Amon ran away from the battle... Well, it wasn't like he wanted to do that. Seriously, he wanted to unsheath his blade, meet his enemies in battle, fight and all that stuff, too.
Yeah… But wanting something and actually doing it were two completely different things.
In his previous life, he wanted a BMW.
But he spent all his life driving a Honda Civic… An old one. Maybe a 2009 model.
Unfortunately, he wasn't some... okay, yeah, he was a bum but at least not a delusional one. He was just a mundane human with slightly better observation skills and decent at stealing. Nothing more, nothing less.
What could he possibly do against Awakened and Ascended warriors? There wasn't a damn thing. He couldn't even use the Uniquenesses of Error for some reason, not to mention he had zero experience.
He wasn't Sunless, surviving on pure spite or some nonsense like that... Spite? Dude, seriously?
He shook his head. He liked Sunless as a character, but now that he was in a similar situation, he couldn't help but see the absurdity of it all.
"Yeah, man. If that's our will, who dares to stop us?"
…Maybe fucking Shrek behind me, you dumb fucks!
He looked back, staring at the battle from a distance with a tired sigh, then continued running.
"Sorry, guys... Kaisarius was right."
Bernak glanced back at Amon, his expression unreadable as he blocked an enemy's strike with his sword and then blasted them with a burst of energy from his staff.
Beside him, Kaisarius drove his sword into the ground, and waves of golden light erupted outward, washing over Alekar's hounds and pushing them back.
"I told you, Bernak," Kaisarius said, his voice calm but full of disdain. "He wasn't suited for this. What did you expect? That a child could find the courage to fight? Even experienced warriors fear Alekar."
Bernak nodded with a sigh, a pale silver light radiating from his staff and illuminating the dark battlefield, briefly blinding the hounds and hunters. The storm raged on, and the rain only grew heavier, hammering the earth like a war drum.
He glanced back at the boats. Just two more minutes, and we can escape... he thought, then returned to the fight.
"It's too early to say that, my friend. Even the smallest being can change the future."
Kaisarius snorted, raising his shield and slamming it into the ground. Its enchantment pulsed, enveloping his companions in a protective barrier of golden light.
"You're a fool! He was a burden this whole time. Finally, he recognized that truth and left this accursed place. He would've never survived this!"
Bernak shook his head. The barrier would break soon. None of them were going all out, saving their strength for the journey ahead but sooner or later, they would be forced to.
He glanced back at the boats once again... Wait. Where did the boats disappear to?!
"Jump!"
All of them snapped their heads around.
The vast, yawning chasm was now completely filled with water, transformed into a raging river. Two boats were tied together, cutting through the furious current and standing on one of them was a pale boy with curly black hair and deep, dark eyes.
Bernak's expression softened before breaking into a joyful, booming laugh.
"I told you, my friends… my little partner is full of surprises!"
Kaisarius blinked in surprise, clearly shocked that Amon hadn't abandoned them. But he quickly composed himself and shouted:
"Go! I'll cover you!"
One by one, Kaisarius's companions began leaping into the boats. Luckily, Amon had anticipated they wouldn't be fast enough, so he had tied the boats together and then used the remaining rope to secure them to nearby trees, so the current wouldn't sweep them away.
One, two, three, four... Quickly… just jump, guys. We don't have that much time.
He stood on the boat, watching his friends leap from the cliff into the river. Only Bernak and Kaisarius remained on the battlefield now. Bursts of silver and golden light exploded across the field as the two unleashed their powers.
Then Bernak jumped, landing beside Amon with a heavy breath.
"Where is Kaisarius?!"
Bernak remained silent for some time. His eyes shimmered with tears as he stared toward the horizon, unblinking. His beard fluttered in the wind, and though his expression was blank, it wasn't from indifference but from sorrow.
"Don't tell me… No way. He's the king, right? He couldn't… right?"
Amon whispered in disbelief, his voice barely audible over the roar of the current.
What the hell? Wasn't Kaisarius the main character or something? Why would he die now? Where the hell was the damn plot armor? Ah… right. Only Sunny, Nephis and cohort get that luxury.
Bernak took a shaky breath, removing his hat and holding it in his trembling hands.
"Kaisarius… lost the duel against Alerak… and h-he…"
Amon looked around, hoping for someone to laugh and call it a joke. But no one did.
Every face wore the same expression: a mixture of shock, sorrow, and hollow disbelief. His Superior Observation gave him nothing. No hidden gestures. No microexpressions. Just grief.
"No… fucking way…"
But then the boat shook, someone had landed on it with a thud and swiftly cut the rope.
The boats were no longer tied. With a loud snap, they were swept away by the raging current, slicing through the river like runaway logs.
Amon blinked, completely lost. What the hell? What now? Who's doing stunts without warning me?!
"You alive?"
Kaisarius stood still, his piercing gaze locked on Amon like he was judging his soul. Then his mouth twitched...
"Hahaha..."
The others chuckled too. And then whole group burst out laughing. Not just regular laughing... bastards were pointing fingers at Amon, slapping their thighs and he could swear some even had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard.
Amon just stood there, squinting like a betrayed raccoon. Bro... how?!His Superior Observation should've warned him!
Unless...
Holy crap! These guys didn't survive this long with strength alone, they're full-blown drama majors! And I called them simple?!
Kaisarius then calmed down, composing himself and looking back. Amon followed his gaze and hissed. Hunters mounted on hounds were still following them from the land. The doggos were leaping across cliffs while the archers already had their bows drawn and arrows nocked.
"What do we do now? They're catching up,"
Amon whispered with hesitation.
But then, an arrow shot from their boat, piercing the eye of an archer who was just about to fire. The enchanted arrow in the dead archer's hand detonated, killing the hunters nearby in a fiery blast.
Amon blinked, staring at Liparik.
"Uh-huh... understood."
A few minutes later, Amon found himself stunned. He had never seen people fight this freely.
Kaisarius leapt from the boat, his shield raised to block a volley of arrows. Then, with a brutal swing, he slammed it into an archer's face, it felt like a car had fallen on the poor guy's head. The impact exploded the skull into a mess of shattered flesh and bone. In the next breath, Kaisarius hurled his shield at another enemy, its sharp edge slicing clean through the man's head, while he deflected another arrow with his sword. Yeah... with a damn sword.
Then the sword began to glow with a golden hue.
Kaisarius jumped high into the air and came crashing down, shattering a section of the cliff beneath him. Some unfortunate soul tried to strike from behind, but Kaisarius casually grabbed his face and the man began turning into gold. Literal gold. Kaisarius tore the face right off his skull, and instead of flesh and blood, golden shards rained down onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Liparik was rapidly firing arrow after arrow, each one imbued with a different enhancement. Some exploded on impact, others corroded flesh, and a few were laced with deadly poison. Then, without hesitation, he leapt from the boat and unsheathed two dagger, both gleaming with a pale light.
While still in the air, he dropped his daggers, each connected to his arms by chains and spun the chains with precision. The daggers shot outward, impaling two archers. With a swift twist of the chains, he yanked them off the cliffs and into the river. But before they hit the water, Liparik snatched their quivers and casually refilled his own with arrows.
He didn't fight like a warrior but more like a hunter. He was efficient, ruthless, and deadly.
Chill, Legolas, chill…
Amon thought, only slightly disturbed by the massacre unfolding around him. Only slightly. Realistically, he should have been scared shitless but he wasn't. And he had no idea why. Maybe it was one of his attributes passive ability. Or maybe he'd finally lost it.
Still, he hoped it was plot armor. Who wouldn't want fate to just hand them win after win? He definitely wasn't saying no to that.
The rest of the group were holding off their pursuers, protecting the boats with impressive teamwork and sheer violence, while Bernak stood quietly, ever the mysterious old wizard, was… staring at the horizon? Amon tilted his head. Why was he mumbling under his breath like that?
Amon squinted. Seriously, What was the old wizard mumbling? Was it a prophecy? A final blessing? Was he about to say something profound?
"Amon..."
Bernak's voice was soft, almost fearful.
Amon's ears perked up. Oh? Was it time? Was his time to shine finally here?
Come on… say it. Say the words of the Messiah. Say I'm the chosen one. Say I'm-
"Amon… Waterfall."
…That's right! Finally! I-
Wait, what?!
Amon blinked, slowly turning around.
"Oh... shit."
Well… now he really wanted the blessing of plot armor.
There was no way he was surviving a fall from that height. He was just a mundane dude. No wings, no superhuman endurance. He was just bones, organs, and fear.
The boat slammed against the rocks as the water level dropped fast, and their makeshift transport became increasingly unstable… and downright terrifying.
Amon gulped, clasped his hands together, and began to pray like a desperate gambler throwing his last dice.
"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era;
The Mysterious Ruler above the Gray Fog;
The King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck…"
He looked up and for a moment, it felt like something divine answered.
The rain stopped.
Sunlight broke through the thick clouds like a blessing from the heavens.
Amon smiled, tears running down his face.
It worked...?
Hell yeah! Praise The Fool!
And then-
"Eh...? AGHHHH!!!"
The boat plunged over the edge, flipping midair.
So much for divine intervention.