Chapter 27 - Chapter 27 - Whisperwood Teamwork

The moment we stepped past the wooden palisade of the starting village, the world felt different. Quieter.Cooler.Wilder. The path to Whisperwood South Ridge curved through tall bluegrass and glowing spores that drifted like slow motion fireflies. Every step we took made the ground pulse faintly, resonating with the presence of Spirits nearby. Echo trotted beside me, her silver-white fur shimmering softly. She seemed more alert than usual—ears perked, tail high, eyes darting everywhere. Hayley and Hayes walked a little ahead of us, talking quietly with their matching cats weaving in and out of their legs. The twins' spirits looked identical for now—mossy green fur, bright amber eyes, and twitching tails. Aria didn't walk.She marched. "Okay team!" she announced, raising a fist. "We're getting to level five, we're collecting those weird plants, and I'm catching something AWESOME. Preferably big. Preferably dramatic. Preferably—" "Preferably not deadly," I finished softly. Aria waved a hand. "Details." Hayley snorted. Hayes shook his head. I smiled despite myself. Riley always made everything feel controlled and safe…but walking without him? It felt like we were learning to stand on our own legs. And honestly? That felt good. We weren't even ten minutes in when Aria stopped dead in her tracks. "Movement!" Dot popped up from her shoulder like a furry airhorn. And then— A blur of blue-green fur shot out of the bushes. WHISPERWOOD SCRAP — Level 4A squirrel-like spirit with glowing acorn markings and a very punchable face. Aria grinned wildly."I GOT THIS!" Dot shot forward with a battle cry that sounded like click-click-murder. Echo bounded ahead too, tail fluffed like she meant business. Hayes raised his shield. "Remember—don't let them flank!" Hayley added, "They steal items. Don't let them near the bags." I tightened my grip on my staff. "Echo—Flash Step!" Echo darted forward, leaving a small shimmer of light behind her. She slammed the Scrap sideways, and Dot jumped on top of it like a wrestler dropping from the ropes. It tried to run. Aria punched it directly into a tree. The Scrap exploded into particles. +6 Coins+Spirit XP Aria dusted her hands. "Next!" Hayley murmured, "Please… lower the murder enthusiasm…" Hayes nodded. "Just a little." Further down the trail, the trees opened into a clearing filled with luminescent spiraling vines. Floating above them were soft teal glimmers of drifting energy. Windvine Wisps. Level 4 plant elementals. Beautiful but annoying. "Okay," I said, stepping forward before Aria could scream dibs. "Let me handle this one." Aria blinked."What?" "I want to practice," I said, cheeks warming. She opened her mouth to argue—then paused and grinned."Go for it, Sof." Echo crouched beside me, ready. Two Wisps floated toward us, petals fluttering like wings. "Echo," I whispered, "Gentle Circle." Echo leapt forward, spinning in place as a small ring of light rippled outward, slowing the Wisps just enough. I aimed my Lumen Rod. "Starlight Pulse." A beam of warm gold shot from the tip, striking the nearest Wisp. It shivered, scattered, and faded. The second one darted forward, sharp-edged petals slicing through the air— "Shield up!" Hayley called. Her cat leapt in, blocking the hit with a burst of spirit energy. Echo followed with a quick tackle, finishing it. +9 Coins each+Spirit XP Aria clapped loudly. "LOOK AT YOU, SOFIA! WISPY MURDERER!" "I— it wasn't murder," I said quickly, covering my face. "It totally was," Hayley whispered. I smiled behind my hands. But inside? I felt a new spark. Confidence. We turned deeper into the ridge. The moment the wind changed direction, I knew something was coming. Echo growled.Hayes lifted his shield.Hayley drew her sword.Aria cracked her knuckles. Then— KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA!! A flock of wooden birds dived from the canopy. "Barkbeaks!" Hayes shouted. "Watch for the ranged attacks!" Splinters shot like arrows from their beaks. "Everyone down!" I yelled. We ducked as the birds strafed overhead. Hayes tanked a direct hit—shield ringing like a bell. "OW! Okay, that actually stung." Aria leapt up, grabbing one Barkbeak mid-flight and slamming it into the dirt. Dot pounced it instantly. Echo leapt after another, biting its wooden wing. Hayley sliced cleanly through a third. The fourth swooped toward me— Echo snarled and blocked the hit, taking it across her flank. "Echo!" My chest tightened, but she shook it off, eyes blazing. "Alright," I whispered. "Together." I pointed my staff— "Lumen Burst!" A shock of light detonated from the rod, the blast sending the last Barkbeak spinning until it shattered. +15 Coins+Spirit XP Hayes exhaled. "That was… not terrible." Aria patted Sofia's shoulder. "You're getting SCARY good." I flushed."I'm just… trying." Hayley smiled warmly."You're more than trying." The deeper we wandered, the thicker the mist became.Blue fog curled around our legs, muffling footsteps. Hayes stepped forward cautiously. "Stay sharp. Vine Creepers love ambushes." Aria snorted. "How bad can a VINE be—" A vine shot from the grass and wrapped around her ankle. Aria shrieked. "NOPE. NO. I HATE NATURE." Two Creepers launched at her. Dot jumped off her shoulder and bit into one, legs flailing angrily. Hayley lunged and cut the second before it wrapped Aria's arms too. Hayes shield-bashed the third into a rock. Echo tackled the fourth. I shot a quick Starlight Pulse into the last one; it shriveled instantly. Aria coughed. "I am declaring war on all plants." Dot clicked proudly atop the corpse of the Creeper he'd helped kill. "Okay," I said softly. "Maybe stay away from bushes for a bit." Aria glared. "They drew first blood." We'd barely caught our breath when the ground trembled again. Echo growled low. Hayes braced. Hayley raised her sword. A boar-shaped spirit with rotating wind spirals along its tusks burst through the foliage— FERAL PUFFSNOUT — Level 5 —and behind it came two more. Aria yelled, "OH COME ON!" Hayes stepped in front. "I'll tank the first! Hayley, take the right! Sofia, keep us shielded!" I nodded, gripping my staff tightly. The first Puffsnout charged. Hayes barely absorbed the hit, sliding back several feet. "OW—these things hit like real pigs!" The second boar rammed Hayley; her cat leapt in, absorbing part of the blow. The third charged at me— Echo slammed into it sideways, stopping it just long enough for me to fire Lumen Burst into its flank. Aria sprinted toward Hayes. "SHAKER PUNCH!" Her new gauntlets crackled as she struck the Puffsnout in the ribs, staggering it. Dot and the cats swarmed, biting and clawing. Hayley slashed the second one's legs. Hayes bashed the first into a tree. I hit all three with small healing pulses to keep Echo, the cats, and the humans stable. It was chaotic.Messy.Harder without Riley's calm voice telling us where to move. But— We worked together. And slowly, one by one, BOOM—BOOM—BOOM— All three Puffsnouts exploded into particles. Everyone collapsed into the grass. Hayes exhaled hard."That was… actually a little scary." Hayley nodded, brushing dirt off her cheek."Yeah. But we handled it." Aria threw her arms up. "TEAMWORK, BABY!" Dot clicked triumphantly like a tiny war general. Echo curled into my lap, panting. I stroked her head gently. "You were so brave… thank you." She licked my hand. Warmth bloomed in my chest. We'd really done that. Without Riley. Together. As we rested, a tiny hummingbird-like spirit fluttered over a flower nearby. It was beautiful—glassy wings, sparkling feathers, glowing eyes. Aria gasped. "DIBS!" Hayley: "Aria—no—" Too late. She threw a Bind Stone. The stone hit the bird. It pinged off. Fell. Rolled across the grass. And stopped. Nothing happened. Aria blinked. "…what?" Hayes coughed. "Uh. Spirits need to be weakened first." "WHAT?!" Hayley sighed. "You can't just throw it at them." "BUT IT WAS PRETTY!" Dot patted her cheek sympathetically. The bird spirit flew away. Aria collapsed to her knees. "Noooooo…!" I giggled quietly. Hayley placed a hand on her shoulder."It's okay. You'll get one later." Aria sniffed."It's not fair. It was right there…" Hayes smirked."Lesson learned: don't throw stones at birds." "WHY ARE YOU ALL AGAINST ME?" We all laughed. Even Dot clicked like he was laughing too. Once she recovered from the humiliation, we continued further down the ridge. The sun dipped lower through the trees, making the glimmering leaves glow gold. After another half hour of fighting small creatures—Scraps, Wisps, Barkbeaks—we gathered enough XP for one more encounter. The Whisperwood didn't disappoint. A pair of Vine Creepers dropped from the canopy. The twins' cats leapt in instantly, coordinated in a way that made me blink.Hayley's cat lunged at the left, Hayes' spiraled in from the right. They tangled the vines. Echo stunned one.Dot disoriented the other.Aria punched both. And— The system chimed loudly. SYSTEM:HAYES' SPIRIT (CAT) — LEVEL UP!→ Level 5 SYSTEM:HAYLEY'S SPIRIT (CAT) — LEVEL UP!→ Level 5 Aria whooped. "YESSIR! Kitty power!" Hayley gasped and knelt to hug her cat."You did so good!" Hayes ruffled his cat's ears proudly."Nice work, little guy." I felt Echo lean against me, tail swaying. We'd done it. Everyone was finally level 5. The team felt real now. Strong.Connected.Balanced. And tomorrow? We'd be even stronger.