Most of the Green Sands were not populated. It was a desert, after all. With that being the case, cultivators who could survive in the desert had numerous places to hide without anyone being able to find them. That led to the rise of banditry. The roads were regularly patrolled, but smart bandits merely had to watch for patrols to pass before trying to find a juicy target. If they found a small enough group, they could attack and get away before anyone could react.

That was exactly the sort of thing that seemed to be going on in front of the two members of the Tenebach clan. The bandits wore coverings on their faces- good for both the desert sands and so they could remain unrecognized when they chose to sell their ill-gotten gains in the cities.

Aydan looked at the scene, “Looks like they chose a difficult target.”

Though the number of those being attacked were small, John could feel a number of late Spiritual Collection Phase cultivators among them, and one at the Foundation Phase being pressed by two bandits of similar cultivation. More than that, there was a familiar sensation to them. John spotted green hair among the defenders. Not Alina, since she was in the Foundation Phase, but certainly another of the Milanovic clan. Was it fate… or just coincidence? He wasn’t sure if there were cosmic forces that guided things. On Earth he could have sworn there weren’t, but in a world with cultivation it might be different. The chances of stumbling upon a battle as it was happening weren’t terribly high, but it wasn’t even slightly unlikely for the Milanovic clan members to be traveling in the Green Sands. “They could use some help, though.”

“That’s right,” Aydan said. “It would not hurt to befriend some locals, and it doesn’t appear to be a dispute between clans. Not that one side is willing to admit to, at least. Are you ready?”

John nodded, his feet propelling him forward. The surface of the road was packed and easier to move on, but sand was all just earth and wouldn’t restrict his movements too much. Understanding this was a real battle and not just a safe match, he held a throwing dagger ready as he approached to get the most out of his time. When one of the bandits was blinded by a sheet of green flames, he took the opportunity to fling the throwing dagger at his back. It carried the weight of earth behind it… which mostly meant that when it hit, it penetrated deep into his back. “Members of the Milanovic clan! The Tenebach clan will support you against these bandits!” While his attack had hopefully indicated his intentions, a formal declaration would help people be more at ease at additional cultivators adding to the fray. There was no harm to it since he’d already used up the element of surprise they had- and Aydan had reached one of the Foundation Phase cultivators before he even attacked.

While he would have liked to assist with the other Foundation Phase cultivator, the bandits had the advantage of numbers and several of them turned on him immediately. They were in the seventh through ninth levels of the Spiritual Collection Phase, nothing extremely impressive… but not everyone had the opportunities he was given. Though that didn’t mean John would be charitable towards attempting to steal people’s lives and property just because they weren’t as high in cultivation.

Instead of trying out something exotic John pulled out his sword, parrying some of the curved blades of the bandits and staying light on his feet in the sand alongside the road. He was just looking for a good opening to attack when he had to dodge some arrows. He’d almost been too late to sense the further away archers, but at least his reflexes were quick enough. It was quite troublesome to avoid them as well as the other melee combatants, though. His dodges weren’t perfect, and he found his energy having to take the brunt of several hits.

Less than a minute into the fight and he was sweating. The heat of the desert, physical exertion, flames being thrown around nearby but not at him… and he certainly noticed this wasn’t the best place for him to fight. He was lucky to be ahead of his opponents in rank or he might have quickly perished, despite all of Brage’s efforts teaching him. He couldn’t just overpower all of them at once… though if his totems were a bit stronger, perhaps that would be possible.

He wasn’t interested in just letting himself get worn down, so he settled for a half-decent chance and slashed the wrist of one bandit. That left him open to a blow to his side, but he solidified his defenses and let it push him back. Unbreakable Boulder’s Rolling Down the Valley… though it really wasn’t more than just letting himself be pushed back to absorb a blow. It needed a stronger attack to show its real value, but it was fine to not worry about that and in fact preferable he didn’t need to use it to its fullest extent.

John waited for the next person to step in, slashing out with his sword as a counter. Just the tip managed to graze them, but a seemingly excessive amount of energy was involved, slicing straight into their shoulder, tearing through their defensive energy. About half of the cultivators were fire element, but including his current target many of the others used the earth element. He pulled in some of the energy he tore away, absorbing it and refining it inside himself without regard for its former owners. He found that the first exchange came out more or less even, but as he started absorbing energy from blows he parried he managed to keep himself at sufficient levels of energy. Enough that he could afford to be more aggressive, and soon he finished off the injured bandit and slashed another.

The addition of two unexpected cultivators had thrown off the bandits, and they soon began to flee. No matter the possible gains, they had to be alive to make use of it. John’s eyes locked on some of the fleeing archers, solidifying the sand underneath him as he moved after them. He cut down two, but another fled at a different angle that took him away from the rest. John didn’t want to get too far from the rest of the group, so he let that one go. It was very unlikely he would die to a single cultivator lower in cultivation than himself… but he could always make a mistake. Or there could be unknown backup.

The Milanovic clan’s Foundation Phase cultivator was removing the face coverings of the bandits. “Pfeh. Nobody important. Just foolish bandits. Though we do appreciate your assistance,” he inclined his head to Aydan, and to John- though it wasn’t strictly necessary. “We hadn’t thought there would be trouble on the main roads, and we got too relaxed to be nearly home. I am Ruric Milanovic.”

Among the group was a young woman with vibrant green hair. She was certainly similar to Alina, though whether she was a sister, cousin, or some more distant relation wasn’t immediately obvious. “Tena Milanovic,” she inclined her head. “You mentioned the Tenebach clan?”

“That is correct,” Aydan said. “This is young master Fortkran Tenebach. It is at his request we came to your aid.”

That wasn’t really something he’d pushed for. Aydan had basically agreed from the outset, but it wouldn’t hurt to say it was his idea. “Alina has been attending many balls recently. We could not just stand by when we saw who you were.” John watched for reactions to the name. It was entirely possible there were different factions of the clan. Even the Tenebach clan had members who didn’t like each other as much, despite their relatively high level of unity.

Tena inclined her head. “Perhaps we should thank her for bringing our clan into your thoughts, then. Forgive my prying, but it is a bit odd for darkness cultivators such as yourself to come to the Green Sands. Is there anything specific you are looking for, or is this merely a training journey?”

“Training, for the most part,” John said. He would have liked to appear more dignified, but he couldn’t stop himself from sweating. Nobody else appeared even a little bit uncomfortable. “I was hoping to find some fire cultivators to spar with, if nothing else.”

“Instead you found battle,” Tena smiled. “But I’m sure this skirmish was probably not sufficient for the young master of the Tenebach clan. Why don’t we travel together for a while? I can introduce you to some of the talents in the area.” Left unsaid was a mutual defensive pact while they were traveling. Few people would want to attack Foundation Phase cultivators, but John realized he should have perhaps had a larger entourage. Though there were benefits to being subtle and small in number, and able to escape quickly.

“We’d be quite glad to join you, of course.” Though he didn’t look forward to showing his weakness to the heat. Then again, how would he overcome it if he didn’t face it?

-----

There were no further incidents on the way to the first large city- Vrona. The sight of the city was quite impressive. Water that at first appeared almost as emerald green as the sands themselves flowed in a nearby river, and it was clear the city was built atop a particularly large oasis. Emerald buildings rose up out of the ground, but those that stood out more were rustic reds and browns that contrasted more with the environment around them. Various familiar crops were grown along the river, though there were some grains he also didn’t recognize. Then again, even the normal wheat had a bit of a greenish tinge to it. Not sickness, but merely some traces of the minerals in the area. The small amounts that made it into people’s diets were presumably not bad for their health since generations of people, normal folk and cultivators, had grown up in the area without issue.

John was relieved to find the city somewhat cooler, not because the sun was any less hot… but because there was less sand absorbing and reflecting the heat. The surfaces of the city were slightly better about the way they did so, at least. Though as he approached his destination, he could already feel heat building up. This particular location intentionally gathered heat instead of letting it disperse. Just attempting to spar in a building that seemed like it should be on fire might be challenge enough. Hopefully he wouldn’t embarrass himself.