Tucker laid there with his vision fading in and out. Flickering like a flame in the wind. There wasn’t anything he could do, and he was tired. Tired of fighting and trying to change. He wanted to save lives and live a life that was different from his brothers. One that he could be proud of.

  Yet as he laid there, covered in his blood and slowly bleeding out on the stone path, he realized there was nothing he could do. Not anymore. He put up a strong front to convince Alex and himself that everything would be fine, but now that he was left by himself on the cold, rigid floor, reality gradually began to set in.

  Was it enough?

  That single thought entered his mind as memories began flooding in. Moments filled with joy, heartbreak, and everything in between. Precious in a way no one else would understand. Yet, as the fleeting memories passed one after another, the last thing he saw was Alex’s figure. The back of a man who dedicated his entire life to changing the fate of his home. The ideals of a man who never gave up no matter the situation, and soon, a realization struck him.

  I haven’t done enough.

  Tucker bitterly laughed as his gaze fell onto his mount. He scrapped his arm against the broken road, blood smearing across the stone bricks as his fingers clawed the rigid surface. He crawled with every last bit of strength in his limbs toward his mount, fighting back the agony in his aching body. His dark green sleeves tore against the jagged rocks as he dragged himself further. There was no one waiting for him. No place left to call home. Yet he continued to fight. For the slightest bit of hope that it would be enough for his comrades to escape.

  It was the last thing he needed to do.

  His trembling hands held onto the reins of his mount and with every ounce of strength left in his body. He pulled. “Get up.” Tucker’s hoarse voice fell on deaf ears as the dust settled around him. His mount had perished long ago, with its lower body torn apart from the wyvern rider’s ambush. The dark crimson pool of blood beneath it drowned out whatever hopes he had left as the warmth from his steed slowly faded. Slipping away like everything else, he held dear.

  Yet before he fell into despair with his battered body, Tucker caught a glimpse of Alex’s distant figure. A well of emotions swirled in his heart, but he knew the veteran had stopped. Their eyes met, and Tucker found his voice from the sorrow and grief. His will against the despair threatening to consume him.

  “What are you doing!” Tucker’s voice cracked as his body screamed in protest. “Don’t worry about me and finish the mission!”

  Alex’s face twisted in anguish as he shut his eyes. He was hesitating and knew that he needed to finish the mission. But he couldn’t bear the sight any longer as he dismounted from his horse and tore the rope holding Owl to his back. He fastened Blaire to the mount’s saddle with whatever rope remained and signaled the beast to take off. Watching as it galloped towards the dwarven stronghold once more before dashing back to Tucker.

  “What are you doing? You need to go!” Tucker’s eyes shook in disbelief. He watched as Alex stopped beside him and then glanced back at the knights that were rushing towards them. The wyvern rider who had shot the arrow had taken off, accomplishing their goal, and now it was the cavalry that had to finish the task.

  “Saving your life,” Alex answered.

  “But the mission—”

  “Enough.” Alex focused on the knights that were encircling them and held his sword. “The mission will continue, with or without us.”

  The old man kept his gaze on the gleaming sets of armor surrounding them. There wasn’t a guarantee that Blaire would make it safely to the stronghold, and there wasn’t a guarantee that they would live to see another day. But if a lifetime of service had taught him anything, it was to live without leaving behind any regrets.

  He knew he could drastically increase the mission's success by escorting Blaire to the stronghold, but to leave another comrade behind to do so didn’t sit well with him. He had seen many exceptional watchmen perish in the line of duty. Times when others gave their lives to save him and times when he had no choice but to abandon them.

  But now wasn’t those times, not anymore.

  Tucker watched as Alex stood beside him. Even though he was fully prepared to die, Tucker fought back the tears in his eyes. He didn’t expect the old man to stay with him. Especially with how close they were to the stronghold and how high the stakes were. Since they lost half of the contents in the canister, the only one who could fill in that gap was Owl.

  He gritted his teeth and stomached the pain. Propping his back against the horse and fought back the despair. The cloud of dust shrouded their foes, obscuring their vision. From the silhouettes and gleaming reflections from bits of their armor. He could tell they had already nocked their arrows and were preparing to unleash another set of volleys. They moved with precision, maintaining their formation as they released their arrows.

  Each one cut through the air, aimed at the two watchmen. Tucker channeled his spirit essence into a bow, clenching his fingers as he drew his bowstring. The pain made it unbearable as he tried to focus on the knights. They were a clear shot, and it was nearly pointless to try blocking the enemy’s arrows. The best he could do was disrupt their formation and leave the rest to Gale and Alex.

  As lines of silver crossed through the air, Alex swung his blade, parrying the arrows to the side. While Gale swooped down and snatched the projectiles. There were brief moments of weakness, and in that split second, Tucker released his bowstring, sending a spiraling arrow of wind towards one of the knights.

  The arrow struck them straight in their chest and blew him along with his mount back. Yet the remaining knights remained unfazed and continued their assault. Arrows rained down on the watchmen from different angles and frequencies. Some all at once, and others staggered.

  Tucker could feel the surge of adrenaline flow in his body. Along with a warm sensation from the back of his shoulders. The hooves that were stomping on the ground, the dust that surrounded them, and the countless arrows that flew at them made his mind race. He knew they needed a solution to their current predicament, and the longer they fought under these conditions, the more disadvantageous their situation would be.

  We need a large attack. One large enough to catch them off guard and throw them off their mounts.

  Tucker released a deep exhale as the bow of wind faded from his palms. He closed his eyes and held one hand over another as a swirl of wind slowly swelled between them. The thread from his heart sung and flowed into the sphere, forming a single loop.

  Spirit contractors weren’t like mages and aura users. They were a category of their own and followed a different line of mastery. Their souls remained untouched, and their minds untainted. Instead, their emotions remained, and a series of doors were set out before them. Each choice altering their fate bit by bit.

  He kept his eyes focused, entering a trance as he conjured more essence into the sphere. Weaving the thread through the vulnerable gaps while ignoring his surroundings. Tucker knew he wasn’t strong enough in his current state to fight against knights that could manifest their worlds, but if it was against foes who had yet to reach that realm, then they were within his limits.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Alex’s eyes widened for a moment as he felt the nearby gusts of wind get pulled in towards Tucker. He didn’t know what the rookie was up to, but it was enough to draw everyone’s attention. Even Gale, who was maneuvering through the rain of arrows, changed its behavior and began circling the skies. The veteran frowned before leaping on top of the dead horse and changing his stance.

  He held his sword in one hand and a set of thin-bladed knives in another. Blood spilled from the grazes on his body, and sweat dripped down from his forehead. He focused his attention on the three projectiles currently flying towards Tucker, whose defense had fallen. With three knives in his hand, he held it by the blade and threw them at each arrow. Letting it slide between his fingers as flames shrouded the blades.

  Each clash released a sharp ringing sound that caused the horses to jerk violently in pain as the flames and auras wrapped around each other. As Alex’s eyes were frantically darting around the area, a gleam of light flashed from the side. He immediately swung his sword upwards, deflecting the arrow to the sky as a sharp pain ran down his thigh. An arrow buried itself deep into his leg in his brief moment of weakness.

  Using his free hand, he grabbed hold of the wooden shaft and snapped it in half before throwing it like a dagger at one of the nearby knights. Yet before it could reach the slit in the knight’s visor, their hand intercepted it and struck it away.

  “Fucking tedious bastards.” Alex glared at them and took short and uneven breaths.

  They were pseudo-knights, a tier below the standard knights that could dye the world in their colors. Typically, he wouldn’t have such difficulties, but their approach was methodical and beyond practical in terms of minimizing loss. Even though they had whittled down their spirit essence constantly throughout the pursuit, the enemies showed no signs of fatigue or struggle while maintaining their aura.

  But before they could launch another set of arrows, a fierce current of air swirled in the area. Alex felt the air pull on his clothes and armor, and the surrounding mounts seemed to slow down.

  “Alex!” Tucker glared at the veteran with hazy eyes while pointing at the tornado surrounding them. He then pointed at the flames in the old man’s hands, and without hesitation, Alex channeled his spirit essence and sent a string of blazes into the wind. Turning the entire tornado into a fiery vortex that shielded them from the projectiles.

  Alex tapped on his chest pocket as Sally poked their head out and immediately twirled his finger in a circle around them. Seeing the order, the young spirit leaped out and released a stationary shield that absorbed the heat and flames leaking towards the two watchmen.

  Without sparing a second, Alex grabbed Tucker’s shoulder and threw him over, causing the rookie to scream out in pain. He scanned the wounds on their body. One arrow buried deep in the back of their shoulder, and two long gashes. It was a miracle the other two arrows only tore out his flesh and didn’t dig further in. And another miracle was that the rookie accidentally applied pressure to both areas by propping themselves against the fallen steed.

  He reached for the vials in his pouch while resting his sword on the ground. Only three mid-tier potions that could quickly seal wounds and a low-tier potion to disinfect the wound. The broken legs would have to wait for when they returned to the Order. The veteran took out a dagger and cut the fabric, blocking the straps of Tucker’s battle-scarred armor. Before removing the plating and tearing their shirt. He applied the first potion evenly on the gashes, watching as both wounds sizzled while slowly closing.

  It wasn’t enough to fully seal the wound, but it was better than nothing. Then Alex took his dagger and looked at the last wound. “Bite down on something or grit your teeth.”

  “Wha—”

  Before Tucker could finish his sentence, Alex dug the dagger into the rookie’s shoulder. Tucker violently flailed in place as Alex pressed his knee on their spine and tried to keep him still. He needed just enough time to fish the arrowhead out of the wound without prolonging Tucker’s suffering, and after a minute, the arrow was out. The old man then took out a green vial, one used to clean the wound, and poured it on top of the newly carved hole in Tucker’s back. Once the green vapor faded, Alex poured the last mid-tier potion on top, sealing the hole.

  “Fuck!” Tucker cursed as the stinging sensation burned from his wounds.

  “Enough complaining. We need a solution. This little vortex of ours isn’t going to hold them back for long.” Alex flipped Tucker once more and checked if he had any other serious wounds. Besides a few scratches, it was safe to say that overall, the rookie wasn’t in a terrible condition. “What’s the plan?”

  Tucker stared at his broken legs. “One without leaving me behind?”

  Alex nodded.

  “I can still roughly tell where the knights are positioned because of Gale. They have five between us and the stronghold and the other four covering the other directions.” Tucker groaned in pain as he tried to stand, but soon fell back down. “Two of them are off their mounts.”

  “I’m guessing they’re part of the guys between us and the dwarves?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Just our luck.” Alex clicked his tongue. “How long do we have until you run out of essence?”

  “I don’t know. With Gale here, maybe five to ten minutes?” Tucker bitterly laughed at himself before shaking his head. “How many do you think you’ll be able to kill if you don’t protect me?”

  “None if they stay on their mounts. Even with feather step and swift stride, war mounts are always hard to catch because their muscles are strengthened with aura and magic,” Alex replied with a tired expression. “They were bred for endurance and strength, so it’ll be tricky.”

  Tucker pressed his lips into a thin line as anger simmered under every thought. If only he had dodged the attack that came out of the sky. Then they wouldn’t be in this situation. Or if he was stronger, he could have blown a hole through the knight’s chest and decreased the number of foes chasing them.

  “There’s no point in brooding over what’s already happened,” said Alex.

  Tucker stared at his mentor, who was rummaging through his leather pouch. “Aren’t we in a pretty bad situation though?”

  “Correct. It’s a very shitty situation if I’m being honest.” Alex took out a grey orb from Tucker’s pouch and grumbled before placing it back. “But if we want to survive this predicament. Then we better think of ways to survive.”

  “You should leave me behind and—”

  Alex stared at Tucker and immediately struck his face. The area on Tucker’s cheek swelled as he spat out a mouthful of blood and gazed at the old man.

  “It’s the logical choice. You can’t carry me out.” Tucker wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. “If anyone should survive, it’s you. I’m just some kid that keeps fucking up every chance I get.”

  Alex lifted Tucker by his collar and furiously glared at him. “If you want to be a ranger, then you need to get your shit together and think! The type of missions those guys go on are far worse than this and as long as we draw breath, there’s still a chance. A chance that many would beg to take. We only fail if we give up here. Do I make myself clear?”

  Tucker kept quiet and nodded as Alex threw him back down. He knew the veteran was right, but what could he do? He didn’t have the confidence to fight against the Empire’s forces and he would only slow down his partner.

  “Now, tell me. Can you push this tornado closer to the stronghold? Yes or no!” Alex asked.

  “No… I’m not nearly skilled enough to do something like that,” Tucker replied.

  “Then we’ll figure something out,” said Alex, extending his hand to Tucker as the rookie grabbed hold. With a strong pull, Alex hoisted him to his feet and quickly supported the rookie as he leaned against him.

  With seconds ticking down, Alex ran through the next move in his mind. They had wasted four minutes, but even if they had efficiently used their time. It wouldn’t matter since they were still far from the stronghold. The rookie would have already known this because he was the one most familiar with calculating distance.

  But that didn’t mean they should have accepted their fate and did nothing. Every second counted, and fighting till one’s last breath was the best way to go. Even if he used his aura to shift the terrain in their favor, the knights would easily evade his technique, causing him to drain his energy. If they were proper knights, they would have tried to trap them in their world, but since they didn’t, they were most likely pseudo-knights. Soldiers who couldn’t manifest their own nor apply their will to the world.

  Alex glanced at the wavering tornado and then at Tucker, who took deep, ragged breaths. Their little trick would soon run out, and what awaited them were several knights who were fully capable of ending their lives.

  Yet, despite the wind fiercely blowing around them. A sound came from the direction of the stronghold. It was a deep, thunderous note that rolled out through the area. Drawing the attention of the watchmen and the knights alike. It shook the air and their bones, carrying a weight that Tucker had never experienced before.

  As the tornado dispersed, a line of warriors stood before them, their weapons drawn, past the Empire's forces and beyond their reach. Yet, a single figure drew their attention. A single dwarf wielding a great axe with an iron badge of two crossing hammers and an azure ribbon.

  It was Fargrim.