Considering things from the boy's perspective, he has, of course, overheard the fight and the conversation that followed.  He now needs to perform a rapid mental calculation which includes the fact that his crossbow bolt missed, his fireball spell takes a long time to cast, he isn't really much of a combatant, there's no way in hell he can recast this spell in time if he interrupts it now, the strange girl might honestly mean to live him alive and unenslaved, the strange girl isn't wearing an Adventurer's Guild plate, she agreed to divide up loot instead of fighting both bandits to the death -

The strange girl his age is dressed very peculiarly.

This, more than anything else, causes Haroun Pevers to stop chanting his spell.  "Who are you and what are you planning to do?" he says, keeping his voice as calm as he can manage considering that Marussa and Aralin are DEAD.

Considering things from the boy's perspective, he has, of course, overheard the fight and the conversation that followed.  He now needs to perform a rapid mental calculation which includes the fact that his crossbow bolt missed, his fireball spell takes a long time to cast, he isn't really much of a combatant, there's no way in hell he can recast this spell in time if he interrupts it now, the strange girl might honestly mean to leave him alive and unenslaved, the strange girl isn't wearing an Adventurer's Guild plate, she agreed to divide up loot instead of fighting both bandits to the death -

The strange girl his age is dressed very peculiarly.

This, more than anything else, causes Haroun Pevers to stop chanting his spell.  "Who are you and what are you planning to do?" he says, keeping his voice as calm as he can manage considering that Marussa and Aralin are DEAD.

Considering things from the boy's perspective, he has, of course, overheard the fight and the conversation that followed.  He now needs to perform a rapid mental calculation which includes the fact that his crossbow bolt missed, his fireball spell takes a long time to cast, he isn't really much of a combatant, there's no way in hell he can recast this spell in time if he cancels it now, the strange girl might honestly mean to leave him alive and unenslaved, the strange girl isn't wearing an Adventurer's Guild plate, she agreed to divide up loot instead of fighting both bandits to the death -

The strange girl his age is dressed very peculiarly.

This, more than anything else, causes Haroun Pevers to cancel his spell.  "-to do the unfulfillable clause.  Who are you and what are you planning to do?" he says, keeping his voice as calm as he can manage considering that Marussa and Aralin are DEAD.

Considering things from the boy's perspective, he has, of course, overheard the fight and the conversation that followed.  He now needs to perform a rapid mental calculation which includes the fact that his crossbow bolt missed, his fireball spell takes a long time to cast, he isn't really much of a combatant, there's no way in hell he can recast this spell in time if he cancels it now, the strange girl might honestly mean to leave him alive and unenslaved, the strange girl isn't wearing an Adventurer's Guild plate, she agreed to divide up loot instead of fighting both bandits to the death -

The strange girl his age is dressed very peculiarly.

This, more than anything else, causes Haroun Pevers to cancel his spell.  "- do the unfulfillable clause.  Who are you and what are you planning to do?" he says, keeping his voice as calm as he can manage considering that Marussa and Aralin are DEAD.

Considering things from the boy's perspective, he has, of course, overheard the fight and the conversation that followed.  He now needs to perform a rapid mental calculation which includes the fact that his crossbow bolt missed, his spell takes a long time to cast, he isn't really much of a combatant, there's no way in hell he can recast this spell in time if he cancels it now, the strange girl might honestly mean to leave him alive and unenslaved, the strange girl isn't wearing an Adventurer's Guild plate, she agreed to divide up loot instead of fighting both bandits to the death -

The strange girl his age is dressed very peculiarly.

This, more than anything else, causes Haroun Pevers to cancel his spell.  "- do the unfulfillable clause.  Who are you and what are you planning to do?" he says, keeping his voice as calm as he can manage considering that Marussa and Aralin are DEAD.