As they walked deeper into the forest, the distant echoes of other participants carried through the trees—faint shouts, ughter, and even the occasional frustrated groan. Maya kicked a small pebble out of her path, sending it tumbling across the soft ground.

  “What do you think the others are making?” she asked. Her tone was casual, though her curiosity was clear. “Their creature ingredient has got to be easier than whatever that group back there was dealing with.”

  “Unless it’s worse,” Fenix muttered, his brow furrowing at the thought. “But I hope it's not since we still need Ashserpent meat.”

  “Yeah, with our luck, the Ashserpent is probably the most dangerous thing on the list,” Maya muttered, crossing her arms.

  Fenix shot her a look. “Don’t jinx us, Maya.”

  They continued through the woods, weaving between thick tree trunks and stepping over roots that twisted up from the forest floor like gnarled fingers. The air around them began to change—subtle at first, but Fenix noticed it creeping in. The cool, damp air of the woods was gradually repced by a strange warmth, the kind that made the skin prickle.

  Maya slowed, fanning herself with her hand. “Why does it feel like we’re walking into an oven?” she mumbled, her voice tinged with discomfort.

  Fenix didn’t answer right away, his eyes darting around as the scenery shifted. The familiar greens and purples of the forest floor faded, repced by vibrant red patches that seemed to pulse with heat. The ground beneath their feet was dry and cracked in pces.

  Ahead, they came to an abrupt stop. A sea of strange flowers stretched out in front of them. The blossoms were like nothing they had ever seen—rge, with fiery crimson petals that curled outward, each one glowing faintly as if they held embers within.

  The petals flickered and sparked with tiny fmes licking the edges, though they never seemed to burn. Thin, bck stalks supported the flowers, swaying slightly as if caught in an invisible breeze. Above the patch, a glowing icon floated: Fiery Cinderpuss.

  "Those look like they'd be hot to touch," Fenix muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. He took a cautious step back, his eyes locked on the flickering flowers.

  "Really?" Maya teased, giving him a light nudge. "I hadn't noticed."

  Fenix shot her a ft look, but there was something behind it—something Maya hadn't caught before. A flicker of discomfort, maybe even fear. Then it clicked. After that awful incident with that bitch, when Fenix got doused in boiling water, scarring him badly... Of course, he'd be on edge around fire. It wasn’t just caution—he seemed genuinely afraid.

  “Hey,” she said softly, her teasing tone gone. “You okay?”

  He hesitated, then handed her the knapsack, his fingers lingering on the straps a second longer than necessary. "Yeah, but... can you grab these? I... I can’t."

  Maya nodded without hesitation. “Of course.” She crouched down beside the glowing flowers, studying them closely. “They look like they'll burn through anything they touch. You sure they won’t set the knapsack on fire?”

  “They won’t," Fenix replied with a small smile. "The moderators gave us the bag—it’s made for this stuff.”

  "Well, let's hope you're right," she muttered under her breath. She reached out cautiously, her fingers brushing the stems of the Fiery Cinderpuss. A sharp hiss rose up as the heat radiated through the pnts, but Maya worked quickly, plucking each one and tucking it into a side pocket of the knapsack. They went inside without an issue.

  Fenix exhaled, realizing he'd been holding his breath the whole time. "Looks like we’re good."

  ~

  With the Fiery Cinderpuss now safely tucked away in their bag, Fenix and Maya ventured deeper into the forest. The warmth of the fiery red and orange flowers gradually faded, giving way to the cool, refreshing air of the shaded woods. Their footsteps crunched softly over the underbrush as they made their way through the bright, lively forest.

  Suddenly there was a commotion ahead that made them freeze. It was the unmistakable sound of battle that echoed through the trees—shouting, buzzing, and the cng of metal.

  Fenix and Maya exchanged gnces before creeping closer. Just beyond a cluster of bushes, another team was locked in battle. Two pyers fought desperately against a massive, winged creature.

  It darted through the air with a high-pitched buzz, its oversized bee-like body covered in sleek, metallic stripes. But the real threat was its stinger—a monstrous, needle-like appendage that shot globs of sticky goo at the pyers, trapping them in pce.

  The scene was pure chaos. One pyer swung wildly with a machete, trying to hit the thing as it swooped in close, but the creature was too fast. The other pyer was frantically dodging, barely staying ahead of the creature’s gooey attack. A glob of the sticky substance nded on a tree, spttering everywhere like thick syrup.

  “Yikes,” Fenix muttered, his eyes widening. "Gd we don't have to go up against that thing."

  Maya winced as the bee-thing’s stinger came dangerously close to one of the pyers, missing by inches. "Damn straight. I hate bees. And needles."

  Fenix snorted, but he couldn’t deny it—seeing that stinger made his skin crawl too.

  They quietly backed away, leaving the chaos behind. The frantic shouting and buzzing slowly faded as they pressed on deeper into the forest.

  “Alright, what’s next?” Maya asked, gncing at Fenix as they trudged deeper into the forest.

  “Well, we’re definitely saving the serpent for st,” Fenix said, checking the translucent screen listing their ingredients. “Let’s go for the Mistvine Pickle. It’s a vine, so it’s probably up in a tree somewhere.”

  “Great,” Maya muttered, her eyes already scanning the towering trees around them. “Guess we better start looking up.”

  For the next several minutes, they wandered beneath the thick canopy, their heads craned toward the sky. The wind rustled the leaves, casting shifting shadows across the ground, but no sign of the vine. The forest around them buzzed softly with life—occasional bird calls and distant rustling from other teams—but the Mistvine seemed to be pying hide-and-seek.

  Just when they were about to give up and move on, something caught Maya’s eye. "Wait, look over there!”

  Although it wasn’t the Mistvine, she spotted something they needed-ironroot stalks. Patches of tall, dark green stalks sprouted beneath a green peach tree. Their rough, bark-like texture spiraled with veins of shimmering silver. The ends of the stalks tapered into sharp, spear-like tips.

  “Good eye,” Fenix said, making his way over. He crouched down and began pulling the stalks from the earth, adding them to their knapsack one by one. The stalks were sturdy, each making a satisfying snap as he plucked them free.

  With the Ironroot secured, they picked up the pace, knowing time was running short. A minute or two ter, Fenix spotted what they were after. “There it is!”

  He pointed ahead to a massive tree, its trunk thick and gnarled, with vibrant magenta leaves and clusters of plum-colored flowers. Twining around one of the highest branches was the Mistvine, its long green tendrils dangling down. Hanging from the vines were odd, blue pickles, glowing faintly in the shade.

  Maya blinked, a grin spreading across her face. “A blue pickle? Seriously?”

  Fenix chuckled. “I know, right? Never seen one before. Want me to grab it? You took care of the Cinderpuss.”

  “Nope,” Maya said, stepping forward. “Let me handle the legwork since you’ll be the one cooking.”

  “You’re not gonna help me?” Fenix asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Maya shook her head, her smirk widening. “If we wanna win, I better leave the cooking to the chef.”

  “Fair enough,” Fenix said, kneeling down and cupping his hands together. “Need a boost?”

  Maya stepped into his hands and heaved herself up, grabbing onto the lowest branch. She moved quickly, climbing higher with practiced ease as Fenix watched from below, his heart pounding a little faster the higher she went.

  When she finally reached the vines, Maya carefully plucked the glowing blue pickles from the tendrils, yanking them free. “Got them!” she called down, holding them triumphantly. But just as she started to descend, her foot slipped on the mossy bark.

  "Maya!" Fenix’s heart lurched, but Maya caught herself, arms locking around the branch just in time. She steadied herself, her breath coming out in a quick huff, then resumed her careful climb down.

  Dropping to the ground, she fshed Fenix a grin, holding up the Mistvine Pickle. “See? No problem.”

  Fenix let out a long breath, shaking his head with a wry smile. “Yeah, sure. Easy.”

  "Now we just have to get the serpent meat?" Maya said.

  Gncing up at the timer glowing faintly in the sky, they saw that there were only 29 minutes left.

  Fenix’s eyes widened. “We need to find the Ashserpent. Fast.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” Maya shot back, her voice filled with urgency. “Let’s go!”

  With that, they dashed into the thick woods, the sound of branches snapping underfoot and leaves rustling in the breeze echoing as they raced forward.

  Author Note:

  Want to read 50 chapters ahead? You can do that here: ko-fi.com/momocatt If you’re happy reading at the current pace, that’s totally fine too—I appreciate every single reader.

  But if you feel like sending a little support my way (maybe for a coffee or some extra motivation), you can also do that here: ko-fi.com/momocatt

  No matter what, thank you for being here and enjoying the story! (????)