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A terrifying trembling of the cave, everyone on the floor stiffen. The sounds of animals and monsters alike hushed as the extreme rain halted too.

Something terrifying was on this floor, as the sounds of multiple cries like baby's screaming mixed with a whales song.

Fin looked towards the entrance of the cave with a stern look. Without taking a glance at the others he put his sister on his back and ran out!

The others seeing this looked horrified, was he trying to kill himself and his sister!? Chris listened to Fin's running till he couldn't pick up sound anymore?

No, it's not so much he couldn't pick it up, there had to be something stopping noise from entering!?

"We should move too" Chris informed as he stood up with his stuff in haul. May without question got up too but Zion hesitated as he looked over at Erica.

"What?" She said as Zion felt she had been off but couldn't place why? Shaking off his gut feeling, he simply followed the other two who were further out of the cave.

'I thought so' Chris thought as he signalled May to shoot an arrow straight up into the air.

The arrow about 5ft in the air shattered and May looked horrified.

"It's a skill-" mumbled Chris to himself but no sound could be heard.

"-MY ARROW!" May interjected as she scrabbled to grab the pieces. They were special arrows that were made to her specifications after all. "CHRIS YOU SON OF A-"

Before she could finish, not like he could hear her anyway. The ground trembled again, only this time closer than before! Zion looked up to see that the trees were moving violently but no sound could be heard.

Whatever skill was blocking sound was a double edged sword, they couldn't pinpoint what was approaching. But neither could what approached, as they stood their ground just under the caves main entrance.

Deafening silence, Zion couldn't see anything just like the others couldn't. Even May's keen sight had no help as the own heartbeats could been heard.

"Ckaaaw" a bird they hadn't even notice approached from above. Yet they could hear it!? It Circled around looking at the group below, before it flew off north. It's almost translucent body hardly seen as it blended with the environment around it.

Chris with no hesitation followed as May and Zion looked at each other before running after him. Chris knew by nature what that bird was- a spirit.

It wasn't a young one either, one with at least 5 generations behind it. Spirits were similar to relics but not the same, unlike a relic, a spirit is already formed. It doesn't need to be morphed or activated, a spirit is engrained in the land of its birth till claimed.

If claimed at all, a spirit lives through the generational bloodline that it chooses. Not all spirits are good just as humans, some would end entire families out of pettiness.

"Where the hell are we going!?" Called out May, they had long exited the feild radius of the skill preventing sound.

As Chris's long hair tailed behind him, he paid no attention to her words. This further irked May, as Zion took notice to the many uprooted trees and destroyed grounds.

The massive tracks it left didn't look right however.

'Something had been hunting.' Zion thought, unaware that the others had come to the same conclusion.

"That kid Fin, it's either him or his sister that put up that barrier." Chris informed after they had stopped running, loosing sight on the spirit.

A suddenly punch to his left shoulder had Chris hiss.

"Don't ever do that again!" Her words were like thorns, it wasn't everyday she got mad either.

Realising the severity of the situation Chris sighed, "Sorry May-"

"-And?" She gestured to Zion behind her, blue eyes narrowed.

"-Zion, May, forgive me for that. I made a misjudgement" Gaining composure Chris looked around.

As much as he was thankful that the rain had stopped, he had no plan and no directional instincts.

That and they very well could have died back there. Whatever had made a grand entrance hadn't noticed them thankfully.

"Don't ever pull that shit again" May huffed as she too looked around. But it was no use, her eyes couldn't see past such a dense forest.

'Shit' she whispered under her breath not going unnoticed by Zion and Chris.

Laying a hand on her shoulder reassuringly Chris gestured that they simply walk through.

Ordinarily a dense forest wouldn't be an issue but May's ability could set fire to it and cause more issues for them. It's why Zion's ability to lead away monsters to desired locations was a great addition. She hadn't exactly figured out all the nicks and nacks to her abilities.

Hell, like any of them had, they're only kids after all...

There was another reason and it ate May alive, she wanted to be useful.

In her family branch line, only the strongest prevailed. Her fallen nobility status made her prone to abuse in her adoptive heritage.

Too small to hold a bow like others when she was 5.

Too weak to use her abilities without passing out.

Granted she had gotten better however the feeling of being useless followed her. It was so bad that she couldn't see past it to see her accomplishments.

Chris knew that though, unlike Zion who had lived away from it all. Chris and May knew each other from a young age due to an alliance.

"I think we should find another cave, something tells me this rain is periodic. But also made by something..." Chris said as Zion knelt down picking up a piece of something?

'What even is this?' Looking at it, it resembled bone structure. What it belonged to however was a mystery as he decided to keep it.

It was shaped like the cresent moon after all.

"It's not as big as the last one" May said as Zion walked in after the two.

"I guess we could make a fake front"

"Huh?"

"You know? A fake front, a bunch of branches to make it look closed off" May added some light to Zion's confused response.

"Yes it'll be good to keep heat inside, that and it'll confuse non intellectual Malax's but considering the creature before. I highly doubt anything is snooping around" If it wasn't dead already.

For something so big like that on a floor, it would need ample food supply. To be honest, they hadn't actually seen many monsters to begin with.

"You don't think they're setting us up to fail?" May laughed dejectedly.

Chris placed down some branches to make a fireplace.

"This Maze wasn't designed with comfort in mind. If we're weak, we will die here." Chris's words were void of emotion as he stepped out again. Probably to grab more branches, this time big enough to cover the entrance.

----

Dinner time was quiet, no one really talked eating the last of the fish. They would need to hunt again or starve trying.

Laying down on the cave floor, the sound of rain starting up had Zion think about his past life again.

"Don't you like her?" Max said to him as he waved her off.

"Like her? I don't even know her" he smirked as Max crossed her arms.

"I don't believe you" She responded as he faked gasped.

"Oh whatever shall I do-" he mocked while Max glared.

"Fine I'll go talk to her then" panic immediately struck him as he grabbed her arm.

"Alright, I give in. She asked me if I was single."

"No way! My little nerd has an admirer? Shocker!"

"Oh fuck off-"

"Zion!"

"ZION WAKE UP!!"