Chapter 12 – Determination

  Hope had returned to the fight.

  The face of the bandit leader was pure fury. Only he and ten men were still standing. Jackie and Lasan, though visibly tired, remained firm and focused, not allowing exhaustion to cloud their minds. Cooks of a noble house… no. Cooks of House Sungley, the house with the greatest respect and military legacy in the kingdom. Not just anyone could work there. Only the most capable were granted special training, and both proved it with every movement.

  As the fight continued and Kael lay on the ground, Redda, with a quick and almost instinctive motion, loosened one of her braids and used the tie to tightly bind the stump of her severed arm. The pain was intense, but her expression did not change. There was no time for that.

  Right after, she took Kael into her arms and raised her guard. As much as she wanted to flee, she knew she could not do so while the bandit chief was still standing.

  The leader launched an ice stake straight at Jackie. She dodged it with ease, her body responding with the agility of someone who mastered the wind. Using the same technique as before, the bandit chief advanced in a blink and appeared behind her, trying to cut her down with his sword.

  He did not succeed.

  A violent explosion sent him flying several meters, caused by a fireball thrown by Lasan. The shockwave barely pushed Jackie, as the fire combined perfectly with her wind magic, moving her without harming her. Once again, the deadly duo formed by the cooks was made clear.

  Without wasting time, both regrouped beside Redda to assess the situation.

  “Lady Redda, can you still move?” Jackie asked, her brow furrowed.

  “Of course,” Redda replied with a tense smile. “Even with one hand, I could grab both of you and give you a proper scolding.”

  Lasan lightly shook his head, serious.

  “I do not understand why you are here… nor why the young master is as well,” he said. “But both of you must leave now.”

  Redda looked at him directly.

  “The ones who must leave are you,” she replied firmly. “Take the young master and head to the city as fast as possible. You will likely run into Caria, who was fighting at the north gate.”

  “Let Lasan go with the young master!” Jackie exclaimed. “I will stay with you!”

  Redda looked at both of them. Her gaze was serious, firm, and carried an ancient weight.

  “Listen to me, my little ones, because you will always be that,” she said in a grave voice. “From the moment you accepted this job when you were young, you should have understood it clearly. While you serve House Sungley, your duty is to the great lords… not to your equals.”

  A tear ran down Jackie’s cheek. Lasan, on the other hand, clenched his teeth, his face hardened. It was a story that still could not be told, but only they knew the true weight Redda held in their lives.

  Unfortunately, the farewell could not continue.

  Both the bandits and the servants were so focused that none of them noticed something critical.

  They were not at home.

  This was not their domain.

  This was the domain of beasts.

  The noise of the fight, the spilled blood, the screams… all of it had been the perfect bait for the true owners of the land to awaken.

  A pack of orcs and goblins had picked up the trail.

  And they were hungry.

  While the bandits tried to recover, lifting their stunned leader from the ground, a new threat loomed over everyone. The atmosphere had changed. The air felt heavier, charged with a different kind of hostility, something primitive.

  They had to prepare to defend themselves against the true rulers of that territory, creatures advancing with an almost tangible excitement, eager to tear flesh apart.

  “We need to go back to where we left the packs,” Lasan said urgently. “The rest of the weapons are there, and there are medicines to treat Redda.”

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the bandit leader roared, staggering but still arrogant.

  Believing he still had control of the situation, he prepared to charge at them.

  He did not even take a single step.

  An orc burst out from between the trees and smashed into him with brutal force.

  In a matter of seconds, the other orcs coordinated their attack on the remaining bandits, dragging them to the ground amid growls and muffled screams.

  Taking advantage of that opening, Lasan unleashed a blast of flames that spread like a burning wall, blocking several paths and stopping the advance of goblins and orcs. The fire lit up the forest for a brief moment, giving them the perfect chance to escape.

  They rushed between the trees.

  Slipping through the bushes, they reached an area where the darkness was almost absolute. The faint light of dusk barely filtered through the canopy. The air was damp and heavy, and the ground was covered in twisted roots.

  Lasan pulled bandages and medicine from one of the packs and began treating Redda’s wound with precise but hurried movements. Jackie, meanwhile, carefully checked Kael, making sure he had no visible injuries. Even so, her expression tightened.

  The baby looked weak. Too weak.

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  “Lady Redda…” Jackie murmured. “What happened? How did we end up like this…?”

  Redda took a deep breath before answering.

  “There was an attack at the mansion,” she said. “Lack of experience with the target allowed the guards to be fooled by a trap… and the young master was kidnapped.”

  Jackie pressed her lips together, listening in silence.

  “Luckily, since I had gone out shopping with Tana, we were able to see the silhouette of the bandit who took the young master,” Redda continued. “While she warned the others, I chased after him… following the clues the young master left behind. I was able to get an idea of the area of the city where they were.”

  She paused briefly.

  “It was not the time to warn anyone or wait for reinforcements. The bandits’ desperation could have caused serious harm to the young master. If they were able to deceive the guards, I knew they had more plans hidden away… and fortunately, I managed to uncover them.”

  “Now that the three of us are together, we can get through this,” Lasan said, trying to sound confident.

  After that improvised preparation, Kael began to feel the natural pressure on his small body more strongly. He had been kidnapped with only a few months of life, and the exhaustion, fear, and accumulated strain were starting to take their toll.

  “Ah… I don’t even feel well enough to joke…” Kael thought. “I feel bad… my body feels very cold and in pain… I can’t stop worrying. I don’t want anyone to die or sacrifice themselves for me…”

  // -- kid, you need to stay awake or you’ll make them panic… oh no… -- //

  “I feel you’re worried… what’s wrong…?” Kael replied in his mind.

  // -- even though we moved away from the battlefield, the noise of the fight should still be heard, even if faint. I can’t detect anything… other than the natural sounds of this place. I hear nothing else. This is very bad… -- //

  // -- kid… this is terrible -- //

  “What’s happening?” Kael asked, alarmed.

  // -- something is approaching fast and making no noise. Only vibrations in the ground… and it’s very big! -- //

  While Lasan continued treating Redda’s wound and Jackie checked the contents of the packs with Kael in her arms, it was Kael himself who, upon lifting his head, noticed what had settled beside them without making a single sound among the bushes.

  Everyone was so agitated, preparing for another fight, that no one noticed the signs of a threat far worse than they expected.

  With the only way he had to warn them, Kael raised his small arm and tried to cry and babble.

  When the three followed his gesture and looked back, their faces turned pale.

  From the creature’s jaws fell the head of the bandit leader, his eyes still open.

  And they were looking at them.

  From the damp shadows of the forest, a living mass emerged.

  Its body, covered in dark emerald-colored scales, looked as if it had been carved directly from the rock itself. Every movement made the ground crack beneath its weight, as if the earth recognized it and responded to its steps. Roots slowly parted, yielding to its advance, and the air filled with the smell of freshly fractured stone.

  Its head, wide and crowned by a stone crest, reflected the scarce light in dull flashes, like an ancient mineral polished by centuries. Beneath that massive brow opened golden eyes, deep and dense, that did not look… they judged.

  The Earth Racatros did not roar.

  It did not need to.

  Its mere presence was enough to impose silence. Its breathing felt like a subterranean tremor, a deep echo that vibrated under the leaves and ran through the ground. Nature itself seemed to react to its will: mushrooms opened as it passed, insects fled, and the moss grew a deeper green, as if all living things adjusted themselves before it.

  In a single second, the three servants moved in opposite directions.

  This time, there was no chance.

  The Indomitable Forest had imposed its law.

  Jackie did not think about looking back. Her body reacted before her mind, ready to run and escape. She knew exactly what the presence of a Racatros meant. Whether fire or earth, it was a near-legendary beast. Its appearance alone was enough to force any kingdom to reconsider its decisions and borders.

  Lasan and Redda understood the outcome just as quickly. There was no chance of victory. They had been chosen as sacrifices by fate, unwillingly… and even so, they faced it with pride and conviction.

  Redda, using her only arm, hurled her water whip with all the strength she had left.

  At the same time, Lasan prepared the most powerful fireballs he could conjure, positioning them opposite to Redda’s attack so their elements would not counter each other.

  Nothing happened.

  Not even a scratch.

  The attacks did not deal the slightest damage to the Earth Racatros. Its skin was a natural armor, harder than steel.

  But that was not the worst part.

  It only took a second for everyone to realize it.

  The Racatros did not even look at them.

  Its attention was completely focused on the woman fleeing with the baby in her arms.

  The massive creature charged after them, shaking the ground with every stride.

  “Lasan! Fire a fireball into the sky!” Redda shouted, forcing her voice.

  Lasan did not hesitate. He understood the goal of the order immediately. He began gathering his magic, preparing to launch the signal, when the roots of a nearby tree tore themselves from the ground and lunged at him, wrapping around him violently and canceling his spell.

  For the first time in many years, Redda’s plans collapsed completely.

  She no longer had the energy to send a signal. Her body was at its limit, exhausted by the loss of blood and magic.

  The roots of the trees began attacking the three servants from different angles. Jackie managed to dodge them thanks to her skill, moving with speed and fluidity, but the beast drew closer little by little, never losing focus.

  It looked at no one else.

  Only her.

  Terror and despair took hold of the servants.

  // -- kid, it’s time to put your magic training to the test -- //

  “What do you mean…?” Kael thought with difficulty.

  // -- your body is exhausted, but your magic is not. Focus all the magic you can into your hand and perform a slime shot. Do you remember what happened at the end with the magic? -- //

  “You’re right!” Kael replied with determination.

  With his last strength, while Jackie desperately dodged, Kael concentrated all his magic in the palm of his hand.

  Then he compressed all that magical energy into a single point, smaller and smaller, and began guiding it toward the tip of his finger.

  Redda, completely amazed as she lashed out with her water whip, noticed what the young master was trying to do.

  “If with this I can make them survive…” Kael thought. “I wouldn’t mind exhausting my life. This was my fault… they are suffering because of me.”

  With all his magic concentrated at the tip of his finger, Kael prepared to execute the first technique he had learned.

  “Here it goes… slime shot.”

  As he brought his fingers together and launched the tiny sphere of magic into the sky, it quickly ascended to a great height and exploded like a firework.

  The three watched the explosion with anticipation.

  Kael lost consciousness.

  Five seconds.

  Only five seconds were enough for the world to respond to that magical power.

  .

  ..

  ...

  From the south and from the west, two entities landed violently and forcefully, releasing an overwhelming amount of magic that shook the entire forest.

  The Swordsman of the Dawn and the Crimson Fist had arrived.

  And they arrived with uncontrollable fury.

  “I saw his signal and rushed here immediately,” Caria said, her voice filled with tension.

  “I learned of what happened and came at once,” Laret added, his face hardened.

  The beast stopped.

  Sensing those two sources of energy, the Racatros understood it had to proceed with caution.

  The heroes, upon seeing the state of the three servants and their child, began giving orders without wasting time.

  “Withdraw immediately,” they ordered. “Your priority is Kael. We will handle this.”

  The final actors of the encounter entered the stage.

  And if one thing was clear…

  One side was crying out for vengeance.