Night fell like a velvet curtain over the Redstone Forest. The air grew colder, heavier, as if the trees themselves were holding their breath. Only the faint rustle of leaves and the occasional snap of a twig betrayed life — and danger — moving through the undergrowth.
Our squad had taken up a concealed position in a hidden valley several miles from the main stronghold. The shallow creek that ran through the clearing reflected the twin moons, shimmering like molten silver. Each of my soldiers crouched low, breathing evenly, every muscle taut with anticipation.
I leaned close to Alex, our foreheads almost touching, and whispered, "Patrols are returning soon. Any misstep, and we're exposed."
His eyes glimmered in the pale moonlight. "We'll be ghosts," he said, voice steady, calm. "We always are when it counts."
The men had already learned to trust our instincts — the long year of training had made them near extensions of our will. But this mission was different. The stronghold they were about to infiltrate was unlike any beast they'd ever faced. And unlike beasts, these bandits thought, plotted, and fought with cunning.
We had scouted the patrol routes earlier that day, but now we needed more detailed intel. I sent three of the most agile scouts forward — cloaked with Alex's mana shrouds — to silently observe the movements of the bandits' secondary outpost.
I crouched on a high rock, scanning the surrounding forest with the eyes of a predator. My qi flowed quietly through my body, coiling and uncoiling like a serpent as I read the faint disturbances in the air. Alex mirrored me from a nearby tree, his fingers tracing complex runes on a talisman that amplified his sensory perception.
"Two true spirit realm cultivators," he whispered. "They're on rotation, moving in opposite directions. Their senses are keen, but they're predictable."
I nodded, formulating a plan in my mind. "We'll take them out silently. One strike each. No mistakes."
The minutes stretched into eternity. Shadows moved through the undergrowth, and every rustle made my chest tighten. I signaled for the squad to split — two small teams, moving on opposite sides of the creek. Talismans of silence hovered above them, masking our presence.
The first patrol came into view: three bandits walking in a tight formation, a True Spirit Realm cultivator leading. Their footsteps echoed faintly, but the forest swallowed most of the sound. My heart beat steadily, each pulse syncing with the flow of my mana.
I leapt from the rock, qi lacing my body, limbs moving faster than the eye could follow. Within seconds, I was upon the first guard, my hand wrapped around his throat. A gentle squeeze — a snap — and he fell silently into the shadows. The second guard never saw me coming; a spike of ethereal energy shot from my palm, rendering him unconscious before his body hit the ground.
Across the creek, Alex had already dispatched the True Spirit cultivator with precise strikes to nerve points, leaving him incapacitated but alive — enough for interrogation if we chose.
The rest of the patrols fell with practiced efficiency. My men moved like a single organism, every motion synchronized, every attack silent but lethal. By the time the patrol leader's second returned, the clearing was empty. Only the faint ripple of the creek betrayed that anything had occurred.
Afterward, Alex and I retrieved the supplies, maps, and insignias from the patrols. The leather pouches contained notes on guard rotations, weak points in the camp's perimeter, and hints of traps — though nothing we couldn't handle with preparation.
I spread the maps over a flat rock and studied them by moonlight, tracing lines between guard posts and noting chokepoints. "The secondary outpost," I murmured, "has ten Mystic Realm and ten True Spirit Realm cultivators, plus thirty lower-tier fighters. If we strike at dawn, we can take them silently before they alert the main stronghold."
Alex placed a hand on my shoulder. "And if they resist?"
I met his gaze. "Then we unleash the full squad — but only as a last resort. We maintain stealth as long as possible."
Night deepened. The squad huddled together, sharing quiet whispers, mending minor wounds, checking weapons, and whispering prayers to whatever gods might be listening. Around the campfire, the flickering light revealed faces both tense and determined. These were no longer raw recruits; these were soldiers ready to carve a path through blood and steel.
Before sleep could touch us, I walked to the edge of the clearing, letting the mana flow freely through my body. My senses expanded. I could feel the pulse of the forest, the subtle shifts in air, the faint hum of the bandits' energy. The Redstone Forest was alive — a predator and a battlefield at once.
And in the shadows, the stronghold waited.
I turned back to Alex. "Tomorrow, we begin."
He nodded, eyes glinting. "And we finish what we start."
The night swallowed us, but I didn't feel fear. I felt the quiet thrill of hunters ready to strike. The first mission had begun.