Chapter 11: Into the Wild
"Phase 3 starts now!"
The announcer's voice echoed across the island, and without wasting a second, the teams scattered in all directions. Dagda, Aidan, and Fade moved westward, their footsteps crunching against the warm earth. The trees in this part of the island gave off an oddly sweet scent, and the distant caws of birds filled the heavy air.
Dagda walked in silence, his mind racing. I'm on my own now. I have to stay sharp.
Fade noticed the tension on his face and asked, "Hey, you don't look good. Are you alright?"
Dagda quickly brushed it off with a forced smile. "Yeah. I'm fine."
Surprisingly, Aidan spoke up in a calm, almost friendly tone. "You're Dagda, right?"
Dagda blinked. He's... talking normally? Maybe I was overthinking before.
"Yeah, that's me," he replied.
"I see," Aidan said, giving a casual nod.
Dagda looked him up and down, cautious but curious. "You're Aidan, right?"
"Correct," Aidan smiled faintly. "We should focus on finding the Almighty Stones quickly. Most importantly, we must stay safe. Other teams can and will steal them if we're not careful."
Fade nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Time limit's only 48 hours... we can't afford to waste a second."
Dagda studied the compass he was given, adjusting their direction slightly. As they pressed deeper into the woods, a strange sight caught their eyes: a small, fluffy rabbit sitting alone in the clearing.
Aidan narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is that?"
Fade quickly pulled out the map they had received and scanned it. "Wait, the map mentions something about guardian beasts… Is that one of them?"
Before they could react, the rabbit's form twisted grotesquely, morphing into a snarling, monstrous creature.
Without hesitation, Aidan lunged forward, slashing it cleanly with his knife. Blood splattered the ground.
"Hah. So easy," he said with a smirk.
Dagda looked at him, impressed. "Hey, you're really strong."
Aidan chuckled. "Thanks."
Fade, however, noticed something strange. He pointed to Aidan's knife, still dripping with blood.
"What's that? It looks... darker than normal."
Aidan glanced at the blade nonchalantly. "Just rabbit blood. Don't worry about it."
Fade frowned slightly but said nothing.
They continued moving until they stumbled across a river. The cool shimmer of water was too much for Dagda to resist after hours of walking under the heavy sun.
"Finally, water!" Dagda cried and sprinted to it, kneeling down and scooping water into his mouth. The refreshing chill instantly revived him.
But just as he lowered his head for another gulp—
A shadow loomed behind him.
Before he could react, a massive force yanked Dagda into the water.
Splash!
Silence fell.
"Dagda?!" Fade shouted, panic creeping into his voice.
Behind him, Aidan just smirked.
"Leave him," Aidan said coldly.
Suddenly, the river exploded. A fountain of bloody water splashed over them.
Fade gasped—then stared in awe.
Floating above the water, bathed in sunlight and blood, was Dagda.
His clothes were torn, blood ran down his arms, but in his hand, he gripped his battle axe tightly. Beneath him floated the lifeless body of a giant sea serpent, its head split in two.
Dagda exhaled slowly, a feral grin spreading across his face.
"Huh... It's so easy."
The river ran red behind him as he slowly walked back to shore, his presence heavier than ever.
The hunt for the Almighty Stones had just begun.