Pride stalked the two ungraceful apes from above, directing just a trickle from her vast reserves of mana to empower the runic formations beneath her feet. The act, which had once required her full attention to control, was now maintained by the slightest shred of her awareness. Being paired with her own two-legged ape had been much less dreadful than she had first anticipated. He could still only speak in his guttural uncivilized tongue and was more of a newborn to this world than the deplorable fledgling, but she deigned to admit that she had grown in his company.

She let herself drift gently down behind a bush for cover. The feeling of grass touching her paws irked her, but it couldn’t be helped as she quickly withdrew her mana in preparation for yet another scan to wash over her. As soon as it had passed, she leapt back into the air, not wanting to spend a moment more than necessary standing in the grass lest she sink through to the mud beneath and tarnish her pristine white fur. She felt the attention of the smaller human’s scan shift to his surroundings as he continued to survey the direction they were heading in, even as the bald one struck him for slowing.

The altercation confused her as did most every interaction when it came to this species. Her senses told her the hairless human was far weaker than the shorter one, yet the smaller one was being scolded and kicked around like an unwanted runt. She was fairly confident that if it came down to it, she could take the hairless one in a fight, assuming she still held the element of surprise, but the shorter one made her nervous. Of course, if her elder or the demon ape in white were here, they would easily squash either of these annoying pests.

She continued to stalk them. The natural stealth of her kind mixed with her budding premonition ability allowed her to predict exactly when and where she needed to hide in order to escape notice. Still, she could do nothing for the two members of her newfound herd. They blundered through the thick vegetation with about as much inelegance and grace as she had expected from them. Even staying at the farthest range their communication allowed, she was still certain the short ape had noticed their presence, although he had yet to alert the other.

The humidity in the atmosphere grew thick as they approached the hovering green light beside the waterfall, and she was faced with her greatest dilemma yet. The light from her runes would be too visible as they refracted off the cursed moisture in the air. If she didn’t want to risk detection, she had no choice but to land on the sodden mud-soaked ground, where the increase in ambient water had rendered the grass’s protection from the unsightly substance moot.

She lowered herself until she hovered just above the horrid sticky mud, already imagining the disgusting feeling of it clinging to her paws and fur. Maybe she could get away with just keeping herself afloat here?

Impertinent feelings of agitation sifted through her connection as her own ape urged her to hurry in pursuit. Don’t rush me! she snapped back, knowing that her words were wasted on his undeveloped mind. It was dreadful and unbecoming, but she knew it had to be done as she released the mana keeping her safe. A soft whimper escaped her mouth as her paws sank almost a whole half-inch into the sticky and squishy substance, staining her beautiful white fur the color of feces. Having to resist the urge to shake it off her paws with every step forward, she glumly chased their prey.

The remaining distance to cover was blessedly short but wholly miserable. The thick mist drenched her fur as she trudged along, unable to even erect a gravity field to keep the moisture away from her, lest the magic be detected. She was so caught up in her own misery that she didn’t even notice where the pursuit had taken her. It wasn’t until the rainbows shimmering in the air as sunlight danced upon the mist shifted to a deep ruby red, that she finally realized where she was.

The fur on her back stood on end as her instincts screamed she was nearing a foe that even her elder could not best. The primitive fear coiling inside her caused her to freeze in her tracks. Ahead of her drifted the sound of new voices, other intruders whose strength she needed to gauge, but to do so would require her getting dangerously close to that.

The green light they had been following winked out overhead and she knew that if she turned away now, the ball of yellow feathers would never let her live down her own cowardice. Against every instinct in her body, she walked forward a few more steps, determined to ensure the way was clear for the others’ approach.

Tense but still retaining enough wits to ensure she wasn’t seen, she circled, giving a wide berth from where she heard the voices, until she found enough foliage to offer adequate cover. Hunched low to the ground, she crept along the mud, taking just as much care to not let her soft underbelly touch the ground as she did in sensing her position was free from foreign magic. Once she determined it was safe, she peeked her head through the undergrowth.

The ground sloped down slightly into a large clearing. A group of apes stood over a hundred yards away vehemently discussing and pointing at a large vine lying between them. In the eyes of the apes, the appendage must’ve appeared motionless, but her eyes missed nothing. She could see in perfect clarity the minuscule movements the vine made as it crept closer to the warm flesh of its surrounding prey, attracted by their body heat. It wasn’t a deliberate movement by the demonic tree and based on the sluggish way the mana flowed inside the vine, the horror was mercifully deep in its slumber.

“Please, master, I’m begging you! Send me in but keep my sister out of it!” said a tatteredly dressed ape with a green metal collar around his neck. He had fallen to his knees behind the vine and appeared to be appealing to the only non-collared monkey of the whole group. “I’ll retrieve the flower for you so there’s no reason to put us both in danger!”

The ‘master’ was a female who possessed many of the features that so often flitted through Leo’s thoughts, having the slender form that he dreamt of for his future mate. This was Pride’s first time seeing a female human, and although she possessed enough elegance and grace as to not be considered an outright ape, she was still far below Pride’s acceptable standards.

“Oh, Brier…” the woman whispered gently as she knelt next to the one who had spoken, her smooth voice flowing almost too quietly to be picked up. “If I felt one dendromancer would have been enough, then I wouldn’t have purchased a second.” She hooked a finger underneath the male’s collar and brought him in closer with the sensuality of a lover.

“If you manage to pluck me a Radiant Heart, I may just consider letting the two of you go free, but if you come back in failure-” She shoved the male down hard against the ground, lips twisting in a feral smile while her voice took on an angry tone. “-I’ll force you to peel the flesh off her before feeding the both of you to that horror!”

The male’s face took on an expression of fear before contorting to rage, when a second female, this one sporting a green collar similar to the one kneeling, placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” she said hurriedly, interrupting whatever foolish words the male was about to speak.

The other onlookers, the two apes Pride had followed here plus another large muscular male with brutish features, let the scene play out without a word. Their faces watched silently as their comrades headed toward the nearest vine.

Pride slunk back into the underbrush; it was time to report her findings.

* * *

The clearing had gone through dramatic changes in just the short time Leo took to reach Pride’s location undetected. Large vines had surfaced from the depths of the earth, erupting from the ground like a twisting viper and tangling into each other high in the air to form an archway that led directly into the inner thicket unobstructed. Within the entwined mass stood the two green-collared humans Pride had found, their hands outstretched and emitting a soft green glow as they worked in harmony to coax one vine at a time into the elegant yet deadly pathway.

He deactivated Camouflage, which he had used in the last ten yards to help conceal his approach. The whole plan hinged on keeping the intruders off-balance and wary in their initial engagement, and if they spotted him first, they might’ve attacked.

Leo took a shuddering breath, trying to emit a façade of confidence he didn’t feel. This is going to work, he told himself as he broke through the clearing with a swagger, heading toward where the four other intruders were grouped and watching their comrades progress. He had made it two steps into the mud-slick opening when the tall, muscular man swiveled around and unstrapped a gigantic war hammer from across his back.

True to his name, the behemoth charged without a word of greeting or mockery, his thundering stomps all that was needed to draw the attention of the rest of his party. The rest of the intruders readied their weapons on sight of him. The woman drew two black daggers and flames shot up the pyromancer’s arms. Roy raised his fist, albeit with a moment of hesitation.

Leo had the uncomfortable feeling of his own body being scanned several times over, his information prompting a mixed reaction. The woman laughed out loud and let her two daggers fall slack to her sides, Malnor gave a snort of derision and let his fire extinguish, while Mute scowled but didn’t lessen his pace. “Smear ‘em good, Mute!” called the bald pyromancer with an all too casual sounding familiarity.

Stay confident, stay confident, he repeated to himself as the hulking man barreled forward at the speed of a freight train. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” Leo called out, but his warning only served to hasten the charging man.

The large distance between them lessened at a terrifying pace. In a blink of an eye, the shadow from the war hammer fell across Leo’s face as its metallic form blotted out the afternoon sun. He saw his own death in the empty soulless eyes before him, and it took all his training and self-control to not cry out and flinch from the impending demise of the downward swing.

As fast as the man was, the lightning that struck was faster. Several large bolts the size of full-grown pines struck the short gap between the two of them with pinpoint accuracy, blowing up the ground at their feet in a shower of mud. Immediately Mute pulled his swing and leapt back from the explosions to create some distance from the unexpected attack.

“Consider that your final warning,” Leo said, folding his hands across his chest in the midst of the dust settling around him. Despite his calm words, this confrontation had been far too close. If it hadn’t been for Sparky’s timely intervention, he would’ve been crushed to a pulp. Still, he had to stay confident if he wanted their plan to work.

“It seems this bold young man has a few friends,” came a silky voice as the long-raven-haired woman stepped forward. “How many do you have hiding back there, darling? Can’t be more than four.” She tapped a dagger absently against the side of her cheek while continuing a slow strutting approach. “I don’t remember another adventuring party taking up this contract and you are, no offense, far too weak for this request. Do you live here by any chance? I had heard these lands were abandoned.”

Conversing was exactly what he needed to buy time, but the confidence the woman showed as she made her way over was perturbing. “There’s more than enough of us to deal with a paltry group of trespassers like you,” he retorted to the nonchalant woman. “So, I suggest you take your fine ass back to where it came from if you don’t want it buried in the ground.”

She let out a long sultry laugh at his words. “My, you are bold,” she said with a slight tilt to her full lips. “And just what do five classless nobodies hope to accomplish against me, hmm? Did you even bother to look at who you’re dealing with?” She opened her mouth to reveal pearly white teeth that were filed down into points, creating a stark contrast between her beauty and terrifying smile. The sight was so unnerving, he actually took a step back before he could stop himself.

Leo couldn’t help but panic at seeing her sheet. Zeld hadn’t yet gotten around to explaining how classes worked. His lack of knowledge on the matter coupled with Zyla’s cocky attitude was enough to send alarm bells ringing in his head.

Zyla’s smile grew all the wider at the uncertainty that spilled out onto his face. “I’ll show you and your friends the difference between someone chosen by the heavens and a nobody-”

“Ahkk!” A gut-wrenching cry interrupted her ominous monologue as everyone on the field swiveled around to look at Malnor, who in turn was staring dumbly down at the large blade-shaped horn protruding from his abdomen.

One down, two to go.