The fire crackled, low and steady, as Valerius chewed the last of his meat. Warmth settled over the clearing like a blanket, but the tension in the air hadn't fully disappeared.
Valerius glanced at the group, then asked simply, "You said you were raiders. What's that, exactly?"
Auri blinked. "You're joking, right?"
He shook his head. "No idea."
Zee leaned forward, eyebrows raised. "You serious? You don't know what raiders are?"
Valerius shrugged. "Something like that."
Mira gave a disbelieving chuckle. "By the stars… You really have been living under a rock."
Kurgan let out a low grunt. "We go where most don't. Dangerous lands, cursed ruins, old battlegrounds... We find things. Artifacts. Lost gear. Sometimes, we help frontier towns deal with beast infestations."
"We're like the unbound," Mira added, wiping her axe with a cloth, "except we have licenses. So it's legal when we break the rules cuz they don't apply to us."
Valerius raised a brow. "Unbound?"
Mira froze. "Don't tell me you don't know what they are either."
Valerius gave her a blank look.
"Oh, for—" She threw her hands up. "Who raised you, ghosts?"
Zee laughed. "He probably doesn't know what a border tax is either."
Auri sat back, watching him carefully. "You said you're not a noble. But you dress well. Speak clean. You're educated, but you don't know basic things."
Valerius looked into the fire. "I learned a lot of things. But not the kind you're talking about."
"Great," Luthar muttered from behind his book. "A clueless kid. Hope he's not tagging along with us."
Zee smirked. "He's more fun than you, glasses."
Valerius ignored the jab. "Anyway. I don't know what this place is called, but I know where I'm going."
Zee tilted her head. "Where?"
He pointed vaguely northeast.
Mira exchanged a look with Kurgan. "That's... not a bad direction. But it's rough terrain. Raiders avoid it. Too unstable. Too many burrow-beasts."
Auri asked gently, "Why go there?"
Valerius hesitated. "Someone's waiting for me."
Kurgan narrowed his eyes. "Family?"
Valerius didn't answer right away. "Yeah."
Silence returned for a moment, broken only by the crackle of the fire and the distant chirp of insects.
Zee nudged him. "You're either brave or stupid, Lerius."
Valerius stared ahead. "Maybe both."
Kurgan folded his arms. "You said you don't know what raiders or unbounds are. What do you know?"
Valerius gave a half-smile. "I know how to survive. I know how to fight when I need to. And I know not to take a nap in the middle of beast territory."
Zee grinned. "Well, good. Because we're moving soon."
Valerius blinked. "You're taking me with you?"
Kurgan shrugged. "We'll go your way for a while. You look like trouble—and trouble's usually where the coin is."
Mira added, "Or corpses."
Luthar sighed. "Both, usually."
Valerius nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll take the help."
Auri passed him a blanket. "Sleep while you can. We won't wait if you fall behind."
Valerius accepted the blanket, murmured, "Thanks," and lay back beneath the stars.
Above him, the vast sky of Yilheim shimmered with unfamiliar constellations. He stared upward for a long while, listening to the quiet hum of the fire, the low conversation of the raiders, and the whisper of Yelleen in the back of his mind.
"You didn't run your mouth again, not bad" Yelleen said. "You're learning."
---
A few hours passed. After a long stretch of silence and steady marching, Kurgan raised a hand.
"There's a town not far from here," he said. "We'll pass through and restock on supplies."
Mira cracked her neck. "About time. This dried meat tastes like dirt."
Valerius walked quietly among them, scanning the terrain. It was open and dry—less trees now, more dust and wind. Yelleen was silent in his mind, but a quiet tension pulsed through the air.
Then the ground trembled.
Not once, not twice—but a steady, rhythmic rumble.
Zee halted. "You feel that?"
A shadow moved across the ridge.
Over the next hill, a horde came into view—dozens of beasts, long-legged, muscular, scaled and furred in equal measure. Some were the size of wagons, others the size of oxen, all barreling in the same direction with unnatural speed.
Mira's eyes lit up. "Finally. Something to butcher."
Zee twirled her daggers, the silver glinting in the sun. "Let's cut up some beasties."
Kurgan cracked his knuckles, then flexed his shoulders. "Stay sharp. Some of these look reinforced."
Auri had already raised her hands, threads of mana coiling between her fingers. "I'll begin with binding formation."
Luthar rolled up his sleeves, calm as ever. "I'll take rear shots. Aim for anything that tries to break formation."
The five broke into formation fluidly—practiced, deadly.
Mira, Zee, and Kurgan—the Augmenters—exploded forward, vanishing in bursts of air. They leapt high above the battlefield, mana flaring around their limbs like white-hot sparks. The sky shimmered as Mira came crashing down—her axe cleaving the first beast clean in half, a crater erupting where it landed.
Boom!
Zee zipped through the flanks, blades flashing, slicing through tendon and joint with terrifying precision.
Kurgan landed next, smashing his hammer into the ground. The impact blasted a shockwave that sent smaller beasts tumbling backward. "Let's dance, mutts!"
From the rear, Luthar's fingers flared with red-orange light—dozens of fire arrows forming mid-air.
Thwip-thwip-thwip!
Each arrow found its mark, bursting like miniature suns against scaled flesh. Screeches echoed across the hills.
"Keep 'em pinned!" he called.
Auri raised both arms and began chanting in Aurellian—soft, layered syllables that echoed unnaturally.
"Tova renn... sil'hanek... BIND!"
Thick, glowing sigils erupted beneath charging beasts, locking their limbs mid-run. Some slammed face-first into the ground as binding glyphs snapped around their bodies.
"Throw them, Kurgan!" Auri shouted.
Kurgan grabbed one of the glowing binds, yanked it like a chain, and hurled the restrained beast like a wrecking ball into the oncoming horde.
Valerius stood on a nearby ridge, silent, watching.
To anyone else, the raiders moved faster than the eye could track—blurs of destruction, streaks of fire and mana and steel.
But Valerius saw them clearly.
Every movement. Every strike. Every breath.
Zee danced like a blade in aurellian form, flipping through the chaos, daggers biting deep.
Mira fought like a war goddess, axe carving trails through bone and hide. Her roars echoed like thunder.
Kurgan bulldozed through groups of three and four at a time, his hammer smashing craters fifteen meters wide with every blow.
Valerius's heart beat faster—not in fear, but in awe.
"Damn," he murmured. "They're good, but not as good as those kidnappers.…"
Yelleen's voice drifted in. "They're professionals. This is what happens when skill, mana, and discipline come together."
One of the larger beasts roared and lunged toward Auri.
Before it could reach her, a fire arrow from Luthar pierced its eye—and Mira followed, splitting its spine in a single overhead swing.
The battlefield became a graveyard of ruptured terrain, flaming corpses, and shattered bone.
And still they fought—clean, brutal, efficient.
Then—
Zee appeared beside Valerius without warning, blades dripping. "You just gonna stand there the whole time?"
Valerius smirked. "You looked like you had it handled."
Zee grinned. "Smart boy."
She vanished again, flickering back into the carnage.
Valerius stood still, watching with sharp, unblinking eyes.
He wasn't afraid.
He was taking notes.
---
The battlefield lay quiet now.
Steam rose from still-burning corpses. Dust settled slowly over cracked terrain, and the last beast let out a gurgled breath before falling limp beside Mira's boot.
She exhaled hard, rolling her shoulders.
"Damn," she muttered. "That felt good."
Kurgan drove his hammer into the ground and leaned on it. "Fifty-seven beasts," he grunted. "Not bad for a morning jog."
"You counted?" Luthar asked, adjusting his glasses with a flick of mana to clean the soot from the lenses.
"Of course," Kurgan said. "It's not a real fight if you don't keep score."
Zee walked up, spinning one of her bloodied daggers on her finger. "Sixty-one, actually. I took out four while you were showboating."
Kurgan rolled his eyes. "You always say that."
"Because it's true."
Auri dusted her robes off and sat on a rock, breathing evenly. "At least nothing we couldn't handle. Though I admit... that was a larger horde than usual for this region."
Mira lifted her axe, letting the sunlight glint across the edge. "I was just starting to think the wilderness was getting boring."
Valerius stood nearby, hands in his coat pockets, observing them.
"You all fight like you've been doing it for decades," he said.
"We have been a team for a two years now." Luthar replied plainly.
Mira winked. "We were killing monsters when you were still learning how to tie your shoes. Well, except Zee."
Valerius smirked. "My shoes don't normally have laces."
Zee chuckled. "Alright, I like him even more now."
Then—
A sound.
Low. Rumbling. Familiar.
Valerius's body tensed immediately. His head snapped toward the eastern ridge.
At the top of the hill, silhouetted against the sky, it stood—the Cheetora.
Its lean body rippled with predatory power, claws carving into the rock. Its golden eyes locked onto them, glowing like lanterns of death. And worst of all—it wasn't tired.
Valerius's mouth went dry. "Oh... shit."
The others turned.
Their banter stopped.
Silence.
Then the beast roared—a sound like a jaguar screaming through a broken horn.
BOOM.
The ground cracked where it stood, and it charged.
"Run!" Mira barked.
No one argued.
Kurgan scooped Luthar under one arm without ceremony and bolted.
"Damn it, not again!" Luthar shouted, bouncing.
Mira grabbed Auri in both arms and sprinted like a boulder with wings.
Zee was already beside Valerius, running full-tilt. She looked over, wild grin on her face despite the chaos.
"You can keep up with us, kid. Am surprised."
Valerius pushed his legs harder. " That thing is fast as hell, it nearly caught me last time. Don't let that thing catch us!"
"Wouldn't dream of it!"
Behind them, the Cheetora blazed forward like a missile. Every stride shattered stone, each leap covered tens of meters.
Mira, carrying Auri, yelled from the rear, "It's gaining!"
"Of course it's gaining!" Kurgan bellowed. "It's a damned Cheetora!"
"I thought they didn't live here!" Auri shouted over the wind.
"They don't!" Zee yelled, eyes narrowing. "This isn't their territory!"
"It's him!" Mira barked. "The kid said it was chasing him."
Valerius cursed under his breath.
Zee matched his pace, close enough for her hair to whip across his shoulder. "This day just keeps getting better."
Yelleen's voice rang calmly in Valerius's mind. You really do draw trouble like a magnet, don't you?
"Not. Helping," Valerius hissed through clenched teeth.
Auri suddenly raised her voice. "I can bind it!"
Mira's eyes flicked down to the caster in her arms. "You sure?!"
"I won't hold it long! Seconds, at best! But it might give us a chance to lose it!"
"Do it!" Kurgan shouted.
Auri's eyes flared white as she whispered the incantation under her breath. Her hands moved in elegant, trained circles—sigils appearing in glowing spirals across her wrists.
"Karven bindr—sil'haress!"
A flash.
Chains of spectral energy burst from the ground—clamping around the beast's forelegs, shoulders, and back.
The Cheetora roared, snapping at the binds, but the magic held just long enough.
Its momentum broke.
It slammed face-first into the dirt, carving a crater so long it sent shockwaves through the terrain.
"Hard left!" Mira shouted.
The raiders all veered sharply, darting into the thicker woods beyond. Trees blurred past them, branches slicing the wind. Auri's spell finally shattered behind them, the beast's screech echoing like a falling storm.
But they were already gone.
---
They finally came to a stop deep in the woods, panting in a rough circle. The chase had ended, but the air remained tense—every heartbeat still thrumming with leftover adrenaline.
Valerius leaned against a tree, catching his breath.
Zee took two steps toward him, staring hard. Her voice, when it came, was low but sharp.
"I should've known," she said. "No way a normal kid survives No Man's Land alone."
And in an instant—she vanished.
A crack of displaced air—and suddenly her hand was around Valerius's throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.
His boots dangled. His fingers clawed at her grip.
"You move like an Augmenter," she said, voice like a blade. "But you've got no mana aura. Nothing. So tell me…" Her eyes narrowed. "What are you?"
Valerius choked, gasping, fingers tightening around her wrist. His feet kicked once. Twice. Then—he bent his knees and snapped forward with both legs.
Boom.
The shockwave threw Zee backward. She flew thirty meters, skidding through branches and dirt before she flipped upright with a stunned grunt.
Valerius landed on all fours, coughing, then stood up slowly. His coat fluttered as dust swirled around him.
He raised his chin. "Just so you know," he said hoarsely, "I'm no pushover."
There was a heavy thud beside him.
Kurgan had dropped his massive warhammer into the ground, stone cracking beneath its weight.
"I'd like to know too," he rumbled, eyes dark. "Who sent you?"
Valerius turned toward him calmly, still breathing hard. "No one sent me," he said. "I'm not in league with anyone. I just happened to cross paths with you."
Kurgan stepped forward, eyes scanning the boy. "You're not afraid of me."
Valerius didn't flinch. "Should I be?"
Kurgan snorted. "Of course not. Why would you be?" He tightened his grip on the hammer. "You're just as strong as we are."
The air grew still.
He raised his hammer. "But can you take us all on?"
The atmosphere shifted like a drawn bowstring.
Valerius tensed—but didn't step back. "I'm not here to fight you. I don't even know who you people are. That creature? It chased me hours ago. That's the only reason I recognized it."
The silence thickened.
Auri raised both hands, rings of glyphs spinning silently around her palms. Luthar's fingers lit with flame as his incantation hovered, unfinished, on his tongue. Mira held her axe at her side, body coiled like a spring.
They had surrounded him—blades, spells, and pressure pressing in from all sides.
Zee dusted herself off, returning to the circle with a grin. "Well, he hits hard, I'll give him that."
Mira didn't smile. "If he's this strong without mana, then he's unnatural."
Luthar spoke coldly. "He's a threat until proven otherwise."
Valerius slowly raised both hands, palms open.
"I'm not your enemy," he said. "I haven't attacked you. I haven't lied to you. I haven't done anything but run for my life and eat your food."
"Not much of a résumé," Luthar muttered.
Kurgan studied him in silence for a long moment. Then, he lifted his hammer—and slung it across his back.
"Enough," he said.
Everyone turned.
"He's telling the truth. I can see it on his face."
Auri lowered her hands slowly. "You're certain?"
"No," Kurgan said. "But I'll take the risk."
Zee blew out a breath and clapped Valerius on the back. "Alright, Lerius. You get a pass. But next time you kick me that hard, I'm cutting off your toes."
Valerius raised an eyebrow. "Duly noted."
Mira lowered her axe, still eyeing him carefully. "You're not normal. But you've got guts."
Luthar muttered, "Or he's a lunatic."
"I'll take either," Kurgan said. "For now, he walks with us. No more questions tonight."
They slowly lowered their weapons, tension dissipating like fog in morning light.
But even as they turned away, one thing was clear:
They still didn't trust him.
And Valerius knew it.
---
To Be Continued...