Damien looked back at Leo, a gentle smile tugging at his lips. He walked over and knelt down to the boy's level.
"You okay, kid?" he asked.
Leo, still wide-eyed and overwhelmed by everything that had just happened, stuttered. "H-How did you do that? And... and where did you come from, big brother Damien?!"
Damien laughed warmly. "I'm a fire mage, kid. And I came from pretty far away. I'm on a journey of my own."
Leo's face lit up with excitement. "Woah! That's awesome!"
Damien chuckled. "But seriously, what are you doing out here, Leo? The forest's dangerous. Those shroom monsters weren't exactly cuddly."
Leo's smile faded a little. He looked down, kicking at the dirt with his shoe. "I... I was looking for help... for my village."
Damien's expression turned serious. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Help? What's going on with your village?"
Leo fidgeted nervously, then said with a sad voice, "Some bad men... bandits. They've been bothering us for months. They take our food and money. They say they're 'protecting' us... but they hurt anyone who says no."
Damien clenched his fists. A faint trail of steam started to rise from his skin.
"Bandits? Preying on a little village like that? Cowards."
Leo's eyes widened as he pointed. "Big bro, you're... you're steaming!"
Damien blinked, then laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, sorry, kid. Guess I got a little heated."
He took a deep breath and the steam faded away.
"Alright, Leo," Damien said, standing up straight. "Let's get you back home. I'll walk you there."
Leo beamed. "Really? Thanks, big bro! I'll show you the way!"
Damien nodded, and the two of them started walking through the forest together.
As they traveled, Damien's mind raced. "Bandits terrorizing a village for months? Putting them under fake 'taxes'? That's disgusting. I need to see it for myself... and maybe do something about it."
An hour later, they finally emerged from the trees.
Up ahead, nestled in a clearing surrounded by gentle hills, was a small village. Smoke rose lazily from chimneys, and the faint sound of livestock carried on the breeze. The houses were simple, made of stone and wood, with thatched roofs.
Leo grinned and pointed. "There it is! That's my home, big bro!"
Damien smiled and nodded. "Looks peaceful."
Leo laughed and, full of energy, took off running toward the village. "Come on!"
Damien followed at a steady pace, hands tucked into his pockets, eyes thoughtful.
"Looks can be deceiving... Let's see what's really going on here."
Damien and Leo made it to the entrance of the village. As they stepped past the worn wooden gates, Damien immediately felt it—the heavy gloom in the air.
The streets were dusty and cracked. The houses, though sturdy, looked tired, patched with mismatched wood. Villagers moved slowly, heads bowed, expressions hollow with hunger and hopelessness.
Walking beside Leo through the village, Damien kept his hands in his pockets, his eyes sharp as he looked around.
"This place... it feels like all the life's been sucked out of it. Everyone looks beaten down. Starving. Like they're just... surviving. And it's because of those damn bandits, isn't it?"
The scenery of the village unfolded around him: broken carts left abandoned, livestock that looked half-starved, shutters drawn on almost every window. Damien's gut twisted.
Leo tugged at his sleeve. "Big bro Damien... are you okay?"
Damien blinked, snapping out of his dark thoughts. He looked down at Leo and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm good, Leo. Just thinking."
Leo nodded brightly. "This way! My house is over here!"
Damien chuckled and followed.
After a few minutes of weaving through narrow alleyways and crossing a small bridge over a sluggish creek, they stopped in front of a large, cozy-looking building with a swinging wooden sign.
The Flaming Mug Tavern.
Damien raised an eyebrow. "A tavern? Not what I expected... but hey, it's probably the heart of the village."
Leo dashed up to the door, throwing it open. "MOM! DAD! I'm back!"
Damien stepped through after him, glancing around.
Immediately, a strong, commanding woman's voice called out from somewhere inside. "Leo?! Where have you been, you little rascal? I was ready to flip this whole village upside down looking for you!"
The first thing Damien saw was her: a beautiful, powerful-looking woman wiping her hands on an apron. She had long, flowing chestnut brown hair tied back in a thick braid, and sharp green eyes that could probably freeze anyone in place. She wore a dark green dress, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, giving her a no-nonsense, Queen of the Tavern vibe. She radiated both warmth and authority.
"She looks like she could run this whole village by herself... and probably already does." Damien thought.
Then another voice—a booming one—rattled the tavern walls.
"LEO!!! WHERE WERE YOU, SON?!"
A massive man stormed in from the kitchen. He was broad-shouldered and barrel-chested, with thick arms that looked like they could bend metal. His short, messy red-brown hair was streaked with gray at the sides, and he had a big, bushy beard braided at the chin with a small copper ring. His warm hazel eyes betrayed the worry behind his loud voice.
"And here's the giant papa bear. Looks like he could throw a whole tree if he got mad." Damien thought with a grin.
Leo ran into their arms, hugging both parents at once, tears finally spilling down his cheeks.
"I went to find help!" Leo blurted. "I got chased by these weird mushroom monsters! They tried to eat me or something!"
His parents gasped in horror, peppering him with a hundred questions. They checked him for scrapes, bruises, anything.
Leo just laughed through his tears. "I'm fine! I'm okay! Big bro Damien saved me!"
The parents blinked.
"Big bro Damien?" they echoed together.
Leo spun around and pointed eagerly at Damien, who was standing casually near the door, hands in his pockets, wearing a calm smile.
Garret, the giant man, stepped forward protectively. "Who are you, stranger?"
Leo ran to Damien's side. "This is Big Brother Damien! He's a fire mage! He saved me!"
Damien gave a polite nod. "Name's Damien Cross. I saw little Leo in trouble, so I stepped in."
Garret and Mira exchanged a look. Then both their expressions softened.
They smiled warmly.
"Thank you," Mira said, her voice thick with emotion. "You saved our boy. We owe you more than we can say."
"Aye," Garret boomed. "You've got a place here anytime, lad."
Damien shrugged. "No problem. Glad I was in the right place at the right time."
Garret laughed heartily, slapping his hand on Damien's back hard enough to almost knock him over. "Name's Garret Barrelwright! This is my wife, Mira Barrelwright!"
"Nice to meet you both," Damien said with a genuine smile.
"Come on, lad! Sit down, have a bite and a drink! On the house!" Garret said, leading him toward the bar.
Damien followed with Leo bouncing along beside him, the warmth of the tavern finally sinking into his bones.
"Maybe this village still has some fight left in it after all..." he thought.
Damien sat at the bar, soaking in the comforting warmth of the tavern while waiting for the food and drink Garret was preparing. Leo sat excitedly next to him, animatedly telling Mira about Damien's amazing fire powers and how he defeated the mushroom monsters. He even stood up on his stool, throwing mock punches and mimicking Damien's fire attacks with dramatic sound effects.
Everyone laughed warmly, the tension melting away for a moment.
Garret returned with a proud grin, carrying a steaming plate of food and a frothy mug.
"Here you go, lad," Garret said, placing it in front of Damien.
"Thanks," Damien said, immediately digging in.
The moment the food touched his tongue, his eyes lit up. "This... this is incredible!" he declared dramatically. "Best thing I've eaten in ages!"
Garret laughed heartily. "Glad to hear it!"
Mira giggled, wiping her hands on her apron. "We do our best to keep our guests happy."
Damien chuckled. "I bet you used to have a packed house with food and drinks this good."
The mood shifted. Garret and Mira's faces clouded over with sadness.
Damien noticed immediately. "Something wrong?"
Garret sighed heavily. "We did, before the trouble started."
Damien leaned forward. "Leo told me about some bandits taking over the village."
Garret nodded grimly. "The Iron Fang Raiders. They showed up three years ago. Started small—demanding food. Then they wanted supplies, livestock, money. Now, they call it a 'protection fee.'"
Damien's hands tightened into fists.
"Why hasn't anyone helped you?" he asked, voice low.
Mira answered sadly, "Some of our villagers tried to fight back. But the bandit leader and his best men are too strong. They killed some, injured many. Even when we called for outside help, the Raiders crushed them... then punished us for it."
Garret added, "That's why the village looks so broken now."
Steam began to rise from Damien's body, small embers dancing in the air.
Leo and his parents noticed, startled.
Garret chuckled and clapped Damien's back. "Calm down, Sir Hothead!"
Damien scratched his head awkwardly, the embers fading. "Sorry."
Mira smiled warmly. "It's alright. It's nice to know someone cares."
Leo laughed. "Big bro Damien's like a volcano!"
Just then, a voice came from the stairs. "Mother? Father? What's going on?"
A beautiful young woman descended—slim, athletic, with wavy auburn hair tied with a red ribbon and bright green eyes.
"Ah, Lila!" Garret said proudly.
Lila scanned the room and her gaze landed on Damien.
Leo beamed. "Big sis, this is Big Bro Damien! He saved me!"
Lila raised an eyebrow but smiled. "Glad you're safe, Leo."
She turned to Damien. "Nice to meet you, Damien. And... thank you."
"Nice to meet you too," Damien said with a grin.
Before the warm moment could continue, the tavern door burst open with a loud BANG.
Four thuggish men swaggered in, grinning maliciously.
As they stomped across the floor, one said loudly, "Man, I love squeezing these peasants. Easy booze, easy gold."
Another sneered. "Maybe we'll take a few 'extra payments' today..."
They laughed cruelly.
Leo quickly hid behind Damien, whispering, "Those are the bad men."
Damien narrowed his glowing eyes at them.
"So these are Iron Fang Raiders scum..."
Garret sighed heavily and approached them with drinks and a pouch of coins.
"Here are your drinks, sirs," he said tightly.
One bandit grinned and "accidentally" dropped his mug.
"Oops," he said mockingly.
Garret bent to pick it up. "Right away, sir."
As he knelt, another bandit grabbed a fresh mug and poured it over Garret's head.
"HAHA! Look at the old fool!" they laughed.
Mira, Leo, and Lila gasped.
Damien's eyes widened in shock.
Leo, furious, ran up to the bandits, punching them with his tiny fists. "Leave my daddy alone!"
The bandits laughed.
Leo kicked one hard in the shin.
"Ouch, you little brat!" the bandit snarled before slapping Leo across the face, knocking him down.
"LEO!!!" Mira and Lila screamed.
"LEO!!!" Garret bellowed, struggling to rise.
Two bandits shoved Garret back down, laughing.
"Maybe you peasants should pay triple next time, or you all die!" one jeered.
Steam and fire swirled violently around Damien.
One of the bandits laughed and pressed his boot harder onto Garret's head.
"You should be thanking our boss you're still breathing, you trash," he sneered. "And maybe teach your little brat some respect!"
Another bandit roughly grabbed Leo by the collar, lifting him off the ground.
"Let me go!!" Leo yelled, struggling.
"Heh, maybe we should teach him a lesson," the bandit chuckled darkly.
Garret, Mira, and Lila all cried out, furious and desperate.
"Leave my son alone, damn you!" Garret roared.
"Put him down!" Mira cried, her voice trembling.
"You monsters!" Lila spat, clenching her fists.
The bandit holding Leo laughed, raising his hand as if ready to hit him again—
Then—
"FIREBALL!!!"
A roaring ball of fire hurtled through the air, smashing into the bandit holding Leo.
BOOM!
The thug was sent flying across the tavern, crashing through tables and chairs.
Leo fell safely to the floor.
Gasps filled the room.
The three remaining bandits froze, their jaws dropping.
"Wh-What the hell just happened?!" one shouted.
"Where'd that come from?!" another yelled, looking around wildly.
"That ain't normal magic!" the third cursed, backing up a step.
Mira clasped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gods..."
Lila's eyes widened in awe. "What... what power!"
Garret, still pinned down, stared in disbelief. "Did... did someone just... save us?"
Then a voice, low and furious, rang out.
"Hey. Pick on someone your own size... and get your filthy foot off my friend."
Everyone turned.
There stood Damien, steam rising in thick waves, crimson flames swirling around him, his eyes glowing like molten gold.
Leo gasped, his face lighting up with hope. "Big Brother Damien!"
Garret's heart swelled with a mixture of shock and gratitude. "That kid... he's not normal. He's a damn force of nature!"
Mira's eyes brimmed with tears. "Please... maybe this time, we have a real chance..."
Lila's face turned red, awe-struck and flustered. "So cool...!"
The three remaining bandits stumbled back a few steps.
"Who... who the hell are you?!" one of them shouted.
Damien smirked darkly, flames crackling louder.
"Name's Damien Cross... your worst nightmare."
To be continued...