Ambush

That afternoon, Renato was chewing on bread beneath the shade of a tree, while Perly watched the distance intently.

"What if the wagon doesn't take this road?"

"That's the fifth time you've asked, Perly. Be patient. Even if it doesn't come, we haven't lost anything."

"But..."

"No buts." Renato wiped his hands clean and checked the javelins he carried once more. "Keep a close watch. Don't let another animal trigger the magic trap. That was your last casting of Snare."

An hour earlier, a deer had accidentally triggered the trap, forcing Perly to cast the spell and set it up again.

Renato had tied the deer up and dragged it into the nearby woods, leaving it to fend for itself.

Luckily, no wagon had passed during that time. Failing the mission because of a deer would have been far too stupid.

"Renato, look!"

Following Perly's pointing finger, he saw a wagon slowly approaching from the far end of the road. Two draft horses pulled it along at a leisurely pace.

A blue tarpaulin covered the cargo, convincing Renato that this was their target.

He held back the eager Perly beside him and cautioned her:

"Don't cast yet. Wait for the fish to take the bait. Get into position behind me first and be ready to support me."

As the wagon drew closer, Renato tightened his grip on his javelin and judged the distance.

Fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters...

The moment one horse's front hoof entered the trap's range, blue magical light burst into the air. An invisible rope snapped tight, hoisting the whinnying horse upside down.

The sudden disturbance startled the other horse. Pulled in two different directions, the wagon overturned instantly.

But the power of a first-level spell was limited. With the horse struggling violently, the magical trap lasted only a moment before breaking apart. The heavy draft horse fell from the air, pinning half the wagon beneath it.

Seizing the opening, Renato hurled a javelin and brought down the other horse with a precise hit, ensuring the wagon could not escape.

Two guards jumped off the wagon. Unfazed by the chaos, they reacted swiftly and immediately spotted Renato in the woods.

Seeing only one man, the guard in a chainmail shirt charged forward, easily dodging Renato's javelin.

The other was a hooded half-elf carrying a shortbow. His accurate shots prevented Renato from throwing more javelins to keep them pinned down.

Renato drew the Silent Lady from his back and moved to meet the charging caravan guard.

Wielding a Military Machete, his opponent let out a battle cry and closed in beside Renato.

Renato thrust at his throat, but the blade parried the sword aside. Its edge scraped across the shoulder armor, leaving a scratch.

They were too close for Renato to wield his two-handed sword effectively, but he could not retreat-the mage was behind him, and he could not give up his position.

Gripping the sword's blade with his left hand, he fought his opponent using half-swording, trying to drive its sharp point through the guard's armor.

Three Magic Missiles streaked past Renato toward the distant archer.

The sudden magic made the opponent before him falter. Renato seized the chance, drove the hilt forward, and smashed the pommel into the man's face.

The helmet's metal nasal guard bent under the blow, absorbing some of its force.

The strike had limited effect, only breaking his opponent's nose. Unwilling to let him recover, Renato opened some distance and tried to thrust at his unprotected throat.

But his opponent was just as experienced. The instant he was struck, he bent forward and grappled Renato, denying him room to use his sword.

As the two struggled, another icy blue-white beam shot into the distance, accompanied by Perly's frantic cry:

"The other one's coming! He's too fast! I can't hit him!"

Renato released his trapped sword and landed a solid punch on his opponent's face, ending the grapple.

With no time to retrieve the sword still caught in the man's arms, he grabbed the Military Machete from the ground and turned to intercept the half-elf flanking them.

But he was a step too late. With nimble footwork, the half-elf dodged another Ray of Frost.

He swung his twin blades straight at the mage before him.

Just as a scimitar was about to slash Perly's neck, it abruptly slowed, dragging as though moving through water. The girl barely managed to duck beneath it.

Perly's cantrip, Blade Ward, had bought her a split second. The half-elf had no chance for a second attack-the sound of a blade cutting through the air behind him forced him to turn.

He instinctively tilted his head, avoiding the fatal blow aimed at his skull, but the Military Machete, designed specifically for chopping, sliced through his leather armor and bit deep into his left shoulder.

The half-elf gritted his teeth and crossed his blades, trying to force Renato back.

Renato had lost his longsword, the weapon he used best, and he was not skilled with a chopping blade. He had to finish the half-elf quickly. If he delayed until the other caravan guard arrived, he would be caught between them.

Steeling himself, he let both scimitars cut into his Basilisk scale armor. Renato kept swinging and, before the half-elf's stunned eyes, severed his head.

Another blue-white beam shot into the distance.

"Put Renato's sword down, you scum!"

The caravan guard in chainmail tried to flee, but Renato's repeated blows to his face had left him so dizzy that he could not even run in a straight line.

Perly's Ray of Frost struck him in the back, sending him sprawling.

"Spare me, honored mage... ah!"

Ignoring his pleas, Perly kept casting Ray of Frost at the helpless man. Only when his screams faded and his corpse froze into an ice sculpture did she finally stop.

Renato stood silently nearby. After confirming that the cuts across his chest had not penetrated the padded armor underneath, he put away his Healing Potion and quietly waited for Perly to finish venting her anger.

Perly panted, her fingers trembling slightly. Once the magical glow faded from her hand, Renato spoke:

"Check yourself for injuries. If you're not hurt, help me move the cargo off the wagon."

After retrieving the Silent Lady, Renato glanced at the unconscious driver pinned beneath the horse. Once he confirmed the man would not die anytime soon, he left him alone.

After a quick search, the two of them worked together to haul two heavy wooden crates out of the wrecked wagon.

Renato opened the crates marked with a wolf's paw. At the sight of the weapons inside, he finally felt his anxiety ease.

He had deliberately emptied his Bag of Holding for this operation. He would take every last weapon in these two crates!

Perly picked up a one-handed hammer. Its head was secured with rivets, and its unpolished wooden handle was still covered in splinters. She looked puzzled.

"Renato, aren't these weapons rather poor quality? They don't look like they'll sell for much."

"Doesn't matter. Just take them all. We'll keep the valuable swords and blades." Renato stuffed the one-handed hammer into the Bag of Holding. "We can hand over the cheap hammers, axes, and sickles."

Renato packed away all sixty-odd weapons.

The wagon also carried over a dozen bundles of fresh vegetables, probably as camouflage. Renato took some of those as well. They were free, after all.

"Perly, strip the half-elf. I'll deal with the frozen one."

Perly looked reluctant as she faced the headless corpse, but she obeyed. A frozen corpse was clearly harder to deal with.

Renato approached the body and began looting it as usual.

There was a flat-topped helmet, its nasal guard bent by Renato's blow. A simple repair should leave its overall strength unaffected.

Renato disliked wearing helmets. Aside from their cost, they also dulled his hearing and obstructed his vision, which could lead to errors in judgment.

Rather than rely on a helmet's protection, he preferred to avoid injury through nimble dodging.

The chainmail shirt was frozen solid. It took Renato considerable effort to free the iron rings frozen together and peel it off the corpse.

The armor provided extensive coverage, its hem reaching below the hips, while its half sleeves offered extra protection for the upper arms.

The workmanship was mediocre. Several rings were broken, and there were obvious signs of repair over the left ribs.

But that did not diminish the armor's value. Renato estimated it was worth at least twenty silver coins.

The shoulder bag and inner pockets held two silver coins, a dozen or so copper coins, and a bottle of unknown potion. The liquid was cloudy, and its effects were unclear.

The Military Machete was a one-handed weapon, sturdily made from good materials. Renato planned to keep it as a backup weapon.

He also packed away all the remaining odds and ends-a dagger, a pair of splinted bracers, a copper ring, fire-starting tools... and some dried rations. He would sort them out properly once they returned.

Perly adjusted her belt and hung the two scimitars at her waist. She swayed from side to side, showing them off to Renato.

"Well? Do I look like a swordswoman now?"

The loose robe did not go with the scimitars at all. At a loss for words, Renato said:

"Have you finished stripping off the leather armor? I deliberately aimed for his neck. The chest piece should still sell."