In the dark of night covered by snow and cold, the only source of warmth for the cake from the fire in their midst.

  The party of six sat around the fire, their weapons by their sides. They drank and laughed together, their leader Korran Hoxshore was silent.

  He stared into the eye of the fire and watched it like it was a strange thing. He could see the eyes of that dark figure staring back at him from the fire.

  He looked down at the bottle in his hand and sighed. "Too much ale will do this to a man."

  In all his years of banditry nothing he had learned had prepared him for what happened next. The fire was sniffed out by a cold wind, the sky went dark, no stars, no moon.

  A dark chuckle permeated through the darkness, one Korran had experience with. A few seconds later the flame caught fire back but this time all his men were gone. There was a figure sitting opposite him.

  "No, not this damn nightmare again." He screamed as he reached for his axe and thrust it at the space between them. "Who the fuck are you?"

  The other figure was that of a faceless man with long black hair that covered all of his body. He sat on a huge rock, he warmed his bony hands before the fire. "Apologies, I haven't felt the warmth of a flame for a very long time. If there's anything I hate more than myself it's fire."

  Korran tightened his grip on his axe, "Who the fuck are you? I won't ask again."

  The other figure nodded or did something that resembled one. "I believe you but hypothetical I doubt anyone actually takes you seriously. See, I have been watching you for a while now and I have to say I'm not the least bit impressed. How can you lead you men when you pack sufficient power?"

  "That's enough, I'll be taking your head." Korran leapt to his feet and swung his axe at the strange man, the moment he took his first step then ground opened up beneath him and he fell over the edge.

  Korran barely managed to grab hold of the edge to stop himself from falling even deeper into the darkness beneath. "You are a damn wizard! I'll kill you."

  The man now stood over the huge crack. "Wizards, they are jesters at best. I'm a force of power, power I like to share with friends. So, Korran Hoxshore are you a friend or are you a fool?"

  The man started to walk away, and the crack closing with Korran still inside.

  "Hey, get me out of here. Don't leave me here." He cried but the man did not return not even after he was crushed as the ground closed up on him.

  Korran blinked back to reality, he was still by the fire and his men were still laughing and smiling. He his his face behind his hands and sighed.

  "Boss, are you okay?" Asked one of his men.

  The voice of the strange man sounded in his ears. "Hear how he doubts your power, it's only a matter of time before they decide to usurp you."

  Korran looked at his men who watched him with confused looks, he wondered what they were thinking. He clenched his jaw and heaved a heavy sigh. "Whoever you are your games won't work on me, my men are loyal."

  The voice went silent, only carried by the wind somewhat. The crackling of the flames grew louder, hot sweat trickled down his face. He could still feel the eyes of the strange man on him, he waited patiently for the voice to speak. The seconds tested his patience, but the voice spoke.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "I used to have men who were loyal to me. But they all fell." The voice spoke again, this time it did not sound dark or cryptic. It sounded cold, broken— almost human. Korran's hands grazed his mallet as he tried to find the source of the voice, his men who had only been around him a second ago were nowhere to be seen. His breath was shaky, erratic. "Being a leader is a cruel thing isn't it, everyone relies on you just because you are better than them. Just because they trust you? Just because you are stronger?"

  Korran swallowed hard before speaking. "Who are you?"

  The voice grew quieter as it chuckled. "I hardly believe who I am is important at the moment. But I do need your help, I am after a human child, a special one."

  The flame started to transform before Korran's very eyes, changing from it's bright red and orange to a purple burning flame. His heart tightened in his chest. "I don't know what you want but those brats killed one of mine, so they're mine."

  The voice returned stronger, Korran was starting to feel the air being sucked out of him. He clawed at his throat as he fought for air the air started to grow bigger and bigger by every passing second. "Don't be afraid, I won't kill you. I also want them dead and I can help you achieve that goal."

  Korran started to lose vision in both eyes, he staggered like a drunk man and tripped over his own feet and falling face first into the ground. He face burned bright red, the veins on his temples popped one at a time, his eyes started to bleed black blood.

  "I apologise for my behaviour of recent but I have to show you what you lack, as a leader the most crucial thing is power. Without this your followers will follow you to their deaths, luckily for you I have enough to spare. So what say you." Korran could barely see silhoutte of a man standing over his dying body, he wished he could speak but all the air had left him. The only problem was that he was not dying, something was preventing him from dying.

  Korran continued to choke and turn on the ground, sparks fired off in his brain. His mind was a mixed bag of nothing but curses. "To help with you, I curse you by the gods. To help with you."

  The silhouette of a man started to retreat from him. "It seems this is your choice, I respect a man who stands his ground." The silhouette stood next to the flame and vanished, leaving his words singing in the air. "Till we next meet."

  And like a rush, Korran was back in reality, but could he call it reality. His head was heavy and his body burning, his clothes were soaked in sweat and his body men were all over him. "Boss, are you alright. You passed out, and your body started to burn."

  "It must have been a nasty mosquito."

  "No mosquito can take down the boss."

  Korran looked at each one of them, slowly pacing his eyes before settling it on the flame that still burned bright orange. He wanted to believe that he was back in the actual reality but he was afraid for that exact reason. The possibility that he was trapped in a reality created by someone he knew nothing about, was such a level of power even possible.

  "I hate magic." He cursed under his breath.

  The bandit lord took in a long whiff of air and slumped down on the ground. His gaze shifted through his gang, their faces looking concerned at him. He was to smile but his face still trembled and he simply lay there. "Boys, I think I'll have a nice long nap here."

  One of the bandits a tall lean man having a crossbow in hand, looked down at him, his eyes deep and heavy. He had scars on his chin and broad shoulders that would have supported a more massive build. "Korran, at first light do we still chase the ones who killed Hansel?"

  Korran's shut his eyes, "If you have something to say then be my guest, Bran." Bran had always been perceptive of everyone and everything, he was never one to be decieved easily. Compared to everyone else in his gang, Bran was by far if not the smartest, the most clever. While everyone followed Korran because of his strength, Bran was always the one who kept everyone in check. Among the other notable bandit lords in the area, Korran was ranked low because of the size of his gang.

  The only reason he was still respected was mostly because of his ferocity, and mostly because of Bran who alone constituted more than half his gangs power, other bandit lords tried to get him to join their side but for some reason he chose to work for Korran the unfortunate. He never once gave any reason as to how or asked for a personal gain, that made Korran wary of him.

  He would constantly watch over his shoulder for fear of mutiny, but with Bran around that problem ceased to exist.

  Now Bran stood over him one hand holding on to the clasp of his crossbow, holding it over Korran's head. His other hand grabbed at the air repeatedly. Then he spoke in a low, deep voice. "Two brats managed to get away from a bandit lord such as yourself, even if you are the lowest of the bunch it's still a shameful thing. The other lords would mock you, it's even more disgraceful going after them like dogs." His grip tightened on the crossbow and he pulled back on the noose till it was taut and locked in place before putting an arrow in it and aiming it down at Korran's head. "You've grown stale."

  Korran opened his eyes to see the tip of a steel arrow aimed right at his head, it's wielder looking down at him with cold indifference. Korran chuckles nervously. "Well it's hard to stay vibrant in these harsh climates. But Bran, are you against killing those kids? They killed one of ours so they are killers by right. It's only fitting I avenge one of mine."

  He held his breath waiting for Bran to speak but he still kept mute. Eventually he spoke up, "Why don't you get that damn thing fromy face and let me sleep, if you want to kill me then be done with it. Nothing's stopping you."

  Bran blinked very slowly, he turned his gaze away from the bandit lord and back at the gang who were all dozing off. He looked back down at Korran who had not moved and inch. "I bore you don't I?" Korran asked.

  Bran opened his mouth, finally speaking for the first time in a while. "You're right, nothing's stopping me from killing you." He raised the crossbow slowly and rested it on his shoulder before turning around and gracefully walking away. "I'll keep watching for the night."

  Korran lay there his minds between shock and disbelief, he wondered if Bran would have truly killed him there. Bran's motives had always been a mystery to him, a wildcard he never asked for. He did thank the moment for taking his mind from that strange man that had been tormenting him. Did he really have a reason to chase those brats? His gaze turned over to the moon shining brightly in the sky, "By the devil's arse, I am surrounded by lunatics."