The cart bounced over the uneven road as the sun slowly rose, casting a golden light over the rolling hills and forests around us. I sat at the front, leaning back against the cushions, trying to make myself comfortable. Marcus was next to me, still looking like he could rip a tree out of the ground with his bare hands. Maria, the red squirrelkin, was bouncing in her seat, clearly eager for the hunt. Her tail swished back and forth in excitement. Jibby, the goblin girl, sat opposite me, half-mumbling to herself while playing with a vial of something bubbly and glowing.

  "Moose on steroids, huh?" I muttered, looking over the card we drew. It was the team's hunting target, the Killer Moose, a creature so absurdly large and dangerous it felt like the universe was trolling me. I turned the card around again, looking at the illustration of the creature: a hulking moose, six legs, antlers like jagged daggers, and a coat that seemed to shimmer with faint earth magic. “Edible though… could be a good meal.”

  Maria chuckled, her bright eyes dancing with enthusiasm. "A good meal? It’ll be the best meal, Sam! And the hunt should be fun, right? I mean, it’s not every day we get to fight a giant moose. They must be rare it's the first time I hear about student hunting them we're so lucky!"

  Jibby’s purple hair bounced with each jolt of the cart, and she smiled at the mention of food. “I’ll help with the potion-making if we need something extra. Maybe a strength buff? Some healing potions... or... a paralysis brew? That could be fun to try.” She gave me a wink, clearly not fully serious but still hinting at her talent for alchemy.

  I nodded, considering the possibilities. We had a good team—a mix of strength, finesse, and brains. Marcus, with his raw power, was going to be the front-line tank. Maria’s finesse with a rapier would be perfect for taking advantage of any openings. Jibby’s alchemy and healing would make sure we didn’t get too far in over our heads. And me? Well, I had the Triplet and Handy ( official new name of my hand canon given by Lilith). That, and some experience. This could work.

  I flipped the card over, studying it again. The Killer Moose wasn’t just a monster. It had earth magic, which meant it could manipulate the terrain, potentially creating deadly traps or obstacles. It also had those terrifying sharp antlers and hooves. Our first priority was to make sure it couldn’t get close enough to land a solid hit. If we could catch it at a distance, we might have a better shot. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t going to be a simple fight. If it were, we wouldn’t be facing it in teams.

  “We’ll need to work together,” I said, finally speaking up. “Keep it on the move. We can’t let it get close to any of us, especially me. I can’t take hits like you guys.” I glanced at Marcus for a moment. “And, no offense, but you might be the one to take the brunt of its charge.”

  Marcus grinned, his sharp teeth showing. “I like the sound of that. A challenge.” He shifted in his seat, clearly already gearing up for the fight. “You just make sure to keep your head down and your aim true, Sam.”

  “I will,” I replied, giving him a nod.

  The cart began to slow as we neared the hunting grounds, the trees thickening around us. Jibby held up a small flask, grinning. “I’ve got just the thing if we need a boost. Magic-infused potion. You’ll feel like you can punch a hole through a castle wall.” She giggled at the thought of it. “If we need it, of course.”

  I couldn’t help but grin. We had a solid plan, and I felt a little more confident now, surrounded by people who had each other's backs. “Alright. Let’s go hunt us a magic moose.”

  The goblin girl puled out a letter she had received just before embarking in the cart. Her brows moving uncontralabry as she read.

  Jibby leaned in close, whispering just loud enough over the cart’s rattling to be heard. “Stuff is going down at home, they’re saying it’s some kind of sickness… but the weird part is, people vanish before they even show symptoms. My mom said a whole village just… emptied. No sign of struggle. No blood. Just gone.” Her purple brows furrowed as she clutched the letter tighter.

  Marcus gave a concerned grunt. “That doesn’t sound like any sickness I’ve heard of.”

  Maria shrugged, trying to keep things light. “Could just be bandits. Or people fleeing the coming war. I mean, the North’s always been a mess.”

  “But that’s not all,” Jibby continued, ignoring the squirrelkin’s dismissal. “There were sightings of things—monsters, but not like the usual ones. Mutated beasts. A deer with no eyes but it chased people from half a mile away. A giant bear with so many worms under it's skin that it most of it fell off. Stuff that doesn’t make sense. Dad says it’s probably just Empire fearmongering… but still.” Her eyes shifted between us. “I don’t like it.”

  “Sounds like either dark magic or something worse,” I muttered, mostly to myself. The kind of ‘worse’ I didn’t want to think about. Whatever it was, it didn’t sound natural. And coming from someone who had watched a sword cleave through steel and devils explode from portals, that was saying something.

  Still, I didn’t voice all my thoughts. No need to spread the unease. We were on a mission today. The hunt came first.

  “As for the museum, next week” I said, trying to change the subject, “you guys go nuts. I’ve had enough of dusty artifacts and stories about dead people. The only history that matters to me is the kind that bites back.”

  Maria smirked, clearly unimpressed. “Typical barbarian mindset.”

  Marcus chuckled. “I think you’ll change your mind when you see it. This place isn’t just some pile of statues. They’ve got relics from the wars, early enchantment prototypes, maybe even weapons forged by the First Casters. Real stuff. Not just dusty bones.They even have some of the Nameless's gear.”

  Jibby nodded enthusiastically. “And maybe we’ll see something related to those mutations too! There’s a whole subwing on magical biology. If anything weird’s happening, that’s where they’d put it.”

  I sighed, but deep down, I knew I’d end up going. Not because I cared about dusty old things or even magical artifacts but I was a student and needed to do student stuff. But something about Jibby’s story had me on edge. And when the world starts shifting in ways that don’t make sense, knowledge becomes ammunition.

  I leaned back, staring at the sky. “Fine. But if I get bored, I’m blaming all three of you.”

  “Deal,” Maria said with a wink. “Now let’s kill that moose first, history class can wait.”

  I kinda liked this assigned team.

  After a few hours riding down the sinuous road, we finally arrived at the last place the beast had been sighted. Marcus was the only one on the team who had taken a tracking course—but let’s be honest, I didn’t need one. I’d tracked lost people in the deep Canadian wilderness, followed the trails of bears, moose, deer, enemies in foreign lands, and everything in between.

  But when I looked at these tracks, I realized this hunt was going to be something else.

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  The moose’s hoofprints were over a foot wide—way bigger than any moose I’d ever hunted back home. Still, their size made tracking stupidly easy. Marcus lost the trail twice, but I just pointed him toward fresh tracks each time, playing the innocent fool and letting him keep the lead.

  Honestly, I was impressed by how professionally everyone was acting. Words were kept to a minimum and spoken in whispers. I had the Triplet in hand, ready to punch holes. I’d loaded all three barrels with slugs—no way was I trusting buckshot for this kind of shenanigan.

  We tracked it to a pond where it clearly came often to feed on the salt-rich plants growing there. Perfect. We set up a minimalist ambush along one of its well-worn trails and waited in complete silence. Moose had terrible eyesight, and we planned to exploit that.

  The sun began to set. Still no sign of the bastard.

  We waited another hour, tension thick in the cold air, but nothing. Eventually we agreed to hold position through the night. If it didn’t show by noon tomorrow, we’d pull back and try to track its bedding area instead after resting.

  The vegetation was dense, the air cold and wet. And sometime after midnight, it started snowing.

  Good. It would mask some of our scent and give us fresh tracks to follow come morning—if luck decided to cut us a break.

  By sunbreak, I heard a loud branch crack and an animal call.

  “Mboa!”

  Here comes the big buck.

  Maria, despite shivering, didn’t make a sound. Marcus, Jibby, and I were used to worse cold, but the humidity was starting to seep into our armor, gnawing at our joints and keeping us alert. The coming fight would warm us up just fine.

  I was glad to have percussion caps—flintlocks were moody in snowy and damp environments. My body tensed. Marcus would block the main trail. Maria and I would take the flanks. Jibby stayed in reserve, ready to heal whoever got shredded.

  Marcus downed Jibby's strength-boosting potion, grimaced at the taste, and nodded.

  Then we saw it.

  Fifteen feet at the shoulder. This wasn’t a moose—it was a goddamn elephant with antlers. The thing lumbered forward, casually snapping branches overhead and letting out deep mating calls like it was just bored and lonely. Completely unbothered.

  Any time now.

  Then we sprung the ambush, hearts thumping with adrenaline. Marcus threw himself in its path, spear raised high. I aimed and fired all three barrels—two slugs to the chest, one at the ear.

  The first two slugs hit—and fell off. Like pebbles.

  What the hell?

  Only the shot to the ear seemed to do anything—maybe messed up its hearing or balance. But with six legs, being dizzy wasn’t exactly a death sentence. I should’ve gone for the eye. Dumbass.

  I holstered the Triplet and drew Handy, charging forward. Marcus had buried his spear deep into the beast’s chest—just before it sent him flying thirty feet with a swipe of its antlers. He hit the ground hard and stayed there. Shit.

  “Maria! Get its attention—use the big tree as cover!” I yelled.“Jibby, get to Marcus now!”

  They didn’t hesitate. They knew it was do or die—this school didn’t mess around.

  I had one shot left.

  Aimed again at the ear—the weak spot I'd opened up. The 4-gauge barked, a plume of white smoke blinding me for a second. The slug hit—and this time, it worked. The moose collapsed in a thunderous crash.

  But I didn’t see pink mist.

  “Maria, stay back!” I yelled.Then I ran in with my saber, aiming for the throat.

  To my surprise, the blade cut clean through the thick hide like butter—must’ve hit the artery right.Blood started pissing out. But before I could jump clear, it stirred. One of its front legs lashed out—hit me like a truck.

  I flew backward, crashing into a tree, and everything went black.

  I awoke with labored breath, still in the forest. My body ached with every heartbeat. When I looked around, I saw Marcus lying next to me—a wide, open wound across his chest. He was unconscious and pale. Not good.

  Jibby sat slumped against a tree, hyperventilating, caught mid-panic attack.

  I coughed. “It’s okay... Where’s Maria?”

  Jibby looked up, eyes full of tears, hands trembling. She shook her head.

  “I don’t know. When you got punched through the tree, she rushed and chassed the moose away... I can’t stop Marcus’s bleeding—he’s gonna die and I can’t do shit!” she shouted, voice cracking.

  “Okay. Breathe in. You’re gonna help me,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “Let’s start with his wounds. Are there any bubbles in the blood?”

  I squinted, but my vision was too blurry to confirm anything myself.

  “No... there’s not,” she replied.

  “Good. That means his lung might still be intact. We need to keep the blood inside his body. We can cauterize—unless you’ve got coagulant powder?”

  “I don’t!” she said, nearly sobbing.

  “We don’t have time to start a fire. Can you do fire magic?” I asked, praying for a yes.

  She shook her head, crying harder now. “No, I can’t…”

  “Then I’ll try. Move me closer—please. I’m gonna try and cauterize it.”

  She dragged me, shaking, over to Marcus. I planted my palm near the wound and focused.

  The crystal. The flames. I did it once—I can do it again.

  I pictured the fire dancing in my palm, willing it to return.

  A flicker.

  Not enough. More. MORE.

  My hand erupted in flame. Steam hissed from my gambeson, the heat soaking through, searing skin. I slammed my palm down on Marcus’s chest.

  His body convulsed. He punched me once—twice—reflexive, violent, alive. But I held firm, gritting my teeth through the pain as the fire sealed the wound shut.

  Finally, I pulled my hand back.

  The bleeding had stopped.

  And then everything faded to black again.

  When I woke up I was in the hospital, all I could smell was the frontlines—trenches soaked in blood, rotted guts, and shit. My body tensed before I even opened my eyes.

  I turned and puked, violently, the acid burn in my throat dragging me fully into the now. There was urgency clawing at the back of my mind. A sense of danger, looming. Something unseen just over the horizon.

  Then the smell vanished.

  Replaced by something far more mundane—my own mess on the floor.

  A nurse in long, monastic white robes appeared beside me, face calm and impassive as she checked my vitals with a glowing crystal-tipped rod. Without a word, she turned on her heel and left the room, the scent of antiseptic and incense following in her wake.

  Moments later, a man walked in. Older, precise, with a kind of clinical detachment in his gaze. His robes were simple but immaculate, and embroidered on his chest—clear as day—was the Inquisition’s Aquila.

  I stiffened.

  “Am I in trouble?” I asked, voice hoarse, still tasting bile.

  “Good morning, Samael.” The doctor’s voice was calm, almost too calm. “It seems the awakening was rough, but don’t worry. Things should settle themselves in time.”

  I didn’t answer. I just nodded, eyes still adjusting to the light.

  “We had to transport you to our headquarters for treatment. Your medical case is... unique. One we’d rather keep quiet for now, right?”

  Another nod. My throat felt like it had been sandpapered.

  “As for trouble—no. Not really. Technically, you ignored a directive from a superior... but you did it to save a life. And we appreciate that. Marcus is the son of a Valakian Duchess. His death would’ve caused political fallout we’d rather avoid.”

  I let that sink in. The kid was nobility? Figures. He had that kind of poise. That kind of pressure.

  “Your organs were a mess,” the doctor continued, flipping through something on a glowing pad. “Not to mention your... heart. We kept the healing simple. Everything inside you is just... wrong. But not in a heretical way. It's more like—well, like the God-King’s hand held you together just long enough to reach help. Either that... or you're just too damn stubborn to die.”

  I cracked a weak smile. “I’d bet on the second.”

  “By the way,” I asked, bracing myself. “Did all three of them make it out?”

  The doctor didn’t even flinch. “No. Maria took a hoof to the head before the moose collapsed. Instant. But the other two made it.”

  “Christ...” I muttered, the word dragging itself out of my chest like a weight.

  The moment it slipped from my lips, I felt it—an odd pressure in my chest, like something twisted. The doctor’s eyes went wide. He dropped his pad with a loud clack, apologized quickly, and scrambled to pick it up before rushing out of the room like he’d seen a ghost.

  I stared at the door as it clicked shut behind him.

  Right. I really needed to figure out why my swearing triggered these people so much.

  Still... I kinda liked it.