Cane lowered himself onto the rock shelf, sweeping his handlamp around to add light. "What did we learn here, Clara?"
Clara sighed heavily. "Always go right at the forks."
The cavern they landed in was large, with only a single exit—leading back the way they had come.
Dhalia:Looks like this cave runs parallel to the one above.
Fergis held his handlamp higher, squinting into the far corner. He started walking toward it, careful with his steps.
Fergis:Arm up. This is a lair.
Cane brought out his shield and followed, closing the distance in a few quick strides.
Fergis knelt down, sifting through a pile of bones.
"Good news—found a half-dozen level four soul gems." He handed them over to Cane with a grin. "Bad news... lots of crushed bones."
Cane picked up one of the bones. The brittle shaft snapped easily under light pressure.
"Powerful jaws. Let's see what else we can find."
Clara walked the perimeter, sweeping her handlamp along the walls.
"Oh crap," she muttered.
"What did you find?" Cane jogged over, boots echoing off the stone.
"Told ya. Crap." Clara pointed at a massive, dark pile.
"Bear scat. Seen it once hunting with my Da."
Dhalia:Do we really want to fight a bear in here?
Cane shook his head slightly. He wasn't opposed to a fight—but not without knowing what kind of bear, or how strong it was.
Clara:Too late. I hear something.
The heavy, huffing breath of a large predator filled the cavern. Footsteps—padded but thunderous—approached, growing louder.
Cane:Why does that sound so big? Dhalia—ice wall, now. Everyone, prepare to fight.
ICE WALL.
The thick ice wall formed in an instant. Dhalia scrambled up it, positioning herself above, while Fergis and Clara flanked the sides.
Cane:Keep it snared at all times.
Clara:Got it.
Fergis:It's getting closer.
Cane:Got a rune you can try, Fergis?
Fergis nodded grimly. He stepped to the center of the cavern, setting down his handlamp to free both hands."This one's a Nos special," he said. "And it's a nasty one."
He bent low, tracing a complex rune into the dust with rapid precision, every movement sharp and confident.
Behind them, the breathing grew louder. A rumble—half growl, half warning—rolled through the stone.
Cane tightened his grip on his shield and Starbolt, bracing for whatever came out of the dark.
Clara:Better hurry, Fergis.
Fergis kept drawing on the granite floor, brow furrowed in focus.
Dhalia:Maybe a little faster?
He finished the rune and jogged back toward the ice wall.
Fergis:Seriously? You think I have two speeds when rushed? One for incoming beasts and one for nagging teammates?
Cane stared into the darkness. With only one entrance to the cavern, they should have seen it by now.
Clara:It's a nightmare... A bear with stealth.
Dhalia:Bears don't have stealth... right?
Cane shook his head, tightening his grip on Starbolt. The musky scent of the creature hung heavy, close.
A sudden thought flashed—and Cane leapt back just as an enormous cave bear crashed through the black shale ceiling, hitting the floor with a force that shook the entire cavern.
The bear reared onto its hind legs, roaring—a deep, bone-rattling sound that made everyone flinch.
An instant later, Fergis's green rune activated beneath it, spinning lazily.
The bear lunged—then slipped, collapsing hard to the ground. Its long claws gouged deep ruts into the stone as it struggled for purchase.
Cane was already moving, shield up, mid-leap. He drove Starbolt deep into the bear's throat—only for a massive paw to swipe upward, tearing the weapon from his hands.
The bear snapped at him, jaws wide—but in its frenzy, it slipped again and fell heavily.
Comet Strike!
A stream of fire lanced out—blinding the bear in one eye, causing it to roar in rage and pain.
Snare!
Roots burst from the stone floor, wrapping the beast's legs and slowing its thrashing movements.
Starstrike appeared in Cane's hand in a flash of light. This time, Cane immersed into the weapon fully. Starlight flared as he moved forward, striking down in a powerful arc.
Ice bloomed across the bear's forelimb—one clean cut severed its paw at the wrist.
BLUNDERBUSS!
Clara's shot hammered into the frozen joint, shattering it all the way to the shoulder in a gory spray of blood and ice.
Cane recovered Starbolt, charging forward again. It shone like a falling star as he drove it deep into the bear's neck, frost pulsing outward into the creature's core.
Cane: Use your trump! Now!
Fergis's hands flared with light—
BALEFIRE!
White fire erupted, searing through the bear's lower jaw and neck. The beast let out one final, strangled roar before crashing face-first into the ground.
Fergis staggered back, leaning heavily against the ice wall, his face pale.
Cane checked the bear, trident still ready.
"It's dead."
Dhalia's hands glowed soft gold. She pressed them against Fergis's shoulder, a quick spirit regeneration spell washing over him.
Fergis managed a weak smile.
"That new, Dhal?"
She nodded.
Clara stared down at the dead monster, wide-eyed. "That thing is huge. What the hell kind of rune was that?"
"Grease slick," Fergis said, flopping down onto the rock floor, still catching his breath.
Dhalia watched Cane work as he knelt, cutting into the bear's thick hide.
"What level?" she asked.
Cane pulled free a glowing gem, wiping blood from its surface.
"Level Eight. We can turn it in for points." He drew a blade and began skinning the bear with quick, sure strokes.
Fergis:I'd help you, but I'm spent.
Clara:We gonna eat that thing? I like me some bear.
Cane:The skin's worth mission points. But sure, I'll cut a few good strips.
Clara:Yes, please. She tilted her head, studying him. Hey—why were you glowing again?
Cane shrugged.
"Figured something out. I can fight while immersed into my starmetal weapons now."
Noticing the rope still dangling from the shattered ceiling, Cane advanced and gave it a firm tug.
"Let's get moving. I'll go first—if the anchor's bad, I'll reset it."
Without hesitation, Cane scampered up the rope—faster and smoother than someone his size had any right to be.
"Running on star power again, Cane?" Clara called up, her freckled face grinning wide as she followed, much slower.
Dhalia climbed after Clara, moving steadily. Fergis came last—still drained from the Balefire blast—so the others grabbed the rope and hauled him up the last few meters by hand.
Cane led them back through the winding tunnels, his handlamp sweeping over familiar walls and corners.
"Hey," Clara said, walking beside him as she reloaded her blunderbuss. "Why didn't we just exit where we landed?"
"We didn't know where it came out," Cane said. "Better to take the trail we know."
A short while later, they stepped out into the open air. The sun had shifted lower, throwing long shadows across the Dreroi Valley.
Dhalia:How many points for a level eight core?
Fergis:Three hundred for the core. Another hundred for the skin.
Clara:Doesn't that make us mid-tier now?
Cane smiled, nodding.
"It does."
A flicker of movement caught his eye.
Fergis:Riders.
Cane glanced toward the valley entrance—five riders, moving toward them at a brisk pace.
Cane:Dhalia, behind me. You two—flank out.
Dhalia shifted behind Cane without question. Clara and Fergis fanned to either side, positioning themselves for cover fire.
Cane stood quietly at the center of the trail, shield in one hand, Starbolt in the other. His eyes, still faintly glowing with starlight, narrowed as he waited.
The riders drew closer, dust rising behind them. Their armor was mismatched, no sign of banners or armbands.
Not Alliance soldiers.
Not Academy.
Unknowns.