A hush fell over the campfire.
Ren stared at Lilith, his mouth half open in surprise. He supposed that this had been part of the plan, but he hadn’t expected her to do that.
As for Thorn, he was frozen in place, his cup still halfway to his lips, as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Lilith stood over the body, her face calm, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. She didn’t say a word. Didn’t need to.
The rest of the Seven stood slowly, no longer drunk. No longer smiling.
Ren rose, slowly, hands up. "Lilith..."
"She touched you." Lilith said softly.
The fire crackled again.
Everyone just stared, and for one breathless second, no one moved.
Then the camp exploded.
A scream tore through the night as one of the Seven lunged forward, weapon already in hand.
The rest surged into motion, even through the haze of drink. Their discipline hadn’t dulled, only slowed by the gin they’d been drinking throughout the night. They were soldiers. Deadly, trained, and now enraged.
He blurred forward, moving through the fire in the middle of the camp, his cloak trailing behind him as he intercepted the first strike, catching the descending blade with his bracer.
Sparks flew and the kinetic energy was quickly absorbed by his bracer, adding to the slowly building stores.
Before the man even knew what was going on, Ren was already moving.
With a quick pivot, he shoved the attacker off balance and lashed out with a brutal punch to the gut. The impact crunched like stone breaking. The warrior crumpled, air gone from his lungs, and collapsed in the snow.
"They’re giving their power to one of them!" Thorn shouted, already moving to Lilith’s side as he ducked under an attack. If the Seven had not been drunk, this would have gone very badly.
Ren could feel it too. A rush of energy filling the air. Six sources dimming, and one swelling like a rising storm.
They were channeling everything into one man.
And Ren had seconds before he’d be facing a Rank 9 Knight.
To the left, one of the warriors was still reaching for her sword, slower than the others. Her gaze met Ren’s just as he appeared before her. Her eyes widened, but it was too late.
His hand surged forward.
One strike. A crack of bones. She folded like a puppet with its strings cut.
Five left now. No. Four slightly weakened opponents, and one quickly rising in power.
The air split behind him. The empowered Knight’s fist roared through the falling snow like a cannon, glowing with burning power.
He spun, throwing out one arm.
Lilith’s hand met his without question. Thorn clutched his arm an instant later.
The empowered Knight’s punch crashed toward them, snow hissing around his knuckles like a miniature avalanche.
And just as it was an inch away from hitting them, Ren vanished.
There was a loud bang of displaced air. Then, silence.
They reappeared miles away, the scenery shifting in an instant.
Gone were the warmth and firelight of the camp. Now, there was only white. A frozen silence broken only by the sound of their breathing.
They were back where they’d first met the Seven. There was nothing around them but snow, wind, and the light of the moon.
Lilith exhaled slowly. Thorn dropped to a knee, panting.
"That was too close." Thorn muttered.
Ren stood straight, scanning the horizon. His breath steamed in the air. "But we made it. They won’t be able to track us here. Not in time."
Lilith looked at him, eyes fierce. "Next time... I won’t give them a chance to group up."
"I thought we were supposed to wait for the signal." Thorn growled, looking up at Lilith.
Lilith opened her mouth to speak, before looking away. "Sorry." She muttered to Ren. "She was just..." She trailed off.
Ren sighed. "Don’t worry. What’s done is done. They’re down two members. Maybe three. I’m not sure if the second one I attacked died."
"What difference does it make?" Thorn asked. "They’ll be hunting for us now."
"It does make a difference. If they’re still five, the empowered one will be Rank 9. But if they’re four, the empowered one will be Rank 8. A difference of one rank, yes, but that could make all the difference."
"Brrr." Thorn shivered. "We left our tents behind."
"We already agreed to do that." Ren said, his hand straying to the spatial pouch on his waist. "Besides, we have spares."
There was silence for a few seconds, before Thorn spoke again. "So, what do we do about the Seven?"
"We can’t keep tiptoeing if we want to get around them." Lilith finally spoke, her arms crossed beneath her cloak. "They’ll regroup. Next time they won’t be drunk."
Thorn nodded. "So what’s the plan?"
Ren turned his head, staring out into the dark. Covered by the falling snow, far away in the distance and just barely visible, was the Eighth Peak rose.
Between them and it were miles of dangerous terrain, other enemies, and whatever remained of the Seven As One.
"We go straight there." Ren finally said. "No more circling. No more distractions."
Thorn frowned. "What about the Seven? They’ll know where we’re headed."
"Doesn’t matter. We just need to get there first. While we head straight there, they’ll be circling around, looking for us." Lilith said. "As long as we move fast and don’t stop, we should get there first."
Ren nodded. "We’ll get close enough that when the Divine Gift awakens, we’re already within reach. No one else gets there first."
He stepped forward, adjusting the strap of his bracer.
A shift in the wind. Barely a flutter.
Ren’s eyes narrowed, his head tilting just slightly, like he heard something a fraction too late.
Then, his head exploded.
The sound was like a thunderclap. A shockwave of wet mist splashed across the snow as Ren’s body jerked violently. His headless corpse staggered once, then crumpled forward, lifeless.
Thorn let out a strangled cry.
The steam of his blood still hung in the air.
There, buried in the snow beside him, was the arrow. Long, black shafted, its head glinting with a faint, golden etching.
A second later, it dissolved into golden light.