The forest’s pulse quickened as Maelor led them forward, each step bringing them closer to the artifact. The strange, twisting energy that radiated from it seemed to tangle with the natural magic of the land, creating an oppressive atmosphere. It felt like the air itself was charged with tension, ready to snap.

  They moved in silence, their movements disciplined, and the only sound was the faint rustle of leaves beneath their boots. Maelor’s sharp gaze never wavered, scanning the area ahead with the precision of a battle-hardened leader.

  Suddenly, the low growl of a creature echoed through the trees. Taron stiffened, his senses flaring. He shot a glance at Maelor, who gave him a subtle nod in acknowledgment.

  "We’re not alone," Taron whispered, his voice barely audible.

  A sudden movement in the underbrush sent everyone into high alert. Then, with a deafening roar, a massive beast leaped out from the shadows—a hulking, four-legged creature with crystalline horns that shimmered in the faint light. Its eyes glowed with a sickly green hue, and its jagged fangs dripped with venomous saliva.

  "Furybeast," Maelor growled. "Stay sharp, everyone. These things don’t come alone."

  No sooner had he spoken than two more Furybeasts emerged from the treeline, their twisted forms snarling as they encircled the team.

  Taron’s eyes narrowed as he gripped his weapon, his elemental powers surging just beneath the surface. "Looks like they didn’t get the memo about staying quiet," he muttered, earning a brief smirk from Aria.

  "They never do," Aria quipped, her hands already summoning a faint breeze that began swirling around her fingers.

  Maelor stepped forward, his voice as sharp as ever. “Riven, do not kill the beasts.”

  Riven, already mid-air, froze, eyes wide in shock. “What?!” he shouted, looking almost offended. Before anyone could react, a screech echoed through the trees as one of the Furybeasts collapsed, a bloody stake protruding from its chest.

  “What the—?” Riven gaped, still suspended mid-leap.

  “Seriously?” Zephyr muttered, giving Ignis a sideways glance. “Can he ever just not break something?”

  Ignis shrugged, barely suppressing a laugh. “To be fair, that stake was pretty artistic.”

  “Oh, definitely,” Zephyr grinned. “A real masterpiece of blood-splattered impalement.”

  Riven landed ungracefully, throwing his hands up in disbelief. “I didn’t even do it this time!”

  “Sure you didn’t,” Zephyr teased, nudging Ignis. “Next you’ll say it was artistic fate.”

  Ignis nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe the beast was just… destined to be dramatically impaled?”

  Meanwhile, Aria and Taron stood completely still, eyes locked on Maelor, trying—and failing—not to laugh. Aria leaned toward Taron, whispering, “Is it just me, or does Riven somehow manage to mess things up even when he’s not involved?”

  Taron smirked, shaking his head. “At this point, I’m pretty sure chaos just follows him.”

  “And yet, here we are,” Aria sighed, watching as Riven continued to argue with Zephyr about artistic stakes.

  “You think Maelor’s regretting that no-kill order?” Taron asked, keeping a straight face despite the absurdity of the situation.

  Aria chuckled softly. “Definitely. Look at him. He’s rethinking everything.”

  Maelor’s gaze darkened, but his hands moved with practiced ease, summoning thick roots from the ground. The roots coiled around the remaining Furybeasts, binding them to a nearby tree with such force that the creatures snarled in futile protest. The scene would have been tense, if not for the chaos unfolding nearby.

  He turned slowly, eyes locking onto Riven, who was still ranting about the impaled beast.

  "Care to explain how ‘not killing’ translated to ‘blood-soaked impalement,’ Riven?" Maelor’s voice was sharp, with just a hint of exasperation.

  Riven crossed his arms, clearly offended. "Hey! First of all, I didn’t even touch the thing! Second, maybe if you'd given clearer instructions, none of this would've happened."

  Maelor raised an eyebrow. "‘Don’t kill the beasts’ wasn’t clear enough for you? Should I have written it down? Maybe in crayon?"

  Zephyr snickered from the side, and Ignis muttered, "Crayon might actually help him."

  Riven threw a dramatic hand in the air. "Oh, very funny. I don’t need a babysitter! The stakes—literal stakes—just happened on their own. It’s not like I have a direct line to, I don’t know, impalement magic."

  "Good to know," Maelor replied dryly, tugging the roots tighter around the remaining Furybeasts, who were now howling in protest. "Because if you did have impalement magic, I’d have to confiscate it immediately. We don’t need any more artistic chaos in this mission."

  Riven rolled his eyes. "You're so dramatic. I saved us time, technically. One less beast, problem solved!"

  Maelor sighed heavily, rubbing his temple like a father who had been through this too many times. "Riven, the idea was to keep them alive so we could protect them until we disassemble the artifact, not turn them into meat sculptures."

  Riven blinked, still looking genuinely confused. "Since when do we babysit giant venomous beasts?"

  "Since now," Maelor shot back. "Is that going to be a problem for you?"

  Riven smirked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Well, if I’d known, I would’ve brought a playpen for the beasts. My mistake, really."

  “Glad to see you're finally understanding your mistake,” Maelor deadpanned, eyes narrowing. “Next time, try following orders without improvising a horror show.”

  Riven looked ready to retort when Zephyr interrupted, barely containing his laughter. “Come on, Riven, you know Maelor only gets mad at you because you’re his favorite. The rebel son he never asked for.”

  Maelor’s eyes flicked to Zephyr with mock disbelief. “Favorite? If this is what ‘favorite’ feels like, I’d hate to see what ‘disaster’ looks like.”

  “Oh, I think we all know what disaster looks like,” Ignis chimed in, grinning as he gestured toward the still-bleeding Furybeast with the stake in its chest. “It’s kind of… right there.”

  Riven threw his hands up. “One little stake, and suddenly I’m the bad guy!”

  Maelor sighed, letting the roots relax slightly as the last of the Furybeasts struggled. “No, Riven, not the bad guy. Just… the guy who can’t seem to follow a simple order without adding flair.”

  Taron and Aria, still watching from the sidelines, exchanged glances. Taron shook his head, amused. “So, how many bets do you think are riding on how long Riven survives this mission without turning Maelor gray?”

  Aria smirked. “All of them.”

  As the team regrouped, the tension in the air shifted once again. The eerie quiet that had followed the brief skirmish was shattered by another, much louder growl. This time, the ground beneath them trembled. From deep within the forest, a new set of eyes glowed—a much larger set.

  "More company," Maelor said, his voice steady but laced with urgency. "Stay sharp. These ones are bigger."

  "I thought we already dealt with the welcoming committee," Ignis muttered, his fiery hair flickering with renewed energy as he cracked his knuckles. “Guess they weren’t impressed.”

  Zephyr shot him a quick look, half-amused. "You’d think after the whole blood-soaked impalement situation, word would’ve spread."

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

  "Clearly, they're slow learners," Riven added, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for another round. "Guess I’ll just have to teach them again."

  Before anyone could reply, the forest parted, and massive creatures—easily twice the size of the Furybeasts—emerged. Their hulking forms were covered in iridescent scales that shimmered like molten metal, reflecting the dim light in waves. Their eyes glowed a deep, unnatural violet, and from their mouths dripped an acidic ichor that hissed when it touched the ground, leaving small craters in its wake.

  Maelor’s eyes narrowed. "Drakespawn. Keep your distance. Their venom burns through anything it touches."

  Aria stepped forward, summoning the winds around her, her face set in determination. "We’ve got this. We just need to keep them at bay until we reach the artifact."

  "Any plan that doesn’t involve babysitting these things is good with me," Riven grumbled, though he was already moving into position, ready to strike.

  The first Drakespawn let out a roar that shook the trees, then lunged at Zephyr with lightning speed. Zephyr reacted quickly, summoning a powerful gust of wind that knocked the beast off course, sending it crashing into the side of a nearby tree. But the creature recovered quickly, its eyes locking onto Zephyr with renewed fury.

  "I could use a little help here!" Zephyr called out, barely dodging the creature's snapping jaws.

  “On it!” Ignis replied, his eyes flickering with fiery intensity. Flames ignited in his palms, and with a swift motion, he unleashed a roaring inferno towards the new wave of beasts emerging from the treeline.

  The creatures were larger, their crystalline horns even more jagged and twisted, and their bodies pulsed with unnatural energy. They snarled and charged forward, unaffected by the burning trees around them as they barreled toward the group.

  Maelor's voice cut through the chaos like a sharpened blade. "Form up! We hold them here!" His control over the earth was absolute as thick roots erupted from the ground, ensnaring the legs of the first beast, pulling it down with a thundering crash.

  Zephyr darted around the battlefield with swift, calculated movements, using the winds to propel himself and slash at the creatures with blades of razor-sharp air. "They’re getting faster!" he shouted, sending a powerful gust toward a nearby beast, forcing it back.

  Riven, still fuming from the earlier incident, didn’t hesitate this time. With a flick of his wrist, he drew upon his blood magic, weaving crimson tendrils that lashed out toward one of the beasts, wrapping tightly around its neck and choking its movements. "You want me to babysit these things?" he muttered sarcastically. "Fine. Let’s give them a nap."

  Aria moved swiftly, her fingers tracing intricate patterns in the air as shimmering shields of energy formed around her teammates, deflecting the creatures’ venomous attacks. "Stay inside the shield, I’ve got you covered!"

  Taron’s gaze locked onto a particularly large beast, one that seemed to be charging straight at Maelor. With a deep breath, Taron summoned the wind, swirling it around his body before directing it into the earth beneath the creature’s feet. The ground cracked, sending shockwaves through the earth, destabilizing the beast’s charge.

  "Nice one!" Ignis grinned, sending another burst of fire toward the now-staggering creature. The flames danced across its body, but the beast roared in defiance, shaking off the flames like they were nothing more than an inconvenience.

  "I don’t think they like fire as much as you do, Ignis," Zephyr quipped, launching a burst of wind at another beast, driving it back into the trees.

  As the creature stumbled, Taron quickly followed up by placing his hand on the ground, channeling the power of the earth. Massive slabs of rock shot up from beneath, trapping the beast in place and holding it down.

  "Don't waste your energy! Maelor called out. “We’ll bring them down one by one. Focus on the big one first!" He thrust his hand forward, and the earth answered his call as massive roots tore through the ground, wrapping around the legs of the largest beast. With a powerful tug, the roots pulled the creature down, but it thrashed wildly, snapping the thick roots like they were twine.

  "We’re losing control of this," Riven muttered, his eyes narrowing. "These things don’t just have magic, something’s fueling them."

  Maelor’s jaw tightened as he looked at the artifact in the distance, its eerie glow pulsing stronger with every passing second. "The artifact is amplifying their strength. We need to sever the connection."

  "Sever the connection?" Ignis called back. "And how do you plan to do that while they're trying to rip our faces off?"

  Maelor’s voice remained calm but firm. "We divide their attention. Aria, Zephyr—get to the artifact. Disable it."

  Aria nodded, already moving. "Zephyr, with me."

  Zephyr gave a mock salute. "Yes ma’am."

  The two dashed through the trees, dodging the frenzied beasts, while the others stayed behind, holding the line.

  Taron unleashed another gust of wind, forcing back two more beasts that had tried to flank them. "We’re getting swarmed here!" he shouted, wiping sweat from his brow.

  Riven grinned darkly, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Then maybe it’s time I stopped playing nice." With a sharp motion, he summoned another wave of blood tendrils, this time digging deep into the earth and pulling up shards of stone and dirt, launching them at the oncoming beasts.

  Maelor’s roots continued to hold back the larger creatures, though the strain was evident on his face. "Hold the line! Give Aria and Zephyr time!"

  Ignis unleashed another wall of fire, surrounding the group in a protective barrier. "You heard him! Hold the line or get roasted!"

  The beasts howled and roared, charging relentlessly, but Maelor’s roots, Ignis’s fire, and Taron’s wind worked in perfect harmony to push them back, even if just barely.

  a gleaming, crystalline sphere encased in intricate silver filigree, its surface shimmering with soft, shifting hues of blue and black, radiating a quiet but undeniable power.

  "This better work," Aria muttered, eyes fixed on the glowing object.

  Zephyr smirked. "When do we ever have a plan that works on the first try?"

  "Shut up and move faster," she shot back, pushing forward.

  As they neared the artifact, a final wave of beasts crashed through the treeline. Aria spun on her heel, summoning a powerful gust of wind to throw them off course while Zephyr leapt forward, his eyes locked on the artifact. With one swift motion, he plunged his hands into the magic-infused device, sending a surge of wind energy through its core.

  For a moment, everything stopped.

  The air grew still, and the creatures froze in place, their snarling faces suddenly going slack.

  But the quiet was brief.

  The artifact pulsed violently, its glow intensifying. A wave of magic exploded outward, sending Zephyr and Aria flying back.

  Zephyr hit the ground with a grunt, rolling to a stop beside Aria. "Well…that didn’t go as planned."

  Aria groaned, pushing herself up onto her elbows. "No kidding."

  Back in the clearing, Maelor’s eyes widened as the beasts, momentarily stunned, began to stir again—this time angrier and more ferocious than ever. "Brace yourselves!" he called out. "They’re not done yet!"

  Zephyr and Aria stood at the base of the artifact, the strange, twisting energy pulsing violently from its core. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on them, every beat of the artifact sending ripples of tension through the air. Aria could feel the chaotic magic intertwining with the land’s natural forces, the balance teetering on the edge of collapse.

  “Ready?” Zephyr asked, his voice steady but urgent, his hand hovering over the artifact’s surface.

  Aria nodded, taking a deep breath. Her fingers began tracing intricate patterns in the air, weaving her energy magic into the wild forces around the artifact. Wisps of shimmering light coiled around her hands as she focused, struggling to calm the storm of power radiating from the ancient device.

  Zephyr placed both hands on the artifact, channeling his own control over the winds to help stabilize the volatile magic. The air around them shimmered with the clash of energies as Zephyr tried to create a buffer between the artifact and the surrounding environment.

  “Hold it steady, Zeph,” Aria muttered through clenched teeth, sweat beading on her forehead as she fought to push back the artifact’s influence. Her power connected with the artifact’s energy, but it resisted, like trying to hold back a tide with her bare hands.

  Zephyr’s jaw tightened, his hands glowing faintly as he gripped the artifact tighter. “Trying! It’s fighting back!”

  The artifact’s energy surged violently, causing the ground to tremble. The Drakespawns in the distance snarled in response, but there was a shift. Their aggression seemed to wane, their attacks becoming sluggish, hesitant.

  “It’s working!” Maelor’s voice rang out from the treeline, his command cutting through the chaos. “Do it, Aria! Finish it!”

  Aria’s fingers trembled as she struggled to maintain control. She could feel the artifact’s power bending to her will, but only just. The energy crackled and bucked under her command, half-tamed but still unpredictable. The strain was immense, and her vision blurred as she fought to bring it fully under control.

  Zephyr glanced at her, concern flickering in his eyes. “We’re halfway there! Just a bit more!”

  Meanwhile, across the field, Taron had been keeping the beasts at bay with his mastery over earth and wind. But as Aria’s influence began to calm them, a new Furybeast, larger and more ferocious, appeared out of nowhere, charging straight toward Taron with terrifying speed. Its eyes still glowed with malice, though its movements had slowed. With a deafening screech, it charged.

  “Taron, watch out!” Ignis shouted from the distance, but the beast was already too close.

  Taron didn’t have time to think. He slammed his hand onto the ground, sending a shockwave through the earth, but the beast kept coming. Its sluggishness didn’t dull its strength. With no other option, Taron bolted, weaving between trees as the Furybeast pursued him relentlessly. Each strike from the creature shook the ground beneath his feet, forcing him further away from the others.

  He tried to fight it off with blasts of wind, but the creature was too persistent. The chase pulled him deeper into the forest, isolating him from the rest of the team. With every passing second, Taron found himself more and more cut off, the screeches of the Furybeast echoing in his ears as he struggled to stay ahead of its deadly fangs.

  Aria gritted her teeth, her energy flaring as she made one final push. The artifact trembled, and the Furybeasts let out pained howls. They staggered, their aggression diminishing further but not entirely gone. They still snapped at the team, but their attacks were less vicious, as if caught between submission and rage.

  “It’s not enough!” Zephyr shouted, holding his hands firm against the artifact. “They’re still attacking!”

  Aria’s vision blurred from the strain, but she knew she couldn’t stop now. Her magic faltered for a moment, then steadied as she summoned every last bit of her strength.

  “Aria, now!” Maelor’s voice was sharp, demanding action as the battle around them raged on.

  Aria's hands moved with precision, her magic flowing in a steady pulse, but no matter how focused her control, the artifact refused to bend to her will. The energy it radiated crackled in defiance, slipping through her grasp like water through fingers. The beasts, though less frenzied, still circled, eyes gleaming with an unnatural fury. They hadn’t fully stopped, and the tension in the air was growing thicker with each second. Aria’s jaw tightened. Whatever time they had left, it was slipping away. They needed a solution. Fast.

  At the same moment, deep within the trees, Taron skidded to a halt, the Furybeast looming over him. Its venomous fangs dripped, inches from his face, as a low growl rumbled deep in its throat.