"Party one, have you cleared the path for us?" Xhan asked through telepathy while walking through the forest. His voice carried through the mental link as they moved between the tall trees. The forest around them was quiet, almost too quiet for comfort. Each step they took seemed to echo in the strange silence.
"Yes sir. We have cleared the path, we are currently waiting for orders," a male voice from party one spoke, replying quickly. His tone sounded confident and sure of their success. The response came through clearly despite the distance between the groups. Everything seemed to be going according to plan so far.
"Great job, hold your position, and guard the area," Xhan replied with satisfaction. He felt a bit of relief knowing the path ahead was safe. The mental connection cut off as he focused back on his own party. Now they could move forward without worrying about the front.
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As Rynan looked around his surroundings, his gaze eventually led to Tarnillya, and he instantly realized how nervous she was just by taking a single look at her. It was completely natural to be nervous in a situation like this, they were about to face the mastermind of the Ylza Massacre, who was ranked as B2. This person was on another level than who Rynan had fought a few days ago. The difference in power was something that worried everyone in the group.
Rynan walked to the left, helping with patrol, since the left side was unguarded and completely open to attacks. He kept his eyes moving, scanning the trees and bushes for any signs of danger. His instincts told him to stay alert even though things seemed calm. The quiet forest made him feel uneasy rather than safe.
Though, something in Rynan had also clicked; not a single enemy had been spotted within the past ten minutes. Party one was ranked as C5, and considering the assassin Rynan had fought had the same level as the others—party one's victory was doubted by Rynan. It seemed too easy for a C5 ranked party to clear out enemies of that level. Something about this whole situation didn't feel right to him.
With Tarnillya, the leader of party four, nervous, this would certainly weaken the party's performance a lot. A nervous leader could make bad decisions that would put everyone in danger. Rynan could see the worry in her eyes and the way her hands shook slightly. The stress was affecting everyone, making the whole group feel unstable.
"Party one did a decent job at clearing this area, didn't they?" Xhan spoke, breaking the awkward silence between everyone, hoping that this talk would calm Tarnillya down. He wanted to break the tension that was building up within the party itself. His voice sounded forced as he tried to make conversation. Everyone could tell he was just trying to make them feel better.
"Now that you've said it—you're right..." Tarnillya turned her head to the right, staring at the blood stain that was on the huge pine tree. The dark red mark stood out against the brown bark like a warning sign. She tried to convince herself that everything was going well. But the evidence of violence made her stomach turn with worry.
―Though, this isn't a situation where we need to be relaxed. Rynan sighed in his thoughts, getting even more anxious about what lay ahead. The blood stains and quiet forest were making him more worried, not less. He could feel the danger growing stronger with each step they took. Something was definitely wrong with this whole setup.
But Lina had noticed this, and swung her right arm over his neck in a playful way, with a wide smile on her face. Her cheerful attitude was like a bright light in the dark mood of the group. She bounced slightly as she walked, trying to bring some happiness to the tense situation. Her orange hair caught the sunlight filtering through the trees.
"Lil bro!" she called out happily, squeezing his shoulder in a friendly way. Her voice was loud and cheerful, cutting through the heavy silence around them. She grinned at him like she didn't have a care in the world. The nickname rolled off her tongue naturally, as if she'd been using it for years.
"U-uh..." Rynan stuttered, confused, scratching his head in the process. He wasn't used to this kind of friendly attention from someone he barely knew. Her sudden closeness made his face turn red with embarrassment. He didn't know how to respond to her playful behavior.
Lina had noticed half an hour ago how anxious Rynan was getting. Lina may be silly and playful, but she can also be smart and caring at serious times. She could tell when someone was worried or scared, even when they tried to hide it. Her ability to read people's feelings was better than most people thought.
"You feeling okay?" she asked with genuine concern in her voice. Her orange eyes looked at him with real worry, not just playful teasing. She could see the tension in his shoulders and the way he kept looking around nervously. Despite her young age, she knew when someone needed support.
"Yeah," Rynan replied shortly, trying to sound confident. His voice came out a bit too quick and high-pitched. He avoided looking directly at her, focusing on the trees instead. Anyone could tell he was lying about being okay.
―Liar. Lina pouted, giving him a side-eye that showed she didn't believe him at all. Her expression changed from playful to slightly annoyed at his obvious lie. She crossed her arms and tilted her head, waiting for him to tell the truth. Her orange eyes narrowed as she stared at him with determination.
"It's okay, you can rely more on your big sis!" she declared with renewed energy and a bright smile. Her voice carried the confidence of someone who truly wanted to help. She puffed out her chest proudly, taking on the role of protective older sister. The title seemed to make her genuinely happy and excited.
"You're not my big sis," Rynan protested weakly, his face getting redder. He tried to sound firm but his voice cracked a little. The whole situation was making him more flustered by the second. He couldn't understand why she was so determined to act like his sister.
"Yes I am," Lina replied firmly, nodding her head with complete certainty. Her smile grew wider as she saw his reaction. She seemed to enjoy the back-and-forth argument they were having. There was no doubt in her voice that she had already decided this matter.
"No," Rynan said, shaking his head but with less conviction than before. His protests were getting weaker as Lina's determination remained strong. He was starting to realize that arguing with her might be pointless. Her stubborn personality was clearly not going to give up easily.
"Yes," she shot back immediately, not missing a beat. Her orange eyes sparkled with mischief and determination. She leaned closer to him, invading his personal space with a playful grin. The teasing tone in her voice made it clear she was enjoying this game.
"No!" Rynan said louder, trying to sound more confident. His voice echoed slightly in the quiet forest around them. He took a step back, trying to create some distance between them. But his red face showed that her teasing was definitely working.
"YES!" Lina shouted back with even more energy, throwing her arms up in the air. Her loud voice startled some birds in the nearby trees, making them fly away with loud wing beats. She was clearly winning this argument and she knew it. Her triumphant expression showed she had no intention of backing down.
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Here's the enhanced version with simpler vocabulary and sentence construction:
Both Rynan and Lina's argument lasted for about twenty straight minutes, annoying everyone, especially Tarnillya, who was short-tempered. Eventually, they got scolded by Tarnillya like children who had misbehaved in class. Her angry voice had cut through their bickering and made them both feel ashamed of their behavior. Now they walked in complete silence, not wanting to make her even more mad.
Now, both are walking, completely quiet, and well behaved, just like children who had just been disciplined by their mother. Their heads hung low as they followed behind the group without saying a word. The atmosphere between them had completely changed from playful teasing to awkward silence. Neither of them dared to look at each other after getting in trouble.
―That was embarrassing... Lina thought, embarrassed, her cheeks flushed red from shame. She had never been scolded like that by someone she respected so much. The memory of Tarnillya's angry face made her stomach twist with guilt. She wished she could disappear into the ground and never come back out.
"Xhan, is it normal that we haven't encountered a single follower of Blood Moon in an hour?" Rynan asked, finally getting the anxious question off of his chest. He was sure that they were up to something, Rynan knew they weren't dumb enough to display their assassins somewhere open—they must be planning an ambush. The quiet forest was making him more nervous with each step they took. Something about this whole situation felt wrong and dangerous.
"..." Xhan took a moment's silence to think about it, going through every detail, step by step. His mind raced through all the possibilities of what could be happening. He knew the enemy was smart and wouldn't make obvious mistakes. The lack of resistance was definitely suspicious and probably meant trouble.
―Just what are they planning? Xhan asked himself, walking while looking at the ground, his hands fixed on his chin. He had a habit of doing that while thinking deep, it was mostly a sign that he's invested in his thoughts, too invested. His brow furrowed as he tried to piece together the enemy's strategy. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became.
Suddenly—the whole party had just stopped in their tracks, confused, and Rynan leaned to the right to take a peek of what was happening in front of them. But there was no luck—so, he moved forward to the group to see what had made everyone stop. His heart started beating faster as he sensed something was very wrong. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"W-what the fu...!?" Rynan exclaimed, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. He was sure that Tarnillya wasn't stupid enough to read a map wrong—he doubted it. But what he saw in front of them made no sense at all. The path they were supposed to take was completely blocked by a massive wall of thorns and twisted metal.
"I-I swear I read the map right..! L-look! We're definitely here, I was monitoring it all along!" Tarnillya panicked, her voice getting high-pitched as she waved the map around frantically. Her hands shook as she pointed to their location and then to the blocked path ahead. The confident leader they all knew was nowhere to be seen, replaced by someone who looked scared and confused. Her face was pale and her eyes darted around looking for answers.
"Tarnillya! It's okay, we can just go ba–" Before Rynan could say anything else, something was caught in the corner of his eyes, and as he turned around to look—he had realized what deep trouble they had gotten themselves into. His blood ran cold as he saw what was behind them. The path they had just walked through was now filled with armed enemies. They were completely surrounded with no way to escape.
―DAMN IT, I KNEW IT! I SHOULD HAVE TOLD THEM SOONER! Rynan scratched his face so hard that it was already bleeding, feeling responsible and guilty for not telling them sooner. His nails dug into his skin as punishment for his failure to warn them. The pain felt like nothing compared to the guilt eating him alive. He had sensed something was wrong but hadn't spoken up fast enough.
"Rynan! Stay behind me!" Lina went in front of Rynan, unsheathing her sword, which revealed a dark, noble blade outlined in durable gold metal. Her protective instincts kicked in as she positioned herself between him and the danger ahead. Despite being younger, she was determined to keep him safe from harm. The blade gleamed in the filtered sunlight, looking both beautiful and deadly.
"Formation!" Tarnillya commanded, her voice as sharp as that of a thunderstrike. The panic was gone from her voice, replaced by the authority of a true leader. Her training kicked in despite the fear she felt inside. She knew that showing weakness now would get them all killed.
Five members of party four, versus sixty-five followers of the Blood Moon Knights. It was already an unfair fight, even with all of them combined, it was guaranteed defeat. (Excluding Rynan) The numbers were so overwhelming that victory seemed impossible. Each member of their party would have to fight more than ten enemies at once. The odds were stacked against them in the worst possible way.
Rynan was at the very back, staying silent, as that was what he was instructed to do. His body felt frozen in place as he watched his friends prepare to fight. The fear of losing them made his chest feel tight and his breathing shallow. He wanted to help but his body wouldn't listen to his commands.
―No, you guys will die if you fight! Rynan screamed in his thoughts, his expression getting sour as he watched them get ready for battle. He didn't want to lose them, not when he had made friends with them for the first time in so long. The thought of seeing them hurt or killed made him feel sick to his stomach. These people had become important to him in such a short time.
He couldn't move. He was scared. Even though he had already killed four people, he was traumatized by the violence he had seen. The memories of blood and death flooded back into his mind, making his hands shake. His power felt useless when his body refused to obey him.
―NO NO NO! WHY NOW!? MOVE, FUCKING MOOOVEE!!! THIS ISN'T THE TIME TO BE LIKE THIS, MOVE! Rynan grunted, trying to move his body even the slightest bit—but there was no luck. He just couldn't do it, he couldn't move no matter how hard he tried. His legs felt like they were made of stone, heavy and unresponsive. The fear had completely taken control of his body.
"Flamme, aerdeogis!" Lina chanted, and as she took a sword stance, it was wrapped in flames, each second, it got larger and larger. The fire danced around her blade like it was alive, responding to her will. Her orange hair seemed to glow even brighter in the light of the flames. The heat from her sword made the air around her shimmer and wave.
"GAAAH!" Lina yelled, as she swung her heavy sword in a wide arc, down to the ground, burning five of the followers into ashes. The flames spread out in a deadly wave, consuming everything in their path. The smell of burning filled the air as her enemies screamed and fell. Her first attack had been devastatingly effective, but there were still so many more enemies left.
"Creation. Come forth," Xhan calmly spoke, extending his right hand out, then raising it slowly. A huge pillar of black and purple came out of the ground, flinging at least two soldiers up to the sky, then they fell to their deaths. The dark magic crackled with power as it tore through the earth beneath their enemies. His calm voice was a sharp contrast to the chaos of battle around them.
"Aegis, Gandalon!" As Tarnillya swung her sword in a huge, wide arc, the blade extended into a massive phase of bright, yellow light, annihilating ten followers at once. The golden energy cut through the enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter. Her royal guard training showed as she moved with perfect form and deadly precision. The light from her attack was so bright it temporarily blinded some of the remaining enemies.
But something was wrong for Rynan; Quellene was gone, ever since the five hour journey into this forest, he had never even seen her. His eyes searched the battlefield frantically but she was nowhere to be found. A terrible feeling started growing in his stomach as he realized she had disappeared. Where could she have gone when they needed her most?
―W-where the heck is she!? The question burned in his mind as he continued looking for any sign of their missing teammate. Fear for her safety mixed with confusion about her absence. Something about this whole situation was starting to make terrible sense.
***
"KUAGH!" Tarnillya coughed, spitting out blood, as she touched her chest, her eyes widened in fear—a blade had pierced through her body. She had been stabbed from behind while fighting the enemies in front. The all-powerful Tarnillya had been stabbed by someone she trusted. Blood poured from the wound as she struggled to stay standing.
And when she turned around to look behind her—she was shocked to realize it was Quellene holding the blade. The person they had trusted as a teammate had betrayed them all.