Farewells and Goodbyes

The carriage rattled, stone after stone, as the wheels made from timber rolled down the narrow path. In the open cabin, between stockpiles of crates and fabrics, were four members of Sodifery's party.

Each of them had a torc over their robes, which signified their departure from the kingdom to embark on the Dragon Slayer's journey.

It was the quietest they had been for the week they had stayed to help the village near Darakh Forest.

Sodifery glanced back from where they departed, the image of their new friend waving them off not before handing them various useful items for free.

"You'll need this mana compass. I have tons to spare at home. Oh, and also the recipe for scrambled eggs. I believe I have already given Yowan the scroll. This cloth here is for you, as thanks for helping me last time." Yofiel had said.

"I believe this much is fine." He replied.

"…ah, alright. You guys have grown since the last time I saw you."

"You better believe it!" Yowan yelled aloud, and as he got closer, he asked in a quieter tone, "Is there a Mana spell you can teach me?"

"I don't know any attack spells, but I do have this revitalising spell."

"But I already know how to do that."

He recalled the night before. So it was that spell? It was ever-slightly better than what Yowan casts to replenish their mana.

Sodifery watched as the clay-slated roofs disappeared behind the hill, and he sighed along with his team members. It wasn't as if they really needed another mage; they already had the gifted Yowan, who knew a multitude of spells despite his simple nature. He played the roles of healing, defense, and long-range attack.

During their time with their host, Yofiel didn't seem to hold exceptional mana abilities; combat was second nature, though. Perhaps like Lopal and him, Yofiel was a mercenary too.

They traveled closer to the dragon's domain, where the surrounding minions loitered. The closer one got to the cavern, the wilder the beasts got. Of course, even now, as the Dragon is close to rising from their 1000-year slumber, the energy leaking from the cave is causing mayhem even beyond the boundary of its domain.

They camp for the night with one person to keep watch.

The sounds of a horse galloping emerged from the forest, which leaks mist.

"Who goes there!?" Reas bellowed, and this caused the rest to stir.

The brown horse was reigned back a bit away from them. The rider dismounted in a hurry and lowered their hood.

"Help! Sir Sodi! Dragon Slayers!"

"It's one of the farmers from the villages." Yowan said with concern.

The man had a nasty cut across his abdomen and blood staining his cloak.

A bad feeling entered Sodifery's guts as he tried to piece together the message the farmer told them.

"Just as soon as Yowan was running low on magic power," Lopal said with a strained smile.

"I don't think the dragon's minions returned all of a sudden; I think bandits may have been involved in this." He told everyone. "We've seen it before."

"So, what should we do?"

"Me and Reas will go, Lopal... You stay behind with Yowan while he gets the farmer treated."

The rest nodded, and the two taller men mounted their horses.

By the time they crossed over the hill, the whole village was on fire.

---

The fire crackled loudly; flames grew in intensity, releasing roars as it gathered more wind to fuel its direction. The creaking of wood and the screaming of the villagers muddled together into an eerie, demonic laughter.

'You can't protect anyone.'

The flames seemed to be mocking him, and Sodifery was too overwhelmed to deny their words.

"Sodi!" Reas yelled from behind, causing the man to return to his senses and calm his steed. A horse on fire rushed past them, and the rider on its back was melting.

What had happened in the few days that they were gone?

The words that left his tongue replastered themselves into his memories.

'…leaving them was like killing them with our own hands.'

Indeed, there were just some things that he couldn't control. Just like his stupid destiny.

"Sir Sodi! Help me!"

"Aaah! Mama-!"

He couldn't save them. At least, not on his own.

With a thunderous voice befitting a leader, he ordered everyone to gather crates and buckets of water.

In this situation, Yowan would have been helpful; at most, he could extinguish the flames of one cottage, but it wouldn't be enough to save all of them.

The men, women, and children all worked quickly, rolling up barrels to the well and the creek on the other side of the hill. All the while, both Reas and Sodifery carried the people out of their burning houses and engraved their swords with the element of water, hacking away at falling debris to free those who were trapped.

This continued until the flames were outshone by the rise of the sun the following morning.

"Haa-ah, that looks to be the last of them." Reas said, with soot and ash blackening his forehead and forearms. As he swept the environment in search of his friend, Sodifery was nowhere to be found.

"Sodi?"

.

Hooves dug into dirt as the horse galloped through the forest of Darrakh. The wind rushed past from underneath the rider's robe, shaking white locks of hair tainted with black powder.

A smear of blood, scratches along the bark, and a torn fabric caught on a branch caught his eye one after the other.

In his wary state, a clear voice resounded in his head.

'The thing is, I'm terrible at combative spells. You saw me trying to fight against one of them. I don't know how I'd manage two.'

Sodifery could imagine what might happen. When he found the three taloned footprints of one or two minions diverging away from the village but into this forest... The blood from before looked fresh; he could make it.

He reached a plain and pulled at the reins, examining the view before him. He found himself yelling before his feet could touch the ground.

"Doctor!"

"Yofiel, are you there!?"

"Say something so I know you're alive!"

In the homely cottage with broken jars of herbs and a window frame blown a few meters away, half the roof collapsed like a sandcastle, and the person he was looking for wasn't inside.

He heard a shuffling, wet sound just outside.

The body was lying awkwardly halfway against the shaded white wall. A pitch-black marinade is still being feasted on by one Dark Minion.