Taking cover in the remaining ranks of statues, Luke spoke to Wayfinder. “You know, Wayfinder, for being a compass, I don’t think I’ve avoided any monsters because of you. And I’m still lost in this cave. Are you sure you're a compass?”

Luke was busy shaking off the centaurs, but they would be around him soon. The thought had slipped into Luke's mind, and he let it out. Something he still did; habits formed over a year don’t die in three days.

“That’s a spat at me honor! If me needle was a sword, I’d tell little lassie Xera to draw. Don't you forget, it's my guidance that's brought us through the thick of it. It's not for lack of trying that I can't steer you but once a week. And would you look at that—you're still breathing after nearly three days, against all odds," Wayfinder declared, his voice a blend of pride and guilt.

He had a good point. Even with several close calls, Luke was still alive. He wouldn’t know for sure, but Luke also felt his growth rate would be unbelievable in the world outside. The thought had him wonder about the broader world. He hoped his dad was out there; otherwise, he'd have a meltdown. When Sooty wasn’t looking, that is.

Of course, that growth came at a significant risk and price, and the risk part still wasn’t over. He was grumbling out loud earlier. “Alright, I’ll admit you’ve got a solid point or needle, whichever fits you. Any ideas about the centaurs?”

Xera chimed in with buoyant enthusiasm, her voice starkly contrasting the moment's tension. "Oh, I know! Let's get 'em with a wand blast or maybe a good slice, yeah? I can do both, easy-peasy. And why the long face? These horses haven’t been all that tough!"

Taking a moment to strategize after Xera's eager interjection, Wayfinder offered his seasoned advice. "Watch the one flinging magic. No clear shot, then don't bother—close in on a centaur when you can. If they're too bulky to get a proper hit in, aim for the legs. They've got no healer, so crippled is as good as dead for our purposes. Keep on your toes and stay alert."

Luke acknowledged the plan with a simple affirmation, ready to act on the advice. "I'll do that then."

Right as their improvised war council ended, two centaurs found wide enough gaps to rush at Luke. Both going at the same time to maximize the pressure on him. Luke didn’t wait for their charge and instead inserted himself into a smaller gap. The centaurs began to skid to a stop, and Xera sliced into their unguarded legs.

Taking off after, the process repeated itself several times over. Luke, for now, wasn’t rushing the fight; he was drawing things out not out of necessity this time but because he wanted Sooty to have a good rest.

He’d signal her with Reaver’s Link if things got urgent, so any immediate worry was low. Of course, he could only say that now that he had the cover of these figures around him. Being encircled by centaurs back there was on the verge of becoming deadly. His biggest goal for now would be to take down the mage. The rest wouldn’t be an issue.

The mage was careful, with at least three other centaur warriors staying in its vicinity at all times. Luke had been repeatedly only confronting two or three at a time. The centaurs never let one of their own get isolated. If he were in a rush or didn’t have his ways of healing, Luke would have a headache right now. Still, the mage was perceptive, never letting him get near enough to strike.

Sooty had sent him her version of a message over the Reaver’s Link. Tired, that was the emotion she sent him. Knowing there may not be another time for Sooty to catch a break, Luke sent back: Rest. He was her Reaver. Sooty had taken on the heavier load multiple times for Luke. Now, it was his turn to do so for her this round.

That mage has been breathing for long enough. Luke decided.

Infusion flowed around his two blades, and Luke stepped out into a wider gap. The centaurs had kept track of him due to their form of communication. While Wayfinder’s advice of attacking their legs where possible worked, the centaurs had adapted by his third try. Luke had to focus. A trusty old friend returned: rocks. Placing Whispering Edge into its sheath, he picked up three. Even without Infusion, the first one he threw shattered near the mage's side.

With that throw in a different direction, Luke had the warriors distracted by the loud noise, their guards raised to the maximum. The mage looked over, precisely what he was waiting for. Luke ran with the noise reduction from Whispering Edge. His feet had a barely audible slap. The warriors were no slouches, however, and this was picked up on by the one closest to him. Figuring that would happen, the second rock came into play. As it was turning, Luke rocketed both himself and the rock forward. It broke into shards on the back right periphery of the warrior.

Luke positioned himself to the other edge of its version, taking a galloping jump. He nimbly landed on the back horse half of the centaur. Xera was pierced through its back, angled around its spine.

“The assassination play, I like it. You're much less brash than the last Reaver!” Xera blurted out.

…

This damn sword wand.

Luke felt that Whispering Edge, with its focus on silence, would tell Xera to shut up if it could talk. He was glad it couldn't, of course; these two powerful, overly verbal allies of his had already fried Luke's social circuits enough as it was.

Xera's momentary lapse brought a soft, embarrassed "oops" from the sword-wand.

Wayfinder seized the moment to underscore the gravity of the situation with his usual candor. "Well, lass, you've stirred the pot now. We're either scarpering, or we're all in, lad. Take your pick," he advised, laying out the stark choices before them.

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With one warrior down for the count, Luke figured he wouldn’t get a better shot with the same tactic again. He waited a quarter of a second. The mage cast an arcane bolt his way. Jumping off the warrior's body, he dodged it. The other two warriors would be on him before he got to the mage, especially since it was running away. Perhaps because it wanted to cast another spell at him, it ran straight down the same lane Luke stayed on.

You're not the only one who can cast, mage. He thought.

Luke threw the rock at the mage's face, the shards blocking its vision. Luke then weaved an Essence Lance, spiraling it at the centaur mage. The two-hit combo worked perfectly, yet it didn’t seal the kill. Luke smacked his lips. Two warriors were about to be on him, switching gears; Luke had Essence Bond entangle one, and the unexpected reduction in strength confused the centaur. He took out Whispering Edge and chucked the sword at the same warrior.

The back-to-back shocks had the centaur playing to Luke’s deadly cadence of combat. Knowing he had missed his chance, Luke took the second prize instead. Rushing to the weakened monster, he sheared Xera right through its body. Retrieving Whispering Edge stuck in the upper leg of a horse took longer than Luke would’ve liked. The other warrior threw his spear at him, seeing the pause in movement. Ducking beneath the warrior next to him, the spear missed.

A familiar arcane bolt waited for the right moment and struck Luke in the back, ripping out the rest of Whispering Edge; Luke ran. The other centaurs were closing in. With his incredible speed, he barely managed to find another thin gap he could enter, but the centaur warrior behind him could not. The mage kept trying to pelt him down with spells. With Luke entirely on the move, none came close to landing.

Luke ran through his options; other than getting his weapons back up to par, he was about to come up empty until he looked at Wayfinder.

“Of course…” Luke switched Temporal North’s stored ability from Essence Lance to Essence Fissure. With him having used the Temporal North ability multiple times on Essence Lance, he had long met the condition to change the stored skill. He never had a reason to do so before. The centaurs were no stranger to any of his abilities now. The mage had seen all of his skills.

Except for Temporal North.

The mage seemed to be running low on mana. The amount of arcane bolts and blasts going his way lessened. Still, he switched Xera to wand form in preparation. Like a viper, Luke slithered closer to the mage. Circling, waiting, exhausting the warriors constantly chasing after him. Their unwillingness to risk their legs came with a drawback: they consistently gave him too much space.

Finally, the mage came into view. Over four pairs of warriors were in the way. The mage ensured its distance was enough that the human couldn’t possibly reach, even if it got caught by Luke's fissure skill. Double-checking to ensure his skill would include the mage in his range, Luke cast Essence Fissure on its side in the air. The sideways force smashed all the warriors and the mage against the statues nearest them. The mage had a mocking look to its eyes, seeing the distance.

With his legs pressing hard against the ground, Luke zipped by the rest of the warriors. The distance truly was far, the mage would get up as his Essence Fissure was over. Unfortunately, a lack of knowledge would kill this mage today. Activating Temporal North, Luke cast his Essence Fissure in the sky above, facing downward like he’d done a few times before. The warriors and mage, beginning to peel their bodies from the side of the statues, were forced against the unforgiving floor.

His swords shimmered into movement, dragging the two along a statue. The mage heard its last sound before death, with Luke’s forceful strikes having its head fly into the sky. Wet blood spurted over Xera and him.

“Yuck, mage blood. At least he’s gone.” Xera said.

Taking the last duration of Essence Fissure, Luke shimmied back into an impassable lane for the Centaurs. These oversized creatures were being ground down in terrain too cramped from their natural advantages to shine. Instead, they were turned into a detriment. The remaining warriors, having lost the mage, regrouped, ignoring Luke. Their grouping instincts had them go down the widest lane together, then rush back into the open center.

The wave of centaurs surged, seeing an open space before them. Luke leisurely stepped out at the end of their charging path. The expression on the young man's face had lost all tension. Without their leader, the mage, these centaurs made the mistake of gathering in one group against him. An Essence Lance collided against the ground before the group of centaurs. The nova of ice shards killed each centaur in the first two ranks. Leaving the rest frostbitten and slow.

Pacing forward, Xera was over his left shoulder, and Whispering Edge out front. Turning Xera back to her sword form, Luke started his path of carnage. These warriors were true to their name, trying to charge even with frost ruining their momentum.

Whispering Edge and Xera were used in conjunction to hack off a multitude of legs and arms. With the loss of initiative, Luke soon had a pile of dead or barely breathing warriors in front of him.

“I smell like horse, Master. Can you wash me?” Xera completely ignored the atmosphere of the moment.

Luke replied, “When we get out of this cave, Xera.”

Sitting down in the middle of the room, Luke saw no exit out of this room of statues.

Reflecting, he looked back on his battle. The surprise attack worked fine. He wasn’t using the wand form of Xera as well as he should. It wasn’t as simple as it seemed; even if he knew when to cast with Xera, switching forms wasn't worth it if he needed to swing her as a sword the following second.

Sending a message to Sooty, he let her know this round was practically over. The cheeky crow responded with a feeling of playfulness, busy hopping from statue head to statue head having fun.

Once Sooty mentioned it, Luke caught sight of his crow in the far corner, hopping from each statue as if in a game on her own. She had used her rest period to its fullest extent for sure. As Luke was drawn to Sooty's carefree antics amidst the statues, Wayfinder's observation came with a hint of amusement. "Your winged friend there, she's got her way of doing things, sure as the sun rises," Wayfinder remarked, his tone reflecting a mix of fondness and resignation at Sooty's independent spirit.

Letting out a laugh as feelings of warmth spread through Luke, he responded, “Ha, yes, she does. Trying to force Sooty to do anything is difficult. The constant fights make her want to do something else; can’t say I blame her.”

"I want to play too!" Xera interjected enthusiastically, clearly not wanting to be left out of potential shenanigans. Her mood was as vivacious as ever, even amidst the chaos.

Luke was glad to have his three companions; they stopped him from becoming an unfeeling monster in all the constant bloody battles. He stayed more human because of them.

…Even if Xera and Wayfinder were a handful to adjust to.

A few minutes passed as the three chatted, yet no other statues came forward. As he was about to get up and check on the pile of centaur warriors, a notice popped up in front of him.

[Trial phase complete! Transporting in 3..2..1]

“Wait! What about Sooty?” Luke yelled.

Empty space was all one could see in the silent room of statues. Neither man nor bird was left behind. Figures quickly rose out of the ground, filling the area. Waiting to serve their purpose once more.