--- Roric

The first rays of sun had yet to show up and Roric was already far from Fradot, heading East. As he walked the path that led to the pass, however, the boy struggled to clear his mind from the doubts.

If only I'd never come to this place... What did someone like me hope to find here, exactly? A family? A home? Bullshit. There was no way to make it work, between me and her. We were too different to live together. Elise cares for that village more than her well being... I can't accept it. It drives me mad!

The backpack adjusted its position on his shoulders. He was almost comforted by that familiar, reassuring weight, now that he was finally back on the road.

It has always been all about survival for me. I'm not ready to protect other people until I can take care of myself. That's why I won't rush to the danger when I can avoid it. It would mean spitting in the faces of the ones who died in my place. Why can't Elise just understand it? You can't help anyone if you don't have enough power.

The boy thought about all those who were going to fall that day, in Fradot. It was all her fault, in the end. Had she simply not meddled with the village council, everything would have ended well.

Dominic kept her under close watch, but not because of her father... It was all because of this talent of hers. The way the villagers follow Elise is almost unbelievable, but for some reason it doesn't feel unnatural. It's too spontaneous to be any kind of special power, she... She's just gifted. So gifted she becomes dangerous.

He had a gift, as well, but in that moment there wasn't much he could do with it. Sure, being able to shock an enemy with a touch of the hand or turn a sword into a lightning rod was nice. But not nearly as effective as teaching a mass of villagers that opposing a band of criminals was a bad idea. Anyway, those people weren't his business anymore.

I've started from scratch twice... There's no way I can't do it again. Once left this valley, everything will be fine.

Yet Roric's pace slowed with every step, to the point that his feet seemed to weigh like iron. There was something holding him, preventing him from advancing further away from Fradot. Was it guilt? No, he didn't feel any obligation towards that village... Only towards Elise.

He had promised the old farmer to take care of his foster daughter, but how could he protect her when all she did was looking for trouble? Even their accidental meeting had taken place because the girl couldn't keep her spirited attitude in check.

She would have suffered and died that day, if it wasn't for me. I should have... No, how could I have ignored her when she was in danger? Damn, why do I feel so responsible for her fate now?

A deep thunder echoed through the clouds and Roric's body. The boy perceived it like a delicate, intimate caress, and stopped walking to savor it with all his senses. When the sound faded, he sighed and looked back.

Fradot was there, under the side of the mountain. It was too far for Roric's sight to confirm it, but the attack had probably just begun. A thin pillar of smoke was rising from the lowest part of the village, where Elise and the others wanted to hold away the assailants. It was a hopeless, stupid plan, typical of those who didn't know a thing about battles. The young warrior could have given the defenders a tip or two, but it would have been useless in the end. Just the advantage provided by having crossbows gave the bandits such an edge that no strategy would have compensated for it.

Roric found himself lost into the smoke that went higher and higher, reminding him of a day many years before. It was Spjaldir, again, a chain of violence and blood that he, alone, couldn't stop. Not without getting stronger.

The boy clenched his fists. Since the destruction of his village he had worked hard, striving for an improvement no matter how many times he failed.

But for what purpose?

Once there was a little child, who thought that his desire of stopping bad things from happening would have been enough. Yet, it wasn't. If Roric really wanted to live up to his own desire, what he had to do was acting. There wasn't any other way.

The young warrior let go of the backpack, that fell to the ground and rolled into some tall grass. Fradot wasn't his home, still he had no reason to ignore the suffering of its people. Now that he was a skillful fighter, who had trained and trained for that very reason, it was his duty to step in.

It's not the village, actually, but a certain person who I want to save.

Elise was there. His only friend was in a grave danger. Roric couldn't abandon her, even after what she had done. There would have been a time for teaching her, for being of guidance when she went too far. But now he had to save her.

The boy didn't know how many enemies there were, what their plan was or the magnitude of their strength. All those things, he had to overcome with his skill. Maybe it was all for nothing, and he wasn't even a threat for those men. Still he had to try, or he would have never known.

Alright. Let's hope for the best.

He threw the cloak on one side and started running, carrying only the weight of his sword with him. As he descended towards the village, Roric's heart felt somewhat lighter. Strangely, he reminded that even on the day of Spjaldir's raid the weather was rainy. The first drops were already falling from above, as he dashed on the dirty trail, just like when he had escaped the raging hell of his village.

This time, however, he ran in the opposite way.

***

--- Elise

Take this!

One of the closest bandits was busy stabbing a farmer, so Elise seized the opportunity and pierced the back of the assailant with her spear. The man screamed and tried to shake her off, but the girl's hand was firm and kept pushing the weapon until her opponent crumbled to the ground, lifeless. She helped the wounded villager to stand and carried him further back, away from the fight.

The people of Fradot had been resisting heroically, facing the enemies and their deadly crossbows, but things were starting to look grim. Many defenders had died after the fall of the first barricade. They had been forced to retreat to a second line, halfway along the road, where they could fend off the invaders from the high ground. Still, it wasn't enough. Khoss had lost a couple of men during the advance, but it was clear that he would have been on the winning side at the end.

The leader of the criminals stood behind his main forces, raining death on the villagers along with the rest of his crossbowmen. Sometimes Elise could spot him, smiling sadistically as he took aim, but those were just horrifying glimpses in the chaos of the battle. She felt scared, scared to the bone, but not for her own safety. What concerned the girl were her people.

So many... So many of them. It's all wrong...

How she was still unscathed was a mystery to her. Obviously, most of the reason had to do with the many days of training under Roric's guidance. Hadn't she practiced with the boy, Elise would have already been among the corpses. Yet, she was getting tired. Her stabs weren't as powerful as before and it was just a matter of time before her legs would give up.

“We can't hold!” roared Gardn. “What do we do?”

The carpenter was asking her for advice, but the girl didn't have any answer for him. In her heart, the unshakeable hope of the previous days seemed to have completely vanished. And the bloodthirsty eyes of the enemy boss were burning like a mark in her memory...

“Focus, girl!” yelled the man, who was bleeding from his left arm. “We'll follow your lead, so please say something.”

Why. Why is a grown man talking to a young girl like that? Who am I to decide?

Elise shook the haze away and tried to concentrate. The village needed her, even if she had no solutions to offer.

"Fall back,” she just said. “Fall back to the temple!"

Gardn gave her a concerned look, but nodded and gave word to the others. Her eyes, the girl realized, were probably just a reflection of her broken spirit.

I need to stay strong and think. Those who have died... I can't let this distract me. Protecting the village isn't supposed to be easy, but... I didn't expect it would be like this.

The defenders took advantage of their position to dodge the enemy fire, and began running upwards while carrying away most of the injured. There were a couple of farmers who lay unconscious, but Elise didn't force anyone to grab them because it would have been too risky.

Roric was right. These men aren't soldiers... Even if they killed in defense of their home, they remain peaceful workers. Maybe it was better to bow down and avoid any fight, after all...

The girl gulped. She was starting to realize the meaning of her friend's words.

***

Making it to the top was even tougher than Elise had foreseen.

On the way up, a couple of villagers collapsed of exhaustion, slipping in the rain, while at least two or three more took a crossbow shot in the back. The bulk of the defenders, who were now reduced to a handful of people, reached the temple and hid inside with the rest of their families. The last thing the girl saw, before the doors were closed and the entrance barred, were the bandits invading the plaza and getting closer, while their boss laughed satisfied.

The situation in the shelter was desperate. Women and children screamed and cowered in fear, while many cried the loss of those who hadn't made it. In that moment, all that Elise could do was sitting in a shady corner and stare into space, disheartened.

It's... It's all my fault. These people followed my ideas to their deaths. It's almost like I... I killed them.

She couldn't fight anymore. Her shaky hands let go of the spear, which fell to the ground leaving some traces of blood. Wherever the girl looked there were terrified faces. The faces of the ones she was supposed to save. And they were all judging her.

A thunder echoed from outside, then something hit the door.

“They have a ram!”

“They will get in!”

Elise curled up, unable to find a way out of that mess.

It's all my fault. Forgive me, everyone.

***

--- Roric

The rain fell without mercy, getting stronger by the minute.

Roric sensed the lightning crawling between the dark clouds above, but didn't pay much attention to it. All of his being was focused on getting back to the village as fast as he could, to save what was left of it. As he vaulted over the first barricade, the boy couldn't help but checking if Elise was among the corpses.

Please, don't be dead. Please, at least not you...

He ran without stopping, headed upwards, where he knew the villagers were going to hide. The bandits had left a trail of bodies and destruction, mainly due to the advantage of crossbows. Roric had to be careful.

There's another dead enemy. How many are still alive? Most importantly, how many can I take?

The boy tried not to think about it. He had to be ready to face them all at once, if necessary.

***

When he finally reached the top, the invaders were there. Standing in the rain, bashing on the temple's door with something heavy. Elise had already led the people of the village inside.

Twenty... Nearly thirty. Crossbows in the rear. And that looks like the leader.

He was already halfway when one of the criminals spotted him.

“Who goes there?” he yelled. “In the name of Khoss the Great, not one step closer!”

Roric didn't slow down. The element of surprise was all he had and he wasn't willing to throw it away. If he really wanted to win, it was the time to be smart.

“Get the damn door open!” roared the boss. “I'll take care of that brat.”

With those words, the head of the bandits aimed his weapon at the young warrior, who was still running at full speed.

Let's go for the brain first. It's the only chance I have to catch them off guard.

With a loud clack, the quarrel darted forward. On the face of the man there was a disturbing grin, in his eyes the full confidence that he had already hit his target. What Khoss the Great didn't know, however, was that Roric wasn't an ordinary target.

Thanks to his Elemental reflexes, the boy simply tilted his upper torso to the side as the arrow passed by and kept charging towards the leader. In his defense, the shot wasn't bad at all and would have hit for sure under normal circumstances. Still, that wasn't the case.

Got you, scum.

Roric approached so quickly that the man didn't even have the time to react. With a jump, he hit the enemy in the chest using all his weight to force him to the ground. The expression of the criminal was now mixed between fear and surprise.

Before giving the opponent any chance to fight back, the young warrior grabbed his neck with the left hand and summoned his power. Crackling sparks jumped out at his command, riding his fingers and spreading through the body of the boss, who screamed and convulsed. The entire thing took place over the course of a couple of seconds, and when the movements of the man finally stopped Roric let him go.

The boy's mind felt like it had been drained. A sudden headache, along with a mild confusion, assailed him. He glanced down at the corpse. The bandit leader lay motionless, his limbs twisted into an impossible pose, seemingly cooked from the inside. Bloody foam had come out of his mouth and the eyes had burst open, turning into a steamy red pulp. It didn't matter who that man was, how he had gotten so powerful to threaten all the three valleys or what was his story. That was the end of Khoss the Great. One less problem to deal with.

Roric lifted his gaze, meeting those of the astonished bandits. He stood up, noticing that some of them were taking a step or two back. It was like they were looking at some vicious, dangerous animal who could bite their hands off at the first wrong move.

Well, now I drew their attention.

Sword in hand, the boy endured the drawbacks of his power and readied himself for the incoming fight.