Dawn came cold and gray, with mist clinging to Eldoria's streets like a living thing.
Nolan stood in the townhouse courtyard, checking his equipment for the third time. New armor—still felt strange but good. His hand-axe hung comfortably at his belt. The pack on his back held supplies for three days on the road. Everything was ready.
So why did he feel so nervous?
Because this is real, he thought. Not just training. Not a single night mission close to the city. Three days away from everything, with people depending on you.
You'll fail, Diablo whispered helpfully. You always do.
"Morning, kid!" Darion emerged from the house, looking far too energetic for the early hour. The dwarf was loaded down with gear—bow, quiver, pack, bedroll, and what looked like several days' worth of food strapped to various parts of his body. "Ready for your first real adventure?"
"I think so?"
"That's the spirit. Confidence is key." Darion checked his bowstring with practiced efficiency. "Three days there, one day for the client's business, three days back. Easy money."
Kaida appeared next, moving with her usual graceful precision. She wore traveling robes in shades of blue and silver, and her pack looked remarkably light compared to Darion's. "The caravan master will meet us at the North Gate in thirty minutes. We should leave now to avoid being late."
"Where's Selene?" Nolan asked.
"Already at the gate, probably." Darion grinned. "She likes to scope out clients before we officially meet them. Says you can tell a lot about people by watching them when they don't know they're being watched."
They set out through the awakening city. Eldoria at dawn was a different place than during the day—quieter, with only early risers and night workers moving about. Street lamps still glowed with captured magic, casting pools of warm light through the morning mist. Somewhere, a baker was already at work; the smell of fresh bread made Nolan's stomach growl despite having eaten breakfast.
This could be your city, Diablo mused. You could rule it, if you wanted. All this power, all these people—they'd kneel if you made them.
"I don't want anyone kneeling," Nolan thought back. "I just want to do my job and not hurt anyone."
How disappointingly mundane.
The North Gate was one of Eldoria's major entrances, wide enough for three wagons to pass through side by side. Even at this early hour, it was busy—merchants preparing for departure, farmers bringing in goods from nearby villages, travelers setting out on various journeys.
Selene stood near a cluster of wagons, arms crossed, watching a portly human man argue with one of his drivers. She turned as they approached, her expression neutral but her eyes sharp.
"That's our client," she said quietly. "Merchant named Corvus. He's transporting textiles and spices to Millhaven—three days north through contested territory."
"Contested?" Nolan asked.
"Border region between Thornegate and Aerendyll," Kaida explained. "Officially neutral, but bandits operate there because neither kingdom wants to commit resources to patrol it properly."
"Which is why merchants hire us," Darion added cheerfully. "We're cheaper than a military escort and just as effective."
Corvus noticed them and waddled over, his round face breaking into a merchant's practiced smile. "Ah! The Warriors Four! Excellent, excellent. Right on time."
"Merchant Corvus." Selene's greeting was professional but not warm. "Your contract specified three wagons. I count five."
"Ah, yes, well—business has been good! Surely four experienced adventurers can handle two additional wagons?" His smile widened hopefully.
"For the contracted price? No." Selene's tone was flat. "Five wagons means more surface area to defend, more potential targets for bandits, slower travel time. That's 200 additional silver or we walk."
Corvus sputtered. "Two hundred! That's outrageous!"
"That's the rate. Take it or find another team."
They stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Corvus deflated. "Fine. Two hundred additional. But I expect exemplary service!"
"You'll get what you pay for." Selene turned to her team. "Standard formation. Darion on the lead wagon, high position. Kaida on the rear wagon. Nolan and I will patrol the sides on foot. Four-hour rotations."
They set out shortly after, joining the flow of traffic leaving the city. Nolan found himself walking alongside the wagons, watching Eldoria's walls recede into the distance. He'd only been in the capital for a little over a week, but it already felt like leaving home.
The road north was well-maintained at first—packed earth, clearly marked, with regular mile markers. But as they traveled, it gradually deteriorated. The crowds thinned. The farms became sparser. By midday, they were in rolling hills covered in forest, with only the occasional clearing.
"This is where it gets interesting," Selene said, walking beside Nolan. "We're entering the buffer zone. Keep your eyes open."
"What am I looking for?"
"Anything unusual. People watching from the trees. Birds going quiet suddenly. Fresh tracks crossing the road. Mana beast signs." She gestured around them. "The forest has eyes. Your job is to see them before they see you."
Nolan tried to focus, using his enhanced senses. He could hear more than he used to—the creak of wagon wheels, the driver's muttered curses, small animals in the underbrush. But telling normal from threatening? That was harder.
Let me help, Diablo offered. I can enhance your perception, show you what's hidden.
"At what cost?"
Does everything need a cost? Can't I just be helpful?
"You're never just helpful."
Fair point.
They stopped for lunch in a clearing, the wagons forming a rough circle. Corvus's drivers—three humans and two dwarves—set about preparing a quick meal while the Warriors Four did a perimeter check.
"Tracks here," Kaida called from the north side. "Wolves, maybe. Large ones."
"Could be regular wolves," Darion said, examining the prints. "But the size... might be mana-touched. We should keep moving before dark."
They ate quickly—dried meat, hard cheese, bread that was already going stale. Not the warm meals Nolan had grown accustomed to at the townhouse, but filling enough.
"So," one of the drivers said, a young human with curious eyes. "You're the new guy, right? The one who fought the Venomscale Wyrm?"
Nolan glanced at Selene, who shrugged. "News travels."
"I heard you threw it through a building with pure mana," the driver continued excitedly. "Is that true?"
"It was... more complicated than that."
"But you did fight it? What was it like?"
Terrifying. Desperate. I barely survived and only because Diablo helped me.
"Scary," Nolan said aloud. "Really scary. I don't recommend it."
"But you're okay now, right? You learned control?"
Selene intervened smoothly. "Nolan's training. We all are—control is a constant practice, not a destination. Now finish eating. We need to make the halfway point before nightfall."
The afternoon passed without incident, though Nolan couldn't shake the feeling they were being watched. Several times he caught movement in his peripheral vision, but when he turned to look, there was nothing there.
You're not imagining it, Diablo said. We're definitely being followed. Has been for the last hour.
"Can you tell what it is?"
Not precisely. Multiple somethings. Keeping pace, staying hidden. Could be bandits scouting us. Could be mana beasts. Could be something worse.
"Should I tell the others?"
They probably already know. Your team isn't stupid.
Indeed, when Nolan glanced at Selene, he saw her hand resting casually on her sword hilt—too casually. Darion had shifted position on the lead wagon, bow within easy reach. Kaida's fingers traced patterns in the air, water magic ready to manifest.
They knew.
"How much farther to the halfway point?" Corvus called nervously from inside his wagon.
"Two hours," Selene replied. "Maybe less if we pick up the pace."
"Then let's pick up the pace! These woods feel... wrong."
The merchant wasn't wrong. As afternoon stretched toward evening, the forest grew darker, denser. The trees here were old—ancient oaks and pines that blocked out the sun. The road narrowed, forcing the wagons into single file.
Perfect ambush territory.
"Nolan," Selene said quietly. "Fall back to the rear wagon with Kaida. I'm going forward with Darion."
"You think something's coming?"
"I know something's coming. Question is when."
He moved back, joining Kaida on the last wagon. The elf sat cross-legged on top of the canvas covering, eyes half-closed, feeling for disturbances in the ambient mana.
"Can you sense them?" Nolan asked.
"Them?"
"Whatever's following us."
Kaida's eyes opened fully, focusing on him. "You can feel it too?"
"Not feel, exactly. Just... I know they're there."
"Interesting." She closed her eyes again, extending her senses. "You're right. Multiple presences, roughly thirty meters into the tree line on both sides. Moving parallel to us. Coordinated."
"Bandits?"
"Probably. Though unusually disciplined ones." Her expression tightened. "They're waiting for something. A signal, or the right moment."
They traveled in tense silence for another twenty minutes. The sun was setting now, long shadows stretching across the road. Just ahead, Nolan could see a wider clearing—probably the halfway point Selene had mentioned.
"We're almost there," one driver said with obvious relief. "Safe for the—"
An arrow hissed through the air, slamming into the driver's seat inches from his hand.
"AMBUSH!" Selene's voice cracked like thunder. "Circle formation! NOW!"
Everything happened at once.
Figures burst from the trees on both sides—men and women in mismatched armor, weapons drawn. Not mana beasts. Bandits. Lots of them.
The drivers yanked on reins, trying to get the wagons into a defensive circle, but they weren't fast enough. Three bandits reached the lead wagon, blades swinging.
Darion's bow sang. Two bandits dropped before they could strike. The third hesitated, which was fatal—Selene was already there, sword flashing silver in the fading light. The bandit's weapon flew from his hand, and a second strike sent him sprawling.
"Protect the wagons!" Selene ordered. "Don't let them get to Corvus!"
Nolan drew his axe as bandits converged on the rear wagon. Five of them, moving with the coordinated efficiency of people who'd done this before.
Finally, Diablo said. Some excitement.
The lead bandit thrust a spear at Nolan's chest. He knocked it aside with his axe—harder than intended, the wooden shaft splintering from the impact. The bandit's eyes widened.
"He's a mage!" the man shouted. "Focus the—"
Kaida's water whip caught him around the ankle, yanking him off his feet. Two more bandits tried to rush Nolan simultaneously. He dodged left, swung right, felt his axe connect with armor. The bandit staggered but didn't go down.
Use me, Diablo urged. Channel power through the blade. Like Selene taught you.
Against his better judgment, Nolan did. Blue energy crackled along the axe head. His next strike didn't just dent armor—it sent the bandit flying backward into a tree.
The remaining bandits hesitated.
"Fifty silver!" a voice shouted from the trees. A figure emerged—tall, heavily armored, carrying a massive two-handed sword. The leader, clearly. "Fifty silver to whoever brings me that mage's head!"
Oh good, Diablo said. A boss fight. This day's looking up.
The leader charged, and Nolan barely brought his axe up in time to block. The impact drove him backward, boots skidding in the dirt. The man was strong—not magically enhanced, just pure physical power.
"You picked the wrong caravan, boy," the leader growled, pressing his advantage.
Nolan tried to push back, but the weight difference was too much. He was going to lose this contest of strength.
So he didn't play that game.
Instead, he dropped low, letting the man's own momentum carry him forward, and swept his legs. The leader stumbled, off-balance for just a moment.
That moment was all Kaida needed. Ice formed around the man's boots, locking him in place.
"Now!" she shouted.
Nolan channeled energy through his axe—controlled, focused, just like training—and struck. Not to kill, just to incapacitate. The blow caught the leader's shoulder, and even through his armor, something cracked.
The man howled, dropping his sword.
"RETREAT!" he bellowed. "Fall back!"
The bandits scattered back into the trees, dragging their wounded, leaving their dead. In seconds, the road was clear except for the Warriors Four and the terrified caravan.
Silence fell, broken only by heavy breathing and the creak of wagon wheels.
"Everyone alive?" Selene called, wiping blood from her blade.
A chorus of shaken affirmatives.
"Casualties?"
"One driver took an arrow to the leg," Darion reported. "Not fatal but he can't drive. And Merchant Corvus might have soiled himself."
"I did NOT—" Corvus's voice came from inside his wagon, high-pitched and indignant. "I merely—there was—that is perfectly normal in combat situations!"
Despite the tension, Nolan felt himself smile.
"Secure the perimeter," Selene ordered. "Kaida, see to the wounded driver. Darion, make sure those bandits actually retreated and aren't regrouping. Nolan, with me. We need to check the road ahead."
They walked forward together, weapons still drawn, alert for any sign of another attack. But the forest remained quiet.
"You did well," Selene said after a moment.
"I almost lost that fight."
"But you didn't. You adapted, used your head instead of just trying to overpower him." She glanced at him. "That's growth. That's control."
"It didn't feel controlled. It felt like barely hanging on."
"Welcome to being an adventurer. That feeling never completely goes away." She paused at the edge of the clearing—the halfway point they'd been trying to reach. "We'll camp here tonight. Set watches, stay alert. If they hit us once, they might try again."
They returned to the caravan, where Kaida had already treated the wounded driver and Darion had confirmed the bandits were truly gone.
"Probably lurking a few miles out, licking their wounds," the dwarf reported. "They'll think twice before hitting us again. We hurt them pretty bad."
They set up camp in the clearing, wagons circled, fire lit, watches established. Nolan found himself on second watch with Selene, the two of them sitting by the fire while the others slept.
"Can I ask you something?" he said quietly.
"Sure."
"Does it get easier? The fighting, the danger, all of it?"
Selene considered for a moment. "Yes and no. You get better at handling it, more confident in your abilities. But if it ever becomes easy—if you stop being scared—that's when you're dangerous. Fear keeps you sharp, keeps you careful."
"So I should be glad I'm terrified most of the time?"
"Little bit, yeah." She smiled. "You're doing fine, Nolan. Better than fine, actually. Most new adventurers freeze up their first ambush. You fought, adapted, helped win. That's more than I can say for some people I've worked with."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the fire, listening to the night sounds of the forest.
"Thank you," Nolan said eventually. "For giving me a chance. For teaching me. For... everything."
"You saved our lives first. We're just returning the favor." She stood, stretching. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's another long day, and we're not out of contested territory yet."
Nolan settled into his bedroll, exhausted but satisfied. His first real road mission, his first ambush, his first proper fight as part of a team.
They'd won. He'd survived. He hadn't lost control.
Don't get cocky, Diablo warned. This was bandits. Wait until you face something actually dangerous.
"Can't you just let me enjoy this moment?"
Where's the fun in that?
Despite the voice in his head, despite the danger, despite everything, Nolan felt himself smiling as sleep took him.
He was an adventurer now. A member of the Warriors Four.
And for the first time since his family died, that felt like enough.