The party made camp in a secluded part of the Boundary Forest. It was quiet without the sound of roaming monsters, but the faint veil of red looming under the night sky was evidence that the peace was a lie. Fragments of the shattered moon was always an omen of death and violence, the only question was not when, but whether or not they would be caught unprepared.

Emery volunteered for the first watch. It was only natural. Being the one ascended marked one in the party, he was the only one among them with magics beyond just Spells. The art of magic was the study of mana and the manipulation of it. The volatile energy was a connection between the Codex and the world, and it was what allowed the System to overwrite reality and bend its rules.

There were three distinct magics in the world, and they were Spells, Runes, and True Magic. Skills were generally considered part of Spells, but they had enough distinctions from each other that they were classified differently. Spell potency was solely influenced by the MGI stat, but Skills could be influenced by the remaining five. Also, unlike Spells, which only require calling upon the runic pattern, Skills required specific physical actions before being unleashed. However, both operate under the same principle. Mana was used to construct their ancient runic pattern for the System to recognize and grant upon their mark.

Runes were the study of the Codex language, or rather, the replication of it. The language that governed the System had a rhyme and pattern no mortal could comprehend. Humanity could only pass on certain formations that resulted in certain effects. They were absolute. The art of runes laid in its construction. The language itself could not be invoked just by writing it out, they had to touch the System, to give it commands. Aside from the obsidian dipped scrolls, one other such thing was the ascendant classes. The specialization of a mark gave the marked one limited and specific means to touch the System with runes. Nonetheless, they were able to use runes. How well a marked one was able to stabilize the mana into the scroll, was the mark of their skill.

True Magic was a mystery, an art only known to the men and woman who walked alongside the One Deity and the One Hero. They were able to conceptualize reality and draw power from it. The inquisitor bounded field of pain was one such magic. However, knowledge of True Magic was lost and could only be glimpsed through ancient artifacts scattered in memories past.

Emery was skilled in runes and the Druid specialization focused on field control with traps and detection. When the party was tracking the fiend earlier the day, he already demonstrated his technique and experience by carefully guiding them through the forest and preventing monster attack with well-laid traps. It was, of course, a wise decision to let him take the first watch so that he could set up a well-guarded camp.

They had little luck during their search, but Rana was not worried about the fiend. The fiend would come to them soon enough. The problem was Emery. She knew of his ulterior motives, but she currently had no means of stopping them.

“I finished setting up traps and Root Scouts,” Emery said as he entered the camp from the shadows. “Thankfully, even though they are dead, the ashen trees still somewhat qualifies as trees, else my runes won’t work. Alright, I’ve got the first watch, you two can go ahead and rest now.”

Rana gazed at the flickering flames. She had no need for rest, and she definitely did not want to give Emery more time to prepare his schemes. She wondered what to do next, but she did not need to answer the question.

In the distance, something was approaching at high speeds. It was a hostile intention flying closer. It was initially faint, but by the time the party was ready, it was already here. The fiend was here and two Crypt Poachers accompanied it.

The fiend hovered against the night sky and the shattered fragments of the moon glowed and announced their arrival. They had feminine and humanoid features, but they were distinctively bestial. The fiend spread their arms and talon, mana purged through their coat of ashen feathers tipped in back. Their wings waved like a cape under the torrent of magical energy. The antlers behind her slim skull sparked red and so did the eyes under their mask.

The fiend flapped their wings and feathers lashed out in red sparks towards Rana. Of course, the fiend would target her first. She deserved it. She unleashed Fool’s Fire in front of a wall of Ice Geyser’. The feathers exploded in a flash of red as the frolicking fire entangled the mana charged plumes, but the impact was shielded by ice.

“The fiend is targeting our weakest member,” cried Emery as he readied his Spells. He cast Heal Blossom on the warrior class and turned to address him. “Kent, engage the fiend and make sure they have their eyes set on you! Rana and I could handle the Crypt Poachers. Survive until then, just focus on getting your gauges up and then we will coordinate our attacks. Rana, I know you are capable of taking down the monsters, let us finish them soon so we could fight the fiend.”

Rana frowned. There was something off about the plan. It was true that their party composition was not balanced enough for a standard approach to combat, so dividing their duties to engage in different opponents and then regroup to fight the stronger one, was not an incomprehensible idea. However, to divide their already weak forces and thinking they could hold off a fiend without their full strength, was wishful thinking. There was also no telling how powerful the Crypt Poachers were, as summoned monsters varied in strength depending on the summoner. If the previous summons were urgently made but the ones before them now were not, they would be in quite a predicament.

If their party was to simply fight the enemy head-on, it was completely doable. They lacked the consistent range option against their flying enemies, but with the aid of the trees and a Druid, they should have enough defensive options to weather the enemy’s assault. Not to mention with Emery, they should have enough crowd control options that them looking for an opening to burst down the monsters while defending, would be much easier and safer than having their only frontline fight the strongest enemy and leave the two mage-class on their own.

The plan proposed by Emery could lead them to victory, but it was worse than the alternative. Was it inexperience, incompetence, or was it something else?

Rana had little time to think as battle lines began to draw. Kent was facing off against the fiend, their mana already clashing and moving away from Rana. Emery faced off against one Crypt Poacher and so did she.

The monster dove, but without warning, without the telegraph. Of course. They were summons and considered a Spell. The telegraph only warned the marked one before a monster attacked or before a Spell was activated. She guarded the slash of the monster’s sickle with her forearm, using Support Defend to bolster her defenses. An icy pressure bit into her wound, and her glance towards her health gauge revealed she lost around twenty percent of health. The impact was stronger than the ones inflicted by the same type of monster from before. She clicked her tongue. She was defending with boosted defense, and it was still that much damage. She was glad she chose to guard the attack instead of dodging. This monster was more powerful and significantly faster.

Rana wanted to end it quickly, but she had to preserve mana and focus. She also did not want to reveal her full mana gauge to her enemies. Melee combat would be her only option, but she could not land enough hits before it took flight. However, there was still one more option left.

Battle was a juggle of health, mana, and focus gauges. If using Spell combos lowered too much mana, if fighting it in melee risked too much health, why not pave the way to victory by paying just a few health?

Rana ran towards the monster. She leaped onto its back and grabbed onto its neck. The monster began to screech, tossing and turning before it tried to escape to the sky, bringing an unwanted passenger with it. It soared and darted, but her grip was strong. Crypt Poachers used speed to increase the ferocity of their cut. Without the pull of gravity, their bony arms and brittle limbs could not loosen her grip. Now, the monster had nowhere to run.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

She did not know how many strikes she landed, but when the final one crushed the monster’s skull, she and its dead corpse plummeted into the ground. Chill shattered her back as she crashed, but her equipment and zombie existence lessened the damage.

Rana took a deep breath. Her lungs held no air, but the action helped her relax. If her mind was her stamina, she needed to not burden it too much and rest when she could. She had the time she thought. The smell came first followed by the sound of liquid splashing. That was when Kent’s severed head lopped off and landed beside her.