The hunting party made their way out of the large city and into the surrounding plains. They followed a road leading east towards a small mountain range that formed a barrier between the plains and forest of Carinthia.

“Alright, I think we are far enough out of the city. Katelin, why not try out the gate spell you have been learning?” Igi asked.

“Ah, sure.” The scale kin said, raising a wooden staff made from a twisted tree branch with a large blue gem secured at the top.

She spoke in a language Ray had never heard before, while a swirl of mana gathered around her. Finishing the incantation, she slammed her staff down and a blue mote of light materialized. It swirled in a circular motion with increasing speed, seeming to become a solid circle before a stretch of road far closer to the mountains they were hedging to appear within.

“I did it!” Katelin yelled, throwing her arms into the air with a thrilled look on her face.

“Nice job. That spell will be a great asset for you in the future,” Igi said, stepping through the stabilized portal.

Seeing him successfully make it to the other side, the rest of the group quickly followed, finding themselves far closer to the mountains. Ray was shocked when he heard gagging noises erupt from nearby him. He looked around to find most of their group had fallen to their knees and were dry-heaving after passing through the gate.

“Well, look at that. You two have some experience with teleportation, don’t ya?” Igi asked while looking at Ray and Erith, who were the only two on their feet other than him and Arabella.

“Yeah, when we took the incarnate trials, one man running it teleported us, but he was kind enough to tell us to close our eyes for the first few times so we didn’t end up like them,” Ray said gesturing to the fallen students.

“Incarnate trials?” Igi and Arabella asked in tandem.

“Yeah, the trials where you obtain a spark,” Ray stated with a look of confusion on his face.

“Never heard of anything like that before,” Igi said while scratching his head. “What about you Arabella?”

“No, I have never heard of anyone having to go through a trial to gain a spark. Unless you count placing your hand on that pedestal, a trial.” She responded.

“Wait, so all you two had to do to gain a spark was place your hand on some pedestal?” Erith interjected.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Yes.” Igi and Arabella both answered.

“We had to go through this whole goddamn trial competing against the other clans within the Carinthia just to get ours. One of our clan members even ended up dying.” She said.

“That sounds awful. Why would your clan make you go through that just to start on the path to power?” Arabella asked.

“Because it is the only way we knew of to obtain a spark. One of the trial curators comes every year for all those who have come of age and takes them to the trials to compete for the best spark they can get,” Ray stated.

“Hmm, we will have to save this conversation for another time as it looks like my students are finally recovering, but If I had to level a guess, I would say there is something strange going on in that forest,” Igi said.

Ray furrowed his eyebrows. His statement only raised more questions.

Does Igi not know of the hordes that plague the forest? Come to think of it, I don’t think I have heard of anyone having to deal with those things out here.

Ray had to pause his train of thought as the group started moving again towards a cave mouth in the side of the mountain. When they got within a few feet, a wailing cry resounded out from deep within the cave.

“That would be one of the howlers, and from the sound of it, a young one. Stay sharp as we go in they are normally docile but there is no telling what they will do when starving,” Igi said, making his way into the cave as silently as he could.

The group followed close behind him, staying close to the wall to avoid being seen. They entered an enormous cavern stretching down. An almost ethereal glow emanated from a large lake at the bottom of the cavern, revealing a forest-like ecosystem thriving within the cave. Large stalks of mycelium sprouted from around the body of water forming the trees while a layover of moss covered every rock on the ground, giving it the illusion of growing grass. The group slowly followed the path downward, being careful not to make a sound. More howls emanated from below, causing a shiver to run up Ray’s spine. While the cries were nothing compared to the shriekers, they still gave him a bad feeling of what was to come. Finally reaching the bottom and entering the forest of mycelium, the group spread out, creating a defensive formation as they walked. They made their way to the large body of water before stopping in front of it.

“While we're here, I thought I might show you kids a mana crystal if you have never seen one before,” Igi said in a whisper, beckoning the group to move in for a closer look at the lake.

He pointed out an extensive network of a green glowing substance running underneath the water, creating the light within the cavern.

“That is a nature-attuned mana crystal and is what allows this entire ecosystem to flourish so far from the light of the sun.”

Ray moved in for a closer look. A symphony of howls echoed through the cavern, and a pack of bear-like creatures stalking through the mycelium proved his uneasy feeling correct.