“The clearing should be around here…” Kael muttered, his voice low and edged with caution as he scanned the dense undergrowth ahead.
Five sets of metal-clad boots pushed steadily through thick ferns and hanging vines, the heavy leather and armour creaking softly with every measured step. The party advanced with tight discipline—Lysara took the front, her posture straight and unyielding, the others fanning out behind her in their practiced staggered formation.
Yulan moved with quiet confidence, shield steady with his sword on his shoulder. Kael kept his head on a swivel, eyes sharp and alert for any sudden movement. Sun glided through the foliage with smooth grace, her steps barely disturbing a single leaf. Kalv brought up the rear, jaw set tight as he tried hard to look braver than the rest.
The air grew heavier the deeper they pushed, thick with the damp scent of crushed leaves and distant smoke. Distant bird calls had fallen silent long ago, replaced by an unnatural stillness that pressed in on them from every side.
Each guard felt the weight of their armour more keenly now, the metal warm against sweat-dampened skin, reminding them that this wasn’t just another patrol. The rumours about the ‘Demon’ in the woods had been circulating for weeks, and every step closer made those stories feel less like tavern talk and more like warning.
Branches gradually thinned ahead as broken shafts of sunlight pierced through the canopy in jagged beams.
They stepped into the clearing.
All five froze mid-step, boots halting in unison on the edge of the ruined ground.
The place looked like a battlefield where the elements themselves had gone to war and left no winners. Patches of earth lay scorched black and glassy underfoot, still radiating faint heat that warped the air above them. Splintered trees leaned at unnatural angles, their trunks half-melted into twisted shapes like wax left too close to flame. Jagged ridges of stubborn ice clung to the soil in places, refusing to melt despite the warm breeze, while deep gouges from what could only have been powerful magic carved long scars across the clearing. Craters pockmarked the centre where raw power had clearly slammed down, fused glass glinting in the sun like unnatural jewels. The ground itself still hummed faintly, small sparks of leftover spell Essence flickering here and there between the cracks.
Destruction radiated outward in chaotic waves from the centre of the space, leaving the whole area feeling raw and unsettled.
Lysara’s hand twitched instinctively toward the greatsword resting across her back, fingers hovering near the hilt as her grip tightened for a split second.
Her eyes narrowed—cool, disciplined, and clinically sweeping the area for any sign of movement or hidden threat, taking in every detail from the smoking craters to the way the ice ridges caught the light.
“So Alara wasn’t lying…” Sun whispered, voice tight with disbelief as she scanned the obsidian scar next to her.
Kael released a slow, heavy breath, shoulders dropping just a fraction. “This is… a lot more than I expected. Looks like the whole damn forest tried to fight back and lost.”
The confirmation that the reports were true sent an uneasy shiver racing down their spines. The air in the clearing felt thicker, charged somehow, as if the magic used here still lingered in the soil and refused to settle. Each guard shifted their weight slightly, boots crunching on the glassy patches, the sound unnaturally loud.
Their gazes lifted as one toward the treeline above.
Perched crookedly among the thick branches sat a cabin, looking oddly peaceful and almost whimsical against the raw carnage surrounding it. Vines and strange glowing plants had woven themselves into the wooden walls in neat patterns that almost looked deliberate, as if someone had coaxed the cabin to repair and decorate rather than destroy. A small chimney outlet puffed lazy smoke that smelled faintly of meat and something metallic.
The strange contrast only made the scene more unsettling—the peaceful little home sitting right in the middle of absolute devastation like it belonged to another world entirely.
Lysara moved first. She stepped forward with measured purpose, her boots crunching deliberately on the scorched ground, her guards falling in close behind, tension building visible through their guarded posture. The weight of their formation pressed forward as one unit, every step calculated to keep overlapping fields of view.
The four guards held position a few paces back as Lysara advanced directly toward the base of the tree, her aura stirred subtly with each step commanding the space around her.
Then she stopped, planting her feet shoulder-width apart and squaring her shoulders.
“Whoever lives inside the tree cabin,” Lysara called out, her voice ringing with clear authority across the devastated space, “we are Guards of Brisden. We’ve come due to reports of an unknown man terrorising locals and causing serious disturbances to the land.”
Only silence answered her at first, the words hanging in the still air.
“Show yourself upon the law,” she commanded.
Metal armour clinked softly as a light breeze stirred dust and fallen leaves across the clearing, carrying the faint scent of ozone and charred wood.
Inside the cabin, someone muttered quietly, “Terrorising? Disturbances? What the hell is she talking about?”
Yulan raised a single brow glancing toward his superior, his expression otherwise unchanged.
Lysara’s voice hardened further. “Make yourself known. Now.”
A strange, drawling voice replied from above, lazy and unbothered:
“I am sorry. No one is home at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep…
—BEEEP.”
A faint snort of laughter followed the ridiculous sound.
The four guards stared upward in pure bewilderment, exchanging quick glances that spoke volumes without words.
Kalv blinked twice, mouth opening and closing. “…what the—crazy bastard.”
Lysara inhaled slowly, fighting the strong urge to make the cabin in front of her disappear as frustration built behind her mask of authority. She held her posture rigid, refusing to let it show.
“We know you’re there. Stop putting on an act and come down. I will not ask again.”
A loud groan echoed from within, long and theatrical.
Footsteps thumped across the floorboards, heavy and reluctant.
A door creaked open on worn hinges, the sound sharp in the tense quiet.
Someone shuffled forward—and the guards braced instantly, hands flying to their weapons, stances readied in a ripple of metal and leather—
Only for them to deflate in collective confusion a heartbeat later as the figure came into view.
A man stepped out. Early twenties. Simple white robe hanging loose on his frame. Strange open footwear that left most of his feet bare against the rough wood. His hair stuck out in every direction like he had just rolled out of bed.
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He was scrubbing his teeth aggressively with some bizarre wooden tool, water bubbles visible at the corners of his mouth as he worked the bristles back and forth with surprising force.
Without pause, he yanked the tool free and pointed it vaguely toward them.
“Hah…” He said as he slotted the tool back into his mouth, continuing to scrub. “I donsh negoshiate wiv yor kind. Pig.”
He turned on his heel and walked straight back inside, the door banging shut behind him.
Kalv exploded on the spot, face flushing red.
“Pig!? How dare you call Captain Lysara that! Captain, we will—”
Kael cut him off dryly before the younger guard could finish. “Kalv. You don’t even know what a pig is.”
“Guh—well—do you?!”
Kael shrugged, one corner of his mouth twitching despite the situation.
Lysara raised a hand. Order snapped back into place at once, the group settling like a well-trained machine.
“Under the law of the land,” she said, her voice crisp, cutting through any remaining tension, “this structure and its belongings are hereby subject to seizure. Failure to comply grants us the right to—”
“WATSH!”
Something slammed hard against wood inside as footsteps stormed across the cabin floor in a sudden rush.
The same figure burst out of the doorway and dropped lightly to the ground below, feet whispering against the soil in a controlled landing. The strange man hopped on one foot, still struggling to pull on his second boot while balancing awkwardly.
“W-what the hell! This is my cabin and territory! You can’t just—”
“You have no legal right to hold residence here,” Lysara cut in, unyielding, her tone flat and final.
“This is Bannerlord Alric’s land—rightful territory under the Dynasty of Dawn.”
She gave a short, humourless chuckle and shifted her weight, arms now crossed.
“So unless you are an unknown Dawn prince, a patron directly under Auriel, or Lord Alric himself… your claim does not exist.”
Silence fell heavy across the clearing.
The man stood completely still, staring blankly at her for several long seconds.
Then,
“Auriel? That floating menace with the vice grip? Roof destroyer? Watcher of napping men?”
Lysara blinked, then again, caught completely off guard.
…What?
“I wouldn’t say we’re friends,” the man added with a casual shrug, scratching the back of his neck, “but we’ve… been acquainted.”
A breeze passed through the leaves overhead, rustling them softly.
Lysara’s eyes twitched.
Is he insane? Or has the blue mist finally melted his brain?
“Wow~ you must have had such an eventful day!” She said with sarcastic measure, “I'm sure she couldn't take her hands off you…” Though the words carried a dangerous edge that made the air feel sharper.
Lysara chuckled softly to herself, the sound low and controlled.
“Yes! Exactly! Finally someone gets me!” The man sighed, shaking his head with genuine exasperation.
Lysara’s smirk shattered in an instant.
“Heh, talk about obsession weaponised with a titan’s grip,” the man muttered under his breath, almost to himself.
The guards all stared, frozen in place.
Except now there were only three standing there.
Light warped subtly where Sun had been, a faint shimmer marking her position as her cloak rendered her completely invisible.
Lysara took a long, steady breath.
“Come on now, let’s stop with the excuses and delusions.”
The man groaned.
“No comment? Well since you have broken laws without legal permits, your cabin will be seized—"
The ability muffled incoming sound too—she could no longer clearly hear Lysara’s words or the man’s replies.
But she had seen the order clear as day. Yulan made a discreet gesture with his fingers behind his back, signalling her to advance around the man’s left flank without a sound.
She moved silently toward his left side, boots gliding over the scorched earth. Her steps made no sound at all.
But as she closed within a few metres, she swore the man’s eyes had flicked directly toward her position for the briefest moment.
Sun stiffened, heart suddenly hammering.
She took another careful step forward, breath held tight.
Again, the man’s gaze shifted.
Did he… just look at me?
Another step. Slower this time.
N-no I’m sure he’s just looking for a way out. Only the Captain can see me through this...
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” the man said casually, voice still relaxed.
A cold prickle raced up Sun’s spine like ice water.
“Don’t do what?” Yulan snapped, stepping forward. “Empty threats won’t—”
PTZZZZ!
A violent crack split the air. Lightning exploded upward from the ground directly beneath Sun’s feet in a blinding white-blue burst. The surge ripped straight through her cloak’s enchantment, killing it with a sharp pop that echoed across the clearing. Coils of raw power lashed violently across her limbs, muscles seizing as she screamed and collapsed to the ground convulsing, the sharp scent of ozone and scorched fabric flooding the air around her.
“Sun!” Kael shouted, taking half a step forward before catching himself.
The man gave a small, nonchalant shrug, still standing casually.
“I mean… I did warn her.”
The others nearly rushed to her but quickly held position, Yulan glanced at the ground ahead of them, eyes narrowed.
“Kael!” he barked, voice sharp with command.
“On it.”
Kael slammed both palms into the earth, fingers digging into the scorched soil.
“Nature’s Wrath.”
The ground convulsed violently beneath them, dust puffing upward like a sudden gasp from the earth itself. Thick vines burst from the soil in a spiralling snarl of thorns, surging forward to engulf the space in front of them in a writhing barrier of green and razor barbs that lashed and twisted.
Lightning detonated again—
PTZZ-CRRACK!
Brilliant arcs snaked aggressively through the vines like white-hot serpents, crawling and branching in every direction. The fusion of earth and lightning magic whipped up a chaotic storm of dust, flying sparks, and violently thrashing foliage that filled the entire clearing with noise and light.
Yulan squinted through the thick haze, shield raised.
“Eyes sharp—he might come through!”
For one tense heartbeat, nothing moved except the crackling vines and swirling dust.
Then—
FWUMP—KSSHH!
Frost stormed through the garden of barbed vines and static as a jagged wall of ice punched violently out of the dust cloud, smashing straight through Kael’s vines with a deafening crack and tearing toward the three guards with terrifying speed, shards exploding outward as it advanced.
“Move!” Yulan roared, already shifting his weight.
They leapt back just in time as the ice wall ripped through the air where they had stood, freezing shards exploding outward on impact and peppering their armour with stinging fragments.
A dry, irritated voice floated through the fading dust, calm as ever.
“So you’re the team leader…”
The haze thinned slowly, revealing more of the barrier of ice.
A moment of silence was ripped away by the melting and cracking of ice.
A menacing red glint flared from within the wall, growing brighter.
An object spun, superheating the barrier with immense force that sent steam hissing upward, metal glowing white-hot blew through the ice.
BUMPH!
A quarterstaff slammed into Yulan’s shield with devastating power. The bone-jarring impact drove the captain skidding backward in a long gouge across the earth, his boots carving deep tracks through the scorched soil as he braced with everything he had, muscles burning from the effort to stay upright.
The others watched in shock as their team leader was blasted back several metres, shield arm visibly shaking from the force.
“Keep your eyes on him!” Yulan shouted, barely regaining his stance and spitting dust.
A sudden burst of steam erupted as a figure pushed through the melting ice in a blur of motion, landing smoothly near Kael with perfect balance.
“Shit!” Kael dropped low and began casting immediately, hands already glowing.
“Vine Grasp.”
Thick tendrils whipped upward from the ground—but the figure had exploded from the ground, now airborne, body spinning with fluid control and gathering momentum.
He flowed into a powerful flying double-kick, Kael raised his guard up in time, arms crossed, but there was no direct impact—yet a burst of compressed air exploded in front of the strike and blasted him clean off his feet.
W-what kind of wind spell was that?!
“Kael, damn it!”
Kalv roared and charged forward, sword drawn and swinging in a wide arc.
Yet the figure remained calm, controlled.
“You people never learn…”
