The current time is night on the day after the rookies went shopping. As of now, our typical group of four was sprawled out on the third floor after a hearty dinner. 

“Nyaah, can’t eat any more,” Sekh muttered happily as she reclined on a sofa.

Like Sekh, the rest of us were suffering from various cases of overeating. Zeph sat on a chair on the cusp of passing out. Meanwhile, Minerva and I were both caressing our faux pregnancies while sipping dark tea. 

“You think buying that cake was worth it?” I asked the room.

“I wonder if cake is ever not worth it?” Minerva commented.

“Uhhh huh,” Sekh mumbled in response, her eyes not even open. 

Zeph was just quiet at this point, most likely no longer conscious. 

“So I’m having a bit of a dilemma,” I announced to no one in particular. “I’m planning to take the rookies out on one last expedition before concluding their training. But the problem is the gap in competence throughout the whole group. It would be ridiculous to hold back the crème by making them work with the chaff. So I’d like to split them into two groups.”

“That seems reasonable,” Minerva replied. “I’m almost certain that the chaff group will consist of the rookies that got held back and the ones that got injured. But do you plan to further stratify the remaining group based on a skill requirement?”

After pondering the option for a moment, I gave my answer. “There’s no need for that. The requests in the southeast are fairly dangerous anyways, so I’d like to bring a good number of reasonably competent people.”

“How are you splitting up the instructors then?” Minerva continued. 

“I was planning to get their input on this,” I complained while looking at the two sleeping beauties. “But it looks like I’ll have to ask tomorrow.”

“Well I should let you know that I won’t be able to help,” Minerva informed me. “I’d like to stay at the Bureau and monitor the clerks. Plus working with the rookies is bad for my mental health.”

“I think you just don’t like working with most people,” I responded. “Especially since your standards can only be met by like five percent of the world.”

“Naturally. I hold myself and others to high standards,” Minerva said with a jokingly smug smile. 

Considering how Minerva won’t be available to help, my options have become quite constrained. While I had planned to have Sekh and Minerva lead the chaff group to the north, I might have to place Zeph in that group now. However, my decision depended on the severity of the danger in the southeast. I had been doing some investigating on the area and discovered that the unknown threat in the region turned out to be a particularly savage pack of wolves. The reports were harrowing enough that I had to buy a number of wolf traps in advance, the total adding up to 5 silver coins. 

Should I take Zeph with me to guarantee that the expedition goes safely? Or should I let her help Sekh in the north?

My internal debate continued late into the night, well after I had carried both Sekh and Zeph to their beds. It was only after deeply consulting my pillow and a sleeping Sekh that I reached a conclusion. I would bring Zeph with me. The requests in the north weren’t as dangerous as the ones we previously did in the west. All Sekh needed to do was keep order amongst the rookies, something made possible by her solid reputation.

The next morning, I confronted both Sekh and Zeph about my planned division of labor. And both of them just stared at me in silence, how nice. 

“So any thoughts?” I asked, trying to break the ice.

Zeph simply shrugged her shoulders and gestured towards the now pouting Sekh.

“Not fair,” Sekh complained, her facial muscles scrunched and brows furrowed. 

I rubbed the back of my head and tried to present a consolatory smile. “Sorry Sekh. I really would like to bring you along but it’s not feasible.”

With her ears drooping and arms crossed, Sekh looked like the very definition of frustration. 

“I know,” she finally mumbled. “In terms of logic, your plan is the best one. But that doesn’t make it sting any less.”

“I’ll be sure to spend time with you later,” I offered. “I’ll make it worth the wait, I promise.”

Sekh shook her head vigorously, obviously dissatisfied with my answer. “It’s not about that. I checked up on the situation in the Southeast and it’s not reassuring. I know Zeph is the best option for the job, but…”

“But what?” I asked in a gentle tone.

“But I want to make sure that you’re safe with my own eyes,” she answered. “It’s ridiculous, but I’d feel better that way.”

Without warning, I bent down and pulled Sekh into a kiss. Although hesitant at first, Sekh eventually gave in and our tongues mingled with one another. 

“Sekh, I promise we’ll come back safely,” I assured her while rubbing her head. “Just believe in me, okay?”

“Fine,” Sekh replied, still a bit moody. “I’ll stay safe too, so don’t worry.”

While we were having our heart to heart, I completely failed to notice that Zeph had just left the room. No sigh, no complaints, and no Zeph. Only later did I find her waiting for us in the lobby of the Bureau.

Since we had already made preparations during the previous days, we were able to start our journey without delay. Our two groups parted ways outside of the city walls, Sekh and I having another moment and Zeph doing the usual response. 

It took us a whole day to reach our destination in the southeast. However, it would be more accurate to say that our destination is a broad area, since we would scour the area for the next two to four days.

Oddly enough, we didn’t encounter that many creatures as we traveled. Apart from a tribe of ten ratmen, we only witnessed common animals such as deer and rabbits. Additionally, many of the ratmen tracks that we did find lead further southeast. 

“What do you think is causing this?” Zeph asked as we observed a set of tracks.

“Maybe it’s safer to the southeast,” I replied. “Or there might be an abundance of food in the area. However, all this seems very recent, so I doubt the Doux has been able to mount a proper investigation. Especially if you consider how sluggish the administration has been.”

“So we’re probably the first to respond to something like this,” Zeph complained.

“That’s not entirely true,” I informed her. “A few mercenaries have been in this area recently. Some of them even brought back wolf pelts from their forays. Still it’s strange that an increase in wolves would cause ratmen to move towards the area. Perhaps they’ve developed a taste for livestock?”

“I honestly have no clue,” Zeph remarked. “I guess we just follow any wolf tracks that we find, then we can get to the bottom of the situation.”

But another day’s worth of travel didn’t yield such a thing. Although we slaughtered a group of twenty ratmen, our surroundings were eerily empty. There were hardly any signs of these supposed wolf packs apart from a few deer remains. 

In a situation like this, I decided that the best course of action would be to go to a nearby settlement. During our previous expedition, we only briefly visited a village to trade for food and possibly gain new information. However, it was now essential that we ask around for information, due to the unusual circumstances.

Fortunately for us, the map that we brought with us indicated that there should be a village in the nearby area. After doing some scouting ahead, I confirmed that there was in fact a settlement in the far distance. And thus we began to move towards the settlement. 

Yet as we neared the settlement, we realized that something was wrong. Coming from the settlement were tall pillars of black smoke, the smell of burned wood wafting towards us. 

“What the hell is going on?” I said with wide eyes. “There’s no way someone would start such a large fire in a village like this.”

“I think we should investigate immediately,” Zeph said worriedly. 

For a short moment, I paused to analyze the situation. Our group of fifteen, Zeph and I included, was roughly a mile away from the village. With our whole group, it would be impossible to quickly make our way to the destination. 

I turned around to face the people behind me, ready to make a little speech. “Alright everyone, I have a plan. The four people who have horses to ride will make haste for the settlement. Everyone else should keep a brisk pace on foot and take care of the baggage. Once we’re in view, the first group will use one horn blast to signal that things are fine. Two horn blasts will signal an uncontrolled fire. And in the worst case, three horn blasts to signal enemies or another irregularity.”

Without waiting, I leapt atop my horse and beckoned for my companions to follow. With the aid of Zeph’s wind magic, we flew towards the village. 

When we got closer, I saw a horrifying sight. Numerous corpses lay flat on the ground, village citizens from the looks of it. Standing among the carnage were twenty or so wolves. Not animals, but bandits who had done wolf pelts on their heads. 

The bandits were anything but a motley crew. Most of them wore gambesons and simple metal caps. However, four of them wore metal lamellar cuirasses atop their padding and one of them was outfitted in a mail hauberk. The majority of them were infantry armed with melee weapons and shields, but there six archers and the mailed bandit sat atop a warhorse. 

In a split second, Zeph immediately spurred her horse towards the village while one of the rookies blew the dreaded three blasts. 

“Zeph wait!” I shouted to no effect.

I almost charged in right to help her until I realized that my lamellar cuirass was hanging on my horse. Although it would take me a bit to get it on, I’m certain that it will pay dividends in the upcoming battle. 

“Help me get this on,” I motioned to one of the rookies riding with me. “The plan is now to harass the bandits until our reinforcements arrive. So absolutely don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

With the help of another person, I quickly armored myself and prepared to race after Zeph. Yet the white haired archer flew towards the village like an arrow, leaving us far behind. When she arrived, she drew her bow and began to take shots at the wolfish marauders.

Under most circumstances, the bandit archers should have slaughtered a lone bowman, particularly one using a longbow on horseback. But the mystical wind warped the results. As Zeph’s arrows weaved and twisted  past buildings, the bandit’s arrows floundered and flopped around in the air.

“Pull back, they have a mage!” the armored horseman commanded after two of his archers were struck down.

With the bandits on the retreat we were now in a prime position to wait for our reinforcements. 

But circumstances didn’t allow for such an easy victory. The houses that were being filled with smoke began opening. From those houses came a slow stream of villagers desperately fleeing the smog, violently coughing as they tried to stumble to safety.

I don’t know if it was out of panic or a strategy to lure us out, but the bandits began butchering the beleaguered citizens. For our group of four, it would be foolhardy to attempt a daring rescue. Worse, our reinforcements won’t be able to arrive in time for this situation. Our best plan for now is to harass the marauders until our infantry arrives. 

“Come on, we need to help them!” Zeph shouted as she spurred her horse towards the village center.

She wasn’t wrong to any extent, but I really hope that she holds off from any reckless actions. 

“Don’t rush into the enemy, just skirmish with them!” I ordered as I rode in after Zeph. 

Unlike Zeph and I, the two mounted rookies lacked bows or any projectile weapons for the matter. And due to the cramped village environment, they won’t be of much use. 

Both Zeph and I galloped towards the bandits. However, only I could shoot while moving, Zeph being forced to take a stationary position to use her bow. Still, our skirmishing worked excellently. The shield bearing marauders desperately tried to provide cover for their archers, but our arrows were guided by the very wind. Soon, another three bandit archers were out of action, either dead or dying. However, I could tell that the heavy use of magic was taking its toll on Zeph’s energy. 

Suddenly, Zeph and I noticed the shapes of a mother and child fleeing from a house near the village center, no longer able to resist the smoke. But as they were staggering out, a pair of bandits broke off to attack them. 

“Was this a bait?” I thought as I tried to shoot at the bandits. There was no way that these bastards would waste time killing civilians at a time like this. 

But Zeph didn’t share my sense of caution. Seeing the villagers in danger, she bolted towards the location to stave off the bandits with the spear she kept at her side. But unlike the archers, these shielded fighters managed to block my arrows, only suffering a few light wounds. 

And then it happened. Suddenly a bandit appeared from Zeph’s left with a sparth axe in hand, most likely having hid in the space between the houses. Right when he came into sight, I had quickly nocked an arrow and loosed it at him. But as the arrow was soaring through the air, the bandit swung his axe in a vicious arc towards Zeph’s head. As the axe head hurtled at Zeph, she violently twisted her body and a burst of wind pushed her out of the way. Yet Zeph’s split second defense knocked away not just the bandit, but herself as well. Though she tried to use her wind magic to cushion herself, Zeph fell off her horse and hit the ground with an audible thud. 

The arrow that I had sent also missed its mark on the bandit that had been shoved back, him now staggering from the violent gust.

Now it was a situation with three lives at stake: a mother, a child, and Zeph. Should I add my own life into the gamble? Would our reinforcements arrive in time to deter the marauders?

But even as I was considering my options, I had already charged forward into the fray. As the sparth axe bandit tried to recover his footing, my glaive sliced through his unprotected neck. 

Before the dead bandit could even fall to the ground, I already wheeled my horse towards the mother and child pair. The bandit pair had already slowed their pace when we started shooting at them, but they now halted to face my charge. 

However, I could see a number of their comrades already rushing to bolster them. At this point, my only option is to distract the enemy. 

Yet as I was guarding the Zeph and the escaping civilian pair, the enemy horseman charged forth towards us. In order to prevent him from reaching the people behind me, I spurred my horse to meet him. 

Both of us charged at one another in a sort of joust. Although he had aimed his lance at my face, the spear was brushed aside by own shield. Meanwhile, my opponent had blocked my own glaive but wasn’t able to deflect the blow. The full force of my charge knocked my opponent off his horse, his body plummeting towards the hard earth. This came as a surprise to me, until I realized that he was riding his horse bareback. 

But before I could finish him off, I had to wheel my horse in the opposite direction to flee from the approaching foot soldiers. In front of me, Zeph had gotten to her feet and was desperately trying to shield herself and the civilian duo from the last bandit archer. Additionally, the two mounted rookies had already started pulling off some of the bandit infantry from the main formation.  Yet as I was trying to run, I felt a sharp pain along with something slick running down my thigh. When I looked down, a spear punched through the mail and cloth into my leg. 

Regardless, I pushed past the pain and spurred my horse away. When I turned around, there were about ten bandits pursuing me, the unhorsed captain among the crowd. Compared to the almost suffocating civilian pair and an injured Zeph, the bandits were far faster.

Still, I could make out the outlines of my comrades in the distance. All I had to do was hold off the enemy for a short period of time. Once again, I turned to face my opponents. 

Fortunately for me, not all the bandits had spears or polearms, almost half of them wielding hand weapons like axes or clubs. Thus I rushed towards them with my glaive, trying to pick off stragglers where I could. 

Due to their lack of discipline, one marauder strayed slightly too far from the group. With such an opportunity, I circumvented his shield and stabbed my glaive into his flank. But to my surprise, the dying man mustered his will and grabbed my polearm. 

I immediately dropped my weapon and pulled back, the crowd of bandits now on my heels. With my polearm gone, I armed myself with my mace. Seeing that I had lost my reach advantage, a handful of bandits eagerly rushed forward towards me. 

One idiot hastily separated from his allies, certain that he could spear me off my horse. I easily deflected his spear with my shield and retaliated with a face blow to his skull. The tremendous impact of the mace smashed into his wolf helmet, crushing the man’s head. The man slammed into the ground, bits of brain splattering when he made impact. 

During that time, I had already begun riding away from the enemy, almost as though we were playing a game of tag. Despite seeing two of their number slain so easily, the bandits continued to hound me, still confident in their numbers. 

In a desperate attempt, two of the bandits hurled their heavy thrusting spear towards me like  javelins. I hastily twisted both my body and horse to dodge the projectiles. And although I had escaped unharmed, my delay provided the opportunity for the remaining bandits to gain ground on me. 

“Surround him!” the mailed bandit ordered his men as he charged towards me. 

As the situation was, the bandits were curling around to my left and right while Zeph and the civilian pair had safely removed themselves from the fighting. However, the bandits were slowly backing me up into a wall, a literal one in this case. If I let things take their course, I might get killed before my help arrives. 

To catch the bandits off guard, I began slowly retreating before suddenly rushing to the right where the enemy captain was. Since I knew that my opponents would try to repel me with their spears, I skirted out of reach to force them to separate from their group if they wanted to engage me. 

Three brave bandits took up that challenge, the mailed captain amongst them. Trusting my armor and skill, I surprised my opponents by rushing straight towards them. I avoided two spears thrust my way, though the bandit leader struck me in the side, almost unhorsing me with the blow. His lance punched through the lamellar and mail, but stopped when it reached my gambeson. Before he could pull his weapon out, my mace slammed into the side of his face at full force. The metal flangs tore into the man’s head at full force, a violent cracking sound being made upon impact. 

Shocked by their captain’s demise, the two bandits showed clear signs of hesitation. Using this opportunity, I quickly regained my riding posture while slaying one of the two bandits with an overhead blow. But before I could press the advantage on my last opponent, his allies came to his aid. 

A multitude of attacks were directed at me and my horse, all of which were dodged, blocked, or negated by armor. Yet as I was trying to survive the barrage of attacks, a heavy two handed wooden mallet was being swung right at me. I was in no position to dodge such an attack. Out of pure desperation, I tried to block the blow with my shield. 

I did block the attack. But the moment the mallet made contact with my shield, I felt a severe cracking in my left arm. Combined with the rather limp feeling in my left arm, I was certain that it was broken. Even worse, the shockwave from the blow knocked me off my horse. I only barely managed to stymy my collision with the ground by twisting my body midair. 

For just a few seconds, my horse served as a barrier between me and the bandits. Mustering all my willpower and energy, I violently forced myself to stand. By the time that the bandits had maneuvered around my steed, I was already on my feet, though I was still staggering from my crude movement. 

Despite my highly compromised situation, I began to savagely swing my mace at my opponents while regaining my posture. The first enemy to be slain was the mallet bandit, followed by an opponent who had his collarbone shattered. Yet as I was crushing my enemies, a few more blows came my way. With my limp arm, I managed to deflect the most dangerous blows, while my armor held off the rest. Terrified by my prowess and recklessness, the bandits began backing up. And then they started fleeing. 

Salvation had come. It was then that I looked behind me. The rookies on foot had finally begun nearing the outskirts of the village. 

In response, the bandits had mobilized a somewhat organized retreat, with the last archer providing covering shots for his allies. If I wanted to run them down, I would have to approach them cautiously. 

This never happened. Because once my adrenaline began fading, I became gripped by the feeling of lightheadedness. Right, I was stabbed during the start of the fight. When I looked down at my thigh, I saw that the mail there was slick red with blood. The wound wasn’t lethal from the looks of it. However, the bandits would be escaping safely. 

And so the battle had ended. The losses on both sides were still unknown. All I could do was hope for the best.