"Why are we heading this way?" Verlith asked Horatu, who was leading the path.
Horatu ignored her. Alyssa answered instead.
"At the Rest Station, I overheard merchants returning from the Eastward Path complaining. Armies suddenly appeared, inspecting everyone along the route. No one knew what they were searching for. The inspections wasted so much time—cost them crucial business opportunities. I thought avoiding that hassle was smarter than enduring it. I suggested Captain Horatu change our route... only to discover he’d already planned this detour."
"I see."
*Unintentionally, Alyssa just covered for Horatu,* Verlith mused inwardly.
Horatu grunted heavily, his mood foul. He violently slashed a vine dangling beside the trail.
*This Horatu...*
Verlith narrowed her eyes, watching his retreating back.
Time slipped by swiftly as they trekked through the forest. In the blink of an eye, dusk fell.
As night descended, mist rose.
Thick, white fog swallowed the vision of those waiting in ambush.
Smith and Finks had grown impatient on the Eastward Path, nearly ready to abandon their post—when hoofbeats suddenly cut through the silence.
"They’re finally here!"
Smith’s spirit surged; exhaustion vanished.
"Scouts! Pinpoint their position!"
"With this fog? They can’t see a thing!" Finks muttered beside him.
"Their job is confirmation," Smith explained gently to his brother. "Just calculate the timing. Nine times out of ten, these riders are those mercenaries."
He raised his voice, barking orders to his men.
"Get ready now! Wait for my signal when they’re close!"
"Yes, boss!" Scattered responses echoed from the woods.
But Smith had miscalculated terribly.
The approaching riders weren’t Verlith’s group. They were the Volthus Empire’s disguised knights—a detachment led by Aosufu.
Aosufu had tracked Verlith’s trail all the way along the Eastward Path. By sheer coincidence, to save costs, these cavalrymen used small wagons identical to Verlith’s party.
"Report, boss! It’s them! Their wagon matches the Rest Station records exactly!"
That was the scout’s report to Smith.
"Heh. Move out, lads!—Watch and learn, little brother!" Smith roared with laughter.
Unaware of the trap, Aosufu commanded his knights straight into the ambush.
The forest fog blinded him too.
"Ambush!" The scout’s warning came too late. Most of his knights were already surrounded.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—!!! Gunfire ripped through the air.
Horses shrieked. Knights collapsed, shot.
The knights’ formation shattered instantly.
"KILL THEM!!!"
Bandits surged from hiding! Battle cries drowned the forest.
"Damn it!" Aosufu snarled, watching another Imperial knight—painstakingly trained—fall in this godforsaken place. His eyes blazed with fury.
"Brothers, stay calm!" He bellowed until his throat burned raw. "Break formation! Take cover! Annihilate these bandits!"
The Volthus knights swiftly reorganized, charging Smith’s bandits!
The two forces clashed violently!
"Flame Command: Blazing Slash!"
Aosufu swung his longblade. Twin arcs of searing flame sliced through two bandits. Their agonized screams died in roaring fire.
"Fools!" Aosufu laughed triumphantly to the sky.
As an Elven Sorcerer, he dominated the ambush like a war god.
Yet he couldn’t reverse their fate.
Though Volthus knights far outmatched Rest Station bandits in skill, they wore chainmail—not steel plate. It stopped blades but not bullets.
Every musket shot tore into knightly flesh, spraying crimson.
The knights endured the wounds without a sound. But flesh couldn’t defy lead. Many tumbled from their saddles, lifeless.
"Damn it!" After cutting down another bandit, Aosufu realized—they couldn’t fight on.
He wouldn’t waste Imperial knights here!
Decision made, he raised his pistol and fired into the sky.
"ALL UNITS—RETREAT!"
The knights obeyed instantly. Fighting as they withdrew, they soon regrouped in a mountain hollow.
"Report casualties by squad!" Aosufu commanded.
"Sir! Battle losses..."
Listening to the reports, Aosufu’s heart bled.
These fallen... were the Empire’s bravest warriors.
"What happened?! How did you lead us here?! Where’s that woman?!"
He seized the scout-knight’s collar—this one had survived the battle.
"Sir, I—I must’ve been spotted. She set this trap ahead of time..." the scout stammered.
"*Must’ve*?" Danger glinted in Aosufu’s eyes. "You’re a scout. You didn’t verify the enemy?"
"Sir! I—I won’t fail next time!"
"*Next time*, fool?!" Aosufu kicked him sprawling. "Demerit! Face military tribunal when we return—if you live that long!"
"Yes, sir!" The scout trembled.
"Damn that woman—who *is* she?!" Aosufu growled. "I chase her once, and she sends a hundred men to block us! Hmph. That item *must* be on her. Why else rush so hard? I can’t wait. We break out before dawn!"
He issued new orders.
"Rest here! We突围 at first light!"
"Yes, sir!"
The knights responded wearily. Even Volthus elites were drained after this bewildering, brutal fight.
The battle paused.
Neither the Volthus knights nor Smith’s bandits had the will to attack again—for now.
