Boom.
Rocks shot out like bullets, and dust exploded into the air as the Wolf Tiger's head slammed into the ground under the sheer force of Adam's downward slap.
He straightened his back and clapped his hands together, brushing off the fur and blood that had somehow stuck to them throughout the entire battle. The blood didn't come off, it only smeared across his palm. His expression twisted slightly.
"Ugh… Nasty."
He ignored it for now and turned to face the group.
"Good work, everyone. With this, we've finally killed all the Wolves needed for Kael's mission." He paused, still catching his breath. "That just leaves the King Wolf Tiger. We'll rest for a few days before we go on the hunt."
Kael sat on a rock at the top of the crater, looking down at the three below as Adam's voice echoed through the space. He scoffed silently under his breath.
These last few days with the group had been nothing but mentally exhausting. They talked, joked, and even laughed together now and then, but Kael bought none of it. Still, he had come to understand the four of them a little better.
Of the four, Elara was by far the easiest to read. She served as the team's scout, often moving ahead of the group and using her sensory motes to survey the area and plan potential battlegrounds.
Elara's best friend, Rielle—at least as far as Kael could tell—only had motes that enhanced the group's physical strength. But she was also impressively agile, and when it came down to a fight, she clearly knew what she was doing.
Sylas had the hardest time out of the four hiding his intentions toward Kael. Even after nearly a week together, the two had exchanged barely enough words to count on two hands. Still, he remained the wariest of the group, always keeping a watchful eye on Kael.
And then there was Adam.
Adam was the most easygoing of them all, playing his part well. If Kael didn't know better, he might have let his guard down around him, but he didn't. Instead, he forced himself to stay even more alert when Adam was near. He would often strike up conversation whenever the opportunity arose, as if trying to get to know Kael better. He kept the tone light, careful not to make him uncomfortable.
'Adam without a doubt poses the biggest threat so far.'
Kael turned his head away from the crater, glancing at the person sitting nearby.
'After that, the one I should be most wary of is Elara.'
Even though Sylas was a Luminaire who excelled in combat, his threat level paled in comparison to Elara's. Kael was currently Rank Two, and while he was confident he could defeat Sylas in a fight, what he wasn't confident in was keeping all his secrets hidden. Like Selene, Elara appeared to be a Luminaire on the information pathway.
Around her, Kael had been forced to not only choose his words carefully but also limit his actions. Even something that might seem ordinary for a Luminaire could raise suspicion if it didn't align with what Elara expected. And if she noticed something off, she might start asking questions. Questions Kael wouldn't be able to answer.
Kael's thoughts were disrupted by the low rumble of shifting rock, growing louder with each second. He turned his head.
Adam was climbing the steep edge of the crater, dragging the Wolf Tiger behind him by one of its massive sabre teeth.
"You two did good too."
He flashed a warm smile toward Kael and Elara.
Over the last three hunts, they hadn't let Kael join the combat, not even once. He'd only been forced to intervene once, when a Wolf Tiger tried to escape. Kael had picked up a stone, mustered all his strength, and hurled it at the creature, knocking it off balance and sending it tumbling back into the crater, where Adam quickly finished it off.
Their teamwork was nearly perfect. They didn't need Kael to succeed in the hunt, and more than that, they didn't want him involved. Making him stand watch with Elara was the smartest move they could have made. She cultivated information pathway, able to keep an eye on him in ways no one else in the group could. So even if Kael had wanted to stir up some shenanigans while the others were distracted, he couldn't. Not with her watching.
Kael didn't respond to Adam. He simply rose from the rock and began walking toward their campsite.
Adam's eyes turned cold, his smile fading as he watched Kael's back disappear into the distance.
He glanced at Elara and gave her a small nod.
Elara seemed dazed, lost in thought, but as soon as Adam signaled, she snapped out of it.
"Right… right…" she murmured under her breath.
She jumped down from the rock she'd been sitting on, landing lightly on her feet, then started after Kael, quickening her pace to catch up.
As soon as she caught up to Kael, she flicked a finger against the back of his head to get his attention.
"Why are you so grumpy today?"
She grinned, flashing her teeth, brimming with warm energy as she spoke.
Kael turned around, and the moment he saw who it was, a soft chuckle escaped him. A warm smile curled on Kael's lips. It wasn't real, but it didn't need to be.
"Me, grumpy? Never." Kael laughed and flicked a finger back at Elara, hitting her squarely on the forehead.
"Ouch!" Elara rubbed the spot with a dramatic frown. "What was that for?"
Kael raised an eyebrow, as if the question itself was unreasonable, then smiled at her.
"Just paying off a debt."
Elara puffed her cheeks in annoyance and looked away. "Whatever…"
Over the past few days, Kael had made a point of letting his caution toward the group show, just enough to be noticed. At the same time, he'd slowly started acting as if he were warming up to Elara. And it wasn't an unbelievable front; they were both in their prime, both striking in their own ways.
Adam, for his part, couldn't have been more pleased. He had already gone out of his way to pair Kael and Elara together, hoping she could keep an eye on him. If something blossomed naturally between them, all the better, it would make control easier.
But just as it worked in Adam's favor, it served Kael's as well.
He lacked a sensory mote, which meant if Elara were tasked with spying on him, he might not even notice. And since someone was bound to keep watch on him either way, better to make it someone he could stay close to, someone he could watch just as closely in return.
They walked side by side in silence for a while, taking in the scenery, occasionally exchanging glances. Then, without warning, Kael came to a halt, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm..." he muttered aloud.
Elara stopped beside him, tilting her head.
"Care to share what's on your mind?"
Kael kept staring at the ground, still rubbing his chin as if unraveling the secrets of the universe. A second, more exaggerated "Hmm..." escaped him.
Elara just stared at him, letting the silence stretch, waiting for an answer.
"I was just wondering which one of us is faster," Kael said, finally turning to look at her.
"Huh?" Elara blinked, completely caught off guard. What an odd thing to say.
Kael reached his hand out toward Elara again. She stared at it, confusedm then, without warning, he snapped his fingers and flicked her forehead, this time harder. Not enough to hurt a Luminaire, but enough to make a dull thud echo briefly before fading.
He tilted his head, wearing a mock-serious expression. "What? Is there only air in there?"
Elara's head jerked slightly from the flick, her eyes narrowing as they locked o
And with that, he turned and burst into a sprint, his Luminaire strength no longer hidden. Fallen leaves exploded into the air behind him as his coat flared in the wind.
"Arghh..." Elara groaned, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead. Her expression shifted to playful irritation.
She squared her shoulders, locked eyes on the quickly disappearing Kael, and shot forward after him.
The two dashed through the forest, leaping over rocks and sliding beneath fallen trees, both fully exploiting their Luminaire athleticism. Kael glanced over his shoulder, then deliberately eased his pace, allowing Elara to catch up.
"Not bad…" he said, stretching the words with a teasing tone. "For a scouting Luminaire, that is." A mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"You dare…?"
Elara feigned offense, her mouth falling open in dramatic disbelief.
Now running side by side, she suddenly shrugged off her coat and flung it at Kael. It fluttered through the air like a falling banner before landing squarely on him.
Kael let out a quiet yelp, then pretended to stumble over a nearby rock, tumbling forward before catching himself and springing back into the run.
"Hey! No cheating!"
His voice rang out through the trees as he chased after her, the forest echoing with laughter and pounding footsteps.
Elara mustered all her strength and leapt into camp, tumbling to the ground. Kael followed a moment later, pretending to lose his balance as he stumbled forward, landing right on top of her.
A soft groan escaped Elara's lips as the air was knocked from her lungs.
"Get off me, you heavy bastard."
Her words were laced with mock venom, but the laugh that followed betrayed her tonem genuine, warm, and full of breathless amusement.
She hadn't meant to fall for Kael. At first, it was just him showing interest. But slowly, without realizing it, she'd begun to grow fond of him too.nto Kael's.
Grinning, Kael stepped back. "Last one to camp's a loser."