Kade stared into the distance with a forlorn frown. He had woken the group up earlier than normal in order to make the most of the morning and travel as far as possible. Yet, they hadn't spotted the tree they were looking for even now.

"That's that, I suppose." He mumbled with a sigh before turning to the others "Let's cross the creek and backtrack on the other side."

Continuing forward wasn't an option. The further they went the fewer creatures they saw, and at this point, they couldn't find a single source of active life bar flora.

Everyone in the group shared the same goals of getting strong and making money. To do that, they needed beasts to kill.

"Good." Walter sighed "I'm itching to fight some beasts, and this area is kinda creepy."

"Agreed." Trey echoed his opinion "It feels like we are in an abandoned graveyard at night."

"Oh please." Jay scoffed "When have you been in a graveyard at night?"

"I haven't, and for a good reason." Trey replied solemnly "I don't fuck with ghosts, that's stupid."

Ben chuckled "Ghosts aren't real, Trey."

"Can you be sure? We didn't think magic was real either until a year ago..." Cal chimed in with furrowed brows.

"Alright, touche." Ben conceded "But Altaris and magic are still based in fact and science to an extent. Ghosts aren't. They are just folklore, myths told by people that can't understand what they experienced."

"Keep believing that, Ben. Just don't expect me to save you when you get possessed by an evil spirit that starts feeding on your soul." Trey retorted as his palm tightened around his sword.

Ben sighed before shaking his head "Okay." Looking around his brows locked "I will agree that this place is eerie though. There is no life. No bugs, no rodents, not even birds chirping... Something is wrong for sure."

Kade nodded "You noticed. This isn't the first time I've passed through an area like this, in fact, there is a stretch of land similar to this area close to the gate."

Though the phenomenon here was similar to that of the no-mans-land he had passed earlier in his trip, it wasn't as severe. The winds still rustled the leaves in this area. The reason for these odd phenomena was food for thought and he promised himself that he would investigate at a later time.

"Can we stop talking about it and just leave?" Walter asked impatiently as he gestured them toward the creek.

The others nodded before crossing and heading back. Since they didn't have to scan the area carefully they were able to travel at a higher speed resulting in covering far more ground on their return.

It took less than two full days for them to make it back to their starting point, where they branched off and continued on their initial path that promised battle and subsequent loot.

The difference in areas was immediately apparent as they ran into their first beast in days. A rat that was smaller than most beasts but no less intimidating at over three meters in length. It had spurs of bone protruding from its jaw, paws, and tail that gave it a gnarly appearance.

"Can we take this one?" Jay asked while shooting Kade a glance

Kade returned a nod "All yours."

Jay pulled one axe from the holster on his hip and the second from a sheath on his shoulder "Let's get it guys. We'll start with formation one."

One of the advantages of their earlier jaunt was the ample time they had to receive guidance from Kade. In the three days of freedom, he had reworked their teamwork and created multiple formation strategies for them to employ.

The first, formation one, was a general use formation and the most well-rounded. It was similar to their original fighting style with Trey taking the lead while Jay and Walter flanked from either side. The differences were how they cooperated, Cal's role, and integrating Ben into the battle.

With this formation, Trey and Jay would attack simultaneously which would give the best possibility for an attack to land since few beasts could defend against two attacks at once.

Walter would follow up right after. Whether his attack landed or not, he would at least draw the beast's attention and give the other two an opportunity for their next strike. This would allow them to maintain their momentum and control the battle.

Cal had the most difficult role. Using his stealth, he was to find an opportunity when his allies occupied the beast to strike. He would target the mobility or greatest threat. This required decisiveness and a good reaction. Though, the danger would be slightly less if he performed well.

Ben was finally put to work in battle. Though he didn't have any offensive spells or attacks, he could buff his allies and heal. The formation would give him a short moment between attacks for him to heal. He would also be closer to his teammates so he wouldn't be so vulnerable to a surprise attack.

Now, they just had to pull it off.

Kade spectated from the side while keeping a lookout for other threats.

As practiced, Trey and Jay engaged with Jay landing his cleave onto the shoulder of the rat. The pair immediately retreated a step as the rat stumbled sideways. Walter darted in and thrust his sword into the opposite shoulder, burying its blade a few inches deep before withdrawing his sword and retreating.

The other two followed up perfectly, but the beast was far warier and rather than meeting one of them head-on, evaded. Cal was already in position having foreseen this possibility and struck with a horizontal swing at the beast's hind leg leaving a deep cut.

The rat squeaked loudly in pain, but before it could register what happened, Walter attacked for the second time targetting the opposite rear leg.

The beast stood on shaky legs as its head bobbed in a panic, but the team wouldn't allow it a moment of respite. They attacked relentlessly one after the other and quickly crushed the beast without issue.

"Huah, ha, ha." Jay panted heavily as he straightened his body and put away his weapons "That was a bit too easy..."

They had finished this battle without a single one of them sustaining an injury.

"Yeah. It was." Stopping to catch his breath, Trey continued "Exhausting though."

"You're just out of shape big man." Walter retorted while shaking his sword wildly in an attempt to fling the blood off.

"This is gonna be a breeze from now on!" Cal exclaimed excitedly as he began harvesting the spoils.

Kade chuckled while shaking his head. "Don't become arrogant. You fought well, but it won't always go this smoothly." He snuck a glance at Ben, who wore a frustrated expression "This rat was a bit weak compared to the average beast, and its weak defenses worked in your favor."

"True. If it had endured a bit longer we would have run out of steam." Jay agreed, pointing out the biggest issue.

"That's right." Kade nodded "You all need to work on your stamina and learn when to pace yourselves. Either way, you all did well this time."

He couldn't be too critical of their performance. They had succeeded flawlessly in the end and managed to execute the formation near perfectly. He wanted to applaud, but doing so would inflate their ego far too much.

While waiting for them to finish harvesting their loot, Kade spotted something out of the corner of his eye causing him to look over quickly. Barrelling at them full bore was a huge dark mass. His pupils dilated when he figured out what was coming.

"Run!" He shouted as a spell trace formed at his hand "Run right now!"

Hearing the severity in his voice, the team dropped what they were doing and immediately ran in the opposite direction without question, only taking hints from the direction Kade was facing.

Kade unleashed the spell, Procyon, into the mass before turning and using a burst from wind surge. He caught up to the others almost instantly and flawlessly connected his landing into a full sprint.

They ran for a solid two minutes before glancing back and slowing down when they realized that nothing was chasing them.

"Ha, ha, ha... We're good." Walter said as he bent over and resting his palms on his knees.

They didn't hold anything back when escaping, resulting in everyone being winded with the less athletic like Ben and Trey struggling to remain standing.

"No!" Kade's breaths were as heavy as theirs "Keep running! We have to find somewhere safe right fucking now!" His tone carried an urgency that was never before heard from him.

"But nothin' is chasin-" Walter attempted to refute Kade, but was cut off.

"They'll be back on us in no time!" Kade growled loudly "If you don't want to die, then move your fucking legs!"

He didn't have the time to argue with them. They needed to follow his orders without question. Right now, he wasn't the older brother figure, but a Marine leading his team through the abyss.

Jay took off running, followed by Cal and Trey. Walter grumbled indignantly before jogging after them.

"I-I can't." Ben wheezed "I need to catch my breath." he said while holding his chest.

Kade wasted no time darting behind him and shoving his back. "Forward, or I'll run you over!" He shouted.

Ben stumbled forward a short distance before finding his balance. The moment his feet stopped, he was shoved again. This repeated two more times before Ben realized that Kade wouldn't give him a choice and fought past his discomfort.

Kade matched his pace, his toes constantly clipping the heel of Ben's shoes. Whether Ben passed out from lack of oxygen or died of a heart attack, those would be far better than the alternative.

He pushed Ben's limits which resulted in them catching up with Walter, who gawked at them as they ran past him before picking up his pace. Soon, the team reunited and Ben slowed his pace to match them while counting his lucky stars.

Kade's brows locked as he stared at the cliff ahead. A frown formed as he glanced to his left and right to find that it spanned beyond his sight. As they closed in on the wall of stone, he made a decision and guided the team to the left while following the wall.

'Please let there be a cave!' He hoped while running forward, occasionally glancing behind.

"Rest." Trey called out as his legs slowed. "Please... Rest."

Trey was the largest of the youths and the most out of shape, not to mention that he carried the heaviest pack.

Kade shook his head "Slow down, but no stopping." He kept his reply short due to a lack of breath.

He couldn't spot the threat, but he knew that it would follow. It would bring a battle that they couldn't win, at least, not in the current circumstances.

Their pace continued to slow as the minutes ticked by. From running, they slowed to a jog, and eventually a brisk walk. Finally, Kade felt a jolt of relief as he spotted a dark spot on the wall in the distance.

He turned his head to tell the team, only to find that Trey had fallen to a knee.

"Enough, dude." Walter said as his shoulders slumped and he knelt in exhaustion. "We're safe... Let us take a break already!" He complained while scowling.

He watched Ben fall to his knees before he laid on the ground while panting. Even Jay and Cal seemed to be utterly exhausted.

It made sense. Even though four of them were body cultivators that had superior physical capabilities, they had just finished a battle before immediately running as fast as they could for nearly ten minutes.

Their effort was admirable, and he could almost sympathize with them, but he knew what was coming.

"Really? Look." Kade said calmly as he pointed behind them.

Walter jerked his head back in frustration before squinting. He saw some dirt, some trees, a bunch of leaves on the ground, and a patch of shadow. He was about to argue until it dawned on him how unnatural that shadow looked, causing his gaze to lock onto it. It seemed to be bobbing and was moving toward them.

His eyes widened when a small dot broke away from the shadow and he realized that it wasn't a shadow, but a horde of rats! Dozens, maybe even hundreds of rats!

"H-H-H" He stammered while standing up unsteadily "HOLY SHIT!"

The others had looked in the same direction when Kade pointed, but it took them slightly longer to realize what was coming. Even Ben was spurred into action and climbed from the ground with renewed conviction.

"Follow me." Kade ordered before sprinting toward the cave.

Luckily, the horde of rats was still quite far out and fear had given the others the adrenaline needed to push their limits. It took less than a minute for them to reach the cave. They dashed inside but were forced to stop when they came to a dead-end.

"We're screwed." Jay mumbled in a defeated tone as he leaned his forehead against the wall.

The cave was roughly 2.5 meters wide which worked in their favor, but it led nowhere. Entering the cave was a desperate gamble that had failed in his eyes.

He wasn't the only one falling into despair. The others knew that they were done for. None of them had the energy to continue and even if they did, the rats would catch up with them eventually.

They could already hear the enraged squeaks growing closer like the executioner's blade dragging the ground. A terror previously unknown surged through their bodies as they imagined their impending fate.

"Cal, give me your dagger." A calm voice broke through the sorrow.

Cal was absent-minded but instinctively reached for his dagger while turning. By this point he trusted Kade fully and looked toward him as a mentor, rarely questioning a command or request. He unsheathed his dagger and placed it in the outstretched hand before a hint of curiosity bubbled up.

'Why does he need my dagger?' He thought before his eyes focused beyond the man before him. The cave entrance, originally 2.5 meters wide, had narrowed considerably.

He watched as Kade continuously cast shape earth and molded the dirt to create a wall that he hardened. 'Is he sealing the entrance?' He wondered with a hint of hope 'Then why does he need my dagger?'

Kade worked as quickly as he could to reduce the size of the entrance before the horde made it. He had no intentions of closing it fully, as the walls he made, while strong, wouldn't last against the beasts' sharp claws and enraged persistence. Instead, he would leave a narrow entrance that would limit the number of beasts' he would face at one time while leaving the beasts' a path to their target in hopes that they wouldn't tear down the entire wall.

This was his goal from the start, though the plan had been for the group to fight together. Now, he wasn't sure that he could rely on them at the moment, so he would have to do this alone.

He finished forming another layer on the wall, reducing the entrance to just under a meter wide before a shadow appeared beyond. The time for preparation was over.

He held his knife in his right hand and Cal's dagger in his left, both in a reverse grip, and brought his arms up as he met the first rat's pounce. He blocked its bite by placing his knife horizontally between its jaws before bringing the dagger down on its spine.

Blood spurted and he could only thank the beast's weak constitution, as he had doubted that his physical strength would be enough to seriously wound a beast in a single strike. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to celebrate as the little light shining through the entrance was blotted out by the insane number of rats' attempting to force their way in.

A spell trace formed at his knuckles as his knife ripped into a rat. His arm continued his swing before he unleashed a Procyon at the entrance. Without checking to see if the spell was effective, he continued to repel the fearless attacks of the rats.

Cal watched on slack-jawed as his arm lashed out, striking air a few times, before landing against his brother's back. He pawed out until he felt Jay's shoulder before tugging on it to get his attention.

Jay, having expected the cold teeth of a beast, flinched in response before realizing he felt no pain. Turning, he first saw his little brother and the odd expression on his face before following his gaze. His eyes widened as shock overwhelmed him.

He had conflicting emotions when it came to Kade. Their first meeting was... Strained. The man acted like he was their arrogant senior even though he was only three years older than them. He required payment when helping them defeat a beast... He also proved how knowledgeable and skilled he was. He was kind, authentic, loyal, caring, fair, strong, and brave.

Jay had come to trust and respect him over time. Kade, for everything he was, was a great man in his eyes. Yet, nothing before could compare to the sheer breadth of his visage at this moment. Overwhelmingly powerful in body and mind. Courageous. Intimidating. Inspiring.

In what might be their darkest hour, this man had stood before them without hesitation. He didn't ask for their help, only a blade. He didn't chide them for their weakness, he protected them in their time of need. He had led them in success and when the weight of the world came crashing down, he propped up the sky to keep them safe.

At first, he was their Mentor. Then, he became their friend and soon after, their brother. From the beginning, he was their leader, but what had he become now?

A legend.