The group stood at the crossroads, three paths stretching before them, each marked with ancient, weathered signs. One read "The Path of Beasts", another "The Path of Curses", and the last "The Path of Elementals."
Nathan groaned loudly, crossing his arms. "Okay, first of all, we should not be picking the path of curses. Just putting that out there."
Lucio nodded. "Agreed."
Rhea glanced between the remaining two. "Well, beasts or elementals?"
Nathan immediately pointed to the first. "Beasts, obviously. How hard could it be? Punch some animals, move on."
Lucio gave him a blank stare. "You think 'beasts' means normal animals? Like just deer and bears?"
Nathan shrugged. "We've fought worse."
Jalen, leaning lazily against a rock, smirked. "I dunno, the elemental path sounds cooler."
Rhea clapped her hands together. "Alright, that's two votes. Elemental it is!"
Nathan threw his hands in the air. "This is a mistake. This should have been the path of beasts."
"Too bad," Jalen grinned, stepping forward. "Time to see what this is all about."
The wind picked up almost immediately as they entered the valley, the dirt road vanishing beneath swirling gusts. The air hummed with energy, and the deeper they walked, the harder it became to move forward.
Lucio shielded his eyes. "Alright, I admit it. This path was a terrible choice."
Nathan, struggling against the wind, barked out, "You think?!"
Then, the storm struck.
A violent cyclone burst forth from the valley ahead, churning with debris and stone. The wind formed into a massive humanoid shape, its core made of jagged rocks, its body shifting restlessly between solid and air. Its eyes—if they could even be called that—glowed with an eerie, storm-like energy.
Jalen blinked. "Okay, not what I expected."
Nathan groaned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "See? If we picked beasts, we'd be punching bears instead of whatever this is."
"Shut up and move!" Lucio barked, ducking under a flying rock.
The elemental howled, wind slicing through the air as it advanced. Lucio and Rhea darted forward first, moving with impressive speed—until Rhea suddenly pulled ahead, leaving Lucio slightly stunned.
"Wait—since when were you that fast?!"
Rhea smirked, effortlessly dodging a blast of wind. "I'm kind of a big deal now."
Nathan and Rhea struck at the same time, their combined force sending a shockwave through the creature's rocky core. The impact sent cracks along its body, but instead of breaking apart, the elemental simply reformed, the wind stitching itself back together.
"That's annoying," Nathan muttered, adjusting his stance.
Lucio leaped in next, slamming a gauntlet-covered fist into its core. The force sent it skidding back, but again, the wind stitched its form back together. "Okay, this is bullshit. It doesn't even stay down."
Jalen, still watching from a few feet away, frowned. "Huh. Punching air doesn't work. Good to know."
"Oh, thanks for the insight!" Nathan snapped, dodging another boulder thrown his way.
Lucio ducked under another gust of wind and gritted his teeth. "Does anyone actually know how to fight an elemental?!"
A pause.
Silence.
"...We should probably figure that out," Jalen admitted.
Rhea, dodging with ease, suddenly called out. "Wait! What if we ground it?! It's made of wind and stone! We need to separate the two!"
Jalen perked up. "Alright, let's test that theory."
He summoned a chain, hurling it forward to wrap around the elemental's core. As he pulled, Lucio slammed his fists into the ground, sending cracks along the valley floor. Nathan followed up, using his time ability to briefly slow the swirling air. For the first time, the elemental's form wavered, unable to fully reform.
Rhea grinned. "It's working!"
Jalen's smirk widened. "Then let's finish this."
He summoned a hammer—larger than usual, crackling with raw power. With a single swing, he brought it down onto the elemental's core. The impact sent a shockwave through the valley, shattering the creature's rocky center.
The wind howled one last time before dispersing, leaving nothing but silence.
Jalen let out a breath, twirling the hammer before dismissing it. "Alright, that was fun."
Lucio dusted himself off. "Fun? That took way longer than it should have."
Rhea stretched, flexing her fingers. "At least we figured it out. And I was faster than you, Lucio."
Nathan huffed, hands on his hips. "That's great. Now can we please get moving?"
Jalen chuckled, slinging his arm around Nathan's shoulder as they continued forward. "No promises."
The group continued down the path, the remnants of the elemental fading into the distance. The sky had begun to shift from the deep blues of midday to the amber glow of an approaching sunset.
Nathan sighed dramatically, stretching his arms. "So, that took way longer than it should've."
Lucio shot him a look. "You're the one who wanted to take the Path of Beasts."
"And we should have!" Nathan huffed. "You think a bear could've taken that long to kill? No way. Bears don't reform after you punch them."
Jalen snickered, hands behind his head as he walked. "You don't know that. Maybe the bears on that path regenerate too."
Nathan groaned. "Shut up."
Lucio smirked. "Well, we made it through. Even if it was longer than necessary."
Rhea bounced ahead of them slightly, rolling her shoulders. "Honestly, I didn't mind. Felt good to stretch my legs."
Lucio side-eyed her. "Yeah, I mind. Since when did you get faster than me?"
Rhea beamed. "Miss Velda's gifts. She knew what I needed."
Nathan scoffed. "Yeah, well, now you and Jalen get to be the annoyingly strong ones. I don't like this shift in power."
Jalen snorted. "I dunno, I think it's nice. Now you won't be the only one bragging."
Nathan stopped walking to glare at him. "You know, I liked you better when you were depressed."
Lucio chuckled. "You're awful."
Nathan shrugged. "I try."
They carried on, the path winding downward toward a more open stretch of land. The terrain had shifted from rocky outcrops to softer soil, and in the distance, nestled between a river and a dense forest, a small village came into view.
Rhea squinted. "Wait… is that—?"
Jalen nodded. "A dock town."
Lucio exhaled, already relieved. "That means we're getting closer."
Nathan grinned. "And it means real food."
Jalen smirked. "That's all you ever care about."
"Listen, man, we just fought sentient wind. I deserve a hot meal."
Lucio shook his head. "Let's just find a place to sleep."
By the time they reached the village, the sun was fully setting, casting golden hues over the river's surface. The town was small, but lively—lanterns hung from wooden posts, fishermen wrapped up their work, and traders packed away their stalls.
Jalen and the others strolled through the market, taking in the atmosphere. Compared to Veyport, it was calm. The smell of fresh food filled the air, drawing Nathan in like a magnet.
The group secured rooms at a small inn near the water's edge, a cozy place run by an elderly woman who barely gave them a second glance before taking their money.
After settling in, they found themselves seated outside, enjoying a simple meal. The conversation was light, the tension from their fight with the elemental already fading into the background.
Nathan leaned back, exhaling contentedly. "Alright, I take back everything I said. This place isn't so bad."
Lucio arched a brow. "You say that now, but give it a few hours."
Rhea, picking at her food, tilted her head. "Why?"
Before Lucio could answer, a sudden, distant scream tore through the quiet night.
The entire village seemed to freeze. Then, more screams followed, accompanied by the unmistakable roar of fire.
Jalen was already standing before anyone else. "Damn it."
Lucio cursed under his breath. "That's what I was going to say. Quiet towns never stay quiet."
Rhea was on her feet next, eyes narrowing toward the billowing smoke in the distance. "We have to help them!"
Nathan groaned, standing reluctantly. "Didn't we just deal with a walking disaster?"
Jalen cracked his knuckles, smirking. "Yeah, but at least this one's made of fire."
Lucio rolled his eyes but adjusted his gauntlets. "Let's go."
As they rushed toward the chaos, the flames illuminated the sky, casting eerie shadows across the village.
And at the center of it all, a massive Fire Elemental loomed, its molten form twisting and crackling in the night.
"We just had to take this fucking elemental path..." Nathan yelled as his stomach growled.
"Just be quiet we can take the Beast Path on the way back and you can punch a bear or some shit."
Jalen pulled out Stix's dagger as they got closer to the village. "Guys, less bickering, more focusing. Nathan look for an opening and slow it down! Lucio, you're on evacuation duty, and Rhea is with me!" Shooting a smirk, Jalen looked back at her.
"Try to keep up brat hehe."