The reptilian stares at him, disbelief tightening his features. Blood seeps from the corner of his mouth as he growls low, eyes burning.
"There's no way," he spits. "You're just a Tier 5? No Tier 5 can do that. No one beats us this easily!"
The feline, still on one knee, wipes blood from his chin and glares at Alix. "You're hiding something."
Alix's gaze sharpens. The casual air slips away like a dropped mask.
He steps forward slowly, the mist parting for him, and his voice loses its playful edge — now cold, level, and edged with steel.
"I don't care what the three of you are thinking," he says quietly. "Whether you believe me or not doesn't matter. What does matter… is that I offered to join you."
The insectoid monster, still half-lodged in a splintered tree, clicks its mandibles rapidly.
"Why?" it rasps. "You came from the Adventurers Guild. That quest — the one you took — it's a trap. We made it. For adventurers like you."
