Walter had previously carved a sturdy wooden frame from salvaged branches, shaping it into a rectangular shield base with reinforcing crossbeams. But they still faced the challenge of attaching the Ravager scales—they had no way to properly secure them.
AJ had been observing their struggle, and he rippled forward to help. Walter raised an eyebrow as he watched AJ climb onto the shield's frame.
Some time later AJ moved away, leaving a single scale attached to the frame. Walter picked up the frame and tested the scale, it was stuck on there and Walter couldn't get it to budge.
"Well that solves our problem." Sam smiled, "AJ just needs to do that a whole bunch more and we'll have a shield".
Walter guided AJ through the placement, showing where each scale should go to create an overlapping pattern. AJ would focus on a section of the frame, his form spreading across it, then slowly materialise a Ravager scale that seemed to grow directly out of the wood itself.
The process was slow and exhausting for AJ. At first each scale required tens of minutes. Thanks to Walter guiding him he was able to focus entirely on the process, each new scale being produced faster and faster.
After several hours of careful work, they stepped back to admire the result. The shield was roughly rectangular, about the size of Ethan's torso, with overlapping Ravager scales that caught the light, creating an almost mirror-like finish.
Ethan hefted the completed shield, testing its weight and balance. "It's heavier than I expected," he said, "but it feels solid." He swung his axe experimentally, then frowned as he realised the problem. "The axe is too big to use one-handed with this shield. I'll have to choose between them in a fight."
Walter nodded thoughtfully. "The shield will serve you better as our front-line defender. Save the axe for when you need to handle something on your own."
AJ's form was noticeably smaller after creating so many scales. He would need to spend a good amount of time recovering the mana he used up.
---
The fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, casting a faint, flickering light over the cabin. The group was settling in for the night, their bodies weary from the day's work but their spirits lifted by the progress they had made.
The cabin, though old and worn, had begun to feel like a home—a temporary refuge in the midst of the dangerous forest.
Sam lay on his makeshift bed, his eyes closed but his mind still active. The others were already drifting off to sleep, their breathing slow and steady. But Sam couldn't relax.
The day's experiments with mana had left him restless, his mind buzzing with questions and possibilities. He decided to meditate one last time before sleep, hoping to deepen his understanding of the energy that surrounded them.
He closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, letting his awareness expand outward. At first, everything felt normal. The faint hum of mana in the air was still there, a gentle, pulsating presence that he had grown accustomed to.
But as he focused deeper, he began to notice something strange. The mana wasn't behaving as it had before. It was denser, more concentrated, and it seemed to be moving differently—it didn't feel as natural.
Sam's brow furrowed as he concentrated, trying to make sense of what he was feeling. The mana wasn't just flowing freely anymore—it was being pulled, drawn towards the walls, floor, and roof of the cabin.
And worse, he could feel it leaking from his own body, a faint but unmistakable drain on his energy. The sensation was subtle at first, like a slow trickle of water, but it grew stronger with each passing moment.
His eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly, his face pale and his expression filled with concern. "Everyone, wake up!" he said urgently. "We need to leave. Now!"
The others stirred, their faces groggy and confused. "What's going on?" Lily asked, rubbing her eyes. "It's the middle of the night."
"There's no time to explain," Sam said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Grab everything you can and get outside. Hurry!"
The group moved quickly, their exhaustion forgotten in the face of Sam's urgency. They grabbed their weapons, supplies, and whatever else they could carry, their movements frantic but efficient. Within minutes, they were outside, standing in the cool night air, their breaths visible in the moonlight.
Sam was the last to leave, his eyes scanning the cabin as he stepped through the door. The others turned to follow his gaze, and what they saw made their blood run cold.
The cabin was no longer the solid, weathered structure they had come to know. Its walls were shifting, expanding and contracting like the ribs of some great beast.
The wood groaned and creaked, the sound unnaturally loud in the stillness of the night. The cabin seemed to be breathing, its form rippling and distorting as if it were alive.
"What… what is happening?" Lily whispered, her voice trembling.
Before anyone could answer, the cabin began to fade. Its walls grew thinner, more transparent, until they were little more than a faint outline against the night sky.
The process was slow at first, but it accelerated rapidly, the cabin dissolving into the air like mist in the wind. Within moments, there was nothing left—just an empty clearing where the cabin had once stood.
The group stood in stunned silence, their breaths shallow and their hearts pounding. The forest around them was eerily quiet, as if even the wildlife had been holding its breath.
"What… what just happened?" Ethan asked, his voice uncharacteristically quiet.
Sam shook his head, his expression grim. "I don't know," he said. "But I think the cabin… it wasn't what we thought it was. It was drawing mana from us, from the air, from everything in and around it."
Victor's jaw tightened, his eyes scanning the empty clearing. "We need to move," he said quietly and steadily. "We're exposed out here, and we don't know what else might be coming."
The others nodded, their faces pale. They gathered their supplies and moved deeper into the forest, their footsteps quick and purposeful. The night was cold, and the shadows seemed to press in around them, but they didn't stop. They couldn't.
As they walked, Sam couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over him. The cabin had been a gift, a temporary refuge in a dangerous world, but it had come with a cost—one they didn't yet know the full extent of. The Fading Remnant had given and it had taken, a fair exchange, some might say.
---
The group moved quickly through the forest, their footsteps crunching softly against the undergrowth. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a pale, silvery light over the trees. The air was cold, and the shadows seemed to press in around them, but they didn't stop. They couldn't.
After a while, Ethan broke the silence. "You know," he said, "this isn't the first time we've seen something like this. That house we stayed in back when we first got here—it disappeared too, just like the cabin. Poof. Gone."
The others turned to look at him, their expressions a mix of surprise and realisation. Lily frowned, her brow furrowed in thought. "You're right," she said. "I'd almost forgotten about that. It was the same thing, wasn't it? A building that appeared when we needed it, and then vanished without a trace."
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. So, what do you think? Is it the same thing, just changing its form? Or are there more of them out there?"
Sam's considered the question. "Either is possible."
Walter, chimed in. "What worries me more is how much mana we might have lost whilst we were in that cabin. If it was drawing energy from us, from the air, from everything… how much did it take? And what does that mean for us now?"
The group fell silent, the weight of Walter's words settling over them. Sam's expression grew grim as he considered the implications. "I felt it," he said. "The mana was being pulled from us, slowly but steadily. If we'd slept in there again, it might have drained us completely."
Victor's jaw tightened, his eyes scanning the forest ahead. "We need to be more careful," he said. "If there are more of these things out there, we can't afford to let our guard down. Also we should try to find a way to replenish the mana we've lost."
"The mana core from the Ravager might help," Lily said. "If we can figure out how to use it, it could give us a boost."
Sam agreed, his mind already racing with possibilities. "We'll need to test it," he said. "But we can't afford to make many mistakes like that. One of these days it'll be our last. We need to better understand how mana works and how to protect ourselves from things like the cabin."
---
The group pressed on through the forest, their footsteps quick and purposeful. The night was cold, and the shadows seemed to press in around them, but they didn't stop. They couldn't. The thought of what might be lurking in the darkness kept them moving.
As the hours passed, the forest began to thin, the trees growing farther apart and the underbrush less dense. The first light of dawn filtered through the canopy, casting a soft, golden glow over the landscape. The group's spirits lifted slightly as the darkness receded, and they could see more than a few feet in front of them.
"There," Victor said, pointing ahead. "A clearing. And that hill—it might give us a better view of the surrounding area."
The others nodded, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten as they made their way towards the clearing. The hill was small but steep, its summit offering a vantage point over the surrounding forest. They climbed quickly, their movements fuelled by a mix of curiosity and necessity.
When they reached the top, they paused to catch their breath and take in the view. The landscape stretched out before them, vast and uncharted. To the south, they could see the jagged peaks of distant mountains, their snow-capped summits glowing in the early morning light.
To the east and west, the forest continued as far as the eye could see, a sea of green broken only by the occasional clearing or river. To the north, the land flattened into wide, open plains, their golden grasses swaying gently in the breeze.
"There's so much forest." Lily said with awe.
Victor scanned the horizon. "Let's rest here for a bit, then decide our next move."
The group spent the next ten minutes studying the landscape, their eyes scanning for any signs of danger or potential resources.
Sam took notes in his worn notebook, sketching rough maps and jotting down observations. Walter and Ethan discussed possible routes. Lily kept watch, her sharp eyes scanning the trees for any movement.
AJ, however, was too short to see much from the top of the hill. Whilst the others looked out at the distant horizon, he focused on the immediate area, his gelatinous form rippling with curiosity.
He moved slowly around the summit, his tendrils brushing against the ground as he searched for anything unusual.
And then he saw it.
Nestled among the rocks at the base of the hill was a strange, obelisk-like stone. It was tall, its surface smooth and polished, with a faint, purple-black hue that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight.
The stone was covered in intricate carvings, their patterns swirling and twisting in ways that defied explanation. AJ could feel a faint pulse of energy emanating from it, a low, steady hum that resonated deep within his form.
He rippled slightly, his form shifting as he tried to get the others' attention. As his body vibrated, it managed to make a low humming sound which grabbed everyone's attention.
Before any could comment on it, they saw what he was pointing out. They descended the hill quickly, their curiosity piqued by AJ's discovery.
"What is that?" Lily asked with wonder as she approached the stone.
Sam knelt beside it, his eyes narrowing as he studied the carvings. "It's definitely not natural. These carvings… they look like some kind of language."
Victor crossed his arms thoughtfully. "It's emitting mana," he said. "I can feel it. Not as strong as the core from the Ravager, but it's there."
Walter stepped closer, his eyes scanning the stone. "This could be important," he said. "If it's some kind of marker or monument, it might lead us to something."
Ethan grinned. "Or it could be a trap," he said. "Either way, it's more interesting than just wandering around the forest."
The group fell silent as they studied the obelisk, their minds racing with possibilities. The stone was a mystery, one that could hold the key to their survival—or lead them into even greater danger.
As the sun rose higher in the sky, casting its golden light over the clearing, the group knew one thing for certain: their journey was far from over.