About thirty adventurers gathered at the entrance to the city, behind the wooden gate. At any moment it could fall. What still kept the gate standing were the strong steel chains.
In front of the adventurers were five guards with gray armor and red ornaments. These were the same garments as the guard who summoned the adventurers; this same guard was in the lead in the battle.
Other adventurers, not wanting to take part in the battle, just watched from outside the guild - together with the guild master and the other employees. They were real scoundrels. They were ready to flee the village at the first opportunity, if the adventurers on the front line and the guards were not enough to stop the enemy forces.
The gate swung open with a "Bam" coming from the other side.
The unheard sound startled the adventurers. Some trembled in fear, while others were excited, after all, in this quiet village, it was not often that they were attacked by enemies - the last such event was the orc attack ten years ago.
Another "Bam" made the left chains break.
Two more shots in a row broke the right chains.
With nothing left to hold it down, the large wooden gate went down, forming a bridge to enter the village.
- GET READY!!! - The guard in front shouted, raising his long shining sword.
The dust slowly settled. Guards and adventurers advanced - five at a time, because of the condition the bridge gate was in.
The man, the leader, stopped suddenly, when all the dust had completely subsided.
- W-what? - The guard, a middle-aged man, said confused.
There was no one on the other side.
Whoever had knocked down the gate was no longer there.
- What is this nonsense?
- Don't let your guard down, they might still be around!
The leader of the guards shouted in response to the protest of the adventurer in monk's clothing.
Everyone's face had an expression of anger, confusion, fear and anxiety.
Who did this and why? How did they get away so quickly?
Everyone wondered internally, but no one spoke up, they just stared at the green grassy landscape and then at the pathetic faces of their companions.
The silence broke a few seconds later.
Three shots echoed from the forest near the village.
- Hey, didn't Flude's group go there earlier today?
- You're right, they should have been back by now... - replied the adventurer with his face covered by a hood.
- The bastards must have gone to the forest!
- Then let's go there!
The boy with the hood suggested the leader of the guards, who was guarding the sword. The leader calmed the agitated adventurers with a "easy there".
- Only half of us go there, the rest stay here!
Everyone agreed with the man's suggestion. It wouldn't make sense if everyone went and the village was left vulnerable to an attack.
In a moment, the group that would go to the forest was already decided, until the sound of another shot echoed through the air.
- It came from the other side of the wall!
- How did they move so fast?
The swordsman and the witch screamed in panic.
A few seconds ago the sound had come from the forest, however, they were already on the other side of the village. Were these invaders really some kind of demon?
It would not be totally impossible. There was an old story about a race of demons called "Idatens", known for their incredible speed.
- You go into the forest, and seven more go to the other side of the village!
After the warning, the leader separated into new groups, leaving only eleven adventurers at the entrance to the village.
For the next ten minutes there was no more noise. Some adventurers began to play cards on the ground while others hummed songs they barely knew the words to.
- Hey, what's that?
one of the adventurers asked the witch next to him - the girl was scribbling on the ground with a stick.
- It looks like they are coming back...
- There's no way that can be someone at that speed... it can't be horses either! - The swordsman, holding a deck of cards, shouted.
- Hey Ari, can you see who it is?
The shy adventurer who went by the name Ari shook her head affirmatively and stood up.
- [Eagle V-Vision].
The spell used by the archer gave her superhuman vision, nothing could escape her eyes, but...
- Huh?
- What is it, what do you see?
- I don't believe it! - cried the archer, looking a second time to confirm what she was seeing. - It's a little girl carrying a man on her back!
- Ehhh?
All the adventurers shouted in unison.
In the distance - and rapidly approaching with impressive speed - were Rory and Kurone.
Thanks to Rory's ability, which gave him a speed similar to that of the demon Idatens and a jump that reached about three meters, they managed to disperse the group of adventurers from the village, leaving only "the weakest" to protect the gate.
Kurone said something like "if we are going to invade we better have a plan". Miraculously, Rory listened to him this time, and thus was created the plan that they nicknamed "Getting Nehemiah off the wall" - although if they were as smart as the man described in the holy scriptures, the adventurers and guards would never have dispersed.
- What the hell is this? They are faster than any horse I have ever seen!
- So they are the ones who knocked down the village gate... I won't forgive them!
Raising her staff toward the approaching cloud of dust, the witch began to chant an attack spell.
- What audacity, they want to attack us. - Rory spoke calmly to the young man clinging to her back. - Don't puke on me or I'll throw you in here.
- Damn it, Rory, why don't we just go into the village as normal? And how can you be so calm in this situation? Bleh.
- Because it is more efficient to take over this village and make the adventurers our slaves, that way it will be easier to accomplish our goal. By the way, I told you not to throw up.
Even though she had been running non-stop for the last thirty minutes, and carrying a young man twice her size, Rory did not show any signs of fatigue. How strong could this little girl be?
- Now, try not to die.
- What?
Before he had a chance to protest, Kurone was thrown toward the village by Rory - she also jumped in the same direction.
- Something's been thrown in our direction, get ready! - The swordsman shouted, drawing his sword from his waist.
- [Magic Shield]. [Divine Protection].
Obeying the witch, the air changed to a yellowish color. The strong winds turned into a shield to protect the group of adventurers behind the girl with the staff.
Rory stopped in mid-air and retreated - as if he had opened a parachute - while Kurone went straight through and fell into the village.
With three shots from Rory, the shield created by the witch began to crack.
- [Burst].
The spell of one of the adventurers restored the shield raised by the witch.
Little by little, it became a vicious cycle. Rory cracked the shield, but it was quickly restored by one of the adventurers.
- How irritating. I won't let them get away with it this time.
da loli's eyes glowed an intense red. Stopping in midair, she began firing at the adventurers.
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
"BAM!", "BAM! " , "BAM!".
After a pause to reload, the volley of 5.56×45 millimeter bullets resumed.
The shooting did not cease until the shield was shattered. The sound of the shield shattering was similar to that of breaking glass.
- Take cover! - shouted the witch as she was thrown backwards.
For the first time in that world, Rory showed a facial expression: a macabre smile as he shot at the adventurers who were running like ants from a child with a water pistol.
- She's a demon!
- Heh? Now I'll get it over with...
The demonic smile stretched even wider on the small childish face. Rory put his eye to the crosshairs of his rifle to take more accurate shots at the adventurers.
- I won't let you, [Magical Spear].
The witch - covered in mud - stood up again and threw a yellowish magic spear in the direction of the little girl.
Halfway through, the spear transformed, taking on the appearance of a yellow snake that was preparing to swallow Rory.
- Child's play.
Only one bullet was enough to destroy the golden snake.
- I'm tired of losing my tim-
"Ehhhhh!?". That was everyone's only reaction, even Kurone's - trying to get the mud off his clothes.
Rory dropped to the ground like a stone after intercepting the witch's attack.
The little girl hit the grass and remained motionless, as if she had died right there.
- I surrender, please have mercy on me!!!
Kurone knelt in front of the adventurers and brought her forehead to the ground - a typical Japanese apology.
- Ehhhh? - Again, everyone shouted in astonishment.
- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?
The last cry of the day was given by the mud-covered witch.
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