The road was quiet for a long while after that. Birds called softly in the trees. Leaves shifted in the wind, giving nothing away.
The merchant cleared his throat as the tension slowly began to dull. "Well," he said, mostly to break the silence, "we should be back in Llyn in about an hour or so, if the pace holds."
Bral exhaled and said, "Seems like nothing happened after all. So… how does that affect things?"
"What do you mean?" the merchant asked.
"The reward. If nothing happens, do we still get paid the same?"
The merchant chuckled, "Of course. The reward isn't just for fighting, it's for guarding. The fact that nothing happened is a good thing—for all of us."
But the words had barely left his mouth when a sharp, unmistakable rustle sounded from the underbrush to their left.
Amukelo's eyes snapped toward it, his body moving on instinct alone. He drew his sword in a flash and slashed diagonally through the air just as a glint of steel appeared—a dagger aimed straight for the merchant's side.
The blade deflected with a clang and fell harmlessly into the dirt.
"Watch out!" Amukelo shouted.
A moment later, figures lunged from the trees—dirty, ragged men in dark leathers. Two of them rushed toward Bral and Idin with curved blades in hand, their faces twisted with malice.
An arrow hissed through the air from the opposite side, whistling toward the cart. Pao's eyes snapped open wide and, with a flick of her staff, a glowing magic shield formed in front of her and Bao. The arrow struck it and shattered into splinters.
The bandits had timed it perfectly. It wasn't an ambush of panic—it was precise. Measured. Practiced. But the group was ready.
Amukelo didn't wait. He dropped low and moved between the cart and the merchant, shielding him as the man fumbled to grab something from inside the seat—a small crossbow, shaking in his hands.
Bral and Idin were already in motion, their weapons drawn as they parried and countered the attackers who came at them from both sides.
Two men burst through the tree line, charging toward the cart with blades drawn. As the first bandit closed the distance, Amukelo caught the blade with his own. The second attacker came from the flank, his movement quick and coordinated. Amukelo grit his teeth, slammed his weight forward, and pushed the first man into the second with a sharp shoulder check. Their bodies collided awkwardly, buying him just a second of space.
From atop the cart, Bao scanned the treeline and spotted a flash of movement—the glint of a bowstring. "There!" she shouted and loosed an arrow. It sliced through the air but struck a branch, veering off. "Tsk..."
Before she could nock another, a fireball shot past her shoulder. Pao's eyes were narrowed, focused. Her spell arced through the air and exploded near the trees where the archer hid, bursting in a wave of flame. The underbrush caught instantly, lighting up the forest edge with flickering orange.
"Nice shot," Bao muttered.
Meanwhile, on the right flank, Idin was still recovering from his earlier clash when a second bandit lunged at him. He managed to step back, but not far enough—the bandit's blade sliced across his side, leaving a painful gash. He winced but used the opening. With a quick shift in weight, Idin brought his sword across and landed a clean strike across the bandit's torso, sending him stumbling back, blood trailing in the air. But before he could follow up and finish the job, another attacker intercepted the blow, blocking it with a loud clang.
Bral, locked in his own duel, moved with precision and aggression. His opponent was strong but he was alone, and Bral kept pressing forward, one foot at a time, forcing the man to backpedal with each strike.
Back at the cart, Amukelo used the momentary confusion to jump down, forcing the two bandits to follow him away from the merchant. He landed hard, pivoting mid-air, and swung his sword toward the first attacker. The man managed to block it, but barely—his balance compromised by the earlier shove. As Amukelo's feet hit the ground, the second bandit lunged with a downward slash, but Amukelo, already expecting it, stepped just out of range and countered with a powerful kick to the stomach. The man gasped and was thrown backwards, tumbling over the dirt.
The first bandit, now recovered, charged again. Amukelo caught the blade and turned it, sliding his sword along the enemy's until the hilt struck his knuckles. With a twist of his wrist, he forced the weapon from the bandit's grip. It clattered to the ground behind them.
Amukelo raised his sword for a finishing strike—but something stopped him. The fear in the man's eyes made him stop for a moment. He didn't want to kill a human either. So in a split-second decision, he decided to instead of a lethal blow, slash across the man's upper arm, severing it cleanly just above the elbow. The man dropped to the ground, screaming, blood pouring from the wound.
Not far away, Pao stood with her attention still on the burning treeline. Her focus was on the archer, but in that moment of distraction, she felt a sudden shift—a wave of mana from her left. She turned fast, raising her staff to form a shield, but she was a second too slow.
An earth spike ripped from the ground and struck her arm. The impact twisted her sideways and sent her stumbling, a cry of pain ripping from her throat. Her staff fell from her hand, clattering beside her as she fell to one knee.
"Pao!" Bao shouted, eyes wide. She turned immediately and loosed another arrow toward the direction the spike had come from. But the moment the attacker cast his spell, he dropped into cover behind a hastily raised earth wall. The arrow hit stone and bounced off harmlessly.
Amukelo, still catching his breath, snapped his head in Pao's direction at the sound of her scream. His blood froze. "Pao!!" he shouted.
But the cry had cost him. The second bandit—the one he'd kicked away—was already back on his feet. With a snarl, he came at Amukelo from behind. His sword arced through the air, and the gleam of it flashed just before it struck.
"You were strong," the man growled, "but you should keep your eyes on YOUR enemy."
Amukelo spun—just a moment too late. The blade tore across his back in a shallow, ragged slash. Pain exploded down his spine. He grit his teeth, barely keeping on his feet as his knees buckled for a heartbeat. But he didn't fall.
With a snarl of effort, he turned the momentum into a low spin, sweeping his leg around and catching the man across the face with a brutal kick. The bandit's head snapped back, and he was sent flying across the dirt, landing hard on his back with a grunt.
Amukelo staggered forward, blood dripping from the cut down his back, sword trembling in his hand. He planted his feet, steadying himself. And he rushed to Pao immediately.
Then they next wave of earth spikes came at Pao and Bao. More earth spikes ripped through the air. Pao was already moving. Her magic shield shimmered into existence just in time, catching the spikes as they crashed and splintered against it.
As soon as the barrage ended, she dropped the shield and spun her staff forward, casting a rapid series of water bullets. The concentrated magic tore through the treeline, forcing the enemy mage to duck behind cover.
Bao crouched low beside her, eyes darting across the treeline, scanning for any movement. Then she spotted it. A robed figure standing farther back, partially obscured by brush, aiming his staff directly at the cart.
Her heart skipped. "Amukelo!" she shouted as she nocked her arrow. "The merchant! FAST!"
Amukelo spun, eyes locking on the mage at the edge of the woods. The staff lit with a harsh green light, and then a flurry of wind blades surged forward. The air twisted and whistled as they spiraled toward the cart.
Amukelo ran—but he knew he wouldn't make it in time.
Then Pao pivoted. Her eyes widened at the sight of the spell. Her staff twirled, and a portal blinked into existence just in front of the barrage. The wind blades vanished through it with a metallic howl, and with a flick of her staff, she summoned a second portal—this one appearing just behind the enemy mage.
Three of the blades slammed into his back before he had time to react.
He screamed, staggering forward as his staff tumbled from his hand.
At the sound of his voice, the others began to realize how bad things had gotten. The two men fighting Idin glanced around. One of their comrades, the man with the severed arm, was crawling toward the treeline in a blind panic, blood trailing behind him. Another lay unconscious near the cart, unmoving. The archer's position was compromised, his field of vision clouded by fire and smoke. The mage was down, screaming and bleeding.
Only they and one more mage still held the fight.
One of them snarled. "This is pointless."
The other nodded sharply, eyes flicking toward the wagon. "Retreat," he barked. "The cart's not worth the losses!"
Without another word, the two of them broke off. They didn't even try to finish the fight. They just turned and ran, disappearing into the thick woods, followed by the scattered remains of their group.
The forest fell into silence.
Smoke from Pao's fire curled upward through the trees. The smell of scorched leaves and blood filled the air. Amukelo stood breathing heavily, his back still stinging from the wound. He looked around, scanning for any movement, but the only thing he saw now were the trees swaying gently, undisturbed by the violence that had just happened.
Idin let out a long breath, rolling his shoulder. His arm was coated in blood from a gash near his bicep, and he uncorked a potion, downing it with a wince. "Again," he said, shaking his head. "If not for you, Amukelo, this could've ended badly. None of us would react to that dagger."
But Amukelo didn't say anything. He was already walking toward Pao, eyes fixed on her wounded arm.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he neared her.
She looked up, still a little breathless, her expression softening. The earth spike that had impaled her shoulder began to crumble and dissolve, disintegrating into a mist of fading mana particles. She nodded. "Yeah... but thank you."
He opened his mouth to say something, but she stepped closer and gently lifted his arm to see the bloodied tear in his back. "What about you?" she asked, her voice quiet. "You were slashed clean across the back."
"It's nothing," Amukelo said with a forced grin. "My armor took most of it."
Pao's eyes narrowed. "Let me see."
He hesitated, but after a moment, he turned around.
Her mouth flattened. "It's slashed across every part your armor didn't cover. What part of that is nothing?" she said, voice low but firm.
Amukelo gave a small shrug. "I've had worse."
"That's not the point," she muttered, and without waiting for another excuse, she placed a hand gently over the wound and began to channel her healing spell.
A soft, soothing light began to glow from her palm. Amukelo stiffened at first, the warmth a sharp contrast to the sting of the cut, but then he slowly exhaled and let her work.
The pain began to dull. His body relaxed.
"You need to stop doing this," she said softly as she worked. "Always putting yourself between everyone and danger like it doesn't matter what happens to you."
He didn't respond at first, then glanced over his shoulder. "It's not that it doesn't matter. It's just... I'm used to being wounded."
"Well, you're not alone anymore," she said, voice gentler now. "So stop acting like it."
He looked away, unsure how to respond. The tension in his body didn't fully leave, but her words landed.
Nearby, Bral approached the unconscious bandit near the cart and checked his pulse. "He's alive. Knocked out cold though." He turned to Bao. "Good shot."
"You both handled it well," Idin said. "And you, Amukelo... again, I don't know how you knew, but you were right."
Amukelo gave a weak nod, still a bit stunned. "Something just felt off. The silence. The way the wind shifted. I don't know how to explain it."
"Well, whatever it is," Bral said, "keep listening to it."
The merchant, pale and visibly shaking, stepped off the cart slowly. "I thought I was done for..." he muttered. "That spell... if not for you... thank you. All of you."
"We'll get you to Llyn," Amukelo said. "You're safe now."
They took a moment to breathe, to settle their nerves, as Pao finished the healing spell and sat down next to him, her expression still worried. Amukelo winced as he tested his arm, the pain much more manageable now.