Xalmann walked along the dirt road, glancing behind him on occasion. He had been warned as he walked through the Marsh Flats that bandits had been sighted causing trouble in the area. He would remain on guard, keeping an eye and ear out for any suspicious sounds or movements.

"At least it is still bright out" he thought to himself as he glanced toward the sparse clouds, the sun still high in the sky. The bandits would have to be pretty daring to attack in broad daylight. Though, he supposed they might just be that daring from the stories he had heard. Some even said they were attacking merchant wagons and raiding homes. A lone traveler like him would probably be seen as an easy target, even during the day.

He felt the dagger at his waist and breathed a slight sigh of relief, comforted by the presence of the dagger. The feel of its cold steel on his scales. He found that ever since he had nearly burned alive, he found comfort in cold things. Ironic, for a coldblooded reptile like him, who should be drawn to heat. He also felt as if his fellow tribesmen were with him whenever he touched the dagger.

He continued to walk along the path, hoping to reach somewhere safe to spend the night before it grew too dark. If not a town, then at least a secure enough spot to camp without being found and attacked by those bandits. Glancing behind him again, he noticed a figure approaching. A bandit? No, they seem to be alone, and this open field on either side of the road has nowhere for ambushers to hide.

He stopped and turned to face the approaching figure, a hand waiting on his dagger, ready to pull it out should they prove hostile. He waited for the figure to come closer.

The man wore a long flowing cape of bright crimson, that was the first thing Xalmann would have seen the closer he approached. The man was pale, with pale hair and sunken cheeks. His pupils were an inhuman red.

Elquel halted his steps as he noticed the lizardfolk facing him warily, with his hand on the hilt of his weapon. He had seen the lizardfolk looking at him a few dozen paces back. He looked familiar, though Elquel couldn’t say why. A recent incident involving flames, lizards and a goblin was fresh in his mind, but Elquel dismissed the idea, especially since he could not distinguish one lizard man from another, at least reliably.

Raising his hand, Elquel greeted the stranger.

“Hello, traveller.”

Elquel looked around. On the vast gentle field, there was only the two of them.

“Em, do you need anything? I mean you no harm, I was simply on the same path as you.”

Elquel didn’t think he looked that suspicious, to warrant someone staring at him with their weapon at the ready. However, he considered that a series of bandit attack would make the populace altogether more wary of strangers in general. He too, had come to complete a request to thwart the bandits and earn some solars along the way. Even though he did not possess much of any combat prowess, he could still heal any victims of attacks.

Xalmann relaxed a little as the man spoke. He slowly released his hand from his dagger, but still kept it close to his side, ready to grab it again, just in case they made any sudden movements.

"No, I need nothing from you. I am just wary of others. I have heard tales of bandits in this area." Xalmann stated in a deep, gravelly voice.

He looked the stranger up and town, taking in their features and looking for any weapons. He noticed their crimson cape flowing over what appeared to be armor. They had pale skin, pale hair, and sunken cheeks. Their eyes were equally as red as their flowing cape and glowing slightly. Despite the suit of armor, Xalmann couldn't spot any weapons on the person. This was a small comfort to him, but he could not completely let down his guard. They may possess some dangerous magic. Perhaps they possessed the same fire magic he had awakened to after his near death to the flames.

"I am Xalmann Dakarr, Last of the Bloody Axes. We are following the same path. We should stay close together. There is some safety in numbers, is there not?" Xalmann stated, watching the pale man, awaiting their response.

“Ah…” Elquel’s eyes widened. “The Blood Axe…”

Immediately, he shifted his gaze away, looking at anything else other than Xalmann. Feeling unbelievably awkward, Elquel realised why he looked so familiar. He felt strange about the incident, a little guilty even a little sorrowful, ultimately just confusion. The events of the heist-rescue-arson of the Bloody Axe was so confusing that Elquel wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Where did the fire even come from?

After looking at the clouds for a full minute, Elquel cleared his throat and faced Xalmann once more, putting on a calm front and masking his incredible awkwardness.

“Ahem, er, yes! There is indeed safety in numbers, especially with bandits roving about.”

Elquel immediately thought of how to divert Xalmann’s attention, and took out a little piece of paper detailing quest and its reward. He handed it to Xalmann and explained.

“Speaking of bandits, the commonfolk have issued a quest for adventurer to earn a hefty reward if they manage to drive off the bandits.”

“Would you be interested? We can divide the share.”

Perhaps Elquel did feel bad for Xalmann, and wanted to help him in any little way he could. It definitely does not make up for the destroyed village though, I doubt anything will.

Xalmaan took the paper from the man and read it over. There was indeed a hefty reward for dealing with the bandits, and there were only four of them. How could a mere four bandits become such a big problem? Perhaps the stories about them were exaggerated. Or perhaps there was more than one group of four bandits in the area. Either way, this would be an easy way to gain some coin.

"Yes, I am interested. I will be able to purchase a new axe with this reward." Xalmann stated, a hint of happiness barely perceptible in his monotone way of speaking. 

Sadly, when Xalmann had awoken to the remains of his tribe, he had never had a chance to take any of them. He had been too exhausted to move much and his consciousness had faded in and out before he had awoken elsewhere. He assumed that all of the spears and axes had burnt, anyways and did not go back for them. The only weapon he had been able to find among the wreckage in his state was a strange kukri dagger that he did not know the origins of. No one in his tribe really used daggers, much preferring the namesake of their tribe or a throwing spear for longer range. Still, the dagger had been better than nothing, so he had taken it. He was now very glad he had, since it gave him comfort, but he still yearned for the axe that he was most familiar with and most confident with in a battle.

He was slightly moved by the kindness of the pale man.

"We will go drive off the bandits and earn this reward, Pale Man!" Xalmann stated, looking at him and handing back the quest paper.

“Indeed, and let me introduce myself. I am Elquel Nosvlad, a healer.”

”A pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

Elquel resolved himself to help this lizardfolk as much as he could. Even if he couldn’t guarantee the Xalmann’s safety, he could at least make sure he didn’t stay dead, for long. It was partially out of sympathy and guilt, but there was also respect, for his strength. He had survived without Elquel’s healing and stood upon his two feet, all on his own. That much deserved Elquel’s admiration.

Elquel noticed the dagger hanging at Xalmann’s back, he only saw the hilt since it was still in its sheath. Even so he could sense something dark within it, a faint feeling of disgust touched him as he felt the wrongness of the dagger. However, he felt even more sympathy for its painful tortured existence.

Apprehensive, Elquel hesitated then decided not to ask. He didn’t want to pry into Xalmann’s secrets, however unholy they were.

”To seek out bandits is not a difficult task, however dealing with them will not be easy.”

“Would you be able to handle them yourself? I will provide support in the rear.”

He looked over Xalmann, knowing that while he may seem small, there was fierce fire in his eyes. Elquel understood that he was stronger than he looked, but he wasn’t sure how much so.

“Perhaps we may need to set up an ambush. Letting us gain an advantage.”

"I will handle them" Xalmann stated confidently, resting a hand on the hilt of his dagger. "But we will find them first"

The two continued to walk down the path. Xalmann walked slightly ahead of Elquel, keeping an eye on both sides of the road for any movement or hiding spots the bandits may use to set up an ambush. The two didn't pass anything that stood out, but he was still cautious. The bandits might be cunning enough to make something difficult to detect. Perhaps they'd dug holes to hide away in. He could only remain alert, just in case.

He glanced back at Elquel occasionally. Xalmann was not good at idle conversation. He didn't know what kinds of questions to ask or any other things he wanted to tell the man about himself. The man said he was a healer. It would have been nice to have met him sooner, before he had already recovered from all of his burns and removed the bandages.  Perhaps he could have been spared some of the pain he had endured. There was no use thinking about such a thing now. What has passed has passed. Being bitter about it wouldn't help him with anything.

In the distance, a tree line started to appear over the horizon. They were approaching the forest. An easy place for bandits to hide and set up an ambush.

Elquel nodded. With that nasty dagger, there shouldn’t be much that Xalmann couldn’t handle. Much less some unruly bandits.

As they walked alongside one another in silence. Elquel felt rather awkward. He didn’t really know what to talk about or what to say. Sure, he had saved the lives of many in that burning village but that didn’t make him feel better, not by much. So he remained silent.

As they approached the edge of the trees, the wind began to pick up. The slow and cool breeze turned into fast and cutting gale. The falling leaves from the trees blew towards Elquel and Xalmann.

“Something’s odd here.”

Elquel said to Xalmann as he managed to spy a figure among the trees.

Rapidly, the wind swung direction upwards and blew the falling leaves towards the two. As the leaves fell around them, an arrow shot towards the two from the trees. It flew past Elquel’s face and embedded itself into the ground.

“Surrender ye arms!”

A voice called out from the trees.

“Right, this sa ROBBERY!”

A second voice continued from the same direction.

“Don’t move and put your valuables down, lest ye want be riddled with arrows.”

Elquel turned to Xalmann.

“Looks like we found our men.”

The wind began move erratically, swirling around Elquel and Xalmann like a mini whirlwind. Looks like some wind-magic was involved as well.

Xalmann silently nodded at Elquel's statement and peered around for the hidden bandits. If they were hiding in the trees, it was likely they would have ranged attackers with bows and arrows, possibly one of the crossbows that he had seen a Dwarf use in his raid on a merchant's wagon with Mask. Elquel had said he could use healing magic, but Xalmann didn't quite know the extent of his companion's abilities and a shot from something like that seemed like more than simple healing magic could help with.

Finally, he spotted one of the bandits hiding in the bushes. They had peaked their head out just a little, but Xalmann saw the movement and the glint of something shiny. Unfortunately, the shiny thing happened to be the bandit's dazzlingly bald head. He couldn't see what kind of weapon the bandit was wielding. If they were hiding on the ground, it was likely to be some kind of melee weapon.

Xalmann gave Elquel a slight nudge and discreetly pointed out the bald bandit's location. He continued to try to find more bandits, but the voice came from the trees again. He tried to follow the voice, but the sound of the wind made it difficult.

"Said valuables on the ground. Now!"

Elquel raised his hands to show that he held no weapons, nor had any stashed on him. He looked at where Xalmann pointed out the bandit was, noticing their bald shiny head.

“What’re ya lookin at?”

The bald head poked up, revealing a surprisingly handsome face.

“Don’tcha go doin anything funny eh!”

He whistled a strange tune that sound strangely mesmerising, and the wind died down. The leaves floating in the wind fell to the ground.

The good-looking bald bandit emerged from the trees. He was a elf of small size, with a dagger in each hand, wearing a makeshift leather armor.

Three other bandits appeared as well, each wielding an assortment of weaponry.

The handsome elf put a wooden whistle between his lips and began whistling a tune, beautiful and almost magical. The wind picked up once more, and lifted the elven bandit and the other three men off their feet and into the air, levitating them to towards Elquel and Xalmann. The sight was a little ridiculous, yet menacing as well.

“Now, cm’on lay down ye goods, or mah buddy here.“ He pointed to his side at the bandit holding a crossbow. “Will end ye sorry lives fer gud!”

Elquel whispered to Xalmann, “What’s your plan, friend? How do you wanna handle this?”

Xalmann thought for a moment about his battle strategy. There were four bandits. one in the tree with a bow. One levitating next to the wizard with a sword. The other levitating next to the wizard had a crossbow. And finally, there was the wizard himself.

The archers seemed to be the most threatening, but he didn't know what other magics the wizard might be capable of. If they could control the wind and levitate, they could probably also use magic to attack. He decided the wizard should be taken down first. If Elquel could heal his wounds, then the crossbow bolts and arrows wouldn't be as much of a problem as magic.

Xalmann took his knife out of its sheath, trying to act like he was going to drop it for the bandits. The bandits aimed their weapons at him. He glanced at Elquel with a silent nod before he took off running directly toward the wizard. The bandits were a little surprised by the sudden defiance, but they shot their arrows and bolts at him. He managed to dodge to the side and avoid the arrow, but the bolt sank into the side of his torso. It was a terrible wound. He really hoped Elquel would truly be able to heal him after this.

He continued running, ignoring the pain until he reached the wizard who began floating higher up to try and flee. They seemed to have expected the Lizard to be dead before he could reach him, protected by the two archers. He rose up, but not quick enough to avoid being slashed in the leg by Xalmann's knife. The wizard suddenly froze in a look of horror as Xalmann grabbed him by the leg and swung him down onto the ground, striking his head onto the dirt with a loud thud. The levitation spell on the two other bandits faded and they fell to the ground. The crossbow man fell onto his back, stumbling with a replacement bolt. The swordsman managed to land on his feet and immediately ran at Xalmann.

At Xalmann’s charge, Elquel immediately focused his mind and began channelling his mana. A bright red aura of blood manifested around him, with wisps of black shadow at the edge. His eyes glowed bright scarlet. He extended a finger, pointing at the swordsman. A chain of black shadowy energy shot towards the bandit and wrapped around them. The chain constricted around their body and bound them tightly, causing them to drop their sword and making it difficult for them to move.

Dark Binding
You fire out a beam of pure dark energy. This beam of energy is thin and travels in a straight line up to a medium distance away. If this beam strikes someone it will wrap around them like a vine, restricting their movement. This spell will bind them for their next post, preventing them from moving away. They can still manipulate their hands to a degree.

Elquel quickly ran towards Xalmann, placing a hand on his shoulder, and began healing him.

A huge amount of healing magic surged into Xalmann and instantly mended the wound. Any pain and discomfort also instantly vanished. Usually, Elquel wouldn’t use so much mana for wounds like this. However, right now, time is of essence, and Xalmann needed to be in top-shape for this fight.

Massive Healing
A healing spell that can be used to heal un-healable wounds. This includes things like lost limbs or body parts. It will regrow a lost arm or leg, repair a damaged eye or other organ. This will give the target full control of a healthy limb or organ as if it was never damaged before. You must touch the target for this to take effect.

Several arrows flew past Elquel and Xalmann, coming from the archer in the trees. Strangely enough, it seemed that they were a horrible shot. (They need wind-magic to guide their arrows)

The bald elven wizard still lay dazed on the ground, wooden whistle had fallen far from his grasp but near Xalmann. Elquel noticed this and quickly snatched it from the ground.

Freaked out by the crimson magical aura Elquel was emitting, the bandit with the crossbow loaded a bolt and fired at Elquel, hitting him in the head.

Elquel grunted and stumbled backwards, a crossbow bolt stuck in his head. Taking a few seconds to regain his balance, he immediately pulled the bolt out without hesitation. The wounded instantly sealed itself.

The bandit was even more freaked out now, and scrambled to load another bolt.

Xalmann gave a sigh of relief as the pain in his side vanished. It seems Elquel wasn't lying about his healing magic. With this, he could fight a bit more recklessly.

Xalmann was very worried when he saw the bolt in Elquel's forehead, but it seemed there was nothing to worry about. Perhaps the man was just able to use his healing magic on himself and the bolt hadn't been deep enough to kill him. It didn't matter. What mattered now was the bandits still trying to kill them.

He looked down as the wind wizard lying on the ground. He needed to be finished off, or he might still be a great threat later. The swordsman was also being bound by some magic from Elquel. He could deal with him in a moment. He stepped over the man on the ground and swept his dagger across the helpless wizard's throat. The look of horror on their face intensified as their eyes opened wider and their hands grabbed their throat to try and staunch the bleeding.

Next was the swordsman who was still bound by magic. He ran up to the man, ready to deal a fatal blow and remove them from the fight permanently.

Elquel tossed the crossbow bolt aside, and began inspecting the wooden whistle, that he had picked up.

Holding it to his mouth, he softly exhaled into the whistle. He blew a soft quiet tune and the wind moved along with it. He adjusted the tune of the whistle and the wind shifted directions too.

“Xalmann, I’ll cover you!”

He shouted out and continued whistling. The bandit with the crossbow fired another bolt, this time at Xalmann. It flew through the air before it was bent and swept away by the magic wind.

The crossbowman was completely freaked out now, and immediately ran away, sprinting to the woods.

Elquel turned his attention to Xalmann and played a swift energetic tune. The wind swirling around Xalmann, lifting him slightly, not levitating him but enough to boost his speed.

The swordsman, on the other hand, broke free of the black chains, and picked up his sword again. He eyed the approaching lizardman, and snarled.

“Aight, you son of a hag, come fight me!”

Elquel looked down at the bleeding wind-wizard, and kneeled down to heal him. The bandit relaxed as the bleeding stopped. Immediately, he tried to stand up and run away but couldn’t even move his arms and feet. Some kind of dark red sticky substance glued him to the grass.

Dark Soil
You create a patch of tar like substance on the ground, a dark blob of sticky energy. Anyone standing on the patch or passing through the patch will find themselves stuck, unable to move for the next post. You can only be freed by being pulled by another person. This spell also prevents anyone from using fly or hovering spells or effects while in the tar.

Xalmann felt the wind beneath him making him lighter and increasing his speed. He took the opportunity to charge at the swordsman, dagger at the ready. He approached too quick for the swordsman to prepare himself. Caught off guard, they faltered for a moment and just tried to dodge the swing of the kukri dagger, but they were a little too slow.

The crossbowman and archer watched the swordsman freeze with a look of horror on his face as he was slashed in the arm by the speedy Lizardman. They both knew this fight wasn't going well for them now that the wizard had been taken out, but the armored man seemed merciful. He had healed the slashed throat of the wizard before he died. It was either take their chances trying to fight the cruel and merciless Lizard or hope they might be spared by pale man.

"We surrender!" the crossbowman called out, dropping his crossbow and raising his hands above his head. The thing was useless now anyways with their wind magic turned against them. The archer saw this and also dropped his weapon. They had terrible aim, relying on the wind magic to guide their arrows. It made no difference if they had their bow anymore.

Xalmann stopped his dagger, holding it to the swordsman's back, and put an arm around their neck. He was ready to kill all four of them, but it seemed they had lost the will to fight. Pathetic. A hint of disgust showed on his usually emotionless face, but he decided to let Elquel decide their fates.

The swordsman came back to their senses and saw his two allies surrendering. They also dropped their sword and put their hands up silently, a look of horror still on their face. They looked back at the Lizardman holding a dagger to their back and stuttered "S- sorry."

Xalmann ignored their apology. Why would he care if the man regretted trying to rob them?