Rising with the sun, I left the inn. The bartender barely spared me a glance before going back to scrubbing his mugs, his movements slow, mechanical.
The streets were quiet at this hour, the city still shaking off the last remnants of sleep. Fog curled between the buildings, softening their decayed edges. I made my way toward the west gate, stopping a few townsfolk for directions. Most brushed me off, too preoccupied with their own troubles, but eventually, I found my way.
The gate loomed before me, its wooden frame scarred by time and war. A relic of a more prosperous era, standing defiant midst the crumbling city.
Others had already begun gathering. A man with a permanent scowl leaned against the gate's stone frame, arms crossed. His armor was old but well-kept, the kind worn by veterans who had long abandoned their banners. Beside him, a girl with cropped blonde hair adjusted the straps on her boots, her expression unreadable. She was too young for this kind of work. Either reckless or desperate. Maybe both.
Then there was the knight. Unlike the rest of us, his plate gleamed in the morning sun, polished to a mirror sheen. He stood with a rigid posture, arms resting atop the pommel of a longsword, watching the road with silent discipline.
We didn't speak. We didn't need to.
The carriage arrived not long after, its wheels creaking against the cobblestone. The noble who stepped out was short and impeccably dressed, the silk of his cloak far too fine for a place like this. He gave us a once-over, his expression shifting from indifference to irritation.
"Can't we have real guards?"
He muttered under his breath.
"I'm not some common merchant in need of street-rats with swords."
A man behind him, older and composed, spoke in a measured tone.
"We are terribly sorry, young master. As you know, the family's finances do not allow for—"
"Yes, yes,"
the noble snapped, waving him off.
"Just do your jobs and protect me. Not that you lot are worth much."
With a huff, he turned on his heel and climbed back into the carriage. But just before disappearing behind the curtain, I caught a flicker of something in his expression. Not arrogance. Not contempt.
Sadness.
The knight stepped forward to explain the route. We would follow the river westward until we reached the Rift Tower—an ancient construct built around a rift in space, serving as a waypoint between continents. From there, we would take the royal road straight to the Capital.
As the massive wooden gates groaned open, the cold morning air swept through, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant water.
And so, the journey began.
The first few hours of travel passed in silence. The road stretched ahead, flanked by towering trees that shrouded the path in shifting patterns of light and shadow. The carriage wheels creaked against the dirt, blending with the occasional chirping of unseen birds.
The noble remained inside, hidden behind thick curtains, while the rest of us walked alongside or ahead. The knight led, his measured strides never faltering. The blonde girl trailed behind, her eyes flicking between the trees as if expecting something to emerge.
The scowling man beside me muttered,
"Damn nobles. Always acting like they own the world."
I gave a noncommittal grunt.
He snorted.
"You're quiet. That means either you've got nothing to say, or you're hiding something."
"Maybe both."
A low chuckle escaped him.
"Heh. Fair enough."
A sharp rustling in the undergrowth made us pause. The knight raised a hand, signaling for a halt. The horses shifted nervously.
I rested my fingers on my sword's hilt.
Then, silence.
Only the wind stirred the leaves.
The knight's gaze lingered on the treeline before he motioned for us to continue.
But as we moved forward, the blonde girl spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper.
"We're being watched."
I turned to her. She was tense, one hand resting on a knife strapped to her belt. Her gaze darted between the trees.
The scowling man spat to the side.
"Tch. Bandits?"
The knight didn't answer immediately. Instead, he kept walking, his hand shifting slightly toward his sword.
"Possibly,"
he muttered.
"Or worse."
The noble's voice rang out from inside the carriage, irritated.
"Why are we stopping? Keep moving!"
We ignored him.
Another rustle—closer this time.
A hand shot through the leaves, its fingers too long, bending in ways they shouldn't. An arm followed, riddled with unnatural joints. Then, the rest of it emerged—a grotesque form, its body twisted and writhing, human skin stretched awkwardly over a shifting mass. Its mouth yawned open, impossibly wide, revealing not teeth, but a bloodshot eye staring hungrily from within. Around its neck hung a broken shackle, rusted and worn.
The creature lunged.
The knight met it head-on, his blade flashing as he deflected the strike. The monster's claws screeched against his shining armor, leaving only shallow grooves.
Then its gaze shifted.
The massive, bloodshot eye locked onto the carriage.
In an instant, jagged claws slammed into the dense wood, splintering it. The noble's terrified scream rang through the forest. The creature reared back, preparing another strike—one that would not miss.
I moved.
Jumping onto the carriage, I brought my sword down in a vicious arc. Steel met flesh, severing its arm. Black ichor splattered across the wood, sizzling where it landed. The creature shrieked, a sound like gurgling agony.
The others seized the opening.
The rough-looking mercenary lunged, but the monster lashed out in desperation, raking claws across his chest. He staggered back with a curse. The knight, undeterred, drove his sword through the beast's skull. The grotesque form convulsed once, then collapsed into a lifeless heap.
Something was wrong.
The way it attacked—the broken shackle around its neck—the fact that it went straight for the noble, ignoring every other threat. This wasn't a mindless ambush. It was deliberate. Purposeful.
Someone sent it.
I turned to the knight, my voice low.
"That thing… it wasn't just some stray monster. It was after him specifically."
His grip tightened around his sword. He glanced at the noble, then at the creature's corpse, his expression darkening.
"I was thinking the same."
The noble cursed from inside the carriage, ranting about our incompetence and how we should be hanged for neglecting our duties. But his voice carried something beneath the anger—fear.
The rough-looking mercenary had his wounds bandaged, and we continued on. Before long, the dense forest gave way to open plains. Rolling fields stretched before us, broken only by towering stone monoliths embedded in the earth like remnants of a forgotten age. Even under the dull, gray sky, the sight was strangely calming.
Night fell swiftly. We set up camp near one of the larger monoliths, its massive frame shielding the fire's glow and smoke. A precaution—whoever had sent that thing after us might not be done.
This incarnation had been nothing but pain and struggle, but now, sitting by the fire, surrounded by laughter and stories of past adventures, I felt something stir in my chest. A faint, unfamiliar sense of… purpose. It was new to me. It was almost—pleasant.
A voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"Hey, handsome. What's got you smiling like that?"
I turned to see the blonde-haired mercenary grinning at me.
"Oh, I don't know…"
I admitted.
"This whole life thing—it's kind of… fun."
She blinked, then let out a chuckle.
"You're a weird one, aren't you?"
I laughed awkwardly.
"Well, I doubt this kind of work would suit a sane person."
The rough-looking mercenary bellowed a laugh.
"True enough! So, Veyr, what kind of missions did you do before this?"
I hesitated for a moment.
"This is my first one."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Then… how'd you get assigned to it?"
"The old man at the guild recommended me. Guess he took a liking to me."
"Hah! Well, seeing how you handled that monster, he wasn't wrong."
He slapped his knee, still chuckling.
From inside the carriage, the noble's irritated voice rang out.
"CAN'T YOU IDIOTS SHUT UP?! I'm trying to sleep here!"
The knight shot us a sharp glare. He didn't say a word, but the message was clear.
We quieted down and settled in for the night. After all, he was our employer.