I thought that when we returned to the guild after the bridge, we would at least have a few hours to catch our breath.
I was wrong.
We barely crossed the door when our group was called by name. There was no waiting, no conversation, no moment for the body to process that the fight was over. The next mission was already waiting for us before we had even finished the previous one.
Elara noticed before I did. "There won't be time to sit."
The attendant came straight over, holding a scroll. "Recent report. Monsters advancing along a trade road to the west. Wagons stuck in the path. Merchants trapped."
Liriel took a deep breath. "They're attacking the routes now."
Vespera nodded. "They're blocking circulation."
Rai'kanna rested her hand on the counter. "How far?"
"Less than two hours if they move fast."
Lyannis was already turning to leave. "Then let's go."
I felt the weight in my legs as we started walking again. It wasn't pain. It was accumulation. Back-to-back battles, long runs, constant attention. The body still responded, but it was no longer light.
We followed the main road until we turned onto the trade route. The path was open, with few trees, making it easy to spot any movement in the distance.
After nearly an hour, we saw the first wagons.
Stopped in the middle of the road.
Some overturned.
And further ahead, movement.
"There," Elara said.
The monsters were spread across the road, not in large numbers, but positioned to completely surround the merchants. Some men tried to keep distance with improvised spears. Women and children were protected behind the wagons.
"They're not attacking directly," I observed.
Vespera squinted. "They're holding them in place."
Liriel agreed. "As if they expect fatigue to do the work."
We ran.
When the monsters saw us advancing, they changed posture. They left their containment and came at us.
The combat began in the middle of the road, among broken wood and scattered sacks.
I moved ahead to create space. Elara stayed right behind, ready to intervene whenever something got out of my reach.
Rai'kanna and Lyannis cleared the sides, preventing the monsters from encircling us.
Liriel illuminated the area, facilitating our movements.
Vespera stayed close to the wagons, preventing any creature from approaching the civilians.
It didn't take long for the encirclement to dissolve.
The monsters didn't resist when pressured. They fell one by one, leaving the road clear.
The merchants took a few seconds to realize it was safe. Then they began coming out from behind the wagons, hurriedly thanking us.
"You arrived just in time," said an older man. "They had been here for a while. They didn't advance, just stayed around."
"This is happening on multiple routes," Elara said.
The man nodded. "We heard. The northern road was also blocked yesterday."
I looked at the empty stretch of road ahead.
"It's no coincidence," I murmured.
Liriel approached. "They want to wear down those who respond."
Rai'kanna cleaned her weapon. "And it's working."
Lyannis sighed. "It's not even nightfall, and it already feels like we've been fighting all day."
We helped the merchants lift the wagons. Some decided to turn back. Others continued their journey, eager to leave the area.
When we finished, the sun was already lower in the sky.
"Back?" Vespera asked.
I was about to respond when a messenger appeared running along the road, coming from the direction of the city.
He stopped, panting, in front of us. "You need to return. Now."
"What happened?" I asked.
"Another call for help. A village to the south. Recent attack."
Elara closed her eyes for a moment. "It doesn't stop."
Liriel exhaled deeply. "It doesn't let you think."
Rai'kanna looked at me. "Shall we?"
I nodded.
And we ran again.
On the way back, I felt something different. It wasn't physical exertion. It was the lack of pause. The feeling that we were being pushed from one point to another without ever being able to stop.
We reached the guild at the beginning of the night. And even before crossing the door, we could hear the noise of excited voices inside.
The southern village was under attack at that very moment.
There was no choice.
We went out again.
As we ran along the dark road, lit only by Liriel's light, I thought about the map spread on the table earlier.
The scattered points.
The way everything was happening in sequence.
They didn't want to win in a single strike.
They wanted to exhaust us.
When the village appeared ahead, there were already damaged houses and cries in the air.
And even tired, I felt my body react again.
Because, at that moment, resting wasn't an option.
The fight resumed as if the previous one had never happened.
And as I advanced down the dark street with Elara at my side, Liriel illuminating everything, Vespera protecting the houses, Rai'kanna and Lyannis preventing encirclement, I became certain of one thing.
The true enemy hadn't appeared yet.
But he was already winning part of the battle.
Our time.