The scent of the Half-Orc called out to Nug in a blazing trail of crimson light, vivid and unmistakable. Nug's eyes narrowed as he focused, the thread of red flickering in his mind's eye, an echo of Avcoor's teachings. When a Ranger's sense quickens, this would happen.
Nug senses a trail
It was only when Avcoor sensed something that he sensed something. It was weird how the Muses were showing him the path that was made by scent. It was fresh and oily, as he could assume the person in question was a groomed Warrior.
He wondered, for a fleeting moment, if the muses or Gaia were subtly changing him, if this was another step in his evolution as a Ranger. Could he really catch up to Avcoor? Could he be an Avcoor?
Pushing forward, he scanned the surroundings, Daku close behind, trembling but trusting. They emerged into a clearing where an iron cage held a Half-Orc, hunched and battered, surrounded by four massive creatures wielding weapons. The beasts, Battle Bears, were native to Alogoth's icy wastes, yet here they stood, far from home, their eyes fixed on their prisoner. The scene chilled Nug's bones. Was this some cruel test from Gaia?
He observed the bears scanning them. The first thing that registered was that each had a weapon of a different make. One had an axe, a sword, a spear, and a hammer in their massive paws, each one a humanoid monster, weak to magic, Rogues, and Chemists. Yet neither Nug nor Daku had a single class suited for such a foe. Even worse, when scanning Daku, he had zero MP.
He considered his option, taking a shallow breath, and he was sure Daku had heard. No spells, no stealth, no tricks, only raw desperation. The tension was suffocating, the silence thick with anticipation.
The same silence was shattered when the young Half-Orc in the cage, his voice deep and Ire, spoke for the first time.
"You're all afraid of me," he said, voice rough but proud. "If you let me out, I'll kill every one of you. Just give me the chance."
Daku's eyes widened, hesitation tangible. Nug can feel a firm grip on his shoulders. "It's him. No way he's alive," he muttered. "Gabbas didn't kill him. We should just leave him be."
Nug's jaw clenched. "No." His voice was steady, but his eardrums pounded with the beating of his heart. "I must try. I need to reach him. I can't leave him in there; we need a third-party member, and he is one of us."
Daku hesitated, torn. "You don't know who he is… what if he's worse than them? We might get killed."
"I have to do this," Nug whispered, voice full of resolve and doubt. "I need to prove I can do more than just run. I've got to show I'm strong enough, enough to stand for myself, for all of us." Without waiting for further consent, he drew his bow, nocking an arrow.
In a swift, calculated move, he fired, not at the beasts, but at a branch of the closest bear, causing it to jerk and look up sharply. The other bears immediately turned, their massive bodies lumbering after him like a pack of predators sensing weakness. Nug knew he couldn't outrun or outfight them, so he relied on his skill.
He leaped, his Jump stat blazing at 4, a feat that took even Daku's breath away. His body soared through the trees, arcing from branch to branch, avoiding the beasts' snapping claws and swinging limbs. The forest blurred around him as he moved, his focus sharp, heart pounding in his chest.
But luck ebbed quickly. One of the bears, smarter than he would admit, hit a branch where Nug had just been and tore it from the tree, causing Nug to stumble. His momentum faltered, feet slipping on the slick branch.
He hit the ground hard, but his Jump skill saved him from a fall that could have broken him. Still, he was surrounded, the bears closing in, their eyes glowing with feral hunger. His chest heaved, uncertain if he could survive the coming onslaught.
He froze, every muscle tense, knowing that he might not make it out alive. And as the forest silence swallowed him, the question hung heavily: Can I truly do this?