After the sparring match, as the sun climbed higher, Zashirmiq and Amina stepped into Tashmir's market. It was still early, the stalls half-open, metal shutters groaning as vendors started their day.
Amina walked beside him. They soon reached the twins' shop and entered.
The front counter was empty.
"They're still at it," he murmured, stepping around the corner and heading for the back room. Amina followed without hesitation.
Inside, the space was hazy with heat and a hint of clove. The room was split into two cramped halves: one side lined with glowing forges and molten tools, the other stacked with herbs, glass bottles, and enchanted coils. A large vent above barely kept the air moving.
Hina looked up first from the forge, wiping her brow with the back of her glove.
"You're early," she said with a breath. "Give me ten more minutes."
Zashirmiq nodded. "No rush."
Then Hina spotted the figure behind him. "Oh, Amina! You're up already? All healed?"
Amina gave a small nod, her voice steady. "Mostly. Time to stop resting and start hitting things again."
Hira glanced up from her simmering potion, her brow lightly furrowed. "Good to see you back. We were honestly getting worried. That fight yesterday was pushing it."
Amina gave a half-smile. "Yeah, he's brave, but going solo like that? Not smart. I'll make sure he doesn't do anything that reckless again."
Normally, artifact refining and alchemy required strict focus and separate chambers. Heat, sound, and elemental fluctuations could easily disrupt results. But real estate in Tashmir was steep, and the sisters made do, dividing a single room with near-perfect coordination.
Zashirmiq and Amina leaned quietly against the far wall, watching them work.
On the left, Hina's hands moved quickly over the half-molten armor laid across an anvil, sparks flaring as she inscribed protective runes into the plates. Sweat trickled down her neck, glistening under the heat of the forge.
On the right, Hira sat cross-legged before her cauldron, her movements steady and practiced. Faint light pulsed beneath its surface, rising with the rhythm of her control. The lid was sealed, heat carefully maintained as the mixture neared completion. A sharp, herbal aroma hung in the air, dense and calming. Whatever she'd used was already inside, simmering down to its final essence.
After a while, the tension in the room eased. Tools were set down. Fires lowered. The sisters stepped away from their work.
Hina wiped her hands with a cloth, then held up the newly completed armor. "Here. Much improved armor. That rabbit's materials helped a lot."
Zashirmiq reached out, fingers brushing the cool metal.
"It can handle impacts from anything under Level 15," Hina continued, a proud glint in her eyes. "Much better shock resistance now. I've got more material left. I'll try crafting a bracer or maybe a lightweight shield next."
Zashirmiq nodded, impressed. "Just the armor's already a huge help. As for the rest, we can sell it."
Before she could reply, Hina stepped closer and handed over two small vials.
"Healing and stamina," she said. "Ten of each. Sorry, that's all I could finish for now."
Zashirmiq took the bottles with both hands. "It's more than enough. You two clearly haven't slept."
Hira smiled faintly, pulling her gloves off. "We wanted to get it done before you left."
He glanced between the sisters, then met their eyes one by one. "Thank you. Both of you."
Amina, quiet till now, added with a nod, "We'll put it all to good use."
With a few parting words to the twins, they stepped outside, heading toward the city's outer wall.
Once beyond the city's outer wall, the familiar weight of stillness settled over them: broken buildings, cracked streets, and the stench of decay thick in the air. It didn't take long before they spotted their first threat.
Three Hollowed Humans lingered near the remains of a collapsed house, their sluggish movements belying the danger beneath. Zashirmiq's Insight skill activated, reading each figure in turn.
"Level twelve, thirteen… and fifteen," he said quietly. "Would've avoided them alone, but with you here…"
"We can take them," Amina answered, already preparing her spell.
Before the Hollowed Humans could react, she cast a fireball at one of them. At the same time, Zashirmiq vanished, teleporting behind the leftmost enemy. A clean slash severed its head before it could even turn.
But the fireball roared past him—aimed at the same target he'd just felled.
"Wait!" Zashirmiq dashed sideways, barely avoiding the impact. The spell exploded behind him, pushing debris into the air and knocking the other two Hollowed Humans into motion.
One lunged forward with a sweeping kick. Zashirmiq raised his blade in time to block the blow, skidding back from the force. The other closed in fast, jagged fingers extended toward his throat.
A sharp crack echoed through the street. A bolt struck the second Hollowed Human in the shoulder, spinning it around. Zashirmiq stepped in without hesitation, cleaving straight through its neck.
With two down, the last one stood no chance. Amina circled wide and cast another bolt, drawing its attention. Zashirmiq closed the distance and ended the fight with a clean strike to the chest.
[Enemies Defeated]
Energy Absorbed
Nexium Coins Obtained: 400
Zashirmiq exhaled. "That was messier than it should've been. We went for the same target. Threw the whole thing off."
Amina gave a sheepish shrug. "Yeah, we definitely need better coordination. But it's our first real hunt together. We'll figure it out."
They didn't wait long for the next encounter. Just a few blocks ahead, another pair of Hollowed Humans wandered near a shattered statue.
He vanished in a blink. Amina's fireball launched at the second one and exploded in a burst of heat. Zashirmiq's strike landed true—but as the first dropped, the second staggered out of the smoke, half-burned but still moving.
"Thought you finished it!" Zashirmiq shouted, parrying its swing.
"I thought I did too—but he was tougher. Guess we should keep that in mind," Amina replied, frustrated.
Throughout the day, they pressed on, moving from street to street, clearing clusters of enemies wherever they appeared. There were still slip-ups: an occasional miscast, mistimed strike, or delayed reaction. But the more they fought, the quicker they adapted. No serious injuries, and their rhythm began to show.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, they faced a group of four Hollowed Humans. Zashirmiq initiated with a blink strike, clean and fast. Amina provided cover fire. This time, her aim was tight and focused, pinning the others in place.
They danced around each other's attacks, only once stepping into each other's path. Zashirmiq adjusted his approach angle; Amina switched to quick bursts instead of wide detonations.
This one ended cleanly.
They stood over the fallen enemies, breathing harder than before.
"That's more like it," she said with a small smile.
"Starting to click," Zashirmiq nodded.
The two called it a day and returned home, tired but satisfied. Their armor was streaked with soot and scuffed metal, but no blood.
The next morning, they were back at it again. A full day of coordinated battles followed. This time, their movements began to sync.
Zashirmiq adjusted his teleport range to avoid overlapping with Amina's attacks. Amina switched from wide-impact fireballs to tighter, directional bolts when Zashirmiq was fighting up close. What was clumsy before now started to feel efficient. They didn't push too far from the city's safer zones, sticking to lower-level enemies and avoiding unnecessary risks.
By the third day, they were covering each other almost instinctively. But pressure tested their control.
During a tough fight with five Hollowed Humans moving in a staggered wave, Amina released a fireball toward the densest cluster—only to realize too late that Zashirmiq was already in motion.
The fireball exploded near his path. He skidded to a stop just short of the blast radius.
"That was close," he said, brushing off singed dust. "Almost caught that one in the face."
Amina grimaced. "Sorry. There were too many targets. Bolt might've been smarter with you charging in."
"We handled it," he said, already sheathing his blade. "But yeah… next time, keep fireballs for range. Or let me clear space first."
They reviewed each battle in brief, sharing short exchanges of what worked and what didn't. The improvements kept stacking.
By the end of the seventh day, the change was obvious.
They moved in unison, rarely needing to speak. Their confidence grew with each battle, and while they hadn't ventured far from the city yet, their ability to face even groups of mid-level Hollowed Humans had improved dramatically.
And the gains weren't minor, either. Zashirmiq had gained a few levels:
Primal Energy Level Up: 6 → 10
Chaos Energy Level Up: 3 → 5
Cosmic Energy Level Up: 2 → 3
Even Amina had leveled up a couple of times, reaching Level 18.