Reflections on the Warpath - [An Isekai Progression Fantasy]

In the centre of Navaras, directly opposite from the Crossed Oars, Kestrel sat for a drink.

Well, three of them did. Jack, Corinne, and Jay sipped on their glasses, scouting the street for any oddities while Marko delved into the insights of the information crystal they'd been given. He was the last to look through it, and they waited on him to discuss tonight's plan of action.

Midday had faded into early afternoon already and the rubber trees flailing in the sea breeze cast flickering shadows on the quaint wooden buildings, paved stone streets, and the people that walked them. Their erratic swinging brought a smile to Jay's face, even more so whenever a pedestrian had to duck to avoid a face full of rubbery leaves.

Navaras struck a nice balance between the hectic Red Sands and the emptiness that stagnated across many of the archipelago's other islands. There was never a rush to the city or its people, but the town had enough life to avoid the lethargy of some of the smaller islands.

Almost all the island's structures were built from the same rubber wood that made it famous. Unless the lumber was somehow fireproof as well as bouncy, the town was an arsonist's dream.

Jay sipped on a rather bitter fruit smoothie—allegedly a local speciality—and patiently waited. In his eyes, there wasn't much need to plan tonight's mission. According to their information, the Arrandoz twins had a grand total of two gladiators guarding them, and although their Directorate guards could pose a threat to Kestrel, Jay reckoned he and Marko had enough speed to assassinate Yandiel, take out the gladiator assigned to him, and escape before any serious resistance. With Corinne and Jack on standby in case anything unexpected happened, Jay believed that Kestrel could complete their mission and be out on the ocean before nightfall.

"Well that was riveting," said Marko. He tossed Jack the crystal, bouncing it off the table they sat at, and returned to his drink. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Marko had spent the least amount of time studying the information within the crystal. "Have you guys thought of a plan yet?"

"I have a start," said Jack, "but I wanted to wait before I ran it by you all."

"Fire away," said Jay.

"Since Marko and Jay are the fastest both at fighting and escaping, they need to play the assassins. Me and Corinne are far more likely to get caught at some point, so it's best we stay on the sidelines.

"As you now know, the twins are regulars at the Crossed Oars. Yandiel doesn't quite have the stomach of his brother however, and he often leaves first. I believe this is our best opportunity. If we don't have to forcibly separate the twins, that's one less point of failure for the mission. Everyone following?"

Jay agreed with all of his captain's points. Luckily he was suited to tonight's combat role, but he'd have put himself forward even if he wasn't.

He didn't join Limitless Ascent just to sit around scouting mountain roads.

"The plan sounds good so far," said Jay. "Where will you and Corinne be?"

Jack nodded. "Originally, I wanted us to remain close by as back up. But if everything goes well we probably won't be needed and if anything goes wrong we'll only slow your retreat down. Instead of lying in wait, I propose we grease the wheel instead. I'd rather spend my time ensuring the plan works smoothly instead of preparing for if it doesn't.

"If I stay inside the Crossed Oars in a place where Corinne can see me from outside, then I can keep tabs on both twins and she can inform you of everything I see. I can alert you two when Yandiel leaves, and prevent Randiel from joining him if he changes his mind later on."

"Sounds like you just want an evening at the bar!" Marko laughed as he rocked back on his chair. "The plan sounds fine though. You got a place in mind for the ambush, Jay?"

"I'm torn between a couple," Jay replied. "My first thought was the twins' house. If we wait there, Yandiel is far more likely to dismiss the gladiators guarding him before we see him. Even if he doesn't, Caldus the Quick fights with a whip so won't be much use indoors and Tara Cinderborn can't go all out unless she wants to risk burning the city to the ground. Plus I'm a lot stronger when fighting in an enclosed space compared to out in the open.

"But… waiting inside Yandiel's house only includes more complications to the plan. First we need to get into the house and who knows what'll be waiting for us there. The information said that the twins keep political prisoners locked up in their basement so there's almost certainly something. The break in might even tip the twins off."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Jay set his glass on the table, catching a fluttering leaf the second before it fell into his drink. "If we do choose to attack at the house, I'd rather have Corinne and Jack backing us up. Not stalling for time at the bar."

"It's nice to have a safety net," said Jack, "but I think information is more valuable. Corinne, what do you think?"

"I think it sounds like you just want to spend a night out on the town, Jack. For what it's worth, I'm against attacking Yandiel inside his house. There's too many unknowns. If you attack him in an alleyway I'd have a better visual, and be more able to jump in if necessary. Even if Jack's as drunk as a barrel of wine by then, the three of us should be able to handle whatever the Directorate throws at us."

"Hey, I'm not the one you need to worry about here!" said Jack. He shook his head and raised his glass at Jay. "Remember the Ugly Duck? All I did was sit and watch back then. Bar Fight Billy here's the one that caused a commotion. I'm just trying to keep him away from the drinks!"

Both Marko and Corinne chuckled at Jay's expense.

"Hey, that one wasn't my fault," he replied. "That Bassar guy was a psychopath, what was I supposed to do, let him beat the crap out of me?"

Marko shrugged and gave Jay a sheepish half smile. "Gee, I don't know. Perhaps you could've ran away instead of spending the whole night drinking with him and almost causing us to miss our ride back?"

"Yeah, 'cause that wouldn't have caused a scene either."

Jay scowled at Marko but got nothing but a grin back. When he looked over at the other two Kestrel members for support, they were laughing too.

"Whatever," Jay snapped back before finishing off his drink. "We wouldn't have found out about the Malaroy docks without Bar Fight Billy here so laugh all you want, oh glorious champions of staying unnoticed and not causing any scenes. Anyway, back to tonight. I'm fine with attacking Yandiel on the streets, but I'd rather know where I'm fighting him."

Kestrel's grins faded as the four gladiators returned to business.

"Of course, do you have any preferences?" asked Corinne.

"Well it has to be along the route Yandiel would take from the bar, ideally closer to his house so that any backup would take longer to arrive. Other than that I can't think of much."

"It all depends on the route he takes back though," said Marko. He pushed his seat back and quickly rose to his feet, letting his chair legs screech against the tiles below. "It's not worth setting up a specific spot, but we should check out the area in case there's any places we like more than others, that way we can attack whenever he walks past one."

"Sounds like a plan," said Jay, also standing up. "We can go now if everyone's ready? There's still a few hours until the twins are set to arrive at the bar."

Jay gave Jack an undisguised once-over, blatantly staring at his drink.

"Unless, of course, our team captain wants to start pre-drinking now to prepare for his gruelling mission this evening?"

Jack scoffed at Jay's sarcasm, finishing the last of his drink before turning it on its head and letting the dregs drip onto the table.

"I've got an arduous night ahead of me, Jay… but I think I can afford a couple of hours helping you out beforehand."

"How generous."

Boing!

A sky full of starlight illuminated the orange roof tiles and wooden panelling that formed most of Navaras' buildings. Every street except the narrowest of alleyways had at least some light illuminating it from above.

Jay, the person, loved it. He had enjoyed Navaras' serenity during the daytime, but he liked the city even more at night.

Jay, the assassin, wished a sheet of clouds would roll over and help keep him concealed.

After an afternoon spent scouring Navaras' streets, Kestrel had found several ambush sites between the Crossed Oars and Yandiel's house. Each spot was slightly different, and it was up to Jay to decide where they'd strike based on who guarded their target.

If Caldus the Quick was escorting Yandiel, Jay would attack the whip user the moment he entered a confined space while Marko finished off the Directorate man. If Tara Cinderborn was with him, then they'd bait the flame wielder into starting a committal attack with an illusion and strike while she was too busy to counter.

Boing!

Having multiple strategies had served Jay well inside both the ring and the coliseum. If a plan didn't work, then he'd take a couple of hits before switching to the next. But for the next few hours Jay wasn't a boxer and he wasn't a gladiator either.

Assassins only ever got one shot.

If Kestrel wanted to succeed in their mission, Jay had to choose the right plan, regardless of the route Yandiel took home or who accompanied him.

To stay flexible, Jay and Marko had commandeered a rooftop terrace that overlooked a decent amount of Navaras. After Yandiel left the Crossed Oars, they'd hop from rooftop to rooftop until they found a good enough spot to begin their attack.

Boing!

"Will you cut that out?" said Jay.

Ever since Marko had found the bouncy wooden sphere rolling along a back alley, it had only ever left his hands to hit the ground and bounce back up again. Both Marko and Ping found the noise somewhat entertaining. Jay didn't.

"Keep bouncing that thing and you'll have the whole top floor at our throats."

"That's why I barricaded the door, Jay. Nobody's getting to us here!"

Jay barely contained his sigh as he glanced at the mound of chairs and boxes stacked in front of the terrace's only entrance.

An angry thump bounced off the blockaded door but Jay chose to ignore the noise.

A hawk flew towards them, soaring skyward. Jay pointed towards it.

Corinne…

The hawk flew higher, it spiralled upwards before coming to a stop and beating its wings three times—the pre-planned signal that Yandiel was leaving.

Jay exhaled, tensing his fists as he prepared to fight.

He turned to Marko, who'd pocketed the wooden ball.

The young gladiator kept his eyes on the hawk.

Jay turned back.

Corinne didn't swoop back down towards Jack and the Crossed Oars as she'd planned to, instead she flew directly towards Jay and Marko.

Jay sighed again.

This was a pre-planned signal too.

Of course.

It meant trouble.