Emilio used his lesser spirits to scope out the island for the location of the Harken, or Celly.

The region they found themselves in was a vast, luscious plan, covered with boulders that were as plentiful as trees in a forest.

“…Haaah…Haaaaah…”

Doing his best to follow along the two who never seemed to grow tired, the bumpkin shielder breathed heavily, walking with sloppy steps as he slumped his shoulders.

“Hey, guys, mind slowin’ down a bit…?” Everett asked, caked in sweat as he stepped over a branch.

Sirius looked back, responding with a playful smile, “I can give you a piggyback ride, if you need it.”

“Err…Yeah, I’ll pass on that,” Everett muttered under his breath as he continued stomping forward tiredly.

Emilio came to a stop as his eyes seemed to be looking in the far distance, silently staring off as the other two watched him curiously.

“What’s up, brother?” Sirius asked.

“See something, Em?”

The Dragonheart kept his eyes forward, responding without breaking his gaze, “I found it–Salamander located it.”

“Located what?” Everett asked with a gulp, seeming to already have an idea of his own.

“The Harken,” Emilio answered.

The air thinned with the reveal of what was discovered. Even without having seen one of the bloodthirsty elves that dwelled on the islands for themselves, Emilio and Everett already had a sense for what lay ahead for them.

Sirius rotated his shoulders, stretching his arms as he warmed himself up, “Listen, as long as you’re with me, victory is guaranteed. Still…”

“What is it?” Emilio asked.

There was a smile on the Stormheart’s lips different from his usual expression of confidence–it was excitement, “If the one I encountered is any indicator of what we’ll find, this will be interesting for once.”

“…That is definitely not reassuring,” Everett sighed.

Emilio led the way with the others moving quietly behind him, moving with stealthiness in mind as the young, blonde-and-black haired man followed where he sensed his lesser spirit was anchored. A dense sector of foliage was between them and the Harken’s home; bushes as tall as trees and as wide as city walls stretched around, creating a barrier of natural green.

ƥαṇdα-ηθνε|·ƈθm

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Everett winced repeatedly as thorns poked at his exposed skin.

As the heavily-clad man let out noises from the prickly growths on the twigs, his mouth was quickly covered by the hand of Emilio, who was crouched in front of him.

“Mmgh–?!” Everett said, muffled.

Emilio whispered, “They’re close. It’s not just one.”

Within the interior of the vast network of twigs and leaves of the colossal bushes, the three men sat quietly, listening in on the prowling steps. The footsteps were subtle; like the quiet dance of trickling rain upon soil.

It was difficult to see anything through the sea of twigs, which intertwined like knots, cluttered with leaves that veiled the hunters.

Emilio began to stand up from within the bush, whispering to his two companions, “I’m going to take the one up ahead. Handle the others however you want.”

“Wha–?” Everett quietly let out in shock.

Sirius smirked with a nod, “Go get ’em.”

The Dragonheart began walking forward, using a meticulous shape of wind on the soles of his boots to silence his footsteps.

[“Eyes of The Scaled Beast”]

Without invoking his system completely, he shifted only his eyes as their amethyst shade was replaced with a bestial azure, sharpening as he looked past the leaves. He could see clearly, latching onto any movement: a tall, lanky figure with a head of silver hair.

The build of the stranger was abnormal; the neck of the pale-skinned hunter was elongated unnaturally with bony shoulders, yet clear muscular definition in their arms and legs. Dressed in white-and-brown, leather gear, the eerily tall figure held a knife in one hand, stalking the woods.

‘A Harken,’ Emilio thought.

It was a fine opportunity that presented itself to him, one that he had hoped for before tackling the base of the Harkens beforehand: he wanted to test himself against one, to see how they stacked up.

As he looked upon the lanky, sharp-haired figure, it was only for a split second that he let his guard down: a branch crunched beneath his boot.

There wasn’t a single second wasted before the Harken already spun its head around, leaning down almost like an animal, sniffing the ground as its long, pointy ears moved, latching onto any noise.

‘Well, there goes any idea of sneaking up on him,’ Emilio thought.

Deciding to confront the stranger head-on, the Dragonheart walked out from the bushes while unsheathing his sword.

“Just letting you know, I won’t hesitate too-” Emilio warned as he wrapped his fingers around the handle of his tenured weapon.

Cutting him off, the lanky hunter dashed towards him, springing forth with the pitch-black eyes of the Harken locking onto him. It was silent and ruthless; Emilio immediately reacted as he stepped forward, meeting his enemy halfway as he met blade-and-blade with them.

CLANG

The meeting of steel flourished with hot sparks that glided against the forest’s grass. He found himself seeing eye-to-eye with the all-black ocular spheres of the hunter, seeing nothing human past them.

For a split-second, he was pressed by the long-eared hunter’s strength before responding with his own, flexing his muscles as he pushed the Harken away. The wordless cannibal slid back without his expression changing in the slightest.

“Phew,” Emilio quickly exhaled, raising his weapon again.

‘I wasn’t expecting that much raw strength behind that strike, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Maverick mentioned something about this–how everything living on this island grows stronger. The Harken have been living here for centuries, that means their bodies have been honed–evolved into something else entirely,’ he thought.

While he was caught in thought, he was surprised as the sharp-eared hunter suddenly flipped back in an unorthodox way.

‘What’s that–? Some kind of olympic acrobatic move?’ Emilio thought in surprise.