The mist enveloped the mountain path in a thick and gray shroud, obscuring the way forward like a veil. Above, the skies mirrored the uncertainty below, offering no guidance to the seven-strong party forging ahead. Dampness lingered in the air, tainted with a subtle hint of sulfur and ash, remnants of constant explosions echoing in the background. The distant blasts reverberated off the mountainsides, filling the atmosphere with an unrelenting rumble. As the group traversed the mountain path, the explosions intensified, akin to thunder on a stormy night.
Within the chaotic expanse of the Judgment path, pulsating glows emanated from different directions, scattered within the widening trail. Turning a corner, the seven champions halted, their gazes drawn to a collection of ten beacons clustered in an open space.
The party comprised Althea, a tall and dark-haired woman serving as their leader; Kaleb, a disheveled-looking man; Jessa, a young woman with a bow slung over her shoulder; and others, including the dwarf Balin, the healer Freya, and two mercenaries, Rolf and Brax. They stood in contemplative silence, eyeing the seemingly innocuous pile of beacons, exchanging thoughts on their next course of action.
“I don't trust this,” Althea declared, her brow furrowed. “Why are the beacons gathered like that? It's too suspicious.”
“Maybe there's a reason they left these here,” Kaleb suggested, his gaze fixed on the pulsating lights. “Perhaps someone intends for us to pick them up.”
“Do you even hear yourself? Don't tell me you're that naïve,” Jessa retorted, her hand resting on her bow. “We need to exercise caution.”
Rolf and Brax dismissed the archer's concerns with a scoff. “Trap or not, it doesn't matter. We need those tokens,” Rolf stated, his eyes scanning the surrounding boulders.
“We're not leaving them behind,” Brax asserted. “Whatever comes our way, we can handle it.”
“Finally, people who speak my language,” Kaleb chimed in, grinning as he draped his arms over the shoulders of the mercenaries. Althea and Jessa frowned, while Balin and Freya remained silent, prepared to accept the group's collective decision.
Turning to Althea, Kaleb pointed at the beacons. “So, what's the plan, Thea? If we don't grab them, you can bet someone else will.”
“We're not close enough for you to be calling me that,” Althea shot a glare at the man, her brown eyes shifting towards the beacons. There’s no way this isn’t a trap, but Kaleb is right. Someone else will take them if we don’t. I can only hope who or whatever placed them there isn’t someone beyond our means, Althea thought.
“I still believe we should leave the beacons there and move on. I can understand wanting to take them, but common sense says we’ll regret it if we do. We can simply find a weaker party and take their tokens,” Jessa advised, but her words mostly fell on deaf ears.
“If only the world worked according to our whims, baby girl,” Brax said with a sardonic smile. “You can go look for those weaker parties; we’ll take these beacons for ourselves,” he added.
Brax, Rolf, and Kaleb erupted into laughter as they approached the beacons. The trio believed they had no time to waste arguing about the matter. After all, it was only a matter of time before another group stumbled upon the pile.
Jessa spat, her gaze piercing the mist as it tousled her hair. “Those imbeciles.”
Althea sighed, patting the back of the archer. “I hate to admit it, but they might be right. We can't afford to pass up this opportunity. Let's just hope whoever set up the trap is someone we can handle.”
Freya, the soft-spoken healer, spoke up, her concern evident. “What if we're not their match?”
Althea turned to face the blonde woman. “Then we run for our lives,” she declared without hesitation.
Balin slung his ax over his shoulder, taking a determined step forward. “Hopefully, it won't come to that. I'd rather not support those brutes, but we need those beacons.” The dwarf absentmindedly fiddled with his long goatee, observing the trio as they approached the pile, weapons at the ready.
The mercenaries brandished short swords with jagged blades, while Kaleb raised his scimitar. The trio cautiously moved toward the beacons, their grips tightening around the hilt of their weapons. The pulsating lights proved mesmerizing, tempting them to lose focus. However, the group remained vigilant, their attention fixed on the towering boulders obstructing their path.
Three feet was all that separated the men from their coveted prize, and Kaleb, turning toward Jessa, couldn't resist a triumphant grin. “See? One can't survive in this place by being a scaredy-cat,” he snickered over their shared party channel.
Contrary to his expectations, the petite woman took a step back, pointing in his direction. Rolf and Brax's urgent voices immediately filled his ears. “Watch out, you fool.”
A sudden tug at his arm pulled Kaleb to the side, prompting him to finally turn his head. A hand emerged from the earth, writhing before the beacons. Soft footsteps echoed in the background, revealing three figures.
Jessa's heart sank. “I knew it!” she whispered to her party members; her frustration evident.
“There are only three of them,” Brax declared confidently. “We can take them.”
Rolf assisted Kaleb to his feet, and the trio cautiously took a few steps back, eyes fixed on the unexpected adversaries.
As Kaleb observed the newcomers, his mind raced with confusion. “One's a skeleton, another's a cat girl, and there's a masked freak with ghostly eyes. Who the hell are these people?” he muttered softly.
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“Are you three responsible for this?” Althea asked, her daggers at the ready.
Silence answered her inquiry. Instead, the masked man and the cat girl turned toward each other, fists slightly raised. Althea furrowed her brows, trying to discern their strange behavior. In an instant, the masked man unclenched his fists, while the feline extended her index and middle finger.
“Are they playing rock, paper, scissors?” Freya muttered, a bemused expression on her face.
The cat girl's little celebratory dance seemed to confirm Freya's suspicion. The masked man and the skeleton took a step back, while the cat girl slammed her fists together.
“Leave your tokens behind, and I'll spare your lives. If you choose to fight, be prepared to face the consequences,” Zara warned, approaching the mercenaries with deliberate steps.
“Go screw yourself, sweetheart,” Rolf snickered, readying himself. “We'll be taking these tokens and that of your... huh?”
Zara surged forward with alarming speed, materializing in front of the mercenary in a blur. Her fist connected with the stout man's jaw, causing Rolf's eyes to roll inward, and his grip on the short sword slackened. The mercenary crumpled to the ground, and the cat girl wasted no time, sprinting towards her next target.
Simultaneously, a thunderous twang reverberated through the air. Zara, in the midst of her sprint, deftly twisted her body. An arrow, adorned with a feather fletching, whizzed past the spot she would have occupied, thudding into a nearby boulder.
Jessa's urgent voice echoed in the minds of Brax and Kaleb, “What are you guys waiting for? Get that oaf and get back here now!” The petite archer swiftly nocked another arrow on her bow, its pointed arrowhead aimed at the grinning cat girl, and she released the shot.
Unfazed, Zara kept charging towards Brax and Kaleb. “Minion 01, it's your turn,” she declared.
The arrow hurtled towards the cat girl, but her attention remained fixed on the two men. Scott raised his right hand like a gun, pointing it at the archer and her companions. The surrounding mist swirled around his outstretched finger, distorting the air. Three flickering mana concentrations condensed into one beam, shooting toward the startled archer.
Mana Missile activated! Mana Points has decreased by 10!
Zara adjusted her body instinctively, narrowly evading the arrow hurtling towards her. In a swift motion, she charged towards Brax and Caleb, met with a fierce slash from each. The nimble brawler gracefully leapt over their attacks, flexing her fingers to reveal razor-sharp claws extending from her nails. She skillfully swiped at the exposed necks of the duo, her claws sinking deep into their flesh, filling the air with the sweet coppery stench of blood.
The two men turned to retaliate, but the agile cat-like figure once again took to the air with a backflip. Landing behind them, she executed a rapid series of kicks to the back of their knees, forcing them to kneel. In quick succession, her elbow strikes landed on the heads of the duo, rendering them unconscious.
Turning her attention to the other champions, Zara found Althea guarding Jessa, who knelt beside the injured Freya. Balin, with his ax raised, faced suave skeletons blocking their retreat. Zara retracted her claws as she crouched beside the unconscious men. Placing her hand above the pulsating beacons, she skillfully extracted them without causing harm to their skin.
Standing up, she approached Rolf and repeated the process. Then, focusing on Althea and the remaining champions, she approached with deliberate steps.
The dark-haired leader raised her hand. “Wait. We surrender. You can have the beacons but spare our lives. Do we have a deal?”
“You're not in a position to negotiate with me. I already warned you to be prepared to face the consequences of your actions,” Zara said as she slammed her fists together, slowly approaching the group.
Althea and her companions took a few steps back, wary of both the approaching brawler and the skeletons blocking the path behind.
This is all my fault. I knew the risks involved in approaching the beacons, yet I still agreed to let those guys approach, Althea thought, her gaze lingering on the approaching cat girl. Jessa's groans filled her ears, and Freya's glowing hand hovered over the mana-induced injury.
Jess got hurt because of my indecision. This cat girl is already ridiculously strong, but those two over there don’t look any weaker. There’s no way for us to survive this. Althea gritted her teeth as she dropped her daggers.
Zara came to a sudden stop, squinting as she observed the woman placing her free hand on the pulsating glow.
“If you're planning to kill us anyway, I'd rather destroy the beacons and fight to the bitter end. We may not be your match, but we won't make it easy for...” The scout's words were abruptly cut off by a piercing whistle, and a colossal shadow loomed over the quartet.
They looked up, pupils dilating, fixated on several massive boulders plummeting from the sky.
“Thea, run!” Jessa's voice resonated in Althea's mind, and the archer lunged toward the scout.
“Jess...” Althea watched helplessly as the archer pushed her away. It was the last thing she saw before a thunderous explosion filled her ears, and her leather armor and clothes were soaked in fresh blood. Althea sat on the ground, hands trembling, lips quivering, staring at the severed hand lying within the bloody pool beneath the boulder.
“Jess?” Althea whispered, but only trembling silence met her words.
Zara responded to Scott’s call, and the trio fixed their gaze on the path ahead. A towering figure emerged from the dissipating mist.
“Mama! Where are you?”
The guttural but oddly childlike voice pierced the air, causing Zara and Althea to instinctively cover their ears. The volume was jarring, but it was the savage undertone that sent shivers down their spines, evoking a primal fear that suggested raw power and aggression. It hinted at an imminent threat, as though the speaker was poised to unleash destruction on anything in its way.
As the mist gradually lifted, the colossal figure responsible for its parting revealed itself. A Cyclops, standing at least twenty feet tall, dominated the scene. Massive muscles rippled beneath its fur loincloth, and its deep, earthy brown skin exuded a primitive strength. The creature's single eye, as large as a dinner bowl, sat boldly in the center of its forehead, radiating a fierce intensity that burned with a primal rage.
Once more, the Cyclops bellowed, its voice echoing in guttural tones, causing the very ground beneath the champions' feet to tremble. “Mama! Where are you?” it called out, turning from side to side in search of its target.
The deafening sound echoed through the air, a menacing force capable of shattering bones and rupturing eardrums. The cyclops, a colossal figure, gripped its massive club loosely in one hand. With each stride forward, it cast a long shadow across the ground. The creature's gaze swept over the area, powerful nostrils flaring as it caught the scent of fresh blood and fear in the air. Narrowing its eye, it fixed its intense gaze on the quartet ahead, the pile of flashing beacons revealing the champions in its sights. As the Cyclops took a thunderous step forward, its grip tightened around the formidable weapon.
Slim's chuckle cut through the tension; his voice transmitted via their shared party channel. “Do you guys need any help?”
Scott and Zara exchanged glances, determination burning in their eyes. “That mama's boy looks tough, but we can handle him,” Zara declared, slamming her fists together. She turned to Scott, her expression serious. “This big boy should be more than enough for us to level up. Don't get yourself killed, okay?” The cat girl slammed her gauntlets together again, but the earlier smile had long vanished from her face.