Mai's watch passed in perfect stillness. The only movements came from the dancing shadows cast by the fire and the occasional shuffle of his sleeping companions.

  When the time came, Mai descended the tree, landing softly on the moss-covered floor. He approached Marin's sleeping form and knelt beside her, placing a light hand on her shoulder.

  "Marin," he whispered, careful not to startle her. "Your watch."

  She stirred, blinking slowly before recognition dawned in her eyes. Mai helped her to her feet, explaining what little there was to report.

  "Nothing to note. All passages are clear. My little friend will stay with you. It'll let you know if anything changes." He nodded toward the spectral fox, which had already padded down from the tree and settled beside Marin. "Wake Emri when it's her turn."

  Marin nodded, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Got it."

  Mai watched as she took up position near the tree, the wisp's blue glow illuminating her tired face. Satisfied she was alert enough, he moved to his own sleeping space, a patch of soft moss he'd chosen earlier, positioned where he could spring up quickly if needed.

  He laid down, feeling the tension in his muscles unwind. The fire's warmth reached him even here, and the gentle ambient glow from bioluminescent fungi dotting the ceiling created a peaceful atmosphere.

  Mai adjusted his pack beneath his head as a makeshift pillow. His hand drifted to the dagger strapped at his side. The star-dark blade swallowed the firelight, a quiet pull stirring beneath the metal, as though the weapon recognized him, or was waiting for something from him.

  From his position, he could see Cal and Nasu already deep in sleep, and Emri curled up with her camera clutched protectively against her chest.

  As his eyes grew heavy, Mai's thoughts drifted to Iruminai. Where was his friend now? Had he found allies as Mai had? The questions faded as exhaustion claimed him, pulling him down into dreamless sleep.

  A gentle pressure against Mai's jaw dragged him from the shallow depths of sleep. His eyes snapped open, instantly alert despite the hour. The wisp's luminous gaze met his, its standing at attention on his chest.

  "I'm up," Mai whispered, his voice rough with sleep.

  He looked past the fox to see Emri standing a few paces away, her greenish-blue hair catching the dim light of the dying fire. She took a step back, eyebrows rising as she registered his immediate wakefulness.

  "Oh! I—I didn't think you'd wake so quickly." Her fingers twisted around each other as a faint blush colored her cheeks.

  Mai sat up carefully, allowing the wisp to slide from his chest into his lap. "Light sleeper," he explained simply, rubbing his face with one hand. Old habits died hard.

  The wisp's four tails swished silently as it moved aside. Mai rolled his shoulders, working out the stiffness from sleeping on the ground.

  "How was your watch?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

  Emri adjusted her camera strap, a nervous gesture that Mai had noticed she repeated often. "Quiet." She glanced toward the passages leading from their chamber. "I took some photos of the corridors. Thought maybe comparing them might show if they've shifted at all."

  Mai nodded, impressed by her foresight. "Smart."

  "I checked them before coming to wake you. No changes I could detect." She said.

  "That's good to hear," Mai said, rising to his feet. He stretched his arms above his head, feeling his spine pop in several places. His muscles ached from days of navigating the labyrinth.

  The wisp circled his ankles once before trotting ahead toward the tree. Mai followed, rolling his shoulders one last time before he noticed the soft footfalls behind him. He turned to find Emri trailing a few steps back, camera still clutched in her hands.

  "You should get some more rest," he suggested, gesturing toward the sleeping area where Cal and Nasu were still lost in dreams. "Tomorrow might be rough."

  Emri shook her head, the movement causing her greenish-blue hair to catch what little light remained from the embers. "I'm not tired," she insisted. "I'll help with watch for a little longer."

  Mai studied her for a moment. Her eyes were alert, showing no signs of the exhaustion that had been evident in Marin's face. He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I don't mind. Could use the company, actually."

  They climbed the tree together, Mai moving with practiced ease while Emri followed more cautiously, one hand always securing her camera. The wisp bounded up ahead of them, its luminescent form finding a perch on a higher branch that gave a clear view of all the chamber entrances.

  Mai settled onto a wide branch, his back against the trunk, one leg dangling while the other was bent to provide balance. Emri took a similar position on a neighboring branch, though she kept both feet firmly planted, her camera now resting in her lap.

  The chamber below looked peaceful, the dying fire casting a warm glow over their sleeping companions. The various fungi and moss formations created patches of soft blue-green light throughout the space, giving the underground garden an otherworldly beauty.

  Mai breathed deeply, letting the earthy scent of the place fill his lungs. The wisp's gentle glow provided just enough light to make out Emri's contemplative expression as she gazed out across their temporary sanctuary.

  The silence between them stretched comfortably, broken only by the soft breathing of their sleeping companions below. Mai studied the dim passages while the wisp remained vigilant, its ethereal blue glow casting soft shadows across the tree branches.

  After several minutes, Mai's curiosity got the better of him. "So, what's with the camera?"

  Emri looked at him, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

  "I mean… there's more to it than just taking pictures, right?" Mai nodded toward the device resting in her lap. "You never put it away… even earlier, when you all thought Nasu and I were a threat. Most people would keep something they value packed safely away, but not you."

  Emri's fingers curled protectively around the camera's edges. The device looked ordinary enough, compact with a few extra dials and a strap worn smooth from constant handling.

  Emri nodded, a bit hesitantly, confirming Mai's suspicions.

  "So, what's it do?" Mai asked, his voice gentle with genuine curiosity rather than demand.

  Her fingers tightened, and Mai noticed her shoulders stiffen slightly. Her eyes moving between him and the device, conflict evident in her expression.

  Mai chuckled softly, raising a hand in a placating gesture. "You don't have to say if you don't want to. I get it." He leaned back against the trunk, his expression relaxing into something more casual. "After all, I know the advantage of staying mysterious in this exam."

  The tension in Emri's shoulders eased visibly. She exhaled a breath she'd been holding and nodded, offering him a small, grateful smile.

  "Thanks," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her fingers resumed their gentle caress of the camera's worn edges, a habitual motion that seemed to comfort her.

  Mai shrugged, returning his attention to the passages beyond their sanctuary. "Everyone's got their secrets." His hand unconsciously drifted to the cosmic dagger at his side. "Some things aren't meant to be shared with people you've just met in an underground maze."

  A soft laugh escaped Emri. "When you put it that way..."

  The wisp's ears perked suddenly, its four tails stiffening as it gazed intently toward one of the darkened corridors. Mai followed its line of sight, instantly alert. He raised a hand, signaling Emri to remain still and quiet.

  The silence stretched, taut as a bowstring. Mai's focus remained on the darkened corridor, muscles coiled and ready.

  Minutes passed with nothing emerging. The wisp gradually relaxed its stance, though its attention stayed fixed on the passage. Mai began to wonder if they'd imagined the disturbance.

  Then, a prickling sensation crawled up Mai's spine. The distinct feeling of being watched.

  Mai spun around so quickly he nearly lost his balance on the branch. Nothing. Then, his eyes darted upward to a section of the tree trunk just above his head.

  A wooden protrusion jutted from the bark, one that absolutely hadn't been there when they'd climbed up. The knot of wood had formed into something disturbingly face-like: two hollows resembling eye sockets and a thin, wide recess that resembled a mouth.

  Alarm bells rang through Mai's mind. He locked eyes with Emri, raising a finger to his lips before pointing urgently downward. She needed to wake the others. Now.

  Emri followed his gaze upward, her eyes widening in horrified recognition. The color drained from her face as she clutched her camera tighter. She began to shift her weight, preparing to descend, her movements deliberately slow and controlled.

  The wooden face above Mai suddenly creaked. Its hollowed eye sockets snapped open, revealing glowing amber points of light that fixed directly on Mai. The mouth-like recess split open with the sound of splintering wood, dark sap oozing between the newly formed gaps.

  Mai's hand flew to his dagger as the bark around the face began to ripple and distort. The tree itself seemed to melt, the wood flowing like liquid as a grotesque form began to pull itself free from the trunk. A gnarled wooden hand the size of Mai's torso burst from the bark, reaching for him with fingers like twisted branches.

  "Run!" Mai shouted, abandoning stealth.

  He leapt from his branch as the massive hand swiped through the space where he'd been sitting. Emri let out a startled cry, nearly dropping her camera as she scrambled down. Mai caught a glimpse of the wisp darting frantically between branches, its blue glow leaving streaking trails in the darkness.

  "Everyone up!" Mai landed hard but kept his balance, shouting toward the sleeping figures. "Now!"

  Cal jerked awake first, disoriented. Nasu tumbled from his makeshift bed, mumbling confusion. Marin was already on her feet, sword half-drawn.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "What—" Marin began.

  Above them, the tree shuddered violently. The creature retracted into the bark with a sound like a thousand twigs snapping at once. The entire trunk rippled as if alive.

  "Move!" Mai urged, backing away from the tree. "It's in the—"

  The ground beneath the tree erupted. Roots burst from the soil, twisting and reforming as the creature pulled itself into existence at the tree's base. Nine feet tall, it unfolded like a nightmare origami, bark plates shifting and locking together to form its body.

  Its face materialized exactly as Mai had seen, two flat bark planks meeting at an obtuse angle, creating a mask-like visage with those same amber points of light burning within its eye sockets. Arms twice the length of its spindly legs unfurled, wooden fingers dragging along the ground as it straightened to its full height.

  "What is that thing?" Emri gasped, backing toward the others who were now fully alert and gaping at the monstrosity.

  The creature's head rotated with a grinding creak. Its face mask split again, revealing not a mouth but a jagged opening filled with splinter-like wooden teeth. A sound emerged, a deep, guttural growl threaded with the groaning rasp of breaking timber.

  Mai's dagger was already in his hand. The wisp darted to his side, its four tails bristling with agitation.

  "Spread out," Mai instructed, his voice steady despite the hammering of his heart. "Circle it."

  The creature's elongated arms dragged across the moss as it took a lumbering step forward. Fragments of bark flaked off its body with each movement, falling to the ground like dead leaves. The glowing fungi around the chamber seemed to come alive as it approached, as if the creature breathed life into them itself.

  Mai's mind raced through possibilities. Wood meant fire might work—but the moss-covered floor and their position underground made that risky.

  The creature's mask-face twisted toward him, those amber eyes focusing with predatory intensity. It knew him. Somehow, impossibly, it recognized him specifically.

  "Mai?" Marin's voice cut through his thoughts. "What do we do?"

  Before he could answer, the wooden abomination lunged.

  Time slowed as those gnarled claws shot toward him, sweeping past and angling toward Emri—frozen beside him, eyes wide with terror, camera trembling in her grip.

  "Move!" he shouted, but her body remained locked in place.

  Acting on pure instinct, Mai lunged sideways, wrapping his arms around Emri's waist and tackling her to the ground. They tumbled across the moss in a tangle of limbs as the creature's claws whistled through the air where they'd stood.

  Something cold and sharp brushed Mai's back, sending chills down his spine. The fabric of his shirt parted with a precise tearing sound. No pain followed, but the sudden draft against his skin told him how close it had been.

  "Get up! Get up!" Mai urged, pulling Emri to her feet. Her eyes remained wide, pupils dilated with fear, but she moved now.

  A rasping sound drew Mai's attention. The creature's twisted form reset itself with unnatural fluidity, bark plates shifting and realigning like armor. Its amber eyes swiveled in their sockets, scanning the chamber before locking onto a new target.

  The creature's eyes locked onto Cal, who was still standing uncertainly near his abandoned sleeping area. Cal's hand fumbled for his weapon, but his movements were sluggish from sleep. He managed to raise his arms in a defensive stance, but his reactions were a half-second too slow.

  "Cal! Move!" Mai shouted, already lunging forward.

  The wooden monstrosity pounced, its elongated arm extending impossibly as it closed the distance. Cal's eyes widened in horror, his body still caught in that hazy space between sleep and full alertness.

  "Down!" Nasu's voice cut through the chaos. The rabbit Ferlyn launched himself forward, grabbing a fistful of Cal's shirt from behind. With a sharp jerk, he yanked Cal backward just as the creature's claws slashed through the air where he'd been standing.

  Cal stumbled, nearly falling over Nasu. "What—"

  "I know, I'm the best... thank me later!" Nasu shoved him aside as bark fragments exploded from the ground where the creature's fist slammed into the moss.

  Mai scrambled to his feet, drawing the starry blade from his belt. He charged forward without hesitation, stars glinting in the firelight.

  The creature's head rotated with a sickening crack. It spotted Mai's approach and twisted its body to face him. With a violent swing, it launched its grotesque limb at him.

  Mai coiled his legs and vaulted skyward, the rush of air beneath him as the creature's arm swept harmlessly below. He landed on the twisted appendage with grace, momentum carrying him forward along the limb's length. The dagger in his hand hummed with anticipation.

  He brought his blade down hard toward the creature’s shoulder joint, aiming for the seam between its shifting plates.

  The star-metal dagger struck with precision, but instead of cleaving through, it merely chipped the armored surface. Tiny fragments of bark scattered, revealing a dense, fibrous interior that refused to give way.

  Behind the creature, Marin surged in with a focused shout, her knife flashing low toward the joint. The strike landed cleanly, but the blade bounced off the wooden surface with a dull, useless knock.

  The creature's body shuddered and convulsed, nearly throwing Mai from his perch. Its free arm twisted backward at an impossible angle, claws extending toward him.

  "This isn't working!" Marin shouted, backpedaling as the creature's foot stomped where she'd stood moments before.

  Mai leapt away, rolling across the moss and springing back to his feet beside Marin. The creature turned toward them, amber eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence.

  "We need something else," Mai muttered, mind racing. His gaze darted to Nasu, who was pulling Cal behind a pillar. Nasu's bag.

  "Emri!" Mai called out, spotting her pressed against a tree trunk. "Grab Nasu's bag! The one with the red stitching!"

  Emri jolted at Mai’s command and moved instantly, sprinting toward Nasu’s abandoned pack.

  "Toss it to me!" Mai yelled, sidestepping another wild swing from the creature. The ground where he'd stood erupted in splinters of stone and clumps of moss.

  The bag sailed through the air toward him, contents rattling inside.

  Mai snatched desperately at the flying bag, fingertips brushing the fabric before the creature raised its arm with mechanical precision. Its wooden limb bulged, bark splitting open as something new emerged. Dozens of branches housing razor-sharp leaves unfurled along its extended arm, each leaf glinting like knives in the dying firelight.

  With a sound like rushing wind, the leaves detached and launched toward the bag. They sliced through the air with terrifying accuracy, embedding themselves into the pack and carrying it backward with tremendous force.

  The bag slammed into a distant tree with a heavy thud, pinned high above the ground by the leaf-blades. The red stitching now barely visible in the shadows, well beyond their reach.

  "Fuck!" Mai cursed, eyes darting between the suspended bag and the monster. Whatever he'd hoped to find in Nasu's pack was now inaccessible.

  The creature's eyes followed the path of the bag, focusing on its origin. Its gaze locked onto Emri, who stood frozen near the edge of the firelight. The wooden monstrosity's body realigned with fluid, crackling movements, bark plates shifting as it raised its arm toward her.

  "Emri, get down!" Mai shouted, his heart pounding against his ribs.

  The mouse Ferlyn dropped to the ground instantly, diving behind a boulder as the creature's arm erupted with another volley of razor-sharp leaves. The projectiles sliced through the air where she'd stood, embedding themselves into the stone with metallic pings.

  Mai's wisp flickered frantically beside him, its blue light pulsing with urgency. He darted left as the creature's attention remained fixed on Emri's hiding spot, leaves continuously launching toward the boulder. Each impact chipped away at her protection, stone fragments scattering across the moss.

  "We need to draw it away from her," Mai whispered to Marin, who had positioned herself beside him.

  Before she could respond, a sickening crunch echoed through the chamber. The creature's torso bulged unnaturally, bark plates separating as something pushed outward from within. With a splintering crack, a new appendage burst from its side—a third arm, twisted and gnarled like the others.

  The monster's head rotated toward Mai and Marin, amber eyes flickering with cold intelligence. Its new arm extended with frightening speed, sweeping in a wide arc as the other continued its relentless assault on Emri's shelter.

  Mai threw himself backward, feeling the rush of air as the claws passed inches from his face. The creature was attacking in multiple directions simultaneously now, its movements precise and calculated.

  The monster slammed its new appendage into the ground between Mai and Marin, forcing them to split apart. Moss and dirt erupted in a shower that momentarily obscured Mai's vision.

  When the debris settled, Mai found himself isolated from the others, the creature's body pivoting to face him directly. Its original arm still fired leaves at Emri's diminishing cover while the new appendage raised toward Mai, its fingers elongating into something that resembled serrated branches.

  Mai adjusted his grip on the star-blade, feeling its subtle hum against his palm.

  The creature launched forward, serrated branches whipping toward Mai's face. In that suspended moment, Mai's world narrowed to a singular focus.

  His body reacted before any conscious thought, the star-blade singing through the air. The metal hummed with strange resonance as it intercepted the branches. Instead of meeting resistance, the knife sliced through with impossible ease, severing each gnarled extension in a clean arc.

  Severed wood fell around him like rain, but what stunned Mai was the abrupt halt of the creature's momentum. The massive wooden form had lunged with enough force to shatter stone, yet the moment his blade connected, that tremendous weight simply... stopped. The dagger absorbed the impact completely, vibrating slightly in his grip but otherwise showing no strain.

  The impact forced the creature a half-step back, its balance shifting in a stiff, unnatural jolt. Dark sap seeped from the severed limb, threading down its moss-stained bark.

  Mai glanced at the blade, amazed by how different it felt. The impact had made it heavier—dense and pulling at his grip—before the metal slowly eased; the weight smoothing itself out until it returned to that uncanny, perfectly balanced feel he remembered.

  He shifted the dagger in his hand, a faint curiosity flickering before he let the thought go and fixed his attention back on the creature looming ahead.

  The severed branches twitched on the ground, then stilled. Mai allowed himself a brief moment of triumph before the creature's wooden stump pulsed. New growth erupted from the wound, fibrous tendrils weaving together, hardening into bark plates, reshaping into the same serrated appendage he'd just severed.

  The creature's mask-like face tilted slightly, amber eyes studying Mai with newfound interest. Its relentless assault on Emri's position suddenly ceased, leaves no longer launching toward her diminishing cover.

  Instead, all attention fixed solely on Mai. The creature's newly-formed limb flexed experimentally before launching a barrage of smaller branches toward him like spears.

  Mai ducked and rolled, feeling them whistle overhead. He sprang back to his feet just as another wave of razor leaves sliced through the air. The dagger moved almost of its own accord, intercepting the projectiles with impossible precision. Each leaf that met the blade's edge simply split and fell away.

  "The backpack!" Mai shouted, sidestepping another volley. "Get Nasu's backpack!"

  Cal's voice came from somewhere behind a column. "What? Why his—"

  "Just do it!" Mai snapped, diving beneath a horizontal sweep of branches. He came up in a crouch, slicing through a tangle of woody tendrils that threatened to ensnare his legs.

  The creature advanced relentlessly, forcing Mai to retreat in a spiraling pattern. He moved on pure instinct, drawing the monster with him, keeping its attention off the others.

  The group exchanged uncertain glances, but began rushing toward the pinned backpack. Even if they didn't understand, the desperation in Mai's voice was enough.

  From the corner of his eye, Mai spotted Nasu darting toward the tree where his pack hung suspended. The rabbit Ferlyn's movements were graceful and precise. Nasu bounded up the trunk with surprising agility, his powerful legs propelling him from branch to branch until he reached the pack.

  "Got it!" Nasu called out, his voice tight with unusual focus.

  Mai ducked beneath another sweeping attack, the creature's wooden limb whistling over his head. "Hurry!"

  Nasu yanked at the first leaf-blade, wincing as it sliced into his palm. Dark blood welled from the cut, but he continued, pulling leaf after leaf with determined efficiency. The pack slowly came free from its wooden pins.

  "Catch!" Nasu shouted, dropping the pack toward the ground below.

  Emri broke from her cover, darting across the clearing with surprising speed. Her small form moved like a shadow as she positioned herself beneath the falling bag. The creature, still focused on Mai, continued its relentless assault, forcing him to retreat further.

  "Emri!" Mai called out between labored breaths. "Orange crystal! There's an orange crystal in the bag! Throw it to me!"

  The mouse Ferlyn caught the pack with both hands, immediately fumbling with its clasp. Mai risked a glance in her direction, relief washing through him as her small fingers worked the fastening open.

  Then, a sudden shift in the creature's posture. The wooden mask at the center of its mass rotated a full hundred and eighty degrees with a sickening crack, amber eyes fixing on Emri while its body continued attacking Mai. The disconnect between the creature's head and body sent chills down Mai's spine.

  "Emri, look out!" Mai shouted.

  The warning came too late. The arm that had been firing leaves at her earlier suddenly elongated, wooden plates cracking and reforming as it shot across the clearing. Fingers lengthened into gnarled branches, reaching for Emri with frightening speed.

  Emri’s eyes flicked up just as the wooden appendage blurred toward her, she jerked back instinctively, but the strike was already on top of her.

  The creature's hand slammed into her with brutal force, ripping the backpack from her grip. The impact sent her small form flying backward until she crashed against a stone pillar with a sickening thud. Her camera skittered across the moss as she crumpled to the ground, motionless.

  "No!" Mai screamed, his focus momentarily broken.

  The creature retracted its arm, raising the stolen pack nearly fifteen feet into the air. Its mask twisted back toward Mai, amber eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence. The backpack dangled from its wooden grasp, swinging slightly.

  Mai's heart hammered against his ribs as he watched Marin rush to Emri's side. Cal stood frozen, uncertainty written across his features. Nasu remained in the tree, his usual bravado replaced by genuine fear.

  The creature's body shifted again, bark plates realigning as it prepared for another assault. Mai gripped the star-blade tighter, desperation clouding his thoughts. Their only hope now dangled uselessly above them in the creature's grasp.