The lantern glow illuminated a clearing carved into the forest as if hacked open with deliberate force Several wagons stood in a half circle each reinforced with metal bars and glowing chains Every wagon held a cage Each cage contained a magical creature trapped frightened drained of mana and barely conscious

Evan’s breath caught in his throat The nearest cage held a crystal horn doe its antlers dulled without light Another cage contained a young ember fox whose flame had dimmed to a single flickering spark A pair of mana owls sat motionless wings drooping unable to fly

The sight hit Evan like a blow to the stomach This was everything he feared Poachers were no longer hunting one creature at a time They were harvesting the forest draining its life collecting rare species as if preparing for mass shipment

Dalen muttered a curse under his breath Varrick is not collecting these for trophies He is exporting them to buyers across the kingdom or beyond

Evan clenched his fists fury rising but he kept his voice steady We cannot fight them all not yet But we can gather information watch their movements and plan our next step without losing the element of surprise

The scouts watched from the shadows as poachers moved between wagons speaking in low voices One man tall with a scar across his cheek barked orders Pack the cages tight We move before sunrise Varrick wants the shipment early The nobles pay triple for fresh captures

Evan felt the air shift beside him The warden spirit moved silently into the shadows watching with glowing eyes its antlers faintly illuminating the darkness The spirit’s presence steadied Evan reminding him that the land was with them

Dalen whispered What is the plan

Evan narrowed his eyes The first step is to learn where they go next and how often they return The second is to save the creatures without provoking a fight that puts them in danger The third is to strike the heart of Varrick’s operation not just the edges

A poacher approached one cage holding a metal rod glowing with red runes He jabbed it toward the mana owls causing them to shiver in pain Evan instinctively stepped forward but Dalen caught his arm

Wait If we move now we risk everything

Evan exhaled slowly You are right Not today

But deep inside he knew he could not stand by long The creatures in those cages had no time to spare

The scar faced poacher looked impatient Time is running out This forest is waking up Those vines near the ridge moved on their own Something is watching us

The other poacher laughed You scared of grass now

The scarred man growled Something unnatural is happening The forest is resisting And I swear someone is helping it

Dalen glanced at Evan They sense the sanctuary strengthening

Evan nodded Good Let them fear the land

Suddenly a faint cry came from a cage at the far end Light flickered Evan’s eyes widened It was a young frost tail elk barely old enough to stand its icy pelt shimmering weakly as if melting from stress

That species Evan whispered That species is almost extinct in this region If they take it the breeding population will collapse

He stepped back into the shadows gripping his pack Until now he had saved animals brought to him Now he faced a different test saving animals stolen and imprisoned by force

The elder’s voice echoed in his mind You cannot protect only what reaches your hands You must also recover what is taken

Evan turned to Dalen We will follow them tonight

Dalen nodded silently But be cautious If they catch us trailing them they may kill the creatures to hide evidence

Evan’s jaw tensed Then we make sure they never know we are there

The warden spirit lowered its head toward Evan touching his shoulder lightly as if giving blessing Leaves from its antlers drifted down glowing softly before dissolving into the air

Evan whispered We will save them all I promise

The convoy finished loading their caged beasts tying down nets etched with shimmering seals They prepared ropes for dragging the wagons horses snorting anxiously as the corrupted energy radiated from the traps nearby

The scar faced man raised a lantern Move out Stay sharp Something is watching us

The wagons rolled through the forest wheels grinding soil deeper into wounded paths Evan and the scouts followed at a safe distance silent as drifting leaves

They passed through thick pines across small streams and into narrow gorges winding deeper toward the western frontier Evan’s mind raced evaluating the terrain determining possible ambush points planning escape routes and calculating how to extract the creatures safely when the moment came

After hours of following the convoy they reached a wide plateau where a massive structure rose against the night sky not quite a fortress but heavier than a trading post

Dalen whispered A relay station

Evan nodded A place to store shipments before transport Varrick runs an entire network not just one group of poachers

They hid behind a boulder watching as poachers dragged the cages inside The frost tail elk cried weakly the sound thin and heartbreaking The mana owls were too weak to resist the fox lay limp the doe barely moved

Anger burned in Evan’s chest This was no longer simple poaching This was industrialized cruelty

Dalen looked at him What now

Evan’s voice was quiet but filled with steel We return to the sanctuary We bring back a plan Not reaction Not impulse A real plan

He stood tall eyes sharp

We are not fighting hunters anymore
We are fighting a system

Dalen nodded slowly And systems can be broken

The warden spirit’s glow brightened behind them as if the land itself understood

Evan turned toward the dark road home The sanctuary needed defenses
The creatures needed rescue
And Varrick needed to be stopped

The battle for the Arcane Wilds was entering its next stage