Chapter 53: Flames and Failures

The dense canopy of the Stone Forest loomed overhead, casting a familiar shroud of dimness that once unnerved Abel, Sena, Nando, and Isabella. Now, after their many encounters with its eerie quiet and shadow-filled depths, the darkness no longer unsettled them as it once had. Their senses were sharper, more attuned to the subtle sounds of the forest, and the foreboding atmosphere that had previously left them on edge now felt like an extension of the Tower’s trials.

They moved with purpose, the baskets on their backs swaying lightly with each step as they made their way deeper into the woods. The strange trees, twisted and gnarled, reached toward the sky like ancient sentinels, their branches intertwined to create a canopy so thick that only slivers of sunlight broke through. The air was cool, almost damp, carrying with it the earthy scent of moss and decaying leaves. Occasionally, the soft rustling of the underbrush would make one of them pause, but they were used to it now. They had seen enough to know that most of the forest's tricks were just that—tricks of the mind, meant to test their resolve.

It was no longer the unnerving strangeness of the forest that troubled them. They had learned to move through it with confidence, alert but not fearful. Abel had heard murmurs from other recruits—particularly from the gifted—about how difficult they found the Stone Forest to navigate. Many of the gifted, despite their power, hadn’t ventured outside as much as the non-gifted. The gifted had relied heavily on their privilege, rarely stepping into the forest except for specific tasks. Now that the gates had opened and the inner perimeter was theirs to explore, Abel wondered if the gifted recruits would struggle to adapt to the forest's hidden dangers.

Abel glanced at his companions, noticing how comfortable they had become in this environment. Sena’s broad figure led the group, his hulking form no longer out of place among the towering trees. Nando moved with a quiet confidence, always prepared, while Isabella's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, her demeanor calm and collected. They had come far from the anxious recruits they had once been.

Their progress through the forest was interrupted by the sound of a scuffle up ahead. Abel motioned for the others to stop as they crept forward quietly. The sounds of clashing, grunts, and the crackling of elemental magic filtered through the trees. As they neared a clearing, they spotted three gifted recruits engaged in a battle.

The gifted recruits were fighting a grotesque creature—something that resembled a massive frog with snail-like eyes protruding from its head. Its long, worm-like tongue lashed out violently, snapping at the recruits as it tried to get a hold of them. Isabella leaned closer to Abel and whispered, “That’s a Bodysnatcher. They implant their eggs into their victims if they manage to grab hold.”

Abel grimaced at the thought, the idea of such a fate sending a shiver through him. But as he watched the gifted recruits battle, he noticed that they were struggling far more than he would have expected. They had elemental techniques at their disposal—fire flared and spikes of earth rose from the ground—but the Bodysnatcher was proving to be a more formidable foe than they had anticipated.

One of the gifted, a recruit with a fire affinity, shot a jet of flames toward the creature, scorching its slimy skin. The Bodysnatcher roared in pain but retaliated swiftly. Its grotesque tongue lashed out, faster than the recruit could react, and wrapped around his leg. He screamed as the tongue began to pull him toward the creature’s gaping mouth, his hands frantically trying to free himself.

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Another recruit, with an earth affinity, tried to help, summoning jagged spikes from the ground in an attempt to pierce the creature’s body. But his aim was off, and the spikes only managed to graze the creature's side, doing little to slow it down. The fire user struggled in the creature's grip, his face contorted in pain as the Bodysnatcher's tongue squeezed tighter.

“Help me!” the fire-controlling recruit shouted, panic edging into his voice.

The earth-controlling recruit, clearly flustered, conjured another set of earth spikes, this time managing to land a hit that stabbed deep into the Bodysnatcher's flank. The creature shrieked and loosened its grip, allowing the fire recruit to stumble backward, clutching his leg where the tongue had left deep bruises.

But the fight was far from over. The Bodysnatcher reared up, its snail-like eyes twitching violently as it lashed out once again, this time aiming for the earth user. He tried to dodge, but the creature's tongue snapped around his midsection, knocking the wind out of him and dragging him toward its maw.

The fire user, despite his injured leg, gritted his teeth and summoned another jet of flames, aiming directly for the creature's head. The flames engulfed its face, and the Bodysnatcher screeched in agony, thrashing wildly as it released the earth user. He fell to the ground, gasping for breath, his ribs clearly bruised.

Despite their coordination, it was clear that the gifted recruits were barely holding their own. Their techniques, while powerful, were draining their energy fast, and the Bodysnatchers' relentless attacks were pushing them to their limits. Abel could see the exhaustion in their movements, the way they hesitated just a little too long before each attack.

Finally, with a combined effort, the fire recruit unleashed one last burst of flame, searing the creature’s already scorched skin. The earth recruit, bleeding and battered, mustered the strength to summon another spike of earth, this time driving it directly through the creature's chest. The Bodysnatcher let out a final, guttural shriek before collapsing to the ground in a smoldering heap.

The recruits stood there, panting heavily, their bodies visibly shaking from the strain. The fire recruit clutched his leg, wincing in pain, while the earth recruit leaned against a tree, his chest rising and falling in labored breaths.

They had won, but barely. Abel and his group exchanged glances, impressed at their elemental control but also reminded that even the gifted, with all their training and elemental powers, could be pushed to their limits.

One of the gifted recruits, still catching his breath, turned to Abel’s group with a sneer. “What are you looking at? Screw off and don’t bother our training.”

His tone was harsh, filled with exhaustion and irritation, but Abel and the others weren’t looking for trouble. They had only stopped to watch the fight out of curiosity.

Without a word, Abel motioned for his group to move on. As they walked away, Nando glanced back at the battered recruits, shaking his head. “Let them have their pride,” he muttered. “They’re not as invincible as they think.”

Sena, his hulking frame standing out even more in the forest's dim light, cast a glance over his shoulder. He noticed the way the gifted had looked at him, their eyes lingering on his imposing size and strange crimson hair, but he said nothing, simply continuing forward.

Abel kept walking, his mind swirling with thoughts of the fight. The gifted had more power at their disposal, but they had struggled—really struggled. It reminded him that the dangers of the forest didn’t care about titles or magical prowess.