The journey to Westbridge settled into a monotonous rhythm as the wagon trundled along the dirt road. Lilith found herself staring at the passing landscape, marvelling at how different travel was in this reality compared to the game. In Infinity, distances had been compressed for player convenience—a journey between settlements might take minutes rather than hours. Here, every mile stretched endlessly, the wheels turning with maddening slowness beneath her.

  "We should reach the river crossing by midday," Tomas offered, breaking a silence that had lasted nearly an hour.

  "Mmm," Lilith responded, not bothering to construct a more elaborate reply. Their conversation had dwindled to occasional comments about the weather or landmarks, the initial awkwardness giving way to the companionable quiet of fellow travellers with little left to say.

  She'd grown accustomed to Tomas stealing glances at her when he thought she wasn't looking. His eyes would drift to her profile, linger on the curve of her neck or the swell of her chest, then dart away guiltily when she shifted position. At first, it had been uncomfortable—a reminder of her transformed body and the attention it commanded. Now, she found a mild amusement in watching his reactions, the way his Adam's apple bobbed when she stretched or how his knuckles whitened on the reins when she brushed hair from her face.

  The sun climbed higher, beating down on them with surprising intensity. Lilith felt sweat beading beneath her leather armour, trickling down her spine. She was considering removing her outer layer when Tomas straightened on the bench beside her.

  "There's the crossing ahead," he said, pointing to where the road dipped toward a shallow stream. "Not much to look at, but the water's always cool if you're thirsty."

  Lilith's attention, however, had already fixed on something else—a wagon or carriage tipped onto its side in the middle of the creek, one wheel spinning lazily in the gentle current.

  "What happened there?" she asked, leaning forward.

  Tomas pulled back on the reins, slowing their approach. "That's not right. That's Merchant Fabian's carriage. He makes this run every fortnight."

  As they drew closer, Lilith's enhanced vision picked out details invisible to human eyes. Several arrows protruded from the wooden frame of the carriage, their fletching unfamiliar—not the simple feathers of hunting arrows but something more elaborate, with patterns woven into the design.

  "We should be careful," she murmured, instinctively reaching for her mana reserves.

  Then another sensation hit her—a scent carried on the breeze, sweet and tantalising. It reminded her of Tomas's but with different notes, like comparing wines from different vineyards. Her lips parted unconsciously, tongue darting out to wet them as her body responded with immediate interest.

  The realisation struck her with startling clarity: she was sensing other people nearby. Not just sensing—she was detecting their life essence, their potential sustenance. This had to be one of her succubus abilities manifesting, an instinct that bypassed conscious thought.

  "Stop the wagon," she whispered, placing a restraining hand on Tomas's arm.

  "What? Why?" he asked, but obeyed nonetheless, pulling the horse to a halt several dozen yards from the crossing.

  Lilith scanned the tree line on either side of the road, her supernatural senses straining. The sweet scent came from multiple directions, concentrated most heavily in a copse of trees to their left. Whoever they were, they weren't making any move to approach—they were waiting, watching.

  "We're not alone," she said softly. "There are people hiding in the woods. Several of them."

  Tomas's eyes widened. "Bandits? Should we turn back?"

  Lilith shook her head slightly, continuing to survey their surroundings. Something didn't fit the pattern of a simple bandit ambush. The arrows in the carriage were too fine, and the hidden watchers had made no move to attack despite their obvious vulnerability.

  "I don't think they're interested in us," she murmured, her mind racing. "They're waiting for something... or someone."

  Tomas leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper. "We should turn around, find another route to Westbridge. There's an old logging path about an hour back that connects—"

  "No," Lilith cut him off, keeping her voice equally low. "If we turn now, we announce to whoever's watching that we've spotted them. That makes us a threat." She glanced at the overturned carriage again, her mind working through the tactical situation. "Our best option is to continue through as if we notice nothing unusual."

  "But—" Tomas began, his face paling.

  "Don't worry," Lilith said, projecting a confidence she didn't entirely feel. "I'll protect you."

  The words came automatically, a remnant of countless battles where she'd commanded armies and faced down player coalitions without breaking a sweat. But this wasn't a game anymore. Lilith wasn't sure if she truly had mastery over this body and its abilities yet. She had an overall grasp, yes, but it was far from matching her proficiency when Lilith was just a character behind a screen. And this was real life—getting shot in the neck wouldn't result in a few hit points of damage. It would likely be lethal.

  More troubling was the realisation that she wasn't sure if she was ready to kill, even in self-defence. In the game, everything was fake, just pixels behind screen. Here, she'd already experienced the disturbing reality of ending a life when she'd incinerated that boar. Could she do the same to a thinking, feeling person?

  But they had to play along. Otherwise, whoever was watching would notice something amiss, and that could trigger the very confrontation she hoped to avoid.

  "Just act natural," she murmured to Tomas, who nodded stiffly and flicked the reins, urging the horse forward at a steady pace.

  As they approached the crossing, Lilith kept her posture relaxed while her senses remained on high alert. The wagon wheels splashed into the shallow water, the sound unnaturally loud in the tense silence. They were halfway across when a figure stepped out from behind a tree on the opposite bank.

  "Halt, humans," the man called, his voice melodic despite the commanding tone.

  Tomas pulled back on the reins immediately, the wagon lurching to a stop in the middle of the stream. Lilith studied the figure before them—tall and lithe, with golden hair that caught the sunlight like polished metal. His features were too perfect to be human, with high cheekbones and eyes that seemed to contain shifting colours. An elf, unmistakably.

  "I just want to talk," the elf said, raising empty hands in a gesture of peace.

  Tomas looked at Lilith questioningly, clearly deferring to her judgement. She kept her expression neutral as she addressed the elf.

  "What is it you wish to talk about?" she asked, her voice steady.

  The elf approached the wagon, moving with fluid grace that made human motion seem clumsy by comparison. "Have you seen any other wagons or carriages on your journey today?"

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Lilith tilted her head slightly. "We haven't, no. Why do you ask?"

  "I'm waiting for a friend," the elf explained, his eyes scanning the road behind them. "He promised to meet me here a few hours ago. I thought perhaps something might have delayed him."

  There was something in his tone—a tension that didn't match his casual words. Lilith's instincts, honed through years of reading opponents across gaming tables, told her he wasn't being entirely truthful.

  "I'm sorry," she said, maintaining her composure. "We haven't seen anyone else on the road today."

  The elf sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly as he accepted her answer. He stepped back and leaned against a nearby tree, gesturing for them to continue.

  "Safe travels, then," he said as Tomas urged the horse forward.

  * * *

  As they passed the elf, Lilith's enhanced senses picked up a subtle movement from the bushes. Without conscious thought, her hand shot out with preternatural speed, fingers closing around something thin and sharp. A dart. Its tip glistened with a viscous blue liquid that smelled faintly of belladonna and something else she couldn't identify.

  Before she could warn Tomas, a second projectile whistled through the air. Though she sensed it immediately, it was too far from her reach—aimed at Tomas rather than her. The dart struck him in the neck with pinpoint precision. His eyes widened in shock as he turned to look at her, confusion and fear washing over his features before his body went limp. He slumped forward, sliding off the wagon bench toward the shallow water.

  Lilith lunged, catching him before he hit the stream. Her mind raced.

  Shit, she thought, they wanted the confrontation after all.

  She had to act fast. If the dart was lethal, Tomas didn't have much time. She checked his pulse—still strong, his breathing regular. Probably not immediately fatal, then, but who knew what that blue substance might do over time?

  The elf stared at her with undisguised surprise, his eyes wide as he took in the dart still pinched between her fingers. His composure had vanished, replaced by a wary assessment that told her he was recalculating his approach.

  Before he could speak, another dart flew from the bushes. Lilith snatched it from the air with her free hand, her movements fluid and precise. She held both darts now, one between each set of fingers, like bizarre extensions of her hands.

  "Can we stop this?" Lilith asked, her voice calm despite the tension coiling through her body. "I don't want to play catch all day."

  The elf's lips quirked into something between a smile and a grimace. "I knew there was something more to you," he said, his melodic voice carrying a new note of respect. "You're not just some random traveller."

  "And you're not just waiting for a friend," she countered.

  "Don't worry about your companion," the elf said, ignoring her accusation. "It's just a sedative. We'll leave you both unharmed after we confirm you're not who we're looking for."

  Lilith narrowed her eyes, carefully laying Tomas down in the wagon. She positioned herself between his unconscious form and the elf, her posture deceptively relaxed despite her readiness to react.

  "And who exactly are you looking for?" she asked.

  The elf's expression hardened. "That's not your business." He gestured toward the darts in her hand. "Just let yourself get hit so we can move on. It'll wear off in an hour, and you can continue your journey. No harm done."

  Lilith eyed the elf sceptically, the darts still held between her fingers. The thought of allowing herself to be drugged by a stranger in the middle of nowhere struck her as particularly stupid, even by the standards of horror movie protagonists.

  "I'd rather not trust a random stranger's word about mystery drugs," she said, her voice cool and measured. She gestured toward the overturned carriage with a slight tilt of her head. "Did they trust you too?"

  The elf's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing at the accusation. "That wasn't our doing," he said, a note of genuine offence in his voice. "But you don't really have a choice in this matter."

  Before she could respond, Lilith's heightened senses detected multiple subtle movements from the surrounding foliage. Her ears picked up the soft thud of blow guns firing almost simultaneously.

  Time seemed to slow.

  Without conscious thought, Lilith's hand dipped into the space beside her. Reality fractured as her fingers tore through the invisible barrier between dimensions, reaching into her inventory with a gesture that felt as natural as breathing. The air shimmered and cracked like broken glass as her hand emerged clutching the hilt of a sword.

  In one fluid motion, she drew the blade and pivoted, the steel singing as it sliced through the air. The darts, now visible as they converged on her position, were cut cleanly in half, their pieces falling harmlessly to the ground around her.

  Lilith stood frozen in the aftermath, the sword held in a perfect follow-through position. She wasn't entirely certain how she'd done it. The movement had felt like executing a perfect combo in Infinity—her brain and body working in seamless coordination without conscious input. Her gamer instincts had translated perfectly into this new form, except instead of pressing buttons on a keyboard, she was controlling an actual body with supernatural reflexes.

  The elf stared at her, his composure momentarily shattered by what he'd just witnessed. His mouth hung slightly open, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and newfound wariness.

  "That was..." he began, then seemed to reconsider whatever he'd been about to say. He straightened, his expression hardening as he regained his composure. "You're outnumbered. Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be."

  As if on cue, several elves emerged from the surrounding vegetation, bows drawn and arrows nocked. Lilith had already sensed their positions with her enhanced awareness, but she maintained a neutral expression, not wanting to reveal the full extent of her abilities.

  "Even if that's true," Lilith said, her voice steady despite her internal uncertainty, "I'm confident I can take all of you."

  The words came out with more conviction than she felt. The truth was, she had no idea if she could bring herself to actually harm—let alone kill—real people. This wasn't a game anymore. These weren't NPCs or player avatars; they were living beings. Besides, she was still learning the limits and capabilities of this body, unsure how much of her game knowledge would translate to actual combat.

  The elf's eyes flickered to Lilith's sword, then back to her face. Something in his expression shifted—a subtle calculation behind those ancient eyes.

  "Stand down," he commanded, raising his hand to signal his companions. The other elves lowered their bows reluctantly, exchanging confused glances.

  "You're clearly not who we're looking for," the elf said, his tone softening unexpectedly. "Though I must say, you're... unusually skilled for a simple traveller."

  Lilith kept her sword at the ready, not yet willing to lower her guard. "And who exactly are you looking for? I'd like to know who I've been mistaken for."

  The elf hesitated, his gaze lingering on her face. Something in his expression changed—his eyes growing slightly unfocused as he stared at her. When he spoke again, his voice carried a hint of reverence that hadn't been there before.

  "We're hunting slavers," he admitted, the words flowing freely. "They've been raiding villages along the border, taking people to sell in the black markets of Solaria. We received intelligence that they would be using this road today." His eyes flicked to Tomas's unconscious form. "When we saw you with the farm boy, we thought perhaps you were an advance scout, checking if the route was clear."

  One of the other elves stepped forward, surprise evident on her face. "Captain, is it wise to—"

  The elf captain silenced her with a raised hand, his eyes never leaving Lilith's face.

  Lilith lowered her sword slightly, processing this information. "I'm just a Bleider," she said, using the term she'd heard Miroslav and Tomas use. "I happened to be heading toward Westbridge, and the farm boy's uncle asked if I'd escort him. It was convenient, nothing more."

  The elf nodded, his expression oddly eager to believe her. "Of course. That makes perfect sense." He glanced at his companions, who still looked wary. "We've been tracking these slavers for weeks. They're well-armed and dangerous... perhaps someone of your obvious skill could assist us?"

  Lilith blinked, surprised by the sudden request. The elf's demeanour had shifted dramatically from hostile to almost... deferential. She hadn't done anything to cause such a change, had she?

  "I would gladly help," she said carefully, "but I've already accepted a job. I can't abandon Tomas."

  The elf's face fell with what seemed like genuine disappointment.

  "However," Lilith continued, gesturing to Tomas's unconscious form, "since your people have knocked him out, I'll need to wait for him to wake up anyway. I don't know how to drive this wagon myself." She offered a small smile. "I could stay with you until he recovers, and perhaps offer some advice."

  The elf's expression brightened immediately. "That would be most welcome." He bowed slightly—a gesture that seemed oddly formal given their previous confrontation. "I am Thaelon, captain of the Silvermoon Rangers."

  As the other elves gathered their equipment, still casting suspicious glances her way, Lilith noticed how differently Thaelon was treating her. His eyes followed her movements with an almost worshipful attention, hanging on her every word. It was strange—she hadn't done anything to earn this level of respect.

  Unless...

  A memory surfaced from her knowledge of Infinity's game mechanics. Succubi possessed natural charm abilities that could influence others, especially when they focused their attention on a specific target. Had she unconsciously activated such an ability? She hadn't felt any mana drain or conscious effort, but the elf's behaviour had certainly changed after their direct interaction.

  Thaelon approached, offering her a water skin. "Please, rest while we set up a temporary camp. Your companion should awaken within the hour."

  Lilith accepted the water with a nod, watching as the elf returned to his duties with an eager step. She would need to be more careful about her interactions if she could unknowingly influence people this way. For now, though, it seemed to have defused a potentially dangerous situation.