Joe smiled faintly. “Wrong time for jokes.”

  “Obviously,” the Guild Master replied.

  “So, what’s the real fee for the job?” Joe asked.

  “150 gold coins and 30 silvers,” the Guild Master stated without hesitation.

  “Good enough. Consider it handled,” Joe said, already turning to leave.

  “Joe, I heard you had visitors,” the Guild Master called after him.

  “That’s private,” Joe replied, not slowing his stride.

  The Guild Master leaned back, admiring the elegant chamber around him. The advantages of being the strongest in the Guild, he mused.

  Joe wasted no time once outside. “Eddie, get Lena and Reed. The job ends today,” he ordered, then dropped himself at a table. As he looked up, his gaze met Darmian’s.

  The guild hall fell silent in an instant. Conversations died, mugs froze mid-air. The two men locked eyes, their stare heavy enough to suffocate the room.

  “What are you here for?” Joe challenged.

  “Careful,” Darmian warned, his voice low and dangerous. “It’s bad manners for the weak to question the strong. I might just teach you some manners.”

  Joe stepped closer. “Unfortunate no one would see me make you look pathetic,” he said, his smile sharp.

  “Wanna go?” Darmian pressed, flashing his rings and the ink of a bold tattoo.

  “Anytime. Anywhere,” Joe answered.

  “Enough!” the Guild Master’s voice thundered from the stairs. “I won’t allow this in my guild.” His descent was slow, deliberate, each step thick with authority. “Darmian, if you have something to say, speak now. After that, I don’t listen.”

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  “Lucky,” Darmian muttered, turning away.

  Just then, Eddie arrived with Lena and Reed, catching only a glimpse of the stand-off. His eyes widened. Two giants, he thought, then turned as Joe strode toward him. One of these days…

  Joe was a pillar of the Veilfang Order—the largest guild in Zurehn. His reputation stretched far beyond the kingdom’s borders. In contrast, Darmian thrived outside guild walls, a rogue whose strength rivaled anyone’s. Yet Joe’s place within Veilfang gave him both power and reach few could match.

  As they headed out, Joe halted at a weapons shop. “Give me a minute,” he said. Eddie, Lena, and Reed followed him inside.

  The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. “Long time no see, Joe.”

  “Toney. How’ve you been holding up?”

  “Better than last time,” Toney said, pouring wine. “So, what brings you here?”

  “I need the location of a Nyrrak,” Joe said directly.

  “There are a lot of Nyrrak. Hard to pinpoint one,” Toney replied.

  “Twenty gold coins,” Joe countered, sliding a pouch across the table.

  “Twenty, and its teeth,” Toney bargained.

  “Deal.”

  Closing his eyes, Toney focused, then gave a precise location.

  Joe rose. “I’ll be back. More business to do with you.”

  It took time to pass Zurehn’s gate and reach the shadow of Veilwood Forest. The group moved along safer roots, scanning the dense growth.

  “Near the stream,” Joe murmured. “Get ready.” He took the lead; Eddie trailed just behind, Lena third, Reed last.

  “There it is!” Lena gasped.

  A massive Nyrrak padded into view—sleek black fur, jagged teeth, a predator built to shatter bone.

  “Never seen one this big,” Reed muttered.

  “They’re not usually,” Eddie confirmed.

  “Eddie, nothing gets in,” Joe said, eyes locked on the beast. “I’ll handle it alone. Reed, barrier when I move.”

  Reed crouched, pressing one hand into the ground as he whispered. The moment Joe dashed forward, the Nyrrak lunged.

  Eddie’s hand twitched. He pulled a sword free, then hurled it—not at the Nyrrak, but at Joe. At the same time, Reed’s barrier snapped into place, sealing the creature inside.

  Joe twisted mid-dash, letting the sword cut past him straight into the Nyrrak’s path. ''Got it '' he thought.

  But the Nyrrak was quicker than expected. With an unnatural turn, it avoided the strike.

  “What? In daylight?” Eddie whispered. “How is it that fast?”

  The creature struck the barrier and recoiled. Joe seized the sword, facing it head-on.

  The Nyrrak circled, low and tense. Joe stood unmoving until its shadow passed his back. It lunged. He pivoted, blade flashing.

  “Did he hit it?” Lena breathed.

  “Look,” Eddie said grimly.

  The Nyrrak stood unharmed.

  “Not even a scratch,” Reed muttered.

  Joe exhaled, eyes narrowing. I won’t let this go. He advanced. “Playtime’s over.”

  The Nyrrak blurred. Reed’s barrier shuddered once, twice—five times. Suddenly, the beast was before him. Reed froze, fear flooding him.

  “That’s what it wants!” Eddie shouted, grabbing Reed’s arm.

  Blood trailed from the Nyrrak’s foreleg.

  “It’s wounded,” Lena said.

  “And still dangerous,” Joe replied.

  The Nyrrak limped, shedding claws, ribs shifting as blood pooled. Joe pressed, driving it into submission. At last, he lowered his bloody sword.

  “Drop the barrier,” he ordered.

  They gathered around. The sight left even hardened adventurers uneasy.

  “Could I win against it?” Eddie asked.

  “Daylight? Slim chance,” Joe said. “Nightfall? Maybe ninety percent survival.”

  “It’s female,” Lena noted.

  “But it never called for help,” Reed frowned.

  “Because it was stalling,” Joe answered, eyes narrowing.

  Lena crouched, gaze sharp. “There’s another one.”

  A chill crawled up Joe’s spine. He turned—just in time to see a smaller Nyrrak vanish into the brush.

  He gave chase, Eddie pounding after him, while Lena and Reed stayed behind to deal with the corpse.

  The smaller Nyrrak darted erratically, aiming for a large tree.

  “It’s heading for the mountains,” Joe thought, closing the gap.

  Eddie, focused only on pursuit, missed the sticky threads underfoot. His leg went numb, and he crashed down hard.