Two days passed by in a flash as they busied themselves with training.

Around noon on the third day, they gathered in the living room to review and plan.

»So that was our last day of training and thinning out the monsters«, Vern said. »Tomorrow, we will finally go exploring for real.«

»So, where are we planning to go exactly?«, Alvyn asked. »Can you tell us?«

»Sure.« Vern took out a map of the area and unfolded it on the table. The others came closer to see.

»So … we are here«, Vern said and pointed at a spot outside the marked forest. »We need to get here.« His finger moved near the center of the bailiwick.

»To the core?«, Kieran asked. »That's pretty deep.«

»No, not to the core itself. But yes, it is quite far. That's why we spend so much time killing monsters. Since we will be in the bailiwick longer than a day, we can't constantly fight these numbers and waste our mana. Based on my estimations, the whole trip should take about 30 hours, resting included.

»So last time, we actually went to the core on our own?«, Irina inquired. »Didn't think we would go that far.«

»Of course we did«, Alvyn said proudly, hearing he successfully led them to the center last time. »After all, it isn't that far, and unlike now, we wouldn't get constantly attacked, right?« He glanced at Vern, who scratched his chin.

»Well, we did indeed end up there. But it wasn't really planned … how do I say it? We kind of got lost in the forest on a cloudy day, and it took us a while to find our way back.«

»Oh?«, Irina commented, looking at Alvyn. »I wonder who led us there …«

»Well, we shouldn't waste our time with these details of something that never happened«, Alvyn interjected. »Let's focus on what lies ahead, right Vern?«

»Right … so that's the plan. Everyone on board?« He looked at the others, and nobody seemed dissatisfied.

»Then we will spend the rest of the day preparing. Make sure not to train on your own, as you will need all of our mana tomorrow.«

The following morning, Vern made sure not to oversleep, and as he dressed, he already heard commotion downstairs.

Everyone was awake. Nobody wanted to be the last one and lag behind in preparation.

After breakfast, they equipped themselves and gathered outside.

»Everyone ready?«. Vern asked, not wanting to delay them with another chat.

»Yes«, they answered in unison.

They headed to the forest and only stopped before the barrier, finalizing the formation.

»We will do it like the first time«, Vern said. »Kieran and Alvyn in the front, and then Irina and me.«

»Shouldn't you be in the front?«, Kieran asked. »Since you're our scout and all?«

»Nah, it's alright. We won't be that far apart. Besides, I don't want to constantly fight the monsters myself.«

He winked at Alvyn, who, in return, smiled happily.

Without further ado, they passed the barrier, and Velvet appeared to join the vanguard.

›Are you feeling alright‹, Vern asked.

›Oh, I'm great. I'm surprised you asked, for once.‹

›Well, you're our scout, after all. Are you sure you can do it for that long?‹

›Don't worry. I don't need the kind of rest you do.‹

›Ok.‹

As they traversed the forest, they listened intently for any sounds announcing enemies. But there were none so far. Equally, Velvet hadn't reported anything.

They seemed to have done a good enough job clearing out the monsters, and the bailiwick had a low spawn rate as well.

After 15 minutes of walking, Velvet announced their first encounter, and Vern spelled it out for the others.

A lynx appeared between the trees, and Alvyn stepped forward to deal with it.

Vern pleasantly watched as he finished it swiftly with one strike, only using minimal mana to move into attack range.

»Well done«, Vern said to encourage him. »That's what I like to see. Nothing fleshy when it isn't necessary.«

»I sure know that. You don't need to tell me. Just make sure to keep count, yes?«

Vern smiled, but deep inside, he felt a little uncomfortable. With the new role he had taken, it didn't feel the same as back then when they were just comrades fighting together. Now he felt older, and he wondered if they would be able to connect the same as they used to.

They continued deeper into the forest. Monsters showed up more frequently but never in numbers that threatened to overwhelm them. At the same time, the terrain changed from forest to occasional barren cliffs and mountainsides that they had to scale.

On the one hand, it made it easier to spot enemies, but since they had Velvet, it didn't really matter.

On the other hand, maintaining one's balance during fights was harder, and one had to be wary of rocks rolling down the slope.

Additionally, air attacks became more of a nuisance as they had left the cover of the dense treetops. But so far, Irina had no problem handling her part.

Around noon they reached a small valley that provided some protection and they decided to take a break.

They prepared a meal with the gathered and hunted spoils and sat down to devour it.

»Hah, that wasn't too bad so far«, Alvyn said as he chewed. »I wonder how many monsters I've already killed. Must be about 20 or so. What do you think?«

He glanced at Vern, who gave him a straight answer. »23, to be precise. Six more than Kieran.«

»Oh really?«, Alvyn said. »I didn't pay that much attention to it. But it is good that you keep track, brother.«

»Well, yes. And Irina has 36 so far.«

Kieran looked at Vern in amusement, whose face had darkened. »You can't compete against her. Just accept your defeat already.«

»That just isn't how it works. You can't compare a bow to a melee weapon.«

»Yeah, but didn't you say yourself kills are all that matter?«, Kieran continued to tease Alvyn. »Not how you get the kills, but only that you get them?«

While Alvyn argued with Kieran about these matters, Irina silently ate her meal that was soon to be finished.

After Vern had eaten up, he took a look at the map he had brought along. Irina joined him in his studies.

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»So, I think we should be around here … or here.« As he spoke, he moved his finger between two valleys next to each other.

»I think we are in the west one since that mountain there is the bigger. We passed by it close.« Irina laid her finger on the second spot Vern had pointed, and their hands were mere centimeters apart.

Velvet, who had interrupted his watch to have a look himself, didn't miss that detail.

›Man, at this rate, you will end up a lot quicker together than last time‹, he said and giggled.

But Vern just ignored him and moved his hand away. »Yes, I think you're correct. Either way, it is fine. As long as we keep moving southwards, we can't miss the area we're going to.«

They rested and digested for another half an hour. Although it didn't replenish their mana, it was refreshing and necessary.

The few monsters that located them were easily dealt with, and eventually, they continued traveling.

As a faint red mixed itself into the blue sky, they halted in another vantage spot atop a mountain.

Vern pointed towards a rocky plateau a few kilometers below that towered above the surrounding trees in a flat stretch of land between the mountains. »That's our destination. We should get there before the sun sets. From now on, be even more prepared for incoming attacks.«

»Do you know something we don't?«, Kieran asked.

»Well, maybe. But just see this as training«, he replied.

Hearing his words, Irina looked concerned. But Alvyn didn't seem to mind. »Don't tell us. We can't rely on knowing what's ahead, and we managed last time as well, didn't we?«

He looked at Vern for confirmation. »That's correct. We will be fine.«

»Alrighty«, Kieran said. »Then let's get it over with.«

They began moving toward the rock formation, slowly climbing down the steep hillside covered by forest.

With the surroundings darkening, Alvyn proudly ignited his sword, as he had no trouble anymore keeping it at a low but constant output.

»If you do that, you'll have to go in the back«, Vern said. »Otherwise, we will constantly get blinded, and our eyes adjusting to it makes it harder to watch our surroundings.«

»Yes«, Kieran said. »Do what he said. Go to the back and give me all these juicy kills, will you?«

»Oh, wait. That's not what …«

Suddenly, Velvet alerted him. ›There is a large group coming from our left. About 20.‹

»Monsters from the left!«, he shouted, interrupting his brother. »Everyone on the trees except Kieran. You, wait for my signal.«

Kieran nodded, knowing exactly what he had to do, as the other leaped into adjacent trees.

Vern peered into the dim forest, and red eyes were the first thing he spotted.

›There also some coming from the right … ah, and three from behind‹, Velvet reported while jumping around on the ground below.

»We are surrounded!«, Vern exclaimed. »But we will handle it … Kieran … do it now!«

›And Velvet‹, he added. ›Pay special attention to the sky.‹

A few seconds later, a layer of ice rapidly rushed across the forest floor, like a tsunami that made landfall.

Screeching filled the air as it hit the monsters and stopped them in their tracks.

»Irina, stay up here and shoot anything you see, but also watch the sky!«, Vern ordered. »Alvyn, you … « He paused when he saw that Alvyn was already fighting a pack of monsters in the trees next to him, sparking everything around in the process.

Vern figured to let him handle it and jumped down to support Kieran on the ground.

He looked around to get an overview of the situation. Then, he came to Kieran's aid, as there were still a few monsters trailing behind that weren't affected by the area attack.

As he approached them, he hurled his shurikens but made sure to keep two as a reserve.

A bear ran at him from behind. It was impossible not to notice it. Nonetheless, Velvet informed him of it dutifully.

Vern let the bear get closer before he ran forward in the opposite direction. He didn't evade the tree in front. Instead, he used his speed to run up the trunk and pushed himself off.

He spun around mid-air with his sword in hand and got a clean strike at the bear's neck without it being able to mount a defensive effort.

›Oh, wow‹, Velvet said as the body collapsed on the ground. ›That was totally necessary, and no showing off at all.‹

›You better focus on your task‹, Vern replied before he jumped into action again.

While they finished off the remains, he frequently searched the sky. However, there wasn't anything piquing his interest, and Velvet hadn't reported such either.

In the next ten minutes, they annihilated all the monsters without much trouble and assembled afterward.

»Anyone hurt?«, Vern asked and inspected them carefully. One first glance, they seemed fine, and nobody spoke up either.

Rather, their attention was captured by something else.

Within the frozen landscape, a single tree had caught fire, illuminating the whole place as the sun set behind it. The ground, acting like thousands of mirrors, reflected the flickering flames and mesmerized them. Truly a sight to behold.

»Well, I didn't think you would actually burn down the forest like that«, Kieran said, breaking the spell.

»Yeah. But it was a highly strategic move«, Alvyn replied. »Providing appropriate lighting for us to fight the monsters. But man, it's still pretty cold even with that around.«

»Ah, that reminds me«, Vern said. »You can reduce the impact by covering your body with mana. That not only reduces damage but also insulates to a certain degree.«

»Really, didn't actually it can do that too«, Irina said and tried it out immediately. »Yes … it's much better like this.«

Alvyn and Kieran also gave it a try and applied it to their bodies.

»That works quite well«, Kieran said. »It doesn't cost much mana either. I should probably remove Alvyn's mess before the fire spreads further.«

When he approached the burning tree, Velvet suddenly alerted Vern again.

›There is another group coming! Also, something exceptionally fast in the sky. I think it's it!‹

»It's not over! There is more coming.« Just as Vern had informed the others, a gigantic, black and white bird appeared in the sky, darting towards them.

Irina drew her bow, tracking its flight path, and Vern took out a shuriken to attack it as well.

The bird watched them with its red eyes, and just as the both of them released their projectiles, it abruptly changed direction.

Both attacks missed and vanished in the dark sky.

Meanwhile, the other monsters appeared between the trees as the bird flew at them once more.

Vern unsheathed his sword in preparation, but before it came close enough, the bird halted mid-air, flapping its enormous wings. A blast of wind brushed across the frozen floor straight at them.

Kieran, the closest, was swept off his feet and crashed into a nearby tree.

The other three were hit a few seconds later, but they barely managed to stay on their feet.

Monsters around used this opportunity to pounce, and they not only

had to defend themselves but also Kieran from distance.

Vern broke out of their formation to get over to him as the bird readied itself for a follow-up attack.

He got to Kieran first and positioned himself between it and Kieran, who still laid on the ground.

However, the bird didn't come toward them. Instead, it picked up the spear Kieran had dropped with its claws and reversed course.

Vern quickly maxed out the mana in his arm and threw his last shuriken at the departing bird.

In a blink of an eye, it reached the bird's wing, but even with all the momentum, it hardly left a scratch.

Nonetheless, the bird shrieked and turned his head around, giving Vern a hateful look.

The next moment, the wing he had hit was severed from its body. Irina had used the bird's distraction perfectly.

Subsequently, it plunged to the ground uncontrollably as it screeched in pain and desperately flapped its remaining wing.

Since the main threat had been dealt with, Vern turned around to tend to Kieran.

To his surprise, Kieran already sat up on his own, rubbing his head, no blood to be spotted.

»Are you alright?«, Vern asked and crouched down.

»Yeah, I guess. The impact wasn't too bad. I managed to increase the mana around my body before crashing. Still hurts, though.«

»Well, that's a relief. Can you stand?«

He helped Kieran up, and the tree supported their efforts. At this point, most of the monsters were dead, and Vern looked around to find the crippled bird.

»Alvyn!«, he shouted. »Finish it off before it gets away!« He pointed at the bird that dragged itself across the icy floor, painting it red as it progressed slowly.

Alvyn looked over, nodded, and ran at the bird. In the meantime, Irina had made her way over to Kieran and Vern. Together, they watched as Alvyn jumped on the bird and stabbed his sword in its neck all the way to the hilt.

It uttered a last, earsplitting cry and collapsed to the floor.

Alvyn came over immediately after.

»Are you ok?«. he asked. »That didn't look particularly pleasant.«

»I don't know what you mean«, Kieran responded and pushed himself off the tree, staggering. Irina came to his support.

»It was just a gentle breeze, nothing more«, Kieran said and smiled.

»Well, if you say so.« Alvyn exchanged concerned looks with Irina, who still held him up.

»I'm fine, really. But … where did my spear fly off to?«

»Ah, yes, the bird actually took it«, Vern explained. »So it dropped … somewhere …« He looked around the forest, which was dark beyond the burning tree's flames. »Just … stay here with Alvyn and Irina. I'll have a look around.«

He headed off using mana to increase his speed.

›Did you see where it went?‹, he asked Velvet sprinting beside him.

›Yes. Approximately over here.‹ Velvet took the lead, and they vanished into the darkness.

Just two minutes later, Vern reappeared with a spear in his hands.

»Oh wow. Thanks a lot.« Kieran took the spear and balanced him on it. »How did you find it so fast? Can you also see other things like you see the monsters? «

»Oh, no. I just happened to catch a glimpse when it dropped.«

›Really? Why are you gaining all my laurels?‹, Velvet complained.

›It's alright. You did a great job whether anybody else knows or not.‹

This answer seemed satisfying enough as Velvet proudly raised its head with a smug expression.

They escorted Kieran over to the burning tree, and when he had extinguished all the flames, only the stars were visible on this moonless night.

Alvyn lit up his sword to change this circumstance.

»So what do we do now?«, he asked. »Are there more of these big birds we need to worry about? «

Vern shook his head. »No. Not that I know of, at least. You all did a great job. We're basically done now.«

»Oh, really? What about the treasure then?« Alvyn looked at him curiously. »Isn't that what we came for?«

»Yes. We just need to collect it at this point since we already killed its guardian.« He looked at the bird's corpse. »I'll quickly fetch it so that we can leave fast.«

Vern pointed up the rock formation that towered the trees a few hundred meters in the distance.

»Wait!«, Irina said as Vern took his first step towards it. »Don't you need some light? « She took out a torch from her back.

»I don't need it.« Vern winked. »Just wait here for a second.«

Without further explanation, he ran off for the second time. The others watched him disappear into the darkness, but for Vern, Velvet illuminated the way with his shimmering body.