CHAPTER 61: AMBUSH!

The man remained silent for a while and then started to talk.

"No... we don’t have any enemies. We are travelers. Came to this town just two days ago. We don’t even know anyone here. I was able to flee away from them, but I think they are still searching for me."

Amon furrowed his brows, rubbing his temple with his fingers.

"Hah... now we need to deal with them... They might know about what’s going on in town."

Vixra bit her lower lip, her expression grim. She had never dealt with something like this before. It was unknown.An unknown that was the most dangerous thing.

She rested her palm on Amon’s shoulder and squeezed it.

"Let’s take him to some safe place first and then think about our next move." Her voice was calm, but there was a hint of nervousness.

Amon gave her a nod. With sharp eyes, he pulled the man by his shoulder, taking his arm over his own. Vixra also gave a hand, and together they lifted him, each supporting an arm.

"Aahh!" The man groaned.

He was not fully healed, after all.

"What’s your name, mister?" Amon asked. He had forgotten to ask the most basic thing one should when meeting someone for the first time.

’Tsk... where did my basic etiquette go?’Amon thought.

It was truly a bizarre situation for him. He wanted to laugh... but no laughter came.

"Hah, how rude of me. My name is Griford. Thanks for helping me. I am truly grateful."

He expressed his gratitude. A small relieved smile appeared on his face, but there was still a trace of sadness for losing his friends.

"My name is Amon," Amon replied.

"Mine is Vixra," she added, her emerald eyes looking straight ahead.

"Where should we take him though?" Amon suddenly thought aloud. The whole town looked creepy tonight. Where could they take him?

Their steps slowed on the cobblestone street. The faint noise of their footsteps echoed through the empty night road.

Vixra thought, and just when she was going to answer Amon, Griford chimed in,

"Take me to any empty house or building... anywhere I can hide myself." His voice was shaky. The man only wanted to hide.

"Okay... let’s find some place," Vixra said, her tone low.

They continued moving.

"Now I notice it... you are wearing academy uniforms. Are you from Arcadia Academy?" Griford asked, his gaze lingering with curiosity.

Amon smiled a little. With a smug face, he replied,

"Yes, we are from Arcadia Academy. Came here on a mission."

Vixra shook her head tiredly.

She really couldn’t believe how Amon’s mood and behavior changed one-eighty in seconds,from very serious to smug over the most normal things.

Even when they were in grave danger with unknown threats, here he was acting like they were just helping a random person on a nice walk.

"Ohh! That’s amazing. You are from the Academy... that means you are talented young people." There was a hint of admiration in Griford’s voice and eyes.

"I did hear about the missing children from the orphanage incident. So you were here to investigate it. Did you find anything?"

Amon’s face soured a little.

"Well... we did find it. Our other friends are currently busy solving it completely. Suddenly something happened to the town... so we came here, leaving them to deal with that matter," Amon explained shortly.

"Hmm... why did I ever come to this town, hah," Griford muttered.

Vixra just gave a sorry smile.

Amon could understand what the man was going through.

"I can relate to you... I am also cursing myself for coming here."

"Amon! You shouldn’t say anything like that. At least not in front of me," Vixra said with a pout, trying to ease the atmosphere.

They laughed.

But suddenly, they heard something.

From somewhere behind them came the faint, uneven rhythm of footsteps slow, measured, and drawing closer. From behind them, down the narrow street.

Both Amon and Vixra froze. Their eyes met for a moment, sharp with the same realization.

The three of them stopped. They turned back.

"Someone is coming. It must be them," Amon declared, his voice grim.

Amon slowly turned his head toward the injured man they were holding. "Hide," he said in a low, firm voice. "Go. Now."

The man’s face twisted in fear, his lips trembling.

"B-but-"

"Go!" Amon urged, his tone sharp but not unkind.

Vixra helped shift his weight off them, guiding him to stand on his own. His legs wobbled, but somehow, the man forced himself to move.

He staggered away, step by step. His shoulders hunched, his hands dragging along the wall for balance as he limped into the darkness of a nearby alley.

Amon’s eyes stayed fixed on the narrow street behind them, sword already in hand. The footsteps hadn’t stopped.

Step... Step...

The sound grew clearer, closer, echoing unnaturally loud in the silence.

Vixra raised her wand, her emerald eyes narrowing. "Junior..." she whispered, tension in her voice.

"I know," Amon muttered, his knuckles white around his sword’s hilt.

Both of them stood ready, waiting in the cold street as the unseen figure slowly drew nearer.

Suddenly, a figure lunged at them from the shadowed path.

It was a hooded figure, moving with lightning speed.

Clang!

Amon’s blade met the enemy’s sharp dagger, barely in time.

The impact made Amon’s body shudder.

’Damn, this guy is strong!’ Amon thought, his eyes sharp as he grit his teeth.

He channeled mana and pushed the man away.

The hooded man stepped back.

The mana around them trembled as multiple Wind Arrows appeared in the air.

Vixra summoned her spell and hurled it at the enemy.

The man ducked, jumped, sidestepped. He avoided each arrow, some with sharp movements, some barely.

Amon took out his revolver, aimed at the man, and pulled back the hammer.

Click-ckk!

A quick, mechanical snap rang out.

Whoosh!

But another figure leapt from the rooftop of a house.

Hearing that sound, Amon didn’t think twice. He immediately swung his muzzle upward toward the descending figure.

Bang! Bang!

Two bullets shot at the incoming enemy. But the man twisted mid-air, his body bending unnaturally to avoid the shots.

In his hand was a sword. He raised it and swung down at Amon.

Amon brought his sword above his head and blocked the attack.

His legs bent from the force.

"Ahh!" His muscles strained, but he didn’t give in.

With a grin, he used his left hand and fired his revolver at point-blank range.

Bang! Bang!

Of course, the enemy was no easy target.

The moment Amon raised his left hand, the man retreated, dodging the close-range bullets.

He stopped beside his partner, who was still gripping his daggers.

Vixra quickly moved to stand beside Amon.

Both pairs stared each other down.

In the narrow street, a battle to the death was about to begin.

’Here goes nothing!’ Amon thought.