Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Ambush That Ended with the Outcome Draven Had Feared.
After taking the shot, Draven tried to extract the projectile with one of his daggers, but before he could do it, he heard another shot and the bullet struck the rock, so Draven immediately ducked.
’Damn it.’
The shooter had an elevated position with an excellent line of sight over a good portion of the terrain and, from the accuracy of his shots, had to be quite experienced.
Draven used mana to reinforce his body and decided to move through the shadows again, so he vanished behind the rock, but the moment he reappeared several meters farther away, he heard the shot.
"AAH!"
Another bullet struck his left leg and Draven fell to his knees.
’How the hell!?’
It made no sense.
The shooter couldn’t have anticipated the exact spot where he would appear with that kind of precision, or at least not by conventional means.
Draven looked again at the reddish mark on his shoulder and then understood.
’The first bullet!’
That wasn’t just an enchanted projectile, it had left a magical mark on his body, and that mark was transmitting his position.
’Tracking rounds.’
He remembered seeing similar weapons in the game.
They were particularly dangerous because they allowed certain projectiles to slightly correct their trajectory toward a previously marked target.
The ability didn’t guarantee a perfect hit, but it was extremely effective against enemies who used rapid movement or concealment techniques.
’They prepared specifically for my daggers!’
Draven clenched his teeth, understanding why the mercenaries had allowed him to escape for a moment.
They weren’t worried about his shadow steps because they had prepared a way to counter them.
"There he is!"
The leader’s voice echoed among the trees, so Draven looked up and the three dragonkin were closing in.
’This is getting pretty bad.’
He tried to stand, and although the wound in his leg hindered his movements, he could still fight, but he needed to find a way to neutralize the shooter.
As long as the mark remained active, any long-range displacement would expose him to more shots, and he couldn’t afford to keep taking them.
’Who hired them?’
Draven kept backing away while blocking the attacks of the dragonkin who used the curved swords.
He needed to understand what was going on, because it wasn’t normal for them to know his capabilities so well.
’Could it be the organization trying to revive Elfin?’
That possibility appeared in his thoughts immediately, but Draven discarded the explanation almost at once.
’No, that doesn’t make sense.’
No one knew he had become Elfin’s new vessel, or at least no one who would have a reason to organize an ambush like this.
The only person he had confirmed it to was Lansholt Calenne, and she had made it quite clear she wasn’t interested in confronting him.
’Besides, Calenne would be capable of doing this on her own.’
She didn’t need to hire five mercenaries to kill him, and certainly not after warning him that fighting anyone could cause a disaster.
’So then... who?’
Draven remembered his relationship with Zenash.
His engagement to the future Demon Queen wasn’t exactly popular among certain members of Fernus’s nobility, and he also recalled the nobles who had watched him with contempt during his last visit to the palace.
’One of them?’
It was possible, but he had no proof.
It could also be someone connected to Taliah and the Valdegrim family, or even a person who considered him an obstacle for some reason he still didn’t know.
’I have too many potential enemies for someone who just wants to survive.’
A curved sword passed dangerously close to his face, so Draven stepped back and counterattacked, driving one of his daggers through the mercenary’s side, causing the man to let out a growl.
"Damn human!"
Draven used the opening to try to withdraw, but the leader was already in front of him.
"It’s over!"
The massive sword came down and Draven crossed his daggers, but the impact forced his knees to buckle.
’It’s too heavy!’
The dragonkin began pressing with all his strength and Draven concentrated mana in his arms to resist, but the pain in his right shoulder made it difficult to maintain the block.
"You hold up pretty well for a human."
The mercenary remarked.
"Thanks... for the compliment..."
The dragonkin growled and increased the pressure, so Draven realized he wouldn’t be able to hold that position.
He activated a small amount of mana in his daggers and managed to slip to the side, causing the sword to slam into the ground while Draven staggered backward.
’I need to do something.’
But then he remembered something far more important, the contract with Elfin.
One of its clauses established that if Draven lost consciousness during a battle, Elfin could take control of his body to protect him.
’...’
Draven felt a concern far greater than the one caused by his wounds.
’These idiots have no idea what they’re doing!’
If they kept attacking him, there was a considerable chance he would end up losing consciousness.
’I have to stop this!’
Draven raised a hand.
"Wait!"
The mercenaries continued approaching.
"Listen to me! You don’t know what you’re provoking!"
The leader frowned.
"What are you saying?"
"If you keep attacking me, something will happen that you won’t be able to control!"
One of the dragonkin let out a laugh.
"Are you threatening us?"
"It’s not a threat!"
"Then what is it?"
"A warning!"
The leader glanced briefly at his companions and then smiled.
"I get it now."
Draven felt a small sense of relief.
’Finally?’
"He’s trying to scare us."
"NO, YOU IDIOT!"
The dragonkin frowned.
"What did you just call me?"
’Damn it.’
Draven realized too late that he had made a mistake as the mercenary’s expression changed.
"I’m done listening to you."
The man bent his legs, so Draven tried to activate his daggers, but a new bullet struck the ground right next to his foot.
The movement forced him to step back, and that brief distraction was enough, the dragonkin appeared in front of him.
"DIE!"
The massive sword swung horizontally and Draven tried to block it, but the blow caught his defense at an unfavorable angle.
The force of the impact lifted him off the ground and sent his body flying several meters.
’Shit!’
Draven crashed through several bushes before slamming into a rock formation, and an intense pain shot through his back, but the worst came when the back of his head struck the rock surface directly.
His vision blurred.
’Ah...’
He tried to get up, but couldn’t, and his daggers fell to the ground.
’I have to...’
His right hand moved weakly toward the bracelet, because he needed a potion or something that would at least keep him conscious, but his body no longer responded.
’No...’
Darkness began to fill his vision, and the last thought he managed to form was fairly simple.
’These idiots...’
Then he lost consciousness.
"Is he dead already?"
One of the mercenaries approached slowly, and the leader looked at Draven’s motionless body.
"I don’t think so."
"Then let’s finish it."
"Wait."
The burly dragonkin raised a hand.
"First I want to make sure he’s not faking it."
The man approached carefully, but Draven remained lying against the rock.
His breathing was weak, but he was still alive.
"Tough bastard."
The leader examined the wounds on his shoulder and leg, then looked at his companions.
"The job was to eliminate him, so there’s no reason to drag this out."
"And his weapons?"
One of them asked.
"We’ll take them."
The red-scaled dragonkin smiled.
"Those daggers look pretty valuable."
"We can probably get a good amount of money for them."
The leader raised his massive sword again.
"First we finish the job."
He positioned himself in front of Draven’s unconscious body and then lifted the weapon, preparing to drive it through his chest, but before he could deliver the strike, he felt something strange.
"...What?"
A small concentration of mana began to spread around the young man’s body. At first it seemed insignificant, but it increased rapidly, so the dragonkin frowned.
"What’s happening?"
The leader remained still as his hands started to tremble.
’What...?’
He had taken part in countless battles, fought against humans, demons, magical beasts, and even other dragons, but he had never experienced a sensation like this.
His body began to react before he could understand what was happening.
His breathing quickened, his muscles tensed, and a single idea appeared in his mind.
’I’m going to die.’
The dragonkin stepped back involuntarily.
’Why...?’
He looked at the young man lying in front of him.
’Why is my instinct screaming at me to run for my life!?’
"Boss!"
One of his companions shouted.
"We have to kill him now!"
The leader clenched his teeth.
"I know!"
He raised the sword again, but then he heard a sound, a very low laugh coming from the young man.
"..."
The dragonkin froze, and Draven remained lying against the rock, but his lips began to move.
"So I was right..."
The leader took another step back.
"What...?"
The laugh grew slightly louder, then stopped, and for a few seconds no one moved until Draven opened his eyes.
The leader understood immediately that something had changed, because the gaze that met his did not belong to the young man he had been fighting.
It held an expression of absolute ecstasy, and as his lips curved, a voice different from Draven’s began to speak.
"At last... I’m back!"