The situation had grown complicated.
Kael lowered his voice, eyes flickering as he studied the camp. Beside him, Fischl raised a hand in a graceful arc.
"Oz. Survey the surroundings again."
"Understood."
Oz leapt from her shoulder, rising through the branches until he disappeared among the canopy. Moments later, the images he saw returned to Fischl's vision through their bond.
Her expression shifted.
Kael noticed it immediately.
Something was wrong.
The Hilichurl camp ahead was not the only one. In the deeper regions of Whispering Woods, another cluster was gathering. Larger, more restless, and accompanied by several unfamiliar silhouettes.
Fischl exhaled slowly.
"This place is not the simple nest of a few wandering beasts."
Oz returned to her shoulder. His tone calm. "She means this area is far more dangerous than expected. The camp ahead is beyond the scope of a routine assignment."
Oz paused.
"We should send word back to the Adventurers' Guild. And notify the Knights of Favonius as well."
Kael blinked.
"…What?"
Fischl had only spoken a single dramatic line. Where did Oz pull all that from?
Oz coughed lightly, embarrassed. "The last part is my suggestion."
Fischl's jaw tightened at once. Her eyes narrowed, and she stared at the Hilichurl encampment with a frustrated intensity. Her fingers pressed against her bowstring with enough force to blanch her knuckles.
"These vile shadows dare to gather under my gaze," she muttered. "Do they truly believe we cannot descend judgment upon their sinful flames?"
Her voice rose with each word, the tone of a thunder-soaked oracle chastising an unworthy world. In her mind, she must have seen herself as a lone sovereign standing against a tide of chaos.
It changed nothing.
Kael watched her entire declaration silently. His expression did not shift. He was used to it.
"So… to summarize," Kael asked, glancing at her, "you want to clear this camp, but you cannot do it alone."
Fischl froze.
For a moment she searched for a dignified reply. Her lips pressed together. She raised a finger, tapped her temple, and finally spoke with great solemnity.
"My loyal companion, your understanding reflects a glimmer of wisdom."
Oz translated without hesitation. "She says you are right."
Kael exhaled through his nose.
She was correct. Her long-range combat was powerful, but the number of Hilichurls here was too high. Fire Arrow snipers, Fire-Axe Mitachurls, and regular Hilichurl guards packed tightly together. A direct exchange would be suicidal.
Even for him.
Unless he had something else.
Kael's eyes shifted slightly. He turned toward Fischl.
"…Do you have bombs?"
Fischl stared at him.
"Pardon?"
She looked genuinely stunned, as if she could not understand how the conversation had leapt from divine judgment to explosives. She blinked twice, then composed herself.
"Your words… I confess, I do not yet grasp their deeper meaning."
Oz sighed. "She wants to know why you are asking."
"Literal meaning," Kael said. "If we had bombs, this would be the easiest way."
He thought back to yesterday. Clara's path-energy had fused with Klee's bombs and produced something terrifying. If he could replicate that force even once, the camp would vanish in a wave of fire.
Unfortunately, he did not have any bombs.
And Klee had been escorted back to the city for confinement. Her satchel had been confiscated as well.
Fischl shook her head. "I do not wield such tools."
Oz translated. "She says no."
Kael rubbed his forehead.
That part did not need translation.
Without explosive support, a frontal assault became unrealistic. He considered alternative methods. Clara's "Let me help…" could strengthen weapons with Destruction energy, but applying it to Fischl's arrows would not match the area coverage of a bomb.
Fischl watched his pensive expression. Her eyes softened slightly. She brushed her fingers along her chin and spoke with quiet thoughtfulness.
"I know a sorceress who commands the fire arts. Her creations can ignite the heavens."
Oz translated immediately.
"She means Klee."
Kael stared at her.
Fischl continued confidently. "Yet the sorceress is imprisoned within the white tower for her reflection upon mortal mischief. Her flames cannot grace this battlefield."
Oz followed with the real meaning. "Klee is in confinement."
Kael's eyelid twitched.
He could not stop himself.
"How do you even know that? She was detained yesterday. You and Klee have never interacted."
Fischl looked away, a faint cough escaping her lips.
Oz remained utterly silent.
Kael opened his mouth, closed it again, and decided not to pursue it.
He had a larger issue to address.
He studied the camp once more. The Fire-Axe Mitachurl towered above its subordinates. A beam of violet light flickered faintly from Fischl's bow. She stood with poised elegance, prepared to follow his next command.
Kael considered it.
"Then let me ask something else," he said. "Using your Vision, can you create a concentrated lightning arrow powerful enough to bring down that Fire-Axe Mitachurl in a single shot?"
Fischl's eyes widened.
For the first time since entering the forest, the theatrical façade wavered.
Her fingers tightened on the bow. A faint pulse of Electro gathered at her fingertips, small arcs whispering through the air.
She did not answer immediately.
But the energy trembled.
As if preparing to respond.