After about an hour and a half, we got up again.

  Physically we were fine; our mana was full, and nobody was wounded anymore thanks to Mary, but mentally… less so. No one said it outright, but the monsters had rattled them. Fast. Too fast. During the rest we picked them apart piece by piece, trying to turn our experience into a new strength.

  They were terrifyingly competent hunters. Straight-line speed that made running away pointless and senses sharp enough that hiding barely worked for Quinn, so it would be pointless for us. But up close, once you survived the first rush, they weren’t invincible. Fragile, even. The real danger was that cry. Hit one, and the others converged like it was a dinner bell.

  Still, we understood them better now, and we could plan how to face them.

  I’d spent the entire rest period keeping a lookout; my curse demanded it, and it allowed me to train Arcane Sense and my barrier. It wasn’t the most efficient use of my time by a long shot, but I needed the practice. By the end of it my head throbbed in a dull, persistent way, like someone pressing a thumb behind my eyes. Worth it though. Arcane Sense had climbed four levels just through sustained use.

  Multi-Casting and Arcane Barrier were capped, but the difference was obvious anyway.

  What used to feel like juggling knives now felt closer to tapping two different rhythms. Still hard, but less so. My barrier had changed too. No more warped, flickering shell. Now it was a thin, even film of magic, wrapped around me in a near-transparent oval. Not strong enough to tank many hits, but stable. It would stop one solid strike before shattering, probably.

  One mistake forgiven. That alone was priceless.

  As we packed up, Marcus handed me two more figurines. One was a carved head, vaguely African in style, tongue sticking out in a mocking snarl. The other was a small owl totem, with eyes staring in opposite directions.

  The figurine was bizarre, similar to the other ones he had made.

  I thanked him and transferred the curse from my mace into the head figurine. The relief was immediate. The cold hollow in my chest subsided, releasing pressure from a sealed space. I should have done it sooner. At the same time, I knew relying too much on offloading curses would slow the growth of my trait. Pain was part of the process.

  Marcus offered to show me the basics of carving when we made camp later, and I, of course, agreed.

  Then I went to Marco.

  I told him to stop using the explosive arrows for now. The blasts weren’t killing the monsters, and the noise was just calling more of them in.

  He didn’t take it well.

  “It’s bullshit,” he snapped. “They should die if an explosion goes off in their face.”

  “Marco, tell me something. How high is your intelligence stat? And did you evolve your class?”

  After some hesitation, he admitted he was level nine. Intelligence forty-five.

  That explained a lot.

  “Ok, so, you are a mage; let’s work around the problem. You have an energy manipulation-type skill, right?”

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  “Yes,” he said. “Why?”

  “Because you’re trying to brute-force something you can’t brute-force yet. These monsters are too high level to get blown apart by a single, just-evolved skill supported by an unevolved class and a single trait.” I told him he looked like he was about to snap at me for explaining that he was weak in a roundabout way. So I continued.

  “If you want one-shot kills, you need to stop detonating on impact. Stabilise the spell; let the arrow penetrate first, then detonate.

  For a second he just stared at me.

  Then his face lit up.

  “All the energy stays inside,” he muttered. “No dispersing. It’d tear them apart...”

  He started pacing, mumbling about levels, achievements, and faster growth. I left him to it.

  Alya was next. Pale, but steady. She’d switched to the axe and said it hadn’t betrayed her yet. She still carried a spare sword and a maul looted from the gorgs. She was pissed at her performance, but at least she was directing her frustration towards improving and not to others.

  Rhea practically jogged up to me while I was finishing talking with Alya. She had that look again, the one she got when she cracked the ritual before. Her eyes were bright, and her hands were already moving as if she were drawing diagrams in the air.

  “I think I figured it out,” she said, words tumbling over each other. “Not fully, but enough that it should work. The monsters, I mean. Their structure, their resonance – it’s all wrong, but that actually makes it easier if I stack the—”

  “Rhea,” I cut in gently. “Slow down.”

  She froze mid-gesture, flushed, then nodded. “Sorry. I’m just… okay. Short version.”

  “Please.”

  She took a breath, visibly forcing herself to focus. “I can make a ritual to kill one. I think.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “This is great.”

  She beamed. “I know! I’d need blood from one of them and a place where I can set things up properly.”

  “What kind of setup?”

  “Five rituals,” she said, holding up her hand. “All converging to a single point. Resonance amplification, focusing, pressure inversion, life-binding, and release. It’s not one big ritual like before; it’s… layers. If I do it right, the energy doesn’t disperse outward. It collapses, and then it erupts with enough power to kill the monster.”

  I studied her face while she spoke. That sounded complicated. “Can you manage that in the forest?”

  She nodded quickly. “Yes, actually, there are natural anchors everywhere. Roots, stones, and old trees. I can hide most of the markings, and blood’s a strong conductor. I just need to bait one of the monsters into the centre.”

  I let that sit for a moment. “We need to find a way for you to do that by yourself. Quinn could probably get chased and pass through the trap, but I’m sure it wouldn’t count as a solo achievement…”

  “I’ll find a way,” she said immediately. Then hesitated. “I mean. Those monsters already chase us if we sneeze too loud, right? It should be possible to attract one in the trap; I’ll think of something, don’t worry.”

  “Alright,” I said. “Find the right place, and when you’re ready, tell me. We’ll help keep others away from the eldir.

  Her shoulders sagged in relief. “Really?”

  “Yes, of course. In case things go wrong, I’ll intervene, ok? I’m not going to leave you to the wolves.”

  Her voice dropped, quieter now. “Thank you… I’ll do it, and it will work. I don’t want to be dead weight.”

  I reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened, then relaxed. “You aren’t,” I said. “You saved lives back there already, and your magical theories helped me with the use of my skills too. Even though you currently lack combat power, it doesn't mean you're worthless.

  She looked down, her cheeks coloured.

  “Anyway,” I said. “Just don’t rush it to prove something.”

  She nodded, firm this time. “I won’t.”

  I stepped back and gestured towards the others. “It’s time to go now; we’re wasting daylight at this point.”

  She smiled, small but genuine. “Thank you. For… trusting me.”

  I gave a short nod.

  She turned and hurried off, already scanning the forest with new intent.

  In the meantime I resumed my efforts in finding Quinn with my Arcane Sense. If before I couldn’t feel his presence at all, now at least I could feel its absence. Progress.

  We resumed our march towards the valley’s exit while marking our resting spot for the bigger group. While we trudged on, the chattering was kept to a minimum; we didn’t want a repeat of the previous battle. The next time a monster comes into view, we will face the encounter on our own terms.

  I wanted to take on some of those elders to try a couple of ideas I got. I needed to improve my skills; while I was working with my barrier and magical scans combo constantly now, I still had to improve the others too. Getting the right evolution, especially for my most important skills, will make my power skyrocket. I had the feeling that it will be necessary soon.

  20 chapters ahead!