The morning sun struggled to penetrate the thick mist that clung to the broken streets of the town.
The cold bit through Riven's cloak, but he hardly noticed. His mind was elsewhere — already calculating, planning.
The Red Blades were strong, but they were undisciplined.
Ruthless, yes. Dangerous, absolutely.
But they relied on fear and brute strength, not strategy.
That would be their downfall.
Riven and Eron stood outside the Broken Lantern, blending into the crowds of merchants, beggars, and mercenaries that filled the market square.
Their time had come.
---
> [Quest Objective: Eliminate Craven and Take Control of the Eastern District]
> [Bonus Objective: Minimize Civilian Deaths]
---
Riven leaned close to Eron.
"We move at sunset. We'll cut off their scouts first, then strike the heart."
Eron swallowed nervously but nodded.
"We only get one chance," Riven said. "Stay sharp."
They spent the day preparing.
They bought supplies — rope, oil, cheap wine laced with sleeping powder.
They marked routes through the alleys, noting where the patrols were laziest.
They listened.
Rumors buzzed in every tavern: the Red Blades were celebrating a major victory.
They had extorted half the town's merchants in one brutal sweep.
Their arrogance would blind them.
Good.
---
As twilight bled across the sky, Riven and Eron slipped into the alleys.
The first target was a lookout — a bored man leaning against a lamppost, half-drunk.
Eron tossed a stone in a nearby alley.
The lookout turned — just enough for Riven to slip behind him and clamp a hand over his mouth.
One swift stroke. Silent.
The body slumped into the shadows.
One down.
---
They moved quickly.
Each patrol was neutralized — either knocked unconscious or silenced permanently.
By the time they reached the Red Blades' warehouse, only the core gang remained.
Inside, laughter and shouting echoed through the night.
The doors hung open, careless.
Riven and Eron crept to a broken window and peered inside.
Nearly twenty men lounged within.
Craven sat at the head of a makeshift throne — a massive chair cobbled from old wagon parts and iron.
He was even larger up close, a mountain of fat and muscle, with small, piggish eyes.
He wore no armor — only bloodstained leathers — but an enormous battle axe leaned against his throne.
---
"Drunken pigs," Eron muttered.
Riven allowed himself a small smile.
He pulled out a small vial — oil mixed with sleeping powder.
He soaked rags and wrapped them around three stones.
They set the rags alight, waited until they smoked heavily, then lobbed them through different openings.
Confusion erupted immediately.
Men coughed and swore.
Riven and Eron darted inside amid the chaos.
---
Riven struck first.
A quick jab to the throat sent one thug gasping to the ground.
Eron swung a club into another's knees, felling him.
Shouts rang out.
"AMBUSH!"
"TO ARMS!"
Craven bellowed, shoving a smaller man aside to grab his axe.
Riven moved like liquid shadow, ducking between crates, slashing and striking with lethal precision.
The Red Blades were strong, but drunk and disorganized.
Perfect targets.
---
> [Synchronization: 45%...]
---
A blade whistled past Riven's face, grazing his cheek.
He ignored the sting, pivoted, and slammed the hilt of his dagger into the attacker's temple.
Another came at him with a cudgel.
Riven grabbed the man's arm mid-swing and twisted, dislocating the shoulder with a sickening pop.
Screams filled the warehouse.
Blood slicked the wooden floor.
Still, they fought.
Craven roared and charged, swinging his axe in a brutal arc.
Riven dodged, feeling the wind of the blow.
The axe splintered a support beam behind him.
Too strong for a direct clash.
Riven changed tactics.
He baited Craven, weaving through the debris, letting the gang leader's rage drive him into mistakes.
---
Meanwhile, Eron battled a wiry thug, barely fending off rapid strikes.
Riven saw it in a flash.
He hurled a broken plank across the room.
It smashed into the thug's head, buying Eron time to counterattack.
"Thanks!" Eron gasped.
"Focus!" Riven barked.
No time for thanks.
Only survival.
---
The battle ground on.
For every Red Blade that fell, another took his place.
Sweat poured from Riven's brow.
His muscles ached.
But he pressed on.
A lifetime of battles surged in his blood.
He was not just Riven — he was every warrior he had ever been.
---
> [New Passive Skill Acquired: Endurance of the Fallen Lv.1]
---
Finally, they whittled the enemy down.
Only Craven remained, panting heavily, blood dripping from multiple wounds.
He glared at Riven with hate and fear.
"You... you think you're a hero?" he spat.
"I'm no hero," Riven said coldly.
"I'm survival."
With a final surge, Craven charged.
Riven sidestepped, drove his dagger deep into Craven's side, and twisted.
The giant fell to his knees, gasping.
Riven ended it with a swift slash across the throat.
Craven collapsed, gurgling his last breath.
---
> [Quest Complete: Eliminate Craven]
> [Synchronization: 50%...]
> [Bonus Reward Unlocked: Territory Control Option Activated]
---
The warehouse fell silent.
Riven stood among the corpses, breathing hard.
Eron leaned on a broken crate, bloody but alive.
They had done it.
They had torn the heart from the Red Blades.
The city would feel the shockwaves by morning.
---
But the night was not over.
---
As Riven secured the warehouse, dragging bodies outside and dousing the blood with sand, a faint sound reached his ears.
The soft scrape of boots on stone.
He whirled, dagger ready.
A figure stood in the shadows beyond the ruined doorway.
A woman.
Cloaked and hooded, but slender and poised.
Her voice was smooth as silk.
"Impressive," she said.
Riven didn't lower his weapon.
"Who are you?"
"Just a messenger," she replied.
"One of many who have been... watching."
Watching?
Even now?
Even after the Red Blades had fallen?
She tossed something through the air.
Riven caught it automatically.
A silver coin, engraved with an unfamiliar crest — a serpent devouring its own tail.
A symbol of power... and threat.
"Consider this an invitation," the woman said.
Then she vanished into the mist.
---
> [New Quest Available: Uncover the Secrets of the Serpent Order]
Objective: Investigate the hidden powers controlling the town.
Reward: Skill Advancement, Unique Item.
---
Riven turned the coin over in his hand.
A new game had begun.
And he would not play it blindly.
---
The town whispered that night.
Word spread like wildfire.
The Red Blades were gone.
A new power had risen — swift, merciless, unseen.
Some called him a demon.
Others, a savior.
But all agreed on one thing:
The name of Riven Valen would be remembered.
And his legend was only beginning.
---
> [Synchronization: 52%...]