Alpha Instinct

Four days of hard riding brought Leonard and Kaleb to the edge of the Wailing Wetlands. The place was just as he remembered it—utterly unchanged.

The swamp was a macabre spectacle: a festering mire exhaling a hot, humid vapor reeking of decay. Twisted, withered trees clawed at the overcast sky, their dark green leaves drooping amidst the murky sludge.

A dense fog, born from the heated ground, clung to everything, thick with the stench of rotting vegetation. An unnerving silence pressed down, broken only by the occasional, distant croak of unseen creatures and the constant drip of condensation from the decaying foliage.

"Nothing's changed around here... shitty place." Leonard said.

"What's wrong?" Kaleb asked.

"Well… I lost a friend here," Leonard said, his voice low, staring out at the oppressive landscape. "Too soon."

Kaleb, misinterpreting, tilted his head. "Wait, was your friend, like, died young, or did you just not know him for long? That's... confusing."

Leonard sighed. "You could say both are true. I hadn't known him long, and he died before he turned nineteen."

"Sorry for your loss, man," Kaleb said sincerely. "Must have been rough."

Leonard's jaw tightened. "I was an adult with the mind of a child back then."

Kaleb blinked. "Do you... blame yourself for what happened?"

"Blame myself?" Leonard's voice was hard. "I blamed myself for a long time. Not anymore. I'm not responsible for this unforgiving shithole of a world."

Kaleb nodded slowly. "You're right. Humbra takes its due, even if you don't owe it anything," he paused, then pointed ahead. "And speaking of dues... looks like we've got company."

They stopped their horses at the edge of the road. The dense swamp of the Wailing Wetlands always made it seem like night in this ill-fated place.

Leonard squinted, trying to penetrate the gloom. "What do you see, Kaleb? My vision isn't as good as yours in this."

Kaleb replied, "My eyesight's not great either in this fog. But I feel it. The mana... something's coming our way."

"A person?" Leonard asked.

"Definitely a Leirion," Kaleb answered. "The mana signature is too pure, too... turbulent."

Leonard's hand went to the hilt of Smiling. "Probably those damn Gnolls. This area is crawling with them."

"Let's hunt!" Leonard said, a predatory grin spreading across his face. He dismounted, drawing Smiling and Absolution.

Kaleb, though less enthusiastic, followed suit, dismounting and muttering, "Just try not to get us both killed, alright?" He raised his staff, a nervous energy thrumming around him.

They advanced cautiously into the swamp, the fog swirling around them like a shroud. The silence, previously oppressive, was now punctuated by the snap of twigs underfoot and the gurgle of unseen things moving beneath the murky water.

"How many do you sense?" Leonard asked, his voice a low whisper.

Kaleb closed his eyes, focusing his magical perception. "Five... no, six... close. And... more, further out. A whole pack."

"Good," Leonard said, a grim satisfaction in his tone. "More targets."

They didn't have to wait long. The first Gnoll emerged from the fog, a hulking brute with matted fur, yellowed fangs, and a rusty axe. It snarled, a guttural sound that echoed through the swamp.

Leonard didn't hesitate. He activated Ghost Steps, becoming a blur of motion. He appeared beside the Gnoll, Smiling already singing its deadly song. A swift, precise cut severed the creature's hamstring. It howled in pain, stumbling.

Before it could recover, Kaleb raised his staff, muttering an incantation. "Curtain of Fire!" he shouted, a smaller version than the usual. A sheet of flames erupted between Leonard and the other approaching Gnolls, providing a momentary barrier.

"One down!" Kaleb shouted; his voice trembled and was nervous.

More Gnolls appeared, emerging from the fog like phantoms. Two charged at Leonard, wielding crude clubs. Another three took aim from a distance.

Leonard danced between the charging Gnolls, using "Temporal Cognition" and "Elemental Sword Dance"; his swords were like a whirlwind of steel.

He parried one club, the impact jarring his arm, then spun, Absolution slicing through the other Gnoll's weapon and into its chest. He didn't stop, pivoting again, Smiling flashing out to sever the tendons in the first Gnoll's remaining leg. It crashed to the ground, howling.

Seeing the archers, Kaleb pointed his staff and yelled, "Vulcano!" A concentrated blast of fire shot out, engulfing one of the Gnolls in flames. It screamed, thrashing wildly before collapsing.

Leonard, taking advantage of the momentary distraction, finished off the two melee Gnolls with swift, brutal strikes.

"Whoa, Kaleb, I've never seen you fight so aggressiv—"

"Behind you!" Kaleb shouted, more flames streaking from his staff.

Leonard spun, Temporal Cognition giving him a split-second advantage. He saw the Gnoll, larger than the others, leaping from a concealed position in the fog, a rusty sword raised to strike.

"Not today…" He ducked under the blow, the sword whistling harmlessly above his head. He then lunged forward, both swords thrusting upwards. Smiling and Absolution pierced the Gnoll's thick hide, sinking deep into its gut.

The Gnoll roared, a sound of pure agony, and thrashed wildly. Leonard held on, gritting his teeth, the creature's struggles threatening to rip the swords from his grasp.

Kaleb, seeing Leonard struggling, cast another spell. "Complexo Solar!" creating small globes of fire that orbited around Leonard and the Gnoll, searing the creature's flesh and forcing it to recoil.

With the Gnoll momentarily stunned, Leonard pulled his swords free, the blades dripping with dark, viscous blood.

"That's... that's all of them, I think," Kaleb said, his voice slightly breathless, lowering his staff. He scanned the surrounding fog, his senses still on high alert.

Leonard nodded, sheathing his swords after cleaning the blood. He was breathing heavily, his muscles aching, but a grim satisfaction settled over him. He looked around at the fallen Gnolls, their bodies sprawled in the mud, the smell of burnt flesh now mingling with the swamp's usual stench.

"Not bad," Kaleb said, a hint of pride in his voice. "For a warm-up."

He looked at Kaleb. "You are not so bad, either. Thank you earlier."

A beat of silence, and then they kept going. The hunt had begun.