"I think we should start locating stores. We need to be flexible, ready to run from one to another if there's an ambush at the quest's end." Lirien's voice broke the stillness, practical but edged with worry.
The forest stirred with the first breaths of dawn, pale light filtering through the leaves, casting a soft, rosy glow across the mossy ground.
Birds chirped above, their songs sharp and hopeful, cutting through the crisp morning air. The sacks of artifacts at our feet glowed faintly, their weight a constant reminder of the danger they attracted.
I tilted my head, meeting her gaze. "We both marked the same store, don't we?"
I lounged on a high branch, arms tucked behind my head like a pillow, the rough bark cool against my skin. My steel sword rested beside me.
She perched on a lower branch, her blonde hair shimmering in the early light.
She nodded, her lips tight. "Yeah, we both started from the same spot."
A faint breeze rustled the leaves, carrying the scent of dew and earth as I turned to Rodric, our newest party member.
"What about you, Rodric?" I asked, keeping my tone light. "You were with Aldous. Got any stores mapped?"
He sat hunched under the tree, his broad frame tense, eyes darting. The guy had been Aldous's pack mule until an hour ago.
He stiffened, his voice shaky. "Um… I have three stores located during my journey with Lord Aldous."
I let out a low whistle, propping myself up on my elbows. "Three? I really hope there's a feature to share store locations without physically visiting them."
Lirien, sorting through the artifacts with deft fingers, was classifying them by their expected point values, her movements precise despite the morning's chill. "Well," she said, a smirk tugging at her lips, "we'll have Rodric do the selling for us."
Rodric's eyes widened, his hands fidgeting nervously. "I-I'm just a first-circle Earth mage," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "The only magic I know is Hardening. I might not be useful in combat."
Lirien's smirk grew, her crimson eyes glinting with mischief as she nodded up at me. "See that guy sitting on the tree like he owns this forest? He's circle-less, and the only thing he can do is a basic orb summon we learned in elementary grade."
Rodric's lips twitched, almost a smirk, but he froze when my golden gaze locked onto him from above.
I grinned, leaning forward, my voice teasing but sharp. "Well, let's leave the combat to our miss second-circle Water user here, who apparently learned orb summoning in elementary grade. Me and you, we carry, we sell."
Lirien scoffed, her cheeks flushing slightly, but there was a playful edge to her tone. "That's not nice," she said, crossing her arms.
I chuckled, swinging my legs over the branch. "What? You gonna make a 'not better than elementary grader' and 'not more than hardened earth' go fight to disqualification?"
"Tch," Lirien clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes, but a reluctant smile curved her lips. "I really need a new, capable party member," she mumbled, loud enough for me to hear, her voice carrying a spark of warmth beneath the jab.
You two seem close," Rodric said, his voice tentative, a hesitant smile tugging at his lips as he knelt beside Lirien, carefully taking a stash of artifacts from her to help sort them by point value.
Lirien's head snapped up, her crimson eyes wide with exaggerated offense. "No, we are not!" she declared, her tone so dramatic it startled Rodric. His fingers fumbled, and an artifact slipped from his grasp, clinking against the soil. He scrambled to pick it up, dusting it off with a sheepish look. "Well," he mumbled, "Caelumis was… um, kinda hesitant when he first spoke to me. But he doesn't seem that way with you."
Lirien's expression twisted into mischief, a sly grin spreading across her face as she leaned forward. "Guess what! Our forest lord up there has severe anxiety with strangers — until he gets to know you."
From his perch on a high branch, Caelumis's voice cut through the morning air, sharp with mock indignation. "Don't talk like I'm not here!"
Lirien smirked, tilting her head to meet his golden gaze, her crimson eyes narrowing with playful malice. "What's that again? 'S-sir R-Rodric, we'd like you to join our p-party. A-ah, of course, only if it's to your l-liking,'" she mimicked, exaggerating his earlier stammer with a theatrical flourish.
Caelumis's cheeks flushed red, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward, gripping the branch. "That's called being respectful. At least I didn't point a sword at him and demand he hand over artifacts, like someone here."
Lirien laughed, pointing an artifact at him like a mock sword, her smile wide and teasing. "Well, it's still better than asking someone to join your party after stealing their artifacts right in front of them."
Caelumis leaped from the tree in one fluid motion, landing lightly on the forest floor, his golden eyes still glinting with irritation. "If you slowpokes are done sorting, let's move," he said, his voice edged with impatience.
Lirien's laughter rang out, bright against the dawn's glow. "Aye, aye, Captain!" she teased, her tone deliberately goading, making Caelumis's jaw tighten with a muttered "Tch."
Rodric, fidgeting with his wristband, broke the moment. "The three stores I mentioned are here," he said, his voice nervous as he showed the glowing pointers on his map. Caelumis and Lirien leaned in, studying the screen, the dawn light catching the edges of their faces.
Caelumis nodded, his expression serious. "Let's try finding more. These three are our fallback options."
Lirien and Rodric nodded in agreement. Rodric hefted two artifact stashes, tying one to his shoulder and another to his waist, his Earth-hardened frame bearing the load with a grimace.
Caelumis followed suit, slinging one large and one small stash over his shoulders, the artifacts clinking softly.
Lirien, unburdened as the designated combatant, smirked. "Well, my pack mules, let's move!"
Caelumis muttered under his breath, "I regret assigning her the combat role."
Rodric glanced at him, a faint smile breaking through his nerves. "Well… she does have two circles."
Lirien overheard, her smile widening as she spun to face them. "Caelumis, learn a thing or two from Rodric," she said, her voice warm with amusement, her crimson eyes sparkling.
Just then a piercing scream shattered the morning's calm, a woman's voice laced with raw terror and despair, echoing through the forest like a blade.
The birds, startled, erupted from the trees in a chaotic flurry, their wings beating wildly against the dawn sky. Caelumis's golden eyes snapped to Lirien's, her playful smirk vanishing. They exchanged a single, wordless nod, their understanding instantaneous.
Caelumis turned to Rodric, who stood rooted, his gaze locked on the direction of the scream, his face pale with confusion and fear. "Rodric," Caelumis said, his voice low but urgent, cutting through the lingering echo of the cry, "safeguard the artifacts. Send a signal through the wristband if anything feels off."
Rodric nodded, his hands trembling but his jaw set, the suddenness of the situation forcing him to act despite the chaos in his mind.
Caelumis and Lirien moved as one, their figures blurring into motion, tearing through the underbrush with a speed that seemed to defy the heavy air.
Rodric stood frozen for a moment, the scream still ringing in his ears. A thought flickered through his mind, sharp and disorienting: Isn't Caelumis circle-less? How's he matching Miss Lirien's speed? Shaking off the question, he acted fast, dragging the artifact stashes under a dense bush, their faint glows hidden by the foliage.
He scrambled up a nearby tree, his Earth-hardened fingers gripping the bark, his sword drawn and ready, its blade catching the dawn's light.