Zach, Ivory, and Ivonah trudged through the dense forest. Every step crackled with the rustle of leaves and twigs, but none of them seemed willing to break the silence beyond their heavy breaths. The missing iron spears still weighed on their minds.

Zach slowed his walking pace, putting him slightly behind them.

He then brushed his arm lightly against nearby plants as he walked. He absorbed the plants, and mixed the oxygen with a very small bit of air, so he could get almost 99.9% oxygen-rich gas to release directly into his mouth.

The rush of nearly pure oxygen filled his lungs and slowly began clearing his head at a faster rate.

Ivory stopped briefly to shift the war hammer on his back.

“We should rest,” he said gruffly, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

“No.” Zach’s voice was firm but low. “We can’t stop. If they hit us here again—”

“They’re not coming back,” Ivonah interrupted, shaking her head. Her dark eyes narrowed. “If they were going to, it would’ve happened by now.”

Ivory frowned but kept walking, his long strides forcing Ivonah to pick up her pace to keep up. “That doesn’t explain what happened back there,” he said.

“The iron spears?” Ivonah asked, glancing sideways at him. “Could be someone out here with some crazy weapon. Like... I don’t know, something that fires replicas of them? Wouldn’t be the weirdest thing.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Zach cut in. “Why would they let an overpowered like that be in the test? The advantage it gives is too insane. And they wouldn’t be aiming for us—they’d be going after the cube directly. We ain't close to it.”

Ivory tilted his head as though considering it, but Ivonah crossed her arms. “You think the spears are just falling out of the sky all on their own?”

“No...” Zach replied. He thought for a while and then said, "Must be apart of the test. Absolutely nuts."

Ivory chuckled under his breath, breaking the tension. “It better be. If it is someone, they’re terrible at aiming. We’re still here, aren’t we?”

“We almost got unlucky,” Ivonah muttered.

Zach said, "Let's just keep walking. Let's try to get to that cube as fast as possible so we can get the hell out of here, and not worry about any damn spears coming to take our heads,"

Everyone agreed.

Their footsteps crunched softly against the dirt and mossy ground.

The hours stretched as they moved deeper into the forest. The glowing white in the far distance kept them focused.

“I wonder,” Zach said finally, breaking the silence.

“Wonder what?” Ivory asked.

“If they’re not coming back,” Zach said, stepping carefully over a thick, gnarled root, “that first attack felt like a warning shot.”

Ivonah scoffed under her breath. “If those were warnings, I don’t want to see the real thing.”

Zach didn’t respond, his gaze fixed ahead.

The forest wasn’t silent, not really. The low hum of life buzzed all around them: a soft rustling of undergrowth, the faint shuffle of massive forms shifting in the shadows. Above them, the occasional snap of branches echoed as unseen creatures moved through the towering trees.

A guttural snarl broke the stillness to their left, deep and rumbling like a landslide. Zach halted mid-step, his hand automatically motioning for the others to stop. He turned his head slowly.

Through the foliage, a creature’s hulking silhouette emerged, its elongated snout sniffing the air. It resembled a wolf, but its eyes glowed faintly green, and its fur shimmered like polished onyx. The beast was massive, easily the size of a small car, its limbs corded with muscle that flexed as it padded forward.

Ivonah cursed softly under her breath, clutching her weapon tightly. Ivory didn’t move, his massive frame tense, every ounce of him ready to spring into action.

Then, without warning, it let out a low huff, turned sharply, and melted back into the shadows, its massive form disappearing into the underbrush.

Zach exhaled.

They pressed on, the forest thickening around them. The terrain grew uneven, the roots of ancient trees clawing up from the earth to form a tangled mess beneath their boots. Ivory took the lead, his wide shoulders parting the undergrowth, but even he moved cautiously, his head turning at every unfamiliar sound.

Above, a flock of enormous birdlike creatures stirred, their wings stretching wide as they shifted in their nests. Each one was easily twice the size of a human, their talons curved like scythes. Zach grimaced as one of the creatures let out a haunting cry, the sound reverberating like a broken whistle.

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The shadows grew deeper as they pressed forward, the faint light of the cube occasionally flickering through the trees ahead. They could see a hill now, towering over the forest like a silent sentinel. On top of that hill was the white cube.

Zach paused abruptly, raising a hand to stop the group. Ahead of them, a massive lizard-like creature sprawled across their path, its scaly hide glinting faintly in the dim light. Its body was covered in jagged ridges, and its tail, tipped with a spiked club, swayed lazily behind it as it dozed.

Ivory leaned closer to Zach. “How do we get around that thing?” he whispered, his deep voice barely audible.

Zach scanned the area quickly. The creature’s size was daunting; it blocked most of the trail ahead, its form stretching nearly ten meters long. The underbrush to their left seemed like the best option, though it meant venturing closer to another set of glowing green eyes that hovered just beyond the trees.

Zach pointed toward the thicker foliage. “We go quiet.”

One by one, they slipped into the underbrush, moving as silently as they could. The sound of their boots crunching softly against the ground mingled with the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional low growl from unseen beasts.

As they emerged on the other side, the faint glow of the cube grew brighter, standing out against the black expanse of the hill ahead. They were closer now.

Hours had passed—or at least it felt that way. The night had grown colder, the chill creeping into their bones as they trudged forward.

Ivory’s heavy breathing cut through the quiet.

"How long do you think we’ve been walking?” he finally asked.

Zach brushed past a low-hanging branch, the dew clinging to its leaves scattering across his sleeve. He exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the cool night air. "Pretty long. Many hours.”

Ivonah glanced up at the faint outline of the moon peeking through the treetops. “Feels like forever. My legs are killing me.”

No one stopped, though. There was no point. Stopping would only invite trouble.

A distant howl echoed from somewhere behind them, long and mournful. Ivory froze for a moment, his hand instinctively hovering near his weapon.

“It’s far,” Zach said, glancing back over his shoulder. “Keep moving.”

They pressed on, the glow of the cube growing slightly brighter as the hours dragged by. The dense forest began to thin, but not before the group passed a clearing where a massive creature loomed in the moonlight.

“Hold up,” Zach hissed, stopping abruptly and motioning for the others to crouch.

Ahead, in a clearing bathed in silver light, a massive creature loomed. It looked like a boar but was far larger—its back nearly as tall as the trees, its tusks curving like scythes that shimmered faintly. Steam huffed from its flared nostrils, and its glowing red eyes swept the area, scanning for intruders.

“Get down,” Zach whispered, gripping the hilt of his sword. “Don’t draw its attention.”

Ivory tightened his grip on his warhammer, his broad shoulders tense. “That thing won’t need much of a reason to come after us.”

Ivonah’s bow was already in her hands, an arrow nocked and ready. “We taking it down or sneaking past?”

“Neither,” Zach said, his voice sharp. “We confuse it and run. Follow my lead.”

The boar’s head snapped toward them, its ears twitching. A low snarl rumbled from its throat, and it scraped the ground with one massive hoof, kicking up dirt.

“Too late!” Ivory yelled, jumping to his feet as the beast charged.

Zach didn’t hesitate. He dashed forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc. A surge of energy crackled along the blade, releasing a short-range burst of blue light that slashed across the boar’s face. The beast roared in pain, skidding to a halt as it shook its massive head.

“Nice one!” Ivonah shouted, letting her arrow fly. The projectile whistled through the air, embedding itself in the boar’s thick hide before exploding in a fiery burst. The impact sent chunks of dirt flying, and the beast reeled back, bellowing in rage.

Ivory charged in, raising his warhammer high. He brought it down with a thunderous crash, sending a shockwave rippling through the ground. The tremor knocked the beast off balance, its front legs buckling as it slammed to the ground.

“Move!” Zach barked, already sprinting to the side.

Ivonah and Ivory followed, but the boar recovered quickly, its tusks tearing through a nearby tree as it turned to face them.

Zach slowed for half a second, breaking a massive branch the size of a human torso, and absorbing it. Ivonah notice that and shouted, "What the fuck was that?!"

Zach answered quickly, "No idea. I think the sword can make things invisible!"

"What the..."

Zach didn't have time to waste.

He focused on the process—drawing water from the branch inside of him and mixing the water with the dry branch materials, but with a high ratio of water.

The boar charged again, its tusks carving massive gouges in the earth. Zach swiped ahead, releasing a white arc in front of the two to blind them with light. In that same moment, Zach released his stored tree branch goo from the back of his leg, aiming for the ground beneath the creature’s feet.

"Watch where you aim!" Ivonah shouted as she held her eyes in slight pain.

"Sorry!"

The beast stumbled, its legs sliding out from under it as it crashed heavily to the ground.

“Go!” Zach yelled, running toward the thicker trees.

Ivonah fired another arrow as she ran, the explosion disorienting the creature further. Ivory brought his hammer down one last time, sending another shockwave through the earth to slow the boar’s attempts to rise.

The group sprinted away, weaving through trees and ducking under low-hanging branches. Behind them, the boar’s enraged roars echoed, but its thundering footsteps grew more distant as they put more ground between themselves and the clearing.

When they finally stopped, gasping for breath, the forest was quiet again.

“Hell of a plan,” Ivory said, leaning against a tree and wiping sweat from his brow.

Zach replied, “It worked, didn’t it?”

"Yeah..."

Ivonah muttered something and began walking. The two others followed..

The stars glimmered faintly, and the moon began to sink toward the horizon, its light casting long, silvery shadows across the ground.

Ivonah stumbled over a root and caught herself, groaning. “Are we seriously still not there? That cube feels like it’s moving farther away every time I look at it.”

Zach said, though his tone carried a hint of doubt. “We’re getting closer. Just keep going.”

The night slowly began to fade. The horizon brightened from deep indigo to pale gray as the first hints of dawn crept into the sky. The forest came alive with the sounds of enormous birds waking in their nests.

Zach rubbed his eyes, exhaustion setting in.

Ivory trudged on without complaint, though his movements were slower now, his broad shoulders drooping slightly. Ivonah muttered curses under her breath.

By the time the sun rose fully, the group emerged from the forest into an open field. The morning light cast a golden glow across the landscape, revealing the hill that loomed ahead.

The cube sat atop it, stark and glowing white against the deep green of the hill.

Ivory exhaled deeply, rolling his shoulders as he surveyed the area. “Took long enough.”