Shinjiro and the entries trudge through the snow, passing the giant Red X marked in the landscape. Suddenly, the high-pitched beep of blasters charging emanates from behind a building, and a group of creatures with long pointy green ears and green skin, known as Goblins, appear. "Hey, who goes there!?" says one of them.
The goblins recognize that the distinct structure of their armor is Ozanian style, so they aim their 885 Millimeter Black Rifles, known as Ion Rifles, at them. "Ozanian Warriors, you guys can't move past this territory. It belongs to the X Bandits!"
Shinjiro strides toward them, the sound of his Claymore being drawn from its sword slot on his back ringing out through the air. "So, you guys are the bandits endangering this village, right?"
The Goblin bandits' ion rifles crackle with energy as they charge them and aim them at Shinjiro. "One more move, and you die!" Despite the threat, Shinjiro continues forward, his body tense and determined.
"Alright, shoot them!" The goblin bandits shoot out a flurry of green Ion energy, the beams searing the air as they fly toward the Ozanians.
Denkei leaps to the front and draws a line through the snow. "I conjure the forces of protection! Magic Spell Alchemy: Wall of Defense!" The diaphanous iron wall, stretching high above the drawn line, muffles the sound of the blast bolts as they cannot penetrate through the defense.
"What should we do?" asks Juyon.
"I'll take care of them; just make sure no Goblins get behind me," said Shinjiro. Shinjiro leaps over the wall, feeling the wind rushing past him as he dashes toward the bandits. He casts Ice JōKai onto his blade and then uses JōKai Amplification to make himself move faster. His swift movements cause a blur in the air, and then, he appears meters behind the Goblins, who are left dumbfounded as they feel a slight chill graze their skin. "Frost Sword: Tempest Breeze!" Shinjiro sheathes his blade, and then various parts of the Goblin's bodies freeze and shatter, causing them to fall unconscious.
Shinjiro whistles to gather his comrade's attention. "Ok, guys, I got them all. You can come out."
They all walk toward Shinjiro. "Ok, now for a game plan. Denkei, Navar, and Miri, you guys will be with me. Seiju, Nozomi, and Juyon return to the village and take these bandits back with you. While you do that, protect the village from any more invaders and gather information from the Goblins."
"Yes, sir!" says Seiju, Juyon and Nozomi.
"Now, the people who are with me, follow me. We'll figure out who this X is," Shinjiro's group scale the steep incline of the mountains while Juyon, Nozomi, and Seiju make their way back to the village. When they enter the cabin, Juyon, Nozomi, and Seiju subdue the Goblin Bandits with the click of handcuffs.
Juyon rouses them from their slumber then, he gazes at Nozomi. "Can you go into their minds and interrogate them?"
"No, I either have to have their permission to, or I have to go in there forcefully."
"Why can't you just go in there forcefully?" asks Seiju.
"B-because my telepathy isn't strong enough."
"Oh, well, I guess we got to leave it to the big fella," Seiju pats Juyon's shoulder.
One goblin lets out a snide cackle that gathers their attention. "You think we're willing to give up information that easily? We swore to our leader that we would never give information to our enemy, even if it means our death!"
Juyon conjures Hard Terrain JōKai onto his fists. "Seiju, Nozomi, close the windows. I don't want the people to see this," Nozomi closes the cabin windows then, Juyon punches a goblin in the gut repeatedly. Juyon steps back, his knuckles aching from the force of his punches. "Tell me, who is X? And what is he doing on this planet?"
"I will never tell you a thing!"
"Fine, then," Juyon continues his onslaught on the Goblin until a loud "Stop!" rings out in the air, halting Juyon from hitting him.
Juyon's gaze turns to the goblin, who yelled stop. "Do you have an answer?"
"Yes, X is short for Xolly, one of the four super specimens in The Goblin Army. He rebelled against our old leader and left to go out on his own."
"Where is Xolly? Where can we find him?"
"He'll be in a main outpost 8 miles north of here. However, on your way there, two more outposts will be guarded by goblins."
A goblin's lips curl into a snarl at the other, who stammered out the information. "Why would you tell him all that? Are you trying to get us to lose?!"
"I'm sorry. I could only watch for so long."
"Teh, it seems the experiments only worked on the second wave of us. The first ones still have that softness to them."
Juyon casts a sidelong glance in Nozomi's direction. "Nozomi, open your Mental Link to message the other group."
"Right."
Now we change the POV to Shinjiro, Miri, Navar and Denkei. Nozomi opens a Mental Link with the others. "Excuse Me, guys."
"What is it, Nozomi?" asks Shinjiro.
"There are two things I have to tell you. First, their primary base of operation is 8 miles north. On your way to the primary base are three outposts guarded by goblin bandits. Next, that X person's real name is Xolly. He was one of the four super specimens within some army. However, he has departed from them to go rogue."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Alright, Nozomi, you, Juyon, and Seiju continue to do what you do. Make sure no one enters that village."
"Yes, Sir!" Nozomi ends the Mental Link.
"I'm sure you all got the memo. Let's proceed north and take out all three of the outposts," Shinjiro, Navar, Miri, and Denkei advance through the snowy terrain, the crunch of the snow beneath their feet echoing in the quiet. Then, through binoculars, they spot a building with two watchtowers in the distance. They crouch behind a tree, their breathing hidden by birds chirping in the branches. "Okay, now that we're at the first outpost, here's the pl-"
"Screw that! Let's get them now!" Navar springs from behind the tree with a fearsome yell, and his war cry echoes through the outpost as he races to the base.
"Damn of all times, why?" Shinjiro thinks to himself.
Miri rolls her eyes and releases a deep breath. "That idiot."
"Let's follow Navar," says Shinjiro.
The outpost is a two-story structure with peeling paint and boarded windows. Shinjiro leaps through the window, the glass shattering as he lands on the first floor of the building. He summons Ice JōKai onto his blade, unleashing a flurry of slashes and counters, the clanging of metal echoing throughout the first floor as he defeats all the goblins. Shinjiro presses his pager. "First floor is clear."
Miri readies two daggers on her wrists, the sound of metal sliding against metal ringing in her ears as she eyes the enemies. "We're on the second floor. We're about to take these other ones out,". Miri's feet leave the ground as she uses JōKai Amplification to propel herself toward the bandits. While she soars in midair, she prepares her daggers in a stabbing motion. "Two Daggers: Pouncing Strike!" Miri rushes forward, her weapon slicing through the enemy's defenses and leaving a trail of defeated foes in her wake.
Denkei's hands explore the depths of his robe before removing a jingling metal coin. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Object Frenzy," The disc whizzes around the bandits, making sharp turns and sudden stops, leaving them no time to mount an effective defense against it. The disc spins and whirls, slashing through the remaining bandits, leaving only a handful.
"I'll get the rest of them!" Navar strides onto the scene, his sword gleaming in the light, held tightly in one hand at waist level. He raises his sword to his shoulder, and with a flash of a clear aura, his JōKai Amplification surges, and his speed increases. He leaps forward and brings his sword down with a mighty swing. "Okayasu Blade: Brave Man's Slash!" Navar's attack causes the rest of the enemies on the second floor to collapse in a heap.
Denkei presses his pager. "The second floor is clear. We got them all."
Shinjiro walks up the stairs on the second floor. "Ok, we'll take a break before going to the next outpost. Does that sound good?"
"Yes," says Navar, Miri and Denkei.
Now we return to the POV of Juyon Seiju and Nozomi, with Seiju staring out the window, Juyon sitting deep in thought, and Nozomi lying shyly in a corner.
Seiju lies by the window, his restlessness punctuated by sighs and the creaking of his neck as he tilts his head. "Oh, man, I'm so bored. We've been sitting here for an hour doing nothing!"
"Just hold on, Seiju; the others will be back," says Juyon.
"You know what, dude, screw this! I'm gonna go outside to see if they're some lovely senoritas to talk to," Seiju peers out the window, taking in the sight of the attractive females near his age. "Bingo! Time to spit some game!"
Seiju storms out of the door to pursue them. Juyon follows behind Seiju, his angered footsteps echoing through the hall. "Seiju, wait…"
As Seiju leaves, Juyon's fists tighten, his rage palpable. "That damn..."
Nozomi timidly steps to Juyon, her fingers lightly brushing his shoulder as she moves her hand onto it. "J-Juyon, I'll stay here with you."
"Thank you, Nozomi."
Then, a shriek from Seiju pierces through the air, and Nozomi and Juyon stop to listen.
"What was that?" asked Juyon. Juyon and Nozomi exit the cabin to see a beast with bright red fur, feral yellow eyes, and razor-sharp fangs bared toward the civilians. This beast is known as a Class 2 Beast: Wrothgnir (pronounced Roth- Neer).
"Nozomi, get as many people out of here as possible. Seiju and I will take down this beast," says Juyon.
"Got it!" Nozomi scurries from house to house, guiding the civilians in the area to safety.
Juyon walks to Seiju, and Hard Terrain JōKai materializes on his fists. "Seiju, hit that beast with one of your arrows while it's distracted."
"You got it, big guy!" Seiju evokes Flame JōKai onto his bow, feeling the heat radiating off the weapon as he pulls back the string and releases it towards the beast. "Flame Bow: Flame Shot!" Seiju's arrow flies wide of the mark, resulting in the beast curling back its lips, revealing a set of sharp teeth in a menacing snarl.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" says Seiju.