Bandit's Revenge Read online

Zor gritted his teeth in anger as he looked at Bandit in confusion.

  What the…? He actually managed to…hurt me… But…how…? What happened?

  He quickly scanned Bandit's body to see what was different about him.

  At first, he did not notice anything particularly different about him, but after a few seconds, he noticed that Bandit's fists were covered in a thick layer of ice.

  "I see," he said irritably, "That's an interesting tactic. I didn't think you were smart enough to come up with something like that. Don't let it get to your head, though, boy. I'm still the stronger one between us!"

  He blurred at Bandit, and struck him in the ribs, causing Bandit to yell as he stumbled back a few yards.

  Now something else is off…thought Zor in confusion, I know I hurt him, but…hitting him felt different than it did before… It's as if his body is…studier… What the hell is going on here?

  Truly confused, Zor gritted his teeth as he thought about what Bandit had done to his body this time, and his eyes slowly widened when he realized what he had done.

  Could it be…? No… Just as he created gauntlets of ice to cover his fists…could he have thought to create ice armor to defend his midsection as well?

  Zor tried to swing his sword at Bandit once again, but as soon as he raised his arm to do so, Bandit, whose body had suddenly become enveloped in an icy blue aura, punched him hard in the stomach four times, and gave him a roundhouse kick to the face, causing him to grunt in pain and stumble back several yards. He was now bleeding from his nose and mouth, and when he noticed that the amount of blood dripping from his face was so great that it was creating a puddle on the ground, he gritted his teeth in agitation.

  Damn him! he thought to himself as he watched Bandit charge at him, Where did all these new abilities come from? It was all too easy to defeat him before…!

  Zor grunted as his eye began to twitch in anger.

  It doesn't even matter… I will not be beaten by this…insect… No more messing around... There is the part where he dies by my hands!

  Bandit tried to punch Zor, but Zor evaded the blow, and swung his sword at him in retaliation. However, Bandit knew he would do this, and jumped back several yards before he even raised his arm to do so.

  Zor blurred at him and tried to slice him in half with his sword, but Bandit grabbed his armed hand to defend against the attack, and punched Zor in the nose, causing even more blood to spray from it. He punched Zor in the nose twice more, and knocked him back with an uppercut that him flying back several yards.

  Zor grunted as he landed on his behind, and held his nose in pain as an agitated Bandit walked towards him.

  "You were the one who was cocky!" exclaimed Bandit as he cracked his icy knuckles, "You, not me! Look at you! You thought that no one could ever match you as long as you used that sword! You depend on that sword for power, don't you? Idiot! I bet you never imagined anyone ever hitting you so many times in a fight! You arrogant fool! You may have depended on that sword for support all this time, but now, let me tell you…now, it's not enough! Now, you're going to pay for your arrogance and your actions, and by the time I'm done with you, you're gonna be like the dirt beneath my feet!"

  This can't be happening…thought Zor as he slowly got on his feet, Not with this sword in my hands! This sword that enhances my speed and strength to such superhuman levels… This sword that enhances my life force… How can I be losing…with this sword?

  Bandit tried to punch Zor once more, but Zor evaded the blow, and yet again, tried to slice him apart with the sword.

  Now die!

  He swung the sword as quickly as he could, but Bandit still managed to grab onto it with his hands, and despite Zor's great strength, he actually managed to yank the sword from his grasp, causing Zor's eyes to widen in surprise.

  No!

  He was about to jump back to give himself some distance between himself and Bandit, but Bandit quickly grabbed his neck, and drove the sword right through his chest. Zor yelled in pain as his blood flew out of his body, and yelled again when Bandit yanked the sword out of him. He clutched his chest as blood flowed out of the massive wound he had just been given, and fell to his knees, before falling flat on his stomach.

  Seeing that he had finally managed to finish Zor off, Bandit dropped the sword, and his body ceased glowing as he knelt down. He turned Zor over onto his back, and Zor clutched his chest as he slowly looked into Bandit's eyes.

  "You fool…" he said bitterly as his shirt slowly became drenched in blood, "Look at what you've done…"

  Bandit panted a bit before he spoke.

  "I did what I had to do…" said Bandit without looking at Zor, "I put an end to your plans… You left me no choice… You wanted to rule over the people of Vast Expanse…"

  "Yes…" grimaced Zor, "…and…what was wrong with that…? This world is…full of people like you and I… People with power… But not Vast Expanse… What do you think would happen…if a threat were to ever arise in Vast Expanse? How would the people of Vast Expanse…defend themselves if none of them have power? The warriors of Twilight Valley have always been there for them…but what if that were to change…?"

  Bandit closed his eyes as he responded.

  "The warriors of Twilight Valley would never stop looking out for the people of Vast Expanse."

  "Ah…but what do you think would happen…in a true crisis…? Would the people of Twilight Valley truly offer their help to a nation they have no true obligation to assist…? I could have ruled over them…and protected them with my men…"

  "You're saying all the right things…" began Bandit, skeptical of the words coming out of Zor's mouth, "…but how do you justify the murders you've committed?"

  "The people I murdered went against my plan to save the people of Vast Expanse…and like them...it would seem…you intend to go against my plans as well…"

  To Bandit's surprise, Zor looked at him with genuine sadness in his eyes.

  "I could have protected the people of Vast Expanse…but now…you've put an end to that goal of mine…"

  "…I had…family…in Vast Expanse once… I was the only man with power in my family…so the rest of my family moved to Vast Expanse…for peace…and do you know what happened to them…?"

  Zor hissed in pain before he continued.

  "Criminals from the Land of Power…the only land where most everyone has power…escaped to Vast Expanse…and tried to rule it because there was no one there who could defend themselves… My family died as a result…"

  Bandit gasped in surprise, and gritted his teeth as he listened to Zor's words.

  "Don't you see…?" asked Zor emotionally, "…These people need to be ruled...in order to be protected…"

  Bandit shook his head, and swallowed before he spoke.

  "If that's how it is…" he began, unsure of how to respond to Zor's story, "…why…why…?"

  He was beginning to feel uncomfortable, for if Zor said was true, it meant he had just put a man who had truly wanted to protect the people of Vast Expanse on his deathbed.

  "Why didn't you think of a different way to protect them?" he asked, frustrated.

  "You don't think I attempted such…?" responded Zor irritably, "I've visited Vast Expanse before…and tried to tell them to leave the land and go to any other land…for every other land has people with power…to protect them… But they would not listen… They did not want to uproot their lives…and get involved in the affairs of people with power…because they thought it would be easier to do so…"

  "I traveled the world…and asked every other realm to help me with my cause…but most did not care to… In this world…every realm only cares for its own people… It's every realm for itself…which means Vast Expanse is an easy target for being taken over… After doing most everything I could think to do…I did the only thing left I could think to do…and took matters into my own hands… The few groups of people in each realm who agreed with my plan…were the rebels you and yo
ur allies fought all this time. We all wanted to protect the people of Vast Expanse…and we would have succeeded in doing so…had you and your allies been smart enough to understand our intentions."

  "Oh, we understood your intentions," said Bandit irritably, "You intended to rule people who can't fight for themselves."

  "We had no choice!" asserted Zor.

  "Yet you did! I hate to say this to you, Zor…but…you could have left things alone. The people of Vast Expanse had made their decision. No one would have blamed you. But now…you're going to die."

  "Now…you have enabled Vast Expanse to continue to be something it shouldn't be…" scoffed Zor as his breath rate decreased and his heart beat slowed, "A fool's paradise… In a world full of people with power…there should not be a single nation incapable of defending itself… You fight like a man…but have the intelligence of a fool…"

  He groaned in pain as he began to gasp for breath.

  "…and now…" he winced as he gritted his teeth in anguish, "…the people of Vast Expanse…will pay for that…"

  Bandit sighed as he placed his hand under Zor's head, and watched as Zor closed his eyes.

  "Let me ask you one thing, Zor…" he began as he closed his eyes, "…If any of the people of Vast Expanse…had objected to your rule…what would you have done…?"

  Zor was still fully capable of speaking, but he remained silent, and ironically, that silence answered his question.

  "You would have killed them…am I right?"

  Zor opened his eyes one last time, and looked at Bandit bitterly as Bandit gave him a look of derision.

  "I am right…aren't I…? Knowing you…you would have killed fathers…mothers…children…anyone in Vast Expanse who opposed you…the same way you killed anyone who opposed you in the rest of the world… The thing is, Zor…sometimes, it can be more beneficial to hope for the best…than to prepare for the worst… The people of Vast Expanse had made their decision…but you would've forced your rule onto them anyway… You may not have seen it, Zor…but the only person who had put the well-being of Vast Expanse at risk…is you…"

  Disgusted with Bandit's look of derision, Zor grunted as he slowly closed his eyes, and said the last words he would ever speak upon this earth.

  "…Don't look at me that way… What do you know…? No matter what I would have done to the people of Vast Expanse…who opposed me…it would have been for the best… All I wanted…was to give them protection…while all you cared about…was giving them what you call "freedom"…and "peace"… You were and are a fool…whereas I saw what no one else wanted to see… The thing is, kid…I could've protected them… I could've accomplished my goal… But you…you will never be able to give anyone…true freedom…or true peace…and even if you did manage to do such a thing…you can't save everyone…including the ones you love the most…and you will learn that…the hard way…in due time… Someday, your foolish actions will bring nothing but suffering…and…complete despair…upon those closest to you… I promise…"

  "…I wish I had killed you the day we met…"

  With that, Zor's breathing slowed to a stop, and Bandit laid his head on the grass beneath him. He grabbed the Cosmic Sword before standing up, and looked up at the sky as it began to rain.

  "…Rest in peace, Zor Berko… I hope you find that peace you always wanted in the next world…"

  "…and I hope you get to see…your family once again…"

  Darkness on the Edge of Town

  July 14, 1854

  On this bright and warm summer day, a single ship sailed in the middle of the Remi Ocean. It was a small caravel, but it possessed a number of facilities.

  The lounge was where the kitchen was located, and acted as a meeting room of sorts. It was also where the alcoholic drinks were stored, and the men of the ship enjoyed that facet of the lounge quite a bit.

  Below the deck were the men's and women's quarters, where the sailors of the ship rested at the end of the day. Both rooms possessed six hammocks, as well as a coffee table, and a few extra barrels of water. There were not any women on the ship, though, so the women's quarters was being used as a second men's quarters for this particular journey.

  Additionally, the storage room, which contained extra rations of food and water, the ship's anchor, rope, weaponry, and lifesavers, could be accessed through a hatch located on the back deck of the ship. The bathroom, which contained a fully functional shower, sink, and toilet, was adjacent to the storage room, and could be accessed by a door positioned on the far end of the storage room.

  A bandaged up Bandit Lane snored as he rested on his bed in the men's quarters, when he awoke to the sound of someone calling his name.

  "Bandit!" exclaimed a man from the lounge.

  He slowly opened his eyes, and yawned as he stretched.

  "I'm coming!" he replied as he slowly sat up and got out of bed.

  He sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

  It's hard to believe…I've been gone for three years… he thought as he walked towards the stairs to the deck above, I can't wait to see how everyone is doing after all this time.

  In the lounge, a few of the men on board the ship were drinking to their hearts' content.

  "Hey," said Ka, one of the men, "I bet I can drink more than you!"

  "Is that so?" responded Eul, the man he had spoken to, "Well then, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?"

  The two each picked up a mug of beer, and began drinking the beer like there was no tomorrow.

  Suddenly, the door to the lounge opened, and all the men in the lounge watched as Bandit walked in.

  "What's with all the ruckus?" he asked, amused, "Are you guys having another drinking contest?"

  He smiled as he looked at Ka and Eul.

  "Don't you ever get tired of losing, Ka?" he taunted, "Eul always wins!"

  "You bastard," said Ka with a smirk as Eul laughed at him, "Eul may have beaten me yesterday…and the day before…and the day…before…but I swear...I'll beat him this time!"

  "Right," said Bandit passively as he looked at Nem, one of the other men in the room, "Anyway, what's up? You called me up, right? Can you make it quick? I was in the middle napping."

  "Right," responded Nem with a smile, "The carriers pigeons we sent out several days ago just came back with messages from the other realms. It looks like all of your friends are safe and headed home, just like you."

  Bandit chuckled as he closed his eyes and smiled.

  "That's great news, Nem," he said happily, "Thanks for telling me."

  Bandit Lane…thought Nem as he looked at Bandit's bright smile in amusement, He's one of the most brutal men I've ever met…but when it comes to his friends…he's as happy as can be.

  "Hey, is anyone planning on using the kitchen anytime soon?" asked Bandit, "I'd like to cook something up."

  "Oh, you don't have to do that," said Eul, "You're the hero who saved Vast Expanse! We can do the cooking around here."

  "I know, but…what can I say? I was raised by a chef, so…whenever I'm happy, I like to cook. Besides, I think we could all use a break from Ka's "wonderful" meals."

  "Oh, you're funny," said Ka with a smirk, "Fine. If you wanna cook so badly, go right ahead. No one's using the kitchen anytime soon, so it's fine."

  "What are you gonna cook anyway?" asked Nem, intrigued.

  He had not known that the powerful Bandit Lane could cook, and was slightly interested in discovering what kind of food the slaughterhouse could make.

  Bandit smiled as he walked towards the bag of rations in the corner of the kitchen.

  "You'll have to wait and see," he said with a smile as he opened the bag and observed the food that was inside.

  "Hey, Bandit," began Otu, another man who sat in the lounge, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

  "Yeah?" asked Bandit as he raised his eyebrows, "What's that?"

  "Are there any cute girls in the Ice Lands?"

  Bandit chuckled before he responded.
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  "If there were…I wouldn't tell you."

  "You bastard," said Otu as the other men in the room laughed at him, "You just wanna keep them all to yourself!"

  "Can you blame him?" asked Eul, "With your history with women, I don't think any man would want you near a woman they know!"

  "Do you happen to have a girl at home waiting for you, Bandit?" asked Ka, intrigued.

  "Well my mom's probably waiting for me, if that's what you mean."

  "That's not what I mean!"

  After having thoroughly looked through the bag of rations, Bandit scratched his head as he closed it, for he had found that there was nothing in it that he really wanted to cook. He thought for a moment, and had an idea as to what course of action to take next.