The carriage rolled steadily through the quiet forest paths of Jokun City, sunlight filtering through the trees above.
Inside, Saito leaned back against his seat, arms crossed, deep in thought.
"So..."
"What do you guys think this mission's gonna be?"
Bomb shrugged, adjusting his mask.
"No idea."
Rin leaned against the window, smirking.
"First of all..."
"Since when do gangsters take missions?"
"Aren't we supposed to be causing chaos, not fixing it?"
Saito rolled his eyes, nudging him.
"Oh, come on, Rin."
"Our ally needs help."
Kaito nodded firmly beside him.
"Exactly."
"Besides..."
Saito grinned, stretching his arms behind his head.
"Since when has trouble ever scared us?"
Bomb snorted.
"Trouble doesn't scare us."
"Paperwork does."
The whole carriage burst into laughter, the tension easing slightly as they continued deeper into the forest.
Alya glanced up from her tablet, smiling faintly.
"Whatever it is..."
"I'm sure it'll be interesting."
Fanny stretched, peering out the window curiously.
"As long as there's some action involved."
"I'm in."
Rin chuckled, shaking his head.
"Careful what you wish for."
The carriage rattled onward, the crew's laughter and banter carrying through the quiet forest as they made their way toward their destination.
The carriage rolled to a stop.
Ahead of them stood a massive warehouse, tucked quietly at the edge of the treeline.
Rin stepped out first, staring up at the structure with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh..."
"Didn't even know this place existed."
Alya hopped down after him, scanning the surroundings with her tablet.
"This warehouse is near Morguin Town."
She tapped a few icons, data scrolling across the screen.
"Might be one of Shiro's mission bases."
Bomb whistled, glancing up at the towering structure.
"Fancy hideout for a 'god.'"
Kaito smirked, stepping toward the entrance.
"Only one way to find out."
Saito cracked his knuckles, grinning.
"Let's see what all the secrecy's about."
Fanny bounced excitedly beside him.
"Finally, some action."
The group made their way toward the large steel doors, footsteps echoing against the gravel.
Saito reached forward, pushing the heavy doors open.
They creaked loudly, revealing a dim interior lit by scattered lanterns.
The crew stepped inside cautiously, eyes adjusting to the shadows.
"Well..."
Rin muttered, glancing around.
"This just got interesting."
Inside the dim warehouse, a figure stepped forward from the shadows.
Mina, the cat beastwoman, tail flicking behind her, offered a small wave.
"Finally..."
"You're here."
Beside her stood a tall man with a sharp, composed presence — Herion, Shiro's right hand.
He gestured toward a corridor deeper into the building.
"This way, Blue Scarf."
The crew exchanged glances before following.
Mina and Herion led them through the warehouse, past crates and dim lanterns, until they reached a large set of double doors.
Herion pushed them open.
Light spilled out from within, revealing a spacious room, far grander than the warehouse's exterior suggested — polished floors, a long table, and several unfamiliar faces already gathered.
Saito stepped inside first, glancing around, arms crossed.
"Whoa..."
Kaito followed close behind, eyes scanning the room curiously.
Bomb let out a low whistle.
"Definitely not just a warehouse."
Fanny peeked around Saito's shoulder, grinning.
"Okay, now this feels like a real secret hideout."
Rin smirked, cracking his neck.
"Alright..."
"Let's see who else got invited to this party."
Mina gestured them further inside, tail swaying.
"Come on."
"Everyone's waiting."
At the center of the room, a massive round table stood beneath hanging lanterns.
Shiro sat waiting, hands folded calmly, a faint smile forming as he spotted them.
"Perfect timing."
Saito grinned, striding forward.
"Hey there, Shiro."
Beside him, Alpha sat with his cane resting against the table, eyes flicking toward the group.
"You arrived, Blue Scarf."
A faint, approving smile crossed his face.
"Looks like you really want this mission."
Saito plopped down into an open seat, propping his feet up casually before Kaito shot him a look, prompting him to quickly set them back down.
"Like I said..."
He leaned back, arms crossed, a confident grin spreading across his face.
"If it's something awesome..."
"I'm in."
Rin chuckled, taking a seat nearby.
"You say that about everything."
Saito shrugged.
"Because it's usually true."
Fanny slid into a chair beside Alya, glancing around the room with wide, curious eyes.
"So..."
She leaned forward eagerly.
"Are we finally gonna find out what this whole secretive thing is about?"
Shiro's expression turned serious, the playful atmosphere shifting slightly.
"Yes."
He gestured toward the empty seats around the table.
"But first..."
"Let's wait for the others to arrive."
Alpha glanced toward Shiro, tapping his cane once.
"I think we can share half the information now."
Shiro nodded.
"Alright."
He leaned forward slightly.
"You already know about the Balance Table, correct?"
Saito nodded.
Shiro's expression grew more serious.
"Unfortunately..."
"One of our great scientists has been kidnapped."
"By a group called Sector X."
Saito's brow furrowed.
"Sector X?"
Shiro folded his hands.
"A group of scientists."
His tone darkened slightly.
"Corrupted ones."
"Our spies traced them to Haruki Village."
"Near Alpha's territory."
Saito tilted his head, confused.
"Wait, hold on."
"Just a group of scientists?"
He glanced toward Alpha.
"Why not handle it yourself?"
"Haruki Village is your territory, after all."
He raised his hands quickly.
"No offense."
Alpha's expression hardened slightly, a rare seriousness settling over him.
"Don't underestimate them, Saito."
He leaned forward, gripping his cane tighter.
"Sector X was supposed to have been eliminated by the Balance Table years ago."
"Completely wiped out."
His eyes narrowed.
"But somehow..."
"They resurfaced five days ago."
The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of his words settling over the table.
Fanny shifted uneasily in her seat.
"Okay..."
"That's not ominous at all."
Shiro's expression grew grimmer.
"And that's not all."
He paused, letting the weight of his next words settle.
"Their leader..."
"Is a member of Calamity Table."
Saito's eyes widened.
"Wait—"
He leaned forward sharply.
"So Calamity's behind all of this?"
Alpha raised a hand slightly, cautioning him.
"We don't know that for certain yet."
His grip tightened around his cane.
"But the information we've confirmed..."
"Is that a Calamity Table member is leading their experiments."
"And they're the ones who captured our scientist."
The room fell silent for a long moment, tension thickening in the air.
Bomb crossed his arms, muttering under his breath.
"Great. More shadowy organizations."
Rin smirked faintly, though his eyes stayed sharp.
"Guess Scrapper's old friends are causing trouble again."
Kaito's jaw tightened, thoughts clearly drifting toward his own history with organizations like these.
Saito exhaled slowly, processing everything.
"Alright..."
He straightened in his seat, determination settling into his expression.
"So we're not just rescuing a scientist."
"We're dealing with Calamity Table too."
Alpha nodded gravely.
"Precisely."
Shiro's gaze swept over the group.
"This won't be a simple mission."
The doors creaked open.
Scrapper strode in, tentacles retracting behind him casually.
Saito's face lit up.
"Oh, hey, Scrapper!"
He waved enthusiastically.
Scrapper's tentacles flicked upward, giving a small mechanical wave in return.
"Miss me?"
He took a seat at the table, expression turning serious almost instantly.
"Noxus is their leader."
The room went quiet.
Shiro nodded, gesturing toward him.
"Scrapper will be sharing what he knows about Noxus."
"Since he's a former Calamity Table member himself..."
"He should know her better than anyone here."
Saito raised an eyebrow.
"Her?"
Rin leaned forward, intrigued.
"Guess we're getting a name to the threat now."
Fanny glanced at Scrapper curiously.
"So you actually know this person?"
Scrapper's expression darkened slightly, tentacles curling tighter behind him.
"Unfortunately..."
"Yeah."
"More than I'd like to."
The table fell into tense silence, all eyes fixed on him, waiting for what he'd reveal next.