Ambush

[Barnes' POV]

We were setting up for an attack to capture the silver talent. To be honest, we did go overboard in our preparation to capture him. We plan to set up an ambush on the entrance of Pass of Scorch.

I suspect that the Town Lord has sniffed out our movements. Though we tried to be as inconspicuous as we could, it didn't matter. They just have two level 6s and one level 7.

It might have been impossible for us to attack them in typical situations, but not now. We are going all in, all the members, from level 4s to me, a level 7.

We are taking a huge risk, but that's how we do things. The Town Lord doesn't know us. He just thinks we are normal ruffians, which will be his downfall.

I think he tried to bait us with the kid and increased the security, let me reverse the situation on him.

As I was getting excited over the upcoming battle, a scout said they were coming. We spotted them, and judging by the pace, they'll be here in under 40 minutes.

I grinned hearing this and shouted, "GET READY FOR ATTACK, INTO YOUR POSITIONS."

'Oh boy, it'll be fun. Hehe.'

-- -

[3rd Person's POV]

As Jake and the Guardian Knights inched closer to the Pass, Anne had a deep frown. Her battle-hardened instincts were screaming at her that something was not right.

'Is it a monster?' She thought, 'Or maybe an ambush.' As the Pass was just ahead of them, the majestic mountain range in clear view, even the level 5s sensed their captain's ominous feeling.

Anna was almost sure that someone had set up an ambush ahead, 'are the robbers? Slave traders? Do they not know that it's a Baron's Entourage; still, they set up an ambush?'

"Get ready for a possible ambush," she instructed the knights, who took her words seriously. Everyone was feeling it.

Looking from afar, Barnes shrugged his shoulders, "Battle-hardened instincts are not a joke, huh? These kids aren't even good at hiding."

"What shall we do?" A random bandit asked, "what if they don't come?"

"They can only sense some level 5s and 4s weaklings. They will underestimate us and come," Barnes scoffed "they gotta be curious about who dares to attack the Lord or whatever."

On the other side, Anna was stuck with a hard choice, to move forward and face the ambush or to retreat and wait for the attackers out. She sent a person to scout the area before trying to attack it.

Soon a knight came and reported, "I can only sense all level 4s and level 5s around the area. They are set up near the Pass.

Emily heard it and scoffed, "I bet they are just amateurs who have no idea who they are messing with. Even if they have a leader, he should be at level 6."

Anna found Emily's words reasonable and looked at her subordinates, they were all excited to kick some amateur robbers, and they all cheerfully requested, "Captain, let's go and show them who they are messing with."

And with that, they started to march towards the Pass.

As everyone expected, as they were about to enter the Pass, a loud horn sounded, marking the start of the ambush.

Volleys of arrows were sent flying towards the entourage, attempting to break their formation, but the Knights stood firm with their magic shields.

Anna gave her men the order, and a barrage of magic attacks was fired toward the 'level 4' kids. Although they were surrounded, they had absolute confidence that neither they nor the carriage would fall under such feeble arrows.

Magic attacks went on for quite some time as nobody suspected that it was meant to tire the knights.

Suddenly, Barnes and his close aides revealed themselves, and a dark frown appeared on Anna's face as she saw one Level 7, one level 6, and four level 5s rushing towards the battlefield.

"This is going to be a tough fight," muttered Anna.

-- -

Every knight was wide-eyed when high-level bandits came out of hiding. Knights have no idea that they are in hiding.

Enzo, who was a close aide to Barnes, had hidden them using Earth magic, and Barnes had fully concealed their presence using air magic. Making them imperceptible to their level 5's Electic magic.

Anna was the one to recover from her shock first, and with a swift fire, attack launched herself at Barnes because if two level 7s fought, the others would be damaged too.

Barnes noticed this and, trusting his comrades, tried to redirect Anna to an area with no people.

*fwoolololsh* *boom*

*shuin* *shii*

The sound of fire and wind attack lunging between them could be heard.

While launching attacks at each other, the two wordlessly communicated and got a safe distance away from the others.

Enzo, the level 6 of Bandit's group, was intercepted by Emily, and they both started swinging attacks at each other. "Do you not know this is Baron Robert Balek's entourage?"

Do you think you will get off scot-free?" Emily shouted

"We don't care. We are just in it for money, a lot of it."

"You fucking lowlives! You will risk your and your comrades' lives just for money? Our lord will not let you live peacefully ever again," Emily said, trying to scare the bandits because this entire situation was totally disadvantageous for the knights. Even if they won this battle, they would be stuck in the middle of nowhere, with many injuries.

But Emily's threat was only responded by a flurry of attacks, which she was getting overwhelmed with

She used water magic to cut down all the rock slides thrown at her. She then used a water whip to overwhelm the rock mage in front of her.

*swoom*

"Agh!!!"

Suddenly a fire arrow came in from a blind spot and injured her shoulder blade. Although water mages have high regenerative ability and usually won't care about that wound, mainly made from weak fire arrows.

This was not a usual situation. Out of reflex, Emily looked in the direction from which the arrow was shot. Enzo managed to gain the upper hand in that one second of negligence in their exchange.

*paahk* *phum*

After ensuring a few solid hits, which left Emily bloody and battered,

Enzo covered his fist with stone-like gauntlets and knocked her out with a smashing punch in the face.

"I have tried a lot of things in my life, still gotta say, hitting cute women is the best of them," he said with a sadistic grin on his face.

Near the carriage, Ari, the silent girl out of the group, was fighting two level 5s alone. Although she was level 6 with fire magic, she was young and wasn't used to fighting at her powers, so fighting two professional [level 5]s was hard for her, especially when she had to protect the carriage.

Jake was ordered by Anna to not leave the carriage at any cost. If he does so, the knights will not be able to save him. The carriage was built to protect him from a fair share of level 6 attacks, which was also Baron's scheme to eliminate the bandit group.

But what Robert didn't expect was so many high-level fighters to be in what they supposed were lowly slave traders.

Ari was being overwhelmed by two, and a bunch of level 4s trying to sneak attack, all of the bandits were looking at her like she was a piece of meat to be enjoyed.

"Capture her alive, guys. We gotta get our payment."

"Haha, Barnes gave us a golden opportunity," said the other level 5, who was practically horny.

This disgusted Ari, more so to lose to these lowlives. She wasn't going to get used by them; she won't allow them to touch her.

*fwooooooom*

After getting on the end of the rope when the bandits were, she used her last attack that caught the two [level 5]s off guard, burning one entirely, and the other's half of the hand was burnt.

"I am gonna kill you bitch. Let me get my hands on you. I'll rape you till you die," He screamed, eyes maddened with anger.

Ari grinned ear to ear, seeing her victim. On the last straw, she used all her magic to explode her magic core and burn herself down rather than get captured by the bandits.