The inside of the first floor was pitch black. The darkness was warm but quiet. Andrea raised her hand in front of her face. Nothing. Absolute darkness.

  “Everyone okay?” Andrea said. “I can’t see anything. Are the prisoners secure?”

  “Ya, I got Ryder,” Flint said. “Twins?”

  “We got Olivia.”

  Everyone else was present and accounted for too. Andrea’s voice was a beacon for the party to group up.

  “We shouldn’t do anything dramatic until we understand the floor objective,” Rae said. “Emily, light some torches. There’s not much we can do in the dark.”

  Emily lit her hand on fire. The fire revealed her face, but did not get much further. “Alright, put your torches here.” She held her hand out, and the flame grew.

  The torches slowly spread as more were lit. The grass floor was now visible, and the group spread out to light more of the surrounding area. It didn’t take long for someone to speak.

  “Got a mud wall here,” Andrew said, holding his torch into the sky.

  “One here too,” Mace said. “Doesn’t look climbable. I think it's a valley.”

  Mace was fifty feet from Andrew. The two walls ran parallel, extending as high as the light could reach. It was a long stretch that trapped the group–only two directions to choose from.

  “Alright, which way?” Connor said, gripping Olivia’s chains.

  “I think I heard water, straight ahead,” Sarah said, standing furthest from the group with a torch lighting the way. “So we should head there.”

  Andrea looked around, eyeing the walls. They had beautiful blue flowers sprouting from their sides. The air smelled of lavender with the slightest hint of ash. “Ryder, there are blue flowers here,” she said, keeping her distance from them. “Anything dangerous? Nothing seems special about them.”

  He jumped like a skittish cat when she said his name. He titled his head in though for a moment then responded.

  “Um, I’d have to see them to confirm if they were dangerous,” he said, lifting his head. “Though Redux’s vipers, the Blue Mantis, and rosemary bees all live in flowery habitats with strong smells. However, not in a valley environment. Might be a new monster."

  Andrea marched over to Ryder, rustling the valley grass with every step. Ryder gulped. His body braced, probably expecting another shoulder.

  “You're with me,” she said, dragging his chains to the front of the group. “If something jumps out that you conveniently forgot to mention, then I suppose that's your own fault.”

  Ryder mumbled something, but the bag over his head made it unrecognisable.

  “Keep Olivia at the back with Sarah. Flint protects Rae and Mace,” Andrea said, turning. A slight smile crept over her face.

  The formation was ready before the words left her mouth. Even the twins had situated themselves in the rear, ready to protect the ranged units and look after Olivia.

  “Alright, let's walk,” she said, pushing Ryder firmly in the back.

  He stumbled and then said something a little clearer than the last. “Take the bag off. Please.”

  The voice tugged at something deep in her heart. A similar feeling when she watched him in the street. Pity? But the feeling didn’t last long. Andrea shoved him again, nearly knocking him over. It’s just an act, she thought, as if trying to convince herself. That's the only way that he could have killed so many.

  The boy’s head hung low, a little lower than normal. But he walked.

  The group's pace was steady. Although Ryder tripped and fell on his face a few times. Emily laughed every time.

  They walked for 10 minutes until they reached the water. It was a crystal blue river that ran adjacent to the valley’s opening. The water’s current roared over rocks, crashing into their smooth surfaces.

  The water’s edge sat 200 feet from the valley’s opening. A giant flower patch of blue flowers ran from the valley’s exit to the water, covering the surrounding areas as far as the torches’ light reached.

  “This kind of looks like the fields of Monfell,” Rae said, smiling. “Even in the weak light, it's beautiful.”

  The scent of ash and lavender grew more potent the closer they got. It overpowered the smell of lavender and burned Andrea’s nose with every inhale. A few in the back coughed and sneezed while nearing the valley exit.

  “This scent is getting ridiculous,” Andrea said, covering her nose. “Any ideas, Ryder?”

  “What scent?” he said firmly. “I can’t smell anything, but this gross bag you’ve made me wear for days.”

  “It was a flowery scent with a burnt undertone,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Almost like breathing ash, but it's way stronger now.”

  Ryder’s feet stopped abruptly. Andrea bumped into his back, but he stood firm and didn't move. She heard him whisper something under his breath, but could only make out a few words. “Flowers and ash”

  Ryder spun his head toward the group. “Everyone!” he yelled. “Lights off! It’s Neibix’s Red Wolves!”

  Andrea nearly jumped out of her skin from the intense shout. Of course, she wasn’t scared of what he said–just the fact that he raised his voice. She had never heard of the monster before.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Howls echoed through the valley after Ryder finished his outburst. Then, they came from the water. It was so loud that mud fell from the valley walls, and the crashing waves could not be heard.

  “Shit,” Ryder said, gritting his teeth. “This is why the bag is so fucking stupid, Andrea! How am I supposed to look after you?”

  Emily scoffed at the vulgar words. Andrea didn’t hear his last sentence from the shock of his brashness. But he didn’t appear to care, he sat with deep steady breaths.

  “Alright, change of plans, lights stay on! Do not turn them off for any reason. We have to fight them,” Ryder screamed, fighting the bag and the howls with his yelling. “Sarah and the twins hold the rear. Emily joins Andrea at the front and offers support with her flames.”

  Andrea's heart pounded when she turned to meet the rest of the party. Their eyes eagerly awaited her next command. She gripped Ryder chains tightly, wanting to put him in check. However, she couldn’t deny his expertise. The commands were quick and precise. They carried a confidence that she couldn’t disagree with. She pushed down her personal feelings and looked into the darkness. Focusing on the tower as the ash scent grew more potent.

  “You heard him,” she said. “Form a line in the back and protect Sarah and Olivia. Mace and Rae stay safe and hug the right wall. The tower will likely target you two first.”

  The group moved swiftly, forming exactly as Ryder said. Emily was a little slower than the rest, but she inched her way to the front behind Andrea. The smell of lavender was gone.

  “Okay, Ryder, I’ll take the bag–,” Andrea stared, but the darkness opened its eyes and bared its fangs.

  She stepped to Ryder’s right, pulling his leather collar with her left hand, putting weight on her right foot. Then, she turned her hips and fired a punch with her right. The hand met a gnarly set of teeth as the red wolf staggered back, shaking its head.

  The creature's thick, dark red fur looked black in the dim light. It bristled, sensing Andrea’s presence. Its feet slowly stalked her as its giant paws crumpled the bright blue flowers near the riverbend. On all fours, it stood around 4 feet tall, weighing over 100 pounds. The head and neck were massive, its claws like talons–an apex predator.

  “I’m going to need a little more than that if this is going to be a fair fight,” Andrea said, smirking. Her muscles swelled up from adrenaline, stretching her scars.

  The wolf slowly backed up into the darkness, then three more sets of eyes appeared in the darkness. “Now, we are talking,” Andrea said. “Emily, give me some light!”

  Emily shot her flames into the darkness, but they revealed more than three wolves. Ten stood, saliva foaming from their mouths. They waited for Andrea to make a move.

  Ryder’s head rang from bouncing off the hard floor of the flower bed. Someone picked him up by his chains with his dangling.

  “I got you swine,” Flint groaned, lifting Ryder with one hand.

  “They are fireproof!” Ryder shouted, his head level with his feet. “However, if you can burn bright enough, they are sensitive to too much light. Whatever you do, do not enter the darkness, it's waiting!”

  Emily lowered her hand, then raised it high above her head. A giant wall of fire appeared between the pack of wolves, dividing them into two groups. They cowered, trying to reorganize themselves.

  Emily looked slightly agitated, as she looked back at Ryder, but he was immobilized, so she returned her focus to the wolves.

  “Don’t overdo it. I need you to have a clear head,“ Andrea said.

  “That’s ironic,” Emily laughed.

  “Don’t enter the darkness, got it,” Andrea whispered to herself, walking slowly through the burning flower petals. The fire nipped at her ankles, burning her slightly, but she did not care. Her eyes were glued to the wolf that bit her hand earlier.

  She charged, so did it. She led with her right, but when the wolf’s hind legs left the flowers, she leaned back, shifted her weight, and landed a left uppercut on the beast’s jaw, sending it tumbling back. A second wolf attacked from her left, scratching a long gash down her bicep, adding another scar to her collection. She smiled before launching a right hook into its stomach. The beast cried out and was sent flying a few feet further than the last. Her smile grew, so did her muscles.

  Meanwhile, Ryder reasoned with Flint in the middle of the group. “Flint, please, take the bag off. I can help–”

  “Shut up! We don’t need your help,” Flint spat. “Y’all Beldovian are scum. I don’t want you to survive this.”

  Ryder wiggled, trying to get free, and it must have been effective because Flint set Ryder on his feet. However, Flint still gripped the chains with white knuckles, leaving Ryder at his mercy.

  Sarah stood motionless in the rear with her back to the commotion from the riverbank. The rear guard had limited visibility with only the two twins holding torches facing the entrance of the valley. Mace held another, but he was tucked deep in the formation along the right wall. His light reached Emily’s flames just outside the valley exit.

  Olivia’s chains had been wrapped around a branch sticking out of the ground, locking her in place near Rae. Flint positioned himself at the center, where he could support wherever the formation was breaking.

  A few wolves lay dead on the ground with arrows sticking out of them. Sarah continued to fire yellow arrows of light into the darkness. There were fewer wolves at the back, but they still posed a threat through their coordination.

  One attacked near the left wall and diverted Connor, while two more attacked from the right for Andrew to defend. Sarah sent an arrow through one of the wolf's ribs on the right, and the twins displayed their flashy swordplay, taking out the other two. This pattern continued in waves. However, every assault would push them back slightly.

  “How are we doing, boys?” Sarah said. “You're looking a little pale.”

  “Don’t worry about us little archer,” Connor said, smiling. “I can’t remember if I ever told you that I’m a knight.”

  Sarah chuckled, but her focus returned quickly.

  “Ya, we can go for much longer,” Andrew said. “They are weaker than Connor, so I’m not breaking a sweat.”

  Before Connor could give his reply, the next wave came barreling toward them. Again, it was three wolves, but the arrangement was different. Two wolves appeared on the left and one on the right. They were quickly taken care of, allowing the twins to take some ground back. However, once they took a few steps forward, a fourth wolf went running right through the middle of the formation. A speed that threw them off the normal rhythm.

  “Watch out, Sarah!” Connor said.

  “Flint, get Mace!” Andrew said.

  Flint dropped Ryder’s chains and moved to Mace’s side, readying his fists. The wolf barreled toward the center of the formation, but they changed directions right as Sarah shot, dodging toward the right wall. Its eyes locked on Mace’s white hair as Sarah struggled to ready another arrow.

  The wolf jumped, and Flint sent a punch, but he missed. The wolf jumped over Mace, planting its feet on the wall above him. It locked onto Ryder, priming its hind legs. For the first time since the prison, Ryder was alone.

  “Ryder, dodge right!” Sarah said, loading her arrow.

  He moved quickly, but the beast's claws still took a chunk of his flesh. His perfect pale skin received three gashes just below his left eye, taking half the bag with it–reavealing his dark eye. The beast pivoted quickly, readying another attack, and lunged.

  Ryder’s eye flashed purple. He tilted his head a few inches to the left, and a yellow arrow whistled past his ear, striking the wolf between the eyes. The beast's lifeless body slid to a halt right before his feet.

  Ryder turned to the group. Mace’s torch shimmered in his cold eye. If they were close enough they might have seen the purple hue, but they stood far away while Sarah readied another arrow. Aiming it at Ryder.

  “Thank you, Sarah,” Ryder said with his eye half closed. “Though it was a little close to my head.”