When a chain attack meets this ability, it will just reactivated again even without stamina so the attacking enemy just need to back off.        I just stood there as my Impenetrable Defence fend off the tornado. It was very strong, sucking off very nearby trees. The tornado threw the trees, that man and the assasins everywhere.
    Iramor walked beside and put his hand on my shoulder. He isn't affected by the tornado.
    "Hmph, looks like we won"
    ***
    We sat on a table back at the guild. We ordered and ate food right away to recover our health. My body is aching from the fights. Face bruised and wounded everywhere. I left my armor back at the inn and changed my drenched sweaty clothes.
    People around are talking about something.
    "Haven't you heard, someone beat the Deadly Assasins?"
    "I heard they are just lower ranked and just a few of them"
    "Someone casted a tornado ability, that ability is really dangerous. It was a good thing the trees didn't make it at the city but some of the Deadly Assasins, they landed on our roofs and roads but all of them are still alive"
    I wore my hoodie, hiding my face to not get recognized.
    Jayden slammed a big pile of gold "I heard that an Orc armor and Orc bundled hair costed a lot if sold at the shops so I went back to find the body. They costed 150 gold coins. The Orc quest was 225 gold coins right? Oh yeah, I also got the tooth necklace from the Orc, maybe you want it"
    "Yes"
    "Then since you are the leader, you will be splitting the money"
    I took the sack and writing imaginary numbers on the table "375 divided by 4, 9 times 4 equals to 35, hamana hamana, it's total of 93.75. How the hell we split if it has decimals?"
    "That's a lot"
    If Jayden and I only split the money, we both get 187. But without Kasean and Iramor, we have died in the orc.
    Kasean and Iramor stared at the money, was it not enough? I am not sure what do they think of me after that. I felt... Guilt, I can't even say sorry at them. I am not sure if we are even celebrating right now.
    "Are you okay?" Kasean noticed my soulless look as I munch on my food
    I got startled, wait she isn't angry? 
    "No, I'm fine I'm fine... I am sorry"
    "What are you sorrying about?"
    "For getting you all in that situation just for the money"
    Iramor laughed and patted my back "C'mon, I love it. Going for the money instead of your friends sakes is crazy"
    "And by the way 93 gold coins is a lot" Kasean replied "I haven't earned a lot like that until I came to you"
    They are smiling, they aren't... Angry at me. I grinned, then let's keep it that way.
    I stood up and went to the counter.
    "Now, I want to change my team name"
    "Congratulations for getting that promotions, even tho I tried to stop you" A vein popped on her head "Oh well, that will be 80 gold coins"
    "Wait I thought that was 60!?"
    "Overtime the price rises"
    ... 
    "You are really greedy you know that?"
    "Just messing with you, it's actually 10 gold coins to change your team name"
    T-t-t-ten gold coins!?
    "I mean isn't it kinda absurd that changing your team name costs 60 gold coins? Well, I mean you work yourself just for it and even made some friends, maybe my plan actually worked-"
    I lost my thought, my ears ringing I can't hear her yapping, eye twitching.
    After all this time, working myself off, people laughing at us, just for it just to cost 10 gold coins.
    I-I think I am going crazy like Iramor, this woman is irritating me from the start. I have to get myself together, just pay and continue eating.
    "And- Uh hello, you there? Are you hearing me? Everything alright? Or are you shocked to see how cute and beautiful I have beco-"
    I reached for her neck with both of my hands and tightened my grip, choking her.
    "Aaaa kre kre, somching rong?"
    "You imbecile!!!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs and shook her head around "You are really getting on my nerves you woman!!!!!"
    "What the hell was that?"
    "Hey look, that guy is killing the hot chick quest giver!" 
    "Stop him!"
    ***
    I showed the blacksmith the necklace as he hammered a sword.
    "Thank you for showing us the trainer, those skills were very helpful during the fight"
    "No problem, it was a pleasure to help. So, what do you want to do with that necklace?"
    "Well, my cousin... I mean my friend got this from the Orc we killed and I am feeling somekind of energy from this. Maybe you know something"
    "A Orc tooth necklace? When a person wears it, the wearer will gain strength that's what it does"
    Just like in those games! Bonus effects.
    "Well, I will instead gift it to you as a thanks"
    "No need, I already have that like a lot. You can give it to someone or sell it"
    It grants you strength, then I might give it to Jayden. But if he don't want it, then I will just keep it or sell it.