In the shroud of the night sky, the moon shone luminously over the horizon, insects chirping faintly in the background. The cohort huddled together, discussing how to infiltrate the other camp, the one with the flamboyant bonfire flickering up ahead.
"You two can go. Especially you, Raven. That ability of yours, moving through shadows, makes you perfect for this mission. This is literally your playground with how dark the night is," Helga said.
"Why aren't you coming with us?" Wolfton asked.
"Well, someone's gotta keep an eye on our little friend here," Helga replied.
"I can take care of myself! I'm strong. The woods are my turf. I don't need protection," Tiana barked.
"There are other reasons for staying behind. Protecting you is just one of them, dear."
"I'm not going to run!"
"Yeah, sure you won't, like you didn't run from your parents. I totally believe you, dear."
"Tch." Tiana curled her lips. "Can't we just go with them? We're all in this together."
"That's not how infiltration works, my dear. More isn't always better, especially when it comes to sneaking into enemy territory. The fewer, the better," Helga explained patiently.
"And as it stands, Raven's the best suited for this kind of job. Wolfton will be his backup. Understood?" Helga smiled.
Tiana pouted, folding her arms.
"If you're done bantering, we'll be taking our leave," Raven said lazily, unfazed.
"If you see red smoke, it should be visible from here using their light source, it means the infiltration failed and we need immediate evacuation."
"Wait, you're already thinking we'll fail? Why?" Wolfton asked, puzzled.
"With the level of opponents we might be facing, sneaking into their camp won't be easy. Better to have an escape strategy in case things go south. That way, we'll take less damage," Raven replied.
"Whoa. I really wish I was as smart and level-headed as you, thinking that far ahead," Wolfton said with a subtle smile.
Helga stared at Raven contemplatively but said nothing. They watched as the two vanished into the embrace of darkness.
As they moved quickly yet silently through the woods, Wolfton suddenly said,
"It seems your passive ability's kicking in. I can barely sense you anymore, even though I know you're right beside me. Makes sense now."
[Obscure Presence (Passive) – Automatically harder to detect in low light; perception checks against the wielder suffer penalties.]
Raven scoffed. His dark-colored body, combined with his passive ability, made him nearly invisible in the night.
"What makes sense to you now?"
"Your edgy, cold, almost lazy attitude, it's a reflection of your heritage," Wolfton replied.
"What was that about wishing you were as smart as me again? 'Cause you clearly know more about this champion stuff," Raven said.
"Knowledge is knowing things. Wisdom is the application," Wolfton replied. "I wouldn't even know half this stuff if not for my predecessor."
"Predecessor? You met one of yours?" Raven asked.
"Nah. I came across her anecdote. From it, I learned a lot about my heritage, the system, the celestial I champion, her life, and even some of the predecessors before her. There were also notes about other champions."
"Hm." Raven wondered if any of his own predecessors had left clues behind… assuming they even survived attacks from rival champions.
"Wait," Raven said. "Don't you have a rival heritage champion? Wouldn't that mean he has access to that same anecdote?"
"Nah, I'm just lucky. I found the anecdote of our immediate precursor. But who knows, he might've found notes from earlier ones."
"Anyway, I think I might know who your celestial is," Wolfton said suddenly.
"Who?"
"From Irma's anecdote, she and her predecessors met several shadow users. Among them were champions of celestials like Erebus, Nyx, Thanatos, Izanami, Eshu, The Morrígan, Ratri, Hel… and a few more."
"You could be one of those. But if you want to be sure of your heritage, the royal library in the Central Colony is the place to check."
Their pace quickened through the quiet night. Within minutes, they reached their destination. The campsite was smaller than expected but had a surprisingly large bonfire where chunks of monster meat roasted over the flames.
Wolfton and Raven perched on a nearby tree, watching a lone, blue, boisterous stickman sitting before the fire, devouring a massive beast leg, three times the size of a normal ham.
They watched has he chewed loudly in the silent night, eating like he doesn't care about his surroundings, suddenly he said,
"Want some? Go on, take it!" he said, tossing a huge chunk toward Wolfton's tree.
Wolfton froze. He glanced toward where Raven should have been, but got no response. With a sigh, he dropped from the tree.
"Hi. How's the night treating you?" Wolfton asked.
"You don't have to hide. We're both adventurers. Sit, eat." The stranger grinned, taking another bite of meat.
Wolfton did as told, though his eyes couldn't leave the loud, hulking stickman.
"First time seeing a Hulk? Hahaha! Stickmen like me are rare, so feast your eyes while you can!" the man said, mouth full.
Hulks are stickman with relatively large boisterous body size, they look like giants beside regular stickman. They are well known for their emerse strength, huge appetites and are quite rare. Finding one is like seeing a needle in a haystack.
"I'm Wolfton McLaren. Sorry to ask, but… what are you doing all alone out here?"
"I'm not alone. I've got another adventurer with me, she's asleep. Name's Jake Diamondface. Nice to meet you, Wolfton."
"We came here looking for herbs for potion-making,"
"Oh, I see. My cohort and I came here searching for a lost pet belonging to Counselor Rodriguez, but we got separated." Wolfton said.
"You were attacked by them too?" Jake asked, his tone suddenly serious.
"…Them?"