We Were Trapped…

The group of four rode a cart to the personal quest’s destination, and Rina had just finished summarizing her and Kaito’s journey and the details of their mission.

“So you think the hero’s party might be the benefactor’s allies who have gone awry,” Khrom clarified, adding his theory to the mix. “Then I guess one of the members of the hero’s party may be betraying their group.”

“I think you're right,” Rina added. “That would be why they must be so careful not to get caught.”

“Don’t you think it could be that old guy?” Kaito referred to Tatsuki. “He just let us go without a fight after all.”

“Evona thinks it’s Lady Ka— actually, never mind…” Evona suggested, but immediately retracted as she remembered her idol’s true colors.

“Whoever it may be, we’ll likely face the hero’s party again,” Rina concluded.

“Yeah… We’re all going to have to get much stronger in preparation for that,” Khrom mentioned as they had all already talked about how they struggled against ‘Kouki’s Generals’.

In that moment, Kaito remembered one fact they had discussed regarding their one-on-one battles against Kouki’s Generals.

“Wait, Rina! You said you defeated that spider witch on your own!” Kaito announced, not even trying to remember the generals’ names. “How!?”

“I did, but I had to use my special weapon,” Rina explained.

“A special— YOU HAVE ONE!?” Kaito shouted in Rina’s face.

Rina opened her eyes nonchalantly, from Kaito’s yell, and responded, “Yeah, it’s an air-based one that lets me move faster, fly, and launch a variety of air projectiles. It’s very draining to use, so I don’t take it out much.”

“And when exactly were you going to tell me this!?” Kaito asked, sounding annoyed, but he was more shocked than anything. “Can we see it!?”

Rina thought for a second but declined the offer. Kaito wanted to press the issue, but Rina successfully drew attention away from him by talking about their personal quest.

They were headed north to an abandoned base used in the war against the Demon Lord. According to the vague mission details, bandits had been using it as their hideout. The party’s job was to disperse the group and retrieve any stolen goods or captives held there.

Suddenly, the carriage they were riding in jostled to a halt.

“This is that destination, right?” The carriage driver asked.

They stopped in a small wooded area near the supposed bandit’s hideout. They gave the carriage a broad drop-off point so he wouldn’t get caught up in their mission.

“Yes, this is fine,” Rina answered the driver, as everyone dismounted the carriage.

It was about an hour on foot from their drop-off point to the bandit hideout, so the group had a bit of walking to do.

Kaito’s party was on high alert as they walked towards their destination. The bandits would be patrolling the outskirts of their base, so they had to be careful not to get caught.

Just as the group predicted, bandits were patrolling the area. It seems like the mission wasn’t bait.

It was going to be a covert mission until they reached the hideout. After all, taking the guards out on the path to the hideout could alarm the whole group. Under the effects of Phase, Kaito led everyone to the hideout’s entrance safely.

Nobody was guarding the wooden staked walls they seemed to have built for defense, but this worked in their favor. They neared the entrance of the hideout to see the enemy’s numbers.

“INTRUDERS!!!” A woman yelled out.

They’ve been found.

“Go to plan B!” Rina ordered as the group started running into the base. It was going to be an all-out raid.

Running into the center of the open courtyard, Kaito’s party stood back to back as all the bandits watched and surrounded them. The party kept their defensive position as the gate they had just entered slowly closed.

No one was aggressing. All the bandits stared and mockingly giggled to each other. They clearly thought Kaito’s party was stupid to enter their territory.

Suddenly, all the bandits disappeared into small puffs of smoke.

“Wait, what?” Kaito didn’t know what was going on.

“It’s illusion magic,” Khrom explained. “It’s a trap!”

As Khrom announced the danger, a magic circle glowed underneath the group. Before anyone could escape from the circle, it activated, crumbling the ground underneath them.

They were all sent to the depths below.