“Thalamar’s bloody taint, that was a close one.”

Leaf slumped to the ground against the wagon.

“Could we not talk about the genitalia of the Gods at this moment? I can hardly stand on my feet let alone deal with such colorful vocabulary,” Jahora emerged from the wagon with an unsteady gait. Tried as she might, she soon succumbed to weariness and slid against the wagon until she sat next to Leaf, “Regardless, thank you for the assistance.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Leaf said, “That magic of yours has more than returned the favor.”

“I suppose it did,” she said with a smirk, which quickly turned to a frown, “At least, I wished it did. It took everything I had to keep just a few arrows away,” she held her trembling hands up.

“I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself,” Helbram said, “those arrows were infused with Ether.”

“Ether? Ahhhh… that would explain it. In all that chaos it was hard to tell.”

“Some blasted bandit can use Ether?” Leaf asked, “Bloody Hells, I guess that halfling wasn’t lying about them being a cut above your average theif.”

“I suspect that Halfling was working with them,” Helbram said, “I couldn’t see him with the caravan and his magicks were noticeably absent during the battle.”

“Could it be that maybe he was subdued first?” Jahora suggested, “As potent as Thaumaturgy can be, it makes little difference if there isn’t time to prepare a spell.”

“You may be right, but given that there did not seem to be any attempt at a spell, even when you warned them, it’s best to assume the bandits also have a Thaumaturge on their side.”

“So, the bandits have an Awoken and a wizard in their ranks,” Leaf sighed, “This is far out of our league.”

“He’s right,” Helbram said, “We should get back to town, war-”

Helbram stopped as the air around him went still. Silence followed, the cries of the surrounding fauna drowning in the stillness. The air swelled with pressure, keeping the words at Helbram’s throat as his skin prickled at the unnatural energies that followed. A brief moment passed as the group remained frozen in place, eyes darting as they searched for the source of this alien presence. A snap broke their search,  releasing the pressure around them only for it to be replaced by a torrent of force as a column of light tore into the sky in the distance. It barreled into the stars themselves as it reached its peak, washing over the sky with a pale blue light. The light eventually turned downwards and sped towards the ground, right where Helbram was standing.

He dove forward, just barely dodging the light as it struck the ground with a thud. Soil burst into the air, enveloping the clearing with a cloud of dirt. When the dust cleared, the light had recessed back towards the singular column that pierced the sky, leaving behind a small trench from where it struck before.

“Melissandra’s tits, the hells was that!” Jahora yelled from under the wagon.

“Couldn’t tell you,” Leaf said from behind the wagon, “Helbram? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just a bit dirty,” the helmeted man said with a sigh. He picked himself up from the forest floor and looked back at where the light struck, “Huh, there may be an issue.”

Leaf poked his head out from cover, “What do you me-oh”

“What? What is it? Stop being so vague,” Jahora crawled from under the wagon and when she looked ahead, she knew.

The forest beyond the trench looked distorted even in the dim lighting of the night. It was stretched, oblong as if being looked at from the bottom of a glass. Helbram stepped forward and reached out, only for his hand to be stopped just at the perimeter of the trench. He pressed against an invisible force, as sturdy as any wall he’d ever felt.

“It looks like our bandits have deployed a barrier of some sort,” Helbram said as he knocked against the invisible wall. A translucent ripple formed at the site of impact, fading as it traveled along the magical barrier.

“Ahhhhh, it's like that eh?” Leaf said.

“Shite,” Jahora spat.

“Agreed.”

“So not only are our Bandits numerous, organized, well armed with possibly both an Awoken and a Thaumaturge on their side, but they somehow have the means to deploy a force field over a large area in a near instant.”

“Aye,” Helbram said walking towards the wagon, “That about sums it up.”

“We have no escape route,” Leaf tacked on, “And given that the majority of the caravan was incapacitated back in the chaos only means we have no chance of back up either.”

“Also true,” Helbram jumped back into the wagon, taking note of the various barrels and crates that lay within. Most remained undamaged from the attack, with a few others cracked from their reckless charge into the forest. The lid of one barrel had popped off, revealing a bounty of hardtack within. He grabbed a few pieces from the barrel and hopped back out of the wagon.

“You two are oddly calm about this,” Jahora said in her own steady tone.

“Oh I am terrified,” Helbram said with a relaxed voice, he tossed both Leaf and Jahora a piece of hardtack, “But panicking here won’t do us much good. Best to take a moment and collect our thoughts, come up with a plan if we can.”

Jahora nodded and bit into her hard tack absentmindedly.

“So we have rations, as… mouth watering as they are,” Leaf knocked his hardtack against the wagon, producing a hollow metallic sound.

“Indeed, hopefully not just hardtack, but food should not be an issue if this turns into a prolonged endeavor,” Helbram slightly lifted his visor and took a quick bite of his ration.

“If we can keep the wagon with us,” Jahora said, “They could easily be patrolling the perimeter right now,” she made a strained sound as she swallowed her ration, “Oh gods, does anyone have a waterskin? It feels like there is a brick in my chest.”

Leaf tossed her the one attached to his hip and continued eating, “You have to let it sit a bit so it goes down easy. But, she is right, if they continue to be this organized I suspect patrols are happening right now,” He nodded towards the Auroc at the head of the wagon, “cuddly as she is it’d be like tossing a greased up pig into a pottery shop if we tried sneaking around with her.”

Helbram snorted, “You do make a point, I suppose our Thaumaturge wouldn’t be able to come up with a spell to assist with that?”

“...maybe if I... I’m sure I could think of something if you give me some time.”

He nodded, “Take the time you need. Leaf, mind keeping watch while I take inventory?”

“Will do, numbers and spells aren’t my thing anyways.”

Leaf walked to the perimeter of the forest clearing, hands fixed to his bow. His stance appeared relaxed, but there was a tenseness to his shoulders that Helbram recognized. The half elf, for all of his relaxed attitude, was wary, much like the gnome that muttered to herself as she examined the wagon and the trees around it. Helbram was in no position to judge, and he was glad he kept his helmet on as he grit his teeth.

“One thing at a time…” he whispered to himself.

Taking inventory of their supplies proved to be a good distraction from the odds against them. He noted two barrels full of hardtack within the wagon along with another that was filled with dried nuts and fruits. One of the crates was also loaded with jerky, but beyond that he found that most of the crates were loaded with various camping tools such as tents and ropes. Ropes were especially abundant, taking up the majority of these supplies along with plenty of pitons and spikes for securing them.

“I do believe I have an idea,” Jahora said, “But it is a bit of a gamble.”

Helbram poked his head out of the wagon to listen.

“What if we don’t move the wagon at all?” she asked.

“That would indeed be quite the gamble,” Helbram said.

“Now hear me out,” Jahora started, “We may be in a clearing but the surrounding area is dense with shrubbery. I’m not the most skilled in illusions but if we manage to get the wagon to the ground I should be able to hide it from a simple glance.”

“I see, thoughts Leaf?”

“She does have a point. If we tried moving the wagon anywhere we’d probably leave an obvious trail.,” the bowman was silent for a moment, “We’re going to need to get rid of the Auroc.”

The beast of burden stopped chewing at the grass and looked up at the group, its beady eyes oblivious to their conversation.

“Oh don’t look at me so,” Jahora said in a pained voice, “The man’s right, I’m afraid you just make far too much noise for us.”

Helbram hopped out of the wagon, “Right… then let’s do it like this.”

The three set their plan in motion. After positioning the wagon near a group of shrubs near the edge of the clearing Helbram and Leaf removed the reins from the Auroc while Jahora began to conjure a spell, gathering the ambient Aether into a pale purple glyph that formed at the base of the wagon. Whilst the two men guided the Auroc to the forest Helbram caught the formation of leaves slowly wrapping around the wagon, its magitek engine turned off so it lay flat against the ground. At a simple glance it took the shape of a large bush, but enough scrutiny would reveal its unnatural make.

The Auroc looked at both Leaf and Helbram as it was guided further into the woods, a docile expression across its bushy features. 

“Why do all of you have to look so bloody innocent…” Leaf muttered, “Listen here, you keep looking nice and naive like that, ok? Next time I see you, you'd best be attached to some bandit’s cart. That way we can just whisk you off again.”

Helbram noticed a chip at the head of one of the beast’s horns along with a small scar that ran across one of its eyes. He sighed and petted the beast on the head, digging into her fur and scratching behind one of her ears. The Auroc let out a soft bellow at his ministrations.

“Listen to the man,” he said softly. He petted the beast for a moment more before slapping a hand against its rear, jolting the Auroc and sending her speeding into the woods.

The two men watched the beast disappear into the trees and by the time they looked back Jahora’s illusion had settled further, the wagon’s location revealed only as the gnome looked upon it with pride.

“I do believe that is some of my best work,” she said with a grin, “It’s nothing like you’d see from the Illusionists back in Helios but for a few bandits I’d say that’ll do the trick.”

“If they don’t happen to have some random boon that lets them see through it that is,” bitterness was plain in Leaf’s voice, “Bastards are just full of tricks…”

“Oh don’t say that, now you’ve gone and spoiled it…” Jahora pouted.

“Well let’s just allow ourselves a modicum of hope and say they won’t, shall we?” Helbram said, “But we still need to maintain watch, who wants to go first?”

“I suppose I will,” Leaf volunteered, “I’ve no fancy magic sight but these eyes haven’t failed me in the dead of night.”

Helbram nodded, “Then I’ll take second watch. Jahora, save your strength, we’ll be asking much from your spells in the future.”

She frowned as if she was about to protest, but then sighed, “Alright, I suppose you’re right, but none of you push yourselves too hard already, understand?” she said, “Odds are one of you is carrying me as we navigate this mess.”

She waved them off and disappeared into her illusion.

Leaf snorted, “Well at least she’s honest.”

“Are you going to be alright out here?” Helbram asked.

Leaf gave a flippant wave, “Don’t worry about it, you get some rest. I suspect that tomorrow is going to be a long day for us.”

Helbram nodded and put a hand on the half elf’s shoulder before walking into the illusion. Jahora was already asleep next to a barrel, her breathing steady. The sight of the sleeping gnome made his own weariness evident and by the time that he sat down he fell fast asleep.