Extra Survival Guide to Overpowering Hero and Villain-Chapter 247: Escort
They packed quickly.
No heavy armor.
No extra tools.
Only what they needed.
Fenric checked his bow and arrows.
The string felt firm.
His Aura responded smoothly when he touched it.
Liana adjusted her spear and tested her Wind Aura once.
Short.
Controlled.
By midday, they returned to the city gate.
The caravan was already there.
Six wagons stood in a line.
Strong wooden frames.
Iron reinforcements.
Guards were present, but not many.
Most were hired hands, not adventurers.
A well-dressed man stepped forward.
"Silverleaf Trade Company," he said. "I’m Manager Horen. You must be the guild escorts."
"Yes," Liana replied. "Fenric and Liana."
Horen nodded, clearly relieved. "Good. We depart as soon as everyone is ready."
Fenric scanned the area.
Open road.
Clear weather.
No immediate threats.
He took position near the front wagon.
Liana stayed closer to the center.
The caravan began to move.
The city gates opened.
The road stretched ahead.
By evening, they had traveled several hours without trouble.
Fenric stayed alert but relaxed.
His Aura stayed calm.
No pressure.
No instability.
During the first night, the caravan stopped to rest.
A small camp was set up.
Fires lit.
Wagons circled.
Fenric took the first watch.
He stood near the edge of the camp, eyes on the road and the trees beyond.
Everything felt normal.
Too normal.
Still, he did not lower his guard.
This was an escort mission.
Trouble never came early.
The night passed quietly.
No movement in the trees.
No strange sounds.
When Fenric’s watch ended, he woke Liana and went to rest.
He slept lightly, one hand near his bow.
At dawn, the caravan moved again.
The road narrowed as they left the plains.
Low hills and scattered trees replaced open land.
Fenric noticed tracks near the road.
Old ones.
Bandits.
Not fresh.
He informed Liana.
She nodded. "Stay sharp."
By midday, the caravan entered a wooded stretch.
Visibility dropped.
Sounds carried less.
Fenric moved ahead of the first wagon, scanning the sides.
That was when he heard it.
A sharp whistle.
Too clean to be a bird.
Fenric raised his hand.
The caravan slowed.
A second later, arrows flew from the trees.
"Ambush!" someone shouted.
Fenric drew and fired in one smooth motion.
Golden Aura wrapped the arrow.
It struck a bandit in the trees before he could fire again.
Liana moved instantly.
Wind Aura surged as she spun her spear.
She deflected two arrows and rushed toward the left side.
Bandits emerged from cover.
Not many.
Five.
Maybe six.
Fenric fired again.
Each shot was precise.
No wasted movement.
Two bandits fell.
One tried to rush the wagon.
Liana intercepted him.
Her spear struck his leg, then his chest.
He went down hard.
The hired guards regrouped and pushed back the rest.
The fight ended quickly.
Too quickly.
Fenric frowned.
"Check the trees," he said. "That wasn’t all of them."
Liana nodded.
They searched the area.
More tracks.
Heavier ones.
Not bandits.
Beasts.
Liana looked toward the deeper forest.
"This was a probe," she said. "Something else is watching."
Fenric kept his bow raised.
"Get the caravan moving," he said. "Staying here is bad."
Liana agreed. "Everyone back on the road. Tight formation."
Manager Horen gave the order quickly.
The wagons moved again, guards closer than before.
Fenric walked ahead, eyes scanning the forest edges.
The air felt heavy.
Too quiet.
After another hour, the road dipped into a shallow valley.
Trees grew thick on both sides.
Rocks lined the path.
Fenric felt it then.
A pressure.
Low.
Heavy.
"Stop," he said.
The caravan halted.
Liana stepped beside him. "You feel it too?"
"Yes," Fenric replied. "Beast territory." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
A low growl rolled through the trees.
Then another.
From the right side, something large moved.
Branches snapped.
A Rank 3 Fangbear stepped out.
Thick fur.
Long claws.
Scarred face.
Then a second one appeared on the left.
The guards froze.
"Two beasts," Liana said calmly. "Fenric, right side."
"I’ll take it," he replied.
The Fangbear roared and charged.
Fenric planted his feet.
He drew an arrow.
Silver-tinted golden Aura wrapped it tightly.
He fired.
The arrow struck the beast’s shoulder.
It pierced deep but did not stop it.
Fenric fired again.
This time, he aimed for the eye.
The arrow hit true.
The Fangbear stumbled and crashed to the ground.
On the other side, Liana moved.
Wind Aura burst under her feet.
She closed the distance fast.
Her spear struck the Fangbear’s leg, then its neck.
A final thrust ended it.
Silence returned to the valley.
Fenric lowered his bow slowly.
"No more movement," he said after a moment.
The guards relaxed, breathing hard.
Manager Horen wiped his face. "Is it over?"
"For now," Liana said. "But this confirms it."
Fenric looked at the forest.
"Something is pushing beasts closer to the road," he said. "This route isn’t stable."
Liana nodded. "We’ll need to stay alert every night."
The caravan moved again, slower this time.
They had not gone far.
Less than thirty minutes later, Fenric heard hurried movement behind them.
Not beasts.
Too light.
Too many.
"Bandits," he said quietly.
Liana glanced back. "They followed the fight."
Fenric raised his hand again. "Slow the caravan. Don’t stop."
Manager Horen relayed the order.
The wagons reduced speed, guards closing in.
From the road behind them, a group rushed out.
Eight bandits.
Leather armor.
Mixed weapons.
They had seen the beasts fall.
They thought the guards would be tired.
They were wrong.
"Form up!" one of the hired guards shouted.
Fenric did not wait.
He turned, drew, and fired.
One arrow.
Clean hit.
A bandit dropped before reaching the wagons.
Liana moved at the same time.
Wind Aura flared as she stepped forward, spear spinning.
She struck the lead bandit’s weapon aside and kicked him down.
The hired guards joined in.
Two used shields to block.
One charged with a short blade.
Fenric kept firing, but not to kill.
He aimed for legs.
Arms.
Shoulders.
Arrows pinned bandits to the ground or knocked weapons away.
Within moments, half the group was down.
The rest tried to run.
"Don’t let them escape," Liana said.
She rushed forward, Wind Aura boosting her speed.
Her spear struck the ground in front of one fleeing bandit, stopping him cold.
Another tripped as Fenric’s arrow cut across his calf.
The last two dropped their weapons and raised their hands.
"Enough!" one shouted. "We surrender!"
Fenric lowered his bow.
"Bind them," he said to the guards. "All of them."
