The monsters posed no real threat to the party as their group succeeded in attaining level 14. Many of the denizens within the forest ranged from level 7-10. The only thing that happened to be near level were the ferobears protecting their young.

Eugene tanked the whole night, taking hit after hit while he trusted their druid to do her supportive job. He left the strategy to Cassidy, as she could see the entire field from her position. Alex maintained close enough range to the sorcerer to provide coverage, and draw aggro away from her in case Eugene missed one or two. Then there was Magnolia. Sprightly as she was, she moved with purpose, casting several condition spells against their targets, giving him an edge as he attacked. Their enemies’ HP dwindled with each supportive mode made by his team, but the team’s MP dwindled alongside with it. 

But they had plenty of time to prepare. Alex had all of the MP restoration items in his bag, and as his agility was the quickest, Magnolia’s being second, they could distribute oranges and potions alike. His group of friends, he was proud to say, actually had half a brain in strategic planning. 

“MP’s running low!” Cassidy yelled over to Alex who brandished an arrow from his quiver. He fluidly dug into his backpack and pulled a vial of glowing dust out. He popped the cork and sprinkled it on top of the arrow head. As it sparked up into a flame, he took aim. 

“Give me two clicks and a shot.” He positioned the bow where his arrow matched the center mass of his intended target. 

The intended target was none other than an angry Ferobear, larger than the typical ones they saw outside. There were two baby cubs behind it, but they were still attacking their party when they got the chance. 

Cassidy finished chanting the remainder of her fire spell, unleashing a vortex of flame beneath the first bear cub. Critical Damage (Fire). Fire damage happened to be these enemies’ weakness. 

Eugene lunged forward, sword in hand, as he went to add to the combo against the cub. The technical attack he made caused another critical to occur, and they watched the HP drop below zero. It was in this moment that Alex changed targets to the other baby cub. 

Critical Damage (Fire).  His arrow flew true to its mark, and an anguishing cry from the dying cub enraged the larger beast protecting it. 

The Mama Ferobear roared. A burst of energy circled around it and the cavern shook from its mighty roar. Rocks and dirt crumbled off the walls as the Ferobear lunged at Eugene. Alex was waiting for this moment, to dash over to Cassidy to hand her an ether for MP restoration.  

Magnolia took the time to cast Scan, a simple nature spell that would give her knowledge on the creature. She could see not only the details, but also any status effects. “Hey, guys this Ferobear is enraged. Attack power has doubled.” 

Cassidy chugged the contents of the ether down. The MP bar did rise significantly higher, but it was not maxed out. She still needed about 40 more mana to official cap out at max. 

“How about its health?” Eugene was pinned with both of his weapons above his head. The ferobear was chipping away his health bar as he stood his ground. 

Alex pulled out three arrows, and just like last time, he quickly laced it with his fire powder. 

“It has about a quarter left. We can do this, let’s go guys!” Magnolia cheered. 

Cassidy also readied her Fire Bolts spell, unleashing two streaking flames into the bears side. “Enough chit chat, focus your attacks before it unleashes another fury swipes. Mags, Heal Eugene. Alex, get those fire arrows ready, Eugene start hacking!”

They moved in sync, Cassidy had already begun chanting another enhancement spell upon Eugene’s cutlass. The sword glowed a crimson red and he begun his assault. Layers of criticals laced with fire damage, but it’s health bar was still slowly draining.  Thirty seconds later the enchantment worn off and Eugene flipped away from major combat. Alex stepped up with three arrows notched into his bow. “Take this!”

The elven archer shot series of fire volleys to the Ferobear, and watched it crunch down the HP total. It was mere moments away from having less than zero. Eugene took this opportunity to charge in with a new co-op skill he attained between the two’s fire assault. “Soaring Fire!” 

His lunge followed three consecutive hits, that went side to side, and immediately up. The aura surrounding the boss disappeared and started to dissolve. The only thing it left in the monster’s place were the materials and money. Alex collected the dropped items, and handed over the money to Cassidy. Magnolia prepared a quick heal for everyone in the party, and then they continued further into the cavern. 

Glowing green and brown gemstones were discovered embedded in the wall. While they only needed one, they didn’t know exactly which one would be good enough. Magnolia prodded and picked at the wall until she managed to get three decent sized gemstones. 

“And that’s a wrap.”Eugene replied and noticed the missed announcement from Journey. Congratulations on reaching level 15! I’ve added Battles [Boss Battles] to your tutorial help menu. 

“I feel like we have a cheerleader on our side. After every level up we get more knowledge and encouragement.” Alex replied to the small version of Journey smiling from his dialogue box. 

 Another notification popped up shortly after, explaining their next objective. 

Main Quest 1: Report back to Mydalr, and hand over the three materials. 

After a vicious battle with a Mama Ferobear and her two cubs, you and your party have finally obtained the last material you needed. You decided to get some well-deserved rest at the Inn. The Earth Gemstone, the Ferobear tusks, and Hides from the wolf now need to go to Vormud.

Eugene read the quest aloud, but he could imagine it in the voice of Journey. “The story line even sounds like he is typing it out himself.”

Magnolia pondered, she wrapped a finger around her oddly longer hair. “Well, isn’t he supposed to be Chronos’ secretary or something? Perhaps he is keeping track of our journey so that Chronos knows how we are faring.” She decided to quickly braid it over her shoulder, and smiled. 

“In either event, let’s do as the log states and go to the Inn. I’m tired.” Cassidy yawned, stretching out her back. 

Alex led the group while Eugene, Cassidy, and Magnolia trailed behind. When they exited the cave, they heard a loud shrill cry in the sky. A piercing sound, like an eagle’s call in the distant area, enveloped the area. 

“Is that the Eagle you mentioned before?” Magnolia asked the group who looked up to the sky. The trees obscured the view, but that meant they were hidden from view from the Eagle if it happened to fly over above. 

“Might be. We should be fine if we do run into it.” Alex crossed his arms over his chest. 

Eugene shrugged before leading the group into the forest of dense trees. “Let’s keep moving.”