Chapter 1: Chesed
The wind breezed by naturally, unaffected by the figures moving above in the trees in silence.
They lept.
Boots brushed against the edge of a branch before vaulting over to the next. Their footsteps were weightless and precise, carving a path through the forest canopy with practiced grace. At the front- a man, a leader, all eyes deferred to him. His pale skin gleamed like snow when the sun touched him- it was a pure, ghostlike white. This unnatural whiteness marked him as part of the Soka clan.
But it was not just his skin that revealed his bloodline.
Every so often, as they moved onwards, he brought his right hand up in a recognizable gesture. An index finger brought to the thumb in an 'O', the remaining three fingers flared outward.
An 'Ok Hand' gesture.
He placed the symbol over his right eye, and when he did so, his vision deepened. No more was visible light all that was revealed- he saw the silhouettes of heat, motion, energy, life, magic.
Very few techniques could hide against this technique.
It was Okhen, the 'Sight of Truth'. It was a bloodline technique of the Soka clan. Only those with pure enough Soka blood could channel such power, power channeled through an 'Ok Hand.'
Okhen made members of the Soka clan exceptional scouts.
Today, it was Chesed Soka leading the team.
He landed on a thick branch and stopped, crouched low, his hand still held up to his eye, a deep frown hardening on his face.
Below, obscured by underbrush and light-stepped- were footprints. Human footprints, freshly made. The tracks would have been impossible to spot if it weren't for Okhen, revealing to Chesed a faint lingering sparkle of energy.
Part of a stealth technique, almost certainly part of a Rogue's arsenal. That was especially the case since Nyvarra, a nation known for their Rogues, have historically been hostile to Sogen, where Chesed and his team hail from. They weren't exactly at war, but they might as well be, considering the sheer amount of clandestine missions the two would issue their adventurers to take against each other.
He turned his head back, flickering two of his fingers in the air as a signal.
His team- Soriel, Halden, Maedyn, and Bren, flickered in around him, awaiting information and orders. They were a total of five, all clad in leather, bows at the ready, quivers half-full. They moved with unity far beyond what would be expected of weak adventurers- only at Second job. But when you were weak- unity, discipline, and tactics kept you alive.
Chesed communicated to the others, relaying the information he could interpret from the marks left behind, "Six passed through here, an hour ago at most. Formation tight. Not scouts- likely setting up for an ambush."
A moment of silence was taken as they contemplated. A girl- Soriel, one whose only defining features were her hazel eyes and short ashen hair, took a moment in silence to examine the prints, then looked to Chesed. She lightly recommended, "We could go around. Through the northern path."
"No," Chesed replied, calm, but gravely, "If they can block this path, they can block the others. We probably left some tracks after retreating with the info- and their hidden forces further ahead got ordered to block important routes. We know they can transfer information much quicker than It's too risky to be taking multi day detours. We need to be back home as soon as possible. Here- they've committed too few. With the element of surprise, we can take them."
He stood, eyes scanning the treeline. "We press forward."
There was no argument, they all nodded. For they were rangers of Sogen, a nation that consistently produced top quality rangers. When it came to ambushing an equal force- they had no fear.
When it came to reconnaissance, the Soka clan was the gold standard in Sogen. They wouldn't doubt their team leader- he was the leader for a reason.
Conflict changes the nature of missions.
This mission was not a simple monster culling or escort run- it had been tactical from the start, an information sweep near the northern border. There was signs that a Nyvarrian camp was being built near the ruins of Stonecall, and the team had confirmed it and were making their way back.
Speed ensured safety. Even if proceeding along the planned route meant getting into a fight- a manageable fight was better than potentially getting ambushed and wiped out by a high ranking enemy squad later for taking too long. Plus, getting intelligence back quickly was crucial.
With a gesture, Chesed and his team proceeded onwards, carefully, until after a couple minutes, Chesed stopped everyone again. "Found them." He signalled his team, relaying the info. Two over the ridge. Two cloaked behind logs and bramble. Two hiding in the dirt.
The team fanned out, moving in a half-moon formation through the trees. Bows drawn. Feet careful.
Chesed exhaled once and raised his hand.
Five arrows flew.
Two bodies dropped.
"What!?" Shock hit the enemy team- they were exposed?! What?! When!? Where!?
"Go." Chesed ordered- though there was no need to say it.
They surged forwards, stepping over the two corpses still twitching. Ahead, Chesed saw the traps meant for them- tension wires, pitfalls, snares- all practically inert, meant for those who didn't see them at first. He did.
The Okhen flared once more- seeing the position and traces of motions of the enemy. Three more shadows adjusting position- which Chesed quickly relayed to his team.
Though he had noted- they're not retreating. Which was highly unusual. Could they be expecting reinforcements? Was there a trap he couldn't see?
Chesed drew and fired, one shot clean through an enemy's throat, before ducking behind a tree, avoiding a ninja star that was flying towards him. Halden and Maedyn, two other adventurers under Chesed command, swept to the far left, raining down death from their bows with a clearly practiced mechanically fast speed. Another rogue screamed, pinned to bark by two shafts.
At some point- a rogue had dropped a smoke bomb, filling their area with smoke. If earlier Chesed had suspected it- now he knew for sure. The enemy had no intel about the Soka clan, or they would have understood that their stealth was in vain.
"They can't hide from the Okhen," Chesed muttered under his breath.
Through the billowing smoke, Chesed used Okhen once more, piercing through the haze.
He clicked his tongue, a signal to his team.
Recognizing the cue, his team all readied up arrows without hesitation, ready to fire. Chesed merely had to point- and they all fired in the right direction under his command.
A small thud was the answer. They had hit. Another one down. The rogue didn't even get to scream.
Chesed kept Okhen up, viewing the movements of the last two Rogues. "They're retreating." He stated, informing his team. "No need to chase, our priority is getting home as soon as possible."
The fight lasted thirty-seven seconds.
His team was still on guard, gathered around Chesed in formation. After a bit of waiting to confirm that the enemy was truly retreating, Chesed then ordered- still keeping watch of course- for the fallen to be looted.
"They underestimated us," Halden, feeling rather proud of himself, noted.
The sentiment was team spread- these were all young adventurers, and such a resounding success had fueled their pride.
"They look down on us," Maedyn noted, "Now they know the might of Sogen."
Chesed frowned, though he was the youngest of them all, he kept a clearer mind. "We only won so resoundingly because they had no idea about what my Soka clan can do."
"Ah!" Soriel suddenly let out a yelp, falling to the ground gurgling, her fate unknown.
Chesed whirled- his Okhen already raised. A cloaked figure, tall, twin daggers, with plenty ninja stars packed.
"Spread!" Chesed quickly jumped to the side, his team following suit. They barely managed to avoid the rain of ninja stars following the initial hit.
It was an enemy! And fast, too!
Chesed quickly shot an arrow at the rapidly approaching figure, which flickered out of sight, avoiding the shot. "Second Job!" He quickly exclaimed to his team, there was no other option, no first job adventurer would have such capabilities.
Arrows were quickly notched and flying towards the enemy, but he dodged with terrifying fluidity. The Rogue hurled a knife quickly- not towards anyone attacking him, but towards the fallen Soriel, finishing her off with the knife digging into her throat.
"Fuck!" Though he expressed his frustration from the sudden death of his teammate, he didn't let it distract him. Neither did the others.
No mindless screaming, no crying.
Because this was not a place for mourning. Not while there was still a threat, not while they had to fight.
This was a battlefield.
Those who fight and kill- whether it be on orders, missions, for money, or creed- they weren't innocent little flowers.
They were adventurers.