Time was of the essence here. So leaving the rest of the wiry guy for the goblin brute to finish, Ethan hurriedly dashed towards the other guy. At the same time, he summoned Grug.
With his sword out of reach and one arm bleeding, Scarface could only barely react to Ethan and when he saw another goblin appearing, his heart dropped.
"You didn't expect this, did you?" Ethan growled, panting as he stood over Scarface. "Thought I was an easy target?"
Scarface glared up at him, his face contorted with anger and pain. "You… you bastard… you are colluding with these disgusting creatures? Do you know what they do to the women and children of the villages?"
Ethan laughed. He tightened his grip on the sword, his knuckles whitening. "And what do you think you're doing to me right now? You're no better than them," he spat.
Grug grinned, his jagged teeth bared as he loomed menacingly over the fallen man. Snarl, having finished off the wiry companion, lumbered closer, his heavy footsteps echoing through the tense clearing.
Ethan heard an experience point notification beep in the corner of his mind. Snarl had also leveled up from the encounter.
Scarface's bravado faltered as the reality of his situation sank in. Blood dripped from his wounds, staining the forest floor, and the odds were stacked heavily against him.
"Listen…" he started, his voice shaky now. "We—we don't have to do this. Let me go, and you'll never see me again."
Ethan narrowed his eyes, his grip on the sword tightening further. "Let you go? Like you would've let me go? Or were you planning to take everything I had and leave me for dead?"
Scarface swallowed hard, his face pale. "It wasn't personal! It's just… just business."
Ethan let out a bitter laugh. "Funny how it always works that way for you types. It's just business until someone fights back." He took a step closer, looming over Scarface. "Tell me who sent you."
The man hesitated, glancing between Ethan, and the goblins. His jaw clenched as he weighed his options, but the fear in his eyes gave him away.
"Fine," he muttered. "I don't know his name, but he paid well—said he wanted you alive, though I'd bet that wouldn't have lasted long once he had you."
Ethan's heart raced. He knew it. Somebody was targeting him. If he was not wrong then this was the second time this had happened and the first time they had definitely gotten away with it.
Only if the Ethan of this world died or something had happened to him, then it was possible for him to cross over from his world.
Fine. Maybe that sounded a bit too far-fetched. Maybe he simply received a grievous injury to his head and suddenly he remembered his past life or something. That was not important right now.
The fact is that his life was currently in danger and somebody had paid these assholes to kill him on the way here. He needed to know who it was. Otherwise, he might be walking into more death traps.
Ethan looked at the guy who was groveling for his life. "Start talking," he demanded. "I want details—every little thing you know about who hired you. The payment, the letter, where you met them. If you lie or hold back even a little..."
He let his words trail off, glancing meaningfully at Snarl, who growled deeply, his massive hands clenching into fists.
Scarface flinched, his bravado entirely gone. "Alright! Alright! I'll tell you!" he stammered, his voice trembling. But right at this moment, a dagger came flying out of nowhere and embedded itself in Scarface's chest with a sickening thunk.
His eyes widened in shock and pain as blood bubbled from his lips. He collapsed backward, clutching the hilt of the dagger weakly, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"That's enough out of you." The familiar gruff voice sounded.
Ethan's head snapped toward the direction the dagger had come from, his heart pounding. His instincts screamed danger as he suddenly realized that in all the panic he had forgotten someone! The damned carriage driver!
The carriage driver who was clearly not just a driver stepped forward with a twisted grin on his face. The man held another dagger in his hand, casually twirling it as he approached the scene. His calm demeanor sent a chill down Ethan's spine.
"Thought I'd let this play out a bit," the driver said, his voice low and mocking. "But you were getting too close to things you shouldn't know."