Ranvir rolled his neck as he sat up. He’d gotten a little sleep, but it wasn’t like that much time had passed. It felt like all he’d done after entering the fold was fight and sleep. Back home, the teachers at the academy had sometimes talked about soldier behavior. Eat, sleep, and fight apparently filled out the majority of the schedule for them, and he was starting to understand why.

Ranvir rubbed his wrist, feeling the emptiness of the bracelet. His mind wandered to Frija and her own little mana-item. Worry, creeping with an oily sheen, grew in Ranvir’s head as he thought of Sabas talking with his daughter, being aware of her existence.

Just him knowing about Frija was a colossal risk. Ranvir didn’t know if Mercy’s Redoubt had broken the law. Sentinels as an organization came from Odicea, as one of their Watchers he was technically a ‘foreigner’ while on the job. If Mercy’s Redoubt was hired by a local merchant’s guild, they could function as a professional Limclean militia. To Ranvir’s understanding, it was not the first time feuds between organization had ended in less than favorable outcomes.

According to Amalia, it was usually a series of escalating events until someone caught the attention of Phormos’ inner-circle. Likely, the merchant’s guild had intentions on folds and this was their opening move. An up-and-coming watcher and a lowly sentry.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to worry about that. He couldn’t afford distractions, especially not regarding something that important.

“Focus,” he muttered low to himself.

“What was that?” for a second, Ranvir thought Amalia had returned only to realize it was just Alexis.

Frowning, Ranvir opened his mouth, but sensed Amalia approaching before he said anything. Shortly, she broke through the waters, silently stepping into the little cavern.

“I think they’re closing in on us,” she said, the words echoing in the small space. Ranvir’s eyes lit up fully, casting purple light onto the others. The water was already moving away from Amalia, drying her clothes in moments, while Alexis sat in the corner tending to the little pot of mushrooms they’d placed over the fire stones.

“What do we do then?” Alexis asked finally, glancing towards Ranvir now that his eyes lit up the space.

“Give me the rest of the tea,” Ranvir muttered, his voice lower and rougher than usual as he gestured towards the pot. “I assume you’ve located another hideout?”

“I have,” Amalia replied. “It might not be as hard to get into as this one, but should at least offer a space that is not this wet and cold.”

Ranvir nodded in appreciation and taking the pot from Alexis. While the tea had been brewing, it would’ve been too hot to drink, but he’d only been maintaining the heat. It was still almost scalding on his tongue and it didn’t taste good. Bitter and very strong, Ranvir grimaced as he finished the dregs. Over boiled mushrooms, flaccid and soft, slopped against his face before he put it down.

“Should you really be drinking all that?”

“No,” Ranvir handed the pot back and carefully opened his pocket-space. He retrieved the highest emergency supplies, the ones that couldn’t get lost should he fall into a fight.

“Start packing up,” Amalia said, going over to Alexis. “He’ll buy us as much time as he can, but we’ll still need to move fast. I’ll signal you the usual way once we’re safe?”

“Works for me,” Ranvir said. He’d already had a bit of the thólos tea in him, but moving still caused reddening flashes of yellow pain to move through him.

“Do we need to move already?” Alexis asked. “If they don’t know where we are?”

“They are closing in on us,” Amalia replied. “I’d much rather be out of reach before they even form a circle to hem us in.”

Alexis nodded, and they continued packing. Soon, everything was wrapped, stuffed, and shoved into packs that seemed to have shrunk since opening them.

Ranvir nodded and headed into the water. Already, he felt the slight buzzing-to-numbness increase. Swimming up, Ranvir didn’t jump directly out of the water, instead going to a platform that had an outgrowth which hid him from most angles as he ascended. With the water contained, it was unlikely that anyone would stumble across it while passing through.

Then he sat down and stretched his tether-sense. This wasn’t as prepared as their last attack, but he somehow felt readier for the fight to come than previously. Even the jitters in his stomach felt different.

He roved the entire fold, scouring it for potential targets. He tasted of their mana-elements, looking for combinations he thought might lean in his favor. Ranvir considered distances, examining which of his potential targets were the furthest away and which had grown most distant from the group.

“Plan not just for who to pick to fight, but how to fight,” Latresekt advised, and for once Ranvir could sense the spirit’s genuine advice. “Disorient, distract, and scatter.”

Ranvir nodded along as he zoned in on his targets.

“And lastly, fight to survive, even if that means killing. There is a word for soldiers who will not kill on a battlefield: victims.”

With gritted teeth, Ranvir set out. More than once he sensed Amalia’s tether-sense on him, until finally he reached the limits of her range just before reaching his targets, the end of Alexis’ reach as well.

Ranvir pulled himself up, so his chin was just above the line of the stone platform. His clothes were heavy, soaked in seawater, but keeping close to the wall, he managed the hold without shaking or disturbing the area too much.

The party was seated, clearly taking a break and sharing a meal. Guilt rose in him, towering and sickly yellow-green, but Latresekt’s reverberating growl seemed to slip past Ranvir’s tether-space and echo through the entirety of his soul. Ruthlessly, he stoppered his emotions and put them away.

They were only three this time, but though he detected only low-tier Urityons, they all had an experienced edge he hadn’t quite picked up on from a distance. For a moment, he considered picking another group, but he’d already spent too long and they were a person short.

Ranvir lowered himself back into the water, his fingers still clutching the stone. His nose just above the waterline, Ranvir inhaled deeply. He’d have to move fast, his abilities would need to come out even faster. He’d need focus.

For a quiet minute, the distant chatter of the people, the wind, and waves were the only noise, until they too faded away.

Ranvir heaved, pushing with his feet at the same time. Bursting out of the water, sand already whirling around his fist. Ranvir got three steps before Sandstorm Barrage was ready.

Blowing full force into the farthest two, the directed sandstorm turned air into a grinder. The sound of sand ricocheting off metal and stone overwhelmed all other noise, the attack completely engulfing the two warriors.

Ranvir began spinning up Rage as the last opponent dashed towards him. The man drew out a hefty two-handed axe. Ranvir had judged the man to also focus on strength and durability, which was why he’d left him alone. If he’d focused on speed, he could’ve closed before Ranvir’s own ability was up and running.

Instead, they faced each other in far worse conditions than the man. By the time he’d closed to swing, Ranvir was drawing fully on his own physical strength. Determining the path of the attack wasn’t difficult.

The axe skittered along the sand strewn ground as Ranvir ripped it from his hands. Despite the axe-wielder being higher-leveled, Ranvir’s raw Draw still made him the physical superior. Caught by surprise, the man blocked Ranvir’s hook with his forearm.

Flesh connected like the crack of axe into wood, the man crying out. Ranvir didn’t hesitate, evening his Rage out to avoid accidentally breaking his own limbs, even as his hands wrapped around the man’s skull.

Space shrank as Ranvir’s knee met the man’s nose in a crunchy explosion of blood. Axe-wielder’s friends were getting up and crying out as they saw what was happening. Ranvir delivered one last strike with his knee, feeling the reverberating crack through both hands and legs. Axe-wielder went limp for a moment before he started convulsing.

Ranvir had finished axe-wielder just in time, both of his friends having just extricated themselves from the sand. Bow-wielder, the most worrisome of the bunch, had his weapon broken in the barrage. The last man, maul-wielder, was already charging his weapon in hand.

Ranvir’s eyes narrowed. Sound-mana was emanating from the hammer. He had to back away from the first two swings, uncertain what kind of effect such a strike would have against him. Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown away the axe, Ranvir considered now.

Maul clearly fought more conscious of Ranvir’s strength, withdrawing at the slightest hint of an attack. He was playing for time, Ranvir realized. The more he could stretch the fight, the more reinforcement would arrive. Grinning, Ranvir tested him on that decision and pushed forward.

He swung aggressively, forcing Maul onto a defensive. His weapon really wasn’t meant to. Finally, Ranvir caught the haft and flung it away. Now that his strength wasn’t so dominantly on top, his one handed flick only slammed it to the ground, Maul’s hands still on the handle.

Confident, Ranvir lurched forwards hand outstretched for his throat. A cry louder than a collapsing building burst from Maul’s mouth. The sound struck Ranvir like a physical blow, halting his forward motion and doubling his vision. The hammer swept Ranvir’s legs out from under him.

He slammed back first onto the ground. Normally, such a fall would’ve winded him, but Ranvir’s ability shielded him from the impact. The noise blast still messed with his head. It took Ranvir a moment to line up a mule kick with Maul’s knee. A moment Bow took advantage of. He came in with his dead friend’s axe in a malicious swing.

Ranvir’s head bounced off the stone a moment before he kicked. His booted foot shattered ligament and bone as Maul’s knee bent the other way. He fell to the ground with a completely regular scream.

Fumbling with his face, Ranvir winced as he cut himself on the axe sticking out of his jaw. He blinked twice more before yanking it out. Bow was already halfway across the platform, running for his life.

“Kill him, Ranvir! No one escapes!” Latresekt cried out.

Ranvir hefted the axe once before rearing back and took aim. Pushing Sandstorm Rage back to strength, he launched with all he had. The butt of the axe slammed into Bow with bone shattering force. The archer, now with a freshly shattered spine, fell to the ground, legs twitching.

Ranvir nearly took a moment to himself, but sensed Maul’s mana gathering. Grabbing the hammer, Ranvir painted the stone with his gray matter. Climbing across the sand, Ranvir finished the archer. Axe had died from his head trauma.

Ranvir spat a wad of blood on the stone, examining himself. His face had been cut from jaw to cheekbone. The physically inferior archer could not break his bones, even with the axe.

He found a clean cloth on Axe’s corpse that he pressed to his chin. He grabbed the hammer and axe and stored them. Running his tether-sense over them, Ranvir picked off any pieces that gave off any kind of mana or energy. Finally, he sensed the rest of the company getting close enough to be taken on a merry chase. With a sigh, he set off.