Around a quiet pond, Benjamin and Lara stood, keenly surveying the area for any other groups. The stillness of the place unsettled them.
"You got a trace yet?" Benjamin asked, his voice edged with impatience as he ruffled his hair.
Lara shot him a sharp glance. "Quiet. The drake's mana is unexpectedly seasoned for its supposed age," she muttered, her fingers tracing the air as if grasping unseen threads.
Benjamin arched a brow. "So, you've got its trace?"
Lara scoffed, a slight note of disappointment creeping into her voice. "It's strong, alright. But what's more interesting is that we haven't run into anyone else yet."
Benjamin growled in frustration. "Still can't believe I got sent out on scouting duty."
Lara smirked. "That Aurora—she's quite the sharp girl. I'm sure she has her reasons." Then, with a teasing glint in her eyes, she added, "Besides, don't you think it's a bit rude to think about another girl when I'm right here?"
Benjamin's response was immediate and dismissive. "You're not my type, all things considered."
Lara snickered. "Shouldn't you be looking for lizard shit or something?"
"I'm looking for residual mana, not shit," Lara shot back.
Before Benjamin could respond, a voice called out from the treeline
"Quite the coincidence that we're both out here looking for the drake."
Benjamin and Lara turned to see a figure stepping forward—Metrelar.
Benjamin grinned, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. "Seems I'll get to have some fun too."
Lara's lips moved in a hushed chant. "Reflect and morph—Body Feint." In an instant, her form shimmered and faded into the background, reappearing like a flicker of light behind Metrelar.
Sensing the ambush, Metrelar flung himself forward, barely avoiding the vines that erupted from where he had stood moments ago.
"You truly live up to your name, Lara—the famous magician of Melisbroth," Metrelar remarked, his stance shifting as he eyed her warily.
Benjamin dashed in, thrusting his blade toward Metrelar's torso, but Metrelar twisted away with expert precision.
"Reflect and morph—Body Feint," Lara chanted again, reappearing to cut off Metrelar's escape routes.
"Tangle!" Lara commanded, roots burst from the ground beneath him.
Before Metrelar could leap away, Benjamin, having recovered, swung his blade down in a powerful arc.
"Gragh!" Metrelar grunted, slamming his shoulder into Benjamin, knocking him off balance and narrowly escaping the vines
As Benjamin tumbled back, Metrelar drew his sword and pointed it at him while keeping a wary eye on Lara
"You fight like a beast," Lara sneered, "but beasts are fools."
Benjamin melted into the ground before Metrelar's eyes.
"A mere illusion?" Metrelar thought, lifting his sword cautiously.
A sharp slash to his back snapped him to reality. He whirled around and saw Benjamin standing there—real, tangible.
"Illusion magic works best when it hides the truth in plane sight" Lara taunted.
Metrelar barely had time to react before Lara thrust her arm forward. Her hand vanished into thin air—only to reappear inside his chest.
"When did you cast a rune!?" Metrelar gasped, his body trembling as Lara gripped his throat.
"Right before you where able to escape the vines, one of them managed to ever so slightly graze you, which means I've effectively caught hold of your body" Lara exclaims
"Armis Piercer!"
A crushing force sent Metrelar stumbling forward—right into the still-active vines.
"I'm cornered," Metrelar realized, his mind racing. He attempted to grab Lara's arm, but the wound in his chest faded before he could get a solid grip.
"If I advance toward Lara, I'll trap myself in another one of her tricks. If I turn to fight Benjamin, she'll just hinder me while he overpowers me. Either way, I'm at a disadvantage."
A cold bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
"Cat got your tongue?" Benjamin taunted, stepping toward him.
"What, never had to deal with a losing battle?" Lara added, mirroring Benjamin's approach.
Metrelar's eyes darted between them. "If I plan to win, I need to slow one of them down—just for a moment."
I'll admit, I never thought a ragtag duo like you could ever do this to me," Metrelar muttered, his gaze locked on Lara.
"That's the thing about magicians," Lara grinned, crouching slightly. "You never know what's coming next."
Before he could react, she grabbed a handful of grass and flung it toward him.
Metrelar instinctively stepped back, bracing for whatever trick she had planned. But that brief moment of hesitation was all Benjamin needed
"Gotcha."
Benjamin lunged, gripping the edge of Metrelar's under-armor and yanking him down with full force. The warrior hit the ground hard, and before he could recover, Benjamin was on top of him.
"Eat shit, genius!" Benjamin snarled, slamming the pommel of his sword straight into Metrelar's nose.
"Agh, you—!" Metrelar grunted in pain, his hand shooting up to his face.
Lara smirked. "Tower, paw."
A gust of wind whipped through the clearing as a massive, translucent paw materialized above Benjamin and Metrelar. The branches rustled violently as it descended at alarming speed.
"Are you trying to kill me?!" Benjamin yelped, scrambling off Metrelar just in time.
The paw smashed into the ground, sinking deep into the soft dirt. A shockwave rippled outward, sending a spray of water from the pond into the air.
Lara exhaled sharply, swaying slightly. Her breaths were long and sluggish—her magic reserves clearly running low. "That should've been enough to knock him out."
Benjamin glanced at her, still catching his own breath. "And if it wasn't?"
A low, guttural growl rumbled from beyond the treeline.
Lara's blood ran cold.
The trees snapped like twigs as the massive form of a drake burst through the foliage, its hulking body sending debris flying. The beast's reptilian eyes locked onto them, its maw frothing with anticipation.
"Oh, fuck. We can't take that thing!" Benjamin shouted, staggering back.
Lara clenched her jaw. "I'll signal Lelovia, but we have to hold it off first!"
She raised her staff. The air crackled with energy as she chanted, "Arise, mischievous feline!"
In a burst of light, a massive stuffed-animal-like cat appeared between them and the drake, its oversized button eyes gleaming.
The drake let out a shrill "Kreikk!", claws raking into the dirt as it prepared to lunge.
Benjamin's grin widened. "No way I'm letting you have all the fun."
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward, leaping onto the summoned feline's back and brandishing his sword.
The drake roared and shot forward with terrifying speed. The force of its movement cracked the earth beneath it, sending a wave of dust and dirt into the air. The impact knocked Benjamin off the summon, but as he tumbled through the air, he realized something—this was the perfect angle to strike.
His blade ignited.
"BLAZING CLEAVE!"
His sword met the drake's head, flames searing across its scaled hide. The attack barely managed to cut deep, but a smoldering gash was left in its wake.
The drake reeled back with a pained grunt. Benjamin landed with a thud, rolling to his feet, a smirk still tugging at his lips.
Lara wasted no time. "Tangle!"
Thick vines erupted from the ground, coiling around the beast and binding it in place.
But the drake was done playing games. A deep green glow pulsed from its body. Heat radiated outward, searing through the vines and baking the ground beneath it.
Lara's eyes widened. "Holy shit. It just shrugs off everything!"
The summoned cat pounced, sinking its fangs into the drake's neck—only for the beast to tear straight through its plush body, scattering tufts of cotton into the air.
"Don't worry," Lara reassured Benjamin, her voice tight. "It'll heal."
A strained grunt caught their attention.
Metrelar was rising to his feet, his expression twisted in pain as he clutched his throat. "You… magician… heal me, and I'll help."
Lara's gaze flicked between him and the drake.
She didn't trust him. But right now, she didn't have a choice.
She thrust a hand toward him, light gathering at her fingertips. "Think of this as a truce."
Metrelar's wounds began to knit together, his strength returning.
Benjamin dodged another swipe from the drake and shouted, "Then hurry the hell up and help!"
Metrelar rolled his shoulders, flexing his fists as magic coursed through his body. He scoffed, muttering under his breath,
"Don't command me, worm."
Before Metrelar could charge into the fray, the air suddenly shifted.
A ripple of energy spread through the battlefield, sending a static-like tingle through Lara's fingertips. The temperature dropped slightly, not enough to freeze but enough to be noticeable. The mana in the air bent, responding to a presence just beyond the trees.
Then, for the first time since emerging, the drake hesitated.
Its snarling maw twisted into something less feral—wariness, frustration. Its claws dug into the dirt, shoulders tensing.
Lara sighed dramatically, already recognizing what was coming. "Oh, here we go."
Then, a voice rang out, dripping with irritation.
"With this kill I will prove my worth"
A figure emerged from the treeline, her deep blue and silver cloak billowing behind her. Power radiated from her stance, though it lacked the effortless, overwhelming force of a master mage—this was the aura of someone with something to prove.
Kessia.
Her emerald eyes flicked over the scene—the scorched earth, the wounded fighters, the hulking drake still cringing from Benjamin's attack—and then immediately narrowed at Lara.
"Where is Lelovia?" she demanded, her voice edged with frustration.
Lara, despite her exhaustion, grinned. "What's wrong? Hoping for a rematch?"
Kessia scowled. "I am going to set her on fire."
Benjamin, still catching his breath, muttered, "Oh great, another one."
Metrelar grunted, unimpressed. "Finnaly some reinforcements, where are the rest"
"They'll be here soon" she sneered.
Lara couldn't help but laugh despite the dire situation. "You're still mad about losing, huh?"
Kessia's eye twitched. "I did not lose."
Lara tilted her head. "Oh? Because last I checked, Lelovia wiped the floor with you, I mean hell i wasnt even there to see it and I know you got beaten pretty badly"
Kessia's fingers twitched around her staff. "I was caught by surprise."
Benjamin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."
The drake let out a ground-shaking snarl, clearly done with being ignored.
Kessia huffed, snapping her fingers. The air crackled as a burst of electricity arched from her palms. "Fine. We'll deal with this first. Then you can tell me where Lelovia is."
Lara smirked. "You really gonna help? I thought you were too busy nursing your bruised ego."
Kessia's eye twitched harder. "Shut up"