The Runic Alchemist

"You're like a doll… So pretty..."

"So are you... Now run along," Sam said to the little girl who had come to share her admiration for him and Einar as they rested beneath some large trees, taking a break from the intense midday heat. They were at one of the forest clearings where they'd camped earlier with Valoris's army.

The little girl had been sneaking glances at Sam and Einar throughout the journey as they walked behind the villagers, keeping constant watch on their surroundings.

"No, not you... him." She made a face at Sam and turned her gaze to Einar in admiration.

"Pffft... Hahaha!" Einar burst into laughter, while Sam, looking awkward, made faces himself at the girl. He was beautiful too, damn it! It wasn't his fault Einar looked otherworldly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry... sorry, Rina, what are yo... I'm so sorry," the girl's mother rushed over, picking her up and bowing repeatedly. "I will punish her for this."

"It's fine, really... No harm done," Sam smiled warmly at the woman, trying to stop her from bowing any further. It felt strange to be treated this way by someone older.

As Sam settled back under the tree beside Einar, he sighed, chewing on his food.

"What do you think? Will it be the same?" Einar asked, lowering his voice just enough for Sam to hear.

Yovan had been periodically used the spell to detect mana concentrations during their journey and had picked up traces of a large mana source following them from a distance. Einar had given Yovan the horse provided by their captain for him, allowing him to stay further behind and increase his detection range.

After two sweeps, Yovan had detected something large behind them, and he'd left again to check a third time.

"I guess so. You think it's them?" Sam asked. The source could be many things—wandering monster hordes or a high-level creature. It had to be some of the Ashenvale forces left behind in that attack or they were from some other group, ones they had passed by without noticing maybe while coming here with Valoris.

"It has to be them. But if it is, they've somehow found a way to hide from plain sight. Tell me, why did you think something was off last night?"

"I don't know. It just felt like something was going to happen, so I reacted." Sam admitted, still unsure why he had sensed the attack before it had even occurred.

"Those are some impressive instincts… Maybe you're worth keeping around after all."

"Hey!" Sam protested. That was uncalled for! The pretty boy was even more irritating when making fun of him to his face and still looking enchanting.

Soon, Yovan returned, confirming the worst. This time, by traveling further back, he had sensed an even larger concentration of mana. Whether they were humans or something else, they were well-hidden and numerous. This was no time for doubts, they already had a sign and if they didn't follow through, there were the ones being fools here.

***

"Are you certain about this?" Captain Valen asked, his face tense as his second-in-command, Vice-Captain Draven, stood at his side.

"That's what I sensed. You can confirm it with another mage if you like," Yovan replied.

Sam and Einar had finally decided to report their findings to Captain Valen, hoping to plan some kind of defense.

"But it's just mana, right? There's mana everywhere. It could be anything," the vice-captain said dismissively.

"It could be nothing, and we've wasted time. Or it could be Ashenvale's hidden forces, waiting to ambush us. Shouldn't we take precautions?" Einar countered, his voice rising in frustration. Sam noticed Einar's face twitching, echoing his own frustration. He felt the same way when the vice-captain dismissed their concerns.

"I understand..." Captain Valen glanced back at the civilians, who were now preparing to move again. "We can handle them if they come."

"Handle them? How? Haven't you seen that your unit is..." Einar's voice rose too much, and Sam nudged him gently. Sam wanted to punch the captain too, but he had already learned that blindly following his ideals wasn't wise when they had no power to back it up. He couldn't repeat that mistake again.

Einar stopped mid-sentence, clenching his teeth as he turned away.

"We should make haste. Move as quickly as possible and set traps along the way. We can leave them behind," Yovan suggested.

"Run away? From Ashenvale's dogs? No. I don't think so," the vice-captain sneered.

"We're in no condition to fight," Sam said firmly, trying to remain polite, though his words were ignored.

This was so wrong. Sam felt an overwhelming urge to grab the guy by the collar and force him to see reason, but he resisted the impulse. He couldn't afford to act rashly and get his friends into trouble again, not until he was confident he could protect them. This was pointless, as expected, these bastards were useless.

"Why don't you under—" Einar began, but Captain Valen cut him off.

"Enough! I've heard your concerns. Now, go do your job."

Einar clenched his fists, leaving without even a slight bow of respect, as was customary in the army. Sam didn't care much for the formalities either, and Yovan, who had never liked nobles, followed suit. Neither Captain Valen seemed to care much about it, though the vice-captain's face twisted in displeasure at the rude behavior.

"Forget them. We need to be prepared," Sam said once they were far enough from the others.

"The only option is to set traps and retreat. We can't prepare for a force that large. We barely have the manpower, and most of them are inexperienced kids. Not to mention, some hate us, and even those who don't won't risk crossing a noble," Yovan said bitterly.

"Damn it.." Einar cursed looking at the civilians talking and walking, looking so defenseless. Yeah, those were also a problem, they couldn't run with women, children and old men fast enough to leave soldiers of Ashenvale behind.