The Forest Yields

As Stella and Ignis stand facing each other, she explains her abilities descriptions. "It sounds like your Ice sculpture works like my Molten Earth ability." Ignis creates a small ball of magma on top of his palm, "It's based off of imagery training, I started by closing my eyes and making small items. Try making a little ball like this or something similar."

After training tell stella could accurately make a pair of daggers accurately, the two set back off into the forest area. The occasional monster crossing their paths find their lives taken in short order. Ignis with his armor and two short swords paired with Stella's ranged support. Mixing solar rays with simply chucking daggers at monsters. The pair finds themselves in the center of the cavern, a large stream filled pond in front of them.

"We should be careful collecting water, there could be anything in there." Ignis comments as he creeps towards the water. A light ripple appears, with a splash a humanoid figure with the tail of a fish pops out of the water at the center. Sitting on top of the rock, she looks down at them.

Ignis and stella pause, "Is that a mermaid?" Stella asks tilting her head as she looks at the creature.

Ignis shrugs, "I have no clue, that's what it looks like though."

The female creature tilts her head a beautiful smiles spreads across her face, suddenly throwing her head back a terrifying screeching noise assaults their ears. Ignis grabs hold of Stella's arm, pulling her with him back into the woods. Through the ringing in their ears they can hear a massive number of footsteps approaching them through the forest.

The brush around them explodes with numerous animals and goblin's alike. Ignis grits' his teeth, Mana explodes from his body forming his armor and weapons. "Follow me," He yells' loudly, leaping from creature to creature. As body parts and ashen libs fall to the ground the two continue holding their ground.

A howl in the distance signals the approach of yet more enemies. As the blood and carnage continues, the screams of pain on the battlefield continue. Igni's draconic scelera narrow as his mind becomes chaotic. Raising his head a deafening roar resounds within the cavern. As Ignis brutishly fights in the crowd, Stella lurks in the tree above. Supporting Ignis as best she can. With her Ice bow and solar ray shots combined. She pierces multiple enemies at once.

Just as the battle slows the sound of heavy footsteps pads into the clearing. A wolf the size of a truck growls as it stalks around Ignis in a circle. Multiple smaller wolves peer out from between the trees, the sound of growling fills the area.

Stella stays still, cold sweat dripping down her back as she observes Ignis. Raising to stand, eye to eye with the massive wolf, Ignis smiles lightly.

The wolf lets out a low growl, the hackles on its back rising. Ignis responds in kind, puffing out his chest. He holds it's gaze with his burning red eyes.

The sound of the wolves growling ever so slowly fades away, before its snout slowly dips towards the ground.

Opening his mouth Ignis lets out a startling cry at the wolf, "Ahhhhhhhhh," this is the last step, sending the pack of wolves skittering away. Unknown to Ignis, the wolf hadnt run from him, but the scent of a superior bloodline.

The Forest around them slowly falls back to silence, eventually resuming its tranquil state amidst the blood and death. Ignis looks over his shoulder, into the tree where Stella sits silently in hiding, "You can come down now," he calls out. His tone startlingly gentle compared to the aura of hatred he was surrounded with earlier.

The braches of the tree rustle forming a trail back down until Stella drops from a lower branch to the ground. As she approaches, he notes her trembling hands, "There were so many," she mumbles disheartenily.

Ignis reaches out, his fingers brushing the back of her hand. "It's alright now, I don't think anything else from this floor will attack." His voice soothing her as he grips her hand reassuringly. His other hand stroking the back of her head to comfort her.

Stella turns her eyes to his before pressing her forehead against his chest, "Will we… Can we make it out of here," She mumbles.

"We'll get stronger, we can make it out of here. We have people waiting on us, after all." Ignis continues to comfort her until her shoulders stop shaking. "You okay now?" Ignis asks in a quiet tone, tipping her head back to look her in the eyes.

Her puffy red eyes meet his before turning away shyly, a slight blush on her cheeks as she states indignantly, "D-don't look at me right now!"

Ignis scratch's the back of his head turning away, "Listen, I didn't see anything, okay? Lets head back to the little camp we have set up."

Stella replies with a simple, "Humph," but follows after him all the same.

The glowing moss in the cave around them, which provides light to the cave begins to slowly dim. As something like night falls over the forest, Ignis and Stella sit around their campfire. The body of a rabbit like creature sits on a makeshift spit with Ignis slowly rotating it. The scent of cooked meat slowly perforates the area, as Stella bites into an apple like fruit.

While Gates and labyrinth's are known for a variety of resources, they also possess exotic otherworldly food's. All of which have one thing in common, the presence of mana. While some people use these to slightly increase a specific mana trait, they can all be ate. This is because the body will simply expel the mana similar to how it reacts to carbon. In other words... through burping. While the majority will simply be expelled, there are unique fruits that can increase your affinity to specific mana types. This is a trend among the higher society, but highly unrecommended for hunters. After all it is far easier to master your control over a single element, versus all of them at once.

As they sit around the fire, the only sound the crackling from the flames, and Stella's methodical crunching of an apple. Ignis looks over at her with a slight smile, "The meat should be done any minute now, and shouldn't you slow down on that?"

Stella looks over at him confused, before saying, or rather, burping, "Why....." Her eyes widen as she looks at Ignis with a horrified look in her eyes, a blush rises on her cheeks as she turns her gaze to her thighs, "E-Excuse me."

Ignis burst out laughing for a time, before sitting upright. Wiping tears from his eyes, "Y-You're excused," he says between his fit of laughter. At last calming down, he pulls the spit from the fire. A Sharp rock sit's in his hand, cutting into the meat to find a fine white color. "The main food is done, would you like some?"

Stella simply nod's her head, as she sit's petrified at her outburst. Finally looking up and reaching out for the food, once Ignis gently pokes her cheek with a finger. They sit in silence once more, eating the food before themselves. The Rabbit like creature they butchered while tasting slightly gamey, was quite good. Ignis sits with a smile on his face, letting out a few burps himself after eating the fruit, he turns to Stella.

"There's not much to season with that I know of, but how was it?"

"It was fine," Stella turns her face to him with a smile, "Thanks for cooking for me, I wouldn't have the slightest clue how to do this."

"I grew up doing thing's like this, and your welcome. You can get some rest, I'll wake you when it's your turn to keep watch." Ignis gestures to a make shift bed they'd spent most of the night weaving from vines and grasses. As the cave grows dimmer and dimmer, it slowly cools off. A slight chill lingers in the air around them.

Stella moves to the bed, the heat from the fire keeping her mostly warm. She glances towards the edge of the camp, where Ignis stand's leaning against the wall of the cave. She nibbles her lip for a moment, "Ignis, aren't you cold over there?" She asks, her eyelids having grown heavy, exhaustion from her first time fighting having set in. Her tone laced with exhaustion, she see's Ignis turn his head over his shoulder with a slight smile on his face.

"I'm okay, get some rest Stella."

Stella reaches out, next to her and the fire, "C-come sit by the fire... at least," she murmur's. Her heavy eyelids finally falling to cover her eyes, as her chest peacefully rises and falls.

Ignis walk's over to the fire, adding a few pieces of wood. Sitting down by the fire and her, he keeps watch through the night.