It was three in the afternoon when the Chieftain staggered back toward the village. He swayed on his feet, clutching a deep wound in his stomach, each step a monumental effort. At that same moment, Rian, Catty, and Livi were returning from their hunt, each carrying a giant boar on their shoulders. They saw him just as his legs gave out in front of his house.
With a reflex born from countless battles, Rian dropped his own heavy burden and, in a flash of motion, crossed the distance to catch the old lion before he hit the ground.
Blood was still flowing freely from the wound. Without a word, Rian placed a hand over it and began to chant. /Jampe jampe harupat, geura gede geura lumpat… HEAL!/ A gentle green light enveloped his hand, and the bleeding began to slow.
"Sir, who attacked you? What happened?" Rian asked urgently as the Chieftain's pained expression began to ease.
"Bandits," the old lion rasped, his voice strained. "I was gathering medicinal herbs with RQ when they ambushed us. They… they took her. They want the village's treasures as ransom." His voice broke. "But we have no such treasures, only our ancestral artifacts. And to use those, I would need the approval of every villager."
"That won't be necessary, sir," Rian said, his voice turning cold and hard. He thought of his vow. He would protect this feline-kin. "Catty, Livi, and I will rescue her. Do you know where they took her?"
"Before they left, they threw this at me," the chief said, handing Rian a small, blood-stained parchment. "There's a location marked on it. It's likely their hideout." His wound was already closing, and his strength was slowly returning.
"They're clever," Rian thought, studying the map. "They didn't attack the village directly. They took a hostage to gain leverage. This means I can't just charge in recklessly, or RQ's life will be in danger."
He turned to his two students. "This is an emergency. I need to teach you a crucial wind magic skill for this rescue."
"Yes, sir! Whatever we need to learn, I will do my best for RQ's sake," Livi said with fierce determination.
"Anything, Rian. Just tell us what to do," Catty added, her own expression grim.
"This is a basic skill to control your movements," Rian explained. "We're going into that bandit camp silently to rescue RQ."
He instructed them to focus their mana on the soles of their feet, to imagine the wind cushioning their bodies. Catty, who already had a natural affinity for wind and a solid foundation in mana control, grasped the concept almost instantly. With a single, silent leap, she shot upwards, landing as softly as a shadow on a high branch of a nearby tree.
"Now, focus your mana as you descend," Rian called up to her. "Imagine the wind resisting the ground."
Catty followed his instructions. As she dropped, a cushion of swirling air formed beneath her feet, allowing her to land without a single sound. To Rian's surprise, Livi tried the same maneuver and succeeded on his very first attempt.
"Good," Rian said, impressed. "With this, the rescue will be much easier. The rest is up to you to adapt. Use this to run, leap, and dodge. This skill will make your movements faster, quieter, and more agile."
They both nodded in understanding.
The trio set off, following the coordinates on the map. Meanwhile, in a crude encampment miles away, RQ was being held captive. She observed her captors. They were humans, but they moved with the discipline of seasoned adventurers. Her eyes widened when she saw the necklace worn by their leader. It was a brilliant green, the mark of an Epic-tiered hero, a regional champion. But RQ, having spent her life in a secluded village, did not understand the significance of the rank. Neither did Rian, Livi, or Catty.
Before they reached the enemy camp, Rian stopped the group. "Livi," he commanded, "I'll wait here with Catty. Put on your mask and go scout their base. Once you have a clear idea of the situation and see an opportunity to rescue RQ, come back and report. Remember, do not be reckless, and do not attack on your own!"
Livi nodded and vanished into the trees. When he arrived at the location, he saw a small cave with a single entrance, surrounded by several crude tents. Five bandits were drinking and laughing around a large bonfire.
"I have to find where they're holding RQ," he thought, moving silently through the shadows.
He overheard the bandits' vile conversation. "How about we have some fun with that woman first?" one of them slurred. "She's got lion ears, but her face is pretty and smooth. Her body looks good, I'd like to try her."
The leader, wearing the green necklace, chuckled darkly. "Do as you please. Just don't bother me while I'm resting." He then turned and walked into the cave.
One of the bandits went to a horse-drawn cart and pulled out RQ, who was bound and gagged. He dragged her toward one of the tents. Two others followed him inside. Livi scanned the area. Besides the remaining two guards at the fire, no one else seemed to be on watch.
"This is bad," Livi thought, his heart pounding. "If I go back to get Sir Rian now, we'll be too late."
Without a second thought, he pulled the bow from his back. He drew the string taut, infusing the arrow with the same wind magic he had used during the hunt. He let it fly. The arrow whistled silently through the air and struck one of the guards at the bonfire. The man collapsed without a sound. Before the other guard could even notice, a second arrow sprouted from his head.
Moving like a ghost, Livi closed in on the tent. He could see RQ's silhouette against the canvas, struggling as one of the bandits began to tear at her clothes. Livi aimed his arrow at the shadow of the bandit standing furthest from RQ. The arrow flew true, piercing the man's head. The remaining two bandits inside were startled. One of them rushed out to investigate, only to be met by Livi's dagger at the tent's entrance.
The last bandit, seeing his comrades fall, grabbed RQ to use as a hostage. But as he reached for her, a sharp dagger plunged into his neck from behind. A moment of stunned silence, and then blood gushed from the wound.
"Be quiet and don't say a word," Livi whispered, appearing from the shadows inside the tent. He pulled off his own cloak and draped it over RQ's shoulders, whose clothes had been partially torn. "Stay calm. I'm getting you out of here. Hold on tight, this is going to be fast," he whispered.
RQ nodded, tears of relief in her eyes. Livi picked her up and, with swift, silent steps, vanished back into the forest. He found Rian and Catty waiting exactly where he had left them.
"Thank goodness you're alright, RQ," Rian said, sighing in relief, though a hint of annoyance colored his tone. "But Livi, how could you rescue her on your own? Didn't I tell you not to be reckless?" He held up a hand before Livi could answer. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. Our goal was to rescue RQ, and we've succeeded."
"It's safe now, you don't have to panic anymore," Catty said, comforting a shaken RQ.
"Livi, please explain the situation," Rian requested. "What was the reason you decided to act alone?"
"I saw three of them go into the tent with RQ. They were going to… have their fun with her," Livi explained, his head bowed. "If I had come back to get you, I thought we would have been too late. So I took the initiative. I'm sorry, sir."
"Alright," Rian conceded after a moment. "It was a good call. As long as you were confident you could succeed, it's fine." He then turned to Catty. "Take RQ back to the village. Livi and I are going to attack the bandits."
Catty nodded. Livi's eyes, however, went wide with alarm. "Sir, we shouldn't! Let's just leave them be! We're outnumbered!"
"We'll use a new strategy. We'll pick them off one by one," Rian said.
"No, sir!" Livi insisted, his voice filled with genuine fear. "Even if we could beat the rest of them, we can't win against their boss!"
"What's wrong with their boss?" Rian asked.
"His necklace, sir! It was green! That means he's an Epic-tier adventurer! A regional hero!"
Rian's eyes widened slightly as the pieces clicked into place. "On par with Kakek Bebegig," he thought, a cold knot forming in his stomach.