We ran through the forest that’d become alive with chaos. Shadows shifted around us, and the heavy thud of my boots hit the earth echoed like a heartbeat in the night.

  Each step carried us through thick darkness, and my senses picked up every rustle and howl that broke the silence. Creatures – goblins or worse – moved in the distance, their guttural growls vibrating through the air as they chased us. The forest seemed ready to swallow us whole with its gnarled branches and unseen eyes.

  Borric wasn’t a light man; I would have been limp with my arms aching if I hadn't leveled up. Thankfully, I’d stepped into Level 35.

  Which is pretty crazy, isn’t it? In my past life, I'd have needed a gym membership and a protein shake addiction to manage this. The System might be trying to kill me, but at least it gave me the abs for the job.

  But I didn’t have the luxury to slow down because of a problem. I tightened my grip on Borric, pushing forward. He was barely holding on – his breaths were shallow, and his blood loss slowed but did not stop. I dodged an arrow, but a second hit me in the back of my thighs. I grumbled, tightening my leg muscles. The arrow popped out and fell away.

  I failed to count how many times I’d been hit with an arrow during this chase.

  Ragna ran a few steps ahead, cradling Princess Isolde's frail body against her chest. Her steps were unsteady as exhaustion threatened to bring us both down. The princess was out cold, her head lolling against Ragna’s shoulder, her face pale, her body heavy like the burden of her title. The box she clutched somehow glinted occasionally in the dim light, a reminder of everything that had brought us to this cursed forest.

  I stared at the box. That must be where the Crown Jewel is. I wondered what was so special about it. Allister was asking about it, too. Hah. It would be troubling if it falls from her hands. Although from the looks of it, she was clutching it hard even now.

  “Ragna,” I called. “Be careful of the thing in her hand, don’t let it fall.”

  “Alright, keep moving!” She replied, though her voice was ragged. My breath came in harsh puffs, visible in the cold night air, and I forced my legs to continue, one step after another. The forest blurred, branches snagged at my clothes, leaves crunched beneath us, and the dark shapes of monsters emerged from the corners of my vision.

  Ragna grunted in response, her eyes forward, determined. She was stubborn that much had always been true, but even she was beginning to falter. Her muscles, usually strong and unyielding, now quivered under the strain. She had also been shot like me. Yet she never stopped, her feet pounding against the dirt, her body leaning into the run.

  We had to find somewhere – anywhere. A place to rest, to catch our breath, to figure out what came next. The urgency was like a physical weight that pressed on my chest, making breathing harder. My heart pounded in time with my frantic thoughts. Borric’s life depended on it. Isolde’s life depended on it. And maybe our own did too.

  It felt like an eternity before I finally saw it. A narrow opening was hidden behind a thick veil of vines and foliage, barely visible in the darkness, but my Dragon’s Eyes caught it – a shadow among shadows, a cave.

  Oh God. The classic survival strategy. If you can't outrun the monsters, find a hole to die in with slightly better acoustics for your final screams. I hate cave diving and cave divers.

  “There!” I shouted, nodding toward it. Ragna turned her head, her gaze following mine, and without hesitation, she angled her run toward it.

  The opening was tight, barely enough to fit us, but the darkness inside promised some semblance of safety. I followed Ragna inside and moved as gently as possible, laying Borric down on the uneven ground, his body limp and heavy. I turned and grabbed a gigantic stone resting to the side, rolling it to close the entrance. “Argh…!”

  The stone shifted, rolling to a stop as it thumped into the cave’s entrance, closing it. Now, there was a barrier between us and the horrors prowling just beyond the treeline.

  Thankfully, the top of the cave had an opening covered by vines, allowing moonlight and air to pass through. I sighed, leaning back and feeling the stone scrape against my back. The cold air of the cave hit me like a wall.

  I moved toward Borric, crouching down to check on him. His face was pale, his eyes half-lidded, but he was awake now. He managed a weak smile, his lips trembling as he whispered something I couldn’t quite catch. I watched the rise and fall of his chest, my heart calming down. “It’s okay, man,” I said, “we’re safe now.”

  Ragna knelt down beside him, easing the princess onto the ground beside Borric, her movements careful despite her exhaustion. The princess looked so small like that, her blue hair tangled, her skin almost translucent in the faint light that filtered through the cave’s ceiling.

  She clutched the jewel box tightly to her chest, even in unconsciousness, her fingers curled around it as if letting go would mean losing everything.

  We collapsed, finally, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on us. I smelled the scent of our sweat as well as damp earth and moss, a kind of cold that seeped into my bones.

  Somehow, we managed to find a safe spot. I leaned back against the cave wall, my eyes drifting to the small group we’d become. Two barbarians, a princess, and a half-dead merchant.

  Speaking of, Borric stirred, his eyes opening further as he observed the surroundings. He looked at me and spoke, his voice barely a whisper. “Thank you…” he managed, his eyes flicking between us, his lips curling into a small smile despite the pain etched across his face. “You two... you saved me.”

  I glanced at Ragna. She was breathing heavily, her gaze moving from the princess to Borric, her brows furrowed. “Just stay alive, old man,” she muttered, her voice rough. “You owe us a drink.”

  Borric chuckled, though it was a weak, breathless sound. "If I survive this," he wheezed, "I'm adding 'narrowly escaped death' fee to all my future invoices."

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  He was making a joke. Strong man. "Is that standard merchant practice?"

  "No, but it should be." His chuckle turned into a pained cough. "Delivery fee, handling fee, almost-got-murdered fee.' Seems reasonable, you know?"

  “Makes sense to me, yeah,” I agreed, watching him smile. His eyes fluttered closed, and for a moment, I feared he wouldn’t open them again. But he did, his gaze shifting to the princess beside him.

  Isolde hadn’t moved. Her face was still turned toward her chest, her fingers tight around the gemstone box, her breathing shallow. She looked… fragile. The weight of her father’s death, the betrayal she’d faced, the poison, the danger we were all still in – it was all there, in the way she clung to that box as if it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the world.

  The Crown Jewel.

  Silence fell over the cave, a heavy stillness that clouded our minds with questions, allowing the reality of what had just happened to settle in. We had to be cautious. We were alive, but only barely. Outside, the forest was still waiting, filled with things that wanted us dead.

  “We’ll rest here,” I said, my voice low. My eyes met Ragna’s, and she nodded, her expression grim. “Just for a little while.”

  ****

  After that, Ragna found a seat beside me, close enough that our shoulders touched. She didn't say anything. Neither did I. At some point her breathing slowed and her weight shifted, her head dropping against my shoulder like her body had decided I was safe without asking her pride first.

  I didn't move, also deciding to rest.

  The first pale streaks of dawn were sneaking into the cave, casting narrow beams across the cold, uneven stone floor. Everything felt more sober in the morning light. My body had seemingly grown over the exhaustion, the ache in my bones, and the harsh reality that we were still very much in the middle of all this.

  I blinked, my back against the rough wall, trying to pull myself out of sleep's hold. The others were slowly stirring, Ragna beside me, her arm thrown lazily over her face. She had somehow managed to sleep through most of the night, but not without a few muttered curses each time a rock or two fell on her from the ceiling.

  Borric was still sleeping, his breathing shallow but steady. And then there was Isolde. She was… awake as she was sitting by herself, her knees drawn up, the gemstone box cradled to her chest.

  Our eyes met, but only silence lingered between us. She looked... smaller. All that fire and determination seemed muted, her eyes lost somewhere I couldn’t see.

  I sighed, shifting to get up, the movement catching her eye. She looked over, a hesitant purse on her lips that barely touched her eyes. “Good morning, Thorvyn,” she said quietly, almost like she didn’t want to break the stillness of the cave. “Can we talk?”

  “Good morning. Go on,” I nodded, hesitating before moving over to sit beside her. The cold stone bit into my legs as I sat beside her, feeling the warmth of her body. She took a shaky breath, her fingers tracing the edges of the gemstone box.

  “Thank you,” she started, her voice barely above a whisper. “For everything. For saving me... and for not leaving.” She looked down, her eyes avoiding mine. “I didn’t think I’d still be here, to be honest.”

  I shrugged, glancing at the cave entrance where dawn was still fighting to break through the dark. “We’re not out yet,” I said, my voice low. “We’re alive, sure, but we still need to escape this forest alone. Plus, your brother’s not going to stop. He already tried to kill you once – he'll do it again.”

  She nodded, a sad, weary sigh escaping her lips. “I know,” she whispered, her gaze falling back to the gemstone in her hands. “I never thought it would come to this. Sir Allister was loyal... or at least I thought he was. He was there when I was born. I… trusted him.” She paused, her voice cracking a little, her eyes closing tight.

  “It’s alright.”

  “It’s not. I’m such an idiot.”

  I didn’t know what to say. Comfort wasn’t exactly my area of expertise, even back in my world. My views often didn’t match those of other people. Lately, in this world, I’d always been better at taking a punch or delivering one than at finding the right words.

  Her eyes opened again, a spark of something different behind them – something desperate. “I need to ask you something,” she said, looking straight at me. Her grip tightened on the box, her knuckles turning white. “Please, take me to Solstara.”

  I frowned, not entirely sure I’d heard her right. “Solstara? The capital?” I repeated, my voice unsure. “You really think that’s a good idea? You barely made it out alive, and now you want to go to the den of the lion? Your father’s dead, and your brother seems to have seized control already, at least enough to turn your own people into enemies. Going to the capital is asking for trouble, Princess.”

  She nodded, a determined look replacing the fear in her eyes. “I know it’s dangerous, but I have to go back. This…” She held the box up slightly, her gaze softening as she looked at it. “It’s not just a jewel. It’s hope for Thalassaria. It’s the symbol of our kingdom, our strength. If I can get it back to Solstara... if I can take my place, maybe – no, surely, things will change. I’ll manage to get the throne from my brother.”

  I stared at her in silence, a frown etched on my brows. I stared, and she stared back, her resolution unwavering. “You…” she hesitated. “You can reject it if you want to. But, I beg you not to. Please. You… you’re the only one I can trust now. And Ragna. You two have no connection or interest in this nation’s stupid politics to betray me. I shall pay you appropriately for this, too.”

  I continued scowling and then sighed, looking away. “Your brother’s in power now. You think he won’t be waiting? It’s not that simple, Princess. We can’t just stroll in there and make everything better. He’s got influence and power. You saw what he did to you so far from the capital – he won’t let you just walk back in and take control.”

  She swallowed, her face pale, her eyes closing for a moment. “I know,” she opened her eyes, two blue stars staring at me. “But this is all I have left, Thorvyn. I can’t just... I can’t just give up my country at the hands of a fool.”

  “Thorvyn.” Ragna’s voice cut in, and I turned to see her sitting up, her eyes locked on mine. “We’re already knee-deep in this mess. We’ve come this far, might as well keep going. I know you don’t listen to me, but please, consider it this time.” She said, and her eyes softened as she glanced at Isolde. “She’s not giving up, so why should we?”

  I frowned, my gaze flickering between them. Isolde looked at me, her eyes pleading, while Ragna just stared, her jaw set, that stubborn look I knew all too well plastered across her face. They were both waiting, expecting me to make the call.

  “Damn it,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair, pulling at the tangled mess of it. “Fine. We’ll take you to Solstara. But you follow our lead, Princess. No trying to be a hero, no running off doing something stupid. You do exactly as we say, got it?”

  Isolde’s eyes widened, her mouth parting as she stared at me like she wasn’t quite sure if she’d heard right. “I- uh,” slowly, she nodded, her eyes shimmering with something like hope. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice breaking a little. “Thank you, Thorvyn.”

  I grunted, looking away. “Don’t thank me yet,” I muttered. “We’re not out of the woods just yet, Princess.”

  Ragna grinned, getting to her feet, the exhaustion that had clung to her moments before seemingly forgotten. “Good! Then let’s get moving. We’ve got a kingdom to save or something, don’t we?”

  I was quite unsure about this, but I couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at my lips hearing her words. Typical Ragna. Charging ahead, not a care in the world. I pushed myself up, shaking my head as I looked between the two of them.

  “This is going to be one hell of a journey,” I said, half to myself.

  Ragna clapped me on the back, her grin widening. “You say that like we haven’t already been through hell enough. Seriously! A 5th Ascension on our first week out.”

  “Yeah, well, now we’re about to take a trip straight into the fire,” I replied, my gaze shifting toward the blocked cave entrance. “Let’s just hope we don’t get burned.”

  As if answering my words, the stone blocking the entrance shifted slightly, dust falling from its edges. Something on the other side was pushing to get in. We began to pray that it couldn’t get in.

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