Cal followed the two burly women into a cave, their broad shoulders snug against the walls. As the cave opened up to an amphitheater, Elena moved gracefully beside him, her violet eyes taking in their surroundings with a careful, measured gaze. It was vast and chaotic, where a cacophony of voices echoed against stone walls and the smell of liquor was thick.
"Jaxon, bro, this is my kind of gathering?" Joe's voice bounced oddly in the cave, his large form trailing behind Jaxon and Jabor.
"Hahaha," Jaxon laughed, eyes scanning the throng. "We're not at the academy anymore, though, otherwise… Bro, we would pull out our sitars."
The amphitheater teemed with figures. Humans mingled with creatures Cal could only describe as otherworldly. To his left, a trio of scaled beings conversed with a cervidian, their iridescent tails flicking with each syllable. A nearby group of winged humans laughed, feathers ruffling in amusement, while across the way, a lone figure shrouded in robes glowed faintly, runes pulsating along their arms.
"Ever seen anything like it?" Elena whispered, leaning close enough for her breath to tickle Cal's ear.
"Never." He kept his voice low, wary of drawing attention.
Cal's senses were alert as they navigated the vibrant throng. Suddenly, a figure cut through the crowd with purposeful strides toward them. The man stood head and shoulders above most, his short-cropped red hair like a fiery halo in the dim light. Muscles coiled beneath his gear, a testament to countless battles fought. His grin was wide, reckless—dangerous.
"Name's Tobin Rill," he boomed, voice carrying over the hum of the amphitheater. "I'm leading the defense rotation."
“Tobin is rank 13, Cal. He is strong.”
"Cal – we have Elena, Jaxon, Jabor and Joe" Cal replied with a nod, taking note of Tobin's confident stance and the way his eyes seemed to assess their capabilities.
"Cave entrance is yours and the avians tomorrow morning” Tobin directed, clapping a heavy hand onto Cal's shoulder. “Stuck up birds go to sleep so early.”
"Sure," Elena said, stepping forward to stand beside Cal, her gaze locked on Tobin's as if measuring his mettle.
“Means, we get to party tonight, boys!” Tobin shouted back at his team. Cal could see they were all covered in scrapes and scars. Fresh.
“Wooohoo”
"Come by and say hi once you’ve settled in." Tobin flashed a wink at Elena before melting back into the crowd, leaving a wake of whispered conversations.
Cal turned, about to ask Jaxon the plan, when a sudden realization dawned across the faces of their guides—the two burly women who had led them here. Their cheeks flushed a deep shade of crimson under the scrutiny of the group.
"Stars above, we're rude!" the first woman exclaimed, her broad shoulders squaring as if bracing for impact. "I'm Yella, and zhis is Vaish." She gestured to her companion, who gave an awkward wave.
“My goodness," Vaish added, her voice a deep rumble, "we are paleosaxon warmaidens, zrained by zhe Kuresh on Hetar-120, and zhe host of zonight’s feast."
"Right," Yella mumbled, clearly embarrassed by the oversight. "Been a while since we've had new blood. You cervids are new? Should we lead you to zheir camp?"
"Think nothing of it, and we would rather not," Jaxon interjected with a dismissive wave.
"Everyone's on edge with zhe timer closing in and the bounty for a chair," Vaish offered by way of explanation, her eyes darting around the amphitheater. “But almost everyone here is on ladder. No worries. Anything a few zeams can’t solve, we send a couple more. Zhat’s why we feast zonight, before we fight something zruly monsterous.”
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Yella added, regaining her composure. "We'll make sure you're settled in."
"Thank you, I am a great cook – I can help!" Joe said, his tone appreciative but his eyes scanning the area, alert to the unusual alliance they now found themselves part of.
"Good, good! " Vaish excitedly replied, eager to move past the awkward introduction.
Jaxon and Jabor followed Joe and the paleosaxons to help with the feast.
"Let's see what else we can find here," Elena murmured to Cal as they watched the others fan out. Her suggestion was a whisper, yet it sparked intrigue within him.
"Sure," Cal replied. They slipped away, unnoticed by most, blending into shadows that clung to the rocky walls.
Their footsteps were silent as they navigated between pockets of people. They passed a huddle of alien figures bartering over glowing artifacts, then a demi-human with scales reflecting the dim light, trading stories with a few butterfly ladies.
"Let’s see if we can find us some mana crystals," Cal whispered as they came upon a pair of beings, their features obscured by cloaks, deep in conversation over a shimmering pile of beast cores.
Elena noted, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the potential for an exchange.
Cal and Elena ascended to a higher ledge, the stones beneath their boots granting them a wider view. They paused, taking in deep breaths that tasted of earth and wafting smell of alcohol and now roasting meat. The sounds of clinking metal, crackling fires, and distant chatter filled his ears, weaving a tapestry of life within the caves. Cal wondered how they dispersed the smoke, but guessed it was something magical.
Atop the vantage point was another camp. His gaze swept across the amphitheater below. Roughly sixty souls milled about, a mix of human and non-human, each absorbed in their tasks. Cal noted the diversity — not just in appearance, but in the aura each being exuded.
"There you are – is it your first time at one of these? Most of us here are on the ladder, I wouldn’t worry about safety," Tobin's voice carried from behind, mingling with the ambient noise. "We’re good here." He was previously speaking to another hunter, who now gave a firm nod and walked towards the entrance.
Cal's eyes narrowed thoughtfully at those words. On the ladder meant they were strong. It was a comforting thought, knowing that despite the small number, the encampment was fortified by readiness and skill. But Cal also knew that they were not on the ranking ladder – they would be considered weak.
Jaxon, Jabor, and Joe were in the 30s, but Cal and Elena were hidden. Temp’s rise in rankings had stalled in the 40s - they assumed that everyone was hunting beasts more often and with greater fervor with the escalation. Cal wasn’t going to share Temps identity, though, that would be silly.
Cal's eyes flitted as Elena approached Tobin, her silhouette melding with the flickering shadows cast by the fire pits. Her voice was a steady murmur, too low for casual eavesdroppers but enough for Cal's trained ears.
"We’ve been looking for people to exchange for mana crystals," she said, her violet eyes scanning the encampment's makeshift defenses. "Know anyone?"
Tobin stood firm, arms crossed over his chest. His red hair seemed to catch the firelight, giving him an almost otherworldly glow. "From what I know, the avians and cervidians are loaded. It seems like they buying everyone out. Sounds like they found themselves a nice treasure."
Cal could see the greed in his eyes. Cal leaned in closer from his vantage point, the stone beneath him cool and unyielding. His blue eyes darted between them, absorbing every inflection.
"So they aren’t willing to part with them, huh?" Elena pressed, one hand absently fingering the bow at her side.
"You got that right." Tobin's grin was sharp, confident. “Plenty of interesting system treasures to go around though, check it out."
Elena's lips twitched. “There are always interesting system treasures at these kinds of gatherings. This gathering is on the smaller side - do you know what happened to the others?”
“The ladder still shows most people, so I’m guessing they managed to push through the entrapment. Hell, we could probably force our way through now, too, with our numbers. We found everyone here along the way after we were already down here. We can relax and breeze our way through until this trial’s over, though, so no rush.”
Aromatic steam rose from below and long tables appeared out in the open amphitheater. Tobin let out a happy sound, “Ahhhh, this is the life. The conquest trial was worth it for this. You guys find anything you want to trade?”
Cal remembered the rewards that still hung in the balance for Temp. “Shit, how could I forget, let’s take a look at the rewards.”
“Indeed Cal. Perhaps it will be good to check them while on watch tomorrow when there are less eyes watching us.”
Elena thought carefully before pulling out her scuba gear, “how about this? Never know when it could come in handy.”
Cal could see Tobin think, but then a smile rose on his face, “sure let’s hear what you want… besides mana crystals. Let’s head over to grab some food. We can walk and talk.”
Elena nodded at Cal, “I’ll meet you down there.”
“I’ll look for the avians.”
Cal continued onwards in search of the avians before they apparently fell asleep. The scent of roasting meat and exotic spices wafted through the cool air, so he guessed where they would be.