BANG!
A shot rang out in the dead of night amid Zephy's shrieks. It was followed by the heavy thud of something collapsing.
Bastion and the girls arrived at the scene and saw a tiger the size of a car in front of Ariel's tent, its brains blown out of its skull.
"That was close," Ariel said, returning her smoking gun to its holster. "Zephy really saved me this time."
"It's exactly why I picked her as my familiar a long time ago," Bastion said as he approached the corpse and shone light on it. "Rank 1 on the higher end. It must have thought it could pick off the weakest of us and run before returning for the rest the next night."
"This will make a nice rug," Seraphina commented while brushing her hand against the fur. "Good job leaving the skin intact, Ariel."
"Thanks?" Ariel replied with a confused smile.
It wasn't like she had a choice in the matter. She had simply fired when she noticed flames gathering outside her tent.
"It's almost sunrise," Bastion said. "We might as well get an early start to our day. What are we having for breakfast, Ely?"
"Stewed blaze tiger, Master," Elyra replied before slicing the tiger's neck artery and tying it up to a tree to drain its blood into a large bucket.
"Let me help you with that, Ely," Seraphina said as she began skinning the beast.
Lilia started disarming the magical traps she had placed around the area. Either the beast had a keen sense to have avoided them or it had been lucky.
Ariel decided to clean her gun, methodically wiping down the barrel. It had been exposed to the tiger's flames right before she fired, leaving a bit of residue on it.
Bastion, meanwhile, started packing his tent. It was a generic one bought from the Crafters' Guild that only had enough space for a bed. The best part about it was that it used a space stone to keep everything inside once it was packed up. There was no need to move the contents at all.
They debated making a custom one that could fit all of them together but ultimately decided to focus their attention on the carriage instead. Why bother with tents when their carriage was a home in itself? Unfortunately, they weren't able to finish in time for this trip, so they bought a tent for each of them.
Once the blaze tiger had been skinned and drained of blood, Elyra went to work butchering it. She expertly sliced it apart, separated enough for breakfast, and kept the rest. None of the creature went to waste, as even the bones were kept. They were still Rank 1 resources after all.
She unloaded her cooking utensils, took out other ingredients, and prepared everything to perfection before activating her cooking skill. In a flash, everything was cooked and prepared to her exact desire, just as she would have done if she had actually taken the time.
"Breakfast is ready," she called out while separating portions for everyone.
They gathered together, took a bowl, and had seconds and thirds before sighing with satisfaction.
"Excellent as always, Ely," Bastion complimented.
It was perfectly cooked, the meat tender and almost melting in the mouth, requiring barely any chewing. The sauce complemented it flawlessly, masking the gamey taste of predator's meat while enhancing its rich, savory flavor.
"Thank you, Master."
"I don't know how I've managed to live without your cooking," Ariel added. "The food in the castle was delicious, but I had always thought that was because you had a team of cooks. I never imagined you prepared our food the entire time."
"Thank you for the compliment, Ariel."
They enjoyed being full for a while before Seraphina suddenly asked, "How much longer until we reach the swamp?"
"We should reach it today and cover significant ground by evening," Bastion replied.
"How will we sleep?" Ariel asked. "Assuming we do find some hard ground to camp, we'll be ambushed non-stop all night."
She was an experienced adventurer, now with ten years under her belt, in contrast to the dainty girl who lived like a wallflower. She knew swamps were particularly dreaded by adventurers, not only because of the poisonous creatures that called them home but also because of the unstable footing.
"We don't sleep once we step into the swamp," Bastion replied. "We'll continue until we reach the Wraithwood while killing everything in our path."
"I know we have this mask to help us against the poisonous fumes, but what about surface contact?"
"I have a potion for that," Seraphina answered. "We have about a week before it wears off."
"More than enough time to get back here by then," Bastion added.
Ariel shook her head and gave up thinking about it. All her instincts as an adventurer screamed that they were in over their heads, but she was in a party with heroes, nobility, and people who were too powerful for their age. Who was she to insist upon her knowledge honed through years of struggle?
Once they rested after their heavy breakfast, the group continued their journey. They encountered more creatures willing to challenge them, which often fled once they were injured. The few that managed to actually stop their advance were killed outright and stored, especially the rare Rank 2 that needed to be gunned down.
Finally, around noon, they began to notice puddles of stagnant water spreading across the ground, gradually giving way to the beginnings of a swamp.
Steve, their unusually large and heavy mount, charged through, splashing mud in his wake until he could no longer continue his charge.
"I guess we're on foot from here," Ariel said as she dismounted, landing in the mud.
"Get back on the saddle, Ariel," Bastion said with a chuckle. "We're riding all the way until we get there."
He didn't wait for a response as he summoned Pebbles, his earth spirit summon, which now resembled a pile of stones the size of his fist after reaching Rank 1.
"Pave the way for us, Pebbles," Bastion requested.
The small spirit hovered above and then settled on Steve's head, sitting there unmoving.
Ariel followed Bastion's instructions and jumped back on before Steve took off in a slow gallop. As his hooves touched the mud, it solidified and dried, providing stable footing. Steve began increasing his speed once confidence in the ground returned.
They raced through the swamp unhindered, no longer splashing in their wake. Instead, they left dry patches of hardened ground that marked their trail as they went.
They continued for hours, taking in the slowly changing scenery. The dense evergreen forest gradually gave way to wetlands, and finally to the swamp.
Dark, murky water pooled between gnarled trees, their roots twisting above and below the surface. Thick mats of algae clung to the surface, and the air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay. Occasional calls of unseen creatures echoed through the mist, hinting at the predators that lurked within.
"I think we should take those potions now," Ariel suggested.
Seraphina took out several bottles filled with a thick black liquid, popped them open with her thumb, and cast Vaporize. The contents evaporated into a dark mist that surrounded them, seeping into their clothes, skin, and hair.
"These should protect us from any poisons we touch. It won't help much if something bites you though, so stay alert."
They continued onward until Pebbles suddenly vibrated in warning, halting their advance.
"What's wrong?" Lilia asked.
"The water's too deep here," Bastion replied. "Pebbles can't pull the ground up fast enough. We'll have to either circle around or move slowly."
"I can freeze our path, but I don't have your Wisdom, so I'll run out of mana in about an hour," Lilia said.
"Pebbles thinks you can work together," Bastion replied. "You freeze the top while it builds pillars underneath. You'll meet halfway and save mana."
"Alright, give me a second to come up with something."
Lilia went through her list of runes and began constructing an area-freezing spell. First was the core rune Freeze, then Flat to form a surface, and Rough to give Steve's hooves some grip. She paused for a moment before adding Deep to give the ice thickness. Once ready, she cast Rune Circle in front of them, creating a frozen stretch of water 10 meters wide.
"Pebbles says that's good enough," Bastion said.
Steve stepped forward, tested the frozen surface, and calmly walked on top.
"We could save mana if Steve jumps between each platform. Are you confident in getting the timing right?" Bastion asked.
"With my Intelligence? Easy," Lilia replied with a grin.
"Alright, then. Let's go."
Steve took a running start and leapt from the first platform. As he descended, Lilia cast Rune Circle again with the same rune configuration, freezing the water's surface just before they landed. Pebbles followed up by shaping earthen supports beneath it, stabilizing the platform on impact. Together, they crossed the swamp at nearly their original speed.
Seraphina took over maintaining the wind shield for Ariel, as Bastion was spending a tremendous amount of mana to sustain both Steve and Pebbles. Fortunately, Pebbles' nature as an earth spirit meant its mana consumption while manipulating terrain was minimal, allowing Bastion to just barely afford the drain.
With their new method of travel in place, they continued their journey, unaware of the pursuer silently following their trail through the Great Forest.
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