A digital board flashes.
THREAT: swarm of mutated ants
AREA: Block D bakery & sweet shops
RISK: Moderate
Reva and Grim confirm their team's participation and assigned coverage area with the Guild.
The twelve stand together in tactical gear for the first time.
Weapons ready. Expressions varied.
Sain stands slightly apart.
Quiet.(thinking):"I've observed them for the last two days.I should be able to adjust."
Maru bounces on his heels.
"FINALLY! NO WORMS!"
Lily side-eyes him.
"That is not reassuring."
Vyan grins, cracking his neck.
"Hope to see you smash em good them today—Mr. scaredy cat"
Maru chuckles, embarrassed.
Sain has a brief flashback—
Maru acting the same way during past two days' worm extermination missions after joining the team.
So this is his normal…
Kaal cuts in.
Kaal:"Coordination matters.Don't act rashly."
Maru nods vigorously.
Too vigorously.
Reva: "Sain , Maru performed brilliantly after joining , we hope to see you skills in action as well"
Sain just nods.
This put some pressure on him.
According to him it was just pure luck that they faced only worms since Maru joined them . Today would be Maru's actual first mission with them too.
Block D. cake shop & sweet shops are in ruins.
Signs of a recent attack.
Tara scouts the area.
"It's basically an ant colony.They're raiding everything."
Reva raises her trident.
"We can't let them scatter.If they spread, this becomes a citywide problem."
Before a plan is finalized—
BOOM
Maru charges.
Maru:"I GOT this—!"
His mace smashes one ant flat.
The impact sends vibrations through the ground.
Instantly—
The colony reacts.
Ants scatter in all directions.
Too fast.
Reva snaps.
Reva:"Are you a fucking idiot?! don't you have a brain"
Maru freezes.
The words hit harder than any blow.
Surrounded by moving targets, he can't focus.
Which one?Where?
Vyan leaps in aggressively.
Vyan:"OUT OF THE WAY!Stand back if you can't land a proper hit!"
He brutally smashes ant after ant.
Efficient.
Merciless.
Maru steps back.
His shoulders slump.
His spirit breaks.
Sain notices immediately.
The tension spikes.
Sain (thinking):This pressure…Was joining a team a mistake?
He moves closer to Maru.
Sain (low voice):"Pull yourself together, buddy."
They spread out to contain the escaping ants.
Sain sees few ants escaping . He moves .
Then hesitates.
Too many bodies.Too many voices.Too many angles.
His timing slips.
An ant escapes his strike.
Lily slices it cleanly in half.
She doesn't even look at him.
Her reaction says everything.
Sain's eyes widen.
(thinking):That shouldn't have happened.
Sain kills another ant fleeing the area.
This triggers several ants to attack him together.
One of them grazes his leg.
He dodges instinctively—
Then realizes Maya is directly behind him.
His blood runs cold.
He knows what to do—
But his body reacts too slowly.
The moment passes.
Anya steps in.
Clean.Efficient.
She looks at him straight in the eye.
That look in her eye hurt more than any words.
The last ant falls.
Everyone is breathing hard.
No one's hurt too badly.
No one celebrates.
Later.
Maru stares at the ground.
Sain sits alone in a corner.
Hands clenched.
Sain (thinking):I followed them for two days.Watched how they moved.
And still… I failed to hold my nerves.
His mind replays the fight.
If that had gone worse…
His grip tightens.
Maru approaches.
No bouncing.
Maru:"…I messed up, didn't I?"
Sain looks up.
Doesn't deny it.
Silence.
Sain stands.
"You didn't mess up alone."
Maru blinks.
Sain:"I failed to account for… myself."
Maru tilts his head.
Maru:"Huh?"
Sain looks toward the others—
Reva discussing quietly with Grim, Anya, Kaal, Maya, Lily, Tara, Bete & Fugu
Sain (thinking):They must be talking about me & Maru
He exhales.
" They say first impression is the last impression , if that's the case , then my first impression turned out pretty bad."
Maru : "Today wasn't your first impression though"
Sain catches on what he meant
Reva approaches.
Reva:"We'll debrief tomorrow."
She pauses.
Reva:"No one's hurt .That matters."
She walks away.
Maru looks at Sain—seeking reassurance.
Sain grips his spear.
(thinking):Next time…I won't hesitate.