Human Greed

Adrian led me to a corner table where three women sat waiting. As we approached, I took in their appearances and immediately felt underdressed.

The first was a tall woman with grey hair pulled back in an intricate braid, wearing robes that practically screamed "expensive mage." The second had silver armor that looked like it cost more than most people made in a year. The third wore dark leathers that were clearly custom-fitted and probably enchanted.

'Womanizer,' I scoffed internally, glancing at Adrian. 

'Typical anime main character with his harem.'

"Ladies, this is Kaito," Adrian announced with that same warm smile. "Kaito, meet my companions."

We spent a few minutes on introductions, but I was more focused on trying not to gawk at their equipment. 

Damn. Man.

Everything they owned looked like it belonged in a museum or a noble's private collection.

"Shall we head out?" Adrian suggested. "We can discuss the details on the road."

Everyone nodded and got up.

Outside the guild, a carriage waited, not some rough wagon like I'd seen other adventurers use, but an actual proper carriage with cushioned seats and a driver in livery. My echo's translucent form practically had its jaw on the ground.

"This is more luxury than we ever had back home," it whispered, awestruck.

I just gave a single nod, as I climbed into the carriage, trying to not look like a bumpkin. 

Inside the seats were more comfortable than my bed at the inn, and the interior was lined with what looked like silk.

As we started moving, Adrian settled back in his seat and began making conversation. "So Kaito, you're fairly new to Millhaven, aren't you? I don't recognize your accent."

"From up north," I said, sticking to my usual vague answer.

"Ah, the northern territories. Harsh country up there." Adrian grinned. "You know, I once tried to court a northern girl. Thought I was being charming when I compared her eyes to winter lakes. She threw a boot at my head."

The three women burst into laughter. I just stared at him with a flat expression.

'Really? That's what passes for humor with rich people?'

"Not much of a comedian's audience, I see," Adrian said with good humor, seemingly unbothered by my lack of reaction. "That's alright, I've got plenty more material to work with."

'Ah, goddess help m- Never mind'

I paused mid-thought, knowing very well about the goddess who had sent me in this hell hole.

After half an hour of bouncing along increasingly rough roads, the carriage finally came to a stop. Through the window, I could see we'd reached the edge of what looked like ancient ruins, crumbling stone walls covered in moss, with weathered statues barely visible through overgrown vegetation.

"End of the line," Adrian announced cheerfully as he stepped out of the carriage.

I climbed down.

 The air here felt different, thicker somehow, with an underlying current that made my skin prickle.

"This place feels wrong. Like there's something watching us." My echo said.

Adrian turned to me with that same easy smile, though I noticed his hand now rested casually on his sword hilt. "Alright Kaito, this is where we really need those sharp eyes of yours. Standard formation. You take point as scout, call out anything unusual."

The three women fell into positions behind me. I moved forward cautiously, scanning the area ahead. The ruins stretched out before us like broken teeth, with narrow passages winding between collapsed structures. 

Shadows pooled in corners where the afternoon sun couldn't reach, and every rustling sound could have been wind or something else entirely.

"Path splits ahead," I called back quietly. "Left goes deeper into the ruins, right follows what looks like an old perimeter wall."

"Your call," Adrian replied. "You're the scout."

I studied both options.

My echo drifted back from its reconnaissance, moving with more urgency than usual.

 "Left path," it said quickly. "The right side has too many blind spots, and I think I saw something moving in the shadows near those fallen pillars."

I studied both routes again, then nodded. "We go left," I called back to the group. 

Adrian raised an eyebrow but didn't question my decision. 

"Lead on."

We moved deeper into the ruins, picking our way carefully over broken stones and twisted metal that had once been part of some grand structure. For the first twenty minutes, everything went smoothly. Too smoothly.

My echo kept pace beside me, occasionally pointing out loose stones or unstable rubble. The women behind me moved with quiet.

We'd just rounded a corner where the path opened into what might have once been a courtyard when my echo suddenly froze.

"Stop," it hissed urgently. "Something's wrong."

I held up my hand, and the party immediately halted. The silence stretched for several heartbeats, broken only by the distant sound of wind through broken stone.

Then I heard it, the soft scrape of metal against stone, coming from somewhere above us.

"Look up." My echo warned me, and I shouted diving sideways. "Above!" 

THWIP!

A bolt buried itself in the stone where I'd been standing. 

My heart slammed against my ribs as more figures emerged from the ruins around us, men in leather armor with scarred faces and predatory grins.

Bandits, from the look of them, but well-equipped and clearly familiar with using these ruins as a hunting ground.

My hand moved to my sword hilt, fingers wrapping around the familiar leather grip. But as I drew the blade, something was wrong. The weight felt different. Heavier. My hand trembled as the steel caught the light.

These weren't goblins or rats. These were people. Actual human beings with eyes that held intelligence, malice, experience, lives, reasons for being here.

And on top of that.

'I've never killed a person before.'

My echo was in full panic mode beside me, its translucent form flickering wildly. "What do we do? What do we do? These aren't rats or goblins, Kaito! They're going to kill us!"

"I know!" I hissed back, trying to steady my grip on the sword.

But the trembling in my sword hand got worse. I could see the bandits spreading out, cutting off escape routes with practiced efficiency. Like they'd done this before.

Behind me, I heard Adrian curse under his breath. "Shit. This wasn't supposed to happen yet."

'Yet?'

I started to turn, confusion cutting through my fear, when Adrian's hand suddenly shoved me hard in the back.

"Run for it!" he yelled to his companions.

But he wasn't talking to me.

I stumbled forward from the push, right into the path of another crossbow bolt. It whistled past my ear as I rolled behind a chunk of fallen masonry.

When I looked back, Adrian and his team were already sprinting toward a gap in the ruins I hadn't noticed, one they'd clearly known about all along.

He then turned back and mouthed, "Your sacrifice will be remembered." And then turned away,

 The bandits were shouting, some chasing after the fleeing group, but most staying focused on me.

"The scout!" one of them called out. "Don't let him escape!"

My eyes widened, and I froze, not able to move even an inch.

My echo appeared beside me, panic written across its translucent features. 

"They knew. They fucking knew this was going to happen!"

The pieces clicked together like a blade sliding home. 

The expensive gear. The predetermined escape route. The way Adrian had pushed me into the line of fire.

I wasn't the scout.

I was just the distraction.

The bandit on the balcony had a clear shot now. I could see him lining up the crossbow, taking his time since I was trapped behind the rubble with nowhere to go.

My echo was screaming something, but the blood rushing in my ears drowned out the words. My sword felt useless in my trembling grip, what was I supposed to do against crossbows from elevated positions?

THWIP!

The bolt punched through my leather armor like it was paper. 

"Argh!"

I felt the impact, a massive blow to my chest that sent me sprawling backward against the stone.

Thud!

My body hit the ground hard, sword clattering away across the broken stones. 

Warm wetness spread across my chest, and when I tried to breathe, only a wet rattling sound came out.

The bandit leader dropped down from his perch, landing with practiced ease. He walked over to where I lay gasping, his boots crunching on debris.

"Should've stayed home, boy," he said, almost conversationally.

Then raised his sword.

My echo was beside me now, its translucent face twisted with anguish. "Kaito! No, no, this can't be happening again!"

But I could already feel the cold creeping in around the edges of my vision. The pain was fading into numbness, and breathing was becoming impossible.

'So Am I dying again huh?'

Suddenly, the picture of Adarian and his party flashed in my mind. Their smiling faces, retreating backs as they shoved him in mouth of death.

My eyes turned bloodshot.

'Fucking traitors.'

Then the sword came down.

Slash!

And... Everything went black.

[DING!]

DEATH ECHO ACTIVATED

Echo 2: Unnamed