PVP, Finally!

Cheerful banter breaks up the silence of the forest. The two of you are accompanied by the whistle of the wind through the trees guiding you as Ixy teaches you how to mask the sounds of your steps by shifting your weight around. Ixy tells you that while you've been given some boons when you came over to this world, practical training will help you get the most out of it.

But it's not like your time spent in the Bronx didn't nurture a keen and reliable sense of paranoia.

"Wait," you tell Ixy with a hushed tone, moving in front of her and placing a hand on your hip. Ixy doesn't question it, she simply pulls out her crossbow and place a small amount of space between you as you both look around. You notice there are two spots where the bushes have been slightly compressed tot he side with fresh leaves under them. So someone either came from one direction and went to the other, there are two of them and they've taken up spots on both sides or multiple on both sides. If it was a large number things wouldn't be so quiet and they wouldn't need an ambush, also the path would be more disturbed. So the safe bet is between two and four.

Ixy taps the foregrip of her crossbow three times. You don't know how she knows, but you put your faith in her having the number right. You need it to be right for your bluff to work.

You shout, loud enough to be heard, but not too much to strain your lungs and be out of breath in case they charge out, "We know where the three of you are. You won't get us by surprise. Come out now, and we can conversate. Stay there and we regulate."

Ixy loudly notches and arrow for dramatic effect. The seconds tick by slowly and it seems as if they aren't taking the bait. You decide to add to slowly unsheathe your sword and that causes the bushes on both sides of the path to rustle. Slowly, three men walk out, two from the right and one from the left. The two from the left are tall, an inch taller than you, and broader, hopefully slower, in gait and wit. The left one has a green tunic and brown knickers, a knapsack tied across his waist to his chest and a blade at his waist. The one next to him has a brown tunic and green knickers, no bag, but a club. Their hair a similar dull red and between the scars and broken noses that have mended themselves likely outside of any medical establishment. Brutes. Simple and plain. The one on the right is shorter, stockier, his clothing a dull green, but matching with a short hood and overcoat. He pulls the hood down from his head, just having brown hair, but his eyes glimmer more than the other two. He steps forward, still far out of striking distance, but now between you and his friends.

"Pardon the unease of approach, this forest has a way of turning you around on yourself. Me and the lads haven't seen anyone for days and you spooked us is all."

You grimace a bit as you look them over. Their faces are a bit sunken, cheeks hollow. You reckon they've been stuck here for more than a few days for food to run out. Once upon a time a long time ago someone such as yourself might have immediately taken pity. But that morning set on a day far too long to be remembered.

Ixy speaks from behind you, "Why are you still here? If you were in dire need the forest would have spit you."

The short leader has a crooked grin on his face, "Ah, a local then? Exactly what we need. Mayhaps you can lend us a hand in getting out of here miss?"

Ixy raises her crossbow, "If you wanted to leave, you would have been gone. Either you refuse to leave or you're too dangerous to leave."

The brown haired man lets his smile falter for a minute before turning towards Duin, "Jumpy, isn't she? Lets discuss this like men. Simple and to the point. The boys and me need some food and a way out of this place. Drop your weapons, hand over everything you've got to eat."

You're sure he looked at Ixy when he said "everything you've got to eat." And the smiles from the faces behind him hammer the point.

You take a deep breath, "Chicago in the summer time, Death Row Records in the 90s, Radric Davis during a home invasion, 2001's Hot 97 Summer Jam-"

The small bandit interrupts, "What the fuck are you rambling about?!"

You grip Baroqua tighter as you crouch low, "Listing all of the things you could play with that would have been safer than playing with me."

You rush forward sword at your side and the smaller bandit leaps over you cackling, "So obvious you fucking Glkaagh!"

You ignore him, which was always you're plan. You don't know a lot about archery, but a stationary mid air target should be an easy shot and Ixy nails the bastard in the gut with her first arrow as you charge the bigger bandits.

The one with the sword is slower on his draw and using your moment you land your foot right on his knuckles, crushing it between the sole of your boot and the metal handle of his sword. As screams and reels back you bring your sword up to defend against the club swinging wildly from the other lout. His swings are wild and brutish. If you had to guess it's probably likely that these two used brute force to overwhelm a single opponent, but with one still unable to use his fingers and you have possibly unlimited stamina you continue to block and parry every blow. You don't lose any stride as you knock his club back and with enough time you would probably tire your enemy out long before you would be exhausted, but you don't have the chance at that stalemate as his companion finally has the sense to use his other hand.

Just in time to be shot in that hand by Ixy. Another Tom and Jerry style yowl and just enough distraction for his friend for you to get in a retaliatory swing from your back hand and slice a hefty chunk out of his club. The immediate missing weight causes him to stumble back unto his ass and the last thing he sees as you step to the left is an arrow to the forehead. It's the closest you've been to one of Ixy's arrows and you catch a pink, crystalline glimmer along the arrow shaft. With only one bandit left, you tighten your grip and step forward to the bandit with both hands wounded. You slash along the diagonal with an overhead cut, but as Baroqua goes from the bandit's shoulder to below his ribcage, her blade becomes a translucent, ethereal blue. The bandit screams in pain as the blade goes through and crumbles to ground, even as you don't see a drop of blood.

Confusion is all over your face as Ixy walks over excitedly, "Our first party battle and we fought like we've been training together for fucking ever!"

You want to share in Ixy revelry, but look at Baroqua, "What was that?"

Ixy seeing your confusion tilts her head, "What was what?"

"My sword just went see through!"

Ixy again just looks at you with this simple look, "Well yeah. Did you want to break the rules and get cursed?"

It's at that moment that it comes back to you, killing is punished by whatever horny force covers this land. You look at Baroqua again and this time the sword speaks for herself, "I'm not some two bit piece of trash some roadside bandit steals or trades their ass for. I'm a land blessed weapon. Subduing and fighting without killing when needed. Did you think you did all those errands for a regular sword that would have got you locked up in a couple of days?"

As the words sink in you look over the bandits. Ixy's arrows are still embedded, but they look less solid, more like tubes of that familiar pink light and as you look at Ixy looking over the bandits you fought you notice her back.

"You're quiver is empty."

"Hm?" is her immediate reply before she smacks her forehead, "Oh, we didn't talk about weapons did we?"

Reaching her hand back into the empty quiver and pulling, you see an arrow materialise in pink light. As she bring it to her front, the light hardens and you see a dark black spade at the tip.

Ixy speaks as she releases the arrow and it fizzles out of existence, "Our weapons use a mix of their own magic and our own spirit essence to function. Our weapons pull from us to do the things they do, like make arrows to shoot or cut through our opponents spirits."

You look at Baroqua, "Cut spirits?"

Ixy responds walking over to you, "Judging by the blue light you gave off your sword definitely cut that guy to the soul. More effective against magic users, but hurts like a bitch just the same for physical users."

You raise an eyebrow and look at Ixy's crossbow then back at her, "And pink light?"

Ixy gives you a devilish smile, "Now what do you think would make an awesome weapon for a succubus?"

The level of smugness in that grin...

As you look over the felled bandits, sweating, quivering and with noticeable tents in their pants you look back at Ixy, "You didn't-"

"Yes I did!" She retorts, "Pulling forth unbearable lust, paralyzing enemies with their own animal nature and crippling them with the pain of blue balls all without a single touch."

As she looks so proud of herself you look at the groaning bandits one more time, "You are a dangerous woman."

Sheathing your sword you begin to walk away when you hear Ixy whistle.

You turn back and she looks at you expectantly, "Remember there's rules to this shit."

You look over the bandits and then back to Ixy, "I don't swing that way."

She gives you a smile, "Don't have to fuck em, but it would behove us to fuck em over."

A lightbulb clicks in your head, "Oh yeah, forest robbery it is. Either claim them or their loot."

Ixy claps her hands together, "That's right."

Several minutes later. You immediately took the knapsack on one of the brutes, but spent several minutes tying the three together. You and Ixy continue into the forest, following the wind.

About an hour later the bandits start the come too in a rather awkward position. The "leader" as it were, is incredibly annoyed at being tied up between his taller compatriots. He was even more annoyed to find himself tied up the upside down with face between their crotches. You're sure they had a good time untying themselves without any weapons or tools.