“Dawnbreaker. I’ve been watching you.”

  Gilded Hand’s first message dripped with arrogance. Kael had heard rumors about the smith’s eccentric personality, so he wasn’t fazed. He cut straight to the chase.

  “Can you craft Ashfang and Dragonbane for me?”

  “Give me a day.” Gilded Hand’s reply was curt, almost as if he were talking to himself. “My blacksmithing skill will hit Grandmaster tomorrow.”

  “Alright, thanks. Name your price.”

  “You,” Gilded Hand shot back, completely ignoring standard etiquette. “I want you.”

  The possessive tone was unsettling. No wonder he lets his vice-president handle most of the guild's affairs, Kael mused. This guy’s communication skills would drive anyone insane.

  Annoying as he was, Kael gave the offer serious thought. In his past life, The Assemblage was a small guild that wielded immense power. It was a collection of prodigies and specialists, a guild that nearly every other major power would eventually need a favor from—whether for crafting top-tier equipment, pioneering a new dungeon, or finding a niche class to counter a specific boss.

  If you crossed The Assemblage, you’d find yourself ostracized by the entire server. The consequences were always brutal.

  Kael recalled the infamous rise and fall of the Greenmantle Guild in Lunaris Haven. They had been on a meteoric rise, crushing the other local guilds. Then, they made the mistake of repeatedly ganking one of The Assemblage’s alchemists, boasting they would drive the small guild out of the main city.

  In response, The Assemblage put a server-wide kill-on-sight order on them and dispatched Bloodshadow, the game’s undisputed top player. The members of Greenmantle were hunted relentlessly. Their main party, led by their guild master, was camped so hard by Bloodshadow they couldn't even leave the safe zone.

  Within a month, the guild disbanded.

  From that day on, everyone treated members of The Assemblage with the utmost respect. An alliance with them became the ultimate goal for most players. Kael himself had once been desperate to join them while being hunted by a coalition of three major guilds, but he’d been rejected for “lacking the required individual strength.”

  This time around, he didn't need their protection, but passing up an opportunity to align with them would be foolish. Still, he wasn't about to just roll over.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  After a moment’s thought, Kael replied, “You want me to join? Your guild isn't worthy yet. Show me some results, and then I’ll consider it.”

  Kael expected an angry retort. Instead, Gilded Hand’s reply was simple and immediate.

  “You’ll join us.” Then, he named his price. “One hundred million dollars. You provide the materials.”

  “Through the system, or a direct bank transfer?” A system transaction would incur a 20% fee; a direct transfer would bypass it. Almost everyone chose the latter.

  Gilded Hand was not like everyone else.

  “Through the system.”

  “OK.”

  Kael closed the chat and immediately opened a new one with Draevan.

  The entire server was buzzing with anticipation for the same event—tomorrow’s invasion by The WarChief. This wasn’t a minor skirmish like the Blackwind Brotherhood or Starlight Village defense quests. This was a critical part of the world's evolving storyline, a grueling three-day battle that would test players’ tactics, willpower, and strategy.

  None of that mattered to Kael right now.

  He had checked on Fenris, but the attending healer was still resting, so he couldn’t get any new information. He had to wait.

  But he was certain of one thing: he would be leaving Starlight Village long before The WarChief’s forces arrived. He suspected the system was deliberately sending him away on this quest to save Fenris as a balancing mechanic. It was even possible that the First and Second Chieftains would be prevented from joining the battle for some reason. His suspicions, as it would turn out, were spot on.

  He passed the Ashfang and Dragonbane schematics to Lila with a few instructions, then logged off to eat dinner. While he ate, he wracked his brain, trying to recall every NPC with the title “Master Healer,” but none seemed to fit the context of the quest.

  After dinner, Kael logged back in and went straight to Fenris’s room. He found Healer Isaac already there, hands glowing with holy light as he tended to the chieftain. After about ten minutes, Isaac stepped back, his forehead beaded with sweat. He noticed Kael, gave a slight nod, and walked out of the room. Kael followed him.

  “How is he?”

  Isaac let out a heavy sigh. “Fenris’s injuries are severe. I’m powerless to truly heal them. All I can do is use low-level life magic to delay the inevitable. At this rate, I doubt he’ll last five days.”

  “Is there anyone who can save him?” Kael pressed.

  Isaac reached into his robes and pulled out a rolled-up map and a folded piece of paper. “Ullr, this is a map to Elderbloom Valley, and this paper details Fenris’s condition. You must find the Valekeeper there. If he can be persuaded to help, he can surely bring the Third Chieftain back from the brink.”

  Finally, the system notifications flooded Kael’s vision.

  [System]: You have received the quest [Seek Aid from Elderbloom Valley]. The results must be delivered to Healer Isaac within 100 hours.

  [System]: You have received [Map to Elderbloom Valley] x1.

  [System]: You have received [Report on the Third Chieftain’s Condition] x1.

  [System]: Time is of the essence. You must depart Starlight Village before midnight tonight.

  Kael stared at the messages. Just as he’d predicted. The quest perfectly steered him away from the entire WarChief invasion. A midnight departure meant he’d have to pull an all-nighter.

  He spent the rest of the afternoon in-game cleaning out his inventory and stocking up on arrows. Then he logged off to get some sleep. Across the server, every other player was grinding levels and farming gear, desperately preparing for the war to come.