Rather than take the main road north and then east, Tyrius thought it might be better to take the less-traveled path--through the woods themselves. Depending on what they encountered, this could be more dangerous--but the lands near Dufast were relatively safe, their local lord doing the best he could to keep the area safe, but there was always the chance of something dangerous to happen. So, what they did was pretty simple. Leanna kept a lookout, extending her senses through the air to keep an eye on the surrounding area while Tyrius led the horse forward. For the most part, traveling through the woods and unmarked land around them was uneventful. The woods were calm save for the small animals scattered about and the occasional deer that crossed their path. Tyrius knew it was exhausting to keep her sensing spell up so often, but Leanna insisted, and Tyrius had no reason to dispute her claims.

Tyrius had no idea how they were making timewise, but it was relaxing. The calm quiet of the woods reminded him of better days--days he hoped to return to soon enough. It wasn’t often he was off alone in the woods. With Leanna’s magical abilities, it was far easier to hunt, as she could sense the creatures in the surrounding area and lead Tyrius right to them or avoid them if they were dangerous.

So, the journey was quite lovely for the first few days, though the tiny forest surrounding their home soon gave away to grasslands, which were primarily used for farming. Still, much of it was left unkept and unclaimed. The fear of the barbarian lands to the south and the savage lands to the south-east kept new settlers from coming south to cultivate the lands.

“So, are you ready, Leanna? We’ll be out of the cover of trees now. Let me know if you start feeling ill, alright?” Tyrius asked, his attention shifting to the side as he glanced at his sister. From what he was told, the effects of vampirism would slowly increase as time went by--at first, there would be no real change, but as time went on, her need for blood and weakness towards sunlight would begin to fester.

“Don’t worry. I don’t feel any different yet. I think it’s best we make hast. I don’t know how quickly, but the effects will grow. Hopefully, we can get far before anything begins to happen.” Leanna started softly, a small smile across her lips as she nodded.

Tyrius nodded before urging his horse forward once more. The lands they were at now were the unkept kind, tall, wild grasses rose from the ground, going up mid-high on the horse. The rolling plains and grasslands filled his vision to the horizon.

This was certainly different than traveling in the woods, where the branches high above left them in a cool shade, here, there was no such protection from the sun that shone down on them, with their only reprieve being the occasional cloud the floated in front of the ball of fire. For the following days, their routine remained the same, ride the horse, take a break when they came across a small stream, of like, refill their containers of water, and let the horse rest before continuing. When night came, they’d rest, set up their tents, and keep an eye on their surroundings.

It was about a week and a half of traveling that they came across their first signs of civilization, a road, though this one not as well kept and rougher. Through generations of feet walking across it had padded the ground down, creating a pathway through the tall grass.

Since they left the woods, hunting and scavenging had been that much harder, so with a glance between the two, Tyrius and Leanna decided that following the path in hopes of reaching a town or village to restock their supplies would be a good decision.

Neither Tyrius nor Leanna were familiar with this part of the empire--as while it was not far from their home, it was far farther east than either of them had ever traveled in their life. Though still had they followed the path, eventually, the pair caught sight of what seemed to be a set of wooden buildings off in the distance.

“It seems we were right. There is a village here. Good, good, we’ll be able to get some supplies.” Tyrius stated, a small sigh of relief escaping his lips as he urged the horse forward, making it move faster. Some warm food would do them both good.

As they approached, just to be safe, Leanna extended her senses forward into the village. It took her an instant to tell that the town was inhabited at the least. She felt people inside the buildings, but she couldn’t help but note that something was off--there weren’t any guards about, and there weren’t people outside of their homes. But it wasn’t anything truly out of the ordinary; it was getting late.

When the pair arrived at the small village, they led their horse inside. Tyrius did notice that his sister was a little tense--that was to be expected. She was a vampire or at least becoming one. After entering, Tyrius was also found it was odd that there was no one out and about. Glancing around at the buildings, he simply raised an eyebrow before shrugging and moved his horse deeper into the small village. When he noticed an older man sitting over by a well, Tyrius steered his mount over in that direction.

When he arrived, Tyrius smiled before speaking. “Hello there, do you know who we could talk to about procuring some supplies and maybe a bed or two for the evening?”

When they arrived, and Tyrius spoke, Leanna focused her attention on the man and noticed something was different. While he looked like an older man, he did not feel like an old man. Through her senses extended by her magic, she felt a large, toned figure where the old man was.

“Tyrius...I think something is wro--” she began before suddenly the windows on the surrounding houses swung open, revealing several ragtag archers, and the old man’s form shifted and changed in a moment, disappearing as if a colored mist had been shrouding what was there. In the place of the old man was a large figure, standing six and a half feet tall, scars dotting his face, and a toothy grin etched across his face.

“I don’t think yer gonna find any of that ‘ere.” he said, in a deep and harsh voice, his hand reaching down towards the above to a greatsword that was slung over his back.

“If yah want to live, yer gonna drop yer belongings and the horse and do as I say. I don’t like killin when killin isn’t necessary, so consider yourself lucky, kid.”

Tyrius couldn’t help but curse under his breath--he’d lead his sister into a bandit trap, and he damn well couldn’t agree to the bandit’s demands, but the real issues were the archers, and he was well within striking distance of the man. Tyrius glanced back at his sister, uneasiness spread across his face. “Leanna…” he began before swallowing harder.

That was when he mouthed the words ‘Wind Wall’, hoping his sister caught on--it was the only way they could stop the arrows for a short time. Leanna, in response to his mouthed words, widened her eyes before nodding.

In truth, Tyrius hoped that the bandit here was underestimating them, that would give them the chance they needed.

“Very...well.” Tyrius said softly, his voice etched with worry before his attention shifted back to the brigand.

“Mmm, smart lad. Get off the horse then, and drop yer stuff on the ground.”

In truth, that suited Tyrius just fine. He already had his sword on his hip, so he didn’t need to take it off just yet.

Letting out a heavy sight, Tyrius began to dismount, sliding off the horse and setting the rien’s on the saddle--within reach of Leanna.

Tyrius had been practicing and figuring out how to use the flint gloves and boots he had to the best of their abilities throughout their journey, and he discovered quite a neat little trick with the boots.

One thing Tyrius knew, he wouldn’t be able to win a sword draw. The bandit was likely faster than him at drawing his weapon--and he was certainly stronger. So Tyrius had to go about a different route, where his new trick had come in.

Once on the ground, Tyrius raised one of his feet before slamming it into the ground, causing the flint boots to grind against one another, sending out a flurry of sparks. Then he focused his mana, igniting and intensifying the flames, focusing their focal points at the bottom of his feet.

In his testing, Tyrius learned he could rocket himself forward by focusing the fire and sending it jetting off from the base of his feet, giving him sudden speed, but he’d yet to master any fine movements. For now, the element of surprise that’d accompany his attack was good enough.

Tyrius flew into the air, catching the bandit by surprise, one of his feet swinging around as he flung forward, crashing into the bandit’s face from the side, sending him reeling to the side. Of course, in response, the bandits let their arrows fly, where Leanna came in. A torrent of air started to flow, circling Leanna, Tyrius, and the bandit Tyrius had just kicked, causing the arrows to fly off course, missing their targets.

“Leanna go! I’ll catch up.” Tyrius shouted as he drew his sword--as the bandit whom he had struck was already back on his feet. Half his face covered in burns from the sudden flaming kick.

“Not a bad kid. Though not good enough.” He moved forward, drawing out his greatsword and swinging downwards. Tyrius wasn’t about to block the blow, so he lept back, jumping out of the blade’s range. What surprised him was that he still managed to receive a gash on his arm--and the place where the blade’s indent on the ground was not where blade struck.

Leanna had already taken the reins and was leading the horse away, out of the village. Her wall of wind still swirling around her, leaving her protected from the arrows. As the edge of the wind wall touched Tyrius and bandit, the two were pulled slightly, but the wall’s strength was not strong enough to lift and pull heavy objects.

“Get the girl! I’ll deal with the brat here.” The greatsword man shouted out before he moved in again.

This time, Tyrius was more prepared. He snapped his free hand, sparks flying off from the flint gloves, and he urged his mana forward once again, causing the flames to expand and grow, creating a small flaming shield in front of him.

“You think that will stop me?” the bandit shouted, his greatsword swinging forward. Of course, while his illusions held, but the flames danced around where his sword was, giving Tyrius the chance to dodge appropriately and keep out of the way of the decisive strike. As he moved to the side, avoiding the actual blade, Tyrius since’s as the gash seared with pain as his arm moved.

Of course, Tyrius didn’t just stay on the defensive. He also attacked as well. He used the flame boost to increase his attack speed. He used his flint gloves to create another flurry of sparks, and this time used the ‘jet boost’ on the edge of his sword to cause it to move far faster than he could strike. The greatsword blocked the attack, but that didn’t stop Tyrius from sending a jet of flame forward when the invisible sword struck Tyrius’ causing the bandit to be singed by the fire once more.

At this point, with his enemy blinded by the heat of the flame that Tyrius had pushed forward, he decided to break away. He jumped back, using his jet feet to increase the speed of his retreat.

When he fled, Tyrius felt weaker, tired and weariness enveloped his body. Using magic heavily in bursts tired him out and expended his meager mana reserves. That was something he’d need to correct if he wanted to protect his sister--though from what recalled on the topic, the only way to expand one’s reserves was through training and meditation, and that was something he’d never learned from his father.

Leanna, while Tyrius made his way towards her, was waiting just outside of the gates for him, which, when she arrived, heaved himself up onto the horse before speaking to Leanna. “Go!” A moment later, the horse was urged into a gallop, and they fled away from the village--but off in the distance, Tyrius saw several figures leaving the village on their mounts after them. They weren’t free yet.

Leanna, like Tyrius, was also exhausted. Using the wind wall was draining on her mana reserves. While she only kept it up for a short while, she was nearly as drained as Tyrius. She wouldn’t be able to call upon the wind in any vast quantities for some time, so she’d need to rely on Tyrius to stop any attack as she snapped the reins and urged the horse into a run.

Tyrius had set himself up on the back of the horse, winced in pain as he pulled himself up. His attention focused behind at the few bandit riders who were making their way with haste towards them. Tyrius cursed their luck under his breath. Of course, in a situation like this, he did have an ace up his sleeve--of course, it depends on how well the bandit’s horses were trained. However, he didn’t want to try that idea just yet.

Tyrius raised his hand and snapped his finger, causing sparks to fly off from the flint gloves. Once again, he tugged at his mana pool and imbued the fuel into the tiny sparks the instant that formed. Then he will fire to shoot off, sending balls of fire at the riders that were following them. However, Tyrius didn’t aim at them, at least at first. His balls of fire were shot to the side, spooking the horses, but the bandits were good enough riders to keep the horses riding forward.

Through her extended senses, Leanna noticed this--she could feel Tyrius purposefully aiming to the side, as he didn’t want actually to kill the riders. Leanna cursed Tyrius’ good nature under her breath--now was not the time for it. Leanna, for a moment, recalled Lady Lera’s words that she’d need to push Tyrius--did she foresee something like this happening?

“Tyrius--we don’t have time...if they catch us, we’re dead…” Leanna shouted out to her brother, who paused for a moment as he heard his sister’s words. “We need to do whatever we can to survive--you’re the only one who can save us, Tyrius. I don’t have the energy to block them again…” Leanna added on.

Tyrius, once his sister finished, let out a small sigh. While he had always dreamed of it, he’d never truly thought he’d be in a life or death fight--he was supposed to be a blacksmith. Though, life has a way of doing things that you don’t need to. While he didn’t want to kill them--he could at least wound them, but he’d need to hit them first. “I may not like it...but you’re right, Leanna. We can’t show mercy to those who wouldn’t show us any…” Tyrius breathed out as he took his next shot.

While the balls of fire didn’t have the weight to knock an individual off of their horse, and Tyrius didn’t have the knowledge to cause an explosion, they would still be effective if they manage to hit their targets. The first bandit was caused by the surprise jet of fire that was suddenly launched at him. A loud yelp echoed out from the first bandit rider as the small flaming ball suddenly struck him. While he initially received only minor burns from the initial strike, his clothes were not so lucky. The large bandit Tyrius had fought earlier was wearing actual armor, leather, steel greaves, and so on. These bandits were not so well-armored. They mainly had padded cloth armor, enough to stop a blow or two but deadly weak against fire.

The bandit’s clothes that were struck by the flaming ball ignited, causing the horse the bandit was riding on to panic as its rider was now partially on fire. Regardless of whether he’d survive the fire, the bandit ceased his pursuit, but there were still others.

Tyrius continued to focus and launched more balls of fire at the remaining riders, though, now that they were aware Tyrius could do that, they were not caught unawares and swerved out of the way of bolts.

As the bandit riders got closer, Tyrius’ bolts of fire became more accurate, as the distance between them lessened, and he got used to aiming on horseback--and as luck would have it, he scored another hit on one of the bandits, his cloth armor bursting into flames like the first. But at this point, Tyrius was feeling the magical drain even more than he had before.

“Damn it…” Tyrius cursed under his breath as he felt his eyes going in and out of focus for a moment--a sign of mana exhaustion. “Leanna--ride through the fields. I only have a for more shots left in me...but I have a plan.” Tyrius panting out, as he eyes the rest of the riders, which were not that far from their horse, were even drawing their swords.

Leanna nodded and turned the horse into the fields of grass. While she didn’t know what Tyrius had in mind, she trusted her brother.

As expected, the bandit riders followed after them. After all this effort, they didn’t want to let their prey go, it seems.

One last time Tyrius snapped his fingers, and sparks flew off of his gloves. Tyrius willed what mana he could into sparks, creating the largest ball of fire he could, before focusing and sending the flames cascading outward across the field of grass.

While the flames did not strike the bandits, they did ignite the grass in the field, sending plumes of smoke up into the sky and sent red flames streaking across the tall grass. The bandit’s horses neighed in surprise and panic at the wall of fire and flame created before them, turning to the side and stopping despite the bandits’ wishes.

Tyrius managed to stay conscious for a few more moments, a slight grin spreading across his lips when he didn’t see any horses burst over through the makeshift firewall he had formed before slumping back against his sister.

When Tyrius came to, the sun had set, there was a small fire going. He saw his sister sitting next to him, her eyes alert. Off to the side, he saw the horse eagerly lapping up some water.

Slowly Tyrius pushed himself up, wincing at the effort. Mana exhaustion was a strange sensation. It was both similar and different to physical exhaustion. He ached all over, but it wasn’t the same aching sensation as tired muscles. Instead, it felt like an empty feeling inside of him that sent a wave of tiredness sweeping through his body.

“I see...we managed to get away,” Tyrius said, his voice filled with a weak tone.

Instantly Leanna’s attention shifted towards her brother, a mixture of worriedness and fear pronounced on her features.

“Why didn’t you try that earlier?” She asked as she looked down at him.

“Ah...because I didn’t want to set the land on fire...I was hoping I could take enough down to scare them off, but I’m not good enough with my ranged fire attack.” Tyrius said with a small sigh. “Do we have anything to drink?”

Leanna let out a small scoff as she reached down, pulled out their waterskin, and handed it to him.

“Tyrius--I know it sounds harsh...but we need to do what we can to survive. I don’t want to lose you too--you’re all I have left of our family. By the way, we’re down one of those healing crystals you were given. I used two for your arm. The wound was pretty deep.“Before he took the waterskin, a

A small sigh escaped Tyrius, and took a long, refreshing drink from it.

“I know, Leanna… Let’s just hope we don’t run into any more brigands.” Tyrius said, trying to change the topic.

“I agree..and along those lines, I think we should make north and travel along the main road. There’ll be more people, but we’ll probably be safer than traveling where we are now--at least we’re less likely to walk into a bandit stronghold.”

Tyrius mulled over his sister's words for a few moments longer before relenting. “I think you’re right...I suppose traveling quickly and safely is best for now, before it sets in. Then we’ll need to be careful, since if someone realizes...what happened to you, we’ll be hunted.”

“Don’t worry...I’m still fine. I don’t feel any strange cravings, so I think we still have plenty more time.” Leanna said before pulling out a few strands of jerky and handing them to Tyrius. “Here, eat this. We need to make sure you get your strength back--at least as much of it as you can get back.”

“Thank you,” Tyrius said before taking the meat and munching on it and sating his hunger.

Tyrius, while he expected to be woken by the sun’s first light, was instead woken by his sister gently nudging him awake.

As he was dragged from the depths of his slump, he grumbled in annoyance. “Leanna...what is it?” in a soft, sleepy tone.

“Tyrius--I feel people approaching. I think it’s the bandits from earlier. I think they followed us again.” Leanna said in a hurried whisper.

While it did not rid Tyrius of his weariness, his eyes bolted open, and he cursed underneath his breath.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes...I can feel them edging through the wind.”

“How many?”

“Only two...but they might have more waiting back. I think there were six of them following us in total, though you hit two of them with your fire bolts.”

Tyrius nodded before letting out a small sigh. “How far away are they?”

“They’re close--if they keep moving, they’ll hit the camp shortly.”

“Get the horse ready. I don’t think I can handle them. I’m not recharged from yesterday. We’ll leave what we can’t grab--we can always get more.”

With that, the pair moved quickly, doing their best to remain silent as they got the horse, grabbed what essential items they had. As the pair mounted, two bandits appeared, stepping out the tall grass--but they were too late to catch the pair unawares, as Tyrius and Leanna were already mounting the horse.

Once again, Leanna held the reins while Tyrius took the backseat, ready to defend against any attacks as they set off once more.

At first, Tyrius thought their sudden escape had been enough to free them from their pursuers, but it wasn’t long before Tyrius heard the hooves of other horses slamming into the ground after them.

Sir Bravor was a larger man, and his full plate metal clung to his body, hiding most of his muscular frame underneath the layer of metal. On his horse’s side was a large war hammer with a heavy blunted head, great for smashing through defenses. On his side was Sir Andor, a slimmer knight, and he didn’t wear a full plate. Instead, he was in a lightweight version of brigantine that covered his chest and front (though the metal plates were covered by a fine cloth covering). It allowed him to keep his mobility while offering a nice amount of protection if he did get into combat.

“Sir Bravor, what is the plan if we find them?”

The older, bulker knight let out a small chuckle as he raised his hand and caressed his chin. “Well, that depends. The boy might not know what his sister has become--and I doubt they know anyone is following them. As long as the vampire isn't savage yet, I think it might be best to watch them and see if we can reason with the boy. From what I understand, his desire to protect his sister is commendable but futile. Humans and vampires cannot coexist.”

Andor nodded his head. “I think that’s a smart move. We might learn more about what happened during the attack if we can get him to be reasonable. It might be able to shed some light on the vampire attacks across the country.”

With his comments done, Andor focused outwards. Like all the knights, he too was specialized in some form of magic. He was adept at using fire, specifically from a range, to support his comrades. Of course, he had also learned how to sense his surroundings for heat to search for various things. As he sensed the surroundings, he felt all sorts of creatures, the squirrels hiding in the trees, birds flying through the skies, and so on. Though as he sensed and searched, he noticed something odd--different. It was a sensation he didn’t feel all that often.

Andor felt sparks fly off before being filled with mana and forming low-grade balls of fire which were shot off. He could feel a pair fleeing on a horse, with several individuals, also on horseback, following after them. Bandits?

“Sir Bravor, I think there is a situation that requires our aid to the south--I can feel a pair heading towards the road, fleeing from a group of riders, bandits, I presume.”

Bravor nodded in understanding--while they were out here hunting vampires, their duty was to protect the common folk as well--and bandits were a blight that affected all kinds. “What else do you feel, Andor?”

“The ones fleeing have some control of magic. One is using fire in an attempt to fend off their attackers.”

Bravor nodded before dismounting his horse--he was a better fighter on foot. “They’re heading this way, you said? Let me know if they change paths. If not, we’ll hit the bandits--if they are bandits when they arrive.”

Andor nodded, taking Bravor’s horse and moving back. He didn’t want to get caught up in whatever he was going to do.

Tyrius panted heavily as they rode forth, dodging through tree after tree. He was tired, he’d only managed to score a few hits with his balls of fire, but the bandits were ready this time and had doused themselves in water beforehand, making his attacks less effective. He didn’t want to light the landscape on fire again, but if he had to...he would.

“Tyrius! I think the road is up ahead...I can see it. I think I can feel some people over there too...though they don’t feel like bandits.” Leanna informed her brother before, and he let out a small sigh.

As much as he hated it, he needed to protect his sister over some strangers. “Ride right for them...if we’re lucky, maybe the bandits will get distracted enough, and we’ll be able to escape.”

“Tyrius…!? Are you sure?”

“Yes...we have to watch out for ourselves...while I feel bad about it, we don’t have a choice if we want to get out of this alive, I think…”

Leanna nodded as she directed the horse forward, heading straight towards the pair of people she sensed--in the end, Leanna hoped they were making the right decision.

A few moments later, they burst through the brush and out into the open, where they were greeted with a strange sight. There was one heavily armored man wielding a giant hammer--and a few meters away, another person was holding the reins of two horses.

They didn’t seem to move or surprised--it seemed they were waiting for this. Tyrius recognized that they were knights in an instant and let out a sigh of relief.

“Sirs, Bandits are after us, please help us!” Tyrius exclaimed as they rushed past, and the larger man let out a small chuckle.

“Aye, get behind us. We can’t let brigands terrorize good travelers!” the larger knight exclaimed.

Leanna urged the horse forward, past the well-armored knight, and not a moment too soon, the brigand’s horses soon followed after.

It took the knight a moment to recognize that they were bandits and sprung into action. He swung his hammer downwards into the earth, causing the ground to shake from the impact. The pathway and the stones shattered, causing a miniature schism in the ground to form, and sending sharp rocks flying towards the brigands, who were caught by surprise.

The other knight, the one who was still on horseback a little ways away, raised his hand, and several small balls of fire forwarding formed around him before shooting off at the bandits who hadn't been knocked off their mounts from the early attacks. While Tyrius’ shots were straight, these curved and zoomed by quickly as if they were tracking their targets, and when they hit, they exploded, creating a small flaming ball--and when the fire left, only the target was burned. The grass, the ground, the trees were all unharmed by the sudden fireball.

The battle against the bandits took only a few moments, and it was one-sided. They didn’t stand a chance against the knights and their coordinates, as well as their magic, and when the battle was done, Tyrius let out a heavy sigh.

“Thank you for your aid...my sister and I are heading east when encountered. I don’t think I could’ve held them off much longer. What might I call you? I’m Tyrius, and this is my sister, Leanna.”

“I’m Sir Bravor, and this is my companion Sir Andor. We’re heading east towards the city of Steelwallow the meet up with more of our fellows.”

Tyrius felt a wave of relief--that was where they were heading as well. “That is good news--my sister and I are heading there as well. Seeing as the roads are more dangerous than we expected, might we trouble you by following along? Tyrius and this is my sister, Leanna.”

“Of course, as long as you can keep up. Though seeing as you’re tired, we’ll find a place to camp and let you regain your strength--I’m quite curious about what you came into the situation. Bandits are a blight on us all, Tyrius. You’re lucky to be alive…”