The heavy gates of Emberfall slammed shut behind them, sealing off the familiar world. The Blackroot Forest swallowed the recruits whole. Ancient trees loomed like skeletal giants, their gnarled branches weaving a roof that choked out the sun. Thick, thorny undergrowth clawed at their legs. The air hung damp and heavy, thick with the scent of decay and something metallic, like old blood. An unnatural silence pressed in, broken only by the crunch of their own footsteps and the frantic beating of nervous hearts.
Zaren, William, and Nira moved cautiously, sticking close together. Other teams fanned out nearby, their nervous whispers quickly swallowed by the oppressive atmosphere.
"Keep alert," Zaren murmured, his voice barely a whisper, eyes scanning the shifting shadows. "I heard Zibos... they can sense sound. Even the sound of your heartbeat."
William visibly paled, his steps faltering for a second. Nira shot Zaren a sharp, assessing look but said nothing, her focus entirely on scanning the dense foliage ahead and to their sides.
Nearby, Brad Valros's voice, loud and grating, shattered the tense quiet. "Assholes! Get that way! They ain't from here!" He shoved one of his teammates, Zanet.
"But... William and Zaren aren't over there," Zanet protested weakly.
Brad whirled, his face contorted with rage. He slammed his fist into Zanet's shoulder, making him stumble. "Shut up! Just GO! And don't you ever argue with me again, worm!" He shoved Zanet towards a different path, then stomped after him. As he walked, Brad's thoughts burned with hatred. You bastard William, think you're tough? And that little brat Zaren... I'll kill you both. I don't care about Zibos or this stupid test. You're mine.
Zaren's team pressed on, moving slower, senses straining. Suddenly, Nira froze, one hand snapping up. "Stop! Someone.. is.." Her voice was tight, urgent.
Before she could finish, a blur of matted fur and jagged bone erupted from the thick ferns to their right. A Low-Tier Zibo – hunched, canine-like, with multiple sets of dripping fangs and claws like rusty knives – slammed into Zaren with the force of a battering ram.
THUD!
Zaren cried out as the impact drove the air from his lungs. Claws raked his arm as he was flung backwards. He crashed hard against the gnarled trunk of an ancient oak, pain exploding in his back and shoulder. Blood streamed from a deep gash across the bridge of his nose, blurring his vision. He slid down the trunk, dazed and winded.
Nira and William had instinctively dodged aside. "ZAREN!" William screamed, panic overriding caution. He started forward.
Nira grabbed his arm, her grip like iron. "Are you mad?!" she hissed. "If you go charging in, that thing will kill us both before we can react!"
The Zibo, having missed its primary target, turned its baleful, multi-faceted eyes on William and Nira. It snarled, drool spraying, and launched itself at them.
"Told you!" Nira spat, yanking William's collar hard, pulling him stumbling back just as the Zibo's claws ripped through the air where he'd been standing. The creature landed, confused for a split second.
William, adrenaline surging, didn't hesitate. He planted his feet, ignoring Nira's grip, and thrust both hands forward. Golden light flared at his fingertips. "Light Magic: Rings of Heaven!"
Above the Zibo, a shimmering circle of intense golden light materialized. It instantly split into two blazing rings that shot downwards like divine guillotines. The Low-Tier Zibo had no time to dodge. The rings slammed into it, one crushing its upper body, the other pinning its legs. Bone crunched hideously. The creature let out a final, choked gurgle before falling still, smoke rising from its crushed form.
William gasped, a shaky grin touching his lips. Relief flooded him for a single heartbeat.
"WILLIAM! ON YOUR BACK!" Nira's scream was pure terror.
William spun, the grin vanishing. Towering over him, having emerged silently from the deeper gloom, was a Mid-Tier Zibo. It was easily twice the size of the first, resembling a grotesque, armored bear fused with insectoid plating. One massive, clawed paw, larger than William's torso, lashed out with terrifying speed.
William desperately threw his hands up in a futile block. CRUNCH-SHUNK!
Agony, white-hot and blinding, ripped through him. The Zibo's claws sheared through flesh and bone as if they were paper. William stared in utter disbelief as his severed right hand, still flickering with a faint golden light, tumbled to the forest floor. A scream tore from his throat, raw and primal.
Nira reacted instantly, fury and fear warring on her face. She raised her hands, the air around them warping visibly. "Gravitational Force: Arcane Pres—"
The Mid-Tier Zibo was faster. Its other massive fist, a wrecking ball of bone and chitin, slammed into the side of Nira's head mid-incantation. THWACK!
Nira's eyes rolled back. Her spell dissolved as she crumpled like a ragdoll, blood instantly welling from a deep gash on her temple, staining her dark hair crimson. She lay utterly still, unconscious.
---
Meanwhile, Watching Other Teams
High in the twisted branches overlooking another part of the forest, two figures clad in dark, flexible armor watched through specialized lenses. They were Armen's assistants, tasked with shadowing the recruits.
"Team Valros is arguing, but intact," one murmured. "Team Fenris just encountered a Low-Tier. Handled it poorly, but survived. Team Hawthorne is lost, but safe for now..."
The other assistant scanned his sector. A frown creased his brow. "Wait... there was another team. The orphan boys and that girl... Varnas. Zaren, William, Nira. Where are they?"
The first assistant lowered his lens, his face paling. "They were heading towards Sector Gamma... the old grove."
"Gamma? That's Mid-Tier territory!" the second assistant hissed, alarm sharp in his voice. "We need eyes on them NOW!"
Both figures vanished from their perch, moving through the canopy with silent, desperate speed.
---
Back at the Grove
William lay on his side, gasping, clutching the bleeding stump where his hand had been moments before. Shock and agony warred, making his vision swim. Move! Get up! Nira... Zaren! But his body refused to obey. He was trapped in a nightmare of pain and helplessness.
Nira lay motionless a few feet away, a dark pool slowly spreading beneath her head.
The Mid-Tier Zibo, having dispatched the immediate threats, turned its massive, horned head. Its dripping maw, lined with rows of needle-sharp teeth, opened wide. It sniffed the air, its multiple eyes fixing on the figure slumped against the tree trunk – Zaren.
Zaren pushed himself up, pain lancing through his back and nose. Blood trickled down his face, mixing with sweat. His sword lay several feet away, useless. He saw William's severed hand. He saw Nira, unmoving. Rage, cold and pure, surged through him, momentarily eclipsing the pain and fear. No. Not like this.
The Zibo let out a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through the ground. It took a heavy step towards Zaren, then another, closing the distance with terrifying inevitability. Its hot, fetid breath washed over him. The massive jaws opened wider, ready to snap him in half.
Zaren braced himself against the tree, his eyes locked on the monstrous face descending towards him. There was nowhere to run. No weapon to wield. No magic to summon. Only the cold fury burning in his chest and the crushing weight of failure. The Zibo lunged.