The tension grew as they left the last traces of farmland behind. The fields gave way to wild grass, then thickets, then the looming wall of the forest. Birds were absent, and the usual rustle of small animals in the undergrowth was replaced with an uneasy silence.

They spread out, scanning for signs of disturbance. Tarni poked at clawed bark with the edge of his axe. Bell crouched low, running her fingers across the ground in search of tracks. Lily moved lightly, eyes darting between the shadows beneath the trees and the shafts of light above.

It was Kai who froze first. He bent, plucked something from the ground, and straightened with a puzzled look.

"Feather," he said, holding it up. It gleamed gold, nearly as long as his forearm, the tip stained a deep black.

The others leaned in, marveling at it. None of them recognized it—until Kai handed it to Heather.

The guild scout's face drained of color. She tilted her head back, scanning the sky through the branches. When she spoke, her voice was taut. "That's from a wyvern."

Zane's brows rose. "A dragon?"

"Close enough," Heather muttered.

Kai scratched his chin. "Do wyverns even have feathers?"

Heather kept her gaze high, her hand tightening on her bowstring. "Hatchlings do. A collar of feathers around their neck. They shed them as they mature."

"Well, that's good, right?" Lily asked, her voice hopeful as she peered upward. "If it's just a baby wyvern, then it can't be too bad."

Zane's shoulders eased, his grip on his sword loosening. A baby dragon thing doesn't sound so bad.

Heather cut through his optimism like a blade. "No. The more black on the feather, the younger it is. This one—" she turned the quill between her fingers, her lips pressing into a thin line, "—this one's nearly grown. Adolescent. Strong enough to hunt alone. Smart enough to be dangerous. And hungry."

The group fell silent. The forest seemed to lean closer, the shadows stretching darker as if the trees themselves had heard her words.

Tarni broke the hush with a nervous laugh. "So, what—you're saying we're about to fight a moody teenager with wings, claws, and bad attitude?"

"Exactly," Heather said flatly. "And if it's been hunting livestock this close to town, then it's either desperate… or bold. Neither is good."

Bell's jaw tightened. She glanced at the others, her hand unconsciously brushing the hilt of her weapon. "Then we'd better find it before it finds us."

Heather nodded grimly. "Stay sharp. When we get close, you'll hear it before you see it. Wyverns don't stay quiet for long."

The group pressed deeper into the forest, every snapped twig beneath their boots sounding too loud, every patch of shadow a possible ambush. Above, the branches swayed as the sun set and the full moon rose faintly pink in colour but bright enough to see by. Somewhere in the distance came the faintest, bone-tingling sound—half roar, half screech—that made the hair rise on the back of their necks.

The faint roar-screech echoed again, closer this time. The group froze, listening.

Heather raised a hand, signalling them down into a crouch. "It's hunting," she whispered. "Stay low."

They crept forward, weaving between thick trunks until the forest began to thin. The scent hit them first—a copper tang of blood carried on the breeze. Zane wrinkled his nose, glancing at Bell. She gave a short nod.

Just beyond the treeline lay a clearing. At its centre was the carcass of a cow, torn nearly in half, ribs cracked open and steaming in the afternoon sun. Flies buzzed thick around it. The ground was churned with deep gouges, each claw mark longer than Tarni's hand.

"Bloody hell," Tarni whispered, keeping his Sword close. "Thing eats like me when I'm drunk."

"Shh." Heather's eyes darted skyward.

A shadow passed overhead. Massive. For a heartbeat, the entire clearing dimmed as broad wings eclipsed the moon. Then the wyvern landed in a thunder of displaced air, dirt and leaves exploding outward.

The beast was terrifyingly beautiful. Its scales shimmered a metallic gold, darker along the back, fading toward its belly. The feather collar clung patchily to its neck—long golden plumes streaked with black. Its head was narrow, beak-like, eyes burning amber as they scanned the clearing. The barbed tail lashed once, gouging the earth.

"Adolescent," Heather breathed. Her hand tightened on her bow. "And already bigger than a horse."

The wyvern dipped its head, tearing another chunk from the carcass with a wet rip. Blood dripped from its jaws, its throat vibrating with a low, growling rumble.

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Lily swallowed hard. "Do we… attack it now?"

"Yes, let's get ready," Bell murmured. Her gaze stayed locked on the beast, weighing it, calculating. "Let's not wait until it notices us. Then it becomes fight or die."

As if on cue, the wyvern froze mid-bite. Slowly, its head turned, nostrils flaring. It sniffed the air, then swung its gaze directly toward the treeline where the group hid. The amber eyes narrowed.

It let out a piercing screech that rattled their bones and spread its wings wide, the span easily twice the width of the clearing. The downdraft nearly knocked Tarni onto his backside.

"Too late," Zane muttered, drawing his sword. "It's noticed."

The wyvern screamed again, lowering its body, muscles bunching as it prepared to pounce.

Heather nocked an arrow in one smooth motion. "Welcome to your rank-up test," she said grimly.

Then the wyvern charged.

"Shield up!" Bell snapped, already moving. "Heather—wing joints! Lily, on my mark. Zane, pull left!"

Zane stepped out from the treeline to meet it, raising the Medium Frost Shield of the Tundra.

[Skill: Defensive Stance] — Zane braced, knees bent, weight low.

The beast hit like a landslide. Claws slammed the shield, the force skidding Zane back furrows through the loam. Frost bloomed across the wyvern's talons where they struck, ice crystals racing over gold scales.

"Proc'd!" Zane grunted. "It's slowing!"

Heather's first arrow hissed past his shoulder, burying into the softer skin where neck met shoulder. The wyvern shrieked and reared, wings beating—

"Now," Bell said, calm as a metronome. She drew and held, the Boomstick Bow whining as mana charged along the bow's limbs.

[Basic Powered Shot] primed.

[Piercing Shot] layered.

Lily slid in low, feet a blur, hips turning, breath syncing to the pulse of music only she seemed to hear.

[Rapid Appraisal L2] — "Adolescent gold-crest wyvern," she called. "Armor thickest chest and brow. Wing joints and feather collar are soft!"

[Group Snare] — Lily spun, heel tracing a circle. Mud surged like grasping hands. Vines whipped up around the wyvern's forelegs. For a heartbeat, the monster stuck.

Bell stepped into ten meters, exhaled, and loosed.

[Class Skill: Front counts as Backstab]

[Um, remind me to never knock…] — fully powered, under ten meters.

The arrow punched straight through the open maw and detonated at the hinge of the jaw. The explosion turned the wyvern's roar into a choking cough; shockwaves rippled the grass. Blood and tooth-fragments sprayed. Splash damage rippled across its throat and chest.

"Beautiful," Heather breathed, already drawing again. Her next shaft stitched the near wing membrane—then another—then another. The beast tried to lift, the torn webbing fluttering uselessly.

The tail whipped. Zane turtled behind the shield; the barbed club crashed into it, throwing him sideways. Frost surged from the rim on impact, crawling a meter up the tail before cracking away.

"Lily!" Kai barked, eyes on her as the wyvern turned towards her.

The wyvern lunged at the Raindancer. Lily flowed around the bite, stepping across the talons, and slashed twice—

[Class Skill: Raindance] — water-sheathed cuts traced bright lines along the inner foreleg.

Steam hissed where enchanted water met heated scales; pale grooves opened. The wyvern reared and hammered her with a shoulder. Lily went flying, colliding with a sapling that exploded into splinters.

Zane beat his shield with his weapon, yelling. "Hay, you stupid Lizard."

Kai took the wyvern's distraction to run towards Lily, vaulting some roots. He dropped to a knee beside her and pressed a palm to her ribs.

[Targeted Healing] — golden light pulsed through Lily's side; swelling eased, breath steadied. "You're good," he said, planting himself between her and the beast, steel bat in both hands.

The wyvern's head snapped for him—

[Create Light] — Zane flung a bright white orb past its snout; it became as bright as a flashbang.

The wyvern recoiled with a strangled scream, eyes squeezed shut, head thrashing.

"Blind!" Zane shouted. "Bell, finish!"

Bell was already moving, circling the flank the moment the light went off. She slid into another ten-meter pocket, drew to the ear—

[Basic Powered Shot] + [Piercing Shot] — the arrow speared the nearest eye.

The detonation blew vitreous humour across its brow ridge. The wyvern crashed to one side, plowing a trench, tail scything wildly.

"Down—not out!" Heather warned. Her arrow thudded into the second wing joint, deep enough to make the limb spasm.

Tarni bounded past Kai, dragon blood dripping off his blade. He ran up the bent forelimb like a staircase, planted a foot against the shoulder, and carved across the feather collar—three quick, backstab strikes.

Then Lily was there, with a flourish, striking lower on the neck.

[Raindance—melee elemental] — the soft plumes ignited in sizzling steam; pink machete bitting into the tendon beneath.

The wyvern bucked; Tarni leapt clear, hit the ground rolling, and came up beside Bell.

It lunged again—this time at Bell. Zane met the strike head-on, slamming his frost-forged shield into the side of the wyvern's skull. The impact cracked like thunder, knocking its head sideways and driving the beast nose-first into the dirt.

The group didn't waste the precious seconds it thrashed—everyone scrambled clear of its snapping jaws, putting distance between themselves and the monster's reach.

The wyvern tried to drag itself after them, wings scraping the ground, but its battered limbs faltered. Its body heaved with laboured breaths, strength slipping away with every twitch.

Zane's grin broke through the grime and sweat. "Let's just let the ones with bows finish this."

A ripple of relieved laughter and nods circled the party as they regrouped, weapons raised—but at a safe distance this time.

Bell stepped forward first, bow already in hand. The wyvern lifted its head just enough to meet her eyes, a low, broken rasp rattling in its throat. For a heartbeat she hesitated, pity flickering across her face.

Heather moved beside her, drawing her own bowstring with steady precision. She gave Bell the smallest nod—an unspoken promise that they would end this quickly.

Together, they loosed.

Bell's Boomstick arrow struck deep into the creature's chest, the explosive burst muffled against its scales. Heather's shot buried itself through the eye, swift and merciful. The wyvern shuddered once, wings twitching as if it wanted to take to the sky one last time. Then it stilled.

Silence fell heavy over the clearing.

No cheers followed, no cries of victory—just the faint smell of smoke, feathers scattered in the dirt, and a sense that something too young, too wild, had been cut short.

Zane lowered his shield, his earlier grin fading into something more thoughtful. "Poor bastard never stood a chance."

No one disagreed.

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