The forest was a black void around us. Trees loomed like silent sentinels, and every so often, a rustle, sharp and sudden, cut through the silence.
I perched on a high branch of a large tree, its rough bark digging into my palms, my steel sword resting across my lap.
Below me, Lirien sat on a lower branch, her blonde hair a faint shimmer in the moonlight, her thin sword glinting like a sliver of ice. The cave we'd escaped from yawned in the distance, its entrance a dark maw.
"You sure this'll work?" Lirien asked, her voice low but edged with doubt. She shifted, her armor clinking softly, her crimson eyes scanning the shadows below.
I leaned back, keeping my tone steady. "Miss Lirien, focus on replenishing your mana. We're gonna need it if this turns into a fight."
She scoffed, the sound dripping with irritation. "Yeah, well, it's your stupid plan that drained my mana in the first place. Who asks a second-circle Water user to soak the ground 2miles around a cave? Seriously, Caelumis, what were you thinking?"
I grinned, though she couldn't see it in the dark. "All that for artifacts is totally worth it." If it worked, we'd have a shot at more artifacts, more points, and staying ahead in this brutal trial.
Just then, a shadow moved near the cave's entrance, white fur catching the moonlight. A Skolvarg, its canines gleaming as it slunk inside. Lirien's breath hitched, her voice barely a whisper. "You'd better be right."
I tightened my grip on my sword, the artifact still in my pocket. Lirien's mana was low, my back still burned from that claw wound. But as that Skolvarg vanished into the cave, my plan felt like it might just work.
***
The forest was a labyrinth of shadows, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and pine, broken only by the occasional snap of a twig underfoot. A group of five aspirants crept through the underbrush, their boots sinking into the soft soil.
At the lead, Aldous, a wiry noble with a sharp jaw and sharper eyes, paused, crouching to touch the ground. "Did it rain here?" he asked, his voice low, his fingers tracing the wet dirt.
Conrad, pushing aside a broad, dewless leaf that blocked his view, shook his head. "Doesn't look like it, Sir Aldous. The leaves are dry as bone."
Aldous's brow furrowed, his gloved hand smearing the mud. "The soil's soaked, though. An underground spring, maybe?"
A voice called softly from above, calm but tinged with excitement. Dunstan, perched on a low branch, his dark cloak blending with the night, pointed to the ground below. "Sir Aldous, the wet ground's a blessing. Look, multiple footprints. Skolvarg tracks."
Aldous's lips curled into a predatory grin, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Good work, Dunstan. We know what that means, don't we?"
Conrad, standing close, matched his grin, his broad shoulders tensing with anticipation. "A lair at the end of those tracks."
The group's faces lit up, the thrill of the hunt sparking in their eyes — except for Rodric, who lagged behind, his back bowed under the weight of a bulging sack of artifacts. His hands tightened around the straps, his jaw clenching. All this effort for some measly share? he thought, bitterness creeping in.
The artifacts, forged from heavy metals, dug into his shoulders, each step a reminder of the paltry points he'd been promised for playing pack mule.
The group pressed forward, following the Skolvarg tracks, their steps careful but eager. The trail led them to a cave, its jagged mouth looming like a wound in the forest's heart.
Aldous raised a gloved hand, signaling a halt. The others froze, their breaths shallow in the tense silence. He leaned in, his whisper barely audible over the distant rustle of leaves. "This is it — a Skolvarg lair."
He turned to Rodric, his gaze hard. "Stay here. Safeguard the artifacts. You know what happens if you lose them, right?"
Rodric stiffened, his voice tight but obedient. "Of course, Lord Aldous. Rest assured, I won't lose them."
Aldous nodded, his eyes already on the cave. He drew his sword, its blade catching the faint moonlight, and the other three — Conrad, Dunstan, and a wiry girl named Elara — followed suit.
The four slipped into the cave, leaving Rodric alone with the heavy sack and the weight of Aldous's threat.
***
I crouched on my branch, my light orb dimmed to a faint glow, just enough to catch the glint of the artifact sack Lirien was eyeing like it was a treasure hoard.
"Wow," she said, her voice a mix of awe and greed, "this many artifacts in, what, five hours? We're gonna be rich by the end of this quest at this rate."
I grinned, leaning back against the tree's rough bark, my steel sword resting across my knees. "This round's the foundation for the next three days. The more points we rack up now, the more gear we can buy —makes the later quests a breeze."
Lirien nodded, her crimson eyes still locked on the cave's dark mouth. "Yeah, but covering human footprints without messing up the Skolvarg tracks is a pain in the ass," she grumbled, her voice low but sharp. "Took forever to get it right."
"Gotta work hard if we wanna earn big," I said, my tone light but firm.
She mumbled something under her breath, barely audible. "I'm the one who worked hard, though…"
"What's that?" I teased, leaning forward with a smirk. "You're thankful for my genius strategy? You're welcome."
Lirien clicked her tongue, her eyes narrowing. "Tch." But there was a flicker of a smile, a spark of camaraderie growing between us despite her prickly tone.
Her head snapped up suddenly, her body tensing like a drawn bowstring. "Caelumis," she whispered, her voice tight, "we've got another set of guests."
I stood, my hand tightening on my sword. The dim dusk light barely pierced the canopy, but I could feel it too — the faint tremor of approaching footsteps. "Time for work," I said, my voice low, a thrill of adrenaline.
***
Rodric eased the heavy sack of artifacts to the ground, his shoulders screaming under the weight despite the faint shimmer of Earth magic hardening his body.
The forest whispered around him, the air thick with the scent of pine and danger. A rustle snapped his attention behind him, but before he could turn, a sharp jab struck his neck. His muscles locked, neural signals cut off like a snuffed candle, and he crumpled to the dirt.
"Ow!" a voice hissed, low and pained. "Did he just harden himself with magic?"
A girl's voice, laced with mockery, cut through the dark. "Is that how you knocked me out? You deserve every bit of that pain."
Rodric's world faded to black, his body limp as the voices blurred into silence.
Inside the cave, Aldous and his group crept through the shadows, their boots splashing in a pool of congealed blood. The air reeked of iron and death, the bodies of slain Skolvargs piled in a gruesome heap, their white fur stained crimson. A lone Skolvarg, snarled in pain, its yellow eyes glinting with fury.
Conrad, his broad frame tense, whispered, "Someone killed these hours ago. No way there's any artifact left inside."
Aldous clicked his tongue, irritation flashing across his sharp features. "Tch. Let's head back. We can't risk fighting a Skolvarg pack for nothing."
The group nodded, their faces tight with disappointment and wariness.
As they turned to leave, a figure stepped into the cave's mouth, blonde hair fluttering in the cold breeze. Dunstan, now at the front, froze. "Who are you?" he demanded, his voice sharp.
The blonde girl grinned, her crimson eyes gleaming as she drew her thin sword. Aldous's lip curled, his tone dripping with disdain. "Let's loot this bitch."
Elara, the second-circle Fire mage, summoned a fireball, its heat rippling through the cave, the temperature spiking as flames danced in her palm.
Aldous, a second-circle Water mage, conjured shards of ice, their edges glinting with lethal precision.
Dunstan, a first-circle Wind mage, lifted sharp debris from the cave floor, the shards hovering in a deadly whirlwind, ready to tear into their opponent.
Lirien's grin widened, fearless, almost taunting. She closed her eyes, and Aldous barked, "What—" A blinding light orb erupted before them, its intensity searing their vision.
Dunstan gasped, "An orb summon? Circle-less magic?" His words were cut off by a scream as Lirien moved like a phantom, her sword flashing. With surgical precision, she sliced through their joint tendons, immobilizing them in a spray of blood. Elara, panicking, hurled her fireball blindly, aiming for Lirien but missing wildly.
"Argh!" Conrad's scream echoed as the flames scorched his arm, his skin blistering. A flash of light enveloped him, and he vanished — teleported out for a near-fatal strike.
Elara, realizing her mistake, froze as her own wristband glowed, teleporting her out for breaking the 'no-fatal strike' rule.
Aldous, his vision clearing, shouted, "Don't attack randomly!" But Dunstan was already unraveling, his debris dropping as panic took hold.
Lirien was on Aldous in a heartbeat, her blonde hair a blur. He swung his sword, ice shards trailing, but she parried with ease, her blade locking his. In a fluid motion, she bent low, her leg sweeping out to strike his shin. Aldous stumbled, crashing to the ground, and Lirien's sword flashed again, severing his leg's tendon. She snatched his blade and sprinted for the exit.
Aldous lay stunned, pain clouding his mind, until he felt it — the bloodthirsty glares of Skolvargs at his back.
Their snarls filling the cave as they lunged, claws and fangs tearing into him and Dunstan. Their screams were cut short as their wristbands flared, teleporting them out, leaving the cave silent except for the Skolvargs' growls and the drip of blood on stone.