“What am I doing here?” Toney asked, arriving with a girl and a guy. The girl wore a white mask; the left side featured a human eye with a single tear at the corner, while the other side bore a sharp, monstrous eye. Written underneath were the words: DON’T STARE.

  “You are here to help the community and get a paycheck,” Joe said, shaking his hand.

  “People are moving out; it’s time we move too,” the Guild Master added, walking toward Toney.

  “Stay safe, Guild Master,” Lana said.

  “Survive, friends,” the Guild Master replied, taking a sword from Toney.

  Joe and his group headed North, while Toney and the Guild Master turned West toward the Valtherion Kingdom. The Guild Master glanced at the girl’s mask. “That’s a peculiar mask.”

  “Mmmm, I like it though,” Neyra replied.

  “It says not to stare,” the Guild Master noted.

  “That’s what we told her,” Veryn added.

  “So, who are these two, Toney?” the Guild Master asked.

  “Just babysitting them. What about you, Jrabic? Where is this taking you?”

  “Mmmmm, to trouble, I think,” the Guild Master said, his eyes landing on a Veyriss serpent. It had coiled itself into a circle, looking like a small hill among the trees. It wasn’t close, and its grey color helped it blend in, but the Guild Master’s keen eyes had spotted it regardless.

  “Yeah, you two start,” Toney said, pushing Veryn forward. “Me and the Guild Master are a little too old to be going all out.”

  “They have a good—” the Guild Master started, but stopped as the serpent unwrapped itself. It stood half the height of a Veilwood tree—and Veilwood trees were massive, a prime example of nature’s overgrowth.

  “Nose, I guess,” Neyra said, removing her mask. “Wait for the sign.” She began her approach. The serpent dropped low, crawling at high speed across the grass.

  “Can she handle it?” the Guild Master asked, watching the 571-foot-long serpent move.

  “I think they can try. She’s unique. What’s surprising is that the Veilwood can hide a serpent that size.”

  “It’s Veilwood,” the Guild Master replied, pulling out three rings. “Let’s be honest, it can hide much more.”

  “Amplifiers?” Toney asked.

  “Custom made. They don’t affect me like the others,” the Guild Master replied, his hands glowing a faint green. “I have no plans to stay out of the fight. I don’t get to do this much nowadays.” He took a leap forward, sword in hand.

  ------

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Ahhh, can’t even take a break,” Reed grumbled, forced into the fray.

  “Yeah, well, guess what? Now we have Orgas,” Eddie said, arriving late to the scene.

  “Why can’t Joe just deal with them?” Reed complained.

  “No, today is teamwork,” Lana said, smiling at him.

  “Mmmm, someone give her a sword since she’s talking about teamwork,” Reed muttered, looking toward Joe.

  There truly was no break. Eddie only saw the attack at the last second, but he was fast enough to block the force of the swing. His teeth ground together as his body stiffened to prevent him from being tossed back.

  “Lots of strength behind those fats,” Eddie panted, breathing heavily.

  “I see. Lana!” Joe called out. Lana took her place behind Reed. Reed created a barrier—invisible to the eye and shaped like a wall between him and Joe rather than a box.

  Most adventurers preferred clothes over armor for freedom of movement; Joe, Eddie, and Reed were no different. Eddie would wear armor depending on the situation, but today he was with Joe, while Lana—a classic healer—never engaged in the direct fighting.

  Joe drew his sword and stared at the two Orgas. One was 8’5” with a sword; the other was 7’9” carrying an oversized hammer.

  “You take the smaller one,” Joe commanded.

  “That was the plan,” Eddie replied. He darted forward, sliding across the grass to dodge a hammer swing. He spun at the end of the slide and leaped back in, sword ready, but he was caught mid-air. He used his blade to intersect a swing that sent him flying into the forest.

  “Isn’t it a little early?!” Joe shouted.

  Eddie emerged, faintly glowing. “One swing,” he replied. He leaped again, moving at immense speed. Midway through the air, his sword ignited with flames. The Orga didn’t even see the leap; by the time it realized what happened, Eddie had already slashed it diagonally in half.

  “The beauty of amplifiers,” Lana remarked.

  “Custom made by the Guild Master,” Reed said, watching Joe dismantle the other Orga. “There are still more, can’t you—” He cut himself off, spinning around to create another barrier with his hand. A huge sword repelled off it with enough force that it swung back and slashed the Orga wielding it.

  “Here, this should help, but how did you know?” Lana asked as Reed dropped to one knee.

  “Eddie. I could see the warning in his expression; he was worried,” Reed replied, forcing himself up. “That’s going to sting tonight.”

  “There are more,” Joe said, finishing his opponent quickly. “It’s time to go deep. Maybe the trees will help us pin them.” He led the way toward the left.

  --------

  “Adventurers are just funny,” an asian man said, looking at the blood-stained grass. Two Veyriss serpents, even larger than the one Neyra fought, were scavenging on leftovers.

  “Should we leave him?” one man whispered to the other.

  “Hey, help us survive!” the other shouted, accidentally attracting the attention of the serpents.

  “Wait, bro,” the first one said, his jaw dropping.

  “Did you…?” the other replied, his body shaking with fear rather than relief.

  “Where is he?” they asked, hiding behind trees and peeking into the clearing. They heard voices and forced their shaking bodies to move.

  “Let’s get the fangs, hurry,” the older-looking friend said. The two black men ran forward. “I’ve never had this feeling before.” He carefully cut through the soft part of a serpent's mouth, holding a limitless bag open.

  “The air feels heavy. What a power display,” his friend replied, shrugging his shoulders to shake off the stiffness. “Do you think we’ll ever see him again?”

  He took a step back, looking at the severed heads of the Veyriss, blood still gushing. “Those of the Realms?”

  “I hope so—or maybe I don't." The man began. "Let’s leave, man.” He added, feeling the unease, and sound of the voices a distance away.

  ------

  “Seems like you still have it,” Toney said as the Guild Master caught his breath.

  “Yeah, though I was never the best,” the Guild Master replied, ready to move to the next point.

  “Feel pity for the lost souls,” Toney muttered, staring at a dead serpent.

  They covered more distance until they could almost hear the tides that separate Valtherion and Zurehn.

  “So, this should be the end, right? Near here?” Toney asked.

  “Yes, but let’s spread out. Check for anything.”

  -------

  Upon arrival, they witnessed a girl having her neck snapped. Her body shook once before freezing solid. Eddie darted in, eyes burning with rage, but as he closed the distance, a kick to the abdomen sent him tumbling back. He tried to stand, but his body failed him, and he coughed up blood.

  “Wait for Lana, Reed. I’d like to be alone with our Orga,” Joe said.

  He was looking at the shortest, healthiest Orga he had ever seen. It stood at 7’5” with a body like a bodybuilder. It wore the usual Orga clothing—a brown, skirt-like garment—but its upper body was nothing but pure, corded muscle.

  The Orga tried to step back, but its leg hit Reed’s barrier. Seeing Joe drop his sword, the Orga did the same, a smirk crossing its face.

  But Joe’s expression carried a darker promise. The Orga noticed a fog starting to swirl around its legs, then its waist, thickening at a terrifying rate. Before long, the area inside the barrier was a dense, blinding white.

  Joe stood just a meter away, enjoying the Orga’s confusion as its breathing became heavy. Joe suddenly held a sword—one he used to drive deep into the creature's leg. Green blood flowed. The Orga swung a massive fist, but Joe dodged, returning a two-piece combo and a leg sweep before connecting a punch squarely to the jaw.

  He stepped back, watching the Orga swing wildly at the fog, then walked back in. He landed a punch to the chest followed by a stab to the gut.

  “Not yet,” Joe said, grabbing the creature by the neck as he stood over it. “I’m going to watch you suffocate. It’s kicking in, right?”

  The Orga began to bleed from its eyes, coughing up thick, dark green blood as Joe held on.