"I'm in," Lucas said.

"Zacard, you know the route. How long would this take total?"Damion said

"Four hours round trip, plus however long it takes to extract the ore," Zacard calculated. "We'd need to move fast to be back before nightfall. I do not want to be in that area after dark."

"Then we leave now," Damion decided. "Grab essentials only. We'll come back for the rest of our gear after."

They moved with practiced efficiency, each person taking what they'd need for a quick raid: weapons, water, emergency talismans, and basic medical supplies.

The bulk of their collected resources stayed hidden in the cave.

As they prepared to leave, Lucas noticed Celeste checking her emergency talisman repeatedly.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Just making sure it works," she said. "In case we need a quick escape."

But something in her tone made Lucas feel uncomfortable. He decided to ignore it after all, it was something he would have to worry about later.

The journey northeast was tense but two hours in, Zacard held up his hand. "We're close. The deposit should be just beyond that ridge."

They walked up the rise and found themselves looking down into a small valley.

At the center, partially embedded in a rocky outcropping, was a vein of crystalline ore that glowed with inner starlight even in the dim forest.

It was beautiful. It was valuable. And between them and it was absolutely nothing.

"That's... suspicious," Garrett said.

"Agreed," Lucas said. "It's too easy."

Lucas looked around. "Zacard, do you see any signs of the Matriarch's pack? Or spider webs?"

"Nothing," Zacard confirmed. "The area looks clear."

"I don't like this," Lydia said. "Something feels wrong."

The ore was definitely real, he could see the magical energy radiating from it. The ground around it showed no obvious signs of traps or ambush points.

But Lydia was right. Something felt wrong.

"Celeste," he said. "Can you sense any magical presences besides the ore?"

She closed her eyes, extending her magical senses. After a moment, she shook her head. "Nothing. Just the ore itself and us."

"So we're being paranoid?" Garrett said.

"Maybe," Damion said. "But let's be careful anyway. Zacard and I will go down and extract the ore. The rest of you stay here and keep watch. If anything goes wrong, we activate our talismans and regroup at the cave."

It was a solid plan. Conservative, careful, minimizing risk.

Which was probably why it was doomed to fail.

Damion and Zacard descended into the valley, moving cautiously. They reached the ore deposit without incident and began the delicate work of extracting a chunk.

Lucas watched from above, his hand resting on his sword hilt. Beside him, Celeste was tense, her eyes scanning the tree line. Lydia and Garrett covered the opposite angles.

Everything was going smoothly. Too smoothly.

Then the ground beneath Damion and Zacard exploded.

A massive form erupted from the earth. It was not the Matriarch and not the Widow's Crown, but something else entirely. Something that shouldn't have been here.

It was a Razorwing Alpha.

The wyvern's blood-red scales gleamed in the fungal light as it rose to its full, terrifying height. Its wings spread wide, blocking out what little sky was visible through the canopy. And its eyes fixed directly on Damion.

The protagonist had just attracted the attention of the forest's apex predator.

"Nobody move," Lucas said. "Don't even breathe loud."

But it was already too late.

The Alpha's mouth opened, revealing rows of serrated teeth, and Lucas saw the a shimmer along its throat. The breath weapon was charging.

"SCATTER!" he shouted.

Damion and Zacard dove in opposite directions as the Alpha unleashed its attack and the spray of razor-sharp scale fragments that tore through the air like shrapnel.

The attack shredded the ore deposit where they'd been standing, sending crystal shards flying in all directions.

The Alpha's wings beat once, creating a gust of wind that knocked both men sprawling. Then it launched itself into the air with terrifying grace for something so large.

"It's circling for another pass!" Lydia shouted. "We need cover!"

But there was no cover. The valley was too open. They were sitting ducks.

Lucas thought about his knowledge of the Alpha. It was intelligent, patient, methodical. Even though it was overwhelmingly more powerful than them, it would still attempt to pick them off one by one and weaken the group before moving in for kills.

The only way for them to survive the Alpha was to lure it into another boss's domain and escape in the chaos.

But they were already in neutral territory. The Matriarch's domain was west, the Widow's Crown's territory was east.

"Damion!" Lucas called out. "The ore! Grab as much as you can carry!"

"Are you insane?" Garrett yelled. "We need to run!"

"Trust me!" Lucas was already sliding down the slope toward the valley floor. "Everyone grab ore. Grab as much as you can!"

The Alpha completed its circle and dove, talons extended. Lucas rolled aside as those massive claws gouged furrows in the earth where he'd been standing.

He scrambled toward the destroyed deposit, grabbing two fist-sized chunks of Starlight Ore. The crystal was warm to the touch.

Celeste was right behind him, her hands closing around another chunk. "Lucas, what's the plan?"

"The ore is magical, right? High-concentration of mana?" Lucas was already moving, running west toward the Matriarch's territory. "That's going to attract every magical predator in the area!"

"Including the Matriarch!" Celeste understood immediately. "You want to use her as a distraction!"

"More than just a distraction.I want them to fight each other!"

The Alpha was already coming around for another pass.

"Zacard! Lightning magic on the ore!" Lucas shouted. "Supercharge it!"

Zacard didn't question the order. He thrust his spear toward the chunk of ore in Lucas's hand and channeled his magic. "[Lightning Bolt]!"

The electricity hit the crystal and it flared brilliantly, the magical energy multiplying as the lightning catalyzed some reaction within the ore structure. The light was visible for hundreds of meters.

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