[NR] They'll Keep Themselves Alive For Us - Chapter 667

The guards can hear the moment that the enemy notices them. Seems the bandits have no concept of maintaining silence when things go down. Though it isn’t completely unreasonable. Lily hadn’t been able to report the actual numbers, but there was a lot. Three to four teams worth with another team of harvesters and haulers.

If it was an actual military they were facing, silence would be expected. However, chances are this is literally just a handful of teams and a bunch of individuals with skilled hands or strong backs. And given how much a team of three like Jason, Rosha, and Courtney missed while setting up their stake out, who can guess at the comedy of errors that must be going on with the bandits? Not like they had been acting as actual bandits before this.

Though whether they had maintained silence or not wouldn’t have mattered. Confident in his people, Siegfried had spread his guards out wide, allowing them to encircle the bandits before they noticed. Sure, this meant there were a ton of holes in their formation. However, by being so spread out, it also delayed the enemy noticing them by even more.

And once they heard the enemy had noticed them? Siegfried shouted for everyone to “Charge!”. Well, that was the command he gave.

They didn’t actually charge. Sure, they advanced rapidly, but the focus was on closing the net with ranged attackers more focused on making sure no minnows slipped through. The council wanted as complete a victory as possible and Siegfried was going to give it to them. Though more than not letting them escape, he wanted to go above and beyond, to catch them all.

Being travellers, their deaths wouldn’t solve the problem. If anything, it would simply be releasing intel to whoever controls this group. Not that Siegfried believes there to be more of these people out in the Deep Wilds, especially once they come into view.

Siegfried points out four of the enemies and flashed a hand signal. While you can't figure out a person’s level exactly, there are some points that become obvious for most people. Siegfried glances over at Jason, as he admits to himself that there are always exceptions.

It actually struck him as somewhat funny. Those four had likely been stuck at level 99 for a while now. Their comfort with their current power and lack of a core pointing towards people who are hard stuck. And yet here was a kid who had a core before halfway to 100. At least his companions are more normal.

No time to relax, though. The bandits seem to at least know how to work together. Instead of trying to flee, they group up. Though the fact the four he pointed out took the center either meant they were about to face some deadly ranged attacks or those idiots were front-line fighters trying something.

Whatever the case, Siegfried would have to be ready as he was the strongest person here. Though he could see the irony of his mocking of those four staying in the center of their formation when he himself was standing at the back. There wasn’t really a difference, at least from the outside.

However, Siegfried was willing to bet that when things went bad, they would be the first trying to escape. Their minions a meat shield to buy them one extra second to escape. Even taking into account the whole “immortal” aspect, that just means the strong should be even more willing to hold the line. Then again, these are people who willingly delved into banditry. Siegfried sighs and settles into a ready stance to jump in and save anyone that needs it.

Over to the side, Jason is in a similar situation. “So Rosha, how do you handle non-lethal takedowns with a bow? Like, I know about blunted arrows, but that’s the same as ‘non-lethal’ rubber bullets. More like less lethal. Especially when you realize the general guidance on their use involves avoiding certain locations. Which, really? You’re going to have time to aim carefully when things are going down or people are fighting?”

Rosha nods, “Yeah, there really isn’t a normal arrow which can manage true non-lethal status. You need special ammo, expensive ammo. Because it doesn’t stop with the arrow head.

“A popular crowd control option for rich towns is the slime arrow. I’ve only been shown one by Peter and he didn’t even fire it. Through alchemy, a skilled crafter packs a gallon of a sticky slime into a single arrow. The entire thing is made of the stuff and the moment it leaves the bow, it will burst apart with shocking ease. And that slime isn’t just sticky. The more it flexes, the stiffer it gets.”

Jason, “I’m guessing people still end up suffocating if you're not careful?”

Rosha shrugs, “Eh, the impact is non-lethal. If you want true non-lethal, you’ll be needing to find a proper empire to source your ammo. They’re the only ones that would sell pure spell arrows. Not just anyone can turn a spell into a solid object.

“Though everyone wants them. So much so that non-lethal options tend not to get made. Much better to create a ton of fireball arrows as part of a strategic reserve.”

Jason, “So, what are you using?”

Rosha releases another arrow before responding, “Eh, they’re travellers. We’re just aiming for lower center of mass.”

Jason, “I thought those arrows looked a bit sharp. Uh, weren’t we trying to take them alive?”

Rosha, “I doubt they’re being paid enough to die for their employers. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have captured the other group.”

Courtney nods, “Operational security is much tighter if no one gets caught. Better to die. Even if you don’t answer a single question, just who you are can be an important clue.

“As for these guys? They’re practically doing our job for us. Seems most of those non-combatants all have medical training of some sort and are keeping their people alive. Though I will say,–”

Rosha stops her, “No you won’t! I can tell, you were about to tempt fate and say something stupid like ‘this fight hasn’t been as tough as I expected’.”