The morning sun hadn’t yet crested Lanton’s rooftops when I arrived at the guild.

  Mist clung low to the streets, curling around my boots as I stepped onto the stone path. The town was quiet—peaceful in a way that made it hard to believe we were about to venture into danger. I adjusted the strap on my pack and exhaled slowly, watching the breath drift like smoke in the cold morning air.

  They were already waiting.

  Selene stood with arms folded, cool and composed as always. Bront leaned against the wall beside her, chewing on something that looked suspiciously like dried meat from last night’s tavern. Lyria was seated on the edge of the fountain, tracing the rim with her fingers. She barely looked at me.

  And Kaela?

  Kaela strutted up two minutes late with a spear slung across her back, a too-wide smile on her face, and not a care in the world.

  “Well well,” she said, hands on her hips. “Looks like you waited for your darling after all.”

  Lyria made a choking sound that might’ve been a growl.

  “Let’s just get going,” I muttered.

  As we walked to meet up with the merchant convoy, a slight imbalance in my belt kept pestering me. I did my best to get used to it, but it was a constant reminder of my ruined short sword. That sword had been with me for a long time, it was a gift from my father—perfectly balanced, silver-plated, and particularly effective against the undead. Now, it was gone, replaced by the cheapest short sword I could afford.

  I had brought my ruined blade to a blacksmith upon Selene’s recommendation but the price to fix it was a staggering 30 gold, which would have been every bit of coin I had left and then some. It wasn’t surprising though given the state it was in and its rare nature. Still, if I wanted it fixed, I’d need to earn more gold.

  I was pulled from my thoughts as we neared the merchant convoy. Two horse drawn wagons, one with a cover and one without, stuffed to the brim with chests, crates, and bundles of what appeared to be premium hops.

  The merchant, his attendant, and two coachmen, stood in the dusty square awaiting our arrival.

  A weighty coin purse hung at the merchant's hip, the rest of his attire no more subtle. Bright purples and reds striped his tunic, an ornate golden belt buckle held his trousers in place, and even his cloak was made of a fine material that I hadn’t actually seen before.

  Selene’s brow creased slightly at the merchant’s bright garb. Too loud for a road full of bandits, but she said nothing.

  He smiled and waved as we approached, sporting a well maintained goatee.

  “Hello adventurers! Marcus Magellium at your service,” he said with a flourish and a grin too big for this early in the morning.

  We nodded blandly in greeting.

  “So! As you know, the route to Tilver’s Crossing has been experiencing a rise in bandit activity. Despite that, I need to get my wares through no matter what, so I have hired all of you as our muscle.” He said, skipping over to nudge Bront’s side.

  Bront raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

  With a chuckle the merchant walked back towards his wagons.

  Kaela leaned in, grinning. “Think he bathes in perfume or just drinks it?”

  I had to stifle a little smile, she wasn’t too far off.

  “We don’t have enough room for you all on board the wagons, but two of you at a time can rest your feet as we make the journey. I would like to make it there in one day, so we will press on right up until nightfall.” He explained. “Have you any questions before we embark?

  Selene stepped forward. “In the event a bandit attack actually occurs, you and your men must listen to my every command. If you are even a second too slow, it could mean your life.” She said, plainly, a fairly standard warning. Though, It seemed like it was meant for Kaela and I just as much as it was for the merchant and his entourage.

  With everyone in agreement, we departed from Lanton, managing to find the road just as the sun crested over the distant mountains.

  Most of the day was fairly uneventful. We took it in shifts, three of us walking beside the caravan and two resting their feet in the covered wagon.

  Although, in fairness, I’m not actually sure which was more restful.

  Marcus insisted the wagon maintain a "steady vibe" and implored Kaela to play a flute badly for half an hour before Selene confiscated it.

  As the day wound on, I could tell Kaela was getting bored.

  How?

  She started bothering me of course, and in turn, Lyria.

  Kaela, Lyria, and I took a shift walking beside the wagon. Bront also stayed out, walking on the other side, complaining the seating was just too tight for him. The sun hung low on the horizon and we had just a couple of hours left.

  “Hey ranger—” Kaela said with a mischievous glint in her eye. “You know, you never told me your name.”

  “It’s Yukon.”

  “Yukon? Never met anyone with that name before, but it suits you!” She said with a wink, creeping closer to my side.

  Lyria mouthed Kaela’s words sarcastically and mimicked her exaggerated facial expressions, rolling her eyes at the end.

  I had to stop myself from laughing.

  Kaela didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she didn’t care.

  “So, aren’t you curious?” Kaela said, nudging me a bit.

  “Curious about what?”

  “This spear of course! The one you helped me swindle off that poor idiot.” She said with a chuckle.

  “Ah-” I winced.

  I had done that, hadn’t I.

  “Uh sure, what’s so special about it anyway?” I asked, humoring her, as Lyria dramatically sighed beside me.

  “Relax—” She said, picking up on my subtle guilt. “He didn’t even know it’s true worth. You see, its name, the Serpentine Spear, isn’t just for show.” She said, taking the spear from her back and spinning it once before holding it out so I could see it clearly.

  I inspected it for a moment as we walked.

  Its shaft was sturdy, made of a combination of hardwood and metal, a leather grip spiraled up its length like a snake. The spearhead was somewhat unique. It had the traditional shape that comes to mind when you picture a spear, flared edges at the base, slight serrations up to about half its length, and leading to a sharp point. At its tip, however, it was as though the spearhead had been split in two, each half mirroring the other, coming to two dangerously sharp points with a small gap in between.

  “Huh, yeah that's pretty cool I guess…” I said, trying to feign interest. Spears weren’t really my thing.

  “Isn’t it!” She beamed.

  “That’s not even the coolest part, check this out.” She closed her eyes, focusing on the spear for a moment.

  My eyes were drawn back to the tip as it began to glow faintly green. “Woah, what’s that?”

  “If you channel any amount of magical energy into the spear it activates its special attribute; Paralysis poison. It’s pretty weak stuff but with enough pokes it’d totally paralyze a fully grown man!”

  “Wow… I’ve got to admit that’s actually pretty useful.” I said, genuinely this time.

  Lyria perked up at the mention of a magical attribute. She looked at the spear curiously before speaking hesitantly.

  “Um, Kaela...? Would you mind if I examined it? I love enchanted items…” Lyria said in a small voice, completely contradictory to how she’d reacted to Kaela thus far. She just really loved magical items I guess.

  While Kaela began teasing Lyria for her sudden change in demeanor, my eyes drifted towards the road ahead. A few paces ago something in the dirt had caught my eye, but it was so subtle I didn’t think to mention it—Wagon tracks, leading off the path and disappearing into the grass.

  I narrowed my eyes, scanning the path ahead. A ways off in the distance there appeared to be some broken crates, discarded and left beside the road.

  I focused for a while, Lyria and Kaela’s bickering blurred into the background. Despite my concern, however, nothing else out of the ordinary appeared.

  As the sun dipped just below the trees, Selene hopped from the wagon. Tilver’s Crossing was less than an hour away.

  Maybe we’d make it without incident.

  Of course, I was wrong.

  Marcus poked his head out of the covered wagon to say something to us, but his words were cut short. From somewhere behind us, an arrow whizzed in, sticking into the back of the wagon.

  We scrambled into action, Selene barked orders, Bront ran around to the rear, planting his massive tower shield between the assailants and the wagons. As the caravan came to a screeching halt, four men emerged from the woods behind us.

  It’s strange, I thought. To challenge a convoy accompanied by five adventurers, surely they’d bring more than four men. As all of our focus was fixed to the rear I had a sneaking suspicion… I wheeled around to look back towards the front, and sure enough, there stood another six men, blocking our way forward. We were surrounded.

  “Selene! Enemies in front! They’ve got us surrounded!” I shouted hastily.

  Selene growled. “Bront, Lyria, cover the rear! Yukon, Kaela, with me!”

  Kaela unstrapped her spear, I pulled my bow from my back, and Selene unsheathed her rapier.

  The path ahead narrowed where two ridgelines pressed in. Trees thickened at both sides. A perfect bottleneck. Of course they'd waited for it.

  One of the bandits in front of our convoy had impressive plate armor, and stood a bit taller than the others. He spoke first.

  “Put down your weapons and we won't kill you!” he commanded.

  “I was about to say the same to you!” Selene said back.

  A sideways grin crept along his lips. “Then we do this the hard way,” he said before addressing his band. “Kill the men, leave the women alive, barely.”

  By the sick glint in his eye it was all too clear what he meant.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  My knuckles whitened around my bow as my grip hardened in anger.

  “Selene… Orders?” I asked, my gaze never leaving the bandits ahead of us.

  “Protect the convoy. Use lethal force…” she said back, holding her sword at the ready.

  With a roar five of the bandits in front of us charged.

  One hung back and nocked an arrow. Too slow. Mine flew first—silent, swift—piercing his neck cleanly.

  Two of the bandits broke to the right, flanking us.

  “Kaela! Right side!” Selene barked.

  Kaela sprinted right and met the two bandits mid-charge. Her spear was a blur, jabbing with that strange, forked tip. One man howled as she pierced his arm, stumbling back as the green glow flickered from the wound. “You feel that yet?” she called, grinning.

  “Focus!” Selene snapped, parrying a strike from the armored leader. Sparks flew. He was stronger than he looked.

  Another bandit rushed me. I fired rapidly, but he ducked and weaved—too quick.

  Reluctant to use the cheap sword I’d bought, I waited till he was right on top of me, swinging wildly with his own short sword. I dove past his strike, rolled, spun, and released my arrow at near point-blank into his thigh. He doubled over from the impact and I sprang up, bashing his chin with my bow.

  From behind the wagons I could hear Lyria’s magic flare—and Bronts shield rattle with arrows. I just had to trust they would be okay.

  Kaela faced off against a second bandit on the right side, his brutal swings keeping her on the defensive. Selene was locked in battle with the armored bandit, her lightning fast swordsmanship pushing him back just barely.

  I strung an arrow and took aim at the armored one. Before I could release it, a throwing knife came flying towards me with practiced precision, it sliced clean through my bowstring, my bow snapped back straight. The force of it nearly tore the bow from my grip—just the distraction he needed.

  The bandit who had thrown the knife materialized from the shadows, a skill commonly used by assassins, and sliced at me without missing a beat.

  By pure instinct I was able to dodge the brunt of it, only taking a shallow cut to my left arm before I backstepped.

  He moved with lethal grace. Stark white hair framed his deep, purplish skin—the telltale visage of a dark elf. An incredibly dangerous foe.

  He twirled his twin swords around me with speed and fluidity that shouldn’t have even been possible. I back-stepped, dipped, and dodged for my life, throwing my bow to the ground and drawing my, regrettably shoddy, short sword.

  From the ring of metal I knew Selene was still locked in combat, Lyria and Bront probably still had their hands full or they would have been here by now—

  “Kaela! A little help?” I called over to her, barely deflecting a slash aimed straight for my neck.

  “Busy—!” She called back, gritting her teeth as the shield bearing bandit refused to let her land a hit.

  I swear I saw a flicker of a satisfied grin flash across the dark elf's face.

  I didn’t lie when I told selene and the others that I could hold my own in close combat. I’d trained for countless hours with my father, a swordmaster himself. He relentlessly drilled into me the skills needed to survive any sword fight.

  But this was different. This dark elf, its inhuman agility, superior blades, and wealth of experience, no doubt due to its long-lived race, had me clearly outmatched.

  My awkward blade was a desperate blur as I deflected and parried. My feet crisscrossed, backstepped, and lunged, as we danced, but the heft of my sword was all wrong, his dual blades were outpacing me easily.

  Fine then. I’d hoped to avoid this, but I had no choice.

  “Lunae—”

  As I whispered her name, frost curled from my lips.

  As I blinked, my eyes lit an icy blue.

  Strength surged within me, my movements came faster. My reflexes sharpened, and my eyes, now seeing his swordsmanship, tracked for an opening.

  There—

  I struck hard, bringing my sword down in a sudden vertical slash. The dark elf blocked with both blades, but the power of my strike rattled his bones, he jumped back a few feet.

  Instead of fear, he flashed a wicked smile. He was enjoying this.

  As I subconsciously channeled more of Lunae’s power, frost crept up my blade, encasing it in a steaming layer of ice.

  I held it between me and the dark elf.

  We paused.

  Then, like a blur, he closed the distance with renewed vigor. Our blades rang out with each clash, despite my heightened strength and speed, he just barely kept up.

  Meanwhile, Selene pushed back the leader of the bandits, his armor riddled with slashes and holes, blood trickling down his face. He was almost down.

  Just as she lunged in for the finishing blow he suddenly doubled over, releasing a shockwave that pushed her back. His arms wrapped around his own body as he began to transform.

  Selene's face twisted in confusion.

  With new strength, he lunged forward and swung hard, the force of the blow wrenching Selene's sword from her hand and rattling her arm violently.

  “Ah—!” Selene cried out.

  I instinctively jumped back, creating space between me and the dark elf. My enhanced strength brought me back by about 10 strides, and I quickly looked towards Selene.

  The armored bandit looked unrecognizable.

  A red mark pulsed on his forehead, black lines streaked like veins down his face, his eyes pulsed a sickly green, and his muscles had at least doubled in size. He looked like a monster.

  Selene was gripping her wrist, her blade laid in the dirt a few feet from her.

  My foot impacted the ground as I stepped to help her, but the dark elf appeared between us, his eyes narrowed in challenge.

  I growled in frustration.

  From the right side of the wagons, I heard a gurgling cry from one of the bandits, Kaela had finally dispatched the shield-man.

  The dark elf didn’t give me a moment to think, immediately rushing me with his twin blades. Thankfully, from the corner of my eye I saw Kaela sprinting to Selene’s side. I had to finish this quickly and join them.

  My body started to ache as we continued crossing swords, the strain of holding Lunae’s power for longer than I was used to, began taking its toll.

  But I was winning, each time our swords connected, the thin layer of ice encasing my weapon leached onto his own swords, weighing them down.

  He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

  He changed trajectory, and rushed at my side, plunging both his swords in a low double thrust, a move that was notoriously difficult to defend against, but thanks to Lunae’s power, I anticipated it. My sword swung across, the power of my swing knocked one of the blades from his hands, he faltered. I brought my sword up to finally deal the finishing blow, my eyes burning a dangerous blue.

  Just before I could bring down my icy blade, however, a massive form appeared out of nowhere, bashing the elf with one very large tower shield.

  Before I could react, a blaze of fire streaked down from the sky impacting the elfs stunned form, charring him instantly.

  I snapped my head to the side, and saw both Bront and Lyria giving me equally annoying smiles.

  “I had that you know…” I muttered, half in annoyance, but smiling nonetheless.

  Lyria winked and Bront gave a gruff nod, grinning wildly, something I didn’t see from him often. The three of us turned towards Selene and Kaela, dashing in to support without hesitation.

  Lyria and Bront rushed ahead, not noticing as I fell to a knee, Lunae’s power fading, I had hit my limit.

  My entire body burned, my muscles ached, my breath came sharp and shallow.

  My knees sank into the dirt.

  Lunae’s power had slipped from me—like a tide receding without warning. Everything hurt, and my limbs felt leaden. But the fight wasn’t over.

  Across the path, Kaela had reached Selene’s side just as the monstrous bandit turned, his warped body towering over them both. A low snarl rumbled from his chest. His eyes glowed green with what could only be Fell corruption.

  “Kaela—watch out!” I tried to yell, but my voice was hoarse.

  Before Kaela could react, Selene threw herself sideways, shoving Kaela clear.

  CRACK.

  The bandit’s monstrous fist connected with Selene’s ribs, and she flew like a ragdoll. She crashed against a tree with a sickening thud and slid down, motionless.

  “SELENE!” Lyria screamed, abandoning the fight and sprinting to her side.

  Kaela rolled to her feet, fury twisting her face as she flipped her spear back into a ready stance.

  Bront roared and charged in, shield raised, slamming into the transformed bandit like a battering ram. Their bodies collided with bone-jarring force, but the Fell-born didn’t budge. His mutated frame dwarfed even Bront’s towering half-orc size. Muscles rippled across his bright red skin, veins pulsing black.

  He grinned—and swung.

  Bront blocked the blow, but the impact rang like a bell. The force sent him skidding back a foot, boots carving furrows into the dirt.

  “I’ll keep his eyes on me!” Bront growled through clenched teeth. “Kaela—move!”

  Kaela didn’t wait. She flanked the monster, jabbing quick and low, her spear hardly piercing its thick skin. It barely flinched.

  I watched all this unfold in a blur, my body screaming for rest—but I couldn’t sit this out. Not now.

  I forced trembling fingers to open my pouch. Inside, a spare bowstring, coiled tight.

  “Come on…” I muttered, teeth gritted. I grabbed my bow from the ground and with hands that barely cooperated, began to restring it. My fingers slipped, my vision burned.

  Then the string snapped into place with a taut twang.

  I reached into my quiver, pulling an arrow marked with a red feather. I’d prepared three of them following the last fight against the Fell shaman.

  Muscles screaming as I drew my bow, I sucked in a breath, waited for an opening, and released.

  My arrow streaked through the air, the whistle I’d attached sang loud, and finally, it slammed into the side of the mutated bandit, exploding on impact.

  The explosion left a small crater in the side of its abdomen.

  It howled in fury, but didn’t slow. Infact, the wound seemed to already be gradually closing itself.

  I’d need to hit somewhere vital.

  Two shots left.

  Barely enough strength to stand.

  I notched another arrow as quickly as I could, when I looked up, its glowing green eyes were locked onto me. Even in its mutated form it realized the danger that my explosive arrows posed.

  It charged.

  I pulled back and loosed the second arrow—but its mutated left hand rose just in time.

  Despite the damage done to its side and its now missing left hand, it barreled towards me, green eyes blazing.

  Simultaneously, my body was on the verge of collapse. My muscles strained in agony, my vision dulled, I couldn’t move out of its path in time.

  Even so, I refused to give up. As it charged, I forced my hand back into my quiver, fishing out the very last red feathered, explosive arrow.

  —For a split second I thought I saw a dark toothy maw smiling at me in my mind's eye—

  He would be upon me before I could draw.

  Luckily for me, a wall stepped between us.

  Bront jumped directly into the path of the charging monstrosity, raising his tower shield as the mutated bandit lowered his shoulder, each foot step cratering the ground as he ran. Bront let out a thunderous roar, his body steamed as he unleashed his innate orcish rage, and he braced.

  The Fell empowered bandit crashed into Bront’s shield, Bront’s boots carved trenches through the earth. Stone cracked beneath him. But he didn’t budge. He held, muscles rippling, teeth bared in pure fury.

  “KAELA—!” Bront roared, gritting his teeth.

  Kaela sprinted in with a battle cry of her own, burying her spear in the monster's side. The paralysis poison barely had an effect but it was enough to stagger.

  I summoned all of my remaining strength, heart thudding in my ears, vision tunnelling, and I drew.

  As if in approval, I heard the low growl of Tenebrae resonate in my mind. My vision flashed, his crimson eyes stared back at me.

  A subtle line of black and red energy funneled from the mark on my chest like a stream of smoke, creeping up my arm and coalescing around the arrowhead.

  My arms trembled. I couldn't hold it any longer.

  “GET BACK!” I bellowed as I let the arrow fly.

  Bront acted without hesitation, pushing back against the Fell-born monster, leaping clear. Kaela wrenched her spear free and dove away.

  My arrow screamed through the air, leaving a trail of black and red, streaking into the frothing face of the enemy.

  It connected, exploding on impact, the bright yellows and oranges of the explosion tangled with tendrils of black and red energy in a blinding flash.

  The monster's limbs went limp and it collapsed forward, its head no longer there.

  My bow clattered out of my hand. Kaela ran to my side. Bront glanced at me once but was already running towards Lyria and Selene.

  “Nice shooting, ranger—!” Kaela started, cutting herself short as she saw me starting to fall.

  I landed in her arms, she held me upright. She didn’t know of my powers or the toll they took, so she was no doubt confused.

  “Hey—You okay? Did you get hit??” she started to say in confusion, but I just looked past her.

  “H-help me get to Selene,” I managed to say, and without question she threw my arm around her shoulder and helped me walk over.

  Bront stood over her and Lyria, a concerned look on his dirt smattered face.

  Lyria’s eyes burned red with tears.

  “She’s alive… barely,” Lyria said, not looking up, her hands glowing a soft green as she poured every ounce of healing magic she knew into Selene.

  I fell out of Kaela’s support, dropping to a knee, I moved closer to get a better look. Selene’s breath came shallow, drying blood coated her abdomen and ran down her chin, no doubt broken ribs… Maybe a punctured lung?

  “Will your healing magic hold...?” I asked.

  Lyria didn’t respond, she just kept at it. Her lack of response was answer enough. She didn’t know.