CHAPTER 64: THE CAVE ENCOUNTER

The serpent pounced on Astrael while its fangs dripped acid that hissed against the stone below.

Astrael didn’t retreat this time. His muscles snapped taut like drawn steel, blood flaring red beneath his skin. He raised his sword high and roared—

"Clawdia, now!"

The feline beast exploded from the underbrush like silver lightning, with gleaming claws. She darted beneath the serpent’s strike, impossibly fast, and raked her talons across the gaping wound left by the boulder. Flesh tore open in a spray of black blood, the serpent’s hiss turning into a shriek that rattled the trees.

Astrael surged forward at the same instant. His blade, wrapped in writhing tendrils of blood energy, carved down into the soft scale of the serpent’s exposed neck. The force of the strike jarred his bones, but he pushed deeper, gritting his teeth as veins bulged against his skin.

The serpent’s body writhed as it smashed its tail into the ground, sending shockwaves that cracked the earth beneath their feet. Clawdia was thrown back but landed on her paws, circling, snarling with her fur bristled.

I have to finish immediately, otherwise we would be screwed! Astrael’s thoughts were a storm, his breath ragged.

He let out another roar, this one primal, ripping from his throat as he drove the blade downward with all the strength his Blood Berserker form could muster. The serpent’s scales split, blood spraying hot across his chest.

The monster bucked wildly, but Astrael clung to his hilt, refusing to be thrown. He yanked the blade free, pivoted with the force, and hacked again, deeper into the wound.

Clawdia leapt once more, her claws tearing into its eye, blinding one side. The serpent screeched, convulsing, acid spilling wildly into the dirt and sizzling trees.

And Astrael—half-mad with rage, his body screaming with strain—drove his sword a final time straight through the serpent’s skull.

The beast convulsed once more, then slumped while eying the golden eggs with reluctance. The ground trembled as its massive body collapsed, dust and blood rising into the air.

Astrael stood over it, chest heaving, blood energy flickering dangerously around him as if it might consume him too.

It’s... dead.

His arms shook violently, the edges of his vision blurring as fatigue crushed him from all sides.

"Not again"

Astrael’s vision gets blurry as the serpent’s corpse loomed above him like a mountain. His knees buckled. He tried to steady himself on the hilt of his sword, but his grip slipped from the blood, and his body gave way.

The last thing he felt was the ground rushing up to meet him, and Clawdia’s distressed snarl echoing faintly in his ears.

Darkness swallowed everything.

----

"Urgh!" When his eyes opened again, it wasn’t to the burning sun of the forest or the area where he fainted, but to a dim orange glow. The flickering and crackling of fire echoed off the stone walls. His body still ached, heavy as if he had fought the serpent a moment ago.

"Where am I?" Before he could even sit upright, something soft and warm leapt onto his chest.

"Urgh—!" Astrael coughed as a rough tongue dragged across his cheek. Clawdia, her silver fur ruffled but her eyes alive with relief, pressed her weight against him, licking his face insistently.

"Alright, alright... I’m not dead," he muttered hoarsely, managing the faintest chuckle even as his ribs protested the pressure. He raised a trembling hand, resting it gently on her head.

While doing so, he scans his surroundings, finding himself in a cave.

"Good girl... You dragged me here?" Astrael’s voice was a rasp, barely more than a whisper, but Clawdia’s ears twitched as if she understood. She pushed closer into his chest.

Though her eyes flicked warily toward the flickering orange light further inside the cavern.

That’s when Astrael finally noticed them.

Five figures sat gathered around the bonfire. Two women and three men, all clad in gear that immediately betrayed their trade — adventurers. Their armor bore scuffs and cracks from battle, weapons propped casually at their sides, though none of their hands strayed too far from reach.

"Well, look who finally wakes," one of the men remarked, his voice smooth but edged like steel. He had dark hair tied back, and the glint of chainmail beneath his cloak caught the firelight.

The taller of the women leaned forward slightly, her sharp eyes appraising Astrael like a merchant measuring coin weight. "We thought you weren’t going to make it," she said coolly, though the corner of her lips tugged into a smirk. "Your little pet was awfully protective while we dragged you in."

Clawdia’s ears flattened at the word pet, her body tensing against Astrael’s chest, a low growl vibrating from her throat.

"Easy," Astrael muttered, running a weary hand over her fur. He forced himself to sit upright, pain stabbing through his side. His eyes swept over the group with the wary sharpness of a cornered wolf. "Who are you people?"

One of the other men, a burly brute with a scar across his cheek, snorted. "That’s our line. We found you bleeding out at the edge of the forest. You were barely breathing. We should’ve left you there to the beast, but..." His eyes slid to Clawdia, still bristling. "She didn’t seem keen on the idea."

The second woman, younger and dressed in lighter leathers suited for speed, rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head at Astrael. "And now we’re all curious. You don’t look like a rookie, but you sure dropped like one."

Their leader — the dark-haired man who spoke first — raised a hand to quiet them, his gaze fixed squarely on Astrael. "The question is simple, stranger. What were you doing out there alone, fighting a beast that left even the trees half-melted?"

The fire crackled in the silence that followed, shadows stretching over Astrael’s tired face as he weighed his words.

Clawdia licked his cheek again, as if reminding him he wasn’t as alone as he looked.

Astrael let the silence hang, eyes fixed on the flames rather than the people. The ache in his body reminded him how close to death he’d been — and how much he hated depending on strangers. Still, they had dragged him out of the forest. Otherwise, he would be the meal of the beast in the forest. For that alone, he owed them words, if not the truth.

"...I was hunting," he finally said, his voice low and even.

The burly man with the scar barked a laugh. "Hunting? You call tangling with that serpent hunting? Thought you were bait at first."

Clawdia’s growl deepened, but Astrael steadied her with a hand, eyes narrowing. "Not bait but a mistake. I didn’t think to be that strong."

The taller woman leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, studying him. "So you knew it was there. You went after it deliberately."

Astrael met her gaze with a puzzled look. "What thing?"

The group exchanged glances, the younger woman letting out a sharp whistle. "You don’t know? Or you’re just playing the fool?"

Astrael tilted his head slightly, eyes steady but his face softening into a faintly innocent expression. "Eh? I was just hunting and training." His voice carried no tremor, as if that alone explained the blood on him.

The dark-haired leader leaned forward, his tone calm but cutting. "Risking your life to train. Either you’re a desperate fool... or you’re in dire need of strength. Which is it?"

The firelight carved shadows across Astrael’s face as he met the man’s gaze without flinching. "...Both."

Silence pressed in, the crackle of the flames the only sound. The group watched him closely, searching for lies in his answer, some hint of deceit. But Astrael’s expression gave nothing away.

Finally, the scarred man chuckled. "Well, whatever your reasons, you’ve got guts. Not brains, maybe, but guts."

"Alive is what matters," Astrael replied dryly, shifting his back against the cold cave wall. "And for that... I owe you."

The younger woman smirked, brushing stray hair from her face. "Owe us, huh? I’ll remember that."

Clawdia pressed closer into Astrael’s side, still staring daggers at the strangers. Her silver fur bristled whenever one of them glanced her way.

The leader raised a brow at her. "That beast of yours... doesn’t trust easily."

Astrael gave the faintest smile, his hand on her head. "She’s smarter than most people."

That earned a few chuckles, breaking the tension just enough for the fire’s crackle to fill the cave again.

The dark-haired man finally leaned back, his tone losing some of its edge. "Since fate’s seen fit to throw you into our fire, stranger, might as well know who you sit with. I’m Darius, and a warrior. I lead this crew, for better or worse." His eyes glinted like tempered steel as he gave a short nod.

The younger woman with the braid grinned at Astrael, teeth flashing in the firelight. "Mira. I am the mage"

Beside her, the other woman, quieter, shifted her cloak tighter around her shoulders. Her voice was soft, but steady. "Selene. I... am an archer."

One of the men, broad-shouldered with a scar dragging across his cheek, thumped his chest. "Jorek. I hit things."

The last, wiry and sharp-eyed, simply flicked a knife between his fingers before offering a smirk. "Tavion. An assassin."

"My name..." he began slowly, eyes narrowing as if weighing every word, when suddenly, the sound of crunching gravel echoed from deeper within the cave.

Everyone’s heads snapped toward the darkness.