Greyhawk stirred awake long before the sun fully rose. The clang of metal, the rhythm of boots, and the muttered voices of hunters filled the streets. Elias walked through the early crowd with the same quiet precision as always, his cloak brushing lightly against his legs.
He was headed to the Hunter's Hall for another mission.
He passed by the merchant district—bakers opening shutters, workers dragging crates, children chasing each other through puddles. A young boy bumped into him.
"Sorry!" the child squeaked before running off.
Elias blinked, slightly thrown off. People here apologized easily. Freely. Wastefully.
He stepped inside the hall.
The clerk from yesterday perked up when she saw him. "Already? You know, most Copper adventurers rest for two or three days after taking down a Rank C beast."
"I'm not most adventurers."
"…I'm afraid of the day I stop being surprised by you," she muttered, riffling through mission slips. "Let me see what's available."
Before she could choose one, someone behind Elias cleared his throat.
"You're blocking the counter."
Elias turned.
A boy—about his age, maybe a bit older—stood there. Lean, sharp-eyed, wearing worn leather armor patched in three places. His hair was dark brown, messy, and his expression radiated confidence that didn't feel forced.
But the most striking thing wasn't his appearance.
It was his posture.
Relaxed. Balanced. Alert.
A fighter's posture.
Elias stepped aside without argument. The boy nodded as if acknowledging a silent agreement.
The clerk looked between them. "Arin Hale, right? Back from your mission already?"
Arin placed a bloodied cloth on the counter. "Horned Viper. Rank C. Alone."
Elias observed — no trembling, no hesitation. A clean kill. Efficient.
The clerk's eyebrows rose. "You two really are something else… Give me a moment to process your results."
Arin turned slightly, eyes landing on Elias. "You're the kid who took down a Blackmane Wolf yesterday."
Elias didn't answer.
"Thought so." Arin smirked. "People have been talking. Said you move like a ghost."
"People exaggerate."
"Do they?" Arin leaned against the counter. "Name's Arin. You?"
"Elias."
Arin waited for more. None came.
He laughed softly. "Right. Stoic type. Figures."
Elias didn't understand what was amusing.
The clerk handed Arin his payment, then faced Elias with a new mission slip.
"I have something challenging but still within legal assignment limits. Rank C again—Corrupted Stalker. A stealth-type beast east of town. Two hunters went missing yesterday."
Arin raised an eyebrow. "You're giving that to him? A Copper?"
"This 'Copper' has a better success rate than half of Bronze," she snapped.
Arin whistled. "Impressive."
Elias accepted the mission. "Thank you."
He turned to leave, but Arin fell in step beside him.
"Mind if I walk with you?"
Elias glanced at him. "Why?"
"Because," Arin shrugged, "you intrigue me. And smart hunters don't go alone into the east woods."
"I'm alone often."
"I can tell."
Elias didn't respond.
Arin continued, undeterred. "So. Elias. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"In the forest."
"Which forest?"
"Duskwood."
Arin stopped walking. "…Seriously? You're from Duskwood?"
Elias gave a small nod.
"No wonder you move like that," Arin muttered. "Everyone says Duskwood turns kids into either prodigies or corpses."
Elias didn't correct him.
They reached the edge of the eastern woods. These trees were taller, thinner, bending slightly as if bowing under some unseen pressure. Fog clung to the ground in loose patches.
Elias scanned the terrain. "The creature moves silently and attacks from above. Or below."
Arin tapped the hilt of his short sword. "Stalkers go for the spine first. Makes it easier to drag prey into the underbrush. Stay sharp."
Elias didn't need the reminder, but he appreciated the information.
They moved deeper.
The air thickened with tension. Birds stopped singing. Even insects grew quiet. Arin crouched near a set of tracks.
"One hunter ran," Arin whispered. "The prints are scattered. He wasn't looking where he stepped."
Elias knelt beside him. "The second hunter didn't run."
Arin's eyes flicked to a broken branch eight feet above the ground. "Ambushed."
Elias nodded.
Arin studied him carefully. "You analyze fast."
"You do too."
Arin grinned. "Guess we'll get along."
Something shifted in the canopy.
Branches trembled.
Elias inhaled slowly. The shadow beneath him rippled, faint but aware. Arin's grip tightened around his sword.
The Stalker moved.
It dropped from above, a blur of dark fur and elongated claws. Arin rolled aside and slashed upward, grazing its shoulder. Elias pivoted, stepped behind it, and struck its flank.
The beast hissed—a high-pitched shriek that rattled Elias's teeth. It vanished into the fog.
"Fast!" Arin shouted.
"It's circling," Elias murmured.
"How do you know?"
Elias listened. The faintest displacement of air. A branch bending. A breath.
"There."
The Stalker lunged from behind Arin.
Elias didn't think. He moved.
His dagger clashed against the creature's claws, shadow flaring. The force pushed him back two steps. Arin leaped at its side, slicing its hind leg.
The beast screeched and spun, swiping wildly. Arin ducked. Elias didn't.
He dodged instead of blocking, gliding under the attack, sliding the dagger along the Stalker's chest.
A deep wound opened.
Dark blood spilled across the leaves.
The Stalker staggered, desperate. Its eyes flicked between the two boys—calculating. For a moment, Elias felt something strange. A flicker of intelligence. Corrupted, but present.
"Don't let it—!" Arin began.
The beast bolted—straight at Elias.
He raised his blade.
The creature leaped.
A pulse of shadow erupted from the ground.
The Stalker froze mid-air, suspended, limbs twitching violently as Elias's shadow wrapped around its torso like a rope made of night. Its screams tore through the forest.
Arin stared, slack-jawed. "What… what is that?"
Elias didn't answer.
He stepped forward and ended the creature with a clean thrust through the heart.
The shadow receded.
The forest went still.
Arin exhaled shakily. "I've hunted Stalkers before, but… not like that. You're something else."
Elias crouched, retrieving the beast core. "It doesn't matter."
"Doesn't it?" Arin gave a crooked grin. "Strong, quiet, terrifying when you want to be—yeah, I definitely chose the right guy to walk with."
Elias held his gaze for a moment. He didn't sense hostility. Only curiosity. A desire for connection he didn't fully understand.
"Why help me?" Elias asked.
Arin shrugged. "Because you looked like you could use someone who talks too much."
"…I see."
"I'm serious." Arin sheathed his sword. "Strong loners tend to die stupid deaths. Trust me—I've seen it."
Elias didn't reply.
They walked back together.
Greyhawk glowed orange as the sun dipped. Elias entered the Hunter's Hall with Arin beside him. The clerk's eyes widened again.
"Two Rank C missions in two days?"
Arin smirked. "Told you he's a monster."
"I never said he wasn't!" She stamped their slips quickly. "This is insane. A Copper shouldn't be doing this."
Arin nudged Elias. "We should team up again sometime."
Elias didn't know how to answer, so he said nothing.
Arin laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."
Before Elias could object, Arin waved and walked away.
Elias left shortly after, ascending to the rooftop again. Night settled, quiet and gentle.
"A friend…" Elias murmured.
The word felt strange. Heavy. Dangerous.
His shadow shifted uncertainly beside him.
"…We'll see," Elias whispered.
Below, the town bustled.
Above, the stars waited.
Tomorrow would test him again.
:)