Ajax was stunned at the new development. It didn’t take longer than an instant for him to figure out what was going on but he pretended to be shocked at their appearance as he started thinking through his options.
In Ajax’s mind the most important thing right now was how strong these people were. A quick look with [Judge Threat] marked them all about as dangerous as the average member of the Collectors, though they did look a fair bit younger. Ajax judged them to be in the mid forties. It took a lot of self control for him not to let out a relieved breath at that.
Now that he knew that should it come down to it he would most likely take them in a fight he had a few choices to make. His first option was to run, even with his baggage and the artificial bee hive on his back he knew he would have no issue outrunning them. All five were dressed in somewhat ornate plate gear from head to toe, even disregarding the weight its rigidity would definitely slow them down.
“Boss!” one of the four men behind the leader hisses out. “Look at his clothes, he’s with the Healing Union.”
“So what!?” the leader confidently scoffed, though Ajax could see his brow furrow as he looked at his clothes carefully. “He wasn’t with them when he went to take his test a few days ago, no way he made an impression on anyone there.”
That little taunt backfired spectacularly, while the man had meant to use it as intimidation all it did was feed Ajax information on just how much they looked into him. It also served to tell him that they would definitely not let him go after admitting that in front of him.
He didn’t take more than a second to make the decision that running was definitely his opening move. Unless absolutely necessary fighting an ambush in the ambush spot was the worst idea. But now he was faced with two choices, does he run deeper into the woods or does he run back towards the capitol.
Running to the capitol would remove any upfront and direct danger. With just a small boost from his mana he would leave the five of them in the dust. He also disregarded the option as soon as he started considering it. No way they hadn’t prepared for that eventuality, the little show the baron’s son pulled with his trial over inciting the salamander made him not want to take a chance with the guards arresting him and a quick trial ending with him found guilty and punished with indentured servitude for life.
So towards the forest it was, only one more choice to make before he moved. Does he use his man to speed himself up or not? Having that as a possible surprise was worth much more than just a bit of speed so he decided not to use it just yet.
“So what do you say?” the leader asked, taking Ajax’s unresponsiveness for fear.
“No thanks, I’m good.” Ajax gave simple diplomacy a chance before he burst into action.
As the fake friendly smile gave way to a scowl and the leader's hand went to his hammer Ajax had already dashed to the side through the trees. The movement was a surprise to all five ambushers, while running had been something they were prepared for and started moving the moment he lifted a foot off the ground, all of the charged forward thinking he will head back to the capitol.
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Their mistake cost them a few precious seconds as now Ajax had gotten past all of them and didn’t have any of them coming at him from the side. His light leather armor combined with his experience sprinting through the woods meant he could put a small bit of distance between them as the pursuers picked up speed.
As all this happened Ajax was quickly scanning his surroundings for anyone else that may have been hidden. Fortunately it seemed they didn’t think to have anyone remain hidden and showed their full hand.
“You stop now and we’ll only give you a light beating.” the leader shouted two minutes into the chase once he figured out they weren’t closing the gap. “You might be just as quick as we are but you’ll tire first.”
Ajax ignored the offer. He had a much different choice to make right now, a fight was going to happen there was no avoiding that. But the question was, should he kill them or not? It wasn’t Earth’s moral guidelines that had him asking this question, he had long since adapted to this world. But which choice gave him a better path forward.
Five hundred stamina and a few miles deeper into the forest Ajax came to a stop. He had ensured there were no other pursuers and had also come to a decision. His best move after this was going to Hatchet and Luna and asking their opinion. But before that he had to get rid of the five of them. Sure ways of detecting the truth existed but clever wording did give him an advantage, as long as he was the only person who knew what happened here.
He had stopped in a small clearing. It was just big enough for two people to use as a decent sparring ground but small enough for the trees to prove as obstacles in larger fights. Having observed them as they traversed the forest Ajax knew his pursuers weren’t used to fighting in the woods.
“Finally given up running?” the leader breathed evenly, despite the chase none of them were out of breath showing they were still somewhat trained
Ajax didn’t bother answering as he pushed his [Deception] as hard as he could to make it look like he was out of breath. This next exchange was most important. He had to let them throw the first strike, being able to truthfully lay that out was paramount for any interrogation about what happened here.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you still have your tongue and all your teeth after we’re done so you can apologize.” The leader stepped forward and swung his mace aiming for his ribs.
Ajax jumped back at the last second, not only giving them more space but also encouraging them to get close. He didn’t want to have to chase after stragglers if he could avoid it. The other four wasted no time and moved to surround him as they all entered the clearing.
Considering their armor Ajax knew it would take either precision or raw power since he was going for the kill. He pulled out his sword and hammer leaving the axe tucked away. They were too close for the bow and an unsuspecting arrow might finish off the last one if they weren’t careful when trying to disengage.
He kept up his low stamina act just long enough to get the leader to commit to another swing before he flooded his body with mana. The counter blow from his mace landed squarely on the man's chest with an ominous purple glow. His void enhanced strike left no mark on plate as the point of impact moved a few inches in, crashing through the man’s ribs and crushing his heart.
Before any of the other four had a chance to register what had happened Ajax was already moving his sword arm, directing the blade cleanly three fourths of the way through a second man's neck barely scraping across the armor as his wind augmentation finished the decapitation.
To their benefit the three remaining ambushers quickly put the situation together as they watched 40% of their numbers drop dead. All thoughts of fighting left them as they each quickly looked for a way to run without taking their eyes off what had been their ‘prey’.
Two of them were quick enough to react as they felt him expand his mana towards them but the third didn’t as his foot was sucked down into the earth tripping him as he went to run. He didn’t even get to land as the void infused hammer made a clean contact with his helmet and bashed his head in from the inside.
Ajax didn’t pay the three he had already dealt with any more attention as he charged towards the two who were edging away from him. His sword arm already in motion was cleanly knocked aside by his target now that he was expecting it with his armored bracers.
While that obviously trained response may have bought him a few more moments of life they weren’t to be pleasant as lightning traveled along the blade and through the plate armor locking up all his joints. His last sight in this world was watching his executioner stow his hammer as he brought out a bow with one hand while drawing back the sword before plunging it through his visor.
The fifth and final man barely turned around in time as he felt a large amount of mana being gathered behind him. As he looked back into the clearing he saw Ajax release his metal infused arrow. The arrow perfectly hit its mark at this distance, tearing into the man’s chest easily with the help of Ajax’s [Piercing Shot] and [Spot Weakness].