The sun had risen high when they set out again.

Arden kept his senses stretched, his life energy brushing across the terrain. By now, it wasn't even effort, every pulse of his core picked up presences around them, like ripples touching everything in range. Beasts trying to lurk or stalk never stayed hidden for long.

He slowed and glanced toward Nyra. "Found one. B-rank. It's yours."

Her lips curled into a smirk, pride rising before she even saw the target. "Good. Time to show you both how to properly slay a beast."

Rael groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "And she says I'm the cocky one. This is your fault, Arden, you've rubbed off on her."

Arden only chuckled. "Then I'll take the blame."

They followed him, laughter running low between them until the land itself began to change.

The ground darkened into scorched earth, cracks glowing faintly as if the soil still remembered fire. Pockets of heat shimmered the air, distorting the horizon. The smell of burnt stone and ash crept into their noses as they walked deeper.

Zephyra let out a low growl, her cerulean flames twitching.

"Feels like something nasty," Rael muttered, already flexing his fingers.

The beast didn't keep them waiting. From a jagged pit of blackened stone, a figure crawled out, massive claws dragging furrows as glowing red scales pulsed with molten light. Its eyes burned like coals, its hide radiating waves of heat. The air wavered around its body, as if standing too close would scald bare skin.

[Danger Detected]

[Name: Emberhide Ravager

Rank: B

Affinity: Fire

Traits:

Molten Hide: Scales glow with internal heat, making physical contact dangerous.

Predatory Ferocity: Relentless once it marks a target.

Heat Resilience: Immune to flames, resistant to heat-based attacks.

Abilities:

Flame Rend – Claws coated in burning aether, leaving searing wounds.

Inferno Burst – Releases a wave of fire when pressured.

Blazing Leap – Explosive lunge across distance, trailing fire.

Ember Maw – Focused breath of fire, melts stone.

Special Mechanic: Kindled Fury – Each wound increases its speed and firepower, but also burns its body from within.]

Arden's eyes flicked over the interface and he spoke without hesitation. "Stay sharp. The more you hurt it, the hotter and faster it'll get. Don't give it time to build momentum."

Rael gave Nyra a slap on the shoulder. "Scary monster, all yours. Try not to burn that pretty face."

Nyra's eyes narrowed, but she didn't bite at his joke. Instead, she walked forward calmly, her steps crunching across the cracked earth. The Emberhide turned its burning gaze on her, hissing as flames dripped from its maw.

It struck first. With a roar, its claws ignited and it swung, slashing down with a trail of fire.

Nyra's hand moved like a whisper. Wind gathered sharp around her, cutting through the heat, and ice rose in jagged shards that deflected the strike. The ground beneath her frosted, a thin mist curling upward as her aura spread.

Her new strength shone immediately.

Spells flowed from her without pause, without the strain that used to tug at her veins.

Her eyes tracked the beast's movements with clarity, reading shifts in heat, catching every twitch of muscle before it lunged.

The Emberhide snarled, its claws dragging sparks. It lunged again, fire trailing in its wake.

Nyra spun, her winds sharpening into blades that danced around her body. They cut into its hide, hissing as they met molten scales. Ice followed close behind, crystalline spikes latching on before shattering from the heat, only to be replaced by more.

"Lotus Frost, Lotus Gale…" Arden murmured as he watched. "She's weaving them as one."

The Ravager pressed harder, flames pouring from its maw in a stream that melted stone. Nyra lifted her hands and a wall of ice surged up, but this time it didn't just stand — wind spiraled through it, dispersing the force of the fire. The wall cracked but held long enough for her to slip aside, wind carrying her across the battlefield.

Rael whistled low. "That's new. She's making it look easy."

The beast grew furious, its body glowing brighter as Kindled Fury awakened. Its movements turned sharper, faster. It slammed the ground, bursting flames outward in a scorching wave.

Nyra planted her foot, energy surging up. "Crimson Lotus Veil."

Air howled as a zone of icy winds burst around her, the flames rushing in only to be shredded and chilled into harmless smoke. Within the veil, her body moved freely, her control absolute.

The Ravager clawed at the field, but every strike slowed, every ember dimmed. Its movements dragged like it was trapped in water.

Nyra raised a hand, ice swirling tight into spears before the wind carried them forward in a deadly storm.

The projectiles slammed into the beast, piercing through scales, each one bursting with frost that gnawed into the molten hide.

The beast roared, stumbling as its own fire betrayed it, heating too fast, its body cracking under its own fury.

She didn't give it the chance to recover.

Wind compressed around her, spiraling tight, pulling shards of ice into a storm.

"Glacial Tempest!"

The cone of freezing wind dragged the Emberhide forward against its will, shards of crystalline frost slicing through it again and again. The beast thrashed, trying to spew fire, but every breath was stolen by the storm that tore into its body. Its molten plates cracked wide, its heat surging out of control.

With one last cry, the storm tore through, and the Emberhide collapsed, flames sputtering out as the heat finally burned its body dry.

Silence settled over the clearing, save for the hiss of cooling stone.

Rael let out a slow breath. "Okay… that was scary. Remind me not to piss you off more than usual."

Nyra brushed frost from her shoulder and turned to him with a smirk. "You should already be scared."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Message received."

Arden finally stepped forward, his eyes still on the fading mist of the battlefield. His expression was calm, but there was no hiding the warmth in his chest. "Well done. Your control… it's cleaner than before. That veil makes you untouchable in the right field."

Nyra's smirk softened into something closer to pride.

Arden let his gaze drift over all three of them, his voice steady. "The organization might laugh at us now. But if we keep growing like this, we'll be the ones laughing soon."

Zephyra rumbled low, almost approving, her cerulean flames flickering.

Nyra broke the silence first, stretching her arms. "That was fun. But I want something harder next. Something worth remembering."

Rael nodded quickly, still buzzing with energy. "Yeah. No more small hunts. Let's find the real prizes. Something that'll pay back every scar we've earned here."

Arden chuckled under his breath, though his eyes sharpened with quiet resolve. "That's the plan. There are still paths we haven't touched in this zone. Let's see what waits there."

The three of them walked on, the air still sharp with frost and fire, and for the first time, the path ahead felt too small for what they were becoming.

A/N:

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