"The first beast already pushed us pretty hard," Prince Valkas said, his arms crossed and his crimson eyes scanning the group. He exhaled heavily, his usual composed demeanor giving way to a tinge of frustration. "This doesn't bode well if the next challenge is even tougher."
Kael nodded, his expression thoughtful. "So, are we just not working well enough together? Is that what it means?"
Mary huffed, brushing an errant strand of blonde hair from her face. "And how exactly are we supposed to fix that? It's not like we've trained as a unit before this."
"We relied too much on Aria," Gail said with a shrug, leaning casually against a tree. His dark eyes were sharp despite his relaxed posture. "She carried the fight, even with those restrictions. Our other summons were barely contributing, and that's on us."
"So you're saying the rest of the summons were underutilized?" I asked, my voice calm but tinged with curiosity.
"Exactly," Gail replied, his tone measured. "Though, to be fair, that might've been because the beast wasn't strong enough to force us to act as a proper team. We defaulted to letting Aria take the lead."
His words were logical, and I couldn't argue against them. But as I watched him speak, I couldn't help but wonder how effortlessly he switched between personas. The flippant, flirtatious playboy I'd encountered so often was nowhere to be found in this moment. Instead, this Gail was focused, insightful, and, dare I say, almost reliable.
'How does he do that?' I wondered, my gaze flicking between him and Mary. The way Mary kept glaring at Gail without speaking made me think there was more to their story than just casual dislike.
Before I could dwell on it further, a faint vibration in the ground caught my attention. The others noticed it too, their expressions shifting from contemplation to alertness.
"What was that?" Kael asked, his hand instinctively reaching toward the Royal Dragon.
A sharp, ear-splitting shriek tore through the forest, cutting through the tension like a blade. The sound was unearthly, reverberating in my chest and setting my teeth on edge. Trees around us began to tremble, their leaves rustling in response to a sudden gust of unnatural wind.
"Formation!" Valkas barked, his voice authoritative.
But before we could gather, the ground beneath us erupted. A massive beast burst from the earth, its serpentine body glistening with obsidian scales that shimmered like liquid shadows. Its eyes burned with an eerie green light, and its maw revealed rows of jagged teeth dripping with a viscous, glowing fluid.
"Alpha Astra Beast: Venomous Shadow Serpent," my Grimoire whispered to me as it recorded the creature's presence. Its name etched itself into my mind with an ominous weight.
The serpent didn't waste time. With a deafening roar, it lashed out with its massive tail, the force of its strike shattering the ground around us. The shockwave sent us sprawling, separating us from our summons in an instant.
"Aria!" I shouted, but before she could respond, the serpent let out another screech. A dense, toxic mist erupted from its body, enveloping the area in seconds. The air grew thick and oppressive, and my connection to Aria wavered.
"What's happening?" Kael yelled, his voice muffled by the haze.
"It's the beast's Trait!" Valkas shouted back. "It's severing our connection to our summons!"
I gritted my teeth, clutching my Grimoire tightly as panic clawed at my mind. For the first time, I felt truly vulnerable, stripped of the one constant I'd always relied on—Aria.
The mist grew darker, and I could barely make out the shapes of my companions. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me, and before I could react, a strong hand gripped my arm and pulled me forward.
"Stay close," Gail's voice said, low and steady. His presence was a strange anchor in the chaos, and I clung to it as we stumbled through the choking mist.
"Where are the others?" I asked, my voice shaking as we moved.
"Separated," he replied curtly. "We need to find cover and regroup. This thing's trying to pick us off."
The ground trembled beneath us again, and Gail pulled me sharply to the side just as the serpent's tail smashed into the spot where we had been standing moments ago. The impact sent a cascade of dirt and debris raining down on us.
"This way," he said, tugging me toward a cluster of large boulders that offered a semblance of shelter. His grip on my arm was firm but not rough, and despite the danger, I found myself oddly comforted by his presence.
We crouched behind the rocks, catching our breath as the serpent's roars echoed through the forest. My mind raced, torn between fear and the desperate need to reconnect with Aria.
"Why aren't you panicking?" I asked him, my voice barely above a whisper.
He glanced at me, his dark eyes glinting with a hint of amusement. "Because panicking won't help us, little lady. Thinking will."
"Thinking?" I asked incredulously. "Against that thing?"
A sly smirk tugged at the corner of Gail's lips, the kind that somehow managed to be both reassuring and infuriating. "You'd be surprised what thinking can do. Now, let's figure out how to make it regret separating us from our summons."
"Do you really think that's possible?" I asked honestly, my voice heavy with doubt.
"Of course not," he replied with a dramatic shrug, his smirk widening. "I just thought it sounded cool."
I glared at him, barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes. "Why, are you hoping I'll swoon over your false bravado?"
"Who's to say you haven't already?" he shot back with a wink, the teasing glint in his dark eyes as sharp as ever.
"Can you turn off your flirty mode for five minutes?" I snapped, my patience wearing thin.
His expression shifted, the humor fading just enough to let a shadow of seriousness seep in. "Alright, here's what we're dealing with. That serpent? Another Alpha Astra beast, and it's even stronger than the last one we fought."
The weight of his words settled over me like a heavy cloak. My breath hitched as I tried to push away the rising tide of panic. "Stronger? How is that even possible?"
"One of its Traits lets it interfere with our bond as summoners," he explained, his tone calm but grim. "It's evolved specifically to target us."
"That shouldn't even be possible!" I said, shaking my head. "How can a beast counter the Primary Trait of Summoner? That's… unnatural."
"Who says beasts can't evolve?" Gail countered, leaning back slightly against the rock. "They adapt, just like we do. This one's Trait is a weak countermeasure—it's not perfect by any means. But since our bonds with our summons are still in their infancy, it works like a charm."
I nodded slowly, trying to absorb the information. "So, it's exploiting our inexperience."
"Exactly," he said. "If we could use Synchronisation, this would be a minor inconvenience at best. But we're not there yet, and it knows it."
He glanced at me, his usual smirk replaced by something softer—something that almost looked like concern. "You'll reconnect with Aria faster than I can with my Royal Wolf. You're a Diamond-grade summoner, after all. That bond is going to strengthen faster."
"How fast, though?" I asked, frustration creeping into my voice. "If it's not fast enough, we're toast."
He rubbed the back of his neck, a rare moment of uncertainty flashing across his face. "Not sure. This kind of situation isn't exactly covered in textbooks. Most summoners who face a beast like this are veterans with years of experience. We're just kids stumbling through our first real trial."
His honesty was both terrifying and oddly grounding. It reminded me that I wasn't alone in this—not completely, anyway. The sharp-edged banter was just a mask, but beneath it, Gail was steady, calculating, and maybe even a little brave.
"Then what do we do?" I asked, keeping my voice low as the serpent's shrill cries echoed in the distance.
Gail's eyes narrowed, his playful demeanor giving way to something far more focused. "We stall. We stay alive long enough for one of us to re-establish the bond. Once we've got one summon back in the fight, we'll have a chance."
"And until then?" I pressed.
"Until then, little lady," he said, his smirk making a brief return, "we run, dodge, and hope that thing doesn't decide we look like an afternoon snack."
Before I could respond, the ground trembled beneath us, and the serpent's hissing roar sliced through the mist. Gail grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the shadows of the trees, his grip firm but careful.
"Come on," he whispered, his voice low and urgent. "Let's give it a reason to underestimate us."
For the first time, I felt a flicker of confidence in our chances—not because the odds were in our favor, but because Gail Kilt, playboy and enigma, was proving to be far more capable than I ever expected.