An hour past the burning pyre, the four remaining Imperial soldiers moved through the broken paths of Redmarsh. Halric limped, one hand clutching his bloodied side. Garron, pale and barely conscious, leaned against Lina for support. Darek led them, every arrow gone from his quiver, sword stained black with dried blood.
They didn't speak. Not until the snapping of twigs to their left made Halric raise a hand.
"Halt."
Shadows moved.
"Ambush!" Lina shouted.
Arrows hissed from the trees. Garron took one in the leg. Halric dragged him behind a fallen log.
"Damn it! They tracked us."
Figures burst from the thicket. Bandits. More disciplined than before. The four fought back, but exhaustion was sinking in. For every enemy they dropped, two more took their place.
"We can't hold!" Darek yelled. "Too many!"
Halric gritted his teeth. "Retreat! Leave the bodies—we survive or die for nothing!"
They ran. Deeper into the woods. Twisting trails. Thorny bushes. But the bandits chased relentlessly. Garron collapsed.
"Leave me—!"
"Shut up!" Lina hoisted him again.
Through branches, Halric spotted stone. Civilization. "Eastwell! We're near! Move!"
But the path bent, and they found themselves in a ravine. Cliff on one side. Slope too steep on the other.
Trapped.
The bandits encircled them. Twenty at least.
Darek raised his blade. "So this is it."
Halric stood in front. Bloody, worn, but ready. "We fall together."
A whistling flame sliced through the air.
Boom!
A fireball struck the bandits' left flank. Men screamed, thrown in all directions.
Another fireball.
A figure dropped from the hillside.
Felix Mavis. In scholar's robes with the badge of an adept talisman maker. Calm eyes. In his hand, a talisman shimmered—but did not crumble. Instead, it pulsed.
He flicked another.
Boom! Another fireball exploded.
"Who—?" Halric blinked. "A talisman artisan?"
Felix walked forward, arm steady. He tossed talismans like knives. Each erupted in flame. Four, in quick succession. Each time, the same talisman returned to his hand with a glow.
Bandits turned.
Felix threw again. "Fireball Talisman, Quad-Sequenced."
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Darek gaped. "They keep going!"
Felix tossed small slips toward the soldiers.
Light flared around each of them.
"Barrier Seals," Felix muttered. "Hold the line."
A bandit slammed his sword against Lina's shield. It bounced off. The seal shimmered, then instantly restored.
Another bandit tried. Same result.
Felix threw another talisman. Fire swept across the path, pushing the enemy back. The flames moved in controlled bursts.
Halric stared in awe. "Impossible... they don't break."
"Experimental model," Felix said calmly. "Don't die before I finish the test."
The bandits regrouped. Their leader shouted, "He's just one man! Kill him!"
They charged.
Felix exhaled. His hands moved in rhythm. Fireball. Barrier. Fireball. Fireball. The same talismans over and over, glowing with mystic power.
Darek surged forward, blade flashing. Lina followed. Garron even rose, roaring in defiance.
The battle turned.
Bandits burned. Those who struck the barrier seals found only futility. Their blades could not pierce the shimmer.
Felix moved calmly, not in flair. Every throw counted. Every burn is precise.
Within minutes, the bandits fell back.
"RETREAT!" their leader yelled.
But Felix raised one final talisman.
"Bursting Flame Seal."
He slapped it against the ground. The forest lit in a cone of heat. The remaining enemies screamed as fire danced and swallowed them.
Silence followed.
Ash drifted in the wind.
Felix approached the stunned soldiers. Halric tried to stand straight.
"You saved us."
Felix nodded. "Your wounds. They're bad."
Lina collapsed. Felix rushed over, laying another seal across her chest. Energy pulsed. It wasn't healing, but it steadied her.
Garron sat back, groaning. "Who are you?"
"Felix Mavis. Adept Talisman Maker."
Darek looked at the burnt field. "No talisman does that. They're one-use only."
Felix smiled faintly. "Not anymore. Come. Eastwell is close. But we move fast. There might be more."
Halric extended his hand. "This is my first time seeing that kind of talisman."
Felix shook it. "Let's survive first. History can wait."
Together, they moved toward the town, firelight fading behind them.
At the gates of Eastwell, Felix led them not to the barracks but toward a narrow alley where a serene courtyard awaited. There, nestled behind stone and wood, stood his grand shop—the Mystic Well Sanctum.
"This way. The ground floor only," he said.
The four soldiers entered the grand shop, eyes widening at the glow of floating runes, the intricate shelves lined with talismanic tools, and the faint hum of energy that danced through the walls. It wasn't ostentatious—it was refined, balanced, and mystical.
Felix nodded to Rin, who had been waiting with medical kits and supplies.
"Help me prepare the resting rooms. They're injured."
Rin nodded and set off immediately.
Felix led them to side rooms fitted with clean mats, low tables, and faintly glowing warmth wards embedded in the floor. "Rest here," he said.
He handed each of them a recovery pill.
Halric examined it suspiciously. "That's rare-grade, isn't it?"
"Yes. Stronger than what the other merchant provides, but not rare. It will help with the bleeding and internal bruising."
Garron swallowed his first, then slumped back as heat coursed through his limbs. "By the gods... that's smooth."
Darek touched the warming ward with curiosity. "You made these too?"
Felix nodded. "Yes, I made it. It's efficient."
As they rested, conversation began to flow.
Halric spoke first. "We're all that's left of our patrol. I'm Captain Halric of the 4th Imperial Line."
"Garron. Just a footsoldier with good luck and a hard skull."
"Lina," she said quietly, nodding. "Medic. Or I used to be."
"Darek. Rookie. Still figuring out how not to die."
They all chuckled faintly. Even through pain, the warmth of shelter softened their expressions.
Felix shared bread, fruits, and stew kept warm with gentle fire-warming seals.
"You don't have to do all this," Halric said, setting down his bowl.
"I do," Felix replied. "You fought to protect the realm. That makes you worthy of care."
Rin returned with fresh clothes, and Felix placed satchels before them.
"Take these for the road: Fireball Talismans, twenty. Minor Barrier Seals, ten. Warmth Wards, two."
Darek's mouth opened. "Are you serious?"
"They're not as refined as the ones I used in battle, but they'll hold. You'll need them. And four horses wait outside. Take care.
Lina, in teary eyes, touched the pouch gently. "We will. And we'll remember this."
Halric stood slowly. His voice is deep. "We'll remember this kindness to our hearts, Master Felix Mavis."