The soft light of dawn trickled through the gaps in the cabin walls, casting golden streaks across the dusty wooden floor. I stirred, reluctant to pull away from the warmth of Mara's embrace, but the weight of our plan pressed on my mind like a heavy stone. Today wasn't a day for comfort or lingering.
Mara groaned softly as I moved, rubbing her eyes and stretching. "Already?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.
"Yeah," I said, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "We have a lot of work to do."
She sighed, sitting up and pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "You're right. No time to waste."
Mara was quick to work and I helped her out where I could. Breakfast was a sparse affair, dried meat and some of the bread she'd managed to save from the town. It wasn't much, but it was fuel, and we'd need every bit of strength for what lay ahead. As we ate, I sketched a rough outline of the forest on a piece of bark, marking potential choke points and natural features we could exploit.
"Here," I said, pointing to a narrow ravine. "This will be a good spot for snares and pitfalls. It's tight enough that they won't have room to maneuver, and the terrain will force them into single file."
Mara nodded, leaning over the makeshift map. "And here," she added, tracing a line along a shallow creek. "If we can divert the water upstream, it could muddy the path and slow them down. Maybe even create some natural hazards."
I smiled. "Good thinking. The more we can disrupt their movements, the better."
We finished eating in silence, and when the plates were cleared, Mara grabbed her staff and a coil of rope she'd found in the cabin, opting not to use our own quite yet. I gathered my daggers and a handful of supplies we'd scrounged up.
"Ready?" I asked.
She gave me a determined nod. "Let's do this."
Mara and I walked in silence, careful to not make too much noise as we neared the town. The traps had to start as close to the Paladins as possible; they had to be layered, unpredictable, and ruthless.
I paused at a clearing just before the town. "We'll start here," I said in a hushed tone, pointing to a patch of dense underbrush. "A line of caltrops to slow them down. If we force them to cluster, they'll be easier to target later."
Mara stood beside me, her brow furrowed. "I can weave some runes into the trees here," she said, pointing to the edges of the clearing. "They'll act like alarms and deterrents. If any of them cross the boundary, they'll be hit with disorientation spells, like bright flashes, loud sounds, maybe even a burst of fire if we need it."
"Good," I said, nodding. "We'll lure them deeper with false trails and choke points. The ravine can be the next layer. Pitfalls, snares, and tripwires to split them up and keep them on edge."
Mara glanced up at me, her expression unsure. "Do you think it'll be enough? There are twelve of them, Lucian. Highly trained, heavily armed."
I placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "It has to be. If we can outthink them, we don't need to match them blow for blow. Besides, their armor will make it harder for them to navigate and avoid the traps."
We began with the caltrops. Mara used her staff to etch small runes into the metal spikes, imbuing them with a faint glow. "These won't just pierce their boots," she explained. "They'll sap energy from whoever steps on them, slowing their movements even more."
I placed the caltrops carefully, scattering them across the clearing while making sure to leave a safe path for us to maneuver through later.
Next came the runes. Mara moved gracefully through the forest, her staff carving intricate symbols into tree trunks and stones. As she worked, faint sparks of magic danced along her fingers, giving life to her creations.
"Is it draining you?" I asked, noting the beads of sweat forming on her brow.
"I'll be fine, I still have a fair bit of mana left, and my regen is pretty strong. If worst comes to worst, I have the mana potions I bought earlier," she said, waving me off. "Just focus on your part."
The ravine was our most ambitious layer. I sharpened branches and drove them into the earth, creating crude but effective stakes for the pitfalls. Mara helped weave a series of magical tripwires that would trigger bursts of light or sound when disturbed in an attempt to disorient them. They would work best right before the spiked branches, for if they didn't come to an immediate stop, their senses would be too overwhelmed to notice them.
At one point, as I was digging another pit, Mara sat back on her heels and let out a groan. "This is exhausting. How did you ever fight without magic?"
I smirked, wiping sweat from my brow. "With a lot of luck and a few well-timed stabs. Shadow Dance also helps, and that's kind of like magic."
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, we worked on the final layer: the clearing where we planned to make our stand. Mara planted enchanted stones at key points, each one pulsing faintly with magic.
"These will amplify my spells," she explained. "If we're forced to fight here, I'll have the upper hand."
I inspected the area, making note of the terrain. "I'll use Shadow Dance to pick them off one by one while you keep them distracted with your magic. If they get too close, retreat to the fallback point."
Mara crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "And what about you? What's your fallback plan?"
I hesitated before answering. "I'll figure it out." She didn't look satisfied, but she didn't argue.
By the time we finished, the forest may have looked like a natural landscape but it felt like a deadly maze. Every step and every choice the paladins made would lead them closer to their doom.
As we stood at the edge of the clearing, surveying our work, I turned to Mara. "We should get some rest. We'll need all our energy for tonight. We have maybe a handful of hours before I need to lure them into the trap."
"Thankfully we finished the traps away from town, I would have hated to have to risk navigating through them to get some sleep," she said, observing the scene before us, all of the carefully hidden traps ready to spring on our unsuspecting prey.
"Right? I think we should head back to the cabin, get a few hours of sleep, loop around the long way, and by then we should be ready." I reached out to hold her hand as we headed back to the cabin.
Mara just nodded, lost in her mind. I could tell she was anxious, but it would all work out.
When we reluctantly rolled out of bed, our muscles were stiff and our bodies generally hurt. I knew it would be a lot of work to set our plan into motion, but I wished we could recover for another day before having to put it into action. The risk that someone like that young hunter would be wandering into it and set things off–or worse–get himself killed, was too high. It was a small miracle that no one wandered into a trap earlier today while we were hard at work. So, it had to happen tonight, in just over an hour I would be standing at the edge of town.
The plan was straightforward, act desperate, make them think I was just a scavenger stealing to survive, accidentally get noticed as the abomination they keep calling me, and lead them into the deadly maze Mara and I had prepared. If all went well, they'd follow me blindly into the forest, and the traps would do the rest.
Having left Mara where we intended to make our final stand, I approached the village cautiously, sticking to the shadows and keeping my footsteps light. The paladins' patrols had tightened since my last visit. They were on edge, but that only worked to our advantage, it was perfect.
In the center of the market, I spotted what I needed, a crate of bread and salted meat sitting unattended near the edge of the square. It likely belonged to the merchant that was taken to the stockades earlier. I crept closer, making just enough noise to draw attention without giving myself away.
"Who's there?" one of the paladins called out, his voice echoing in the still night air.
I stepped into the light deliberately, clutching the crate in my arms like it was a lifeline. "No, please, I need this," I stammered, feigning desperation.
The paladin's eyes narrowed. "Stop right there!"
"Why are you hunting me down?!" I cried, eliciting a spark of recognition as I bolted, tossing the crate behind me and darting toward the forest.
"Everyone, after him! It's the heretic, the abomination!"
The undergrowth tore at my legs as I ran, the shouts of the paladins growing louder behind me. I didn't look back. I needed them to stay angry and focused on the chase.
"Don't let him escape!"
I led them toward the first trap, my feet landing just past the carefully marked path Mara and I had memorized. As I approached the clearing, I leapt over a patch of disturbed earth and rolled into the brush.
The first paladin wasn't so lucky. He charged after me, his foot catching the tripwire hidden beneath the leaves. A log spiked with sharpened stakes, swung down from the canopy, slamming into him with a sickening crunch.
[Damage Dealt: Fatal]
[Trap Used: Experience Reduced]
[Experience Gained: 1500]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 1500]
[Experience: 26,392/25,600]
[Congradulations, you have reached level 11]
The others froze, their eyes darting around the forest.
"Watch where you're stepping!" one shouted, his voice tinged with panic.
I stood up from my hiding spot just long enough to let them see me. "Please, just leave me alone, I don't want to hurt anyone." I called, before taking off again.
The caltrops were next. I hurdled over the scattered spikes, landing cleanly on the other side. The paladins followed, but their heavy boots weren't designed for agility. Two of them stumbled, their cries of pain filling the air as the enchanted spikes bit deep, sapping their strength.
[Damage Dealt: 20]
[Target Crippled]
[Damage Dealt: 20]
[Target Crippled]
"Keep moving!" the leader bellowed, his golden armor gleaming in the moonlight as he charged forward.
I led them deeper, past the tripwires that triggered blinding flashes of light and deafening sounds. The disoriented paladins stumbled into hidden pitfalls, their shouts of alarm turning into screams as they fell onto sharpened stakes.
[Damage Dealt: Fatal]
[Trap Used: Experience Reduced]
[Experience Gained: 1500]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 1500]
[Experience: 29,392/51,200]
[Damage Dealt: Fatal]
[Trap Used: Experience Reduced]
[Experience Gained: 1500]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 1500]
[Experience: 32,392/51,200]
One by one, their numbers dwindled.
[Damage Dealt: Fatal]
[Trap Used: Experience Reduced]
[Experience Gained: 1500]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 1500]
[Experience: 35,392/51,200]
By the time I reached the ravine, only seven remained, including their leader. They had learned to move cautiously, their eyes scanning for traps as they followed. I slowed just enough to keep them close, leading them toward the narrow crossing where Mara and I had set our final gambit.
The leader stopped short, his eyes narrowing as he barely spotted the telltale signs of another trap.
"You're clever," he said, his voice carrying across the ravine. "But cleverness won't save you abomination!"
He nodded to one of his men, who stepped forward cautiously, testing the ground with each step. I watched as the soldier edged closer, waiting for the right moment.
The trap sprung perfectly. A section of the crossing gave way, sending the paladin tumbling into the ravine below. His scream was cut short by the impact.
[Damage Dealt: Fatal]
[Trap Used: Experience Reduced]
[Experience Gained: 1500]
[Bonus Experience Gained: 1500]
[Experience: [35,392/51,200]
The leader snarled, unable to contain his fury. "Enough of this!"
He charged at me, faster than I'd anticipated, before leaping over the ravine. "Get over here and provide with backup!" he bellowed, as the remaining 4 followed suit, attempting to make the jump. Two of them succeeded, but the other two had discovered the last of our caltrops and lost their footing at the last moment, causing them to tumble less than gracefully to their death, taking their precious experience points with them.
I barely had time to react now that the commander was a few strides away from me and closing in fast. I threw myself backward as his blade slashed through the air where I'd been standing.
I scrambled to my feet, retreating further into the forest. He followed, his two remaining men close behind.
They had me cornered now, their weapons glinting in the moonlight. I backed toward a cluster of shadows, their inky forms giving me a comforting embrace.
"You've led us on quite the chase," the leader said, his voice dripping with contempt. "But it ends here."
I reached for the last trick up my sleeve.