Dry leaves crunched softly beneath their boots as the party pushed deeper into the woods, the forest floor dappled with thin shafts of afternoon sun.
Ronan led the way, occasionally scanning the dense canopy, while Mira trailed behind him like a shadow, moving so lightly she barely disturbed the undergrowth. Derrik followed with a heavy, steady stride, his staff balanced on his shoulder, while Lyra and Tobin brought up the rear.
Navigating around a thick root, Ronan glanced back over his shoulder. "Null."
Null raised his head. "Yeah?"
"You said your perk enhances your senses, right? Anything yet?"
Null briefly closed his eyes as if concentrating. Inwardly, the real source answered immediately.
[Master. Current distance to the bandit encampment is 993 meters.]
Null cracked open one eye lazily. "My range is only about three hundred meters. Nothing yet."
"Alright. Keep a sharp eye out," Ronan said, picking up his pace.
Null nodded. He had deliberately lied to avoid raising any awkward questions.
Novices with sensory perks generally maxed out at a few hundred meters; telling the group he could read existence from a kilometer away would instantly brand him an anomaly. So he kept up the act.
Every few minutes, Ronan would check in.
"Anything?"
Null would pause, pretend to focus, and wait for the fantasy omnisciense-san's count.
[Master. Distance is 641 meters.]
"Nope."
A few minutes later, the countdown continued.
[Distance is 472 meters.]
"Still nothing."
Eventually, the trees began to thin slightly.
[Distance is 348 meters.]
"Almost there." (Null)
Ronan halted, looking back instantly. "You sensing something?"
"Not quite yet," Null shrugged.
[Master. Distance is 301 meters. 300 meters.]
Null stopped. "Hold up."
The party froze. Ronan spun around, his voice a tense whisper. "You got them?"
Null pointed through the dense brush ahead. "Yeah. About three hundred meters out."
Mira immediately crouched low, her fingers resting on the hilt of one of her daggers. "How many?"
Null listened to the silent, clinical stream of perception flowing through his mindscape.
[Six individuals detected. Four are gathered within the central clearing. Two are maintaining a perimeter watch.]
"Six bandits," Null said calmly. "Four are sitting around a campfire, and there are two guards patrolling the outer edge."
Ronan's eyes sharpened. "A camp?"
Null nodded. "Small clearing. Looks like a temporary base."
"Good," Derrik grinned, rolling his broad shoulders. "Means they're sitting ducks."
Lyra folded her hands nervously, her elven ears twitching. "Six bandits... we can handle that."
Tobin adjusted his grip on his crossbow, a nervous sweat on his brow. "Right?"
Ronan slowly drew his sword, the quiet scrape of steel unusually loud in the stillness. "More than handle it. Silence from here on out." He nodded toward the rogue. "Mira, you scout first. Null, stay with me. Derrik, you're on the frontline. Lyra and Tobin, support us from the rear."
Mira flashed a confident, sharp grin. "Already gone."
She slipped into the undergrowth, disappearing into the trees without a sound. Her Ghoststep perk activated seamlessly—the faster her pace, the quieter her movements became.
The party waited in the heavy silence. A minute ticked past.
[Master. Mira Talwyn has reached the visual perimeter of the bandit camp,]
A moment later, a small pebble skipped across the dirt, landing right by Ronan's boot. He looked up, nodding at the signal.
"That's her. She confirmed the exact layout Null gave us." He gestured toward the treeline. "Derrik and I will charge the camp directly. Tobin, you take the first shot from the brush."
Tobin straightened up, his confidence returning. "My True Aim will drop one of them instantly."
"Aim to disable, not to kill," Ronan reminded him. "Our contract specifies apprehending them alive and hand them to Justice Regulators."
"Understood."
Ronan turned to Lyra. "Stay behind us and ready your healing spells." Then he looked at Null. "You stay flexible. Jump in wherever the line breaks."
Null shrugged, his fingers lightly tapping the hilt of his borrowed blade. "Works for me."
The forest grew tense the moment Ronan finished outlining the formation. Steel slid from sheaths, and boots shifted quietly across the dirt and fallen leaves.
Ronan lifted his hand, counting down with his fingers. Three. Two. One.
His hand dropped, and Tobin fired.
The crossbow string snapped with a sharp twang. The bolt sliced through the air, but at the last possible second, the perimeter guard jerked his head aside. The bolt grazed his shoulder instead of his throat.
"—THE VEIL TREMBLES!" the man roared, staggering back while clutching his bleeding shoulder. His eyes burned with a wild, drunken excitement. "INTRUDERS BREACH THE DOMAIN OF THE ROCKET!"
The clearing exploded into motion. Campfire sparks scattered as the three of the sitting bandits leapt to their feet, and the second guard whirled toward the treeline.
"Children of the false dawn... you dare challenge the destined kings of shadow?!"
"What the fuck are they spouting?" Derrik asked, utterly bewildered. The rest of the novices were just as speechless.
"They must be insane," Ronan swore under his breath. But they had no time to complain; the bandits had already recovered.
"MOVE!"
The team burst from the trees. Mira moved first, her Ghoststep activating instantly as she sprinted across the clearing. Her daggers flashed toward the wounded guard, but the man twisted away with surprising speed.
"TOO SLOW, LITTLE PHANTOM!" his sword swung in a wide, erratic arc. Mira barely ducked under it.
CLANG.
Steel met steel, forcing her back a step. He's strong, she realized immediately. Much stronger than a normal novice.
Meanwhile, Ronan charged another bandit, calling out his perk: "Iron Tempo!" Step, strike, breathe. His sword slashed downward, but the bandit caught the blow with a heavy hatchet.
CLANG.
"HAHA!" the bandit grinned wildly. "You swing like a hatchling knight!" He kicked Ronan square in the stomach, sending him staggering back three steps.
Behind him, Derrik stepped forward with a roar. "STONEHEART CHANNEL!" Earth mana surged through his body, hardening his muscles like granite as he slammed his staff into the ground and charged. The impact knocked one bandit backward, but the man rolled smoothly back to his feet.
"BROTHERS!" the bandit pointed dramatically at Derrik. "THE GOLEM OF THE FALSE EARTH IS POSING ON OUR STAGE. GET HIM!"
Two bandits immediately moved together—not randomly or drunkenly, but in practiced coordination. One attacked Derrik from the front while the other circled behind him. Derrik swung his staff, but the second bandit's club smashed into his back.
THUD.
Derrik grunted. Even with Stoneheart active, the blow rattled him.
"They're working together!" Ronan shouted.
The bandits laughed. "Of course we are! An year of glorious pillaging forge bonds stronger than blood!"
On the flank, Tobin frantically reloaded his crossbow, his hands shaking. "I—I can't get a clear shot!"
Lyra raised her staff nervously. "Stay behind me!"
Suddenly, a massive, scarred bandit sprinted straight toward them. "THE HEALER OF LIGHT SHALL FALL FIRST!"
Lyra froze as the fast-moving thug raised a heavy mace. Tobin couldn't reposition in time.
Null moved. Neither fast nor flashy, just perfectly timed. He stepped forward and raised his sword sideways.
CLANG.
The mace slammed into his blade. The force traveled down his arms, but Null absorbed it with a slight shift of his stance. The bandit blinked. "Huh?"
Null looked mildly bored. "Sorry. You can't hit the healer." He tapped the man's wrist—a tiny, perfectly placed movement that loosened the bandit's grip instantly. The mace dropped.
Null kicked the man's knee sideways, sending him to the ground with a grunt, then planted a foot on his back to pin him. "Please stop struggling."
But the bandit only laughed harder. "HAHA! A calm one! THE SILENT BLADE IS A FORMIDABLE ONE!"
The main fight was descending into chaos. Ronan and Mira had paired up against the wounded guard, but the man moved unpredictably—drunk, wild, yet remarkably precise. "You move in rhythm!" the bandit shouted at Ronan. "Then I shall break the rhythm!"
He deliberately attacked off-beat, shattering Ronan's Iron Tempo. As Mira darted behind him, the bandit kicked dirt into her eyes. She cursed, stumbling blindly as his sword swung toward her throat.
Ronan intercepted.
CLANG.
Their blades locked, Ronan's breathing growing heavier. These guys aren't amateurs.
Nearby, Derrik was struggling against the two-man combo, taking repeated hits to his back.
THUD.
THUD.
"DERRIK!" Lyra shouted, raising her staff. "Gentle Bloom!" Soft green light spread across the clearing, returning strength to the earth mage's muscles. He roared, spinning his staff in a wide arc to force both bandits back.
But they only grinned wider. "THE FLOWER HEALS THE GOLEM! THEN CRUSH THE FLOWER!" One of them broke formation and charged straight toward Lyra.
Tobin panicked, firing a shot that missed completely. Lyra froze as the bandit's axe rose.
Then Null appeared between them. The bandit blinked. "...You again?"
"What do you mean, 'me again'?" Null replied, genuinely bewildered. "Did we meet somewhere before? If so, sorry. I'm too forgettable for minor characters."
The axe swung. Null stepped inside the arc, getting too close for the weapon to accelerate. He caught the bandit's wrist, twisted until the axe fell, and swept his legs. The bandit crashed into the dirt beside his pinned friend, and Null pressed his sword to the man's throat. "Please stay down."
But the man only laughed breathlessly. "THE SILENT ONE IS INDEED STRONG!"
Across the clearing, Ronan's group finally began adapting. "Derrik!" Ronan shouted. "Switch targets!"
Derrik understood immediately, rushing toward Ronan's opponent for a Stoneheart-powered shoulder slam.
BOOM.
The bandit staggered, and Mira's daggers flashed, cutting his belt rope. The man's pants dropped.
"...WHAT—"
Ronan punched him squarely in the jaw, knocking him out cold. "ONE DOWN!"
Ronan shouted.
The remaining two bandits glanced at each other, then burst into a shared roar of laughter. "THE HATCHLINGS LEARN! GOOD! THEN WE ALSO ADAPTE!" They raised their weapons dramatically. "For the glory of the ROCKET!"