Chapter 260: The Fae & Flower Part 1

The carriage driver commanded his centaurs to halt at the forest’s tree line and no closer. He quickly hopped off the driver’s seat and pulled the carriage door wide open. Stryg jumped out, Nameless in hand. He glanced at his surroundings searching for any enemies, but the area was empty. In the far-off horizon, he spotted a small white speck, another carriage filled with his competitors no doubt.

“It’s clear,” Stryg called out.

“We know that, we haven’t even entered the forest,” Freya complained as she walked out of the carriage.

“The 1st Challenge started the moment we left the arena, as far as I’m concerned there could be threats all around us,” Stryg stared at the tree line with narrowed eyes.

“Fair enough,” Freya conceded and looked down at the black steel lantern in her hands.

Callum stepped out of the carriage and offered his hand to Sylvie. She ignored him and walked out by herself.

“So what now?” Sylvie asked the carriage driver.

The old drow bowed his head, “My job was only to drive you to the edge of Glimmer Grove, just like the other three drivers and their teams. The rest of the journey is left to the four of you.”

“Does that include the return to Undergrowth after we retrieve the flower?” Callum asked. “Like, are you returning to pick us up, or are we walking?”

“As I said, the rest of the journey is up to you,” the driver hopped back on the carriage and snapped his reins.

The centaurs didn’t wait for another command, they galloped back to the city, leaving the four young mages behind.

“So that’d be walking I guess,” Callum sighed.

“Look at the bright side, Professor Tauri’s relentless training regimens are finally gonna pay off,” Freya smirked.

“Wonderful,” Callum muttered.

“What are we just standing around for?” Stryg frowned. “The other teams have probably already set out.”

“Stryg’s right, we should move,” Sylvie said. “The Undergrowth team has an overwhelming advantage in this challenge. They know the terrain far better than any of us.”

“We’ll have to tread carefully, we don’t know what creatures lurk out there,” Stryg said cautiously.

“It can’t be that bad, we didn’t see anything dangerous on our way to Undergrowth,” Freya said.

“We had hunters guiding us back then,” Stryg said. “Never take a forest lightly. We have to move as a team, it’s the safest and most efficient option. A lone goblin gets picked off by the wolf packs, but a group of goblins can slay a dire bear.”

“I agree with Stryg, we can’t be too cautious,” Callum nodded.

“We’re not goblins, but I think I get the idea,” Freya said wryly. She gingerly lifted the black lantern and stared at the small pink creature inside. “Looks like you’re up. Lead us to the Silverbright flowers.”

The fairy yelled some inaudible words and turned her back to Freya.

“Huh? That’s not how this is supposed to work,” Freya frowned. “...Is it?”

“She seems angry,” Callum noted.

The fairy yelled once more, but the lantern blocked off any noise from within. She yelled again and again, her tiny face growing purple with anger.

“Anyone have any ideas?” Freya asked.

“I’ve never even seen a fairy before today,” Callum said. “There’s gotta be some sort of mistake with this one, right? I thought they’d be more cooperative?”

Stryg growled at the lantern and bared his teeth, “If you don’t show us to the damn Silverbright flowers I’ll fucking eat you!”

The fairy trembled with terror and curled into a fetal position, her face hidden underneath her pale wings.

“Great, you scared it, nice job,” Freya groaned.

“Do you have any better ideas?” Stryg hissed.

“Maybe not scare our guide to death for starters!” Freya yelled.

“Guys, quiet,” Sylvie whispered. She crouched down next to the lantern, “All our little friend needs is a bit of compassion.”

The fairy hesitantly pulled her wings back and looked at Sylvie with wide eyes.

“Hi, my name’s Sylvie,” she smiled. “Nice to meet you.” She reached out and gently placed her hand over the lantern’s glass.

A large crack stretched across the glass at her touch. The fairy looked up in surprise.

“Dammit, don’t break it!” Stryg snapped.

Sylvie jumped back in surprise, “T-that wasn’t me, I swear! I barely touched it!”

A second crack appeared over the glass, then a third.

“Uh, guys, what do I do?” Freya said nervously as she held the lantern.

Callum slowly raised his hands, “Don’t mov-”

The glass shattered into a thousand small slivers. The fairy darted out from the lantern and into the forest in the blink of an eye.

“We can’t let the fairy escape!” Callum shouted.

But Stryg had already dashed into the forest before Callum had finished.

“Ah, shit!” Freya tossed aside the broken lantern and channeled orange mana through her heart. The agility spell took over her body and dyed her veins grey. She slung her hammer on her back and ran after Stryg.

“What about sticking together in a forest of potentially dangerous creatures!” Sylvie called out.

“Try to keep up and stay close!” Freya yelled back.

“Meh, works for me,” Sylvie shrugged and ran into the forest.

“W-wait! Wait for me!” Callum shouted.

~~~

Callum could hear his heartbeat thumping loudly in his ears as he sprinted through the forest’s trees. He tried to keep an eye out for the fairy, but he kept tripping over roots concealed in the underbrush. After several bruises and scratches, he kept his eyes focused in front of him.

“Sylvie? Freya? Stryg? Anyone…?” Callum called out with a hesitant voice, afraid of attracting unwanted predators.

The sounds of birds cawing in the distance were his only reply.

Callum shook his head and kept running. He could feel the sweat running down his brow and back, but he couldn’t stop. Not in an unknown forest and definitely not when his team was counting on him. He swallowed what little spit was left in his dry mouth and tried his best to keep his tired legs moving.

“I’m running through the forest, alone. All alone. No big deal,” he laughed nervously. “My teammates left me behind, but it’s fine. It’s not like we spent months training as a team, trying our hardest to improve our teamwork. But sure, let’s throw that all out the window the moment our Challenge begins. No big fucking deal!”

A large figure jumped out from behind a tree. Callum screamed and jumped back. He quickly reached for his sword and pulled it out from its sheath.

“Stay back, you foul beast!” Callum yelled.

“Foul beast?” Sylvie frowned.

“S-Sylvie? I thought you were a-”

“Just shut up. I came back for your dumbass and this is the thanks I get?” Sylvie shook her head.

“You came back for me?” Callum couldn’t help but smile.

“Stryg and Freya are using agility magic to track down the fairy. You’re too slow to keep up with us, which means you’re only a liability right now.”

“But you’re not an orange mage, you can’t cast agility magic either.”

“Yeah, but I’m much faster than you, now come on,” Sylvie walked towards him.

“H-hey, what are you doing?” Callum stuttered. “W-wait, u-unhand me!”

Sylvie ignored his words and picked him up in her arms. “Now let’s go, our team needs us.”

“Can’t you carry me on your back at least?” he mumbled.

“Do you want to get cut by my ax as I’m sprinting through rough terrain?” As if to prove her point Sylvie leaped a dozen feet across several bushes.

Callum stared warily at the giant ax dangling across her back, “...Fair point.”

~~~

After half an hour Sylvie and Callum came across Freya standing between a pair of trees.

Sylvie slowed to a halt and nodded, “Captain. I brought back our team’s support.”

“Thanks for bringing back our princess,” Freya smirked.

“Shut up,” Callum jumped out of Sylvie’s arms and straightened his clothes. He kept his head low and did his best to hide his embarrassment.

“What are we doing here?” Sylvie looked around. “Did we find the fairy?”

“Uh-uh, but Stryg says he found some kind of lead, whatever that means,” Freya pointed up.

Stryg hung upside down on all fours from the bark of a tall tree. His boots were gone and his claws protruded from his socks.

“...What am I looking at?” Sylvie asked.

“I don’t even know,” Freya admitted.

“I finally caught the scent of the fairy, she’s not far,” Stryg said with closed eyes.

“Wait, that’s what you’re doing? You caught her scent? Are you a bloodhound?” Freya asked incredulously.

“In the sense that I’ll bite you if you don’t shut up and let me focus? Then yes,” Stryg said.

“Sooo, we’re just gonna rely on his sense of smell instead of searching for the only chance we have of passing this challenge? Am I getting that right?” Sylvie said skeptically.

“Stryg has some sort of mutation that enhances his hearing and smell to a disturbing degree,” Callum said. “Trust him, if he caught the fairy’s scent he’ll find her.”

“...Wait,” Stryg’s ear twitched. His eyes snapped open. “Something’s coming, get back!”

Callum immediately began writing red sigils in the air around them.

“Huh? What are you saying?” Freya glanced around. “There’s nothing here.”

The canopy’s branches suddenly snapped and broke apart. An enormous green serpentine head darted out from above and snapped down at Freya. A red dome of wards surged up around the dwarf and the dagger-long fangs.

Freya screamed and fell back in shock.

The giant snake’s jaw opened wide and wrapped around the red dome, its fangs stabbing down the magical shield. Callum groaned with strain as the dome began to crack.

Stryg drew Nameless and vaulted off the tree. He landed on the snake’s back and stabbed Nameless into its green splotched scales over and over. The snake hissed and pulled its mouth back. It shook its body back and forth with rapid jerky motions.

Stryg yelled in anger as his body was flung away. He grunted in pain as his body smashed into a nearby tree and tumbled to the grass.

The giant snake pulled away and slithered up back to the rest of its body hiding in the thick canopy.

“Don’t you dare run, bastard!” Sylvie screamed. Her hands were dug into the ground, green mana flowing into the roots of the trees all around.

The canopy shook abruptly, dozens of branches wrapped around the giant snake and yanked it back down. Its entire body slammed to the ground with a resounding crash. The snake shook its head and rose to its full height, its body spanned 7ft wide and over 100 ft long. The giant snake’s jaws opened wide, blue venom dripping from dozens of long fangs.

“...What the fuuuuuck!” Sylvie yelled in a deep groan.

A bolt of orange fire splashed into the snake’s eye. It jerked back with an angry hiss and turned to its attacker, an angry blonde dwarf.

Freya pulled her hands back and began channeling another flame bolt, but she was too slow. The snake snapped its jaws at her. A roaring torrent of flame slammed into the snake’s head. It screeched and tried to retreat but the torrent followed it, the searing flames burning across its face. Stryg channeled orange mana through his palms in a steady flow of powerful flames. The snake jerked from side to side, but Stryg kept his spell directly across its serpentine face, burning its scales.

Freya nodded her thanks to Stryg and flung a flame bolt at the snake’s wounded back.

“Now, Sylvie!” Stryg yelled out with a grim steady voice.

“On it!” Sylvie rushed the giant snake and channeled brown mana into her body.

A bronze sheen covered her brown skin as the vigor magic strengthened her muscles to a staggering degree. Sylvie pulled out her ax, gripped it tightly with both hands, and chopped down at the snake’s wounded back. With one clean swipe, she buried her ax deep into the snake’s body, cleaving right through its spine.

The giant snake shuddered to a halt and collapsed, dead.

Stryg quickly rushed the beast and stabbed its head several times with Nameless.

“...You can stop now, I think you got it,” Callum said dryly.

“Don’t ever take chances with creatures you don’t understand,” Stryg said and kept stabbing at the giant snake’s head.

“What exactly is this thing?” Sylvie said, disgust dripping from her voice.

“A viperidae,” Freya said grimly.