They found shelter in a cave in the cliffside. Good spot to defend. Clear view of the black water below.
The Lurkers had sunk back into the depths. The dark surface of the lake looked calm once more.
Their victory didn't feel like a win. It felt more like a short break from being killed.
The team was a picture of pure exhaustion.
Talia sat by herself, cross-legged on the stone floor. Her new daggers resting across her knees. She wasn't cleaning them or looking at them. She was connecting with them.
Her eyes were closed. Breathing slow and steady.
Dante could see a faint green glow from the blades. Pulsing in time with her heartbeat. The daggers were changing her. Making her killer instinct sharper. More patient. More like a snake.
She was no longer just their duelist. She was becoming their poison.
Edgar, on the other hand, was practically glowing with simple pride. He polished the Guardian's Vambrace with the sleeve of his shirt. His movements full of respect.
He would occasionally glance at the bracer, then at Dante. A look of deep, dog-like loyalty in his eyes.
He believed he had earned a great reward. That his leader had seen his worth.
'He has no idea he is just a calf being fattened for the slaughter.'
'The vambrace isn't a reward. It's an investment. A slightly tougher asset will be more useful in the fights to come. It will ensure he survives long enough for me to choose the perfect moment to kill him.'
'When I finally drain his core, every bit of power I gave him will return to me. With interest.'
His own prize, the Ring of the Maelstrom, felt cool and solid on his finger.
He had faked his exhaustion so perfectly that Lana and Erica had insisted on taking the first watch.
Their rivalry had turned into a fierce competition over who could be the better protector.
They now stood at the mouth of the cave. A wall of fire and iron between the team and the world. Their bickering now just tense and like whispered insults.
'Foolish emotional display. But useful. Their obsession with me makes them blind.'
Dante leaned his head back against the cold stone. Allowing himself a moment of satisfaction.
The plan had worked perfectly.
He had the ring. His team's respect for his "sacrifice" was at an all-time high. Edgar's loyalty was absolute.
Everything was going according to his design.
The only thing that still bothered him was the hard limit on his own power. His mana pool, though huge, wouldn't grow. His necromancer skills were stuck at five summons.
The Manacore Pendant was no longer just a goal. It was a necessity. The key to unlocking the next stage of his power.
"We can't stay here long."
Talia's voice, quiet and sharp, cut through the cave's silence. She had finished her meditation. Her eyes, when they opened, seemed colder. More focused.
"This place feels wrong. The air is heavy. We're exposed."
"She's right," Dante said. Pushing himself to his feet. His act of weakness was over.
"We rest for one more hour, then we move. Our final objective in this zone is the Manacore Pendant."
Lana turned from the cave entrance. Her amethyst eyes sparkling with excitement. "Ooh, another treasure hunt! What does this one do?"
"It doubles the wearer's mana," he stated. Watching their reactions carefully.
The whole team took a sharp breath.
Even Lana's playful mood faltered for a second. Replaced by a flash of pure greed.
Double. It was a simple word. But in their world, it was the difference between life and death. Between being a pawn and being a king.
"That... that is a god-level item," Edgar breathed. His eyes wide.
"And who gets that one?" Lana asked. Her voice a purr. Though her eyes were fixed on the map in Dante's hands.
'Me. Obviously me. Did you idiots actually think there would be a debate?'
"The one who needs it most," he said. His voice leaving no room for argument. "The one whose power can protect the entire team. We will discuss who gets it after we have it."
He was, of course, lying. The pendant was his. There would be no discussion.
'But let them dream. Let them think they have a chance. It will make them fight harder to get it for me.'
The journey to their final goal took them out of the caldera and deeper into the twisted, twilight heart of Zone C.
The land grew stranger.
The trees became thin. Their purple leaves like razors.
Chime. Chime.
The ground was soft. A carpet of grey moss that seemed to swallow the sound of their footsteps.
The feeling of being watched grew stronger. A constant, prickling pressure on the back of their necks.
To break the heavy silence, and to continue his own plan, Dante fell into step beside Edgar.
"The vambrace suits you," he commented casually.
Edgar flushed with pleasure. "Thank you, Dante. I felt it work, back at the path. A Lurker's tongue hit it, and I barely felt a thing."
"Good," Dante said. Placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Your role is important, Edgar. You are our eyes. Your Appraisal skill gives us the knowledge to form strategy."
"Without you, we would be fighting blind. It is vital that you are protected."
'It is vital that you survive until I decide it's time to harvest you.'
"I'll do my best not to let you down," Edgar said. His voice thick with emotion.
"I know you won't," Dante replied. His voice a perfect mix of warmth and authority. "You are a cornerstone of this team, Edgar. Never forget that."
'A cornerstone that I will crush and absorb the moment it serves my purpose.'
Edgar practically shook with pride. His loyalty now forged into an unbreakable shield of devotion.
He would die for Dante. And soon, he would.
After another day of travel, the landscape changed again. Suddenly and strangely.
The forest ended as if it had been cut off by a giant blade.
Before them lay a valley covered in a shimmering, silver mist that gave off no heat. A forest of stone, but not of wood. The trees were made of pure- clear crystal.
Their branches caught the dim light and broke it into a thousand tiny floating rainbows.
A thrum of immense sleeping power.
Beautiful. Magical. Deeply unsettling.
"What is this place?" Erica whispered. Her hand instinctively moving to Dante's.
He allowed the contact. A small reward for her recent obedience.
"The Crystal Labyrinth," Lana breathed. Her usual manic energy replaced by true awe. "The map calls it that. It says the trees grow and shift. The paths are never the same twice."
"The pendant is in there?" Talia asked. Her hand resting on the hilt of one of her daggers. "In the center?"
Dante nodded. His eyes scanning the shimmering, crystal maze.
"The map says it is kept within the 'Heart of the Forest'."
They stepped into the mist. The world changed.
The humming grew louder. The air vibrating with raw mana.
The crystal trees, some as thin as a spear and others as thick as an ancient oak, formed a confusing yet a beautiful prison.
The light reflecting off their many surfaces created ghost images. False paths. Dead ends.
It was a place designed to confuse. To separate. To trap.
And in the very center of the labyrinth, visible for a brief moment between the shifting crystal trunks, they saw it.
A single huge tree made not of clear crystal, but of deep, perfect amethyst. It pulsed with a internal light.
Hanging from its lowest branch, nestled among the leaves was a simple silver chain.
And on that chain hung a pendant. A single teardrop-shaped crystal that glowed with the power of a captured star.
The Manacore Pendant.
Dante's heart beat faster. His breath caught.
'Mine.'
It was waiting for them. But as they took another step forward, the crystal trees around them began to move.
Groooan.
Their chiming turned into a low sound as the labyrinth rearranged itself. Sealing the path behind them. Creating a new more dangerous one ahead.
The forest was not just the location of the prize.
The forest was the guardian itself.
Dante's hand dropped to his sword. His other hand, the one wearing the Ring of the Maelstrom, clenched into a fist.
The final hunt was about to begin.