Morning light spilled through the narrow window of the inn room, painting pale streaks across the wooden floorboards. Elias opened his eyes without moving. He'd been awake for minutes already, listening to footsteps in the hallway, carts rolling in the streets, the quiet groan of the building settling.
Even here, in a town full of people, he woke the same way he always had in the forest: alert, analyzing, ready.
He sat up, adjusted his cloak, and stepped outside.
Greyhawk was busier than the day before. Merchants pulled carts toward the market square. Hunters returned from early missions. A group of armored adventurers argued loudly beside the well. The smell of roasted bread drifted through the air.
It was noisy, but patterned.
Chaotic, but predictable enough.
He made his way back to the Hunter's Hall. More people stared this time—word had already spread. A child whispered to her mother, pointing at him.
"That's the boy who killed a corrupted boar."
The mother pulled her daughter away quickly.
He ignored it.
Inside, the hall was crowded with adventurers exchanging information. The same clerk from yesterday looked exhausted but attentive. She noticed him immediately.
"You're early," she said.
Elias nodded. "I want a new mission."
"You didn't even rest a full day."
"I rested enough."
She exhaled. "Right. You're one of those."
She slid a booklet toward him—missions recommended for Copper adventurers looking to climb quickly.
He scanned the list in seconds.
One caught his attention:
Hunt and retrieve the core of a Rank C beast—Blackmane Wolf.Reward: 16 silver.Warning: Highly aggressive. Targets solo adventurers.
Elias tapped the parchment. "This one."
The clerk hesitated. "Those wolves killed three Copper adventurers last month."
"I'm not them."
"That's what worries me," she muttered. But she stamped the slip anyway. "Bring back proof and the core. Try not to get shredded."
"I'll keep that in mind."
He left before she could say more.
The northern woods deepened as he walked farther from Greyhawk, gradually losing the light-hearted chatter of the town. Branches twisted overhead, sunlight filtering down in thin, trembling lines. This wasn't Duskwood, but it was closer to what he understood.
He slowed his steps and let the forest's rhythm settle around him.
A faint growl rolled through the trees. Low. Warning. Testing the air.
The Blackmane Wolf was nearby.
He lowered his breathing until it was barely noticeable. His shadow thinned, adjusting to the environment. The leaves rustled from a sudden breeze—but it was wrong. The direction didn't match the natural airflow.
A second growl vibrated behind him.
He didn't turn. He let the tension tighten his muscles naturally and focused on the sound. The wolf circled him once, twice, staying out of sight. Clever. More clever than most beasts of this rank.
Another step.
The wolf lunged.
Elias spun aside, drawing his dagger in a clean arc. The blade grazed its shoulder, leaving a shallow cut. Dark fur scattered into the air. The wolf recoiled, eyes glowing a faint red from corruption.
It snarled, pacing, testing him.
Elias watched its movements carefully. Its front left leg dipped slightly when it stepped forward. An old injury? Or perhaps the corruption feeding on its muscles?
The wolf charged again.
This time, he stepped forward instead of back. The beast blinked in confusion—just enough. Elias ducked under its leap and slashed upward. The dagger carved through its side, shadow pulsing faintly along the wound.
The wolf collapsed, panting, struggling to rise.
He approached slowly.
The beast met his gaze with an intelligence that startled him. There was fear, yes—but also defiance. A creature that had survived too long under corruption.
He crouched beside it. "Suffering is not the same as strength."
The wolf tried to bite, but its jaw failed.
Elias ended it quickly.
When the body stilled, he retrieved the core—a dark red crystal pulsing weakly—and cleaned his blade. Something tugged at his awareness. A subtle movement behind the trees.
Not another wolf.
Eyes, watching.
Several of them.
Elias stood slowly, stepping back until he reached a more open patch of forest. He waited.
Eventually, three figures emerged.
Not wolves.
Adventurers.
They wore mismatched armor, cloaks too pristine for real hunters. Their steps were deliberate. Their stares sharper than simple travelers.
Bandits pretending to be adventurers.
The leader, a tall man with thick braids, clapped slowly as he approached.
"Well done, kid," he said. "Didn't expect a Copper to take down a Rank C wolf alone."
Elias said nothing.
The man smiled. "We saw you heading out earlier. Thought we'd see if you survived. Seems you did. That's good."
Another man stepped to the side, blocking the path back to Greyhawk. A woman circled behind, pretending to admire the trees.
They were closing in.
"You see," the leader continued, "we make sure the weaker adventurers don't go home with too much… burden." He tapped his dagger. "Be a shame if something happened to you on the road."
So this was how the world worked.
He'd expected it eventually.
Elias exhaled quietly. "You want the core."
"And your silver. And whatever else you're hiding." The leader shrugged. "Worry not. We'll make it fast."
Elias tilted his head. "Why warn me?"
"Because I don't like killing kids," the man said honestly. "But I won't starve for your sake either."
Elias considered the logic.
Reasonable desperation.
Predictable greed.
A situation he could navigate.
He glanced at the woman behind him—she shifted her weight to her left leg. Hidden dagger. Poison, maybe. The second man gripped his sword too tightly—nervous. Inexperienced.
Elias turned to the leader. "I don't want to kill you."
The man snorted. "You won't get the chance."
He lunged.
Elias stepped aside, letting the blade pass close enough to feel the wind of the strike. His shadow snapped upward, striking the man's wrist. The dagger flew from his grasp and clattered against a tree trunk.
The man froze. "What—?"
Elias didn't answer. He moved toward the second man. The bandit swung too widely, too desperately. Elias ducked under the blade and struck the man's ribs with the dagger's hilt. He collapsed with a wheeze.
The woman behind him leaped, aiming for his neck.
He didn't even turn.
His shadow rose, catching her mid-air like a grasping hand. She screamed as it slammed her into the ground.
The forest fell silent.
The leader stared at him, shaking. "What… what are you?"
Elias approached him calmly and picked up the fallen dagger.
"I gave you a warning."
The man crawled backward. "Please—wait—"
"I won't kill you," Elias said. "But you won't threaten anyone today."
He struck the man's arm, breaking it cleanly. The scream echoed through the trees. Elias stepped past him, walking back toward town without looking back.
The forest was quiet again.
His shadow trailed close, almost… satisfied.
"That was unnecessary," Elias murmured.
The shadow rippled in disagreement.
He tightened his cloak and kept walking.
Greyhawk's walls came into view just as the sun dipped behind the hills. The guards waved him through, though some watched the stain of blood on his cloak with suspicion.
Inside the Hunter's Hall, the same clerk blinked when she saw him.
"Back again?"
Elias placed the wolf core on the counter.
Her eyes widened. "You actually completed that mission? Alone?"
"Yes."
"You're… you're still Copper," she stammered, "but I'll put in a request to evaluate you for Bronze. That should happen within a few days."
He nodded.
"Anything else I should know?" she asked, eyeing the dirt and dried blood. "You weren't chased? Injured? Attacked?"
Elias paused."…No."
Not the part she could handle, anyway.
She sighed in relief. "Then good work. Get some rest."
Rest.
He left the hall and wandered through the town, absorbing the changing lights as lanterns flickered to life. Children played in the streets. Merchants packed their booths. Two hunters argued about a failed mission. Life moved in steady rhythms he was still learning to understand.
Eventually, he climbed back onto the rooftop of the inn.
The sky was darker tonight. Stars scattered across the quiet canvas.
He lay back, hands behind his head.
"I need to understand this world," he murmured. "Its rules. Its threats. Its people."
His shadow shifted beside him, a living smear against the wood.
"And you," he added quietly, "need control."
The shadow responded like a gentle tremor.
Elias closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he would choose an even harder mission.
He didn't know it yet, but his name had already begun to circulate through Greyhawk.
A whisper.
A question.
A warning.
Elias Vale.
:)