Their hunt stretched on through the day. Rank didn't matter anymore, even lower beasts served as moving practice dummies.

They pushed themselves, trying out new ways to fuse their affinities, testing range, control, and timing. Arden made sure they didn't just fight one by one but pressed together, drilling them with Umbral Pulse Convergence, his pulse anchoring theirs so attacks landed in sync.

"Again," he said after Rael's lightning and Nyra's ice clashed midair. "If you can't weave, you'll waste half your energy. Keep the tempo."

Rael groaned. "You sound like my old instructor."

Nyra smirked. "Difference is, this one actually knows what he's doing."

Arden didn't argue. He simply moved them again, every clash of energy tied to the pulse of his life force. Slowly, they began to flow more like a unit than scattered blades.

That training was what carried them into the next challenge.

Arden stopped suddenly, his gaze narrowing toward the east. "Something's there."

Rael straightened. "Beast?"

"No," Arden said slowly. "A herb… like the Crimson Lotus herb back with Boro's caravan. We may have found something rare."

Nyra's eyes lit up. "Then let's go before someone else finds it."

Arden lifted a hand, cautioning them. "Not so fast. Rare things always come guarded. We take this slow."

Even as he said it, excitement stirred in him.

It wasn't as vast as the lotus herb he'd found before, which meant the danger shouldn't match either. Still, his instincts kept him sharp.

The terrain shifted as they closed in.

The earth sank into swamp, the air heavy and wet. Steam rose in thick waves, muffling sound and blurring vision.

Every breath burned faintly in their lungs, the swamp heat clinging like chains. Aether control felt sluggish here, spells dragging as if soaked in mud.

Rael scowled. "Feels like I'm carrying weights inside my chest."

Nyra tested a small frost shard. The crystal formed slower than usual, edges dull. "This swamp dampens flow. Clever place to grow a herb."

Arden inhaled and exhaled steadily. His own channels pulsed without struggle. The lotus harmonization in him cut through the swamp's suppression. "It won't hold me down. But for you, it's a good test."

Zephyra's low growl rumbled as she sniffed the air, cerulean flames twitching uneasily.

The herb revealed itself soon enough, glowing faintly within the mire, crimson petals curled in tight bloom, resting atop water black as ink. But it wasn't alone.

Figures stirred from the swamp, six of them, crawling from the mire on elongated limbs.

Their bodies were lean but scaled, with swamp-green armor that oozed with sludge. Yellow eyes gleamed, their mouths dripping with corrosive slime.

[Danger Detected]

Name: Mireclaw Dreadlings

Rank: B

Affinity: Water / Corrosion

Traits:

Swamp Bind – Territory suppresses enemy aether flow, amplifying their own.

Pack Instinct – Move and strike in coordinated swarms.

Toxic Slime – Their claws drip with corrosive sludge that eats through armor and barriers.

Abilities:

Acid Rend – Slashing attacks coated in corrosive slime.

Mire Surge – Can drag swamp water up into constricting whips.

Toxin Spray – Launches corrosive liquid in a wide arc.

Pack Roar – Amplifies strength and speed when multiple Dreadlings howl together.]

Arden read it and gave his group quick instructions. "Don't let them surround you. Their claws will eat through defenses. Keep moving, and don't waste energy fighting the swamp. Rael, take the flanks. Nyra, control the middle. Zephyra—"

Zephyra growled, flames crackling louder.

"—burn their ground if they cluster."

The three nodded, and just like that, the swamp erupted in chaos.

The first Dreadling lunged, claws dripping green acid.

Rael darted forward, lightning crackling around his arms. He slammed his gauntlet down, ice swirling before lightning surged through it, freezing and shocking the beast in one go. The swamp hissed as the body twitched and sank.

Another roared, whipping swamp water like ropes. Nyra's hands blurred, ice shards spun by wind spiraling outward. They sliced clean through the ropes, snapping them midair before slamming into the beast's scaled chest. The wind carried frost deeper, cracking its armor.

A third came low, circling to flank, but Zephyra moved faster.

With a guttural snarl, she pounced, claws blazing with cerulean fire. She tore across its body, flames blooming outward like petals, burning swamp sludge away in a brilliant lotus burst.

Two more roared together, pack instinct activating, their speed suddenly doubling as their claws flashed. They targeted Arden.

Arden stood calmly, his shield blossoming before him. "Lotusfang Aegis."

The claws slammed down, but the aegis split into petal layers, bending and adjusting with each strike. When their force peaked, Arden pulsed his life energy.

The shield flared, echoing their power back in a shockwave that blasted both away.

He followed immediately, crimson lotus flares forming in his palms. He threw them like spears, the energy burning through swamp water before punching holes in scaled flesh. Two beasts fell twitching into the mire.

"Focus!" Arden called out. "Don't let the swamp pull you down!"

The fight carried on with bursts of power. Rael unleashed Crimson Lotus Conduction, his gauntlet blazing with frost and lightning fused together. Every strike left chains of ice following his lightning, locking Dreadlings in place before the shock finished them.

Nyra expanded her Crimson Lotus Veil, winds cutting and ice biting, slowing every beast that stepped into her range. With a flick of her hand, she fused both elements, forming a Glacial Tempest that dragged two Dreadlings in at once, shredding them under hail and gales.

Zephyra howled, her Crimson Bloom Strike exploding outward. Her claws carved through another, flames bursting into lotus shapes that fanned wide with slicing wind. The swamp hissed as it burned.

The last one tried to escape, screeching as it fled toward the mire.

Arden moved without hesitation. His hand pulsed with life energy, forming a chain of lotusflame.

With a snap, it wrapped the beast's neck, dragging it back before exploding into a flare that ended it cleanly.

Silence followed, broken only by their breathing and the faint hiss of acid dissolving in the swamp.

Rael leaned on his knees, panting, though still grinning. "Now that… was training. Miserable swamp, disgusting beasts… but not bad."

Nyra flicked her frost from her fingers, smirking. "Speak for yourself. I felt like I was carrying both of you out there."

"Lies." Rael pointed at Arden. "You see her? Getting cockier by the day. This is what you did."

Arden only smiled faintly. "If she's growing stronger, I'll take the blame."

Zephyra gave a low chuff, flames dimming as her body relaxed.

Arden stepped toward the glowing herb, its crimson light shimmering atop the dark water. "We'll take it. But remember, this was more than a herb hunt. You saw it, even under suppression, we can cut through if we trust our flow."

Nyra folded her arms, still smirking. "So… next time, something harder?"

Rael immediately chimed in. "Yes. Harder, and with more rewards."

Arden looked at both of them, then at Zephyra, before his gaze returned to the herb. His lips curved into a calm smile. "That's exactly what i had in mind."

The swamp quieted, but in Arden's heart, fire stirred.

Their training was no longer just survival. It was sharpening them into something the Outlands, and the world beyond wouldn't ignore.

A/N:

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