Evelyn and Raviel approached Mikaela and Leonard. It was time to change the watch. The hours had passed without major problems, though the atmosphere within Silverin’s group was heavy with grief and barely suppressed fury.
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Evelyn herself was unusually quiet, observing Raviel and his evident torment.
As dawn broke over the Skull Volcanoes, painting the sky in shades of ash and fiery orange, the two groups prepared to depart. Kaleb, surprisingly efficient, helped Xavier saddle the horses.
The journey to the Ursulus Rex’s territory would still take a considerable amount of time.
During a lull in the march, Kaleb sidled up to Evelyn, winking conspiratorially. "So," he whispered, "when are you going to reveal your secret to Leonard?"
Evelyn shot him a withering glare. "Shut your mouth, Kaleb," she hissed, her voice low and laced with a dangerous sweetness, "unless you want to accidentally roll all the way down this mountain."
Kaleb, unfazed, chuckled. "My life is perfect! Dangerous battles for breakfast, death threats for lunch, and crippling emotional turmoil to lull me to sleep! What more could a guy ask for?"
After about an hour of riding, they reached a dead forest at the base of the volcano, on the opposite side from Armeria.
"This is... unsettling," Leonard commented, looking around.
Mikaela nodded. "It looks dead, but..."
The forest was a paradox. Living trees stood tall, their branches reaching towards the sky, but their leaves were a sickly grey, their bark cracked and dry. A thick layer of ash covered the ground, muffling their footsteps, but strange, luminescent fungi grew in abundance, casting an eerie, greenish glow.
It wasn’t a scene of death, but of suspended life, a macabre beauty clinging to existence in the shadow of the volcano.
"Stay alert," Mikaela said, her voice low and serious. "We’re in Ursulus territory now. If you see the Rex, no matter how unlikely it seems, run. Do not engage."
Xavier snorted. "You don’t have to tell me twice."
"Silverin," Mikaela continued, turning to her friend, "only fight if you feel up to it. Don’t push yourself."
Raviel took the lead, his shield held high. Everyone dismounted, leading their horses by the reins, their footsteps muffled by the ash-covered ground. In the distance, guttural roars, deep enough to vibrate the very air, echoed through the forest.
"They’re fighting over territory," Evelyn said. "I read about it. Ursulus are fiercely protective of their hunting grounds." Your next read awaits at freewebnovel
"You’re right, young lady," Raviel replied, impressed. "Though I’ve never been here myself, I did have to study the terrain. These leirions are extremely territorial; food is scarce in this blasted place."
"Well, aren’t we a tempting sight?" Kaleb quipped. "Seven walking, talking buffalo wings, just begging to be devoured."
"The poet Kaleb strikes again," Leonard said, with a wry smile.
A few minutes later, Raviel stopped abruptly, holding up a hand. "Hold!" he whispered urgently. "I see something ahead. Xavier, Evelyn, can you get a better look?"
Evelyn, without a word, moved with a fluid grace, silently scaling one of the taller, sturdier-looking trees. Reaching a high branch, she activated her "Hawk Eyes." After a moment of focused observation, she began to sign, using precise, military-style hand signals.
Xavier, watching her intently, translated for the group: "Two ursulos. Large. Approximately seven meters. Three hundred and fifty meters distant. Engaged in combat. Rare-rank leirions. Confirmed?"
Leonard nodded to Xavier, signaling him to call Evelyn back. Xavier made a series of quick hand gestures, instructing her to regroup.
Evelyn descended from the tree and rejoined the group, who huddled together to discuss their next move.
Leonard surveyed the group, his gaze sharp and calculating. "Two rare-rank ursulos fighting... that’s both a problem and an opportunity. They’ll be injured, distracted, and potentially exhausted. But it also means they’re powerful." He paused, thinking. "We can’t just rush in. We need to use their territoriality against them."
"I have an idea," Evelyn said, stepping forward. "Ursulos, even rare ones, have relatively poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. We can use that."
"How?" asked Mikaela.
"We split up," Evelyn explained. "One group creates a distraction—draws one of the ursulos away. The other group sets a trap for the remaining ursulos. Once one is down, we regroup and deal with the other."
"A distraction?" Raviel said, skeptical. "What kind of distraction could possibly work on creatures that size?"
"Fire," Kaleb interjected, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "A lot of fire. Not to kill it, just to... annoy it. Enough to make it chase us."
"And the trap?" asked Silverin.
Leonard answered this time. "We need something that can exploit their size and weight. A pitfall, maybe, or a deadfall. Something that can cripple or trap one, even temporarily."
"There’s a ravine about a hundred meters to the east," Evelyn said, remembering her earlier panoramic view from the top of the tree. "Steep sides, loose rocks. If we could lure one there..."
"It’s risky," Mikaela said, frowning. "If the ursulos don’t fall for the distraction, or if the trap fails, we’ll be caught between them."
"It’s a risk we have to take," Leonard said, his voice firm. "It’s better than a direct confrontation. We use our strengths: Kaleb’s fire, Evelyn’s stealth, Xavier’s scouting, your healing, Mikaela, and Silverin’s blessings. Raviel and I will be the primary damage dealers, once they’re separated and vulnerable."
Leonard laid out the plan:
First, the Bait: Kaleb and Evelyn would form the "bait" team. Kaleb would use his fire magic to create a large, noisy, but ultimately non-lethal distraction, drawing one ursulos toward the ravine. Evelyn would use her stealth to ensure they weren’t caught and to guide the ursulos towards the trap.
Second, the Trap: Leonard, Raviel, and Xavier would prepare the trap at the ravine. They would use ropes (if they had any), loose rocks, and anything else they could find to create a landslide or a deadfall that could injure or trap the ursulos.
Third, the Support: Mikaela and Silverin would remain with the "trap" team, providing healing and support as needed. They would also act as a second line of defense if things went wrong.
"Any questions?" Leonard asked, looking at each member of the group.
There were none. The plan was risky, but it was their best shot.
"Alright," Leonard said. "Let’s move. And Kaleb..." he added, with a pointed look, "...try not to set the entire forest on fire."
Kaleb grinned, unrepentant. "No promises."
As the group split up to put the plan into motion, a low growl, different from the ursulos’ roars, echoed through the dead forest. It was closer than the battling ursulos leirions, and it came from behind them. They were not the only hunters in this forest.