Edwin led the way with his characteristic self-assured pace but within half an hour it was quite apparent he didn't quite have an inkling of which way to go. Leif brought up the rear chattering away while struggling with his outsized bag.

"You know." Leif said with a smile readjusting the straps on his bag "if I make it through this, I'm opening a luxury inn in the mountains. First rule? No oversized bags allowed."

Melch walking at the rear of the group couldn't help but shake his head. Edwin had somehow wandered into their area by pure happenstance and now he was leading them with authority. It did not take Melch long to realize that this set trajectory was far from great and he understood how ended up meeting him with Leif.

"Edwin." Melch said halting in his tracks, "if we keep going this way, we'll end up circling back to where we started."

Edwin frowned looking quite puzzled. "This is the way, isn't it? I was sure…"

"Let me take the lead" Melch interrupted softly.

Edwin hesitated for a moment but stepped aside finally with a nod. "Fine but if we get lost, it's on you."

Leif snickered. "Ah, thank the gods. Better to trust a blindfolded squirrel to navigate us than trust Edwin to avoid another dead-end.”

Melch looked at the map which he had drawn closely. Not too long did pass before he picked out a direction towards a tiny water body between the trees. The shining surface of the pond guaranteed him fresh water and a small cave in the side of a rocky hill stood nearby.

"This will do." he said pointing to the cave.

"Home sweet home!" declared Leif throwing his bag on the ground with exaggerated relief.

Edwin checked the area. “We’ll need food. I’ll handle that.” Without waiting for a response, he strode off into the woods.

Meanwhile, Leif busied himself preparing a small cooking area just outside the cave. By the time Edwin returned with two large fish in hand, Leif had set up a rudimentary station.

“Look at you,” Leif teased taking the fish from Edwin. “Didn’t think you’d get your hands dirty.”

"Someone had to." Edwin said rolling his eyes.

Leif set to work rubbing the fish with salt and oil before skewering them on sticks. "Hey, fire boy" he called to Edwin. "Give me a flame. Not too much, though. I don't want these turning into charcoal."

Edwin obliged summoning a controlled burst of fire that roasted the fish evenly.

Melch sat beside them took his medicine as he listened to the two bicker like they were old friends. He bit at the fish once it was cooked up. He was happy for the warm meal and despite the test's tension, brief camaraderie helped ease him over slightly.

"Edwin." Melch said thoughtfully, "if you keep this up, we might actually pass this test.”

Edwin grinned. "Sure thing. I never fail."

Leif sprawled against a rock gesturing carelessly. "Don't flatter yourself. We'll get out of there just because my bags are lighter to carry."

The three shared a laugh at the absurdity, the noise ringing softly through the forest. The three returned and covered the opening of the cave with leaves. They lay down for the night.

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It was the time when twin suns were just rising when Melch awoke. The soft light filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the cave walls. He stretched and stepped outside heading to the water to refresh himself. Leif and Edwin soon joined him splashing water onto their faces and shaking off the morning grogginess.

Melch knelt by the water leaning forward to dunk his head beneath the surface. That's when he saw it, a pale shape just below the surface. His breath caught and he pulled back sharply.

"There's… a body in the water." Melch said his voice tight.

Leif's easy grin faded instantly. "What?"

"Come and see."

The three of them gathered at the edge of the pond, peering down at the body. The view was gruesome. The corpse of another examinee, their hand severed and several stab wounds marking their torso.

Leif crouched low, his carefree demeanor replaced by a rare seriousness. "This didn't happen here. The current must have carried the body downstream.”

Edwin examined the injuries with a severe face. "This wasn't a simple kill. Whosoever made this ensured the person went through a painful moment. Amputating the hand… they insured that the symbol couldn't be used by the victim to make any call for help. Then, that was enough." he continued.

Melch swirled back his nauseated stomach contents however, swallowed it. "This test." he stated quietly, "isn't just a question of survival. It makes them killers.”

Leif looked up at him with his usual lightheartedness replaced by something heavier. “Yeah and we’re walking right into it.”

Despite the growing sense of unease, Melch felt a flicker of determination ignite within him. He had always abhorred senseless cruelty and this test seemed designed to reward it.

“We have to see this through” Melch said firmly. “We can’t just ignore it.”

Edwin nodded. “Agreed. Whoever did this needs to pay.”

They followed the trail back to where they believed the murder had occurred. Near the edge of the water body, they found signs of a struggle a trampled patch of grass and bloodstains leading toward the trees. Nearby, Leif unearthed the victim’s severed hand.

Edwin clenched his fists, his anger bubbling over. “I’ll kill them myself.” he muttered his voice low and dangerous.

Melch laid a hand on Edwin's arm. "We don't know who we're dealing with. Rushing in could get us killed."

Leif was ever the peacekeeper, he stepped between the two of them. "Fine, let's not lose our heads. Let's be smart about this. If we can find them then we'll do it then." Reluctantly, Edwin nodded.

The group continued their journey toward the mountain over the next few days. They encountered many demonic beasts from small wolf-like creatures to massive reptilian predators.

Edwin proved to be a skilled fighter with his fire magic and swordsmanship complementing each other perfectly. He would often dispatch the beasts with a combination of precise strikes and bursts of flame accumulating a significant number of points.

Leif was quite the spear whiz given his rather frivolous personality. "I'm not all looks, you know." he said after felling a rather large beast.

Melch had a tougher time. His skills in combat were limited and he tended to rely on Edwin and Leif to bail him out. Yet he made a good effort taking last hits on weakened beasts and slowly learning to handle himself in a fight.

"Not bad." Edwin said one evening after a successful battle. "Your form is sloppy but you're improving."

Leif smirked. "Yeah, Melch. At this rate, you might actually survive this thing."

Melch couldn't help but smile. For all their teasing, he could tell that both Edwin and Leif were looking out for him.

By the time they have reached the next clearing, they had already formed a tentative bond between them for navigating the brutal test together.

One afternoon as they prepared to set up the camp, Leif dropped his bag with a theatrical groan. "I swear this bag weighs more and more every day. Are the rocks multiplying in there?"

Melch raised an eyebrow. "I told you to leave some things behind, Galen isn’t here now."

“Never!" declared Leif dramatically. "Everything in there is crucial. You never know when you'll need a collapsible chair or five extra pairs of socks and if Galen figures I abandoned them here..I am simply not up for that."

Edwin raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he began to sharpen his blade.

As the suns set below the horizon casting deep shadows into the forest, Melch looked around at his companions. There was something slightly reassuring in the faces gathered about him something that seemed almost comforting maybe together, he had a chance in this.

Leif stretched out, yawned and grinned at Melch mischievously. "Well, Melch if we survive this what do we do then? Open up a healing clinic? Write a book about our adventures? Or maybe start up a traveling circus? I claim star performer first."

Melch just chuckled shook his head. "Survive this first, then we will see.”

With laughter easing the tension of the night, the group settled in ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.