They landed deep in the jungle just before dusk.
The air was thick, hot, and alive with sound. Strange birds cried in the distance. Leaves shifted overhead. Vines hung low enough to brush against their armor as Renn kept his eyes locked on the tracker.
"He's close," Renn said quietly.
No one answered.
Then the demon moved.
It burst from the trees like a blade thrown out of the dark, rushing straight at them. This time Blue Riot was ready. He stepped in, caught the strike with one of his giant shuriken, and twisted hard, finally throwing the hunter off rhythm.
"There you are," Blue Riot muttered.
Blade came in right after him, disappearing and reappearing in flashes as he unleashed a ruthless chain of slashes. Renn and Caden opened fire from behind, forcing the demon to give ground.
But it didn't stay.
The demon broke away and shot into the tree line.
"Move!" Blade barked.
The whole team gave chase.
Not reckless this time. Not burning everything at once. They moved like Caden had said, steady, relentless, never too close, never far enough to lose him. The demon kept running, cutting through brush and roots and uneven terrain, but the team stayed locked behind it like a storm that refused to go away.
Caden could feel the pace grinding on him. Every step hurt. Every breath burned. But he kept moving.
Then he saw his chance.
The demon veered right around a thick wall of trees.
Caden changed angle immediately.
The moment the demon came through the opening, Caden launched himself out of the side path and slammed into it with a full shoulder check. The impact sent both of them crashing through branches and bark, the demon flying off into the undergrowth.
Caden hit the ground hard and groaned.
"Yeah," he muttered, staring up at the trees. "That's the last time I do that."
Blade rushed past without stopping. "More Kia in your legs next time. Reinforce your bones too."
"Good advice!" Caden shouted weakly after him.
The demon was already moving again.
Ahead, the jungle suddenly opened up around a deep cenote, its dark water still for one split second,
then the demon dove in.
Blue Riot stopped at the edge. Blade caught up beside him just as the water erupted.
A giant demon ship rose from beneath the surface.
Blade didn't even think about it. He jumped first.
Blue Riot followed without hesitation.
The ship tore through the jungle canopy, skimming low and fast above the trees. Blade landed on the hull, drove his blade down, and carved an opening straight into the vessel. The two of them dropped inside.
The interior was tight, dark, and built for speed, not war.
As they moved through the halls, they started seeing them.
Wanted posters.
Bounty contracts.
Payout lists.
Blade's expression sharpened. "Looks like this guy's a bounty hunter."
Blue Riot nodded. "That fits."
They reached the cockpit and kicked the door open.
Blade dove for the controls while Blue Riot used pure size and force to pin the demon in place. The ship immediately tilted, nose diving toward the jungle floor. Warning lights flashed red. Metal screamed.
The demon tried to break free.
It couldn't.
Not anymore.
The ship tore through the treetops and slammed into the ground with a violent crash.
By the time Renn and Caden caught up, the wreck was still smoking.
They found Blade standing over the wounded demon while Blue Riot kept him pinned. This time, there was no escape route. No burst of speed left. No clever angle.
The hunt was over.
They took the demon into custody and brought him back to HQ.
The interrogation started not long after.
By the time Caden reached the intelligence wing again, Ian was already there waiting as the team came out.
He looked over all of them once before speaking.
"Good work."
That alone meant something coming from him.
"The demon's name is Kharvex," Ian continued. "He is a bounty hunter. He confirmed that much."
Blade crossed his arms. "But?"
Ian's expression darkened slightly.
"But he was sent by someone. A boss. He won't give us the name."
Blue Riot exhaled slowly. "So this wasn't personal."
"No," Ian said. "It was business."
That made it worse somehow.
Still, Ian gave them a nod.
"Doesn't change the result. You did good today. All of you."
And just like that, the pressure broke.
The team finally got to rest.
After that mission, things changed for Caden.
Not all at once. Not with some big speech or title.
But people started looking at him differently.
Assignments came with less supervision. More trust. Less babysitting. Soon enough, he was being given solo missions, small at first, then bigger.
And every time he came back, his name carried a little more weight.
Not just as the new kid.
Not just as the vigilante they picked up from some forgotten city.
But as someone who was starting to build a real place for himself inside the Vanguard.