Chapter 102. Safe Zone.
The bandits were not unexpected. Both Brew and Patricia had warned Severus to be careful near the barrier. Murder and robbery were routine here, almost as common as trade, because the barrier was the one place everyone had to pass.
"Boy, leave everything you have and get lost," said a fat leader nearly two metres tall, one hand resting on his sword hilt. The others held wands and grinned, relaxed enough to make it plain they did not take the youth seriously.
"And if I refuse?"
"Then tonight the monsters will have a good dinner." The leader's gaze dropped to the sword at Severus's belt, greed flashing in his eyes. "Looks like a fine blade. Let me see it." He walked toward Severus without fear, and Severus kept smiling, as if this were an annoying delay rather than a threat.
Amateur. Greed first, thinking second. He never even wondered how I made it here. Severus watched the thug approach, vaguely disappointed. He had expected more from people who lived with death at their shoulder every day.
The moment Severus's palm settled on the hilt, the leader froze, his eyes sharpening.
"Do not want to? Do you even know how to use it? Hand it over, boy. I will find a proper use for it."
"Has nobody ever hit you in the head, or have you been reading too many Muggle books? What a tired line. Say something original, do not embarrass yourself," Severus replied, and the leader's face darkened. "But I am in a hurry. Step aside, or else." The leader yanked his wand from its holster and pointed it at the face of the boy who dared mouth off in front of his own people. "I knew it would come to this. Why did I even bother talking?"
The bandits saw only a silver flash, then heard a scream. Blood sprayed hot across the dirt, and a severed hand hit the ground with a wet slap, the wand still clutched in its fingers. Severus did not want to stage another bloody scene in front of Nagini, but there had been no choice, and he did not run from fights.
"Everyone stop!" the leader shouted, clutching the stump to slow the bleeding, his eyes burning as he looked at the others who were already moving to attack. "We... apologise for stopping you." Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head. He might be thick, but he knew when to retreat and when to press. The fact that he had not even seen the stranger move said everything about his sword skill. Even an artefact weapon could not do that for someone without true mastery. "What are you standing around for?! Move!"
The others, clearly shaken, did not argue and stepped aside at once. A few swallowed hard, eyes flicking between the sword and the stump as if trying to decide whether running would get them killed faster.
"So you do have a brain. Good. But next time," Severus said, his gaze turning cold, "choose your victim better, or you will end up in his place."
"Y-yes!" The leader went pale and dropped his eyes, afraid to meet Severus's gaze in case he changed his mind and killed them all.
Severus walked past them toward the dome. When he vanished behind the trees and his footsteps faded, the leader, face twisted with rage, punched a trunk with his remaining fist.
That arrogant... bastard. The others swallowed and edged away, just in case. "We are going back. Tell our people to get ready. I doubt he can handle all of us. And tell the boss the kid has an artefact sword with velocity charms. He has been looking for something that boosts speed." The leader bared his teeth, grabbed the severed hand and the wand from the ground, and his expression twisted again. "What are you standing around for?! Maybe you should—" He never finished. In that same second he saw only nine little piles of ash where his people had been standing. There was not even time for screams, only a brief flare of light and the stench of scorched cloth. The last thing he felt was panic before the flame swallowed him. A heartbeat later, another pile of ash lay on the ground.
By the time Severus reached the dome, he could see the town inside the safe zone clearly. It reminded him of Diagon Alley, if Diagon Alley had been built by tired hands, under constant threat, with every stone ready to be turned into a defensive position. The buildings felt cramped on purpose, as if they wanted to hide behind each other.
From a distance he could already make out countless two- and three-storey buildings. Closer in, he noticed stone towers behind them, in poor condition. One was nearly destroyed. Others were overgrown with moss and roots, with green bushes clinging to them. Besides the barrier itself, an iron fence surrounded the town, set two metres in from the dome.
This place was considered public property and did not belong to Magical Brazil alone. But there were far more Brazilian wizards here, so they had taken both safe zones without much effort. The other countries had accepted it, because they had signed the treaty declaring this place independent.
When Severus crossed the barrier, hood already up to avoid attention, two guards stopped him. They wore identical red leather armour with steel chest plates bearing a symbol: a sword and wand crossed. Shoulder guards and elbow plates protected them without restricting wandwork. Swords hung at their belts. Below were tight dark trousers and high boots with iron inserts up to the knee, reinforced with knee pads.
"Entrance fee is two mouro," one guard said indifferently, looking the hooded stranger over. He was not worried about identity. His job was collecting coins, and strangers came through every day. In a place like this, faces changed, names changed, and only money stayed the same.
Severus handed over the coins without a word. The guards barely glanced at them before waving him through, and the gate clinked shut behind him with a dull metallic echo. It was already evening. Hardly anyone wandered the streets, and those who did were cloaked, hiding their faces. Voices stayed low, and even laughter sounded forced, as though nobody wanted to attract the wrong kind of attention.
If I remember right, I turn left, to the building with the blue sign and the crown.
"We are being followed," Nagini warned, watching a couple of wizards nearby throw grim looks their way.
Do not worry. Their clothes mark them as tied to those bandits. They are probably wondering how we got past and stayed alive. Severus did not dwell on the ash left behind. He walked along the still-lit street, studying the shops and the few passersby. Some hurried. Others looked nervous, tugging their hoods lower as if afraid of something. Something feels wrong here. Everyone is tense. Is it because of the serpent? Brew said there are usually more wizards here.
"Probably," Nagini agreed. "And if you remember Patricia's group, they would have died last night if you had not helped them. Maybe a lot of people did not make it out of the forest."
Severus nodded, but he still doubted that alone could account for this level of unease. Something else was going on.
A few minutes later, Severus stopped in front of a three-storey building. The first floor was dark brick. The second and third were pale wood. A sign with a crown hung over the door. The right place.
He went inside. Several pairs of curious eyes snapped toward him at once. It was an inn and bar. The air was thick with smoke, cheap alcohol, and sweat. A few tables were occupied, mostly by groups of rough-looking men. There were also a couple of women, plain enough, and nowhere near Bella.
Severus ignored the drinkers and walked straight to the innkeeper behind the counter.
"Do you have any vacant rooms? A friend recommended this place." A gold coin appeared in his hand. At the sight of it, the innkeeper's grim face smoothed, and something like a smile surfaced.
"Third floor, room forty-five. How is Fredge doing? He has not been here in a long time," the innkeeper asked, setting a silver key on the counter.
"He has some trouble at home. Does not have time to wander the Magical Jungle right now."
The innkeeper sighed.
"So he still could not help his son."
"Do not worry. He has enough money to start treatment now," Severus said with a faint smile, catching the genuine concern in the man's face. Brew had said the innkeeper was on good terms with him, so Severus decided to earn a bit of goodwill. People like this usually knew far more than most, because every secret eventually tried to buy itself a drink.
Hearing that, the innkeeper's expression shifted. Severus had disabled the cloak's dimming function, so the innkeeper could see his face clearly.
"So you helped him?"
"Yes. In exchange for a favour. He told me about this place."
"I see." The innkeeper chuckled. "So what do you want to know?"
"What is going on here? Brew said the atmosphere is usually calmer. Is it connected to the outer jungle?"
"No. We were not ready for it, certainly, but deaths here are not rare. They are daily life." The innkeeper shrugged. "A few more died than usual, that is all. The researchers think a strong monster has shown up, so they are organising a big raid to kill it."
"Hmm. And how many daredevils have come forward?"
The innkeeper smirked and leaned closer.
"Five groups. But nobody was eager to throw their life away, so it turned into a competition between the five factions that run this town. Whoever kills the monster gets to control the town for a year and set the rules, without crossing what is permitted, at least on paper. So you had better leave as soon as you can."
"They might try to force me into a group?" Severus asked, feeling eyes on his back.
"Try? They will." The innkeeper's smile did not reach his eyes. "Leave tomorrow morning, and do not come back for a month or two. I am only telling you because you helped my friend."
"What if I lied?"
"I have seen too many people." The innkeeper tapped under his own eyes with a grin. "You are hard to read, but you did not lie. And only he and I know about that coin. I doubt that righteous man would sell me out. I know him inside out."
Severus nodded, took the key, rose from his seat, and placed five gold coins on the counter.
"Thank you. I will leave tomorrow."
"Good luck." The innkeeper watched him go, and his face tightened when someone else stood up as well. His eyes tracked the movement for a second too long, warning enough that the next conversation might not stay friendly.
A few minutes later, Severus reached his room. But just as he slid the key into the lock, another visitor climbed to the third floor: a scrawny thug in a cloak, with sharp, thin features.
He spotted Severus and walked straight over.
"You are in the Black Death group," the thug announced with arrogant certainty. He slapped a skull sticker onto Severus's cloak, hard enough to crease the fabric, then turned and headed back toward the stairs as if he had just hired a porter. "Tomorrow at ten, be out in front of the inn," he tossed over his shoulder before disappearing round the corner.
Severus was briefly speechless at the sheer audacity of it.
Nagini clearly shared the feeling.
"What was that?" Severus finally said, staring at the sticker.
"Maybe the local lunatic?" Nagini suggested reasonably.
"I would think so too, if not for that talk with Brew's friend," Severus replied. "But now it will be even easier to leave town without drawing attention or dealing with extra problems." He shook the cloak free, opened the door, and stepped inside. Apart from a bed, a table, a chair, and a wardrobe, the room was empty. "We will rest properly tonight. Tomorrow at nine, we leave the safe zone." He shut the door, hung several protective charms, and added one more for good measure. Then he shrugged off his cloak and dropped onto the soft bed, letting the tension finally slip from his shoulders. "Good night, Nagini."
"I would answer, but I am too lazy. Because of your talking, I did not sleep properly last night, or the night before. I am going to sleep!" Nagini settled into the second pillow, pressed her head to his temple, and closed her eyes.
All that is left is to hope we leave quietly tomorrow. Severus smirked crookedly at the thought. Usually, that was exactly when the fun started, because the world had a nasty sense of timing.
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