Damien and Arielle walked through the bustling streets of Westmont, the warm afternoon sun beating down on everyone equally.
The town was slowly returning to its normal rhythm after the chaos of recent days. Merchants had resumed their chantings to advertise their wares.
The Mercenary Guild building came into view. Arielle walked slightly behind Damien, her mind replaying their earlier conversation with the Town Lord. She was curious about what Damien planned to do next, but knowing him, she refrained from prying.
As they stepped inside, the familiar hum of activity greeted them. Few mercenaries of different ranks sat around discussing their missions, sharing stories, or polishing their weapons. The others were either out on a mission or helping with the town’s reconstruction.
The board at the far end of the room displayed a variety of missions, ranging from mundane escort jobs to more dangerous demon-slaying contracts.
Damien walked straight to the mission board, his eyes scanning the parchment sheets pinned to it. Arielle trailed after him, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall nearby.
“Looking for something exciting?” she teased, watching as his blue eyes darted from one mission to the next.
“Always,” Damien replied without looking back.
Arielle chuckled. “You just got back. Most people would rest after everything you’ve been through.”
“Most people aren’t me,” Damien said dryly. His eyes landed on a particular mission pinned near the top of the board. He reached up and pulled it free, reading it carefully.
“What is it?” Arielle asked, stepping closer.
“High-priority mission,” Damien replied, holding the parchment for her to see.
Arielle scanned the details:
-Mission Type: Investigate Suspicious Activity
-Rank: Grade Five
-Location: The outskirts of the Duskwither Forest
-Reward: 500 Gold Coins + Potential Bonus
-Details: Reports of missing livestock and sightings of unusual creatures near the forest edge. Investigate and eliminate any threats.
“Sounds like fun,” Damien said with a faint smirk.
Arielle raised an eyebrow. “Unusual creatures? That could mean anything.”
“Exactly,” Damien said, rolling the parchment and heading toward the receptionist desk.
At the desk, was a receptionist who filled in whenever Arielle was absent, a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor, looked up as Damien approached.
“Taking a mission already?” she asked, her tone both surprised and amused.
“Yep,” Damien said, handing her the parchment. “Duskwither Forest. I’ll handle it.”
The receptionist hesitated. “You sure? There have been some strange reports from that area. Even some of our more seasoned mercenaries were hesitant to take it.”
“That’s why I’m taking it,” Damien replied confidently.
The woman shook her head with a small smile. “Alright. Just make sure you come back in one piece.”
After stamping the parchment to mark it as claimed, she handed it back to Damien. At the back of the scroll was the map leading there. “Good luck.”
Enjoy new adventures from My Virtual Library Empire
As Damien turned to leave, Arielle grabbed his arm. “You’re seriously going now?”
“Why not?” Damien said, glancing at her.
“You just got back,” Arielle said, her tone edged with concern. “And you barely rested after the last fight. Don’t you think you should at least wait until tomorrow?”
Damien shook his head. “The longer I wait, the harder it’ll be to track whatever’s causing the trouble. Besides, I’ve rested enough.”
Arielle sighed, knowing she wouldn’t be able to change his mind. “Fine. Just… be careful, okay?”
“I always am,” Damien said with a smirk as he walked toward the door.
“Summon Aquila. We’re going for a ride.” Outside the guild building, Damien summoned Aquila, the majestic griffin appearing in a flash of light. Its feathers shimmered in the fading sunlight, and it let out a piercing cry that turned heads in the street.
Damien climbed onto Aquila’s back, glancing down at Arielle, who had followed him outside.
“You sure you don’t want company?” Arielle asked, her voice tinged with worry.
“I’ll be fine,” Damien assured her. “Stay here and get some rest. I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, they need you more than I do.”
Arielle crossed her arms, frowning slightly. “You better. If you don’t, I’ll drag you back myself.”
Damien chuckled. “Deal.”
With a command, Aquila spread its massive wings and took to the sky, the powerful gusts kicking up dust as it ascended. Damien cast one last glance at Arielle before focusing on the horizon.
The flight to the outskirts of Duskwither Forest was swift and long, the landscape below darkening as the sun dipped below the horizon. The forest loomed ahead, its dense canopy casting long shadows that seemed almost alive.
Damien guided Aquila to a clearing near the forest edge, dismounting and dismissing the griffin. He wanted to move quietly and didn’t want to risk startling whatever was lurking in the area.
The air indeed felt odd but it wasn’t threatening, and the faint sounds of rustling leaves and distant animal cries echoed around him.
As he stepped into the forest, his senses sharpened. The faint scent of blood lingered in the air, and the ground beneath his boots was disturbed, as though something large had passed through recently.
“Unusual creatures, huh?” Damien muttered to himself. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
With a confident stride, he ventured deeper into the forest, ready for whatever lay ahead.
The forest remained eerily silent as he threaded its paths, save for the crunch of Damien’s boots against the damp earth.
The dense canopy above blotted out the moonlight almost entirely, leaving the surroundings cloaked in shadow. Only faint traces of light filtered through the leaves, illuminating the narrow trail Damien followed.
The scent of blood grew stronger the deeper he ventured, mixed with the earthy aroma of moss and decaying wood.
Damien’s sword remained at the ready, the blade glinting faintly in the dim light. Damien’s eyes darted between the trees, his senses on high alert.
After several minutes of walking, he came upon a clearing. The ground was littered with broken branches and deep claw marks etched into the soil. Scattered around were the remains of livestock—sheep and cows, their bodies torn apart in a way that suggested savage attacks.
Kneeling by one of the carcasses, Damien examined the wounds. “Claws,” he muttered, running his fingers over the deep gashes. “Too large for wolves. Too clean for a bear or a demon.”
His gaze shifted to the footprints nearby. They were massive, with four distinct toes and sharp indentations where claws had dug into the earth. Damien frowned. “These aren’t normal mana beasts. Something’s off.”
As he rose to his feet, the rustling of leaves reached his ears. The sound was faint but deliberate, coming from multiple directions.
Damien turned slowly, his grip tightening on his sword. He scanned the treeline, his keen eyesight picking up faint movements in the shadows.
Glowing eyes began to appear—pairs of them, staring hungrily at him from the darkness.
A low growl echoed through the forest, followed by another and then another. Damien counted at least a dozen sets of eyes, all closing in on him.
“Perfect,” he muttered, a smirk playing on his lips.
One of the creatures lunged from the shadows, its massive form illuminated as it leapt into the clearing. It resembled a wolf, but its body was covered in blackened scales, and its maw was lined with jagged teeth that dripped with saliva.
Damien sidestepped the attack with ease, slashing his sword across the creature’s side.
Awwoooo!!
The beast let out a pained howl before collapsing to the ground.
The others hesitated for a moment, growling and circling him cautiously.
“Come on,” Damien taunted, raising his sword. “Let’s get this over with.”
The beasts surged forward all at once, a wave of claws, teeth, and scaled bodies. Damien moved like a shadow, weaving between them with speed surpassing theirs. His blade moved through the air, cutting down the creatures one by one.
One lunged at him from behind, but Damien spun around, driving his knee through its chest. Another came at him from the side, only for him to parry its claws with his sword and deliver a fatal essence filled blow to its neck.
Crack!!
Its neck bone shattered, piercing out of its skin and scales.
Despite their numbers, the beasts couldn’t keep up with Damien’s precision and speed. His movements were fluid, almost effortless, as he dispatched them with efficiency that displayed his ruthlessness towards enemies.
As the last of the smaller creatures fell, Damien noticed the forest growing silent once more. The remaining eyes in the shadows retreated, and a heavy, oppressive aura filled the clearing.
Damien tensed, his instincts screaming a warning. From the darkness, a much larger figure emerged.
The alpha.
It was easily twice the size of the others, its body rippling with muscle and covered in thick, black scales. Its glowing red eyes locked onto Damien, and a guttural growl escaped its throat.
“Finally,” Damien said, his smirk returning.
The alpha charged, its massive claws tearing through the ground as it barreled toward him.
Damien braced himself, waiting until the last possible moment before dodging to the side. He slashed at the creature’s flank, but his sword barely cut through its tough scales as he was simply testing it out.
“Figures,” Damien muttered. “This one’s built differently.”
The alpha roared, spinning around to swipe at Damien with its claws. He ducked under the attack, countering with a strike aimed at its exposed underbelly. This time, the blade sank in deeper, drawing a pained howl from the beast.
The battle didn’t end there. The alpha proved to be far more formidable than its pack. Its movements were faster and more calculated, and its strikes carried enough force to shatter trees.
Damien relied on his agility, dodging and countering whenever he saw an opening. The two clashed repeatedly, the sound of metal against scale and the beast’s roars echoing through the forest.
Finally, Damien saw his chance. The alpha lunged at him, and he feigned a stumble, luring it into overextending its attack. As the beast’s claws missed him by inches, Damien drove his sword into its exposed throat.
The alpha let out a gurgling roar, thrashing violently as it tried to dislodge the blade.
Damien held firm, twisting the sword to ensure a fatal wound.
Raaaaarrr!!
With one final roar, the creature collapsed, its massive body hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Damien exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stepped back from the fallen alpha. His clothes were torn in a few places, and a shallow scratch ran along his forearm, but he was otherwise unharmed.
He knelt by the alpha’s body, extracting its essence core—a large, glowing crystal that pulsed with power.
“Not bad,” Damien said, examining the core before tossing it into Luton which he immediately summoned.
As he turned to leave, a faint noise caught his attention. It was coming from the shadows where the alpha had emerged.
Damien’s eyes narrowed as he stepped closer, his sword at the ready. From the darkness, a small, whimpering figure appeared—a young pup, barely larger than a rabbit.
It looked up at Damien with wide, fearful eyes, its body trembling as it backed away.
Damien stared at the pup for a moment, then sighed. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
With a reluctant shake of his head, he sheathed his sword and knelt down. “Come on, I’m not going to hurt you.”
The pup hesitated, its eyes darting between Damien and the alpha’s body. Finally, it took a cautious step forward, then another, until it was close enough for Damien to scoop it up.
“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous,” Damien muttered, cradling the pup in one arm as he made his way back toward the forest edge.
