Merswamp.

6:49 am, 18 th Peniel 1091.

Dawn broke over the horizon, the sun’s rays spreading warmth over the murky swamps. Kashi and his crew ignored its radiance as they lugged the loot gathered in the town down to the river. Jero, who awaited their arrival by the ship, perked up when he saw them and lowered the gangplank.

"Ugh!" Hektor grunted as he dropped the last crate of weapons on the deck then stepped back and flexed his sore muscles as he admired their find. What the froggers lacked in gold, they made up for in iron. There were more than enough crude spears and pikes to outfit a small army and most were in good condition. The froggers also hoarded several raw materials from the swamp which Kashi seized for himself on sight.

"A nice haul," Iason praised as he wiped the sweat off his brow and took slow breaths to calm his beating heart.

"Take what you wish," Kashi said. "Especially you, Hektor. Put on some decent armor."

"Tch. Fine," Hektor conceded. He rummaged through the pile for something acceptable. He settled on some leather armor then added iron breastplates, gauntlets, and greaves for additional protection. He replaced his old stone ax with a new iron ax whose imposing edge gleamed under the morning's rays and holstered it at his back.

"Oh..." Jero mumbled as he admired the transformed youngster.

Iason’s eyes shone as he flashed a thumbs-up. "Wow."

Paris let out a wry smile and shook his head in disbelief."Who would have imagined..."

Even the twins and Kira gave Hektor an approving nod.

Hektor got flustered by the attention and loudly blustered, "O-oi! Wat're ya all staring at eh?!"

Kashi slapped Hektor’s back, nearly causing the young man to topple over. "Haha! See, you do look the part after all."

Kashi was pleased with Hektor’s outfit. With this, the tanks in their party finally looked intimidating enough for their roles. This would cause their enemies to hesitate, allowing the party as a whole to deal more damage and sustain less.

Kashi spent the next thirty minutes repairing and upgrading everyone's equipment, then used up an extra hour fixing and identifying the weapons they had looted. Kashi then used the cold smithing method to convert half of the weapons into raw metal, then reforged them into large metal spears. When he finished the last one, the crew placed everything below deck for protection.

"Is there a reason you are taking your time?" Jero asked when Kashi came topside. "I thought you planned on ending this today?"

"That is exactly why I am taking my time," Kashi replied. His answer was deliberately vague, and Jero knew not to question further.

"Is that also why you let the froggers run?" Jero asked instead.

Kashi grinned, a deceptive glint in his eyes. "Exactly."

Paris sighed. "And here I thought you had just done it out of rage."

"I make it a principle to never make a decision based on rage,” Kashi refuted. “It was a show for the froggers."

"I don't suppose you'll tell us why?" Paris guessed.

"It is much more fun to see than to be told," Kashi replied with a vague smile. "No need to fret. You will find out soon enough."

Jero looked at the daeben as he questioned, "Will you at least tell us what was on the parchment you read?"

Kashi's eyes darkened. "You will not like it."

Jero shook his head. "We deserve to know either way."

Kashi shrugged. "I warned you." He pulled the parchment out from his inventory and tossed it to Jero. "It’s a letter sent from a man you know vaguely. His name is Absalon, and he was recently-"

"Voted Mayer of Kerta. Yeah, I've 'eard of 'im," Hektor finished.

Jero’s brows furrowed as he read the letter. He violently squeezed the parchment and questioned with barely contained rage, "Is this real!?"

Iason raised a brow in surprise at his friend’s tone. "Let me see that," he said and took the parchment from Jero. Iason proceeded to read the contents, and his brows furrowed deeper with every line he read.

"It is," Kashi confirmed. "I thought it odd he rose to power so fast. I wrongly assumed he just pilfered his guild members' citizen points and money."

"He made a deal with the bandits?!" Iason cried and nearly ripped the paper to shreds, but, luckily, Paris took it out of his hands before the brute had his way.

"It seems the previous mayor did the same. As long as the law turned a blind eye, the bandits would pay them handsomely," Kashi said. He folded his arms and rested against the mast.

"Then, it was not that they could not send us aid..." Narkis said.

"They simply refused to," Alex finished.

"Why would you think of hiding this?" Iason asked, barely managing to contain the disappointment and anger in his voice.

Kashi sighed and shook his head."Imagine what would happen if this was made known to everyone."

"Chaos..." Jero mumbled.

"Yes. At the very worst it might erupt into a civil war,” Kashi proposed. “The only ones who would gain from that are the bandits."

Collective gasps echoed across the deck as realization dawned. All except Paris, whose eyes revealed admiration and curiosity as they examined the daeben. Unlike the others, it was apparent he was not surprised by Kashi’s suggestion.

Iason gaped as he considered the daeben’s words. "You thought that far ahead once you saw that letter?"

"Something like that," replied Kashi, avoiding eye contact.

"If you do not want us to speak of it, then what do you propose we do?" Paris asked.

"Nothing." At their shocked and horrified expressions, Kashi added, "For the meantime. Our current course is much more productive. The time will come when we face him, but it is not now."

Jero shook his head as the corner his lips rose in a wry smile. "As you wish."

Kashi strolled over to the wheel. "Raise the gangplank. It's time we set off."

"We heading for Graena next?" Jero asked as he and Iason pulled the gangplank onto the deck while Hektor raised the anchor.

"No," Kashi said as he looked down the river. "Our target is Norcha."

The deck went deathly silent as six pairs of eyes turned to him. "Norcha? T-that's a fort!"

Kashi grinned. His eyes gleamed as the sails caught the wind, and guided the ship onto the river. "I know..."

Somewhere along the Atled Delta.

9:49 am, 18 th Peniel 1091.

Paris rested on the walls of the ship’s crow's nest with closed eyes, smiling as the wind caressed his silky blond hair. He did not care much for the team’s current mission. However, it had been quite fun so far, not counting the distasteful swamp. Also, the money he gained after they split the loot was quite substantial. Now, if he could only take a bath. The smell of swamp still clung to his clothes.

Paris sighed and picked up a spyglass left behind by the bandits. He scanned the horizon with it, then turned to the right where something caught his eye. "I see something!" He called to the men on the deck below.

"What is it?!" Iason asked.

"Give me a second." Paris focused and made out a girl running through the swamp. He panned to the side and understood the source of her panic. Five creatures that resembled hybrids of Komodo dragons armadillos amped on steroids chased after the young woman. They had short, stocky legs and hard, armadillo-like shells that rattled as they ran. "Stalkers!” Paris reported. “They are chasing a girl."

"How many!" Iason questioned.

"I count five. She doesn't stand a chance!"

"Jero, take the wheel," Kashi instructed. Before Jero could react, the daeben let go of the wheel and dashed to the side.

"What?!" Jero yelled. He quickly took the wheel and gaped as Kashi dove into the river, accompanied by Kira. "Narkis, Alex!"

"On it!" The twins cried as they dove into the cold waters. They swam to shore and chased after Kashi and Kira.

"Why won’t you leave me alone!" The girl Paris spotted cried over her shoulder as she pushed her way through the swamp. She stumbled on a tree root and fell face first into a dirty lake. She cursed as she stood up, and wiped seaweed from her face then waded through the waters, her progress severely slowed by the terrible footing.

"Screw this!" The young woman cursed and held her breath as she dove underwater. She kicked hard and swam to the opposite bank. She surfaced at the opposite end and coughed as she waded to shore. She prayed to the gods the stalkers would not chase across the pond, but a quick look over her shoulder shattered that delusion. The stalkers did not hesitate as they ran into the lake, stocky legs allowing them to swim effortlessly.

The young woman frowned and resumed her escape. A few minutes later, she heard dangerously close snarls and looked over her shoulder. Her pupils dilated as she realized the monsters had closed in until they were only a few meters away from her. At this rate, they would close the gap in a matter of seconds. The woman gritted her teeth and whirled around, dagger at the ready. If she were going to die either way, she would rather go down swinging.

The stalkers snarled and lunged at her.

Just when the young woman had prepared herself for death, a voice suddenly shouted from behind the stalkers, "Get down!"

The voice’s authority made the young woman do as it ordered without thought, and just in time too as the monsters inexplicably blasted past her. Her eyes went wide as she noticed the arrows buried in their armored backs. She turned to the direction of the shot and saw the strangest sight ever.

A daeben with skin dark as soot was poised next to the biggest wolf she had ever seen. At either side of them stood a pair of dark-haired twins brandishing twin swords.

"Get over here!" Kashi ordered as he looked at the stalkers behind the woman.

The young woman paled as violent gusts of wind blew past her, closely followed by pained growls. She turned to see the stalkers slowly rise to their feet while several arrows stabbed into them. She did not need to be told twice. She immediately ran behind the daeben and his companions.

Kashi glared at the reptilian monsters as he launched another volley of arrows. Unfortunately, the stalkers displayed surprising intelligence and agility to successfully the bolts. Kashi was about to take more shots, but instinct kicked in and he turned around.

"Damn," Kashi cursed through gritted teeth. At some point, five stalkers had blocked the opposite side of the lake and were slowly inched their way towards them.

The daeben quickly analyzed the current situation. The closest path to the river was through that lake, and if the party ran any further into the swamp, they would end up attracting more monsters to their presence. To make things worse, he had zero information on the monster distribution in the area. Hence, if their luck was terrible, they could stumble into a boss battle while being chased by the stalkers.

Kashi came to a decision and gave swift instructions to his team. As per his instructions, Kira and Alex charged at the first mob of beasts, while Kashi and Narkis focused on the newcomers.

"Um... thanks," said the girl as Kashi and Alex prepped for the upcoming battle.

Kashi appraised her. She was a head shorter than Kashi and had long, sky-blue hair that had been stained by dirt and mud. She was dressed in a dirty camisole with protective bracers and held a small dagger in her gloved right hand. One look was enough to discern that this young woman did not have a warrior class, and the lack of a magic staff in either hand massively reduced the chance of her having a magic class.

Kashi looked into her greenish-blue eyes and demanded, “State your class.”

The young woman hesitated then answered, "Bard.” Bard was a popular support class. Traditionally, they used music to boost the stats of their party members. Unfortunately, although these classes were praised in the days of computer and console gaming, virtual reality had destroyed their reputation. This occurred because games like L.N.E judged the effectiveness of a bard’s song on how the people around them reacted to the song. If it was a terrible song with terrible vocals, the effects could even be detrimental to their own party.

Kashi, however, did not hesitate and requested as Narkis charged at the monsters on their end. “Good. Please support us.”

Monster #1 and #3 charged at Narkis, but he twirled between them and increased his pace as he rushed the others behind them. He jumped into the air, then swung both his weapons down at #4. His swords clashed against its armored shell but failed to penetrate.

#4 barreled into Narkis and its scales dug into his skin. "Ack!" Narkis yelled in agony, but rather than let go, he clenched his teeth and elbowed the monster's head. The stalker wailed as it dropped to the ground and its brothers took its place to attack the swordsman.

Narkis' blades proved useless against the beast’s tough scales, but he did not slow down despite the beasts ferociously tearing away at him. If anything, he seemed to get stronger as time passed. Blood seeped into the youth's eyes, blocking his sight but somehow, the accuracy of his strikes only increased. Unfortunately, his adrenaline-boosted performance faltered when he stumbled over a root hidden beneath the murky waters. The stalkers took the opportunity to pin him to the ground and moved to bite him.

Boom!

A massive explosion of wind suddenly blasted the monsters in all directions and revealed the young man, Narkis, whose eyes glowed black with electric sparks shooting out of them. His grip tightened around his swords as he burst forward, jumped, and swung down at one of the beasts.

The stalker spun around in response and shielded itself with its shells.

"Useless," Narkis condemned as his sword cleaved through the creature and ripped in half. This was the strength the berserkers. They grew stronger over the course of battle, and bloodshed caused them to descend into murderous frenzies.

Enraged at the death of their partner, three stalkers roared after regaining their footing and charged at the berserker, and the final one rushed at Kashi who had been observing the battle.

Kashi shot the approaching beast’s head, and a smile curled up his lips at its cry. ‘I know your weakness.’ He followed up the initial shot with several [Rapid Shots], all aimed at a soft spot at the center of its head. The daeben’s superior strength showed as the poor beast burst to petals of light before it ever reached him.

Another series of growls caught Kashi’s attention, and he looked up to the source, brows furrowing when he noticed even more stalkers running towards them. The daeben gripped his bow in a death grip as he simulated several scenarios in his mind. While Narkis was unbelievably strong, the young man sacrificed his blood for strength. A battle that lasted past a certain point would be suicide for the lightly armored swordsman.

Kashi looked over his shoulder and shouted at the girl. "Excuse me, but I said support!" He would have gone to Narkis' aide if it were not for her.

Heat crept up the girl's neck, and she flushed. "I-I know!" She complained as she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, lips parting in preparation...

!!!

Time seemed to craw to a stop as a voice that should only belong to an angel floated through the swamps. Monsters and warriors froze alike, enraptured by the bard’s heavenly voice.

You are under the effect of Warrior's Song:

Agility increased by 15%

Strength increased by 19%

Thunk!

Kashi broke the silence and shot the stunned stalkers. The daeben’s arrows shattered the beast’s scales, and they charged at him in retaliation. Narkis took the chance to cut the head off the closest stalker then chased the rest, hacking away at their backs which forced the stalkers to turn around and face him.

Kashi, unwilling to see the young man needlessly sacrifice himself, shouted, "Narkis, protect her!" then left the girl's side and ran toward Narkis. He jumped over the beasts and shot the weak spot located on their foreheads. Several Critical Hit messages popped up as the monsters burst into light. Kashi, however, ignored the messages and ran past Narkis, headed for the newest influx of monsters.

Kashi counted ten stalkers, but he did not falter. He notched four arrows into his bow and shot at the pack. Three stalkers instantly perished as the arrows accurately penetrated their foreheads while the final arrow harmlessly stabbed into the ground.

Kashi took stock of the positions of the remaining stalkers as he ran. He dodged five simultaneous charges, then grabbed the arrow that was pinned to the floor. He nocked it and shot into the mouth of the sixth, instantly ending it. The final stalker attempted to chew off his leg, but he hopped over its outstretched mouth, landed behind it and grabbed its tail.

Kashi pulled on the tail and lifted the beast off its feet. He spun the stalker in a circle, then threw it to Narkis, whose muscles bulged as he cut the monster in half. Its blood sprayed over him and the girl, but she impressively took it in stride as she promptly switched to a slow, lullaby-like song.

This time, the monsters visibly slowed down and Kashi did not waste the opportunity. He shot down the monsters with extreme prejudice, and it wasn’t long before the last of them burst into light shards.

Or so he thought.

The last stalker suddenly called forth on whatever reserves it had been hiding and charged at the girl, fangs bared.

It never made it.

Shink!

A boy with snow-white hair suddenly appeared on the stalker’s back and sunk a pair of daggers into its head. The stalker crashed to the ground and instantly perished. The boy did not spare the corpse a second glance as he stood up from his kill, sheathed his blades and walked over to the girl.

"Shadow!" the young woman squealed and immediately ran up to and hugged him.

"I told you not to run too far," said Shadow as he patted her head. The young man was about the same height as the woman. His eyes were cold and grey, thin lips pressed together in a constant mask of apathy.

Kashi assessed Shadow while he picked up the scales left behind by the monsters. Judging by Shadow’s form-fitting leather armor and dual-wielding dagger style, Kashi guessed he was either an assassin or thief class. Despite his thoughts, Kashi walked over to the bard girl first, seemingly seeing her as more important. "Thanks for the help. You are quite strong for your level."

“Thank you,” said the bard, then teased with a smile, "And you're insane, period."

Kashi raised a brow, and the edge of his lips curled up in light amusement. “I'm Kashi. You must be Lunette I presume?"

The laughter suddenly went out of the young lady’s eyes. "How do you know that?"

Shadow subtly reached for his daggers while eyeing Kashi and Narkis with unbridled hostility.

Kashi noticed the frigid atmosphere but gently explained while Kira and Alex returned from eliminating the monsters on their end, "I passed through Lew Creek and Ranad. You were quite famous."

"I see," Lunette said as realization dawned. Indeed, she had stood out quite a bit in those villages. It was no big shock if the villagers spoke of her to other visitors. After considering this, the smile returned to her lips as she formally introduced herself, "As you thought, my name is Lunette, and this is Shadow, my brother."

"Nice to meet you," Kashi said as he shook both their hands and introduced himself and his party. "What are you two doing this far South? It’s too dangerous for a party of only two."

"I could ask you the same," Shadow countered with narrowed eyes.

Kashi sighed. "My destination is Norcha."

"You must be new to this place. Norcha is run by the bandits."

"I know."

The air seemed to be overtaken by a cold breeze as Shadow glared at the daeben and questioned with a tight voice. "You. Are you working with the bandits?"

"No,” Kashi calmly refuted. “I aim to eliminate them."

Shadow snorted. "You and what army?"

Kashi grinned. "Who needs an army? I am more than enough." The sheer display of arrogance stunned the rogue. "I'm kidding. I have a plan." He looked at Lunette. "You guys want to come with us? We have a ship."

Shadow hesitated. "You-"

"It's okay Shadow," Lunette said, placating her brother. "Let's go with them."

Kashi nodded then led them to the ship while hiding a sly grin.

Later, Kashi watched as Lunette and Shadow introduced themselves to the rest of the crew. The daeben sighed as he realized the brother-sister pair were much nicer to the team than they were to him. Kashi attributed this to the fact that the rest of the team comprised of Residents. Most Summoned trusted Residents far more than they did other Summoned. Still, regardless of how they felt about him personally, Kashi was glad he had gained two extra hands, especially when these two hands could play a vital role in his plans.

Kashi took control of the wheel from Jero and set a course for the fort.

"What are you going to do about the bandits at the other villages?" Jero asked.

"We do not have to do anything," Kashi answered to which Jero looked at him with question. "Ask Paris to look at the villages through the spyglass as we pass by them. You will see your answer."

Paris did just that. Hours later, he noticed a pattern in every village they passed. He descended the rat's ladder - lengths of thin line tied between the shrouds of a sailing ship to form a ladder. "The village harbors are deserted," he said.

"What?” Iason questioned. "What do you mean deserted?"

"They were empty,” Paris clarified. “Looked like the bandits left in a hurry."

Eight pairs of eyes turned to the daeben, awaiting an explanation.

"What would you do if you heard your bases were being individually attacked by a small militia?" Kashi asked.

"Reinforce the bases with more men," Jero replied.

"Good answer,” Kashi replied. “But what if your men are already spread thin?"

"Gather your men in one strategic location, and wait for the enemy to approach," Shadow said.

Kashi glanced at the rogue, impressed. "Exactly. Which is why I let the Froggers run. They had enough time to warn their leader, and he did the smartest thing he could think of. He holed up in his fort and gathered his men to protect him."

"How did you know he would react that way?" Shadow asked. "There are a number of different strategies he could have employed."

"True,” Kashi agreed. “That is why I bargained on him being a coward."

"I don't follow," Lunette said.

"If he were not a coward, we would have fallen into some trap by now,” Kashi explained. “The fact that the villages are deserted and we have met no opposition proves the bandits have relocated the fort."

"Doesn't that just mean that they now have far more men stationed there?" Iason pointed out. "How do we infiltrate a stronghold designed to prevent enemy ships coming from the Forever Sea? They have dozens of cannons on the walls. An army would have a hard time attacking, let alone a single ship."

"No. We will succeed precisely because we are so few. Besides…" Kashi’s voice trailed off as he looked at Lunette, who took a step back, overwhelmed by his intense gaze. "We have something we lacked before."

"You can't be thinking?" Shadow started.

"Exactly. Bait."