Valtor rose early, the cool morning breeze seeping through the stitched tent. His head hung low as his gaze fell on the bandage by his side — the wound stung a lot less than before. Carefully peeling off the sticky patch, he peered at the cut. A small smile formed across his face when he noticed the injury had already begun to close.
Getting up, he reached for his kit, replaced the old bandage with a fresh one, and got himself ready before heading out.
Already dressed in their uniforms, Zara and Orea stood amid the bushes, patiently waiting for their teammates. Pulling a rubber band from her pocket, Orea tied her hair up, half-listening as Zara chatted beside her.
Spotting them, Valtor walked over. "Hey, guys," he called softly.
Both girls turned toward him. "Good morning," Zara replied. "How was your night?"
"Great," he said casually, stopping in front of Orea.
"Hi," she greeted with a smile—just before Valtor's arm slipped around her waist. Drawing her close, he leaned in and pressed a warm kiss to her lips.
Zara's eyes widened as she watched.
Finally pulling away, Valtor sent Orea a smirk. "I'll be right back," he added before continuing on his way, towards the other tents.
Zara stared at her friend, mouth slightly agape, while Orea's gaze dropped, her cheeks reddening as she blushed.
"Wow," Zara chuckled, grinning. "You know, you guys are really something."
The group continued further north, stretched out in a loose line. They chatted as they walked, the cool sea breeze sweeping through the air from every direction.
"Intruder alert," Lynx called out, spotting two red dots flicker on his tracker. The others glanced down at their wristbands as he spoke.
The ground began to tremble. Heavy thuds echoed closer, bushes rattling until two massive figures emerged.
Two lizard-like creatures stepped out — greenish scales glistening, yellow eyes locked on the group as they hissed and bared their teeth.
Everyone took their stance.
Valtor stepped forward, but Orea's hand shot out, gripping his arm.
He glanced back at her.
"Not until you've fully healed," she whispered firmly.
He narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he muttered. "But you'd better not get hurt."
He stepped aside just as both creatures lunged forward. A sudden blast of energy threw them back, dust swirling as purple light flared through the clearing.
"I'm so not in the mood for this," Zara said dryly, her arms still outstretched.
"You and me both," Lynx added flatly from beside her.
Kymani shot them a quick look. "That's alright — we'll take it from here."
He drew out his blade before turning to Rowynn. "Let's make this quick, shall we?"
She nodded, eyes turning green as she stretched out her arms. The ground beneath her started to crackle while Kymani shimmered and vanished from sight.
The crew watched as deliberate slashes opened across both creatures, spraying blood in every direction.
Shrouded in invisibility, Kymani darted forward, blade flashing as he struck through both pairs of eyes. The creatures roared in fury, thrashing wildly—until roots burst from the ground, twisting up their bodies and dragging them down. Dust and dirt flickered through the air as the earth swallowed them halfway.
Both arms still stretched out, Rowynn drew her hands down, forcing the monsters deeper until only their upper halves remained visible.
Satisfied with their teamwork, Kymani shimmered back into view, grinning.
"That felt great," he said, high-fiving Rowynn who equally beamed as their teammates clapped from behind.
"Nice work, guys," Zara called.
"Thank you…" Kymani began—then one of the creatures twitched and started forcing itself free again.
He turned dramatically toward the others. "And for the final blow—would anyone like to do the honors?" He gave an exaggerated bow.
Zara looked between Orea and Lynx. "I already did something, so it's up to you two."
Orea sighed and faced Lynx. "Well? Who's it going to be?"
"You," he said simply.
"Why me?" she asked, arching a brow.
"Because I'm kind of the captain right now, so…"
"So?" she teased. "That's not a real reason."
"It kind of is," Lynx argued, trying not to smile.
The rest of the team watched their back-and-forth, half amused, half tired.
Ugh!.."Will someone just end this already or shall I?" Valtor called from a few steps away.
"Okay, fine," Orea said with a playful groan. She raised her arm, and two bolts of lightning shot down from the sky, blasting both creatures into silence.
Kymani crossed his arms, nodding in approval. "Now that's how you wrap up a fight."
..................
Lynx sat by a log, gulping down a bottle of water to wash down the day's lunch. His eyes drifted toward their new base setup. The air felt cooler here — it made sense since they were getting closer to the ocean.
"Fewer days away now, and everything's going to change," he thought.
His thoughts broke when Orea took a seat beside him.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
"Hey," he replied. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I just…" she hesitated. "It's been a while since we talked."
"Yeah," Lynx said, nodding. "About earlier — I was just kidding when I said you had to make the strike since I'm acting captain."
"Oh, I know," Orea smiled faintly. "It's okay."
A short silence passed before she spoke again.
"I wanted to say something. And I don't know if it's something you'd even care about, but… it just feels right that you know."
Lynx turned to her, listening.
"Valtor and I are… um…" She gave a nervous laugh. "How do I even put this—"
"Dating?" he finished for her.
Orea blinked, surprised. "You knew?"
"Everyone knows, Orea," he said with a small grin. "You two are the most unsurprising, easy-to-tell duo ever. I guess no one brought it up because it was pretty obvious".
"Wow," Orea exhaled, laughing lightly. "Well, that makes this easier."
Her tone softened. "I know I once told you that I was choosing myself over everyone else — and I did. But all of this… it just happened a few days ago. I just wanted you to know I didn't sweep away our heartfelt moments like they meant nothing."
"It's okay, " Lynx said gently. "You don't have to explain. I get it."
He smiled. "We had our moments, sure. But I can see you and Valtor share something deeper. I wouldn't want to take that from either of you."
A faint smile curved Orea's lips as she nodded. "Thanks for understanding."
"Sure".
"So…" Orea tilted her head with a half-smile. "We're cool?"
"Yeah," he said softly. "We're cool."