Aki and Soe slipped into the forest, the air colder and quieter beneath the towering trees. Roots twisted across the ground like veins, and every distant crackle of leaves made both of them twitch.
The silence between them stretched uncomfortably. Aki finally decided he couldn't handle it. [Aki awkwardly]:" So… Mr. Soe, um… why were you sleeping under a tree?" Soe turned his head slowly, giving Aki a sharp, offended glare. [Soe annoyed]:" Hey. Don't call me Mr. I'm not that old. I'm twenty-one. You hear me, kid?" [Aki trembling]:" Okay!" Soe sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. [Soe calmly]:" Sorry. I just hate formal stuff. Makes me feel like an old man. Anyway… I was up all night researching something. Personal business. I didn't really get to—"
A scream cut through the forest like a knife. Aki and Soe's heads snapped toward the sound. Without exchanging a single word, they bolted. Their footsteps tore across roots and leaves as they sprinted toward the echo. A second scream broke out—this time weaker and filled with panic. They burst into a small clearing.
In the center was a girl sitting on the ground, trembling, a younger boy unconscious on her lap. Bruises covered him, blood trickling down the side of his head. The girl held a staff with a blue orb, shaking, her eyes wide with dread. A Level 6 skeleton loomed over them, sword raised to deliver the killing blow. Soe didn't hesitate. He dashed forward in a blur—faster than Aki could blink—caught the blade mid-swing, and crushed it in his hand. Metal dust fell like rain.Before the skeleton could react, Soe grabbed its skull and crushed it like brittle stone. Aki immediately dropped beside the two.
The girl had black hair tied neatly behind her and striking purple eyes. She wore simple white-and-black mage clothing—cute, but clearly practical. She had cuts on her arms and legs, but nothing severe. The same couldn't be said about the boy. He had the same colour hair and wore the same type of clothes as the girl but for males, he had blood coming from his head and a lot of bruises. From their similarities Aki and Soe quickly deduced that they were the siblings.
The girl gently set her brother down and stood. She bowed deeply. [Girl]:" Thank you so much for saving us. If you came even a little later… we would've been dead." She lifted her head with a grateful smile—and Aki felt his heart skip. Cute… he thought before mentally scolding himself. She proceeded to walk over to her brother. She pressed a hand to her staff. A warm green glow enveloped her brother, dissolving every bruise and wound as if they were wiped away by light. Once finished, she rejoined them.
[Soe]:". Healing magic, pretty useful." [Girl]:" Well I'm only a level 3 so I'm not way near high tier magic. I'm Mia by the way, a copper rank. That one over there is my little brother Komi a level 2 copper adventurer. You two are?" [Soe]:" I'm Soe, a level 20 iron rank elite..." [Mia excited]:" I can't believe we got an elite as back up and a level 20 at that." Aki raised a hand sheepishly. [Aki]:" I'm Aki, a level 2 bronze rank elite." [Mia shocked]:" How dangerous is this place if they sent 2 elites."
Aki took a breath and explained his hypothesis about something controlling the skeletons. [Mia]:" "My brother has a detection skill. Before the ambush, he sensed 5 skeleton archers and 14 normal skeletons. No strong presence. No boss. No unusual signature." Aki felt a bit calm but there was still fear lingering in his mind.
The forest was quiet again, but the tension still clung to the air like a thick fog. Mia knelt beside her brother one last time to confirm he was fully healed before standing and facing the other two.
They exchanged information quickly.
Aki rested his hand on his sword hilt. [Aki]:" I'm a swordsman. Close-range combat is what I'm best at." Soe cracked his knuckles, a smirk tugging on his lips. [Soe]:" I'm a Brawler. I specialise in Hand-to-hand combat. Who needs a weapon when I got these." Mia held her staff close, her tone earnest. [Mia]:" I'm a support mage… I can heal, buff, and disable. I can't fight up close yet, so I'll stay back and cover you."
With their roles clear, they formed a plan. Aki and Soe would rush the camp together—Aki taking down the archers before they could rain arrows on them, Soe smashing through the normal skeletons. Mia would remain behind the treeline, supporting them from a safe distance with buffs and recovery spells. They moved. The three crept through the forest until the faint glow of torches flickered between branches. The skeleton camp was just ahead—a ruined clearing filled with makeshift bone totems and cracked stone. Five archers stood perched on broken stumps like sentries, while clusters of sword-wielding skeletons wandered aimlessly.
Mia whispered from behind a tree, "I'll start buffing you… now." A warm light enveloped Aki and Soe for an instant—Fleet Step and Minor Strength Boost. Soe grinned. Aki felt lighter. [Both]:" Let's go." They broke from the foliage. The moment they were spotted, bony heads snapped in their direction and archers raised their bows. Aki vanished into a blur—Flash Step activating. He darted between trees, cutting down the first archer before its arrow even left the string. The bones clattered as it collapsed. The second archer fired, but Aki twisted aside and cleaved it clean through the ribcage.
Meanwhile, Soe roared and slammed into the group of sword skeletons. One swung at him; he caught its wrist, tore off the arm, and used it like a club to smash another skeleton's head in. Bones scattered around him with every strike. A skeleton leaped from the side, blade overhead—Soe ducked, uppercutting so hard the skull launched straight into a tree trunk and cracked apart.
Aki finished the fourth archer, sliding under a low branch and slicing its legs out from under it. The fifth tried to retreat into the forest, but a shimmering green bolt from Mia struck it, throwing off its aim long enough for Aki to close in and shatter it with one decisive blow.
On Soe's side of the battlefield, only one skeleton remained. It charged with reckless speed. [Soe disappointed]:" Oh come on, you're the last one?" Soe sighed, grabbed the skeleton by the spine, lifted it overhead, and slammed it into the ground hard enough that its bones scattered in a wide circle. Aki lowered his sword. Soe dusted bone fragments from his shoulder. Mia hurried out from the trees, relief on her face. The camp was finally cleared. Aki sheathed his blade, breathing out slowly as he looked around at the eerie structures, dead campfires, and the strange markings etched into stone slabs.
[Aki stepping forward]:" Alright, let's start searching. If something caused the skeletons to act weird… the answer might be here." Soe nodded. Mia tightened her grip on her staff. Together, they began investigating the remains of the camp.