The jungle breeze rustled through the thick canopy as Jasmine, Bella, and Cadel pushed forward, the scent of damp earth and wild flora filling the air. The Darkfang fight had left them exhausted, but the thrill of battle still lingered in their veins.
Cadel wiped the sweat from his brow and shot a grinning glance toward Jasmine. "You know, if I hadn't been here, that fight might've gone a whole lot worse for you two."
Jasmine barely spared him a look. "We fought just fine, Cadel."
Bella smirked, twirling her staff in lazy circles as she walked. "Correction—Jasmine fought fine. I fought fine. You got slashed, thrown, and generally beaten up for half the fight."
"Battle wounds," Cadel said smoothly, running a hand over his bandaged shoulder. "Evidence of heroism."
"Evidence of recklessness," Jasmine muttered, rolling her shoulders.
Cadel laughed, falling into step beside her. "Come on, Jasmine. Admit it. Without me, you'd be bored out here."*
Jasmine sighed, refusing to look at him, her expression unreadable—but Bella caught the faint twitch of her lips. "You'd love to believe that."
"I do believe it," Cadel declared, smirking. "Tell you what, after our next fight, when I save the day again—"
The jungle suddenly fell into dead silence.*
Bella stopped mid-step, her fingers tightening around her staff. Jasmine's daggers were already in her grip before she even realized she had drawn them. Cadel sensed it too—the unnatural stillness, the eerie weight pressing down on them.
Then—movement.
Not the rustling of leaves, not the shifting of animals—this was controlled, precise.
The Gyakiris stepped into view.
First, one emerged, its reptilian form gleaming beneath patches of bone-crafted armor, its golden eyes cold and calculating. Then another, its curved blades glinting, followed by two more,their presence pressing against the trio like a wall of impending battle.
"Oh… that's not good," Cadel murmured.
The largest of them, standing at least seven feet, stepped forward—its wicked blade resting over one shoulder, the air around it humming with restrained power. The Gyakiris did not move like wild beasts. They moved with purpose.With intelligence.
Jasmine's breath was steady, but her pulse quickened. "We need to—"
The brute Gyakiri suddenly raised its blade, and in a single fluid motion, slammed it into the ground.
A shockwave exploded outward, ripping through the jungle floor like a tremor. Trees shook, vines whipped violently, and the very earth shuddered beneath their feet.
Bella stumbled, Cadel barely managed to steady himself, and Jasmine snapped into a battle stance.
The brute tilted its head, studying them like a predator cornering prey.
"Fight well," it growled. "Or fall."
The Gyakiris attacked.
The jungle erupted into chaos as the Gyakiris attacked, their movements swift and terrifyingly coordinated.
Jasmine reacted instantly, her twin daggers igniting in brilliant flames**. She dashed forward, striking with precision, her fire scorching the air as she aimed for the nearest Gyakiri's exposed flank. But the beast was fast, twisting at the last second, its scaled armor deflecting the attack.
Bella stood her ground, her staff pulsing with raw earth energy, the jungle responding to her will. She raised her arms, and in an instant, vines erupted from the ground, snaking toward the enemy, trying to ensnare their legs.
The Gyakiri brute roared, swinging its massive blade downward, shattering the vines with raw force.
Cadel grinned, already summoning a storm of sand, the golden grains exploding outward, creating a blinding dust cloud. perfect cover.
"Now!" Cadel shouted, launching forward, his sandstorm swirling around him as he attacked with brute force, his blade colliding hard against the Gyakiri's weapon. Sparks flew. He held his ground, but the beast was strong,its sheer weight pressing against him.
Jasmine weaved through the sandstorm**, her fiery strikes fast and relentless, but the Gyakiris anticipated her, their movements unnaturally smooth, their golden eyes tracking her perfectly.
"They're reading us," Jasmine muttered under her breath, frustration curling in her voice.
Bella gritted her teeth, changing tactics—she slammed her staff into the ground**, sending shards of earth upward, forcing the Gyakiris to jump back.
"Stay close!" Bella warned. "If they flank us, we're done!"
The battle was intense, each second a test of survival. Blades clashed, magic surged, the jungle pulsing with elemental fury. But something was wrong.
They were losing ground.
One of the Gyakiris sidestepped Cadel's storm, appearing behind him in an instant. A devastating kick slammed into his back, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Cadel! Bella shouted, but she barely had time to react before a Gyakiri warrior rushed her, its blade slicing forward.
She **deflected the strike, but the force sent her **stumbling backward, her feet skidding against the earth.
Jasmine **pivoted**, raising her daggers, but the brute Gyakiri charged her directly**, its blade arcing downward in a flash. She dodged—barely.
Another Gyakiri appeared behind her, its tail whipping forward—
—And struck.
Pain exloded in Jasmine's ribs as she was thrown off balance, her vision blurring for a brief second.
That second was all they needed.
Iron cuffs snapped onto her wrists, dampening her fire magic instantly. She gasped, struggling, but it was too late.
Bella felt vines wrapping around her arms, draining her energy, her magic cut off in an instant.
Cadel roared, trying to summon sand, but his arms were clamped in chain, his elemental power snuffed out.
The jungle fell silent.
The Gyakiris stood victorious.
The brute Gyakiri tilted its head, examining them coldly, as though deciding if they were worth the trouble.
"You fought well," it mused, its golden eyes flickering. "But not well enough."
Jasmine gritted her teeth, glaring at her captors. "Where are you taking us?"
The brute smirked, a slow, chilling expression.
"To the one who decides your fate," it said simply.
The jungle swallowed them whole, dragging them deeper into the shadows.
And ahead of them, something far more dangerous waited.