THE FINAL CLASH IN LUSHWOOD FOREST

Pain lanced through Canary's arm, but she refused to cry out. She reloaded her handguns with practiced speed, her eyes locked on the Mother. 

Seeing her sister injured ignited a cold fury in Sparrow. He knew he'd been an idiot, relying on old habits when he possessed a new arsenal. He hadn't truly embraced the Eldritch Pugilist within. He needed to adapt or they would die.

As he charged to his opponent, Sparrow focused, drawing upon the latent energy within him, visualizing the flow, the power waiting to be unleashed.

He unleashed [Eldritch Energy Projection]. A wave of shimmering energy erupted from his hands, striking at the Evil Hermit. The gooey substance that protected the Hermit's body shimmered and buckled. 

The monster staggered back, a pained screech escaping its lips. Sparrow knew the energy wave had bypassed the goo, directly impacting the Hermit's flesh. But the skill's inherent limitations meant the power was halved, and the Hermit, though injured, was far from defeated.

The Evil Hermit's Mother saw his 'son' got injured. She shrieked and sent barrage of rotten vines at Sparrow.

Canary, also realizing she hadn't used her full potential, unleashed a barrage of [Arcane Energy Projectiles]. The bullets danced through the air, curving and zigzagging around Sparrow, homing in on the vines that threatened to ensnare him. The arcane energy amplified the them, making the bullets burn even brighter as they struck, incinerating the vines upon impact.

The fight devolved into a brutal dance. Sparrow's movements were a whirlwind of fists and feet, each strike carrying the weight of his rage and desperation. 

His brutal, bare-handed fighting style was now augmented by the raw power of the Eldritch. He coated his limbs with [Eldritch Energy Coating], the purple glow intensifying, promising devastating force.

He dodged another swipe from the Hermit, the air whistling past his ear, and countered with a right hook that sent the monster reeling. He followed up with a kick, infused with [Eldritch Energy Coating], to the Hermit's chest. The monster crashed into a tree, splintering the wood, but still, it rose, fueled by the unnatural force that animated it.

Canary moved with impossible grace, a blur of braided black hair and flashing handguns. She somersaulted over fallen logs, firing with pinpoint accuracy. Her [Arcane Energy Projectiles] weaved through the air, confounding the Mother's attempts to intercept them. 

The girl's three sprites were not staying still either. 

Holy flashed around with incredible speed, using her light to weaken the dark aura surrounding the Mother. Echo manipulated the sounds of the forest, creating phantom impacts, distracting the Mother and disrupting her focus. Ink, a shadow of a sprite, flitted amongst the trees, sowing confusion and providing Canary with crucial intel on the Mother's movements.

Sparrow stood still and channeled his Eldritch energy, focusing on the fire shard in his hand, as his opponent, the Evil Hermit got up and charged at him. Sparrow didn't flinch. He prepared the [Eldritch Energy Projection] once more, but this time, he would imbue it with the scorching flame of a fire shard.

The Hermit roared and lunged, claws extended, raking the air. Sparrow sidestepped the initial attack, rotating and snapping an elbow strike into the Hermit's exposed ribs. A sickening crack echoed. The Hermit staggered, momentarily disoriented.

Sparrow pressed his advantage. A swift low kick to the back of the knee buckled the Hermit further. Another kick, this time aimed at the creature's gut, sent it stumbling backward.

The Hermit, enraged, swiped wildly. Sparrow ducked under the flailing claw, whirling into a backhand punch that connected with the Hermit's jaw. The collision twisted the creature head and made it spat blood and bile, its eyes wild with fury. 

It lunged again, a desperate, clawing attack. Sparrow seized his chance. He ducked under the attack once more, his body coiled like a spring, and then... he unleashed the [Eldritch Energy Projection], supercharged with fire shard energy.

A beam of searing flame erupted from his palm strike, piercing the Hermit's skull. The monster shrieked, a sound of pure agony, as the eldritch flame ripped through its brain. The Hermit convulsed, its body spasming, then collapsed to the ground, finally still.

The Mother let out another blood-chilling shriek, this time a keening wail filled with grief and rage. The vines thrashed wildly, viciously rushing toward Sparrow. 

Sparrow jump-rolled sideway to evade the attack. Despite the danger he faced from the increasing rotten vines attack, he stayed collected. He could sense the Mother's mental armor fluctuating wildly, vulnerable.

"Tweety!" He roared as his hands deflected some vine thrusts, his short call conveyed multitude numbers if instructions.

And Canary understood it. She reloaded the magazine of his automatic handguns with the special silver-bullet ones, the glint of the metal devices reflecting the moonlight. She aimed quickly, focusing all her energy, and fired.

A pair of bullets sped towards the Mother, and pierced her unprotected left eye and chest. The creature stumbled backwards, clutching its face and chest as she screamed in pain.

Sparrow didn't let up. He dashed forward, moving with inhuman speed, and swung a heavy kick at the Mother's head, his leg coated with eldritch energy. 

The kick connected with a sickening thud, but the Mother didn't fall. Her mental armor had regenerated, blunting the force of the blow, but the impact staggered her, throwing her off balance.

Sparrow wouldn't miss the opportunity. He charged forward, closing the distance, and thrust his palm, infused with [Eldritch Energy Projection] towards the Mother's head, mimicking the blow that had felled the Hermit.

The eldritch energy slammed into the Mother's skull, searing through flesh and bone. The Mother shrieked, her body writhing in agony. The regenerating mental armor flickered and sputtered, threatening to collapse entirely.

Another sound of gunshot reverberated loudly. Canary's silver bullet pierced the Mother's forehead, killing her immediately. 

The vines went limp, falling to the ground like discarded ropes. The forest fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the exhausted siblings and the whimper of shaken campers who witnessed the whole terrifying battle. 

The unnatural aura that had permeated the forest began to dissipate, replaced by the faint smell of nature, mixed with burnt foliage. The forest was creepy no more.

Yet, the silence of the forest pressed in on the siblings, thick and heavy after the cacophony of battle. 

Canary swayed on her feet, her face pale beneath the streaks of dirt. She clutched her wounded arm, the adrenaline fading and the pain returning with a vengeance. With a groan, she dropped to the soft earth, her legs no longer able to support her.

Sparrow, ever stoic, showed no outward sign of fatigue. But Canary knew him well enough to see the subtle tremor in his hands, the way he favored his right leg. The fight had taken its toll, even on him.

Ignoring his own exhaustion, Sparrow moved with purpose towards the fallen monsters. As the last vestiges of the unnatural aura faded, the grotesque forms of the Evil Hermit and Mother began to revert. 

The twisted limbs straightened, the festering wounds closed, and the inhuman features softened. Soon, all that remained were the corpses of an ugly, hunchbacked man and a wizened old woman, pathetic in their stillness.

Sparrow knelt beside the hermit's body, his gaze unwavering. He knew what he should do. He had to loot the bodies and extract the surreal stones. 

His hands, calloused and strong, moved with practiced efficiency, rolling the corpse of the hermit without any sign of hesitance. As he expected, he found a scattered Red Surreal Stones beneath the dead body. They were ten of them, glowed with an inner light.

He then turned to the corpse of the old woman, his movements showed none of the uneasy dread in his heart. He hated this part, the violation of the dead. But he needed to recover the surreal stones, for the development of their power... and the anticipation against unfavorable situation. 

There were some cases, recorded by their aunt, Autumn, in the Secret Library books, about how surreal stones was consumed by unawakened humans or animals. Most of the time, they didn't end well, for the consumers and their surrounding. 

Under the old woman's corpse, Sparrow found more surreal stones. This time, there were eight Green Surreal Stones.

Sparrow held the stones in his palm, their strange energy thrumming against his skin. He knew what he had to do. He glanced at Canary, who was still slumped against a tree, her face etched with pain. He knew she needed the boost as well.

Without a word, he placed five of the Red Surreal Stones and four of the Green Surreal Stones into his mouth, swallowing them down with a grimace. 

He focused, drawing upon his inner strength, channeling the raw energy of the stones. He could feel the surge of power coursing through his veins, strengthening his muscles, sharpening his senses. The impact was much milder compared to the one he experienced when he was still a .

Sparrow imagined a system notifications chimed in his mind: Eldritch Pugilist Level Up! You are now Level 3. Talent {Physique of Giant} Improved!

He felt a surge of satisfaction. The upgrade would make him even stronger, more resilient. But he couldn't revel in his success. Canary needed the same boost.

He walked over to his sister and offered her the remaining Red and Green Surreal Stones. "Here, Tweety!" he simply said.

Canary looked at the stones, and without hesitation, she took them from her brother's hand and swallowed them down, focusing on the surge of energy within her.

"My Arcane Marksman reached level 3 now, Birdbro." Canary excitedly told her brother. "My talent, Fairy of Elements, also improved a lot."

"Alright, let's go..." Sparrow's face suddenly changed as a realization dawned on him. They were in real world, not in a realm-gate. They did not have to consume the surreal stones immediately. They could have waited to return to their home, consumed them later in a safer location, or traded them in the Mystery Market with more suitable stones.

Canary, also realizing the same thing, groaned. "We're not in the realmgate, Birdbro. Crap! We wasted them, didn't we?"

Sparrow sighed, but his expression remained unchanged. "It's done," he said. "Let's be more careful next time."

Canary winced then sighed again. "Birdbro…" She paused, searching for the right words. "You'd better contact Li'l Aunt and Big Aunt. They're going to kill us if we don't tell them what happened."

Sparrow grimaced. He knew his sister was right. Their aunts, Autumn Elheart and Raven Hallow, had told the siblings to keep them informed. Previously, their minds were too preoccupied with the threat and danger to do so. But now that everything had been settled...

"Okay, okay," Sparrow relented, reaching into his pocket for his mistlink, communication gadget. "I'll call Aunt Autumn." 

He activated the device, waited for a moment, and then spoke into the microphone. "Aunt Autumn? It's me, Sparrow. We had an… incident here."

As Sparrow reported their encounter with the Evil Hermit and his Mother, Canary helped Zeenara and the campers stand up.

Zeenara looked at both Sparrow and Canary with fearful eyes. "Cana… what were those creatures?"

Canary squeezed her friend's shoulder. "We will tell you later, okay? Let's get everyone back to the basecamp. Everyone must be tired and terrified."

With Canary and Zeenara helping to lead the shaken campers, and Sparrow keeping a watchful eye on them, they began their journey back to the ranger's gateway basecamp to Lushwood Forest. 

None of them felt comfortable waiting near the corpses, even though they were now just ordinary bodies. The image of the monsters and the terror they unleashed were still too fresh in their minds.