Somewhere along the Atled Delta.

9:45 am, 18th Peniel 1091.

"This is so good!" Iason exclaimed as he wolfed down the food on his plate. His outburst was concurred by the members of Kashi's crew, as they too munched on the delicious meat.

Kashi sat with his back to the foremast, practicing his sculpting skill on a slab of stone. The food he made would grant the crew boosted stats for a limited time. Considering the scale of the mission they were about to embark on, they could do make do with any added bonus. A shadow blocked the sunlight, and he looked up to see Lunette.

"You raised your cooking skill?" Lunette asked.

"Yes,” Kashi answered as he whittled down on the stone. “I won't need to waste money on food if I can make it myself."

"Heeh? You're the economic type?"

Kashi shook his head and let out a wry smile. "No, I do not mind spending money. But my Alchemy skill gets a boost from a high Cooking skill."

Lunette cocked her head to the side as she examined the sculpture in his hand. "But isn't it boring? Crafting, I mean."

"Hmm. Depends. Let's see... here." Kashi tossed the figurine he had been working on to her.

Lunette struggled to keep her amusement at bay as she looked at the terrible caricature of a frogger. "Wh-what's this?!"

Kashi shrugged. "They were ugly anyway. My failure didn't change much."

Lunette’s shoulders shook as she covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh, then coughed to regain her composure. "That didn't answer my question."

"Well, it's not completely boring,” Kashi replied. “Especially if you already envisioned the finished work."

"I guess that's true,” Lunette agreed and nodded as she sat down beside him. “I just can't see myself working on those skills."

"Could say the same for you. Haven't met that many bards,” Kashi pointed out. “Fewer even who go for the voice skill."

"Haha. It's odd isn't it," Lunette admitted. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "I love singing. Beats bashing monsters."

"I don't know about that. Bashing can be quite therapeutic," Kashi argued as he stood up. "Doesn’t matter either way. You should do whatever you want. Never hold back."

Lunette buried her face in her knees to hide her smile. "...You're insane."

Kashi shrugged. "Maybe."

"We're close!" Jero’s announcement invigorated the crew, and they all looked toward the daeben with excitement and anticipation.

A shadow suddenly crossed Kashi’s face as he looked at Lunette and said, "Now, how about we find you something to wear.

Lunette’s head shot up, her eyes shrinking to dots when she saw what Kashi pulled out from his inventory. "...Eh?" she muttered.

A few minutes later, Kashi's crew erupted in cheers and whistles when Lunette came topside, dressed in a tight, revealing, lightly armored dress. A white scabbard strapped to her waist housed a sword with a butterfly guard and grip of light brown wood.

"It's fine," Kashi remarked as he coldly assessed the outfit. "This'll do just fine."

The detached look in Kashi’s eyes crushed Lunette’s initial embarrassment. ‘What's with that! It's like I'm not good enough! No, what am I thinking; I don't want to be good enough. But it's so annoying!’

Kashi noticed her distress and questioned, "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

Lunette ground her teeth as she forced out, "No. Not at all. Why did you ask me to wear this?"

Kashi nonchalantly replied. "It's part of my plan."

"Again. What is the plan?"

"Well, you'll find out soon enough," Kashi replied as he and Kira walked to the edge of the ship. "I’ve given Jero the instructions. Follow them, and you'll be fine." Before Lunette could question him any further, Kashi and Kira jumped over the edge into the river

"...Eh?" She stared at the empty spot he had been, her hair sticking out in confusion.

???

6:25 pm, 17 th Peniel 1091.

Kashi looked at the setting sun with trepidation. This was taking longer than he had planned. If he did not find his targets in the next thirty minutes, he would have to go with plan B which would be detrimental to his future plans.

Luckily, Kira suddenly perked up, and her eyes narrowed which brought a relieved smile to the daeben’s face as he said, "You've got their scent, haven't you?"

Kira growled in reply and ran off. Kashi closely pursued after her, goosebumps erupting on his body due to the excitement. The duo came to a stop at a short cliff overlooking a vast expanse of land.

Kashi grinned as he spotted a herd of his targets mulling around, snacking on the local wildlife. These were the undisputed leaders of the food chain in this region.

"Good job," Kashi praised as he patted Kira. He took out his bow, and nocked an arrow, then lined up the closest target "Well, then. Let's get started!"

???

6:50 pm, 17 th Peniel 1091.

Lunette shivered as the night breeze tickled her exposed thighs. Shadow looked at her with concern, but she smiled to reassure him, although inwardly she repeatedly swore, ‘I'll kill that elf.’ The siblings crossed one of the bridges connecting the numerous tiny islands along the Atled Delta. Their target was the behemoth placed strategically placed at the mouth of the Delta.

The fortress Norcha was as massive as it was imposing. A masterpiece made from stones that could withstand tsunamis. Cannons stuck out of the walls, and mortars lined the battlements. Their combined radius could wipe out any force that attempted to invade the delta.

Lunette wrapped a cowl around her, drawing its hood over her head. She shared a look with her brother. He nodded, and they increased their pace.

Norcha,

6:55 pm, 17 th Peniel 1091.

"Keep alert!" Commanders of the bandit crew ordered. Their loud and obnoxious voices carried across the fort causing froggers and bandits alike to jerk to attention.

A bandit cleaned his ears, tired of hearing his superiors' incessant shouting. This was not what he signed up for. They were supposed to be pillaging, not hiding from a ragtag gang of rebels. Yawning, he looked down from his post at the wall.

"Hm?" Two figures across the moat caught his attention. His superiors’ fearmongering had indeed left their mark as he immediately shouted, "We've got visitors!"

A man in a purple robe walked up to the bandit’s side. He held out his wooden staff and mumbled something. An orb of light formed in front of his staff and floated to the figures. The light globe paused over the visitors’ heads, pulsed, then exploded, bathing them in its glow.

The light revealed the visitors to be a pair of teenagers, a white-haired boy and what looked like a hooded girl(?). Neither matched the description the froggers had given of their attackers.

The bandit cupped his mouth and shouted, "Who goes there?!"

"My name is Shadow!” Shadow shouted in reply. “My sister and I seek asylum for the night!"

The bandit turned to the mage for instructions. "You heard him. What you wanna do?"

The mage scrutinized the visitors’ appearance then came to a decision, "Ask the captain," the mage replied.

The bandit nodded then called out to Shadow. "Hey, hold on!"

The boy and his sister(?) nodded.

A few minutes later, the captain of the fort joined the mage at the wall. He looked down at the children. "What brings you here?" He did not need to shout. His voice carried well enough to the children.

"We were exploring and ran into too many monsters,” Shadow explained. “We would like to pass the night here. We'll leave in the morning."

"And the girl?"

"She's a bit sh-"

"Tell her to lose the hood," interrupted the captain.

Lunette steeled herself as she threw off the garment.

Cooes escaped the lips of the bandits as they gawked at the angel incarnate. Moonlight danced on Lunette’s blue hair, giving it a sparkling greenish hue. The revealing armor resembled a flowing river as her skirt fluttered in the opportune wind. She adjusted a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at the men with eyes that seemed to switch between blue and green.

Needlessly to say, the men on the wall were instantly bewitched.

The captain cleared his throat after a moment and quickly ordered. "Lower the bridge." Only then did he notice the crowd on the walls staring at the girl. "Hey! Back to your posts!"

The disgruntled bandits shuffled to their posts, mumbling among themselves.

"Che."

"Don't worry bro, she's coming in here."

"Hehe. She'll do much more than spend the night."

The iron drawbridge lowered and Shadow accompanied his sister across, keeping three steps behind her. He still did not understand what Jero meant when he said Kashi had insisted he act like this. Still, there was something fun about deceiving blubbering baboons. A sadistic grin crawled up his face, but he pressed his lips together to kill it before anyone noticed.

Shadow quickly took in the layout of the fort once they stepped inside. There were several houses inside, built to accommodate soldiers over long periods. Nothing else existed inside the fortress. It was indeed made to house the cannons and the cannons alone.

Shadow and Lunette stopped in what seemed to be the courtyard. Shadow inwardly sneered as he spotted several bandits leering at Lunette from the walls, buildings and around the yard. Luckily, despite his inner disgust, his expression remained as neutral as always. Shadow looked to the captain and said, "I thank you for your kindness.”

Shadow felt utter disgust for the manner of speech. However, this was Kashi’s operation, and he had apparently left instructions for Shadow to use polite speech when addressing the captain.

"It's alright. You have a lovely sister." Captain did nothing to hide the lecherous glint in his eyes as he admired Lunette’s body. It was his bold way of telling the runt not to interfere.

Shadow suppressed a rising desire for murder. That would come soon enough. Instead, he issued a stiff smile and said, "That I do." Captain tried to reach for Lunette, but she backed away and hid behind her brother's back, clutching his arm.

"My apologies. She is extremely shy,” Shadow apologized and gently placed his hand on her head. "She doesn't react well to strangers." At this point, Lunette tugged on his shirt and whispered something into his ear. Shadow nodded then looked at the captain and said, "My sister says she would like to sing for your men to compensate for her rudeness."

The captain blinked, but then agreed with a short laugh, "She sings eh? Sure why not."

Shadow trembled, terrified by Kashi's foresight. So far everything exactly had gone as Jero had said. He hid his discomfort as he took out a wooden acoustic guitar from his inventory. The shock in the bandits' eyes was hilarious. He never got tired of using the inventory in the presence of Residents.

Shadow sat on the cold earth and plucked a string. The guitar strings did not produce the best quality sounds, but it would serve their purposes. The young man’s fingers ran across the strings strumming a beautiful melody that caught the bandit's attention. Shadow leaked a small smile as he thought to himself. ‘You ain't seen nothing yet.’

Lunette took a deep breath as she activated [Amplify] a bard skill that distributed her voice across large areas. She clutched her hands to her chest and opened her mouth…

Chills ran up the bandit's spines as angels descended from the heavens, and wrapped their arms around them. Fear, anguish, and pain ceased to exist, the bandits’ insecurities washed away by Lunette’s soothing voice. Unknowingly, as if pulled by a spell, the bandits by the wall abandoned their posts and gathered around the blue goddess.

Shadow smirked to himself as he plucked the guitar. No matter how many times he saw it, he would never cease to be stunned by the ease with which Lunette seized control of a crowd. Meanwhile, Lunette’s song intensified, and guided by her passion, he played even harder.

All of creation was pulled in by Lunette’s voice. Crickets ceased their songs, plants leaned towards her, and small animals gathered around for the one-of-a-kind concert.

Lunette and Shadow’s performance continued for over two hours as she effortlessly weaved one song into another, creating a ballad and tale with the melody. At a point, it seemed the earth itself shook with excitement, but the bandits realized it was an actual earthquake when the vibrations intensified.

Shadow’s eyes narrowed. This was where Jero's instructions had ended. Wait for the earth to shake, then…

Boom!

"What's that?!" Captain yelled as he shook his head, trying to regain his senses. Lunette’s song had ensnared him so firmly, he had forgotten his duties. His voice whipped the guards out of their daze, and they ran to their posts to investigate.

The bandits looked through their spyglasses in the direction of the sounds. The lookouts went white with fear as they took several steps away from the wall. Only one managed to scream out the terror in his heart, "G-G-G-Geruk Frogs! Over twenty of them sir!"

"What?!" Captain screamed. "Man the cannons! Now! Mages to the wall! Archers line up!"

Pandemonium ensued as the bandits, still dazed from Lunette's performance, struggled to return to their stations. It took some time, but they soon gathered on the wall.

Captain snatched a spyglass from a bandit and peered at the horizon. A huge lump formed in his throat as he spotted the demons rushing in his direction. Geruk frogs were massive frogs that were almost as tall as the fort's enormous walls. A unique feature of the frogs were the small forests that grew on their backs.

The Geruk frogs’ croaks echoed all the way to the fort.

Hands shaking, Captain panicked and shouted. "Fire!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Projectiles from mortars, cannons, mages and any bowman strong enough flew high and long into the sky, then arched downwards to the encroaching swarm.

"That's our cue," Shadow suddenly said as the cannon bellows drowned out all sound. He and Lunette, abandoned in the courtyard by the panicked bandits began to make their escape to the harbor as per Jero’s instructions.

Lunette grinned proudly and flicked her hair over her shoulders. "Like stealing candy from a baby."

"Yes, yes. Let's go,” Shadow remarked. The siblings made it to the harbor without incident and escaped on a moored rowboat. As he watched the chaotic Fort recede in his view, Shadow could not help but be impressed by Kashi’s terrifying planning and foresight.

Kashi and Kira ran for their lives through the dense swamplands that populated the islands around the delta.

Boom!

"Ack!" The earth trembled, and Kashi cried as he lost his balance due to the tremors. He tumbled over, scrubbing against the floor, before coming to a halt. Bruised and battered, the daeben gritted his teeth as he rushed to his feet and resumed his run without once glancing over his shoulder.

He did not need to.

Twenty Geruk Frogs chased the foolish daeben that had attacked them. Each massive leap brought them closer, but the daeben was irritatingly quick on his tiny feet. However, it was only a matter of time before he ran out of stamina. Then they would grind his bones and use it as a nest for their eggs.

Surprisingly, despite Kashi’s injuries and predicament, a huge smile played across his face during the chase. That smile widened to a full-blown grin when the night sky suddenly lit up with several projectiles.

Cannonballs, arrows and mortar strikes crashed into the frogs, halting their advance. The smoke cleared to reveal the monsters barely harmed. They hopped in place and roared with evident rage as gooey liquid oozed out of their backs. The Geruk frogs abandoned their chase on Kashi and turned their focus to the fort that had shot at them.

Kashi’s eyes shone as he watched the Geruk frog’s new path. ‘All according to plan-!’

Boom!

Kashi dodged to the side as a cannonball crashed next to him and exploded. ‘Damn!’ Kashi cursed as he realized he had forgotten to account for the bandits’ terrible aim. To counter this, he ran behind the monsters and used them as cover as they approached the fort.

Crack!

One of the frogs landed on a bridge connecting two small islands, destroying it in the process. Kashi frowned with anger. Without the bridge, he would be forced to wade or swim through the muck, both of which would significantly slow him down.

"No, you don't! Come on Kira!" Kashi called, and the duo jumped scaled a tree, then jumped onto the back of the closest Geruk frog. The creature had a slimy back which almost made them fall off. However, at the last moment, Kashi wrapped his right hand around Kira and grabbed hold of a tree on the Geruk frog’s back.

"Whoo!" Kashi cried in excitement as the frog leaped into the air. His eyes watered from the opposing wind, then his heart fell to his stomach as they fell back to the earth. This was what he lived for! No matter what, it was impossible for the real world to give Suzuki this sort of thrill.

A couple of heart-thumping moments later, the fort finally came into view. Kashi’s eyes narrowed as he observed the smoke coming from the cannons and the bandits lined along the walls. He took the opportunity to look at his little army and was mildly surprised to find the Geruk frogs had been cut down to half their original.

Kashi, however, was more than happy with the outcome. The frogs had been overtaken by rage after losing so many of their brethren in such a short amount of time. As kings of the food chain, they had never been challenged before. As a result, they could not stomach this insult and blindly charged at the fort with the sole desire to tear it down.

Boom!

The bandits escaped from the wall as Kashi's frog crashed into it. Kashi timely let go of the tree, and the momentum from the crash sent him and Kira flying off the monster’s back.

Kashi grinned as he drew his bow and shot three bandits through their necks. Kashi and Kira landed inside the courtyard as the wall and the frog he rode crumbled behind them.

Kashi revealed a confident smirk as he regarded the confused and terrified bandits. "Now, who wants to die first?”

Boom!

Almost at the same time, six Geruk frogs that survived the charge leaped into the courtyard. They crushed the buildings beneath their feet and glared at the two-legged creatures.

"Kill them all!" Captain ordered. His loud voice galvanized the bandits, and they roared as they drew their weapons and lunged at both the beasts and intruder.

"A three-way," Kashi said as he dashed into the pandemonium. "The best kind there is."

At the same time, Hektor and the rest of the crew moored at the pier behind the fort. Just like Kashi predicted, the pier was deserted as all hands had been attracted to the east wall to combat the Geruk frogs. They jumped out of the rowboat and rushed to the direction of the fighting.

"Aaah!" a bandit cried as he was crushed between the frog's webbed feet. The monsters shot out jets of sticky liquid from their mouths, slamming the bandits into walls. Mages shot fireballs and lightning at the monsters, the beasts kept on attacking.

Meanwhile, Kashi shot the bandits, ending their lives with fatal head shots. Three froggers attacked him from behind, but he shot their respective heads. Any bandit who tried to reach him met their end at his arrows without fail as they tore through both light and heavy armor with ease.

A squad of four suddenly attacked Kashi from all directions, and he reached into his quiver, only to discover he did not have any left. ‘ Shit!’ Kashi cursed as he blocked the first strike with his bow, then grabbed the hand of the second attacker.

Kashi kicked the first attacker in the stomach while Kira knocked the third over and chewed his throat out. He blocked the attack of the last attacker with the second's sword, then grinned as Kira devoured the bandit before he could retract his sword for another hit. To finish off the second bandit, Kashi twisted the bandit’s hand around his back and stabbed him with his own sword.

Kashi surveyed the battlefield with a tight frown. ‘Need to find some arrows.’

Kashi made up his mind and sprinted through the carnage dodging stray fireballs and water squirts. The bandits and froggers were fully focused on the Geruk monsters, so they failed to pay attention to the daeben as he pilfered arrows off the bodies of the fallen.

!!!

Kashi’s instincts kicked in as he felt a terrifying presence, and hopped back as a Geruk Frog landed where he had just been. The monster glared at him with unmasked hatred, and Kashi remarked with nervous laughter, "Don't suppose you forgive and forget?"

The Geruk frog roared and shot out its sticky tongue in response.

However, Kashi expected the attack and rolled to the side. The tongue harmlessly whipped past him and picked up debris instead. "I don't think rock is a healthy diet," Kashi taunted and smirked at the beast.

The Geruk frog roared in anger but regretted it soon after as Kashi shot its open mouth and grinned at its resulting anguished cry. He dashed to the beast before it could regain its composure and hopped onto its head. “Try this on!” Kashi challenged as he drew his bow to full length and continuously shot the top of its head with [Rapid Shot]. Through a near inhuman display of accuracy, each strike pierced the exact same spot, causing the frog to leap into the air in an attempt to shake him off.

In response Kash grabbed a tree on its back for support, and once it landed, Kira bit a huge chunk out of its hind leg, crippling it. At the same time, the archer shot at the exact same spot until he bore a hole through the protective earth casing on its back. The daeben’s next hail of arrows tore through its flesh and finally pierced its brain.

Crash!

Kashi jumped off the Geruk frog as it tumbled to the ground. The young man surveyed the battlefield and realized only three Geruk Frogs remained of the original twenty.

The beasts glanced at their fallen sisters and prepared to retreat. They would return to their home by the river. Later, they would invade with the help of their siblings and raze the humans to the ground.

"Fat chance!" Kashi yelled and swung down his arm.

Boom!

Large metal spears suddenly drilled through each monster’s head and splattered their brain cells across the earth. The surviving bandits looked to the wall, only to see Iason and Jero standing by a pair of smoking cannons. The spears that stabbed through the monsters were the ones Kashi had forged earlier on the boat. The group had carried them onto the walls during the commotion and placed them in the cannons. Just as Kashi proposed, they proved much more than cannonball over short distances.

The twins Narkis and Alex Iason and Jero while Hektor and Paris walked up to Kashi, weapons at the ready.

"Now," Kashi teased as he turned to the bandits. "Let's end this shall we?"

Raaah!

The bandit's cries carried far, but their voices died in their throat as they stared at the Kashi, Hektor, and Paris. Thick aura radiated off the trio, bursting with frenzied bloodlust.

The criminals had no time to overcome the heavy pressure as Kira suddenly ripped into the last surviving mage. Without taking a moment to admire her kill, she lunged at the archers while Hektor, Paris, and Kashi attacked the remaining bandits.

The ensuing battle did not last long. The Geruk frogs had eliminated over 90% of the fortress’ numbers. Of those that survived, very few had the morale left to launch any meaningful challenge. After all, bandits by nature loved getting money and riches with the minimum amount of effort. When faced with a real problem most would immediately give up, surrender, or run away.

The bandits were soon routed, leaving Kashi and his crew victorious. In the end, it proved to be a lackluster battle.

Well, to be fair, it was not entirely the bandits’ fault. Lunette's bard ability had instilled disorientation in the ranks and lulled their senses. If left alone, they might have recovered, but the added encroachment of the Geruk Frogs caused the Captain to make a bad call.

The captain focused his men on one wall and ordered his men to shoot the beasts. The sad thing was that the frogs would never have attacked if he did not make that call. Any other day, he wouldn't have made that call, but Lunette's song was quite useful in muddling his mind. Kashi's crew took advantage of the confusion to circle around the western wall and infiltrate the southern harbor.

It had all gone according to plan.

Kashi sighed as he gripped the captain by his collar. His eyes bored into the older man's, the red pupils resembling pools of blood under the moonlight.

Captain shuddered as Kashi brought his face close to his and whispered, "Tell me everything."