The forest grew thicker around them.
The further they walked, the more the Gathering Woods lived up to its name. Trees bowed close together, their branches knitting into a soft canopy of green and gold. Light slipped through in patches, painting the ground with shifting pools of colour. Little motes drifted lazily in the air, glowing faintly like dandelion seeds that had gotten ideas above their station.
Riley checked the map again as they trudged along a narrow animal trail.
No paths marked here. No player footsteps yet, either.
They were ahead of the crowd.
Aria spun in a slow circle as she walked, arms stretched out.
"I love it here," she declared. "If something doesn't try to murder us in the next thirty seconds, I'm going to be personally offended."
"Why are those your standards?" Kipp asked faintly.
"Growth mindset."
Hayes grunted.
"I see something," he said softly.
They all slowed.
Just ahead, in a small clearing between the roots of a gnarled tree, a cluster of faintly glowing plants swayed. Their petals were translucent — almost glass-like — with colours shifting between blue and pink as they caught the light.
> PRISM PETAL BLOOM
Kipp inhaled sharply like he'd just found religion.
"Oh."
Riley smiled.
"Careful," he said. "Sometimes mobs spawn near these."
He scanned the tree line.
Leaves swayed.
Nothing lunged.
No glowing eyes.
Just wind.
"Clear," Hayes said after a moment, still wary.
"Let me just—" Kipp began.
Gobbles waddled past him, opened her mouth, and leaned toward the nearest bloom.
"NO!" three voices shouted at once.
Aria scooped Gobbles up and pivoted away dramatically, cradling her like a bomb.
"Not this one," she told her Spirit. "We eat the ugly things. Pretty things are for potions."
Gobbles looked personally betrayed, but accepted it with a sulky little huff.
Kipp crouched by the flowers, Mossling hovering beside him like a concerned assistant.
"Right," Kipp said, partly to himself. "Cut above the base, don't disturb the stem, otherwise it won't regrow properly…"
He tapped one, and a small prompt appeared.
> HARVEST PRISM PETAL BLOOM?
[Yes] [No]
He selected [Yes].
The plant shimmered; a soft chime sounded. The flower separated into his inventory as a glowing icon, leaving behind a faintly pulsing stump.
> You have obtained: PRISM PETAL ×1
Kipp's smile was bordering on manic now.
"We are going to make so many tonics," he whispered.
Mossling did a little wiggle.
Riley glanced at the party interface.
> Party Inventory (Shared):
Prism Petal ×2 (from cave)
Prism Petal ×1 (new)
Bloom Petal ×6
Misc herbs ×???
They were building a decent base.
"Let's grab a few more," he said. "We'll leave the last one to regrow."
Hayley knelt to help, surprisingly gentle for someone carrying a sword and shield.
"So these are the ones for that defense tonic?" she asked.
"Probably," Kipp said. "If not, they'll still do something useful."
Aria squinted at one of the petals.
"If I eat one, will I die?"
"Possibly," Kipp said.
Aria carefully took her hand back.
"Science is cancelled," she announced.
Within a couple of minutes they had three more Prism Petals, carefully harvested and logged. The stump of the last plant glowed faintly, like a promise.
"Alright," Riley said. "Onward. Mobs should start scaling a bit now. Stay sharp."
They pushed deeper.
The terrain sloped gently downward, then up again — not dramatically, but enough that Riley noticed how the undergrowth changed. Mushroom clusters appeared here and there. Vines hung between the trees, some of them pulsing softly, like liquid light flowed through them.
> NEW SUB-ZONE: LOWER BOWER PATH
The first sign of trouble came as a rustle too heavy to be wind.
Riley lifted a hand.
"Hold."
They stopped as one.
Leaves shifted in a bush up ahead… and then something small and green tumbled out.
For a split second, Riley thought it was just a rock covered in moss.
Then the rock squeaked.
It uncurlled into a squat, round creature about the size of a football. Mossy green fur covered its body, and short, glowing thorns sprouted from its back like tiny luminescent spikes. It had stubby legs, tiny leaf-shaped ears, and eyes that gleamed a soft, uncertain gold.
It wobbled a step forward.
"OH MY GOD," Sofia whispered. "It's so cute."
Aria slapped a hand over her own mouth.
"IT'S A FOREST MEATBALL," she hissed. "I love him."
> PRICKLESPROUT — LV 5 (UNCOMMON)
The small spirit squeaked again and, noticing six players and a wall of Spirits staring at it, immediately panicked.
It rolled into a tight ball, thorns stiffening, a soft chime ringing out as it did.
Les, Riley thought, hearing Sofia say the name in his head before she even said it out loud.
She took a tentative step forward.
Echo padded ahead of her, tail swaying slowly. The fox's movements were calm, reassuring.
"Is it hostile?" Hayley asked, hand resting on her sword.
"Not yet," Riley said, watching the UI. "Passive, probably. Defensive type."
Kipp made a small, awed noise.
"It's… nature-aligned," he said, eyes wide. "See the way its spikes glow? That's not pure light essence. There's a regenerative pattern in there."
"It's perfect for Sofia," Aria whispered.
"Oh?" Sofia squeaked, turning red. "No — I mean— I—"
Echo stopped a few feet from the curled-up spirit and crouched, head low, tail wagging in a slow, soothing motion.
The pricklesprout trembled.
Echo let out a soft, high-pitched "wrrr" — almost a fox version of a coo.
After a moment, the little ball of spikes uncurlled a fraction. Two golden eyes peered out between the moss and thorns.
Sofia took a careful step forward.
"Hi," she said quietly.
Her voice was softer than usual — almost like the way she talked to nervous dogs or injured birds.
"We won't hurt you. I promise."
Aria, overcome, shoved a fist into her mouth to muffle a squeal.
"Should I catch it?" Sofia asked, glancing back at Riley.
"Yes," Aria said instantly.
Riley nodded.
"If you want to," he said. "It fits you. Echo's okay with it, I think."
Echo flicked her ears back toward Sofia, as if to say: obviously.
Hayes shifted his weight.
"Do you just… throw the Bind Stone at it?" he asked.
Aria perked up, already reaching for her bag.
"I GOT THIS."
Hayley caught her wrist.
"No."
She gently pried the Bind Stone from Aria's hand and turned to Sofia.
"Nature Spirits like this don't usually respond well to force," Hayley said. "At least in the games I've played. You don't hurl a rock at a scared animal and expect it to be your friend."
"That," Kipp said quietly, "would explain why I failed my first three captures in the last MMO I played."
Hayes sighed. "You were supposed to lead with that knowledge."
Sofia held the Bind Stone hesitantly.
"What… do I do then?" she asked.
Hayley smiled.
"Sit," she said. "Make yourself smaller. Let it see you're not a threat."
Sofia slowly lowered herself to her knees, mantle pooling around her. Echo moved to sit at her side, close enough to comfort, far enough not to loom.
"Good," Hayley said. "Now hold the stone out gently. Don't push it at him. Just… offer it."
Sofia cupped the Bind Stone in both hands. It glowed faintly, reacting to her touch.
The pricklesprout watched warily.
"You're okay," Sofia murmured. "You don't have to come if you don't want to. But… if you do, I'll take care of you. I promise."
She glanced at Echo.
"And Echo will too," she added. "We'll be your family."
Echo wagged her tail and gave a small, reassuring bark.
The pricklesprout flinched — then relaxed, the glow of its thorns softening.
It uncurled slowly.
Tiny paws unfolded beneath it. It shuffled forward, hesitated, then shuffled again, until it was just in front of Sofia's hands.
Everyone held their breath.
Dot didn't even click.
Gobbles' chewing paused mid-bite.
Mossling hovered closer, curious.
The little spirit leaned down and sniffed the Bind Stone. The glow intensified, spreading across its body like watercolour light.
Then, very gently, it pressed its tiny nose against the stone.
> BIND ATTEMPT: PRICKLESPROUT (UNCOMMON)
[ACCEPTING…]
[LINK ESTABLISHED]
The Bind Stone dissolved into motes of light. For a moment, the pricklesprout shimmered — then burst into a stream of glowing essence that flowed straight into Sofia's chest.
She gasped softly as the system chimed.
> CONGRATULATIONS!
You have bonded with a new Spirit.
NAME: PRICKLESPROUT (LV 5)
TYPE: Nature / Defense
A second later, a smaller icon popped up.
> Would you like to name this Spirit?
[Yes] [No]
Sofia's hands trembled slightly as she selected [Yes].
Her fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard for only a moment before typing.
L E S
> SPIRIT NAME SET: LES
Warm, greenish light flared next to her, and Les materialised — no longer just a wild thing, but a Spirit bound to her essence.
He squeaked, shook himself off like he'd just been caught in the rain, then waddled straight to Sofia and bumped her knee.
"Hi, Les," she whispered.
Echo trotted up, sniffed him once, then gently bumped her forehead against his. Les squeaked and, after a moment, returned the gesture.
Riley opened the shared Spirit window out of habit.
> LES — PRICKLESPROUT (Sofia) — LV 5
Type: Nature / Defense
Skills:
• Roll Tackle (LV1)
• Bramble Puff (LV3)
• Verdant Guard (LV5)
Solid early-game kit. Defensive, disruptive, tanky.
"Les," Aria repeated aloud, beaming. "I love him. I will die for him. Echo, sorry, you've been bumped to second place."
Echo gave Aria a flat look.
Sofia laughed, almost tearful.
"He's perfect," she said. "He's… he's so cute."
Les squeaked as if to agree, then immediately tripped over a root and rolled into a ball on reflex.
Sofia scooped him up.
"It's okay," she soothed, petting the moss along his back. "I fall over things sometimes too."
Lightstep passive pulsed in Echo's status, and something new glimmered faintly in Les's.
Riley arched a brow.
"Check his Verdant Guard," he suggested.
Sofia opened the Spirit menu.
> VERDANT GUARD — LV5
Creates a soft moss shield on target.
• +5% Defense
• Minor physical damage reduction
• Duration: 20 seconds
"In a dungeon," Riley said quietly, "that's going to be huge."
Hayes nodded.
"Putting that on tanks when pulls get heavy…" he mused. "Or on Kipp if something breaks through."
Kipp flinched. "I would like things to never break through, actually. If that's an option."
"It's not," Aria said cheerfully. "Welcome to reality."
Hayley stepped up, resting a hand briefly on Sofia's shoulder.
"You did good," she said. "That was… very smooth."
Sofia flushed.
"You helped," she said. "If Aria had thrown the stone, Les would be rolling down a cliff right now."
"I see how it is," Aria said, clutching her chest. "Betrayed by my own sister and my new best tank friend."
Riley smiled.
"Okay," he said. "Les is in the party now. Good work. Let's keep moving. We still need XP for Level 6."
They fought two more packs of Bloomhares and a set of small, ambulatory root creatures the interface called ROOTLINGS — gnarled little monsters that tried to trip Hayes and got savagely punted for their trouble.
Les stayed mostly near Sofia's feet, casting Verdant Guard as prompted, his little moss shield effect wrapping around whoever she focused on. It didn't look like much — a faint, green shimmer — but the damage numbers coming through were noticeably lower.
> PARTY EXP GAINED
PROGRESS TO LEVEL 6: 92%
"One more good fight," Riley said. "Then we hit six and take a breather."
They pushed through a particularly tangled patch of undergrowth, branches brushing against their shoulders and hair. Les clung to Sofia's mantle until Echo nudged him down again.
The trees parted suddenly.
They stepped into a clearing.
The air felt heavier here, the light dimmer but more focused, like a spotlight filtered through leaves. The ground was torn in places — claw gouges in the dirt, shredded bushes, petals scattered like battle remnants.
In the center lay a half-devoured Bloomhare corpse, already pixelating at the edges.
Aria's grin slowly widened.
"Oho," she breathed. "This looks promising."
Sofia shivered.
"It… feels different," she said quietly. "Something's… watching."
Echo's fur bristled.
Les curled halfway, quivering between ball and blob.
Hayes stepped forward instinctively, shield raising.
"Boss?" he asked.
"Mini," Riley said. But his voice was softer than usual.
Because he remembered this place.
He remembered the first time he stumbled in here, under-geared and under-prepared, with randoms who didn't listen.
It hadn't gone well.
This was where the Blossom Wolf patrolled — the first true test of the Gathering Woods. A predator strong enough to flatten careless parties, weak enough that coordinated groups walked away feeling like gods.
"Riley?" Sofia asked. "Are we… okay to be here?"
He looked over his party.
Aria, crackling with impulsive excitement.
Sofia, now flanked by Echo and Les, resolve quietly growing.
Hayes and Hayley, shields ready, cats at their sides.
Kipp, nervous but steady, Mossling hovering protectively near his shoulder.
Lumi, glowing softly at his neck — a tiny sun, pulsing with calm light.
They weren't the same kind of group he'd had last time.
This time, he wasn't alone.
"We'll be fine," he said.
And he meant it.
But his hand still tightened slightly on his bow.
"We're in its territory now," he added. "Blossom Wolf. It'll hit harder than anything we've fought so far — and it won't pull punches."
Aria cracked her knuckles.
"Good," she said.
A low growl rolled through the clearing like distant thunder.
Leaves trembled. A shower of petals fell from the branches above.
Two glowing eyes opened in the shadows between the trees, watching them with feral intelligence.
Lumi's glow flared.
Riley lifted his bow.
"Positions," he said softly. "Get ready."
The Blossom Wolf stepped into the light.