Chapter 42 - 18: [The Failed Infiltrator and the Crimson Sword]

Chapter 42: Chapter 18: [The Failed Infiltrator and the Crimson Sword]

The freezing twin moons and a myriad of stars hung high in the sky.

The rust-mottled copper moon seemed exceptionally large today, obscuring half of the pale white moon. One-half of the twin moons overlapped, their outlines fusing into a single entity, as if the copper moon had swallowed half of the white moon.

The Tower Wizards of the human Lunos Academy called this overlapping lunar phase the "Soul-Feasting Moon," while Elf Stargazers referred to it as "Riel Devan-Eva." It was a complex and beautiful Elven term directly translating to "Lover’s Eyes." However, in common usage, it specifically described "the inadvertent crossing of gazes when lovers part" or "the inseparable, lingering looks of a couple reluctant to say goodbye."

As for the Dwarfs... they were a pragmatic race. Living year-round in towering fortresses and mountain peaks that had been entirely hollowed out into cities, the shape and posture of the moons held little meaning to them. At most, they would roughly and indistinctly grumble, "The copper stuck to the white stone."

Between the dual presence of the copper and white moons, the copper moon’s light was incredibly faint, meaning the moonlight primarily came from the white moon. Thus, with the copper moon blocking half of the white moon, the overall brightness of the moonlight was drastically diminished.

"The phase of the Soul-Feasting Moon results in exceptionally dim moonlight," Eliot explained to the teammates behind him, holding a spyglass. "It’s an excellent opportunity, perfect for infiltration and assassination."

"What a hassle," Talia muttered.

Randall stretched his body, adjusting his hunting bow, quiver, and dual long and short blades as he scanned the members of the team. "It’s the early hours of the morning, and most of the camp’s torches have gone out. We’re ready to move. Through the spyglass, I can see the bandit camp has three entrances. Two of them are guarded by three bandits each, all wide awake. One entrance only has two bandits, and one of them is dozing off.

"We’ll infiltrate through the weakest, third entrance—but to prevent being flanked from behind, we must leave people to guard the rear.

"The two Cultivators are the strongest fighters among us. You are our sharpest blades, as well as the final safety net guarding everyone’s lives. Samo Cultivator seems more adept at combat in narrow and indoor spaces than Talan Cultivator. Therefore—Samo Cultivator, you, me, and Eliot will infiltrate the front. Glad, you’ll be on lookout in the middle. If any bandits approach, warn us at the front immediately to prevent being flanked unawares. Ruby and Selena, who are weaker in melee but excel at long-range strikes, will stay with Talan Cultivator. You will guard the rear and wait for opportunities to provide long-range Magic and Magic Potion projectile support."

"You’re putting me, your strongest fighter... in the very back?" Talia swung her hammer spear as if it were a mere wooden stick. The heavy hammer head produced a deep WHOOSH as it tore through the air.

"Uh... what makes you think I’m good at fighting in narrow spaces?" Samael asked subconsciously.

"How come I didn’t know I was good at close-quarters combat?" he wondered.

"Your Knight Sword is specialized for infantry combat; its length has been shortened. Uncle Robin said it was modified to prevent your swings from hitting walls or other obstacles in confined spaces," Randall parroted, recalling Guard One’s explanation from earlier.

"Oh, oh, that’s what you mean..." Samael recovered his wits. "To be able to notice even that... that Guard really has an incredible eye."

In his past life, Xia Mo’an had been a veteran player of the game Dark Souls 1. The terrain in the game was always narrow and treacherous. To make matters worse, there was a specific weapon-deflection mechanic: if a weapon struck an indestructible hard object like a wall or a rock, it would trigger a weapon deflection stagger. This would cause the character to waste stamina and allow enemies to seize the initiative, closing in to hack away mercilessly.

Experienced veteran players of Dark Souls 1 would often choose weapons with special movesets, like vertical chops or thrusts, to prevent their swings from hitting the walls. However, these weapons were relatively rare, and acquiring them was rather difficult. The majority of powerful weapons that could be obtained quickly in the early game were still primarily focused on slashing.

Right before forging his Nether Copper Sword Shield, Samael had just crawled out of an underground Insect Path. The cramped, crevice-like spaces had evoked "blissful" memories from his past life—times when he had been tormented to the brink of a breakdown by the infamous Dark Souls boss encounter, "two dogs and a goat demon in a narrow alley." For this very reason, when casting the blade, he subconsciously shortened his Knight Sword slightly to prevent the swinging hindrance caused by an overly long weapon.

Just a Guard, yet he already possessed such keen observation skills. Adventurers who explored for a living would likely be even sharper, Samael pondered. Disguising themselves as adventurers would probably be far more difficult than they had imagined—much more difficult.

They weren’t fools, nor were they brain-dead NPCs from a game. They probably wouldn’t be able to keep up the charade for much longer. What would they do when the time came?

"Talan Cultivator, it’s not that we don’t want you participating in the frontline battle. It’s just that once the bandits notice the intrusion, they’ll quickly flank us from the rear," Eliot explained. "I’ve dealt with bandits before. They’re adept at looting caravans, breaking through carriage escorts by dividing and hunting them down. Like a pack of wolves, they are used to rapidly surrounding and isolating their enemies. The moment the bandits encounter foes, they’ll immediately try to execute a pincer movement from behind. This is why we hope you can protect our crucial support and ranged combatants."

"Furthermore, Talan Cultivator, your weapon is a hammer spear. Compared to stealth combat in confined spaces, you might be better suited for group battles in open areas. Dealing with flanking bandits in the rear should be much more compatible with your combat style," Randall chimed in. "Thanks to your addition to the team, we don’t have to assign extra manpower to assist Ruby and Selena. We can go all out on our infiltration mission."