The elf's head whipped around. His palms shot up toward the sound—toward me. A fireball… a damn fireball coalesced between his hands in an instant: roiling orange-white heat, bright enough to throw harsh shadows across the mud.
It launched straight at my face.
I threw myself sideways, rolling through damp leaves and dirt. The fireball streaked past, slamming into a tree behind me with a whoomph—bark charred black, embers raining down.
I scrambled up, shoes sliding, and found myself standing in the open clearing. Face-to-face with the elf.
He sneered, lips curling back from sharp teeth. "Human… fucking human."
"I'm not looking for a fight," I said, hands raised, voice low. "You do whatever you need to do. I'll just—"
Another fireball answered me.
I dove left again, this time scrambling behind a massive boulder half-buried in the earth. The fireball struck the stone with a crackle—heat washed over me in a searing wave, singeing the hairs on my arms and the side of my tunic.
I pressed my back to the rock, breathing hard. No weapons. No armor worth a damn. No spells I knew how to cast. Fighting was suicide. Running was worse—he'd just hose me down with fire the second my back was turned.
"You're making a mistake!" I shouted from cover. "Let me go!"
"Die, you piece of shit!"
"How about we talk, huh?"
"Talk? FUCK YOU!"
Another fireball screamed past the boulder's edge, close enough that I felt the air scorch.
Shit. This wasn't ending with words.
I shoved off the boulder and bolted straight for the deeper forest.
The elf snarled and hurled another fireball. I ducked low—heat scorched the air above my head—and nearly lost my footing on slick leaves. I caught myself, scrambled behind the nearest thick trunk, and pressed flat against the bark.
"Come here!"
"Shit," I muttered. "Persistent bastard."
Footsteps crunched closer. Good. If he got in range, maybe I could close the distance and turn this into something I could actually win. I cursed the guard's warning about a torch—or better yet, a weapon. Getting caught empty-handed wasn't new; it was basically my old life's default setting. Improvise or die.
He was almost on me.
I broke cover and charged right at him. He was to my side now, palms forward, heat already building between them. Just as the fireball started to form, I scooped a fistful of wet mud from the ground and hurled it straight into his face.
"Shit!"
The glob smacked his eyes and mouth. He flinched, hands flying up by reflex—the half-formed fireball launched wild, streaking upward and slamming into a low branch. Flames erupted instantly, orange tongues licking along dry bark and spreading fast.
I tackled him hard. We hit the mud together; I straddled his chest before he could recover. He thrashed, snarling curses, but I was faster. My fist cracked across his jaw—once, twice—then dropped lower to his hip. Fingers found the dagger sheath, but a leather retaining strap held it tight. No time to fumble with buckles. Brute force it was.
"HUMAN! FUCKING HUMAN!"
His palm slammed against my cheek—skin blistering hot. Heat surged in his hand, ready to cook my face off.
I rolled backward off him, scrambled up, boots slipping. He rose just as quick and fired again. I dove behind the same tree trunk, crawled low through underbrush as another fireball exploded against the bark—splinters raining, heat licking my back.
He pursued, shoving branches aside, closing fast.
A boot slammed into my spine, pinning me face-down in the dirt.
I twisted, glancing back. Moonlight caught the glint of a small dagger tucked into his boot-top—barely visible, but there.
My hand shot out, fingers closing around the hilt. I yanked upward, sliding the blade free against his knee in one rough pull.
"Die!"
Before he could summon another spell, I drove the dagger deep into his ankle. He howled, stumbled back, spine slamming against a tree trunk.
I lunged up, using his body as leverage—forehead smashing into his left kneecap for good measure—then rose fully and drove the blade straight into his throat.
Blood sprayed hot across my face and chest. He gurgled, coughed crimson onto my skin. I twisted the knife hard.
"No… gods… ohg… gagh…"
He slid down the trunk, hands clawing at his neck. I yanked the dagger free, stepped back, watched him raise a trembling palm toward me one last time.
I stepped forward and stomped—boot heel crushing his skull against the tree. A sickening crunch echoed through the clearing. His body went limp. This fucking guy… he was insane.
╔══════════════════╗
> ENEMY SLAIN
╠══════════════════╣
> +18 EXP
> +7 LC
╚══════════════════╝
"Ah, fuck." I exhaled shakily. "That was… shit."
I collapsed onto my back in the mud, chest heaving. Every breath hurt—something bruised or cracked in my ribs. He'd worked me over bad. Magic versus bare hands and a boot knife. I'd barely scraped by. But I was breathing. He wasn't.
╔══════════════════╗
> LEVEL UP!
╠══════════════════╣
> You reached LVL 2
> +1 CASS POINT
> +1 PERK POINT
╚══════════════════╝
Leveled up by killing someone. Messed up. Couldn't deny that. But at least his death bought me something useful.
The status screen updated.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Ace | LC: 7 | EXP: 8/133 | LVL 2
╠═══════════════════════╣
> HP ▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱ 55/100
> MP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 64/60
> STA ▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 27/80
────────────────────────
> UNSPENT POINTS
╠═══════════════════════╣
> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [QUESTS]
╚═══════════════════════╝
I pushed upright. The fire was spreading fast—crackling branches, orange glow licking higher. No time to sit. I still needed those damn flowers.
I ran toward the pond marker, right arm clamped across my chest—every swing sent sharp pain spiking through my ribs. Adrenaline kept me moving.
Seconds later, the small pond appeared: shallow, still water ringed by thick trees and reeds. Moonlight shimmered across its surface.
And there—along the muddy edge—were the Niakrandra.
Silver-white petals curved like slender crescent moons, edges glowing with faint luminescent blue. Thin glass-like stamens rose from each center, tipped with a single droplet of captured starlight. Dark violet stems twisted upward, delicate yet resilient, as if drinking moonlight itself.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck…"
I glanced back. Flames were marching this way, smoke thickening the air.
I rushed forward, dropped to my knees, and snatched five blossoms—careful not to bruise the petals as the quest demanded. They went straight into my tunic pocket.
No time to admire. I spun to run back the way I came—but the fire had already cut off the path. A wall of orange roared between me and the city, heat blasting my face.
East. The only clear direction. The way the other elves had gone.
"Shit… that's not good. That's not good…"
I turned and sprinted east into the darker woods, smoke chasing at my heels. Just what did I even get myself into…
Hearing footsteps crashing through the underbrush behind me, I grabbed the nearest tree trunk and veered sharply right—straight toward the heart of the spreading fire.
The voices were closer now, sharp and furious. The same elf who'd gutted the human was shouting orders.
"Spread out!" he roared. "Find what's going on!"
"Shit."