Chapter 10 A Clue from the Past

Chapter 10

A Clue from the Past

One week passed. Then another. Nya, Owl, and Kenji took more quests together. They hunted weak monsters. They delivered packages. They helped townspeople with various problems. Slowly, their rank increased from F to E rank.

During this time, Nya trained every day. She practiced using her Threat Sense. She learned how to fight with her dagger. She studied maps of the surrounding areas. She was determined to get stronger.

Owl also improved. He learned new fire spells from his books. He could now create walls of fire to protect them. He could shoot multiple fireballs at once. His control over magic became much better.

Even Kenji seemed impressed by their progress. "At this rate, you'll reach D rank in a few months," he said one evening. "That's much faster than most beginners."

"We have a good teacher," Nya said, smiling at him.

Kenji looked away, but Nya could see his ears turn a little red. He wasn't good at accepting compliments.

One morning, something different happened. Nya went downstairs for breakfast as usual. But she found Kenji and Owl talking quietly at their table. They looked serious.

"What's wrong?" Nya asked as she sat down.

Kenji hesitated. Then he showed her a piece of paper. "This arrived this morning. It's from your cousin, Scarlett."

Nya took the letter and read it. Her heart started beating faster as she read.

Dear Nya,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have news. Father's information network has discovered something important. Survivors from Hoshi Village were taken to a slave camp in the northern territories. The camp is located near a town called Ironhold. We believe your mother and friend might be there.

However, the camp is controlled by the Destro military. It will be dangerous to approach. Father is working on getting more information about security and guard rotations.

Please be careful. We will help you in any way we can.

Your cousin,

Scarlett

Nya's hands trembled. Her mother. Brownie. They might be alive. They might be in that camp.

"Ironhold is three weeks of travel from here," Kenji said quietly. "And slave camps are heavily guarded. We can't just walk in and rescue people."

"But we have to try!" Nya said desperately. "They're waiting for me! They're suffering!"

"I know," Kenji said gently. "And we will help them. But we need to be smart about it. If we rush in without a plan, we'll all die or get captured. Then we can't save anyone."

Nya knew he was right. But it was so hard. Knowing her family was out there, suffering, and she couldn't help them right away. It hurt so much.

Owl placed a comforting paw on her shoulder. "We'll save them," he said firmly. "I promise you, Nya.

We will rescue your mother and Brownie. But Kenji is right. We need to prepare first."

"How?" Nya asked. "What do we need to do?"

Kenji thought for a moment. "First, we need to get stronger. Much stronger. We need to reach at least C rank. At C rank, we'll have access to harder quests that pay more. We'll be able to buy better equipment and hire help if needed."

"How long will that take?" Nya asked.

"If we work hard? Maybe two months," Kenji estimated. "We'll take difficult quests. We'll push ourselves to the limit. It won't be easy."

"I don't care about easy," Nya said with determination. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good," Kenji said. He stood up. "Then let's start today. There's a B-rank quest on the board. Normally, it's too high for us. But if we work together perfectly, we might be able to do it."

They went to the guild. Kenji pointed at a quest paper near the top of the board. Nya read it.

"'Eliminate Bandit Camp in Southern Hills. Difficulty: B-rank. Reward: 500 gold coins. Warning: Bandits are well-armed and dangerous. Minimum party size: 4 people.'"

"We're only three people," Nya said.

"I know," Kenji said. "But we're not normal adventurers. You have your Sentinel abilities. Owl is a

skilled mage. And I'm a B-rank swordsman. Together, we might be equal to four or five normal adventurers."

The receptionist tried to warn them. "Are you sure? B-rank quests are very dangerous for E-rank adventurers."

"We're sure," Kenji said.

The receptionist sighed but accepted the quest. "Please be careful."

They spent the rest of the day preparing. They bought healing potions. They checked their weapons and armor. They studied a map of the Southern Hills.

That night, as Nya lay in bed, she thought about her mother. What was she doing right now? Was she okay? Was she thinking about Nya too?

And Brownie. Poor, scared Brownie. He must be so frightened in a place like a slave camp. He was never brave. He always needed someone to protect him.

"I'm coming," Nya whispered. "I'm getting stronger every day. I'm learning. I'm training. And when I'm ready, I'm coming to save you. Both of you. I promise."

She touched the crystal necklace her father gave her. It was still around her neck. She never took it off. The magic in it helped her stay calm, even when things were scary.

"Thank you, Father," she whispered. "Thank you for this gift. It's helping me be brave. I hope you're

proud of me, wherever you are."

The next morning, they set out for the Southern Hills. The journey took two days. When they finally saw the bandit camp, they hid behind rocks and watched.

The camp was built in a valley between two hills. There were about twenty bandits. Some were practicing sword fighting. Others were drinking and playing cards. Two guards stood watch at the camp entrance.

"We need a strategy," Kenji said. "We can't fight all of them at once."

"I could create a distraction," Owl suggested. "If I use fire magic to start a fire on one side of the camp, they'll all rush to put it out. Then we can attack while they're distracted."

"That could work," Kenji agreed. "Nya, you'll watch for anyone trying to flank us during the fight. Your job is to warn us and protect Owl while he casts spells."

"Got it," Nya said.

They waited until night. When the bandits were gathered around a campfire, eating dinner, Owl made his move.

"Flame Arrow!" he whispered. A arrow made of fire shot from his staff and hit a tent on the far side of camp. The tent immediately caught fire.

"Fire! Fire!" the bandits shouted. They ran toward the burning tent with buckets of water.

"Now!" Kenji said.

They charged into the camp. Kenji's sword flashed in the firelight. He cut down two bandits before they even knew what was happening. Owl launched fireballs at the bandits who tried to grab weapons.

Nya stayed behind Owl, watching carefully. Her Threat Sense was active. She could feel danger coming from different directions.

"Left!" she shouted. "Three bandits coming from the left!"

Kenji turned and blocked their attack. His sword moved so fast it was almost a blur. The bandits couldn't keep up. One by one, they fell.

"Behind Owl!" Nya warned. "Archer!"

An arrow flew through the air. But because Nya warned him, Owl ducked just in time. The arrow missed him by inches.

Owl turned and shot a fireball at the archer. The archer screamed and dropped his bow.

The fight lasted about ten minutes. When it was over, all the bandits were either unconscious or had run away. None of them wanted to fight anymore.

Kenji, Nya, and Owl stood in the middle of the camp, breathing hard. They were all wounded, but not seriously. They had won.

"We did it," Nya said in disbelief. "We actually did it!"

"Yes," Kenji said. He smiled at her. "You both did well. Nya, your warnings saved us several times. Owl,
 

your magic was perfectly timed. I'm proud of you both."

They searched the camp and found the bandits' treasure. Gold coins, weapons, and stolen goods. They took everything to return to the victims and the guild.

When they returned to Virtue City three days later and reported their success, the whole guild was shocked.

"E-rank adventurers completed a B-rank quest?" the receptionist said in amazement. "That's incredible!"

News of their success spread through the guild quickly. Other adventurers looked at them with respect now. Even Marcus, the big man who had made fun of Nya before, stayed quiet when he saw her.

Their ranks were increased to D-rank immediately. "You've clearly proven yourselves," the receptionist said. "Congratulations!"

Nya looked at her updated guild card. It now said: RANK D. QUESTS COMPLETED: 15.

She was getting stronger. Much stronger.

That evening, Nya wrote a letter to Scarlett.

Dear Scarlett,

Thank you for the information about the slave camp. We are training hard to get strong enough to rescue my mother and Brownie. We just reached D-rank. We're pushing ourselves every day.

Please keep searching for information. Any details about the camp will help. How many guards? What weapons they have? When do they change shifts? Everything helps.

I won't give up. I will save them.

Your cousin,

Nya

She sent the letter that night. As she watched the messenger bird fly away into the dark sky, she made a silent promise.

"Mother, Brownie, I'm coming. I don't know when exactly. But I'm getting stronger. I'm learning. I'm becoming the adventurer I always dreamed of being. And when I'm strong enough, I will break you free. I swear it."

The crystal around her neck glowed faintly, as if responding to her determination.

Somewhere far to the north, in a cold slave camp, Nya's mother looked up at the same moon. She didn't know if her daughter was alive. She didn't know if she would ever see her again.

But she hoped. And she prayed. And she waited.

"Stay strong, Nya," she whispered. "Wherever you are. Stay strong, my daughter."

The wind carried her words away into the night. But somehow, deep in her heart, Nya felt them. She felt her mother's love reaching across the distance.

And it made her stronger.

The journey was far from over. There were still many challenges ahead. Many battles to fight. Many lessons to learn. But Nya was ready.

She had friends by her side. She had family who cared about her. She had a goal to fight for. And she had the strength to keep moving forward, no matter how hard things became.

This was just the beginning of her adventure. The real story was still to come.

But one thing was certain: Nya Flames would not give up. She would become stronger. She would save her loved ones. And she would discover the truth about her mysterious bloodline and the power sleeping inside her.

The Red Fox Clan's legacy lived on. And Nya would make sure that legacy was one of courage, hope, and love.

Her adventure had only just begun.