Lucas's hand hovered just inches from the Glimmerwood Stag's glowing antlers. The air crackled with a silent, ancient energy. His instincts, honed by countless hours of analyzing systems, told him that any sudden movement, any gesture of dominance or ownership, would mean immediate failure. This was not a creature to be conquered. It was a king to be acknowledged.
Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his own head, mirroring the stag's gesture. It was a sign of mutual respect, a deference to the spirit of the forest. He closed his eyes, shutting out the system interface, the health bars, and the quest logs. He focused instead on the hum of life around him, the feeling of the moss beneath his boots, the scent of the magical air. He didn't project a desire to win or to progress; he projected a simple, quiet intention: harmony.
The stag responded. A soft, warm light flowed from its antlers, enveloping both Lucas and Kael. It was not a spell or an attack, but a gentle, accepting wave of energy that seemed to seep into their very code.
[Your intent is pure. The Glimmerwood accepts you.]
[You have been granted the 'Forest's Blessing' temporary buff.]
[Effect: You can sense the 'will' of the wood. Fey creatures will not be hostile unless provoked. The forest will guide you towards your intended destination.]
When Lucas opened his eyes, the stag was turning, its form already beginning to fade back into the light of the forest. The invisible barrier that had blocked his path was gone.
He took his first step into the Glimmerwood proper, and the world transformed. The paths he had seen from the outside vanished, replaced by an endless, shifting sea of silver trees. There was no clear direction. He remembered the old adventurer's warning and trusted his new buff. He relaxed his focus, quieting his analytical mind, and simply... walked.
The forest itself became his guide. A path of glowing moss would appear under his feet, leading him through a dense thicket. The rustle of leaves to his left would guide him to turn. A sudden parting of the mist would reveal a bridge of woven roots over a chasm. He wasn't navigating a map; he was following the forest's living will.
After what felt like hours of dreamlike travel, he arrived. The trees parted to reveal a massive, open clearing, dominated by a sight that stole his breath. It was the Altar of the Ancient Beast. But it was no altar of stone. It was the colossal, petrified skeleton of some long-dead, dragon-like creature, so vast that its ribcage formed a cathedral of bone. The entire skeleton was overgrown with glowing vines and moss. At its center, where a heart of impossible size would have once been, sat a simple, flat stone platform.
As Lucas and Kael stepped into the clearing, the air grew still, and a new message materialized before him.
[You have reached the Altar of the Ancient Beast. The trial may now begin.]
He walked forward, his footsteps the only sound, and stepped onto the stone platform. The moment his boot touched the surface, the skeleton's empty eye sockets flared with a ghostly, blue light. From the altar, a spectral, translucent image of the ancient creature flickered into existence. It was magnificent, but it was also in agony, writhing as if in the grip of a terrible nightmare.
[Quest Update: Trial of Empathy]
[Objective: The spirit of the 'Ancient One' is tormented by a spiritual corruption. As a Tamer, your role is not to conquer, but to heal and to soothe. Purge the corruption without harming the spirit.]
[Failure Condition: Any direct damage dealt to the spirit will result in immediate expulsion from the Glimmerwood.]
This was a boss fight with no fighting. The "corruption" manifested as dark, shadowy tendrils that lashed out from the spectral beast, striking the ground around Lucas. If one of those hit him, a [Mana Drain] debuff appeared—this was a battle of spiritual attrition.
He had no healing spells, no soothing abilities. He was a hunter, a trapper, a strategist. How was he supposed to fight a battle where the only winning move was not to play?
Desperate, he activated his [System Insight], scanning the tormented spirit for a clue, a weakness, anything. The green text flickered, struggling to parse the ancient magic, before finally resolving into a single, cryptic line.
[The bond between a Tamer and his partner is a light that can drive away any shadow.]
The bond. It wasn't about his skills or his gear. It was a test of the one thing that defined his class. He looked at Kael, who stood ready, waiting for a command that might never come. He had to somehow project their loyalty, their connection, their shared journey, and turn it into a weapon of peace.
But how? The spectral tendrils were lashing out faster now, forcing him to dodge and weave, his mana draining with every near miss. The true trial of the Tamer had begun.