Revi moved like wind through wheat.
She didn't wear guild armor tonight — only a plain dark coat and her favorite boots, worn soft at the heels. Her knife was strapped low, her movement set to manual, and her HUD was off.
No overlays.No damage values.No target assists.
Just instinct.
She followed the orchard trail northeast of the ridge, where the fog curled low against the roots and the air still smelled faintly of cut apples.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
And she liked it that way.
Her fingers brushed the edge of the living map Kiriti had copied to her interface. It wasn't official. Not system-approved. But every line told a story.
She stepped where the moss was thickest, avoided the patch of broken stones that always crunched loudest, and crouched behind the same log Kiriti once said was "a listening spot, not a hiding one."
They'll come in two. Maybe three. Guild protocol always scouts narrow.
She waited.
And waited.
They came just after midnight.
Two players, guild tags visible — Iron Pact. One had a sword too big for his hands. The other carried a dual-axe loadout designed for PvP burst kills.
She'd fought builds like this before.
But never for a town.
"Clear to gate?" the sword whispered.
"Map says yes. Re-tagging left approach."
Revi waited.
Let them pass the thorn line.
Let them step into the muddy arc Kiriti had marked as "the welcome meant to miss."
Then she moved.
She dropped from the ledge like a whisper wrapped in steel, landing on the sword-user's back with a crack of breath and a twist of her wrist.
Her knife found the seam between armor and flesh.
The second player turned, already shouting for support—
—but the ground beneath him collapsed.
A false path. Laid by hand. Dug by children. Covered with care.
Revi followed him down. Knife-first.
It wasn't clean.
PvP never was.
But it was hers.
By the time she climbed back out, both enemies were unconscious. Status: [Wounded – Awaiting Respawn]. No kills. Just… removal.
She left them there, tangled in vines, wrapped in old blankets the townsfolk had soaked in dye to mark the ground.
Above her, the orchard trees swayed gently.
No wind.
Just memory.
📄 [SYSTEM NOTICE: Player "Revi" – Non-lethal Combat Confirmed]• Target Players Incapacitated• Regional Threat Reduction: 8%
New Title Earned: "The Knife in the Orchard"
Player Alignment: Stonehollow Defender (Soft Lock)
Echo Node Updated: "Kiriti's Second Shadow"
Revi sat on the edge of the pit, breathing slowly.
Then she pulled out her message log.
[To: Kiriti]Orchard path's clear. Two down. One pit survived. Bread when I get back?
The message sent.
No reply yet.
She smiled anyway.
Back in town, Kiriti stood at the gate, watching the sky begin to lighten — not sunrise yet, but close.
Emeric stood beside him, arms crossed, badge glinting faintly in the torchlight.
"She's still out there?" Emeric asked.
Kiriti nodded. "She'll be back."
"You trust her now?"
Kiriti didn't hesitate.
"She stayed."
The baker's daughter passed by with a bucket of water and a half-burnt candle on a plate.
"For the orchard," she said, smiling. "In case the knife comes back tired."
Kiriti watched her go.
Then looked up at the sky again.
"She's not a knife," he said softly.
Emeric glanced at him.
"Then what?"
"A promise."
Revi returned just before dawn.
Boots muddy. Knife clean.
She said nothing.
Just handed Kiriti a cloth-wrapped bundle.
Inside: two guild ID tags, snapped clean.
Proof.
Not of victory.
Of belief returned.
He took them wordlessly.
Revi sat on the chapel step.
The bell didn't ring.
But it didn't need to.
Because everyone heard it anyway.
📄 [REGION STATUS UPDATE: STONEHOLLOW – Defensive Momentum Stable]Player Revi: Loyalty – LOCKEDAlignment: Anchor-Bound (Kiriti)
Echo Node "Orchard Trap" upgraded to:🗺 "Revi's Arc – Threaded Silence"
System Difficulty Scaling: ADJUSTED• Guild forces will now engage with full caution
📄 Guild Notice: IRON PACTCommander Gerrik:"Change tactics. Send Phase Two. Wipe the story if we must."