"Seriously? Snow?"
I held out a hand and watched a few flakes settle against my palm. The road was already starting to disappear beneath the snow.
Of all the days for it to snow, it had to be today. I had an escort mission in a few hours. Looking outside, I couldn't help wondering how the caravan was supposed to move through this.
Why didn't they just cancel it?
I went back inside and started getting ready. At least the pay was good. They were even giving us extra because of the weather. With that money, I wouldn't have to worry about next month's rent.
Fine.
Maybe the snow wasn't so bad after all.
A few hours later, I strapped my sword to my waist, pulled on my gloves, and went to leave. The door opened a hand's width before getting stuck.
I stared at it.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Snow had piled against the other side. It took several minutes of pushing the door back and clearing enough away before I could finally squeeze through.
When I pulled it shut behind me, a clump of snow slid from the roof and landed directly on my head. I stood there for a moment.
"My luck's as good as always."
Whatever.
I brushed it off and started walking. So much for leaving early.
The snow dragged at my boots all the way to the meeting point. By the time I arrived, there was barely enough time left before we were supposed to depart.
Chenyu was already there.
"Hey, Lian! You're finally here. For a moment, I thought you'd be late."
I stared at him.
"There's a small problem with you saying that. You barely arrive on time most days. Coming earlier than me once doesn't give you the right."
"Oh, come on. Can't you let me have some fun for once?"
He threw an arm around my neck.
"Sometimes you're almost like a block of ice."
I pushed his arm away.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Where's An Yuansu?"
"Haven't seen him. So technically, we're both early."
The other four escorts were waiting beside the caravan. Two of them kept stamping their feet and rubbing their hands together. Neither looked like they'd dressed properly for a full day in this weather.
One of the others was tightening the straps on his gloves. The last had pulled his scarf almost all the way up to his eyes.
A moment later, Yuansu appeared carrying several shovels.
"Sorry I'm late. I wanted to prepare in case the snowstorm gets worse."
He looked around.
"Everyone here?"
The six of us answered.
"Yes."
"Good. Let's go."
Yuansu climbed onto the front of the caravan while the rest of us started walking.
Chenyu nudged me.
"Come on."
"I'm moving."
"Could've fooled me."
"Why don't you focus on the road instead of me?"
"We've barely started and you're already this tense?"
He sighed dramatically.
"Fine. Since His Majesty commands it, I'll obey."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
---
For a while, we managed.
Then the snow started winning.
The horses slowed first. Their hooves sank deeper with every step, and the caravan began moving a little at a time. One of them stumbled before catching itself.
Yuansu pulled the caravan to a stop. He climbed down, grabbed the shovels he'd brought and tossed them toward us.
"Start clearing the road. It's getting too difficult for the horses."
Nobody moved.
We looked at him. He looked at us.
His expression slowly darkened.
"Ah. I see."
He took a breath.
"Another ten percent for anyone who helps."
I picked up a shovel immediately.
Easy money was easy money.
Chenyu joined me, along with the man in the scarf and the one who'd been fixing his gloves. The other two stayed beside the caravan.
Breaking through to Tier 1 recently made the work easier than I'd expected. Once I got into a rhythm, I cleared my section quickly.
Chenyu wasn't doing nearly as well. He had stopped halfway through his, leaning against the shovel and breathing heavily.
"Need help?"
"I-I'm fine. Just catching my breath."
I walked over and started on the snow beside him.
"Hey. I said I'm fine."
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and rest."
I kept going.
Doing twice the work eventually started wearing on me too, but before it became a problem, Chenyu straightened again.
"I'm good now. Give it back."
I glanced at him.
"You sure?"
"If you do all my work, he might keep my bonus."
"Go ahead."
We continued.
The snow didn't.
Before long, it had risen from our boots almost to our knees. I straightened and glanced back.
Yuansu was biting his nails.
That was strange. Earlier he'd just looked irritated.
Now he looked nervous.
I turned toward the road. At first, there was nothing but snow.
Then I heard horses.
Yuansu immediately climbed down.
"Prepare for combat."
I dropped the shovel.
Eight riders emerged through the snowfall. One came ahead of the others, a bearded man whose face twisted into a grin when he saw Yuansu.
"Well, look who it is. Our dear An Yuansu."
Yuansu's expression hardened.
"You've come for your so-called tax? Fine. Take the twenty silver and leave."
"Eighty."
Yuansu stared at him.
"Is this a joke?"
The man's grin widened.
"One gold."
Yuansu froze. His hand stopped halfway toward his weapon.
"Y-You... Who paid you? Who told you about the cargo? Was it the Yao family? The Qian family?"
That was enough for me.
I drew my sword.
"Chenyu. Get ready. I don't think they're planning on letting us leave."
"I can see that."
There was no teasing in his voice anymore.
The bandits charged.
Thankfully, the snow worked against their horses too. The deeper sections broke their momentum almost immediately, forcing several of them to spread out in search of firmer ground.
At least we weren't going to be ridden down before we could move.
I counted our side.
Three Tier 1s, including me. Chenyu and Yuansu were both peak Tier 0.
The last two escorts finally had their weapons out, though one of them was struggling just to draw his sword properly.
Eight against seven.
We had a chance.
The nearest rider came straight toward me. I stepped aside and swung low toward his horse's front leg.
His sword flashed down and knocked mine away. The horse shied to the side, dragging him out of reach.
He swore and jumped from the saddle.
The moment his boots touched the snow, I attacked.
One strike.
Then another.
He blocked both, giving ground each time.
Peak Tier 0.
I could push him back.
His sword dipped.
I swung for the opening.
Another blade struck mine aside.
I pulled back.
A second bandit had come around the horse to join him. Both men took the chance to catch their breath.
Unfortunately, so did I.
My lungs burned. My arms felt heavier than they should have.
The fucking shoveling.
The two men separated slightly. Whenever I turned toward one, the other edged closer.
I backed toward the strip we'd cleared, trying to keep both in front of me.
I risked a glance around.
Chenyu was fighting another peak Tier 0 nearby. He was still moving steadily.
At least the rest I'd forced him to take earlier had been worth something.
The other two Tier 1 escorts were holding off the bearded leader and two more peak Tier 0s. The man with the scarf caught a strike meant for the other Tier 1, but neither of them had room to break away.
The two escorts who hadn't shoveled were fighting ordinary bandits.
They were still standing.
That was about all I could ask from them.
Yuansu was somewhere near the caravan.
No help coming.
The man on my right attacked. I knocked his sword aside, but his companion moved before I could answer.
I stumbled backward.
They didn't need to beat me quickly. They could keep doing this until I stopped getting out of the way.
I'd counted cultivation levels.
I hadn't counted exhaustion.
Fuck.
I needed one of them between me and the other.
I shifted toward the first man and let my guard drift away from my left shoulder. If he committed to the opening, I could step inside his swing.
I'd take the hit, but closer to him it shouldn't land with its full force.
Shouldn't.
His eyes moved toward my shoulder.
I tightened my right hand around my sword.
He swung.
I stepped in, turning so his body blocked his companion from coming straight at me.
I wasn't fast enough.
The blade tore into my left shoulder before I got as close as I wanted.
"Fuck!"
My knees almost gave out.
I drove my sword into him anyway. The blade sank into his body until my fist struck his coat.
His eyes widened.
For a moment, we were pressed against each other. Then his sword dragged free from my shoulder.
My left arm dropped.
I tried to move it.
Nothing.
The second bandit came around his companion's side.
I tried pulling my sword free. The wounded man sagged against me and trapped it for half a second.
That was enough.
The other blade was already coming toward my neck.
I let go of my sword.
My right hand was free.
I threw it up and caught the flat of the approaching blade near the tip, shoving it away from my face.
I couldn't hold it.
The steel slid across my glove.
The leather split.
The edge cut into my palm as I ducked away.
The sword passed beside my head.
I grabbed my own hilt again, tore the blade free as the first man collapsed, and stumbled backward.
Blood was already running down my left arm.
I tried lifting it.
Nothing.
My shoulder was fucked.
At least it wasn't my dominant arm.
My right hand still closed.
It hurt like hell, but it closed.
The surviving bandit glanced at the corpse.
Then at me.
He attacked anyway.
I barely got my sword up. The impact drove the hilt into the cut in my palm.
My grip slipped.
I caught the sword before it fell.
He raised his weapon again.
Then another figure rushed in from beside the caravan.
Yuansu thrust toward his ribs. The bandit jumped back.
"Move your ass!" Yuansu shouted. "Help me attack!"
I forced my fingers around the hilt again and stepped toward the man's other side.
He backed away. His heel struck his companion's leg.
For a moment, he looked around the battlefield.
Nobody was coming to help him.
He turned and ran toward his horse.
I let my sword drop slightly.
"Hey. What finally stopped you from hiding?"
Yuansu glared at me.
"Shut up and help the others."
He was already moving.
I looked toward the caravan.
Then toward Chenyu.
His opponent had forced him into the deeper snow. Chenyu blocked a strike and struggled to find his footing again.
My left sleeve was already sticking to my arm. My right hand hurt every time I tightened my grip.
One clean hit would probably finish me.
I should stay out of it.
Then again, if we lost, I wasn't getting away in this condition anyway.
Damn it.
I started toward Chenyu.
His opponent noticed me coming.
Then he looked past us toward the bandit scrambling onto his horse.
"GET BACK HERE!" the bearded leader roared.
The fleeing man didn't stop.
Chenyu stepped forward.
I moved beside him.
His opponent backed away several steps. He looked at Chenyu.
Then at me.
Then at the man riding away.
Apparently that was enough.
He turned and ran too.
"GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE!"
Neither of them listened.
Yuansu spat into the snow.
"Rats."
The retreat spread from there.
One of the bandits fighting the other Tier 1 escorts noticed Chenyu and Yuansu moving toward him and started backing toward the horses. That left his companion exposed.
The man with the scarf attacked immediately. The second bandit barely managed to block before retreating too.
The two ordinary men lasted only until they saw everyone else leaving. One shoved his opponent away. The other simply ran.
Nobody chased them.
The escort who'd struggled to draw his sword bent over, breathing hard. His companion wasn't doing much better.
Soon, only the bearded leader remained.
He watched his men flee.
Then he laughed.
Once.
"What the hell did I expect from those pieces of shit?"
His laughter disappeared.
He tightened his grip on his weapon.
"You've really cornered me."
He looked around at the others.
"I can't run. They'll kill me anyway."
His expression twisted.
"So I'll take a few of you with me."
I looked at him.
Then at the two Tier 1 escorts and the two peak Tier 0s surrounding him.
Then at my hand.
No.
I'd risked enough.
They were exhausted too. I knew that now. But I couldn't stand here losing blood just to watch four people fight one Tier 1.
I backed toward the caravan.
Chenyu glanced at me. His eyes dropped to my shoulder.
"Bandages," I said.
He nodded and turned back as the leader moved.
Steel struck steel behind me.
I reached the caravan and rested my sword on the wooden platform. When I opened my right hand, the torn glove pulled against the cut beneath it.
"Fuck."
I had to wait a moment before my fingers listened again.
Usually Chenyu or Yuansu kept bandages somewhere inside. I started searching.
Nothing under the first bundle.
Nothing beside it.
My vision blurred.
I stopped and leaned against the caravan until everything stayed in one place again.
There.
A strip of bandage near the side.
It wasn't particularly clean.
Neither was the wound.
Didn't matter.
Bleeding out was a problem now.
Infection could wait.
I pulled the torn cloth away from my shoulder as far as I could manage and pressed the bandage over the cut.
For a few breaths, that was all I could do.
There was shouting behind me. I couldn't tell who it was.
I caught one end of the bandage between my teeth and worked the rest around my shoulder with my right hand.
Once.
Then again.
Every pull hurt my palm.
I tightened it anyway.
Good enough.
I tried moving the fingers on my left hand.
Nothing.
I tucked the arm against my body. The torn clothing let the cold straight through, and now that I wasn't fighting anymore, I couldn't stop shaking.
My sword was still lying on the platform. I pushed it farther from the edge and tried to stand properly.
The ground shifted beneath me.
I grabbed the side of the caravan with my right hand. Pain shot through my palm.
Just needed to sit down.
I hauled myself onto the wooden platform and collapsed against it.
The wood was freezing beneath my cheek.
For some reason, that was the last thing I noticed.
Then everything went black.