CHAPTER 5 (PART 2): HIS FIRST MISSION

“What?” Arth whispered to Robert, taken aback.

"I have already thought of that … Arth, can you do it?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

Janshai snorted, breaking the short silence in the room. "Bet this amateur won't last," he said, staring at Arth with a dead-serious look. "First missions have high mortality rate."

Arth looked down, clenching his fists.

"He'll be fine," Luna told Janshai. "Mortality rate is only high when you're alone."

Janshai shrugged, then looked away.

"This is a dangerous mission, Arth,” Lucas said. “You'll be raiding the main hideout of bandits … and it’ll only be the two of you. One mistake could be lethal. But don't worry. Believe in Luna's skills. She'll cover you.”

Luna turned to Arth. "You hear that? Trust me, I’m a master archer."

Arth nodded at her. "I'll do my best, boss.”

"Very well," Lucas said. "Luna, Arth, your mission is to wipe out the bandits attacking Whiteground Village. Kill their leader and show them no mercy. Let none escape. Burn their hideout to the ground but leave the villagers unharmed … Prepare now, you'll leave at sundown."

Luna and Arth nodded. "Yes, boss."

"Questions …? None? All right. Meeting adjourned," Lucas stood up on his chair, "Janshai, come with me."

Janshai sighed and followed him.

Arth went directly to his room to prepare. He changed garments, equipped his sword, and donned his blue cloak.

Luna was already outside when Arth climbed down the circular staircases. Her long green robe matched her tall height perfectly.

Walking closer, Arth spotted the golden bow on Luna’s hand. "Is that an enchanted-class weapon?" he asked, studying its form. It had writings and symbols engraved on it which Arth couldn’t read. He wondered if they were elven symbols.

Luna gave a nod. "I got this from the Elyfan Kingdom of Asveneas."

‘That's awesome,’ Arth thought. ‘Chief Gregor told me that enchanted class weapons have magical effects.’

"How about your sword?" Luna asked him.

"Blackwinter, you mean? Oh, this is just a rare-class weapon, but it’s been with me ever since I learned how to swing a sword. It’s like an extension of my arm already.”

Nightfall came and they rode their horses through the forest, starting their travel towards the village. Whiteground was located at the south of their hideout, about six hours away.

"You nervous?" Luna asked Arth when she saw his face.

"A little," he replied with a small smile.

"It's fine. I was also like you when I had my first mission in this guild. I almost failed, but still, I managed to pull it off."

"Why did you join the guild?"

Luna stared at him for a long moment, her green eyes going deeper into thoughts. "It's something about my past,” she said, trailing off. “My dad was a human like you … and my mother … she was an elf. And they were both executed, because it is… forbidden."

Arth knew better than saying something, so he just pursed his lips and listened to her.

"Being here in the north, I already felt like … I’m different… like I never belonged here with the humans at all. I couldn't go back to the elven kingdom, because they would never accept me. I have no pointy ears like them, knowing that I'm only a half-blood. Lucas was the only person in this world who accepted me … welcomed me in their guild. That's why I joined them," Luna explained. "And at that point, I just realized that this is where I belong."

"I'm sorry … for what you've been through. I know how it feels, having no parents with you," Arth said, frowning.

"It's okay. I’m all over it, now that I have a new family with me."

"So who raised you as a kid?"

"A northerner like my father. He's a Grand Archer in Crown Galacer. He’s the one who taught me how to use bow and arrows …" Her lips slowly formed a smile, recalling her memories.

"Where is he now?" Arth asked her.

Luna turned to look at him, blinking. "He already passed away, of course. It's been over a century.”

"Oh, right!" Arth smiled apologetically, scratching his head, realizing how dumb his question was.

***

They traveled for hours, trotting, then galloping without taking any stops. It was a long, tiring journey, but it all paid off when they finally reached the northern entrance of Whiteground Village. A pair of wooden watchtowers stood on both sides of the entrance, like the ones they had in Frostwood.

Luna came to introduce herself to the guards, then told them what she’s here for.

"Where's the village elder?" Luna asked one of the guards. One of them gestured to follow him.

Late in the night it was, and the dark, snowy road was lit up by the lamp posts at the roadside. Arth glanced at the wooden houses they passed by, realizing the village was actually bigger than Frostwood. More people and children could be seen outside, but Arth took notice of their frowned faces. One child was poking his mother while rubbing his tummy, obviously saying that he was hungry. The poor mother only sighed, then shook her head.

"The people here are starving," Arth whispered to Luna while they were following the guard.

"I know,” she replied. “We'll hear more details later from their elder.”

As they were heading to the center of the village, the people on the roadside watched Arth and Luna. Some children were also pointing a finger at them, with thin smiles plastered on their tiny faces. Arth waved his hand at them, smiling back. He never had any good experiences with kids at all, but at least, he tried his best to look friendly.

A few minutes after, they reached the Chief's Den. The guard they’d been following came up to the other guards standing at the entrance, then they talked shortly. After letting them enter, a middle-aged woman caught their eyes, seated at a desk inside. Her pale eyes spread wide open, filled with hope as she saw Arth and Luna walking inside.

"This is the village elder of Whiteground," the guard introduced, “Chieftess Eleanor of House Bennet.”

"Ah, thank the gods!" Eleanor said as she stood up, walked, and shook their hands. She was shorter than Arth, having wrinkles on her frail body, and silver, wavy hair.

"What's the situation here?" Luna asked after introducing themselves.

Eleanor frowned. "It's bad. The village is already suffering as we had been lacking supplies for the past two weeks. Every cargo deliveries were stolen by those bandits! Traders and merchants are now scared in taking the routes here … even the log harvests those bandits had taken … leaving us with nothing but cold, dark winter nights …" Eleanor sighed. "And I’m afraid we do not even have enough men to defend and fight those thieves."

"Don't worry, we'll handle this," Luna assured her. "We know where those thieves are hiding."

"Thank goodness! Oh wait, I'll send some of my men—"

"There's no need for that," Luna said, cutting her off. "We'll kill every single one of them … with just the two of us."

Arth turned his head to Luna, both eyebrows raised. ‘Really? She's that confident?’

Eleanor’s old lips parted, surprised. She glanced at them both, her expression in disbelief that only these two warriors could take out an entire bandit group.

"We'll send them all to hell," Luna said before turning around to leave.

"Thank you … thank you …" the elder lowered her head, "We're counting on you, warriors.”

After leaving the den, they headed straight towards the west of the village. Ahead of them was complete darkness beyond the snowy plains.

"Listen carefully, Arth," Luna told him while walking. "You will raid their hideout alone."

Arth froze, eyes snapping wide open. "What?! Me?" he said, pointing at his chest.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes on you from a distance … cover you to clear your path towards the hideout," Luna replied with a low, calm tone. "Your job is to find their leader’s tent … wake the beast … then take his head off his body."

"Woah, woah, wait a second, Luna," Arth raised both hands. "You're making it sound so easy.”

"I trust you, Arth. So you have to trust me too, hmm?" Luna replied, rubbing Arth’s black hair.

Arth swallowed hard in his throat, hesitated, then nodded distractedly.

Eventually, they arrived on a tall snowy hill. They crawled upon the freezing surface, reaching the top, keeping their heads low to avoid being seen.

Beyond the hill, about thirty dark-colored tents had settled from a far distance. The farthest tent was the largest, and perhaps it’s where their leader had stayed. Torches had provided light on the hideout, enough light to spot the bandits patrolling the area. They had black masks on to cover their nose and mouth.

The cold gust brushed against Arth’s face, making him feel more nervous. He closed his eyes, inhaled, then slowly exhaled to calm himself down.

"Remember, if anything goes wrong … run back here as fast as you can … Don’t die, okay?" Luna patted his shoulder. “Go.”

Arth nodded. He slowly stood up, sharpening his eyes towards the enemies ahead. Then his hand found the hilt of his sword.

‘Blackwinter, lend me your strength!’