The minutes bled into hours unnoticed. Driven by a restless, anxious need to keep moving, Shiro pushed through the thick underbrush until his boots finally cleared the foliage, stepping onto a dirt path.
He paused and looked up. The trail wound upward, eventually joining a much wider path cutting a steep slope up the mountainside.
Standing at the split in the path, Shiro's brow furrowed as he desperately tried to recall the directions Yuki had mentioned. Both paths looked virtually identical. The last thing he needed was to get hopelessly lost.
..I should've asked for a map.
Before he could decide, a clear voice called out from behind him, cutting through the quiet rustle of the forest.
"Hey! Could you wait up?"
Shiro turned toward the sound. As the young woman caught up to him, he couldn't help but stare in utter bewilderment.
She looked entirely out of place. She wore nothing like the sleek, high-tech combat suits or casual modern clothing Shiro was accustomed to. Instead, she wore a deep burgundy long-sleeved dress cinched at the waist with a leather belt, and a dark charcoal-gray mantle fastened at her shoulder with a round bronze clasp. A small leather satchel and book pouch hung from her hip. She looked like she had walked straight out of a fantasy novel.
She stopped a few paces away, catching her breath.
"Do you happen to be heading to the clearing up the slope?" Shiro didn't answer immediately, his eyes still scanning the unfamiliar details of her attire.
The woman paused, then lifted her head to look directly at him. Her expression shifted as her grayish eyes swept over his pale, tired face.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice tinged with genuine concern.
Shiro blinked, snapping out of his daze. He forced a small, reassuring smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just... feel a bit sleepy."
"Sleepy? In a place like this?" She let out a soft, amused huff, a small smile playing on her lips. "You must have been walking for a long time."
Shiro stayed silent for a moment. He was completely lost. He didn't know this girl enough to share his trouble, but desperate for directions to the nearest rift, he decided to trust her.
"Actually, yeah. I am heading up that way," Shiro said, gesturing up the sloped path.
"Great, let's go then," she said, turning to lead the way. "I'm Elara, by the way."
"Shiro," he replied, falling into step beside her.
Shiro remained vigilant as they walked. Every tree, every sound, and every detail of the landscape was something new for him to process. Before long, the dense trees ahead began to part, revealing a small clearing near an overgrown cavern entrance.
Waiting in the clearing was a small group led by a tall, stern-looking man with steady eyes that carried the weight of years he rarely spoke about. A thin trail of gray smoke drifted from the cigar held between two of his fingers as he exhaled.
The broad man immediately straightened as they approached, dropping his cigar before grinding it beneath his boot.
"Elara, you finally made it," he said, his deep, gravelly voice cutting through the quiet.
He stepped forward, offering her a firm, practiced handshake. But as their hands parted, his gaze drifted past her shoulder to Shiro. The messy black hair, the crimson eyes quietly analyzing the surroundings, the loose white linen shirt with rolled sleeves exposing glimpses of bandages.
"Who might this be?" the man asked, his sharp eyes locking onto Shiro with clear suspicion.
Crap! Shiro cursed under his breath. Just as he was about to form an excuse to leave, Elara stepped forward smoothly. "This is Shiro. We just happened to run into each other on the way here."
The man's expression softened slightly, and he gave a brief nod.
"I see. Well, welcome Shiro. I'm Daren, the Overseer of this Raid." He gestured toward the rest of the group gathered nearby, a sharp-looking young man named Hyu, a swift wind-caster named Casia, and a quiet swordsman, Kaelen, who just gave a slight nod.
"We don't have much time left," Daren announced, turning toward the dark opening of the mountain. "We move now."
Shiro remained silent, the exchange lingering in his mind. 'He didn't question it... not even for a moment.'
He had expected more suspicion, or at least some hesitation. But Daren simply accepted the explanation and led the team forward without another word.
The group crossed the weathered entrance and stepped into the abandoned mine.
The first stretch was touched by daylight spilling in from behind, illuminating rotting support beams and scattered rubble. The air was cool and carried the faint scent of damp earth.
Their footsteps echoed softly through the winding tunnel.
With each step deeper underground, the daylight receded, and shadows stretched along the rough stone walls, swallowing every trace of the outside world.
Before long, darkness closed in around them, leaving only the faint, flickering glow of the mana circles created by Elara and Daren to guide their path. Shiro stumbled slightly over an unseen root.
"Tsk." He squinted into the gloom. 'I wish I had a flashlight right about now,' he muttered under his breath.
Hyu, walking just ahead, caught the unfamiliar word and glanced back.
"Flashlight?" Hyu gave him a questioning look.
Shiro's expression froze for a split second before he quickly corrected himself.
"A lantern."
Hyu paused, studying him through the shadows. Unlike the others, Shiro had entered without carrying any equipment.
"Can't you see in the dark?"
Shiro quietly tried to channel his elemental ability to adjust his vision, but in his current weakened state, his energy ran dangerously thin. Summoning even a spark of power was impossible. He suppressed a grimace and offered a smooth excuse instead.
"It's useless. Trying to use it right now wastes too much energy. Better to save it for the battle ahead."
Hyu gave a small nod, finding the logic sound. "Smart. No need to waste mana on a dark path when we have tools for situations like this."
He reached into his travel pack and pulled out an unlit iron lantern, handing it to Shiro. However, as he searched his pockets for a spark-stone, his expression darkened.
"Ah, damn it. I don't have any matches. Must've left them back at home."
Before Hyu could ask Daren for a light, a warm amber glow suddenly erupted from inside the lantern Shiro held, pushing back the heavy shadows. The light revealed jagged rock walls surrounding the path and ancient, rusted rail tracks disappearing into the darkness.
CRACK.
The sudden sound of stone grinding and pulverizing beneath a heavy step echoed through the silent shaft, making everyone freeze.
From the alcove, a shadow detached itself. Before Daren could even issue an order, the creature lunged forward with impossible speed. Its body blurred through the dim mine, and its jaws clamped down on Daren's shoulder with brutal force.
"GAHHHH!!"
Blood spilled onto the dirt as Daren staggered from the impact.
"Watch out!" Kaelen roared, drawing his blade and shifting into a defensive guard.
The creature's head snapped toward Hyu before it launched itself again. Reacting on pure instinct, Hyu drew his short sword and spun, driving the blade deep into the beast's right hind leg. The strike failed to stop its momentum. A massive claw swept past, grazing Hyu's cheek before the monster landed heavily.
'A Bonehound!'
The Bonehound had a massive, predatory frame, its body built like a monstrous fusion of a hound and a hyena. Thick plates of bone covered its back and shoulders, forming jagged armor that ran from the base of its skull down its spine, while a series of uneven spikes extended along its back and tail.
Realizing his sword was hopelessly lodged in the creature's hide, Hyu leapt backward to open the distance.
Seizing the opening, Elara flipped open her spellbook. The pages glowed with a deep, ominous purple light. With a sharp exhale, she flicked her wrist downward.
"Prima Deorsum!"
A crushing force of inverted gravity slammed the Bonehound into the dirt, cracking the stone beneath it.
Hyu's mind raced as he wiped the blood from his cheek. 'That was a fault I should have considered.'
He had assumed the beast relied solely on savage instinct, but it hunted differently. Deprived of sight, its hearing had become unnaturally acute, allowing it to pinpoint even the slightest sound. That made its movements far more difficult to predict.
Yet one question lingered.
'Then why did it attack Daren first?'
Roooar!
The Bonehound let out an ear-splitting roar and curled into a massive ball, its razor-sharp spines jutting outward. With an explosive burst of force, it launched itself forward, tearing up the cavern floor in its wake.
The spinning mass crashed straight into a discarded supply cart, hurling the heavy wooden structure straight toward Kaelen.
Kaelen didn't flinch. Twisting his body, he swung his broadsword in a clean horizontal arc.
Swish!
The steel blade tore through the airborne cart and sliced into the Bonehound's neck. But the blade caught on the thick bone plate, jerking to a halt halfway through. The creature twisted violently, wrenching the sword from Kaelen's grip and sending him stumbling back.
It spun on him, jaws snapping, faster than he could recover.
Kaelen dove aside and rolled across the dirt, grabbing a broken length of rusted rail track. He came up swinging. The metal bar cracked against the beast's skull, once, twice, forcing it back a step. The Bonehound shook its head and lunged again, its claws raking across Kaelen's forearm.
He gritted his teeth and drove the jagged end of the rail straight into its open mouth.
The beast gagged and thrashed. Kaelen ripped the broadsword free from its neck and, in one clean motion, brought the blade down across its throat.
The head spun across the dirt while the headless body staggered two steps and collapsed with a heavy thud.
Before anyone could catch their breath, another Bonehound emerged from the shadows. This one was far larger, its hulking frame rising slowly from the dark. Its head swayed from side to side as the scent of blood and the rancid odor of its fallen kin reached the nostrils along its neck.
The creature lowered its head, its jaws parting to reveal the saliva glistening between its teeth.
Despite its hulking size, there was nothing sluggish about it.
It moved with the predatory posture of a hunting beast, its body lowered close to the ground as though it could explode forward at any moment, and it did.
Without warning, the creature charged straight at Kaelen.
Kaelen planted his feet and raised his broadsword, bracing himself for the impact. The Bonehound lunged, its massive jaws snapping toward him. At the last moment, Kaelen twisted aside and swung his sword, aiming for the beast's exposed side.
The blade struck its thick bone plate, but instead of cutting through, it only scraped across the surface, sending sparks flying.
"Sh*t!"
His expression changed instantly.
The larger Bonehound's skin was thinner than he anticipated, but the sword had barely slowed it down. The force alone made Kaelen sidestep at the last second.
The Bonehound shot past him, its maw wide open as it lunged toward the group behind. Daren, clutching his shoulder, stared at the rows of fangs in its gaping jaw as the ring on his free hand pulsed with an eerie dark red glow.
Casia threw her hands out, unleashing a powerful gust of wind directly at the beast.
The blast struck it head-on, sending the Bonehound skidding backward on all fours as its claws tore through the dirt, struggling for balance.
"Prima Elevare!"
With a snap of Elara's fingers, a violent surge of gravity seized the Bonehound, blasting it upward to slam hard against the stone ceiling. Dust and loose rock showered down as the creature shrieked, pinned helplessly above.
"Hey, watch it! You're gonna bring the whole cave down on us!" Hyu shouted as he shielded his face. Seeing the creature drool, his eyes immediately shifted toward the flickering flame inside the lantern held by Shiro.
"Shiro! The lantern! Throw it at the creature," he yelled. "Its bone plates can't protect it from the inside. That thing's saliva is more flammable than oil!"
I hope I'm right about this.
With a sudden, decisive motion, Shiro hurled the lantern straight at the pinned monster.
The moment the flame made contact with the creature's gaping jaw, it erupted into a violent explosion.
Casia reacted instantly. With a sharp flick of her wand, a swirling barrier of wind erupted around them, shielding them as the beast was engulfed in flames. Its agonizing shrieks echoed through the shaft before fading into silence.
The charred remains fell from the roof, crashing onto the ground with a heavy, lifeless thud.
"Finally," someone breathed.
Daren's expression darkened, his fists clenching tight enough to turn his knuckles white.
'No, this can't be. There... there's no sign of a rift anywhere... Could he have lied to me? If so, I'm not pulling out of this empty-handed.'
"I don't see a rift here," Elara said, habitually scanning their surroundings.
"I wasted my time. I'm leaving," Hyu muttered, sheathing his short sword and turning away.
"No, wait!" Daren yelled at the retreating party.
Before anyone could take another step, the ground beneath them erupted. Massive, jagged cracks tore through the dirt like lightning.
"What the heck?!"
"What's going on?!"
Hyu and Kaelen were the first to lose their footing. The ground caved in completely beneath them, sending both men plunging down.
"Everyone hold on, the rift is below!"
Hyu screamed, reaching out for a handhold, but the gravitational pull only dragged him deeper into the rift.
The earth gave way beneath Shiro next. The unstable rubble crumbled under the weight of the panic, dragging Shiro, Elara, and the remaining members down into the dark green vortex with white lightning that arced across its surface.