"The energy coming off this shard… it's both different and potent," Sela's fingers tingled as she tried to appraise their new treasure. "It feels so… raw. Nothing like what you'd get from the Deepshy. Retrieving it was definitely worth the risk."

Excitement spread among the warriors, and some already started practicing shard-based techniques with their weapons and gear, optimistic that they might be able to perform them again soon.

"We'll need to be smart about how and why we use up its charge," Sylven cautioned. "It'll be critical in emergencies."

"Sela, you should keep it safe," Brynnal suggested. "If even half of what I heard about your skill with shards is true, you're far and away our best caster."

Sela accepted the shard and carefully secured it. "I won't let us down," she swore.

Brynnal clapped Jerrik on the shoulder warmly. "I'm amazed you managed to scout this far and spot all these shards. And with a hook for a hand, no less! You're definitely not one to be underestimated."

"Grateful everything's gone… swimmingly so far. I couldn't resist the pun!" The young Sunbrave smiled impishly.

"Seriously though, it took me much longer to get to this point on my own," Jerrik admitted. "Back then, I'd run and hide at the first sign of trouble. Good thing Griff didn't get my leg! With you lot, I'm starting to feel like I can hold my own—hook and all."

"You should be proud of accomplishing all that… single-handedly," said Ilkin, joining in on the pun action, leading to a boisterous round of guffaws and giggles.

Spirits bolstered by the successful retrieval, the warriors adjusted their gear and pressed on.

The gentle slope and sparse tree cover of the riverbank gradually gave way to more uneven terrain littered with broken stones, some as large as boulders to the Sunshy. Guided by Jerrik, they veered into the jungle, their path made perilous by tangled vines and heavy leaf litter.

Jerrik slowed the group with a raised hook then whispered. "This is where things get dicey. Watch yourselves—there were packs of predators here when I last checked. Might be more than even we all can handle."

Sylven exchanged a quick look with Uiska, who chirped softly in acknowledgment before bounding cautiously forward. The rest of the warriors followed at a measured pace.

As the dense canopy increasingly blotted out the sun, the Sunbraves had to fall back more on their hearing, putting an end to the jovial banter they'd been enjoying through most of their adventure together so far.

None of their senses, however, could rival Uiska's. Near the edge of the ruins that Jerrik had indicated, the pika paused abruptly, its whiskers splayed wide and tingling. Sylven immediately raised a closed fist, signaling everyone to halt. The pika sniffed carefully, then chirped again with more urgency.

"Something's close," Sylven whispered sharply. "Ready yourselves."

They froze, weapons raised, eyes scanning the thick underbrush. From beneath a twisted, vine-covered stone, two large water rats emerged, nearly double Uiska's size, their monstrous incisors snapping hungrily.

In one fluid motion, Sela dodged back and to the side, nocked an arrow mid-air, and released it just as her feet touched the ground. Her arrow pierced straight into their foe's eye. Brynnal stabbed forward, skewering the blinded creature, while Ilkin and Jerrik teamed up against the other, distracting and striking in coordinated efficiency.

"Watch your backs!" Sylven shouted as rustling erupted behind them. A third rat, larger than the others, burst forward, forcing them into a swift retreat. Sylven threw his spear, forcing the beast back, buying time for Ilkin to channel another quick pulse from his shard. Dazed, the rat hesitated just long enough for Jerrik and Brynnal to dispatch it.

The warriors regrouped, all breathing hard and sweaty. Sylven wiped his brow, his eyes scanning the shadows as Uiska chirped nervously.

With the immediate threat cleared, Jerrik stepped forward, nodding toward an indistinct shape partially obscured by the dense foliage. "There—see it?"

Moving closer, the warriors pushed aside thick vegetation, revealing a cluster of crumbling stone structures. Moss-covered walls jutted unevenly from the earth, their edges softened by time and weather. The delicate sound of dripping water echoed through the ruins, as if the crumbling walls themselves were weeping. Rough stones, stacked hurriedly, formed crude fortifications bearing no resemblance to the precision of Deepshy architecture.

Ilkin ran a hand along the collapsed, uneven walls. "This design, it looks rushed. Doesn't feel like a permanent settlement."

"Maybe this was just some kind of transient Sunshy outpost?" Sylven thought aloud, eyes tracing the irregular construction.

"Whoever these Shy were, they were big brutes!" Brynnal, the burliest of the group, sized up a door frame that reached way above his head. "The scale's off. They must've been at least two heads taller, maybe more."

"A branch of our ancestors?" Sela wondered aloud.

"Could be," Sylven agreed. "But why build here, and in such a slapdash way?"

Jerrik moved deeper into the ruins, carefully checking for signs of ancient life. A few rusted scraps, fossilized bones, and broken pottery rested beneath thick layers of moss. "Maybe desperate times called for desperate measures," he speculated.

Sylven nodded slowly. "It feels defensive, like they were cornered."

Brynnal nudged a rusted spear tip with his foot, frowning. "This place was a last resort, the site of a final stand."

Sylven knelt beside him, eyes narrowed. "Aren't there some really old stories of our ancestors from beyond the caldera? Perhaps they really did exist."

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"Whatever happened here, it wasn't pretty," Brynnal observed grimly, taking a moment to think of the wearer of a shattered helmet buried in the dirt. "This wasn't abandoned peacefully."

A heavy silence hung between them as the warriors absorbed the solemnity of their discovery.

Sylven finally rose, breaking the quiet. "Let's keep our guard up. If they built defenses, they had something to fear—and it might still be around."

With nods of quiet agreement, the warriors proceeded deeper into the ruins, their steps accompanied by the crunch of rubble and gravel. They moved deliberately, alert for any sign of further danger.

A low, threatening growl suddenly echoed from the shadows. Sylven froze, signaling the warriors to halt. From a darkened corridor emerged the massive water rat, sleek and muscular, its eyes glittering with predatory intensity.

"The big one's back!" Sylven shouted.

They retreated, seeking cover within the nearest intact ruin—a small, half-collapsed room set partially below ground. Brynnal and Ilkin quickly barricaded the entrance with fallen debris, breathing heavily as they reinforced the barrier.

"That thing isn't leaving," Ilkin muttered grimly, eyeing gaps in their makeshift defenses. Outside, the rat's furious scratching alternated with its teeth scraping against stone.

"We're pinned down here," Jerrik grumbled, stabbing his hook into the dirt in frustration. "Any ideas?"

Sela glanced at the pouch where she'd safely tucked away the powerful shard. "We have options," she mused, her fingers tracing the shard. "I might be able to tame it."

Brynnal turned sharply, incredulous. "You want to tame something that just tried to rip us apart?"

"Exactly," Sela retorted, her gaze steady. "I know we're warriors, Brynn. It's in our nature to fight. But back home, training beasts was how I proved my mettle. If I can bond with it, it'll serve as a powerful ally."

Sylven considered her thoughtfully. "It's risky. Even with your skill, there's no guarantee it'll submit."

"Back home, I trained beasts of similar size," Sela asserted. "None as ferocious as this one though."

"But think of what we'd gain," Jerrik interjected eagerly. "Having something that fierce on our side could change everything."

"It's worth the risk," Sela asserted. "We can't fight every predator we encounter. With the shard, we can turn a few into allies."

"I'd be reluctant to tame a wild creature because of my experience with Uiska. But this rat's trying to kill us all!" Sylven clarified. "So, I have to agree with Sela. And if anyone can pull this off, it's her."

"Fine, but we'll be ready to start hitting it if things go sideways," Ilkin sighed.

Sela nodded with determination, gripping the shard as she stepped toward the barricade. "Clear an opening, just big enough for me to make contact."

Sylven and Brynnal cautiously moved debris aside, creating a narrow gap. Immediately, the water rat lunged forward, snarling viciously, claws scraping against the stones as it tried to force its way in. Sela firmly pressed the shard's glowing surface to the beast's snout, channeling her intent clearly and calmly. Sela could feel the vibrations of the rat's snarls through the ground, its burning eyes and hot breath washing over her. For a moment, she doubted herself. What if this didn't work? What if she led them all to their deaths?

"Easy now…" Sela tried her best to soothe the savage beast, focusing all her will into the shard. She held firm while the shard's energy flowed between them. "Come on," she pleaded, more to herself than the beast. "Just... trust me."

The world narrowed to breath and heartbeat—the beast's and hers. The shard pulsed gently, its glow gradually enveloping them both, spreading over the rat's fur in a calming wave.

The rat struggled for a few beats, its incisors still snapping into the space. But slowly its movements became uncertain, then subdued. Its fierce eyes softened, aggression giving way to wary curiosity. The creature lowered its head, tension visibly draining from its powerful muscles. Huffing in resignation, it finally allowed Sela to stroke its rough fur.

Sylven gasped, relief evident in his voice. "That actually worked!"

"Never doubted it," Jerrik said, though his relief was clear.

Sela stepped back cautiously, the rat now calmly resting near the entrance. It watched them with eyes that were wary but no longer hostile.

"This changes our possibilities here. If we can secure these ruins and hold them, we'll be much better off," Brynnal proposed.

With the threats neutralized, the Sunbraves explored the ruins more freely. They set up camp in one of the half-buried chambers left among the rubble. Sylven and Jerrik took first watch. The two young Sunbraves hadn't really had the chance to have a good, proper talk since meeting. The others had settled in for the night. Even Sela, still fussing over her newly bonded water rat, had finally nodded off.

Sylven mused aloud, "If we fix this place up, it could be far more defensible than the cave. And its closer to the caldera. Maybe we could move the camp here."

Jerrik nodded slowly, concern edging into his voice. "I agree that it'd better for us Shy, but it still leaves Garret out. He'll never fit comfortably here, and he can't move around that easily yet. If the humans hunting us find him, he'd be an easy target. And what about the kobolds?"

"One step at a time," Sylven reassured the Sunbrave. "We've tackled bigger problems before."

Jerrik nodded, his expression growing serious. "We sure have."

The weight of the past months suddenly pressed down heavily on their scarred shoulders.

Jerrik broke the silence first. "I'll bet they went easier on you." he teased, absently rolling his stump in his good hand.

Sylven scoffed. "Doubt it."

"Griff took my arm," Jerrik countered. "What did Ruth take from you?"

Sylven leaned back against the wall, shadows deepening the planes of his face. "Innocence. Confidence. Dignity." He turned his wrist over, revealing the faint scars from where he twisted against the ropes. "She wanted to see how long it'd take before she broke me."

Jerrik huffed, running his thumb over the metal of his hook. "How long?"

A pause. Sylven clenched his jaw. "Five days… I think. It's all a blur."

Jerrik let out a slow whistle. Leaning forward slightly, he rested his elbow on his knee. "Alright, tell me. What did it?"

Sylven stared into the fire. For a long moment, he said nothing, the silence filled only by the crackling flames. He looked down at his feet, kicking away a piece of gravel, and finally muttered: "The dirt."

Jerrik let out a breath.

"When she buried me, I began to believe there was no way out," Sylven continued, his voice steady but on the verge of cracking. "The whips and weights, her cruel, crushing fingers and devices—I could fight through all that. But trapped in that box, breathing stale air, not knowing if I'd ever see the sun again. That was it. The darkness felt like it wouldn't end."

Jerrik nodded and patted Sylven's shoulder in sympathy.

"What about you?" Sylven asked.

"Griff never really stopped..." Jerrik thrust his hook into the fire, raking the coals. "…so I never really broke…"

He pulled out the metal just as it began to glow from the heat. A tear sizzled as it dropped on the tip. "I wonder if that makes it worse."

Sylven brushed the question aside with a tired chuckle "I guess it makes you win!"

Jerrik roared with laughter, a short but genuine burst of mirth in a tense moment. He sighed, shaking his head. "Feels a bit silly now, doesn't it?"

"What does?" Sylven asked.

"Arguing over who got dealt the worse… hand," Jerrik quipped. "Sorry, I can't help it!"

Sylven responded with a raucous belly laugh. Wiping tears from his eyes, he swept his arm across their snoring companions, the crumbling ruins, and the moonlit sky. The ancient stones seemed to watch over them, silent witnesses to their resilience.

"You know what, all things considered, we got out," he stressed. "So... I think we all win."

Jerrik followed his gaze, taking in the shadows stretching across the unmarked graves of fallen, forgotten warriors.

"Yeah," he sighed. "And it seems we're not the only ones who fought hard to survive out here."

Jerrik turned to Sylven, looking straight into his eyes to ask. "You ever feel like… it's still happening? Like if you close your eyes for too long, you'll wake up back in the box, buried in the dirt?"

Sylven swallowed, his voice rough as he replied. "Yeah. Gets better though, right?"

The answer hung between them, unspoken but understood.

Jerrik ran his hand over his face, then let out a breath. "I hope so."

Somewhere in the middle of the Veilwoods, shadows shifted beneath the trees. Figures moved clumsily through the forest, their torches cutting through the dark. Animals scurried from their path, triggering a ripple of alarm across nature's densely connected web. Tired, terrified, and tangled up in the dense underbrush, the guards pressed forward, not daring to defy Ruth's orders.

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