Chapter 14 - The True Prize

The mountains pressed closer the following morning.

The caravan rolled slowly along narrow ridges, wheels creaking with every uneven bump as sheer cliffs dropped away on either side. Fog clung to the rocks, limiting visibility as the trail climbed toward the highest pass.

Teresa walked ahead as always, her armored figure steady, eyes sharp, senses extended. The black Fairy Tail emblem marked her white cloak as it swayed gently behind her, contrasting against the gray landscape.

The previous night's ambush weighed heavily in her calculations.

The poachers had not been simple opportunists.

They had known Ralven's exact route. His schedule. His cargo.

Which meant someone in Earthland's underworld was watching his operations closely—and willing to kill for his relics.

The mercenaries marched with greater tension now. Their discipline held, but several kept glancing toward Teresa as if silently grateful for her presence.

She ignored them.

Instead, her attention remained focused on the artifact itself.

Even from this distance, she could feel its pulse—faint vibrations whispering at the edges of her Yoki. A wrongness buried deep within its glow. Not corrupted in the same crude way as the ruin-born creatures she had faced before. This magic was... deliberate. Designed.

Ancient.

Cleverly sealed.

But dangerous.

By midday, the caravan reached a wide plateau nestled between jagged cliffs. Strange stone pillars jutted from the ground at irregular angles, some broken, others still standing tall like silent sentinels.

Ralven called for another halt.

"We rest here for midday," he declared, stepping from his covered cart.

Teresa scanned the area. "This location is vulnerable."

Ralven's expression remained perfectly pleasant. "Precisely why you're here."

He gestured to one of the lead mercenaries. "Prepare the inspection crate."

At his command, the reinforced crate was opened once again, revealing the crystal orb resting within its silk wrappings.

This time, Ralven approached with no guards shielding him.

"The core artifact," he said softly. "A remnant from what scholars call the Pre-Era Schools—those who dabbled in dimensional theory before our current councils outlawed such studies."

Teresa's eyes narrowed. "Inter-world research."

"Indeed," Ralven smiled. "Forbidden now, of course. The councils claim such research threatens Earthland's stability. But knowledge lost is opportunity seized."

"You're playing with unstable forces," Teresa said.

Ralven's gaze sharpened slightly. "I deal in profit. My clients desire such relics. And they pay very well."

Teresa examined the orb silently.

The shifting blue light concealed threads of darker energy curling deep inside—as if something beneath the polished surface was still moving. Sleeping.

A familiar principle.

In her old world, humans had tried to manipulate Yoma's flesh—seeking to create controllable warriors.

This artifact hummed with that same misplaced arrogance.

Ralven continued, "You've adapted remarkably well to this world's magical fabric. I suspect you understand, perhaps better than most, the value of integrating foreign energy."

Teresa's gaze turned slowly toward him.

"You've been observing me."

"Observing? No." Ralven smiled thinly. "I simply gather information. The rumors about you circulate rapidly among certain interested circles."

"Circles that collect forbidden artifacts."

"Circles that admire efficiency," he said smoothly. "You exist apart from Earthland's rules—outside its politics, yet tied to Fairy Tail. That makes you... uniquely valuable."

Her silver eyes narrowed fractionally. "Valuable how?"

Ralven's voice lowered. "With your abilities—your control over foreign power—you could open doors most mages fear to approach."

For a brief moment, the mercenaries nearby shifted uncomfortably, listening while pretending not to.

Ralven's meaning was not lost.

He wasn't simply a trader.

He was a recruiter.

Testing her.

Teresa answered calmly. "I walk my path."

"For now," Ralven replied softly. "But paths intersect."

She stepped closer, letting the tension settle between them. "And what would you offer?"

Ralven's smile returned. "Access. Protection. Knowledge. The chance to shape Earthland's future beyond these petty guild squabbles."

"You assume I desire such things."

"You desire to control," Ralven said. "Your restraint hides it, but it's there. You've tasted what power feels like without chains."

Teresa remained perfectly still.

"My world taught me one thing," she said quietly. "Power breeds arrogance. Arrogance breeds ruin."

Ralven chuckled lightly. "Perhaps. But ruin leaves profit for those who survive."

A faint pulse tugged at her senses again.

Stronger.

Not from the artifact.

From the cliffs above.

Her silver eyes shifted upward.

Movement.

Multiple signatures.

The poachers had returned.

But this time, they brought something more.

Before she could issue a warning, the first impact struck.

A deafening roar echoed through the plateau as a massive creature burst from the cliffside above—its long segmented body crashing down like a falling tower.

The beast coiled rapidly, its form resembling a giant centipede fused with reptilian features, armored in jagged obsidian plates etched with unnatural runes. Its elongated head bore a vertical maw filled with rotating fangs and dozens of sharp legs anchored it firmly against the rocky ground.

It shrieked—a sound that rattled the air itself.

"Formation!" the lead mercenary shouted.

But the creature lashed out instantly, its segmented body sweeping one wagon aside with brutal force. Wooden crates shattered as supplies tumbled down the slope.

Poachers appeared behind the monster, armed with more crossbows and binding chains infused with magical suppression runes.

They weren't here to destroy the cargo.

They were here to capture it.

Teresa drew her Claymore fluidly, armor gleaming under the swirling dust.

Ralven retreated quickly behind the surviving wagons, but not before calling out calmly, "Keep the artifact secured. Lady Teresa—your discretion, as always."

The creature shrieked again, its coiling mass preparing for another strike.

Teresa stepped forward, blade ready.

This was no simple poacher raid anymore.

The true game had begun.