The forest was quieter during the day, but it was not peaceful
Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy in broken shafts that barely reached the ground, illuminating patches of damp earth, moss-covered stones, and the slow movement of the river that ran beside their temporary resting place. The water moved steadily, its quiet current masking the distant sounds of creatures somewhere deeper in the forest. After travelling through the night, the group had finally stopped here to rest
Draven was the first to drop his pack beside a flat patch of ground near the riverbank. His robes still carried the faint scent of burnt fabric from the previous battles, the edges darkened and stitched where old fire had scarred them. Even without casting magic he carried an aura of heat around him, the sort that came from years of wielding fire in real combat
"Alright," he muttered, stretching his shoulders slightly. "This spot will do. We'll rest here for a bit before moving again"
Korr leaned against a nearby tree, long silver hair falling over his shoulders as he exhaled slowly. His thin frame looked relaxed, but the faint sparks that occasionally flickered along his fingers showed that he was still alert
Soren stood a short distance away from them, the metal cuffs around his wrists glinting faintly whenever sunlight reached them. The restraints hung heavy against his skin, their runes quietly suppressing the mana he would normally draw from the air around him. To anyone watching, he appeared exactly as intended, an exhausted prisoner who had long since accepted his situation
Draven glanced over at him briefly
"Sit down if you're going to stand there like a statue"
Soren lowered himself to the ground without responding
For a moment the group settled into silence as they began unpacking their supplies. While the others focused on preparing camp, Soren slowly lifted one of his hands toward his mouth
He paused for a brief moment before biting down
The sharp pressure drew blood almost instantly. He tore away a small piece of flesh from the side of his palm before lowering his hand again as if nothing had happened. His expression didn't change
The small piece of bloodied flesh remained hidden between his fingers
No one was looking at him and his hand moved casually toward the bushes behind him. The small piece of flesh disappeared into the undergrowth with a soft motion that barely disturbed the leaves. Then he wiped the remaining blood against his trousers and rested his hands loosely in his lap
None of them noticed
"Two more days," he said with a small grin. "Two more days and we're inside Stormguard's walls"
Thalen had already begun unpacking supplies without responding. The poison mage moved with the same quiet precision he always did, his smaller frame crouched beside the cooking equipment as he began preparing the pot. His short green hair caught the sunlight briefly as he worked, his dark eyes focused entirely on the task
Soren sat a short distance away, his wrists still bound by the mana-suppressing restraints. The metal cuffs glinted faintly whenever sunlight reached them. Anyone looking at him would have seen nothing more than a defeated prisoner resting after a long journey
But Soren was watching everything
The night before had already confirmed what he needed to know about their routines. Every time they stopped to eat, Thalen prepared the food while the others rested nearby. When it was served, Draven always ate first without hesitation, Korr followed soon after, and Thalen rarely touched his own bowl until the others had begun eating
Soren had observed the pattern carefully
Three drops
That was all the poison vial held
Three drops would be enough
Draven glanced toward the river while loosening the strap of his armour slightly
"Stormguard will be crawling with guards once we get there," he said. "King himself issued the bounty. They'll want to see the prisoner delivered properly"
Korr chuckled quietly
"Good. Makes the reward feel more official"
Draven gave a small smirk at that
"You're already thinking about spending it"
"Of course I am"
Korr pushed himself away from the tree and stretched his arms over his head
"You think I dragged myself through monster territory for charity?"
Draven shook his head slightly but didn't argue. Instead he crouched near the river and scooped up some water with his hand, splashing his face before returning to the group
"Just don't do something stupid with it"
"Oh relax," Korr said. "You're the one with a reason to spend it properly"
Draven raised an eyebrow
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
Korr shrugged
"Your daughter"
For a brief moment Draven didn't respond. Then he exhaled slowly
"Yeah. Her"
Thalen remained focused on preparing the food, but he spoke without looking up
"Talking about the reward already is pointless. We still have to get there''
Korr rolled his eyes slightly
"You worry too much"
"I worry enough to keep us alive"
Soren listened silently as the conversation continued. None of them noticed the slight shift in his posture as he adjusted his hands behind his back
For a brief moment, everything stayed exactly as it had been since they stopped at the riverbank. Draven was still talking about the journey ahead, Korr was still half-smirking at the idea of finally cashing in the bounty, and Thalen remained focused on the pot, stirring with slow, precise movements as if nothing in the world could distract him from preparation. The sound of boiling water and crackling fire filled the space between their voices, steady and ordinary
But Soren was no longer listening to them in the same way
He was no longer reacting to them either
He was observing the structure of the situation itself
Soren let his gaze lower slightly toward the fire as if he were still just another silent prisoner sitting among them. His wrists were still bound, his movements still restricted, his body still reduced to something that looked harmless. That was the version of him they had accepted
That was the version they had stopped questioning
Soren stayed seated a little apart from them, bound wrists resting loosely in his lap and he listened to their conversation but his attention was elsewhere
He let the silence stretch just long enough for it to feel unremarkable, then shifted his shoulders slightly as if adjusting his position after sitting too long. The chains around his wrists gave a faint metallic sound as he moved
Then he spoke
"I need to piss"
Draven sighed through his nose
''Just hurry up''
Thalen's gaze lifted for a fraction of a second. Not enough to interrupt anything, but enough to register the request. Then he returned to the pot
Draven stood and jerked his head toward the trees
"Go, but don't wander ill be watching behind you"
Soren rose slowly, allowing the restraints to hang heavy as he adjusted his balance. His posture stayed slightly hunched, his movements deliberately unremarkable. He gave a small nod and followed Draven toward the forest edge
They didn't go far at first. Just a few steps beyond the river's light, where the trees thickened and the ground turned uneven with roots and brush
Draven stopped near a cluster of bushes
"This'll do," he said flatly. "I'm not going deeper just for this"
Soren nodded again
He took one more step forward
Then paused
He tilted his head slightly toward the darker patch of undergrowth just beyond the nearest tree
"There," Soren said casually, voice calm. "Better cover"
Draven frowned slightly
"What?"
Soren didn't wait for permission. He just started walking toward the bushes, slow and unhurried, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to decide this himself
Draven hesitated for half a second, then followed with an irritated exhale
"Just don't take long"
Soren stepped into the shadowed edge of the bushes, the sound of the river and fire fading behind them. The forest here was denser, quieter, cut off enough that even Draven's presence felt slightly distant once he stopped a few paces away
Soren glanced down at his bound hands and he brought them up to his mouth and he bit hard into the same place where a small piece of his flesh had been torn off earlier. He bit hard enough to draw blood then he let his hands drop down and then he smiled manically
''Fucking idiots''
Soren found the previously torn piece of flesh that he had thrown into these bushes and he bent down and pushed his open wound allowing blood to flow over his torn flesh, forming a connection with it
Soren couldn't absorb magic from the air and form spells, however through his unique use of blood magic by using the mana already contained in his own body that had not been sealed off he could use parts of his body as a catalyst to sacrifice, to use the mana to use magic. Whilst this cannot be controlled Soren could erratically control the mana to come together and compress and explode like he did in the castle to blow up his hands and escape
Now by using his open wound to allow his blood to pour over his flesh that he had thrown into these bushes he could allow the mana in his blood the flow over his torn piece of flesh now using it as a sacrifice to form his explosion spell
Smoke and shattered bark filled the edge of the bushes as the forest held a brief, fragile silence
Then the explosion went off
A sudden, violent blast ripped through the undergrowth, bursting from within the bushes and tearing them apart in a flash of force and debris. Leaves and splinters scattered outward, the shockwave rolling low across the ground and shaking nearby branches
At the exact moment it happened, Soren screamed
It was loud, panicked, and completely unrestrained
The sound cut through the clearing instantly
Draven reacted without thinking
His head snapped toward the blast, posture shifting from rest to combat in a single motion
"Monster!"
He surged forward immediately, weapon drawn, eyes locked on the smoke-filled edge of the bushes
Behind him, everything moved at once
Korr was already pushing off the ground, electricity sparking along his fingers as he moved to flank the explosion site
Thalen reacted a moment later, eyes narrowing sharply as he reached for the vials at his belt before moving toward the disturbance as well
Draven barely glanced back at Soren as he pushed ahead
"Run back to camp!" he barked
Korr added immediately, not even slowing down
"Go! Stay there!"
Soren didn't argue. He turned at once, stumbling slightly as he ran back toward the clearing, his breathing uneven as if panic had completely taken over
Behind him, the three bounty hunters rushed toward the blast site
Draven reached the edge of the destroyed bushes first, flames gathering brighter in his palm as he scanned the drifting smoke
Korr spread out to one side, lightning flickering along his hands as he searched for movement
Thalen approached more cautiously, his sharp eyes analysing the damage as he prepared his poison
All three of them focused entirely on the disturbance in the forest
None of them looked back
And Soren ran toward the camp alone