“Option Two,” Roland declared again, the decision firm, his gaze sweeping over them, demanding focus. “Surgical strike. We neutralize these scouts, secure the river path.” He wasn't asking for consensus; he was assigning the task, trusting Jett's assessment and their ability to execute under pressure. Execute Order: High-Risk Surgical Strike, William thought, feeling a cold surge of adrenaline replace the earlier dread. Let's hope the risk analysis holds up during deployment.
Before Roland could dictate the approach, Julia spoke, her voice calm, instantly shifting to tactical contribution. “Sir Roland, Jett. If silent elimination is the priority, I have an enchantment that could significantly improve our success probability.” All eyes snapped to her. “A ‘Silence’ field. Often used for infiltration. I can project a localized bubble, muffling sound within, dampening noise escaping it.”
She elaborated quickly. “Not perfect invisibility, nor total soundproofing, more like thick fog for the ears. A shout becomes a muffled cry, clashing steel a dull thump. But it should suppress alarm cries or the sound of Jett’s bowstring carrying, buying crucial seconds.” She looked directly at Jett. “It would allow you to engage more freely.”
Jett’s eyes, sharp as flint sparks, evaluated the tactical advantage. A single, decisive nod. “Reduces alert cascade risk. Good. I can use that.”
Roland immediately saw the value. “Excellent, Julia. A sound-dampening field improves the odds considerably.” He glanced at the deepening shadows. “Time is critical. Jett, lead the approach, find optimal positions. Julia, prepare the enchantment, cast on Jett's signal. William,” Roland’s gaze pinned him, “you and I provide close support. Engage any survivors or unexpected contacts instantly. Caspian, rear position, defensive artifacts primed, maintain alert status.” Crisp, clear orders. Okay, revised execution plan incorporates magical acoustic dampening, William noted. Increased operational complexity, but improved stealth parameters. Iterative strategy development: Positive.
The atmosphere shifted instantly from tense deliberation to focused, predatory quiet. Jett nodded once and simply vanished into the undergrowth, merging with the dappled shadows like he was part of them. William watched him go, marvelling again. He moves like perfectly optimized code – efficient, silent, zero wasted operations. Following felt like trying to track mist.
Roland took point, moving with surprising quiet for an armoured man, following Jett’s unseen passage. William and Julia fell in behind, Caspian bringing up the rear, one hand nervously tracing the largest amulet at his neck. Every crackle of a dry leaf under William’s boot sounded like a breaking branch in the unnerving stillness. He focused intensely, mimicking Roland's deliberate steps, placing each foot with excruciating care, hyper-aware of his own comparative clumsiness. My personal stealth metric remains firmly in the 'startled moose navigating glassware' category. He strained his senses against the unnatural quiet, listening for anything beyond their own muffled movements. EMMA ran passively, monitoring biometrics, providing a faint proximity overlay, though external sensory input was severely limited here.
After minutes that stretched like hours, Jett reappeared ahead as silently as he’d departed, holding up a flat hand. He gestured towards a slight rise screened by thick, head-high ferns, overlooking a small, trampled clearing fifty yards beyond. Crouching low, they crept forward, peering through the fronds.
Four goblins. Exactly as described. Clad in mismatched leather scraps and dented metal bits, they were utterly focused on their task, oblivious. Two hacked violently at a dense thicket with rusty hatchets, likely clearing sightlines or searching within. The other two dug frantically at the earth near the base of a large, moss-covered boulder, grunting guttural complaints. Their agitation was palpable, movements jerky, impatient. No perimeter guards posted. No one watching their backs. Target fixation confirmed, William analysed, feeling his own heart rate spike. Reduced situational awareness verified. Tactical window confirmed.
Jett gave them a final look, then slipped away again, circling soundlessly towards a small, rocky outcrop flanking the clearing, an elevated position offering clear lines of fire. William watched him disappear, a silent hope mixing with cold calculation. Mission success probability now dependent on Jett's execution accuracy and Julia's spell timing.
As Jett settled into position, a predator sighting its prey, drawing and nocking an arrow in one impossibly fluid motion, Julia raised her hands. Eyes closed, lips moving silently, brow furrowed in deep concentration. William felt the air pressure shift subtly, a low thrumming vibration just below the threshold of normal hearing, mana gathering, focusing. A faint, shimmering distortion, like heat haze off rock, coalesced between her outstretched fingers. Mana signature increasing… localized field projection… targeting goblin cluster…
William drew his +2 longsword, the runes pulsing faintly against his palm. He mentally prepared the 'Force Dart' spell, visualizing the energy flow, ready to cast instantly. Backup offensive subroutine loaded. Standing by. Behind him, Caspian gripped his amulet, knuckles white. Beside him, Roland stood like carved stone, sword held low and ready, a perfectly coiled spring of lethal potential.
Julia's eyes snapped open. The shimmering distortion around the distant clearing pulsed once, expanding slightly, then stabilized, becoming almost invisible. But the effect was immediate. A sudden, profound muffling, as if the world had been plunged underwater or wrapped in thick velvet. The already minimal sounds of goblin digging and hacking vanished completely. Silence Field deployed. Estimated Radius: ~20 meters. Acoustic Dampening Effectiveness: High.
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Jett needed no other signal. The bowstring released.
Thwump.
The sound was dull, heavy, utterly robbed of its usual sharp report. Across the clearing, an arrow simply appeared in the neck of the nearest digging goblin. The creature went rigid, head snapping back unnaturally, and pitched face-first into the dirt without a sound. Its shovel clattered silently beside it.
Target 1 neutralized.
Before the second digger could even register its companion’s collapse, Jett’s bowstring released again.
Thwump.
The second arrow struck high on the chest, punching through crude leather armour. A silent gasp, hands clutching futilely at the feathered shaft, a brief stagger, then it crumpled onto the first body.
Target 2 neutralized.
The two goblins hacking at the bushes finally sensed the absolute stillness from their companions. They spun around, ugly faces twisting from exertion to confusion, then dawning alarm as they saw the bodies. One threw its head back, mouth opening wide in what should have been a piercing warning cry, but only silence emerged. Its eyes bulged in panic. The other fumbled, dropping its hatchet as it clawed for a rusty scimitar at its belt.
Too slow. Utterly too slow.
Thwump. Jett’s third arrow took the silently screaming goblin through the throat. It gargled, soundlessly, blood spraying in a muted arc, and fell backward into the thicket.
Target 3 neutralized.
The fourth goblin, witnessing the impossible speed and silence of its comrades' deaths, reacted not with defiance but with raw, animal terror. Abandoning its dropped axe, it spun on its heel and bolted, scrambling frantically back towards the deeper woods, potentially towards the main force it had strayed from.
Alarm! Escape vector detected! Threat: Alert propagation probability increasing! William’s mind screamed. No time for calculation, no time to wait and see if Jett's next arrow would be fast enough, the goblin was already gaining ground, disappearing into the shadows. Initiative required. Execute offensive subroutine: Force Dart. He snapped his free hand forward, visualizing the simple runes, dumping the necessary mana – MP: 96/106, whispering the incantation urgently, "Dart!"
The barely visible shimmer of the Force Dart zipped across the clearing. It lacked killing power, but its kinetic impact was precise. It struck the fleeing goblin squarely between the shoulder blades. The creature yelped silently, momentum broken, stumbling forward with a muffled oof, arms flailing before pitching face-first into the dirt and tangled roots, momentarily stunned. Impact confirmed. Target movement arrested.
Jett, already drawing his fourth arrow, adjusted his aim instantly, reacting fluidly to William's intervention and the now stationary target.
Thwump.
The final arrow slammed precisely into the base of the downed goblin's skull. A final, convulsive twitch, then absolute stillness.
Target 4 neutralized. Engagement Duration: Approx 8.5 seconds. William’s internal clock logged it. Efficiency: Optimal. Collaborative threat containment successful.
XP Gain Detected: +1000 XP (Combat Engagement: Goblin Scout Elimination Collaboration + practice with EMMA)
Total XP: 2000 / 2000
LEVEL UP! User Level 3 Achieved
XP Reset: 0 / 3000
Unallocated Stat Points Available: 6
Huh, a detached part of William's mind registered amidst the adrenaline dump and returning nausea. Level up. Unexpected performance bonus from hazard mitigation. Six points now... need to consider allocation strategy later.
Silence. A different kind of silence now, heavy with held breaths and the immediate aftermath of violence. Jett lowered his bow slightly, already scanning the woods beyond the clearing, nocking another arrow smoothly. Julia let out a shaky breath, the shimmering field dissolving, allowing the faint, ambient sounds of the deep forest, or the continued lack thereof, to rush back in, jarringly loud after the absolute quiet.
William consciously lowered his own hand, the lingering tingle of mana from the Force Dart dissipating. Backup subroutine executed successfully. Zero escapes. He felt a wave of profound relief wash over him, quickly followed by cold admiration for Jett's lethal calm and Julia's vital support. Team synergy: Effective under pressure.
Roland didn't relax. He signalled Jett to hold position, then advanced cautiously towards the clearing, sword ready. William moved with him, covering his flank, pushing down the lingering nausea from his indirect kill participation. They quickly confirmed the kills, four goblins down, dispatched with brutal, silent efficiency. No alarm raised.
“Clear,” Roland confirmed, voice low and tight. He turned back, his gaze sweeping over the team members who had executed the plan. He gave Jett a curt, approving nod, flawless archery, as expected from the A-Rank scout. His eyes then met William’s briefly but pointedly. "Quick thinking with that dart, William. Stopped an alert." Acknowledgment delivered, brief and pragmatic, he refocused instantly on the mission's next phase. "Good coordination, all." He looked pointedly towards the game trail leading further south, towards the presumed location of Herbert's boat. “We move. Now. Quickly and quietly. Assume there are more patrols. We eliminated this threat, but we're still deep in hostile territory and operating on the fringe of Virrerk’s main force.”
The success was critical, but it was only the first step. A localized threat neutralized, but the larger danger remained, unseen, somewhere deeper in the silent woods. The path to Herbert's boat was momentarily clear, but the path beyond, the Hammer Falls river, remained shrouded in lethal uncertainty.
Phase One of high-risk sub-plan complete, William thought, falling into step behind Roland and Jett as they moved swiftly down the game trail. Initiating Phase Two: Locate and assess potentially derelict watercraft for navigating lethal rapids while possibly being pursued by goblin army and/or eaten by large aquatic predator. He briefly considered his 6 unallocated stat points again, but save it and allocate when there was a specific need. Decision: Maintain current allocation. Re-evaluate pending Phase Two assessment. Simple. Standard operational parameters, really.
William Shard - Character Sheet
- Level: 3
- XP: 0 / 3000 (+1000 XP from Combat Engagement: Goblin Scout Elimination Collaboration + practice with EMMA)
- Titles:
- Novice Magic Analyst - Effect: +5% Mana Regeneration Rate
- Light Weaponized - Effect: +10% effectiveness to Light spells
- Class: Magic Analyst
Stats:
- Strength: 15
- Agility: 18
- Magical Power: 20
- Vitality: 15
- HP: 150
- Mana: 106
- Unallocated Stat Points: 6
Skills:
- Swordsmanship: Basic
- Magic (Conventional): Basic
- EMMA System: Basic
- Language (Averian Common): Basic
- Healing / Regeneration: ??? (Unknown - Nature Undefined)
Equipment:
- Longsword +2
- Wyvern Light Armour +2