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Road stop

The Void. Void in itself is simply the meaning of nothing. The Absence of all matter, Whether physical or not. It is a hypothetical and metaphorical word, as there is no place currently in the world in which nothing exists. When I showed the mysterious letter to Tsvetnov, he denied seeing it when he first opened the envelope. He claims he's never seen that note until I handed it to him, which immediately notified me that this matter involved some magic. Perhaps it's a clue my father left me? If it is, am I supposed to find this "Void" and ask it questions, or should I take it a little less literal?

My thoughts were cut short when the carriage I'm sitting in came to a sudden halt. Inaudible shouts could be heard. Bold, demanding, but I couldn't hear exactly what was said. I look to Tsvetnov, who is sitting directly in front of me. He nods, understanding my intent, and disembarks the carriage to deal with whatever situation had arisen.

"My friends, what was the need to block our path?" I hear him shout. Bandits? Maybe. This area is known for its lawlessness. This transport has three carriages. One holding supplies, one holding A dozen soldiers, and the last being mine, protected in the middle. Whoever has the nerve to stop this caravan must be very confident in their abilities or very foolish.

"Well, my friend, me and my crew here just couldn't pass up this opportunity. Such a beautiful wagon is quite hard to come by. And I'm betting has some pretty valuables inside of it", I hear a bold voice declare. Well, he's not wrong. I do consider myself plenty valuable. "Do yourself a favor and stand down. We have you outnumbered three to one", the bold voice continued. Three to one, huh, this might get dicey. I exit the carriage and look at the situation. Surrounding the entire caravan are nearly forty men and women, clad in armor and wielding various weapons. The ones closest to me eye me immediately, and two soldiers separate from the rest to form a shield around me. "My lord, please. Return to the carriage. We'll handle this in no time", one of them says. "Forty-two, huh. Alright", I mutter as I ignore them while walking towards the front of the caravan. This amount of people will drain me, but who knows when the next time I'll be able to do this is.

"And who's this then?" I look at the owner of the voice. Tall, muscular. Clearly the leader of this band of bandits. I Stand next to Tsvetnov, who has his hand resting on his sword. Upon seeing me, he tries to say something, but I interrupt him, "That's not important; what is important is wealth, is it not?" I flash him a white-gold coin, the highest form of currency you can fit in your pocket. "You seem to have a respectable eye for valuables. You wouldn't have chosen my caravan if you hadn't. Which is why I would like to offer you something" I toss the coin to him, and he catches it with ease. "Such a small thing, and yet it could buy you a sizable home or a large plot of land...of course, it could also pay for your entry to the depths of hell!"

"Huh? What are you-" he starts to say but stops when he notices what I'm doing.

"Father of storms, hear my words. Give me the power to smite my foes with your gift to the world. Hear me as I pray to you," I muttered an ancient incantation, one that would leave fear in the heart of many.

"Damn it, he's a mage! Get him quickly!" yelled the leader, a bit too late

"QUICKLY! PROTECT MASTER ELIOS AS HE FINISHES HIS SPELL" I hear Tsvennov shout orders at the soldiers.

I let out a slight grin as a rush of power flows throughout my body and out of my hands. Quickly I place both my hands to the ground as viral electricity spreads through the earth, past my comrades, and into the body of every single bandit that dared to cross my path. Screams rose into the sky, and the foul odor of charred flesh quickly emanated from some of the more unlucky few who got a higher dose of the magic. One by one, the sound of bodies hitting the ground could be heard, and within seconds every single bandit had fallen to the ground. I, too, had been reduced to my knees and can't help but think I overdid it. I stand up slowly, refusing help from my soldiers, and look out at the work I had created. Some of the bodies let out groans and cries of pain, while some lay motionless and silent. Dead or unconscious. "Well," I hear Tsvetnov start to speak, "That's dealt with then," He turns to me and remarks, "That was entirely too reckless. You could've been killed or worse!"

I walk past, ignoring him, and lean over the bandit leader, who is still somehow alive and awake despite receiving a brunt of the magic. He tries to crawl away but to no avail. His glare towards me was quite a sight. Rarely have I seen eyes that held such intense anger. "Damn you, you mage bastard, curse you and your kin. Who the hell do you think you are!" he spat as I kneeled in front of him. Only after I find what I'm looking for do I look him in the eyes. Waving the White-Gold coin in front of him, "You don't need this anymore since you are still alive, do you?", My words held a veiled threat. Do you want to die a rich man, or do you want to live?

"Please, just take your money, but let me live," His sudden desperate tone was surprising. The face that held such intense hate now resembled that of someone in great fear. Almost immediately, he started to babber out pleas and inconsistent sob stories, which, after listening for a few seconds, I had already grown tired of. I place a finger in front of my lips in a hushing motion, which quickly shuts him up, "Did you steal those lines from those you murdered before? Did you listen then? No, I don't think so. So why should I listen now," my words were cold enough to paralyze him, leaving him with nothing more to say. I was deciding what to say next when suddenly I felt an abrupt hand grab my shoulder, which tugged me out of whatever trance I was in. "Master Elios. I think that's enough. It's time to go" Hearing Tsvetnov behind me, I listen to my friend.

Looking at the man one last time before standing up, I dust myself off and Look at my men to see that they stand at attention, ready to receive orders. Contemplating on the fates of the bandits, I am reminded of the burden it is to be the final decider. "Tie up the ones that are alive and leave them here. Let the local guards deal with them. As for the dead...We have no time for a burial, so let the wind take their ashes to the gates of hell," I ordered. Immediately they set out with shouts and orders being passed through the ranks as I make my way back to my carriage. Before I can enter, though, I am stopped by Tsventnov, who blocked the door. We stared at each other for a moment before I broke the silence, "I know...I know. I'm sorry, but you know I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. Besides, I wasn't too sure if you could handle it without casualties", I apologize to him and explain my reasoning. "You underestimate us, master Elios. Easily we would've dispatched them. You have to understand that now the stakes are much higher than before. I do my job, not just out of loyalty to you but to my loyalty to Eramis. There would be a major shift in power if one of the four families is brought down", He pauses for a moment before continuing, "What's done is done, I suppose, but please refrain from charging into danger like that, or at least warn me the next time you do."

"Of course, though the next time there is danger, it might be the one charging at me. I do not expect I will be allowed to willingly fight anytime soon. Honestly, I hope-ugh...Shit," I hold my head in my hand as sudden massive pains start to throb throughout it without warning. Biting my lip in an attempt to stay conscious, I can feel the warm trickle of blood as the world starts spinning around me. Both dizziness and nausea took hold of me as I fought the encroaching darkness at the edge of my vision. I could hear dull sounds that I recognized as words but didn't have the focus to discern what they meant as I was a bit occupied fighting the urge to scream.

I counted as the seconds turned to minutes until the agonizing waves became dull and constant, but that was much easier to manage. "Four minutes...Twenty-seven seconds. That's the longest one in years", I mutter. The consequence of the overexertion of magic. Magic is a volatile thing, both helpful and harmful, and trying to use too much of it at once...well, this is the result. I look around and realize that sometime during the waves of pain I had sat down and surrounded me are two of the soldiers and Tsvetnov, who is kneeling next to me with a worried look on his face. They know what to do in this situation, or rather what not to, it's not really a rare occurrence, but with how long it lasted this time around, I must've worried them. When it became clear the pain had dwindled, and I returned to the world, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Still, no one said anything yet, but one of the soldiers did offer their hand, which I gladly took. Something that would be looked down upon in noble society, but now is not really the time to be worrying about appearances. "That's certainly something I won't miss, haha," I remark with a slight grin on my face.

"That grin of yours...Most wouldn't be so happy to experience that amount of pain. I worry about your mental state quite often, Master Elios", Tsvetnov says as he dusts me off. I brush him off, though, "You try living a sheltered life for nearly twenty years; you'll soon find that you welcome change," I chuckle before continuing. "Is the road clear? We have spent too much time here already."

Tsvetnov observes the surroundings before answering, "It should just be a few more minutes. I'd suggest you enter the carriage for some rest. It will be quite a while before we reach Eramis, and I'd like for you to be rested for what will come", He suggested while opening the door for me. I look at him then at the horizon, the sun setting in a fiery blaze. It reminds me that today was just one day and that many harder ones have yet to come.

"I'm afraid Tsvetnov, That no matter how much rest I get. It won't be enough for what's to come."