We rode along the bank. The river roared on the left, and ahead the dense edge of the forest was already clearly outlined—an ideal place for an ambush.
"Aha-ha-ha!" Kaus laughed loudly, drawing attention. "Act natural. Laugh, chat, pretend we're ordinary simpletons and don't understand what awaits us in those bushes."
He held his horse back slightly, pulling level with me, and asked more quietly: "Art, for how many meters can you freeze everything around you?"
"About four meters," I answered, estimating my mana reserves. "But everything depends on the situation. If the soil is moist, it will be easier."
"And can you deflect arrows?" Shren chimed in. "I'm sure they have crossbows. They'll settle somewhere high, take us down from afar, and then simply finish us off. A typical scheme. Or even worse—they've dotted the path with traps."
"And what if they have muskets?" I added, feeling my fingers go cold. "We don't even know how many of them there are, and there are only four of us."
Kaus grew gloomy. "We'll wait for nightfall."
Rianna peered into the dark water of the river for a long time, and then shifted her gaze to me: "Listen, Art, you possess wind magic, right?"
"Yes."
"Can you lead us underwater along the bank, like little fish? So we don't rise to the surface and aren't spotted from the edge of the forest."
The river flowed towards us, resisting every step. "Isn't it easier to bypass the forest and strike from the rear?" I doubted.
"While we're bypassing, we'll be spotted three times and shot," Kaus cut off. "Rianna's idea is risky, but it's a chance."
"I probably can," I estimated the complexity of the spell. "Only I won't be able to take the musket with me; the gunpowder will get wet."
"It's fine, we'll manage like this," the old man nodded.
They were really ready to risk everything for this crazy idea. Kaus added that we were short on time and couldn't wait for the bandits to light fires and give themselves away.
"I won't take more than one person underwater at a time," I warned. "I'm afraid I won't have enough strength for myself and a crowd."
"Alright," Kaus decided. "Rianna will go with you. And Shren and I will stay on the horses and draw their attention on the road. We are counting on you."
We went down to the water. I activated my magic, creating an air bubble around Rianna and me, and we dove in. Pushing against the current turned out to be incredibly difficult. The idea looked neat on paper, but the execution was terrible—the river seemed to be trying to push us back out or crush us against the rocks.
Finally, Rianna tugged at my leg, giving the sign to exit. We got out onto the bank a couple of hundred meters upstream. I collapsed onto the wet grass, trying to catch my breath. And then Shish appeared right in front of me. Had he been swimming after us this whole time, or running along the bank? The cat unperturbedly shook himself off and followed Rianna.
We moved deep into the forest. I walked behind the woman, trying not to crunch branches. A strange, oppressive silence hung in the forest. "Hear that?" Rianna pronounced with just her lips, stopping. I listened closely. No birds, no chirping of insects. Dead silence.
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Suddenly Shish hissed furiously. Rianna instantly spun around. A crossbow bolt flew past her head with a whistle. The second bowstring sang right after—the projectile was flying straight at me. I barely had time to put up my hand, raising a shield of ice. The bolt crashed into the barrier with a crack and got stuck.
Rianna, not losing a second, rushed to the side towards them while the attackers reloaded their crossbows. I threw up my palm, sending sharp ice icicles into the thicket of branches.
To my disappointment, my projectiles simply shattered against the thick, leather-clad clothing of the robbers, causing them no harm. Rianna, finding herself right up against the enemy, threw two knives. Short cries—and two men collapsed, clutching their pierced throats.
She picked up their crossbows and threw one of them to me. "Your icicles are kind of sluggish," she smirked.
"Wha-a-at?!" I was indignant, but didn't have time to develop the thought.
Somewhere from the direction of the road, a loud, rolling musket shot rang out. We looked at each other and, without a word, dashed toward the sound. Kaus and Shren were in real trouble.
When we ran out to the road, Kaus and Shren had already managed to lay out four. But the robbers had no intention of retreating—I heard dry branches crunching under many feet from all sides. We were being surrounded.
"Art, quickly!" Kaus shouted.
I threw up my hands, and water surged upwards, enveloping us in a dense rotating dome. Shots rang out. Bullets plunged into the water barrier with a dull splash, instantly losing speed and dropping powerlessly to the ground.
"Kid, listen to my command!" Kaus pressed his shoulder against my shield. "Can you make small holes in the dome, and then immediately close them? So we can shoot and not take a bullet in return?"
I nodded, concentrating on the water flows.
"Now!"
Three narrow embrasures opened in the dome. Kaus raised his musket, Shren and Rianna their crossbows. Three dry pops—and three more bodies collapsed into the underbrush. I instantly "sealed" the breaches in the water.
The robbers, not understanding how to fight the magic shield, began to retreat in confusion behind the trees. We repeated the maneuver once more. Holes again, shots again. The ranks of the enemies thinned before our eyes: there were about sixteen of them left, then—thirteen. Realizing that bullets couldn't get us, the survivors hid behind thick trunks, waiting for my shield to fall.
"Smart move, kid, but you won't last long like this," Kaus whispered, seeing the sweat rolling down my face. My mana was draining quickly.
"Can you create an element of surprise?"
"In what sense?"
"Make them get distracted by your move, and while they are, we'll rush them in close combat."
I took a deep breath, gathering the remnants of my strength. "Alright. I'll bring all this water down on them and instantly turn it into shards of ice."
"Do it!" Kaus barked.
I abruptly threw my arms wide. The water dome burst with a roar, flying apart in myriads of splashes. In that same second, I turned the drops into sharp, prickly ice. The robbers instinctively shielded themselves with their arms from the ice storm, and in this brief moment of lull, my companions rushed into the attack.
What happened next made me freeze in place.
Rianna moved so fast that her movements blurred into one continuous red line. Her immense height and long arms gave her a terrifying advantage. She wasn't just fighting—she was dancing among the enemies. A swing of the blade—and two fall with slit throats. A kick—and an opponent flies away with broken ribs. While Kaus and Shren methodically dealt with the remaining three, Rianna single-handedly, almost playfully, slaughtered ten.
It all ended as quickly as it had begun. Silence reigned in the forest again, interrupted only by the heavy breathing of my comrades and the death rattles of the robbers.
I watched Rianna in complete daze. She stood among the bodies, carelessly wiping the blood from her blade onto the sleeve of a fallen enemy. So easily. So quickly. As if this wasn't a battle for life, but an ordinary training session.
A cold feeling stirred inside me. I hadn't been able to truly prove myself in this battle, remaining merely a "shield" behind their backs. But looking at the dead bodies, I realized the main thing: I am still not sure if I will ever be able to cross this line and kill a person as easily as they do.
Shish emerged from the shadow of the trees and, as if nothing had happened, began to lick his paw next to a corpse. Kaus walked over to me and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder.
"Good start, Art. You saved our skins. Without your dome, we would have simply been riddled."
I remained silent, unable to take my eyes off the bloodied grass. My journey had just begun, and I already felt my pure ideals slipping further and further away from me.