By midday, Liam and Tomlin had put several miles behind them. The sun hung high as they paused in a small clearing to rest and munch on some bread and jerky. Tomlin flopped onto the grass with a sigh. "I think my shoulders are going to fall off," he groaned, though the grin on his face betrayed his enduring excitement.
Liam passed him the waterskin. "Stay hydrated, mighty Hunter. Can't have you fainting before you get that first Essence."
Tomlin chuckled between gulps of water. "Right. Fainting is not a heroic look for Tomlin the Brave." He stretched out, looking at the clouds. "I wonder what folks back home are doing now... Probably gossiping about us running off to be adventurers."
Liam gave a small nod, stowing the half-empty water skin. "Your mother will be bragging for sure. My father will just be happy if I don't come back missing a limb."
Tomlin sat up and struck a mock-heroic pose. "We'll come back with extra limbs — trophies from monsters!" He brandished his walking stick like a spear and made a few pretend jabs, regaining his upbeat demeanor easily. Liam rolled his eyes with a smile and started packing up to continue.
As the afternoon wore on and they trekked onward, the forest scenery began to change. The terrain grew rockier and the trees older, twisted with thick trunks. Tomlin was midway through recounting how he "heroically fended off" a wild dog back home (with much embellishment) when he suddenly halted. "Uh... Liam? Check that out."
Ahead of them, a massive oak lay toppled across their path. The trunk was splintered as if struck by lightning or a giant's blow. Beside its uprooted base gaped a dark, jagged hole in the earth, as if something had burst out from underground. Broken roots and clumps of dirt surrounded the opening.
Liam's mouth tightened. He approached carefully, Tomlin close behind. The hole was large enough for a creature to crawl through. The air around it felt cooler and damp. Liam knelt and touched the edge of the tunnel; the soil was freshly disturbed and bore deep gouge marks.
Tomlin whispered, "What could do that? Bears don't tunnel... Do they?"
Liam shook his head. "No bear did this." He nodded toward the fallen oak. "And bears don't shatter trees like this either."
They circled around the fallen tree, stepping off the trail. The forest had grown hushed. The cheerful birdsong from earlier was gone, leaving an eerie quiet. Liam's heart quickened. He remembered his father telling him once: when the woods go silent, there's a predator nearby.
Tomlin gripped his makeshift spear with sweaty palms. He tried a smile. "M-Maybe all the critters are just taking an afternoon nap?" His attempt at humor fell flat in the stillness. Neither of them truly believed that.
Moving forward, they walked more cautiously. Every crunch of leaves underfoot sounded loud. They skirted around another patch of disturbed earth—like a collapsed burrow—without a word, both scanning the shadows between the trees.
The sun began to dip, golden light turning amber through the branches. The path led them out of the dense woods onto rougher ground. Suddenly, the trees opened up entirely and they found themselves at the edge of a broad pit. Jagged stone walls dropped down to a lower floor where shrubs and weeds had taken over. It was an old quarry, abandoned and quiet.
"Didn't know there was a quarry here," Tomlin murmured, stepping carefully onto the rocky terrain. The area was deserted; not even birds ventured near. Their footsteps echoed faintly off stone.
Liam exhaled slowly. "This must be Flintvale Quarry. It's been closed for years." He eyed the surroundings: uneven ground, boulders, and the looming quarry pit. The last red rays of sunlight were stretching across the rocks. Night would fall soon.
Tomlin looked to the west where the sun was sinking. "We won't reach the village before dark, will we?"
Liam shook his head. "No. We should make camp while we have a bit of light. Maybe near the quarry wall for some cover."
Tomlin tried to push aside his unease and gave a firm nod. "Alright. Let's set up camp. Best adventurers always know when to rest, right?"
Despite the forced lightness in his tone, both of them felt the weight of unseen eyes in the encroaching dusk. They began to unpack their gear in the quiet, rocky clearing, each trying to appear braver than he felt as shadows lengthened around them.