Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended

A blazing bonfire pushed back the dense shadows and chilled air that had settled over the forest. Gathered around it, over a dozen men sprawled in the flickering light, exchanging wicked stories and raucous laughter as they feasted on monstron and drank deeply from mugs of mead.

In the distance, the horses were tethered to barren trees, their restless neighs punctuating the night as they grazed on what little grass remained through the winter frost.

While Robin Hood and his loyal followers were locked away in a nearby wagon, Thalia was bound to a tree stump just within the bandits’ constant gaze. As close as she was, the warmth of the crackling fire barely reached her unfortunately, leaving her shivering in the frigid cold. Her teeth chattered relentlessly as the frost bit into her skin. Her wrists were raw and bruised, the ropes cutting deeper with each attempt to loosen them.

“Are we going to be alright?” one of the bandits asked, taking a swig of mead that left a frothy trail in his puffy beard. “We lost our scanner recently, so we can’t confirm if the girl’s part of the guild or not.”

“We could always, you know… hiccup… ask her,” muttered another man, his unsteady posture and drooping neck clearly showing that he’d had one too many to drink.

“And you honestly think she’ll just cooperate?” a third man shot back.

A fourth man chugged down an entire mug of his delicious beverage, letting out a loud, satisfied burp. “We could always break her little fingers one by one until she talks,” he suggested, his grin unsettling. 

Thalia’s eyes widened in terror at the thought. 

The leader, unfazed, casually used a knife to carve into the wild boar roasting over the fire, slipping a juicy morsel into his mouth with the tip of the blade. “Damaged goods don’t sell as well,” he said coolly, wiping his mouth. “So no one touches her. As for the scanner, we’re desperate. We’ll take the risk.”

“The boss is right,” another man agreed, his eyes sharp and calculating, a glint of intellect behind his weathered face. “With the surplus of slaves flooding the market due to the supply chain crisis at Wavecrest, it's crucial that our stock remains premium quality to outshine the competition. So, like the boss said, don’t lay a hand—”

“Hiccup!”

The drunken bandit, clearly beyond any semblance of reason, staggered toward the squirming captive. Ignoring the warning, he licked his lips, a lecherous glint in his eyes. “It’d be a waste,” he muttered, his voice slurred and thick with alcohol, “to sell her off without a little fun first.” He crouched in front of her, his smirk twisted with intent.

The bandit with the sharper mind sprang to his feet, his eyes narrowing in fury. “Are you deaf?” he snarled, his voice thick with contempt. “The boss just told you not to ruin the merchandise!”

“Relax, you kiss-ass,” the drunken man retorted with a leer, his hand inching toward the woman’s gag. “It’s no big deal… I’ll just have a little fun with her pretty little mouth. What’s the harm?”

“…A little discipline to break her spirit wouldn’t hurt,” the leader mused, tilting his head back as he tore another piece of meat from the spit and slipped it into his mouth. “The buyer will appreciate it, but don’t get carried away—don’t ruin her mind completely.”

The smarter bandit clicked his tongue in frustration, then slumped back down with a sigh of defeat.

“Kekekekh,” the drunkard snickered, his tongue lolling as he turned back around to face the horrified girl. “You heard him,” he murmured, his voice dripping with menace. “You and I are about to have some fun.” His face twisted with sadistic pleasure as he leaned closer, his breath rancid. “If you bite me, I’ll make sure to pull out every last one of your teeth... slowly.”

Thalia’s eyes quivered in dread, and yet, the moment the man’s index finger neared her mouth to remove the gag, she sank her teeth into it with every ounce of strength she had. The bandit recoiled with a guttural howl of pain. Seizing the moment, Thalia twisted her bloodied hands free from the ropes, pushed the man to the ground with a swift shove, and bolted into the night.

“YOU BITCH!” the bandit bellowed, his mangled finger dangling uselessly to the side. “I’ll fucking kill you! Just you wait!”

The thunder that rumbled through the night sky seemed to echo the weight of the man’s sinister words, amplifying their dark promise.

Thalia’s heart played a frantic tattoo in her chest as she fled through the shadows, her breath coming in ragged gasps, burning like bile in her throat. And it wasn’t long before the grey slant of rain bombarded the land. The droplets that pierced through the canopy stung her skin like a thousand tiny needles.

“RUFF-RUFF-RUFF!”

Thalia faintly heard the bandits’ enraged shouts as they released their hounds and hurried to saddle their horses. Panic surged through her as she jerked her head back around and stumbled forward, her movements clumsy as she fought to make sense of the inky darkness surrounding her.

The icy wind seeped into her bones, and every shadow seemed to shift, hiding a predator ready to strike. Each snap of a twig beneath her feet echoed in her ears, sounding like the unraveling of her sanity.

Thalia stumbled and fell more times than she could count, each time forcing herself back up, her heart pounding with fear and desperation. Her skin stung as leaves, branches, and thorns tore at her, but she didn’t falter or slow down. She wasn’t an adventurer, but as a guild clerk, she knew this chase was futile. She knew there was no true escape.

She wasn’t just being pursued by Bearhounds, known for their sharp sense of smell, boundless stamina, and persistence; the bandits on horseback were closing in as well. It was only a matter of time before the adrenaline that had fueled her escape drained away, leaving her physically spent and vulnerable. After all she’d done—getting Haxks killed because of her own selfishness—perhaps this was the fate she deserved. Yet, deep down, a stubborn part of her still clung to the hope that she would have a part to play in these men thoroughly paying for their crimes.

But alas, it seemed that fate would not bend to her will.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The thunderous footfalls of a snarling beast drew closer with each passing second. Thalia’s heart pounded in her chest as she recognized the unmistakable sound of a Bearhound. Her instincts screamed that this creature wasn’t going to simply corner her and wait for its masters. No, it was coming to tear her apart, and only the intervention of its handlers would stop it from finishing the job.

“ROARR!”

The hound lunged from the underbrush like a savage Lipanthyer, its claws ready to tear into its prey, thick saliva dripping from its bared fangs. In a blind panic, Thalia raised her arms to protect herself, a scream of terror tearing from her throat. But just as the creature was about to descend upon her, a blur shot out from the shadows, cutting through the rain like a razor-sharp blade.

FLOP-FLOP!

The body of the hound and its decapitated head tumbled to the side in a bloody heap. Landing in front of Thalia, Zephyr shielded her with his tiny frame, snarling as his bristled fur radiated a red aura.

“Z-Zephyr!” Thalia gasped, her voice trembling with a blend of relief and astonishment.

Before she could utter another word, Zephyr shot back into the shadows, his Berserk state propelling him with an insatiable thirst for vengeance against the other approaching hounds.

Meanwhile, from the cover of the bushes, a hidden archer had Thalia locked in his sights, his bowstring drawn tight. An arrow, laced with a potent sleeping drug, was readied, its deadly intent aimed squarely at her.

Before the archer could release the poisoned arrow, the bowstring snapped with a sharp crack, leaving him bewildered. He barely had time to comprehend what had just happened when a dark figure seemingly materialized behind him, golden eyes gleaming ominously from beneath its hood.

Before he could even gasp, the figure silenced him with a hand over his mouth and drove a blade deep into his back. With a brutal twist, the life drained from the archer, instantly sending him into an eternal slumber.

One by one, the other bowmen who relied on their stealth were met with an inescapable end. A kunai embedded itself in the nape of one perched high on a branch, an arrow pierced the eye socket of another concealed in the hollow of a tree trunk, and a third, hiding behind a large boulder, had his neck snapped with a sickening sound. Each met their fate without ever seeing their predator.

With the Shadow Veil skill, Daisuke glided through the forest like a phantom. In an instant, he materialized on the back of a horse, his daggers flashing as he decapitated the rider with a swift, seamless strike. Before the body could even hit the ground, he vanished once more, as silent and elusive as the night itself.

Pant-pant-pant!

Thalia reached the heart of the current battlefield just in time to see Zephyr collapse, exhausted but victorious after taking down the last of the Bearhounds. Her heart lurched as one of the bandits rushed toward the motionless pup, sword raised to deliver a fatal strike.