Teclos, Gillard, and Ralph tore through the forest as fast as they could. Branches whipped past their faces and snapped against their shoulders, the forest blurring around them as they fled at full speed.

Panic was written clearly across Teclos’s face.

’Shit, shit, shit... how the hell are orcs here?!’

His mind raced just as fast as his body, every instinct screaming at him to get away.

Ralph, still not fully grasping the situation, called out between breaths, his tone half-joking despite the speed they were pushing.

"Dude, why did you piss your pants suddenly?"

Gillard shot Teclos a quick glance as he ran, his brows furrowing as he also began to notice just how serious Teclos looked.

"Yeah... what’s with you?" he added, though there was already a hint of unease creeping into his voice.

Teclos raised his voice just enough for them to hear him clearly, his tone sharp and urgent.

"Listen up... we’re in serious trouble. Orcs somehow breached through the mountains. There were a lot of them—and their commander, captain, or whatever that thing was... saw me."

"What?!" they both exclaimed at once, color draining from their faces.

"Yeah," Teclos continued without missing a step, "so both of you grab your flares and shoot them right now!"

He didn’t wait for a response. His hand was already moving, pulling the compact orb from his belt—a small, smooth sphere etched with faint runes. The moment he fed mana into it, the runes flared to life, glowing softly in his palm.

With a sharp motion, he hurled it high into the sky.

The orb shot upward, cutting through the canopy before detonating with a thunderous crack. A burst of shimmering particles exploded outward, then froze unnaturally in place, forming a glowing sphere that pulsed slowly, like a massive heartbeat hanging above the forest.

The signal was unmistakable and visible from far away.

Gillard followed a few seconds later, his own flare streaking upward before blooming into a second radiant sphere beside the first. Two pulses now echoed in the sky, ominously.

Only Ralph remained.

He fumbled with his satchel as he ran, fingers slipping over straps and gear, panic finally catching up to him.

"Shit!"

The small orb slipped from his grasp and vanished into the undergrowth as he stumbled forward.

"Leave it!" Teclos snapped immediately. "With two flares up, help should be here soon."

For one brief moment, it almost felt like they might make it, then Teclos’s senses screamed at him.

"Duck!"

All three dropped instantly.

A blazing arc of energy tore through the forest in the next heartbeat, roaring past them with a deafening hiss. It carved through the trees ahead and behind them as if they were nothing more than dry reeds, slicing through trunks thicker than a man’s torso without resistance.

After a split second of silence, the forest collapsed.

Massive trees groaned as their severed trunks gave way, tilting at unnatural angles before crashing down in a thunderous cascade. Branches snapped, leaves exploded into the air, and the ground shook as one after another slammed into the earth. Splinters and debris rained down around them, forcing the three to shield their heads as they scrambled forward again.

Where the attack had passed, the clean cuts smoldered faintly, thin lines of charred wood glowing along the severed trunks. Some had already begun to burn, small flames licking hungrily at the exposed bark as smoke curled upward into the canopy.

The path in front of them and behind them had been torn wide open.

And through that opening—

The orcs came running.

The commander stood unmoving in the distance, his massive frame outlined by the smoldering ruin he had just created. His presence alone felt suffocating, yet for some reason, he did not pursue them himself.

Instead—

He gave a short command.

"Seh’la vel... thrak’zul."

The language was harsh, guttural, carrying easily through the broken forest.

And his warriors obeyed.

Several orcs broke into motion instantly, their heavy steps barely slowed by the terrain as they surged forward, each cloaked in their own type of mana.

They were faster.

Much faster than them.

Teclos glanced back once—and immediately felt his stomach drop.

While the orcs gained ground behind them, Teclos came to a terrible realization.

This wasn’t just a scouting party.

This was an army.

And the moment those flares went up—

They had signed the death warrant of every hunter coming to help.

After a split second of thought, Teclos shouted, "Ralph! Run ahead!"

"What the hell do you mean, run ahead?!" Ralph shot back, clearly thrown off. "I’m not leaving without you two. This sure as hell isn’t the time to play hero!"

"Just focus on running!" Gillard added, pushing forward beside them. "Help will come since we got the flares up!"

"No, god damn it!" Teclos snapped. "There’s a whole army behind that thing that burned half the forest down just now. I’m sure of it. The patrols will just be wiped out along with us if we try to fight them!"

"How can you be so sure?" Gillard asked.

Before Teclos could answer, Ralph answered instead, after a brief second of silence.

"No... he’s got a point," Ralph said, his voice lower now. "Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about war in Kolma... those green-skins made it through the mountains..."

This was bigger than anything they had imagined.

Ralph let out a short, hollow chuckle.

"Well... guess we’re dead meat, haha."

"Listen to me," Teclos pressed, forcing his voice to be steady despite his panic. "We still have a chance. We just need a messenger. A fast one—and you fit the job, Ralph. So—"

"No," Ralph cut him off immediately. "I’m not leaving you."

"Oh, for gods’ sake, Gillard!" Teclos snapped. "Talk some sense into him, please!"

Gillard didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Teclos, his expression hardening as he ran.

"What’s your plan?" he asked.

The orcs were getting closer with every passing second.

"We stall them as best we can while still moving," Teclos said. "Ralph gets to Kolma and informs the chief. With the guild master, Pella, and Axel, we might at least have a chance to escape. And he can send help back to us. Someone fast."

"Dammit!" Ralph barked, frustration rising. "You stubborn idiot! I’m not leaving you two. How many times do I have to repeat myself?!"

That was when Gillard made his choice.

In one sharp motion, flames burst from his feet as he accelerated forward, closing the small gap between him and Ralph in an instant. Before Ralph could react—

Gillard slapped him hard.

The sound cracked through the forest.

"We don’t have time!" Gillard snapped, forcing Ralph’s attention onto him. "And his plan makes sense. You just need to get to Kolma and send help back. We’ll be fine—stop being an idiot and trust us!"

Ralph stared at him, stunned.

Even Teclos was caught off guard.

"...Aren’t you mad at him?" Ralph asked, still trying to process it.

"I was," Gillard admitted without hesitation. "But this isn’t the time. And it’s as good a plan as any."

Teclos let out a short breath.

"Thanks for trusting me, man."

"Hah!" Gillard snorted. "You owe me another hunt and a few beers at the tavern next time!"

Teclos managed to smile despite everything.

"Yeah... I promise."

"I swear to god," Ralph muttered, shaking his head as he gathered himself, "if you two dumbasses don’t pull through, I’m gonna revive you and kill you again..."

Wind mana surged around him.

Ralph launched himself upward, his body lifting as the air coiled tightly around him. With a sharp burst from his feet, he propelled himself forward, accelerating rapidly as he shot ahead through the forest, weaving between the trees with growing speed.

In just a few seconds—

He was already pulling away.

"All right... what do we do now?" Gillard asked.

Teclos’s mind raced through every possibility, but each one ended horribly.

"We stall them," he said at last, settling on the only plan that might keep them alive a little longer. "And we keep them from going after Ralph."

Both of them glanced back.

And sure enough, several orcs had already split off from the main group, breaking formation and going after Ralph.

"Got it..." Gillard muttered, eyes narrowing. "Only—how do we do that?"

Teclos hesitated for half a second.

"Hah, well... we dodge everything they throw at us," he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "And we hit the ones chasing Ralph. You’ve got more firepower, so disrupt them. I’ll cover your back as best I can. And don’t hold back... you can kill a few."

Gillard let out a short, humorless chuckle.

"Hah... I hope it’s as easy as you make it sound."

It wasn’t.

But they had to try anyway.

Gillard twisted his body mid-run as flames surged into his palm. Without breaking his stride, he hurled a fireball toward the pursuing orcs.

The blazing sphere tore through the air and exploded just ahead of the orcs.

The orcs had to slow down a little. The flames licked across their armor and skin—

But that was it.

They didn’t even flinch.

"Yeah... that’s reassuring," Gillard muttered under his breath.

Teclos couldn’t respond. Every ounce of focus he had went into defense.

Darkness wrapped around them, tendrils snapping from tree to tree as he redirected both himself and Gillard with sharp, unnatural pulls of momentum. More than once, they were yanked sideways or forward just in time to avoid incoming attacks.

A blade of wind screamed past them, slicing cleanly through multiple trees.

The trunks split apart almost instantly, severed in one smooth cut before crashing down in opposite directions with a deafening roar. Splinters burst outward, forcing both of them to duck as debris rained down.

Another attack followed right after.

A chunk of earth tore free from the ground and shot toward Gillard like a projectile, but Teclos reacted just in time, yanking Gillard out of its path. The projectile slammed into the ground where he had been a heartbeat earlier, erupting into a spray of shattered stone.

At the same time—

Teclos struck back.

One of the orcs surged forward suddenly, flames bursting from beneath its feet as it propelled itself ahead of the others, closing the distance with alarming speed.

A tendril snapped upward from the ground, coiling around the orc mid-stride like a lasso and tightening violently.

Because of its momentum, it hit the ground face-first with a heavy impact.

Teclos tried to bind it in place with more tendrils, but the orc’s strength tore right through them. Still, he had achieved his goal.

He had slowed it down.

Then Teclos had to throw himself to the side.

A wind slash tore through the space he had just occupied, cutting through two more trees behind him as if they were paper.

Meanwhile, Gillard started casting more fireballs, but Teclos didn’t let him finish.

A tendril snapped around Gillard’s arm and yanked him upward.

He was pulled off the ground mid-cast, the forming fireball flickering and collapsing as he was thrown into the air.

A split second later—

The ground where he had just been running erupted.

Massive walls of earth surged upward from both sides, slamming together with crushing force, sealing the space shut with a thunderous impact.

Had he been there—

He would’ve been crushed instantly.

Gillard landed roughly a few meters ahead, rolling once before forcing himself back up, breathing heavily but alive.

"...Okay," he panted, glancing back at the collapsed earth. "I take it back. This plan sucks."

Teclos somewhat agreed, as his mana pool was dwindling fast, but what more could he do?

"Well... we’re still alive... so the plan doesn’t suck that much," Teclos tried to stay positive, as he had to twist his body just in time to avoid a fireball.

The fireball roared past him and detonated against a tree ahead. The explosion tore the trunk apart, sending a storm of burning splinters back toward them. Teclos raised an arm instinctively and raised a wall of darkness, deflecting most of the debris, though a few sharp fragments still cut across his cheek and shoulder.

They were both getting battered.

Cuts lined their arms, bruises spread beneath torn fabric, and their breathing had grown heavier with each passing minute.

"I guess..." Gillard exhaled harshly, ducking under a stray wind slash that carved through the air above him. "If we can stall them like this... help should come soon, right?"

Teclos nodded. "...Yeah," he said. "I hope so."

They moved in sync, and their desperation bought them precious seconds.

Gillard launched another wave of fire toward the orcs pursuing Ralph, forcing them to slow down or dodge.

Meanwhile, Teclos covered every opening he could, darkness snapping into place—dragging, pulling, binding—just enough to disrupt them or avoid their retaliation.

The seconds dragged on, each one harder than the last, until somehow, nearly five minutes had passed.

Five long, brutal minutes.

Ralph had to be far away by now.

"Hey..." Teclos spoke suddenly, his voice cutting through the chaos as he twisted around a low branch and landed beside Gillard for half a stride. "Sorry... by the way."

Gillard blinked, barely keeping up as he adjusted his footing.

"For what?"

"For springing that on you back at the tavern," Teclos said, breathing roughly. "So suddenly."

Gillard snorted as sweat ran down his face.

"Yeah, yeah... all forgotten, man," he said, swinging his arm back to fire another fireball at the orcs. "Just remember the beers... and another hunt. Preferably a cockatrice again." He huffed. "Such a waste... leaving all that meat behind..."

Teclos let out a short, incredulous laugh despite everything.

"Are you seriously worrying about food right now?"

"Well, I haven’t eaten in a long time!"

Teclos shook his head, a faint grin breaking through.

"Fine... I’ll get you that chicken meat, don’t worry. I’ll even—"

The words died in his throat.

As a presence appeared in front of Gillard.

"Fu—!" Teclos’s eyes snapped wide open. "Watch out!"

Shadows erupted instantly, tendrils snapping around Gillard’s torso as Teclos tried to yank him upward, to pull him away from the danger that had appeared out of nowhere.

At the same time, more tendrils lashed forward, wrapping around the towering figure in front of him—trying, desperately, to restrain it even for a single second.

But it wasn’t enough.

Not even close.

And time seemed to slow down suddenly.

Gillard turned his head—

Just enough to see it.

The orc commander stood right there, its massive frame casting a shadow over them both. Black armor gleamed faintly beneath the flickering light of the burning trees, and the twin blades of its axes rested heavy at its sides.

It smiled.

A grotesque, twisted expression stretched across its scarred face as its gaze shifted past Gillard—

And locked onto Teclos.

"Zra’harka selk, t’orpad."

The words meant nothing to him.

But the intent was clear.

In the next instant—

One of its axes came down in a smooth, effortless arc.

Gillard didn’t even have time to react.

The blade slammed into his ribcage with a sickening crack, the force of the impact tearing through flesh and bone alike. The momentum didn’t stop there—the strike carried through, lifting him off his feet as if he weighed nothing.

He was thrown through the air with violent force.

And his body crashed into a tree behind them with devastating impact, the trunk splintering violently as wood shattered outward. The sound echoed through the forest like a gunshot.

Gillard slid down slowly—

And didn’t get back up.

Blood spread beneath him, dark and murky, pooling against the broken bark.

For a heartbeat—

Everything went silent.

Teclos’s world—

Stopped.

"GILLARD!"