At the entrance to the mess hall stood a party of four.

  The man leading the group was in his thirties, with chiseled cheekbones and piercing blue eyes, clad in an expensive, gold-embroidered garment. But it was not the outfit that caught Viktor’s attention but the rapier at the man’s side. Even at this distance, Viktor could tell that the guard was made of mithril, and most likely so was the blade inside the scabbard. A sword like that must have cost a fortune. No one would carry such a weapon unless they were an extraordinarily successful adventurer, or a spoiled brat from an absurdly rich family. And Viktor was quite certain which one he was looking at.

  The man had brought an entourage, naturally. Three young women, each striking in their own way.

  The one leaning against the man, her arms draped around him possessively, was a young brunette in a flowing white dress that hugged her figure. She was the youngest of the three, and by far the prettiest. Too pretty, actually. She looked more like a noble’s consort than someone who slept in the wild and fought monsters for a living.

  To the left stood another, clad in leather and bristling with pouches. Her blonde hair was tied up in two bushy, fluffy pigtails that framed her face, which somehow didn’t detract from the sharp gleam in her eyes. Both of her hands were encased in some strange-looking gauntlets or gloves. Viktor wondered whether they were just protective gear, or served some other purpose.

  The last member of the group was a muscular redhead, who towered over the others, even the man. She had plates that protected her chest, but her belly was exposed, revealing her well-defined midriff. A great axe rested on her back, a fitting weapon for someone of her stature.

  The four adventurers were about to enter the hall, but they froze in place upon spotting Noi’ri. Now, they glared at the gnoll with open disdain.

  “Who are they?” Viktor asked, turning to his “sister.”

  “Well...” Claire replied, glancing at Noi’ri, whose whole body was tense with suppressed anger. Even she could now sense the animosity between the gnoll and the newcomers. “They are a party of four Silver-ranked adventurers from Arstenia.”

  Arstenia, huh? After Viktor’s death three hundred years ago, the empire he created was broken into many smaller kingdoms. Among them, five were significantly larger than the rest, each ruled by one of the so-called Six Heroes. Arstenia was the greatest kingdom in the West, where the custom of enslaving gnolls was a common practice. That might explain the hostility between Noi’ri and those adventurers.

  The clatter of utensils ceased as all eyes turned to the gnoll and the newcomers. Nobody spoke. Even those at neighboring tables had noticed something was wrong. They stopped what they were doing, and began exchanging nervous glances. For a moment, Viktor thought he was going to have a huge brawl in this very hall.

  But in the end, nothing happened. The man simply snorted, then walked away, dragging the brunette along by the waist. The other two women quickly followed, trailing behind him without a fuss.

  After they left, Noi’ri’s expression gradually relaxed back to normal. The gnoll lowered his head, his ears drooping slightly as he let out a series of cackling noises. Lucian interpreted, “He apologized for having ruined everyone’s mood.”

  “It... it’s alright,” Claire said with a hesitant smile.

  Jeanne followed with a nervous laugh. “Yes, it’s fine! Just... a bit unexpected, that’s all.”

  Even though Viktor wanted to ask more questions, now was clearly not an appropriate time for that. So everyone went back to their meals, but the once lively atmosphere had turned into a heavy silence.

  Noi’ri didn’t ask for more roasted meat. He slumped over, head hanging low and gnawing dispassionately at whatever was left of his lunch. Lucian kept chewing the piece of dried fruit he had popped into his mouth right before those four showed up. He chewed, and chewed, and chewed, making Viktor wonder if the damn thing still had any flavor left. Claire and Jeanne, on the other hand, shoveled food in with an inhuman speed that suggested they just wanted to finish this awkward meal as fast as possible.

  “I have to get back to work,” Claire said after she was done.

  Noi’ri and Lucian also stood up, bidding farewell to Viktor and Jeanne before leaving the hall.

  As they walked off, Viktor turned to the pyromancer. “And you? Any plans?”

  She considered for a beat, then shook her head. “I’ll stay here for a while.”

  “Goodbye, then.”

  “See you.”

  Viktor had intended to head straight home, but no sooner had he stepped out of the building than he spotted a large crowd gathering on a nearby street.

  Something big had to be going on, judging by the sheer number of the onlookers who had gathered. The folks at the back were standing on tiptoe or craning their necks, while curious heads poked out from windows of the surrounding buildings. The noise they made was a strange brew, with high-pitched shrieks of excitement blending with low murmurs of unease. Whatever was happening, it must be both entertaining and dangerous.

  Intrigued, Viktor squeezed his way through the human wall until he reached the front, and he saw—

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Noi’ri and Lucian were squared off against two of the women from that earlier party: the towering redhead and the blonde with the pigtails. It seemed they had been waiting outside, and blocked the gnoll’s path as soon as he got out of the Guild.

  “We’re being nice here, slave,” said Redhead. “We could’ve killed you on the spot, but Lord Manfred, being the generous and compassionate man he is, allows you to keep your pathetic life. So do us all a favor and know your place. Fuck off already! Stop dirtying this town with your foul presence.”

  Viktor chuckled. This was definitely how a “nice” person behaved. This is going to be fun.

  Noi’ri no longer bothered to contain his fury, his mouth wide open, exposing rows of sharp teeth. He crouched low, ready to lunge at his enemies at any moment.

  “No one can insult my friend like that,” Lucian yelled, his usually friendly expression was now suffused with anger. “Apologize to him at once, or I’ll make you pay.”

  “Friend?” Blondie giggled. “Oh, you Berynians are just hilarious. Why do you love these animals so much?”

  “I’ve heard that they also fuck the gnolls.” Redhead sniggered. “Speaking of which, boy, you have the face of a hyena. So which one is the gnoll fucker? Your father or your mother?”

  “What did you say?” Lucian bellowed, his face flushing a deep red. The boy was about to launch himself at the woman, but before he could take a single step, Noi’ri grabbed him and pulled him back. Then, the gnoll moved forward, showing his intention to fight those two alone.

  Even though all three were Silver-ranked, Viktor had no doubt that Noi’ri could rip the two women apart if he unleashed his rage. And the gnoll was undeniably furious right now.

  While he couldn’t care less if these bitches got mauled, having them die outside of the dungeon was just a waste of resources. On the other hand, watching them fight would give him insight into their abilities, and this knowledge would help him prepare better for defending his dungeon. So maybe he should let them duke it out, and if things got out of hand, he could always run back to the Guild and ask the employees there to intervene.

  “So you’ve chosen death,” Blondie said with a smirk. She slipped her hands into the two pouches at her belt, pulled out two metallic objects, and threw them into the air.

  They’re... birds?

  Well, not real birds, but constructs shaped like birds, which flapped their wings and soared through the air as if they were truly alive. Viktor noticed Blondie’s gauntleted fingers moving while she kept her eyes fixed on her flying creations.

  Is that how she controls them?

  Noi’ri drew his curved sword, cautiously watching the two metallic birds circling above him, anticipating an attack. One turned toward him, opening its beak, and—

  It unleashed a torrent of fire toward the gnoll.

  He dodged just in time. The fiery breath licked past him and scorched the spot where he had stood moments before, leaving a charred mark on the ground. The crowd, which had up until now been enjoying the spectacle, erupted into full-blown panic. People shoved and cursed, stumbling over one another in a desperate attempt to get clear of the blast zone. Yet, not many actually fled. Most simply backed up a relatively safe distance, then immediately resumed watching, as if it were theatre and not a murder attempt by incineration.

  What the hell is that magic? Viktor wondered. And what’s the deal with women and their firebirds?

  As the first construct flew away, the second one soared in a wide arc, closing in on Noi’ri. Another burst of flame seared the air with a hiss, and the gnoll threw himself aside, the heat brushing past close enough to singe fur. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up snarling.

  The two metal birds danced above him, cruel and tireless. One launched an attack while the other repositioned, unleashing wave after wave of inferno to assault the gnoll relentlessly. Noi’ri might be fast, but even the swift would go up in flames if they stayed exposed too long.

  “What kind of trick is this?” Lucian yelled. He clearly wanted to help but didn’t know how. After all, his mind control ability was useless against these magical constructs.

  “It’s not a trick!” Blondie laughed. “It is art!”

  Perhaps the right strategy in this situation was to attack the one pulling the strings directly. But saying that was easier than actually doing it. Redhead planted herself like a wall in front of Blondie, axe in hand, ready to cleave anyone who dared to approach. And there were also those two birds raining fire down everywhere, so it was not exactly easy to reach those women.

  Then Viktor noticed that Redhead’s stance had changed. She had shifted from a defensive pose to an offensive one, her muscles tightening as she readied her axe.

  Is she going to attack? It didn’t make any sense. Lunging at Noi’ri right now meant she would be stepping right into the firestorm and risking getting burned alive, all to throw a single swing. The better plan should be to let the constructs wear down the gnoll while staying back to protect Blondie.

  The axe swung.

  Yet, Redhead didn’t move. She stood her ground, her eyes locked on Noi’ri, and struck down her weapon, slicing through the air in front of her.

  At that very moment, without warning, a figure dashed from the crowd, positioning themselves between the gnoll and the woman—

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  The sounds of metal meeting metal rang through the air, sharp and resonant. The audience froze, gasping as they tried to process the unexpected turns of events. So many things had happened at once that it was difficult for them to comprehend what the hell was going on. Even Viktor was momentarily taken aback before he could entirely make sense of the situation.

  Alright, let’s go through them one by one.

  First of all, the birds were no longer in the sky. They had fallen to the ground, each pierced by a bolt. Their wings continued to flap in a desperate struggle, but they could no longer lift off. Viktor saw Fiora passing through the crowd, making her way toward her companions. A crossbow was ready in her hands, so she was likely the one who had shot down the birds.

  Next, the one who had just jumped out was none other than Cedric. He was now standing in front of Noi’ri, shield raised high. But more importantly, the shield bore a huge dent, as if it had been struck by a heavy blow. There was no other way to interpret this. Redhead had attacked the gnoll with her axe without even moving one step from her spot, striking from a distance. If his friend hadn’t gotten there in time, Noi’ri could have been cut in half.

  For a moment, Viktor suspected it was another space manipulation trick of the Riftwalkers. But he didn’t notice any signs of portals or teleportation. Also, if that were the case, then Cedric wouldn’t have been able to block it. More likely, Redhead’s axe had simply “shot” an attack toward Noi’ri like a projectile.

  A Reliquary, then.

  Damn it, Viktor cursed under his breath. Reliquaries were blessed weapons and equipment that were generally only accessible to Mithril-ranked adventurers or above, yet here he had a Silver-level nobody brandishing one like it was nothing.

  Perhaps after three hundred years, these treasures had become much more common than in his time. Or, much more likely, that Lord Manfred fellow had simply forked out enough coin to get a Reliquary and gifted it to one of his girlfriends as if it were just another trinket.

  Ugh. Viktor snorted. I hate rich kids.