Lumira

As the carriages rumbled into Lumira, the first rays of dawn illuminated a town far removed from its reputation of Luminescent Flora. 

'This is the opposite of what I expected to witness…'

The mystical plants that once emitted an ethereal glow now lay withered and lifeless, casting an eerie shadow across the desolate streets. Lumira, once a thriving place, had succumbed to a darkness that seemed to emanate from its very core.

The party disembarked from the carriages, greeted by a scene of devastation.

"Ah…"

A soft breath laced with bitter emotion to it left Aeliana's lips as if she was saying 'This is way worse than I expected it to be!'

Crumbling structures and remnants of what were once vibrant shops stood as graves of the once-good times. A heavy silence hung in the air, interrupted only by the distant sounds of monsters echoing through the deserted streets.

Cole's eyes were neutral and rather nonchalant as he took in the sight. 

"This is Lumira, right? What happened here?"

Aeliana surveyed the surroundings with a grim expression. 

"It seems the reports were accurate. Lumira has further fallen victim to a monster surge."

"I see. So, what were we ordered to come here for? Slay these monsters?"

Cole asked with a raised brow as if expecting that to be the right answer while they began their stride into the town with a quickened pace.

"Correct, just like we were ordered to clear off most of your town, Elyndor."

"Sigh, let's get to it then–"

As the group cautiously advanced through the town, the monsters lurking in the shadows began to reveal themselves as Cole ended his sentence. 

"Guess we won't have to chase anything." Brander unsheathed his sword confidently as distorted creatures, once innocent animals mutated by some dark force, now prowled the crumbling streets of the small town.

Thorne tightened his grip on the earthen axe he just conjured, and Selene conjured a shimmering barrier of wind. Lyra, with her stoic demeanor similar to Cole's, focused her attention on the arcane, ready to unleash her powers when needed.

Aeliana turned to Cole, who was seemingly disinterested compared to these monsters. 

'If it was a Corrupted Grimgar, then maybe the smoke would show up again–'

"Cole, ready your blade. We need to work together to clear a path through these Boneweavers."

'So they've been registered as Boneweavers, huh? I guess it makes sense considering their whole body is made out of… bones. Simplistic if you ask me.'

With a nod, Cole gripped his blade tightly. 

The party engaged in close combat, their weapons clashing with the monstrous horde of the spider-like creatures. 

Selene's magic soared through the air, cutting down through the flesh that connected the bones of the creatures with wind blades. 

Brander and Thorne coordinated their attacks, Brander focused on burning through the incredibly strong webs that were being shot out of the monsters' asses, and Thorne focused on fully smashing their bodies apart.

Lilya on the other hand, used her water spells to soften the soil of the ground, making the monsters stuck and become easier targets to kill off.

Their size wasn't anything too tremendous, after all. They reached up to a grown-up's chest but were quite troublesome for untrained people.

Lyra was in a rather spectating stance beside Lilya who then continued to shoot compressed water bullets to throw the Boneweavers out of focus.

Cole, while lacking magical abilities, utilized his agility and keen instincts to dart between the monsters. 

"Hmph!"

The stolen blade of the bandit became an extension of himself, finding weaknesses in the monsters' already lacking defenses and striking with precision at the fleshy joints as Aeliana gave out the orders from the rear, as the party leader that she was.

With the monsters falling one after another, the tense mood was beginning to lessen.

"Huff, huff–"

Cole heaved out as he cut the last one, feeling his vision flicker between lights.

'This is definitely not from tiredness.'

He concluded right away, not having noticed the slight graze on the side of his arm.

However, victory was short-lived, as a distant cry caught their attention. 

"Kiryaaah!"

It wasn't the distorted wails of monsters, but, the anguished cries of terrified humans.

"Quick, we need to save and help any survivors!"

Aeliana outstretched her arm in the direction of the voice before making a run towards it herself behind her party members.

Following the sound, the party discovered a hidden bunker beneath some ruins after quickly taking care of another Boneweaver who sadly ended the life of a young girl.

Inside, huddled and frightened, were the remaining residents of Lumira– survivors who had managed to evade the horrors above.

Aeliana approached the outside of the bunker, visibly noticing some people's mana signatures. Her expression a mix of relief and concern as she tried to ease their worries. 

"You're safe now. We're here to help."

The survivors, initially wary, looked up with a glimmer of hope in their eyes, some even argued beforehand that the party may be some illusions caused by an intellectual monster, albeit, after persuading them, they finally left.

Among them, an older woman stepped forward, gratitude etched on her face. 

"Thank you! We thought we were the last ones left."

"I'm so sorry for the terrors you had to witness…"

As the party interacted with the survivors, Cole's attention was drawn to a mysterious symbol etched on the bunker's walls. 

'What's this?'

He asked within himself as he made contact with the dark-colored symbol that resembled a twisted sideways eight and an amalgamation of celestial and arcane symbols. 

'Am I thinking too much into this–?!"

Before he could investigate further, a monstrous roar echoed from the town's center, interrupting the fragile peace. 

A colossal creature, a grotesque manifestation of disgust, emerged from the heart of Lumira.

"GRRAGH!"

Its presence seemed to warp the space surrounding it, casting a shadow that seemed to consume all light.

However, in that very moment of vulnerability during Cole's investigation of the Symbol, a black tendril of lightning lashed out towards him, grazing the right side of his chest, his ribcage specifically.

The pain shot through his body, making Cole grit his teeth as he tried to keep in touch with reality through his wobbling vision since the battle of the Boneweavers and the near-fatal attack he just received.