They carefully made their way down the hill and positioned themselves to the side of the ten men.

  "I’m sure you could kill them all without any trouble," Kai whispered as softly as possible to Allice. "But the woman might get hurt, so we have to get her away first".

  Lyla and Allice nodded.

  "You're right. What’s the plan then?" Allice asked.

  "First, I need Lyla to create a distraction with wind magic. Once they’re confused, that’s your cue, Allice". Kai glanced back toward the carriage. "You’ll act like you’re lost and wounded. In that moment, I’ll sneak in from behind and take the woman to safety". Lyla and Allice listened intently as he continued, "Once I’ve done my part, I’ll fire a flame arrow at one of them. That will be the signal for all three of us to attack together. Understood?".

  Both women nodded.

  "Perfect. Let’s begin".

  Lyla began to whip up a breeze in front of the men. They noticed the change in the air and turned their attention toward the distraction. That’s when Allice made her entrance from the left side of the road, acting the part of a naive, wounded, and lost adventurer.

  "I need help..." she exclaimed, her breath heavy as she clutched her abdomen and approached them. "I was kidnapped and managed to escape, but now I don't know where I am... please, help me".

  The men traded glances until one of them stepped forward.

  "Of course, miss. Come with us," he said, moving to assist her. "There’s a lot of trouble out there lately; you have to be careful who you trust".

  While they were occupied with her performance, Kai stayed low and discreetly approached the back of the carriage. Moving with total stealth, he reached the rear, looked at the ground, and picked up a tiny pebble. He took several deep breaths before flicking the stone toward the woman, hitting her directly on the leg.

  Still kneeling, the woman turned her head and saw him. Kai gestured to signal his intentions. She looked over at the ten men, who were still distracted by Allice’s perfect acting. Summoning her courage, she stood up carefully and began walking toward Kai. No one noticed as she successfully reached him.

  "Follow me, trust me," he whispered as low as he could.

  With her shoulders tense and a look of pure terror, the woman simply nodded and followed him behind some rocks away from the path. Once they were far enough away, Kai let out a heavy sigh he hadn't realized he was holding.

  "You’re safe now. Stay here and don't move, no matter what happens," he said before heading back toward the men, this time without caution. He shouted, "Fire Arrow!".

  Every head turned toward Kai just as a flaming arrow pierced through the head of one of the ten men at high speed. The others drew their weapons, and a few raised their hands, ready to chant spells.

  [ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]

  Enemy detected.

  Type: Human.

  Approximate Threat Level: Rank D.

  Distance: 11 meters.

  Allice didn't waste a second. She dropped the act, drawing her daggers and lunging forward to run through two more of them.

  "Who are you people?!" one of the remaining seven screamed in desperation.

  "The damn elf is gone!".

  "Crap, crap, crap! It’s an ambush!".

  Kai dove into the fray to end the fight as quickly as possible. Between him and Allice, they easily took down three more as they tried to flee the road. Seeing no escape, one of the four survivors raised his arms, his body trembling with panic.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Earthen Rise!" he recited desperately.

  The ground beneath them surged upward, lifting them high enough to be out of reach of the daggers. He looked down to chant again, "Stone Projectiles!".

  Dozens of jagged rocks shot from his hands toward the ground.

  "Look out!" Lyla shouted, using a powerful gust of wind to deflect a projectile heading straight for Allice.

  The three of them tried to find cover, but the attack was relentless. Kai sprinted through the hail of stones, dodging projectiles that grazed him dangerously, until he was positioned directly beneath the mage. The mage saw him and confidently thrust his hand toward Kai to finish him off.

  As more stones flew toward him at high speed, Kai raised his hand with nerves of steel.

  "Absorption.".

  Every rock flying toward Kai vanished instantly. The mage and the three men beside him were stunned, but they had no time to react before Kai recited the second part.

  "Expulsion!".

  All the projectiles that had disappeared were suddenly launched back at them. One struck the mage’s neck with immense force. Blood sprayed across the area as his magic faded and the elevated terrain collapsed.

  Desperate to survive, the remaining men ran in different directions, but it was futile. Lyla invoked another powerful gust of wind that sent them flying into a tree with such force that they died instantly upon impact.

  "Wow... that was actually pretty good". Lyla smiled and gave Kai a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, sweetheart". "And that’s nothing compared to what I’ll be able to do if you keep leveling up".

  Kai blushed but tried to hide it.

  [ SYSTEM MESSAGE ]

  All enemies defeated.

  Level up!

  Level: 14 (0/100)

  You have 4 points to distribute among your stats!.

  STATS

  Strength: 16.

  Speed: 17.

  Endurance: 13.

  Intelligence: 18.

  Mana: 600/600.

  Perception: 25.

  Kai thought for a few seconds and made his choice.

  STATS

  Strength: 16.

  Speed: 17.

  Endurance: 15.

  Intelligence: 20.

  Mana: 600/600.

  Perception: 25.

  After upgrading his stats, he walked to the carriage and searched the body of the man who appeared to be the leader, taking the key to the chains.

  "We should go check on the woman, I left her behind those rocks on the other side".

  The three of them walked toward the spot where Kai had hidden her.

  "You know, the way you used your Absorption skill was incredible," Allice said as they walked.

  "Allice is right. I’m very proud of you, sweetheart," Lyla added.

  A confident smile played on Kai’s face. "To be honest, I wasn't sure if it would work or if his magic would be too much for my skill. I got lucky".

  They reached the rocks where the woman was still waiting, still bound in chains.

  "It's all over. You're free," Kai said with a small smile. "Allice, take off the chains". Kai handed her the key, and she gently approached to unlock the shackles.

  "Thank you so much," the woman whispered. "Really, thank you... I was so afraid of what might happen".

  Lyla stepped closer and stroked her hair sympathetically. "It’s completely normal to feel that way after what you’ve been through".

  "I’m Kai, she’s Lyla, and well, you’ve already heard Allice’s name".

  "Your name is Lyla, like the goddess?" she asked, looking at Kai with eyes full of hope. "And you, like the hero...?".

  Allice, Lyla, and Kai exchanged looks.

  "Yeah, well, we just have the same names. Her parents are followers of the Eternal Union, and mine were saved by the hero, that’s why we were named that," Kai lied.

  "That’s incredible. All three of you have beautiful names. I am Roshia," she introduced herself with a grateful smile. "Can I ask you a favor?".

  "Of course, anything".

  Roshia looked at them hopefully. "My daughter... they separated me from her when they brought me here. They" Roshia paused, tears welling in her eyes. "They have these massive sites where they keep us locked up. Elves, demi-humans, dwarves... they have many species of animals too... please, you have to help me rescue my daughter and the others".

  The three looked at each other with hesitation and pity.

  "That would be like declaring war on the people who benefit most from the black market," Allice murmured. "We’d be putting targets on our backs".

  "Please, they’ll all be sold, enslaved, or killed, including my little girl," she insisted, her hands trembling as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  "Alright. We’ll help you. But we’ll have to be discreet," Kai declared firmly. Lyla looked at him with pride.

  "What can you do, Roshia?" Allice asked.

  "I can use ice magic. Those chains prevented me from using magic, so I couldn't defend myself... but before they caught us and destroyed the whole village, I was a B rank mage".

  Allice was surprised. "Ice magic? That could be useful on the road." She looked at the chains on the ground. "And you say these block magic?".

  Roshia nodded.

  "It must be an illegal item, but it could be useful to us." Allice leaned down to pick them up.

  "Well then, it's settled". "We’ll go to that place to save everyone and get you back to your daughter," Kai said, then paused for a moment. "Wait... what place? Do you know where it is?".

  "Not exactly, since they blindfolded us on the way in and the way out". "But I overheard one of the guards mention they were on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Genesis".

  Lyla’s eyes widened. "Genesis? That’s two weeks away by carriage, and it’s a massive tropical jungle. It’s going to be a lot of work to find that place".

  "Well, then I guess it’s going to be a long journey." Kai looked up at the starry sky. "We’ll begin our trip tomorrow. For now, we need to get to the inn to rest. Follow us, Roshia".