They went deeper into the abandoned village.
Kevin remained vigilant, dagger always ready.
Celize kept close behind Kevin, her steps quiet, her posture tense but disciplined.
Sallie trailed slightly to the side, staff in hand, her emerald threads of magic faintly shifting around her palms in case of danger.
A sudden scrape echoed from the leftmost house.
Kevin froze. His grip tightened instinctively around his dagger. "There," he murmured.
They approached the house slowly, Kevin first, Celize close behind, Sallie covering the rear. The door creaked as Kevin nudged it open with the tip of his dagger. Dust floated in the stale air. Old chairs lay toppled, a table overturned, and shards of ceramic plates littered the floor.
They searched room by room, but each corner yielded nothing except signs of hurried escape—scattered clothes, half-packed baskets, a dropped wooden spoon still on the floor.
Then Sallie paused.
Her eyes focused on a single flower pot near the window. It was slightly off balance, tilted in a way no earthquake or wind could have moved it.
"Sallie?" Kevin asked.
She didn't answer. She knelt, gently lifting the pot with both hands.
Underneath it, a hole was dug. Inside the hole was a girl, no older than eight or nine, curled into a trembling ball. Dirt smeared her face, and her hair stuck to her cheeks in tangled strands. Her eyes widened at the sight of strangers, and she shrank back.
Kevin crouched, his voice low and measured. "Hey… it's alright. We're not here to hurt you."
But the child only shook harder, her breath catching in silent sobs. Kevin sighed internally—he was never good with kids.
Celize stepped forward gently, lowering herself to the girl's level. "It's okay. You're safe now," she whispered, her tone soft as running water.
The girl's gaze flickered to Celize, uncertain, but not rejecting. Celize extended a hand, not touching her, just offering. "What's your name?"
The child swallowed. "Li… Lira."
"Lira," Celize repeated warmly. "We're here to help. Can you tell us what happened?"
The girl's lips trembled. "The mountain god took them… everyone… mama… papa…" Tears welled up, spilling down her cheeks. "They upset it. And the mountain got angry."
Kevin exchanged a quick glance with Sallie, then back at the child. "What exactly happened?"
Lira sniffed. "Smoke came down from the mountain… like a big cloud. It swallowed everybody. Mama hid me under the pot and told me not to move. Then… then the smoke took them."
Kevin's eyes slowly lifted to the mountain on the horizon. A thick haze wrapped around its peak, unnatural and unmoving.
Celize asked gently, "How did the village upset the mountain god?"
The girl wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "B-because… we didn't offer a sacrifice this year."
Celize's brows drew together. "A sacrifice?"
Lira nodded frantically. "The mountain god gets angry if it doesn't get one. Please… please save my mama and papa… save everyone!" She grasped Celize's sleeve with desperate fingers.
Celize's throat tightened. She turned to Kevin. Without a word spoken, her expression begged him.
Kevin sighed, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't the type to jump into a mess for strangers, but he could already tell Celize wouldn't walk away from this. And honestly… after seeing the empty homes and the terrified child, he couldn't either.
"Fine," he said. "We'll check the mountain."
Celize nodded gratefully.
Soon, the group began their trek toward the looming, mist-draped mountainside, with Lira clinging to Celize's hand like a lifeline.
The rocky terrain shifted beneath their feet as they reached the mountain's base. The path narrowed, hemmed in by jagged stones on both sides. Kevin slowed, his senses sharpening.
A whisper brushed the back of his mind—the shadow's signal.
Black Rabbit has detected movement. Hidden threats.
Kevin didn't summon his trump card out. Better to let it stay hidden, observing. Instead, he pretended not to notice, though his muscles coiled in readiness.
A faint scrape echoed from the left. Then from the right.
"Ambush," Kevin whispered.
The mountain goblins sprang out, their mottled gray skin blending so well with the rocks that a normal traveler would've never seen them coming. Their limbs were thin but wiry, their fingers ending in chipped claws. Yellow eyes gleamed with feral hunger.
Kevin moved first.
His dagger flashed, slicing the first goblin across the throat before it even landed its jump. Two more lunged, snarling. Kevin pivoted between them, parrying a claw swipe and plunging his blade into a ribcage.
Behind him, Sallie raised her staff. A pulse of green light burst outward, forming a shimmering barrier around Celize and the girl.
Another goblin rushed Kevin from behind, but Sallie reacted quickly—firing a concentrated orb of verdant energy that slammed into the creature's head. It tumbled down the slope, limbs twitching.
Kevin kicked another off balance and stabbed upward. "Keep Celize and the girl safe!"
Celize held Lira close.
The last goblin hissed, realizing the ambush had failed. It tried to retreat into the rocks—only for Kevin to hurl his dagger with deadly precision, pinning its skull against stone.
Damn this adrenaline rush. I shouldn't have killed them all. Now, I missed my chance to earn soul fragments, he thought.
Kevin retrieved his blade, breathing steady. "Let's keep moving."
He remained alert, he expected attacks will be more frequent as the reach the top.
Halfway up the mountain, the air thickened with a strange, humid heaviness. The mist curled around them like fingers. The path twisted tightly between two steep cliffs, creating a natural choke point.
Kevin halted.
Something skittered above them.
Then a guttural screech tore through the air.
A monstrous creature dropped from the rocks—a grotesque fusion of a giant spider's body with a monkey's snarling head. Eight hairy legs clacked against the stone while its arms—disturbingly humanlike—reached forward with predatory eagerness.
"Spider monkey!" Celize warned. "They have venomous fangs, be careful."
The creature lunged at Kevin, fangs dripping venom. He rolled aside, slashing at one of its legs. The blade cut deep, but the creature shrieked and swung a heavy limb at him. He blocked with his dagger, but the impact vibrating up to his shoulder.
More screeches came from above.
Two additional spider monkeys crawled down the cliffs, chittering aggressively.
"Sallie! Right one!" Kevin barked.
Sallie thrust her staff forward. A spiraling orb of green energy shot from her palm, slamming into the nearest spider monkey's abdomen. The creature reeled, screeching, but kept advancing.
Kevin dashed toward the central one, sliding low to avoid its fangs and stabbing upward into its exposed throat. Black ichor splattered across the rocks. The beast convulsed and collapsed.
The second spider monkey lunged at Celize and Lira, but Sallie reacted instantly—roots burst from the ground, forming a wall that blocked the creature's trajectory. Kevin jumped in, slashing its spine open in one decisive motion.
The final spider monkey hissed and attempted to flee, scrambling up the stone wall—until a dagger flew past its head, forcing it down. Kevin followed up with a brutal strike that ended its screeches.
This isn't the time to think about earning more fragments. They're too vicious to let them live.
Breathing hard, Kevin wiped his blade clean. Only then did he glance toward Celize and Lira.
Lira stood calmer than expected—too calm, considering the horrors she'd just witnessed.
Something tightened in Kevin's chest.
Not normal. Something's off.
But they were already deep into the mountain's domain. Turning back now wasn't an option—not with villagers might still alive.
Kevin sheathed his dagger. "Let's keep going."