"Onytax!" Malcolm shouted just before three monsters charged.

  Cass wasted no time. She exploded forward to meet the creatures head-on while Malcolm and I bolted after her as fast as our legs could carry us.

  Too fast. Cass was

  too fast.

  She met the lead Onytax with a sword slash so precise and lightning-quick that only Valor confirmed she'd actually connected. The moment her strike landed, searing heat surged through the cuff on my wrist, followed by a twisting momentum that felt like the path toward Cass was now .

  The tether's pull yanked Malcolm and me clean off our feet, dragging us toward Cass like we were attached to a bungee cord. I hit the grass hard and rolled, feeling the cuff cool as we settled within range.

  Dara had warned us too. Fight the pull, and we'd start hemorrhaging mana. Not something I planned on testing.

  I scrambled to my feet just as Valor flared. Sidestepping an overhand slam from an Onytax, I watched its massive fists smash into the ground with enough force to crater the earth and send dirt spraying like shrapnel.

  I spun, winding up Winchester for a strike, when Red flashed past me like a crimson comet. He landed just behind the creature, his fur blazing with red runes, aura flickering around him like wildfire. His tails fanned out in full display, eyes locked on me with predatory intensity I'd never seen before.

  It took me a second to realize the Onytax was screaming—purple ooze spraying everywhere as one of its massive, hairy arms flopped on the ground, completely severed at the shoulder.

  Without hesitation, I brought Winchester down on the creature's knee with a bone-shattering crack. It dropped, roaring in agony, and swiped at me with its remaining arms. Trusting my armor to absorb the impact, I readied another strike.

  Big mistake.

  Its arm cuffed me across the shoulder like a sledgehammer, and I went flying. While the armor absorbed most of the impact, the sheer force still rattled my bones. A glancing blow had launched me like a rag-doll.

  I slammed into the ground, rolled with the momentum, and caught my feet, darting back toward the monster. Ducking under another swing, I wound up Winchester and hammered an attack into its chest with a quick mana burn—just enough juice to empower the hit.

  I released the burn the instant Winchester connected, but the weapon still sapped a sizeable chunk of my mana reserves.

  A shockwave of rainbow energy erupted from the impact point, sending what remained of the creature flying backward in pieces. My strike had obliterated everything between the Onytax's shoulders, painting the grass with purple gore.

  Too bad I was in the splash zone.

  Everything happened so fast that when I checked Valor for Cass and Malcolm, panic spiked through me. They weren't moving.

  I whirled around and spotted them—also dripping with purple ooze but very much alive. One Onytax lay crumpled nearby, clearly shredded by dozens of Cass's surgical sword strikes. The other was cleanly bisected, the cut still glowing dull orange from Malcolm's plasma work.

  Cass laughed, wiping monster guts from her face. "Oh, I'll take being a Seeker any day. Onytax are only Class-E."

  She grimaced as she carved a mana orb from her kill. Malcolm did the same with clinical efficiency. I hurried to my obliterated monster, only to find disappointment—no mana orb, not even a pearl. Maybe the explosion had vaporized it?

  More roars echoed around us as we sprinted into the treeline. Cass struggled to slow her pace for us, still adjusting to her new superhuman speed.

  Since Red didn't need a tether, he scouted ahead with incredible velocity, darting in front of us and changing our course multiple times to avoid running face-first into more monsters. Malcolm confirmed our path with the Guiding Stone, its glow cutting through the shadows.

  As if the arena was responding to our progress, heavy fog rolled through the trees like a living thing.

  "Oh, c'mon!" I yelled into the haze.

  Red slowed his pace, his aura fading as he returned to normal dog mode. He sniffed the air, cocking his head in confusion that I could feel through our bond.

  Malcolm stepped forward, clutching the stone like a lifeline. "We're about halfway to our destination," he said, pointing left through the mist.

  Valor picked up several things moving in the surrounding fog—presences that felt small but dangerous, positioned high like they were perched in the trees around us. They were watching me specifically, a vague sense of predatory interest prickling at my enhanced senses.

  We jogged in Malcolm's indicated direction, but he kept stopping and starting, guiding us around unseen threats. I sensed the watchers shifting through the haze, maybe ten or fifteen meters away, always staying just out of clear sight.

  Malcolm stopped dead, and I nearly crashed into him. Red danced around my feet while Cass placed a steadying hand on Malcolm's back.

  "Oh shit, take the guiding stone." Malcolm tossed it to me with urgent precision.

  I caught it, and the fog receded into a hazy blur around us. My eyes went wide as I spotted what had been stalking us—a dozen owl-like monsters perched in the surrounding trees, their feathers rippling with a red energy that made them look like living flames.

  Malcolm formed a pointed mudra with his left hand, index and little finger extended like a gun. White-hot plasma crackled between his fingers as he aimed at one owl, pulling his other hand back like drawing a bowstring.

  "Igniplumax. Class-E. Get ready to dodge."

  He released the shot. A flash of orange light sliced through both the owl and its branch, cutting them cleanly in half with surgical precision.

  I felt the attention of the remaining owls snap to Malcolm like a magnetic pull, just as Valor screamed in my mind.

  All but a few Igniplumax reacted instantly, diving toward me in a coordinated frenzy of wings and fury.

  I braced to strike when my aura shrieked at me, the warning sharp and immediate. I threw myself backward, narrowly avoiding a flaming projectile that would've punched straight through my skull like a molten bullet.

  Searing pain flared in my shoulder and thigh as I dove right with a harsh scream. Cass grunted nearby, slicing one owl apart in an explosion of yellow ooze that splattered across the trees.

  I glanced down—smoldering feathers jutted from my thigh, wedged between two scales of my armor like burning needles.

  Gritting my teeth, I pushed to my feet and spun to meet another incoming owl. An orange blast ripped through the air in front of me, slicing the creature apart mid-flight.

  Red shot past me like a cannonball, snatching an Igniplumax from the air and slamming it to the ground. He shook it like a chew toy, flaming feathers scattering and embedding themselves in nearby trees like tiny torches.

  Valor screamed again. I twisted instinctively, but pain tore through my bicep as another flaming feather drove itself deep into my arm. One bird had over-committed to its attack, diving straight at my face.

  Snarling, I stored Winchester and triggered a mana burn, letting it ride longer this time. My mana reserves plummeted, but a blue aura flared around me bright enough to cut through the fog like a beacon.

  I sidestepped the diving owl and slammed a gauntleted fist into it, smashing the bird out of the air with a satisfying crunch. Dropping the mana burn, I summoned Winchester back in hammer form and delivered a single, devastating swing.

  Rainbow energy popped as the owl exploded into yellow ooze.

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  I surveyed the carnage of dead black owls scattered around our impromptu battlefield.

  Cass grinned, wiping her sword clean on the grass. "They really didn't like what you did with your aura there. It's way easier to take out monsters when they're all focused on someone else."

  "That was intense." I pulled the spiked feather from my arm, surprised it didn't hurt nearly as much as expected. Blood slicked the barb, but the wound felt manageable.

  As I tossed the feather aside, I noticed dozens more scattered around me. My armor bore fresh marks where it had deflected several others. Despite getting demolished by Dara's golem a couple of days ago, the scale mail was holding up remarkably well.

  I yanked out the remaining feathers with winces, feeling refined mana go to work on the wounds as it cycled through my body. Healing would take time, but I could function.

  "You need a potion?" Malcolm asked with genuine concern in his voice.

  I shook my head. "I'll be fine. Save them for when it's not just flesh wounds."

  It had been a while since I'd used a healing potion—all I remembered was the massive mana drain, and I'd already been loose with mana burns.

  I handed Malcolm the guiding stone, and he led us through the forest at a steady jog. We nearly tripped over each other when we stumbled upon a rushing river that seemed to appear from nowhere—I hadn't even heard it over the forest sounds.

  "Fuck!" Cass yelped as she toppled into the water.

  She tumbled downstream for several meters before clawing her way back to shore, sputtering and cursing. Our cuffs flared hot, the tether pulling insistently as distance grew. We scrambled to reach her before the mana drain kicked in.

  Cass hurled a handful of mud at us from the bank. "Why me?" she groaned. "Ugh, armor and water sucks."

  "Now you know how I felt in Rainhaven," I said, chuckling at the memory. "Except I was sweating under mine the whole time. Wet on all sides."

  Cass groaned dramatically. "How the fuck are we supposed to get across this? It's at least thirty paces wide."

  "I could probably jump it," I said with mock confidence. "...Probably."

  Cass scoffed. "Remember what happened last time you tried jumping a giant gap? You learned what sliding across hard stone felt like."

  I shuddered at the memory of road rash from that rooftop chase.

  "Wait," Malcolm said as we walked upstream, searching for a crossing. "Haven't you been here for like two weeks? You two talk like you've been friends for years."

  I shrugged. "It's been a really busy two weeks."

  Cass and I burst into laughter.

  Eventually, Malcolm guided us to a rickety-looking rope bridge hanging barely above the water's surface. The thing looked like it had been constructed by drunk engineers using leftover materials.

  "Oh good," I said, tugging on the rope. "This totally isn't going to snap and drop us when we're halfway across."

  Cass and Malcolm stared at me like I'd just cursed us all. Even Red shot me serious side-eye.

  "What? It's kind of a thing in storytelling on Earth," I explained. "Snapping rope bridges rank just above quicksand in terms of 'nasty shit you know is going to happen' in a place like this."

  "What's quicksand?" Malcolm asked with genuine curiosity.

  Before I could answer, a loud croak echoed through the trees behind us. Dozens more joined the chorus, a familiar sound that made my blood run cold.

  "Nope!" Cass snapped, climbing onto the bridge. "Not doing Lumifrax again."

  We all followed her, hustling across the bridge that dangled barely thirty centimeters above rushing water. My stomach knotted with dread the entire crossing—if this bridge was going to collapse, Valor wouldn't warn me. I'd learned that limitation the hard way.

  After several tense minutes, we stepped onto solid ground. I looked back at the rickety bridge, still intact.

  "I'm almost disappointed," I chuckled.

  Cass socked me in the arm. The armor absorbed the impact, but I staggered dramatically anyway.

  The rest of our trek went smoothly—no monsters between us and our destination. Before long, we spotted the lion-headed dais, identical to where we'd started.

  Cass moved to place the orb, but I stopped her.

  "Whoa, hang on. Dara said we have to keep it there for a full minute. That means something's definitely going to happen when you place it. Give me a second."

  I pulled the last two circular mana traps from my soul-space, slotted red coins into each, and tossed them into the dirt along our approach path.

  "You kept those?" Cass asked incredulously. "I would've sold them back to Cyrus."

  "I didn't know that was even an option," I admitted, eyeing a nearby tree. "Hey Malcolm, think you can cut this tree down with your plasma thing?"

  "My what?" Malcolm asked, then caught on immediately. A flash of orange light sliced through the trunk, and the tree cracked as it toppled to the ground with a satisfying crash.

  "Nice." Switching Winchester to glaive mode, I sliced the branches cleanly off, leaving a perfect battering ram log positioned in front of the dais.

  "What are you planning with the tree?" Cass asked.

  "Not entirely sure, but if push comes to shove, I'm pretty confident rolling it over those traps will ruin something's day."

  Malcolm looked from the tree to the traps and back again, his expression shifting to impressed. "Well... shit, that's actually brilliant. Two red-tier mana traps would definitely obliterate something. You just thought of that?"

  I shrugged. "Video games."

  "What's vid—" Malcolm started, but a loud chime echoed through the forest.

  Cass had placed the orb into the lion's mouth.

  The ground rumbled ominously, with leaves and branches shaking violently. A low, resonant growl filled the air, punctuated by deep, guttural clicks like a massive tiger preparing to strike.

  Red eyes emerged from the fog—enormous, feline, and locked onto us with predatory intelligence.

  The creature stepped into view, revealing itself to be a cat-like monster the size of a city bus. Black and red fur rippled with supernatural heat, waves of scorching air rolling off it like it was walking flame made flesh.

  "Uh," Malcolm stammered, eyes fixed on the nightmare before us.

  Red's fur ignited, his tails fanning out as he took a cautious step backward—the first time I'd seen him retreat from anything.

  Cass drew her second sword as the creature roared, its mouth glowing like molten coals. It inhaled sharply, and Valor roared in my mind with desperate warning.

  "Down!" I yelled, hitting the dirt just before a plume of thick black smoke exploded from the creature's mouth. Embers swirled through the air, filling it with a sulfuric, burning stench that made my eyes water.

  We coughed and rolled away, desperate to escape the caustic cloud that seemed to burn everything it touched.

  I pushed myself to my feet, but the creature's gaze locked onto mine as we made eye contact. Valor egged it on instinctively.

  The beast prowled forward, another territorial growl rolling from its chest like distant thunder.

  "Stop doing that shit, kid! It's way too effective!

  "You think?!" I snapped back, only for Malcolm to shoot me a confused look.

  That moment of distraction was exactly what the creature had been waiting for.

  Danger flooded my senses, but I couldn't react fast enough. A jet of black smoke slammed into me like a battering ram, lifting me clean off my feet.

  My face burned, my eyes watered even through closed lids. My armor tightened painfully against the blast as I crashed through something solid. I hit the ground hard, breath ragged and painful.

  Blinking through blurred vision, I watched the tree I'd crashed through topple to the ground, missing me by inches.

  Orange blasts of light flickered through the haze—Malcolm firing relentlessly. Cass's furious battle cries mixed with the beast's roars. The cuff on my wrist burned, showing I was right on the edge of tether range.

  I coughed and spat blood, the caustic taste of whatever gas that thing produced clinging to my mouth like acid. Refined mana scrambled through my pathways, trying to repair damage, but it wasn't nearly enough.

  Gritting my teeth, I yanked a healing potion from my soul-space and braced for the bitter, oily taste.

  My mana reserves dipped hard as healing energy surged through my pathways. A cooling sensation spread through my lungs and throat, clearing my vision. I tried not to think about whether that thing had just melted my eyesight.

  Cass danced around the massive creature with lethal grace, slicing at its legs and driving her swords deep into its hide, leaving weeping purple wounds. Malcolm hammered it with molten beams that seared the air but barely left marks on its supernatural hide.

  The cat leaped back, bracing for another devastating attack. I seized the moment, sprinted forward, and kicked the prepared log with a perfectly timed mana burn. My reserves were down to half, so every expenditure had to count.

  The log exploded into the air, half-splintered by the impact, and crashed down in an awkward roll toward my hidden traps.

  Two deafening THUDS followed—white light erupted from the trap sites, throwing everyone backward in a shockwave of raw force. Even the monster.

  I crashed into a boulder, my armor straining past its limits. Valor's warning hit just in time for me to shove what mana I could spare into the impact point. Instead of broken ribs, pain flared through my side.

  The tether yanked me sideways before I could even groan, throwing me into another tree. Wind left my lungs in a rush before I caught myself with mana-infused feet.

  Cass and Malcolm fared better, already standing and ready for more. The cat, though, only seemed dazed. It shook its massive head like an oversized house cat and locked burning eyes on me again.

  I caught a flash of red in my peripheral vision—Valor confirmed Red was circling, just out of sight. Through our bond, I could tell he wasn't confident about inflicting actual damage, but that didn't matter.

  I dodged another blast of smoke breath and hurled Winchester like a spear, barreling toward the creature at full sprint.

  The beast howled as my glaive buried itself halfway up its haunch. I recalled the weapon just as I reached striking distance, and a geyser of purple gore erupted from the wound. The cat nearly collapsed from the injury.

  Spinning the glaive with practiced flourish, I forced the beast to recoil. Red barked loudly from the trees, drawing its attention at the perfect moment as I hurled myself backward.

  A column of liquid fire slammed into the creature's face. It staggered, shaking its head wildly as flames clung to its fur.

  I laughed—

  Cass surged forward beside me, her blades carving through the air faster than I could track. She flowed around me like water, her strikes ruthless and precise, always positioning herself exactly where I needed her to be.

  Malcolm hammered the beast with relentless energy beams, our coordination falling into place like pieces of a perfectly designed puzzle.

  The cat tried to retaliate, but Red hit it again—another jet of liquid fire to the face, timed with perfect precision.

  Once we found our rhythm, the cat didn't stand a chance.

  A few more seconds of perfectly coordinated assault and the monster finally crumpled, nearly collapsing on top of me. I dodged aside, breathing hard as its massive body hit the ground with an earth-shaking thud.

  A loud gong thrummed through the air, and the world snapped back into the arena like someone had flipped a switch. The roar of thousands of spectators hit me like a physical wave, the cheers absolutely deafening.

  "...felled the Ash Stalker in under a minute! A true display of Runebinding teamwork that will be remembered!" Dara's voice boomed over the crowd like a professional sports announcer.

  It felt like we'd been tuned into her commentary mid-sentence. So that's what the cat was—an Ash Stalker.

  "Worry not, spectators! Events will continue throughout the evening. Scores will be available after each bracket completes their trials," Dara continued with smooth professionalism.

  Then her voice shifted, now sounding like she was standing right beside us.

  "As for you three," she said, and I could hear the smirk in her tone, "some very wealthy nobles have paid quite a lot of money to meet you."

  We all groaned in perfect unison.