Surprising the Ambush

Bart drew his longsword, meeting Maynard's swinging katana head-on. He yelled, "I thought we had a deal! Does the Balt Guild think it can stand against the Royal Court!"

Both guards ignored Bart's shouts and drew their swords in defense of the wagon.

The most shocking thing was that both guards stood strong in the face of the hooded men. Bart and his men were shocked by the discovery of the guards' strength, which rivaled their own, unlike anything they'd expected from casually dressed guards from the Balt Guild.

"I believe you're mistaken," laughed Shlad. In the blink of an eye, both guards' human forms faded away into nothingness. In their place was a pair of goblin guards with wild grins, with their levels finally revealed.

"But… Goblins!?" shouted Bart. He stepped back from Maynard to reassess the situation. "What's going on here?"

"You were warned, so you can only blame yourself," stated Rydel, still taking shots at his moving target.