The sound of heavy footsteps against the grass woke Pine up. His head was still spinning and his vision was still very cloudy. He could still hear things rather well so he just closed his eyes, trying to collect himself while he listened for information.

  "...and I thought we agreed on never visiting that hydra ever again!" said Emily's seeker.

  A hydra?

  "Yes, but we have sacrifices now! Surely, the hydra will forgive us with two unmarried bodies as offering," Emily replied, clearly excited from the tone of her voice.

  The seeker sighed, "Alright, fine. But, don't blame me for anything."

  ...Oh, crap, we're being used as tokens of apology.

  Pine's senses were returning—slowly, sluggishly. The ache in his limbs, the rough texture of rope biting into his wrists and ankles, the rhythmic bouncing—he pieced it together. He was bound. Trapped in something tight.

  From the way his body bounced with each step, he realized;

  A backpack? His stomach twisted at the realization.

  He cursed in his head as he opened his eyes, struggling to see anything as it was dark.

  But then, a face suddenly came from that tight darkness.

  Pine gasped in shock, but then he realized that the face was making a 'shhh' gesture, its finger on its lips.

  Pine paused and looked at the face clearly, only now realizing that it was Clest.

  As relief and familiarity washed over him, he slowly and silently breathed a sigh.

  "Are you tied up?" Clest whispered right into his ear.

  "Yeah," Pine answered in the same hushed voice.

  "I can't untie you yet, we'll make too much movement. They'll notice."

  "...How are you even untied?"

  "My ties were loose. I guess they only wanted to make sure you would be incapacitated."

  As the two were talking in a whisper, their carrier suddenly stopped.

  "...Wait."

  The single word sent a bolt of panic into Pine and Clest, their hearts skipping a beat. They refused to even breathe.

  The heat inside the bag had been suffocating before, but now, it was unbearable. Every drop of sweat sliding down their skin felt magnified, each second stretching too long.

  "What is it?" Emily's voice rang out for them to hear.

  "...Get your concoctions out. Your offerings seem to be awake."

  As he said that, Pine and Clest's eyes widened. Their weights shifted and their world spun as the seeker flung the bag they were in, into the ground.

  Emily sighed, "I have to get better materials for my potions. The effect duration is too short." She then took out two vials of the same concotion she lathered on the meat, walking towards the bag.

  Opening the bag, it revealed the disoriented Pine and Clest. They were laying on the ground, in pain after being thrown suddenly like that.

  Clest made an effort to pretend as if she was still bound, putting her wrists together behind her. With only a lamp as a light source, it wouldn't be easy for Emily to notice that Clest had managed to untie herself.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "Well, well, well. Look at my precious little adventurers," said Emily as she approached the duo, vials in hand. "We're very sorry to have interrupted your good night's sleep. Why don't you two continue resting? Good idea, yes?"

  Emily knelt beside Pine, her fingers pressing against his jaw to force his mouth open. He weakly resisted, but his sluggish movements only amused her. With a smirk, she tipped the vial against his lips. The bitter liquid slipped past his tongue before he could muster the strength to spit it out.

  Clest watched, heart hammering. Pine coughed after being forced to drink the concoction. Now that it was in its pure form, it affected Pine instantly, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Emily then let go, satisfied, allowing Pine's unconscious body slump to the ground.

  Pine..!

  Clest watched Pine intently, a severe expression present on her face.

  "Now, it's Miss Clest's turn to sleep."

  Clest looked at the vial in Emily's hand and the sleeping Pine back and forth, and slowly, Emily drew closer.

  She had absolutely no idea what to do, but allowing Emily to put her to sleep like that would mean death.

  Left with no other choice, she shifted, rolling onto her side, and then pushed herself up to a crouch.

  Emily and the seeker both froze.

  “…What?” Emily’s brow furrowed.

  The seeker’s eyes narrowed. His stance shifted.

  "I untied myself." Clest then stood fully, her hands balled into fists as she scanned the surrounding area despite the forest's darkness.

  Think.

  Pine is down. His belt? Gone. They took our weapons. I have nothing.

  ...

  I have nothing.

  Emily recovered from her shock. Briefly sending a look at her seeker before smiling devilishly. "That's cute. And now what?"

  Her voice was laced with mockery. What was a frail girl like her supposed to do against a full-fledged seeker?

  Clest stared daggers at Emily, who also stood up to match her level.

  Think! What do I have? I have my belt but they took my knife! What else is--

  Clest felt something brush against her fingers. Something small. Soft. A pouch hanging off her belt.

  She tried to subtly get a feel for the pouch, but Emily and her Seeker still noticed.

  "Didn't you take all of her weapons?" Emily barked at her Seeker without taking her eyes off Clest. As a precaution though, she stepped back a little.

  "I double checked," he replied, getting ready for a fight.

  Seeing the older couple grow wary, Clest's heart started to beat madly. She didn't have any more time to think.

  She dashed-- straight at the seeker. Emily jumped back instinctively.

  The seeker, however, barely reacted.

  The seeker side-stepped, caught her arm, and twisted her down toward the ground.

  For a second, silence.

  Emily let out a small laugh.

  "I overestimated you! I thought you were onto something there, but I guess that's all you amount to. We are but frail Keepers, after all."

  Clest's face twisted into a snarl despite her predicament, looking up at Emily and her captor.

  Emily smiled. "It's okay, you did very well for your age."

  "Oh, you bet I did," Clest grinned maniacally.

  She revealed the dark purple spore sac in her free hand.

  With a sudden, violent twist, she wrenched against the seeker’s hold—not to break free, but to shift her momentum. Her entire body followed the movement, spinning toward him as she smashed the sac into his face.

  Poof.

  Purple smoke burst around him. The seeker immediately coughed and staggered back, his grip loosening as the spores flooded his lungs.

  Emily’s eyes widened in horror. "No!"

  She lunged forward, her hands glowing with Keeper Magic, reaching for her seeker.

  But Clest was faster.

  With a desperate yank, she pulled the seeker's sword from its sheath—not smoothly, not perfectly, but with enough force to tear it free. It was heavier than she expected. Unfamiliar. But she adjusted her grip without hesitation.

  "W-Wait, we can still talk this—"

  Clest lunged.

  She didn’t aim for a perfect cut—just a single, brutal slash across the throat.

  Emily's words choked into silence. Blood gushed from the deep wound, her hands instinctively clutching at her neck as she staggered back. She let out a broken, gasping sound before her legs gave way.

  Her body hit the dirt with a dull thud.

  The seeker choked on his own breath. "Khh... Emily--!" His trembling hands clawed toward her fallen form, his body wracked with violent coughs as the poison spores consumed his lungs.

  Clest simply watched, silent and unmoving.

  His breaths grew heavier. His movements weaker. Until finally, he could do nothing but crawl.

  Clest stepped forward and raised the sword. She hesitated for only a fraction of a second before driving the blade down, ending his misery.

  Silence only then returned to the forest.

  The weight of it all hit her at once. The rush of battle drained from her body, leaving her breathless.

  She turned to Pine—still unconscious, still breathing.

  He's alive. I'm alive. We live for another day.

  With the last of her strength, she staggered toward him and collapsed into a sitting position. Her hands clenched the hilt of the sword as her shoulders trembled, the echoes of the fight still rattling through her bones.

  When her breath finally steadied, she reached for Pine’s bindings and untied him. Then, slowly, she hauled his limp body away from the corpses. They needed to rest.

  They had survived. But barely.