Niles dropped down from the trees with uncharacteristic tension in his expression.
"Ten lizardmen," he said quietly.
At first, I didn't understand his concern. Ten was dangerous, but manageable if we planned carefully. I was about to ask why he looked so strained when he cut me off.
"Two water mages," he added. "And one knight."
That changed everything.
We were standing in a stretch of swamp with fewer trees and deeper water. The terrain already favored them, and this group wasn't a simple hunting party. With numbers like that—and a knight among them—any mistake would turn fatal fast.
"Why would a group like this be out here?" I asked.
Niles shook his head. "Escort duty. Or protection. They're guarding something—or moving it."
Ron's face tightened as he processed the information. Our earlier ambush tactics wouldn't work cleanly this time. Even if we opened by killing a mage, the knight could react instantly. And once formations formed, the swamp would become a weapon against us.
Maria using fire magic was an option—but smoke would carry, and that risked alerting the colony.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Ron exhaled slowly and took command.
"Niles," he said, "you focus on the mages. Keep pressure on them at range. Don't let them act freely."
He turned to me.
You thin their numbers. Focus on the normal lizardmen ."
"And the knight?" I asked.
"Sam and I will take him from behind," Ron said without hesitation. "If things go bad, Maria prepares fire—but only as a last resort."
Still, Ron shook his head slightly.
"Not here. Too open. Too much water. We need better ground."
That was when an idea struck me.
"What if we pull them?" I asked. "Sound. Rocks. Hit tree trunks from a distance—make them think there's an ambush elsewhere."
Ron studied me for a second, then nodded.
"Do it."
We gathered stones while Niles climbed the tallest tree nearby. The rest of us hid close to its base, ready in case he was discovered.
The first rock struck a tree behind the lizardmen.
Every head turned.
A second rock hit farther ahead.
They reacted instantly—sending one lizardman to investigate. He found nothing and returned. A third impact followed, this time closer.
The mages grew visibly irritated. After a brief exchange, the formation shifted westward.
The bait worked.
We moved fast, cutting through the swamp while Niles tracked them from above. Soon, we found a better spot—still wet, but with thicker trees and more stable footing.
We took positions.
Niles climbed high again. I stayed near Maria and Paul, bow ready. Ron and Sam split to either side, concealed behind tree trunks.
The lizardmen entered our kill zone.
Their formation was clear: four swordsmen in front, three spear carriers behind them, two mages farther back—and the knight at the rear.
I chose the spear carriers. At range, they were the most dangerous.
Ron moved first.
He and Sam struck the knight from behind in perfect coordination.
Steel clashed.
Every lizardman turned toward the sudden threat.
That was the opening.
Niles released his arrow.
It pierced one mage through the back of the head.
I fired at the same moment—my arrow sinking into the back of a spear carrier's throat as he turned.
Both fell before a sound escaped them.
I was already drawing a second arrow when Niles fired again.
This time, the remaining mage reacted.
Water surged violently around his body, twisting into a dense, rotating shield. Niles' arrow shattered against it.
But Niles didn't stop.
Another arrow flew. Then another.
The mage was forced to keep the water spinning—any drop in concentration, even for a breath, would let an arrow punch straight through.
He tried to shift toward the knight.
Couldn't.
Dropping the shield meant death.
Meanwhile, the rest of the formation surged forward.
I dropped another spear carrier before they reached us.
The remaining swordsmen and one remaining spearman charged.
Ron and Sam were locked in brutal combat with the knight—steel ringing, water splashing, strength colliding head-on. The mage tried to support them, but Niles' relentless pressure pinned him in place.
"Keep hitting the mage!" I shouted. "Don't let the shield drop!"
"I know," Niles replied calmly—and loosed another arrow.
The ambush had failed in one critical way.
We had assumed we could eliminate both mages instantly.
We were wrong.
The second mage held.
And because of that, the fight wasn't over—not even close.
This wasn't a clean hunt anymore.
It was a battle we had to finish fast…
or die in the swamp.