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Chapter 9 - Campfire and Quiet Shifts

The sun was still high when Arven and Lila set out that morning. The forest was bright and alive with birdsong and rustling leaves. They moved steadily along the path, eyes sharp for signs of monsters or anything worth collecting.

They hunted small beasts and scavenged parts—fur, leather, sharp claws—everything they could carry to sell later in the city. Arven scanned the underbrush for tracks while Lila stayed close, alert.

After gathering their spoils, Arven tossed a thick bone toward Skele. The skeleton dog caught it easily and chewed on it for a moment before sitting back.

A faint glow pulsed around Skele, and Arven noticed a shimmer ripple through the air. Skele's eyes flickered briefly. Then a small notification appeared in Arven's vision:

[New Skill Learned: Mimic]

[Hold the bone of a defeated monster to temporarily gain one of its skills. One use per bone.]

Arven raised an eyebrow, picked up another bone from their latest kill, and handed it over. Skele clamped it in his jaws, tail wagging so fast his whole frame rattled. Then he began hopping and stomping the ground in an oddly aggressive rhythm—an imitation of the monkey monster's Provoke skill. The only difference was that the monkey had pounded its chest as part of the sequence.

"Cute, Skele… even when you're using Provoke," Lila said brightly.

Skele froze, tail lowering, as if unsure whether to be proud or insulted. With a huff, he started digging at the dirt, scattering soil in all directions. Lila grinned and crouched down, mimicking his furious scratching.

"Not exactly graceful," Arven said with a chuckle.

Lila laughed, and Skele responded by trying to headbutt Arven's leg.

They spent a while testing each bone they'd collected, laughing every time Skele copied a new skill. One by one, the bones disintegrated into dust after a single use.

* * * 

By evening, they set up camp and settled beside the fire.

They shared a simple meal—flatbread warmed on the embers, salted jerky, and dried fruits. Lila hummed softly as she ate, her mood light.

Arven watched her quietly. She had been more talkative than usual, but never pushy. When she looked at him, her cheeks colored faintly. She often glanced away, fingers twisting the sleeves of her shirt.

After a moment, she spoke.

"What do you like to do when you're not… out here?"

Arven shrugged. "I keep a journal. Notes, observations. Sometimes I plan strategies for what might come next. Helps me stay sharp."

Lila nodded. "I like reading books on exploration. Old stories, maps, guides. I've read about a mage named Braham—he's famous among ruin explorers. They say his spells could open sealed tombs no one else could breach."

"Sounds like someone worth meeting," Arven said, raising an eyebrow.

The name stirred a memory. In Runebound Online, there was a mage named Braham—though not exactly a friendly ruin explorer. That Braham specialized in necromancy, his undead summons infamous for clearing entire dungeons without lifting a finger. Whether Lila's Braham and the game's Braham were the same person… he couldn't be sure. Still, it was worth noting.

He pulled his journal from his pack and began writing:

Braham – mage? Ruin explorer? Possible necromancer.

Lila leaned sideways, trying to steal a glance at the page. She caught the word "Braham" written more than once, circled for emphasis, but Arven angled the journal away before she could see more. She frowned in mild confusion, then shrugged it off and went back to her meal, chewing quietly while he kept scribbling.

* * *

The fire's light danced across the clearing, casting long shadows over their camp. Lila's gaze drifted to Skele, who was gnawing on a dry stick, pawing it like a bored but content dog.

"He really does act like a pet," she murmured, almost to herself.

Arven glanced over and smirked. "Other than being all bone and missing the fur? Yeah, he's basically a normal dog."

Skele's tail gave a slow, deliberate thump against the dirt, the sound just loud enough to be noticed.

That made Lila smile—genuine and bright. She crouched slightly, voice turning light. "You're cute."

Another thump, harder this time. Skele dropped the stick and nudged her hand with his snout, almost demanding more praise.

Arven chuckled under his breath. "See? He likes that."

Lila's hand rose, fingers brushing behind his ear. Skele leaned in, his bony frame relaxing as if the gesture meant more than words.

For a moment, the night seemed to pause—just a boy, a girl, and a skeleton dog by the fire, their small world untouched by anything beyond the glow of the flames.

Eventually, Lila rose, brushing off her sleeves. "Goodnight, Arven," she said softly.

"Night," he replied, watching her retreat toward her bedroll.

Skele's tail gave a faint thump, as if echoing the sentiment, before curling back near the fire.

The fire had burned down to a bed of glowing embers, their faint orange light barely reaching the treeline. The night air carried the cool scent of damp earth and pine.

Arven leaned back on his hands, gaze drifting to the patchwork of sky above. Stars glimmered between the shifting leaves, sharp and cold against the darkness.

Beside him, Skele shifted, pressing a bony shoulder against his leg with a soft huff. The weight was light, but steady—solid in the hush of the night.

Arven reached down, resting his hand on Skele's head. For a moment, neither of them moved.

* * *

Later, Arven slipped away from the tent and leaned against the rough bark of a tree. He let his eyes close, slowing his breath until the steady rhythm settled him into focus.

A faint glow bloomed in the darkness—his status menu, visible only in his mind's eye. Lines of text scrolled past until two passives caught his attention.

— Mist Sense(Skele): Heightened awareness within mist.

— Telepathy(Veylith): Establishes a direct mental link to Veylith.

He tapped Veylith's name. The summon remained locked out—the mana cost for a full summon was still ridiculous, well beyond what he could maintain. But the telepathic link was active.

Her presence brushed against his thoughts, faint as a whisper through a long tunnel. Veylith's senses reached into the spiritual realm, able to detect ghostly entities and faint ripples in soul energy.

Arven weighed the possibilities. In a dungeon with tight security or narrow choke points, a brief summon could be perfect for reconnaissance—slipping past barriers, phasing through locked doors. Even with mana potions, he'd only have her for ten seconds at best.

Enough to scout ahead. Worthless in a drawn-out fight.

He closed the menu and opened his eyes to the canopy overhead. The leaves swayed faintly, hiding most of the stars.

In his head, he traced tomorrow's route—the river bends, the low hills, the dense patches of forest.

"One more day until Elloria," he murmured.

* * *

The next morning, pale light filtered through the canopy in thin, shifting beams. The air still held a sharp chill as Arven and Lila packed up camp.

A flicker of movement caught his eye—figures weaving between trunks and shadow.

Bandits.

Some carried crude firearms slung over their shoulders, the dull metal catching stray light. Arven's gaze narrowed as he spotted the worn cloaks and the red-axe insignia stitched at the shoulder. The Red Axe bandits—ruthless raiders who hit trade routes and settlements without warning. Their presence here meant trouble was spreading faster than he'd hoped.

"Stay quiet," he murmured. "No need to startle them."

The forest seemed colder now, heavier with the weight of what he knew they could do. But his mind stayed steady. Judging from their movements, the city still had two, maybe three days before a full-scale strike.

Enough time to prepare. Enough time to warn the right people—and set a few plans of his own into motion.

"Let's head straight for the city," he said.

Lila nodded, gathering her things in silence.

As they moved, Arven ran through the stops he needed to make: the guild board for intel, the apothecary for supplies, and a few contacts who'd be useful when the fighting started.

With one last glance toward the restless shapes in the trees, he turned back to the path. Together, they slipped deeper into the forest, heading straight for Elloria.

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