Magic and all it pertained to, Val found in the past couple of days, was pretty abnormal.
Eyes unblinking, Val's gaze fastened onto an evanescent brook burbling over a bed of rock and algae, travelling upstream as if gravity didn't exist.
It swirled by protruding roots and snuck under the tightest of places, determined in its climb up the forested mountain. Once finished with that, it crawled to the ridge Val sat at, legs dangling without care, and leapt off into the pond below.
The weirdness didn't stop there.
The crystalline body of water rose in tandem, swallowing the trickle of water before it even had a chance to fall into its grasp naturally. She'd watch the process relentlessly and could only guess an obscured aether creature to be the cause, the amount of energy in the air making it hard to discern which was what.
After all, she'd seen birds of stone and swatted one too many bugs that carried a nasty zap in its stinger. What's one more bizarre creature to add to the list?
"That's absurd!"
A shout of frustration dragged Val out of her thoughts. Retracting her idle hands now clean thanks to the water, she lent an ear.
"We're trading you ten days' worth of rations for three people in exchange for a quiver half full with arrows and you're calling that absurd? I'll show you absurd you mother—"
"As Carielle has reiterated," Jerel smoothly interrupted, "the deal is vastly in your favour. So, our offer stands. No change."
"You can always hunt for more food." Isik's voice was little more than a growl, his tone drowned in impatience. The Kidraan had gathered thirty people to follow his lead, some forced with threats, others coerced with promises, requiring more food than what could be found in the supply bag. "The same can't be said for arrows."
"No change," Jerel repeated.
"You know," Isik drawled. "With how many supplies you've been giving away, I'm starting to believe that there might not be much of a group besides the five I've seen."
Jerel sighed. "I don't have time for this."
"No, I'm certain," Isik pushed, "and if that's so, why bargain when I could just take it from you."
Through the fir trees scantily seen, Val slid onto an upland, grateful for the flat field of greens after descending through a mountainous forest in deteriorating boots. The ends of her grey slacks were shredded after days of scuffing sharp shrubs and her sleeves were non-existent.
"You don't wanna do that," Jerel suggested, arm up on his lance as the eleven on the field brandished varying weapons. Resting a hand on her weapon, she passed by the extensive gathering of participants behind Isik, her group appearing fun-sized in comparison.
Isik laughed, head tilted upwards, eyes boring down on those in front. "And why wouldn't I? Without that scout of yours, it's our seven to your four."
"Captain!"
As Val greeted her teammates, an Auricean participant scuttled across the field, loose brown curls plastered onto his brow and eyes bulging out of his sockets. "Captain," he panted. "We've found a gold mine!"
"Then keep it down, you idiot!" Isik berated, continuing the conversation in a hushed tone. Val took the time to sheath her shortsword.
"Any idea what they're talking about? Edible food? Lost weapons from eliminated participants?" Jerel mused.
"Look at their eyes," Laura said. "Only thing it could be is a massive amount of points."
"Worth more than ten days' worth of rations for three people?" Caro repeated.
"We're moving out!"
Almost like an answer to Caro's question, Isik announced the departure of their group. The clink and clank of metal went unnatural to the chirps and crickets of the surrounding animals. And just like that, their source of arrows filed out the plateau, heading down in a direction Val didn't recognize.
"A rift core, possibly?" Jerel continued to ponder. "Or even an aether creature horde? Only something as big as those two things can rile them up to that extent."
Moments later, branches rustled and Williams slid through the tree line. He looked around, head swivelling in every possible direction on the plateau, and shook his head. "That other guy got here first, didn't he?"
Caro took a step forward. "I'm assuming you found something."
"Points ripe for the picking," he answered, sifting a hand through his black hair. "Simple ones."
Caro gave her axe harness a little tug, ensuring it was tightly fixed onto her back, likely—by the excited grin on her face—for the sprint after Isik's crew. "What are we standing around here for, then?"
…
Taking cover in an undergrowth of obscuring tall greens, Val and her group waited for Isik. Beneath them, an enrapturing cove-esque abode was tucked into the feet of the mountain they'd climb up to have the deal, holding nearly a hundred colourless rocks in its waters.
Upon looking closer, a slit ran straight through the rocks' lower middle. A mouth. 'Not rocks, stone slimes.'
Caro grunted as she rose from her crouched position. "We rushed here like a fire was lit under our asses and now we're gonna let them take the first go?"
Val latched onto her shoulder, tugging her back down in the shrubbery. "Doesn't it seem too easy for you?"
"Well duh." Caro jerked a thumb towards Williams. "He did say ripe for the picking."
"Nothing is as it seems here," Val answered, her long stroll coming to mind. "Nothing."
"Now's the time to be quiet, you two," Jerel whispered. "They're here."
Around thirty sauntered in, marvelling at the number of stone slimes there were. They racked up twenty points in a matter of seconds, killing and reaping a part of the dim-witted aether creatures.
One person paused, however, slowing down his eager hunt to survey his slain enemy. Ears blind to the faint rustle of moving shrubbery, Val recognized him as the messenger, his eyes widening. Hers did the same as she noticed that, unlike normal slimes, it didn't scatter into smaller pieces of itself.
Instead, it bled, crimson staining the clear waters.
"Check this slime out," another commented. "It's got horns! Sick!"
Horns? Her mortal eyes couldn't detect any from way up in their cover, but if she trusted the words... 'Horns, rock-like bodies, near water, motionless,' Val listed. 'Heavens.' These weren't slimes. "Guys," she said, "I don't think we should stay here any longer."
"I concur," Williams whispered. "I didn't notice before. Those are Stormcrawler's infants down there, not stone slimes."
"Isn't that aether creature three-starred? " Laura asked.
"And they just spent the last minute killing its children." Jerel gave a gleeful chuckle. "Serves them right."
"We should move," Williams ordered.
"Hold on," Val hesitated, dread sinking in her gut. "Where's Caro?"
The satisfied expressions every one of them wore dimmed as they glanced around and Williams let loose a sigh. "She didn't."
Val rose to her feet and peeked over the ridge, cursing as she spotted Caro's signature red hair. Hiding behind a set of dwarf-sized boulders, she was busy gauging which Stormcrawler infant to steal.
A surge of water splattered against the busy participants as a lizard the size of Val's apartment lumbered out of its cavern, its vertical pupils swishing side to side as it took in its uninvited guests. A dark horn protruded out of its head, body coated in blue and purple scales. With a stomp of its trunk-like legs, a wave of arcing teal lightning raced through the waters, many dropping into the waters below, lights out.
The Stormcrawler's hiss sent ripples across the waters and those in the vicinity stumbled backwards at the challenge.
Val was wrong. Magic wasn't abnormal.
It was awe-inspiringly frightening.