Risa wasted no time after my warning. The moment I informed her about the Guild''s plan and who would most likely attend, the gears within the Crows began turning at full speed, sweeping me up quickly. Orders were sent out, potions and weapons distributed, and I even got a complete set of new padded armor, a new sword, and a bandolier with multiple potions. Nothing was spared... And the others, especially Cravik in his half-plate armor, looked way more dangerous than we went for the beast-folk''s camp. After leaving while it was still dark, the air cold and humid, dark clouds rumbling but without starting to pour water on us. Somehow, even after knowing that this was way too dangerous... I didn''t feel the type of fear I was expecting. It was there, yes, but... but I was also excited. Equally so.


    It was a scary thought if I lingered on the feeling. Was I always like this in the past? Only I was unable to act on it... Who knows?


    Chasing the thought away, I moved among them, pretending to be just another fighter, another piece in Risa''s grand game, ready for the grand finale. Even though my final preparations were different, I was hoping that there would be a perfect chance to disappear amidst the chaos. Preferably in a way that would make them think I died. And for that, I was delighted the ambush would happen close to a river. It was my best chance...


    "Relax." Cravik chuckled, probably noticing my nervousness, mistaking the reason for it. "You are a lucky one, kid. I have a good feeling about you!"


    "Thanks..." I smiled weakly. "Take care of yourself, okay?" I looked at him, watching him nod with a grin. I wasn''t afraid that he would die, but I would feel bad if he died because of Risa. She... I just didn''t trust her. Since the news of the artifact, her aura had been... foul.


    Getting to the chosen scene, the two dozen Crows and I, who were selected for the ambush, took our spot, hiding after Risa made sure we had all of the required potions. Strength, speed, endurance—the three different ones we were supposed to drink right before engaging. I was told that each bottle on my bandolier was packing enough magical enhancement to allow me to tear a regular person apart when combining them. Holy hell... This also meant that the two from the Guild were probably packing something similar, weren''t they?


    I need to keep reminding myself in the future that I wasn''t going up against regular people. Potions in this world are really the table-flipping solutions. Risa stood at the head of the gathered fighters, her presence hidden, crouching on a thick branch of a massive tree, hidden amongst the leaves. When she spoke, her voice was akin to a whisper next to my ears.


    "We wait. Don''t move, not until we attack. They are dangerous, so we hit them hard. No hesitation. No holding back. They die, or we do."


    A low, guttural chorus of agreement rippled through the air like a beast''s growl. I nodded along, keeping my breathing steady, my face slightly pale and my hand trembling. Inside, though, my mind suddenly flashed back to something that didn''t belong to me.


    "Calm down, Auriel! Overexcited adventurers get to die first." An old voice told me from nowhere, pushing me into a trance-like state. "You have the talent, but if you let your rampant emotions overtake you, making you hesitate or jump into action before thinking... you will die. To the most simple bandits, this land can throw at you. Never forget my words, kid. Calm. Remain calm... In every situation."


    ...


    ....


    .....


    Reagan didn''t trust many people. Not if it was about an elven artifact. That''s why, when it came to securing the prize of his life, he told no one. Not the other adventurers. Not even his inner circle. Not the brass at other headquarters. Only Lazlow. That way, they wouldn''t need to share it with anyone... and the Guild wouldn''t get their grubby hands on it.


    The two of them rode out of the city under the cover of darkness, slipping out unnoticed. Their destination: the supposed location where the Crows were transporting it. The moon was hidden away behind dark clouds, only the occasional lightning strike casting elongated shadows across the forested landscape. The only sounds were the rhythmic crunch of hooves against dirt and the occasional rustle of wind through the trees as they rode their horses.


    "I assume you''re looking forward to this," Reagan murmured as he rode beside Lazlow, his voice barely audible over the night''s stillness.


    "A bit," Lazlow smirked, his teeth glinting in a sudden flash of blue light. "A bunch of street rats thinking they can challenge us? It''ll be good exercise. It was a long time since I had a proper fight."


    "Same." The Guildmaster chuckled, his expression unreadable beneath the brim of his hat. "Still, we should be cautious. The Crows are still a well-organized gang, even if they are... a gang. Risa''s father was still a gold-ranked adventurer."


    "I heard. Too bad the old man died before I would have a chance to test his skills." Lazlow flexed his fingers, the leather of his gloves creaking softly. "I know they are dangerous. That''s why we kill them before they even know they''re dead."


    Smiling, it was clear that the two men''s confidence was unshaken. However... it wouldn''t hold long because they had no idea what was waiting for them.


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    ...


    ....


    .....


    I watched from my hiding spot as the two men arrived, here to set an ambush for us... Reagan and Lazlow dismounted and moved through the pitch-black night, coming towards the spot that would be perfect for an ambush. Not knowing, we were already there. While moving through the forest, they were fast and efficient, setting themselves up in prime ambush positions that would hide them well, almost making me smile because they were painfully visible from where we stood. My smile disappeared when Reagan''s eyes scanned the shadows, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, making me think he already noticed us... Or me. Luckily, his gaze didn''t stop on my body, glancing at Lazlow, who also crouched low, his dagger already in hand and his body coiled like a spring.


    Then they heard it—the shuffle of feet in the darkness. One of us was making the first move.


    "...?" Reagan''s eyes narrowed, his ears picking up the noise. "Wait—"


    Too late.


    From the shadows, the first few Crows descended like specters of a midnight haunting. Their movements were unnaturally fast, their eyes glowing faintly from the potions coursing through their veins. Their blades flashed, and some crossbow bolts flew out from a different location. The first wave hit them hard, prompting me to drink my own potions. It was no time to think about keeping them for the future!


    I witnessed as Reagan twisted away from the first strike like he had no spine, a dagger slicing his coat instead of his throat. Lazlow was already moving, his own blade deflecting a fatal blow aimed at his ribs. The two gold-ranked adventurers moved with masterful precision, their instincts honed by years of survival, and even without potions, they managed to deflect the first wave.


    "Tch—they knew!" Reagan hissed, his posture shifting, his aura of calm replaced with deadly focus.


    "I''ll kill the boy, too." Lazlow snorted as the two stood in the way; they blocked attacks against their backside, proving they knew how to work together. They knew it well.


    Still, we had the element of surprise, but Reagan and Lazlow were gold-ranked for a reason. Their movements were lethal; the precision of every move their bodies made was unreal, and I watched as they dodged, deflected with one hand, and then drank their own potions with the other. Right after it, they counterattacked with terrifying speed, cutting through the first attackers as if they were nothing, slicing bodies apart with ease.


    Another Crow lunged at them. Lazlow, on the other hand, simply sidestepped, severed his hamstring, and kicked him into another fight, coming straight at him from his left side. Then... Another came from behind, just so that Reagan ducked low and drove a dagger into his heart before pushing the body aside like discarded meat, defending Lazlow''s blind spot.


    The first bodies hit the ground in a span of seconds of our supposed surprise attack.


    But we weren''t done. We knew that we outnumbered them. Once again, I saw how Reagan parried a strike, but this time, because Lazlow was dealing with two others, he was unable to be there for him. With an audible moan, Reagan took a knife across the shoulder. Just then, an arrow, coming from Risa''s position, grazed Lazlow''s cheek because he still managed to tilt his head at the last moment.


    With a roar belonging to Cravik, it was time that I also joined in the attack... And then, the real massacre began.


    Lazlow and Reagan both downed their second potions, and suddenly, the fight shifted. We were now facing two unstoppable monsters.


    Lazlow moved like a blur, his dagger looking like he held four at once as he tore through the nearest of his enemies, carving deep into flesh, slicing tendons and arteries with surgical precision. Somehow, he found the tiniest gaps between the joints of the armors... It was almost unfair. One of the Crows screamed as his arm was severed completely; another collapsed with a hole in his throat, blood spilling onto the dirt, making me see, hear, and smell everything in... well... high definition.


    Reagan wasn''t any less brutal. With a powerful backswing, he crushed a skull, his movements like a bulldozer, crashing through the battlefield. A Crow to my left stumbled away, his gut spilling onto the ground, and another to my right fell with his head twisted unnaturally backward before I managed to somehow dodge the Guildmaster''s crazed attack. The thing that saved my hide was the fact that Cravik rammed into him from the left, finally making him stumble out of his deadly rhythm.


    For a moment, it still seemed like Reagan and Lazlow would turn the tide entirely by themselves. But the rest of our group kept coming. Injuries began piling up, especially as Risa''s arrows were precise, finally hitting them either in the arm or the leg. Even if they shrugged it off... their speed did diminish—enough for the others to start defending or dodging them.


    Defense became their only option.


    As the battle raged, I stayed close to the edge, feinting a few attacks before backing out, waiting, watching. I needed the perfect moment.


    Then, that moment finally came, but not in the way I had expected.


    Realizing they were losing ground, Lazlow suddenly shifted tactics. With a flick of his wrist, he revealed a hidden repeater crossbow mounted to his forearm. His target? Risa. Right on the tree, a few steps behind me.


    The bolt shot toward her in the blink of an eye. She dodged—but not everyone did. Especially because Lazlow''s weapon sent seven bolts forth in a wide arc, predicting where Risa may choose to dodge, hoping to get her. I saw the bolts fly... heard them woosh by... and...


    Pain exploded in my chest. It was a burning, piercing agony near my collarbone. I immediately knew I had been hit, but... It was time to act. I staggered back, groaning, leaving a bloody trail. Then, the world tilted as my body fell backward—


    Into the river.


    The cold swallowed me whole... but at that moment, I didn''t mind. The bolt in my body was making me burn up, and it helped alleviate it. I could hear the muffled roars of battle above the surface, but not for long, as it carried me away quickly. My limbs went numb as the current dragged me away, blood leaking from my wound, mingling with the dark water.


    Not good...


    I hadn''t planned for the pain.


    I was actually hurt...


    And the river was carrying me somewhere unknown. I had to remain conscious...


    I don''t know how far I got, but using the last vestige of the potions coursing in my body, I forced myself to somehow, almost in a daze, get myself onto the shore. Just at the right time because when I was out, their effects were gone, and I simply lay there. Injured... tired... But at least living.


    "Next time..." I coughed up water, doing my best to keep myself awake. "I need a better plan... No improvisation..."