Reuben fled while looking back at his helpers who had intercepted the dozens of men who had been hiding in the shadows. While the smoke had blocked the sight of Black and Ray, the others hiding in the forest still had a clear view of his movement and wasted no time in pursuing him. His helpers were slightly outnumbered by the pursuers but they still held the upper hand. The pursuers had been prepared for an ambush and had managed to avoid any losses but they were still unable to accomplish anything. They all worked for different lords and hence lacked the cohesion that the helpers had.

All I need to do now is get someplace isolated and activate the brooch. Getting away will be a piece of cake then. Hehe... I hope boss will keep his promise. Seems like my days of being wealthy is finally coming near.

Reuben's thoughts began drifting away to his fantasies. It was unusual for a veteran like him to lose focus in the middle of a mission, but he couldn't help it. He had been on the edge for the past three days. Though he knew that his safety was guaranteed until the final antidotes left his hands, he still felt nervous and fearful. After all, losing your life because of an unlucky event wasn't uncommon in his line of work.

Stopping by a quiet place, he was preparing to activate the brooch when he heard the rustling of leaves. "Who is there? Show yourself."

"I finally caught up. Damn, you are quite fast. Hey mister, I am sure you don't want trouble, how about you hand us the sack you are carrying? We will let you go if you give it to us. Simple right?" Four men came out of the bushes nearby. The group was equipped strangely. They wore plate over their linen armor to protect the torso from harm. The rest of the body was left defenseless except for the head which was being protected by helmet.

The gear was painted in all sorts of colors and it looked very unbecoming. Reuben couldn't believe his eyes. His boss had planned for most cases and his helpers had managed to hold back almost all of the lord's men. But, here he was being confronted by four men in gear that would get them mocked no matter where they went. Though they looked like anything but a ragtag bunch who anyone would underestimate, he didn't let his guard down. The situation was delicate and he couldn't afford to make any mistakes now. All his helpers were busy and couldn't help him out of the current situation.

These people aren't strong. Which lord sent such a shabby group? Tch... their gear is annoying though. What kind of idiots would wear plate armor in a forest. But, this doesn't look too good. The plate is protecting their torso and I can't get any lethal shots this way. My bow is as good as useless here.

Placing his bow on the ground, Reuben unsheathed his sword and took a fighting stance.

*************

Vincent calmed his nerves and controlled his breathing. This would be his first confrontation against an armed silver ranked warrior. There was no room for mistakes for both party and he had to be in his top form. Suppressing his nervousness and fear, he observed his opponent. The man was tall and well built, his tanned skin gave him a wild look. He was only wearing leather armor over his linen but the leather was made from the hide of a magic beast. So, unlike normal leather, it was insanely tough and could protect its wearer from most slashing attacks.

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The opponent's strength vastly surpassed theirs. Comparing a tier four warrior with a tier two warrior was akin to comparing an adult to a teen. Thankfully, their gear countered him perfectly and their greater number could be used to easily bridge the gap in strength.

They had prepared for multiple eventualities. The plate armor was for closing in on the opponent while avoiding fatal attacks. No arrow could penetrate a plate armor and the opponent's primary weapon would be rendered almost useless. Strangely enough, the man hadn't noticed them approaching at all. With their ability to conceal themselves, they had assumed that the opponent would see them coming and shoot at them.

Though they had not been shot at, it didn't mean that the armor wasn't going to be useful. They would be nigh unkillable against an opponent armed with but a short sword and a bow. Previously, Vincent had thought that the opponent had noticed them but was just pretending to be unaware of their presence. Now that he could see the man's actions after they had appeared, he was baffled as to how they had not been noticed at all.

Casper stepped up and spoke in an imposing manner while resting a mace in his shoulder, "You sure you want to fight us mister Robin Hood? I only see a short sword with you."

Casper had hit where it hurt and Reuben cursed under his breath. His gear didn't provide any defense against blunt weapons and disarming his opponent while being outnumbered four to one was too much to ask.

"What makes you think you measly bunch have what it takes to take this from me?" Reuben spoke in a voice full of confidence. Though it didn't look too good for him, he had to act strong. Sometimes, you just had to fake it till you made it.

"Heh.... we will see about that." Casper refused to be outdone and replied with a sneer. He sounded overbearing and exuded a sense of power and confidence. He might have been timid if the situation were any different, but against a lightly armored opponent with no weapon that could pose a serious threat to him? He didn't even have to think twice. It wasn't everyday that you could bully a silver ranked warrior and he was planning on making the most out of it.

Zach was surprised by the sudden change in Casper's character. Vincent shared similar sentiments while Nathan guessed what was going through their mind and sighed in his heart. He knew this habit of Casper all too well.

Casper's heart was beating crazy like a drum. He hadn't felt so excited in a long time. Everyday was dull and boring and such an excellent chance almost never came. He had to make the most out of it. Just thinking about it made his blood boil. His body tensed and relaxed instantly as he charged at the opponent with great momentum.

The opponent didn't have any heavy armor and was vulnerable to his mace's attacks. He had a short sword but parrying with it would do nothing but hurt his arm. Completely forgoing his defense, Casper made a big swing. The power behind the attack was great and Reuben could step back to avoid it. He dodged one attack after another, some easily while the others with a very narrow margin. His superior speed allowed him to remain unscathed but couldn't find a single opening to retaliate.

Casper was extremely skillful in wielding the mace. He used the momentum from the previous attacks to transition to the next and continued his merciless barrage. It took Reuben everything he had to keep his distance. While Casper was keeping the opponent occupied, Nathan moved behind the man and began harassing him. Zach and Vincent positioned themselves in an elevated spot and kept a lookout. Zach would also harass the opponent from a distance while Vincent would only take action if any enemy approached or Casper was in trouble. He wouldn't be able to contribute to the fight much anyways. The man was covered from neck to toe in linen and leather and his major lightning spells wouldn't deal any damage through them.