Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Leaves crunched under the weight of the bandit’s boots as the group of four marched forwards. Their weapons were drawn, postures hunched and primed, jumping at the even the slightest hint of movement. The leader of the group, a dwarf, licked his lips and adjusted his grip on his battleaxe as he eyes scanned the surrounding forest.

“Are ye sure you ‘eard somethin’?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“I’m telling ya, there was somethin’ movin through the trees…” one of the men said, finger tensed on the trigger of his crossbow.

“What are you even afraid of? They didn’t even have the stones to kill any of the others,” another man said.

“Oh no, instead they just broke their legs and then let them crawl back to camp as naked as a babe. Having that many injured men… it’s embarrassin’,” the dwarf said.

“The commander is getting right pissed too,” the last of their group said with a tremble in his voice, “If we keep messing up he might start offing any lot that come crawling back. I saw him practically shaking with rage before we left.”

The dwarf scoffed, “The commander? Come off it. If the man was shaking about anything it was the promise of good prey.”

The man with the crossbow laughed, “Poor bastards, the moment the commander gets his ‘ands on them… remember the last one who tried somethin’?”

“You’ve got to give him a hand, I’d never seen someone’s arms so cleanly lopped off before.”

Laughter washed over them, banishing the tension that gripped their breaths as they lowered their weapons, only to be broken by a scream as an arrow struck one of the men in the leg. Helbram emerged from the brush soon after, shield raised as he barreled forwards. The crossbow-wielding bandit raised his weapon to fire a shot, but by the time the weapon was readied Helbram had already collided with him. The armored man caught the bandit at his center of gravity, knocking him off of his feet. Before the bandit hit the ground another arrow flew past Helbram and hit the other leg of the bandit before. Both hit the forest floor around the same time.

Helbram continued the assault and stomped on his target’s leg. The resulting crack was smothered by another scream and that too was silenced as Helbram drove the edge of his shield into the bandit’s jaw. The remaining henchman lunged for the armored man, but before he could make any distance he was knocked off of his feet by a bolt of Aether striking him at his side. It carried him with enough force to collide into a tree, knocking him limp as he hit the ground after. The leader of the patrol raised his ax, but faltered as Helbram turned to him, sword at the ready. The steady draw of a bowstring sounded from behind the dwarf as Leaf emerged from the trees and the air began to hum from the Aether that radiated off of Jahora’s small frame as she walked into view. The group slowly closed in around the dwarf, who’s eyes darted between them. When they drew close, he dropped his ax and raised his hands.

Helbram lowered his weapon at that, “Good man,” he said.

Then he struck the dwarf in the jaw with his shield.

---

The dwarf woke, finding himself strapped to a tree, arms bound behind him. Helbram and Leaf loomed over him, with the armored man knelt down, his helmet only showing cold steel to the bandit’s eyes. Leaf covered his face with a mask of cloth, letting the shadow of his hood hide the rest of his features from the dwarf’s glances.

“Now then, I’m going to keep this simple,” Helbram said, “I’m going to ask you questions, you’re going to answer them. You don’t, and my friend here will force them out of you, understand?”

The dwarf spat, “Torture is it? As if any of you soft belly louts could-”

His words turned to a scream as a dagger was thrown into his shoulder.

Helbram cut a glare to Leaf, who regarded him impassively. He bit back a sigh and regarded the dwarf one again.

“Like I said, simple. Answer me and you won’t have to deal with my friend here twisting the knife, understand?”

The bandit groaned, but nodded.

“How many men are in your band?”

“A-aroun’ 200 I’d say, the Commander’s been snatchin’ up talent left an’ right lately for this score. You lot have made a right mess of that though, cowardly bastards…”

Leaf stepped forwards, but Helbram held a hand up to stop him. The half elf stepped back, but his gaze remained fixed on the bandit.

“Right well we’re not the ones that decided to be caged in with your merry band. You must pardon my skepticism, however, for as unusual as your group is, the operation of a Ruhian artifact lies a bit beyond the scope of brigands. The halfling with you, Marlin, is he the one that hired you all for this?”

“Aye, that’s all I know I swear.”

“That sates that curiosity… tell me, where are you keeping the ones you captured a few nights ago?”

The bandit scoffed, “What? You lot plannin’ a rescue?” he started to laugh, “What a bunch of foo-”

Helbram gripped the knife, forcing the bandit quiet, “I assume you take my tone as patience,” he said quietly, “but I guarantee you that you are sorely mistaken. Tell me what I want to know, now.”

He allowed silence to linger around them, looking into the bandit’s eyes as the dwarf stared back at him with an uncertain expression. Then, he turned the knife.

At half a twitch the dwarf spoke, “Ok! Ok! Bloody hells that bleedin’ hurts!”

Helbram stopped, but kept his hand on the knife, “Well then, speak.”

“They’re being kept in the mine’s warehouse.”

Helbram let go of the knife, “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

He gripped his shield and held it with both hands. The bandit could barely react before Helbram drove it across the dwarf’s face, knocking him unconscious.

Leaf winced, “I felt that one,” he nudged the dwarf with his boot, “Are we just going to leave him tied up here? The man’s fairly loud, if anyone finds him he’s sure to slip word of our plans.”

“We’ll gag him,” Helbram said, “Jahora do you think you could cast an illusion over him for the time being?”

“I think so,” the gnome said from behind a tree, “it is going to take some time and I’m going to be honest, I’m a bit spent from all the fighting we did today.”

Helbram nodded, “Right…”

“You know, the easiest way to cover our tracks would be to silence him permanently,” Leaf said, “I can understand crippling them and making them lame. This time? There be nothing driving this other than a bleeding heart.”

“I am aware of that,” Helbram said in a tired tone, “It is foolish to try and keep our hands as clean as possible, and I would not blame you for cursing my decision.”

“So you’ve already decided then, eh?”

“I have.”

Leaf looked at him for a moment, then nodded, “I’ll follow your lead, but anything that happens because of this is on your head, understand?”

“I understand.”

“Good,” the half elf walked up to the dwarf and tore off a long piece of the bandit’s shirt. “Hells this is rancid, gonna leave quite a taste in the bastard’s mouth.”

Jahora walked up to Helbram, Aether already gathered around her, “Just so you know, while I admire your decision, Leaf does have a point.” she said in a cold tone, one that did little to hide the tremble in her small hands, “I don’t want to die here, Helbram.”

“I know, Jahora, I know,” Helbram said in a soft tone, “You and Leaf are free to speak your mind, and if you both wish to override me, then I understand.”

The gnome looked up at him, her eyes searching for the expression hidden behind his visor. Seemingly satisfied, she gave him a slight smile.

“I suppose I wish to be naive as well,” she said.

Leaf snorted, “Just a trio of fools we are then. Now, if I tie it like this…”

---

The group had safely made it back to their campsite by nightfall. Jahora and Leaf retired to the wagon early, the gnome dragging her feet from a long day of spellcasting while the half elf wished to take a break from covering all of their - mostly Helbram’s - tracks. The armored man was once again standing guard at the edge of their clearing, his ears listening for any sounds from within the forest’s shadowy depths.

The claymore remained embedded in the ground like before. He had not picked it back up since his previous failure at spellcasting and recent events had left his body too tired to practice with it. Still, in the dead of night, his thoughts could not help but wander back to it, back to the prospect of casting that spell correctly this time.

He scoffed, “Best not to tempt fate this day…” he said.

In less than a minute, he was back in front of the sword, hand wrapped around the handle and a resigned sigh parting from his lips.

“Well, it seems I truly am a fool.”

He kept his hand wrapped around the handle as he prepared the spell, a small hope in his mind that this act would somehow facilitate a successful cast. Once again he formed the image of the glyph in his mind, bending the scant amount of Aether he could harness in the same tedious process as before. A gentle warm gathered at his palm with time, and when he felt the glyph form in its entirety he released the spell onto the sword. Like before, a thin line of pale blue light traced down the blade and into the ground. Like before, the Aether surged back, bursting from the handle and knocking Helbram’s hand back. Unlike before, he held little hope in the spell succeeding, and his hand left the handle by the time the weapon started to reject the spell, leaving him with little more than a light sting at his fingertips.

“Truly a fool…” he muttered

“Helbram?”

Jahora’s head poked out from her illusion, a mix exhaustion and curiosity on her face, “I didn’t know you were a mage.”

Helbram laughed, “Hardly. Think of me more like an infant waddling about.”

“Oh come now, no need to disparage yourself so,” she said, the tiredness slowly leaving her face. She walked over to him and examined the sword, irises glowing with their familiar purple light, “Judging from the structure… a storage spell correct?”

Helbram nodded, “That’s the intent at least,”

“Mind if I take a look?”

“By all means, but it may be inadequate compared to the ones you’ve been casting all day…”

He repeated the spell, taking note of Jahora’s increasingly widening eyes the longer he took to form the spell. When the glyph fully formed at his palm he held it out for Jahora to see.

“Let’s see… the formation is correct and the spell itself is structurally sound, but the Aether stored in the spell is…”

“Too little?”

“That, and unstable. You have the shape but the Aether within it does not match the structure. Think of it like pounding a blade into the mold of a hammer head.”

“I see. Well, as you can tell it takes quite a bit to even manage such a meager attempt. No doubt that there are issues with my own manipulation of Aether during the process.”

“Yes… how long have you been practicing?”

Helbram snorted, “Near around a decade and a half now.”

Jahora choked, “I… well,”

“Quite a bit of time for such failure, correct? No need to sweeten such words, I’ve already accepted it,” he let the spell dissipate from his palm, “doesn’t stop me from running a fool's errand from time to time, however.”

“M-maybe you just need guidance, if you’d let me I could help you direct the Aether into the spell properly…”

Helbram wanted to tell her that he was already familiar with such methods. That he’d gone through it time and time again, memorized the flow of Aether across his fingertips to the point that he’d be able to paint it with his eyes closed, illustrate the fiction that his mind refuses to make a reality. The words were at his throat; bitterness and bile lining the voice that was to say them, but the pity in her tone gave him pause. He released it all in a sigh.

“Please do,” he said as he held his hand out.

When Jahora took his hand he felt the familiar buzz of Aether surround them, first flowing to the gnome before transferring over to him. In this connected state, he could see two rings of Aether circling around Jahora’s head.

“A second circle mage? Quite impressive.”

She smiled sheepishly, “Well I still have a ways to go…”

Her hand tensed for a moment before the Aether around them condensed once again to the palm of his hand. The glyph had formed once more, this time in a near instant and with a steady pulse of Aether radiating from its center. Even with his limited sense for Aether, Helbram could tell that this was a far superior version of the spell, but that was to be expected.

“Give it a try,” Jahora said.

He nodded and reached for the claymore once more. As his hand wrapped around the hilt the sword was enveloped by Aether. The Aether then compressed, squeezing itself into a small bead before him before disappearing, taking the weapon along with it. As it did, he felt a presence at the back of his mind. It was faint, like a thought that had just begun to form but paused at the moment of realization. He just had to reach out for it and…

The bead of Aether returned, forming at his palm and eventually growing into the shape of the sword it took with it. He grasped that handle of the sword once more, but as he did the Aether sparked, jolting the air with erratic discharges of energy. The blade warped, snapping back into its bead-like form before dispersing in a violent burst of Aether that snapped his hand back and sent fire through his arm once again. He bit back the hiss at his lips and shook his hand to lessen the pain for a moment.

“I-I”m sor-”

“No need for apologies, truly,” Helbram said, “I’ve felt this many times before, and I will many times yet as the foolish notion strikes me again.”

“Maybe there is something I can do to help. I know its a two part spell so if I guided you through the release you could-”

“Jahora, it’s fine, really. No need to waste anymore of your energy,” he knelt down and put his burning hand on her shoulder, “You’ve a great help, I’ll be seeking your aid after we’ve taken care of all this business, if you’ll continue to guide me, of course.”

She smiled at him, “Of course.”

“In the meantime I’ve interrupted your sleep for long enough, we’ve got a fairly busy day tomorrow so get your rest.”

She nodded and bid him goodnight before returning back to the wagon, leaving Helbram alone once again in the clearing. He held out his hand, reaching once again for the presence that sat at the back of his mind. Before he pulled on it, he stopped, clenching his hand before returning it back to his side.

“That’s enough foolishness for now…”

He did nothing but keep watch for the next couple of hours before Leaf came out to replace him. Little words were exchanged between the two men at first, but as Helbram turned to leave Leaf stopped him.

“The Quetali, do you think we handle it?”

“It is said that they can manipulate Ether as easily as breathing, so there is a good chance that he is the Awoken that we’re going to have to deal with,” Helbram said, “So if we were to face him head on without a plan? No, I’d say not.”

He raised his fist towards Leaf, “But we have a plan, don’t we?”

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Leaf smirked and bumped his fist against Helbram’s, “Aye, that we do.”

Helbram waved at the bowman before retiring to the wagon, where he quickly fell asleep as the day’s fatigue washed over him. Once again he found himself standing in the void, the faceless shape materializing in front of him. He stared at it for a moment, weapons hanging loosely in his hands. The figure readied itself, but did not strike.

The armored man sighed, “Well, let’s just get this over with.”

---

The group of three woke early in the morning to continue what had become routine over the past couple of days. They moved towards the opposite end of the perimeter established by the barrier and began to ambush patrols as they came across them. They kept their movements as random as possible as they cut through each patrol, their density much thicker compared to when they had just first started a few days ago.

“Something’s strange,” Leaf remarked in a low tone as they maneuvered through the woods.

“What do you mean?” Helbram asked.

“The patrols… don’t you think they would be a bit more fortified if they knew someone was out here hunting them?”

“...you’re right, if anything they’re less armored than yesterday.”

“We should cut back to the camp for tonight, I think we’ve done enough damage to them today.”

“Agreed,” Jahora chimed in, “best to get some rest than take any risks.”

Helbram nodded and turned to head back to their camp. A distant rustle of leaves stopped him in his tracks and he motioned the others to take cover. As they slipped behind the trees another patrol passed by. The bandits remained in their usual four man formation and with the same assortment of weapons they usually carried. However, as Helbram watched them he noticed their postures were relaxed unlike those they’d taken down before. He looked to Leaf, who had his bow in his hands. The half elf raised it slightly and looked towards Helbram for confirmation. Helbram shook his head, and Leaf lowered his weapon.

“Not going to take the bait? What a shame.”

Helbram snapped his head in the direction of the voice, catching a flash of dark red light within the trees. He rolled, narrowly avoiding the arrow that embedded itself into the tree behind him, cratering the wood where it struck. He scrambled to his feet, barely finding his footing as another arrow flew towards him. Helbram raised his shield just in time to catch the projectile. A shock rocked his body as the arrow struck, and even with him angling his shield to deflect the shot there was enough force behind the attack to break his stance. He faltered back, unable to recover as a large red figure emerged from the trees and struck his shield with a shoulder charge. The little footing that remained left him as he was knocked from his feet and flew back into the clearing behind him.

He landed on his back, bouncing from the momentum that carried him to the ground. Helbram rolled, catching himself with his feet as he slid across the forest floor. The bandits were already on him before he could catch his breath. Their blades cut air as Helbram hopped back, bringing his shield up to deflect the bolt fired at him from the bandit’s crossbow. An arrow struck one of the bandits in the neck, but the shot was followed by a grunt as Leaf was thrown from the trees and to the ground next to Helbram.

The Quetali followed after him, walking into the sunlight with one of his hands wrapped around Jahora’s throat. He carried her at his side while the rest of hands tossed his bow to the side and drew three of the four swords that hung from his waist. 

“So you three are the ones that have been giving my men such a hard time?” he asked in a casual tone, “how disappointing.”

Helbram stepped in front of Leaf as the other bandits closed in, pausing as he drew his sword. The half elf scrambled to his feet and notched an arrow. The two looked at each other for a moment and nodded. They knew what they had to do.

Helbram led the charge, keeping his shield raised as he kicked off from the ground and to the Quetali. Leaf loosed two arrows as he did so, one at the Quelati and another at a bandit that moved to intercept Helbram. The one aimed at the bandit found its mark, striking the man in the shoulder and stopping him in his tracks as he screamed. The other was deflected by the Quetali’s blades, brushed aside as the man stepped forward to meet Helbram head on.

Steel flashed from three directions towards the armored man, two meeting his shield while the last sunk into his breastplate. Shock rattled his body as the blows landed, but his armor held. Helbram pushed through assault, throwing aside the blades with his shield and thrusting his blade towards the man’s leg. The Quetali stepped back to avoid the blow, but the moment his foot left the ground Helbram continued to attack, keeping himself low as he slammed his shield into the Quetali’s waist. The attack staggered the bandit commander back, giving Helbram a brief opening to slash at the arm that held Jahora. The blade scraped against the man’s skin, leaving little more than a scratch, but enough force was behind the blow to knock Jahora from the man’s grip.

As she landed Helbram grabbed her by her robes and threw her back towards Leaf. The half elf had driven the other bandits behind the trees with a steady cadence of arrows, stopping only momentarily to check on Jahora. The gnome scrambled to her feet, hand around her throat as she coughed and caught her breath.

“Run!” Helbram barked at them.

Leaf moved without pause, snatching up Jahora before she could respond and disappearing into the trees. Helbram turned to face the Quetali before hopping back to retreat.

“Oh… did you think I was finished?” the bandit commander growled.

The Quetali kicked the ground beneath him, springing him forward and closing the distance between him and Helbram in an instant. The commander followed his leap with a kick, his leg wrapped in a maroon light as it struck the armored man in the ribs. Helbram’s vision went white as the blow landed, only returning as he hit the ground a fair distance away from the Quetali. He struggled to his feet as the larger man walked towards him, a wheeze echoing from his helmet as he fought to take back the wind that was knocked out of him. He’d somehow kept a grip on his weapons, but the blow had left a dent in his armor deep enough to rub against his shirt as he breathed, a realization settled in with a chill down his spine. The Quetali drew his last sword as he walked towards Helbram, his posture relaxed but eyes hungry as he looked down on the armored man.

“Quite sturdy in that armor aren’t you? But you are indeed fortunate… I’ve decided to give you a second chance after all,” he hunched forward, weapons held out from him again, “Do not disappoint me again.”

Helbram grit his teeth and slipped back into a stance, taking in a deep breath as he did so. His vision cleared as he focused on the Quetali, his body tensed as the pressure grew between them.

The commander moved first, blades flashing as he closed the distance within the span of a breath. Helbram stepped back, deflecting two of the blades with his shield and catching the others with his sword. He flicked his sword to the side to knock the blades away and countered with a slash aimed at the man’s chest. The blade traveled across the Quetali’s skin, leaving only a scratch that beaded with blood.

“Good… good,” The Quetali growled.

He swung his blades inwards, forcing Helbram back as he dodged the blow. The blades crossed over, trails of maroon energy flowing behind them as he crossed his arms. The Quetali lunged forward and swung his blades outwards, the crossing swords striking Helbram’s shield at its center as the armored man failed to dodge. A burst of energy followed, knocking Helbram back and into a tree.

“Do not falter!” the commander roared, “Show some spirit before I cleave you in two, make it worth my while.”

Irritation flared in Helbram’s mind as he righted himself once again. He grit his teeth and bent his knees as the Quetali slipped into a stance. From the position of his crossed arms the man was planning to perform another cross slash, and Helbram charged to meet it head on. The Quetali's arms twitched, signaling Helbram to stop his charge as the blades crossed in front of him. As the man’s arms spread Helbram lunged forwards, driving his sword into the commander’s chest. Only the very tip of his blade managed to break skin, but he continued the assault, delivering a slash across the man’s chest before hopping to the side to avoid the counter.

“Yes, finally some sport! Then let us drop the theatrics, shall we?”

The Quetali pursued, his strikes becoming more focused compared to the wild swings from before. His arms moved separately from one another as if possessing minds of their own, minds conditioned by clear practice and form. It was a far cry from the reckless style from before, and one that pressed Helbram on the back foot as the armored man struggled against this more focused assault. Every blade he blocked had another hidden in its shadow, striking at the openings in his form as he kept his sword and shield moving against the dancing swords. His armor gained many scratches as the Quetali’s weapons struck his torso, the force behind each blow enough to cause his body to tremble. Whenever an opening presented itself Helbram’s attack was either deflected or interrupted by a blade aimed at his own openings, forcing him to cut his attacks short.

“Is this it? Is this all you can muster?”

Helbram kicked himself to the side, breaking free of the Quetali’s assault as the bandit’s blades sliced into a tree behind him. The armored man quickly righted himself, the beat of his heart ringing in his ears as he struggled to catch his breath. The Quetali readied himself into a stance again, eyes flared with hunger. A chill traveled down Helbram’s spine as they peered at him.

Could he really win against such overwhelming force?

He shook his head and took a deep breath. Now was not the time for such thoughts.

His vision focused as his heart started to calm. He was not going to win this fight with blind reaction; he had to learn the Quetali’s movements as much as possible. To that end he beckoned the Quetali, which brought a grin to the larger man’s face. The bandit charged, a large, muscled mass of red that screamed towards Helbram, blades flashing. The armored man kept his shield up, blocking the two blows that struck simultaneously. The attack persisted as the Quetali’s swords continued with their dance. Helbram abandoned any attempt at offense, keeping his shield and sword moving to repel any attacks as he studied each blades’ movements. The man’s upper arms always struck first, delivering their blows with power meant to rattle and create openings that the lower arms would move to strike at with quick, precise attacks. This cadence continued as Helbram kept his guard up through the assault, looking for a pattern to the Quetali’s form.

“What is this? You taunt me and all you can do is defend?” the Quetali growled.

The commander increased his pace, but as he did so his pattern started to become predictable. Helbram started to dodge the stronger blows and deflected the quicker attacks with his shield as best he could, but allowed some of the attacks to glance off of his armor as he started to notice the openings that formed when he did so. The armored man’s blade started to slip into these openings, once again only leaving scratches along the Quelati’s skin. In the midst of the swarm of blades the Quetali threw another Ether infused kick that Helbram managed to catch with his shield. He was thrown from the ground as the blow landed, but managed to catch himself on his feet as he returned to the forest floor. The Quetali did not pursue, his breaths noticeably heavier as his now blood covered chest heaved with each intake of air. The bandit looked down at his wounds and his grin stretched out even further. 

“So you have claws… very good. I haven’t been this entertained in ages.”

Helbram settled back into a stance, his blade now pointed at Quetali.

“Oh so you mean to go on the offensive? By all means, do it.”

They lunged at each other at the same time, crossing blades and shield as their dance continued. Helbram managed to add more slashes across the bandit commander’s skin, weaving both strikes and blocks as he navigated the complicated pattern of the Quetali’s movements. His rhythm was disrupted as one of the swords flashed maroon. Helbram caught the blade with his shield and turned it to the side, but the increased force behind the blow knocked him off balance enough for another ether infused blade to strike him at his side. The sword dented his armor further as Helbram skipped to the side to lessen the blow. He caught himself and lunged back into the fray, landing another blow to the Quetali’s flank. The bandit flinched as the blade cut deeper this time and swung his blades wildly to force Helbram back. The armored man lept towards the Qeutali as the larger man tried to recover. Ether lined all of the commander’s blades as he closed in, the spike of fear in his mind smothered by pure adrenaline.

Almost there, he could -

Fire flared through his shoulder, the crossbow bolt kicking his arm back as it slipped through the gap in his armor. The shot staggered him, allowing two of the Quetali’s swords to catch him at his flank. His ears deafened from the crack that rang from his ribs, and he watched the forest fly by as he flew through the air. He landed on his back, pain flaring as the air was forced from his lungs. He wheezed, flinching as his ribs flared with pain at each breath. His vision blurred as the pain from his shoulder surfaced once again. He tried to move, but his body wouldn’t let him.

“Who attacked!?” the Quetali roared.

A bandit emerged from the trees, revealing himself as a dwarf. 

The same dwarf he spared the day before.

“I did, the bastard tied me up and -”

The commander’s kicked the dwarf in the chest, sending the smaller man crashing into a tree. The dwarf gasped for air and groaned as he struggled to get up. The Quetali walked up to him and stomped on his knee, forcing a weak scream from the dwarf’s lips.

“You dare interrupt my hunt?” the commander snarled, “And from the shadows… go on then, crawl back to them like sneak you are,” he pulled the dwarf’s head up by his hair, “just don’t come crawling back to me.”

He let the dwarf’s head fall back to the ground and walked over to Helbram. The armored man attempted to move once again but could only manage to twitch his hands. The Quetali looked down at him, a disappointment clear on his face.

“How unfortunate,” he said as he placed a blade at Helbram’s neck, “it was a good fight… and for that, you have my respect. May fortune serve you better in the next life.”

It was strange. Helbram felt a chill wash over his body, but fear had not come over him. Rather, it was resignation, acceptance of a fact that he knew to be true for so long, but he’d turned away from time and time again.

This was as far as he could go.

The commander’s blade flashed, but he felt no warmth from his neck. Instead, he saw the Quetali hop back, arrows splintering against his blades as he deflected the shots that struck in a flurry. The chill passed over him once again, like the heat around him had been pulled away by some unseen force.

Then he saw it; a small bead of light right in front of the Quetali’s face.

He rolled just as the bead exploded in a burst of fire and wind, catching the Quetali as he crossed his arms over his torso and took the explosion head on. Air and heat washed over Helbram as his strength returned to him in a burst of adrenaline. He pushed himself from the ground, ignoring the pain that pulsed from his wound. He snatched up his weapons and turned to run towards the direction of the arrows.

“Move your arse dammit!”

Curses echoed from the forest as the surrounding trees caught fire. The Quetali’s voice was mixed among them, but faded into the distance as Helbram cleared the surrounding brush. Leaf was waiting for him, holding Jahora under one of his arms. Her eyes were half shut, blinking away the sweat that dripped from her pale brow. They made eye contact briefly before sprinting off into the woods, praying that the bandits were not following behind them. The glow of the fire grew distant and the sounds of panic faded with it. They were alone.

---

By the time they made it back to camp Helbram could feel his left side chaffing from how much the dented metal had rubbed against it. His breath, no matter how much he tried to control it, came out rattled and hoarse as the pain in his shoulder continued to throb. When they made it to the clearing he collapsed to the ground, letting out a groan as he stared up at the forest canopy. 

Leaf let Jahora down gently. The gnome promptly sat on the ground and let out a long sigh, “Remind me not to do that again, I haven’t had a headache this large since… well since ever really.

“So that’s it,” Leaf said, “The plan’s screwed harder than a sailor’s wife.”

Helbram sat up, wincing as his shoulder flared with pain, “No, we’re pressing the attack.”

The half elf eyed him with incredulity, “The hells are you talking about? You’re halfway into the grave and stiff breeze is all it will take for Jahora to collapse.”

The gnome raised a hand to object, but dropped it as soon as it came up.

“It’s either that or -” he winced in pain “- we wait until they hunt us down.”

“You’re not convincing anyone with that sticking out of ya.”

He winced again, “I’m working on that… regardless, my point still stands. The amount of men they have out here is far more than they’ve had before. If we can make it to the town… ack, close off the gate we can cut down the amount of men we’d have to deal with substantially.”

“Perhaps you’re right about that, but look me in the eye and tell me you could even fight off a single man with that wound.”

The two men stared at each other in silence.

“I… I just need some rest,” Jahora said. Her voice was weak but there was strength behind her eyes, “but Leaf is right Helbram, can you still fight?”

Helbram sighed, “One hour, just give me one hour.”

Leaf eyed him skeptically, “Fine, but if I’m not convinced the plan’s off. Going to need to find a bloody tree to hide under when that mountain blows up…”

“Oh good, we have an hour, if you would excuse me for a…” Jahora slumped to the ground as she fell asleep.

Helbram unlatched his breastplate and tossed it next to him. His lungs felt freer, but there was still a sting at his side with each breath. He looked to Leaf, “I do need you to do one thing.”

“I suppose it’s not smacking some sense into ya?”

The armored man snorted, “No sadly, rather I need you to pull this out of me when I give the signal,” he motioned to the bolt sticking out of his shoulder

Leaf kneeled next to him, “Aye, that I can do, but this is going to help you recover how, exactly?”

“Just trust me.”

The half elf frowned but moved his hand to the bolt, wrapping his fingers around it gingerly as Helbram winced, “Say when.”

Helbram took in a deep breath, ignoring the pain that flared at his side as best he could. He searched for that small drop of Ether that he possessed and to his fortune was able to latch onto it quickly. It moved slowly through his body as he directed to his wound, taking a full minute to reach its destination. It signaled its arrival with a sting that persisted around the torn flesh, and though it was slow, he could feel it slowly start to mend.

“Now.”

Leaf pulled, pulling the bolt out in one motion. Fire lanced through his shoulder as the projectile left him. His vision went white as he tried to smother the cry that bled through his teeth, only to be replaced by an encroaching darkness as fatigue swept over him. The sting in his shoulder continued as he fell back, his consciousness slipping away.

…

He was once again in the void, the sensation of pain still at the back of his mind but dulled, unintrusive as he began to feel irritation rise within him. The Figure reappeared to his side, readied in its stance as usual, its shape continuing to shift.

You know-

 “Shut it,” Helbram snapped, “I’ve no time for this. If you’re going to torment me, show me something I can use for once.”

The Figure dropped its stance and regarded Helbram. To his shock, it nodded. Its form twisted, becoming larger, its skin becoming red and growing an extra pair of arms. It no longer remained faceless, and in a moment he found  himself staring at the bandit commander once again, swords at the ready.

“Good… then let’s begin, shall we?”

---

Author's Note: Alright here is a real attempt at writing an action scene that is both long but somehow not monotonous. I wanted to have a series of events happen within the scene and have the action facilitate that while also establishing some of the character's skillsets some more. Also I love me some battle crazed antagonists and had a lot of fun both writing and voicing the Quetali for this chapter of the Audiobook. Of course, let me know how I did!

As always, if you have any suggestions of what you'd like to see or what resonates with you the most, please let me know in the comments and please drop a rating or review to let me know how I'm doing. I'm always aiming to improve and your feedback goes a long way to helping me with that.

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