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Chapter 55: Predators in the Gloom!
Daniel and Lia moved with quiet purpose, deeper into the oppressive gloom of the Dark Forest.
Ayra, had charged off on her own nearly an hour ago, her battle cry resonating then fading, leaving them in a tense silence.
"She’s going to get herself killed, or worse, get us all into a fight we’re not ready for," Daniel muttered, his voice low.
He kept his A-Grade Phantom Edge Striking Wraps on, his senses, amplified by [Aura Sense], constantly scanning their surroundings.
The dense Yin energy here made his senses feel a bit like wading through thick water, but the impressions were still clear enough.
Lia, walking gracefully beside him, her B-Grade Verdant Lifespring Staff-Sword held ready, offered a small, resigned smile.
"Ayra is... spirited, Daniel. Her [Primal Fury Berserker] talent thrives on direct confrontation. She feels the pull of battle like a moth to a flame."
Her calm grey eyes, however, held a flicker of concern.
"But you’re right, her impulsiveness could be a liability here."
Nyx, Daniel’s Shadow Wolf Pup familiar, was their eyes in the canopy.
She sent Daniel faint mental pictures: dark shapes moving through twisted trees, glowing patches of creepy fungi, and the powerful, angry energy of Ayra tearing through the forest ahead.
Nyx had relayed the image of Ayra engaging several panther-like shadow creatures, one of which, a larger Alpha, had a faint golden shimmer around its neck, the glint of a Yang card.
That was their primary objective.
"Nyx says Ayra’s engaged with a pack of shadow panthers," Daniel relayed to Lia.
"The Alpha might have a Yang card. Let’s pick up the pace. Hopefully, Ayra hasn’t scared it off or gotten herself eaten."
They pressed on, Daniel using [Ghoststeps] to move like a silent ripple through the undergrowth, Lia matching his pace with surprising ease for a healer.
The sounds of battle grew louder, the distinctive roar of Ayra’s berserker fury, the howls of unseen beasts, and the thunderous impact of something very large hitting something else very hard.
"Boom!"
A distant tremor shook the ground, making the obsidian trees shiver.
Just as they were about to break into the clearing Nyx had indicated, a commotion erupted from the tangled brush ahead.
Branches snapped, and with a final, triumphant roar, Ayra burst into view, meeting them halfway. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
She was a fearsome sight. Her dark grey Vanguard uniform was torn and stained with dark blood, fortunately not her own.
Her fiery red hair was matted with sweat and grime, and her eyes still blazed with the crimson light of her [Primal Fury Berserker] talent, though it seemed to be dimming slightly.
She dragged the corpse of a large, lizard-like beast with one hand. Its hide was a mix of shadow and scales, and its head was mostly crushed.
The ground trembled with each step she took, dragging her prize.
"Hah!" Ayra grinned, her teeth flashing white in the dim light.
She spotted Daniel and Lia, then with a grunt of effort, she hefted the beast’s corpse slightly and rummaged in a pouch at its side.
She pulled out a card. "See, Vance? Easy pickings!" With a flick of her wrist, she sent the card spinning through the air towards him.
Daniel caught it easily. A Yin card. His brow furrowed slightly. "Nyx saw a Yang card on the Alpha of that pack. Did you get it?"
Ayra scoffed, wiping a smear of beast blood from her cheek with the back of her hand.
"That sneaky shadow cat escaped after I crushed its minions. But this ugly brute dropped a Yin card.
Still counts as progress, right? Better than you two, tiptoeing through the tulips."
She gestured dismissively at the quiet forest around them.
Daniel merely nodded, pocketing the Yin card. "Good work, Ayra. But didn’t you realize you were followed?"
Ayra froze mid-boast, her crimson eyes narrowing. "Followed? By what? More of those shadow-skulkers? I’d have smelled them."
She sniffed the air dramatically, then looked around, her gaze sweeping the dark trees. She saw nothing.
Daniel didn’t need to rely on smell. His [Aura Sense], constantly active, painted a clear picture in his mind.
Two distinct human life signatures, not particularly strong but radiating a greedy, predatory intent, had been tailing Ayra for the last few minutes, likely drawn by the sounds of her fight and hoping to scavenge or ambush a weakened victor.
They were well hidden, about thirty meters back, behind a dense patch of pulsating dark purple fungi.
"Two of them," Daniel stated calmly, his voice devoid of expression. "Humans. Been on your six since you left that clearing. They’re not very subtle about their intentions."
"We only have Yin cards here, friends. Nothing worth getting yourselves hurt over. Best you move along now.
The forest is big enough for all of us, as long as we keep to ourselves."
He hoped a simple warning might be enough to avoid unnecessary conflict. He was already anticipating a long day of hunting actual beasts for Yang cards, not babysitting overconfident teammates or fending off opportunistic scavengers.
For a moment, there was only the sound of the wind sighing through the obsidian trees.
Ayra looked unconvinced, her hand tightening on the handle of her unseen axe.
Lia shifted slightly, her staff held ready, her calm eyes scanning the shadows.
Then, a rustle came from the patch of purple fungi. Two figures stepped out into the dim twilight.
One was rail-thin, with shifty eyes that darted around nervously, and a series of crude tattoos covering his visible skin. He held a rusty-looking vibro-knife.
The other was his opposite: barrel-chested, bald, with a brutal, scarred face and a cruel smirk.
He wore armor made from different animal hides and carried a heavy, rough pipe wrench that looked old and had probably crushed a few skulls.
Both men exuded a strong aura of having recently emerged from a harsh, high-security correctional facility.
They looked like trouble wrapped in more trouble, with a side order of bad decisions.
The skinny one licked his lips, his gaze flicking between Ayra’s battle-worn form and Lia’s serene beauty.
"Well, well, Damon," he rasped, his voice like sandpaper. "Look what the pretty lady dragged in. And she’s got friends."
The bald, muscular man, presumably Damon Cruz, chuckled.
His eyes, cold and calculating, swept over Daniel, lingered on Ayra with a predatory gleam, and then settled on Lia with an unpleasantly appreciative look.
"The little man there says they only have Yin cards."
He took a menacing step forward.
