Rowan and Kael were on their way back to the Guild Hall, the mid-morning sun already high and warm on their backs.
The streets buzzed with activity, merchants calling out their wares, the smell of fresh bread mingling with herbs and smoke from cooking fires. It was almost past noon, and the village was alive with the clamor of daily life.
As soon as they entered the hall, the noise hit them immediately, mugs clinking, laughter, and adventurers shouting over the quest board. But before either of them could relax, loud shouting erupted from the direction of the entrance. The massive doors burst open.
A man in dark armor stumbled inside. His dented helmet hung loosely in one hand, and in the other he dragged a broken sword made of mythril.
Behind him followed several adventurers, each bruised, exhausted, and barely able to walk.
The entire guild hall fell silent.
"It's the Storm Raven party."
"Vernon's group."
"They're one of the S-rank teams!"
Whispers spread across the hall.
The man at the front was Vernon, leader of Storm Raven, one of the three S-rank parties stationed in Liberlan.
"Oy… what happened?" Rowan asked, stepping forward quickly.
Vernon ripped off his dented helmet and slammed it onto a nearby wooden table.
"Damn it!"
The impact echoed across the hall. His party members collapsed onto chairs and benches, their armor scratched and dented. Several clutched their arms or shoulders in pain.
Kael watched carefully.
The wounds caught his attention immediately. Purple burn marks spread across their skin. The metal armor around those areas was warped and blackened.
Kael narrowed his eyes. Those burns… The dents in the armor… It was familiar. Very familiar.
He stepped forward.
"Did you happen to encounter a dark-scaled lizard near the creek in the Sanctum Forest?" He asked.
Vernon turned toward him sharply.
"Huh? And who's this twerp?" he growled, pointing.
"Oy, Vernon. Mind your words," Rowan said firmly.
"It's fine," Kael replied calmly.
Vernon clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Yeah. We fought a giant lizard," he said.
"We didn't expect it to be there alone. We were only hunting a Greyfur Bear."
"A noble requested its fur," Vernon continued bitterly.
"Said he'd pay thousands of gold for it."
Rowan's eyes widened.
"Are you out of your mind, Vernon?" he shouted.
"That's deep inside the Sanctum Forest!"
"Of course you'd run into monsters like that there! Didn't you think about that possibility?"
Before Vernon could answer, two familiar figures rushed toward them. Darius and Trone had arrived.
"Oh my…" Darius gasped dramatically.
"This is not wonderful at all."
Trone immediately crouched beside one of the wounded adventurers. His expression darkened.
"…This is bad," Kael said, studying the burns carefully.
And then he remembered his encounter with the Voidscale Lizard in the forest. He had been burned by it too. The memory surfaced in his mind, the pain, the purple burns, and how he had healed.
Trone quickly poured potions onto the wounds. The liquid hissed as it touched the burns. The adventurers groaned in pain, but their breathing stabilized slightly.
"It will ease the pain for now," Trone said.
"But it is only temporary."
He looked at Vernon seriously.
"If we do not find a cure within a day, the poison will kill them. And the burns will only get worse."
Vernon's face turned pale as he looked at his injured teammates.
"Then what should I do?" he demanded.
He suddenly grabbed Trone by the collar and lifted him into the air.
"Tell me!"
"I… I do not know!" Trone gasped, struggling to breathe.
Rowan stepped forward immediately and grabbed Vernon's arm.
"Let him go! He is not your enemy!"
Vernon hesitated for a moment before releasing him. Trone dropped to the floor, coughing.
"We need to think of a solution," Rowan said firmly.
"And fast."
The adventurers in the guild hall began murmuring nervously. Just then, another voice cut through the crowd.
"What is happening here?"
Lady Bethilda had arrived, the owner of the apothecary in town. She quickly approached the injured adventurers and began examining the wounds. Her expression darkened.
"This is worse than I thought." She stood up slowly.
"I've spent my whole life on this…" she muttered.
"And even up to this day, no one's made an antidote for Voidscale venom. Not even in the capital."
She looked around.
"Does anyone here know anything about the Voidscale Lizard? We need to determine the correct antidote."
The room fell silent. No one answered, only quiet whispers filled the air.
Then, slowly, Kael raised his hand. Rowan looked at him immediately.
"…Are you serious?" He asked quietly.
"Yes," Kael replied.
"I have encountered it before. And I survived its poison."
Vernon's eyes widened in disbelief. Then anger exploded across his face.
"You think this is a joke?" he growled. He stormed forward and threw a punch toward Kael. But luckily, Rowan caught the fist before it could land.
"That is enough! Your party's lives are in danger! Stop acting like a child!"
The entire hall went silent.
Trone slowly stood up.
"Are you sure?" he asked carefully walking towards Kael.
"Yes. I know how to cure it. But we need to go back to the Sanctum Forest."
Rowan nodded immediately.
"Then we will go. My party will help."
Trone adjusted his sling bag and grinned slightly.
"In that case, I am coming too. I want to see this cure you are talking about."
--------
By the time they left Liberlan, the sun was already sinking behind the western hills. Orange light faded across the sky as long shadows stretched toward the Sanctum Forest.
Rowan's party had assembled quickly. Behind him were the members of Blazing Tempest.
Linen, the sharp-eyed archer, walking lightly beside the trail, bow ready.
Runo, the young mage wearing round glasses, nervously adjusting the straps of his spell book.
Kinon, the towering, bearded warrior carrying a massive axe across his shoulder.
Trone hurried along with them, clutching his bag of potions.
"You had better be right about this cure," Trone muttered.
Kael nodded calmly. "The creek is not far."
The forest swallowed them soon after. Dark branches stretched overhead while the sounds of insects and distant creatures echoed through the trees.
Rowan raised a hand.
"Stay sharp. Monsters become more active at dusk."
They had barely gone deeper when Kael suddenly stopped.
"…Wait."
Rowan immediately halted. "What is it?"
Kael tilted his head slightly, listening.
"Something is moving." A low growl emerged from the brush.
Dark shapes stepped out from between the trees. Horn Hound Wolves. Jagged black horns curved from their skulls, and their yellow eyes gleamed with hunger in the fading sunlight.
Linen instantly drew her bow.
"I count five," she said calmly.
"…Six," Kael corrected quietly.
"Behind the fallen tree to the right."
Linen did not hesitate. She shifted her aim. The hidden wolf lunged from the shadows. Thwip. Her arrow struck its eye before it could reach them. The creature collapsed with a sharp yelp.
Rowan grinned slightly.
"Nice catch."
The rest of the wolves attacked at once.
"Left side!" Kael shouted.
Kinon twisted just in time as a wolf's horn scraped across his armor instead of piercing him.
"Ha! Good call!"
His axe crashed downward, splitting the wolf's skull. Another lunged toward Runo.
"Runo!" Kael shouted.
The young mage panicked. "I...I see it!" He quickly formed a magic circle.
"Wind Burst!" A blast of compressed wind slammed the wolf into a tree.
Rowan dashed forward instantly. One clean strike ended the last wolf.
Two more wolves circled Linen.
"They are coordinating," Kael said. "One will distract you. The other will jump."
Linen smirked.
"Then I will shoot the jumper." Her arrow pierced the airborne wolf's throat.
The forest fell silent again. Kinon rested his axe on his shoulder.
"That barely counts as exercise."
-----
Almost an hour has passed..
They continued deeper into the forest. The sound of flowing water grew louder, guiding them toward the creek.
At last, the trees opened slightly, revealing a narrow stream.
Beneath the dark water, soft blue lights shimmered. Dozens of bioluminescent fish swam through the current like drifting stars.
Trone froze. "The Death Fish…" He crouched by the water, staring in disbelief.
"I have never seen them like this. They are glowing." Runo adjusted his glasses.
"That is… fascinating."
Kinon frowned. "Wait. Aren't those poisonous?"
Trone nodded. "Yes. That is why the locals call them Death Fish."
Kael shook his head. "They are the cure."
Everyone turned to Kael.
"I ate them before," Kael said calmly.
"Raw."
Rowan blinked. "…You what?"
Kael looked down at the glowing water.
"When the Voidscale Lizard attacked me, I was burned by its poison. I fell into this creek. I caught one of these fish and ate it. The poison disappeared."
Trone stared at the fish in the water. Then slowly, realization dawned on his face.
"…I see."
Runo asked, "So the glowing state activates some kind of healing property?"
"Exactly," Kael said. "During the day, they are poisonous. But at night… they become something else entirely. A natural antidote."
Rowan crossed his arms. "Alright then. Let us catch them."
Trone sighed.
"The problem is these fish are incredibly fast. Even experienced fishermen cannot catch them with their hands."
Before anyone else could react, splash.
Kael dipped his hand into the water and lifted out a glowing fish. Everyone froze.
"…What?" Rowan said.
Another splash. Another fish. Another. Within seconds, Kael had caught several.
Linen lowered her bow slowly. "…That was fast."
Runo stared in disbelief. "How are you doing that?"
Kael shrugged slightly.
"My eyesight is good, and I can hear where they move."
The glowing fish flickered in the darkness of the creek. For the first time that night, hope appeared. Trone quickly secured the captured fish in a water-filled container.
"This should be enough to prepare an antidote," he said with relief.
Rowan nodded.
"Good. Then we—"
The ground suddenly shook violently.
A deep tremor rolled through the forest. The water in the creek rippled violently.
"Did you feel that?" Linen asked, raising her bow.
Kinon tightened his grip on his axe.
"That was no ordinary tremor."
Runo's glasses slid down his nose.
"…Something is moving."
Another tremor hit, stronger than the first. The trees ahead swayed violently, as if something massive forced its way through the forest.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…Rowan."
A low, rumbling hiss echoed through the darkness. The bushes exploded apart. And then it appeared.
A massive scaled head slowly emerged from the shadows. Jagged teeth glistened under the faint moonlight. Black-green scales covered its enormous body, and its tail smashed through a nearby tree like it was nothing.
Two glowing yellow eyes locked on them.
Trone's voice trembled.
"…That is impossible."
Rowan slowly drew his sword. "The Voidscale Lizard."
The monster opened its jaws and released a terrifying roar that shook the forest. The mark on Kael's shoulder suddenly burned beneath his shirt. He could feel its pulse, like a silent alarm. The creature was not here by chance. Its gaze was fixed directly on him.
Kael stepped forward slightly, assessing the massive form. Its movements were deliberate, almost calculating. Its tail lashed through the underbrush, flattening trees and rocks, yet its eyes never left him.
"Everyone, back!" Rowan shouted.
Kinon moved instinctively to block the creature's path. Linen nocked an arrow. Runo whispered an incantation. Trone clutched his bag, ready with potions.
Kael crouched slightly, analyzing the lizard's stance. Its shoulders tensed, its jaw opened wider, and a faint purple haze began to rise from its throat.
"It is preparing to strike," Kael called out.
"Aim for the side. Avoid the tail. Watch the left claw, it will swipe before it lunges."
Rowan nodded sharply, adjusting his stance. Kinon readied his axe. Linen's arrow was already notched. Runo's circle glowed faintly with magic.
The ground shook again as the Voidscale Lizard lunged, its enormous head snapping toward them with terrifying speed. Kael darted to the side, eyes tracking every twitch, every shift in the creature's muscles.
"Now, Rowan! Left side!" He shouted.
Rowan moved with precision, his sword flashing. Linen's arrow soared true, hitting the lizard just behind its shoulder. Kinon swung his axe at the tail to force it to change trajectory. Runo released a blast of wind magic at its lower body, staggering it slightly.
The monster roared in pain but immediately twisted, jaws snapping at Rowan. He rolled under the strike, barely avoiding the teeth, and landed on his feet.
Kael continued to guide the team, shouting precise commands.
"Right claw, now! Aim for the underarm! Stay mobile, don't get trapped between the tail and jaws!"
The lizard lunged again, faster this time, but Kael had predicted it. With quick footwork and shouted instructions, the team dodged and countered.
Linen's arrows pierced its scales, Kinon's axe struck its limbs, Runo's magic cut through its flank. Trone prepared a potion to use if the creature closed in.
The battle was tense. The Voidscale Lizard was relentless. Its scales glinted with the faint glow of poison, and every movement suggested it was learning from their attacks.
Kael watched, calculated, and communicated.
But even as they fought, Kael could feel the poison in the air, the reminder of what had injured him and the others before. He knew the night would be critical, and one mistake could cost lives.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
And then, with a sudden tremor that shook the very ground beneath them, the Voidscale Lizard roared again, lifting its massive head to the sky. Its eyes glowed brighter, fixated on Kael, and its tail smashed through an ancient tree just meters away.
Kael stepped back instinctively, the mark on his shoulder searing hotter than ever.
"Damn it… I guess fate wants us to meet again."