Glenn followed Becka west through the flickering woods until a new sound—a low, rhythmic wailing that slowly rose and fail in pitch—joined the gentle whistle of wind and the rustle of leaves. Becka immediately produced a damp cloth from her dress pocket, then wrapped it around the head of her torch. The extinguished flame dropped them into utter blackness, but not entirely.

A strange and foreign light now lit in the woods. It was faint, green, and barely visible to his torch-narrowed eyes. Yet as they crouched in silence, and they let their eyes adjust to the darkness, Glenn knew he wasn’t imagining it.

The green light glowed in the distance. That was where all the wailing was coming from. Glenn numbly tucked the extinguished torch in Becka’s [Traveler’s Pack] and took deep breaths.

Becka gripped his arm and pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear. It was difficult to ignore the proximity of her soft lips, despite the situation, but Glenn focused. He listened.

“Azalea went toward the light,” Becka whispered. “We’re only a few minutes behind her. We haven’t failed the Quest, so we know she’s not dead. Yet what if we’ve stumbled across a group of Monsters? We can’t just blunder in there.”

As fresh chills crawled over his body, Glenn whispered back. “What in the Six Hells is that light?”

“Doesn’t matter. What’s our plan?

Glenn clutched Becka’s hand in both of his and squeezed. “Scout first, then rescue Azalea.” What lay ahead was creepy and possibly very dangerous, but they’d hunted Monsters together for over six months. “I’ll lead. You follow close behind and be ready with that dagger. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Becka whispered. “Let’s go complete our first Quest together.”

Despite their grim situation, Glenn smiled. If all went well this would be their life in three months, as soon as Becka turned 16 and the Gods chose her to be an Adventurer. He and Becka would travel across Balarel together, defeating Monsters, gaining Levels, saving people, and making their names known. And, of course, hopping in bed together every night.

Despite her below average Strength and unremarkable Skill, Becka was no slouch when it came to combat, because she was crafty. Somehow she always knew exactly when and where to strike, which made her an excellent Knife: Party members who focused on damaging Monsters while Shields like Glenn kept their attention and Menders kept the party alive.

Staying low, Glenn led the way through the woods toward the green light, using its faint and almost sickening glow to avoid missteps. He’d spent enough time walking the wilds of the Deepscorn Woods that he avoided tripping roots and noisy twigs, and Becka followed so close as to remain practically in his footsteps. He was once again grateful his [Hiking Boots] made no noise.

Glenn soon spotted a rise in the distance and diverted southeast. Making this modest detour wouldn’t take them directly to the source of the green light, but it would take them to higher ground. From there, they could then circle back and observe whatever was going on with that light from a safer vantage point. Wandering face first into an unknown group of Monsters seemed like a poor idea.

Finally, they had the high ground. The wailing and green light was now to their left, or northeast. Glenn remained confident his internal compass hadn’t faltered, despite the darkness and the long trek. He had Becka’s choice to select [-Tracker’s Vision-] to thank for that.

They crept on, and they soon reached a sight Glenn had difficulty wrapping his head around. Behind him, Becka gasped the faintest of gasps. She silently moved up beside him, crouching low.

They crouched now on a jut of rising earth that put them higher than a man above the clearing below. And it was a clearing, perfectly so, a flat circle as wide as Wolfpine’s town square. Trees bordered the circle on all sides, but their limbs stretched away.

Inside the earthen circle, dozens of Grass Sprites danced their eerie dance, a curved line of earth elementals rotating around it center. A circle of glowing green energy filled the clearing, strange and wrong. A single Moss Beast, a hulking giant formed of leaves, rock, and mud, danced in the center of the circle. It was as terrifying as they always were, especially in this eerie green light.

A Moss Beast stood half a man taller than the tallest person in Wolfpine, with arms and legs thick as tree trucks and swollen feet the size of boulders. A bush of vibrant leaves covered the center of its body, and that would almost have been cute if not for the sharp mess of rotting teeth peeking out from inside those green leaves. It had no head and no eyes, just colorful flowers atop terrifying teeth.

Yet the Moss Beast scarcely mattered, for it and the Grass Sprites were not alone in the circle of green magic. Azalea Whitetalon was clearly visible in the center of the circle as well … floating a man’s height above the ground. The Moss Beast had obviously trapped her with a Monster Skill.

Glenn glanced at Becka to find her already staring at him, wide-eyed. By unspoken agreement, they retreated just far enough from the terrifying sight that they trusted they could speak without being seen or heard by the dancing Monsters. Glenn had never seen so many earth elementals in one place.

“It’s a ritual of some sort,” Becka whispered immediately, once they’d crept out of site behind a tree. “Are they planning to sacrifice her?”

Glenn checked his memory of the countless books he’d read in Wolfpine’s library, skimming over unnecessary information. “I hope not, but I do think you’re right. It’s a ritual. Azalea doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, so we should plan before we attack. I’ve read about a ritual like this one in Card’s Manual of Monsters, though I didn’t remember until I saw it with my own eyes.”

Becka offered a faint smile. “You read so much. I still don’t understand why the Gods have never deigned to grant you more Divinity.”

“I suppose I’ve been too busy getting hit by and hitting things.” He would never understand the Gods. “Anyway, what I read about is a Moss Beast birthing ritual.”

Becka’s brown eyes widened. “A what now?”

“Moss Beasts, just like Grass Sprites and other earth elementals, live in harmony with nature. There are never too many Moss Beasts or Grass Sprites … like people, they slow their own reproduction when they grow too numerous. They are never consume more resources than available, but they can be thrown out of balance the other way.”

“As in all but exterminated,” Becka said softly. “Like they were during . I imagine we haven’t lost that many earth elementals in decades.”

She was absolutely right. The Gods often sponsored dynamic events in which zones or, sometimes, the entirely of Balarel could participate for experience, rare Items, and favor. was one such event, held in a different zone every two years. The hunt had been held in Grassea recently for the first time in fifty years, which meant this was the first time this many Monsters died.

“So what does the Moss Beast plan to do?” Becka asked. “Feed Azalea to its babies?”

The way she asked that question, about Azalea’s possible fate, sounded more curious than horrified. Still, Glenn knew she meant well, and she wanted to save Azalea as much as he did. Becka was simply more … comfortable … with rituals and death than most.

“It doesn’t want to eat her,” Glenn said grimly. “If this is the ritual I read about in the book, it wants to change her, instead. It wants to turn her into a Moss Beast.”

“That six-cursed Moss Beast wants to adopt her?”

“More or less. The ritual takes hours, though it looks to have just started. Obviously, we can’t let beast finish. Azalea may be protected from a forever death, but—”

“—the Pantheon’s protection doesn’t extend to stopping her from turning into a Moss Beast,” Becka finished evenly. “There’s no question. We’re tackling a Moss Beast and ten Grass Sprites, just the two of us, tonight. I suppose that is a challenge worthy of the Gods.”

Glenn pondered their slim chances and decided to adjust those in their favor. “All we need to do is get Azalea. Then we run. We can’t kill a Level 8 Monster or that many Grass Sprites, but we can flee, together, with Azalea. That’s our goal.”

“That’s our goal,” Becka agreed evenly. “Other than, of course, don’t die.”

Glenn smiled to reassure her. “We’re not dying. Not while we’re together. So far as I’m concerned, no force in Balarel can stand against the two of us.”

Becka hopped forward and kissed him, then squeezed his knee before she withdrew. “That’s my Party leader. Fortunately for us, neither of us is dying. Because I, being me, already have a plan.” She stood, gripped her dress and knife, and cut the fabric rapidly, all the way up to her hip.

Despite the enchanting sight and exciting flash of leg, Glenn only managed to groan. “Your plan isn’t to strip down to your smallclothes and run past them all shrieking, is it?”

Becka huffed and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Redwood. One simple prank to ensure I had your attention, and I’ve been branded for life. How is that fair?” She pointed at Glenn. “Now pull two torches out of that pack and give them to me.”

Glenn pulled out the torches, and as he looked between them and her, he got an inkling of her actual plan. It was extremely Becka, fighting smart, not hard. Despite the danger, he loved this idea.

“You realize they’re not going to stop chasing us, after.”

Becka snatched both torches and smirked anew. “That’s all part of the fun.”

====

Defeating any Monster, Demon, or Desouled yields 10 experience, however, Adventurers only get experience for foes no lower than three Levels below their current Level. Moreover, this experience is split between all those in the Party primarily responsible for the kill. Finally, the Gods have decreed a Party can only contain up to four mortals ... no additional mortal can join a full Party.

Because experience for killing Monsters is shared, an Adventurer who hunts and defeats Monsters solo will always Level faster than those who do so in a Party. Yet hunting alone also means that if one dies, one has no partner to bring one’s ensouled corpse to a Chapel of Celes. As Adventurers often venture far from town, one small mistake or miscalculation can mean the forever death.

Many rookie Adventurers thus strike a balance, finding a single partner with whom they can still Level at a decent pace without facing unexpected challenges alone. They may be siblings, friends, lovers, or temporary alliances of convenience. It is only in higher Level zones like Evolan, where Monsters become more challenging and Demons first make an appearance, that Adventurers join a full Party.