“Are you sure you're up for this, Zion?” Beth asked him for the thousandth time, her face set in concern. “Camila could go; she's really good at acting the bad girl, and well… you're kinda a goody-goody.”

“Thanks for that sis. Love that you would just offer me to the wolves. Good to know your little opinion of me,” Camila stuck her tongue out at Beth mockingly. “He will be fine. Even if they turn on him early, he's got the most tools to handle that kind of thing.”

“Seriously, stop Beth,” he asked firmly. “I’ll be fine; you two have my back. I know we’ve only just started working together, but I trust you both. That's why I need to tell you something before we start.” Both of them gave him their undivided attention, hearing him stress the words. “We don’t have time like I'd like to discuss things more, with the group leaving this evening. So, let's keep it simple. I have no health or other physical stats. Everything is determined by my magical stats, even my health. So when I finally get jumped, you need to rush in. I can’t last in a sustained fight against multiple opponents. Once my mana dries up, I die.”

“You're literally a walking mana elemental!” Camila said, her eyebrows unable to be raised any higher. “That's a big deal, Zion. It's got a lot of potential upsides, but also, holy hell, you could be killed by the right mob.”

“I know, I know. Ki said the exact same thing when she changed my race. Just have my back, please,” he finished seriously. Beth placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Camila, however, decked him in the bicep, sending stinging pains up his arm.

“With that lovely pain, I’ll be off. Wish me luck,” Zion gave a mock salute and turned on his heel, heading for the front of the guild office. He was still getting the odd stares, but they had diminished since arriving. Hopefully, day two would have everyone treating him like a regular person. As if.

Zion got to the meeting area early, doing warm-ups to stay busy. He practiced basic swordplay, parrying unseen strikes and thrusting against defenseless foes. Even distracted, he noticed the group of people come from behind; anyone worth their salt would. What he hadn't expected on their arrival was the distinct smell of the Void. The smell unburied the memories of his father, the smell one of the last things he associated with him.

He didn’t show anyone this, turning to face his new party with an open smile. “You guys must be the Justice party, right? Great name, by the way. Justice is one of the most important aspects of our world.” He held a hand out, shaking each and every member, the stench stronger with each passing moment.

The group matched the quest, with five people present. Two elves, almost identical. They sported vibrant green hair tucked behind the long ears the elves were known for. Both wore simple leather armor with dual daggers resting on their belts. Rogues maybe? Or possibly Rangers; either way, he’d need to be wary of their speed.

Standing back from the group was a robed man, the dark brown material blending with the backdrop of the forest. Zion couldn't see his face well but could put him in the realm of humans. He carried a large staff, a round black orb situated on top. Beside him stood a stout dwarf, his aged face set in an eternal grimace. He was decked out in full plate armor, a sign of long-term adventuring.

The leader was a petite human girl covered in light leather armor. She had a rapier strapped to one side, with a dagger on her other hip. Her face seemed bright and open, the smile reaching both her ears. The rank-smelling Void emanating from her made Zion almost cringe. “Hi, you must be Zion! The mage Randan sent. My name is Isabella!” As he shook her hand, their eyes locked for a split second, a brief but meaningful exchange “To my sides are Nina and Mina, yes, I know, confusing. The robed man is Barton. Our dwarf friend is a new addition like you; his name was Jura, if I recall correctly.”

“At least you got it right this time. Only took you five tries,” Jura shook his head in disgust; his patience with the group didn't seem to exist. “Can we just get on with this mission, you slackers?” The dwarf was not a happy one but rather grumpy.”

“Try to be a little cheery, Jura, at least for appearance's sake. But you are right. Darkness will arrive sooner than later; better to be done with the quest before that time.” She addressed the group, taking charge and walking towards the quest location. “Come on, newcomer. Hopefully, the blue body can do more than stand there.”

Zion followed behind, acting the part of a gullible newbie. It wasn’t really a hard sell, considering he was, in fact, a newcomer. The mention of Jura being an add-on bothered him. His quest had stated five people to defeat, but why would Jura, someone not even part of the party composition, be a target?

He saddled up closer to Jura, the dwarf automatically sidestepping each time he got closer. Jura was a stereotypical example of a stubborn dwarf. “Sorry, I'm not trying to bug you, Jura, was just curious if you knew more about the mission. I just needed some gold, so I joined up.”

Zion noticed the sun was waning, its light slowly fading from the sky. This left the forest full of deep shadows, each area full of animalistic noise. Zion wondered just how many monsters were waiting in that darkness, just ready to pounce on the group.

“We are hunting a Deathstalker, lad. An apex one if the mission statement is to be believed,” Jura's voice caused Zion to almost trip, not having expected the grumpy man to respond. “You should have chosen a safer quest than this one if you simply want gold. Stick close to me. I'll keep you protected.” Zion nodded politely, the words ringing oddly true in the older dwarf's voice.

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The rest of the trip passed in silence, the only noise coming from the whispers of the twins, whose glances kept lingering on him. Those eyes seemed distant as if looking through him rather than at him. Shivers ran down his spine. The front walkers suddenly halted as a whining whistle broke from the murky woods.

“The beauty is near, everyone. Our job is simple. Take it out, no matter the cost. Deathstalkers are notorious for destroying newly found supply lines. If this one gets away, starting the expansion will become drastically harder,” Isabella whispered, her fist held in the sign for stop. “Zion, go with the twins to the right. Jura, you are with me and Barton.”

Zion did not like that plan at all but kept up the charade and followed the twins to the right side, off the path. They pushed into the greenery, dusk slowly settling over the treetops. Zion liked that even less. If this truly was a Deathstalker, they were in trouble. Those things thrived on hit-and-run tactics. His travel fellows looked no more alarmed than if this was a nice little walk.

He had followed them about half a mile into the woods when the action started. A howl to his left sounded, followed by the grunt of Jura’s thick voice. “Crap, that's the other team, let's hurry!” He shouted behind him, starting in the direction of the noise, which was the wrong move when you're traveling with possible killers.

Zion barely heard them as the dagger flew past him, digging deep into a tree trunk. On reflex, he crouched, bringing the buckler around as another dagger descended at him. Mina, or maybe Nina, who the hell cared, was trying to slip past his guard. The other one was coming from his flank. The first was too close, so Zion went on the offensive. He activated Aether Storm, the orbs of destructive energy bursting as the first twin's dagger clashed with his buckler.

His spell slammed into each elf, both being flung back from the force. The first one crashed into a thick trunk with a sickening crunch. His second enemy hit the dirt, dust flying. Trees surrounding them burst apart from the spell and began to topple. He ran towards Jura's last noise, one of his adversaries crying with anger.

This time, he didn’t react in time, and two small legs planted themselves in his back, the force sending him hurtling forward. An activation of arcane shield was the only thing that stopped him from bashing his head directly on the body of a redwood. He got up quickly, not seeing his pursuer, but for safety, he left the blue barrier up, a deterrent from any more nasty surprises.

His path broke through branches and bushes alike until he finally saw a bright flash in front of him. Breaking through, he found himself in a small clearing, the scene of Jura being brutally assaulted before him. Mana bolt began charging in his left hand. He held it as he closed in on Barton, who was pummeling Jura with a barrage of fire bolts. He saw the irony as his own mana bolt flew forward, blasting the robed figure in the side. He went down in a tangle of flailing limbs.

He took his running momentum and slammed his boot into Barton’s ribs, something cracking from the blow. He went flying, the level of Zion’s unnatural strength enough to hurtle him yards away. Zion found Jura broken and bleeding, the dwarf’s plate torn apart. Horror reared its head when he realized he had no health potions because he personally couldn't use them. What a rookie mistake! He did the next best thing, shattering the distress ring. A pillar of burning white light pierced into the fading sky.

That's when Isabella made her appearance, rapier flying forward, bursting through Zion's arcane shield. He caught the stab on his buckler, slapping the offending attack to the side. He brought Onyx in an underhanded chop that flew past her. She simply danced around the blade, her rapier flashing again towards his form. Zion saw the opening in his defense and used a kinetic dash to appear behind her back. He shot a mana bolt from close range, only to see it miss as Isabella disappeared.

He found her again when a slender blade pierced his right shoulder. He gasped in shock at the pain but managed to keep his head, grabbing her wrist as she went to remove the blade. Her eyes widened in shock at the move. He wrenched her forward as he brought his head back. Then he used Surge and felt the power expand within him, cascading azure arcs casting from him. With heightened stats, he brought his head forward, slamming it solidly into Isabella’s.

He released her wrist as she went soaring backward, the rapier still embedded in his arm. The moving twin used that moment to appear once again, his burning mana lighting up the area, making it easy to spot this time. He parried a slicing dagger with his buckler, then brought it back down lightning-swift, the rounded edge catching her neck. He sent mana into the metal, mana spikes created to pierce her left eye. She screamed in agony before smashing into the dirt floor.

Next, Barton sent two larger fire spells at him. Zion used another dash to close the distance and dodge the blasts. He felt the wave of heat from behind as he pulled the rapier free, flinging it towards Barton's defenseless form. A tier-three physical spec gave him no time to dodge, the thin blade burying itself into his stomach.

The man shrieked in pain but still managed to send out a fan of scalding flames. Zion used his last kinetic dash to avoid the fire. He had walked right into their trap. While evading, Isabella appeared from behind again, her head dripping blood. Using her leverage, she tripped Zion backward, where he saw a dagger flying from above. Another use of an arcane shield saved his life but didn’t stop the onslaught.

Both girls rained blows down upon him, giving him little choice but to concentrate on his shield. Barton even joined in, wheezing at every spell. Aether Storm would have worked great here, but Jura was still within range and was not a part of his actual party. He felt each hit drain another piece of his health, and he began to panic. The panic escalated when he felt his power dwindle as Surge and its rippling mana waves died. He felt bone-weary, arcane shield becoming harder to keep up.

He had about given up hope, feeling his mana close to bottoming out, when a mighty challenge issued from above. There, he watched Camila plunge from the murky sky, spear lighting up the area with a crimson glow. Phantom spears drove forth from her solid one, injecting themselves into the back of the twin. Her face went slack as the phantoms made mincemeat of her body, the lifeless corpse flopping to the ground.

Barton screamed in horror as his flames were frozen solid, the same creeping ice crawling up his body. The madman's face blanched as it encased him, small flames jutting out from his hands in an attempt to melt the ice. Isabella saw this and flashed away again. He heard her steps sounding in the completely black woods, branches snapping with her haste. Part of him wanted to give chase, but his body told him to stop being a moron.

He beamed at Beth and Camila as they both ran towards him. “My saviors!” He then placed his head on the ground. “Give me like five minutes, and I'll be ready to go.”