Lucius walked in a large circle, staring up at the only exit from this underground cavern that he was aware of. He could probably scale the walls and carefully climb out if he were alone and uninjured, but that wasn’t an option in this situation.

"Whisper, can you pull us out with your shadows?"

Lucius glanced down at his two companions as he spoke, Whisper had taken a bag of beef jerky from his ring's stock of food and brought it over to Maryanne before resuming their storybook reading. Even Whisper held a piece of it in his tiny hands, though he didn’t actually eat it—he simply licked at it now and then to try the flavor. The mythical creature looked up at the ceiling from his seat in Maryanne's lap for a few moments, before answering.

"I can do it, Father, but it will be draining, and we must wait for night to fall."

"Fine, I think that's our best option."

With those words, the three of them got comfortable and settled in to wait out the sun. After learning about something called 'hopscotch' from the pictures in Maryanne's storybook, Whisper asked her to teach him the game. She agreed and the two eventually convinced Lucius to carve hopscotch squares into the hard stone floor for them using Matriarch's Fury. He agreed, creating a normal-sized game for Maryanne and a miniature version for Whisper after realizing the bat was far too small to hop over the larger squares. For the next few hours before nightfall, the three companions ate their fill and hopped around the increasingly dark cave.

One silver lining from the events of the past day was that Maryanne’s malnutrition-induced weakness seemed to have been cured, along with her injuries from the fall, by Lucius' desperate procedure. The child could now move much more easily than before and would likely be able to walk on her own for the remainder of the journey.

When it became too dark to see their game any longer, they waited another twenty minutes until Whisper was satisfied that all light had disappeared from the world above. Then, with a purple glow from his eyes and a wave of his winged arms the shadows stirred. A large mass of blackness joined together into a large mass before it begun to stretch upward, growing thinner as it ascended. When the shadows reached the mouth of the hole, they split apart and spread around it like spiderwebs, anchoring to the ground above to support the weight of the two humans. Whisper created a basket of darkness for Maryanne to sit in, while Lucius gripped the length of shadow above the basket with his good arm. Slowly, the shadows began to retract, pulling them into the air.

They rose higher and higher, entering the tunnel of dirt and stone that lead to the exit. The circle of starry night sky above them grew larger as they approached, until finally, the dirt walls gave way, and the vast night sky spread out covering the world above. The forest air was cold, the cave had been as well but it had at least protected them from the nighttime wind, which made it feel even colder. The loud chirping of insects filled the forest, and the dusty smell of the cave was replaced with damp wood and decomposing leaves.

“Let’s find somewhere to take shelter for the night. We need to move swiftly to find a safe place to sleep, so please let me carry you one more time, Maryanne.”

With a nod from the child, Lucius carefully strapped the backpack over his shoulders and crouched down, allowing Maryanne to climb inside. As the weight increased, pulling on the straps, a sharp pain shot through his left arm. Clenching his teeth and lifting the bag up slowly as he rose to his feet. It took a few minutes for the pain to subside, but the constant pull of the pack on his injured shoulder meant he would have to endure some discomfort until they reached their destination.

He started heading toward the road, but the darkness of the forest, combined with his lack of attention to landmarks during their earlier flight from the centipede, left him unsure of the route. Whisper, noticing Lucius’ hesitation, eagerly offered guidance.

“This way, Father! I can lead you to the road!”

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“Thanks.”

Whisper created a small hand out of shadows, using it to hold onto Lucius’ and lead the two humans through the forest. Progress was slow at first, but they were able to move much more quickly once they reached the road. Lucius began to run along the path, searching for the closest property as the dark forest slipped past him on both sides. Eventually spotting a mailbox jutting out from the treeline a few dozen meters ahead, he knew they had found a potential shelter.

Lucius turned off the road when he reached the mailbox, following the driveway toward a small, cabin-style home like the one Maryanne lived in. But as soon as he caught sight of the building, Lucius suddenly stopped moving, staring ahead warily as his brow began to furrow.

"Are we there?"

Hearing the soft voice of the child behind him, Lucius shifted his body to the side so Maryanne could see why he had stopped. She turned her head to look at the cabin, immediately noticing the flickering light spilling out from its windows. Lucius had to help the child to understand what that meant however.

"A fire?"

"Yes... But if there’s a fire in the wood stove, someone must have lit it," Lucius explained, considering whether it was wise to approach unknown people at night or better to keep moving.

"Maybe it’s Mom and Dad! Let’s go see, Lucius!"

Lucius didn’t share Maryanne’s hopeful enthusiasm, but he decided to approach the unknown people anyway. After all, he was strong, and he could always retreat if something seemed off.

"Okay, but keep your eyes open and hold on tight in case we have to run."

He moved forward cautiously, a strange, conflicting sensation emanating from Sense Danger. It was as if the talent couldn’t decide whether to warn him, like the potential for danger was present but hadn’t solidified into a threat. As Lucius stepped onto the cobblestone walkway leading to the front door, his foot snagged on something, triggering a loud clattering sound—like a bag full of empty aluminum cans being shaken.

Lucius jumped back as he glanced down at the trip wire he had kicked, crouching slightly in a defensive posture as Matriarch's Fury materialized in his hand. Sense Danger flickered in the same odd fashion as a taut, straining sound like rope being stretched tightly came from the cabin roof. He glanced upward, following the sound just as a man’s voice rang out sharply in the from the same direction.

"That’s far enough. Don’t move!"

Lucius’ eyes shot open as he turned toward the voice just in time to see the man stepping out from behind the cabin's large chimney, aiming an arrow at Lucius from the tall wooden bow in his hands. The man wore combat boots, a pair of camouflage army leggings, tucked into the boots like soldiers always did, rose up his legs, but instead of a matching camo top he instead wore a long, dark jacket with the hood pulled over his head. Lucius couldn’t see much of his face except for the fuzzy brown beard sticking down out of the hood.

As soon as the man spoke, two more men emerged, one from each side of the cabin. They moved to surround Lucius from the sides while the archer remained in front, keeping his bow trained on him. These two also wore uniforms, though only one member of the group wore it properly. Lucius looked up at the tall figure of the man on his left, wearing a well-kept uniform and appearing to be around thirty years old, with a head of thick blonde hair and a clean-shaven face. The man carried a longsword that shined with a mirror-like perfection, the dark color of it's cross guard, grip, and pommel contrasted sharply with the bright silver of the blade which exuded a palpable sense of pressure that made Lucius feel wary of it. The sword was undoubtedly a magical item, likely created by the system.

The third man on his right side was by far the largest of the three. He stood as tall as the blonde man but appeared to be at least twice his weight. Also dressed in combat boots and leggings, but with his heavily muscled upper body left bare. His shiny bald head reflected the moonlight, and a black beard—thinner than the archer’s—framed his thick face. Unlike the others, he carried no weapon, yet Lucius sensed he was no less dangerous.

Lucius’ gaze lingered on the blonde man’s uniform. He was the only one wearing wearing the upper uniform that displayed his name and rank. A solid gold bar pinned to the center of his chest marked him as an officer, while the name Tiber was embroidered in bold black letters over his left breast. Judging by the way the other two glanced at him for direction, he was clearly the leader. Lucius looked up at the man name Tiber as he stepped backward and spoke.

“I’m not here to fight…”

Tiber maintained his stern expression as he listened to Lucius’ words, never breaking stride as he continued to maneuver for position.

“Of course not. You’re just spreading the good word of the Lord out here in the dark, right?” the archer yelled down at him with a sneer.

Tiber raised a hand toward the archer, ending his provocation, then pointed his longsword directly at Lucius.

“Surrender first. Then we can talk.”