After the vicious attack from the Voidclaw Brotherhood, the four of them finally reunited in the eerie forest of Crescentmoon Woods. Despite the tough battle, their bond had strengthened, and they knew the challenges ahead would only get harder. But as long as they stuck together, there was nothing they couldn't overcome.
"Well, at least our teamwork didn't completely fall apart this time," Zephyr Nightbane casually dusted off his robes, flashing his usual laid-back grin. Though his tone was light, the weariness in his eyes was hard to miss.
"Why were the Voidclaw Brotherhood goons even here?" Reika rubbed her sore shoulder, utterly confused. "I mean, we came to gather some herbs. This mission was supposed to be basic stuff! How did we end up fighting them in the middle of a forest?"
Isla's expression was tense as she stared down at her flute. "We've already disrupted their little scheme with the spirit food market. They're probably here to make sure we don't finish our task."
"But how would they even know we'd be here?" Sylas clutched his book, frowning in deep thought. "This forest is remote, but not exactly important enough to warrant such a massive operation. What are they really after?"
Zephyr pondered for a moment, his usual grin fading. "They must have been here long before we arrived, setting up traps. It's clear they have a larger plan in motion, and we just stumbled into their web by accident."
Reika huffed, feeling a knot of anxiety tightening in her gut. "Are they here for some rare herb or magical beast too? Whatever it is, we can't let them win."
Isla nodded, her fingers brushing over her flute, her voice steady but cold. "Whatever their goal is, we need to stay on guard. I'm sure there are more dangers lurking in this forest."
With a collective nod, they continued their cautious journey, scanning the surroundings for the elusive herb they were supposed to find.
Suddenly, Reika spotted a faintly glowing plant up ahead. The leaves shimmered in the darkness, like little stars dancing in the night.
"Hey, look! It's the Nightglow Lily!" Reika shouted, rushing ahead.
"Wait, don't just run in!" Zephyr called out, but Reika was already crouched down, reaching for the glowing plant.
"This has to be the real deal!" Reika's face lit up with excitement as she grasped the shimmering "leaves."
The moment her fingers touched the plant, the entire forest seemed to hold its breath. A low, rumbling growl echoed from the shadows behind the glowing plant. Reika looked up in horror to see two blood-red eyes staring back at her. From the darkness, a massive creature lunged forward.
"AHHH!" Reika yelped, instinctively pulling back, only to realize that what she'd grabbed wasn't a plant at all—it was the tail of a massive beast!
"That's not a Nightglow Lily!" Sylas shrieked, nearly dropping his book. "That's a Scarlet Ironwing's tail! Let go before it slices you to pieces!"
But it was too late. The Scarlet Ironwing let out a furious roar, its tail whipping down like a blade aimed straight at Reika.
"Watch out!" Zephyr leapt forward, his sword flashing as he intercepted the attack, but even he was knocked back by the force of the blow.
"This is the worst luck ever!" Reika scrambled back, still clutching the tail—yes, still holding the tail.
The Scarlet Ironwing, having lost part of its precious tail, was now beyond enraged. It spun into a whirlwind, heading straight for them.
"Sylas, can your book help us out here?!" Reika shouted, panic rising in her voice.
Sylas frantically flipped through his book, muttering in a panic, "It says… it's afraid of bright light! We need a strong light source to drive it away!"
"Light?! Where are we supposed to get light in the middle of the woods?" Reika yelled.
"Flute!" Isla shouted suddenly, her calm demeanor unshaken as she whipped out her flute and started playing. A soft, soothing melody filled the air, and the Scarlet Ironwing's frenzied movements slowed, but not enough to stop it completely.
"I need more time to gather enough light," Isla said, sweat starting to bead on her forehead. "Hold it off for just a little longer."
"Got it!" Zephyr didn't need to be told twice. His sword flashed again as he dove into combat with the beast.
Reika, wincing from the pain in her leg, pulled out another talisman and flung it at the beast. It exploded mid-air, slowing the creature just enough.
"Hurry up, Isla!" Reika panted, her heart racing as the beast's strikes grew fiercer.
Isla closed her eyes, focusing all her energy. The light around her flute began to intensify, filling the air with a soft glow. Finally, with a final burst of sound, a blinding flash erupted from Isla's flute, illuminating the forest.
The Scarlet Ironwing screeched in agony, retreating into the shadows as the intense light forced it back.
"We did it!" Reika slumped against a nearby tree, her heart still pounding in her chest.
But before she could fully catch her breath, the Scarlet Ironwing lashed out in one final, desperate attack. Its tail whipped out like a blade, slicing across Reika's shoulder.
"AHHH!" Reika screamed, clutching her shoulder as blood started to flow.
Zephyr rushed to her side, his face full of concern. "Hang in there, Reika!"
Sylas and Isla quickly gathered around her. Sylas rummaged through his bag, pulling out a healing herb. "I've got a healing salve! Quick, apply this!"
Isla knelt beside her, her expression calm but determined. "We need to stop the bleeding before her spiritual energy drains too much."
Despite the searing pain, Reika managed to smile weakly. "I knew this mission wasn't going to be smooth…"
"You're lucky you're still in one piece after messing with that thing," Zephyr said, half-joking but clearly relieved she was still conscious.
"I… it was a misunderstanding, okay? A big misunderstanding," Reika chuckled weakly, but her eyes still burned with resolve.
＊＊＊
Reika collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily as the sharp claws of the Scarlet Ironwing closed in. Blood dripped from her legs, and no matter how hard she tried to run, it felt like she had lead weights tied to her ankles. Running had always been her personal nightmare—even before reincarnating, she had been bedridden for years. Sure, she'd lost her memory, but apparently, her terrible motor skills stuck with her, even in this mystical, new world.
"Is my coordination the ultimate joke in the cultivation world or what?" Reika thought bitterly. But there was no time for self-pity.
The Scarlet Ironwing roared again. Reika tried to scramble to her feet, but pain shot through her legs, leaving her completely immobile. She could only watch in terror as the beast charged toward her, its deadly beak gleaming in the moonlight.
At that very moment, a flash of desperation hit her. She frantically dug through her bottomless bag, her mind racing. Something, anything to save me! Come on!
Her hand brushed against something familiar—the Wordless Tome. She yanked it out, holding it like a shield. "Please, please, please… I know you don't have any words, but at least protect me! Be my magical shield or something!"
To her surprise, the tome glowed faintly and, with an unexpected "pop," a voice rang out from the book: "Ugh… what mess are you in this time?"
"Mess? I'm about to be bird food! Does that count?!" Reika snapped, her voice shaky as she held the tome in front of her like a lifeline.
The tome sighed dramatically. "Facing a low-level spirit beast and asking a book for help? Really?"
"Well, yeah! I don't have much of a choice here!" Reika shouted, on the verge of panic as the Scarlet Ironwing's tail feathers gleamed ominously above her.
The beast's attack came fast, its talons slashing toward her. Reika flinched, but the Wordless Tome suddenly burst open, and a bright light flared out, creating a shield around her. The talons collided with the shield, sending a shockwave through the air and knocking Reika back several feet. She landed hard on the ground with a groan, rubbing her aching back.
"Wow! This book really has some juice!" Reika gasped, blinking up at the floating tome.
The tome grumbled. "I'm not meant to be used as a shield, you know. You're draining me!"
"Well, I'm going to die without you, so quit complaining!" Reika huffed, rolling her eyes.
Just when she thought she was out of options, she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance. A familiar voice called out her name.
"Reika!"
It was Zephyr and Isla, running toward her. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave.
"I've never been so happy to see anyone in my life!" Reika exclaimed, eyes wide with joy as she spotted her rescuers.
Zephyr rushed forward, his sword flashing as he engaged the furious beast, while Isla quickly brought her flute to her lips, summoning her spirit music to try and control the raging Scarlet Ironwing.
Meanwhile, Sylas fumbled with his book, flipping through its pages in a panic. "It says here… it's afraid of bright light! But I'm still looking for the materials!"
As the creature grew even more frantic, Reika had a sudden, ridiculous thought. Her eyes widened. Wait… could that actually work?
She reached into her bottomless bag once more, fishing out a round, lumpy object. Her face lit up with a mischievous grin. "I've still got this! My 'spare' spirit dumpling!"
It was one of her failed dumplings from the time she worked at Faron's shop—infused with unstable spiritual energy. Faron had told her it was best not to eat them unless you wanted to spend the night regretting it.
"I don't have time to be picky!" Reika declared, hurling the dumpling with all her might at the Scarlet Ironwing.
The dumpling sailed through the air, straight into the beast's open mouth. The creature instinctively snapped its beak shut, swallowing the dumpling whole. For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, the Scarlet Ironwing's eyes bulged. "Graaawk?" it squawked in confusion.
Suddenly, the once-fierce beast began to spasm, running wildly in circles, flapping its wings like mad. It barreled headlong into a tree, then crashed into a nearby bush, all the while making the most ridiculous noises Reika had ever heard. With a final screech, the Scarlet Ironwing disappeared into the forest, its tail feathers flailing wildly as it fled.
There was a moment of stunned silence. The group stared after the fleeing beast, jaws dropped in disbelief.
"Did… did my dumpling just scare that thing off?" Reika blinked, utterly dumbfounded.
Zephyr burst out laughing, slapping her on the back. "You just invented the Spirit Dumpling Bomb! Forget fighting with swords, Reika—just start chucking these at everything!"
Isla's usually calm expression softened into a faint smile. "That creature is probably going to have nightmares about round food for the rest of its life."
Sylas, meanwhile, was still staring at the spot where the beast had been. "Your… failed dumpling? That thing actually worked?"
Reika scratched her head sheepishly. "Yeah… I guess you could say that was a happy accident?"
"More like a miraculous accident!" Zephyr was laughing so hard he could barely stand. "Next time we run into a spirit beast, you're leading with the dumplings, no question."
Reika's cheeks flushed. "Oh, come on, it's not like I planned for that to happen!"
As the laughter died down, the Wordless Tome, still floating nearby, displayed a new line of glowing text: "That was cutting it close. Next time, don't count on me to bail you out like that. I'm a book, not a bodyguard!"
Reika raised an eyebrow. "Does this book ever stop talking?"
The tome huffed in response. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be bird feed right now! Next time, at least give me a heads-up before you use me as a shield!"
Zephyr, noticing the text, asked with curiosity, "Wait, this is the legendary Wordless Tome? It talks? And it's this sassy?"
Reika scratched her head, a little embarrassed. "Yeah… it's got a bit of an attitude. And it's not 'wordless' anymore, apparently."
The tome flashed with more text: "For the record, I'm not just some random book. I have a name—Gindle—and you really need to stop getting into these reckless situations!"
"Alright, alright, Gindle. I get it. You saved me, and I'm grateful," Reika sighed, patting the book apologetically.
"If this keeps happening, I'm going to need a vacation," Gindle grumbled.
Zephyr chuckled, helping Reika to her feet. "Don't worry, next time I'll handle it before you need to whip out your talking book. Now, let's get back to finding that Nightglow Lily before we're ambushed by another spirit beast."
Isla nodded, her flute already tucked away. "Time is of the essence. Let's move."
Sylas, still holding his damaged book, looked down at its tattered pages with a sigh. "Poor book… it's been through so much."
Reika smirked. "Don't worry, next time I'll use the dumpling instead of your book."
"Thank the heavens for that," Sylas muttered, stowing his book safely back into his bag as the group resumed their journey deeper into the forest.