"What do you mean… just us?" Bao asked, his voice low.
The group stood in a small clearing, the last light of dusk fading into shadow. Morell stood beside him, greatsword resting heavily in his grip.
Opposite them—
A man.
Leaning casually against a tree.
A small campfire flickered at his feet, its dim light dancing across battered armor and a tattered green cloak draped over his shoulders. A sword and shield lay within arm's reach, both worn, both used.
"Good evening, dear wanderers," the stranger greeted calmly, as if nothing were out of place.
Bao's hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his sword.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The man chuckled softly.
"What does it matter who I am… or who I used to be?" he replied. "The only thing that matters is that we're all trapped in this forest."
He gestured vaguely around him.
"No way out."
Bao studied him for a moment.
Then, slowly, he reached into his pack and pulled out a loaf of bread.
He tossed it over.
"Eat," Bao said. "It'll help. Body and mind."
The man caught it without looking.
"There's always a way out," Elincia said firmly, stepping forward.
The stranger paused mid-bite.
"…An elf?" he muttered, glancing at her. "Never seen one before."
A shrug.
"Doesn't change anything."
He tore into the bread, chewing slowly.
"The problem isn't getting lost," he continued. "It's what's waiting at the exit."
The fire crackled.
His gaze drifted somewhere far away.
"Four companies," he said quietly. "Wiped out."
Bao stiffened.
"Only a handful survived," the man went on. "We tried to retreat. Thought we could make it back through the pass."
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"They came again."
His fingers tightened around the bread.
"Small. Fast. You can barely hit them."
His voice dropped.
"They crawl over you… bite into your skin… your flesh…"
A pause.
"Until nothing is left."
"Pfft—ridiculous," Morell scoffed. "You're telling me you ran from a bunch of insects?"
The man didn't react.
Not at first.
Then slowly—
He raised a hand.
And pulled back his hood.
Bao's breath caught.
The man's face was—
Ruined.
Scarred flesh stretched unevenly across his features, riddled with holes and jagged seams where skin had healed poorly. Parts of his lips were gone, exposing rotting teeth beneath.
It wasn't just injury.
It was survival.
Barely.
Morell's laughter died instantly.
"Nothing to laugh about now, is it?" the man said quietly.
His eyes flicked toward them.
"I wish you luck," he added. "You'll need it."
"What about you?" Elincia stepped forward. "Come with us. We can treat your wounds. Give you proper food."
The man shook his head.
"No."
"You'll need your supplies more than I do," he said. "And besides…"
A faint, hollow smile crossed his ruined face.
"…these wounds can't be healed."
"Don't be ridiculous," Bao started. "Elincia can—"
A hand gripped his arm.
He stopped.
Elincia shook her head.
Silently.
Firmly.
Bao frowned—but said nothing more.
In the end, they left him a bottle of strong liquor.
A small mercy.
Then they returned to their camp.
"Why didn't you heal him?" Bao asked later, his voice quieter now.
Elincia didn't look at him.
"Not all wounds are of the body," she said softly.
Somewhere in the distance, the forest shifted.
"Some reach much deeper."
A pause.
"When a person has already given up… no magic in this world can bring them back."
The next morning, they moved out.
The path was easier than expected.
The stranger had described it well—every turn, every landmark. It was almost as if he had memorized the forest… and everything that lurked within it.
Ahead, the trees began to thin.
Light broke through the canopy.
The exit.
"Halt," Bao commanded, raising a hand.
The group stopped immediately.
Tension spread through the ranks.
"According to the knight," Bao continued, "the monsters are just ahead."
He looked around.
Fear.
He could see it clearly in their eyes.
Good.
They needed to understand what they were walking into.
"He described them as oversized mosquitoes," Bao said. "But instead of a stinger… they have teeth."
A murmur spread through the group.
Disbelief.
Disgust.
Fear.
"We stay in tight formation," Bao continued firmly. "Around the carriage."
He gestured toward Elincia.
"The herbs she gathered—we keep them burning. The smoke should repel them."
Then he reached behind him and pulled out something… unusual.
Improvised.
Large.
Crude.
"What the hell is that?" Morell muttered.
Bao held it up.
A massive, makeshift swatter—constructed from sticks and cloth.
"It won't kill them," Bao said. "But it should keep them off you."
A few uneasy chuckles broke the tension.
Then faded quickly.
"The mages will handle the rest," Bao added. "Burn the swarm with your fire magic."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Bao looked at each of them.
One by one.
"Stay together," he said.
His voice steady.
Unyielding.
"Don't panic."
A pause.
Then—
"Good luck."
And for once—
He meant it.