The seven Creed members moved with practiced ease through the dense underbrush, their voices low but filled with the arrogance of men who thought they had already won.
"Upper wants the dual-affinity boy intact," one of them muttered, adjusting the straps on his gear. "They doubled the reward just last night."
"Intact?" another laughed. "He fried two of our guys last time. I say we drag him in with a few bruises."
"The real prize is the girl though," a third one said, smirking. "They say she's stabilized her affinities. That kind of control? They want her studied... maybe even broken in first."
There was a round of ugly chuckles before the leader, a tall man with a sharp jaw and a quiet authority, raised his hand to silence them.
"Enough."
They fell into line as he glanced around, expression thoughtful.
"It's too easy. We were told exactly where to find them. That doesn't mean we'd be carefree. Stay alert."
