The Thieves' Cave
There weren’t just one or two of them. To seize the advantage, a preemptive strike from range was the smart play. I readied several Magic Missiles and took aim at the bastards.
Thud! Thud!
“Argh!”
“What the hell? Who’s there!”
The distance made perfect accuracy impossible, but the two I did hit clutched their wounds and rolled across the dirt. The rest whipped their heads toward the missiles’ origin, eyes burning as they hunted for the attacker. My position risked exposure, yet I ignored the danger, already pulling in fresh mana and preparing the next five shots.
“Give me back my uncle’s stuff!”
Warren stepped out in front of the confused enemies before they could pinpoint me.
“A brat like you? You even know where you are, kid?” one of them sneered at Warren’s youthful voice. The rest grabbed their weapons in unison.
These weren’t simple pickpockets. They were a roaming band of robbers who preyed on travelers. Vicious little men fully prepared to swing lethal force at someone they’d just dismissed as a child.
Warren didn’t retreat. He had backup he trusted.
Thwack! Thwack!
“Uwaaack!”
“There’s another one behind us!”
It felt a little cringeworthy, but that backup was me. Two more crumpled under my Magic Missiles. Even at E-grade mana, I didn’t need to stack spells anymore. My missiles packed enough punch on their own at this stage. One solid hit per target was plenty. In the very early game, I was actually a strong pick. And I had plenty of real combat experience to back it up.
I’d told Warren not to engage recklessly but to focus on drawing their attention from the front. After spending all day fighting kobolds beside me and learning firsthand how much stronger I was in actual battle, he’d gladly followed the plan. Instead of charging in for a surprise attack, he showed himself openly, advanced slowly, and bought me the time I needed to line up my next barrage.
“Damn it, swarm him!”
The two still by the campfire finally rushed Warren. Rather than targeting them directly, I sprinted sideways while keeping an eye on the cave mouth where firelight spilled out.
Assigning him the job of buying time didn’t mean I underestimated Warren. After calmly weighing our respective strengths, this was simply the most efficient way to neutralize the threat. Two opponents were well within his ability to handle safely.
Once I reached a good angle on the cave entrance, I prepared another rapid volley. I’d leave the last two outside to Warren and focus on anyone who came running out after hearing the noise.
“Why’s it so loud out there?”
Thwack! Thwack!
The maximum I could control at once was five. I fired two at the first figures emerging from the cave, kept the remaining three ready, then immediately reloaded two more.
“What the—? What’s going o—argh!”
One after another, the robbers stumbled out only to be knocked down by Magic Missiles. A couple of near-misses didn’t matter. They were pouring from a narrow choke point; even a slight deviation still caught someone in the splash zone.
“It’s a mage! Uwaaack!”
The few lucky enough to dodge watched their comrades drop like flies and immediately turned tail, panic overriding everything. It would have been annoying if even a handful had made it out intact and charged us. This was the ideal outcome.
“Just who the hell are these gu—”
Thud!
“…Ugh!”
When I glanced over, Warren had already finished one and slammed the flat of his blade into the second man’s skull, knocking him out cold.
“You really are incredible, Kael!” Warren said, stepping over the bodies littering the cave entrance.
Warren was no slouch himself. Just as I’d expected, he’d subdued both without taking a scratch. He might still struggle against monsters from lack of experience, but his sparring-honed swordsmanship made human opponents familiar ground.
We’d cleared out nearly all the small fry, but the boss and a few others were undoubtedly still inside. Close quarters in the cave would put me at a disadvantage. Warren would have to carry the fight in there.
“Stay sharp once we’re inside. I won’t be able to sling spells as freely,” I warned.
Warren nodded, face solemn as he steeled himself. Seeing him like that, I could tell he’d grown a lot since we first left the city.
Without needing to decide who would lead, we both turned toward the cave mouth and stepped forward. We passed the fallen grunts and entered the darkness. Warren took point in a combat stance while I followed, ready to fire a Magic Missile at a moment’s notice.
“Eiight!”
Two men burst out from opposite corners as if they’d been lying in wait. I nailed the one on the left instantly. Warren parried the right one’s sword and landed a beautiful counterstrike.
Clang!
But two more immediately followed. Warren held his ground against the pair just as he had outside, yet the sheer numbers kept him on the defensive. I wanted to help, but they were too close to Warren. I couldn’t risk a friendly hit.
“Where did you bastards crawl out from?”
A man who practically screamed boss emerged from deeper inside, cigarette clenched between his teeth. Looked like the two currently fighting Warren were the last of his crew.
“We’re here to take back my uncle’s property!” Warren shouted bravely, still blocking their blades.
“Ha. Damn it all.”
The boss wore a frustrated scowl that didn’t quite match his ugly face. He glanced down at his own chest. The blacksmith’s wife’s keepsake necklace hung around his neck, and strapped across his torso were clusters of small, round bombs.
That was why I hadn’t simply blasted him with a Magic Missile. The ideal move would have been to knock him into the wide, deep pool behind him, but a direct hit risked detonating every explosive on his body.
“Cost me a fortune to get these. Time to see what they can do.”
He plucked one bomb free and lit the fuse with his cigarette. His target was clearly Warren, still engaged with the two underlings. The boss didn’t seem to care that his own men would be caught in the blast.
Unfortunately, I had no immediate way to stop him from throwing it. Which left only one option.
“Die, you bastards!”
The boss hurled the lit bomb straight at Warren.
Warren had always considered meeting Kael the greatest stroke of luck in his life. Kael was a wonderful friend. He refused to ignore injustice and always wanted to help those in need. When Warren had been desperate, Kael had offered his hand without hesitation and saved him from monsters more times than he could count. Despite Warren’s inexperience constantly getting in the way, Kael never once complained. Instead, he had shared precious healing potions and given him courage.
That was why Warren wanted to show Kael a better version of himself. He had poured everything into improving. He truly believed he was getting stronger.
Until now.
Over the shoulder of the thug whose sword he was clashing with, Warren saw a lit bomb flying straight toward him.
Is this the end?
The terror of death crashed over him. But in that instant he sensed someone sprinting past his side. Of course, it was Kael.
BOOM!
The bomb detonated at close range. The shockwave shook the ground and ruined his stance. In the middle of it all, Kael—who had taken the full force of the blast—flew sideways and slammed into the cave wall.
No…!
He couldn’t die. Not after bringing them this far. They were supposed to defeat the villains together, recover the uncle’s precious keepsake, and return home.
The rising smoke made it impossible to even see Kael’s fallen form.
“I’ll send you to join him.”
The boss was already preparing a second bomb.
Warren moved on pure reflex. The two thugs he’d been fighting had been closer to the blast and were completely off-balance. He cut one down instantly and kicked the other to the ground. But that was all he could manage. The second bomb’s fuse was already burning.
Thud!
“What the—!”
Before the panicked boss could finish his sentence, something shot out from the side straight toward him. No… that was…
From within the hazy smoke, the one charging the boss was Kael—the same person Warren had thought was dead.
The two collided and plunged straight into the pool together.
BOOM!
The second bomb detonated uselessly where it had been thrown.
How was this possible…? How had Kael survived?
Warren frantically waved away the smoke and rushed to the water’s edge where the two had vanished.
“Kael…”
Unlike the devastated area above, the pool’s surface was eerily calm. He had no idea what had happened to either of them. Just as Warren was about to dive in despite his fears, a head broke the surface.
“Puha…!”
Kael suddenly burst upward, gasping. Warren hurried over and hauled him out of the water.
“Huff… huff… I got the necklace.”
Kael’s hand was clenched tightly around the blacksmith uncle’s precious necklace—the one that had been hanging from the boss’s neck.