Chapter 31: Trouble Brewing
The guild hall was its usual madhouse of noise, clinking mugs, and the faint smell of roasted meat mixed with unwashed armor. I pushed through the double doors, my eyes scanning the main floor.
Freya was back, just off her shift at the Archive, standing by the far counter talking with one of the other receptionists. She didn't see me. Which was fine, because my attention was already elsewhere.
Namely, the gorgeous redhead behind the center counter. Gwen.
Countdown in my vision:
81 hours, 43 minutes, 13 seconds… 12… 11… 10…
Yeah, it was still running. Every tick reminding me that three days from now, if Freya bit the dust, I'd be taking a permanent nap. But right now? Right now I was going to enjoy a drink with Gwen. If I was doomed, I was at least going to go out smiling.
I walked right up to the counter. "Gwen."
She looked up and smiled, that slow, warm smile that could probably get a guy to sign over his entire life savings without realizing it. "Kaizen. Back already? Looking for more work?"
"Work? Absolutely not. I'm here for something far more dangerous."
Her eyes glimmered. "Oh? And what's that?"
"You. Obviously."
She chuckled, shaking her head. "That's a terrible line."
"Maybe. But it got you to laugh. Which means it worked."
Gwen leaned forward slightly on the counter. "You're in a good mood today."
"I'm in a 'let's get a drink and pretend the world isn't full of monsters that want to eat us' mood. You joining me like you promised or do I have to drink alone and cry into my ale?"
She rolled her eyes but stepped away from the counter, tugging off the small apron she wore when handling paperwork. "Alright, fine. But if you start crying, I'm leaving."
"Deal."
We headed to the tavern side of the guild hall, where the lighting was softer and the air smelled more of grilled meat than of steel polish. I got us a corner table with a decent view of the room but still private enough for conversation. A serving boy came by, and I ordered two mugs of the dark house ale and a plate of whatever smelled that good from the kitchen.
As soon as the drinks landed, I raised mine toward her. "To reckless adventurers and the beautiful women who keep them alive."
Gwen smirked, clinking her mug against mine. "To idiots who think flattery will get them free healing potions."
I took a long sip, savoring the sharp, malty bitterness. "Flattery will get me something, eventually."
"You're assuming you're worth the trouble," she teased, taking a sip of her own.
"Hey, I'm low-maintenance. I can run a hundred meters in eleven seconds now."
She tilted her head. "That supposed to impress me?"
"It's either that or I tell you about the time I killed a goblin chief."
Her brows rose. "That was you?"
I took another drink. "Allegedly."
Gwen shook her head, laughing softly. "You're trouble."
"Guilty. But the fun kind of trouble."
We kept at it, little jabs back and forth, me leaning in just enough to make it clear I wasn't joking about being interested, her playing along but never giving me too much ground. She told me about how most adventurers came in expecting to be legends in a week and ended up dead or broke. I told her about "my hometown" in the vaguest, most made-up terms possible, describing sandy streets and a horizon that "looked like it was painted by a drunk god."
She laughed at that one. "You really are a storyteller, aren't you?"
"Only to the right audience." I leaned back, swirling my ale. "And you, Gwen, are exactly the kind of audience that makes me want to tell everything."
"Flattery again."
"Observation," I corrected with a grin.
We stayed like that for a while, drinking, bantering, stealing glances like a pair of kids in a place neither of us was supposed to be. All the while, the countdown kept ticking in the corner of my vision.
81 hours, 32 minutes, 54 seconds…
Yeah. Still running.
But for now? I let it fade into the background. I'd deal with Freya, monsters, and certain death soon enough. Tonight was about Gwen.
Gwen laughed at something I said about "accidentally" walking into a wyvern nest, total lie, but she didn't need to know that and leaned back in her chair, shaking her head.
"You're full of it," she said.
"Full of what?" I asked, raising my mug.
"Stories. Bullshit. Charm. Take your pick."
I grinned. "Charm's a compliment. I'll take that one."
As I drank, I glanced over her shoulder. Across the hall, Freya was still in her armor, shocker, arguing with one of the other receptionists and some guy I didn't recognize but screamed 'guild official.' Arms folded, chin high, full of that holier-than-thou confidence that made me want to toss my ale in his face.
I turned back to Gwen. "You know… I like this," I said.
"This?"
"Sitting here. Talking. Watching you smile."
Her eyebrows arched. "You're laying it on pretty thick tonight."
"I don't do subtle. Life's too short." I leaned in just a little. "Besides… I'm not here to dance around what I want."
Gwen took a slow sip from her mug, watching me over the rim. "And what is it you want, exactly?"
I didn't break eye contact. "You."
She laughed softly, setting her mug down. "You're dangerous."
"I hear that a lot. But in this case, I'm just honest."
Her lips curved into a smirk. "So what, you plan to sweep me off my feet and into…"
"...a night we both remember for a long time," I finished for her. "If you let me."
Her smirk didn't fade. "And if I don't?"
I leaned back, hands raised in mock surrender. "Then I keep buying drinks until you either give in or kick me out. Win-win."
She shook her head but didn't move away, and that was all the encouragement I needed.
I stole another glance toward Freya. She was still arguing, her tone sharp enough to cut steel, but her body language had shifted, more defensive now. The guild official was clearly not budging.
"Someone's in a mood," I murmured, nodding toward her.
"That's Freya for you," Gwen said, following my gaze. "Always either on a mission or mad she's not on one."
Before I could reply, the noise in the hall dropped. Not gradually, just gone. All at once, like someone had sucked the air out of the room.
Every head turned toward the big double doors.
Kaku. Kail. Trent. And Keyra.
They walked in like they owned the place. Behind them came two younger adventurers I didn't recognize, a tall guy with messy brown hair and a shorter girl with a braid and the eyes of someone who'd seen too much in too little time.
Freya's argument ended mid-sentence. She was already moving toward them. "Kaku, what happened?" She didn't wait for his answer before turning to the younger pair. "Rulo. Maya. What happened? I heard you went as scouts to Edelmere."
The girl, Maya, stepped forward. Her voice was steady, but her hands were tight fists at her sides. "We were the only survivors."
The boy, Rulo, swallowed hard. "If it wasn't for Kaku and the rest of the Iron Fangs, we'd be dead too."
That name, yeah, they'd clearly been waiting for an excuse to drop it.
One of the older, battle-scarred adventurers from a nearby table got to his feet, walking right up to Kaku. "What happened?"
Kaku's bushy tail was moving in quick, tense swipes. His cat-like ears were locked straight forward. "It's bad. Really bad."
Trent stepped in, his voice flat. "The forest is… chaos. Most of the beasts and creatures have gone wild. Without the Goblin Chief keeping them in the forest, the weaker ones are fighting amongst themselves."
Kail added, "That chief ruled the entrance on this side of Edelmere. There are others deeper in, bigger, meaner, older. But he kept the outer edge under control. Without him…" Kail just shook his head.
I didn't need him to finish the sentence. I could read the room well enough. Everyone here could. And the truth hit me like a punch to the gut.
I did that.
I killed the Goblin Chief. Out of desperation, yeah but I didn't know the guy was some kind of monster border patrol. Now there was nothing keeping the damn things from wandering out. And apparently, they weren't wandering, they were swarming.
I shifted my eyes to Gwen. She was already looking at me. Not angry, not judging… just curious. Like she was putting pieces together.
Right. I may have mentioned killing a goblin chief earlier in our little flirt fest. Maybe. Just a little.
At least she wasn't shouting my name to the crowd. Small mercies.
"Well, look who we have here."
That voice. I didn't have to turn to know it was trouble, but I turned anyway.
Keyra stood there, eyes locked on me. Her words cut through the quiet, drawing everyone's attention like a spotlight.
"So you're still here, Kaizen." She tilted her head. "Isn't this all your fault?"
I didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stared at her.
"You're the one who killed the Goblin Chief," she said, her voice carrying across the hall. "And started this whole thing."
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK….!!!