Artem discussed the best route to take with his group, sharing the information he got from Anan and exposing his idea. Lyra grumbled that he didn’t need to care about the three dead-weights, but Artem and Galen refused to disregard their teammates.

Despite Emilio’s protest, they decided to bypass the nearest caves and go to those closest to the lake. It was mostly Artem’s and Galen’s decision because Celeste easily agreed, and Jarek was indifferent.

Artem gave the map to Galen and asked him to act as a secondary scout.

“Why did you give the map to your brother? He isn’t in the professional combat elective class. Does he even know how to read a map?” Emilio querulously complained.

“Galen’s talent allows him to see things you won’t be able to see.” Artem calmly looked at the bothersome youth. “You can take the center position with him to help him check the map if you’re worried.”

Emilio shut up, and Artem quickly organized their group. Artem took the forward position, with Ayden and Lucia circling around the team. Artem posted the weak Emilio in the center position with Galen, while Jarek and Celeste took the rear position.

Jarek mocked Artem for his precautions. “Why are you playing war games? We’re just looking for some small beasts!”

“We’re outside of the City-State.” At Jarek’s raised eyebrow, Galen reminded Jarek of the encounter with the maulers and the dangers underlined by Mr. Tawil and Mrs. Bousrani.

Celeste exclaimed, “Oh! Right, I forgot.”

The twins speechlessly looked at the girl, who smiled when she noticed their glances. Recalling the twins’ patience for Celeste, Lyra held her comment back.

“The Army cleaned up the Abyss monsters,” Jarek retorted dismissively. “The Beast Rangers are also patrolling.”

“It doesn’t hurt to be careful. It’s good training,” Artem firmly replied.

Jarek sneered and made a show of saluting Artem. Jarek didn’t care where he was. Being in the rear allowed him to slack off and lazily follow the others. He planned to let the Eos twins do all the work anyway.

Their team was the last to leave the FOB, but that didn’t worry the twins. They had three days to find and purify the corrupted olms.

The five youths walked through the forest of firs, spruces, and beeches. The conifers stood tall with straight, green branches. The beech and the occasional maple trees brightened the wood with red, orange, and brown leaves. These cheerful colors produced a breathtaking landscape.

The trails snaked around on the slopes. The Lush Steps Lake was a rough, steep terrain composed of several plateaus. These plateaus cut the lake into several bodies of water, separated by cliffs and connected by waterfalls.

The ground contained a lot of limestone and chalk. Over the centuries, the many streams of water flowing toward the lake had dug canyons, sinkholes, and karst caves. In the same way, tufas had formed between each body of water and throughout the waterfalls. The resulting landscape was peculiar but beautiful.

Nevertheless, the cliffs and canyons rendered the terrain difficult to navigate, and the access to the lake was restricted because of the numerous waterfalls. In some places, the Lush Steps Lake looked like a three-dimensional maze.

Celeste and Jarek walked in the rear position, but neither of them properly scanned their surroundings. Celeste was looking at the trees, the streams, or the falling of a leaf with awe and excitation. Jarek ambled along, his hands in his pockets, his eyes half-closed. Both of them were unreliable.

Noticing their carefree attitude, Lyra tattled to the twins. The CSI believed Artem would tell them off. Instead, Artem focused on scouting, doubling his efforts to spot dangers. However, he refrained from using his talent and had Ayden use “heat detection” at regular intervals instead. Each time, he let her replenish her spiritual energy before making her use it again.

Nothing noteworthy happened during the first two hours. The twins were relieved and timidly became optimistic, believing this trip would pass without accident. Unfortunately, they were too naive.

“There is a beast in the bushes further on your left.” Lyra dutifully reported her findings. Since the team had entered the steep forest, she had used her talent to scan the surroundings constantly. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to slake her vigilance with the three dead-weights around. “It’s a reptile, I think.”

Galen silently thanked her, his mind on the logistics of their trip. He still had stamina, but the five youths had been hiking for some time. Taking a break would be a nice way to regroup and check if they were on the right track. Galen’s musing was interrupted by Celeste’s scream.

Immediately, the boys took out their weapons. The scream came from the left, so Artem and Galen ran toward the girl. Jarek and Emilio trailed behind them.

“None of you warned us about any danger!” Emilio snarled before Artem could organize them. “What’s the use of flaunting around your talents and your pets?”

“There’s a beast in this direction,” Galen calmly said. He carefully looked around as he ran.

“So, why didn’t you say anything?” Jarek asked derisively. “Keeping the info to yourself, that’s not how scouting works.”

“The beast isn’t on our way. Celeste was supposed to follow us. Why didn’t you say that she wasn’t following us?” Artem countered the blond-haired boy to defend his brother. He had to force himself to keep his eyes on the danger ahead.

“I’m sorry.” Lyra felt guilty because she hadn’t monitored the humans’ breathing and concentrated on the beasts. She hadn’t noticed Celeste meandering from the group.

“She wanted to touch the strange rock.” Jarek shrugged, unconcerned by Artem’s reproof. “Who am I to stop her?”

“Her teammate, Jarek!” Artem answered, unable to fathom the other boy’s casualness. Despite himself, Artem indignantly looked at the blond-haired boy to add. “You’re supposed to watch her back!”

Celeste hadn’t gone far, and the boys soon found her. She was sitting on the ground, her shoulders sagging, and tears on her face. She was holding her calf.

Seeing she was hurt, Galen knelt next to her and dug into his backpack. Artem organized the other two boys so that they surrounded Galen and Celeste to protect them.

Galen pulled his first-aid kit from his backpack and asked in a no-nonsense voice, “What happened?”

“A snake beast bit me.” Celeste’s lips tremble. She knew she was slowing down her team with her injury. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re scared of snakes, and you want to be a soldier?” Jarek jeered at the girl, misinterpreting her reaction.

Celeste bit her lips and didn’t answer. Galen gently removed Celeste’s hand from her leg to examine the injury. The girl was wearing reinforced boots that protected her shins. The snake had struck higher, so Galen pulled up her pants, ignoring the blood.

“Celeste, I need you to concentrate,” Galen urged the girl in a firm voice. “What species of snake bit you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Of course, you know. You studied with us in the library. Remember what you saw in the encyclopedia. Was it a common Green Snake?” Celeste shook her head, so Galen continued to guess. “A notable Two-Lined Rattlesnake?”

Shaking her head again, Celeste said, “It had a horn on its nose. Its scales were brown and beige.”

Galen restrained his sight. He should have known Celeste would be unlucky. “That was a rare Nose-Horned Ground Viper. It’s venomous, but don’t worry. I’ve got the antidote.”

Galen cleaned up the injury and called up Lucia. He taught the Light Fairy while he treated the poison with ointment. He had prepared it beforehand when he had researched the potential dangers of the Lush Steps Lake. Galen’s soothing voice calmed Celeste. Listening to his explanations made her confident he would heal her perfectly.

Then, Galen ordered his fairy to use her skill “small heal” on Celeste’s leg two times while he gave Celeste a brew to drink. A rare beast’s venom was powerful. The ointments alone wouldn’t be enough to cleanse Celeste’s body of every toxin.

Lucia’s skill helped stop the bleeding and close the wound. Galen briefly used his [Insight] to check the scabbing, wanting to be sure there was no infection or residue of the venom. “I don’t want to exhaust my fairy’s spiritual energy in case of another accident. Lucia will heal you again this evening, and I’ll give you another anti-venom brew. I don’t think you need a bandage, although it might help to avoid tearing up the wound. What do you think?”

Celeste trusted the young pharmacist and agreed to everything he said. Galen tidied up, giving the girl more time to rest.

“Celeste, did the viper run away?” Artem asked, now that the girl wasn’t distracted.

Celeste nodded and pointed in a direction. Artem went to check if the viper had left or was just hiding. From what he knew of snakes’ behavior, it should have run, but Artem wanted to be sure.

“I don’t hear it anymore,” Lyra confirmed.

“Can you stand?” Galen asked as he adjusted his backpack on his shoulders.

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry. I can even walk.”

Celeste stood up by herself, but Galen hovered around her. “You sure you don’t want a bandage? Maybe -”

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“It’s alright, Galen. Really.” Celeste waved away Galen’s concern with a brittle smile. It was uncomfortable seeing the girl so subdued.

Artem changed their team formation, putting Celeste next to Galen and Emilio at the rear. This way, Galen could keep an eye on the injured girl and keep her from running around again.

They resumed their travel slower, but seeing that Celeste was keeping up, Artem quickened his pace. Lyra was more active, keeping an ear out for the beasts and the three dead-weights.

Some times later, Emilio called out to the rest of them. Artem walked back and asked what was the matter. Emilio pointed out a darker part of the rock formation they were following. “I think there's a cave there.”

Galen studied the map before commenting that it wasn’t marked on the map. “It might be because none of our targets are inside.”

“We should still check it out.” Emilio insisted, impatiently taking some steps toward the cave.

The twins exchanged a glance. Lyra listened attentively and announced that she didn’t hear any body of water but two birds’ breathing. After a brief discussion, the twins let Emilio lead them toward the cave.

Ferns and mosses grew at the entrance, helping to dissimulate it. Lucia and Ayden went in first. The natural glow from their wings illuminated the cave. The five youths followed. The cave looked empty, with bare rock and ground.

Remembering Lyra’s information, Artem asked Ayden to use “heat detection”. The Fire Fairy enthusiastically obeyed. After a short while, she flew up and pointed at a nest glued to the cave ceiling. The youths saw two birds in it. Lucia joined her sister, making the shadow recede around the beasts.

“It’s two rare Rustic Cave Swallows, right?” Galen said once he had a clear view of the birds. “If so, we won’t find any other beasts inside. These swallows nest in empty caves to escape predators.”

“But we might find some fungi. Didn’t you say you’re interested in finding some recently?” Artem asked, looking around the more humid parts of the cave where stalactites and stalagmites were forming.

Jarek and Emilio soon became bored with the empty cave and went out. Celeste stayed with the twins to help them check the cave for interesting mushrooms and mosses. They found roots hanging down from the ceiling and some fungi with some earth spirit energy. Not wanting to waste any opportunity, Galen harvested the mushrooms and stored them in their inner world “Warehouse” while Artem was distracting Celeste.

With the other two boys waiting impatiently outside, Celeste, Artem, and Galen didn’t linger and soon came out. By then, it was late in the afternoon, and Artem decided they should look for a place to settle for the night.

It would be best to find a meadow, however rare they were in the Lush Steps Lake. Galen and Emilio studied the map, then they indicated to Artem the path to take. After some more trek through the forest, the sun was already low on the horizon. The five youths finally saw the dense trees thinning out, indicating they were approaching their destination.

“There are other people already there. It should be Orsella’s and Caleb’s team.” Lyra warned her hosts.

Artem and Galen weren’t worried about their classmates, so Galen said, “They are some students ahead. Let’s see if we can share the meadow for the night.”

“Why? Won’t that lower our grades?” Emilio asked sullenly.

“I don’t remember the teacher forbidding cooperation. This trip isn’t a competition.”

“That’s just nonsense.” Jarek sneered. “Life is a competition.”

As they were talking, they arrived at the meadow. Tall grass covered the ground, almost hiding a small pond from view. Caleb, Orsella, and two other students were standing watch around the meadow while Amethyst was purifying a Short-Crested Newt near the pond. The young pharmacist was working diligently to prepare the potion, the newt tied securely in front of her.

Orsella, who was stationed at the other side of the meadow, nodded at Artem before going back to her surveillance. Standing nearest to the twins’ team, Caleb narrowed his eyes at them.

Ignoring Caleb’s distrust, Galen waved at him and said, “We won’t bother Amethyst. I know purifying is a delicate work. But we were -”

Before Galen could finish his sentence, Jarek rushed from behind to punch Caleb. Galen and Artem were so astonished they only reacted when Orsella ran in their direction with a shout.

Caleb was alert, so he easily parried Jarek’s jab and countered. Artem attacked Jarek from behind, maneuvering to bind him in a lock. However, Caleb didn’t welcome Artem’s interference and aimed a kick at the black-haired boy. Artem had to deflect Caleb’s attack, aborting his attempt at Jarek. Unfortunately, before Artem could explain his target was Jarek, Orsella joined the fight.

Unable to understand Jarek’s action, Galen stayed away from the fight and looked around. Seeing Orsella’s teammates – a lean, brown-eyed girl and a tall, long-haired boy – moving in their direction, he told them to keep watch. “Amethyst is still purifying the corrupted beast. She’s the most important right now!”

Galen recognized the lean girl as Gena Samaras. She was from a military household and a friend of Orsella. The tall boy was Saul Haddad, a friend of Amethyst if Galen wasn’t mistaken. Saul and Gena hesitated. Saul was the first to take back his watch position, showing his care for Amethyst.

However, Gena slowly moved around so she could watch both the fight and Amethyst. Galen didn’t begrudge her of her wariness.

The young pharmacist turned his attention to the fight in time to grab Emilio and Celeste. “Don’t! Where do you think you’re going?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Emilio shook his hand to loosen Galen’s grip on him. “Was your speech about teamwork a lie? You two-faced liar!”

“You’re just going to worsen the situation! We shouldn’t be fighting at all!”

Emilio scoffed in disbelief while Celeste paced around, unsure about what she should do. Galen worriedly glanced from his brother to Amethyst. If Jarek’s stupid action made her fail the purification, he didn’t know how they could compensate the other team.

With Orsella’s and Jarek’s aggressiveness, and Caleb’s distrust, Galen didn’t know how to stop the fight. The only good point was that the beast tamers refrained from using their pets, and no one was using a weapon.

Galen thought of the powders and drugs he had prepared but dismissed the idea. He wanted to aim at Jarek, but he couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t accidentally affect Caleb, worsening the situation.

Artem was frustrated with Orsella, but he couldn’t blame her when the one responsible for this fiasco was his own teammate. Artem knew reasoning with Orsella when she was fighting was useless. So he bode his time, and when he felt Orsella easing up into a sparring exchange, Artem lightly said, “Had enough?”

“I don’t know. What about your side?”

“I’d be glad to have your help to calm down Jarek.”

Orsella threw some halfhearted blows at Artem, pondering her proposal. Then, she abruptly stopped fighting Artem to look at her teammate’s fight. Jarek was still attacking recklessly, a crazy smile on his lips. Caleb was holding on, but he couldn’t match Jarek’s madness.

“What’s the deal with him?” Orsella asked as Jarek began a wild combo of kicks.

“I’m not sure.” Artem frowned at Jarek, angry with the boy’s disregard and selfishness.

“Eh, I told you he would take his revenge when Mr. Tawil wouldn’t be there to stop him!” Lyra haughtily said. Although she was worried for the twins, she couldn’t help feeling superior, knowing she had been right.

Artem took a guess from Lyra’s input. “Well, he didn’t want to come. Mr. Tawil forcibly picked him up and nagged at him the whole way yesterday. So, he’s frustrated?”

“Oh! I know how to deal with that!” Orsella lightly hopped a few times before moving toward Caleb and Jarek to stand behind her teammate, slightly on his left. Orsella suddenly shouted, “Caleb! Switch!”

Caleb was trained to cooperate with his teammates. The switch went smoothly, showing Caleb and Orsella were used to working together. Orsella wildly laughed as she matched Jarek’s aggressiveness.

“What is she doing?” Emilio asked petulantly. “Why aren’t you stopping them?”

“If Jarek attacked because he’s frustrated, it’s better to let Orsella fight him until he gets it out of his system.” Artem watched the fight attentively. Jarek’s smile widened, confirming he was glad to fight Orsella.

“Jarek often skips lessons. Orsella has been wanting to fight him for a while,” Gena added from her place. She relaxed her attention on Orsella’s fight, trusting Caleb to watch her friend’s back. “Let them be.”

Jarek was a tricky opponent, using unconventional combos and quick attacks. Orsella was more straightforward, using her powerful strikes to push Jarek back.

“What the heck are you all doing?” Amethyst suddenly asked from behind the youths watching the fight.

Galen swirled around to ask worriedly, “Did the purification go well? We didn’t hinder you, did we?”

“It’s done. Nothing can interrupt my focus. So, why is Orsella fighting?”

“Jarek went crazy!” Celeste helpfully explained before the others could speak.

“Jarek Dolezal?” Amethyst paused. “My condolence, Galen. But I’d like you to take your problems somewhere else.”

Galen sighed. Amethyst didn’t show obvious scorn for him, but she always put her studies first. She saw Galen as a hindrance, an opinion Galen couldn’t refute with Jarek’s behavior.

“We’ll leave as soon as they stop fighting,” Galen promised Amethyst, despite his disappointment at the girl’s rejection.

“I thought you wanted to share the meadow. It’s almost night now. How are we going to find another meadow?” Emilio complained.

“We’re not welcomed anymore, in case you hadn’t noticed,” Artem retorted, throwing a warning glare at Emilio. “Take your complaints to Jarek!”

“You wouldn’t have been welcomed here anyway,” Caleb rebuked Artem, his dislike strongly expressed by his tense body and clenched fists.

Artem wasn’t surprised by Caleb’s attitude. He had hoped that with Marcus’s and Orsella’s example, Caleb would have softened his stance, but to the future soldier, loyalty was too important.

Emilio didn’t speak up after Caleb’s comment. He fell back to the rear of his team and muttered by himself. Lyra heard him insulting the twins, calling them jinx. She was outraged. “Why doesn’t this waste-for-space look at himself first? Whose fault is it that there is no more time to look for another meadow? Who was the good-for-nothing who wanted to explore a useless cave?”

She ranted for a while. Galen distractedly listened to her while Artem was focused on the fight. Jarek and Orsella had a lot of stamina, but the girl had been a beast tamer for more than two months. The chi running through her meridians had begun to enhance her body. After a fierce exchange of blows, Orsella overpowered Jarek’s defense and knocked him down.

Artem used the opportunity to stand in the middle. “Alright, that’s enough. Jarek lost this match.”

Jarek shook his head and stood up. He looked deeply at Orsella without his usual smirk.

“Jarek, that’s enough. We need to go.”

The blond-haired boy sneered and mock-saluted Artem. “Thanks for the fight, kiddos! That loosened up my body.”

Amethyst, Saul, and Caleb frowned at Jarek but didn’t comment. Orsella smiled widely. “Any time, Dolezal! It was my pleasure!”

“Sella! Keep it down, will you?” Gena called out to her friend in a fake concerned tone. “You’re going to frighten our pharmacist with your crazies!”

Orsella waved off Gena’s comment and went to keep watch with her friend. The two girls playfully punched each other.

Knowing they needed to leave, Galen took out the map to look for another place to set up their camp for the night. The nearest meadow was on another plateau. To reach it, the five youths would have to climb a cliff or make a long detour.

Instead, Galen suggested they found a clearing near a stream or at the foot of a cliff so that they would be protected on one side. Emilio reluctantly came up to examine the map with Galen.

Once they found an appropriate site, Artem, Galen, and Celeste apologized for the disturbance they caused.

“Like I said,” Orsella answered carelessly, “it was fun. Anyway, I’m the brawn, I’m here to fight.”

“So, who’s the brain?” Jarek asked with his scorn.

“Amethyst and Caleb!” Orsella answered without hesitation.

Caleb ignored his teammate’s nonsense and went to set up the camp.

Amethyst sighed. “Leave before she decides she has enough energy for another fight.” The young pharmacist turned around to join Caleb.

However, Gena put her arm around Orsella’s shoulders to ask, “Eh, Sella! If you’re the brawn and they’re the brain, what I am?”

Orsella made a show of thinking hard, her index tapping her lips. “Moral support?”

“What? You muscle-head!” Gena transformed her hold on Orsella into a headlock to mess up her hair. “I’ll show you moral support by putting worms into your sleeping bag tonight!”

“Children, let’s behave!” Saul clapped his hands to attract the girls’ attention. “Time to prepare dinner!”

“So, Saul is the caretaker?” Gena suggested, and Orsella happily nodded.

“I’m gonna put worms into your plate if you don’t recognize I’m also part of the brawn!” Saul drawled as he turned around to help Caleb set up the camp.

The girls laughed and followed him to do their part of the chores.

Galen and Artem left Orsella’s team to their casual banters, quietly walking out of the meadow. The twins were envious of the camaraderie they showed.

“You’ve got me, and Ayden, and Lucia. You got a team!” Lyra reassured them.

The twins looked around their team. Emilio was sulking, Celeste was daydreaming, and Jarek was back to his indifference. Galen and Artem didn’t see any team spirit.