I knelt next to the carcass of a giant ape lying at the base of the temple steps. Its skull was completely caved in.
I moved over to check the wounds on a nearby Thorn-Leopard. It had been sliced cleanly in half by a single, massive blade. The edges of the cut were seared shut, meaning the weapon was coated in high-temperature aura or magic.
"They didn't struggle," I said, wiping my gloves on the grass. "Whoever killed these monsters did it quickly and efficiently. They barely stopped moving."
"A high-ranking raid team," Alicia guessed, keeping her rapier angled forward. "Should we turn back? If they are hunting a specific boss, they might treat us as hostile competitors."
I looked over my shoulder at her. "Are you scared?"
Alicia's eye twitched. Her pride as a former knight flared instantly. She didn't dignify that with a response, instead marching right past me and up the cracked stone steps without looking back.
