"GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!" Luar roared, slamming his fists against the stone walls. Dust shook loose from the cracks.
Olivia leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, gaze flicking over his battered, bruised body. "What the hell happened to you?"
"They had the child," Luar spat, panting. His eyes burned. "Swapped mine out with a pile of fucking rocks."
Aisyah gasped—"W-What?!"
"Where's Henry?" she pressed, her voice brittle.
Olivia shook her head. "Haven't seen him since we split."
"Forget him," Luar snarled, waving the thought away. His cracked lips curled into a bitter grin.
"Doesn't matter. I got a new lead—from piggy. This time we're not after scraps. We're either taking Amariel… or raid their whole village down."
He staggered upright, fists clenched tight enough to bleed. "We bag her, or the other Floriae. Either way—we'll be swimming in coins."
Olivia's smirk flickered in the lamplight. "Of course I'm in."
"Yes…" Aisyah's eyes glimmered as she whispered.
"Good." Luar's grin widened. "Then we start tracking them now."
In the silence that followed, Aisyah's ring pulsed faintly—its glow unseen by the others.
The wheels creaked as they left Glimmerfen behind. Amariel held the reins steady, eyes fixed on the dirt road ahead.
The kid slept curled in the corner, breathing soft.
Daiki sat hunched forward, clutching his stomach with a grimace. "Fucking horse…" he muttered under his breath.
At the back of the carriage, Ahrie leaned against the rail, brows knitted.
Hmmm… Bark Bark? …Ogiii Dogiii? he whispered to himself.
Daiki squinted. "What the hell are you mumbling?"
"Thinking of a name. For a dog," Ahrie said flatly.
"A dog? You have a dog?" Daiki asked.
"Yeaaah, yeah. Tiny one. Super small. Cute as hell." Ahrie smirked.
"Boy or girl?" Daiki pressed.
Ahrie froze mid-smirk. "…Fuck."
Daiki cracked up. "You don't even know?!"
"I rushed, alright? Didn't exactly have time to—check under the tail." Ahrie scratched his head, annoyed.
"You're a failure as a furparent," Daiki teased, puffing his chest out.
Ahrie shot him the kind of glare only a street thug could master. This bastard… Alright then, what about you?
"Ohhh, my dog?" Daiki leaned back, smug. "It can sit, stay, fetch, guard, hold things in its mouth. Smartest damn thing alive."
As he listed them off one by one, Ahrie's face slowly darkened, like someone twisting a knife in his patience.
"Dog?" A tiny voice chimed in. The child had woken up, rubbing their eyes.
"Yeah," Daiki said, softening immediately. "We're talking about dogs."
The kid's eyes lit up. "We have dogs in the village."
"Really?" Daiki grinned.
The kid tilted their head. "Does your dog really know all that stuff?"
Daiki cleared his throat, sat straighter, and puffed up again. "Ehem, ehem. Of course."
"Then can you teach one of ours?" the kid asked, voice bubbling with hope.
Daiki gently set a hand on the child's head. "Sure thing bud."
The kid beamed. "Promise?"
"Yep, yep. Promise." Daiki nodded.
Ahrie just rolled his eyes and muttered, "Fucking gentleman act again…"
Hours blurred on the road.
Eventually Amariel tugged the reins and brought the carriage to a stop.
Ahrie hopped off, stretching his back. "Yo, why're we stopping? Something wrong?"
"No," Amariel said, calm as always. "From here, we walk."
Ahrie groaned loud enough to shake the trees. "Ugghhh…"
They ditched the carriage and pushed into the woods.
The child rode high on the jacked-up horse while Amariel led it by the reins.
Ahrie and Daiki flanked the beast, one on each side.
Somewhere else, Luar stood surrounded by shady bastards loading up carriages.
He bowed, face stiff.
"Just so you know," the fat noble's voice dripped over him. "This is your last chance."
"Y-yes, sir… I know," Luar muttered.
"Good. Then move."
The whole pack rolled out.
Back in the woods, Ahrie let out a jaw-cracking yawn. "Damn, we've been walking like a hundred miles already… Amariel, could you chill the bloodlust for a bit? I wanna stretch my arms too."
Amariel dialed it down, just a shade. Immediately, monster rabbits started creeping out of the underbrush, noses twitching, eyes glowing. They hesitated—Amariel's aura still leaked—but Ahrie didn't care.
He cracked his knuckles, grin sharp. "Heeere, bunny bunny…"
Daiki drew his blade. "Tch. Ain't no way I'm letting you level up faster than me."
They both lunged forward, smiles wide—
—and a storm of threads ripped through the air, skewering the rabbits before they even touched the ground.
Ahrie and Daiki froze mid-step. Their faces twisted with pure, crushing disappointment.
"Get it done quickly," Amariel said, voice flat.
"...Yeah, yeah," Ahrie muttered, stabbing lazily, zero hype left.
Daiki swung his blade like it weighed a ton, sighing with every slash.
One by one the glowing numbers blinked across their vision.
+1 Exp
+1 Exp
+1 Exp
+1 Exp
+1 Exp
+1 Exp
Both of them looked dead inside.
"Ergh… this freaking leveling system…" Ahrie grumbled, dragging his rapier in the dirt.
"I know, right…" Daiki's jaw clenched, pissed off.
Then—Awooooo!
A howl ripped through the forest, deep enough to shake the ground under their boots. Both froze, blades up.
From the treeline, it emerged.
A wolf. Not some common beast—this one was monstrous. Slender but towering, frame bigger than a dump truck, curly silver-gray fur rippling with every step. Its golden eye glowed, staring at them with zero emotion.
"Can you… take that?" Daiki whispered out of the side of his mouth.
"Nuh uh." Ahrie shook his head fast.
Before either could move, the kid leapt down from the horse, bolting straight toward the beast.
"Oii—stop! Kid!" Daiki shouted in panic, rushing forward—
"Eldeeeer!" the child cried out.
A figure dropped from the wolf's back, landing in front of them.
The child crashed into his arms, sobbing with relief. The man hugged her tight, then looked up.
His eyes snapped to Ahrie and Daiki—sharp, menacing.
The forest erupted around them.
Smaller wolves padded out, circling, and Floriae soldiers stepped from the shadows, flower buds atop their heads sealed tight like clenched fists.
Tension buzzed thick in the air—until Amariel pulled back her hood.
Murmurs spread like wildfire among the Floriae.
"You're…" the elder's voice caught.
"They're with me," Amariel said, steady. "They helped rescue the child."
The elder paused, studied them, then slowly bowed.
"From the bottom of my roots… up to my petals… I thank you."
Ahrie and Daiki didn't hesitate. Both raised their hands at the same time, throwing him a clean thumbs-up.