Assimilate All Talents

Atop a cliff overlooking a dusty road, five men and women dressed in mismatched leather armor sat around an extinguished campfire. The midday sun blazed overhead, making sweat drip down their foreheads.

Buck leaned back, shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand, and grumbled, "Man… This spot is good, but the sun kills me this time of year. I know we can't build a shelter that'd give us away, but can't we plant a tree or two?"

Rafelia, fanning herself with a scrap of paper, shook her head. "When you find a tree that can grow on this rocky ground, go ahead, no one's gonna stop you."

The rocky terrain beneath them was barren and unforgiving. Growing anything here would take either a miracle or skills they simply didn't have.

Not far from the group, their scout Kilen crouched behind a large rock, keeping a watchful eye on the road. His sharp gaze caught movement, a trio of travelers walking down the path. They were each carrying a large backpack which appeared full to the brim. They appeared to be small time merchants or making some kind of delivery.

"Guys, we've got company!" he called out.

Miden, the scrawniest of the group, stood and grabbed his oversized staff. Despite his thin frame, he radiated authority. "Look alive, everyone. Let's make this quick."

The others nodded, unsheathing their weapons and preparing to do what they did best: rob unsuspecting travelers.

Just as they were about to move, Kilen perked up again, his eyes narrowing. "Wait! Someone else is coming!"

The news didn't faze the group. Rafelia grinned as she hefted her broadsword. "A two for one? Lucky us!"

"Rider or carriage?" Miden asked calmly.

Kilen turned his head toward the sound of hoofbeats and activated his skill, [Long Sight].

"A carriage—but… what the hell? They're moving way too fast."

The scene before Kilen's enhanced vision was bizarre. The carriage was being pulled by a shadowy black horse that moved at a ludicrous speed. It defied logic that the carriage hadn't fallen apart from the incredible speed on the bumpy road. He turned back to Miden, his face grave.

"It's not normal," Kilen reported. "Some kind of shadow horse… and it's fast. Real fast."

The group waited for Miden's call. He didn't take long to decide.

"Forget it. It's not worth the risk," Miden said firmly, sitting back down by the campfire.

From Kilen's description, whoever was riding in that carriage was at least B-Rank. With only Miden himself at that level, they'd be doomed if there was more than one capable fighter. Any seasoned bandit knew when to pick their battles, and a shadowy horse speeding down the road screamed trouble. It only took one bad encounter to end up dead.

"Let's wait it out," Buck agreed, settling back onto the hard ground. "Someone else will come along later."

The rest nodded in agreement, though before they could fully relax, Kilen's tense voice cut through the air.

"Wait—they're stopping!"

"What? Do they know we're here?" Rafelia asked, her grip tightening on her broadsword.

"Could it really be a B-Ranker?" Buck muttered anxiously, clutching his weapon.

The group's earlier bravado vanished, replaced by a nervous energy. They were tense, dreading the possibility that they'd been discovered.

"Quiet down," Miden ordered, raising a hand. "Let me check."

Cautiously leaning over the cliff's edge, he peered down at the road. The carriage had come to a halt near the three travelers. The travelers had drawn their weapons at first, but a young man stepped out of the carriage and greeted them warmly, easing their concerns.

After watching the young man pull out a map and show it to the travelers, Miden let out a sigh of relief. "False alarm. He's just asking for directions."

The group exhaled collectively, their tension easing as they laid low to avoid drawing attention. Miden returned to his seat but kept Kilen on lookout just in case.

A few minutes passed before Kilen reported again. "He's waving at them now. Looks like he's getting back on the carriage. I think we're in the clear."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Buck let out a loud sigh and flopped onto the rocky ground. "Goddamn, finally. I know it wasn't that long, but that was stressful."

Rafelia nodded in agreement. "I've heard way too many stories about people like us getting wiped out because they picked a fight with the wrong person. I don't wanna end up like that."

Though they'd done nothing but hide and wait, the group felt a wave of relief, glad to have avoided what could've been a deadly encounter.

Miden clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alright, we're safe, but let's not go back empty handed. Let's see who else comes by today."

"Who else comes by for what?"

The unfamiliar voice froze them in their tracks. Slowly, they turned their heads to see the young man from before now standing just a few feet away, a smile plastered on his face. None of them had noticed his approach, it was as though he'd materialized out of thin air. In that moment, they realized they were utterly screwed.

Miden, as caught off guard as the rest, forced a nervous laugh. "Did I say that? Hahaha… You must have misheard."

The young man's smile remained, unnervingly calm. "Oh, really? What did you say, then? Because it sounded an awful lot like you were a group of bandits waiting for easy targets. Wouldn't want to mistake you for bandits, now, would we?"

"Us? Bandits?" Miden said, his voice cracking slightly. "No, no, of course not. We're… adventurers. Tasked with… keeping watch over this road. Lots of bandits around lately, so we're waiting for them to show up. Right, everyone?"

The rest of the group nodded furiously, their heads bobbing up and down like puppets.

"Wow." the young man said, feigning awe. "I didn't know bandits came here. Good thing there are fine adventurers like you keeping the road safe. If that's the case, I've got a job for you. Want to hear it?"

"A job?" Miden asked cautiously. He wasn't fooling anyone, least of all the young man, but since they weren't dead yet, he figured there was a reason. "What kind of job?"

'Whatever it is, we'll have to do it…'

Resigned to the young man's whims, Miden braced himself and waited for his answer.

"What I want you to do is simple…"