"I sense a group of Quagoa. Should we engage, Boss?" Tina asked, her voice low as her eyes scanned the uneven, snow-covered terrain ahead.

"Whether we want to or not, we’ll have to deal with them eventually," Lakyus responded, her expression calm but alert. She turned to Gondo, who stood nearby holding a worn-out map. "This is the only path to Feo Berkana, right?"

Gondo gave a grim nod. "Aye. The road narrows further up. If the Quagoa are guarding it, there’s no other way but forward. We’ll have to clear them out."

I stood silently for a moment, eyeing the rocky slope ahead. For a team like Blue Rose, ten Quagoa shouldn’t be a concern. But the real issue wasn’t just ten.

"For a race known for travelling in massive packs," I finally said, "seeing only ten is... suspicious."

Evileye, who had been floating just above the group, spoke softly, "Agreed. Quagoa don’t travel in small scouting parties unless they’re bait... or unless there’s something more dangerous nearby keeping the others at bay."

"I don’t like it," Gagaran muttered, cracking her knuckles. "Ten’s not even a warm-up. But if they call the rest of their pack, and we’re stuck in a choke point..."

"They’ll bury us under sheer numbers," Tia finished, her tone casual, but her eyes sharp. "It’s not their individual strength that’s dangerous. It’s the swarm."

I gave a small nod and raised my hand for a temporary halt. "We’re not going in blind. Let’s get a clear idea of their formation and see if they’re really alone. Tina, take a look."

"On it," she replied, vanishing into the shadows like a breath in the cold mountain air.

As we waited, the wind howled through the ravine. The snow here was thinner, carried away by the constant breeze, revealing the jagged stone beneath. I glanced up at the towering cliffs around us. A perfect place for an ambush.

Tina returned within minutes, her expression grim. "Ten, exactly. Spread out, guarding the pass like a checkpoint. They’re alert. It seems like they’re expecting something, but I didn’t see any signs of more nearby."

"Which makes it worse," Evileye murmured. "They never send only ten. If that’s all we see, the rest are either hiding, underground, or coming later."

I took a breath and stepped forward. "We’ll need to act fast. If we give them time to signal their group, we’ll be fighting a hundred instead of ten."

Clementine let out a disappointed sigh. "But I want to fight. Ten’s nothing. I could take half of them myself."

"I’m not saying don’t fight," I replied calmly. "But if we want this to stay clean, we need precision. Blue Rose, you take the lead. Strike hard and fast. Eliminate them before they can shout for help."

"And us?" Clementine asked with a grin.

"My team will stay on the sides and intercept anything that tries to escape. If reinforcements show up, we’ll make sure they don’t box you in."

"Sounds fun," Clementine said, stretching her arms.

Gagaran slammed a fist into her palm. "Finally, something to smash."

Evileye hovered slightly lower, her crimson eyes locked on mine. "If there are more, you’ll sense them, won’t you?"

"I’ll be watching," I assured her.

Lakyus gave a nod. "Alright then. Let’s move before the mountain swallows us too."

•••

Gagaran marched ahead with a grin, her massive axe slung over her shoulder. The ten Quagoa stood their ground, snarling in defiance. For a moment, no one moved. Then, with a roar of laughter, Gagaran surged forward, axe whistling through the air.

The first Quagoa didn’t even get a chance to scream before he was split in half. The others charged at her, but she was a one-woman avalanche. Her strikes were wide and crushing, each blow sending tremors through the rocky pass. Within seconds, seven of them were already down, the rest barely holding formation.

Clementine leaned on her weapon, watching with an annoyed expression. "Tch... and here I thought I might get a warm-up."

But just as the last Quagoa lunged at Gagaran in a desperate frenzy, one of them—a wiry, fast-looking one with bone ornaments around his arms—ducked low and raised a crude horn made of carved animal bones.

BWAAAAAAH!

The sound pierced the still mountain air, loud and clear.

"F**k!" Clementine hissed, spinning on her heel. "That’s the last thing we needed!"

Evileye immediately floated higher, scanning the ridges. "That call will echo for miles. Every Quagoa in the range will have heard it."

Even Gagaran paused, her victory cut short. "Seriously? I thought I got ’em all..."

"He was quick," Tia said, her face tense. "Too quick."

I sighed. Honestly, I didn’t care either way. Ten or a thousand, it wouldn’t change much. If anything, more would just give me an excuse to stretch. Solution, who stood beside me without concern, had the same relaxed expression. She could handle hundreds of Quagoa with ease if I let her. But for now, we were supposed to be supporting, not stealing the show.

Gondo, gripping the edge of the map again, cursed under his breath. "We need to move. Fast. If we linger, we’ll be buried under waves of those things. We need to reach Feo Berkana before they regroup and block us in."

Lakyus turned to me, her expression serious. "We’ll pick up the pace. Can your group keep up?"

I gave a light nod. "We’ll be fine. Just don’t slow down."

~~~

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