A long line of travellers was waiting to be inspected by the guards at the gate.

  Jason and Tahuuk approached from the opposite side, where fewer people were leaving the city, but guards still checked each one carefully.

  One of them signaled the duo forward.

  “Reason for leaving?” the guard asked.

  “We’re heading to a farm for a guild request,” Jason replied.

  “Oh, one of those. Just show the datapad—we coordinate with the guild.”

  Jason held it out. The guard scanned it, then gave a faint chuckle.

  “Starting slow, huh? The farm’s down the road on the right. Donnel’s usually out in his field; you’ll spot him.”

  Jason nodded as he took back the datapad. “Thanks.”

  Tahuuk gave the guard a respectful nod. The guard nodded back—though his eyes lingered on Tahuuk with mild suspicion until they were farther down the path.

  Jason kept glancing at the travellers still waiting in line, wary of the open world beyond the walls. But as the city’s noise faded behind them, nature slowly drowned out his tension.

  Fields stretched out on both sides, dotted with farmers of different species working under the sun.

  Finding “Donnel” among them felt impossible.

  Jason checked the datapad again, trying to decipher the location details, but field numbers meant nothing to him.

  Then—

  “Hey! You fellows here for the request?!”

  A man waved from a nearly empty field to their right. “Gate’s over there!”

  Jason entered through the low fence, Tahuuk following while eyeing the tools hanging on the posts—tools shaped like weapons in the right hands.

  “Yes, sir. We’re here for the request,” Jason said as they approached.

  The farmer wiped his forehead with a rag.

  “Well, my fool of a kid went to get fermentation from a friend of mine. West of here. Thought it’d be a great idea to cut through the forest. The unkept, gloomy, infested forest.”

  He grumbled.

  “I need that cart back. Bought fermentation in bulk with this month’s income. Can’t afford to lose it.”

  He waved them toward the far end of the field.

  “Follow the main road into the forest. That’s the one he took. I need to prep equipment in case something falls from the sky—so I’ll leave it to you.”

  Jason blinked as the hunched farmer shuffled away.

  “Well… I guess that’s the request,” he said quietly.

  He turned to Tahuuk. “It’s still midday. Let’s look around for a few hours. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  Tahuuk tilted his head. “Something on your mind, brother?”

  “My instinct’s telling me something’s off,” Jason admitted. “If this was easy, they would’ve done it themselves. We’ll check the forest, but if it gets dangerous, we turn back. We need credits—not a grave.”

  With that agreement, they followed the path until the treeline loomed ahead.

  The farmer hadn’t exaggerated—the forest radiated unease.

  Jason felt it immediately.

  Tahuuk’s posture sharpened; battle instincts fully awake.

  They stepped under the canopy. Sunlight filtered between leaves, dappling the path. Despite its initial calm, every shadow felt like it hid something watching.

  Jason had never seen a real forest—not on the desolate world he grew up on. He kept near Tahuuk, matching his silent, prepared movements.

  A break in the branches caught their attention.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Bent limbs, cracked bark. Something large had forced its way through.

  They followed the disturbance downhill until a glint flashed between leaves.

  The cart.

  Jason brushed aside the foliage.

  Empty.

  The cargo was too heavy for animals to take.

  He looked at Tahuuk. “We’re not alone.”

  Tahuuk didn’t answer—he scanned the woods, muscles ready to strike.

  A growl rolled through the shadows.

  Another.

  Then a third.

  Three wolf-like beasts emerged, fangs bare, circling them.

  Jason felt naked without a weapon. He gripped a thick branch—better than nothing.

  Tahuuk cracked his knuckles.

  “You take one,” he said with a grin. “I’ll take two.”

  “Sure… if that helps your battlelust,” Jason muttered.

  They moved back to back.

  The first beast lunged at Tahuuk, then the second followed.

  Tahuuk struck the first mid-air—its body crumpled. He pivoted, smashing the second before it landed.

  Jason swung down at the beast attacking him, hitting near its eye. It yelped and retreated—especially after seeing its companions fall so quickly. Blood spattered the leaves as Tahuuk made sure they stayed down.

  “Wasn’t that a little overkill?” Jason asked.

  “Gotta be sure,” Tahuuk replied, wiping bone fragments from his knuckles.

  Jason drew breath to complain again—

  Then saw footprints leading deeper into the forest.

  “The cart was hidden intentionally,” he murmured. “Someone dragged it.”

  “If we follow them, we might get their weapons,” Tahuuk said.

  Jason nodded. They returned to the farm first.

  Near the house, a younger man worked outside. Jason waved him over.

  “We’re here about your father’s request for the cart,” Jason explained.

  The young man's eyes widened. “He… he made a request? He didn’t need to. I was going to get it tomorrow. You don’t have to bother—”

  “We’re already doing it,” Jason cut in. “We need some equipment.”

  The young man looked nervous, sweat forming.

  “What for? We don’t have the money to replace tools…”

  “We’ll repay you if anything breaks.”

  “Fine. In the barn,” he muttered, pointing toward a small shack.

  Jason tugged Tahuuk’s arm as they walked away. “He’s hiding something. He doesn’t want us to find the cart.”

  “So… we still continue?” Tahuuk asked.

  “Yeah. We accepted the request. Backing out now would ruin our name before we even have one.”

  They grabbed tools sturdy enough to use as makeshift weapons and headed back into the forest.

  Following the footprints went faster now, less time for caution. The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows that merged into darkness. Their ears caught a faint noise ahead.

  They hid behind thick trees.

  A camp.

  Red-cloaked men moved about, unloading crates marked with a black raven—an emblem neither Jason nor Tahuuk recognized.

  Nine men. Too many to fight head-on.

  One mercenary wandered away from the group, loosening his belt with gun and holster to relieve himself.

  Tahuuk vanished into the shadows. His large towering demeanor, which usually stood out, was now perfect for blending in.

  A moment later, a large blue hand clamped over the man’s mouth and dragged him behind a tree. Jason approached quietly.

  Jason whispered, “Who are you?”

  Terrified, the man weighed his options, then whispered back, “We’re… we’re mercenaries. Raven Merchant Group.”

  “Why are you here? Did you steal fertilizer from a cart?”

  “Y-yeah. We made a deal for it!”

  “A deal?” Jason echoed.

  He looked past the man—crates filled with weapons, tools, heavy tracks leading toward the city.

  “What are you planning?!”

  A creepy smile spread across the man’s face.

  “What do you think fertilizer is for? We’re blowing up those Dalkin Merchant bastards! Might’ve already gone off, ha!”

  Jason’s blood ran cold.

  If the explosion had already happened, they’d have heard it.

  Which meant—

  “They’re still in the line at the gate,” Jason whispered. “The travellers. The guards.”

  He turned to Tahuuk.

  “We need to go. Now!”

  Tahuuk nodded.

  Then, without hesitation, he covered the man’s mouth again—and snapped his neck. The body slumped among the bushes.

  Jason looked once more at the camp of armed saboteurs.

  No alarm was raised.

  “Let’s go,” he said, already running.