John stood in the middle of the clearing, hands on his hips as he surveyed the quiet, empty landscape. The wind stirred lazily through the overgrown grass, and the sky remained heavy and overcast, casting a muted light over the scene. It was unnervingly peaceful, considering they were supposed to be at the location of a missing squad. Something was wrong, and John could feel it.
He glanced around at his team, each one waiting for his instructions. "Alright, listen up," he said, his voice taking on a more serious tone than usual. "We need to sweep this area. There might not be any obvious signs of a battle, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to find. We'll split the area into sections and cover it systematically. I don't want us missing anything."
The terrain was varied—patches of overgrown grass, clusters of trees, and rusted remains of old-world structures scattered across the ground. The wind whistled faintly through the leaves, and the rusting remnants of a forgotten tower groaned in the distance. John gestured toward the open space ahead, his mind focused despite the tension in the air.
"First off, we're going to divide the area into manageable sections," John continued, scanning the surroundings. "I'll set up a grid. Eunhwa, you take the far side, covering those large boulders and the treeline beyond it. Emma, you'll handle the eastern side by those old ruins. Vesti, you'll sweep through the center and cover any gaps in between."
Each of them nodded, and John pointed out the key landmarks to define their individual sections. "Keep an eye on those landmarks—rocks, trees, anything that stands out. Stay in visual or radio contact, and if you find anything, let the rest of us know."
They all moved to their assigned sections, but John continued, "We'll use a line search method. Spread out evenly, about thirty meters apart. Move forward in a straight line, and make sure to cover every part of your section. Don't leave anything unchecked."
As Eunhwa walked toward her assigned area with military precision, she glanced back at John, who was carefully overseeing the team's movements. The way he laid out the plan with such ease, despite his usual laid-back attitude, surprised her. Maybe there was more to him than just a lazy jokester.
John clapped his hands, bringing their focus back. "If you come across anything suspicious, mark it. We'll double-check any points of interest after the initial sweep. And don't forget—if you feel like something's off, it probably is. Trust your instincts."
Emma gave a light nod, her usual warm demeanor tinged with quiet determination as she started toward her section. Vesti moved quickly to her spot in the center, though she still seemed nervous, clutching her weapon tightly.
"Last thing," John added, popping a piece of gum into his mouth, "if we don't find anything obvious, we'll switch it up. Maybe spiral out from the center and work our way outward."
Eunhwa, scanning her section with sharp, focused eyes, couldn't help but glance at John once more. He had been all jokes and distractions before, but now... now he was commanding the scene with clarity and purpose. He might be unpredictable, but he knew what he was doing.
John noticed her looking and shot her a quick grin. "See? I can take things seriously when it counts."
Eunhwa gave him a curt nod, but she was beginning to reconsider her earlier assumptions about him. Maybe he wasn't just a cocky slacker after all.
John stood at the edge of the clearing, his eyes flicking between the quiet landscape and the team dispersing to their assigned sections. The wind rustled through the tall grass, a soft, eerie sound that did little to shake the feeling of wrongness hanging over the area. There wasn't a trace of the missing squad, no signs of a struggle, and the emptiness gnawed at him.
He cracked his knuckles, feeling a restless energy building. "I'm gonna get a better view from higher ground," he said suddenly, not giving the others a chance to question him. Without waiting for their reactions, he turned and strode toward the tallest structure nearby—a rusted, skeletal tower that jutted out from the overgrown ruins.
Eunhwa, already focused on her grid search, glanced up from her section, her eyes narrowing as she watched John. Suspicion flickered in her gaze, but she said nothing, merely turning back to her work with calculated precision. Whatever she was thinking, she wasn't sharing it, at least not yet.
John made quick work of the tower's base, scaling the rusted metal beams with surprising ease, despite their decay. His foot slipped once on a particularly weathered section, but he recovered quickly, his mind already on the task at hand. Higher ground meant a better vantage point, and if there was anything to be found, this would be the best way to spot it.
As he climbed, John's thoughts began to drift. Something was off about this whole situation, and not just the lack of evidence. It gnawed at him like an itch he couldn't quite scratch.
Finally reaching the top of the structure, John took a deep breath, steadying himself as he perched precariously on a narrow platform. The view stretched out before him, an expanse of rolling hills, broken ruins, and dense forests. From this height, the terrain looked deceptively calm.
He activated Ruinous Gambit.
The familiar surge of cursed energy rushed through him, amplifying his senses. His eyesight sharpened, bringing the distant landscape into crisp focus. He could see further than ever before, each detail—rocks, leaves, the faint movement of branches—coming into view. But with the strength came the drawback. His sense of balance wavered.
John's footing slipped, his hand shooting out to grab the beam beside him. His heart raced as he struggled to steady himself, the world tilting dangerously for a moment. The increased visual clarity was almost dizzying, and the sudden loss of equilibrium made his position on the tower precarious.
"Easy, easy..." he muttered to himself, gripping the metal tightly. His breath came in sharp bursts as he fought to regain control. The downside of Ruinous Gambit was unpredictable—sometimes minor, sometimes near-fatal. This time, it had chosen to mess with his balance.
His pulse thudded in his ears as he forced himself to focus. Slowly, he adjusted his stance, planting his feet firmly and spreading his weight to compensate for the imbalance. The cursed technique hummed through him, his sight still enhanced, but he could feel the tension in his muscles as his balance wavered.
For a long moment, he stayed perfectly still, letting his body adjust to the strange pull. Then, with deliberate care, he resumed his search. His eyes scanned the horizon, the treetops, the ruins, every detail sharper and clearer than before.
But there was nothing. Not a hint of the missing squad, no movement, no traces of a battle. Just... nothing.
As he surveyed the area below, a flicker of movement caught his eye. Eunhwa, far below, was glancing up at him. Her eyes narrowed slightly, suspicion flickering in their depths. She was watching him, tracking his movements with an intensity that made John pause.
He flashed her a grin from his perch, pretending to be unbothered by her gaze. She returned to her search without a word, but John could feel it. She was suspicious, though she was hiding it well. Whatever she was thinking, it was clear that Eunhwa wasn't going to let anything slide.
John shook his head, turning his attention back to the search. He didn't have time to dwell on what Eunhwa might or might not be thinking.
John squinted against the distance, forcing himself to focus through the waves of nausea that had started creeping up on him from the moment he activated Ruinous Gambit. The loss of balance was messing with his head, making the height seem even more precarious than it was. His footing felt unreliable, his body swaying slightly even though he wasn't moving.
"Just breathe," he muttered to himself, gripping a rusted beam for support. His enhanced vision was sharp, but the price was steep. The entire world below seemed to tilt unnervingly as if it might slide out from under him at any moment.
He scanned the terrain again, sweeping over the overgrown foliage and the jagged ruins, searching for anything out of place. For a long time, there was nothing—just the same eerie calm, the same empty landscape. Then, after what felt like hours of intense focus, something caught his eye.
A glint of metal. Barely noticeable, even with his enhanced sight.
It was small, almost insignificant, hidden among the dense greenery near one of the collapsed structures in Vesti's section. If he hadn't been looking from this height, he probably would have missed it entirely. The metallic reflection flashed in the light for a split second before vanishing again.
John blinked, forcing himself to look again. It was definitely something. "Finally..." he muttered through clenched teeth.
He quickly raised his comms, trying to push down the nausea swirling in his gut as he steadied himself on the beam. "Vesti, I need you to check something."
Vesti's voice crackled through the radio, her tone shy but focused. "Y-yes, Commander?"
"I'm seeing a small glint of metal near your section. North side, by the collapsed building, close to that twisted tree. You might've missed it before—it's pretty small. Can you check it out?"
There was a brief pause before Vesti responded, her voice slightly uncertain. "Uh... I already passed through that area, Commander, but... I'll check again."
"Good," John said, forcing a smile that he knew she couldn't see. "I've got a good feeling about this one."
He watched as Vesti carefully moved toward the location he'd pointed out, her figure almost dwarfed by the sprawling ruins. The nausea hit him again, his sense of balance threatening to throw him off his perch. He clutched the beam tighter, feeling the cold, rusted metal bite into his skin as he fought to keep himself upright.
Breathe. Focus.
The technique was taking its toll, but he couldn't afford to release it yet—not until they found something concrete. He'd already risked enough by using it in the first place. He just had to hold out a little longer.
From his vantage point, he saw Vesti pause, crouching down to inspect the ground near the twisted tree. Her hands moved carefully through the thick grass, brushing away leaves and debris. Then, suddenly, she stopped.
"Commander," Vesti's voice came through the radio, quiet but urgent. "I think I found something. You were right... it's small, but it's definitely metal."
John let out a breath, the knot in his chest loosening slightly. "Good work, Vesti. Mark the spot, and I'll be down in a minute."
His vision swam for a moment, his head spinning as the lack of balance hit him harder. He cursed under his breath, gripping the beam for support once more. He needed to get back to solid ground before he ended up face-first in the dirt.
John leaned against the rusted beam, his breath uneven as the nausea from Ruinous Gambit continued to gnaw at his insides. He couldn't afford to keep the technique running any longer; it was messing with his sense of balance too much. With a deep breath, he dismissed it, feeling the cursed energy pull back into his core, allowing his equilibrium to slowly return to normal.
The world steadied, though the nausea still clung to him like a persistent fog. "Better..." he muttered to himself. At least now he could climb down without the risk of toppling over.
Carefully, John began his descent, moving with deliberate slowness until his boots hit the solid ground. He took a moment to reorient himself, shaking off the lingering dizziness, before heading toward where Vesti had found the small metallic object.
By the time he arrived, the rest of the team had gathered. Vesti was crouched beside the glinting piece of metal, examining it closely. Emma stood nearby, her expression thoughtful, while Eunhwa, arms crossed and brow furrowed, kept a close watch on the proceedings.
"What've we got?" John asked as he approached, his usual cocky grin back in place.
Vesti looked up, still a little nervous but more confident now that she'd found something. "It's a small fragment... definitely metallic. I think it's from a Nikke."
John crouched beside her, glancing at the shard of metal. It was small—easily missable if you weren't looking for it—and partially buried in the earth. "Good find, Vesti."
Eunhwa, her expression skeptical, knelt down as well. She pulled out a multi-tool from her belt, pressing a button to activate its scanner. The device hummed for a few seconds before the screen displayed the results.
"Goddessium alloy," she said, her voice crisp. "No doubt about it. This comes from a Nikke."
The air around them seemed to grow heavier as the significance of the find settled in. A piece of a Nikke—one of the missing squad, perhaps—left behind in an otherwise undisturbed clearing. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Eunhwa's eyes flicked up toward John, narrowing slightly. "How exactly did you see something this small from your position all the way up there?"
John froze for a split second, but quickly recovered. Then, with a grin, he shot back, "Well, I saw it reflect the glare from your massive forehead."
Eunhwa's eyes narrowed, her jaw tightening ever so slightly, but she didn't take the bait. Her face remained stony, though the air around them grew noticeably colder. "Focus on the mission, Commander," she said icily, brushing off the remark with military precision.
Emma, standing off to the side, couldn't help but let out a small laugh, though she quickly covered it up with a cough. Vesti looked between them, confused and unsure if she should laugh or stay silent, her nervousness palpable.
John smirked, clearly pleased with himself, but raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm focused. Let's get back to work."
Emma chuckled softly from the sidelines, her voice light as she tried to ease the tension. "Well, whether it was your sharp eyes or something else, I'd say this was a good call. We've got something to work with now."
John stood up, brushing the dirt from his hands and grinning. "Exactly. And if we've found this, there might be more nearby. Let's keep searching—see if we can find anything else that might point us in the right direction."
Vesti quickly marked the area, placing a small flag beside the fragment while the others stood back up, preparing to continue their search.
The squad spread out once more, resuming their search, the seriousness of the situation hanging over them. It didn't take long before small, scattered pieces of evidence began to emerge from the undergrowth and ruins. Emma was the first to find something—a torn fragment of fabric, caught in the branches of a bush, barely visible among the greenery.
"This looks like part of a uniform," she called out softly, holding up the small, faded piece of cloth.
John and Eunhwa came over, and he inspected it closely. "Could be from one of the missing Nikkes."
"Definitely," Eunhwa said, inspecting the fabric with a critical eye. "It's the same material as standard-issued gear."
A little further ahead, Vesti found a few drops of dried blood, just barely visible on the cracked concrete. The crimson stains were dark and old, but still undeniable.
"Blood here," she called out, her voice quiet and tense.
The squad moved cautiously, working in a grid formation, their attention focused and alert. John kept an eye on Eunhwa as she knelt beside a cluster of disturbed earth, her sharp gaze scanning the ground. She carefully pointed out faint tracks—so expertly hidden they were almost invisible to the untrained eye.
"Tracks," she said, her tone clipped. "they've been deliberately covered."
John raised an eyebrow at that. "Covered? Not Raptures then."
Eunhwa nodded, her eyes focused on the ground. "No, these are too clean for Raptures. Someone tried to hide them."
John stood in the middle of the clearing, his hands on his hips as he took in the scattered clues they had found. The wind rustled through the overgrown grass, carrying with it an eerie stillness that hung over the area. There wasn't much—a torn fabric here, some dried blood there—but the pieces were slowly coming together.
"Alright," John said, gathering the team around him. "Let's piece this together. The Nikkes were ambushed—fast, efficient, and precise. This wasn't a drawn-out battle. It was over in minutes."
He pointed to a patch of ground where Emma had earlier found the torn fabric. "Here's where one of them was hit, probably the first. The fabric matches the uniforms. Whoever attacked them got close enough to strike right in the center of the group."
Emma frowned, glancing between the evidence and John. "An ambush from the middle? Doesn't that seem... strange?"
John nodded. "Exactly. Normally, an ambush hits from the outside, but this one started from the inside of the formation, which means their attacker was already among them, or had a way to breach their defenses before they even knew what was happening."
He gestured toward a few other blood spots and disturbed ground. "Three of the Nikkes didn't last long. They went down quickly—likely in the first few seconds of the attack. This spot, where we found the bloodstains, is where two of them probably fell. The other? Further back, retreating toward the outskirts of the formation."
He turned and pointed toward the spot where the metal chip had been discovered, the original clue that had started unraveling the mystery. "The last one made it further out, trying to get away. That's where the distress call came from. She was desperate, likely injured, but still fighting to survive."
Emma, holding a piece of fabric in her hands, glanced down at it with a mixture of sorrow and unease. "And then... they were all gone."
"Taken," John corrected, his voice firm. "Whoever attacked them didn't leave the bodies behind. They cleaned up after themselves. That's why we haven't found any remains. But..." He paused, glancing at the others, "they weren't perfect."
Eunhwa, who had been quietly scanning the ground, looked up sharply. She knelt down and motioned to the ground beneath her. "They tried to cover their tracks. Expertly done, but not well enough."
John crouched beside her, eyeing the faint impressions in the dirt. They were almost invisible—subtle signs of someone moving through the area, expertly masked but just perceptible enough for a trained eye.
"Humanoid tracks," Eunhwa continued, her voice clipped. "Someone walked out of here, carrying the bodies. Probably the ones who did this. The tracks head north."
John studied the tracks, his mind racing. "So whoever hit this squad wasn't just any attacker. They were professionals."
Eunhwa stood up, brushing dirt off her hands. "We need to follow these tracks, Commander. See where they lead."
John nodded, his usual cocky grin absent, replaced with a look of focused determination. "Yeah. But first, we take pictures for the report." He gestured for the others to start documenting the clues they had found—torn fabric, bloodstains, the metal fragment. Each piece of evidence was carefully photographed and marked, the team working silently and methodically.
Once the documentation was complete, John straightened up and motioned toward the tracks Eunhwa had uncovered. "Alright. We've got a trail. Let's see where it takes us."
As they prepared to move out, Eunhwa cast another glance at John, her sharp eyes lingering on him for a moment longer than necessary. There was something about him—something she needed to figure out.
Without saying a word, she turned and led the group north, following the faint trail into the wilderness. Whatever had happened here, the answers were waiting at the end of that trail.
The team pressed on, following the faint trail left behind by the attackers. The wind had picked up slightly, rustling through the overgrown foliage and carrying with it the distant, mechanical hum of Raptures. They weren't close, but they were out there—waiting, watching. John's eyes swept the horizon, squinting at the distant shapes moving slowly against the skyline.
"There," Eunhwa said quietly, pointing toward the horizon. "A small group of Raptures."
John followed her gaze and spotted them. It wasn't a large force—maybe four or five, no more than scouting units—but they were in the way, and they needed to be dealt with before the team could continue.
He half-expected the entire squad to move in, but to his surprise, Eunhwa turned to Vesti. "Vesti, take care of them."
Vesti, without hesitation, pulled her rocket launcher from her back, ready for action. Her quiet, reserved demeanor hadn't shifted, but there was something deadly in her movements—a cold efficiency that reminded John why Absolute had such a fearsome reputation.
John raised an eyebrow as Vesti prepared to go off alone. "Wait... she's going by herself? Shouldn't we all go? It's a group of Raptures, not a stroll through the park."
Eunhwa shot him a sideways glance, her expression as sharp as ever. "Vesti can handle it."
There was no hint of doubt in her voice, and as John looked between her and Vesti, he realized they weren't underestimating the Raptures—they were just that confident in Vesti's abilities.
Vesti gave a shy nod, slinging the heavy launcher over her shoulder before heading out toward the distant Raptures with silent determination. John watched her go, feeling a faint twinge of something, maybe concern, maybe curiosity. She was quiet, timid even, but the way the others spoke about her... it was clear she was something else entirely.
As Vesti moved off, John felt something strange. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but there nonetheless, a flicker of energy in the direction of the Raptures. He frowned, trying to focus on the sensation, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
"Cursed energy?" he muttered to himself. He couldn't be sure. His skills in sensing cursed energy had always been... lacking. It was frustrating, being one of the many things he had never quite mastered, but this felt like it. Or maybe it was something else entirely. The lack of clarity gnawed at him, especially with Vesti now in the thick of it.
In the distance, the sky lit up with a series of explosions. The ground shook slightly underfoot as Vesti engaged the Raptures, the booming echoes of her rocket launcher sending plumes of smoke into the air. For a moment, the horizon was a battlefield of fire and destruction, but it was over almost as quickly as it began. The distant sounds of battle faded, leaving only the silence of the wilderness behind.
A short while later, Vesti returned to the group. She walked calmly, the massive rocket launcher slung back over her shoulder as if it weighed nothing. Her face was as impassive as ever, her quiet demeanor unchanged. There wasn't a scratch on her, and she didn't look the slightest bit fatigued.
John glanced at her, impressed despite himself. "Well, that was quick."
Vesti gave a small nod, her eyes darting down as if unsure of how to respond to the compliment.
"Good work," Eunhwa said, her tone brisk as ever. She glanced at John, clearly expecting him to fall in line.
John smirked, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Guess I'll leave the heavy lifting to her next time."
The group resumed their search, moving along the trail once more. The brief interruption hadn't slowed them down, but John couldn't shake the feeling from earlier—the flicker of energy, the hint of something he couldn't quite place.
The team continued their search, following the faint trail of humanoid tracks through the wilderness. The landscape grew bleaker as they moved further from the Ark, the wind whistling through the sparse trees and stirring up dust along the way. Despite the growing tension, John kept his usual demeanor, but inside, a growing sense of unease was beginning to gnaw at him.
They came across a patch of dirt—perfectly smooth, untouched by the elements or the passing of animals. It stood out in contrast to the rest of the disturbed ground they'd been tracking. John knelt beside it, his fingers brushing the surface.
Something wasn't right. The tracks leading up to this point had been carefully covered, expertly hidden, but this? This patch of dirt was different—sloppy, rushed, almost too obvious. He glanced at the others, noting that no one else seemed to think anything of it. John kept his suspicions to himself, feeling a prick of wariness crawl up his spine.
He was starting to feel like this mission was full of hidden dangers—strange circumstances that didn't add up. First, the odd ambush tactics, now this. Someone was playing a different game, and he wasn't sure what it was yet.
"Something's been buried here," Eunhwa stated, breaking his thoughts as she crouched down next to him. "Recently disturbed."
John stood up, his eyes scanning the horizon as if expecting something to emerge from the quiet landscape. That familiar flicker of cursed energy returned, so faint it almost slipped past his senses, but he felt it—a subtle presence leaking from the ground beneath them.
"Start digging," John ordered, his voice steady but with an undercurrent of tension. He kept his suspicions about the sloppy cover job to himself, not wanting to sound paranoid just yet.
Emma, Vesti, and Eunhwa didn't hesitate. They grabbed their tools and began to dig, working quickly but methodically. The soil gave way easily enough, and after several feet of digging, they hit something solid.
Emma pulled back, brushing dirt away to reveal a large, twisted carcass. The animal had been dead for some time, its body contorted unnaturally. A stench filled the air as they uncovered it, causing Vesti to grimace.
Emma stared at the body, confused. "Is this just... some predator's hideout? Maybe it buried its kill for later?"
John frowned, feeling that same sense of wrongness creeping up on him. "No," he said, shaking his head slowly. "That's too easy. This was placed here deliberately."
Eunhwa stood beside him, nodding in agreement. "It's a diversion. Whoever buried this was trying to throw us off."
John's mind raced as they cleared more dirt from around the carcass. He was starting to see a pattern—a trail of misdirection, something that didn't sit right. This was all too convenient. Someone was leading them somewhere, and he was beginning to question the nature of the mission itself.
As they dug deeper, Vesti's shovel hit something metallic. The sound echoed hollowly, and everyone froze for a moment.
"Found something," Vesti called out, wiping away the remaining dirt.
It was an old, rusted door, hidden beneath layers of soil and debris. The door was ancient, its metal pitted and corroded with time. But what caught John's attention wasn't just the door itself—it was the talisman hastily plastered on its surface. The symbols were crude, barely holding together, like someone had slapped it on without fully understanding how it worked.
John crouched closer, his eyes narrowing as he inspected the talisman. He could feel it now, the cursed energy leaking from behind the door, restrained only by the sloppy barrier. Whoever had sealed it hadn't known what they were doing—or worse, didn't care.
The others were focused on the door, but John couldn't shake the growing suspicion in the pit of his stomach. The tracks, the burial, the sealed door—it was all leading to something, but he couldn't figure out what. And for the first time, he felt a chill of doubt about the mission they'd been sent on.
"There's cursed energy behind this door," John muttered, though mostly to himself.