Chapter 14 - Chapter 14 - The Road to the Ridge

Morning sunlight filtered through the pixelated treetops as the three siblings stepped beyond the wooden gates of Dawnview. For the first time, the world of Spiritbound truly opened around them: towering trees, rolling grasslands, sparkling streams, beginner players scattered everywhere shouting things like: "WHY CAN'T I CATCH THIS RABBIT?!" "STOP RUNNING YOU LITTLE—" …and somewhere far off: "I died to a chicken. A CHICKEN." Aria snorted. "Beginners." "You're a beginner," Sofia reminded gently. "Not for long." Riley smiled at both of them before shifting Lumi on his shoulder. The tiny glowing creature hummed softly, warm light pulsing against his neck. "Okay," Riley said. "We follow the east trail for maybe twenty minutes, then cut through the ridge trees. The cave should be somewhere around there." "How sure are you?" Sofia asked. "Eighty-five percent." "So… fifteen percent screaming?" Aria asked. "Please stop measuring everything in screaming," Riley said. Dot clicked as if offended. Echo pawed at Sofia's leg, eager to explore. The adventure began. The Eastwood Forest was everything a starter zone should be: Sun-dappled paths Soft music Peaceful ambience Weak monsters that would only kill you if you were very distracted or very stupid Aria pointed proudly at a small creature nibbling a mushroom. "Target acquired." "Aria, no—" Riley began. Too late. Dot launched off Aria's shoulder like an eight-legged missile. The mushroom monster let out a squeaky scream before Dot ploughed into it. Aria cheered. Sofia gasped. Lumi flickered in alarm. "DOT WINS AGAIN!" Aria yelled. Riley sighed. "At least wait until I say go." "But she looked at me funny," Aria protested. "You saw it!" Sofia gently petted Echo. "We should check drops… maybe we'll get something useful." Riley crouched beside the defeated monster. Loot: Mushcap x1, Copper Leaf x1. Sofia smiled. "Those sell for a little, right?" "A little," Riley said.(They'd be worth ten times more after Update 1.3.) He slipped them into his inventory quietly. As they moved deeper into the forest, they encountered: Berry slimes Sproutlings Feral sprouts One overly aggressive rabbit (which Aria called "Bunnicula") The fights were fast, messy, and full of shouting. "Aria, stop tanking!" "I'm not tanking, I'm just aggressively living!" "Echo, watch out—! Okay good job!" "Dot, please stop biting that, it's already dead—Dot—DOT—" Lumi mostly wobbled around Riley's feet, casting little flickers of light that seemed to distract monsters in odd ways. Even Aria noticed. "Your little lantern thing is weird," she said. "Lumi's useful," Riley insisted. "He glows at enemies and hopes they die of confusion." Lumi chirped defensively. After several fights, the system chimed: SYSTEM: YOUR PARTY'S SPIRITS HAVE REACHED LEVEL 4! Echo swished her tail proudly.Dot clicked triumphantly.Lumi hummed like he didn't understand what he'd accomplished but was proud anyway. Aria fist-pumped. "We are UNSTOPPABLE." "We are stable," Riley corrected. Sofia laughed. "I think she means we're doing well." "That too," Aria said. As they continued, Riley began to notice something odd. Another berry slime dropped an extra herb.A sproutling dropped a tiny amber shard that shouldn't appear at this level.A bush concealed three small mushrooms that normally only spawned in pairs. Sofia blinked. "Wow… we're getting a lot today." Aria pointed. "Another herb! And another copper leaf! And—IS THAT A MINI SHARD?!" Riley frowned thoughtfully. This level of lucky drops…It wasn't normal. He glanced at Lumi. The little creature glowed innocently. "Are you doing this?" Riley whispered. Lumi blinked. Then flickered brighter. Aria gasped. "OH MY GOD. HE'S A LUCKY LANTERN." "That's not a thing," Riley said automatically. But he wasn't so sure. He remembered something from his past life—a forum post deep in some theorycrafting thread—someone mentioning "luck-based starter spirits" that were never confirmed. Maybe Lumi…Maybe he was one of them. He shook the thought off. They'd know for sure at level 5. Sofia knelt by a glowing plant. "Oooh… what's this?" Riley's eyes widened. A Glowleaf Plant. Low-level herb. Useless now.In a month?It would be the backbone of the game's best-selling tonic. "Grab it," Riley said immediately. Aria tilted her head. "Why? It's worth… like… one coin?" "Trust me." Aria shrugged. "Fine. Dot, harvest mode." Dot snipped leaves with expert precision. Riley picked up several more Glowleaf clusters as they walked.The forest seemed full of them this early in the game. "Wow… there's so many," Sofia said. "There won't be for long," Riley murmured. "What?" she asked. "Nothing. Keep collecting." After about twenty minutes, the trees thinned, revealing rocky outcroppings and a faintly sloping path leading upward. Aria pointed. "That looks like a ridge." "Yep," Riley said. "Are there monsters on ridges?" "Yes." "Dangerous monsters?" "Sometimes." "How dangerous?" "On a scale of one to screaming?" "YES." "…Three." Aria sighed. "Fine. That's manageable." Sofia held Echo closer. "We'll be okay… right?" Riley squeezed her shoulder reassuringly."We'll take it slow. The cave should be just beyond the ridge." They began the climb. The air grew cooler.The forest sounds faded.Wind whispered through stone. Dot clicked nervously.Echo's tail glowed brighter.Lumi flickered softly, almost like he sensed something. The atmosphere changed. Aria swallowed. "Why does it feel like the game music stopped?" "Because we're close," Riley said quietly. "To what?" "To something important." Sofia whispered, "Is this where the chest is?" "It should be." At the top of the ridge lay a narrow opening in the rock — faintly glowing vines draped across it, as if trying to hide something. Aria stared. "…Okay, that looks dangerous." "It's fine," Riley said. "It looks like it wants to eat me." "It doesn't." "It DEFINITELY does." Sofia tugged her sleeve. "It's beautiful…" Riley stepped forward.Lumi glowed brighter—nervously or excitedly, he couldn't tell. The cave pulsed with faint light deeper inside. This was it.Where everything changed for the first time in his past life.Where Sofia got her first real weapon.Where they'd find their first real haul. Riley turned to his sisters. "Ready?" Echo nodded bravely.Dot tapped her legs like little drumbeats.Lumi hummed in growing anticipation. Aria swallowed.Sofia breathed in. "Let's do it," they said together. Riley stepped inside first.