The forest greeted them with silence. No bird calls, no rustle of ordinary animals-- only the faint thrum of nethera energy clinging to the leaves and soil, vibrating through the air as though the land itself were alive.
Damian Quin opened his eyes as the teleportation haze lifted.
A faint glow radiating from his palm-- a crystal the size of a clenched fist, swirling faintly with light. Abby and Ren stood bedside him, both materializing almost at the same time.
The moment his boots touched earth, Damian froze. Something was watching him.
The forest's shadows stretched unnaturally long under the canopy and though no eyes shone in the dark, they could all feel a presence slithering there.
Abby turned towards him, her silver hair reflecting the orb's glow. "You ready"
Damian slipped the crystal into his coat. "Yeah, Ren lead the way"
Ren, clutching his own crystal orb to his chest as though afraid to drop it, he tried to sound braver than he felt "of....of course, follow me"
"We just need to find a machine and slot these crystals in" Abby said as they walked through the forest
"For a special test, sounds way too easy... We must stay sharp" Damian added
They hadn't walked five minutes before they heard a low growl rumbled through the under bush. Then, three wolf-like beast padded into view, their fur coarse and their eyes glowing faint red.
It's a feral, but a basic tier one.
Their breath steamed in the air as they crouched low, teeth bared.
Ren stumbled back in panic, clutching his crystal tighter. "B....beasts"
Damian didn't hesitate. His shadows rippled unnaturally at his feet, stretching forward like liquid tar. Three tendrils sprouted from the shadows, whipping across the clearing to warp around the ferals legs.
The beast snarled, struggling against the shadows, but they couldn't move.
Abby smiled faintly. "Good Opening, partner"
She raised her hand. Three shards of ice materialized out of thin air, elongating into swords that hovered at her side. With a flick of her fingers, the swords shot forward, piercing each wolf clean through the skull.
Thud. Thud. Thud. The beasts collapsed instantly.
Ren's was amazed by their coordination. "T...that was incredible."
Abby dusted her hands, her face calm "Teamwork makes things easier, right partner"
Damian just gave a nod, Ren swallowed hard, then blurted. "I...I can carry your crystals. So you don't have to worry about them breaking "
"No, don't worry about it" Damian said
"I... it'll make me useful " Ren argued, his face flushing with desperation.
Abby shook her head gently. "We're teammates, Ren. Not servant and master, we can hold out crystals, they are not hindering out movement and besides you giving us directions means you're the most useful person here"
Ren looked down, embarrassed, but nodded.
Damian had already turned his back, shadows curling at his heels. "Let's move"
"Uhmm...it's actually this way" Ren said pointing in another direction, now Damian was embarrassed but complied regardless.
They pressed deeper into the forest.
Every few minutes, the distant sounds of fighting echoed through the trees-- shouts, steel clashing, beast howling.
Eventually, they stumbled into a clearing where on the machine stood, a tall metallic column, it's surface engraved with runes, pulsed faintly blue.
But three students already stood there, their crystals glowing faintly inside the machine's slots.
The group teased immediately at Abby's presence, their eyes widening at the sight of a noble. For a moment, they expected demands, threats, even violence.
But Abby merely gave them a calm smile. "Don't worry, we'll find another one"
The students shoulders sagged with relief. They bowed slightly, murmuring their thanks, before standing guard around their machine. Finding a spot was one thing but defending it until the 2hours ends is another.
"How much time do we have left" Abby asked Damian. "I hour, 42min"
It wasn't long before danger struck again.
A large pack of ferals snunk from the shadows, red eyes gleaming. This time there were around ten of them.
Ren froze. "T...ten of them?".
"Move" Damian ordered. His shadows bursts outward again, tendrils shooting across the ground wrapping three wolves, for now he could only use 3 tendrils effectively.
"On it" Abby rushed forward, fearless. Her blade flashing into her hand. With graceful sweeps, she slashed, cutting down beasts after beast. Her floating swords darted around her, skewering ferals mid-leap.
But this wolves seemed coordinated. They circled, flanking both sides. This wasn't the mindless ferals that attack anything in sight the students were thought about. They seemed smart, almost like the academy had trained them.
One lunged strength for Ren. The easier target.
"Ahh!" His face turned pale seeing the jaw of the beats in his face.
Damian's body-moved before his mind caught up. He pivoted, kicking the feral with a brutal precise kick in the neck, sending it crashing into a tree. "Stay behind me".
Abby didn't look back, focused entirely on her offense.
"I'll finish them. Keep him life"
"Understood" his shadows spread wider, tripping one feral and immobilizing another, giving Abby more openings. With his distance his tendrils were now reduced to 2 in order to not consume too nethera energy.
Blood stained the ground as Abby cut down the last of them. The clearing fell silent except for Ren's ragged breathing.
Ren almost dropped his crystal in his panic, fumbling with slippery hands. Damian snatched it mid-fall, his face hard.
"Be careful" his tone was flat.
Abby placed a hand on Ren's shoulder, her voice soothing. "Relax Ren, you did fine. Fear is normal, but don't let it control you"
Ren nodded weakly, clutching his orb tighter.
Sometime passed before they stumbled into another clearing.
They all froze opening reaching the clearing.
Two core machines stood side by side, their glow casting pale light into the forest.
It was strange. Why were there two in the same location.
The answer revealed itself before Damian had to ask.
One of the machines was already occupied. Three students stood before it, crystal glowing within.
At their center stood Clark.
The prideful noble turned slowly as Damian, Abby and Ren stepped into the clearing. His smirk widened, oozing arrogance.
Clark's gaze locked onto Damian like a hawk to prey.
"So.." Clark said, his voice echoing faintly through the trees. "Damian ...did you receive my message?".
The clearing fell silent, tension thick enough enough to choke on.
Abby was confused "I've you guys, met?"
But Damian stood there, his expression unreadable, shadows crawling faintly at his feet.
"I promise I'll make your life a living hell Damian" Clark said with a smirk but his voice filled with rage "I must also thank you for bringing him to me.... Ren"