They stepped from the cave’s mouth into the chill dusk air, the world opening around them in fading light. Gravel crunched beneath their boots as they climbed the narrow path carved into Dragonspire Ridge. A gust of wind whipped past, carrying the tang of pine and the faint smoke of distant wildfires.

  Josh tested his healed leg with a careful step, the phantom ache in his ribs flaring like a memory of the fight. He pressed a hand to the bruised muscle, wincing, then squared his shoulders.

  Brett lowered his staff, the pale glow sputtering out. “We still need those raven feathers,” he reminded them, gazing up at black shapes tracing lazy circles above.

  Carcan exhaled, voice low. “My mana’s low. I doubt I could handle many fights and risk the journey back.” She rubbed tired fingers together.

  Perberos ran a thumb along an arrow shaft. “Their nests sit on ledges even higher, guarded as fiercely as drake lairs.” His tone was flat with fatigue.

  Caistina lingered at the rear, arms folded, her eyes cool and watchful. “Nightfall and ridge‐hungry predators make for poor hunting. A smart party knows when to pull back.”

  Josh glanced at each of them, then let his gaze drift skyward. The sun hung low, dyeing the clouds in molten gold. “Raven feathers will have to wait until morning,” he said. “Let’s get back to town.”

  They traded silent nods and pressed onward, the ridge’s jagged backbone rising before them. As they climbed out of the ridge, the air grew colder around them, their breath drifting into pale clouds above them. Pine needles and brittle scrub scraped at their ankles as they got closer to the treeline. Every snap of twig or scuff of stone sounded unnervingly loud.

  Josh paused leaning against the rock at their side, chest tightening as the ache in his ribs and leg eased from a roar to a dull hum. He drew in a deep breath, tasting the resin and damp earth in the air. “Not bad for our first adventure together,” he said, voice soft with relief. He shifted weight onto his good leg, wincing at the phantom ache in his ribs and tightening muscles.

  Carcan trailed beside him, emerald wards still flickering over his shoulder, her healing magic easing the dull throb like a soft hand on a bruise. “Better?” she asked, voice gentle.

  “A bit,” he admitted, flexing his fingers around his shield’s grip. The pain still pulsed, like an itch on a scab. He drew a slow breath, tasting the forest’s clean scent of pine resin and damp earth. “Feels good to leave all that rock behind as well.”

  Perberos slung his bow and surveyed the treeline. “Wolf packs hunt here at night,” he muttered, voice low. “We should get moving.”

  Caistina stepped forward, her gaze settling on Carcan as the healing glow faded from Josh’s skin. “You do know he’s fully healed already, don’t you?” she said calmly. “What he’s feeling now is residual pain. The body remembers the damage even when the flesh is whole. More healing won’t change that. It only dulls the ache for a short while and drains your mana.”

  Carcan blinked, her hand hovering uncertainly. “I… didn’t know,” she admitted. “Then what should I do to help him?”

  Caistina’s expression softened, just a fraction. “Nothing magical.” She gestured toward Josh. “Time does the rest. Fighters either learn to ignore the pain, or their bodies adapt and stop screaming about it so loudly.”

  Josh snorted. “Lucky me.”

  “It’s like pins and needles after too long in meditation,” Caistina continued. “Uncomfortable, distracting, but not dangerous. If anything, it reminds you that you’re still alive.”

  Carcan lowered her hand slowly, studying Josh instead of the wounds. “Then I’ll stay with him,” she said. “So he doesn’t have to endure it alone.”

  Caistina nodded once. “That,” she said, “will help more than any spell.”

  Josh smiled in relief “So I’m not going to die, I thought there might have been something seriously wrong inside”. With a hesitant step, he carried on forward up the ridge.

  The sun teetered on the horizon as they crested the final rise, the ridge’s jagged spine falling away into dusky violet behind them. Below, the forest stretched out in a sea of dark green, pine needles and tangled underbrush whispering in the evening breeze. Josh paused at the treeline, admiring the beauty of this new world they found themselves in.

  Brett lowered his staff, looking into the shadows. In the fading light, the runes along its length glimmered once, then dimmed, as he thought about casting his light spell, memories of their previous walk through a dark forest coming to his mind.

  Perberos ran a hand through his hair, pale eyes scanning the shadowed trunks. “I think I’ll be glad when we get back to town. I’d like to move as quickly as we can, maybe no stopping for breaks?”

  Josh gave a nod, then glanced back toward the ridge’s silhouette. The memory of snarling drakes flickered through his mind. He swallowed, catching Brett’s sympathetic glance. “We did good up there,” he said quietly. “I feel… proud. Even if my body’s reminding me of every blow.”

  Carcan’s lips curved into a gentle smile as the light dimmed around them. “Pride is a fine armour and you’ve earned every bit of it.” Without thinking of his injured ribs, she delivered a playful jab to his side. “But don’t let it go to your head.”

  Josh’s eyes flew open in mock horror as a sharp gasp tore from his throat, and he dropped to the ground in melodramatic defeat. Carcan’s smile vanished in an instant, she lunged forward, panic in her voice. “Josh! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—” She reached for him, convinced she’d really hurt him.

  Josh flopped onto his back, clutching his side for a moment, then a rumble of amusement bubbled up from his chest. He sat upright, eyes bright as laughter shook his frame. One by one, the others joined in: Brett chuckled, Perberos tsked through a grin, and even Caistina’s stern fa?ade cracked into a soft smile. Carcan, however, folded her arms and huffed, cheeks puffed in mock outrage. “Fine,” she declared, voice clipped. “Laugh it up. But next time, we’re in a fight, Brett can heal you” before smiling and helping Josh up.

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  They followed Caistina down a narrow game trail, pine needles crunching underfoot like distant applause. The air cooled rapidly as the forest canopy swallowed the last of the light. Owls called in response, and somewhere off to their left, the burble of the creek promised relief for parched throats.

  Josh jumped up and over a fallen tree, then offered a hand to Brett to steady himself, an echo of the battle when Brett had helped him up. Their eyes met, and for a heartbeat there was only the unspoken bond of shared dangers.

  Perberos dropped down next to them, before helping his sister and their mentor down. Josh settled against the log, testing his leg before stretching it out. The ache had faded to a gentle throb, a whisper of the ache he’d felt earlier. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the forest’s hush cradle him. When he opened them again, the sky above was a dome of stars just beginning to twinkle. He did not recognise a single constellation in the nights sky.

  They slipped beneath the pines just as dusk bled into twilight, the ridge’s silhouette a jagged tooth against the sky behind them. The narrow trail wound through trunks black as ink and carpets of needles that deadened their footfalls. Every shifting shadow felt alive.

  Brett broke the hush first, voice low. “Evening in the woods always gives me the creeps. Feels like something’s watching.” He adjusted his pack straps to distract himself, eyes darting upward to the swaying branches.

  Perberos grinned, falling in beside Brett. “Dad used to say the forest at night teaches humility.” He tapped an arrow shaft against his gauntlet. “He runs the archery school in Briarwood, had me training here every summer alongside my sister.”

  Carcan glanced at him with a playful roll of her eyes. “Mother managed the apothecary guild. She taught me every herb’s secret, then pushed me to learn healing magic so I could help travellers.” Her boots crunched on needles. “Father said adventure would turn skills into stories.”

  Josh jogged to close the gap. “So your family’s still back home?” he asked.

  “Thriving,” Carcan replied. “Our crops are good, the guild’s busy, and our father insists we write home often.”

  Perberos added. “We chose this life as father wanted us to see the world.”

  Josh nodded, impressed. “That’s…nice. No burning villages or revenge quests?”

  Carcan shook her head. “Just two kids curious enough to wander.”

  Caistina fell into step at the rear listening to the young elves, a wistful smile crossing her face, a similar story to her own.

  The party quickly covered the distance, getting closer to home and safety. Brett glanced ahead. “Farbrook Fields can’t be far. I’m tempted to light a torch, but—”

  “Save your mana,” Carcan advised. “We’ll need it if we get more company.”

  Perberos snorted. “Or if Josh decides to arm-wrestle a bear.”

  Josh grinned. “One adventure at a time.”

  They pressed onward, twilight deepening into a violet hush. After a mile, Josh paused, hand on a rough stone wall. “I’m going to need new boots soon enough with all this walking.”

  Carcan smiled. “We’ll restock in the morning, maybe get you a decent pair of travelling shoes, instead of, erm, what are they?” she asked, looking at his trainers.

  A rustle cut through their conversation. Branches snapped. Leaves scattered across stone.

  Josh reacted before thought caught up, shield snapping up as his weight shifted forward. Brett’s hand tightened on his staff. Perberos was already moving, knees bent, eyes cutting through the dim tree line. Carcan took a half-step back, breath held.

  Then the shrieks came.

  Seven goblins burst from the undergrowth, small bodies low and fast, rusted blades flashing as they charged. Spit flew from snarling mouths. The smell hit a heartbeat later. Sweat, rot, blood.

  Josh slammed into position behind the low stone wall, shield braced against the rock, sword raised over the rim. “Hold here!” he barked. “Behind me! Brett, Perberos, take the sides. I’ll stop what comes straight!”

  The goblins hit like thrown knives. Two slammed into the wall, clawing for purchase. One vaulted, teeth bared, and smashed straight into Josh’s shield. The impact jarred his arm, sending a vibration up his forearm. He answered the pain with steel.

  His sword came around in a brutal arc, crunching through bone. The goblin dropped without a sound. He pivoted and drove the blade forward, feeling resistance give way as it punched into a second creature’s gut. Hot blood spilled over his knuckles as it collapsed, twitching.

  “Left flank!” Perberos called.

  He crouched atop the opposite wall, already loosing. The first arrow hissed through the gloom and buried itself through a goblin’s chest, pinning it to a tree with a wet crack. It shrieked, clawing at bark, feet scrabbling uselessly. The second arrow followed a breath later, punching clean through another attacker’s throat. Both shots were calm. Practiced.

  On the right, Brett stepped in and drove his staff forward. Fire surged, not wild, but tight and focused. The spell slammed into a goblin mid-leap and hurled it backward, flesh blackening as it hit the ground screaming. The smell of burnt hide filled the air.

  Another goblin vaulted the wall.

  Josh caught it with the rim of his shield, smashing it out of the air. He didn’t wait. His sword came down hard, splitting skull and teeth, the blade biting deep into the dirt beneath.

  Only two remained in the fight.

  They hesitated, feet shuffling, eyes darting over the bodies littering the ground. Josh stepped over the wall, abandoning its cover, shield lowered and sword slick with blood.

  Perberos ended the pinned goblin with a final arrow.

  The last two goblins screamed and charged together.

  Josh met them head-on.

  He smashed one in the face with his shield, feeling cartilage collapse as it flew backward. The second rushed in, blade wild. Josh sidestepped and drove his sword up under its jaw. The goblin went limp instantly.

  Brett finished the last one with fire. The body convulsed once, then stilled.

  Josh stood breathing heavily, blade dripping, shield dented and scarred. He wiped blood from his eyes and glanced back at the others. “Clear,” he said. He caught Carcan’s eye and nodded, half-smile flickering despite sweat and gore.

  Silence settled over the path. The goblins lay tangled in pine needles and broken branches, their yellow eyes dull. Josh exhaled, pressing a hand to his ribs where the wall’s edge had aggravated his previous injury. The dull ache pulsed, but beneath it burned a steady pride. Killing goblins had once felt like a desperate struggle; now killing six of the beasts barely took any effort. A testament to hard-won levels and shared skill.

  Carcan slid to his side, easing a hand to his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

  He nodded, breathing easier. “Better than ever. Didn’t take a single hit!”

  Perberos hopped down from the wall, retrieving his arrows. “Let’s move before more show up.”

  Brett stood, leaning against his staff and brushed soot from his robes. “Well that was easy,” he murmured.

  Together, they pressed on, shadows still shifting around them, but the path to Farbrook Fields lit by their unity and the quiet confidence of victory.

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