"You heard him, we're moving out!" a member from Colemoore guild called out.
"We've been walking deeper into the forest for a few days now," Miliseyo, a C-rank mage of the Colemoore guild, complained loudly enough for the entire camp to hear. "It's tough enough looking out for our members, but now we have to worry about the Boundless guild too."
"Hey, stop complaining," Paula, his fellow guild member, said as he stood next to him, overseeing the camp's preparations. "At least we're not part of the dungeon subjugation quest. Babysitting a bunch of D-rankers is a lot better than being the weakest one in the dungeon quest."
"Well whatever this many D-rankers only slows down our movements, there's no way we can secure our part of the map in three days by the pace we're going." Miliseyo walks around eyeing people moving around and packing their camp.
The forest subjugation quest was no easy task, especially with the situation growing worse. Monsters from a B-rank dungeon had been emerging, attacking the surrounding area. With the dungeon left unexplored for so long, these creatures had started to flood out into the forest, becoming an increasing threat.
"What's their deal?" Nino, a D-rank swordsman from the Boundless guild, whispered.
"It's not like we can't take care of ourselves," Thomas, a fellow guild member muttered. "Those mages are too fragile. Just because they're C-rank doesn't mean they get to start bossing everyone around without lifting a finger."
"Hey, what was that?" Miliseyo called out, frowning as he turned toward them. "What's it to you if I order my fellow members around? You're all D-Rankers you're supposed to do the grunt work and you are slowing us down."
"Even if we're just D-rankers we're not slowing you down, You've done nothing but sleep and eat the whole way here," Thomas argues back.
"You little twirp! Do you have any idea how complicated C-rank magic is? I'm not just sleeping all day—I'm conserving my mana!" He tried to justify.
Paula stops his guild member, "Stop it Miliseyo these guys just don't know how valuable your skills are"
"Stop patronizing him, you're only feeding his ego." Rin quietly listened in and couldn't take any more of their nonsense.
"Who said that?" Miliseyo whirled around to confront Rin who was perched on top of a branch. "Why you little I'll show you!" he rolled up his sleeve ready to cast a spell.
Before Miliseyo could even say an incantation, an arrow whizzed past him, grazing his left cheekbone. "What the heck—are you trying to kill me?!" he shouted, crimson oozing from his face.
Rin, quick as a shadow, switched from arrows to a sword, charging toward Miliseyo with fierce determination. His presence was overwhelming—an aura of intense fear and power that seemed to seep into the very air around them.
As Rin closed in, Miliseyo staggered backward, the weight of the aura knocking him off balance. He stumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding the deadly talons that lashed out at him from the shadows.
The moment Miliseyo hit the ground, Rin's sword slashed through the air, connecting with the sharp, dark talons of the creature. It screeched in pain, recoiling in agony, and flew to the sky. Miliseyo was frozen and his life flashed before his eyes.
"A Gloomspire Harrier!" Paula cried out, her voice cutting through the chaos. "Tank, get on your feet! Formation!"
From the depths of darkness, the Gloomspire Harrier emerged—a monstrous, winged creature with enormous razor-sharp feathers. It flapped its wings and scattered leaves and debris in all directions. The other one emerged from its shadows and screeched as it dove toward the camp, its claws outstretched to snatch up anyone it could reach.
The camp was thrown into chaos as the Gloomspire Harrier swooped down, their massive wings sending gusts of wind and uprooting tents as they passed. The D-rankers scrambled to defend themselves, swords drawn, shields raised, and arrows flying into the sky.
Rin was in motion immediately with precision his second arrow hit one precisely in the eye and three more hit the thin part of its wings making the great creature crash to the ground, It screeched as it collided with the ground, its wings bent and broken, leaving it vulnerable to the swordsmen who charged forward.
Nino, his face set in determination, took the opportunity to face a harrier head-on. The creature's speed and ferocity made it difficult to land a decisive blow. He aimed for its mana-stone, but the creature's razor-sharp wings cut deep and the wind from it knocked everyone back.
"Tanks, keep it still—aim for the wings!" Rin shouted, leading the charge. The tanks and swordsmen rushed forward, their blades slashing at the Gloomspire Harrier's wings. When the swords made contact, the sound was like steel clashing against metal, a deafening clang that echoed through the camp. The two harriers, now grounded and vulnerable, flailed helplessly on the ground.
"The mana stone!" Paula called out, pointing at the glowing stone embedded in the creature's forehead.
Nino nodded, and they both aimed at the stone. Paula used wind magic and it cleanly broke off from the creature's forehead. Nino threw a spear lying on the ground and the glowing gem broke into pieces. The harriers let out a final, agonizing screech before collapsing to the ground and disintegrating.
As the ashes of the Gloomspire Harrier settled to the ground, a profound silence swept over the camp, broken only by the heavy, labored breathing of the exhausted fighters.
Despite the overwhelming fatigue that pulled at their limbs and drained their spirits, there was a triumphant weight in the air—a victory earned through sheer will. One by one, the D-rankers collapsed to their knees, not from defeat, but from the deep, satisfying relief of having survived and conquered the impossible.
Paula picked up the stone from the creature she took down and looked at the brilliantly huge mana stone. Rin picked up the shattered mana stones from Nino's kill, although scattered on the ground and fainter he handed it to Nino "Here! It was your takedown"
Nino's hands shook slightly as he took the shattered mana stones, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I... I did it," he said, a mix of excitement and awe in his voice. "that was my first takedown", in the background, members of the Boundless Guild cheered in triumph, their voices filled with relief and victory.
But their cheers were short-lived as the trees rustled ominously. A dozen more Gloomspire Harriers swooped down from the shadows, their wings slicing through the air with menacing speed.
Paula exhausted from her initial attack spared no moment "Everybody gather round!" She cast a large sphere of protective barrier around the group in the nick of time. The group of Gloomspire Harriers dove at the group, their talons raked against the barrier.
Rin reached for his arrows preparing to strike.
"Don't!" Paula shouted, stopping him. "It's not a perfect barrier. I couldn't cast one that big! If you fire your arrows from the inside, they'll bounce back."
Rin looked up. The creatures weren't backing down, attacking fiercely. Feeling helpless, his mind raced for answers, and then he remembered the Vice Guild Master's words:
It was on the briefing before he left, "This is a multi-guild quest. Your main job is to protect our members. Mages are joining, and I know you don't get along with them, so I'm letting you know ahead, Colemoore usually sends two: one good at protective magic and the other good at offensive magic. Try to get along, and whatever you do, don't start a fight."
The Boundless tanks formed a protective ring, shields raised instinctively. The barrier began to weaken as the first talon slammed into Thomas' shield. Rin thought, the tanks are going to be the first to be swept away.
"One good at protective magic" Lyra's words echoed, he looked at Paula who was using all her strength to keep barrier up. He scanned the huddled adventurers they were shouting and growing restless, all looking helpless.
"the other good at offensive magic." He recalled Lyra's words from mempry. His eyes landed on Miliseyo, who was curled up on the ground, hands covering his head.
"Hey! Get up!" Rin shouted, grabbing him. The second talon passed the barrier reached the shield of another tank and swooped it up in the air.
Rin continued to say in a more icy tone, "Snap out of it!" at this moment, Paula fell to her knees, the barrier shrunk and people backed in closer to the circle. Everyone was elbow to elbow and Paula was losing her breathing.
"If you don't do something, we're all done for!" Paula fell to the ground the barrier was down. The tanks had their shields but they were overwhelmed as the Gloomspire Harriers clawed and pecked at their defenses. A member of the Colemoore guild was now in the sky shouting for help.
Miliseyo still didn't respond despite his own member screaming in fear and Paula unconcious.
"Dang it go help your members!" Rin threw Miliseyo to the air and he spun around like a rag doll. The Gloomspire Harriers froze in surprise, their heads twisting to follow his flailing form, like confused owls. The birds were so distracted by his sudden movement that their talons missed entirely. Miliseyo, out of fear - unleashed a powerful spell, freezing the harriers mid-flight, leaving them hanging motionless in the air.
Unable to flap their wings, the creatures fell to the ground which gave the damage class adventurers time to aim for the mana stones.
"Somebody catch me!" Miliseyo screamed, flailing his arms like a panicked bird.
Rin, rolling his eyes, caught him effortlessly, "This is why I hate going on group quests." he sighed immediately dropping Miliseyo to the ground with a thud.
*****
"A group of Gloomspire Harriers ambushed you?" Aaron, the Boundless Guild's Master Instructor, asked, his voice steady as he surveyed the group eating around the campfire. "Gloomspire Harriers are C-level at the very least. This was supposed to be a D-rank mission. No wonder it took you so long to reach the meeting point."
"The recon team might have misjudged the dungeon's level," Nino said, his brows furrowed in concern over their current predicament.
"Possibly," Aaron replied thoughtfully. "Or the Dungeon Subjugation group's progress is too slow. Either way, now that we've finished surveying the area, we'll head back by daybreak."
"I agree," Rin said calmly, biting into a piece of rubbery, cold jerky. His stoic demeanor remained unshaken despite the tension in the air, his steady gaze fixed on the fire.
"It's good the guilds came better prepared this time. Having three C-rankers in the team makes all the difference. As your new recruit instructor, I'm proud of everyone's efforts today." He looked at the faces of the dozen of guild members beaten but broken. His chest swelled with quiet pride as he watched Rin "I'm glad you joined this quest Rin you're even sitting with us to eat"
In his first year as an adventurer Rin ate alone and made his campfire, people kept their distance from Rin as he was a nobleman and people thought he was a bit stand-offish. Now, he has finally started to get along with other members.
Rin looked uncomfortable at Aaron's stare "Don't get me wrong I'm just here because I'm too tired to make my own fire."
"Come on Rin don't be shy!" Aaron tried to slap Rin's back but Rin easily avoided it.
"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be busy preparing for the arrival of recruits?" Rin giving Aaron a side-eye.
"They haven't arrived yet, the vice guild master asked me to join the new adventurers on their first-ever subjugation quest," Aaron said happily.
"Okay then go to them why are you hanging around me," Rin said munching on his meat jerky
Aaron laughed awkwardly, thinking Rin wouldn't possibly caught on, "Well I just wanted to -, wanted to..." Aaron couldn't think of an excuse with Rin staring at him with judging eyes.
"Vice Guild Master Lyra sent you here to look after me right?" Rin guessed correctly.
"I mean you know Lyra - you and mages and ... " Aaron laughed more awkwardly "I'd be happy to report to vice master at least, you don't start fights like Leif does" Aaron jokes to the group.
"About that..." Thomas laughed awkwardly, his eyes darting to the others. "The two C-rank mages from the Colemoore Guild were injured. I'm worried they might bring it up and try to pin the blame on us."
"Even though our guild filled the tank roles, the Colemoore Guild isn't unreasonable to pin injuries of mages on us." Aaron reassured them. The other guild members exchanged worried glances, clearly unconvinced.
Nino opened his mouth trying to help Thomas explain. "Well, you see, what happened was—"
Before he could continue, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the tension. Miliseyo, huffing and puffing stormed into their circle, followed by the Colemoore Vice Master, Brandon.
"It's them!" Miliseyo cried, pointing an accusatory finger. "Brandon, that's the group that threw me into the air to feed me to the Gloomspire Harriers! I demand you preserve the honor of our guild and issue an official challenge!"
Brandon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Miliseyo, we're on a mutual quest. Issuing an official challenge isn't appropriate under these circumstances. Besides, I'm not a Guild Master, so I can't issue one even if I wanted to."
"That's unfair!" Miliseyo exclaimed, his arms crossed and stomping his foot like a petulant child. "You have to uphold my honor!"
Nino leaned toward Aaron and whispered, "Rin threw the mage into the air because he wasn't moving."
Aaron's brow twitched, and he let out a long-suffering sigh. "Just when I thought your attitude towards mages improved"
Rin avoided Aaron's eye contact pretending to be busy with munching on his jerky.
"Do you know who I am? You're lucky you didn't miss that arrow! You scratched my life side! You even threw me in the air and used me as bait! What kind of barbaric strategy was that? " Miliseyo's roared in anger.
Thomas stood up to defend Rin "Hey! He protected you from the first Harrier with that arrow, if it wasn't for that arrow you'd be bird food by now!"
"And Rin only threw you in the air because you we're basically curled up on the ground trembling in fear." Nino tried to explain.
Turning Red Miliseyo snapped "Trembling in fear? I was gathering mana for a spell! Not that any of you would understand - none of you can comprehend the concentration it takes to wield advanced offensive magic."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Concentration? You were hiding"
"I was not hiding! I was... conserving my strength! Preparing for the right moment to unleash a devastating spell!" Miliseyo indignant stomping his foot on the ground.
Nino snorted "I've never heard that excuse before,"
Miliseyo "At least I wasn't stupid enough to charge it without a plan!"
"He,y Nino took down that very Harrier that try swooped down at you! You should be thanking him!" Thomas defended.
As the arguement between the three continued,Brandon extended his hand to Aaron after hearing the shameful acts of Miliseyo "I apologize for Miliseyo's outburst. His actions don't reflect the Colemoore Guild's stance. Overseeing the welfare of D-Rank adventurers was the role of our mages. We apologize for the mishap!" Brandon bowed low, nearly toppling over.
"No, no!" Aaron interrupted, his bowing lower. "We filled the roles. It was our fault, we apologize!" His back a perfect 90 degree angle.
"No, no, no!" Brandon insisted, now practically kneeling on the ground face lower "It was our fault!" His voice shook.
"No, no, no, no!" they both cried in unison, one-upping the other's bow by bowing lower than the other as a sign of sincerity and camaraderie. In the world of Guild politics the two veterans knew that value of owning accountability could lead to less trouble.
Aaron's forehead hit the dirt with a thud. "We apologize, please forgive us!"
Brandon followed suit, voice desperate, "We'll do anything to make it right!"
"I hope the mages in your party recover fast." Brandon's face is now on the ground.
"We thank you for your concern" Aaron's face was also on the ground, "Paula is recovering well in her tent."
Rin thought that he was surrounded by idiots, two people we're arguing who was more sorry while the person who was supposed to be sorry argued about how he was right.
"My Father will hear about this!" Miliseyo warned steam coming out of his ears.
Just then, a Colemoore guild member could be heard screaming for help. "Help! Help!"
A few others came and one of them spoke "Vice Master Brandon - Paula! Paula, she got caught by Skrethling by the river!"
A scream ripped through the Colemoore camp, sharp and chilling. All eyes turned toward the direction where it was headed, the group ran towards the sound and saw Paula wrapped tightly in the coils of a massive Skrethling. It was perched above the tree daring the people below to strike, panic froze the onlookers in place.
Brandon and Aaron exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"That size... Level A," Brandon muttered, the words heavy with dread.
Aaron's voice cracked through the chaos. "What's a Level A doing outside its dungeon?!"
Brandon was the first to move, "Fire! Somebody light it on fire!"
"Miliseyo! Cast a fire blast!" Thomas barked.
Miliseyo stood rooted, trembling, his hands glowing faintly but unmoving.
A panicked adventurer nearby shouted, "It's wet! We've been trying to light it up, but it won't catch!"
The creature hissed at the intruders its tail coiling around Paula and absorbing her mana energy.
Suddenly, a fiery arrow sliced through the air with a whistle, striking the creature's exposed mana stone. The Skrethling let out a screech, the air vibrating with its pain. The impact of the arrow had the creature on the ground releasing Paula from its grasp.
Paula plummeted from the sky, her body twisting helplessly in the air. Rin darted forward and caught her in the nick of time. Blushing furiously, Paula looked up at him, her voice faltering. "I—I thank—"
Before she could finish, Rin unceremoniously let her go, letting her drop with a dull thud to the ground.
"Did you just take down a Level A Creature?" Aaron looked at his mentee astonished.
"No, it looks like its skin was burnt badly it was already weak" Rin observed and used his dagger to dig out the mana stone and the creature turned to ash and scattered.
Miliseyo out of nowhere finally found the courage to move somehow, with a dramatic flourish, raised his hands to the sky, "YOU FEIND! HOW DARE YOU HURT A MEMBER OF MY GUILD—" he paused for dramatic effect, "IGNIS YOPABALAKIS!" He started the incantation for a fire blast
"I took down the creature already," Rin said making Miliseyo lose his concentration. Instead of a searing fireball, a tiny puff of smoke fizzled out from his palm like a disgruntled campfire, soaring straight into Rin's unsuspecting face.
Rin wiped the smudge from his cheek with a single, excruciatingly deliberate motion, his expression completely devoid of emotion except for the slightest twitch of an eyebrow.
Miliseyo blinked, his arm still outstretched, and mumbled, "Uh... guess I missed the timing...?"
"You MISSED EVERYTHING!" Thomas snapped, face red.
Then Thomas, Nino and Miliseyo started to argue back and forth again. Meanwhile, Aaron and Brandon, fell to their knees and bowed deeply to each other once again.
"Please forgive our mage for delay in spell cast" Brandon started,
"It is our fault for not securing area properly which caused injury to your mage!" Aaron wailed.
"Please forgive us, !" Brandon started.
"No please forgive us," Aaron responded.
"No, no, we apologize," Brandon said unmoving
"No, no, no it is us who should apologize."
Rin sighed heavily and the utter nonsense around him and started walking away from the whole chaos "I hope Leif's having better luck than I am,".
Rin tried to recall the state of Skrethling it had burnt marks all over its body was weakened to that state whatever attacked it was someone definitely more powerful than an A-Rank. Rin paused and stared at the forest, "Someone or something? "