The group ventured into the heart of the forest, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet of fallen leaves. Crystal, her katana unsheathed and held at the ready, led the way, her eyes scanning the dense foliage for any sign of their quarry. Rayth followed closely behind, his hand resting on the hilt of his dagger, while Lilly trotted alongside him, her keen senses alert for any potential danger. Neca and El'gon marched in formation behind them, their shields raised and their weapons at the ready, forming an impenetrable protective barrier. Kait brought up the rear, her bow drawn and an arrow nocked, her gaze fixed on the path ahead.
The air grew heavy with anticipation as they delved deeper into the forest's embrace. The sun's rays struggled to penetrate the dense canopy of leaves, casting long, eerie shadows that danced and flickered in the gentle breeze. The only sounds were the rustle of leaves beneath their feet and the occasional chirping of birds, but the group could sense the presence of something lurking within the shadows.
"So we're going to be taking him alive?"
"That's the plan." El'gon responds to Rayth, who hums in acknowledgement.
"I'll take care of disarming him, Kait will focus on injuring his legs so he can't run," Crystal says absentmindedly, "Rayth, Neca and El'gon, take care of any of his magical companions that decide to appear."
"Right."
"We're coming up on a strong mana source!" Kait calls out, and Crystal nods.
"He's close." Stopping in her walk, she puts her right hand over the handle of her sword, "Come on out, we're here to slay you!"
A figure emerged from the darkness, his form cloaked in a swirling vortex of dark energy. His face was hidden beneath a hooded robe, but his eyes glowed with an eerie, otherworldly light. He raised his hand, and a surge of dark energy erupted from his fingertips, manifesting his staff out of thin air, "Slay me?" A man asks as he walks out of hiding, "You realize how powerful I am?"
"We shall see," she declared, lunging forward with a swift and deadly strike.
The sorcerer raised his staff, deflecting Crystal's attack with a powerful blow. The two engaged in a fierce duel, their movements a blur of steel and magic. Crystal's sword danced with deadly precision, while the sorcerer's staff unleashed a torrent of dark energy. The air around them crackled with electricity as their powers clashed.
Meanwhile, Rayth, Neca, El'gon, and Kait battled the sorcerer's companions, each facing a formidable opponent. Rayth clashed with a Shadow Panther, its claws tearing at him, while Neca fought a Raven, its beak and talons seeking his flesh. El'gon faced a Will-o'-the-Wisp, its flickering form a constant challenge to his reflexes, while Kait exchanged arrows with a Water Elemental, its fluid form shifting and morphing to avoid her attacks.
The battle raged across the forest floor, a whirlwind of steel, magic, and elemental fury. Crystal and the sorcerer fought with unwavering determination, neither willing to yield.
Tatsuka started to spark before shocking the sorcerer's staff, burning his hands as she shoves him back, and she starts to advance. Swinging Tatsuka at his staff repeatedly, the clinging of metal as they danced in battle, she found herself wishing she had two swords.
That's when Tatsuka began to glow brighter, causing her to jump back away from the sorcerer, and she puts both hands on the handle as it started to burn her hand. She squeezes her eyes shut at the searing pain, but then felt another weight in her hands, opening them up, she saw that Tatsuka had split into two.
Looking back up at the sorcerer who was preparing a spell, she slowly shifts down into a fighting stance, before launching like a bird. Interrupting his spell, she starts to clink against his metal staff again, but this time she was slowly overpowering him.
She could hear the others fighting behind her, and spinning around, she smacks the metal staff hard once, then the second time knocks it out of the sorcerers hands, shattering the gem in the middle as it flies off into the sky.
"Kait!" Crystal calls out, and soon an arrow speeds past her side, and lands into one of his legs, he falls to the ground screaming in agony, when Crystal knocks him out with the handle of her sword, "We will take you back to Heartfalls," she said, her voice firm but not unkind. "You will face justice for your crimes."
El'gon hoisted the sorcerer onto his shoulder, his expression grim. "Let's be done here," he said, turning to lead the way back through the forest.
As they departed, the clearing fell silent, the echoes of their battle fading into the rustling leaves. The forest had been reclaimed from the sorcerer's dark magic, and once again, peace reigned over the land.
"Your sword split in half." Neca says beside Crystal who was still taking point, "That was really cool!"
"I'm not sure how or why it happened," Crystal looks down at the two swords, "Hauling around two swords would be really inconvenient-" The second sword glows, and the two merge back into one, "Hmph. Convenient."
"It's like it's responding to what you wanted," Rayth says, "That will be helpful."
"Perhaps, we shall see."
"We're almost back to Heartfalls." El'gon says as he looks up to the sky.
"Sounds good! I'm starving! What about you Lilly?"
"Y-Yeah..." Lilly mumbles, crossing her arms as she walks beside Kait.
"We'll have plenty of money tonight to buy a lodging, I want to sleep in a real bed." El'gon says exasperatedly, "And a bath."
"Do we know if Heartfalls has a hot spring?"
"I believe the top of Heartfalls is a hot spring." Rayth says back to Neca.
"Let's ask around the town!"
---
"Good work." The adventurer's guild leader says as he locks the door to the magical cell they put the sorcerer in, "As promised, 500 Ales per head. As there's 6 of you, that'll be 3,000 Ales." He puts the bag on a scale and lets Crystal see that it weighed out to the right weight.
"Thanks." Crystal takes the bag, "Let's go guys." They all walk out and Crystal let Neca and El'gon take the lead.
"We're gonna get the best lodging money can buy!" Neca shouts, "See any good ones, El'gon?"
"Hmmm..." El'gon looks around, "Oh look at that one, the Lazy Duckling. Let's go to that one." They walk in and the lady at the front counter looks at them.
"Booking one room or 2?"
"How many beds are in one?" El'gon asks.
"There's 3."
"We'll take one, for the next week."
"That'll be 600 Ales." The woman holds her hand out and Crystal starts counting out the coin from the pouch, before handing it to her, "Alright here's your key, there's breakfast cooked and included every morning. Please don't be loud, respect your neighbors."
"Do you guys have a hot spring?"
"No," The lady shakes her head, "But our bathes are always hot."
"I call first bath!" Neca shouts, "Lilly want to come with?"
"Sure..." Lilly grumbles.
"We'll be in the room after we're done." Neca says as she and Lilly disappear into the room with a tub on the door. Crystal starts walking up the stairs to the room and opens the door to reveal the clean room.
"This looks fairly good, what should the sleeping arrangement be?"
"You and I will sleep in one," Rayth says, "Kait and Crystal, then Lilly and Neca."
"Works for me." Kait shrugs as she sits down on the bed closest to the window, "Claimed."
"Claimed." Rayth sits down on his, and El'gon joins him as Crystal sits up in the window sill, looking out at the Heartfalls, "You going to relax?"
"I'm fine." Crystal says to him, "I'll rest in a bit."
"Alright." But what she didn't know was just how tired she was, and as she watched the water outside, she swiftly fell to the powers of exhaustion.
The group notices that she's fallen asleep, and Kait chuckles quietly.
"El'gon, put her on the bed." El'gon smiles and walks over to Crystal, scooping her up in his arms his eyes widen.
"Wow she's so light." El'gon carries her over to her bed, "Not that I expected her to be heavy, but she was lighter than I expected."
"How do either of you even know her? She's so withdrawn, its almost like she's not half-human."
"Well, I was searching for her as a demon slayer." Rayth shrugs.
"And I met her in a market."
"But she's not exactly able to tap into what humans are, she's without a beating heart." Rayth says swiftly, "It's something everyone needs to know."
"What? That's weird. Was it a birth defect?"
"No, it was a curse from the Heart Sapphire. Crystal is currently looking for all the pieces to it to try to get herself a heart."
"Why? I honestly feel like it would be better to be without a heart sometimes."
"I don't know."
"Interesting..."