The gleaming moon sparkles over us and dimly lights up our view so that we are not in total darkness. At least, I can make out the shape of Black Hood's face. "If we're approaching bandits, then we need our location to be off the entire time." He explains. "Especially bandits like these. They're not just any bandits. Their wagon had a bird logo on its side, The Notorious Soaring Vultures. Not just anyone approaches them, so if they abducted Peyton I doubt it's just a coincidence."

Kyle folds his arms, "How do you know so much about them, oh great and wise Black Hood?"

"Not that I owe you an explanation but," The menacing look in his eyes are ever-evident. "I used to be a member of the group."

Oh... I was not expecting that. But I was expecting not to expect anything, so it doesn't count. "Look, I really couldn't care less about your backstory. I just want to get Peyton back. Kyle behave." I eye him. "Please continue with your explanation."

"Anyway. This particular group is S-rated, it's a rating used for high profiled criminals. They are ridiculously powerful and their teamwork gives them the edge over their enemies. Although, these guys used to be a group of good... bandits. At least until the leader, Kenji was killed. He was a good guy and I left the group around the same time he died." He draws out an oil lamp from his inventory and lights it up so we can see the sand-clothed ground well. "If there's anywhere they could be right now, their base, it wouldn't be too far from here. Of course, right now they can tell where we are but we can't, so they would be anticipating us to make a move."

He drawls a brown twig across the sand and draws what I think is a bird. Afar from it are three circles. I suppose they signify our current location. "We need to think like these bandits so instead of suggesting where they could be, we need to suggest where we are from them. We can use the enemy's strategy against them."

I scan Black Hood's facial expressions. They are all hard and stern. He really wants to help, I can tell. But why go to this extent? Guilt conscience? Maybe I should cut him some slack. The more he explains about these bandits, the more he reveals about himself until the web of lies is fully unravelled.

I grab another twig and draw three lines from the circles, connecting to the bird logo. "So we have three possible locations. And nine, if we're looking from six other surrounding positions." Like I said, I've been doing more thinking than usual.

"Smart. But how then do we cover that much ground? We're working with a skeleton's crew." Kyle lingers the question in the air. I turn to look at Black Hood the moment he does, and I fear we're thinking alike. The only logical method: split up.

"We're gonna have to split up." He declares.

"No, that's a terrible idea. We can't just split up in the midst of the enemy. That's stupid!" Kyle hisses. Okay now, he uses his brain but not the I was expecting.

"Kyle, he's right. That's the only way we can cover that much ground. Any other method and we'll be heading into a one-sided fight." I explain further, "The enemy already have Peyton as an advantage over us. We should at least try to make our attacks unpredictable."

Kyle seems to shut up at this and Black Hood has a smug smile that spells cat-got-your-tongue? "Since our locations will be off during this mission. What about other means of communication?" Kyle asks another challenging question.

"My pocket watch. I'll tell you how far you are from their base. I'll send the signal only once, make sure to catch it." Black hood replies. I don't bother to ask what a pocket watch is and why it does what it does, besides the fact that I have a broken one in my inventory. I think I understand Black Hood's reasoning for the mission. It's a very risky one, just a slip up and we're done for.

"So here's the plan: Turn off your locations first," I tell them and they do just that. "When we split up, Kyle will go North, I'll go South, Black Hood will go East and West since those are the most liable places they could be hiding. When you find them, signal us with your pocket watch. I'll rush to meet you, and if Kyle hasn't already found you by then we'll continue with the plan and he'll catch up later. Then we attack them in stealth mode, note to keep your movements as unpredictable as possible."

They nod and Black Hood raises his hand as if to ask, can I talk now? "Hope you both have stuffs in your inventory? If you die on the way, I'll leave you behind. I don't do well with deadweight."

Rude. I don't have strength to deny his accusations so I bid them farewell and start the mission. Ironic how I'm supposed to be hunting Black Hood down but somehow, I'm working with him to get Peyton back. Fate works in such a weird way. Although, I disapprove of this being my fate... this whole irregular thing, I have a bad feeling about this.

"Hey, if you're not asleep then answer me." I call out to my NPG.

I'm not. Is there something you need young warrior?

"I'm on a mission. It's no quest but it's something I could make profit off." I say. It does bother me that the bandits have the upper hand than we do, there has to be something. "Hey Serena, is there something in that research of yours that talks about the... Soaring Vultures infamous notorious bandits?"

Not that I know of, but I can find some information pertaining it.

Exactly what I need. "Take your time."

I may have found something. It says here that the leader and second in command died few phases ago, a specialist with sword and a specialist in bow and arrow.

Bow and arrow?

They were the most powerful bandit group until the tenure of Bennett two months ago. They were a fearsome group and majored in massive bloodshed and stealing properties. Other times, they do some philanthropic deeds but they don't amount to how much lives they've wasted. There you have it young warrior, hope I could be of help.

"More than you think, thanks." As soon as the words leave my mouth, a trail of zzz's drawl out on my screen. It takes a moment to register that Serena is asleep and that I'm on my own for the next 45 cycles. But when it finally does, I want to throw a tantrum... she falls asleep at the worst times possible.

Well, it might not be all that bad. At least I have clothes now and no viscious bears are after my life. Although I fail to see how this position I'm in right now is any better. Soon, I arrive at a small hut-like-shed. I move around the bushes a bit, trying to keep the rustle of leaves to a minimal.

Bearded hefty men guard the entrance to the shed. Up close, the shed looks more like a house. I survey my environment, I have been walking for 30 cycles and now I finally sight signs of life but my teammates are nowhere to be found. Did I arrive before them or are they already here? If it is the latter then they would have sent a signal by now. I don't have time to think this though.

I push through the leaves, falling face flat on the ground. I scurry right back up, brushing dirt off my clothes... as long as no one saw me, it didn't happen. I amble through the hoards of gears lying aimlessly everywhere, they sure leave their junks around. I make it into the building, so far no one has made any effort to stop me. Not that I would put up much of a fight if they did.

I inspect the structure briefly. Around are wooden chairs which two of the men occupy, two men also guard the entrance, three by a heavy metal door and five loitering around. Twelve in total. If I want to find Peyton, I need to think outside the box. Think, think, think... this is a lot harder when I have to force it.

The heavy metal floor has plenty locks on it, and it has the most number of men guarding it so naturally it draws my attention. Why would they so profoundly defend that particular one? Could it be that they were hiding something important in there? Maybe Peyton is in there. Of course! It only makes sense that they would keep the bait fresh and away in a secret basement! I've watched too many mystery movies for this.

I need to take the three guards out in one clean wipe. I can't afford to take one out and have the others after my head or take two out and have the last one want vengeance for his comrades. My stats display:

Inventory: broken pocket watch, 50 rubies, knife, sword, shield, campfire, bow and arrow, three healing potions and two energy potions.
Quest: Capture the Hooded Vigilante.
Status in the system: Unregistered.

I could try to use the knife but it would only take out one of them. I'm not exactly the bow and arrow type. I can't swing a sword around to save my life so basically... I can't do anything. My breath hitches as two arrows fly into two guards chests, piercing through and pinning them to the metal door. Then out of nowhere, Kyle bolts in and slices the third man in half.

"Not bad," Black Hood comments. His face betrays his emotions. I can tell that he's amused but he remains calm and unsurprised.

"For a guy that likes to hit the nail on the head, you have good aim." Kyle returns the favor. Did I hit my head somewhere or are these two actually getting along, just in the weirdest way ever?

I shuffle to the metal door. They turn to give me questioning looks but Black Hood is the first to talk.

"Why were you just standing there, irregular?"

I clench my fist. I hate it when he calls me that... I could get used to it but not just when he says it with so much hatred and anger. "Whatever do you mean by that?" I reply using the same tone as his, I can't really keep my temper in check so heaven forbids I explode right here. "I was observing, watching the target. It's called the predator watching her prey."

Suddenly he bursts out laughing, "That wasn't even funny. Don't hold me down, I won't hesitate to abandon you. I really hate being slowed down, so instead of just hanging around, put some effort into actually doing something." He kicks the metal door open, normally that isn't possible for anyone but Black Hood pulls it off so I guess he's not all that useless.

Kyle follows after him, his head down all the way, and his chin tapping his neck. He looks just as guilty as any other time I've seen him do something bad. Now I notice he didn't say anything to defend me, Kyle wouldn't do that. It's just unlike him. I watch as they slowly go out of sight and I dart after them, not to mention that I'm gritting my teeth and cussing the entire time.

In the guarded room, Peyton is tied up to a wooden chair, blood smeared all over her face. There's cuts and wounds on her body, especially the one making her ooze blood profusely by the phases. I bolt to her, but in a weak soft voice she whispers, "Run."

I don't comprehend this fast enough until a sharp pointed knife is piercing through the skin of my neck. I stagger back as the man grabs me from behind and pins me between his huge muscular arms, placing me in a choke hold. Of course this room would have more guards in it! Why didn't I think of that?

I look at Kyle and he doesn't seem to be in a better spot himself but... Black Hood is glaring at a man, who by now I suspect is the leader. The tension is heavy enough to wreck a car in half, I suddenly feel suffocated watching their exchange.

"Long time no see, old friend." The man says. Wait a cycle... old friend? As in this is Bennett, talking to Black Hood like they're friends or something? Black Hood is a lot more mysterious than I thought, and probably dangerous.

"It appears that you still have that nasty scar I gave you back when you hated my guts, oh wait... you still do." Black Hood replies.

The man chuckles, "Because I let you win that one time. Don't get cocky Keanu, I could kill you right here, right now and you know it."

"Oh really, I'd like to see you try." Black Hood says and immediately he's pinning one of the guards against the floor, considering that the guard jumped at him out of nowhere.

The man doesn't make a move on Black Hood, instead he backs down and signals for the guards to leave. "I'm sorry, I didn't know the girl my men took was one of your people. You can take her now, she wasn't of much help anyways." The man gleams evilly, pointing at Peyton slumped on the chair. That Bastard... if they laid one finger on her, trying to make her talk, I'll kill them. "Although, the bounty on your head my dear friend, is quite generous. I'll let you go this time, take care SSS-rated."

Words are lost to me as I stare at Black Hood. There's so much information to process that my brain is frozen. Black Hood's real name is Keanu. He's an SSS-rated and he used to be part of a notorious group of bandits. Every inch of my being screams danger. The flames of red dance excitedly in my mind. This guy is something else, something bad.

"Greet the pack for me, Bennett." Black Hood says but with a rigid tone and minute bitterness hidden in it. He carries Peyton over his back and looks at me from the corner of his eyes, his eyes are even more menacing, they are deepening a few shades of grey and they look murderous. "Let's go irregular."

I don't complain and we stride through the building, ignoring the death glares from the bandits standing nearby. Once we're out of the shed, Black Hood takes the lead. He doesn't talk till we reach the base and it's been one hourglass turn. I don't do well with deadweight, he said. He's practically carrying Peyton around like it's nothing. I guess he does have feelings afterall.

We get to the forest and I leave Peyton to Kyle to take care of her injuries. It was mostly him giving her a healing potion and she waking up paranoid. I start to think of what to do from here... how derailed are we exactly from our initial plan? We were supposed to capture Black Hood and deliver him in return of the quest perks and my experience points but we're back to square one and I highly doubt he would just willingly follow us to the village market.

Speaking of Black Hood, a shadow moves around quickly. I try to follow it but it's like I never even saw anything, maybe I imagined it. I'm about to sit back on the tree trunk when a hand flies to grab me and hit me against the rock. Its grip is firm and like a deer in headlight, I feel trapped.

"You didn't see anything. Whatever happened today in that shed, didn't happen." Keanu growls menacingly.

Vocabulary*~*~*~*
Phases: seconds.
Cycles: minutes.
Hour: hourglass turn.

A/N:
Ohayo minna! This chapter is actually 2702 words. It's funny how ever since writing this book I've been writing more. It's subarashi. Anyways hope you liked the chapter and whatever is up with Black Hood?