Murim Recurve

"Oh, my gracious mother lord, you already have seven, please take one more and save this pitiful soul." Re'Gra acted pitiful as he put on his best puppy eyes while looking at Re'Kha, noticing her stare of disgust in response to his actions.

He then glared at Re'Dha, signalling him through eye contact. Re'Dha too hugged her thigh and tried to put on an act, but his gloomy self gave up halfway, speaking, "Mother might kick us out if we do that. We can accompany Re'Kha and slack off in the mission area. That would be a better alternative."

The moment he said that, Re'Gra sat up and acted like his previous act hadn't ever happened, coughing once as he spoke, "I need to prepare then. It's a dangerous mission, so we need a comfy tent…I mean, a soft bed…I mean, an Aeki…"

Ignoring him, Re'Fua looked at Re'Kha with worry, "Will you be alright? You have to complete seven missions. Why don't you wait until your brother and I complete our respective missions and head there immediately after?"

Having gone through all the nine missions the three of them have to complete, Re'Kha had determined which ones would be the easiest and which would be the toughest, speaking, "After seeing the scrolls given to Re'Gra and Re'Dha, we have five missions related to beasts and three related to the Sha. But, it is the final mission that is making me feel jittery."

"Which one?" Re'Fua frowned. Re'Rel too inched forward, intending to take part in the conversation.

"Since I felt that way, I had brought the scroll with me and was planning to consult with dad after we welcomed the Ju Clan." Re'Kha said as she took out a scroll from her pocket and gave it to Re'Fua, "This mission feels oddly structured."

Re'Fua looked at the scroll, reading it aloud while Re'Rel gazed at it from the side, "Head to the peak of Whitika Mountain and find a solution to the troubles faced by the nameless village at the top."

She looked at the map, frowning when she noticed it was closer to their state border on the east, "Shouldn't the Vi Clan get a mission this far to the east?"

"That is just one part of the oddity," Re'Kha nodded, "But, it is just written as trouble without any clue. And, the nameless village might turn out to be a bandit nest. Moreover, it could only be traversed by foot and would take considerable time to scale to the top. It could very well be a scheme of Re'Tul."

"Let's do it in this way," Re'Rel spoke after a moment of thought, "Don't mention it to anyone. Make it seem like you alone are going to head there. Complete two missions while you are at it. Let Re'Gra and Re'Dha finish their respective missions in the meantime. Join hands during the third mission and continue finishing each."

He then pointed at a part of the map, "There is a tiny pond at this point. The location is discreet but is incredibly rich in Water Qi. Exactly after fifteen days, we'll meet at this point, rest, recover, and prepare ourselves. After that, we'll tackle this mission."

He then pointed at himself and Re'Fua, "We'll bring extra supplies with us. I have a trusted subordinate who's living in a nearby village. In exchange for making his family live in our southern settlement, he'll send me information about the place at regular intervals. I'll send a man to stock up some supplies in his place."

Saying so, he pointed at another part of the map, displaying the place where the village was situated, motioning for them to head there when their supplies ran short or something unexpected happened, "Even though he only has one unit of Water Qi, he's still a Harmoniser and has an elemental weapon. He will prove useful."

Re'Rel then pointed at Re'Gra, "Bring some of your regular tools with you. Just in case you need to set up traps, your abilities would prove useful."

He then pointed at Re'Dha, "I'll lend you my crossbow. Don't drag them down."

"I won't," Re'Dha snorted.

"Follow the schedule as and when possible. If there are any changes, keep me posted using a messenger bird. I'll make mine remember all of you so that it would be able to find you." Re'Rel looked at Re'Fua, "It would be for the best if we move as a team. None of my guards have a Pranic Avatar and they have very little Elemental Qi. So, they won't prove that useful in missions with steep terrain like ours."

"That should be for the best. I have my Quasi-Magic Artifact, and as long as I recharge it accordingly, we would be fine." Re'Fua nodded.

They continued to discuss about their plans as they reached their Clan. Re'Rel then said, "With the five of us, even an elite team of Harmonisers wouldn't be able to harm us. Even if Re'Tul had planned something, we should be able to deal with it. Just in case, I'll talk with mother once."

Once they returned to their home, Re'Rel went ahead to talk with his mother while Re'Rak called Re'Kha, bringing her to his room as he took out a trunk from a cupboard, opening it to reveal a set of elemental weapons.

As they were all embedded with Elemental Qi Essence Fragments, they were Quasi-Magic Artifacts—better than elemental weapons but not on the level of Magic Artifacts yet.

From among the pile, he pulled out a sword and presented it to Re'Kha, "It is named Water Wave. It is created using the bones of a Punou that was only inferior to a Punou Beast King. The Water Qi Essence fragment embedded on it allows it to unleash Water Qi for thirty breaths. And due to the material's superiority, you only need to recharge it for 120 breaths."

"That's incredible," Re'Kha exclaimed in praise.

"Yeah, this is the limit to what we can store without having to inform the Elders. But, most of what you might come across can be dealt by this." He then gave her a normal sword, a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a light handguard "With these, you would be prepared against most dangers."