Aslan picked up on his master’s train of thought and sent his voice thundering into the boy’s mind, [ Alaric, the demons in the woods are starting their attack. Can you hold them down while we fight the anomaly? It’s going to take everyone to take that thing down… but we can’t do it with a whole stampede attacking us. ]

  Naturally, Alaric knew what the guardian was asking of him. He was the only one here, along with LionHeart, who knew the extent of his ability to control the woods.

  The only problem was that the same ability could get him in trouble with the Emperor’s Men. They still didn’t know who Darth was working with, and it was safe to assume his masters had killed him only after getting all the information they could out of him.

  It was also assumed that anyone looking for Alaric could be affiliated with those same masters. That became even more plausible when a Dark Mage arrived in Melbourne and allied himself with the Emperor’s Men, an alliance Alaric found odd.

  The boy knew he could trust Scarlett, Maple and even Bumi… but his gut twisted at the sight of Byron while Lucy remained undecisive—like she was still evaluating where to place her loyalty.

  The boy gave the demon one last glance before turning away and walking to the edge of the carriage. There, he sighed, ‘Looks like we really won’t be going back to Melbourne…’

  The demon wasn’t just watching, though. Falling back, the creature bunched its muscles and leapt off the ground, only to have its body stop mid-air and slam violently into the ground.

  Powerful convulsing vines wrapped around the beast like hungry tentacles, constricting and cutting into it as thorns bloomed all over their surface, dragging the creature back into the woods. Its profane screeches echoed through the woods, sending fear into the adventurers.

  “That ability…” Byron started, but Alaric wasn’t listening.

  Instead, he looked up at the approaching lion… “I bought you a bit of time to come up with a plan. Those vines won’t hold it down forever.”

  LionHeart nodded, jumped off Aslan and approached a dishevelled Sariah.

  Turning his attention back to the woods, Alaric took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He summoned aether from the depths of his bountiful aether reserves.

  Being a part of his Inborn Ability, controlling the woods through Thomper’s power never took a lot of aether… but today, he would be attempting something he’d never quite done before.

  As a Wood Rank, his Inborn Ability was a lot more potent, so an all-out attack before the Tempering Ritual was child’s play to him now. He’d never tried going all-out after becoming Wood Rank though.

  The air went cold and the aether in it stirred… before the forest erupted to life, filling the world with a cacophony of sounds, some natural while others profane.

  The trees shuddered, the ground shook, the demons roared, screeched, squealed, yelled and whatever other sound they could make all at once in a song of chaos that drowned the world in anguish before everything went still.

  If anyone had the chance to look into the woods, they would see that an unnatural massacre of demons had occurred. Vines shot through their vital organs, thorns mutilated their bodies as they were forced into submission with the trees as their prisons.

  It was like a dark forest that had been born from the cruel amalgamation of demons and nature.

  A loud screech came seconds later, announcing the escape of the powerful demon Alaric had only managed to temporarily put down. The boy swayed… but remained standing, his attention staying on the woods.

  The aether in his body shuddered in response to the demon’s chilling screech.

  “It’s coming,” he whispered.

  “Taran, we need to stop and fight. We won’t get anywhere like this…”

  “This would happen to be your lucky day, then. We’re not far from the Shimmering Creek now. I want nothing to do with your bunch, Bumi. Give me my half when we get there and let me be on my way,” Taran growled.

  Bumi sighed, “You can’t be serious. That wasn’t part of our agreement.”

  “I’m no adventurer, Bumi. I’m a businessman… and I need my life to do business,” the man argued, fear lodged deep in his voice.

  Alaric turned to Maple, “Do you have any more spells in you?”

  The woman nodded with a curious look in her eyes, “A few… You have an idea?”

  As the discussion with the coachman continued, Leon tried to bring Sariah out of her stupor while Scarlett checked her weapons.

  “I was wondering how slippery you can get your ice to be,” Alaric started. Maple didn’t need to think about it for too long. Her guardian hummed in her hand, speaking to the girl.

  To Alaric’s surprise, he found himself understanding the words coming from the azure staff, [ We could use that spell. ]

  The Shimmering Creek was about two kilometres from their current position, tall grey mountains looming closer than they had before. Alaric’s plan needed as much distance as they could get.

  A cold breeze blew through the quiet woods, carrying with it a fog like no other. Small particles of ice pricked whoever walked into the fog. But above all, the fog cloaked every surface—tree, leaf, and root alike, leaving a slippery layer of ice on everything it touched.

  If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

  The ice followed the carriage as they raced for the Shimmering Creek.

  In the distance, Alaric managed to catch sight of their demonic pursuer tripping on the ice and ending in an unceremonious tumble. The beast tried to stand and found that it was a lot harder to stand straight on this ice, even when it tried to rake the surface.

  A loud screech came from the beast, echoing through the cold winds… With the sound, Alaric’s aether shuddered, as though it wasn’t his to control for just a short moment before he regained control.

  “That demon’s scream…” Maple shivered, “There is something about it that turns my stomach.”

  Alaric stared back with a short nod, “I know what you mean.”

  A secondary spell rolled off Alaric’s palm, working to make the ice harder and increasing its resistance to melting.

  The demon struck the ice and slid, leaving the faintest scratch in its surface. The fog was just thin enough for everyone to catch this spectacle as well as the demon’s longing, kaleidoscopic gaze before it vanished from view.

  The carriage rode on in silence with Maple and Alaric working on buying them time while everyone else remained silent.

  Scarlett stowed her weapons, which, in the end, had done nothing and pulled her legs closer to herself with a shudder, “This is turning into one hell of a nightmarish hunt.”

  Alaric looked out at the fog they left covering the woods and pondered, ‘I highly doubt Gold-ranked missions were meant to be this hard.’

  What if this was his fault? And if it was, was this what it meant to be powerful? To have every gift draw the eyes of monsters and greedy men.

  The carriage rode on in silence, slowing down now that there were no demons in sight. Alaric reckoned the horses were exhausted and dying of thirst.

  Still, they weren’t out of trouble. The demon they were running from was still out there. It would take a while for it to traverse the field of slippery ice… but it would make it through for sure.

  Alaric was sure of it.

  Boredom gnawed at him, pushing his thoughts toward the most curious thing nearby: The staff in Maple’s hands.

  The blue-haired mage wasn’t holding any ordinary staff. She was holding her guardian… He learned from Alia that her name was TidalWave, a powerful guardian with the power from the Constellation of Water, Liquidium.

  There were some pressing matters on his mind, though, “Maple… I don’t know if it’s right for me to say this… but isn’t your guardian a bit… weak?”

  The silence of the carriage became palpable before Alaric stumbled on his words, “I’m sorry. I don’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just that I expected more output from your guardian. Most guardians aren’t bound by the limits of Body Tempering like humans are…”

  “No, you’re right. You don’t have to apologise. I made my peace with it a long time ago,” Maple chuckled, then added, “When I was fifteen, I was appraised with a B-class guardian. She was to be one of the strong ones.”

  Maple’s voice was light as she narrated, draped with more nostalgia than raw emotion, “I remember the compliments… and the jealousy. Everyone had such high hopes of my awakening. But power doesn’t come that easily. There was a powerful restriction that came with her power. I was actually told that if it weren’t for that limitation, then she could have easily been ranked A-class.”

  “Limitation?”

  “Yes… TidalWave, my guardian, can only use as much aether as I can draw. I am the limitation,” the woman responded, “Most people don’t hold their guardians back as much as I do.”

  “You know your guardian’s name. That already puts you way ahead of others,” Byron sighed, “Though I don’t know if your decision to become an adventurer with a flaw like that makes you brave or foolish.”

  “That’s enough, Byron,” Bumi chimed in, “Maple’s decision is hers. Besides, I’d be damned if she died on my watch.”

  Byron furrowed his brows in frustration, “That’s the kind of misguided mindset that put Dash where he is now.”

  “I said that’s enough out of you, Byron.” Bumi raised his voice even louder.

  “Stop it, you two,” LionHeart snapped at the bickering men, “This is not the time to argue.”

  Alaric remained silent after this. It wasn’t long before the carriage broke through the woods and came across a river, where the carriage pulled to a stop a fair distance from the creek.

  A wide stone bridge went over the river and yet, Alaric felt wary about crossing it.

  Taran, the coachman, had made sure the carriage stayed a fair distance from the creek before dismounting and checking his packs.

  “You lot get off here like we agreed. I want to get as far away from that monster as I can. Flintstone Quarry might not have the most potent domain, but it’s better than a Merchant city, that’s for sure.”

  Bumi reached the man and shook his hand, “Thank you for your help, Taran. We’ll find you in the Quarry when we’re done.”

  “Like hell you will! I’ll get you someone to take you back to Melbourne. You’ll pay him the other half of my money. I’m not about to stake my life on a return trip. Those demons you subdued back there… They won’t stay dead forever,” Taran argued.

  From his pack, he fished out a gold coin, then approached the river holding it out. The water rumbled and bubbled upon his approach, catching Alaric’s attention.

  Alaric saw the flowing water start to glow and shimmer, then it bubbled and started rising to form a creature made completely from water.

  The boy’s eyes went wide, ‘A Naiad…’

  [ Yes… a Water Nymph. She might even be the reason they’ve come to call this the Shimmering Creek. ]

  Alaric hummed in response to his guardian’s words. From what he’d read of naiads, they were powerful water spirits that could be found in water bodies. Their nature was mysterious and hard to find in texts, unlike their beauty, which was wildly enchanting.

  “If it isn’t Taran, the travel merchant. Still calling that wagon of yours a business?” the naiad gurgled with laughter.

  “I bring you your payment, maiden of the Shimmering Creek,” Taran bowed.

  The naiad’s laughter died a bit, replaced by a bored expression on its face, “You’re no fun today. Bring your payment over… You bore me.”

  Taran approached the naiad with a neutral expression and held up his hand. Before the watery hand could touch the coin, however, it froze, “You’re afraid? Why?”

  “Demons… I barely made it here. I just want to cross and be on my way,” Taran explained.

  “You bring Dark Ones to my waters and dare to think I’ll let you cross,” the spirit hissed.

  “Demons hunt humans. Besides, these humble adventurers have offered to put down the demon. You have nothing to worry about…”

  “And yet your fear harbours doubt,” the naiad replied.

  Taran remained silent, perhaps knowing there was nothing more he could say to defend himself. He wanted to cross over the bridge and be done with Melbourne. The ride had been traumatic enough.

  The water bubbled and two female heads popped out of the surface, these ones were solid with olive complexions, unlike than the water nymph’s watery form. They were beautiful women with green scales on their olive cheeks and a glossy sheen that never dried, almost like they were underwater even when they came out of it.

  They spoke in the Old Tongue, a language Taran didn’t understand, “Kill the humans… Break the bridge. They are only using us to take care of their messes.”

  Taran’s eyes darted about, and he stepped back, “What are those two doing here?”

  The naiad turned to him with a smirk, “They are discussing the punishment for leading the Corruption to us. We guard your human bridge… but never in the history of this little alliance has a human ever brought Dark Ones to it.”

  The two girls spoke again, “Don’t speak to the humans, Mistress. Their language is tainted with lies… You mustn’t trust a word that comes from his mouth.”

  The naiad turned to the girls with a conflicted expression, replying to them in the Old Tongue, “You only ever rise from the water when you want to judge those who should not cross. What would you know about humans?”

  Taran’s face had turned white with fear. “Those girls only come out when they don’t want someone to cross! Please… Have mercy. I don’t want to die.”

  The river trembled, water coiling upward like serpents around Taran’s ankles. The Naiad’s face turned cold and indifferent. Her voice gained a dangerous edge, with a cold comparable, if not more dangerous than Maple’s ice magic.

  “Mercy?!” she hissed.