Reborn as the Last van Ambrose

Grim crouched behind a fallen log at the edge of the elven camp. The moon was hidden behind clouds.

Perfect conditions for what he had planned.

Team One was in position. Captain Wei lay thirty yards to his left. Sergeant Liu covered the eastern approach. Sergeant Zhang watched the supply depot from an elevated position.

The camp below showed signs that the elves were in edge.

Double patrols walked the perimeter. Extra guards stood at key positions. Morvain's paranoia was working in their favor.

Scared enemies made predictable mistakes.

Grim checked his equipment one final time.

The psychological warfare was about to become very physical.

"Phase one," he whispered into the darkness.

Captain Wei's signal came first. A small flash of light from his position. Ready.

Sergeant Liu responded with two quick flashes. Ready.

Sergeant Zhang's light confirmed the final position. Ready.

Grim drew Echo and fed aurora energy into the blade. The steel began to glow.

Not enough to be seen from the camp. Just enough to confirm the weapon was charged.

"Time to collect more ears," he said quietly.

The first target was the guard tower overlooking the northern approach. Two elves stood watch with bows and signal horns. They were looking outward for threats approaching the camp.

They weren't watching for threats already inside the perimeter.

Grim moved like a shadow through the sparse undergrowth.

Twenty yards. Ten yards. Five yards.

The first guard died without knowing death was coming. Echo sliced through his throat in a cut so clean he couldn't even gasp. Grim caught the body and lowered it silently to the tower floor.

The second guard turned at the sound of movement.

"Jorik?" he called softly. "What are you..."

Echo punched through his heart before he could finish the question. Grim twisted the blade and withdrew it smoothly. Two down.

He removed both sets of ears.

From his elevated position, Grim could see the entire camp spread below. Guard positions. Patrol routes. Defensive weaknesses.

Most importantly, he could see the prison complex where Huangyan would be making her infiltration.

But first, he needed to create chaos that would draw attention away from her mission.

The supply depot was his next target.

Grim descended from the tower and worked his way through the camp's outer buildings. Storage sheds. Equipment maintenance areas. Quarters for lower-ranking soldiers.

The elves had grown complacent despite their increased alertness. Their patrols followed predictable routes.

None of them anticipated a single human moving through their camp like he belonged there.

The supply depot was a large wooden building filled with food, weapons, and ammunition. Perfect for creating spectacular destruction.

Two guards stood outside the main entrance. Both looked bored despite orders to maintain vigilance.

Grim approached from the blind side of the building. A small window provided access to the storage area. The latch was designed to keep people out, not to keep people from getting in.

Weapon racks lined one wall. Food supplies filled the center area. Ammunition was stored in secured containers along the back wall.

Grim selected his first alchemical charge and examined it carefully. Small glass vial filled with volatile compounds. When shattered, it would create fire hot enough to ignite almost anything.

He placed the charge among the ammunition supplies. The secondary explosions would make an impressive display.

The second charge went into the weapon storage area. Burning steel would add to the confusion.

The third charge was positioned near the food supplies. Nothing created panic like the smell of burning rations.

He activated all three charges simultaneously and moved toward the window.

That's when he heard voices outside.

"Check the depot," someone shouted.

"We just checked it an hour ago."

"Check it again. Captain Morvain's orders."

Footsteps approached the main entrance. Keys jingled as someone unlocked the door.

Grim counted the seconds in his head. Twenty-five. Twenty-four. Twenty-three.

The depot door opened. Light from torches spilled into the storage area.

"Everything looks normal," one guard reported.

"Check the back sections," another voice replied.

Fifteen seconds.

"Sir, there's something wrong with the ammunition storage."

"What do you mean wrong?"

Ten seconds.

"There's a glass vial here that doesn't belong."

Five seconds.

"Don't touch it! Get everyone out!"

The explosion turned night into day.

The ammunition storage detonated first. Secondary explosions followed as other charges triggered. The wooden building erupted in flames that reached fifty feet into the sky.

The guards who had been inside the depot were thrown clear by the blast. One landed near Grim's position.

Grim escaped as soon as they inspected the depot.

That couldn't be allowed.

Echo flashed once in the firelight. The stunned guard's throat opened in a precise cut.

Grim removed the ears and added them to his collection.

Throughout the camp, shouts erupted as elves responded to the attack.

"Fire in the depot!"

"We're under assault!"

"Form defensive positions!"

"Find the attackers!"

Exactly what he wanted.

The second phase of his attack began immediately.

While elves rushed toward the burning depot, Grim moved in the opposite direction. The communications center was a smaller building near the camp's center. It housed the magical devices used to coordinate with other elven forces.

Destroying it would leave the camp isolated.

The communications center had four guards. All were looking toward the fire. None were watching their actual assignment.

Grim approached from behind and killed two guards before they realized they were under attack. The third managed to draw his sword before Echo removed his head. The fourth tried to sound an alarm.

The alarm horn made one note before the elf joined his comrades on the ground.

Four more sets of ears for the collection.

Grim entered the communications center and examined the magical equipment. Crystal arrays connected to similar devices throughout the elven territory. Spell focus crystals that amplified messages across vast distances.

He didn't understand how they worked. But he understood how to break them.

His remaining alchemical charges would destroy the delicate magical apparatus. But first, he wanted to send a message of his own.

Grim activated one of the communication crystals and spoke directly into it.

"This is Grim van Ambrose," he said clearly. "The human you call the Butcher. Your eastern camp is under assault. Your soldiers are dying. Your communications are being destroyed."

He paused to let that sink in to whoever might be listening.

"Tell your commanders that hunting humans was a mistake. Tell them that every elf in this camp will pay for the prisoners you've taken. Tell them to send more soldiers if they want to collect the bodies."

Grim placed the final three alchemical charges among the crystal arrays and activated them.

Twenty seconds later, the communications center exploded in a shower of magical energy and burning wood.

Two targets destroyed. Communications severed. The camp was in complete chaos.

Now for the real violence.

Grim emerged from the burning communications center to find the camp in full emergency response. Elves ran in every direction. Officers shouted conflicting orders. Fire brigades tried to contain the depot blaze.

None of them were paying attention to the guard barracks.

The barracks housed off-duty soldiers. Men who would respond to the attack once they organized. Elves who needed to die before they could join the fight.

Grim approached the large wooden building where dozens of elves were struggling to get into their armor and grabbing there weapons. They moved with the confusion of soldiers awakened by an unexpected crisis.

"Aurora Flash: sundering Slash," Grim called out, feeding massive energy into the technique.

The wave of aurora energy swept through the barracks building like it was made of paper. The wooden walls offered no resistance. The elven soldiers inside had no protection.

Thirty-two elves died in that single attack. Cut in half by energy that passed through armor, flesh, and bone like a sharp knife through paper.

Grim walked through the destroyed building and systematically collected ears from every corpse. Sixty-four new trophies for his belt.

The camp's response was immediate and overwhelming.

"Attack on the barracks!"

"Thirty soldiers down!"

"Find the attacker!"

"Full alert! All units respond!"

Hundreds of elves converged on Grim's position. Archers took positions on rooftops. Spell casters began preparing area-effect attacks. Ground forces moved to surround him.

Exactly what he wanted.

Every elf focusing on him was one less elf watching the prison complex.

"Come on then," Grim said, raising Echo above his head. The blade blazed with aurora energy. "Let's see how many ears I can collect before dawn."

The first wave of elven soldiers reached him as he spoke.

Echo moved like liquid lightning. Each cut found its target. Each target fell with precise strikes that left nothing to chance.

The elves were skilled. Professional. Well-trained.

But it didn't matter.

Grim's advantage was too great. His aurora techniques cut through their magical defenses. His enhanced speed made their coordinated attacks meaningless.

Bodies began piling up around him.

"More!" he shouted over the sound of combat. "Send more! I'm just getting started!"

And in the prison complex across the camp, Huangyan began her infiltration mission while every guard was focused on the glowing beacon of death that was happening.