The Path of Ruin

The meeting point was outside the town. It was quite simple for Kael to see the people he was supposed to 'protect'.

Two carriages were waiting for him. And even from the outside, he could see that they were full.

There were seven people around the carriages. Three of them were completely normal people, and it was clear from the clothes they were wearing that these were the merchants who would be traveling. There was also a teenager, who looked only a little older than Kael.

The other three were people who had been assigned as 'guards' apart from Kael. They were all mercenaries. All three were part of the Bahnar Mercenary Corps, of which Kael was also a member.

From the outside, it was supposed to be an easy mission. Not the guard mission, but Kael's real mission…

But the details were quite different.

Kael was the only one who knew the real purpose of this mission. And... these three mercenaries were also among the ones who would die. According to Laen, they had done more harm than good to the guild. And together with the merchant group, they were the perfect extras to be eliminated.

One was a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, with black hair, yellow eyes, and a bow on her back. She was not very pretty, but she had a strange smile. So strange... that Kael wasn't sure what to think when he looked at her.

The second was a thin man, even shorter than the woman. Like Kael, he had two daggers at his waist. His left eye was covered. He had brown hair and a single right eye of the same color. His mouth could not be seen because of a strange mask he wore, but the emotions he felt when he looked into his one right eye were... again, strange.

The last one was a tall man with a spear on his back. He was an old man with graying black hair. But his body was well built, his muscles were visible. Despite his age, he was in good shape. His blue eyes were sharp. The other two looked like people who could be genuinely problematic, but this man looked very serious.

As Kael approached, everyone's eyes slowly turned towards him. Then a smile appeared on the faces of the merchants. The one standing in front, an ordinary-looking forty-year-old man, spoke.

"Everyone is finally here!"

It was as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. And the other members of the group were no different.

They wanted to get moving, to get to their destination quickly.

"Do you have any other business in this town?"

One of the mercenaries, the old man with the spear, asked in a voice as serious as his face.

As Kael looked at the man, he couldn't really understand how he could be 'problematic'. However, he did not question it too much. Laen had no reason to lie to him about such a thing, after all.

The man who seemed to be the leader of the merchant group shook his head from side to side.

"No, we can move immediately!"

The old mercenary nodded, then turned to the others. His eyes swept over the woman with the bow, then the short man with the dagger. Then he looked at Kael.

"The journey will take four days. We will rest several times each day and camp at night. All of you must stay alert all the time. I don't think anything will happen on the first day, but from the second day onwards, we are more likely to encounter creatures or bandits."

His eyes lingered on Kael for a moment.

"I hear you're here to gain experience, but... don't expect anyone to protect you."

Kael nodded his head, but said nothing more.

It was at this moment that the merchants got into their carriages. The mercenaries also took their places. They were going to move quickly to finish the first day quickly. Although they were not going to ride in the carriage, they planned to let the horses run a little.

The group of eight started their journey in this way. Kael watched the town fading from his sight with each passing second. He let out a deep sigh as the carriages quickly made their way along the predetermined path.

'Here we go.'

*******

The group followed a path that went around the forest without going into it. The forest was dangerous and largely devoid of roads suitable for carriages.

Only once on their entire journey would they have to pass through an area full of trees. And that would be on the second day. At least if everything went right.

Kael sat cross-legged on top of the carriage going in the back, watching the back of the road. This was his assigned task... to sit and watch what was happening behind them, and if he saw anything, to report it.

It was clear that the three experienced mercenaries were not going to give him any serious work. But Kael was not bothered.

What was on his mind was... how to complete his own mission.

'This... won't be easy.'

If all he had to kill were three adults and a teenager, he would have no problem. But three mercenaries would definitely make things difficult.

The old mercenary posed the biggest problem. Kael was sure that man was strong, though not as strong as Laen. He was definitely not a normal person. He didn't think the woman with the bow would be much of a problem, but it would be best not to underestimate her.

And the short guy who wielded a dagger like him...

Kael took his eyes off the road behind them for a moment and turned them to the person standing on the side of the carriage in front.

This man was silent. He had not yet seen a single word come out of his mouth. But... there was a strange air around him.

'I won't underestimate him either.'

And with that, he turned around again.

His first thought was to kill the old man before he realized what had happened and then deal with the other two.

But he quickly discarded that. He didn't know how strong the other two were, and if the old man survived, everything would go wrong.

What if he waited for a bandit or creature to attack? He was sure the other three would not let him do anything. But... what if after an attack they got a bit tired, he just hid, and when it was all over he came out and became the new 'enemy' for the trio to face?

Sighing, he shook his head from side to side. It was a plan that depended entirely on luck. Perhaps there was even a chance that they would not be attacked at all.

So he began to think further ahead.

What if he did something at night, when they were resting to sleep? The old mercenary had mentioned that they were going to camp. The merchants would probably all be asleep, and there was no chance that the mercenaries would all be up at the same time.

They would probably take shifts. Given that there were four of them, the most logical option would be to take shifts in pairs.

If that happened, Kael could quickly kill the one standing guard next to him without making a sound, and kill everyone else while they slept. Even if the others somehow woke up, he could finish them off before they recovered from their stupor.

He thought for a while, his eyes narrowing as he thought of a few more plans. Finally, he closed his eyes and thought more deeply. The idea of attacking while camping was the most appealing to him, so he decided on that as plan A. He thought of a plan B and even a plan C that he could use if the circumstances were suitable.

Finally, when he opened his eyes again, everything was ready.

The planning phase was over.

*******

The group had set off in the morning, only an hour after sunrise. Given that it was November, the days were shorter where they were. So they had at least nine or ten hours until evening.

And during all this time, nothing happened. They were not attacked by any creatures, they did not meet any bandits. They had an uneventful journey for the first day.

Shortly after sunset, everyone slowed down and then stopped.

They had taken small breaks several times during the day to let the horses rest. But this time, it was a different situation.

The old mercenary walked forward as the carriages came to a halt. He looked at the man in charge of the merchants.

"There is a place on the left where the trees are a bit dense, it would be the best place to camp. I'm not sure if we'll find a better place, but it would be good to take a long break here."

The merchants looked at each other, then nodded without making much noise. The idea of a rest stop seemed to make sense.

The carriages left their path, heading towards the place indicated by the old mercenary. The horses were tied up so they would not run away, then the woman with the bow built a campfire. By the time all the preparations were made, night had fallen and the world was enveloped in darkness. The moon and stars shone brightly in the sky.

First, food was eaten. Eight people filled their bellies with meat cooked on the campfire. No one slept for a while. The merchants chatted amongst themselves and the mercenaries were positioned to surround the group, not compromising their duties.

The only problem was... Kael was literally not taken seriously.

In a group of four guards, a square formation would have been the best choice. But the three mercenaries completely ignored him and formed a triangle.

Kael didn't much care, though. He favored the other three getting tired while he rested. He would have preferred to spend the whole time until they fell asleep quietly, without having to deal with anyone.

However...

"H- hello..."

His eyes slowly turned in the direction of the voice. As his eyebrows rose slightly, what he saw was... the boy among the merchants.

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