The eastern forest of Horgaz welcomed them with thick mist and the scent of damp earth not yet dried by the morning sun.
Zen's steps sounded heavier than usual. Every twig that snapped beneath his boots seemed to bear the weight of his irritation toward Baron Carven.
"Scheming noble…" he muttered loud enough for the two behind him to hear. "Escorting was our job. Chasing thieves into an unfamiliar forest is something else entirely. If there are traps or monsters, who takes responsibility?"
Behind him, the young woman in a Grover robe, Lety, let out a long breath. "We already accepted the payment, Zen."
"That was for escort duty," he shot back. "Not for playing bounty hunters."
Revan, walking at Lety's side, gave a faint grin. "At least we were paid in advance. That's progress."
"That's because I demanded it," Zen replied.
"Otherwise, we'd have walked away with nothing but empty promises and a polite thank you."
"Enough, enough," Lety said gently, trying to smooth the edge from his voice.
They moved deeper into the forest. Sunlight fractured through the towering canopy, casting long shadows across the ground like prison bars. Birds called from time to time, but more often there was only the whisper of leaves and the sigh of wind.
"According to Master Wen Wo," Revan said, attempting to redirect the mood, "after the incident, one of the villagers followed them. Their last trail led into this eastern forest."
Zen halted, scanning the trees. His gaze sharpened as he observed the terrain from every angle. Years of combat had honed his instincts.
"Lety," he called, his tone edged with command.
She immediately knelt, placing her palm against the soil and releasing a pulse of Order energy to survey the surrounding area. "One… maybe two people. Moving quickly."
Zen lifted his head toward a patch of disturbed undergrowth where branches had been broken to clear a path.
He exhaled again, slower this time. "I hate jobs like this. We don't even know who we're facing. They might not be ordinary thieves."
"You always complain before a fight," Lety said with a faint smile. "But once it begins, you're the first to charge."
Zen rolled his eyes. "That's because you two are too slow."
Before Revan could respond, the wind died.
Silence.
Too much silence.
The birds had stopped.
Zen raised a hand for quiet. His expression sharpened instantly. His left hand drifted to the hilt of his sword by instinct.
About twenty paces ahead, a figure stood among the shadows.
Tall. Still. Cloaked in a long, dark robe unlike their Grover attire. His face was hidden beneath a hood, only the faint line of his chin visible in the dim light.
He stood without a sound, as if he had been waiting for them all along.
"Since when were you standing there?" Zen asked flatly, though tension coiled beneath his voice.
No answer.
The man merely tilted his head slightly, as though studying them one by one.
Revan whispered, "I didn't sense him earlier."
"Neither did I," Lety murmured, swallowing.
That was no small matter. For trained Grovers like them to miss a presence entirely meant only one thing their opponent possessed extraordinary control over his aura.
Zen stepped forward. "If you're one of the thieves, surrender now. We don't want a pointless fight."
Silence lingered.
A breeze stirred at last, lifting the hem of the stranger's robe. From within its folds, a glimpse of his hand appeared clutching a green crystal.
Zen narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
They already knew he had no intention of answering.
Before Zen could fully draw his blade, green light flared from the crystal. Ancient glyphs spiraled outward, forming a glowing Order circle beneath the cloaked man's feet.
The earth trembled.
Then it cracked.
From the ruptured ground, tree roots burst forth like ravenous serpents.
"Move!" Zen shouted.
The first root slammed into the earth where they had stood moments before, splitting the ground open. Dust and debris erupted into the air.
Lety leapt to the left, both hands weaving through the air as she released elemental wind magic.
"Order: Wind Barrier."
A vortex of air surged forward, slicing through several incoming roots. Yet these were no ordinary roots they writhed like living creatures, pulsing with advanced elemental energy.
Elemental Order: Earth.
Revan struck his staff against the ground.
"Order: Fireburst."
Flames raced outward, detonating in sharp bursts that shattered part of the encroaching roots. The scent of scorched wood filled the forest.
But the cloaked man merely lifted his hand.
Another magic circle ignited.
The ground convulsed more violently. Burned roots regenerated, thicker now, lined with thorns. Several lashed out and coiled around Revan's ankle before he could evade.
"Revan!" Lety cried.
Zen drew his sword fully at last. The blade caught the green light, gleaming fiercely. With a swift strike, he severed the roots binding Revan.
Yet the severed pieces did not die. They writhed, attempting to burrow back into the soil and rejoin the whole.
The roots rose higher, forming a tightening ring around them.
"They're channeling power directly from the earth," Zen muttered. "As long as he's grounded, he won't run dry."
Lety clenched her teeth. "Then we split up and attack from opposite sides."
Revan nodded, breathing hard. He planted his staff and focused. A circle of fire formed beneath the cloaked man's feet and erupted upward in a blazing column.
The explosion split the ground. The cloaked man leapt into the air to avoid it.
"Now!" Zen shouted.
Lety redirected her wind upward, blasting into the airborne figure and disrupting his balance. In that split second, Zen dashed forward, vaulting over thrashing roots and delivering a full-force strike.
Green light collided with steel in a thunderous impact.
A thin crack spread across the surface of the crystal in the man's hand.
But before Zen could press the advantage, the earth beneath him exploded. A pillar of stone shot upward, forcing them apart once more.
The roots surged again wilder, more violent.
Dust slowly settled.
Zen stood with heavy breaths, sword still raised. Lety and Revan regrouped at his sides.
Across from them, the cloaked man lifted the crystal. The crack had deepened. Its green glow flickered, unstable.
The battle was far from over.