Everyone was silent.
Rook had suddenly turned around, shot at some kid, and pinned him to the wall.
Now, another kid, clearly more experienced, stood between the two, holding a spear.
I stood calm and focused, not worrying about all the stares I was getting from the people around me.
*Tch*. Rook pulled the trigger again.
Another arrow shot out.
'Damn, a repeating crossbow,' I thought.
I moved the head of my spear in front of my face.
The silvered bolt struck it and was deflected with ease.
Rook raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you defend a monster? Are you under his control?"
An idea formed in my head as I calmly said, "There is no monster here, and I serve no one, nor am I under anyone's control."
I could see a gleam in Rook's eye as he smirked. "Well then, I guess that means you are its master, huh?"
Seeing where he was going with this, I said, "The only monster I see is pointing a crossbow at me. Neither I nor my friend here are monsters or controlling any. I suggest you back off."
Everyone around the room could sense the tension and backed away.
Rook sneered and said, "Lies won't save you. I am the saviour that will protect people from all monsters. You two are just stepping stones on my path."
'Does he actually believe this garbage, or is he just putting on a show? Either way, I'm getting real tired of his voice.' I thought as I readjusted my position.
Rook smirked and pulled the trigger repeatedly, firing a volley of arrows at me.
I spun my spear around and deflected the arrows with terrifying efficiency.
'Don't stop them. Just deflect away from me and Ark,' I calmly thought as I did so.
I noticed the others readying themselves to come and help me, but I motioned them to stay put for now.
When the volley stopped, I looked at Rook, who had an angry face.
"I will teach you freaks to think little of me!" he shouted, and then, faster than I could react, he pulled out an arrow from his belt and loaded it.
I paled as I recognized its design.
It was a Mithril Tempest Arrow!
Tempest arrows can cause massive shockwaves and summon mini-tornadoes. Normally, they are one-use as they break after being shot once, but if it's made of a magical material like mithril, it can be used repeatedly.
'I knew he was crazy, but this is a bit much,' I thought as I tried to think of a way to stop it, but only one thing could work.
^Brakos! I need you!^ I tried to contact Brakos.
^I am watching, and you don't need me,^ he replied calmly.
^WHAT DO YOU MEA-!^ I tried to ask him but noticed Rook pull the trigger and fire the arrow.
^3...2...1,^ he counted down.
Suddenly, I understood what Brakos meant.
I watched as everything slowed down, lost its colour, and froze in place.
A cold stillness settled over everything as the world turned black and white, with only two things remaining colored.
And the person now standing next to me.
I turned and saw Zareth with an annoyed expression as he stared at Rook.
His piercing red eyes met mine, his expression unreadable as he folded his arms.
"You should let me handle this," Zareth said calmly. "He shouldn't be here."
I gave him a look and said, "Well, regardless of whether he should be here or not, I am glad you came in time. Although I can survive it, I don't think I could stop that arrow in time and save the other people here."
Zareth was confused when he suddenly noticed the Mithril Tempest Arrow stuck mid-air.
His face darkened with anger.
"I will handle this. Please take care of your friend. He looks pretty shaken," he said.
I turned back to Ark and noticed his scared expression as he looked at where I was standing before the time stopped.
I nodded and moved back to my original position.
Zareth nodded, reached up to the arrow, grabbed it, and ended the time stop.
Time instantly resumed.
I moved to the side like I was dodging as Zareth and everyone else appeared right beside Rook and caught the arrow with his bare hands.
"What do you think you're doing inside my guildhall?" Zareth asked Rook angrily.
Rook froze in shock as Zareth gave him a hard kick to the gut, causing him to double over.
Zareth examined the arrow, putting on an act for everyone.
"To have the audacity to use a tempest arrow in a populated city and attack an innocent F-Rank Adventurer—you had better have a good excuse for all this," Zareth said as he leaned over Rook.
Rook sneered. "Why should I listen to a demon? You have no authority here!"
Zareth, surprisingly, stayed composed.
"My name is Zareth. I am a half-demon and the Guildmaster of the Raventhorn Branch of the Adventurers' Guild."
"And considering your past actions and the several reports of your misuse of your status, you are on thin ice. All I have to do is send one report to the guild council, and they will take away your status as an S-Rank and have you actually arrested."
Rook finally recognized him and paled slightly after hearing that threat.
"M-my apologies, Guildmaster! I-I didn't recognize you," he apologized.
I was surprised, as I didn't know Zareth could do that or that Rook had already been reported to the council and could be demoted.
I could tell this wasn't a lie, as Zareth didn't show any signs of lying.
(NOTE: Yes, Jack, while learning about spirits, did learn to tell if a devil is lying.)
Now that Zareth had the situation under control, I went to help Ark down while also watching the whole interaction.
"Now, as for what you did here, I don't know what kind of nonsense excuse you're about to give me, but I don't care. You're in my guild. You follow my rules. And rule number one is no attacking or fighting your fellow adventurers."
Rook hesitated, then managed to sputter out, "I was doing my job, sir!"
Zareth turned his attention back to Rook. "Let's hear your excuse," he said flatly.
Rook scowled but forced himself to speak. "That Demi-Human..."
The guildhall fell silent, and the air grew thick with tension—thicker than when I fought him.
Zareth's expression darkened further, his presence growing heavier as everyone stared at Rook with disdain.
'Demi-human' is an illegal slur formerly used to refer to beastmen—half-human, half-animal. That is how they had been looked at for years before the current king came to power.
Hearing a noble say it was grounds for their execution, but an S-Rank... well, truth be told, no one knows what happens now.
Rook is not from Rumia, so him using that term wasn't surprising to some, but people still hated him.
Rook, thinking everyone was silent to listen to his 'marvellous deductions,' continued uninterrupted.
"That Demi-Human is a shapeshifter. Their mana says they are a demi-human yet don't have any animal features. Clearly, they are some monster hiding behind the guise of an innocent boy!"
Everyone was appalled at his audacity.
Sure, people believed his theory about Ark having shapeshifting powers, but that was unfounded, and his common use of 'that' term made him seem more like a monster than his accusations, especially since most of the adventurers here are Beastmen.
I sighed and calmly pulled Ark along with me.
Ark tensed but didn't resist.
I reached over and removed his medallion.
Like mist in the morning sun, the illusion faded—revealing his wolf ears and tail.
I faced Rook and said coldly, "He wore an illusion to avoid discrimination. To avoid people like you."
Rook flinched, knowing exactly what I meant.
Murmurs spread through the crowd as people realized Rook was wrong—and that he'd attacked an innocent man.
'My plan worked,' I thought, smiling to myself.
Seeing Rook defeated, I let Zareth handle the rest.
I turned and checked on Ark, who was now safely on the ground but shaken.
"let's head somewhere quieter to talk...I think you have some questions," I said calmly, trying to comfort Ark.
I led Ark to a quiet area, and Zareth's voice echoed behind me—cold, sharp, and utterly unforgiving.
"You're done here, Rook. I am reporting you to the council."
~~~~~
I walked Ark over to another table, and we sat down in silence.
I noticed the others making their way over.
I looked at Aaron and shook my head.
Catching my meaning, Aaron grabbed the others and held them back to let us talk.
We stayed silent for a bit when Ark, scared, asked, "Jack...what do you know?"