The Adventurer’s Academy

"Your brother?" Sye asked.

"Uh, yeah," Rin replied, her eyes fixed on the woman up ahead. "I think they were in the same group, or something. He was an adventurer too."

The adventurer roamed through the area with a carefree look in her eyes. She inspected a few of the people around them but largely it didn't seem as though she was under the belief that a fight would truly begin anytime soon.

[I'm guessing the guild put out a mission that was like "hey, go stand guard while the train gets fixed" and maybe people are coming in now thinking it's an easy paycheck.]

"Is she aware of your disguise?" Sye asked, leaning in so close that Rin got shivers.

"No."

"Ah, well, I apologize, but perhaps approaching her would not be the best move."

"I know, it's just..." Rin trailed off.

Due to recent events, Rin had pushed aside the thoughts of where her brother may have ended up. And, of course, whether his journal may hold any clues to figuring that out. Seeing this woman here, however, brought those thoughts back.

And, now that she knew that the Scorned were connected to the guild in some way thanks to Brine's involvement with them, a small, paranoid part of her mind wondered whether it was possible they had something to do with his disappearance.

[No, probably not,] Rin thought.

"Triss," Sye said, as Elisa began speaking to some others nearby. "Come. We should settle in."

Taking her eyes off Miri, Rin nodded.

"Right."

As the sun began to hang onto the horizon, with the help of some officials who'd brought the necessary items, the group set up a camp. It was a very minimalistic setup with just a few sleeping bags, a couple of tables, a lantern that apparently came from one of the fairy clans, a cooler, and other such objects.

Some of the workers were taking a break, forming the same sorts of camps, while some others kept working tirelessly. All of the ongoing activity was being overseen by officers. The politicians Rin and Elisa had spoken to earlier were nowhere to be seen.

One wouldn't expect a noblewoman like Elisa to be caught anywhere near this sort of place but the woman had a big smile on her face as she put her hands behind her head, laid down, and crossed her legs, staring up at the sky next to Rin.

"Did they say anything about when the repairs will be done?" Rin asked.

"They're making good time, apparently," she said with a smirk.

"... Which means we can probably expect the fighting to start sooner rather than later," Rin added.

"Probably."

Sara had her sword out, sitting on her lap as her eyes scanned their surroundings. She looked... antsy, for some reason. As her eyes fell on Xhez, Rin felt like she was getting a sense of why.

[There are probably too many unknown elements around her for her taste. And yet, she still came here when I asked. Even though she didn't have to at all,] Rin thought. [I wonder why.]

Their eyes met and Rin gave her a smile and waved. Sara just looked away again, though her face softened up somewhat.

Xhez held onto Rin's wrist lightly.

"The darkness around us has gotten worse."

Rin inhaled slowly when she heard that, trying to keep her nerves steady. Sye, who had been looking out a few steps away turned toward Xhez, looking at her with curiosity for a couple of seconds before looking away again.

The tension in the air was so thick it was almost suffocating. Rin felt cold as she, and everyone around her, waited for the inevitable to begin.

Instead, all of their eyes were pulled forward as a small group of people approached.

"Hi!" A woman wearing some worn-out leather armor and a green scarf around her neck greeted them energetically, followed by two others wearing equally ragged outfits. "How are we doing here?"

As Miri approached the group, Sara quickly wrapped her hand around her sword's hilt. The adventurers noticed that but didn't react at all.

"Wonderfully," Elisa said, getting up and dusting herself off. "My name's Elisa D'Ana. These are my guests, here to keep me some company while my family's train is repaired. To what do we owe the pleasure?" She asked as she shook the woman's hand.

"Name's Miri," the adventurer replied. "I'm a Rank B adventurer here on guild business. Just wanted to see how everyone..."

Miri had been looking at the entirety of the group as she spoke, scanning them all up and down. As her eyes fell on Rin, she stopped.

[Does she recognize me? Even through my disguise?]

"Ma'am," Elisa said, stepping between them. "I know I brought an S-tier beauty along with me, but you really should not stare like that."

"My apologies," Miri quickly backed off, giggling a little and lightening the mood again. "Her face kinda caught me off-guard for a second there!"

"Understandable, understandable," Elisa replied laughing as well though, to Rin's ears, her chuckles sounded incredibly forced. "You were saying?"

"Uh, right, I'm here on guild business. Just wanted to make sure everyone's feelin' comfy. For some reason, everyone's lookin' so worried, you know?"

"Really?" Sye asked, stepping forward from the right. "I hadn't noticed at all. I suppose I just don't understand why anyone would feel nervous right now."

"Well, with all the rumors going around, you know..." Miri replied.

"Such as?"

"..." The adventurer hesitated to say anything. Rin raised a brow at that.

Miri ended up not needing to say anything, however, as someone cried out in the distance.

Everyone there turned quickly turned their heads toward that sound. Xhez squeezed Rin's arm a little harder. Rin and Sara exchanged a look and the other raven-haired girl stood up, her sword by her side.

"What was that?" One of the adventurers, a man wearing some chainmail, asked.

"Let's check it out," Miri replied. "You-"

Before she could get another word out, an arrow went through his head.

"W-" before she could say anything, an arrow hit Miri's back. The impact was so strong, it took her to the ground.

Sara dashed forward.

At first, Rin thought she was going to cut someone down,  but instead, the woman ran to Elisa and slashed at the air.

Her blade split an incoming arrow, aimed at the noblewoman, in half.

Elisa, Miri, and one of her partners. Those had been the only individuals at the camp who had been targeted.

Officers yelled out orders at each other. The construction workers all took cover behind the train. A few other adventurer groups who had likely come under the same pretense as Miri's group started running around toward the archers in the distance.

Just like that, the attack on the site of the derailed train began.