Early the next day, the Blue Bound gathered at dawn, their breath misting in the crisp morning air.
They ate a quick breakfast of dried meat and mana bread beside the campfire, the forest still humming with the distant songs of waking birds.
Alyssa doused the embers with a flick of her wrist, and soon, the four adventurers disappeared beneath the thick canopy like shadows.
They knew Ogres were nocturnal creatures, hunting and bellowing through the night, but sluggish and half-asleep once the sun rose.
That window between dawn and midday was their best chance to strike.
The forest was damp and eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the faint crack of branches under their boots.
Sunlight dripped through the foliage in narrow beams, scattering against the armor plates and weapons they carried.
Leading the team was Blas, their sharp-eyed scout and trap detector. His movements were feline and silent, each step calculated.
