The bandits had caught up to Alec, Zoe, and Zua once again, jeering and taunting Alec while catcalling the girls. Before Alec could even move, a deep thud rippled through the ground — like a boulder hurled down from the heavens.
The sound silenced the bandits instantly. All heads turned toward the trees where it had come from.
A moment later, a man wielding a longsword came flying out of the tree line, crashing into the circle of bandits and scattering them like startled birds. The ground shook as he landed, rolling smoothly to his feet.
Then came the roar — loud, guttural, and furious — followed by heavy, thunderous footsteps. From the forest's shadow emerged a cyclops, towering above the trees, its single eye blazing with rage. The monster wielded a whole tree as if it were a club, tearing up chunks of earth with each step.
The stranger didn't hesitate. He looked up at the beast as if it had personally offended him, squared his shoulders, and charged straight toward it.
The cyclops swung its makeshift club down with enough force to crush a wagon, but the swordsman was already in motion — darting aside, running up the creature's arm in one impossible burst of speed. His sword flashed once in the sunlight.
With a single, clean stroke, the cyclops' head toppled from its shoulders.
The body swayed for a moment before collapsing with a deafening crash that sent leaves and dirt spiralling into the air.
For several stunned heartbeats, no one moved. Then, slowly, the bandits broke and ran, vanishing into the forest, tripping over one another in their panic.
Alec, Zoe, and Zua stood frozen, staring wide-eyed at the man who'd just saved their lives.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, the stranger turned to face them. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with sun-worn skin and short, dark hair streaked with grey. A faint grin tugged at his lips as he cleaned his sword with practiced ease.
"Name's Roderik," he said casually, offering his hand to Alec first, then to the others. His voice was rough but not unkind — the kind of tone that came from someone used to barking orders and being obeyed.
Alec shook his hand, still half in disbelief. "Alec," he managed, nodding to the others as they crawled out from under what used to be the shattered remains of their cart. "Zoe and Zua."
Roderik gave a curt nod. "Pleasure. You three look like hell warmed over."
He glanced at the headless cyclops behind him and sighed. "Monsters and demons have been popping up all over the countryside for months now. The king sent me out here to clear the roads so caravans can move again — or at least stop the ones that still dare from being eaten."
"I'll say," Zoe replied sharply. "The bastards destroyed our village. We barely made it out alive."
Roderik's expression faltered for the first time. His eyes widened slightly as he looked from Zoe to Alec and then to Zua.
"Well, hell," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Looks like I'll be babysittin again."
He gave them a once-over, grimacing at their ragged, mud-streaked clothes. "And we'll need to find you new outfits before the guards think you crawled out of the sewers. Come on."
Roderik led them to what could generously be called a carriage — an old but well-kept cart hitched to a tired horse that looked as though it had seen more wars than Roderik himself.
With his help, the trio climbed aboard, and together they made the final leg of their journey to the capital.
When they reached the gates, the guards straightened immediately at the sight of Roderik. One of them — an older man with a scar over his lip — recognized him and waved them through without a word or fee.
"Welcome to New Capita, kids!" Roderik said cheerfully as the city unfolded before them — sprawling streets, glittering towers, and more people than Alec had ever seen in one place. The noise, the smell, the sheer life of it all was overwhelming.
"New Capita?" Zoe asked before Alec could. "What happened to the old one?"
Zua nodded in agreement, curiosity lighting her usually calm expression.
Roderik's grin faded slightly. "We don't talk much about that," he said quietly. "Old Capita was destroyed — left in ruins by the most terrifying dragon the world's ever seen. Word is, some fool killed its child. No one knows if that's true, but... the city burned for weeks."
Zua frowned. "Where are the ruins?"
"Northeast," Roderik replied distantly. "A tourist spot now, if you can believe that. Once the pride of the Empire."
He fell silent after that, lost in memory.
Before anyone could ask more, the cart rolled up to the towering gates of a grand castle — and was immediately turned away by armoured guards. Roderik grumbled a string of curses about "damned politicians" as he turned the horse around.
He took them instead to an inn in the poorer quarter of the city. It wasn't much, but it was clean enough, with a warm fire and the smell of roasted meat drifting through the air.
"Don't get too comfortable," Roderik muttered. "We'll be stayin' here till the king's envoy decides we're worthy of breathing his majesty's air."
Alec and the others followed him inside. Roderik went straight to the bar, exchanging a few words with the barkeep while the trio found an empty table.
The inn was alive with noise — laughter, shouting, the clatter of mugs. Men and women celebrated loudly, some dancing, others singing off-key. For a moment, Alec could almost imagine he was back home, before the demons came. The warmth, the light, the sound of people living — it all cut a little too deep.
Zoe noticed his silence and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small, reassuring smile. Alec tried to return it.
Roderik soon joined them, slamming four mugs onto the table. Foam sloshed over the rims as he dropped into a chair with a weary sigh.
"Right," he said, "we've got maybe a week before those blasted nobles summon us to their belle demeure." He rolled the words mockingly, as though they left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Their what now?" Zua asked, brow furrowed. Alec was equally lost.
"Belle demeure — beautiful residence," Zoe translated easily, earning a nod of approval from Roderik.
"Smart girl," he said, taking a long pull from his drink. "Now, rooms are upstairs. Alec, you're with me. Girls across the hall. Get cleaned up, get some rest. You'll need it."
As he spoke, Alec caught sight of a long scar running from Roderik's left eye to his jaw — jagged and uneven. It didn't look like a normal sword wound.
"How'd you get that?" Alec asked, hoping to break the tension.
Roderik smirked, tapping the scar with a finger. "Ebon Bear, out in the northern woods. Nasty bastard was tearing up farms and livestock. Nearly took my arm and me eye both, but I got him fin the end. Cut his head clean off — like tha' cyclops."
He said the last part low, so only they could hear. Alec had the sense Roderik didn't want to up stir panic in the inn.
After that came one of Roderik's tales — a half-drunken story about slaying the bear, rescuing a beautiful farmer's daughter, and leaving her broken-hearted when duty called him away. Alec wasn't sure how much that to actually believe, but Zoe seemed amused, and even Zua cracked a rare smile.
Eventually, they climbed the well-worn stairs to their rooms. For the first time in months, there were real beds waiting for them — thin mattresses and lumpy pillows, but heaven compared to cold ground and damp blankets.
Alec all but collapsed into his bed with a groan of relief. The coarse fabric scratched his skin, but he didn't care. Still, sleep refused to come. No matter how many times he shifted, the exhaustion never quite turned to rest. Roderik's snoring didn't help either — it sounded like thunder in a barrel.
Frustrated, Alec finally sat up. The walls felt too close, the air too warm. Maybe a bit of fresh air would help.
He threw on his boots, glanced once at the sleeping form of Roderik, and slipped out into the hallway, the floorboards creaking softly beneath his feet.
Outside, the night air of New Capita was cool and strange — filled mystery and awe.
Then came an annoyingly familiar voice in his mind, one he hadn't heard since the last time he'd last visited the outer city - a slum like town just outside the city walls.
"Greetings once again... Master..." The strange voice drawled almost tauntingly in hi Alec's mind like a lazy cat.