Everyone except Heather got a system message at the same time.

Quest Ditch the scout and head to the Way Maker on your map. Be the Heroes, Save the Day. Reward: Quality-of-life improvements to System interface. This comes with 20XP for all system participants (Holy elf balls, you guys are cutting this close. I would run if I were you.)

The five of them blinked, then all turned toward Heather.

"Sorry, Heather, you're—" "We gotta ditch you and run—" "This is going to sound strange, but—" "Thanks for today, but unfortunately—" "I think the System just told us—"

They tripped over each other's voices until Zane let out a sharp whistle that cut the air like a knife. The forest went quiet.

"Bell, explain to Heather why we're about to leave her standing here," Zane said, already turning to Kai. "You—map. Find the Way Maker. You're on navigation. Everyone else, gear check. Formation in one minute."

Bell cinched her quiver strap, then stepped over to Heather, expression apologetic. "Okay, Heather. Thanks for everything today. Will you be alright heading back to town without us?"

Heather blinked. "Sure, but why?"

"We just got a quest," Bell said carefully, "and it stipulates we have to do it without you."

While his mum was talking, Kai had already pulled up his map. The marker glowed faintly on the very edge of his display—so far out it didn't even fit in range. He turned a slow circle, just in case it shifted with perspective. It didn't.

"Direction?" Tarni called.

Kai lifted his arm, pointing almost back the way they had come—just skewed about forty-five degrees down the slope into the valley below.

Heather stood there, a little dazed by how quickly the group had turned from debating to moving like a drilled unit. Just a heartbeat ago she'd been their anchor, their guide. Now they were thanking her like she was the innkeeper who'd fed them before a long road.

Bell had asked if she'd be alright going home on her own—as if she hadn't been the one shepherding them through the wilds this whole time.

But the formation was already set. Five heads turned toward her one last time—some nodding, others tossing out quick "thanks." Then, in the next breath, they were gone, boots hammering back down the mountain trail, chasing the System new what.

Heather was left with the night, the trees, and the hollow space their absence made. With a shake of her head, she thought How am I missing them already? We only met today.

Kai wanted to talk about the quest with everyone, but the group was moving too fast. He had to keep his eyes on the trail and his mind on the glowing marker, correcting their direction whenever they veered off course. They had maybe an hour and a half before dawn—just enough time to reach the Way Maker and then somehow "save the day," whatever that was supposed to mean.

Zane set a brisk pace. He could have run faster—his stats made sure of that—but he didn't want to leave anyone behind. Instead, he kept a watchful eye on the others, pushing them as much as he dared without breaking the group apart.

Of all of them, Lily seemed to be handling the descent the best. She moved easily down the mountain's slope, weaving between trees like the run was nothing more than a warm-up. She even had enough breath left to chat. Zane wondered, not for the first time, if it was because all her stats were evenly balanced.

Scanning the dark treeline, Lily called out, "At least we know there aren't any mobs waiting to jump us out here."

Keith's smile widened as he stalked the edge of the mining camp, his gray cloak and black leather melting into the night. He was checking for stragglers—just in case anyone had tried to slip away in the chaos. Normally he would have shoved the task onto one of Blake's lackeys, but he didn't trust them to do it right. Besides, it gave him a chance to cool his blood after the fight.

Luck, it seemed, had finally decided to side with him. He'd convinced Blake to leave town—and that girl—behind. Truth be told, it was her lucky night; in the mood Blake had been in when Keith found him, the man wasn't fit to step back into polite company anytime soon. But Keith had soothed, cajoled, promised big things. He had spun just enough lies to steer the brute and his pack of dogs out here, to this forgotten mining village.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

And fortune had sweetened the deal—there'd been a wedding at the camp. Extra guests, miners' wives, sisters, children. Twice the slaves, twice the coin. The only man in the village who might've posed a problem had been so drunk he barely stirred when Blake's crew burst in. Keith himself had cut down three resisters before the rest threw down their arms. Pathetic, really. Still, the haul would cover his debts and leave him rich. The only sour note: none of Blake's useless thugs had been culled in the raid. He'd hoped the fight would trim the fat. No matter—an extra twenty-three bodies for the auctions more than balanced the scales.

Blake, meanwhile, was in his element. He strutted before the huddled villagers, hands on his hips, lips curling as he drank in the sight. A dozen young women in their finest dresses, faces pale with terror, made the prize all the sweeter. He licked his lips.

Keith's grating voice nagged at the back of his skull: "Remember, they sell for more when they're not damaged."

Blake rolled his shoulders, half a laugh, half a growl rumbling from his throat. He had promised—promised—he wouldn't damage them much.

But as his eyes lingered, hungry and unblinking, it was plain he was already weighing which promises could be bent.

The villagers huddled together in the lamplight, bound wrist to wrist, rope biting into their skin. The men kept their heads bowed, their shoulders rigid with shame. The women tried to cover one another with what scraps of shawls and dresses they had, as if modesty could protect them from the hungry stares.

Mara, the bride, sat in the dirt in her torn white dress. Just hours ago, she had been laughing, full of joy, surrounded by family. Now she pressed her face into her mother's shoulder, her veil smeared with ash and blood. Her new husband lay somewhere in the darkness of the camp—dead, or close enough. She didn't dare ask.

An older miner spat into the dust at Blake's boots, earning himself a savage kick in the ribs from one of the thugs. He wheezed but didn't cry out, unwilling to give them the satisfaction. His wife clutched at his sleeve, whispering prayers through her teeth, though the words came broken, stumbling, almost incoherent.

The children cried the most, and Blake enjoyed that. He prowled the line of captives, smirking whenever a child shrank back against a parent's side. Every whimper was fuel to his ego. Keith, in contrast, didn't even glance at them—his mind was already on coin, transport, markets. To him, they were weight and price tags, nothing more.

Whispers passed between the villagers like sparks in the dark. Would anyone come? Could anyone come? The guild was too far. The nearest town wouldn't even know they were gone until morning.

Mara lifted her head at last, her face streaked with dirt and tears. Her voice shook, but it carried. "They'll come for us. Someone will. Heroes always come."

But when she looked around, she saw only despair in the eyes of her neighbors. Heroes were stories told to children to help them sleep. And tonight, the children wept anyway

Zane slowed his pace as the town came into view, raising a hand for the others to do the same. Even in the half-light before dawn, the place felt wrong. Too still. Too quiet.

Kai caught up, breathing hard, and pointed. "The marker's still active. It's pulling us that way—straight into town."

They moved in formation, weapons ready. The outer gate creaked when Zane nudged it with his foot. No sentry challenged them. No voices drifted from within. Only the wind, tugging at broken shutters and ash drifting across the dirt street.

Bell muttered, "Looks like a fight went through here." Her eyes caught on an overturned cart, a splash of dark blood drying on its wheels.

They followed Kai's marker to the far side of what looked like the town hall. In the shadows, Tarni almost tripped over something. No—someone.

"Body!" he called out, dropping to a knee.

The man's chest rose in shallow, ragged breaths. His face was swollen and bruised, his wedding clothes torn. Kai immediately knelt, panic flashing across his face as put his hand on the man's chest. One Heal. Two. Three. The glow of healing light sank into the man's broken frame. Only on the fourth did his eyes flutter open.

Zane crouched beside him. "Easy. Don't talk unless you can."

But the man forced the words out, his voice hoarse. "Slavers… came with the night. Took everyone. My wife—my bride—" His breath hitched. "Wedding brought families, children, too many people. All taken."

Heather's absence was sharp in that moment—her skill with scouting would have found signs faster than any of them. Still, they checked the town as best they could. Only two other men were found, and neither drew breath. Both had died defending what little they had.

When they returned, the survivor gripped Zane's arm with surprising strength for his battered state. "Please. Rescue her. Rescue them all."

"We will," Zane said, and meant it.

Just then, Kai gasped. His map marker pulsed and shifted, sliding down the road, away from the silent town and into the valley beyond.

"Got it," Kai said, his voice tight. "They're still close. If we move now, we can catch them before dawn."

The man sagged back against the wall, too weak to move more than a few steps. He tried to rise, but his body betrayed him. "Go," he whispered, shame burning in his eyes. "Save them. Save her."

The five exchanged quick glances, the unspoken agreement binding them. Zane rose first, gripping his machete. "Formation. We're not letting this bastard's wedding day be the last memory anyone has of him. Let's bring them back."

And with that, they left the broken mining town behind, following the pulsing marker into the darkness.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.