The morning sun slowly rose above Ula Town, painting the desert in soft shades of gold and orange. The Rising Heroes and the Wind Chasers were preparing for their journey into the ruins, but before that, there was something that lingered in everyone's mind: Redwake.
They were the strongest group of Ula Town, the people everyone respected, admired, or sometimes even feared. To fight alongside them was an honor, but to truly understand them, one had to know their story.
---
Alex stood at the center of the guild's courtyard that morning, his long hair tied back as the breeze carried grains of sand through the air. His presence alone was commanding, though he carried himself with a relaxed, easygoing smile. Beside him were the others, Adriana leaning against a post blowing her bubblegum, Hugo sitting casually with his hood pulled low, Gepa fiddling with his glasses as he stared at the ground, and Diego lazily leaning on his synth-axe while lighting another cigarette.
At a glance, they didn't look like the strongest adventurers in the west. But appearances, as always, were deceiving.
---
Alex.
The older brother of Rok, Alex had long been more than just a sibling, he had been his guardian, his protector, and his guiding star. When their parents died, Rok was still too young to even remember them. Barely two or three years old, he had no memory of their faces, their voices, or their warmth. But Alex did. Alex was old enough to carry that pain, old enough to remember their struggles, and old enough to vow that his little brother would never grow up broken.
The desert became their home, though it was as cruel as it was beautiful. Food was scarce, water even scarcer, and survival demanded strength. While other children played, Alex trained. He embraced the harsh winds and the burning sands until they became part of him. With each passing year, he mastered the elements around him, learning to call upon the sandstorms and twist the desert wind to his will.
But it wasn't strength alone that made him who he was. Alex carried a spirit that refused to bend. He laughed often, smiled even in hardship, and lived by the belief that every moment should be seized. That way of living drew people to him. When others faltered, Alex pressed on, and in doing so, he became not only Rok's guardian but the leader of a group that would one day become Redwake.
His leadership wasn't about ambition. It wasn't about proving he was the strongest. It was about inspiring others to live as freely as he did, to believe that no matter how heavy the desert weighed on them, there was always another sunrise worth chasing.
---
Adriana.
If Alex was the sun that drew people forward, Adriana was the flame that kept them on their toes. Her past was a mystery to most, and she preferred it that way. She had grown up learning to survive with little more than wit and audacity. Where others relied on strength, Adriana relied on her quick tongue and quicker mind. She had charmed her way out of danger, tricked her way into safety, and laughed at the world even when it tried to push her down.
Her charisma made her well-liked, but it was her unpredictable nature that left people guessing. One moment she was teasing Alex, the next she was cracking jokes at Hugo's expense, and the next she was standing fearlessly in front of an enemy twice her size, hammer in hand. She never played the role people expected of her.
And yet, beneath the playful confidence and mischievous sparkle in her eyes, Adriana was loyal in her own way. She didn't speak about it, but the truth was simple: she would never leave Redwake. They were her family, her strange, rowdy, stubborn family, and she would protect them in ways only she knew how. Her loyalty didn't come with gentle words, it came with actions, with boldness, with never backing down when her comrades needed her most.
---
Hugo.
If Adriana was fire, Hugo was still water. Calm, quiet, and often appearing detached, he was perhaps the most reluctant member of Redwake. He never dreamed of being an adventurer. In fact, if life had been kinder, he would have chosen something quieter, a life far from blood, danger, and expectation.
But life rarely asked what people wanted. Circumstances pushed him onto this path, and once he picked up a bow, it became clear he had a natural gift. His arrows never missed, his aim was unmatched, and over time, the reluctant boy became a master archer.
He disliked the attention that followed. Fame was troublesome, expectations even more so. Yet no matter how much he sighed, no matter how much he complained, Hugo never walked away from Redwake. When they needed him, he was there, silent and dependable. He never boasted, never sought the spotlight, but his arrows always found their mark when it mattered most. And though he never admitted it, the truth was simple, he stayed because Redwake gave him something worth staying for.
---
Gepa.
For most of his life, Gepa was overlooked. His quiet, withdrawn nature made others misunderstand him. He wasn't loud, he wasn't confident, and he rarely stepped forward when people expected him to. He sulked on the edges, shoulders hunched, trying to disappear into the background.
But when Redwake welcomed him, they did so without judgment. They didn't mock his silence. They didn't push him away. They simply accepted him, and for the first time, Gepa felt like he belonged.
He became their strategist, the quiet thinker who watched carefully, calculated risks, and saw details others missed. His crowbar, charged with thunder magic, became more than just a tool—it was an extension of his mind, precise and unyielding.
Though he often still felt out of place, he remained with Redwake, not because he had nowhere else to go, but because he wanted to repay the kindness they had shown him. His loyalty was quiet, but it was unwavering.
---
Diego.
Diego's life had been different from the rest. He grew up wandering, never tied to one place. His father had been an adventurer once, but after losing an arm on a quest, he had been forced to retire. From him, Diego learned not the glory of adventure but its cost.
As a boy, he hated the idea of playing hero. To him, mercenary work made more sense. It was simple—do the job, take the coin, move on. And so, Diego became a mercenary from a young age. His charm, wit, and easy laughter made it simple to slip from place to place, surviving by skill and silver tongue alike.
But Redwake was different. It wasn't just a job. Somehow, against his own stubbornness, it became a place where he felt close to belonging. He never admitted it out loud, of course. He still grumbled about Alex's reckless leadership, still lit his cigarettes with a sigh, still called everything "troublesome."
And yet, when the group moved forward, Diego was always there, synth-axe in hand, fighting harder than his complaints suggested. His friendship with Darius from the Wind Chasers only grounded him further, giving him a reminder that even those who liked to drink and smoke too much could still be good men.
---
Together, these five formed Redwake. Each carried a different past, a different wound, a different strength. Alone, they might have faltered. But together, they became something greater.
Redwake was not just the strongest group of Ula Town because of their power, it was because of their bond. They were family, bound not by blood but by choice, by hardship, and by the promise that no matter what awaited in the ruins, they would face it together.
And tomorrow, with the Rising Heroes and Wind Chasers at their side, that bond would be tested once again.