Lord Of The Lost

William and the Forum Master had barely escaped the clutches of the thieves' ambush, but they were in dire condition. Their bodies ached, their strength depleted to the very last drop. Both of them were hanging on by sheer willpower.

The magic warhorses, usually symbols of power and resilience, were now shadows of their former selves, exhausted, wounded, and bleeding from countless cuts and arrows embedded deep into their flesh.

They had fled to a hilly region, hoping the uneven terrain would slow their pursuers, but now the toll of the battle was impossible to ignore. The horses, loyal and brave, had given everything they had. As William dismounted, he could see his warhorse struggling to even breathe. Its sides heaved, arrows still lodged in its hide, and patches of its coat were stained with drying blood.

It couldn't go on.

Without hesitation, William reached for a bottle of energy potion, feeding it to the warhorse. The animal drank eagerly, but even as its strength returned slightly, William knew that it needed relief. Without a word, he began tearing away the remains of the broken heavy armor that clung to the horse's body, piece by piece. Every clink of metal falling to the ground lightened the warhorse's burden.

The wounds underneath the armor told the story of a brutal escape, deep gashes, bleeding wounds, and the remnants of the arrows that had pierced it in their flight.

William looked at the damage, his expression grim. 'This battle was a test of endurance, of grit, of pure determination. It was a tug-of-war with death.'

The Forum Master, slumped nearby, looked lost in thought. He couldn't shake the feeling of despair that had gripped him earlier, when he had fallen into that cursed quagmire, surrounded by enemies, his mind racing with panic and doubt. For a moment, he had thought it was over. His life, his mission, everything seemed doomed.

But against all odds, they had fought their way out, escaped the jaws of certain death. The Forum Master still couldn't quite believe it. It felt like waking from a terrible dream, a nightmare that clung to his skin, refusing to let go.

William, however, had no time for reflection. He stood in silence, gripping the iron arrow that had pierced his abdomen. Without flinching, he braced himself. Using his knight's lance, he carefully snapped off the tail of the arrow. His teeth clenched, sweat beading on his forehead, but he didn't make a sound. In one swift motion, he yanked the bare shaft out of his body, the wound bleeding freely now.

Even in such pain, William's expression remained hard as stone. His physical condition was remarkable, this kind of injury, while serious, wouldn't stop him entirely, but it certainly took a toll.

He quickly bandaged the wound and downed a bottle of energy potion. As the life-giving liquid spread through his body, he felt the worst of the pain ebb away. The potion couldn't heal everything, but it restored enough of his strength to continue.

The Forum Master watched in silence, guilt gnawing at him. He had struggled during the fight, caught off guard and overwhelmed. Now, as he stood there, witnessing William's calm efficiency and silent suffering, he felt the weight of his failure press down on him. He hesitated, unsure of what to say. Finally, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed slightly.

"Brother Wallace," he said, his voice heavy with remorse, "I'm sorry for holding you back today."

His words hung in the air. He had felt useless in the heat of battle, unable to perform at the level he had expected of himself. Shame burned in his chest.

William, still tending to his warhorse, barely glanced up. His tone was steady, dismissive even. "There's no need for that. You called me here for this exact reason." He paused, tightening the bandage on his own wound. "We're comrades-in-arms. We help each other in times like these."

To William, the Forum Master hadn't been a burden. Teammates were meant to cover each other's backs in the heat of battle. This was no different. If the Forum Master had been truly useless or, worse, a coward who fled in the face of danger, that would have been another matter. But he hadn't run. He had stood his ground, made the right calls when it mattered.

That was enough for William to consider him a true ally.

However, the Forum Master couldn't shake his feeling of inadequacy. He forced a bitter smile and shook his head. "I don't see it that way. Death doesn't scare us as players, but failure does. If I had fallen in that ambush, our mission would have failed. All of our preparation, all of my knowledge… it would've been for nothing."

His voice was laced with frustration. He had done everything to prepare, gathered intelligence, studied the terrain, and yet, he had still come close to failure. The weight of the mission and the consequences of failure loomed large in his mind. His death wasn't just a personal loss; it would jeopardize everything they had worked for.

William shrugged as he leaned back against his warhorse. "What matters is that we made it out. You made the right calls when it counted. That's what counts in the end."

The Forum Master looked at William, studying his calm demeanor. He had no interest in excuses or what-ifs. In William's mind, the only thing that mattered was the present; they had survived, and the mission was still possible.

The tension between them slowly eased as they caught their breath, preparing for the next step in their journey. But the Forum Master knew that this close call had shaken him. Next time, he vowed silently, he would be ready. He wouldn't make the same mistakes again.

The Forum Master couldn't deny the truth staring him in the face, his reaction in the midst of the ambush had been poor, lacking the sharpness and clarity needed in a life-or-death situation. Objectively speaking, it was his own fault. His carelessness, combined with his lack of real combat experience, had left him vulnerable. He wasn't used to the sight of blood or the adrenaline of battle.

The truth was, he had lived in comfort for most of his life, with little exposure to real danger or violence. In his mind, thieves were just another obstacle, not the terrifying force he now realized they could be.

'After all,' he thought, 'we live in a modern society.' It was one thing to kill monsters in a game; mindless creatures that posed no psychological weight; but thieves? They were human, living, breathing men. Killing them carried a different kind of burden, one that gnawed at him, making him hesitate at the worst possible moments.

In contrast, William, who was younger than him, remained an enigma. Throughout the entire ordeal, William had been the epitome of calm, his willpower unshaken even in the face of a surprise ambush. No matter how desperate the situation became, he acted with precision and deadly focus. That kind of mental fortitude, that ability to act without hesitation, made the Forum Master feel… small.

He couldn't help but notice the way William killed; effortlessly, without so much as a blink, like it was second nature to him. Each strike was lethal, each decision swift and unwavering. 'How is he able to kill like that?' the Forum Master wondered. 'Is he… is he like this in real life? Could he be some kind of ruthless murderer?'

The thought unsettled him, but only for a moment. 'No,' he reassured himself, 'even if he was, it doesn't matter. As long as he's reliable, as long as he doesn't betray his teammates when it counts, that's all that matters.' A person like William, someone who wouldn't abandon his comrades in the heat of crisis, was worth keeping close, no matter what his past might be.

The Forum Master cleared his throat, breaking the silence between them. "Wallace, there's something you should know. I've been studying the Thieves' Path for quite some time now."

William glanced at him, listening carefully.

"People call them thieves, but that's just a blanket term. In truth, they're more than just robbers and bandits. It's a path, a specific way they gain power." The Forum Master's voice grew more intense as he shared what he had uncovered, using his talent for identifying the subtleties of different combat paths.

"The Thieves' Path is all about chaos," he explained. "Their destructive power increases dramatically when things are disordered. For instance, if a thief attacks a building, it's not just normal damage; they can tear through defenses like they're nothing. That's why even our heavy armor couldn't hold up. The more chaotic a battle becomes, the stronger they get, feeding off the disorder."

William nodded, his interest piqued. "That explains why the thieves were so much fiercer when they surrounded us. They fought like demons."

"Exactly," the Forum Master continued. "When they gather in numbers, all the thieves get a kind of boost. It's why they're so dangerous when attacking villages or in ambushes. Their strength comes from numbers and disorder. But here's the thing, they have a glaring weakness too."

William raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What weakness?"

"They're undisciplined," the Forum Master said with a knowing smile. "The moment they realize they're outmatched, their will to fight evaporates. They're like rats; when the situation turns against them, they scatter. Their morale crumbles, and they flee faster than they fight. That's why we were able to break through their lines in the end.

Once they saw we could push back, their collective strength faltered."

William mulled this over, realizing how accurate the Forum Master's insights were. It all made sense now, why the thieves fought so ferociously at first but then seemed to crumble once they lost their momentum. William had been in countless fights, but this was the first time someone had explained the thieves' strategy so clearly.

"You've really done your homework," William remarked, impressed despite himself. "You must be some kind of elite in the real world. Someone with access to a lot of information and resources. There's no way you could put all this together so quickly otherwise."

The Forum Master gave a small, modest shrug, though there was a hint of pride in his eyes. "Let's just say I've had my fair share of advantages. But resources alone aren't enough; you've got to know how to use them. It's about more than just having power; it's about understanding how to play the game."

William looked at him with newfound respect. The Forum Master was more than just a leader, he was a strategist, someone who saw the bigger picture. 'This is why he's dangerous,' William thought. 'Not just because of his strength, but because he's always thinking, always planning.'

The two warriors sat in silence for a moment, both recovering from the battle and reflecting on the path ahead. The Forum Master had learned the hard way that surviving in this world required more than just strength or skill; it demanded the ability to adapt, to think on your feet, and to understand the true nature of your enemies.

And now, thanks to this brutal encounter, he understood that lesson more than ever.

The Forum Master had earned considerable influence, both among the player community and in the border towns. His reputation wasn't just for his skill but for his ability to think ahead and take calculated risks. When he had approached the mayor, confidently proposing to lead the effort to suppress the thieves, it had been a bold move, one that not many would have dared.

It wasn't just courage that defined him, though. He was meticulous, the type of person who would plan every detail before making a move. He gathered every piece of information he could, carefully choosing the path that promised the highest reward.

His understanding of the Thieves' Path had been thorough. He had studied their strengths, their weaknesses, and prepared accordingly. Yet, despite all his preparation, the thieves had managed to surprise him with something unexpected; a black magic trap. It had been a close call, one that nearly cost him his life.

As they regrouped, the Forum Master sighed, his expression troubled. "I miscalculated," he admitted. "I never expected these thieves to be connected to a black magician."

William nodded thoughtfully beside him. Without the presence of the black magic trap, things would have gone differently. Even if they had rushed into the ambush, their mobility as cavalry would have given them the advantage. They could have easily navigated the battlefield, encircling and suppressing the thieves, even if it came down to fighting a transcendent from the Thieves' Path.

But the trap had changed everything, robbing them of the initiative and forcing them into a defensive position for most of the battle. It had been a game-changer, and had they been any less prepared, it could have spelled their defeat.

"That black magic trap turned the tables on us," William remarked, his gaze thoughtful. "Without it, even an ambush wouldn't have stopped us. But once it appeared, we lost control. Any other cavalry would have been completely overwhelmed."

It had been a grim reality, but they had managed to survive through sheer determination and the various skills and tools at their disposal. Unlike most cavalrymen who might have focused on the classic knight's charge, both William and the Forum Master had invested in more unconventional techniques; like the '[Acid Bomb]' and '[Mind Confusion]' giving them a unique edge on the battlefield.

The thieves hadn't expected them to fight so dirty, and it had caught them off guard. William even smirked, recalling the thieves' curses as they struggled against the strange tactics. Still, the true surprise had been the Forum Master's trump card.

During their desperate breakout, William had seen him use a powerful ability to summon lightning, frying a dozen thieves in one fell swoop. It had been impressive, to say the least.

The Forum Master, noticing William's curiosity, didn't hesitate to share his secret. He held up a small, intricately designed amulet, explaining its origins.

"[Name: Lightning Amulet]," he said, holding it up for William to see. "It's excellent-grade magic equipment. Made from magic steel by a magician who studied the mysteries of magic itself."

The Forum Master's voice lowered slightly as he explained the amulet's abilities. "[Lightning Nerve] it protects the wearer, striking back when in danger. When it activates, it channels a massive amount of lightning, dealing a huge amount of damage. The best part? The amulet restores its own energy over time. The longer you let it charge, the more powerful the lightning becomes.

If you use it too soon, the power is weaker."

William was impressed. "That explains why you were able to kill so many at once. But you said you'd only had the amulet for a short time?"

The Forum Master nodded. "Exactly. I hadn't had it long enough to let it fully recharge, so the energy was still low. Even with that, it was enough to electrocute a dozen thieves. If I'd had more time, the power would've been devastating."

The potential of the amulet was obvious. It was a tool that could change the course of a battle if used correctly. But like all powerful weapons, timing was everything. Too soon, and its power would be wasted. Too late, and it might not be enough to save you.

William understood now why the Forum Master had managed to survive the ambush, despite the odds. He wasn't just relying on brute force or his skills with a blade. He had tools, strategies, and knowledge that gave him an edge in ways few others could match. Even when the situation seemed dire, he had the means to turn things around.

As they sat in the aftermath of their escape, William realized something else. The Forum Master wasn't just a skilled player; he was a tactician, someone who understood the importance of preparation and adaptability. And in this world, where danger lurked behind every corner, that kind of mind was invaluable.

"Next time," the Forum Master said, his eyes focused ahead, "we'll be even more prepared. This was just a taste of what's out there. But we've got the tools. Now we just need to use them better."

William smirked, appreciating the sentiment. "I'll hold you to that. And next time, we won't be the ones caught off guard."

They had survived the ambush. But more than that, they had learned. And in a world like this, knowledge was power.