“Everyone packed?”

“All ready to go!”

“Hey, how long are we going to be there for?”

“As long as the job takes, I imagine. Assuming it’s as easy as suggested.”

“It would not be wise to assume. This may be more difficult than we perceive it to be.”

“Essex makes a fair point.” Julia pointed out, before turning back to her team as they all walked. “But considering we’re just taking care of some pests, I think we can be a little gung ho.”

Team Valiant made their way over to the academy helicopter platform, readying for their first official job. While they’d been out on a mission already, this would be their first time without a professional team watching over them, and needless to say, they were pretty exc-

“Woo!!! Let’s go to Kaju! I wanna zap some Raski’s with my lightning!” Sola exclaimed, running to the helicopter platform, as Harley chased after her, trying to beat her there.

“This should be pretty fun. I’ve never been to Kaju before.” Julia said, turning to Wess and Essex beside her. “We finally get to see more of Central Point.”

“Considering you’re the local, I’m impressed you’ve stayed in Detu City almost your whole life.” Wess commented, as Julia looked a bit embarrassed.

“Yeah. I’m a bit of a home body…” Julia admitted, laughing a little, while Essex inspected her scythe.

“I’ve seen a large majority of Central Point, but rarely any metropolitan areas. This shall be interesting.” Essex declared, strapping her scythe onto her back, as Harley and Sola quickly tired themselves out.

“Well, we’ll mostly be in the surrounding area while on the job.” Julia said, before noticing the duo and smiling, calling out to them. “Hey, can you guys come here real quick?”

Harley and Sola got up and headed back, as Julia cleared her throat. “Now, I know our top priority is to handle this mission, and we’re definitely going to do that. But, since this is our best shot, today…”

“…we have to find out whether Ferris was there at the attack.”

The team nodded in unison, ready to hear her out, as Julia illustrated her plan. “Since Ferris and Spence are escorting us today, we can finally get her alone to question. I’ve got some ways of figuring out whether it was her at the attack, so what I want from you guys is to take care of the Raski’s and our mission to give me room to question her. All good?”

“Hell yeah!” Harley cheered, pumping her fist. “Just leave it to us! We’ll keep those pests off your back.”

“This will be enlightening.” Essex assured, bowing to Julia, as Wess rolled her eyes.

“Fortunately, I was planning on doing that anyway.” Wess said, patting Belvedere in its scabbard.

“I just hope we’re wrong about this.” Sola admitted. “I don’t want to start second year knowing Ferris is some evil henchman.”

“Yeah, wait, what do we do if it turns out she was that person at the attack?” Harley asked, as Julia avoided eye contact. “We can’t go to Faller, cause…well…”

“We’ll get to that bridge when we cross it.” Julia explained. “Let’s just try and get some answers for now.”

And with that, they continued to the helicopter platform, where Ferris and Spence lay in wait, trying to pass the time.

“Is it…a solid?”

“Shut up.”

“Is it a primary colour?”

“I said I wasn’t playing this with you.”

“Traffic cone! That’s it, right?”

“Bleakh, take me in your embrace and end it all…” Ferris groaned, as Spence pouted at her lack of participation.

“You know, Lola, you can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vi-“

“Who the hell’s catching flies?” Ferris argued. “What kinda shitty metaphor is that? You should’ve said bees.”

Spence held her tongue, trying not to get too down, before she spotted Team Valiant and found her energy shoot right back up.

“Why, hello! Ready for the old Kaju one two?” Spence exclaimed, leading Ferris to pull out her pocket flask.

“That’s the idea.” Julia replied, patting her rifle strapped to her back. “This’ll be the first time I get to properly use Sunrise Quickfire.”

“Hey, since when did you name it?” Harley asked, playfully punching her arm, as Spence gave a thumbs up.

“I love that initiative! You girls’ll do fine today!” Spence encouraged, hopping onto the helicopter. “Come on! We’re burning daylight! Or should I say…quick-burning sunlight?”

Julia cocked her head. “Was that an attempt at a pun?”

“Get used to it…” Ferris groaned, slouching onto the cargo helicopter, as Team Valiant each took their seats, manoeuvring their weapons beside themselves while the helicopter slowly started to take off.

“How long until we arrive?” Wess asked, as Ferris counted on her fingers.

“Uhh…twenty minutes, I guess? Don’t get too comfortable.” She said, lying back in her seat. “There’s no set goal for today, but we’ll be assessing your skills as you handle the task. Take this as seriously as a Wailing hunt.”

“Geez, you can be so doom and gloom.” Spence said, turning to the team. “Just have fun with it! This is only your first real mission, after all.”

“This is bad advice…” Essex remarked to herself, getting a snicker out of Harley, as she looked over her tablet.

“So apparently, Kaju’s this famous mining town in Central Point. Lot of copper and lead deposits in the Eldos Mountains, as th-“

“Uggghhhhh…I wasn’t expecting you to be the nerd type.” Ferris groaned, taking another swig of her flask, trying to nurse her headache, as Harley pouted back at her.

“And APPARENTLY, where we’re headed is near this famous mine shaft.” Harley explained, Sola staring at her tablet too. “It’s no longer in use, but it’s got plenty of tours and acts like a museum to Kaju’s history. Of course, nobody’s been able to go recently cause of all the pe-“

“Oh god, shut it!” Ferris barked, making Harley and Sola jump. “This trip’s long enough without the lecture! Don’t you get enough of this from your classes?”

Harley scowled and put her tablet away, as Spence berated Ferris, with Ferris lying down to ignore her, just as Julia decided to try out her first idea.

“So…Ferris.” Julia started, grabbing a water bottle from her bag. “Do you want a drink?”

Ferris shook her flask, realising it was empty, before scoffing at Julia. “No.”

Julia shook the bottle. “It’s got cheap beer in it.”

Ferris blinked, before stretching out her hand. “Fuck it, give it here.”

Julia decided to chuck it, as Ferris struggled to grab the bottle with her left hand lying down, before getting up and opening it up, only to move it to her right and take a swig.

Wess noticed Julia check something off on her tablet, before leaning over. “What was that about?”

Julia smiled to Wess. “Well, the figure at the attack was ambidextrous, but Ferris made a point to move the bottle to her right hand instead of her left, meaning she’s probably not very good with it.”

Wess realised Julia’s point. “I see. Though, that doesn’t prove she’s not the figure. Perhaps she can use her sword with both hands, just not anything else?”

“Don’t worry. That’s only one point.” Julia grinned, showing off her list to Wess. “If she doesn’t fit any of these, then we’re good to go.”

Julia put her tablet away and found herself with an excitable energy. “Now I just need to ask about her sword and whether she has a Whil, and if all else fails, I-“

“Look! There it is!” Sola exclaimed, staring out the helicopter window, as Kaju slowly came into view, visibly built into the sides of the Eldos Mountains.

Kaju’s history was always steeped in its usefulness. Initially built as a refuge for those hoping to gather resources from the Eldos Mountains, it quickly formed into a bustling town filled with commerce and movement. Often trading with its sister city to the east, Shanlin, it’s mostly used as a platform for new industry, where most of Daysend’s mining technology gets its first time to shine.

Team Valiant stared out at the climbing infrastructure, similar to Shanlin’s hillside buildings, but far more vertical, literally being built into the mountainside. Buildings were connected with suspended walkways and crude elevators, often looping together and creating a connective effect.

“Hey.” Ferris snapped, snapping her fingers. “Don’t get too comfy. We’re not here to sightsee. We’ll be heading straight out into the nearby wilderness to go take care of this Raski infestation.”

“I have been meaning to ask. What is a Raski?” Essex asked.

“They’re like little rodents that scurry around and steal food. They’re pretty common in Central Point.” Julia explained. “They’re not that dangerous, but if too many gather at once, they can get out of control pretty quickly.”

The team quickly noticed a few citizens chasing after the rodents, batting them off as they snuck away food and darted back into the foliage.

“Oh yeah. We had little fellas like that back on the farm.” Harley remarked, pounding her fists together. “This’ll be a cakewalk.”

“I like that enthusiasm!” Spence encouraged, just as the helicopter set down to land. “Quick! We can’t let them get away!”

“She’s like a child chasing a butterfly.” Wess commented, getting a guilty laugh from Julia, as the team took in as much of Kaju as they could, before being whisked away by Ferris and Spence toward their mission.

—-—TEAM VALIANT MISSION—-—

—-—HUNT DOWN THE RASKI’S PLAGUING KAJU’S WILDERNESS—-—

While its wilderness was still vast, the mining industry’s effects on the ecosystem were immediately noticeable. Large pathways had been carved through the trees, connecting each of the disparate mine shafts to each other, while giving a helpful track for the rodents to scurry across with their ill-gotten goods.

Team Valiant headed down the main pathway, a few signs populating the sides of it pointing to the repurposed mining museum, as they spotted a handful of Raski’s running here and there, quickly diverting from the path.

“We will not catch them in the open. And attempting to handle them one on one will be inefficient.” Essex reasoned, readying her scythe.

“Plus, I’ve only got so many cannon blasts in me until I’m super exhausted.” Sola pointed out, proudly showing off her Whil-powered arm-cannons.

Julia felt Ferris’ judging eyes baring into her, as she quickly decided to act.

“A-Alright, well, is there any way we can get a bunch of them at once?” Julia asked, as an idea popped in Harley’s head.

“Actually, the Raski’s back home had a nest for resting. That’s probably where they’ve taken the food.” Harley said, proudly grinning.

“Great! So, you and Essex can scout ahead and find the nest.” Julia suggested, getting a thumbs up from Harley, then a more rigid thumbs up from Essex.

“We can start clearing the surrounding areas as well.” Wess brought up, Sola nodding along beside her. “If we keep heading within the forest, we should wall them off from going back to Kaju.”

“Okay. You guys can take the left side of the path.” Julia said, before pointing to the other side. “And I’ll take the right with Spence and Ferris and update you on our progress.”

Wess noticed Julia’s emphasis, then her more overt smile, as she nodded in agreement. “Oh. Well then, all the best of luck. To use a figure of speech, this forest will be as clean as a whistle.”

Ferris raised an eyebrow at their seeming nonsense before Julia huddled in with the team again.

“Everyone got their jobs?” She asked, getting a show of approval from the team. “Alright. We’ll meet back here once Harley and Essex are done scouting.”

“Peno Decu.” Essex wished, hopping into the trees with her scythe and swinging across, as Harley started jogging to keep up.

“Uh, yeah, Peno Decu as well.” Harley repeated, following Essex on foot.

“We shouldn’t be long either.” Wess said, ushering Sola along, as Sola looked back at Julia.

“What was with all that weird stuff you were talking about?”

“I’ll explain later.” Wess said, heading off the path, as Julia looked back at Ferris and Spence.

“Look at you, Miss Leader! I’m going to have to call you Jovial Julia for all that positivity!” Spence exclaimed, giggling to herself, as Ferris rolled her eyes.

“I’d keep an eye on your team if I were you. You don’t want them wandering off and dying.” Ferris warned, as Julia’s anxiety started to perk up.

“Oh, behave yourself, Ferris. They won’t die fro-” Spence assured, before a Raski ran past her feet, causing her to jump backwards. “AH!”

Ferris watched her fall into a bush and snickered to herself. “At least they’re not total wusses.”

Julia helped Spence out, before Spence stamped her foot at Ferris. “You’re meant to be teaching them, not scaring them!”

“Is there much of a difference?” Ferris pointed out, grabbing the bottle Julia gave her and taking a swig. “Consider the industry we work in, Spence.”

“I am, and frankly, they don’t need you filling their heads with ghost stories about Wailing!” Spence declared, as Ferris turned to her and blew a raspberry.

“Hey, how about when you take down a Wailing, you get to lecture me.” Ferris remarked, as Julia started to think she should intervene, before Spence crossed her arms.

“Oh, and what, you have?” Spence said, catching Ferris’ attention, before turning her nose up. “Just because I keep my distance doesn’t mean I-“

“You know, you’re lucky.” Ferris said, trudging over to Spence. “You’re a very lucky person, and yet, you don’t seem to realise just what that means. It means you don’t lose anything, you’re incapable of it, and yet, you insist on people protecting you. I don’t have time for leeches, so stop acting like yours is a life worth pitying.”

Ferris stormed off, trying to finish off the bottle as best she could, as Spence just made a point to sigh, letting the remark wash over her.

“Wow…that was brutal.” Julia said. “I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have given her that beer…”

“Lola’s an odd one. She’s got plenty of walls built up.” Spence noted, watching her start to head off the trail. “I want to help her out, but I don’t think she’ll let me…especially since she seems to hate everything about Venators.”

“Yeah…” Julia realised, worrying what that might imply, being briefly reminding herself about asking Ferris more questions. “I’ll…try to help, if I can.”

“Don’t push yourself. This day should be about you and your team.” Spence encouraged. “You can leave grouchy pants to me, if you want.”

Julia smiled, deciding to head up to Ferris anyway, as Spence made a point to hang back and give them some space.

“So…Ferris.” Julia said, keeping pace alongside her, while briefly checking her notes. “How long have you been using your sword?”

Ferris rested her hand on her sheathed broadsword, before tapping her chin. “Well, in the elite assassin training school I was raised in, they gave this to me at birth. By the time I could say my first word, I had already killed a thousand warriors alone, as was part of our rituals, and was shaping up to be their youngest killer at the age of two.”

Julia pouted as Ferris’ answer, as Ferris continued to weave her nonsense tale.

“Of course, this meant my first word ended up being ‘bloodlust’ and…” Ferris continued, before noticing Julia’s unsatisfied expression and dropping the bit. “You know, it’s not smart to broadcast these things out loud.”

Julia cocked her head. “But it’s just us.”

“Yeah, and who are you going to tell?” Ferris pointed out, slouching further to meant Julia’s height. “I guarantee I’ve got more enemies than you’ve got pubic hairs.”

Julia turned away, embarrassed by the insinuation, as Ferris saw Julia’s nervousness and earnest intent, before scratching her neck and handing her the sword anyway.

“Fuck it. You’re not about to stab me with it.” Ferris reasoned, giving it to Julia. “And it’s been with me for few years now. Faller gave it to me as a gift for working at the academy.”

Julia unsheathed the broadsword, staring at its fairly generic make and build, recalling the sword used against her during the attack.

If I recall, the figure was using a katana… Julia acknowledged. And this doesn’t even look like it.

“Is, uhh, is this your…only sword?” Julia tentatively asked, as Ferris raised an eyebrow and took the scabbard back from her.

“Yeah. I only use it for missions like this, so another would be pointless. You know, in case you fuck up.” Ferris reasoned, as Julia tried to hide how relieved she felt.

Unfortunately, Ferris noticed.

“You look relieved.”

Julia jolted a bit, before trying to play it off. “S-Sorry, I was just really nervous about dropping it. Wess is pretty protective with Belvedere, so I f-figured you’d be the same.”

Ferris continuing staring, before shrugging and not pursuing her thought any further, as Julia finally let go of her breath.

That was close. She admitted, taking out her tablet again, before marking off another point. But we’re getting somewhere.

Julia watched as Ferris kept walking further into the forest, hanging her head back in exhaustion, as she felt her grip tighten.

Please be innocent, Ferris.

———

“Agh! Come on! Just-“

Wess swung at the rodents again, managing to strike one down, only for three more to emerge from the bushes to replace it.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Wess let out, just blocking off their scratches with her shield, as she noticed Sola right beside her, struggling to aim at the rodents.

“Alright, you gross little things…” Sola said, holding her breath. “Take…!”

She charged up her arm-cannons, aiming right at two Raski’s in the distance, before they stepped to the side and easily dodged her beams of light. The ground looked singed beneath them, as they hissed at her and scurried away with their food.

“Dang it. These little guy’s suck so much.” Sola remarked, waving her cannons around frantically, just as Wess broke off from her pack of Raski’s and joined up with her.

“It seems we’re both struggling a bit.” Wess admitted, still panting, while getting a sigh from Sola.

“Tell me about it. Why can’t they be big like Wailing? I can hit those.” Sola pointed, watching as Wess’ rodents looked at her, almost mockingly.

“Well, our flimsy attempts aren’t getting us anywhere.” Wess noted, glancing back at the Raski’s circling around each other, before getting an idea in her head. “Actually, I think I’ve just thought of something.”

“Really? Nice!” Sola cheered.

“Just wait for my signal, then come in to attack, okay?” Wess asked, getting a firm nod from Sola, as she approached the rodents, reigniting their territorial nature.

Just as they charged back at her, Wess led them around, managing to group a few together, before holding them off with her shield, watching as they needlessly clawed at it in desperation.

“Now!” She cried at, as Sola jumped to attention, aiming at the now large group of Raski’s gathered by Wess’ shield, then firing a clean shot with her cannons and managing to take them all out.

“Whew!” Sola let out, feeling the exhaustion that came with overusing her Whil. “That totally worked!”

Wess managed to stand up, as she realised just how many they’d taken out. “Yes…it actually did.”

Sola regained some energy and jumped to Wess excitedly. “Great plan, Wess! We would’ve been toast without it.”

Wess tried to hide her blush, as she looked away. “Oh, you needn’t say that…”

“Let’s keep it up! I like this momentum!” Sola exclaimed, hurrying further into the forest, as Wess decided to follow along, finding herself smiling at Sola’s pleasant optimism.

———

Essex continued to effortlessly swing through the trees, moving between hooking branches with her scythe and running across flatter sections where she could.

Harley tried to keep up as best she could but found it difficult to quickly navigate the forest’s dense interior with her much larger frame, nearly tripping over a few out-sticking branches as she did.

Finally, Essex landed back on the ground, scouting the area around her, as a panting and sweaty Harley followed slowly behind, propping herself up on a nearby tree.

“Oh geez…that…was rough…”

“Vonodo, are you in need of aid?” Essex asked, as Harley shook her head.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You’re like a frickin’ animal. How do you not get tired?” Harley confessed, Essex looking confused at the question.

“I’m built for endurance. If I were to lose stamina, then fighting off Wailing would be much more difficult.” Essex explained, just as Harley started to regain some composure.

“I would’ve thought all my sleeping around would improve endurance…” Harley remarked, shrugging her shoulders. “But I guess not.”

“You are built for strength, not stamina.” Essex pointed out. “You are our strongest combatant by far.”

“Yeah, how about saying that when I can jump off trees and flip through the air with a scythe.” Harley commented, waving her hands about, as Essex went back to scouting the area.

“The Raski’s were headed in this direction, toward the mine entrance…” She muttered. “But there are no notable signs of a nearby nest.”

“But they were carrying food.” Harley pointed out. “Where are they taking it if not to a nest?”

“Perhaps it is further ahead.” Essex said, spotting a few more rodents in the distance headed south. “Let us continue.”

Essex hurried through the tree line, followed behind by Harley, as they tried to stay out of sight of the rodents.

“You reckon I’d look good with a scythe?” Harley asked, surprising Essex.

“…I would suppose.” Essex answered, looking unsure. “I do not know about fashion.”

“Oh, what are you talking about? You dress so damn well. That suit literally always looks great on you.” Harley said, as Essex was visibly embarrassed. “Seriously, we’re trudging through the forest, and you still look like dynamite.”

“…w-we should focus on the task at han-“ Essex said, before stopping in her tracks, having just reached a nearby cliff’s edge.

“And that’s not me being all flirty, that’s just the truth.” Harley admitted. “I mean, I’ve only ever met, like, one other person who could pull off purple, and I mean literally pull off pur-“

“Harley.”

Harley stopped talking. “Yeah?”

Essex crouched down suddenly, indicating to the now visible mine shaft entrance, as Harley realised just how far they’d trekked.

“Wow. We really made some tracks.” She said. “That must have been, what, five hundr…”

All of a sudden, Harley noticed what Essex was referring to. It wasn’t just that they’d reached the mine shaft, or the fact that a large number of the Raski’s had gathered outside of the mine entrance with their food, but rather, what was inside of it, slowly breathing to itself, tucked away inside the interior of the mine.

It was…

“…a Wailing.” Harley let out, instinctively joining Essex on the ground. “Holy shit…”

Essex raised a finger to her lips, before lying down and crawling to the cliff’s edge, looking out at the clearing below them, filled with old mining equipment and dirt mounds leading toward the mine.

The mine itself was noticeably spacious, as passing Raski’s ran the food they stored in their mouths over to a slowly gathering pile in front of the entrance, building up in front of a curled up figure, huddling itself into a ball, as faint, glowing orange lines ran up and down its body.

“…okay.” Harley started, backing up a little. “S-So, this is…huh…”

“A Wailing is using the mine as a shelter.” Essex noted, letting Harley follow along. “Why has no one from Kaju noted this?”

“Well, not too many people visit the mine shaft these days. If the Raski’s only became a real problem a few days ago, then that’s probably when it moved in.”

“At the moment, it would appear to be asleep.” Essex said, backing away too. “Before continuing any further, we should alert the team of this development.”

Harley nodded along, watching as Essex started to head back, before stopping her. “Wait.”

Essex turned back to her.

“Shouldn’t we just call a professional team in?” Harley reasoned. “I mean, our job was to take out the pests, not a full-blown Wailing. There’s no reason to put ourselves in danger.”

“But eliminating it will end the Raski problem, and it would be dangerous to leave it.” Essex argued. “If it were allowed to leave, it may attack Kaju due to our negligence.”

“Right, but we’re still only second-years.” Harley added, rubbing her head. “Okay, let’s just ask the others and see what they think. I still don’t know if we’re ready…”

“We have survived a confrontation with that figure from the attack. I believe we can handle a Wailing.” Essex pointed out, making tracks back toward the team.

“Well, you did.” Harley muttered under her breath, before quickly following her.

———

“Eww, eww eww!” Julia let out, poking away at the rodents flailing their arms at her, before firing her rifle and taking it out, letting go of her held breath. “Ugh, they’re so nasty.”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re friendly if yo-GO AWAY!” Spence yelled, scaring off a couple that were sneaking up on her. “If you give them a chance.”

“Why don’t you go join WRNG, you hippie?” Ferris remarked, snickering to herself, as Spence tried to nudge her off of the log they were both on.

Julia cleared out the area of Raski’s, before noticing there was another free moment she could have with Ferris.

“Hey, Spence?” Julia asked. “Could you go back to the main path and see if you can find the others? I want to gather back together soon.”

“Oh, sure thin-“ Spence said, before Ferris glared at her. “What?”

“Did you forget we’re not meant to be helping them?”

Spence decided to play it coy and touched her cheek. “Huh, I guess I did. How silly of me. You know what? I’m going to walk all the way to the main path just to punish myself for that.”

Spence carried on, deciding to ignore Ferris, as Ferris decided she really didn’t give enough of a shit to care.

Now that it was just the two of them, Julia put away her rifle.

“So…Ferris.” Julia let out, feeling a little overconfident. “How have you been after the attack?”

“Drunk and angry, so no different.” She quickly replied, peering through the foliage of the forest. “Are you looking for some kind of sympathy?”

Julia blushed a bit. “No, I just remember…hearing a couple weird things during it.”

Ferris turned to her and sat up. “Okay.” She said, waving her hands. “Good for you.”

Ferris continued her mulling, as Julia prepared herself for what she was about to admit.

“I can’t remember who said it, but at some point, I heard someone say the word…”

Julia gulped.

“Wicker.”

It took Ferris a second, before she immediately straightened her back.

Julia continued on normally. “I don’t really know what i-“

Ferris rushed over and grabbed Julia by the neck, pinning her to the nearest tree with a frantic look in her eyes.

“Where the hell did you hear that?!” Ferris yelled. “Don’t fuck with me! Where did you hear that?!”

Julia was having trouble breathing, trying not to panic, before managing the words ‘mystery figure,’ as Ferris shared a confused glance with her and loosened her grip.

“Mystery…?” She let out, before realising Julia was still struggling and letting her go. “Shit…”

Julia tried to recapture her breath, instinctively going for her rifle, before spotting Ferris huddled over, muttering to herself about something.

“…there’s no way…god frickin…”

She punched her fist into a nearby tree, before hearing what sounded like Harley and Essex crying out and whipping back around to Julia.

“We’re not done with this. I expect some reasoning as soon as this mission’s over.” Ferris demanded, before trudging back over to a terrified Julia. “You just love playing with fire, don’t you?”

She stormed away, leaving Julia panting and panicked, as Julia felt a residual pain and growing red mark around her neck.

Once she had calmed down her breathing somewhat, she noticed her tablet had fallen to the ground, before noticing her notes and stressing all over again.

“Ferris…” Julia let out, before getting up and deciding to join the others.

“I think I heard them over here…” Wess said, spotting Harley waving her arms, and Essex copying her motions in the distance.

“There they are!” Sola exclaimed, hurrying ahead, as Wess groaned and tried to keep up.

“Sola!” Harley cheered, grabbing her into a hug. “Where’d you guys get off to?”

“We just headed off further to take more pests out. What’d you two find?” Sola asked, just as Wess managed to catch up.

“We’d best wait for Julia and the other two.” Harley said, resting her hands on her hips. “I hope she was able to get some more info from Ferris.”

“Oh, there you are!” Spence exclaimed, carrying herself along. “This track is so crazy! I couldn’t find it at all, then I stumble on to you guys, and here it is!”

“Funny how that works.” Harley remarked, just as Ferris hurried through the leafage. “And now we’ve got both of you.”

Ferris turned to Spence and groaned, as Spence pouted back at her for the poor attitude.

“Were either of you with Julia?” Essex asked, leaving Ferris looking sheepish, before Julia emerged from behind her, now keeping her distance from Ferris.

“There you are. We were starti-“ Wess started, before noticing the ring of red around Julia’s neck and checking up on her. “Goodness, what happened?”

Julia went to open her mouth, before thinking through her situation and smiling. “I…just tripped weirdly going after some of those rodents. I’m fine, really.”

Wess still inspected it carefully, making sure Julia was okay, as Julia gave her attention to Harley to avoid Ferris’ glare. “So, what did you find out?”

Harley gulped. “You’re gonna need to see this.”

———

It took a minute for Julia to fully assess the situation, but from what Harley and Essex had explained, it was pretty clear to see.

She raised up her rifle, using the scope to get a closer look at the resting Wailing, as it slowly rose and fell with each breath, its body pulsating with an orange glow that illuminated its silhouette.

She lowered it and sighed out, before looking back at the rest of Team Valiant, now sitting on the cliffside with her. “Yeah…there’s no mistaking it.”

“I knew it!” Harley exclaimed, watching as Sola grabbed for the scope as well, before re-evaluating her celebration. “Oh, but that’s not a good thing…”

“It’s yet to make a move though, right?” Wess questioned, as Sola nodded, taking her eye from the scope.

“Yep. It’s just sleeping right no-wait!” Sola let out, pointing at it frantically, as it reached out a claw, grabbing for the pile of food in front of it, then bringing it in to its curled mass, seemingly to digest it.

“It’s like it’s hibernating.” Harley noted, as Julia noticed the slightly different coloration on the inside of its body, taking the scope back from Sola.

“I think its outer body is a protective shell, and the inside is much softer in comparison.” Julia reasoned.

“That would mean a potential weak point if it were to reveal itself.” Essex pointed out, as Julia gave her eye a rest and turned to her.

“So, saying we actually take this thing on, and since you have experience with the forest…” Julia proposed. “How do you think we would approach this?”

Essex looked surprised, somewhat caught off guard by being asked this, but took to it anyway and laid out a plan.

“…we are at an inherent disadvantage.” Essex explained, pointing to the mine entrance. “The entrance provides a cover from attacking in all directions except for the front.”

She moved her finger down, as the others followed. “Additionally, in front and below us is a large clearing, meaning if we were to enter, it would notice us quickly. Escaping would also be difficult.”

“Isn’t there another entrance to the mine?” Julia asked, as Harley shook her head.

“The mine’s not actually an active mine anymore, so they blocked up all the other entrances for safety reasons.” Harley explained, as Julia briefly remembered her researching on the helicopter.

“I see…” Julia mulled, stroking her chin. “So, we’d have to move it away from the entrance to even get a chance at winning…”

“Assuming it hasn’t planned for that already.” Wess pointed out. “If its shell is as strong as we think, it could just sit there, unmoving, while we flounder about with what to do.”

Sola joined Julia’s side, before jumping where she sat. “Oh! What if we steal its food? That’d probably annoy it a ton.”

Julia thought it over, watching as the rodents deliberately avoided getting too close to the food pile. “Then it’d chase whoever stole it and leave itself vulnerable…”

“While it is lured out, Harley and I shall wait beside the entrance and attempt to weaken it.” Essex said.

“I’m fine with that.” Harley agreed, pointing to Wess. “Are you good to grab the food?”

Wess promptly showed Belvedere and Artisan. “I’d be a sitting duck without my weapons. You’d spend half your time protecting me instead of attacking it.”

“Well, how about I grab the food, and Wess can focus on protecting me?” Julia reasoned. “That way, Harley and Essex can keep doing their job.”

“Oh, oh, what do I do?” Sola asked excitedly, still vibrating in her seated position.

Julia gave a well-meaning smile. “To be honest, you’d be best hanging back here in case we need you. We don’t know if its shell can reflect your lasers back at us, or absorb them, or whatever, so it’s best not to risk it unnecessarily. Plus, we need you with as much energy as you can keep.”

“Oh. Okay…” Sola let out, visibly losing energy, as Harley slung an arm around Sola.

“What she means is, you’re our last resort.” Harley told Sola. “If anything goes wrong, you jump in and do as much damage as you can to it to help us.”

Harley turned to Julia. “Right?”

“Oh, right, sorry. I didn’t mean to sideline you.” Julia apologised, looking visibly embarrassed. “My brain just keeps defaulting to keeping everyone safe.”

“So, you’re actually planning on taking this thing down?” Ferris asked, now joining the conversation, as Spence carefully peered at the resting Wailing from another part of the cliff, visibly shivering to herself.

“Well, that’s the source of the Raski problem.” Wess pointed out. “However, we’re also only meant to be taking out those pests.”

“I mean, we can just call in Team Swift or whatever. It doesn’t have to be us.” Harley pointed out, as Essex sat back up.

“It would still be irresponsible to leave this Wailing here until they arrive.” Essex reasoned, as Julia tried to think things through.

“I wouldn’t do it if I were you. That thing’s gonna kill ya.” Ferris brazenly stated, getting complaints from Spence beside her.

Julia’s thoughts kept drifting back to Ferris, worried this might be some form of reverse psychology to get them into harm’s way, as her suspicions that she was the figure only worsened.

“…if we’re going to do this, it needs to be unanimous.” Julia insisted. “While we don’t need to do this…it would be good practice for us. And we’d be doing a service to Kaju.”

She turned to the team, as Essex nodded in agreement. “I will gladly aid in this endeavour.”

“I mean, we already planned out our attack.” Wess reasoned, getting a thumbs up from Sola beside her, as Julia turned last to Harley.

“…yeah, alright.” Harley said, brandishing a proud smile. “We can totally do this together.”

“Okay.” Julia said, putting her hand in the middle of them. “Let’s do that hand thing from sports movies.”

Everyone followed along, as Julia stayed silent.

“…oh, sorry, I was meant to say something…” Julia realised, as everyone looked back at her confusedly, before bursting into laughter and breaking anyway.

“They’re dead meat…” Ferris muttered, before getting up and turning to Spence. “Don’t ask where I’m going. Just stay here and don’t become a victim.”

“Y-Y-Yeah, that was the plan!” Spence admitted, still shaking profusely, as Team Valiant readied themselves for the oncoming fight.

—-—TEAM VALIANT MISSION UPDATE—-—

—-—HUNT DOWN THE RASKI’S WAILING PLAGUING KAJU’S WILDERNESS—-—

Just out of sight, Julia managed to lower Harley, Wess and Essex down the cliffside with her Whil, slowing their velocity to nearly nothing, letting them circle around the mine entrance and get into position. Sola, meanwhile, had done her best to sneak behind one of the many dirt mounds within the clearing, staying clear of the entrance until she was needed.

After some difficulty lowering herself down, Julia took a breather while everyone went into position, before joining Wess and Essex on the right side of the mine.

She gave a thumbs up to Harley on the left side, before mentally preparing herself, only to re-evaluate what she was about to do and freak out again.

Before she could get in her own head to much, Wess and Essex gave her a reassuring glance, letting her know she would have their full support, as Julia worked up the nerve and readied herself for the plan.

She went up, grabbed the food, and ran.

Immediately, the Wailing perked up, uncurling itself and stretching out a claw to swipe at Julia, just as Wess came along and blocked it, holding against it with her shield.

The Wailing started to pull itself out of the mine entrance, emerging and proving just how massive it was in comparison, as Wess pulled back to keep on top of Julia, and Harley and Essex got in position to attack at its now exposed legs.

Essex dug into the Wailing’s leg with her scythe, attempting to trip it over, to no avail, only for Harley to come in with her Buster Knuckles equipped and aim for the other leg, activating the jet boosters on her right gauntlet to punch directly into the weak part of its knee.

The Wailing started to fall, just as Julia dropped the food and re-equipped her rifle, as a large billow of dust accompanied the Wailing’s fall.

Wess blocked what she could of Julia with her shield, as Julia found no reason to hesitate, taking out her rifle to kill it for good.

The Wailing was splayed out over the ground, seemingly down for the count, as Julia approached it with the barrel pointed at its head, only to hesitate for a brief second as it shared a glance with her, giving the Wailing just enough time to sweep her leg.

“Julia!” Wess cried, managing to catch her, as the Wailing pulled itself back up, then sunk back down, now even further, going into the ground, until its body was completely submerged underground, invisible and undetectable.

“Okay, what the hell was that?” Harley let out, Essex getting her scythe ready, as Wess checked on Julia.

Julia managed to stand back up, grabbing her rifle again, as she heard Sola’s voice calling out to her.

“Do you guys need me yet?”

“Not yet!” Julia called back, looking around frantically, until the ground started to rumble again. “I-I think it has a form of magic. There’s no way it just dug into the ground that fast.”

“Be on your gu-“ Wess started, only to turn around and see a large whirling sphere launched right into the sky, now barrelling toward her and the others with impressive speed and power.

She jumped out of the way, as it tore past her, carrying on back to the mine entrance, before the Wailing unfurled itself from its shell and prepared itself to attack again.

With the team scattered, the Wailing started to gain the advantage, as it used its shell to block off their melee attacks, then swiped at them whenever it saw an opportunity.

Essex tried to pry it open, as Harley turned her jets around and attempted to burn through it, both to no avail, while Julia changed the configuration of her assault rifle to a sniper rifle and started taking pot shots at its exposed head.

In response, the Wailing’s throat began to bulge, before it spat up a virile orange bile at her, burning the spot where Julia had just dodged from.

Wess’ first instinct was to go and protect Julia, before she noticed Sola on the sidelines, calling her over frantically.

Julia noticed her running off. “Wess! Where are you going?!”

“I think Sola has a plan! Just hold it off!” Wess yelled, as Julia went back to firing at the Wailing, just as Wess caught up with a pacing Sola.

“This better be worth it.” Wess insisted, as Sola nodded over and over to confirm it.

“I know I wasn’t meant to get involved unless it got bad, but it looks kinda bad, and I really wanted to help you guys out, so-“ Sola rambled, before Wess grabbed her shoulders.

“Sola.” She said. “Tell me your plan.”

Sola let out a quick breath, before pointing back at the Wailing. “Okay, so because its shell is shielding its body, the only vulnerable spot right now is its head, right?”

“Yes, it would appear that way.” Wess agreed.

“But we can’t reach it cause its really tall, and it’ll just spit that weird acid.” Sola added, waving her hands to dictate her points. “So, what if I hit it really hard in the head with my lasers? One clean blast.”

“That might just do it…” Wess mumbled. “But how would you get high enough? If you try to leave the clearing, you’ll be spotted in an instant.”

“Right. Yeah.” Sola agreed. “That’s where my plan comes in.”

She pointed at the ground.

“I’m gonna launch myself with my lasers.”

Wess blinked frantically. “Sorry, what?”

“Well, it’ll be us.” Sola added, only confusing Wess more. “I’m gonna shoot my lasers at the ground, launch us in the air, then fire again to kill it. You’ll be there to block its acid shot with Artisan.”

Wess looked at her shield, before grabbing her temple. “Alright, obvious question first, can you launch yourself with your lasers?”

“Yeah!” Sola said, before thinking on it. “Well, I should. I’ve never done it before. But it does push me back a little when I fire.”

“Okay…” Wess said, now with her head in her hands, before catching the fighting still going on and reassessing her priorities. “Still, can you fire twice that fast? You get easily exhausted after only one blast.”

“I know.” Sola said, pumping her fists. “But I’ve gotta do it for the team. At least this once.”

Wess stared at her incredulously, before looking back at the rest of Team Valiant, still struggling against the Wailing, as it visibly wore them down.

Feeling her anxiety getting to her, Wess made a quick decision. “Fine, yes, we’ll do it.”

Sola jumped in celebration, before finding a spot to launch from, as Wess put Belvedere back in her scabbard and held onto Sola.

“Oh Whilit, please keep me safe…” Wess wished, noticing Sola was pointing downward and freaking out. “Sola!”

Sola quickly noticed and pointed off to the side. “Sorry. Nearly burned our feet there.”

Wess watched as the Wailing started to gain ground, knocking Harley off to the side and stepping closer to Julia as she huddled against one of the dirt mounds, all while Essex tried in vain to hold it back.

She held on tight to Sola, nodding confidently to her, as Sola started to charge up her cannons, preparing herself for the launch, all while the Wailing started to take its victory in stride.

After a few more seconds of charging, Sola let go, firing directly at the ground, as her and Wess started to lift off the ground, now being propelled up into the sky and above the tree line from the momentum of Sola’s blast alone.

It took Wess a few seconds to acknowledge they were actually above the ground, but it only took the Wailing one, as it quickly fired an acidic shot toward the now hurtling Sola and Wess.

Sola did her best to charge her cannons, even as she felt resistance from her own body due to fatigue, but managed to push through, letting light build up in the barrels again.

Wess snapped back to reality and prepared herself for the oncoming blast, holding out her shield as the acid soared toward them, before being cleanly deflected by the shield.

“Sola!” Wess yelled, as Sola scrunched up her face, feeling the two of them starting to go down, until the light reached its height and blasted out of the arm-cannons, launching them back through the air, and heading straight for the now exposed Wailing.

Julia, Harley and Essex only now acknowledged what was going on, as the beam of light travelled across the sky, just overhead, and directly into the Wailing, singing its face, and collapsing it over, letting out one final cloud of dust with its fall.

Due to the force of Sola’s blast, her and Wess were sent right back onto the cliffside, just clipping the grass as they tumbled across the ground, feeling generally sore all over.

It took them a minute to recover, as they now acknowledged someone over their bodies with a great, wide smile.

“You guys really took that thing out!” Spence exclaimed, jumping up and down. “What an accomplishment!”

Wess and Sola managed to get back up, Sola still very dizzy after her attack, as Wess noticed the others waving to her down in the clearing, indicating to the collapsed Wailing.

“Sola, that was incredible!” Julia exclaimed, as her and Wess joined back up with the others. “You really saved us just there.”

“What did I tell ya. Just point her at the Wailing, and we won’t have a problem.” Harley grinned, bringing Sola in for an embrace.

“That was some great teamwork, you guys!” Spence let out, now joining them as well, as she stumbled a little at the ground shaking.

“This was a difficult bought, but we have managed.” Essex acknowledged, feeling a slight breeze beneath her leg. “We should find Ferris and report our victory.”

“Yeah, tha…” Julia said, before noticing that the rest of the team were now staring past her, with a large shadow having formed over her as she was talking.

To everyone’s surprise, what looked to be a definitive end to the fight was merely a scratch on the Wailing, as it managed to brush off Sola’s supposedly devastating blast like it was nothing.

Of course, it wasn’t nothing, as now the team had made an enemy of it, it was hellbent on paying back their damage in kind, leaving the team stunned.

Spence started to fall, before fainting suddenly, as the Wailing towered over the team, readying to start attacking the unprepared team, just as a slight glint formed above it, reflecting off of a sword that had suddenly emerged from a nearby tree.

In the least likely of events, Team Valiant saw Ferris, now leaping out of the tree and toward the Wailing, her sword at the ready, as a brilliant white light formed around the blade, just as the Wailing acknowledged what was going on.

It tried to prepare however it could, but even managing to block Ferris’ attack with its shell, she still pierced right through it, only to continue even further, stabbing her way through its body, until she stood atop it, watching as its shell lost form and the body collapsed backwards, crashing against the ground for the last time. The dust slowly settled on its form, revealing a Wailing slain in a mere matter of seconds.

Taking in everything they had just witnessed, the team watched as Ferris managed to retrieve her sword, trying to flick off the Wailing’s blood as best she could.

The first one to speak was Julia, as she stammered over her words. “H-How did you-“

“It’s my Whil.” Ferris admitted, slowly climbing off the lifeless husk. “I can sharpen any blade to be ten times as sharp. It was the only thing that could have gotten through that shell.”

Julia blinked. “Y-Your Whil?”

“Here.” Ferris said, using her Whil on her sword to break a part of the Wailing’s shell, before chucking it in the team’s direction. “Souvenir.”

Harley just managed to grab it, as Ferris carried her over to them, before picking up the unconscious Spence and propping her on her back.

“That’s enough excitement for one day.” Ferris said, heading in the direction of Kaju. “Pest problem solved.”

The team only now acknowledged that the rodents had scattered, seemingly abandoning the area now that they now longer had to serve the Wailing.

“Well then.” Wess said, still trying to get back her composure. “We’d best follow her, right?”

“It wasn’t her.” Julia managed to say, catching the team’s attention. “She wasn’t the figure at the attack. They had a different Whil. It couldn’t have been Ferris there.”

The team looked at each other, before collapsing to the ground in relief, let out groans of exhaustion and happiness that Ferris was no longer their enemy.

—-—TEAM VALIANT MISSION—-—

—-—HUNT DOWN THE WAILING PLAGUING KAJU’S WILDERNESS—-—

—-—COMPLETED—-—

Ferris glanced over at Spence, still passed out on the seat beside her, as the helicopter carried her and Team Valiant back to the academy. Her hand casually rested on the handle of her sword, cautious of anything that might still surprise her.

“So…” Ferris started, lifting her head. “I’m guessing you know more then you’re letting on.”

Julia jumped a little, getting a look from the others, before avoiding Ferris’ stare. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t just casually drop the name Wicker like it’s nothing.” Ferris said, being noticeably more deliberate with her words. “Spill.”

Julia felt put on the spot, before sighing out and rubbing her neck. “…we found someone during the attack.”

“She…was trying to steal something from the academy…and we’re pretty sure she got away with it.” Harley added, backing Julia up.

“We attempted to fend her off, but she had managed to escape along with the Behemoth Wailing.” Essex continued, still regretting the moment.

“…we also thought she was you.” Julia openly admitted, as Ferris crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat.

“…huh.” She let out. “I did think it was weird how interested you were in me all of a sudden.”

Ferris ruffled her hair a little, before finally taking her hand off the sword. “…I know who you’re talking about. Heck, I’m surprised you’re even here to talk about it.”

The team sat to attention, as Ferris actually felt like talking.

“I’m only going to say this once, so shut up and listen.” Ferris demanded, still avoiding direct eye contact. “…I’ve been hunting her down too. I’ve been doing it in my spare time.”

“Why?” Harley asked, before Ferris death-stared her.

“Hey, I said shut up.” She barked, before continuing. “And don’t ask why. It doesn’t concern you, trust me. Unless, of course, you pissed her off for whatever reason…”

Ferris let out a heavy breath, before resettling herself.

“…Rosalind Castello.” Ferris said. “She’s an infamous assassin currently working for Wicker in some capacity. And by the sounds of it, she was on campus during the last Behemoth Wailing attack. She’s as slippery as they are, so finding hers as difficu-“

“Wait, hold on.” Wess interrupted, frustrating Ferris again. “So, Rosalind leads to Wicker, right, but why’s that important? What’s Wicker doing?”

“…we don’t know.” Ferris admitted, sitting up and getting more comfortable. “They’re a complete enigma in every sense. But I have it from…a somewhat reliable source…that they’re manipulating the Wailing Conflict for their own benefit.”

“Reliable source?” Sola whispered to the others, as they gave it a second’s thought.

Faller. They all thought, as Ferris waved her hand to dictate her point.

“Some say they’re a major government official, some say they’re an elite council of no names, passing down the title for generations, and some say they’ve been dead for years. No one can get a read on them.” Ferris explained, before sitting forward. “Admittedly, our best guess is Vice-Principal Coatsworth, but so fa…”

Ferris stopped as she realised everyone was avoiding eye contact, before grabbing her nose. “Alright, what aren’t you telling me?”

Julia looked to the others before blurting it out. “We know that Coatsworth’s innocent. We questioned him, and then Rosalind, I guess, stole his car, a-“

“That’s why he was carpooling with Seears!” Ferris let out, a weight having been lifted, before turning her attention to a dazed Julia. “Oh, right. Well, I was starting to think it was a dead end anyway.”

Ferris pointed back to Julia. “But we still have one lead: Rosalind. Tracking her can lead us to the real Wicker.”

Ferris noted Spence still lying beside her, before grabbing her temple. “And finding Wicker might mean ending the Wailing Conflict for good…”

“W-Wait, really?” Julia let out, shocking the rest of the team as well, as Ferris groaned at her.

“Gods, you kids really want to get your hands dirty, huh?” Ferris remarked, leaning forward. “Well, you’re in it now. But word to the wise, keep your heads down and shut up. Let us handle this. You could barely take on one Wailing today. You’re no match for Wicker.”

Just as she said that, the group felt the helicopter start to land, as Spence was stirred from her rest, sitting up in a dazed state.

“Wha…where’d the Wailing…” She mumbled, as Ferris pulled at her shoulder.

“Taken care of. Come on.” She said, taking her off the helicopter, before staring up at the sky. “It’s still surprisingly early.”

The team headed off the helicopter, stretching as they hit the ground, before Ferris double-checked her empty pocket flask.

“I don’t think I should accompany you kids on missions anymore.” Ferris admitted, noticing how empty it was and pocketing it again. “Knowing my luck, you’ll just keep getting hurt with me around…”

Julia felt around the red mark on her neck, before Ferris finally took her leave, only for Wess to call out to her.

“Hey! How well did we do on our mission?”

“Serviceable!” She called out, just as Spence caught up to her, desperate to hear a recap of what she’d missed.

“Huh. That was…decent of her.” Sola said, as the team had to admit that they agreed.

“So, Ferris is part of this too?” Harley reiterated, holding up her piece of the Wailing shell. “Damn. You think you know a person.”

“This Rosalind person was at the attack?” Essex asked, getting a nod from Julia. “…I see.”

“At least we know who she was now. That’s quite a relief…” Wess admitted, sighing out loud.

“But we don’t know who Wicker is.” Julia pointed out, pressing her fingers together. “…and I’m still worried it might be Faller.”

“Then he’s our next suspect!” Sola declared. “Ferris is cleared, so next up is Principal Faller.”

“He’ll be harder to get a hold of. His schedule is notoriously busy.” Wess noted, as the team started making their way to the dorms.

“Alright then. We keep an eye out for when he’s free and investigate. We’ll see if he knows anything about ‘Wicker,’ whether that’s him or not.” Julia assured, pumping her fist. “I don’t know about you guys…but I’m kind of excited.”

“Me too!” Harley cheered, picking her up and putting her on her shoulders, as Julia asked to be put down, getting a hearty laugh out of the whole team.

———

“Atchoo!”

Rosalind scratched at her nose, trying not to let it drip, as she noticed Jules passing her room.

“Hey, hey.” She called out. “I just sneezed. You reckon someone’s talking about me?”

Jules just rolled her eyes and carried on, as Rosalind sat back on her couch, staring at her newly replaced TV, before a piece on the last academy attack came up, now reflecting on what it meant with a few months’ hindsight.

Rosalind groaned as the same report with Team Valiant came up on the screen, showing them off proudly, as she recalled the verbal berating Wicker had given her over their…

…over her screw up.

“…never again…”

She picked up her sword, before thrusting it into the new TV and breaking it a new, then heading out into the hall to clear her head.

“…never…again…”