Rustle!

The sound of rustling leaves immediately sent the elk into flight mode. It didn't even bother considering that it might be the wind. It just darted away with explosive speed, disappearing into the forest within seconds.

"Damn it, something scared it away."

Shortly after the elk ran, a group of awakeners emerged from the opposite tree line, weapons in hand, cursing loudly. Several mages among them tried to send attacks toward the fleeing elk, but all failed to hit their target. Spells flew harmlessly through empty air as the creature vanished.

Grinding his teeth, the awakener who'd emerged first said, "This damn elk, it's always running."

He turned toward another awakener who had a smirk on his face. "Jonathan, you ruined it for us!"

"My bad, my bad, haha," Jonathan replied without a trace of genuine apology.

The others in his group rolled their eyes at him, clearly used to his antics.

Moon turned toward the Lieutenant and said quietly, "There are others trying to hunt this elk?"

The Lieutenant frowned. "Seems like it."

Marcus walked toward them, his expression darkening. "Lieutenant, isn't this... the outcast group?"

The Lieutenant nodded silently, his jaw tight.

Alyssa also joined them, a frown on her face. "That's James... the frenzied psychopath that has killed more than ten level fifteen awakeners to date."

Seeing Moon's confusion, Marcus began explaining in a low voice. "James is an outcast who was previously rejected from the base and is now wanted for crimes against other awakeners. Torturing awakeners, killing them mostly.

He enjoys it, his group are fellow outcasts, thieves, killers, and worse. They've been banished for heinous crimes but still operate in the sanctuary's outer territories where enforcement is difficult."

Moon nodded, processing the information. Outcasts. Criminals who couldn't return to civilization but were too dangerous to ignore. They survived by preying on other awakeners, stealing resources, and operating outside any law or protection.

"They still haven't figured out we're here yet," Moon observed, watching as the outcast group continued arguing amongst themselves about a hundred meters away. "What are you planning on doing?"

The Lieutenant's expression was grim. "Normally? We'd ignore them. Fighting outcasts is messy, they don't follow any rules, and they're desperate enough to take risks that would kill normal awakeners. So they aren't worth the risk. But..."

He paused, considering.

"But?" Moon prompted.

"But if they're hunting the same elk, they'll interfere with our mission. And James..." The Lieutenant's hand moved to his sword. "James has been on the Association's wanted list for two years. There's a substantial bounty on his head. If we can take him down, it solves multiple problems."

Marcus cracked his knuckles. "I say we do it. They're low-lives anyway. No one will miss them."

Alyssa looked less certain. "There are seven of them. James is level seventeen at minimum, possibly eighteen. The others range from fourteen to sixteen based on intelligence reports. That's not a guaranteed fight."

The Lieutenant turned to Moon. "You're level eighteen. You've proven you can handle yourself. But this isn't your fight. If you want to sit this one out, no one will judge you."

Moon considered the situation. Seven outcasts, at least one at his level or close to it. The veterans were skilled but potentially outmatched if the information was outdated.

On the other hand, letting the outcasts continue hunting the elk would complicate his own objective. And criminals who murdered other awakeners weren't people Moon felt any sympathy toward.

"I'm in," Moon said simply.

The Lieutenant smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Good. Then here's the plan..."

♢♢♢♢

Rustle! Rustle!

"Ha, ha. H-Help me!" Alyssa screamed as she stumbled into the clearing, tripping over her own feet. Her hair was disheveled, her face covered with mud, her breathing ragged and desperate.

James and the others immediately became alert, weapons pointing toward the woman on the ground.

Jonathan grinned, already nocking an arrow and taking aim at Alyssa's head. He was already imagining the way it would pop in an array of red.

He didn't care whether she needed help or not, he wasn't a hero, nor were they a hero party.

James turned sharply, his cold eyes fixing on Jonathan. "Stop it. She's mine."

Jonathan released the arrow anyway.

Whoosh!

The arrow crossed mere inches from Alyssa's head, close enough that she felt the displacement of air against her cheek. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest as death waved toward her for one brief, terrifying moment.

"Tsk. No fun," Jonathan muttered, lowering his bow with clear disappointment.

James began walking toward Alyssa carefully, his body relaxed but his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding area. He didn't see anyone else, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to remain cautious. Ambushes were common in the sanctuary, and lone women stumbling into clearings rarely appeared without reason.

He stopped a few feet away, studying her with interest.

"Young lady, may I know your name?"

"I—My name is Claire," Alyssa stammered, maintaining her act perfectly.

James took another step closer, then crouched beside her softly.

"Claire…what a lovely name. Tell me, Claire, what brings you stumbling through the forest all alone? These territories are quite dangerous for someone in your... vulnerable state."

His left hand moved gently, almost tenderly, brushing mud-caked hair away from her face. The gesture was disturbingly intimate.

The outcasts simply grinned at the scene, giggling as they anticipated what James was going to do.

Although his left hand was caressing Alyssa, his right hand never left his waist, or better put, the hilt of his sword.

"I—I got separated from my group. We were hunting and something attacked us.Please, I just need—"

"Shh, shh," James interrupted with a gentle smile on his face. "You're safe with me, Claire. You don't need to panic. I'll take excellent care of you."

The way he emphasized "excellent care" made Alyssa's skin crawl despite knowing this was part of the plan.

Behind James, the other outcasts had relaxed slightly, though they kept their weapons ready. Jonathan was openly leering. Two others exchanged knowing glances, clearly anticipating what would happen next.

They thought they'd found easy prey.

James's fingers traced along Alyssa's jawline with disturbing gentleness. "Tell me, Claire. How beautiful are you?"

As he asked the question, his hands began to clean the dirt off her face.

At that moment, Moon and everyone else knew they needed to act soon. Otherwise, Alyssa would be in deep water when her identity was found. James would recognise her as one of the base veterans, and the ambush would be exposed.

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