We were bathed in his blood.
It was warm when it hit my face and clothes.
For a moment, no one moved.
No one cheered.
No one said anything.
We stared at the headless body as it collapsed into the dirt.
Then we all turned at the same time.
Spiro.
The other fight was not over yet.
We ran.
The armored man was still standing.
His movements were slower now, but he still looked like a walking wall of iron. Each breath came from him like a broken bellows, loud and heavy.
Spiro did not look much better.
His chest rose and fell sharply, and sweat mixed with ash across his face. Even so, his eyes were still focused and calm.
Agni and Pritha stood on either side of the armored giant.
They looked worse.
Both of them were pale. Their shoulders trembled slightly from exhaustion. The flames they produced were weaker now, flickering instead of roaring.
But they didn't stop.
They kept burning him.
Again and again.
The armored man suddenly swung his mace.
Spiro blocked it with both hands.
Perfect timing.
Still…
The impact threw him backward.
He slid across the dirt before stopping.
My heart jumped.
For a moment, the world felt too loud.
The heavy crash.
The fire.
The shouting.
For a split second, the sound changed.
Not a battlefield.
Another place.
Another night.
Another sound of metal breaking wood.
My fingers tightened around my sword.
Spiro stood up again.
No blood.
No broken bones.
Just raw force.
Robert glanced at me.
Margaretha too.
I nod at them both.
We didn't speak.
We didn't need to.
Robert moved first.
His shield came up as he stepped directly into the armored man's path.
The mace came down again.
Robert locked it with his shield.
Steel screamed.
The impact pushed him down to one knee.
But he held it.
Just for a moment.
Just enough.
My turn.
I rushed forward.
My eyes scanned the armor quickly.
Looking.
Searching.
Then I saw it.
Two small gaps in his upper armor.
One at each shoulder.
Where the plates met.
I chose the right shoulder.
The weapon arm.
I thrust my sword forward.
The blade struck the gap.
And stopped.
As expected.
The armor inside was still thick.
But I didn't pull the sword back.
I held it there.
Then I felt it.
Wind is gathering behind me.
Margaretha.
I understood immediately.
So I did not force the blade deeper.
Instead, I lowered my body.
And ducked.
Her kick came down with everything she had.
Wind exploded under her foot.
The force struck my sword like a hammer hitting a nail.
My blade drove forward.
Clean.
Deep.
It cut through the armor joint and into the flesh beneath.
The armored man screamed.
His right arm fell uselessly to his side.
Then his body dropped to his knees.
Robert moved instantly.
He grabbed the man's helmet and tore it off with both hands.
Metal screeched loudly as it ripped free.
The man's face appeared.
Scarred.
Bald.
His teeth clenched in pain.
Robert grabbed my great sword from the wound and pulled it free. Then he pressed the blade against the man's neck while crouching low to avoid another swing.
Margaretha and I stepped back at the same time.
We exchanged a brief glance.
Then we both moved.
Our legs struck forward together.
Wind exploded beneath our feet as we kicked the blade.
The blade slid through his neck.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
The second brother fell.
***
This time the silence felt heavier.
Instead of celebrating, we simply sat down where we stood.
My arms felt like stone.
My legs trembled slightly when I tried to move them.
For a moment, all I could hear was the crackling of fire and the distant sounds of the burning camp.
The smell of smoke still hung in the air.
It crawled into my nose and stayed there.
My chest tightened again.
Fire.
Smoke.
Shouting.
I lowered my head and forced myself to breathe slowly.
Not that fire.
Not that night.
This one was different.
A small hand touched my arm.
"Rick… hold still."
Pritha's voice was quiet.
When I looked up, she was already kneeling beside Robert with her bag open. Small bottles and herbs were spread across the ground.
Her face was pale with exhaustion, but her hands moved steadily.
She wrapped Robert's arm first.
Then Agni's shoulder.
Then mine.
"You're bleeding," she said softly.
I looked down.
A thin cut ran across my side.
I hadn't noticed it.
Her fingers worked carefully as she cleaned the wound.
"You should say something when you're hurt," she added.
"I didn't feel it," I replied quietly.
Agni gave a tired laugh beside us.
"That's worse."
Margaretha sat nearby, wiping blood from her boots with a piece of cloth.
"Good job killing the Wrock brothers," Spiro said suddenly.
We looked up.
He had already pulled out a large bag.
Without hesitation, he lifted the bald man's head from the ground and dropped it inside.
Then he did the same with the armored brother.
The sound of the bag closing was strangely ordinary.
Like routine work.
After that, he looked toward the far side of the camp.
Theo.
Theo was still fighting.
From where I sat, I could see his mana with my Avenir Eye moving between the burning buildings. Five bandits remained there, nervously searching through the shadows.
Theo appeared behind one of them.
A quick strike.
Then he vanished again.
Agni watched quietly.
"Hide and seek," he murmured.
Margaretha chuckled softly.
"For them, it's more like hide and die."
Spiro began walking toward that side.
"With Theo, that won't take long," he said.
And he was right.
We rested in silence for a while after that.
The heat from the burning camp slowly faded as the flames died down.
Margaretha suddenly broke the silence with a small laugh.
"So… this is the start of our revenge, huh?"
Her voice sounded amused more than excited.
Agni answered quietly, staring at the ground.
"Yes. And we learned many things today."
He lifted his hand slightly.
"Our weaknesses."
Robert nodded slowly.
"For now, we still need each other," he said. "But someday we must become strong enough to stand alone."
I looked down at my hands.
They were still stained with blood.
A long time ago, those hands had only shaken when holding a sword.
Tonight, they did not shake.
I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
Footsteps approached.
Spiro and Theo returned.
Theo was covered in blood from head to toe, but he didn't have a single wound on him.
Spiro looked at all of us with bright eyes.
"Good job, everyone," he said.
"Take a rest. We're heading back soon."
He lifted the heavy bag slightly.
"We have the Wrock brothers' heads."
Then he pointed toward one of the half-burned buildings.
"And their hidden vault."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"This," he said, "is the beginning."
He paused for a moment before finishing.
"The beginning of the Rise of the Assassins."