"Oh, wow. That's some storm," Dalia remarked as she looked out the window watching the knights on horseback trying their best not to get drenched.
'Damn... I feel bad for them. Is there anything I can do to help?... Well, I think I have an idea.' Rya thought as she knew of a new spell she wanted to use. So she started to channel her mana into her hands before motioning them with a series of gestures, forming a complex pattern that shimmered with arcane power.
'Flame Familiar' Rya said in her mind as she used wordless casting.
***
A moment later, the air in front of the knights started to spark and flicker before a fiery humanoid figure spawned in front of all of them. The knights were startled by the appearance of flame creatures but quickly realized that it was a familiar.
"Who cast this spell?" Sir Richard asked out loud.
General Douglas looked into the carriage window and saw Rya waving at them.
"It's alright. Lady Rya cast the spell," The General said out loud to his men.
The knights felt better, as the familiars prevented the rain from hitting their faces and were getting warmed up by the flame.
The knights sighed with relief before continuing to follow the General's orders. They appreciated the extra protection against the weather that the flame familiars were providing. Rya's gesture to the knights didn't go unnoticed, most mages wouldn't bother helping them in such a way.
The flame familiar was the result of the first intermediate-ranked spell Rya learned while reading a magic book in the library of the Mage's Guild, back at Ironside. It was a spell that created a creature made from flames that would act as a torch and it would ram itself into a nearby enemy if provoked. The familiar could also create a fiery explosion after taking enough damage.
'It's a nice change to see a mage helping the common folk like that... She's proven me wrong in so many ways already, she's nothing like what I expected... Quinus! You lucky bastard! How'd you pull off finding a gem like her?... Damn! Why can't I find a woman like that?' The General thought as his jealousy of his prince took hold for a brief moment. Luckily the rain was hiding his tears from the world.
"I can't thank Lady Rya enough for this. I thought I was going to freeze my ass off," one knight said.
"Tell her, we appreciate the warmth," another knight said.
"Thank her later! We need to make it through this storm," Sir Richard scolded.
"Aye, sir," the knights said.
"Let's pick up the pace, men," Sir Richard ordered.
"Yes, sir," the knights yelled.
***
As the convoy moved through the storm, the Duke's men were waiting down the road where the forest was thicker. Alac was looking over the road as the rain was beating down hard on them.
They were lucky enough to catch up to the Prince's convoy which stopped in the town of Edermines City. But instead of staying in the town, they decided to go ahead of them while leaving a scout behind to make sure they would take Eldridge Road which went through the forest. And luckily for Alac. He and his men stumbled across a sizable group of brigands. This group wanted to rob Alac and his men at first. But they turned the tables on them and once Alac took down a few of their leaders, then the rest of the bandits surrendered and agreed to Alac's demands to become the new leader of their group.
Alac knew it was a risky move to trust a group of bandits. But he had no other choice. He needed canon fodder to draw the knights away from the caravan. But to his surprise, this group knew a few other brigands in the area. They were all working together to rob the wealthy nobles and merchants that used these roads.
'These bandits are quite organized. They have some military training. So they aren't amateurs.' Alac thought as he witnessed the bandit's battle formations.
So Alac offered gold for the other bandit groups to join him in the raid. And most of them were eager to take part in the ambush. And they were happy that they would be getting gold and whatever valuables the caravan had. Soon they gathered almost 150 men in total.
The plan was for the main group of bandits to attack the caravan head-on. And the others would ambush them from behind. Alac would lead the main group of 100 men to get the attention of Rya and the Prince. Then when they're busy dealing with the main group, the others will attack from behind. The real objective is to kill the young Lord, Johan Dule. He had no mana vein and he wouldn't be a part of Prince Quinus' assault.
The goal was to get a new Major Noble in power so Duke Alaric could gain more influence and power over the court. His goal is to weaken Marquess Duval's control over parliament and the court. The Prime Minister would have no choice but to listen to him if he was to keep his position.
"Damn, this is a horrible day for an ambush," a soldier cursed.
"Yeah, the gods are clearly against us," another soldier said.
"Shut up! The rain is giving us cover! This makes it better to ambush them. We can get the job done and be gone before they can get help," Alac growled.
"Y-Yeah, sorry boss," the soldiers apologized.
Alac didn't reply as he observed the dirt road. He was patiently waiting to see any signs of the convoy. He watched the road for quite some time until Doug came hurrying over from behind him.
"The convoy is less than a mile away... It seems that their mage has been kind enough to give every one of their knights a Flame Familiar... It's making it easier for us to spot those idiots. Killing that weak bastard is as good as done," Doug said excitedly.
"Don't get too cocky, Doug... We still need to distract their strongest warriors so Lord Dule is left alone with only his personal guards. He's the real prize here and we can't afford to mess this up. Understood," Alac ordered.
"Yes, sir," Doug said with a confident smile.
"Doug, make sure you take the lead with the fifty men on the southern side of the road. I'll lead the main group on the north and when they are in range, we will unleash hell... Stay hidden and come out when it's time," Alac said.
"I know, I know... Don't worry. We'll make our move when we see the dark el~ I mean when we see the mage focused on your group. Just make sure you really get her attention... Or this plan will go belly up," Doug said with a sinister look.
"Have I ever failed in the past?" Alac asked in a cold tone.
"No... That's why I trust you to lead us. Just be careful with the bitch," Doug said.
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"I'm not underestimating her. So, you don't have to worry about me. I'll get her attention. You just focus on getting the job done. We don't have time to waste. The Duke is counting on us," Alac said.
"You got it, boss. Let's move out," Doug said as he gave the signal to his men to take their positions before the caravan got closer.
***
It took about fifteen minutes before the glow of the Flame Familiars could be seen through the thick forest.
"Get ready, men. It's time to earn our pay," Doug yelled.
"Haha! We'll have a good time," a soldier cheered.
"Shut the hell up and focus," Doug hissed.
On the northern side of the road, Alac watched as the convoy came closer, "Men! Get ready to spring the trap," Alac shouted.
"Sir, yes, sir," the soldiers yelled.
"Make sure you get your bows ready," Alac ordered.
The soldiers all drew their bows. Waiting for Alac's command to unleash their volley of arrows.
Soon the convoy of knights on horseback appeared on the road and they were riding close together. Alac could see that the Flame Familiars were being used as a shield against the rain.
As the convoy moved closer, the bandits began to ready themselves, and they were itching to kill and loot.
'That's it... Just a little closer,' Alac thought.
Finally, the caravan passed by, and the bandits unleashed their volley of arrows.
"FIRE!" Alac roared.
Arrows rained down from the forest while another group of bandits released twenty logs down the hill. The arrow stuck into the horses while the lead knights smashed into the logs causing them to tumble to the ground.
'This is going better than I thought! We might kill the Prince as well!... Gah! Don't get ahead of yourself! That elf can heal anyone so don't be surprised if the prince is fine,' Alac thought while he watched the arrows continue to fly.
The Flame Familiars went out, as they were riddled with arrows. The knights tried their best to avoid the incoming volleys until the bandits exhausted their supplies. Alac ordered his men to charge at the convoy and the bandits who were hiding on the southern side did the same.
'This is it!'
"ATTACK!" Alac roared.
The bandits surged from the forest and charged towards the convoy. And when they came out to the clearing, they were shocked to see something they weren't expecting. The bandits on the northern side were the first to be greeted by these strange horses that they had never seen before.
"What the hell are those?" one bandit shouted.
"They look like horses... But they look like they are made of stone and mud?" another bandit said.
These earth horses had mud dummies riding on them and their bodies had these weird pyramid rocks lining all around their sides. Alac was the first to realize what these were but he was too late to respond.
'Golems! We've been tricked!' Alac thought as the Mud Golems charged at the bandits.
The bandits panicked and broke formation.
"RETREAT! RETREAT!"
But it was too late as the first horse exploded sending those pyramid rocks flying into the crowd of bandits.
The rocks exploded into a hail of spikes that impaled dozens of bandits and vaporized ten of the closest men as a mist of blood filled the air.
"AAAHHH!"
"What the hell was that?" a bandit screamed.
"Shit! They're attacking us with exploding horses!" another bandit yelled.
The second golem charged at another group of bandits and it exploded, showering them with spikes.
'Damn! Damn! DAMN, IT ALL! We don't have a choice now!' Alac cursed, "EVERYONE! FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Alac ordered.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The last of the horses exploded, killing about forty more men and wounding countless more. The bandits were in disarray after feeling the shock of this strange trap.
"What the hell were these things?!" one soldier yelled.
Before anyone could answer him, the bandits heard a few horses neighing in the distance. The survivors turned to witness their horror as they saw twenty knights on horseback staring them down with their swords out.
General Douglas could only smirk at Rya's brilliant idea. He didn't know this kind of spell or enchantment could draw enemy fire and then explode when their guard was down. The fact that the Golems mimicked their horses made it the perfect distraction and a deadly weapon.
'Lady Rya, you never cease to impress me. It's a miracle that the Prince somehow got her to marry him... He better not make her mad or I won't be able to help him,' Douglas chuckled to himself.
"She's a fierce woman," General Douglas said with a smile.
"That she is, sir," Sir Bret said.
"What are your orders, sir?" another knight asked.
"What we are paid to do gentlemen! We're going to crush them. Charge," General Douglas ordered as he held his sword out.
"Yes, sir!" the knights roared.
"Charge!" Sir Bret yelled.
"Kill them before they get away!" Another Knight growled.
"Slay the bandits!"
"For the crown!" Hollered the rest of the knights.
The Royal Knights charged at the surviving bandits who were still in the middle of the road. General Douglas had to chuckle as he saw the bandit's leader retreat into the woods with a few of his men. Where they were running was irrelevant because Rya's golems would find them and dealing with them was a fate worse than death.
"Looks like Lady Rya and the Prince's plan worked. Hah hah! Let's finish off the stragglers, men! We can't let Her Ladyship's efforts be in vain," Douglas shouted.
"Yes, sir!" the knights roared as they smashed into the bandits and a fierce battle was waged. The knights were far superior warriors and were stronger than the bandits who were mostly wounded by Rya's magic. It wouldn't take long before they would finish the fight and return to the caravan.
***
About a half mile back from where the failed ambush took place. Rya, Quinus, and the rest of the convoy who stayed behind were waiting for Douglas and his men to return.
"I hope Sir Douglas is alright," Johan said.
"Don't worry. Lady Rya has her golems sneaking through the forest. None of those bastards will make it out alive," Sir George smirked.
Most of the party was standing under a rock canopy that Rya created so they could stay dry while Rya had her eyes closed and held her arms out so she could perceive what her golems were seeing.
"Well, I can't take all the credit. If it wasn't for Dalia's amazing sense of smell. I wouldn't have been able to tell which direction the bandits were coming from. And then Quin came up with the idea of making the golems," Rya smiled.
"I'm sure you're giving yourself too little credit. But I have to wonder who sent the bandits?" Johan asked.
"Probably my uncle... Hey Rya? Do you think you can capture their leader alive?" Quinus asked.
"I will see what I can do," Rya said as she focused on the battle.
Percy looked over at Dalia who was pouting. He chuckled, "You really wanted to fight them, huh?"
"Yes," Dalia huffed.
"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll get the chance to kill some more bandits in the future," Percy smirked.
"But why not now!? It's not fair!" Dalia complained.
"Dalia?... You might be pregnant and it's not worth risking it unless it is necessary," Rya said.
Dalia's face went red, "But it could be fat! And what better way to burn off the calories than fighting? I want to fight! I want to fight!" Dalia whined.
"No, Dalia. We'll talk about it when we get to the capital," Rya said firmly.
The wolfkin wanted to argue but she knew that tone coming from Rya's voice. She would have to wait to have this discussion later with her Chieftain.
"Haaaah... Okay, fine," Dalia pouted.
Nieren was trying not to laugh, but the look on Dalia's face was too cute. She's never seen someone act this way before.
'This is hilarious!... I know this wolfkin is annoying most of the time, but I'm starting to understand why Rya is friends with her... Heck, I'm starting to take a liking to her myself,' Nieren thought.
Out of everyone who was underneath the canopy, it was Tayna who was bored. She didn't like the fact that her shoes were getting wet and dirty.
"Tayna? Are you okay?" Johan asked.
"Just dandy," Tayna growled.
Johan wasn't an idiot, he knew his wife was upset about standing around in the mud and it was his idea to bring her along when she wished to stay in the carriage.
"I can send you with one of our guards to get you back to the carriage," Johan said.
"I would appreciate that, love," Tayna said with a smile.
Johan nodded, "Gyst, please escort Lady Tayna to the carriage."
"Yes, sir," Gyst bowed as he held up a device that was similar to an umbrella so Tayna could get back to the carriage without getting wet.
Johan just smiled before turning his attention back to the road. He wished he could see the battle but all he could do was listen to the conflict from a distance. And he could barely hear the skirmish through the sound of all the rain hitting the canopy.
'I wish I could be of more help,' Johan thought as he looked down at his legs. He thought he was so close to casting Shadow Self. But he always did something wrong before casting it.
'Haah... Stop beating yourself up, Johan. You just found out that you were a mage a day ago. Not everyone gets it right away. You will get there. You just have to believe in yourself,' Johan thought as he looked up. The group was all waiting for the sounds of battle to end so they could relax and return to their journey.