The soldiers were closing in. Their physique-boost magic gave them speed and strength too much for ordinary people to match.
"They're catching up!" one woman gasped.
"We'll be killed…" another sobbed.
"Run faster," Gabriel ordered, then added, "I'll stall them. Get into the trees."
"Okay, my lord," the old man said, though his voice wavered. One of the old man's sons stepped forward, ready to defend his family.
Gabriel pulled a sword from his inventory and bit into a hard piece of bread as he drew the blade. He didn't look like much just a skinny teen now but his hands moved with the calm confidence of someone who'd fought a dozen wars.
"Brat!" a soldier snarled. "Why did you stop running? We'll kill you!"
The soldier laughed. "Thanks for making our job easier." His men closed in.
Then swoosh. A gust of wind sliced through the clearing as Gabriel exploded into motion. He used his swordsman knowledge from earth, a sudden dash of blade and footwork so fast it blurred.
One soldier went down before anyone could shout. The others froze, eyes wide.
"You serious? He took one of us in a second," one whispered.
"That kid's got insane swordsmanship," another said, clutching his wound.
Gabriel planted his feet and shouted, "All of you come at me! If you want to die, do it now!"
For a moment, silence. The five remaining soldiers exchanged looks. One of them sneered and stepped forward.
"Kid, you've got talent. I could kill you but I'd lose men too. Let's be practical." He spat on the ground. "I'll tell the captain a monster kill all of you and one of my squad got killed by some forest beast. Sound good?"
Gabriel considered the man: tired, greedy for easy favors, not cruel enough to risk his own teeth for glory. He nodded once.
"Deal," Gabriel said. "Now get out of my sight."
The soldiers backed away, then turned and retreated, hauling their fallen comrade with them.
As they vanished down the road, Gabriel tucked his sword away and turned to the frightened group. Their faces were wet with tears and dirt; their breaths came in ragged pulls.
"Move," he said flatly. "We're not safe yet."
They moved deeper into the beast forest, boots and leaves crunching underfoot, hearts pounding but for now, alive.
Near the caravan, the captain listened to the five soldiers' report with a hard face.
"All the slaves were eaten by a giant beast the size of a tree," one soldier stammered. "And one of our men he was cut in two by the monster's magic."
The captain's eyes narrowed. He wanted to be careful if a beast that big was real, they had to leave, fast. But he also needed to keep control.
"Make sure this is true," he ordered. "If any of you lie, I'll have you killed."
The five soldiers nodded, faces pale.
"Sir, what about our comrade?" another asked.
"We don't have the capacity to take a body back. Burn it," the captain replied.
He raised his hand and shaped a fireball. It leapt from his palm and swallowed the corpse in a bright, hungry blaze. The burning light painted the soldiers' faces orange; they swallowed hard, terror in their throats.
"Move out," the captain barked. "Get clear of this forest. If we stay, we're dead."
At full speed, the troop pulled their wagons and left the trees behind.
Inside the forest, Gabriel and the small band kept moving, branches and undergrowth whipping at their legs. Breath came heavy and hot in the cold air.
"Please… can we rest a little?" one of the women begged. "I haven't eaten and I'm out of strength."
Gabriel scanned the surroundings quickly, then nodded. "Okay. Ten minutes.
Gabriel checked his subspace a skill every hunter on Earth possessed. His eyes widened slightly when he spotted something familiar: the steamed buns he'd bought before the dungeon raid.
With a thought, one appeared in his hand. Steam still rose from the soft bread as if it had just been cooked.
The survivors' eyes lit up. They hadn't eaten since yesterday, and the sight of food made their throats ache.
"Here," Gabriel said, pulling out more. "One each."
They carefully took the buns, holding them like treasures. The first bite melted in their mouths soft bread, sweet and savory meat inside.
"Mommy, I like this!" the little girl exclaimed. "It's sweet and it has meat!"
Her mother smiled weakly, tears in her eyes. "Yes, sweetie. Once we're safe, we'll eat plenty of delicious food."
The others devoured their share in silence, their faces brightening with every bite.
"Lord Lundale," the old man asked cautiously, "this food… it appeared from thin air. Is it some kind of magic?"
"No," Gabriel said. "It's food I stored long ago in my space. Didn't think it would matter back then. Now… it's saving us. Eat quietly. We don't want monsters sniffing us out."
He reached in again and pulled out a large tumbler. Unscrewing the cap, he drank, then handed it to the group. "Give the child water first. Share the rest among yourselves. Don't worry if it runs dry, I can refill it. I'm a water mage."
"Thank you, my lord," one of the survivors said gratefully.
The child's mother hesitated, then asked, "But… where are we going? There are no villages in this direction. At the edge of the Beast Glades, there's nothing but the ocean."
Gabriel smiled coldly. "That's the plan. I don't intend to crawl to those animals who destroyed my kingdom. Who killed my mother. If you want safety in their cages, leave. But if you want freedom… stay."
He looked around at the forest towering over them. Trees as wide as houses. Shadows where predators watched. Roots and stone that made farming impossible. A land no empire had ever managed to tame.
"This forest is filled with monsters," Gabriel said. "Stronger than anything outside. The empires tried to claim it before. They all failed."
He clenched his fist. "Which makes it the perfect place to start over."