We pushed through the guild's doors. The familiar warmth and noise washed over me.

  A stark contrast to the sewers.

  "Yo! Old man, we're back!" Aditya waved to Garrick as we got back to the guild.

  Garrick looked up from the counter, his weathered face breaking into a grin. "Back already? That was quick." His eyes swept over us, taking in the blood and grime. "Looks like it got messy."

  "Messier than expected," Aditya said, walking up to the counter. "Report said maybe ten goblins. We found over two dozen. Plus a chieftain."

  The grin vanished from his face. "A chieftain?"

  "Yeah.” She tossed something onto the counter. The chieftain's ear. Dark and leathery, with a crude iron ring pierced through it.

  Garrick's expression darkened. He picked up the ear, examining it, then set it down hard. "Are you two out of your damn minds?"

  Aditya blinked. "What?"

  "A D-rank chieftain and you didn't pull back? Didn't call for backup?" His voice rose. Several heads turned in our direction. "You could've gotten yourselves killed!"

  "We handled it," Aditya said defensively.

  "That's not the point!" Garrick slammed his hand on the counter. "You're E-rank, Aditya. A D-rank monster is above your pay grade. Way above."

  "The intel was wrong," Aditya argued. "What were we supposed to do? Let it rebuild the nest? More people would've died."

  "You were supposed to retreat and report back. That's protocol for a reason." Garrick's jaw tightened. "I don't care if you got lucky this time. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

  The guild had gone quiet. Everyone was watching now.

  My face burned. I felt like a kid being scolded.

  "You're right," I said quietly. "We should've pulled back."

  Garrick's gaze shifted to me. His expression softened slightly. "At least one of you has some sense." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Look, I'm glad you're both alive. And yeah, you did the city a service. But don't make a habit of being reckless.”

  Aditya looked down. "Sorry, old man."

  "Don't apologize to me. Apologize to yourselves for almost dying." He pulled out his ledger, still looking annoyed. "Standard goblin nest clearing is fifty silver. D-rank chieftain is another fifty. Call it a hundred total." He counted out coins, sliding them across the counter. "You earned it. But next time, use your heads."

  Aditya pushed half toward me. "Fifty each?"

  I nodded, pocketing the coins. More money than I'd expected. A lot more.

  But Garrick was right. We'd been reckless. Really reckless.

  "Get cleaned up," Garrick said, his tone still sharp. "And think about what I said."

  "We will," Aditya muttered.

  We headed for the door. Nox padded beside me, his tail swishing slowly. He was tired too. I could feel it through the bond.

  Outside, the sun was starting to set. The sky had turned orange and pink.

  "So," Aditya said after a moment. "Garrick's right, you know."

  "I know."

  "We got lucky today." She looked at me. "Really lucky."

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "I know," I said again.

  She started walking, then paused. "Hey, Vera?"

  "Yeah?"

  "You did good today and thanks for having my back.”

  Something warm settled in my chest.

  She waved and walked off, disappearing into the evening crowd.

  I stood there for a moment.

  My first job was done.

  And I was still here.

  But Garrick's words echoed in my head. We'd been reckless. Could've died.

  I needed to be smarter. Better.

  I sighed. I still have a long way to go.

  =====

  The inn was quiet when I got back. Most of the other tenants were probably already asleep or out for the evening.

  I trudged up the stairs, every step making my muscles protest.

  Inside my room, I stripped off the leather armor. It was covered in grime and blood. Some of it was mine. Most of it wasn't.

  I'd need to clean it properly tomorrow. For now, I just dropped it in the corner.

  My body ached everywhere. Bruises were already forming on my arms and ribs. Nothing serious, but enough to remind me how close things had gotten.

  I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled up my status window. The familiar translucent screen appeared in front of me.

  [STATUS SCREEN]

  Name: Vera Demecillo

  Race: Human/Otherworlder

  Level: 24

  Skills: Monster Maker

  Three levels from one job.

  Not bad.

  One thing I'd learned since coming to the city was that levels got harder to gain the higher you climbed.

  And unlike in the games I'd read about in books. There was no respawning when you died.

  No second chances.

  You only had one life.

  That's why so many adventurers were cautious about leveling.. Pushing too hard, too fast, could get you killed.

  I dismissed the window and lay back on the bed.

  I stared at the ceiling, my mind replaying the day. The sewers. The goblins. The chieftain.

  We'd been reckless. Garrick was right about that.

  But I needed it.

  Yes, we'd been reckless. Yes, we could've died. But we didn't. And now I was closer to where I needed to be.

  I was growing. Getting stronger.

  I couldn't afford to be too cautious.

  But I still needed to be smart about it.

  I know. Contradictory, right? Don't be reckless, but also don't hold back. Be careful, but push forward.

  But you get it.

  There's a difference between calculated risks and throwing yourself into danger without thinking.

  Today had been closer to the second one. Next time, I'd aim for the first.

  My eyelids grew heavy. The exhaustion was catching up to me fast.

  As soon as my head sank deeper into the pillow, darkness pulled me under.

  =====

  The forest materialized around me.

  Dark and twisted. Trees that seemed to lean in, watching.

  I was running.

  My lungs burned. My legs ached. But I couldn't stop.

  Behind me, something massive moved through the undergrowth. Scales scraping against bark. A hiss that made my blood run cold.

  The basilisk.

  I stumbled, catching myself against a tree. My hand came away wet. Blood? No. Something else. Something cold.

  The forest changed.

  One moment trees, the next moment stone.

  A throne room.

  Massive. Empty. The walls stretched up into darkness that seemed to go on forever. Stone pillars lined the sides, carved with symbols I couldn't read.

  And in the center, a throne.

  I was sitting on it.

  No. I was standing here. But there I was, on the throne.

  The other me wore dark armor. Sleek and black, like Nox's fur. Her hair was longer, pulled back. Her eyes were cold.

  The face was mine. The features were the same. But the expression was wrong.

  Cold. Blank. Empty.

  Monsters surrounded the throne. Dozens of them. Wolves with too many teeth. Birds with razor feathers. Serpents that coiled and hissed. All of them staring with blank, obedient eyes.

  But that wasn't all.

  Bodies littered the floor. Human bodies. Some fresh. Some nothing but bones. They were scattered everywhere. Piled against the walls. Heaped at the base of the throne.

  Skulls stared up at nothing. Ribcages lay cracked open. Arms and legs twisted at wrong angles.

  The floor was slick with blood.

  The me on the throne sat perfectly still. One hand resting on the armrest. Fingers tapping slowly.

  Tap. Tap. Tap.

  I opened my mouth to speak.

  Nothing came out.

  Then the me on the throne spoke. Her voice was mine, but colder. Sharper.

  "This is what you'll become."

  I tried to step back. My feet stayed rooted to the floor.

  "Power always comes with a price," she said. "And you're willing to pay it, aren't you?"

  No. That's not true.

  "Isn't it?" The smile widened. "You've already started. Every fight. Every command. You're shaping them into what you need. Not what they are." She leaned forward. "And everyone who gets in your way? They end up here."

  "This is your future," she said. "A throne of bones. An army of beasts. And nothing left of who you were."

  The monsters closed in. Their breathing filled the air. Hot and rancid.

  The throne room pressed down on me. Heavy and suffocating.

  I opened my mouth to scream.

  =====

  I jerked upright, gasping.

  My heart slammed against my ribs. Sweat soaked through my shirt.

  The room was dark. Quiet. Real.

  For a moment, I couldn't move. The throne room still felt present. The cold voice still echoed in my head.

  I was in my room. At the inn. Safe.

  But my hands were shaking.

  "I'm okay," I whispered to myself but my voice came out hoarse. "Just a bad dream."

  But I couldn't shake the image. The cold reflection. The hollow eyes of the monsters. The bodies. All those bodies.

  Was that really what I'd become?

  No. It couldn't be.

  I wouldn't let it be.

  I lay back down, but sleep didn't come easy. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that throne. That empty smile.

  I couldn’t sleep after that.