CHAPTER V

Countdown

The four of them looked around, the forest around them already taking on a rather ominous atmosphere as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon. They were already hearing all sorts of noises, like howling and the occasional roar.

—"I really don't like the sound of this..." Nick mumbled, already seeming uneasy.

Chryso looked at the others, each of them looking equally cautious about the mission. It was already getting rather dark now, meaning that they'd soon be in complete darkness as the sun set.

—"Alright... Let's just get this over with..."

The four of them ventured into the forest, the trees closing in around them as they stepped away from the light. Within moments, they were surrounded on all sides by darkness, the only sounds coming from the wildlife and their footsteps.

Something suddenly moved in the trees above. The low growling of a lone beast could be heard, almost blending in with the sounds of normal forest predators.

—"Uh oh... That's probably not a good sign..."

The small sphere of light showed that they were on a decently-sized trail, with the rest of the forest stretching out all around them. But that light also revealed something else that had been hidden before: a pair of eyes, staring at them from a small clearing in the brush.

The forest seemed to get even quieter. Whatever was watching them, it certainly wasn't a friendly beast.

The four of them stopped, and Nick continued to shine his light around the small clearing for a moment, trying to see if there was something else out there. But there was nothing that he could see aside from the pair of eyes from before... It was like whatever it was, it was trying to stay hidden.

Whatever it was, it didn't seem like it was going to reveal itself. The silence continued to stretch out, interrupted only by the occasional bird or insect chirping.

Even knowing that there was a beast lurking in the dark, there was nothing they could do but continue forward. After all, their objective was to collect firewood, not hunt a creature down.

—"So, is this the tree Glynda said?" Nick asked after encountering a big tree. Taller than the rest of the thousands around them.

—"I'd assume so," Kiera replied as she approached the tree.

—"Looks like the perfect spot to collect firewood to me..."

She said as she reached out to touch the tree, only to pause before actually doing so.

—"Wait..."

She seemed to tense up as she backed away, suddenly on guard.

—"Heck. A Nevermore!" Chryso said preparing her weapon.

The moment Chryso pointed her weapon up, the Nevermore that had been lurking in the depths of the trees revealed itself. It was a terrifying beast, with big wings and a massive beak. It took up most of the clearing with its size, the tips of its wings actually brushing against the tree line. Its gaze was locked on the four of them the moment it revealed itself.

—"Gah! Nevermore!"...

Carmine exclaimed as she quickly prepared the Inquisitor, her weapon as well, a look of panic on her face.

—"What's that Winchester? Are you afraid?" Kiera asked to hide her own fear.

—"Don't call me that! I'm not afraid of... of... of...!"

Carmine sputtered, not wanting to admit that she was indeed a little scared.

—"It's a Nevermore, you idiot!"

She instead shot back, trying to turn her fear into wrath for the beast.

—"Well guys. The bully's right. We have to cook this chicken!" Chryso growled.

Chryso's words seemed to snap Kiera out of her own fear, albeit temporarily. She looked at the monster and grinned.

—"That looks like a mighty fine dinner to me!"

She declared, already feeling her bravery coming back.

—"Now, let's make sure it tastes just as good as it looks!"

Nick and Carmine both nodded their agreements, clearly ready to take on the beast.

The four of them worked together, each member of the team contributing their own style of combat in a sort of dance. Though the Nevermore did its fair share of attacking, each attack was eventually overcome by a coordinated response from the rest of the team.

Finally, after several tense minutes of fighting, the monster was defeated. It collapsed to the ground with a mighty thud, its remains now laying motionless in the darkness.

—"Wait. Do you see that?" Kiera said pointing at a yellowish stone in the middle of the tar like puddle that the Grimm left.

The other members of the team looked in the direction that Kiera was pointing, spotting the strange stone she was talking about. Their breaths hitched in their throats as they realized that she might be onto something.

—"What's that?"

Carmine asked, looking at it warily.

—"Well, there's only one way to find out..."

Kiera walked forward, taking a closer look at the stone. Her companions watched, each one waiting for her to pick it up, but she didn't immediately do so.

—"I... I don't know about this..."

—"Just do it, you coward!" Carmine shouted at her from a distance.

—"Why don't you come over here and do it yourself then?!"

Kiera snapped back, but deep down, she knew that Carmine had a point. If she was going to touch it, she might as well do it now rather than spend eternity hesitating.

And so, she reached for the stone with a trembling hand.

—"It...is...cold," Kiera said. Kiera was correct in her observation, as the stone felt positively frigid as she held it. The cold slowly began to spread up her arm, giving her a brief shudder before it eventually subsided.

—"Weird..."

—"We have to bring it to Glynda" Chryso said.

Nick concurred. Despite the fact that the stone still felt a little unsettling, he believed that it would be best to take it back to the school and investigate further. Once Chryso finished chopping off firewood from the sacred tree with Helmetheus. It was time to go back to Beacon.

Chryso slung her bag filled with firewood across her back, while Kiera carefully placed the stone into her own. With the task completed, that only left one thing left. Unfortunately, though, this feeling of relief didn't last long, as the group suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes up ahead...

—"Oh. Damn it. Now what?" Carmine growled

—"Probably another Nevermore..." Nick frowned, his hand gripping his staff tighter than before. "But I don't see any eye-shine..."

His brow furrowed further as he carefully looked around, trying to spot any possible threats. After a brief moment, he finally spotted something unusual about the bush that was moving.

—"Just get out so we can kill you. Ugly!" Chryso growled.

The bush began to shake a bit more, as though it was trying to stand up.

After a few seconds, it became clear what this was. And it wasn't another Nevermore.

—"Oh...crap" Carmine exclaimed. Chryso and Nick looked as Kiera pointed at the bush, and their voices fell into the same tones as Kiera's. "...that's... not a Grimm..."