Legend: Season One, Nick Venom [best ereader for manga .txt] 📗

hold their own. However, Ace doubted that Aver could protect Ariana, keep an eye on him.

In contrast to his lavish lifestyle and ties to nobility,  Aver struggled alongside the rest and showed Ace that he wasn’t an arrogant and privileged prick like other nobles were. Instead, Aver relied on his strength and speed to protect himself and Ariana. Besides that, he treated Ariana favorably and didn’t hold an ounce of disgust towards Teresa, Catrina, or the guards. This helped Ace’s impression of him.

Teresa was full of curiosity concerning the new scenery. Everything was new to her. The beautifully rich and vibrant trees that seem to be tens of feet in height. The sun-colored grass that spanned miles and miles. The sky resembled an emerald, glittering and sparkling. Clouds bounced on the green jelly sky. 

Ariana was constantly whining, but her attitude wasn’t on purpose, instead, being caused by riding the wooden carriage. The wheels were well-maintained, but the idea of creating shocks hadn’t appeared in the world. This left the butts of all riders to be sore by day’s end. Unfortunately, Ace couldn’t do anything to appease the side-effect of wooden carriages. However, this notion didn’t improve Ariana’s attitude, which worsened by the day. Ace was forced to put up with it until they reached Striktin. 

“When I return to the castle, the first thing I want to be built are shocks for carriages. I can feel every little bump. It’s even worse for Teresa who, at times, can’t handle the pain and soreness.” Ace remarked while looking outside of the carriage. 

 

As the group near Striktin---within three days of arriving at the town---they encountered another bandit ambush set up at a clearing that they intended to stay at for the night. Ace detected the bloodlust from the bandits, alarming the entire group of their impending enemies. Mace and Silver noticed their presence after Ace called the bandits out. “Ten bandits and one unknown.” Ace told them. “I don’t know what weapons they have. Be prepared if any arrows fly out.” Mace and Silver nodded their heads while unsheathing their weapons. 

“It’ll be our honor to claim their lives in your stead,” Mace said, speaking for both him and Silver. Silver nodded, agreeing to Mace’s words. 

“I’ve been rusting on this carriage for the longest. You two have taken care of every threat since our departure.” He brandished his sword, Excalibur, while his pistol, Azroth, hid itself in his holster. “I need to quench my bloodlust.” Ace remarked before jumping off the carriage. He dragged the sword’s tip across the gravel road, hitting stone under it and etching the bandit's death in it. Once he got close to the bandits’ waiting place, they shot up from the bushes on each side of the road. The gravel road was perched higher than the sides, which sank into a ditch. In the ditch formed lines of bushes that were perfect for ambushes.

The bandits emerged from their hiding places, wielding a variety of swords from shortswords to longswords to broadswords. The bandits were all male, including the unknown person that Ace detected. The bandits dashed at Ace, who smirked as they neared him. Without the bandits seeing him pick up his sword, Ace had managed to get behind two bandits and tore their backs open. The remaining eight bandits then took notice of their comrades’ death and plunged forward, slashing at Ace. Ace used his light skill, Creation: Light, to blind the bandits for a second. The temporary blinding allowed him to slash seven out of eight bandits without a problem. The remaining bandits---the leader of the bandit party---crumbled to his knees as tears streamed down his cheeks. The sick act of sympathy gave him no mercy. Ace brandished Azroth and shot the bandit leader between his eyes, executing him. The man collapsed to the ground, lifeless and soul-deprived. As Ace walked towards the man, another man emerged from the bushes and grabbed the bandit leader’s corpse, throwing it into the bushes. The man turned out to be an elderly man---seemingly in his sixties or early seventies---wearing a long white robe. The white robe had two streaks of red on opposite sides, starting at his nipple and extending down to the end of his torso. The bottom part of his robe dragged on the gravel road, cutting into the thin fabric. He didn’t have a helmet or any headgear on, exposing his near-bald scalp with patches of gray hair scattered. 

“I see that you didn’t give him any mercy. You also detected us long before you neared this ambush.” The man remarked. “Color me impressed.”

“You’re a bandit?” Ace asked him, swinging Excalibur at the ground once and throwing the blood off. 

“No, I was enslaved by the bandits. You see, I'm a wise old man.”

A wise man? Ace thought as he gripped Excalibur tightly. “Are you aligned with the bandits? Are you an enemy?”

“Enemy? I think not. I’m a lonely old man traveling on his own. Also, I don’t dare to fight a hero.”

“How does he know that Ace is a hero?” Ariana asked while peering out from the carriage.

“Something’s off with the elderly man.” Aver deduced. 

“Don’t worry, I’m off.” The man said, turning to his left. “Create Path!” He shouted at the woods that surrounded the road. A dirt path was created in front of him, cutting down every tree in its path. He turned back towards Ace. “I’m Winston, it was nice to meet you… Ace, the legendary bodyguard.” He remarked before sliding down the ditch. Winston turned around and pointed at Ace. “Don’t enter the shadows. They’ll be your doom.” He warned Ace before sprinting across the dirt path with speed that elderly men could never have.

Ace watched as Winston disappeared without a fight. He couldn’t understand who Winston was; an ally or foe. However, Ace understood that he needed to stay clear of the shadows. For some reason, Ace trusted Winston’s words, right off the bat. “Winston, the wise old man. I will remember your warning. I can’t leave Catrina and Teresa by their lonesome.”

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Publication Date: 03-10-2019

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