The forest did not stir—it convulsed.
The mist that clung to the roots scattered as a shadow rose from the treeline. It was vast, coiling, ancient.
Cindertongue.
Its scales shimmered like charred stone, cracked through with ember light. Smoke curled from its fangs, and its tongue flickered with fire as though it carried a forge in its maw. Horns crowned its skull, twisted and blackened, and its eyes glowed a molten gold that burned without warmth. At its coils slithered dozens of smaller serpents, their duller hides streaked with faint red veins—Cinderscales, thralls born of its corruption.
Alice whispered, breath caught in her throat. "Gods…"
Herbert's staff thudded once against the earth. His voice was steady, but his grip whitened. "No gods here. Only monsters."
The first wave came without warning. Cinderscales lunged from the roots, hissing, their bodies striking like whips. Lyra's blades flashed, severing two in one motion. Daren's shield rang as fangs clashed against iron. Alice muttered wards under her breath, sparks of light darting into the swarm to blind their eyes.
But Rael's focus was on the monster behind them all.
Cindertongue's gaze was fixed on Elara.
The serpent slithered forward, massive body cracking branches like kindling. When it struck, it was faster than its size promised—an ember blur lunging straight for the girl.
"Elara!" Alice cried, pulling her back—
—but the serpent's jaws were already upon them.
And then Herbert moved.
He threw himself between the girl and the beast, staff braced like a spear. Fangs met wood and flesh alike. The staff held—but the serpent's venom burned deeper, its poison surging into Herbert's veins as the fangs grazed his shoulder.
Herbert gasped, legs buckling. Smoke hissed from the wound.
"Old man!" Daren roared, cutting down another Cinderscale as he tried to reach him.
Rael's eyes narrowed, fury flashing across his face. Air swirled violently around him, whipping into a gale. "You picked the wrong prey."
He leapt, sword drawn, carried by the storm he summoned. Wind sharpened into blades, crashing against Cindertongue's scales, splitting cracks where steel alone could not. The serpent hissed, smoke and fire spitting from its jaws, but Rael pressed in, his blade plunging between glowing fissures.
The serpent writhed, its coils smashing trees like twigs. The ground shook with each convulsion. But Rael did not falter—his storm howled louder, forcing his blade deeper until the air itself howled through Cindertongue's flesh.
With a final roar, the serpent collapsed, its massive body crashing through the undergrowth. The ember glow in its eyes flickered, then dimmed. Smoke spilled from its jaws one last time before silence claimed it.
The Cinderscales shrieked in unison, thrashing wildly. But without their master's will, they faltered—easy prey for Lyra's blades and Daren's hammering shield. Within moments, the forest floor was littered with still-scaled bodies, the swarm broken.
Only then did the silence return. A silence thick with smoke and dread.
Rael turned, chest heaving, his blade dripping black ichor. His eyes found Herbert.
The old man sat slumped against a tree, his staff fallen to the ground, his hand pressed against his shoulder where the venom had struck. His face was pale, sweat beading across his brow.
Elara stumbled forward, tears in her green-flecked eyes. She gripped his free hand with her small fingers. "Thank you… old man… you saved me…"
Herbert's lips curved faintly—not quite a smile, but close. "Hmph. About time someone noticed." His voice rasped, heavy with effort.
Alice knelt beside him, panic flickering in her eyes. "The venom's spreading too quickly—we need a healer."
Daren wiped his blade clean, frowning. "Which means we can't keep this pace. Rael—we can't push deeper with him like this. We need to get him to town before he—"
Herbert's staff struck the ground again, weak but firm enough to cut him off. "No. Not yet." His voice held a weary command. "Do you think I threw myself before that beast just so you could turn tail?"
"Herbert—" Alice began, but he silenced her with a look.
"Our mission brought us here. The serpent's lair is not just a den—it holds the herb we came for. A plant shaped in Cindertongue's image, a cure wrapped in venom's guise. Without it, we came to this cursed wood for nothing."
Daren growled low in his throat. "And if you collapse before we reach it?"
Herbert's eyes narrowed, still sharp despite the pain. "Then you drag my corpse back to town after. But you do not abandon what we bled to reach."
The group fell silent. Only Elara's small voice broke it, trembling as she clutched Herbert's hand tighter. "We… we'll find it. I promise."
Herbert let out a long breath, leaning his head back against the bark. "Good. Then stop gawking. The cave waits."
The fire in Rael's chest still burned from the fight, but now it was joined by a weight heavier than any battle—responsibility. He looked toward the shadowed mouth of the cavern that loomed beyond the trees, dark as the serpent's maw itself.
And without a word, he stepped forward.