Chapter 295 – Ambush

Chapter 295 – Ambush

 

Before the enemies got any closer, Kai cast a layer of ice over the pier and condensed the mist into an opaque sheet. Five glowing presences charged toward them—all early Yellow—while the fisherman who gave them away stayed back.

No words were exchanged. The burly shieldbearer running at the front slipped on the ice, bringing two others down with him and sending one splashing into the lake.

Who are they?

Kai’s relief was short-lived.

They were on their feet again, closing their formation and advancing with caution.

Kai hesitated to cast lethal spells. Were they cultists, a team of corrupt guards, or just a mob? If he got embroiled in a fight, would there be reinforcements coming? Too many unknowns and no time to find out.

We can’t face them here.

At his back, Mari and Rain had boarded the rowboat; Flynn bustled about with the oars and cut the mooring line.

“We can take them.” Caeli drew her rapier as if intending to fight.

“To the boat. Now!” Kai ordered, not in the mood for negotiations. Hands busy with his sea serpent sword, he used the lake’s water to crush the pier poles linking them to shore. The old wooden construction creaked and shifted under his feet, threatening to collapse entirely.

Whether it was his words, the unsteady ground or Kea dragging her, Caeli got into the vessel with a growl.

“Mat! You get in too!” Flynn shouted, trying to row away from the berth with Mari.

“I’m coming—” Kai halfway turned when a sharp whisper made him raise his guard. A black fletched arrow hit his sword with a sharp clink at eye level. The blowback pushed the blade against his temple, nicking his eyebrow. A warm line of blood trickled down his face, triggering a rush of energy from Kahali’s Retribution.

Can they see through the mist? Well… I’m not the only one with Mana Sense.

Cloaked by the fog, the archer drew back his bow for another shot, channeling bright sparks of mana into his arrow. Ahead of him, the three standing attackers advanced between the solid parts of the pier and the shallow lake.

Not wishing to test their skills, Kai cast a hail of ice needles to slow them. Alarmed shouts rose from the dock. Kai leaped into the boat without looking back. The vessel dangerously tilted where he landed, dousing him in freezing droplets before the water buoyancy rebalanced the scales.

There wasn’t much space to move with six of them aboard. Mari frantically rowed alongside Flynn while Kea paddled with a broken bucket. Their uncoordinated effort pushed the boat on a wobbly path away from the shore.

We’re too slow.

Despite using their full Strength, the old log struggled to pick up speed. The assailants were getting closer, advancing in formation behind the shield-wielding brute. The guy who initially fell into the lake had climbed on shore and aimed a crossbow at them.

Why do I always get persistent bastards?

Hidden by the shieldbearer, a tall man threw a javelin. The shot crossed the distance in a blink, cracking the ice shield Kai was conjuring. Before he could fix the spell, a crossbow bolt slipped past and buried itself in Mari’s shoulder. She fell back with a scream, letting the oar go far into the lake.

Dammit!

He split his attention to check on her—the arrow hadn’t hit any vitals, but it compromised their already wiggly motion. They were too exposed and too slow. Another arrow disrupted his ice shield before he could solidify it.

I can’t let this continue.

Discarding any qualms, Kai spread his mana wide to cast ice bullets from opposite angles. The projectiles traveled less than half the distance when they curved toward the shieldbearer and harmlessly shattered against his defenses.

What skill is that? They’re too coordinated to be random people but haven’t used Darkness mana. Are they corrupt guards? Or mercenaries?

An answer wouldn’t change their predicament. Kai flung a wave of icicles, hoping the heavier projectiles would be harder to divert. He was partially right. The spells veered toward the iron tower shield, but three flew too fast and went past, hitting the burly man who slumped on one knee with a groan.

The wound only slowed their advance. Behind the iron bulwark, the remaining foes fetched a shabby boat from another berth to give chase.

We need to get away.

Each moment they waited, they ran the risk of someone sinking their boat. If they got stuck on land, they might never escape this town.

Kai summoned blue streams of Water mana until his veins dimmed. But before he could finish the cast, the boat shot forward, skidding over the lake like a hovercraft.

“Fuck—” He scrambled to grab the frame of the vessel to not get thrown off by the sudden acceleration. People and buildings turned to shadows, then disappeared into the wispy whiteness. He only managed to avoid losing his sword by freezing it into his hand.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

By some miracle or spell, the boat spun and dragged its momentum to a slow glide without capsizing. Kai let go of the grooves his finger had dug into the wood, his back drenched in cold sweat. Warm blood wet the palm of his blade hand where he had shattered the ice. Thankfully the cuts were superficial. He melted the shards and sheathed his sword. His gaze didn’t have to move far to find the culprit.

Rain sat on the prow, watching the plumes of whirling mist in their tracks as if he were on a sightseeing excursion. “We should have lost them,” he mused. Noticing Kai’s scowl, his face turned sheepish and reddened. “Sorry, I should have warned you. We were in a hurry. And I got lost in the casting.”

Yatei grant me patience.

“I understand. Next time, I’d appreciate a heads up.” Kai sighed. There was no point arguing. Pushing them hundreds of meters into the lake was an impressive feat, doing that without destroying their vessel was bewildering.

We must be past the wards.

The runic scripts protecting Limgrell extended to the outer fishing areas. Contrary to the ones on the walls, they couldn’t physically stop anyone from crossing into the lake, but the wards tracked the comings and goings of fishermen to ensure no one slipped in, or out.

Kai hadn’t been able to find how to trick the enchantments. However, bribing the guard who kept the records would be far easier than sneaking past a patrolled stone wall.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Mrooow,” Hobbes growled. The furball pranced over their bags and equipment with a distinctly grumpy demeanor.

When did you get on? No, I wasn’t trying to leave you behind. It all happened so fast— Hey! Don’t use that tone with me.

Hobbes stared back, exuding a smug challenge from his violet eyes. Once he had asserted his dominance, he blinked into a nook of the boat and curled up to nap.

Glad you’re here too.