"That's enough." Arden said, his voice cut through the noise.

Every head turned, and for a moment even the bandits hesitated, as though something heavier than his words alone pressed against their chests.

The bandits shook off the weight of Arden's words, sneers curling back onto their faces as they tried to mask the unease that had crawled into their bones.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" one spat, his blade flashing in the dim light.

Arden tilted his head slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "The man you'll wish you never asked that question to."

The reply made a few of them falter, but pride is a foolish thing. Their leader snarled and gave the signal, and in an instant the circle of blades closed.

The ground trembled. Arden's aura flared, pressing outward like a storm breaking through its dam. Dust scattered, and for a heartbeat the bandits froze, their breaths caught in their throats. Then Rael moved, swift as lightning, his twin affinities bursting to life in a spiral of ice and lightning that cut down the first attackers.

"Whsshh— BOOM!" Ice crashed into steel, scattering shards.

Nyra darted through the chaos, her icy essence freezing a man's arm mid-swing before shattering it with one clean pull. His scream tore across the night.

Zephyra leapt into the fray with a guttural snarl, claws raking through the chest of a man who had thought his fire balls would keep her at bay.

She was a storm of raw force, with an outburst of wind and flame that knocked another group out.

"Thud! Crack!" Bodies hit the earth, weapons clattering.

Arden didn't rush. He walked through the madness, calm and steady, each swing of his blade precise.

His life energy surged through him, amplifying every strike.

One bandit charged, screaming, blade raised high. Arden met him with a single step and a downward cut that split the Artificer's device in half, the energy around his sword carving through like it was rotten wood.

"Clang— SHRRK!" Silence, then another body fell.

The bandits tried to regroup, shouting orders, assasins throwing knives laced with poison, and Artificers pulling out small orbs that burst into smoke and fire. Tricks of men who had fought too many times on the wrong side of the road.

But every move was read, countered, broken. Rael's laughter rang through the fight as he battered them back with his gauntlet switching between ice and lightning.

Nyra's silence cut deeper than her ice blades. And Zephyra's growl alone sent three scattering into the woods. Through it all, Arden's calm voice carried, giving sharp, simple commands that cut through the chaos more than any roar could.

"Left, Rael."

"Cover Nyra."

"Push them back."

His aura pressed harder with each word, and soon the air felt heavy enough that the bandits could barely breathe. The weaker ones dropped their weapons outright, crawling backward, their eyes wide with terror.

"Run if you want," Arden finally said, his voice low but reaching them all. "But carry the memory with you. Tell the others what you saw tonight."

That was enough. Panic set in. Feet stumbled, bodies shoved past each other as half the group scattered into the trees, leaving only the groaning and broken behind.

"Don't chase," Arden said firmly as Rael stepped forward, eager to finish the job. "Fear spreads faster than corpses."

The firelight of the wrecked wagons flickered across his mask as he lowered his blade, the oppressive aura vanishing as quickly as it came.

The surviving merchants and guards slowly came forward, their faces pale, breaths still heavy from panic and awe. Their leader stepped ahead of them, bowing low.

"On behalf of all of us, thank you," the man said, voice shaking. "You saved our lives… and everything we carry."

Arden sheathed his sword with a smooth motion, his tone calm and detached. "I only did my job. Keep your people safe, and don't take this road lightly again."

The man hesitated, then looked up. "At least tell us your party's name, so we know who to honor in our praises."

Arden glanced at his group. Nyra gave the smallest nod, Rael grinned proudly, and Zephyra only flicked her tail, eyes glowing faintly. Arden turned back.

"The Outbound," he said simply. "Remember it."

The man bowed again, and the guards murmured the name under their breaths, as though repeating it would burn it into memory.

Arden gave no more words, only lifted his hand slightly to his party, and they moved on.

But it didn't end there.

Within days, it became a pattern. Another ambush, another group of bandits scattered into the dirt. Sometimes they were brutal, other times they begged for their lives before even striking. And every time, Arden's party stood in the center of it all, breaking their lines and leaving survivors to carry stories back into the dark.

Word spread quickly. The Outbound. The masked man with the beast, the dual-affinity users who fought like veterans, not exiles.

The same people once spat on as monsters were now whispered about as protectors, if only out of fear.

Arden didn't bask in it. He only watched, sharp and quiet, because each skirmish showed him the truth, this wasn't chaos, it was orchestration. Different groups, same purpose, same kind of stolen resources. Creed was moving. Preparing.

And though they had trampled on the organization's game, Arden wasn't worried. His voice carried firm to his group one night by the fire, steady as stone.

"They'll come for us sooner or later. Let them. This time, we'll be ready."

And in the silence that followed, the forest seemed to shiver as if even it understood the weight of his words.

Their work on the supply route was done. The bandits scattered, their fear carrying the Outbound's name far quicker than any messenger could.

Arden's group had left their mark there, and now the road would stay clear for a while.

They made their way back to Greyhold without lingering, heading straight for the lord's castle.

It seemed he had been expecting them, before they could even step through the gates, a man in the town's crest appeared and bowed stiffly.

"The lord requests your presence," he said, his tone leaving no room for choice.

Arden exchanged a glance with his group, then gave a single nod. Without a word, they followed as the man turned and began to lead them deeper into the castle halls.

A/N:

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