Author's Preface
They thought they had the upper hand. Little by little, the bodies of the creatures dropped into the snow, revealed and cut down thanks to Samantha’s ice and the terrain she’d created. Then... nothing. Eve’s voice cut through the silence. “Don’t let your guard down.” The team started moving again. “Here they come,” Blue said, eyes narrowing as he pointed. Fresh footprints pressed into the snow ahead of them. Darrien didn’t hesitate. He snapped his wrist, sending a dagger straight for where the creature should’ve been. The blade buried itself into a tree. “There!” Samantha followed up instantly, launching a volley of ice lances. Same result. Nothing.
“Fuck, man… what’s our move, Eve?” Darrien asked, frustration bleeding into his voice. Eve didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes tracked the snow, the spacing, the patterns. “They’re baiting us,” she said finally. “Trying to burn out our abilities. Don’t take it. Save everything until they’re close.” More footprints appeared—scattered, uneven, almost careless. Too obvious. No one moved. Then a sharp screech tore through the trees. No footsteps this time. Blue’s eyes snapped upward, his qi flaring just enough to catch it. “Above!”
Cynthia reacted instantly. Thick roots burst from the ground and curved overhead, forming a dense wooden dome around the team. A heartbeat later the sound hit. Jagged blades scraped and slammed against the barrier from above, echoing through the enclosed space. “Seriously, how are we supposed to deal with this?” Darrien muttered. Eve went still. Thinking. “Cynthia,” she said, voice steady, “hold the barrier.” Cynthia nodded. “I’m going to use Cindyr and torch the area. Damage should break whatever’s hiding them.”
She turned to Chris. “The moment
the barrier drops, I want everything on you. Full taunt.”
Chris adjusted his stance, already bracing. “Got it.”
Her gaze shifted to Blue and Darrien. “Once they’re exposed, go wild.” The two of them looked at each other. Grinned. “Roger that.” Cynthia opened a small gap at the top of the dome, just enough. Cindyr slipped through. For a split second... silence.
Then the forest lit up. Heat rolled over them as flames spread outward, licking through the trees and across the ground. The air filled with the sound of burning, and sharp screams. Shapes flickered in and out as the fire clung to them. Eve didn’t hesitate. “Now!” Cynthia dropped the barrier. Chris stepped forward and slammed his shield into the ground. “COME ON!” The pull hit instantly. Everything within range turned toward him. Burning figures rushed in from every direction, their forms finally visible as the flames clung to their bodies.
Blue and Darrien didn’t wait. They bumped fists once and moved together. The team made sure every last one of the creatures was cut down.
“Finally,” Darrien muttered. The group took a brief moment to breathe.
“Chris, you still have your pouch?” Samantha asked, hands on her knees.
“It’s still here.” He patted the pouch at his side, then reached in and pulled out a mana potion, tossing it to her.
Samantha caught it, pulled the cork free, and lifted the glass bottle to her lips. She barely got halfway through when an arrow came out of nowhere. The bottle shattered in her hand. Glass shards cut across her face and fingers. “Damn it!” Nomi leapt onto her shoulder immediately, light flaring as he began healing the cuts.
“Did anyone see where that came from?” Chris shouted. Everyone looked. Nothing.
“These bastards really don’t understand halftime do they?" Darrien said.
As the team chuckled, Blue’s system pinged.
[System Notification]
[Bosses remaining: 2/3]
His eyes narrowed. He looked at Eve. “Looks like one of those invisible things was a boss.”
Darrien let out a short breath. “A boss already… damn. S-rank gates really are different.” Eve glanced back at the scattered bodies in the snow, her expression tightening. That first encounter… they hadn’t realized how bad it could’ve gone. “…Then we’re not even close to done.” Her gaze shifted forward again, steady. “We move carefully from here. We find that archer before it finds us again.”
The team closed ranks around Chris without being told, tightening formation as they pushed forward through the dense forest. The team pushed deeper.
“How long have we been walking?” Darrien asked, glancing at Blue.
“I don’t know, man. A couple miles at least.”
“Sure is qui-” Chris’s hand clamped over Darrien’s mouth.
“Are you fucking serious? The Q word? In an S-rank gate? Really?” The team chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right. My bad,” Darrien said, brushing his hand away. Almost as if his words had summoned them, arrows started flying toward the team. Cynthia conjured a thick wooden wall in front of Chris. The team dropped behind it, crouching low as arrows slammed into the barrier. For a second... they started laughing. “Seriously, Darrien, you’re not allowed to talk for the rest of the gate,” Eve said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Oh, come on, this isn’t my fault,” Darrien shot back. “Just pure coincidence. At least Cynthia’s walls stop their arrows.” Then the arrows stopped. The team slowly stood. Every inch of Cynthia’s wall was covered. Not a single gap, just wood buried beneath a forest of arrows. The laughter faded. They all understood. They couldn’t take this gate lightly. Not even for a second. Someone could die if they did. Darrien opened his mouth to joke again and then stopped himself. His grip tightened around his daggers.
“Cynthia, be ready to raise walls,” Eve said. “Chris, keep that shield up. We need to find those archers.” Blue stared at the wall for a moment longer, eyes narrowing. Then he pointed southwest. “We need to go that way.”
The team had been following a path the entire time. Eve glanced at it then at the direction Blue indicated. The arrows had come from the opposite side. “…He’s right,” she said. “We find the archers first. We’re not moving forward until we do, or we’ll just be target practice.”
Without another word, they stepped off the path and into the forest. Their eyes stayed fixed on the canopy. “The archers have the height,” Blue said. “Keep your eyes above.” Then he vanished. A small screech echoed through the trees. A moment later, Blue dropped back down, a body in his hand. Darrien crouched and gave it a quick once-over. “Same body. Same skin. Bow instead of blades.”
“But look,” Cynthia said, stepping closer. “Its eyes.” They leaned in. “The others had dilated pupils,” she continued. “These are narrow… like they’re meant to see over long distances.”
Chris looked between Blue and Darrien. “You two, kill whatever you find. Formations aren’t going to work here. The forest is too dense.”
Eve nodded. “Everyone stay as close as you can to Chris or Cynthia. Use your own judgment to attack or not.”
Blue and Darrien didn’t need to be told twice. They launched upward, moving through the canopy, branch to branch, cutting down archers that clung to the treetops like watchers. They returned a few minutes later. “It’s just trees for miles,” Darrien muttered as he dropped behind Chris. “We only found a handful of archers scattered around.”
He knelt down behind him. “Stand there a second, big guy. Let me catch my breath.”
“Keep moving,” Eve said. “The trees are cover. We use them.” The team pushed forward. Chris glanced back at Darrien. “So much for a breath, huh?”
After another mile, the forest floor told the story before anyone spoke. Bodies. The archers Blue and Darrien had cut down hung from branches or lay scattered below, headless and broken. Then it happened. A volley of arrows came screaming down from above. Cynthia raised a wall while Chris lifted his shield, both of them taking the brunt of the impact. Wood splintered. Metal rang. Then the barrage stopped. Chris lowered his shield slightly. “Everyone okay?” Heads nodded. He turned, and then they heard it. A deep, piercing whistle echoed through the trees. Blue’s eyes snapped up. “Move!” Too late. The massive arrow slammed through Chris’s shield like it wasn’t there and drove straight through his right shoulder.
“AHHH... fuck!” The shield dropped from his grip. The team rushed in. Chris dropped to one knee, teeth clenched, breath shaking. The arrow had punched clean through. Blue stepped in immediately, grabbing the shaft. “This is going to hurt. Stay still.” He snapped the front of the arrow, reached around, grabbed the head that had pierced through and pulled it out. Chris roared. Before the sound even faded, more arrows came. Darrien lunged for the fallen shield, grabbing it with both hands and barely lifting it. “How the hell do you carry this thing?” he grunted, struggling.
Cynthia raised another wall above them just as the next volley hit. Then they heard it again. That whistle. Everyone froze. Another massive arrow tore through the wall and slammed into the ground just behind Blue. The impact cracked the earth. A shockwave rippled outward, knocking everyone off balance. Darrien dragged the shield back toward Chris, breathing hard. He looked at Eve, then at Blue.
Blue already understood. In the next instant, they were gone. The two of them shot through the trees, moving fast enough to blur, weaving through branches until they reached the source. Above them, dozens of archers perched high in the canopy. Around forty, bows already drawn. They fired. Arrows rained over their heads, aimed directly for the team. Then Darrien heard it again. That whistle. His head snapped toward the horizon. Beyond the treeline was a cliff, far out, nearly a mile.
“Blue!” he shouted. “There’s a massive cliff out there. That’s where it’s coming from!” He didn’t wait for confirmation. “Can you handle these?”
“I got you.” Blue smiled.
Darrien split off immediately, disappearing through the trees toward the cliff, while Blue surged forward into the archers waiting above. Blue dashed toward the archers, their attention shifting from the team to him. He moved from tree to tree, dodging arrows along the way. I have to save the divine energy.
Blue leapt high above the canopy. Qi gathered along his sword. With one swing, he released a wide arc of sword energy aimed at the base of the trees the archers stood on. The trunks split. Trees started to fall. The archers were forced to move or drop with them. As each one shifted or tried to regain balance, Blue was already there, cutting them down one by one before they could coordinate again. At the same time, Darrien made his way toward the cliff.
Arrows whistled past him from both sides, volleys cutting overhead. He ignored them, slipping through the shadows the way Olivia had taught him. Quiet. Unseen. He reached a clearing. High above, at the top of the cliff, stood a creature, seven feet tall. The bow fused to its arm was just as large. Thick, two-foot arrows were planted in the ground beside it. Darrien watched for a heartbeat. Then he turned and headed back to the team.
Blue arrived first. Chris was standing, shield in his left hand. His right arm was wrapped in a makeshift sling. “I took out about forty of them.”
“Where’s Darrien?” Eve asked, cutting him off.
“Right here.” Darrien stepped out of the trees.
“Oh my God. Announce yourself next time!” Eve snapped.
“I found the boss. There are about six groups of archers launching attacks between us and him.” He looked around at the team. “But I have a plan.”
Eve glanced at Chris, then the rest of them. Chris was heavily injured. Samantha was running low on mana. Cynthia was barely holding on. Eve looked back at Darrien. “Okay. What’s your plan?”
Darrien grinned. “Make a spectacle.”