The "package" Calder handed over was a small wooden chest, its surface reinforced with iron bands etched in faint runes. Lira carried it carefully, her expression uneasy as they left Tethered Hollow and moved into the sparse woods surrounding the settlement.
"This thing is… wrong," she said, her voice low.
Elaine glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
Lira frowned, her fingers brushing the chest's surface. "I don't know exactly, but I can feel something inside. It's faint, but it's there—like the crystal, but weaker."
Kael tensed, his hand hovering near his bow. "If it's tied to the Nexus, Calder might have left out some important details."
Ferran grunted. "You mean like 'this might kill you'? Typical merc stuff."
Elaine adjusted her satchel, her grip tightening on the shard inside. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. But we need Calder's information. Keep moving."
A Hidden Threat
The woods were quiet as they pressed forward, the air thick with an eerie stillness. The shard pulsed faintly, its glow barely visible through the fabric of Elaine's satchel.
"We're being watched," Kael murmured, his eyes scanning the treeline.
Elaine nodded. She could feel it too—the faint prickling at the back of her neck, the sense of unseen eyes tracking their every move.
"Stay alert," she said.
The first attack came without warning. An arrow whistled through the air, striking the ground at Ferran's feet.
"Ambush!" Kael shouted, drawing his bow and firing toward the source of the attack.
Figures emerged from the shadows, their movements quick and calculated. Like the attackers in Rathall, they wore cloaks and masks marked with faintly glowing sigils.
"Convergence," Elaine growled, drawing her blade.
The attackers moved with precision, their strikes coordinated as they closed in around the group.
The Fight for the Package
Elaine met the first attacker head-on, her blade clashing against theirs in a burst of sparks. The force of the impact drove her back a step, but she quickly countered, her movements fluid and deliberate.
Kael fired rapidly, his arrows finding their marks and forcing the attackers to scatter. "They're not just after us—they're after the chest!" he shouted.
Lira crouched low, the chest clutched tightly against her chest as she hurled an essence vial at one of the attackers. The explosion sent them sprawling, but more surged forward to take their place.
Ferran fought with brutal efficiency, his blade carving through the chaos. "We're outnumbered here!"
Elaine gritted her teeth, parrying another strike and driving her blade into her opponent's chest. "We hold the line. They can't take the chest."
The shard in her satchel pulsed violently, its energy resonating with the attackers' sigils. The air around them seemed to hum, the energy crackling with an intensity that made Elaine's skin crawl.
"They're drawing power from something," Lira called. "I can feel it!"
A Desperate Decision
As the attackers pressed closer, Elaine's mind raced. They couldn't hold out much longer—not with the numbers against them.
"Kael!" she shouted. "Cover Lira! Ferran, with me!"
Kael nodded, loosing a volley of arrows that forced the attackers to take cover. Elaine and Ferran charged forward, cutting through the ranks and creating a gap in the enemy's formation.
"Now!" Elaine shouted.
Lira ran, the chest clutched tightly in her arms as Kael followed close behind. Elaine and Ferran held the attackers back, their movements synchronized as they fought to buy time.
The attackers hesitated for a moment, their focus shifting to the fleeing pair.
"Go after the chest!" one of them shouted.
Elaine's blade flashed, cutting them down before they could move. "Not today."
Aftermath
When the last of the attackers had fallen, Elaine leaned against a tree, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Ferran wiped his blade clean, his expression grim.
"They're getting bolder," he said.
Elaine nodded, her grip on her blade tightening. "And more organized. This wasn't random—they knew we were coming."
Kael and Lira returned a moment later, the chest still intact.
"Is everyone okay?" Kael asked, his bow still in hand.
Elaine nodded. "We're fine. What about the chest?"
Lira hesitated, her face pale. "It's… reacting to something. Whatever's inside, it's tied to the Nexus—and it's not happy."
Elaine's chest tightened. The shard in her satchel pulsed faintly, its energy resonating with the chest's unsettling hum.
"We need to keep moving," she said. "If they know where we are, they'll send more."
A Growing Shadow
As they pressed on, the air around them seemed to grow heavier, the faint hum of energy from the chest filling the silence.
"We need to open it," Lira said suddenly, her voice trembling.
Elaine shot her a sharp look. "Not here. It's too dangerous."
Lira shook her head. "We can't keep carrying it blind. If it's tied to the Convergence, we need to know what we're dealing with."
Kael frowned. "She has a point. If Calder's using us, we should at least know why."
Elaine hesitated, her mind racing. The attackers had risked everything to take the chest, and whatever was inside could be the key to stopping the Convergence—or the reason they were losing ground.
"Fine," she said finally. "But we do it carefully. Lira, can you contain it?"
Lira nodded, setting the chest down and pulling out her tools. "I'll do my best."
The Chest's Secret
The runes on the chest flared faintly as Lira worked, her hands moving with practiced precision. Elaine, Kael, and Ferran stood guard, their weapons ready as the tension thickened.
With a final twist, Lira opened the chest, its lid creaking loudly in the still air.
Inside was a crystal, smaller than the one they carried but glowing with a deep, malevolent light. The energy radiating from it was intense, its hum filling the air with an oppressive weight.
Lira recoiled, her face pale. "This… this isn't just a fragment. It's been corrupted—twisted."
Elaine's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
"It's a trap," Lira whispered. "Whoever made this, they didn't just want to use Nexus energy. They wanted to weaponize it."
Kael's expression darkened. "Calder knew. He sent us into this on purpose."
Elaine's grip tightened on her blade. "Then we're going back. And he's going to tell us everything."
As they prepared to return to Tethered Hollow, the corrupted crystal pulsed violently, its energy surging through the air. Elaine's heart pounded as she realized the truth:
They weren't just carrying a piece of the Nexus—they were carrying something far worse.