Chapter 29
The Apex
Date: Day 25 of Harvestmoon. 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
The supposed final morning for Hyoren and Elise in the grasslands dawned.
They woke up almost at the same time.
Elise stretched her body. Her muscles tensed and released. Her joints popped softly. But her eyes were not sleepy like the previous morning—sharp.
Her disheveled silver hair rustled in the wind. Strands fell across her face. But she didn't brush them aside. Her pointed ears twitched. Trying to catch any sound. Any warning. Any sign of danger.
Hyoren also sat up. He saw the palpable tension in her shoulders. He scanned the surrounding. Looking past the barrier of the Ward Stones. Looking into the grassland beyond.
Silent.
No wolf howls in the distance. No calls of Vent Crows. No rustling of small creatures in the grass. Only wind. Rustling the grass in waves.
Eerie.
The same oppressive silence from the night before.
Hyoren took a deep breath. The cold morning air filled his lungs.
"Good morning, Elise. Should we rush as planned today?"
Elise's eyes wandered to the south. Toward the forest. The Forest of No Return. Where they had come from. Then to the north. Toward their destination. Akela. She was gauging the distance.
Then she faced Hyoren beside her.
"Morning, Hyoren."
She stood. Then she started walking toward the spring. Talking as she moved.
"That's right. By my estimation, we should reach the road at midday. Or afternoon at the most."
She reached the spring. Knelt beside the water. Cupped the cold liquid in her hands. Splashed it on her face. Washing away every trace of sleepiness.
"We won't hurriedly run like on our first day in this grassland. But I want our pace to be stable. Quick. But not exhausting."
She ran her fingers through her long hair. Working out the tangles. Fixing the disheveled strands. Then she tied it into a ponytail as usual.
Hyoren followed her to the spring. Crouching beside her. The sound was soothing.
"Okay, Elise. Understand. We still need to be vigilant and quicken our pace. But overly rushing like after we were attacked by the lone wolf in the morning would tire us quickly.”
He splashed water on his face. Waking him fully. He fixed his hair. Running wet fingers through the strands. Pushing them back from his face.
Both of them stood. Water dripping from their chins.
They went back to their camp. The fire had died during the night. Only ember remained.
As they ate their preserved meat. Hyoren and Elise checked their supplies.
"Our supplies are dwindling, Elise. I've got only two days' worth of preserved meat at most."
He rummaged through his bag.
"That's the same with me. And my potions vial is low in stock too. Only four left. But don’t worry. we should reach the road today."
She swallowed. Washing down the dry meat with a gulp of water from her waterskin.
"The road is a major artery for the Kingdom of Altaria. There should be traveling merchants. We can get a few supplies from them."
She took another bite. Chewed. Swallowed.
Hyoren nodded. Relief washing over him.
"Oh, that's good then.”
She finished her meat. Wiped her hands on her trousers.
"There will be many people using the road. Merchants. Travelers. Farmers. And when worse comes to shove, there should be knight patrols which can help us."
She smiled. The road and civilization wass near.
***
Elise turned her attention to her quiver.
She first checked the arrows she had made using Mistdart parts. The ones she had crafted in the forest. The tips were sharp. The stabilizer fins held firm. Good condition.
But as she checked her original arrows... the steel tips were still good. She had taken good care of them. But the fletching had started to distort. The feathers were bent. Frayed. Losing their shape.
It would affect her accuracy.
She frowned. Her brow furrowing in frustration.
"Damn…" she muttered under her breath.
"I forgot to do it last night."
Hyoren looked up. He swallowed last bite of his meat.
"What is it, Elise?"
Elise smiled wryly. Raising the arrow with her hand. Showing him the distorted fletching.
"Few of my arrow fletchings need replacement. Sigh… Remember yesterday I took Vent Crow feathers to replace them? I was planning to do it last night over the campfire."
She shook her head. Annoyed at herself.
"But I forgot."
Hyoren chuckled softly. The tension and uneasiness from yesterday had made her forget her own plan. Her own needs. She had been so focused on the silence. On the potential danger. On getting them to safety.
He looked at her face. She was contemplating. Her eyes wandered to the north. Toward their destination. Then to her arrows. Weighing the options. Deciding if rushing or fixing her arrows first was better.
"Elise…." he spoke up. His voice calm. Reasonable.
She looked at him. Waiting.
"Just fix your arrows first. Delaying our departure by one or two hours won't matter, right? We'll still reach the road today."
He held her gaze.
"And I know your arrows are your lifeblood. Of course I don’t ask for battle. But. If there is any, we don't want your arrow to miss in an important battle."
Elise looked up. Faced him fully. Her emerald eyes locked into his eyes.
Then she nodded.
"That's right… A few of these fletchings would make my arrow miss if the wind is bad."
She let out a breath. Released some of the tension in her shoulders.
"Okay. Thanks, Hyoren. Give me a moment."
Elise set to work. She brought out the blue feathers of the Vent Crow. She selected the best ones. Then she took a small knife from her belt. Began shaping the feathers.
Then she removed the old fletching from her arrows. Carefully. Without damaging the shafts.
She applied the leftover Tangler resin they still had. It will hold the new fletching in place.
She worked fast but methodologically. Each arrow was placed in front of her eyes. Testing the balance. Checking the symmetry. Fletching with a bad angle would make her arrow skew from the target. A missed shot could mean death in this world.
One arrow. Two arrows. Three.
As she worked, Hyoren also checked his spear.
The weapon had already taken a few beatings from multiple battles.
He examined the blade part first. The dark steel gleamed under the morning light. The durability still held. No cracks. No chips. He tested the edge against his thumb. Still quite sharp. But not as sharp as it could be.
He took a whetstone from his bag. Began sharpening the blade.
After he finished sharpening the tip, he checked the connection. Where the steel dagger met the wooden shaft.
The Tangler rope still held. The resin was still good. But he noticed a few parts had weakened. The constant impact had loosened some areas.
He reinforced it with new resin. Adding layers. Strengthening the bond. Making sure the blade wouldn't fly off mid-swing.
As he stood to test the balance, Elise also looked up.
"I'm done, Hyoren."
There were ten arrows in front of her. All with fresh blue fletching.
"You really work fast, Elise..."
She looked proud. A small smile on her lips.
"Well… I'm used to it. I've trained in the way of the arrow since I was ten years old."
She gathered the arrows. Inspected them one more time.
"If I can't do this much, then what kind of ranger am I?"
She chuckled softly.
It seemed working on something had made her tension drop. Her shoulders were more relaxed. Her ears still twitched occasionally. Alert for danger. But she could finally smile without forcing it.
Hyoren faced the horizon. The dual suns had started to climb.
"Time to pack up, Elise?"
Elise packed her arrows back into the quiver. She stood and dusted off her short skirt. Brushing away the grass and dirt.
"Right. Let's pack up."
They worked together to dismantle their camp.
Hyoren broke the makeshift bed. Next, he doused the campfire with sand. Meanwhile, Elise picked up the four square Ward Stones.
Elise adjusted her gear. Her bow rested comfortably on her back. Her quiver at her hip. Her pouch of potions secured to her belt.
"Time to leave the grassland, Hyoren. You ready?"
Hyoren shouldered his bag. Gripped his spear. The familiar weight was comforting.
"Let's go, Elise. I can’t wait to see the road. And civilization after more than a month only seeing trees, then another trees, then now, grass, another grass. Haha."
Elise chuckled a bit. The tension in her shoulders was still there. But not enough to be noticeable. Not enough to slow her down.
"Fufu. Let's go!"
Both Hyoren and Elise started the last day of their journey through the grassland. They walked side by side. Their steps matching. Their pace steady. Quick. But not exhausting.
***
Hyoren looked to the sky.
The smaller Sol and bigger Luna were almost reaching their zenith. The two suns hung in the sky. Casting their combined light down on the grassland below.
Autumn wind made the air cool. It carried the scent of drying grass.
They still sweated as they used a quick pace. Their bodies working hard. But the weather made the pace comfortable. The cool air was a blessing. Keeping them from overheating. Keeping them moving.
Elise wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her silver hair was tied back in its usual ponytail. But strands had escaped. Clinging to her temples and neck.
"We should leave the grassland and reach the road soon, Hyoren."
She was squinting at the horizon. Her emerald eyes scanning the distance.
The terrain was changing subtly. The endless waves of grass were giving way to something else. Hardy trees and scrub bushes were becoming more frequent.
Signaling the edge of the grassland.
Trees and trees scattered around. They were not dense. Not towering like the forest they had left behind. But they stood as markers.Indicating the boundary between the wild grassland and the beginning of civilization.
Hyoren felt a wave of relief wash over him.
"That is nice..." he exhaled slowly.
"I can't wait to see civilization. After more than a month living like a wild man."
He ran a hand through his hair. It had grown long and unruly. Falling past his ears. Falling into his eyes. He pushed it back.
His clothes were made from horned rabbit pelts. Patched together with Tangler rope and resin. They had served him well. But they were tattered now. Remnants of many battles since his journey began.
He felt a deep yearning for the simple comforts he had taken for granted. A bed. A bath. A real cooked meal. Not roasted meat over a campfire. But a proper meal.
"Fufu…" Elise giggled.
"You really look like a wild man."
She looked him up and down. A teasing glint in her emerald eyes.
"If you try to enter the city alone looking like that, the guards might try to attack you."
She laughed softly.
He did look the part. A primitive hunter. Armed with a crude spear. Draped in furs. His hair wild. His face unshaven. Everything about him screamed danger. Uncivilized.
"Give me a break, Elise! What choice do I have!"
He spread his arms. Gesturing at his makeshift gear. At his tattered clothes. At his crude spear.
"I didn't choose this!" his voice was raised. But there was humor underneath.
"It was survival! I haven't exactly had time to visit a tailor in the forest!"
Elise laughed again. Brighter this time. She held her mouth with her hand.
"Easy, Hyoren. Easy…" she waved her hand, trying to calm him down.
"That's why I'm with you, right? So the guards won't attack you instantly."
Reassuring smile appeared on her face.
"And we'll fix your appearance after we enter the city. Get you proper clothes. A proper weapon. A bath. Maybe even a shave."
But despite the lighthearted banter, their eyes were constantly moving. Scanning the dips and swales of the land. Looking for threats. Looking for movement.
The emptiness was still bothering Hyoren.
No howls. No calls. No rustling in the grass.
Hyoren scanned the horizon. The scattered trees. The patches of scrub.
"It's really empty though, Elise." He spoke quietly. The humor fading from his voice.
"I haven't even heard any howling since yesterday."
He shook his head.
"And for two days. We haven't encountered a single monster. Let alone a slime."
He gestured at the sky. At the land around them.
"There's Vent Crows passing from time to time. But they didn't land. Meaning there's no carcass around."
No carcass meant no dead animals. No dead monsters. Nothing for the scavengers to feed on.
Elise's expression sobered. The teasing light in her eyes faded. Replaced by the alertness.
"It's indeed eerie..." She spoke softly.
"It's like the calm before a storm."
She picked up the pace slightly. Her hand drifting closer to her bow. Her fingers brushing the fletching of her arrows.
"I hope nothing happens until we reach the road."
They continued walking. Side by side. The peaceful journey felt too good to be true. And in this world, that usually meant it was.
***
When the suns started leaving their zenith, something happened.
The road was close. They could almost taste it. The promise of civilization. Safety. But now it felt far away. Distant. Unreachable.
Both of them suddenly halted.
It hit them at the same time. A primal sensation. A warning. Their instincts screamed at them in unison.
Dread.
Hyoren froze. Every muscle in his body tensed. His hand tightened on his spear. The wood creaked under his grip. His instincts were screaming at him. The air was wrong. The silence was wrong. Everything was wrong.
"Elise!" His voice came out tight. Strained.
"Did you feel it?"
Her head snapped toward the horizon. Her senses on high alert. Her ears twitched. Her eyes narrowed. Her whole body—not only shoulder—tensed.
"Hyoren. This is bad. Really bad."
She swallowed hard.
"This feeling. It's definitely an Apex."
Her hand moved to her bow.
"My instinct was right. We really should have circled around the grassland. Damn it."
Her jaw tightened.
"The anomaly I felt since we entered the grassland... now it makes sense."
She turned to him. Her emerald eyes locked into his
"The green wolf pack isn't gone. They're under the rule of their Apex. No wonder there was a single wolf attacking us on the first day. And the small patrol we found. They weren't acting based on instinct anymore. They were receiving orders from their Apex."
Hyoren absorbed her words.
"Apex? Is it like a warlock of the Shadowden Collective?"
"It's different but similar."
Elise's eyes scanned the terrain. Looking for movement.
"If this is left unchecked, it will become another Warlock. So when adventurers see an Apex of monsters, they're advised to report to the guild. So the guild will issue a hunting quest."
Her voice dropped an octave.
"We don't want another Shadowden Collective to settle."
As they continued talking, Elise finally saw it.
In the shallow valley ahead of them. A pack of green wolves was on the move.
There were twelve green wolves. Moving in formation. Not scattered. Not random.
And leading them was one bigger green wolf.
But it wasn't the number of them that made their blood run cold.
It was the one that led them.
It was larger than the others by a significant margin. Its shoulders broader. Its frame more muscular. Its fur a darker green. It moved with an aura of absolute authority.
This was no ordinary wolf.
This was their higher being. Their Apex.
And it had just looked up.
Its piercing yellow eyes locked directly onto them.
Hyoren felt his heart stop. The gaze was intelligent. Calculating. Not the mindless hunger of a beast. But the cold assessment of a predator. A leader.
"Alpha Green Wolf.. This is really bad."
She turned to Hyoren. Her face pale.
"Hyoren, run! Now!"
The pack had seen them. The Alpha was already letting out a low, commanding growl. The sound vibrated through the air. It sent the other wolves fanning out. Beginning to encircle them.
They were being surrounded.
Running was not an option. The wolves were too fast. Too organized.
Hyoren was already preparing. His body reacting on his survival instinct. The training from his father. Honed by a month of isolation in the Forest of No Return. Every lesson. Every battle. Every near-death experience. It all turned into this moment.
His knuckles white on the shaft of his spear.
He looked at Elise. His expression resolute. The face of a man who had already made his decision.
"Elise. If this goes bad... you run."
He swallowed.
"I'll hold them back. Run to the city. Alert the Adventurer's Guild."
He gave her a smile. A thin smile. Meant to be reassuring. But etched with the feeling of sacrifice. The smile of a man accepting his death so another could live.
But Elise wasn't looking at him with fear.
She was looking at him with fire in her eyes. A fire that mirrored his own.
She remembered her past. Her traumatic experience. When her fiancé, Kael, sacrificed himself so she could run to safety. The guilt that had haunted her for fifteen years. The weight she carried every day.
Then the tale of Princess Eleanora. The lone hero who had stood against a dragon with her fiancé. Who had watched him die. Who had lost everything to achieve victory.
She saw that same spirit in the man before her. This otherworlder. This stranger who had survived against all odds. Who was willing to face a pack of wolves alone to give her a chance to escape.
"No."
The word came out strong. Defiant.
"I won't run."
She stepped forward. Stood beside him. Her bow in her hand.
"I don't want to experience this anymore. Not again."
Her voice cracked slightly. But her resolve didn't waver.
"And the wolves are fast. Running is futile."
She looked him in the eyes. Emerald meeting black.
"We stand together. We fight together."
Hyoren saw the fire in her eyes. The fire that was going to defy fate. The eyes that said she had had enough of traumatic experiences. Enough of losing someone just so she could be safe. She didn't want it anymore.
The Alpha Green Wolf let out a bone-chilling howl.
A signal.
The sound tore through the silence. Echoing across the grassland. It sent the pack surging forward. Racing toward them.
But Hyoren and Elise didn't budge. They stood their ground.
The Alpha seemed to pause. Surprised by their lack of fear. Its yellow eyes narrowed with an intelligence that normal green wolves lacked. It tilted its head. Studying them.
"Okay…" Hyoren exhaled. His grip tightening on his spear.
"We fight together."
He glanced at Elise. Planning.
"Elise, keep running around. Attack them from range. Please keep me from being surrounded."
Elise nodded. Her hand already moving to her bag.
She quickly retrieved a bottle. Filled with yellow liquid. The contents sloshing inside.
She thrust it toward Hyoren.
"Use this. Dreambloom Nectar. Quickly."
Hyoren didn't need an explanation. He already used it before. When he faced the goblin warband to save Elise. And he was going to need it again. Every advantage. Every boost. Every edge he could get.
He took the bottle. Drank the contents in one swift motion.
The liquid slid down his throat. Almost immediately, he felt the effects. A surge of power. Heightened senses. Increased reflexes.
Elise drank her own bottle. Her eyes closing briefly as the nectar took effect.
Both of them would need everything they had if they wanted even a small chance of facing this Apex.
After they drank, they prepared for battle.
The wolves were closing the distance. The ground shook with their approach.
"Let's go, Elise."
Hyoren raised his spear. His heart pounding. His blood rushing.
"We can do this."
She was drawing her bow. Nocking an arrow.
"Good luck, Hyoren."
Her voice was steady. Determined.
"May Sylvana give her blessing and let us live through this."
Meanwhile, Hyoren already charged to meet the wolf pack.