The wilderness stretched before Kael and Lira, vast and daunting.
The path was overgrown, the trees twisted, their leaves a deep green. Sunlight broke through the dense trees, decorating the ground with patterns of light and shadows.
Leaving Riverstone behind had been harder than either of them anticipated.
The village, no matter how damaged, had been their home, a place tied to the memory of their father and their whole, simple life before the fragments changed everything.
Kael adjusted the straps of his pack, which carried the essentials—dried provisions, a small water pouch a first-aid kit, a bag of twenty silver coins and the map their father had left them. Despite their preparation, their resources felt woefully inadequate.
"Water will be the first thing we run out of," he said, breaking the silence as they moved deeper into the forest.
Lira walked beside him, her posture tense but her expression calm. "We'll find a stream," she said, her voice steady. "There's always one near these kinds of woods."
After trekking through the forest the two now faced a huge mountain in their path.
The mountain loomed ahead, a jagged wall of stone and a snowy tip that seemed to pierce the sky.
The air grew thinner and colder as Kael and Lira approached, their breath visible in the crisp morning light.
"It's more treacherous than I thought," Kael muttered, scanning the path ahead. The map their father had left marked the mountain pass as a critical route to the capital, but it gave no warning of the dangers they now faced.
The path was narrow, flanked on one side by sheer cliffs that dropped into dark ravines and on the other by steep walls of stone.
The wind howled as they climbed.
Kael and Lira relied on a mix of caution and smart thinking to scale the hazardous terrain.
Kael studied the rocks and paths ahead, careful for unstable pieces. His fragment, which had begun to understand how it functions, occasionally pulsed in warning, guiding him away from loose ground or unstable ledges.
"If we go left, we'll avoid the narrow path, but it looks steeper," Kael said, pointing to a fork in the trail.
"Steep is better than falling to our deaths," Lira replied, already moving toward the safer option.
They paced themselves, taking frequent breaks to conserve their strength. Lira's fragment granted her an edge in agility, but even she felt the strain of the climb. Kael rationed their water and food carefully, ensuring they had enough for the days ahead.
As they reached a plateau halfway up the mountain, Kael's fragment flared suddenly. He froze, holding up a hand to stop Lira.
"What is it?" she whispered.
"Movement ahead," he murmured, crouching low.
Peering over a rocky outcrop, they saw a group of figures gathered near the edge of the trail. They were armed, their mismatched armor glinting faintly with fragment energy.
"Bandits," Kael said grimly. "They must be using fragments to enhance their weapons."
They watched silently, noting the bandits' movements and positions. A man who seemed to be the leader, a burly man with a fragment-imbued gauntlet, barked orders as his crew unloaded supplies from a stolen cart.
Knowing that a confrontation was inevitable Kael and Lira retreated to a natural cave carved into the rock.
The hollow provided cover, allowing them to observe the bandits without being seen. From here, they could stage a defense if necessary, but their focus was on an offensive plan.
Kael checked their supplies one last time, leaving the crucial items in the cave. "If we lose these, we're finished," he said.
Lira, crouched beside him, tightened her grip on her daggers. The moonlight caught the steel, casting a faint glimmer. "So, what's the plan?"
Kael's mind raced as he scanned the scene below. Sneaking past was too risky—the bandits had taken up positions that blocked the trail entirely. A direct assault could get them killed. His eyes landed on the bandit leader's gauntlet, its fragment flickering with uneven energy.
"They're reckless," Kael murmured. "Look at that gauntlet. It's unstable—one wrong move, and it'll blow."
Lira's brow furrowed. "And how does that help us?"
"We make it their problem," Kael replied, a plan taking shape.
He spent the next hour quietly gathering loose rocks, building a low barrier around their position. It wouldn't hold against an extended assault, but it would buy them time if the bandits counterattacked.
Kael pointed to a narrow ledge above the camp. "If we get up there, we'll have the high ground. It'll be harder for them to reach us."
Lira's lips curved into a grin. "Finally, something my gymnastics is perfect for."
As darkness fell, the bandits gathered around a fire. Their laughter and drunken shouts echoed off the mountain walls, a sign of their lowered guard.
Kael and Lira moved silently, using the shadows to hide their approach.
Kael whispered, "Follow my lead."
Lira nodded, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Kael picked up a rock and hurled it toward the far side of the camp. The rock made a loud clatter causing the bandits to leap to their feet. Weapons were drawn as they turned toward the noise, their leader barking orders.
"They're distracted," Kael whispered. "Now."
Lira moved like a shadow, her steps silent as she darted into the camp. It would seem that her fragment gave her an agility boost as she moved at an inhuman speed.
The first bandit didn't even see her coming—the dull end of her dagger struck his leg sending him crumpling to the ground before he could shout.
Kael followed, using his fragment's heightened senses to track the bandits' movements.
A burly man swung an axe toward him, but Kael sidestepped with precision, the fragment's pulse guiding him.
With forced determination and his eyes closed, he drove his fist into the man's side, they obviously did not plan on killing anyone, as these people had not aimed to kill them yet and they had never done something so grueling before.
The bandits scrambled, chaos spreading. Lira used the confusion to her advantage, running and doing impossible jumps over a low rock to strike another opponent. Her dagger flashed as she disarmed him, twisting his arm until he dropped his weapon with a cry.
A roar cut through the fray as the bandit leader charged into the melee. His fragment-imbued gauntlet glowed ominously, crackling with unstable energy. He swung wildly releasing a powerful blast of air, forcing Kael and Lira to retreat toward the edge of the camp.
Kael's mind raced. The gauntlet's energy surged with every movement, its glow growing erratic. "Lira, we have to bait him!" he shouted.
Lira's eyes flicked toward the narrow ledge above them. "Lead him here!" she called, sprinting toward the rocky outcrop.
Kael followed, turning briefly to taunt the leader. "Come on! You want us? Try harder!"
The leader growled, his steps heavy as he gave chase. "How dare you attack us!? I'll break your feat and let you watch as I have fun with the girl."
The gauntlet hissed and sparked, its power dangerously close to overload.
Kael reached the ledge and turned to face the charging leader. Lira, perched on a higher rock, waited for her moment.
The leader swung his gauntlet in a wide arc, the force of the blow cracking the ground where Kael had stood seconds before. Kael dodged, his fragment pulsing in warning as the energy from the gauntlet surged.
"Now, Lira!" Kael shouted.
Lira launched herself from the ledge, her dagger aimed at the gauntlet. She struck its core, the fragment, with pinpoint precision, disrupting the fragment's energy.
The gauntlet let out a high-pitched whine before exploding in a burst of light and heat. The leader was thrown backward, his unconscious body slumping against a rock.
The remaining bandits, disoriented and demoralized, fled into the darkness.
The camp was eerily silent as the dust settled. Kael and Lira stood amidst the wreckage, their breaths heavy.
"Nice timing," Kael said, offering Lira a small smile.
She smirked, pretending to wipe her blades clean. "You did all right too."
They quickly gathered their supplies and searched the camp for anything useful.
Kael found a lot of food but chose to only take a pouch of dried meat and a few coins, while Lira pocketed a small, fragment-infused trinket she found near the fire.
"These bandits are broke, they don't even have any cash!" Lira pouted.
"Not exactly," Kael said, flipping a cold coin he found.
The trade system in their kingdom was very simple.
Copper coins, or crows, have the picture of crows carved on them and are used for everyday things, like buying a loaf of bread or paying for a night at an inn.
A hundred copper coins equal one silver coin, often called moons due to them being engraved with crescent moon design. They are used for pricier items, like weapons or hiring a skilled craftsman.
Gold coins are reserved for the richest deals, worth a hundred silvers or ten thousand coppers. They're marked with the royal emblem, making them a symbol of wealth and status and are therefor often referred to as simply, gold.
Most people live their whole lives without ever seeing a gold coin.
Therefore a gold coin was no small amount as it could be used by one person to live a modest life for about ten years.
"Let's move before they come back," Kael said.
Lira nodded, and together they disappeared into the shadows.