Clenching his head, Kael grits his teeth, the pain searing through his mind. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!" His heart pounds violently, each beat sending jolts of agonizing emotions coursing through him.
Gasping for air, Ryua trembles as she forces herself to stand. 'What was that... a language I've never heard of, a sky I've never seen... Just where is he from?' Her gaze hardens as she locks eyes with the creature. 'I'm going to kill him before he sees anything else.' She draws her bowstring back, her determination unwavering. 'I'll use 90% of my mana,' she breathes in, and her bow begins to glow. 'Now I'll use my enhancement skills.' The mana around her darkens to a sinister red, her tattoo glowing ominously and spreading in a swirling pattern until her arms are completely enveloped in a deep crimson hue. The bow in her hands begins to crack and then shatters, revealing a new, formidable weapon beneath. The bowstring now glows a vibrant red, and the intricate pattern of the bow gleams with golden-red accents.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave erupts the instant she releases the arrow, shattering all the floating stairs and walls in its path. The arrow streaks through the air, leaving a brilliant, straight red trail that glows intensely, painting a line of destruction in its wake.
"Not bad," the creature says with a smile, standing up. He raises his hand, and just as the arrow is about to reach him, it abruptly veers off course, turning a sharp 90 degrees. His finger twitches slightly, and he vanishes, reappearing in front of the misty figure near Kael. "No, no, no, we still haven't witnessed the truth," he mumbles, extending his arm and twisting it in the air. As the arrow approaches, the space around it contorts and folds, swallowing the arrow without a trace.
"W-what..." Ryua gasps, falling to her knees, sweat pouring from her brow. "N-no... t-that's impossible, my... my attribute should've—"
"Indeed, you are strong," the creature acknowledges, a chilling smile spreading across its face, its golden eye radiating brightly. "However... Hmhmhm... such matters are insignificant. I was forgotten for a reason," it intones, its voice echoing with an ancient, otherworldly resonance. The creature exhales, closing its eyes, a picture of calm amidst the chaos.
-
Taking a deep breath, Ryua looks up with a smile. The tent before her is black, riddled with holes— a relic from seven years ago when Team A03 was created. It holds the memories of countless hard times and great moments. Despite numerous offers to replace the tent, her team always rejected them. To these kids, who either ran away or were abandoned, this tent is a symbol of their journey together, growing from lost souls into the formidable team they are today.
She looks up at the cardboard sign. When they were first given this tent, there was an official sign classifying it as [A03]. Years ago, these rebellious kids tore it down and replaced it with a cardboard sign depicting a stick figure slaying a dragon—one of their future goals. 'Ugh...what am I doing?' she sighs heavily, then walks in.
The best team, the strongest, the group that's never failed— that's what everyone in this unknown private military says about them. There are eight of them in total, including Ryua. Sitting on their bunk beds, they all smile as she walks in. Each wears a dark green uniform designed to blend in with the foliage outside. Nio and Oda are by a table, studying a map of the area.
Palam, a young woman with long, curly hazel hair, adjusts her uniform. Her turquoise eyes sparkle with mischief. Abandoned by her father for her darker skin, Palam was blamed for her mother's misdeeds. Spotting Ryua, a sly grin spreads across her face. She jumps up, grabs the roof, and swings behind Ryua in a flashy display, flipping mid-air. As soon as she lands, she hugs Ryua from behind. "Hm-hm-hm~ I heard you caused a scene again. Maybe I should punish you right now..." she whispers before biting Ryua's ear.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Palam cries out, falling to the ground.
"That's enough, Palam. We're going to head out real soon. You can play with your lovebird when we return," Rio mumbles with a sigh, dragging Palam across the room by her hair. Rio is relatively short, with dark blue hair and dark brown eyes. Unlike the other men, he is small and petite. Born into a noble swordsman family, he was considered a cursed baby with no affinity for swordsmanship. At three years old, he was poisoned and abandoned in a forest, where a beast saved and raised him until Ryua found and recruited him. Cursed with a great memory, he vividly recalls the family that abandoned him.
"Hey! Hey!" Palam yells, struggling like a child. "L-Let go! Do you know how long it takes me to do my hair!?" Breaking free with heavy breaths, she raises her fist, ready to punch him but stops herself when she sees his cold stare. "I-I'm not scared of you or anything, I-I just don't feel like being petty," she smirks, satisfied with her response.
"Hmhmhmhm~ You sure? You look pretty scared," a small laugh rings through the room. Jumping off a top bunk, a young man with black hair and piercing blue eyes approaches, his ears twitching. His skin is a patchwork of black and white. Poking his sharp nail on her forehead, he smirks deviously. "Come on, just say you're scared of the little boy," he whispers. He's no human; he's one of the rare demihumans capable of fighting. Originally bought as a slave, Ryua forced the commander to set him free and enlist him as a soldier.
"Little boy?" a cold voice right next to him retorts.
"Scared?" Palam scoffs before pulling his tail. "No way... Good luck," she whispers, pointing beside him.
"Little boy, huh? Is that what you think of me, furball?" Rio pops his knuckles.
"I-I'm just joking, bro!" Suki tries to run away, but it's too late. Rio grabs him by the scalp.
Just as he's about to slam him, a hand grips Rio's arm. "What are you doing?" a cold voice asks. Her hair is pink, and her wide, cold eyes are a dark grey. "Leave Suki alone or I'll burn you to shreds, you short bastard."
"Short?" Rio asks, tightening his grip on Suki's skull. Pulling his skull back, he glares at Suki. "Am I short?"
"N-no way, y-you're average height, big bro," Suki responds with an awkward smile.
"See? I'm average. You, on the other hand, are a short wench," he mumbles coldly, dropping Suki to the ground and glaring at her with a deadly stare.
"Average?" she scoffs. "You're shorter than a dwarf."
"Hehehehehe~" A giggle echoes across the room. Lying on a bed, a young lady with purple hair and green-blue eyes looks at them both with a warm smile. "Hey, Nia, just kiss him already. When are you both going to admit you want each other?" she asks with a sneaky smile. Nia, no one knows where she's from—a girl with pink hair found nearly dead in a tree filled with dense mana at age six. She refused and still refuses to talk about her past. She's a quiet girl for the most part and only ever picks fights with Rio.
"Want him?" Nia grits her teeth, her pink hair lighting on fire. "Stop talking nonsense, Zoey. He's an immature, disrespectful, short bastard!"
"That's enough," Zoey sighs, rolling her eyes with a heavy sigh. Standing between them, she grabs their foreheads and pushes them away. With her being six feet tall, it looks no different than an adult pushing two children apart.
Zoey was the first to join the military. Sold into slavery, she escaped her cage before she could be auctioned off. Soon after, a group of thugs drugged her and took her organs, selling her to a cult. The military raided the cult and rescued her, recognizing her unique affinity to lightning. She was taken in, nurtured, and became an integral part of their team.
"Alright, alright, everyone settle down. We have one more job before we're free," Ryua says with a smile. "Let's get this over with before nightfall, and we might make it to the adventurers guild before they close."
Palam sticks her tongue out at Rio as she leans her head on Ryua's shoulder. She slowly lifts her fist and, at an even slower pace, starts flipping him off. Rio rolls his eyes with a sigh and turns to Oda, who finally leaves the table. "Are you ready?" he asks, walking to his bed and grabbing his daggers.
Oda grabs his spear. "I've prepared on my end," he mumbles, turning to Ryua. "Rio will help me prepare on-site and meet with you on the battlefield."
"Huh, will that be okay?" Palam asks, raising her eyebrows in confusion.
"Yes, do you have a problem with that?" Rio asks coldly, focused on his equipment.
"B-"
"By the time you're there, I'll be around, so don't wait for me to show up. I'll be watching just in case someone notices you," he interrupts her before she can say anything else.
"Don't be a stranger," Ryua smirks, giving him a fist bump as he walks out.
"Don't mess it up," he sighs, yanking Palam's hair and making her lose balance.
Pointing at the map with his spear, Oda's face turns serious. "Be on high alert. This terrain... something feels off," he mumbles in his husky voice.
Walking up to the map, Ryua shrugs. "We'll be fine. Even if something's fishy, these guys are fourth-rate thugs at best—"
"That's right!" Palam's eyes twinkle. "WE," she pulls Ryua closer, holding her by the waist, "are the best!"
"Make sure to keep in touch. If you don't respond, we'll drop everything and head straight to you," Ryua says in a serious tone, pushing Palam away and pointing at him. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, Captain," Oda exhales, walking out of the tent.
"Alright, listen up," Ryua begins, her voice firm and commanding. "Oda will create a diversion to draw most of their forces away. He's going to hit them hard and fast from the south, where their defenses are weakest."
She traces a path on the map. "While Oda keeps them busy, the rest of us will approach from the east. There's a narrow ridge here that leads directly to their data room. We'll use it to sneak in undetected. The ridge is tricky—steep and narrow—but it's our best shot at getting in without alerting them."
Palam nods, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Got it. We'll be like shadows."
Ryua continues, "Once we reach the data room, Nia will break their array and teleport the files back to our camp. The rest of us will stand guard and ensure no one interrupts her. After we secure the data, we'll clean up the remaining revolutionaries before their reinforcements arrive."
She looks around at her team, meeting each of their gazes. "This is a precision job. We need to be fast, silent, and efficient. If anyone spots us, the entire mission could be compromised."
"Hmm... What does Oda find fishy?" Suki asks, tapping his nails on the table. "There must be something off. He doesn't like playing around."
Ryua exhales and scratches her head. "Okay, okay, listen. They chose a very odd place to set up camp. They could've set up near the river east of them, but instead, they settled for an unnecessarily difficult terrain. This doesn't amount to much given their stupidity, but what's weird is their lack of security during the daytime."
"Tsk, it's one of those unknown camps..." Zoey groans, leaning back on her bed.
"There should be no way for us to fail this. We were chosen for a reason, right?"
Nia nods, walking up to her. "Everyone else is weak."
"Bingo," Ryua smiles, patting her head. "Alright, let's go over the plan one more time to make sure we're all on the same page."