James turned to celebrate—and his legs gave out beneath him.

  The last thread of adrenaline ran dry, and he collapsed, face-first into the cracked courtyard stone. Somewhere beside him, Edward dropped to one knee. Ken managed a step before slumping against the barricade, breathing hard.

  A higher Endurance was great. But it could only take you so far.

  James had just enough time to think, before the world tilted sideways.

  And he passed out.

  Something was wrong.

  He woke to the familiar shape of the Silver Room ceiling. Smooth stone, faintly lit, and still.

  The sheets were thin, a little clammy. The air tasted stale, slightly humid, like the runes hadn’t cycled properly.

  He didn’t feel rested. His limbs were heavy, his joints stiff, his tongue dry.

  He heard nothing but Charlie’s soft snoring beside him.

  Then the smell hit.

  He grimaced.

  He reeked. So did Charlie. So did Squire, curled tight in the crook of his arm, tail twitching when they realized he was awake.

  “Hey,” James rasped, voice raw. “You two…”

  He reached into his inventory and found the last strip of jerky. Split it in half. Fed it to them both. “You did amazing. I’m proud of you.”

  Charlie flopped over for belly scritches. Squire butted her head under James’ hand like a heat-seeking missile. He gave them both a long, quiet moment.

  Then water. First for them. Then for him.

  After that, a quick shower. Cold, but functional. He changed into clean clothes that somehow still smelled faintly of burnt fur and healing salves.

  He slung his bag over one shoulder and opened the door.

  The hallway was dim, and there weren't any signs of magic. The Silver Rooms were out of commission.

  He made his way downstairs, footsteps echoing louder than they should’ve in a guild building this size.

  When he reached the common area, a small cheer went up from the guildies gathered there. He smiled back, raised a hand in greeting.

  But his eyes scanned the room. Tables empty. No hot food. No drinks.

  He checked his inventory. One ale. Tempting.

  He put it back.

  “What’s going on?” he asked the room.

  Mark stood behind the counter, looking dejected.

  “We’ve been cleaned out, I’m afraid.”

  James crossed the room so the conversation wouldn’t carry.

  He lowered his voice. “Anne’s orders?”

  Mark shook his head. “Anne did take a good chunk of the supplies. Merchants, Silver-ranks, arms. There was enough left though for us to operate smoothly for a while.”

  He glanced around the empty shelves.

  “This wasn’t her. It was Darneath’s crew. Right after you and the others left, they hit the Guild. No one was killed fortunately, but they took captives. They also took just about That bastard Marcus must’ve been casing the place. He even pulled the rune cards from the Silver Rooms, probably the most expensive thing in the building.”

  James winced. That explained the dead air, and the lack of healing sleep.

  “The most immediate problem…” Mark went on. “We have no food, equipment, or supplies. The Guild Vault’s gone too so all guild quests have been taken down. We can’t afford to pay them out.”

  James frowned. “What about the rest of town? Other stores?”

  Mark nodded grimly. “Yeah. Most of the guildies’ll be eating out tonight. The scum targeted us and bolted before we returned. No one else was affected.”

  He exhaled hard.

  “We’re ruined.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  James wasn’t sure if insurance existed here. Probably not.

  “Why hasn’t the Guild gone after them?” he asked. “In force?”

  Mark didn’t answer. Just pointed at the quest board.

  Bounty: Apprehend Merchant Darneath and Recover Stolen Property

  Threat Level: Reward:

  James exhaled.

  Right.

  A Silver threat. And they were devastatingly low on Silver-rank anything right now.

  He nodded to Mark. Nothing else needed to be said.

  The kennels were quiet. But not entirely empty.

  There were no animals roaming around but there were a few small crates of feed still tucked near the back: seeds, dried roots, and something that smelled like jerky. He fed Charlie and Squire right there.

  Charlie and Squire appeared rather subdued as well, picking up on his mood.

  He left a few coins on the counter anyway. Not knowing if it would end up in the right hands.

  Anne’s door was gone.

  .

  The whole wall looked like it had taken a siege spell point-blank. Stone blasted inward, scorch marks tracing the outline of runes that hadn’t held.

  James stepped through the ruin.

  Janine sat at what used to be Anne’s desk, slumped forward slightly, hands folded like she wasn’t sure if she should still be pretending to organize things.

  She looked up.

  “James,” Janine said wearily.

  “Janine.” His voice came out flat, low. He felt that one in his ribs.

  “What can I do for you?”

  “I came to offer my aid.”

  “You’ve already done more than anyone could’ve asked.” Her tone shifted, still tired but steadier. “But you’ll need to do more.”

  She reached into the drawer, pulled out a sealed letter.

  “I want you to return to the dungeon. Take this to Anne. It may be dangerous, so take your team. Be prepared. We wouldn’t want to restart if you were to die now, huh?”

  A flicker of something lit her face for just a second: wry amusement, a spark.

  James looked at her. The words came without thinking. “Janine… I’m sorry. That this is happening to you.”

  She waved him off. “It is what it is.”

  Then she looked away, brow furrowing faintly.

  “There’s so much to do. I don’t know how Anne handles it. But it explains a few things. The way she’s been treating you. All the quiet moves, the subterfuge. That letter changes things.”

  Her hands tightened around nothing.

  “I’ve been trying to set things straight here.” She paused. “But my team and I, we’ll be moving on Darneath and his crew soon.”

  Then she looked back at him. Steady. Too steady.

  “Tell me, James. Do you think you can win?”

  He opened his mouth.

  “No—don’t answer that,” she said quickly. “I need to act like you will. But still…”

  She shook her head and passed him the letter.

  “I’ve seen what you’re capable of, James. You do what’s needed, even when you don’t want to.”

  Her gaze softened. Not kind. Just honest.

  “I’ve also seen how much you care. For your team. Your bonds. Even your guildmates.”

  She paused, letting it land.

  “One day, you may have to do something you ”

  The silence between them stretched.

  “I hope, when that time comes… you can handle it.”

  Janine stood and stretched, joints popping in the quiet.

  “I’m leaving now,” she said. “Time to take out the trash.”

  James reached out and shook her hand.

  “I’ll try, Janine. But…” He hesitated. “I worry that even if I succeed, it’ll mean nothing. Bob’s a god… or something close. He can wipe memories. Rewrite truths. Who are we to hold him to anything?”

  Janine nodded, expression unreadable.

  “Don’t dwell on it,” she said. “There’s no chance. No hope. If you don’t even try.”

  James was about to leave when an idea hit him.

  He took five hundred gold pieces out of his inventory and let them fall in a pile on the ground.

  Janine looked at it and then him, as if waiting for him to speak.

  "I hope the system is listening."

  “James, that was a stupid thing to say but I don’t care.” She said with a small smile.

  “I am handing in my quest. If you will accept this five hundred gold pieces on behalf of Anne the Guild Master, then I will complete my quest.”

  Janine looked hesitant for a moment then nodded.

  The system did the rest.

  System Notice – Contract Clause Completed: Off-World Gear Buyback Fulfilled

  His original Earth stuff all returned to him, straight into his inventory. The gold even magically moved from the floor to appear on Janine’s desk in neat piles of fifty x ten gold piece stacks.

  Guild Reputation:

  Janine gave him another handshake and pat on the back.

  “Brilliant timing. You have my thanks.”

  James smiled and stepped out into the corridor.

  Unfortunately the momentary good will was not enough to shake his gloom. Everyone he met seemed to show it as well. There was a veneer of cheer, with a sadness beneath.

  Even playing with his bonds didn’t help.

  Squire chirped once from her shoulder perch, a soft, inquisitive sound.

  He gave her a small scratch behind the ears.

  James knew he should level up, see what he could craft now. He knew he needed to go hunt monsters or creatures of the wild for more cards, maybe even for food as well. He probably could train and get better with weapons, armour, or even singing and possibly unlock some sort of singer card hybrid - who knows!

  Instead, he visited some shops in the area, got some general supplies. He ate out at a restaurant that was animal friendly. He bought several new outfits, some just for the appearance and feel, not just for its armour value or magical enchantments.

  James spent the day being himself and no-one pushed him to do more. Edward and Ken had joined him for dinner and they too seemed to be processing things too.

  "James, there are things Bob said that don’t add up, at least not about us" Edward said, pointing to Ken and himself.

  James took a breath to speak.

  Edward held up his fork to interrupt.

  "We know there's a lot going on that you can't talk about. Whatever this 'game' is for instance. We just wanted to let you know that we will wait until you are ready to tell us."

  "Thank you both, I truly hope that one day I can. There's ears everywhere though, and much I'm not ready to share."

  They ate and drank a little wine. It was a nice change from the ale always served at the Guild.

  It was a far cry from the celebrations that should’ve been.

  But that was life. Sometimes you just had low days.

  He made sure to give them their packs back. They had their own inventory storage now after all.

  That night, he slept in the Silver Room again.

  They weren’t exactly popular anymore.

  Tomorrow, he’d do everything he’d been putting off.

  But that was the thing about bedtime:

  it was easy to decide what you’d do better.

  Because right then, in that moment,

  you didn’t have to do it.

  System NoticeFourth Wall brokenHey all. I was going through something when I wrote this chapter.

  James and I should be back to normal next time.

  Thanks for understanding.

  *written at time of scheduling*