The group moved forward, stepping into the busy marketplace. As they walked, more beastkin took notice of them.
Conversations paused for brief moments as golden eyes, slit pupils, and sharp ears turned in their direction. Some looked wary. Others merely curious.
Leo could feel it—they were being assessed. Judged even.
A few beastkin whispered among themselves, their voices too low to catch, but their glances toward Fiona and Leo didn’t go unnoticed.
Tatiana leaned in slightly, her voice low. "Don’t react to them. They’re testing you. If you show weakness, they’ll treat you like an easy target."
Leo resisted the urge to glare at anyone staring too long. He wasn’t here to make enemies—not yet, at least.
They stopped near a food stall where a fox beastkin, his orange fur sleek and well-groomed, was grilling skewers of some kind of meat.
The scent was rich, spiced with something that made Leo’s stomach growl.
Tatiana stepped forward.
"We need information on the creatures in the surrounding forests. We’re looking for strong prey."
The fox beastkin’s ears twitched as he glanced at them, his sharp amber eyes taking them in.
"Strong prey, huh?" He flipped a skewer before speaking again.
"Depends on how strong you think you are."
"Strong enough to ask," Leo replied evenly.
The fox beastkin grinned, with his sharp canines on display.
"Confident. I like that." He nodded toward the outskirts of the market. "If you’re looking for something to test yourselves against, the Ghorvak Packs roam the eastern hunting grounds.
Big, nasty things. Twice the size of normal wolves, but they hunt in groups. If you’re weak, they’ll tear you apart before you know what hit you."
Leo absorbed the information. Packs. That meant coordination, unpredictability.
Tatiana tilted her head. "Anything stronger?"
The fox beastkin let out a low chuckle. "If you want something real dangerous, there’s the Stalker—a beast that moves like a shadow in the treetops.
It hunts alone, and it’s fast. A single strike from its claws can tear straight through bone."
Leo exchanged a glance with Ves and Miguel.
"We’ll keep that in mind," Tatiana said smoothly before tossing a silver coin onto the stall. "Thanks."
The fox beastkin caught the coin effortlessly and grinned.
"Try not to die too fast, foreigners."
Leo and his group moved through the winding streets of the beastkin capital, leaving behind the bustle and hustle of the market and the watchful eyes of the city’s inhabitants.
The air was cooler here, the shade from massive trees casting long shadows along the ground.
As they neared the outskirts of the forest, the well-worn dirt path turned into thick underbrush, signaling their return to the untamed wilderness of Yllandor.
The forest stretched before them, with vast towering trees swaying gently in the morning breeze.
Sunlight filtered through the thick canopy, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor. Despite the tranquility, Leo remained on edge.
The memory of Lucian’s overwhelming power still lingered in his mind, fueling his resolve to grow stronger.
Fiona padded beside him, her injuries still healing but her senses as sharp as ever. Ves walked a few paces ahead, her gaze flicking between the shadows in the trees, while Miguel and Mia followed close behind, their weapons ready.
Tatiana, as always, moved with the ease of someone who had done this countless times before.
The moment they stepped past the tree line, the atmosphere shifted.
The vibrant life of the beastkin city was left behind, replaced by an eerie stillness. The chirping of birds faded, and the rustling of leaves became the only sound.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate, as if reluctant to pass through this part of the forest.
"They weren’t exaggerating about the dangers out here," Miguel muttered, his grip tightening on his weapon.
Leo scanned the trees, while keeping his instincts sharp. They hadn’t gone far when Fiona suddenly stopped, her ears perking up, her fur bristling. A low growl rumbled in her throat.
Something was watching them.
Then, the forest erupted.
A blur of motion came from the branches above as creatures dropped down, landing with bone-rattling force.
They resembled oversized monkeys, but their bodies were unlike anything Leo had ever seen. Their fur was a dark slate gray, rough and stone-like, almost as if it were armor.
Two curved horns jutted out from their foreheads, their edges jagged like broken rock.
But the most striking feature was the crystalline growths protruding from their backs—dark, jagged structures that shimmered like diamonds, reflecting the light.
The creatures let out guttural, clicking shrieks, their eyes burning with a hungry intelligence.
Tatiana narrowed her eyes as the creatures encircled them, their sharp, clawed hands flexing as if testing the air.
"They’re studying us," Ves murmured, taking a slow step back, her hands tightening into fists.
Leo nodded. "Yeah. They’re not attacking yet, but they’re not scared either."
One of the creatures tilted its head, its crystalline spikes shimmering faintly in the light filtering through the trees. Then, without warning, it lunged.
The Shardhorn Apes, as Leo decided to call them, moved like lightning.
The first one shot forward, its long arms propelling it toward Tatiana with inhuman speed. Its claws gleamed, swiping toward her in a blur.
Tatiana barely shifted. She sidestepped with very fluid movements, and in the same motion, her hand shot out, catching the beast’s wrist mid-strike.
A sickening crack rang through the air as she twisted, her strength sending the creature hurling into a tree, its back slamming against the trunk with a deep thud.
But the moment it landed, its crystalline spikes pulsed—and then, like a shattered mirror, shards of diamond-like fragments exploded outward, shooting in every direction.
"Move!" Tatiana snapped, leaping away just in time.
Leo barely had time to react as the shards ripped through the air, their razor-sharp edges slicing through leaves and branches like paper.
He ducked, rolling to the side as a few of the shards whizzed past his face, embedding into the bark of a nearby tree.
"Great," Miguel grunted, narrowly dodging a fragment. "They explode when they take damage."
"Noted," Leo muttered, pushing himself up just as another Shardhorn Ape lunged straight at him.
Leo met it head-on.
As the beast swiped, he twisted his body, dodging the initial strike before bringing Nightshade up in a brutal arc. The black blade slashed across the creature’s side, cutting deep into its hardened skin.
The ape screeched, stumbling back—but as expected, its crystalline spikes pulsed violently, and another wave of sharp shards exploded outward.
This time, Leo was ready.
He kicked off the ground, using his momentum to leap backward, just narrowly avoiding the deadly explosion.
"These bastards are gonna be annoying," Ves growled.
She wasn’t wrong.
The apes were fast, and their explosive crystal shards made close combat risky. Every attack against them triggered a defensive counterattack, making them just as dangerous in death as they were alive.
Leo’s mind raced. They couldn’t just hack at them mindlessly as doing so would only get them injured.
"We need a different approach!" he called out, dodging another swipe.
Tatiana, who had already taken down two without a scratch, smirked.
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"Then figure it out. Quickly."
Leo gritted his teeth. Think.
Then, an idea struck him.
"Their spikes only explode when they take damage!" he shouted. "But they’re still apes. That means they have weak points!"
Ves’s eyes flickered with understanding. "You’re saying we aim for the joints?"
"Exactly! If we take out their mobility, we limit their ability to attack!"
Miguel cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let’s try it."
The apes, sensing their prey was adapting, let out another chorus of screeches before rushing forward in unison.
Leo saw the first one coming. Instead of slashing at its torso, he waited—baiting the attack.
The creature leapt, its claws raised—but at the last second, Leo ducked low and swung Nightshade in a sharp, precise motion—slicing straight across the beast’s knee joint.
A guttural shriek tore from its throat as its leg buckled, sending it crashing to the ground.
And just as he predicted—no explosion.
Ves wasted no time. She lunged at another ape, sweeping her leg out and catching its ankle, sending it toppling over.
Before it could recover, she stomped on its elbow, a sickening snap filling the air as the joint twisted at an unnatural angle.
Miguel, using his brute strength, grabbed another ape mid-lunge and hurled it into the ground, pinning it before twisting its wrist and snapping it cleanly.
One by one, they disabled the apes, rendering them unable to retaliate.
The last creature, realizing its pack was crippled, let out an ear-piercing shriek before turning tail and scrambling up a tree, disappearing into the thick canopy.
For a long moment, only the sound of heavy breathing filled the forest.
Leo exhaled sharply, straightening. "Well… that was something."
Mia, who had barely able to keep up with the battle, let out a shaky breath.
"Is it going to be like this every time?"
Tatiana smirked. "If you’re lucky."
Leo glanced at the fallen apes. Their bodies twitched slightly, their wounds oozing a faintly glowing liquid. The crystalline spikes on their backs dimmed, their glow flickering weakly.
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"They’re still alive," Ves noted.
"Good," Tatiana said, walking over and crouching beside one of them. "That means they’re worth something."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Tatiana pressed her palm against the ape’s chest, and a faint red mist began to rise from its body, absorbing into her own.
A shudder passed through her as she exhaled. "They have strong life energy. Good for those trying to evolve faster."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "So… we kill them and absorb whatever’s left?"
Tatiana nodded. "Exactly."
Leo stared down at the struggling ape beneath him and he knew what he had to do, as his grip tightened on Nightshade.