“This is where you can drop us off,” Felix said as the wagon came to a halt.

Lucas nodded, pulling the reins to steady the horses. The group disembarked swiftly, keeping their movements quiet and controlled as they clustered together in a small huddle.

Felix took the lead, his voice low and composed. “Alright, everyone. Our goal here is to eradicate the karpoi, but we’ll do this with caution and discretion. We can’t afford to be reckless.”

“I think we should stay low for now and focus on gathering information,” Nico said, his voice calm but firm. “Rushing in without understanding their movements or numbers could make things worse.”

The others exchanged brief glances before nodding in agreement, their expressions a mix of determination and wariness.

“Good,” Felix said, scanning their surroundings. His gaze lingered on the edges of the nearby fields, shadowed under the dim light of the evening. “Let’s move.”

With Kade taking an eager lead, they crouched and began making their way through the tall grass. The blades swayed slightly in the breeze, offering a whisper of cover as they moved stealthily. Each step was deliberate, their eyes sweeping the area for signs of the karpoi—or any clue that might indicate their whereabouts.

Lance’s senses were on high alert. The air here felt heavier, charged with a subtle tension that set his nerves on edge. In the distance, the rustle of leaves and the faint call of an animal reminded him just how alive this place was, as though the land itself was watching them.

As Lance scanned the area, his eyes caught what he was looking for—a faint trail in the dry dirt. It wasn’t much, just an irregular line etched into the ground, likely stirred up by a passing breeze or careless movement.

“We’ve got something,” he said, crouching to inspect it more closely.

Felix stepped forward, his gaze narrowing. “Looks like they’ve been moving in this direction. It’s subtle, but this could be their route.”

The group exchanged brief nods, their attention sharpening. Despite the promising find, a palpable unease hung in the air, pressing down like a weight. Lance couldn’t shake the feeling that something was just out of place, like the calm before an unexpected storm.

Suddenly, two voices sounded in unison, startling him. “To your left!”

One came from outside—a sharp shout from Bella. The other came from within, an urgent cry from William.

Lance didn’t hesitate. He threw himself into a roll just as a gust of wind and dust rushed past his previous position, a flash of sharp claws grazing the air where his chest had been moments before. Heart pounding, he scrambled to his feet, instinctively summoning his companion.

The group scattered, drawing weapons or readying spells as the threat revealed itself. A lone karpos emerged from the shadows, its body gleaming unnaturally in the dim light. Its bark-like hide reflected the faint glow of the moon, and its eyes, gleaming a pale amber, locked onto the group with feral intent.

Kade was the first to act, his reflexes fast and almost reckless. In a flash, lightning erupted from his fingertips, crackling through the air before slamming into the creature. The karpos shrieked as its wooden form ignited into flames, burning to a smoldering crisp in seconds.

But just before it collapsed into ash, the creature released a piercing, guttural cry—a call that echoed eerily into the distance.

From somewhere deeper in the forest, an answer came, faint but distinct.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Felix muttered, eyes darting toward the source of the response.

Lance let out a shaky breath and turned toward Bella. “Good call, Bella,” he said, his tone a mix of gratitude and curiosity. “How’d you know it was coming?”

“What about me?” William huffed from within, his voice laced with mock offense. “I called it out too, you know.”

Bella smirked, clearly pleased with herself. “I’ve got imbuements. They let me sense movements and living things around me.”

Some of the group nodded in understanding, but Lance tilted his head in confusion. “Imbuements? What’s that?”

William jumped at the chance to explain, his voice taking on a teaching tone. “Imbuements are spells converted into runes that get fused into a person’s body. In Bella’s case, she probably used a basic heat-detection spell. By placing the rune around her eyes, she can channel a bit of lifestream into it and sense living creatures through their body heat.”

Lance’s brows knit in fascination. “That’s... really useful.”

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“It is,” Bella said with a shrug. “Saved your hide, didn’t it?”

“Okay, no need to rub it in,” Lance muttered with a sheepish grin.

Felix held up a hand, cutting the conversation short. “Focus up. If that call was an alarm, more of them will be coming. We need to prepare for what’s next.”

The group quickly reassembled, their expressions grim as they readied themselves for the impending encounter.

***************************************

They crouched through the rolling fields, the tall wheat grass whispering against their clothing as they moved closer to the fields. Kade led the way, his excitement barely contained, though he moved with surprising quietness for someone so eager for battle.

As they approached, Lance’s sharp eyes picked up faint shimmering shapes shifting among the stalks ahead. “Guys, I think I see them,” he whispered, pointing.

“Yeah, me too,” Bella agreed, her tone grim. “There’s at least a dozen—maybe more.”

“They’re spread out,” Lyra observed, assessing the situation. “If we hit them quickly and catch them off guard, we can overpower them before they know what’s happening.”

The group nodded silently, the weight of what was coming settling over them.

Felix crouched low and gestured to the others. “All right, everyone, spread out into a circle. Wait for my signal.” His voice was barely audible but carried an authority that rallied them to action.

Lance took his position, the tension building as he called upon the lifestream. Energy flowed through him as he readied a Tremor Disrupt, holding the spell at the edge of release. The surrounding area seemed to buzz faintly with the buildup of magic.

To fill the waiting time, Lance nudged William internally with a burning question. “You know, imbuements could be really useful for a battle mage, couldn’t they? Do you think I could use vibrations to sense things around me if I get the imbuements right?”

William’s voice came, calm but direct. “Probably, but you’re far from that skill level. Don’t rely on shortcuts yet—focus on mastering the basics.”

Lance frowned, ready to argue when a sudden blinding flash of light burst a short distance away.

“That’s the signal!” William called sharply. “Let’s move!”

Without hesitation, Lance broke into a sprint, releasing Tremor Disrupt into the ground. The waves rippled through the air and the earth, creating dissonance around the karpoi. Blinded by Felix’s light magic and now thrown into chaos by the disrupt spell, the karpoi stumbled, their coordinated movements dissolving into disorder.

Kade erupted from the grass like a thunderstorm, a feral laugh echoing as lightning danced over his shortsword. He charged a disoriented karpos, his swings ferocious and wild. With one heavy slash, the creature fell lifeless.

Nearby, Nico let out a high-pitched cry as the air around him shimmered with celestial energy. His familiar, Astra, materialized from the glow, her wings gleaming faintly with golden light. Empowered by Nico’s companion from the Plane of Stars, Astra soared into the air, her every movement radiating magic. As Nico extended his hands, the energy between them surged, sending bolts of light cascading from Astra’s wings, streaking through the field and reducing their targets to ash.

Kade glanced up from his lightning-charged brawl just in time to see Astra vaporize another karpos. “How is that even fair?” he muttered under his breath before refocusing on his opponent.

Bella’s fiery blanket engulfed another group of karpoi, though the flames licked too close to Lyra, causing her to stumble backward. Felix’s bursts of light magic disoriented Kade, throwing off his rhythm and leaving him momentarily vulnerable.

“Lance! Oliver! I can cast a big spell—just buy me some time!” Nico shouted over the cacophony of the battle.

Lance exchanged a quick glance with Oliver. They both nodded in silent agreement, springing into action. Oliver raised a barrier of earth around Nico, blocking approaching enemies, while Lance layered the defense with a Lesser Force Field, enhanced by his Tremor Disrupt for added resilience. Sweat dripped down Lance’s temple as he concentrated, the strain of multiple spell casts mounting. A throbbing headache bloomed at the back of his skull, but he pushed through.

“Lance, you’re struggling already?” William’s voice cut through the tension, laced with concern. “Your casting stamina is really lacking. Why does it drain you so quickly? There’s something... unnatural about it.”

Gritting his teeth, Lance didn’t respond. A nearby karpos lunged at him, its jagged wooden claws reaching for his chest. He reacted swiftly, casting Gale Burst to propel himself upward, just out of reach. Midair, he twisted and unleashed another Gale Burst to increase his momentum, landing atop the creature. With a final, focused effort, he channeled Tremor Disrupt directly into its body. The karpos convulsed violently before collapsing, lifeless.

“Now that was ruthless and efficient,” William said approvingly. “You’re learning.”

Before Lance could respond, Nico’s voice rose above the chaos. “Everybody move—now!”

The air around Nico crackled with energy as a storm of magic swirled around his small frame. The others dove for cover, instinctively obeying his command.

With a primal roar, Nico released a wave of magical projectiles that surged across the field, each one locking onto a target with unerring precision. The remaining karpoi were obliterated, reduced to smoldering remnants under the onslaught.

Nico staggered, his arms falling limply to his sides before he collapsed into Oliver’s waiting arms, breathing heavily.

“What was that? That was insane!” Kade exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at Nico.

“That,” Felix said, his expression a mix of surprise and respect, “was a second-tier spell. Nico, I didn’t know you could do second-tier casting.”

“It’s something new,” Nico said weakly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I learned it just before coming here. It’s a high-level second-tier spell—almost bordering on third-tier. I can barely pull it off without passing out, but it’s a last resort.”

“Well, it worked,” Bella said, wiping soot from her face. “But Felix is right. That was a mess—we nearly hit each other more than the karpoi. We need to work on our teamwork if we’re going to handle tougher missions.”

As the group recovered, Lance felt a nagging sense of unease. William voiced what he was already thinking. “That was too easy. For a rank-two mission, this barely qualifies. Something’s wrong.”

Bella suddenly shot to her feet, her flames igniting instinctively as her eyes locked on the forest ahead. “Look! Toward the treeline! There’s something huge out there.”

Before anyone could respond, the bushes exploded outward as a massive figure burst onto the field.