Paths Beyond (Under Rewrite)

I'll call this a special occasion instead of just my inability to condense information neatly. I'm obsessed with making sure characters are involved in telling the story, and also I may get carried away with scene description. Anyway the point is 27 words from a 3000 word chapter. So maybe my goal will be 2500-3000 now. Honestly it is not super difficult, what is hard is ending where I want to end and having the word count be consistent... Enjoy the read!

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They all spent time expertly carving the mantis-like creature, carefully extracting its powerful scythe-like arms. Parts like these could be repurposed into weapons, tools, or even ceremonial artifacts. Its insides, however, were a mess of torn muscle, sinew, and glistening viscera. The slick, greenish ichor that had once been its lifeblood soaked into the dirt, steaming faintly in the cold air. Despite their meticulous search, there was no Central Organ—at least nothing that matched Elder's descriptions. They could only take what they could carry and move on, carefully securing the scythes onto one of the sleds beside leather pouches filled with mosses, berries, and roots.

Keen stood nearby, silhouetted against the fading light, his injury seeming like nothing more than an afterthought. His voice cut through the quiet hum of activity.

"Let's move. Something like this couldn't have driven the Hooded Horns into the inner forest. This was an ambush predator, not something that would chase prey across miles of woods. Whatever pushed them inward...it's something far worse."

The squad set off again, slipping back into formation. Their earlier ease was gone, replaced by a sharp-edged wariness. Every stop and pause was punctuated by flickering glances into the undergrowth. Each snap of a twig, each flicker of movement at the edges of their vision, felt like the beginning of another ambush.

They spotted the omnivorous Hooded Horns grazing in clusters beneath skeletal trees. Normally territorial, the creatures stood eerily still, their heads lowered and eyes wide as if they too felt the unease in the air. The squad gave them a wide berth, not wanting to trigger an unpredictable stampede.

Grey's sight sharpened as faint pulses of orange light lingered at the edges of his vision. They weren't chaotic anymore, but instead distant and lazy—like the ghostly afterimages of regular creatures wandering through the woods. His focus narrowed on their direction, but nothing in them hinted at pursuit or ambush.

Above, the sky shifted from pale blue to streaks of indigo and molten orange. The first hint of sunset spread across the horizon, painting the landscape in a fleeting warmth.

Brawl raised a gloved hand, halting the squad. His voice rumbled through the quiet.

"Keen, we should start setting up camp. If we wait too long, we won't have time to finish before it's pitch dark."

Keen hesitated, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings. "We haven't moved far enough to meet Spider and Wild's team by dawn. We're still short." He exhaled sharply. "Alright, everyone, take a break while we figure this out."

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As the group settled, Brawl approached Keen. His heavy boots crunched frostbitten leaves underfoot as he studied Keen with a furrowed brow.

"How're you feeling?" Brawl asked, his voice low and even.

"Fine," Keen replied tersely. Then he stepped closer, lowering his voice so the others couldn't hear. "I'm different now, Brawl. I know you've noticed. The scratch—it's nothing. I'm already completely recovered."

Brawl's eyes widened slightly. "Completely? That was—Keen, that wasn't a scratch. That thing nearly gutted you."

Keen smirked faintly. "More than fine. And before you start thinking you'd have been the better choice for the Heart, just remember—you'd have done something stupid and gotten yourself killed already. I could see the arrogant look on you already, charging out alone to the inner woods only to never be seen again."