The last watch of the night was an uneventful one.

Nar kept his senses up and extended to a wide radius around their tent, but other than the occasional shifting in the undergrowth, the darkness was peaceful, leaving the three auramancers to spend their time training their auras.

Just as the Master of Aura had told them, weeks ago, the process of strengthening their aura pathways was a straightforward and tedious one, if painful. Nar wasn't allowed to voice his pain, and, in some strange way, had come to find it liberating not to, but his watch companions didn't have such compelling over them, and Cor's whimpers and Tun's grunts occasionally disturbed the silent hours of the late night and early dawn.

When they did finally arrive, the three of them watched from the inside of the tent as the jungle's glow slowly rose to a crescendo, flowers, leaves, mushroom, climbing ivies and many, many others returned to their intense, and somewhat dizzying display of color and light.

The weather remained thankfully dry overnight, even if they did find a thin layer of moisture coating the outside of the tent as they unpacked after breakfast. It was a good thing that they would become dry and clean as soon as they went into their inventories, just as their weapons and gear did.

Once their campsite was stored, they assembled once more into the same three parallel lines and set out once again, following alongside the same stream as the previous day, though careful not to walk too close to it. Unless the list requirements demanded it, they had unanimously decided to try and avoid any kind of aquatic battles as much as possible.

For a good while, Nar was content to let the conversations whisper around him as they trudged through the dense foliage, going up and down the uneven terrain and somersaulting giant roots as needed. His mind replayed the scenes from the battle with the tygalos, focused on his usage of his [Aura Blade], and he mulled over the two flaws he had identified in his most powerful and useful skill.

From practice, he knew that reducing the amount of aura he pushed into his [Aura Blade] didn't make any difference to its wide radius of slash. Less aura only resulted in a weaker edge that dissipated more easily and that had more trouble penetrating and cutting through his targets…

Meaning, it's not a matter of just reducing the amount of aura, Nar thought, as he casually moved aside a heavy, flat and green growing frond from his path. Which means that there's something else I need to do.

Gather aura, gather intent, slash, hold his intent. These were the steps required to maintain the control of his [Aura Blade], and with practice, he had come to internalize them all, managing to shoot the skill with much more ease, reflex and automation. But nowhere in that procedure had the Master of Blades told him that he could, or should, actually shape the edge of the aura itself, so he was quite at a loss as to where to even begin.

Is it in the intent gathering phase? Do I need to think about the exact size of the blade too? He wondered. That seems a bit wild to do in the middle of battle, especially once I'm able to shoot them one after the other…

He shook his head, defeated for the moment. Not like he could really do anything without actual attempts anyway.

"This is mental," Mul whispered from the line to the left, drawing Nar's attention. The left line walked a few paces to their left, and they had sunken in amidst a knot of thick roots that reached as high as Tuk's head did.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Tuk asked. He walked behind the brawler, and his were eyes glued to the trail of green, glowing ants that climbed around the roots. Of course, one bite from a single one of those things was enough to render someone into a howling mess of agony, but, as long as they remained fair away from the insects, they were just another glowing sight in a jungle of them.

"It's…" Mul seemed to catch himself and threw a glare towards Tuk. However, catching the ring tosser lost in wonder at the display of color around him, he stopped himself short, and his shoulders eased. "Yeah. It is beautiful."

Tuk's only reply was a nod, his dumb grin growing even wider.

"The fact that you know where this crossing is, does it mean that the jungle never changes?" Kur asked from up ahead of Nar's line. "I mean, something like a log over a stream doesn't sound exactly like a permanent feature. Or is it?"

Sej, who walked in front of Nar, squinted at something high above their heads, in the dark canopy far ahead, but then resumed walking.

"It is in the Brightnight. Well, more or less," she replied. "While there are always some small changes, the Brightnight always regenerates around the same blueprint. It only changes when the domain itself resets."

"After the war quests?" Row asked from in front of Kur.

"Yes. The reset always comes with major changes, and while the areas of the Brightnight are always the same in concept, they can still change a lot. For example, on this iteration there are three massive rivers splitting the Jungle Tops into four main areas, but on the previous one there were five smaller rivers instead," Sej said, dodging under a large, growing frond and holding it up for Nar to pass under.

"Thanks," he said, earning a nod and a smile from the blue human.

"But… That's a huge difference!" Kur said.

"It is. And it's not just the terrain that changes. The location of resources and beasts can be completely different too," Sej said.

Damn… Nar thought as he cast a routine glance at the shadows behind them, and thankfully finding nothing but gnarled roots, bushes and swaying leaves from their own passage.

"That's crazy," Row whispered.

"The first one or two months after a reset are usually spent in a frenzy of re-mapping out the whole thing again," their guide said. "And there are expert guides who take care of that for the local guilds. But until that's done, most people tend to stay away from the dungeon and all operations are put on hold."

"Isn't that a huge loss for the guilds operating the Brightnight, then?" Kur asked. "An interruption like that is…"

"One can only trigger the war quest once every five years, and the price for doing it is staggering," Sej said. "Not only does it need to give the Offices a massive lump of money, given all the great rewards you can reap from the war quest, you also need to contractually offer the local guilds a profit that is bigger than their loss while you hamper their operations by taking their slots inside the dungeon, and then, while the domain is being re-mapped and operations resume."

"Wait…" Kur said, hesitantly. "So those two guilds didn't just force their way in?"

Sej chuckled. "To the locals, they did, even if they did everything by the book. But the local guilds are only the bottom of the chain, Kur. Just subsidiaries of bigger guilds and corporations, which in turn are also subsidiaries of even bigger guilds and corporations. So, it's not that easy for them to just be rolled over like that. Even for your guild, as big as it is, it had to put in a request through the proper channels, which required hearings at arbitration courts, legalities and forms, promises, payments, fees and Crystal know what else. The fact that it was done while there were two guilds already mid-war quest and that it all got done and approved in less than two months, means that Tsurmirel spent a pretty enormous bill to steamroll it. So big I can't even put a number on it! Radiants! I wish I was rich…"

"Crystal," Rel whispered. "The more I hear of the Nexus, the more insane it seems. Why didn't Tsurmirel just pick another domain?"

"Beats me," Sej said, shrugging. "A guild as large as yours might as well be a god in itself. Who can freaking understand the actions of a 27 billion people collective like that?"

"When you put it like that…" Row said. "Damn…"

"I know that feeling," Sej said. "Just remember that out here, there is always someone bigger than you, that the nobles are usually above that, and then that the government and the Church usually comes in above that. It's not so simple, of course, and things get blurry between the nobles, government and the Church. But as long as you keep to your place, and you're respectful, things are usually pretty alright, and none of the big players ever bother with you. Well, at least not intentionally… People's entire lives can still change at the whims of any big corp."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Good fucking Crystal, Nar thought, shaking his head at that.

"And sometimes you just get swept in-between these big players, too. When that happens, just hope for the best, hide, and pray for it to end quickly," Sarke said from up ahead, her tone devoid of any emotion.

"Helenorea, Sarke! No need to be like that!" Sej said, sighing.

"What? You started it yesterday!" the reptilian guide snapped.

"It's fine," Row quickly said. "Our teachers are worse than that, anyways. And it's good to know."

"Yeah…" Kur said darkly. "It's always better to know."

"Anyways, back to your original question, most guides tend to memorize specific paths and landmarks in each iteration," Sej said. "And it's through these paths that we guide parties through the jungle. Of course, you guys still need to purchase the maps, and there's no telling which way we're actually going to go through. A lot can happen here that changes plans."

"Got it," Kur said, his tone so defeated that Sej burst out laughing.

"Hey! It's not so bad. You get used to it," she said, slapping his back. "Anything's better than a cubeplant anyways, right?"

That much is for sure, Nar thought, grimacing as he noticed a large, glowing centipede scurry across his path.

About an hour later, following eastwards along the stream, they came up to the aforementioned tumbled log, hanging over the glowing blue stream. Its top was covered in green, glowing growth, and vines and leaves dangled down from it, creating a darkened area underneath the log where anything could be hiding in.

"One of you shot an arrow into those vines," Sej said, eyeing those vines.

Rel moved faster than Jaz, and shot an arrow at the vines.

"Again," Sej said. "A bit more to the other side this time."

Rel did as required, and Sej nodded when nothing happened.

"Some beasts like to hide in these, and snatch you as you cross. They're cowards though, and a little noise is enough to scare them," Sej explained. "This one seems clear, but we should be careful of the vines covering the other side as well."

"I'll remember that," Kur said. "Alright, Nar. Off you go."

Nar shot him a look.

"What? You can't tell me you're not the best for it?" Kur asked him with an innocent smile gracing his lips.

However, his display was entirely ruined by Row's open, evil grin behind him.

Nar sighed. "Fine. I guess I am."

"And don't go too fast," Kur added, as Nar climbed up the broken log. "Make sure there's nothing in the water too."

As in, make sure you stay there long enough to get anything to jump at you, Nar thought bitterly.

He pursed his lips, but kept climbing up the fallen tree.

Moss and short, stubby, leafy plants covered the top of the log with glowing purple, and it was slippery from moisture, but other than that, it was actually wide enough for both Gad and Tun to walk side by side in relative comfort.

"Seems fine for now," Nar told the others, as he stood at the middle of the log, staring down at the placid waters on either side.

"Alright, Mul, you're up next," Kur said. "And be ready for anything on the other side."

The brawler leaped up onto the log without issues, and the two of them quickly made it across.

"It's a lot denser on this side," Mul whispered, eyeing the vines. "Where are we supposed to go?"

The downed tree trunk disappeared into a dense wall of glowing orange foliage, and Nar raised his sword, ready for anything. Just then, there was a slight shift in the curtain of vines and he tensed.

"Nar?" Mul whispered.

He raised his left hand and motioned at the brawler to stay behind him. The vines shifted again and both of them lowered into stance.

"Something's moving in there," Nar said into their domain party chat.

"Yes! I heard it too, just there!" Jul said.

"Ranged, get ready," Kur said. "Raf, hop onto the log but don't go over yet. Sej, any ideas?"

"Could be anything in there," Sej said. "Nar, you can try to cut down some of those vines with your [Aura Blade] and see if anything jumps out. Just don't go too crazy."

"Alright," Nar said.

He pushed on his senses to the max and edged a half-step closer to the vines, prepping his [Aura Blade]. Behind him, he heard Mul's fists cracking as he tightened them, ready for anything, and further behind Raf's even, slow breathing, he caught the sounds of bows being drawn from the other side of the stream.

There was a sigh from beyond the foliage and Nar clenched his jaw, aura flooding his pathways and igniting his blade… And a gray shadow pounced from the orange, glowing vines. Thanks to his practice, Nar had no issues canceling his [Aura Blade] and slashed at the creature instead.

The beast twisted midair, its sinuous body contorting around Nar's blade, and its neck stretched forth, blue dripping from fangs as a black, forked tongue licked the air where Nar's head had just been.

Sidestepping the beast, Nar swung his sword again, this time aiming for the beast's center of mass, but the creature leaped backwards into the vines once more.

"Cut them down!" Kur said. "The ranged will cover you!"

Not wasting time in confirming the order, Nar's [Aura Blade] leaped forth from his blade, slicing through the orange vines with ease. There had been little aura in the skill however, and it didn't travel far, but it was enough to do its shop.

Two bows sang in the confusion, and the beast grunted from behind the falling curtain of vines, its sinuous body briefly exposed to the archers' deadly aim.

[Aura Quickening]! And leaped forward, his glowing blade thrust ahead of him to pierce into the creature's body. However, the sword met resistance, being held back by the creature's HP, and it didn't penetrate far enough to cause any serious damage.

There was an angry gurgle from behind vines that hadn't been cut down, and then the beast rushed off, running from them.

"Is it over?" Kur asked.

"I think so," Nar said, his heart hammering in his chest from the sudden explosion of violence, even as his breathing remained steady.

"Jul?" the party leader asked.

"Nothing," the quam said. "And… I'm sorry. I didn't hear it until it was too late."

"It's fine," Nar said, allowing himself to relax a little. "Even my [Instinct] didn't react until the last moment."

"Probably because it wasn't going to attack you," Sej explained. "Beasts can sense strong and weak prey, and they always aim for the weakest. It would've waited in hiding until we crossed to snatch either the ranged, healers or casters, but it had to move out of the way from Nar."

"What was it?" Tuk asked.

Nar looked down at the blood sizzling down the tip of his sword.

"Dark red blood, dark gray skin but no hair. Muscled. Red spots and some kind of appendages around its face, I think," Nar described. "Black spines on its neck, and it stretched. Plus, I think some kind of blue poison on its fangs and the tongue was…"

"A watan," Sej said. "A pup, given how it ran away. A full adult would've fought to the death, and be a whole lot of a bigger problem."

"That was a pup?" Mul asked, taking the words right out of Nar's mind. "Thing looked bigger than Tun!"

"They get a lot bigger. A lot," Sej said. "It should be safe for us to cross now, though. Nothing else is going to be near a watan."

"Alright, Raf, will you go over next?" Kur asked, resuming normal speech. "And then Tun?"

Nar stepped forward into the shadowed jungle, cutting down vines as he proceeded with Mul following closely by and alert to anything around them. Raf and Tun soon joined them, and together, Nar and the ax-man cut a larger area around the log until they found clear jungle again.

A pup, eh? Nar wondered, recounting the encounter. The thing had looked powerfully built, with four limbs thicker than his legs, and paws that ended in three long, razor sharp looking black claws. Imagine a full sized one, then…

"This place is wild," Raf said, as he trimmed a few more of the glowing, orange vines. "It's beautiful and amazing, but also insane and you can die at any moment."

Nar nodded gravely at his words, as he allowed his eyes to roam the quiet jungle past the suffocating vines.

Quiet was probably not the right way to describe it. Birds chirped constantly from unseen nests and perches high up in the darkened canopy, and flies buzzed annoyingly close to his face no matter how much insect repellent he had caked and smeared on it. Other insects clicked from the underbrush and the vines above their heads, and the random, distant shrieks or roars echoed from somewhere in that endless jungle every couple of minutes.

The Jungle Tops had a never ceasing hubbub of its own, and even during the pitch-black night, when the beasts went silent, the insects still filled the darkness with a relentless droning.

"Every time I think I've seen the most insane thing out here, something else shows up to take its place," Raf said, scanning the glowing flora before them with an almost vacant look.

"Right?" Nar said, glancing at the big human.

He had wondered about it before, but now that he was talking to Raf, he felt a bit more certain of it. There was something… Odd, about the ax-man. It wasn't anything bad or that aroused suspicion or concern in Nar. Quite the contrary, Raf just seemed a whole lot more… Tranquil? Was that the right word? Serene?

I felt it yesterday, but now I'm sure of it, Nar thought, looking away before he was caught staring. There's something… Well, calming about him.

Without knowing any better, the only thing that came to mind was that it was the effects of Raf's affinity, except for the fact that the big guy hadn't unlocked his yet. Before he could think any deeper into it, however, the others started flowing into the jungle from the stream, and soon they were all together again.

"Good job," Kur told Nar.

"Didn't really do much," Nar said, shaking his head. "And it still ran away."

"You did a great job of crossing over and dealing with the threat, opening the way forward for us," Kur clarified, smiling. "And I'm not looking forward to seeing the grown-up version. That thing looked big. Even from the other margin."

Kur sighed, scanning the dense bushes before them. "You just never know with this place. Can't ever let our guard down."

Nar nodded.

Even now, in that moment of relative peace, there was no telling if anything was staring at them from the shadows, holding its breath and readying to strike at the opportune moment…

Well, Tys was right, he thought. The place is definitely memorable.

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