Chapter 37 — Eyes on the Mountain

For nearly an hour the Armado followed the bandit group from afar.

Silvia remained in the turret hatch, binoculars steady, quietly reporting any change in direction. Ren kept the vehicle far enough that the dust trail would not easily give them away, using the folds of the land for cover whenever possible. Lyra sat in the passenger seat, her wand resting across her lap, crimson eyes fixed on the horizon.

Eventually the plains gave way to rising ground. A rugged mountain range appeared ahead. The bandits guided their horses into a narrow pass and disappeared between the rocky slopes.

Ren stopped the Armado behind a cluster of large boulders.

“This is close enough.”

They exited the vehicle. With a quiet command through the system, Ren stored the entire Armado back into his inventory. The black metal beast vanished as if it had never existed, leaving only the three of them on the rocky ground.

“We take one main route toward the rear of the camp,” Ren said. “But we split and circle from different directions so we don’t approach from the same angle. We climb from behind and meet on the high ground overlooking their base.”

Without further discussion, the three of them began moving. They followed the same general path toward the rear side of the mountain but separated enough to avoid being seen together. The slopes were steep and uneven, covered in loose stone and sparse vegetation. Ren moved with controlled efficiency. Lyra’s beastman physique allowed her to climb quickly and quietly. Silvia moved with the careful precision of someone who had spent decades avoiding detection.

By the time they reunited on a high ridge behind the camp, the sun was already shifting toward late afternoon.

Below them, nestled in a natural basin between three rocky walls, lay the bandit camp.

Rough tents and wooden structures filled the enclosed space. Horses were tied in groups. Smoke rose from several cooking fires. Men moved about casually, laughing, drinking, and sorting through the loot taken from the burned settlement. The mountain walls on three sides gave the camp natural protection, leaving only limited approaches.

Ren raised the binoculars again and activated Appraisal in sequence.

Most of the bandits ranged between Level 29 and Level 35. There were approximately one hundred ten of them. However, four individuals stood out clearly at Level 50 to 52. At the center of the camp, a larger man with heavier armor and a brutal presence registered as Level 61.

Ren lowered the binoculars.

“Most of them are manageable,” he said quietly. “Level 29 to 35. Lyra and I can deal with the majority using the rifle and magic. The four at Level 50 to 52 will be harder. Silvia, those are yours. The leader is Level 61. You will take him. I will provide covering fire and control the battlefield.”

Silvia nodded once, already studying the camp’s layout with sharp eyes.

“We don’t attack now,” Ren continued. “We observe through the night. I want to know their watch patterns, their sleeping positions, and every exit. We strike at dawn, when visibility begins to return but most of them are still at their lowest awareness.”

Neither woman objected.

As night slowly settled over the mountains, the three of them remained on the high ridge. Ren distributed ready-to-eat meals from the system storage. They ate in silence, the distant lights of the bandit camp flickering below like a nest of sparks trapped between stone walls.

The mountain wind grew colder.

They divided the night into watches. While one rested, the others kept their eyes on the camp, noting the movement of sentries and the gradual quieting of the drunken laughter below.

Above them, the stars spread across the clear sky.

Below them, more than a hundred bandits slept without knowing that three pairs of eyes were already planning their end.

Dawn would come soon.

And with it, the steel and magic that would cleanse the mountain basin in blood.