Five days passed quietly in Greyvale City, where life continued with its usual rhythm. Merchants opened their stalls at dawn and closed them at dusk, while guards rotated shifts along the walls with a practiced indifference.
The Adventurer Guild buzzed with activity, missions were accepted and completed, coins exchanged, and reputations slowly climbed. To an outsider, the city appeared unchanged.
But Mina felt differently. As she left the Guild after completing today's mission and began her familiar walk toward the outskirts of the city, toward the estate that served as both home and headquarters for her sister's mercenary group, a subtle tension settled in her chest.
It wasn't fear or excitement; it was something heavier, an instinctive awareness honed by years spent among warriors and killers.
The road leading away from the city gates started wide and clear, bordered by low stone walls and scattered farmland.
