"This way." Rog beckoned the two of them.

Thankfully, with the hunter here, the responsibility of leading the way fell to him. Unfortunately, though, it didn't seem like they would be able to remain hidden.

"Hey, I see them!" a bandit called out from behind them.

"Faster!" Rog instructed them, and the group broke out into a sprint.

Ahead of them, Red was already able to see more movement. The boy put away his bow and drew his cleaver, ready to do combat. Narcha, however, was already a step ahead of them.

"I'll lead the charge!" she yelled. "You two watch my flanks!"

Rog already had his bow drawn and was aiming ahead. Red began to feel his crimson sense flare as more people entered its range. At the same time, the first handful of bandits appeared in clear view.

"They're he-" before the bandit could even finish talking, an arrow had pierced through his throat.

The other men seemed surprised, but before they could even collect themselves, Narcha was already closing the distance. With a ferocious swing, the woman attacked the unfortunate bandit who happened to be in her way. Her target tried to raise his shortsword to block, but the saber broke his blade in half and cleaved into his body.

Narcha didn't even stop to continue her attack, rushing past the remaining bandits. The brigands, perhaps intimidated by her display of strength, didn't immediately give chase. This, however, didn't spare them from Rog's arrows, who happened to take one more of them down.

One of them tried to swing at Red as he passed by, but the boy had no problems dodging past it. Just like that, they were past the first blockade with Narcha leading the charge. It seemed, however, that they were not in the clear just yet.

"Archers up ahead!" Rog warned them.

A handful of bandits armed with bows were searching for an angle to shoot at the group. On top of that, even more, bandits were rushing up ahead to try and intercept them. Red's crimson sense started to become overwhelmed by the dozens of fluctuations that entered its range.

"From the left!" The hunter suddenly called out.

His words were accompanied by the twang of bows. Red dove ahead while keeping his body low to the ground. Some arrows hit the place where he had just been standing in, while most of them were blocked by the trees. Rog and Narcha managed to dodge likewise, but their sudden change of direction allowed a group of seven bandits to approach them.

"Keep going!" Narcha called out as she swung her weapon up, blocking an attack coming her way.

Most opponents focused on the intimidating warrior at the front of the group. A few of them, though, also went for Rog and Red. The boy saw an ugly-faced bandit swinging his hatchet in a wide arc, hoping to hit him. Red had no problem sidestepping, but suddenly another bandit tried to stab him with a spear from the other side.

The boy swung his cleaver up, chopping the wooden shaft with surprising ease before the weapon could connect, leaving his opponent stunned. However, the youth's actions were delayed, and the first bandit was already swinging at him again. Red braced himself to block, but an arrow suddenly stuck into the man's chest, dropping him in an instant.

"Focus on dodging!" Rog instructed him with uncharacteristic solemness. "Don't let them delay you!"

Red noticed that the hunter's opponents had been shot down before they could even approach him. The boy nodded before dashing ahead, leaving his other opponent clueless as to what he should do. Narcha had already killed anyone who tried to go up against her. The remaining bandits smartly kept out of her way, waiting for reinforcements. Still, their enemies had done their job in slowing the group down.

"From the right!" Rog suddenly called out.

More twangs of strings and another wave of arrows came. There were fewer of them this time, and they were easily dodged. Still, it made Red and the rest divert from their straight path and allowed other bandits to close the distance even further.

"This isn't working!" Narcha yelled as she battered another opponent away. "We need to stay and fight!"

"Not here!" Rog replied as he shot another arrow into an approaching bandit. "We'll just get surrounded!"

Red, for his own part, focused on dodging the bandit's attacks and slipping by them. Those who targeted him were frustrated by how slippery the boy proved to be, completely unable to scratch him. Still, it was clear that as time went on, the task of going by unharmed was proving to be more difficult.

"Ahead of us!" Narcha called out.

Red saw it, a dozen or so bandits forming a line to stop the group's advance.

"How the fuck are there so many of them?!" the woman roared in anger but didn't stop.

A few of the bandits raised their bows and fired straight at the warrior. She didn't dodge, though, and simply raised her saber to block the arrows. Most of them bounced off her steel weapon, but a few of them stuck into the woman's leather armor. However, either they didn't manage to pierce into her flesh, or she was unbothered by the wounds. Narcha's steps didn't slow down for even a second.

Like a mad bull, the woman charged directly at the bandits while swinging her saber. A few brave men tried to stand in her way, but they were thrown aside by the sheer force of her blows. Other bandits, though, flanked her and tried to stab her with their spears.

"Take her right!" Rog instructed the boy before shooting at one of her attackers.

Red nodded in silence and rushed ahead. Thankfully, his target was distracted by the menacing warrior and didn't notice his approach.

As the bandit got ready to attack, he suddenly lost his balance and fell down. The man looked down in confusion. He noticed his left leg had been severed at the knee in a smooth cut and began to scream in pain and horror, looking at the escaping child responsible for it.

Red didn't even bother finishing him off. Narcha had managed to fight off the bandits in front of them. However, the bandits had successfully bought some time for their reinforcements, who now approached from both sides. The boy felt there was no end to them.

Suddenly, however, the bandits approaching them from the front froze in their steps. Screams resounded from the rear of their formation, and they all turned back in confusion. Narcha's eyes suddenly lit up.

"It's our chance!" she yelled and sped up.

Rog and Red did their best to keep up, but the woman had already engaged with their enemies before they could catch up. As the bandits started being thrown around, the reason behind the sudden commotion was revealed.

"Eiwin!" Narcha yelled in joy. "Thank god you're here!"

Eiwin didn't immediately respond, focusing on finishing the remaining bandits instead. Red was finally able to get a glimpse of the younger woman's fighting style. She seemed faster and more precise than Narcha, but the strength behind her blows was still staggering.

She grabbed the arm of a bandit in her iron grip and swung him over her shoulder into the ground. Then, she followed up with a whip-like kick against another unfortunate brigand who happened to be in her way. The man was sent flying into a tree, and then fell down limply.

"We need to hurry!" Eiwin warned the group during the brief respite that followed.

Indeed, Red could hear more bandits approaching from behind them.

"We need to fight them!" Narcha replied. "There's too many of them here!"

"We can't!" Eiwin immediately shot her down. "Rickard is here!"

Her words immediately made the atmosphere around the group change. Red recognized that name as the Bandit Lord who was at the Lesser Ring Realm.

"Fuck!" Narcha cussed in frustration. "Let's go then!"

That was all they needed to hear.

"Red, stay in the center," Eiwin instructed the boy. "I'll bring up the rear."

The boy didn't protest her decision. She might have been doing this to protect him, but the truth was she was far more qualified for the task anyways. The group quickly repositioned themselves and began to sprint again.

Bandits continued chasing them, seemingly unbothered by the new addition to the group's numbers. Red thought this bravery of theirs was foolish, considering how many of their companions had died at their hands. However, now that he was aware their leader was nearby, maybe their confidence was justified.

The boy also took note of Eiwin's fluctuations in his crimson sense. They were on par with Narcha's, perhaps even more powerful, which confused him to some extent. Still, Red didn't have the time to reflect on it.

"More bandits are waiting ahead for us!" Rog pointed out.

"How the fuck can they organize this quickly?!" Narcha grumbled. "Keep course! We'll just punch through them!"

The boy could see where Narcha's confidence was coming from, but the whole situation was alarming to him. It seemed the bandits were intent on stopping the group no matter the cost, and Red just couldn't figure out why.

Just as the group was on an imminent collision course, though, something suddenly entered Red's crimson sense. It was a strong fluctuation, on par with Narcha's and Eiwin's, and it immediately put him on alarm. It was steadily approaching their location too.

"Behind us!" Red warned. "Someone strong!"

His explanation confused the group, but Eiwin was quick to check his claims. Suddenly, her eyes flickered.

"Narcha, watch out!" Eiwin yelled.

Almost immediately, a shrill sound rang out. The warrior was surprised, but she was quick to react too. She spun around on her heels and swung her saber against an incoming projectile. To her surprise, though, the force behind the projectile was greater than what she was expecting.

Narcha slid backward on her feet, the weapon almost being thrown out of her hands. She had a grimace on her face and looked at the projectile she had just deflected. It was a small spear, which had shattered into pieces upon colliding with her saber. The woman stared in the direction the javelin had just been thrown from, but no one stepped out from behind the trees.

Red, however, could still feel that presence with his crimson sense. It had stopped approaching them.

"Let's continue!" Narcha abruptly called out.

Clearly, everyone in the group was confused about her decision, but they didn't have time to discuss it. Eiwin had a frown on her face, but likewise, she kept running.

Red felt the fluctuation in his crimson sense become weaker as they distanced themselves until it eventually disappeared. The boy couldn't help but feel a sense of fear at that surprise attack. If the spear had been aimed at him, would he have survived? He knew the answer to that question.

"They're retreating!" Narcha suddenly called out.

Sure enough, the bandit blockade in front of them dispersed, leaving their path free. Almost at the same time, their pursuers stopped giving chase. Red was bewildered at such an occurrence, but no one in the group had time to think about it.

Soon enough, they had distanced themselves from the bandits. Rog didn't call their sprint to a stop until they had changed directions multiple times and was sure they weren't being chased anymore. Red was breathing heavily from the effort, having to tap on his latent strength to keep up with the rest of his companions.

Narcha, too, didn't look to be in good condition.

"Fuck!" the woman cursed as she began to take arrows out of her armor.

"Was that Rickard?" Red asked, remembering the ambusher who had almost hit Narcha.

"No, if it was Rickard, I'd already be dead." she shook her head. "It was someone else."

"Why didn't they give chase?" Eiwin followed up with a question of her own.

"I'm not sure," Narcha replied. "But I feel like I recognized that spear…”