Three days passed in comfortable rhythm. The trio explored Tierwyn thoroughly with Mira guiding them to hidden bakeries, rooftop lookouts, and underground fighting pits. Rested, fed, and geared up, they made their way back to the guild hall with purpose.
The request board stretched tall against the western wall of the hall, plastered with job scrolls both mundane and deadly. Mira stood with arms crossed, her tail flicking idly.
"Let's go with mid-tier contracts," she suggested. "Something dangerous enough to learn from, not stupid enough to die for."
They agreed on three monster hunts:
Stonehide Graul – A bull-sized lizard with armored plating that lived in rocky plains northeast of Tierwyn. The request: two claws and one intact backplate, needed for military-grade armor. Twilight Fangfoxes – Stealthy nocturnal beasts that moved in pairs. Their fangs were alchemical reagents. Location: A forest ridge along the River Weln. Skybleeder Wasp Nest – A colony known for venom sacs and their glowing wings, deep in the southern wetlands. Kill or thin the nest.
They left at dawn, traveling by horse-drawn skiff until the trails gave way to overgrown paths. Mira navigated expertly, hopping over roots and marking trees with powder.
The Graul hunt was first. The group reached the rocky plains northeast of Tierwyn just as the morning sun cleared the horizon. The terrain was harsh—jagged rock formations and dry soil peppered with low shrubs. Mira held a hand up and knelt, scanning the terrain.
"Stonehide Graul are territorial but not inherently aggressive," she explained. "They blend with the rocks when still. You'll know they're nearby when the ground rumbles slightly—it's the vibration of their tail swipes. Their scales are tough, but the underbelly and the base of the jaw are weak points. Avoid the horns—those things can snap a tree."
Not five minutes later, the earth quivered beneath their feet. A guttural, grinding growl followed.
From behind a ridge, the creature emerged—at least ten feet long, shaped like a monstrous lizard with boulder-like scales. Its hide shimmered with an unnatural mineral gloss, and jagged ridges along its back crackled as it moved. The Graul stomped forward on squat, muscular legs, its tail dragging behind like a flail. Its golden eyes locked on the group with wary recognition.
"It's spotted us," Mira said, tightening her grip on her knives.
The Graul didn't charge—at first. It circled slowly, puffing out dusty breaths, its head low, tail swaying methodically side to side.
"Wait for it..." Mira whispered.
The moment Drathan stepped forward, the Graul reared up with surprising speed and lunged, claws slamming into the ground—KRAAAMMM!—sending a shockwave through the stones.
Drathan blurred forward, void blades whistling, void blades whistling. Kenshin danced lightning across its limbs to paralyze movement, and Seme kept it cornered with brutal sweeps of her greatsword. Mira struck from above with dual knives, expertly wedging one under the creature's jaw.
After harvesting the parts, they hiked east through river thickets.
The Twilight Fangfoxes ambushed at dusk, just as mist began to roll off the river's edge. The group had entered a densely forested ridge, where the air was laced with earthy dampness and leaves glistened with dew. The trees grew close, casting long shadows across the underbrush. Mira halted suddenly, her tail flicking.
"They're watching us," she whispered. "Fangfoxes don't howl or growl. They creep, vanish, then strike from behind. If you see one—there's already two."
Their eyes adjusted just in time to catch a blur of motion—silver stripes flashing between trunks.
The first fox lunged from above, leaping off a branch in eerie silence. It had sleek obsidian fur, limbs too long for its size, and razor-sharp fangs that glowed with an ethereal blue hue. Drathan vanished into the shadows, reappearing mid-lunge to intercept it with a dagger cloaked in void.
The second one slashed across Kenshin's thigh as it darted past. He winced but countered instantly with an arcing bolt of static that lit up the forest for a split second—ZZZZKT! The beast vanished into the trees.
Seme met the third head-on. Her blade clanged against fangs as she locked with the creature, forcing it to the ground with a grunt. "These things are fast!"
Mira had already vanished. A moment later, a yelp echoed through the trees. She reappeared dragging a fox carcass behind her, eyes scanning the canopy. "Snare got one. Keep pressure on the rest!"
Drathan lunged again, sending a wave of dark energy forward. "Void Sickle!" The force clipped a branch and clipped the flank of one fleeing fox, sending it tumbling.
Kenshin hurled a crackling dagger of lightning into the trees. THUNK—SCREE!
The final fox limped out of the brush, then collapsed.
"Not bad," Mira said, flicking blood off her blade. "Fangs and cores intact."
The group exhaled as the ridge fell quiet.
At camp that night, a small fire crackled beneath a canvas lean-to. Mira handed out dried root biscuits and roasted bird skewers.
"These snacks don't hold a candle to the markets," Kenshin said, chewing. "But damn, they hit different out here."
Mira leaned back against a log, tail flicking. "Food tastes better when you've earned it."
Drathan stirred the fire. "So, Mira… you always been a guide?"
"Used to be a scout for the Eastern Watch. Got sick of following orders that got people killed. Now I pick who I risk my life for."
Seme nodded. "That's fair."
Later that night, Kenshin attempted to play a melody with spoons and a canteen. Mira threw a pebble at him.
Drathan laughed. "You missed your calling as a bard."
"You missed yours as a comedian," Kenshin shot back.
The camp quieted as stars bled through the treetops. A few fireflies hovered in the clearing.
"Think we'll survive this world?" Seme asked, voice low.
"We're not just surviving," Drathan said. "We're learning how to live in it."
And somewhere deep in the forest, glowing wasp eyes watched from the dark, ready for the next challenge.
The next morning, the group made their way into the southern wetlands to face their final contract: the Skybleeder Wasp Nest. Mira guided them through twisted mangroves, knee-deep moss water, and thick air buzzing with the cries of unseen wildlife.
"Skybleeders are drawn to warmth and noise," Mira explained as she tied a strip of cloth over her mouth. "Their wings glow when agitated, and their venom sacs fetch high prices—but they'll dive-bomb you in a swarm if you mess up your timing."
The trees thinned around a clearing where large honeycomb-like structures clung to the upper boughs. The air shimmered with golden motes, and the buzzing was near constant—like a low-pitched hum vibrating in the bones.
Drathan crouched low. "I count five nests. How do we not get stung to death?"
"Controlled fire and distraction," Mira said. "I'll bait the edge, you break nests with ranged and magic. Don't let them regroup."
Kenshin nodded. "Time for a lightning storm."
As Mira darted to the right, throwing a smoke vial that billowed with thick haze, the wasps began to stir. The first ones glowed red-gold, their wings buzzing so fast they blurred. Each was the size of a small cat with stingers long as daggers.
Seme's sword cleaved through the first swarm that dived. "These things are relentless!"
Drathan opened a small void ripple in the air—"Void Gutter!"—which swallowed one nest in a blink. The rest buzzed in a panic.
Kenshin launched an arc of lightning skyward. BZZZZRT-BOOM! The energy split midair, catching several wasps and sending their burning forms spiraling into the swamp.
Mira leapt from a tree, stabbing a queen-sized wasp directly in the thorax with a whirling strike. "Down to two nests!"
A final charge by the remaining wasps ended in chaos and ash. Between the trio's magic and Mira's expert movement, they destroyed the last of the Skybleeders just as the sun crested the trees.
The air settled. The buzzing silenced.
Seme wiped her blade clean. "Let's collect and get out before something worse smells the smoke."
They bottled venom sacs, carved off glowing wings, and headed back toward the main trail, tired but satisfied. on the veranda, sipping spiced wine and staring at the stars.
"I dealt with enough people for one day," he muttered to no one in particular.
Mira quietly swept behind him, lighting the courtyard lanterns without a word.
The new chapter of their lives had begun—in gold, in laughter, and in the quiet moments between.
Tomorrow would bring more chaos.
Tonight, they lived.