We wandered deeper into the ruins, a city so vast it felt like it stretched beyond anything we could fully grasp. Streets lay empty and silent, cracked open by time as vines and vegetation broke through the concrete. Entire sections of the city had sunk beneath crystal-clear water that wound through the ruins like a lazy river.
Below that glassy surface, massive shapes drifted—creatures weaving through the half-collapsed tunnels and submerged buildings where darkness had reclaimed the land.
What made it stranger was how picked clean everything was. Every doorway led to an empty, overgrown room. Every building had been gutted of anything useful long before we ever arrived. It was as if someone had scavenged the entire place down to the very bones. After a while, searching became pointless; no matter where we looked, we found nothing.
Eventually, the flooding forced us to build a makeshift boat from the surrounding debris just to cross the wider stretches of water. Oddly enough, the surface looked calm, almost perfectly still… but beneath us, the plant life swayed with some invisible current.
By the time we reached solid ground again, most of the group's curiosity had thinned into quiet disappointment.
Then Ella froze.
She stopped so abruptly that Henry nearly ran into her. Slowly, she crouched, brushing her fingers across the dirt. Her expression shifted from confusion to realization.
"Hold on," she muttered, eyes widening. "These… these are fresh."
Following her gaze to the ground, I found what she was motioning to. There, imprinted in the dirt, were eight distinct sets of footprints unmistakably made by shoes.
"Tracks?" Emily asked, her voice barely a whisper as she knelt beside Ella, staring down in shock.
"Yeah," Ella confirmed as she brushed the dirt off her hands. "Definitely human."
A chill ran down my spine. There were more than forty people missing from the colony, and yet... only eight sets of tracks? That seemed far too little.
As if reading my thoughts, Henry spoke up. "Eight sets? That's... not right. Where are the others?"
The question lingered in the air like a dark cloud. Could this really be all that remained of the colony? The thought gnawed at my mind, twisting my gut with dread.
"Maybe the others took a different path," Amelia suggested, though the uncertainty in her voice was clear. We all knew the chances were slim.
"Well, it doesn't matter much," I said, my voice firmer than I felt. "If there's even a chance some of them are still alive, we have to follow these tracks."
Nods of agreement passed between us, though the weight of our responsibility felt heavier now.
The day pressed on relentlessly as we followed the tracks deeper into the ruins, as the sun's slowly sank toward the horizon. With every step, my mind raced, questions buzzing through my head about what we were walking into. Were these survivors, or the very real possibility of natives or whatever was left in this land?
As nightfall descended, the ruins took on a haunting quality. The shadows lengthened, and the once-majestic city became a skeletal ghost under the pale glow of the stars. The temperature dropped sharply, and with the creeping darkness came the realization that we couldn't push forward any longer as Exhaustion clawed at those who hadn't received a core yet.
"We should set up camp," Amelia suggested, as she eyed Ella, who slowly trudged along with a weary expression.
Reluctantly, we agreed. With no choice but to halt our pursuit, we found shelter within the remains of a half-collapsed building.
Morning arrived with a renewed sense of hope as we resumed our pursuit of the footprints, moving deeper into the city. The enormity of the place truly began to sink in; the streets seemed endless, lined with towering, crumbling structures that hinted at a once-great civilization.
But just as abruptly as we had found the tracks, they vanished. Ella, who had been carefully following them, stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the ground in confusion. "They're just... gone," she muttered, utterly bewildered. It was as if the earth had swallowed them whole, leaving no trace of the people we were following.
I barely had time to process her words when a sudden and overwhelming force slammed into us. It was as if the very ground itself had come alive, a gravitational surge pulling us downward with an intensity I'd never experienced as everyone around me crumpled like flies.
Ella, Emily, and Benjamin were the first to fall, their bodies pinned flat to the ground, struggling to even breathe under the crushing weight. Henry managed to stay on his feet for a few heartbeats longer, his face a mask of shock and confusion, but he too crumpled beside the others as the pressure increased.
Panic surged through me as I fought to stay upright. My mind racing as ideas flooded through my mind of possible escape plans, but all planning was useless in the face of such power. Beside me, Amelia stood, her eyes wide with alarm as she glanced toward me. Both of us shared the same thought. We were the last ones standing, and if we fell to this, then all of us would be at the mercy of whatever was out here.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them, figures emerging from the shadows, their forms blurred from the intense force that kept us pinned.
Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, pain exploded at the back of my head. Something, or someone, had struck me. The world tilted, blurring at the edges, and my knees buckled beneath me. I heard Amelia shouting, but her voice felt distant, as if it were echoing from somewhere far off before darkness consumed me…
Consciousness returned in fragments as my eyes opened to a haze of color and movement. Everything was out of focus, shapes smeared together like a half-finished painting. I blinked hard, trying to make sense of anything, where I was, what had happened, and why my head throbbed like I'd been hit by a bat.
But when I tried to sit up, I realized something was wrong.
I couldn't move.
My right arm and legs were pinned by something coarse and rigid. I glanced down, expecting to see chains or a rope, but instead, there were thick, bark-like roots coiled tightly around my limbs.
I was momentarily confused at the sight before my gaze shifted to the scene beyond me.
Night had fallen as Shadows danced across the stone and soil, cast by a modest campfire burning not far from where I lay. The light flickered, illuminating familiar shapes. Amelia. Henry. Emily. All bound just like me, slumped against nearby trees or on the ground, unmoving but breathing.
What happened? My mind reached backward, scrambling through fragments of memory.
Then it clicked.
It was an ambush.
Then I noticed them. Over by the fire, people sat talking in quiet tones, but just as my eyes rested on one of them, he turned as if sensing my gaze.
He was an older man, grizzled, with deep lines carved into his face by years of wear. Gray-streaked hair was tied back behind his head, and worn leather armor clung tightly to a frame still strong with purpose. His eyes, sharp and unflinching, looked to mine, studying me with this cold calculation as if he was weighing whether to dispose of me or not.
"Good," he growled, his voice like that of gravel. "One of them's awake."
Squatting down in front of me, he searched my eyes for a moment before speaking. "So, why were you following us?" His tone was casual, but there was a menacing edge to it, as though he was daring me to lie.
The question didn't make sense. I doubt anyone from the colony would react this aggressively toward other surviving people. So the only real explanation was that these people weren't from the colony at all and were native. So, playing dumb might just be the best option.
"We weren't," I croaked, as my voice was still rough from whatever they did to me.
The man raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Funny, we've been aware of you for a while now." He jerked his head toward one of his companions, who had been lingering near the fire. "Nick here's got sharp eyes. Saw your group from miles off."
Following his gesture, I spotted a slim man with piercing green eyes and curly hair standing at the edge of the firelight. Despite his wiry frame, he carried a massive bow slung across his back that looked almost comically large against him.
Nick nodded slightly, but his gaze remained locked on me, assessing, like a predator watching prey.
"We weren't following you," I repeated, more firmly this time. "We're just searching for a group of our own."
The older man's expression didn't change much, but I saw a flicker of interest in his eyes. He crossed his arms, glancing briefly at my missing arm before returning his gaze to my face. "This far out?" His voice was softer now, more curious than accusatory. "And how many of those do you think are still alive?"
I hesitated. "We don't know. We've been looking, but…"
"But you haven't found them," he finished for me, his tone flat.
He held my gaze for a long, heavy moment, like he was trying to peel the truth straight out of my skull. Then he stepped in closer, his next words dropping into a low growl.
"I'll trust you this once. But if you try anything… I'll put you down myself."
As if to emphasize the point.
A crushing force slammed into my chest, so sudden and overwhelming that the air was ripped from my lungs. The pressure doubled with each heartbeat, every second stretching into eternity. My ribs strained under the weight, bones creaking as if they might snap apart. My vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges.
"David. That's enough."
A soft yet unmistakably firm voice dissipated the pressure in an instant, as a woman stepped forward, sending David a sharp, reprimanding look. "Look at them. They're in no shape to pose a threat, especially not him."
Her eyes flicked to my missing arm. But David didn't seem to agree with her on that, but he huffed and turned away as if it was no longer his problem.
As she approached, I kept my gaze on her, still fighting to steady my breath. Gratitude mixed with lingering fear, but as she drew nearer, something about her presence eased the tension in my chest.
Her light blonde hair caught what little light there was, soft strands brushing her face as she moved. A fitted set of dark leather gear hugged her lithe frame, reinforced in all the right places, yet unmistakably accentuating the fluid strength in the way she carried herself. Her blue eyes met mine with a calm, purposeful focus, though a sharpness lingered beneath the surface, as if she could see straight through whatever lie I might try to tell.
And for reasons I couldn't fully grasp, the air seemed to soften around her.
"Nick," she called out, addressing the tracker. "Release him. They're not here to harm us."
Nick hesitated, glancing at David, who scowled but didn't argue. "Fine," Nick muttered, and with a subtle motion, the wooden roots around my arm and leg began to loosen and then retract into the ground.
It felt so good to rub my wrist against my leg. Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet, taking in the rest of the group. There were eight of them in total: the three I had initially seen, plus a few more.
Among them was a young kid with curly black hair and intense green eyes, who looked oddly similar to David with his matching leather gear and metal gauntlets.
Nearby, leaning lazily against a tree, was a woman who looked to be in her thirties. Her short chestnut hair framed her cyan eyes, with leather armor that bore the signs of past battles. She glanced at me briefly, as if sizing me up, before returning her focus to the fire.
Then there was the shortest of the bunch, nearly the size of a dwarf, with dark brown eyes and a full beard that gave him a rugged appearance. His stout build and broad shoulders spoke of strength, but there was a twinkle in his eye that suggested mischief.
And almost the exact opposite of the small man was a giant. He towered over the rest of them, his piercing green eyes sharp beneath a mess of brown hair that framed his weathered face. Though he appeared to be in his fifties, his physique was that of a seasoned powerlifter, with massive rippling muscle reinforced by iron armor that covered his broad shoulders and powerful arms.
Lastly, sitting by the fire was a young man. He seemed utterly disinterested in this whole afair as his grey eyes stayed fixed on the fire. Though I could tell he took care of his appearance, as he was the cleanest of the bunch by far, with his clean-cut curly blond hair.
Lastly, I turned my attention back to my own group, who were still unconscious, scattered near the edge of the firelight. My chest tightened for a moment, but before I could dwell too much on it, I looked back and saw the woman who had let me lose, approaching.
"You don't have to panic," She nodded toward my teammates. "They'll be fine. That sleep skill wears off on its own. So they'll start waking up soon enough." She paused, studying me with a hint of surprise. "Honestly, I'm more shocked you're up already."
She blinked, as if realizing she was rambling before even giving me a chance to speak. "Sorry, right. I should introduce myself instead of hovering over you." She offered her hand with an easy smile. "I'm Rebecca."
I blinked once, still adjusting, then took her hand. "Atlas."
Her smile warmed. "Good to meet you, Atlas." Her eyes drifted over me, curious. "Most people would still be out cold for hours after being hit with that skill, but you're already walking around. If you don't mind me asking… what level are you?"
I raised an eyebrow but didn't see the harm. "Fifteen."
Rebecca's eyes widened. "That's impressive for your level."
"Sleep skill?" I echoed, frowning. My neck still ached from where I'd been struck. "If you've got something like that, why attack us at all?"
She let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "Good question. Honestly, it only works properly if the target's already half-asleep. It's more of a… nudge. A reassurance." She gave a small shrug, as if the whole thing wasn't worth losing sleep over.
"Here, sit. You look like you could use a minute to breathe."
I hesitated but nodded as I took a seat with the rest of them.
As I settled in, the young man, Nicholas, as I later learned, leaned forward a bit, his eyes catching on the empty space where my arm should've been.
"What happened to your arm?"
I sighed, not really in the mood to recount the battle but not wanting to brush him off. "Lost it fighting a creature," I said simply, hoping that would be enough.
"So... where are you all from?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
David, sitting across from me, gave a slight glare at the question. Before he could speak, however, Rebecca stepped in. "We're from a place called Stormwatch," she explained. "It's one of the frontier cities expanding along the edge of the Dominion of Dragon's Reach."
The names meant nothing to me, but I nodded politely.
"Stormwatch… sounds nice."
Rebecca offered a small smile. "Most people haven't heard of it. We're used to being overlooked."
I shifted slightly, unsure what to say before the panicked cry of someone rang out.
"Wh…what's going on?!"
It was Ella, struggling against the restraints that still held her down.
Rebecca glanced at Nick, who gave a curt nod and released her bindings. Ella sat up quickly, taking in the strangers around her, then me.
"Uh… what's going on?" she repeated, voice shaky now that the panic was giving way to confusion.
Yeah, that made sense. She'd been out cold the second the gravity magic hit.
Then, as the realization had just struck her, she blurted, "Are you with the colony?"
"No," David said flatly, though he glanced my way as he said it. There was something different in his tone, like he finally believed me, at least a little.
The short man leaned back from the fire, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.
"Oi, come sit. We've got soup," he called, gesturing to the simmering pot beside him.
Ella hesitated as she scanned every face, trying to piece things together. Eventually, she stepped forward, eyes narrowing with cautious curiosity.
"So… if you're not with the colony, then where are you from?"
"Stormwatch," Nicholas replied casually, picking the veggies out of his soup, much to David's displeasure.
"Stormwatch?" Ella echoed, frowning as she mulled it over.
Then another groggy voice mumbled from the side—
"Wha…"
David sighed heavily.
"Here comes another one."
One by one, the rest of our group began to stir. With each person who woke, the tension started to fade; little by little, it became easier to trust.
Once Ella relaxed, she wasted no time slipping back into her usual chatty self, curious and full of questions.
She flitted between conversations, getting names and stories as quickly as she could.
The woman with the chestnut hair was Lauren.
The short man with the scarred hands was Matthew.
The quiet, towering one, Michael.
And the clean-cut one was Daniel.
"I'm sorry to have spooked you," Amelia said once she'd settled into her seat, though there was still a note of caution in her voice. She wasn't entirely at ease with them yet. "But… you wouldn't happen to have seen other people in the ruins, would you?"
David shook his head.
"No one," he said simply. Then he sighed, disappointment edging his tone.
"The place was picked clean. Doubt anyone's been through here in a long while."
Benjamin was the one to ask the question we were all quietly circling.
"Would you be alright with us... coming along with you to Stormwatch?"
It was the logical move.
However, David didn't respond right away. His eyes flicked briefly to Rebecca, whose quiet, hopeful look said more than words. Then to Benjamin, who stood steady as ever.
With a soft grunt, he relented.
"Fine."
Matthew grinned widely, clapping his hands together.
"Well, I'd say it'll be a pleasure travelin' with y'all," he said. "Not a single one of you has insulted my cookin' yet, so that's a fine start."
Lauren rolled her eyes, her expression flat.
"Maybe if you stopped bragging about it every five seconds, I'd actually give you a compliment once in a while."
Michael, the massive one, leaned in with a low grunt, scooping another bowl of stew and practically inhaling it.
Matthew gestured toward him with a smirk.
"And with this oaf eatin' like he's got a pit for a stomach, it'll be good to have some extra hands haulin' supplies."
Daniel chimed in, soft and composed as always.
"It will certainly lighten the burden on all of us."
Their conversation blurred slightly as fatigue began to settle over me. My body ached, and my limbs felt heavy. I let out a long yawn before I could stop it.
Rebecca noticed and offered a knowing nod.
"The sleep spell does that. It doesn't give you real rest, it just knocks you out so your body's still tired after waking."
She reached into her bag and pulled out a small pillow, holding it out with a smile.
"Here. I've got a couple. It's better than trying to sleep on bare ground."
I took it with a grateful nod.
"Thanks… for everything. Really."
"It's no problem," she said with a sincere smile.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one crashing. Yawns spread through our group like a wave. One by one, everyone began settling in for the night.
I found a decent spot and laid the pillow down. Around me, the others did the same, except for David and Michael, who remained by the fire, keeping watch.
They probably still didn't trust us. Honestly, I wouldn't either. If our roles were reversed, I would have acted the same or harsher.
Either way, I doubted I could have stayed awake any longer. And before long, sleep dragged me under.
I awoke to the soft warmth of sunlight filtering through the canopy above, its golden rays dancing across the forest floor. The air was cool and clean, but the rich aroma of cooked meat drifted through the camp like a siren's call. My stomach growled before I was fully conscious, reminding me how little I'd eaten the day before.
Stretching out with a groan, I pushed myself upright. Most of the group was already awake, scattered around the campfire. Only Henry and Nick still lay wrapped in their bedrolls, snoring lightly.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Ella said as I rubbed my eyes.
Near the fire, Matthew was tending to a pan resting over a low flame. The sizzling meat inside filled the air with the kind of smell that made you forgive the last few days of hardship. It looked like some kind of steak, though the scent had a smokier, richer profile, almost like ham but sharper.
Emily crouched beside Matthew, watching with open curiosity.
"Okay, I need to know what this is," she said, practically drooling. "And how you made it smell like heaven."
Matthew chuckled as he flipped the meat with practiced ease. His voice carried a distinct edge that I hadn't noticed last night, gruff, with the faint lilt of a Scottish accent that gave each word a touch of rugged charm.
"It's from a Tuskrend," he said, drawing out the r just slightly. "Big, tusked brute with a foul temper an' thicker hide than most armor. Took a bit o' teamwork to bring the bastard down."
"A Tuskrend?" Emily repeated, eyes wide with intrigue. "That sounds like a boss fight."
"Aye, pretty much was," he replied with a half-smirk, offering her a crisp-edged piece from the pan. "Roasted it low and slow, let the flavor settle. Bit o' ground bark pepper... red moss flakes for heat."
She popped it in her mouth, her eyes lighting up instantly. "Okay, wow. That's ridiculously good."
He just gave a modest grunt, wiping his hands on a cloth. "Glad it's worth the effort."
As I joined them around the fire, Matthew handed me a plate. "Eat up. You look like you need it."
Nodding, I accepted it gratefully.
While we ate, Ella leaned in toward Emily, eyes sparkling with intrigue. "So what do you think a Tuskrend looks like? I'm picturing a boar mixed with a crocodile. Or maybe a rhino with sabers?"
Matthew paused, brow furrowing. "A what now? A... croco-what and a rhine-o?"
Ella blinked, then laughed. "Right. Uh–animals from where we're from. Never mind."
He smirked and shook his head. "Well, I've no clue what kind of beasts you're talkin' about." He gestured with his knife as he spoke. "A Tuskrend's a proper brute, like a kradon the size of a wagon, built like a boulder, and twice as mean. Curved tusks, thick armored plates down its spine, and legs strong enough to crush a log underfoot. Lives in the wetlands, usually alone. Smart enough to be a pain, mean enough to make sure you regret ever spottin' one."
Ella just nodded slowly, her expression a mix of polite interest and vague confusion. She clearly caught some of it, but not enough to form a picture.
"Okay," she said with a small smile. "Big, armored, and angry. Got it... mostly."
Matthew let out a short chuckle. "Aye, that's close enough."
After breakfast, we began packing up. As I slung my pack over my shoulder, I noticed a fresh tear near the seam, where the threads were coming loose around the strap. I frowned, turning it over in my hands.
"Backpack trouble?" Rebecca asked, adjusting her own gear nearby.
"Yeah. Starting to fall apart," I said. "Hopefully, the city has somewhere we can resupply."
"You're not the only one," she said, patting her own bag. "These packs weren't built to last through wild terrain and fights."
I glanced around, noticing for the first time that many of their bags looked remarkably similar to ours. In that utilitarian look, they all held. That similarity was probably the only reason no one had questioned our gear so far.
As we set out, David moved to the front, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. He shot me a glance, then motioned for our group to walk ahead.
Still keeping us where he can see us, I thought. Fair enough.
Can't blame him. David had people to protect. And he looked like someone who'd been doing it his whole life. His eyes rarely stopped moving, scanning every rooftop, alley, and shadow we passed.
The ruined city stretched out before us, ancient structures slowly giving way to crumbling stress where collapsed buildings leaned against one another like tired giants. Time had eaten away at what once might've been great towers. Now they were half-forgotten silhouettes under a pale sky.
However, not everything seemed lost.
Stopping at a particularly dense patch of vegetation, Ella slowed to get a better look at something hidden beneath the growth.
"Hold up," she said, eyeing something partly buried in the earth.
She knelt beside it and began pulling away vines, leaves, and packed dirt until she uncovered something odd.
"What is it?" I asked, walking over.
She looked up, her brow furrowed with intrigue. "It looks like… a leg?"
I leaned in for a better look, only to come to the same conclusion.
The object was thick, with curved plating along one side where a faint metallic sheen showed through the grime. Whatever it was, there was no doubt that it was artificial.
And very old.
I was about to ask about it, but Rebecca cut me off before I could say a word.
"No way…" she murmured, her eyes widening. Then she turned over her shoulder. "Hey, David! Ella found a relic!"
David raised an eyebrow and trudged over. "This close to the city?" he asked.
But the second his eyes landed on it, they went wide.
"Well, I'll be damned."
With a slow motion of his hand, the ground around us began to tremble. Dirt shifted. Roots snapped. Then the hulk of the thing slowly rose from the earth, revealing the remains of what appeared to be some kind of mech, with a circular body and three legs.
But what amazed me the most was its size.
The thing was nearly as big as Michael with its midsection alone. However, when I walked around to the other side, it quickly became apparent that it was far from its original condition. What remained of its left side had been torn to shreds, and one of its legs seemed to be missing entirely. But a moment later, even that answered David's call when the ground around us began to shudder.
Countless tiny metal shards surfaced from the dirt, rattling and scraping together before coalescing into a pile at his feet.
"Oy, would ya look at that," Matthew said, grinning. "We must've walked over this treasure trove at least a hundred times."
Lauren scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you didn't yap so much, we could actually pay attention to our surroundings."
"Oy, now don't go blamin' me," Matthew retorted.
Tuning out their squabbling, I walked over to Rebecca as she began sorting through the rubble.
"You know anything about that thing?" I asked.
She nodded slightly. "We call them Protectors," she said. "They were machine guardians built by an ancient civilization that once lived here."
I glanced back at the machine.
Its design was unlike anything I'd seen. Heavy, elegant, almost regal in its construction despite the decay. Even half-buried and broken, it had a presence to it, like some fallen statue from a world that had forgotten how to make things like this.
"What happened to them?" I asked, helping her pick through the dirt.
Rebecca lifted a small scrap of metal, studied it for a moment, then tossed it aside.
"No one knows exactly how it ended," she said. "Some say there was a war. Others believe the machines turned on their creators. Whatever it was, something catastrophic brought it all down."
She paused, then continued, her tone growing more thoughtful.
"But not everyone was lost."
She looked around with a quiet kind of reverence.
"What's left of them helped shape the kingdom you're standing in. Stormwatch, the outposts, even the capital… they all trace their roots back to this fallen civilization."
I nodded, trying to piece it all together. "So why come here? Just for scavenging?"
Rebecca met my gaze. "Some of these old pieces still hold value, and to the right people, they're worth a fortune."
"Seems like this area's been stripped clean," I muttered, eyeing the bare ruins.
She sighed. "Yeah. The closer you get to Stormwatch, the more picked over everything gets. You'd have to go pretty far out to find an untouched site."
"So that's why you were surprised we managed to find this."
"You have no idea," she said with a small nod.
Then she glanced toward David and pointed to the piles of scrap. "The pieces on the left are worth keeping. The ones on the right are trash."
David nodded and lifted the smaller pieces with a gesture, guiding them into a bag. At the same time, Michael walked over and almost effortlessly hoisted the hulking mass of metal onto his shoulder.
"Well," Matthew said, grinning as he watched him, "I'd say this trip was worth it after all. Oh, I cannae wait to see Olivia's face when we bring this back."
"You better clean it before you bring it inside the house," Nicholas muttered. "Mom doesn't like it when you get the floor dirty."
Watching them marvel over the broken mech, I couldn't help but wonder how much it was actually worth.
However, when we finally got moving again and left the refuge of the ruins behind to step out into the clear fields beyond, the conversation came to an abrupt stop when Nicholas raised a hand.
"David," Nicholas called quietly. His hand instinctively moved toward the oversized bow on his back. "There's something up ahead."
David turned, his brows knitting together as he followed Nick's line of sight. "What is it?"
Nick pointed toward a break in the tree line. "Can't tell for sure, but there's movement in the field beyond. Something's watching us."
The group came to a halt as we all strained to see what Nick had spotted. None of us could make out anything at first, so we slowly pushed our way out of the forest and into the open field beyond.
That was when we saw them.
Creatures lurked just beyond the edge of the clearing, low to the ground and watching us with hungry, unblinking eyes. At first, they almost reminded me of wolves, but the resemblance ended there. Their bodies were longer and heavier, nearly twice the size, with thick spikes jutting along their backs like jagged pieces of bone. Their limbs bent at odd angles, and their mouths stretched too wide, showing rows of teeth made for tearing rather than biting.
There were five in total, and from the way they stared us down, it was clear they already knew we were there.
Looking to David, I almost expected him to crush them with all his power. But to my surprise, he simply instructed everyone to back away.
Well, everyone except us.
"I want to see what you're capable of," he called to us.
"Oh, but Ella, you can stay back since you don't have a core," he added, gesturing for her to move away.
"Okay," Ella agreed, backing up with the others.
"It should be fine, they're all around level eighteen anyway," David said offhandedly.
Level eighteen? How does he—
I didn't get the chance to ask before the pack of creatures sprang forward.
We fell into formation without a word. I took the front, bracing for the charge. Amelia and Henry held the middle, eyes sharp, while Emily and Benjamin guarded the rear.
Without wasting a second, I summoned my Gauntlet. The familiar crackle of electricity surged up my arm, filling me with power and readiness.
"Saint's Blessing," Benjamin muttered calmly from behind.
A gentle warmth enveloped us, the protective effect settling over my body while its healing touch mended any small aches or injuries before the real fight had even begun.
Amelia moved first. Stone and molten rock erupted at her command. With a sharp flick of her wrist, the shards streaked toward the beasts, searing flesh and forcing them to stagger. Emily followed suit, hurling stones that slammed into their legs and shoulders, breaking their advance just enough for Henry and me to close in.
I darted forward, electricity crackling through my gauntlet. Each punch landed with a snap of light, the jolt making the creatures jerk and falter. One swung at me from an angle that told me it was aiming for my head. I slipped beneath its arm and drove a right hook into its ribs, sending a surge through its body.
It twitched, thrown off-balance, just in time for Henry to glide in. His palm brushed the side of its neck, allowing the poison to take hold, its movements slowing like the air around it had turned to tar.
"Keep moving! Don't let them surround us!" Amelia's voice cut through the chaos. She met a charging beast head-on, swinging her stone hammer in a brutal downward arc. The impact crushed the bone, dropping the creature where it stood.
We pushed harder. My strikes came in tight bursts, the electricity adding a cruel snap to every hit. Henry wove between enemies, leaving a trail of weakened, staggering beasts wherever his hands touched.
A smaller one broke for Benjamin, but Emily was quicker. A massive stone slammed into its side, sending it stumbling straight into Amelia's waiting spikes. Benjamin didn't miss a beat. He raised his hands, golden light washing over us, and the ache in my limbs vanished.
The tide turned fast. Their attacks lost speed, the fight slipping from them. I stepped before the last beast, letting its telegraphed lunge pass harmlessly by before slamming my gauntlet into the side of its head. Lightning surged through it, and it collapsed at my feet.
Silence followed as I took a moment to relieve the tension from my shoulders.
"Not bad. I haven't seen people of your level, able to fight like you have," David praised.
"Not bad? Never mind that, how did you know their level?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"What's it worth to you?" David said with a grin.
"Oh, stop it. The tokens aren't a secret, so you might as well tell them," Rebecca said with a sigh.
"Fine, it's a skill I got from a skill token," David explained.
"Skill token?" Ella asked.
"You haven't heard of skill tokens?" Nick asked, perplexed.
"We don't have that where we are from," I added, "so what are they?"
David just looked at me for a moment before explaining, "It's a little token that you can buy from most shops that allows you to learn skills when used…" Then he hesitated, "Though most skills are extremely expensive, even for the richest nobles, although simple skills like 'identify' are cheap," David explained.
"Alternatively, one could try to learn the skill. But I recommend the former as the easier path, especially when it comes to identify," Rebecca added.
According to David, after it was explained, the skill allowed users to see the name and level of their targets. However, he mentioned that reaching Rank 2 in the skill would provide more detailed information, including the target's class and stats. But upgrading its rank was another matter entirely.
I followed up with another question, asking if there was a way to block or conceal this information. David nodded, confirming that there were methods to shield one's details, either through possessing a specific skill or using a particular item. However, he added a condition that intrigued me. If the target's level was 25 or more levels higher than the observer's, only the target's name would be revealed.
Continuing to walk, I couldn't help but dwell on the Identify Skill and how valuable it could be for us. But my train of thought was cut short when Nicholas suddenly stepped closer, eyes wide with excitement.
"That gauntlet you made earlier, how did you do that?" he asked, practically buzzing with curiosity. "It looked insane!"
I glanced down at my hand, the faint pressure of the Void Gauntlet still fresh on my skin. Without breaking stride, I replied, "It's something I can summon. I visualize it, and if it's within my limits… it takes shape."
Nicholas slowed, frowning in thought, then suddenly lit up. "Wait–could you summon it again? I wanna compare it to mine."
He held up his own gauntlet, rotating it at the wrist. It was a solid piece of metalwork, clearly crafted by a skilled hand.
I hesitated for a second, then raised my hand. A ripple of darkness curled around my arm like smoke, condensing into a sleek, black gauntlet.
Nicholas's mouth dropped open. "That's... that's wild. It doesn't even shine."
"It doesn't reflect light," I confirmed. "It's made from Void."
"Void? Like, Void Void?" he asked, leaning in without shame. "That's so cool! How'd you get that kind of power?"
I gave a cautious shrug. "It's tied to my core."
His enthusiasm paused for just a beat as he processed that, then he nodded, eyes still locked on the gauntlet. "Man… that's a rare one."
Before he could ask more, David's voice cut in sharply from behind us.
"Nicholas."
We both turned.
"Don't press him about his core," David said, with a scolding tone. "That's not something you pry into."
Nicholas blinked, then quickly stepped back. "Right. Sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"It's fine," I said quietly, letting the gauntlet dissolve into nothing.
Nicholas nodded, looking sheepish as David gave him a glance, then continued walking.
However, the interaction had me thinking. If cores were someone's entire livelihood, then wouldn't it make sense to keep them hidden, at least for the most part?
So it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say it was rude to ask about someone's powers.
But reflection never lasted long out here.
Not when the forest kept throwing danger at us.
By midday, we had already run into several packs of the wolf-like creatures, giving Benjamin and Emily no shortage of opportunities to level up.
In the days that followed, our encounters with wild creatures grew fewer, and the journey became smoother. Each skirmish had made us stronger. Our levels rose steadily, especially for Emily and Benjamin, who had both surged forward with three more gains.
We pressed on, the terrain shifting subtly as the forest thinned and the ground grew rockier. A damp mist began to gather around our path, curling around our boots and clinging to the trees. Visibility dropped, leaving only vague silhouettes in the distance. The world felt quiet, almost as if holding its breath.
Then, as we crested a gentle ridge, the mist ahead began to peel away like a curtain drawn back by unseen hands.
And there it was.
Nestled at the base of a vast mountain range stood a city
Massive stone walls encircled it like a fortress, each segment bristling with mounted cannons and defensive constructs. Beyond the outermost edge, patchworks of cultivated land stretched outward, with rolling fields and irrigation channels feeding into farmlands that glowed faintly in the filtered light.
It was more than we expected. More than we dared to hope.
A living, breathing civilization.