Chương 33: Chapter 34: Lucien

Steel clashed with scales as the grueling fight raged on. Lucien's group of nine, who had recently picked up an extra recruit, was currently embroiled in a battle against a giant serpent. They were overwhelming it with sheer numbers. Lucien mostly stayed out of the fight. At most, he occasionally saved his teammates in dire situations, preventing any permanent harm. His ability had increased his speed and perception this time. Now, he sat on a fallen log watching the serpent flail around in its dying rage.

Vines held down its tail, a summoned squirrel chipped away at its skin, and a variety of swords and arrows were littered on its long body. The fight was almost over, and Lucien had already deactivated his ability. To his right was a short, black-haired man. Physically, he didn't seem all that impressive, but his eyes contained a piercing, focused look. It was Lucien's childhood friend, Igneos. Igneos observed the battlefield ahead with a cold stare.

Lucien had spent long enough with Igneos to know he was mapping out every possibility. Each branch of thought explored the potential for things to go wrong: every action others might take, every necessary adjustment to the plans he'd made.

"Are we doing this?" Lucien asked, his voice low, allowing only for Igneos to hear him. Igneos turned his head and looked at Lucien through narrowed eyes.

"You don't want to?" Lucien matched his gaze before shaking his head and releasing a long sigh.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He brushed off the dirt on his knees and got up onto his feet, signalling for Igneous to follow him. His blonde hair turned golden in the light of the setting sun as he walked toward his weapon lying beside the tree. With some exertion, he was able to pick up his battleax. It was massive and had taken Lucien years to be able to wield. Even now, he needed his ability active to make full use of it.

He made his way to the snake, weapon in hand, and a fierce smile plastered on his face. He quickly commanded the group as their leader with a shout.

"I heard some noises from the forest; there may be another group nearby. The three who are the least injured make their way east. Go slowly and try not to be spotted. If there's something, don't engage, and if there's nothing, come back to report after fifteen minutes." The seven recruits shared a quick look.

"Yes!" A unified voice returned, and they quickly discussed amongst themselves who would go. Lucien charged at the weakened snake. He alone was enough to hold off the injured beast until they made their decision on who would be best suited to go. Behind him, he heard the murmurs of discussion. Eventually, a group of three departed. Lucien turned to Igneos and shared a knowing nod. … Fern ran eastward, wiping off the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead. Alongside her were two of her colleagues.

She didn't know their names; the group hadn't been that close, relying on Lucien as the glue sticking them together. One of the men she recognized from before she joined. She recalled the hopelessness of the situation back then, surrounded by four individuals who could have easily killed her. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Yet she was spared. Despite the promised rewards and despite the chance of her betraying them, Lucien had decided to spare her.

She felt both gratitude and awe. He had essentially invested in her, and she had certainly paid him back, proving helpful in the fight against the Clawbear and now the snake. Despite her lower affinity, her vines were extremely useful against these terrifying beasts, and a small moment of restriction was often all the group needed. Additionally, he had been able to balloon the group to an absurd nine individuals who, for the most part, didn't know each other at all.

She felt a deep gratitude that she had been able to meet a rising star like him so early on. His future was certainly bright. An aura flared to her right from the shorter fellow. She and her teammate to the left stopped, watching him cover his eyes and ears. He focused hard on the surroundings. They stood waiting for a few seconds.

"Nothing ahead, fighting has intensified by the snake." Then, they continued forward.

The snake had already almost fallen, and Lucien was still at full strength…. A sneaking suspicion started nagging at her. Fern stopped, and her colleagues looked at her, confused.

"They should have won by now. I don't see any reason for the fighting to have intensified other than if they got ambushed." The shorter one replied, "Lucien told us to keep searching until we were sure there was nobody coming from this way."

"But he doesn't have a perception ability like you. Could it be possible that the enemy has some sort of ability to alter our perception? Maybe they just wanted to split us off." The taller one stroked his chin as he thought out loud, "We were the least injured of the group. They may actually be in trouble without us."

"But Lucien and Igneos are there, aren't they?" The shorter man offered. Fern hesitated. Lucien and Igneos at full power would probably be enough to keep them safe, but the nagging feeling wouldn't go away.

"Let's not risk it; the rest of the guys are in pretty bad shape." Regardless of where the enemy was ambushing them from, they would be stronger as a group, even if they had less information. After another pause, he agreed. The trio turned back a full 180 degrees and began running. They weaved between trees and bushes, a skill they had mastered in recent times. The vegetation blurred around her as Fern concentrated on her senses.

"Fighting has slowed." A sound from beside her.

Did we overreact? The snake might have just made a last-ditch, desperate attempt. They continued forward. Soon, the distant smell of burning wood made its way to Fern.

"It seems the fighting is over." Fern's shoulders relaxed as she heaved a sigh of relief. Her worst fears hadn't come to pass.

"Let's meet up with them anyway. We'll head back out once we confirm for sure." The smoky smell intensified with each step forward, a sign they were getting close, until finally, the terrain became familiar, and traces of their earlier battle could be seen. Between the trees, Fern saw the side of a face with golden hair and kind blue eyes, looking down at the space ahead of him. The trees covered his body, and Fern couldn't quite make out what he was looking at. Lucien.

Her heartbeat increased, but she quickly suppressed it. Her run slowed to a walk as she approached the charismatic leader.

As she drew closer, the tree obstructing her view seemed to peel away, revealing the rest of the scene. Fern halted abruptly. Lucien was just ahead, standing straight and holding his giant battleaxe over his shoulder. At his feet was a young man bleeding out. She recognized him; he had been the one with telekinesis ability, and they had exchanged a few words in passing. He released a soft gargle as he choked on his own blood. Fern's limbs turned to lead. She looked at the axe, then at the blood. Nothing made sense.

Lucien's confident stance had turned overpowering, his kind gaze now alien, a look Fern could never comprehend.

Hold yourself together! A few quick breaths served to settle the rising panic.

M-maybe… She managed a small, dry swallow.

Maybe an opponent had a sh-shapeshifter ability. This idea served to be her anchor.

Y-yeah! Lucien just killed a shape shifter. Her eyes wandered. A dead snake, three more dead bodies she recognized, and Igneos, who met her eyes with two small balls of flame hovering above his head. Subconsciously, vines sprouted from her feet, realizing the danger before she could process it. The little strand of hope that had been keeping her from breaking down snapped.

"Oh, you guys came back early." Lucien's voice was light, as if he'd just found a nice spot for a picnic. If she didn't feel such an overwhelming fear right now, maybe she'd walk forward and meet him in the middle. She managed to slowly turn her head from Igneous to see Lucien, whose body was closing the distance. On his face was the same charming smile that had won her over; not a hint of doubt in his actions could be seen. Fern waivered. The vines at her feet withered.

Beside him, Igneos released his artillery, but Fern's feet remained chained to the earth. The balls of flame flew past her on both sides, singeing her hair. Pained screams of terror accompanied the two explosions from a slight distance behind her. But Fern didn't notice, her eyes fixed on Lucien, who now stood directly in front of her with an awkward apologetic smile.

I'm sorry, Juniper… The screams around her were raw and jagged, yet his voice cut through them with the soft, steady clarity of a friend sharing a secret.

"Sorry you had to see all this, truly."