The cavern reeked of decay, its shadows stretg long and jagged uhe flickering light of Lyra’s staff. The Manticore’s massive form domihe space, its amber eyes gleaming with malice. Muscles rippled beh its tawny fur, and its scorpion tail twitched, dripping venom onto the rocky ground.

  Lyra took a cautious step forward, her druidic magic curling around her voice like mist over a still ke.

  “Peace,” she intoned, her words ced with old magic. “We mean you no harm.”

  The beast hesitated. For a moment, the cave seemed to hold its breath.

  Then, the Manticore’s ears fttened. It roared, the force of it shaking dust loose from the cavern walls, and lunged.

  Lyra barely had time to react. She thrust her staff forward, and a barrier spell fred ience just in time to absorb the strike. The impact rattled her bones, sending her skidding back.

  “So much for diplomacy,” Garett muttered behind his helm, shifting into a bat stance. He moved with a calcuted ease, his pleaming as he positioned himself between Lyra and the chargi.

  With a swift motioilted his helm just enough to expose his mouth and pulled a small vial from his belt. A crimson liquid swirled within—the Ramvarg potion. He dow in one gulp, feeling its raw alchemical potency surge through his veins. His reflexes sharpened, his senses hoo a razor’s edge.

  Lyra’s eyes narrowed. Ramvarg. That was a Fenralis-enhanced potion. But something about his movements felt... off. Fenralis warriors were known for their fortification spells and tank-like endurance, yet Garett moved like a shadow, slipping past the Manticore’s swipes instead of meeting them head-on.

  The beast lunged again, cws fshing like steel. Garett pivoted, but it was too te, the attack ects.

  A flickering barrier of energy fred around him—the Azeroth Drive activating on its own.

  Relief flickered in Garett’s mind, he already k worked earlier, but he had no idea how much strain it could handle nor how reliable it was. He couldn't afford to rely on it recklessly. The stist in him made mental notes of the data.

  Nyx hissed from above, her wing-like ears fluttering as she darted through the air. With a flick of her tail, she whipped up a slig wind, cutting across the Manticore’s fnk. The beast snarled and turoward the celestial familiar, momentarily distracted.

  “Now!” Lyra called, her hands weaving a sigil in the air.

  "Gcialis Mortem!"

  A bst of jagged ice surged from her staff, spearing into the Manticore’s eyes. Frost bloomed along its skull, freezing deep into the sockets. The beast screamed, thrashing wildly as frost-thored from the wounds.

  Garett saw his opening.

  "Lancea Fenriris," he whispered, surging forward.

  His polearm spiraled in a brutal thrust, the air twisting violently around it. The drilling impact tore through the Manticore’s ribcage, sending a shockwave that rattled the cavern walls. The beast let out a final, choked roar, its legs giving out beh it.

  The cave fell silent.

  Garett held his stance for a moment longer, his chest rising and falling with steady breaths. Then, he yanked his ohe st remnants of crimson-streaked frost breaking away from the wounds.

  Behind him, Lyra approached the falleure, her voice quiet. “I tried to reason with it,” she murmured. “But something is wrong with the Vale’s creatures. They’re restless.”

  Garett studied her expression. Guilt. He didn’t know why, but he reized it.

  Lyra shook her head, pushihoughts aside. “Help me with the extras. Then we’ll give it a proper passing.”

  Garett nodded, rolling his shoulders before kneeling beside the beast. He carved out one of the Manticore’s massive paws—proof of the kill for the Adventurer’s Guild. Meanwhile, Lyra carefully extracted the venomous stinger, sealing it in a gss vial.

  Only after the parts were secured did Lyra raise her staff once more.

  "Vnis."

  A pilr of white-hot fme engulfed the corpse, ing it in a matter of moments.

  As the fire died down, a low, sharp hiss broke the silence.

  Nyx nded between them, her golden eyes fixed on Garett with undisguised hostility. Her fur bristled, and her ears fttened as she let out another warning hiss.

  Garett regarded her impassively, making no move to challenge or soothe the creature.

  “Nyx,” Lyra murmured, steppiween them. She ran a gentle hand down the celestial familiar’s back, her touch calming. “It’s alright. He helped.”

  Nyx’s tail shed, but after a tense pause, she backed down, though her golden eyes never left Garett.

  Lyra exhaled, smiling faintly. "She’s overprotective. Give it time. Thank you, I wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t e."

  Garett gave a small nod, his expression unreadable.

  They stepped out of the cavern. The dying sun stretched long shadows over the trees, casting the world in a deep gold. Vallorien was closer than Eldermere, and night was ing.

  “We’ll head for the capital,” Lyra said, her voice thoughtful. “It’s safer.”

  Garett didn’t answer immediately. He gazed at the horizon, watg as the st light of day bled into twilight. His grip on his polearm was rexed, but there was a weight behind his silence.

  After a long pause, he finally said, "The’s not waste time."

  As they walked, the forest behind them faded into the dark, the echoes of the battle already slipping into memory.