Chapter 106: Falling in A Trap
We moved with great haste moving deeper inside the forest. Aria wasn't the one leading us, instead it was an assassin. He was tall, slim, wearing a cape that hid his face features, but I knew he wasn't that young like us from his voice.
Just as we left the place, we began to meet different types of monsters here. We had no time to waste over these monsters, so Aria arranged some players to keep the monsters busy while we escaped their territories, then these players escaped following us away from these monsters' aggro.
This was a good strategy, as my previous one was to ignore these monsters, but Aria's was better. I began to focus more on her and her commands, the nature of words she would use and how she would choose her players to do different things.
For example, although she had feedback about the enemy's location and movement, she spread three assassins ahead of us to scout the area. She told me that this was a countermeasure to any scouting players belonging to the enemy, or a strayed group of players that her spies couldn't detect.
Element of surprise was crucial, and she was trying to do anything to protect this. I learnt a lot from her, and the more she did or ordered something I learnt more.
"The distance between us and those players is one hour, do you want to notify your trapped players? we can coordinate and rescue them," Aria suggested after half an hour of running, as we were taking a break for her players to rest.
I thought about it, it would be nice to save my little group and use them to attack those enemies, as that would also help in training my group on this harsh nature of the game. However I declined by reasoning it out:
"I appreciate that, but I can't save them right now, if we did so we will lose the bait that is keeping the main bulk of the enemy concentrated in one place."
She looked towards me deeply; I didn't know what she was thinking about until she spoke up:
"It's not easy for a team leader to choose to abandon his team for the greater good in the future. You have my respect Agatha."
I giggled before she added:
"Anyway, let's move on everyone, enough rest and let's get back to work."
Everyone heeded by her orders and moved at once to move. After ten minutes, her previous arrangement bore fruit finally.
"Aria, Rog says he spotted some company up ahead."
That male assassin suddenly said without any warning. Aria said at once:
"Hold," she raised her new elmante silver grade sword high in the air, "where are they heading?"
Everyone stopped at once without exception, except for me as I stopped moments after them, which made me look awkward.
"They are heading straight towards here, wait… there is another group heading from different direction towards us."
The assassin who was named Rog replied. This was rapid development which seemed hardly coincidental to me. Before I could open my mouth, Aria said in a strong tone:
"Sim, go to the back and scout there now, report to Rog. Everyone starts dispersing, we might be surrounded."
Her words came to confirm my doubts; however I liked the way she dealt with things. If it was me, I would go to face those two incoming groups and crush them, then crush anything that would come later after me.
I was impulsive, and she was wise, I got it, however I felt that her decision was better than mine, at least considering we both weren't playing alone here. I sighed; there are many things out there I needed to learn.
I moved beside Aria and Drina, with nearly five players beside us. I noticed something weird, so I moved closer to Aria as we stopped after running for a hundred meter:
"Won't you arrange your men lines? They are all messed up."
I pointed towards the distant shadows of players, as I saw everyone mixed together without any order, I even saw few magicians standing on the forefront. That was risky and strange, as someone experienced like Aria wouldn't neglect such an amateurish mistake.
Aria looked at me in a weird way as she laughed a short one before saying:
"Men? Line arrangement? Baby, we aren't at war, this isn't an army, and those aren't soldiers. Listen, I know how hard for you to let the old habits die, but you must let all of this behind you.
Here is a game, players can move as random and chaotic as they like, even magicians can attack swordsmen like me and even kill us. The only rule, and it's the golden thumb rule in the game, don't get killed.
As for how, we don't care. So there is no line arrangement, these players are veterans, they will handle themselves well. Worry about yourself and don't get killed."
I turned back again to watch these small groups of five players working randomly as a unit and wondered if her words were right or mine.
"Sim sent back, there is no one coming from behind us," Rog suddenly said. that man always spoke without warning and every time he did so I became startled.
"Is he sure?" Aria calmly asked.
"Yes, he is sure," Rog confirmed.
Aria was thinking about this info like she was in a deep dilemma, I knew that the info came from this Sim wasn't like what I expected however Aria's face told me something else. She wasn't concerned about the absence of any ambushers from behind, as she was worried about something else.
"Sigh, let it be then. Rog, go and kill Sim now."
Aria suddenly said that, which startled me. Before I could say anything, Rog asked calmly:
"May I know why?"
"He is a spy; I already had a man in one of the groups following our tail right now. Sim is lying," Aria replied calmly, however with a sad tone. Rog just nodded before he disappeared from the place in thin air. I wasn't interested in his disappearance; instead I was concerned about Aria, as her face was really unsightly.
She was like she just lost someone dear to her. Drina moved spontaneously to hug her, in a move that was out of the context. Something was off here, I sniffed it.contemporary romance
done.co