Hadwyn didn't think the day would get worse.

The last few days were rough waves for him and most of the rest of the AFHA. The fact that they had to collaborate with the Iron Legion, the independent guilds that had been siphoning funds and assets for years from them, left a bad taste in Hadwyn's mouth. Two heroes, Gerrin And Sierra, stood near one of the tents. Gerrin and Sierra were seniors, if not veteran heroes, which meant they were well trained and competent to any situation.

And of course, there was Sarah, one of the operators of the iron guild. Teresa hated her.

Hadwyn really has no idea why, but Teresa would mention Sarah with such distain. He assumed there was some sort of bad blood between them. He had only been with Teresa and Sarah in the same room once, and it was made pretty obvious that they hated each other, they did keep their professionalism, which Hadwyn was glad for.

Kela was chatting with the other lower rank heroes, Larry, Jenson, and Hobbs

Hadwyn had met the three of them previously for a brief moment during one of their conventions in the past.

Hobbs seemed like a nice enough guy, but he was not very smart. Larry was supposedly the smartest in the group, but he came across as a know-it-all, and kind of an asshole. But none compared to Jenson. Hadwyn had seen them work together, and Jenson was their leader, no doubt. But Jenson treated his party like cannon fodder. He would send them off to weaken the enemy wave they were fighting, then when they inevitably got too weak from fighting, Jenson would swoop in and deal the final blow, and take whatever experience they had built upon.

Hadwyn knew all this because he got their reports last time.

Jenson and the rest of his party were swinging at some practice dummies in the field. There were some other Aldarians there too, but Hadwyn didn't know them specifically. He would be introduced to them when the time was right anyways.

“Mornin’.” Sierra said, approaching Hadwyn when they saw him. “Or as we like to say, where I come from, not again.”

“Where do you come from?” Hadwyn asked.

Sierra shrugged. “The wasteland. When you see the sun coming up, you just know it's gonna be a hard day.” She smirked at him. “Imagine the first thing you see when you open your eyes is the sun, and an endless sea of sand.”

Hadwyn tried to imagine. From what she was telling him, Sierra has been summoned in the middle of the desert.

“Um, yeah. Pretty tough.” Hadwyn said, the conversation seemed to be getting uncomfortable.

He shook hands with Gerrin next. “Aye, haven't seen you in a while, huh?”

“Yes, it's been quite some time.” Hadwyn agreed

Gerrin sighed. “I have to go talk with Sarah.” He pointed to the tables near the dummies and tents. “Sorry Hadwyn.”

Hadwyn stood in his way. “Why? What's wrong?”

Gerrin kept pointing. “That's what's wrong.”

Hadwyn turned to look again. He observed two people who appeared to be in a fierce argument.

Teresa and Sarah.

Shit!

Gerrin resumed marching down the hill, with Hadwyn following close behind.

As Hadwyn approached he heard some of the conversation.

“I don't care what your priorities are! I care about you doing the right thing here!” Teresa shouted.

“Please.” Sarah glared at Teresa. “We've both been doing this for decades, and then finally, when your crime rate goes down, it's convenient for you to complain. You're a hypocrite, Teresa, period.”

Teresa threw up her hands. “Fine! Periodic, yes, crime, but isolated crime! Gangs and Syndicates are rampant in territories under your protection.”

“Our territory is bigger. Yours is just Gahvin, Holkvil, part of Rorin, and Hippod areas.”

“WRONG. You forget about the sea. Piracy is a huge issue in our area, yet we manage to deal with it.”

That silenced Sarah.

“On top of that, we might have a bigger budget than you, but we spent less of it. Did you know that by the end of the year, what we do with the money we didn’t spend?”

Teresa leaned in close so that she was in Sarah's face. Gerrin put his hand on his sheath, Hadwyn hoped the fight wouldn’t get physical.

“First, we use it to repair and build new infrastructure, which we’ve had to do quite a lot of recently because of your adventures. Then once we have done enough, we donate some to charity, and then, with the rest, we donate to the creation of new guilds.”

Hadwyn thought he might have misheard something. We help create private guilds?

The color drained from Sarah's face.

“That’s right. I was one of the few people who knew that. But, cat’s out of the bag, now isn’t it? We fund you. Don’t you ever bother to wonder where your miscellaneous funding comes from? Yes, the AFHA takes donations from corporations like Portpack, Smith and Anvil, Goldshire, and WoodRock, but we aren't given a training foul, like you. But that's the past. Now, we don't, and never will, give you a single copper. Because we know what you do with it, you shove it up your ass.”

Sarah growled, having snapped out of her initial shock by now. “Most of the gangs are between Keywark and Gahvin. We have already cracked down on Gavins laws on piracy and organized crime. We do not, however, have control over Keywark. Ever since their Socialist revolution, we’ve been unable to get in.”

“You mean you were bribed.” Hissed Teresa.

Sarah bared her teeth.

“Ok, Teresa, they need us at the stands.” Hadwyn lied, sensing the situation was about to escalate.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“She’s a bitch.” Teresa snarled. “She’s even worse than the last time, she was just stupid then, but now she is well aware of whats happening. And shes allowing it.”

Hadwyn didn't respond. Everyone had arguments, and sometimes there was not much you could do about it.

“Morning!” Hobbs called out. He was the only one to give them a greeting. Larry and Jenson remained fixated on their targets.

“Lemme guess, first gens?” Kela whispered to Hadwyn. He smirked. “Don’t say stuff like that now, Kela…”

Jenson sliced one of the dummies in half. He looked exactly the same as when Hadwyn saw him last time.

Jenson appeared to be tired. “Alright team, let’s take a break.”

“We started ten minutes ago-”

“You started ten minutes ago, I was here all morning.” Jenson replied to Hobbs.

“He is correct, Hobbs. We have only been here for ten.” Larry added.

Hobbs sighed and set down his sword. “You woke up extra early and started before us. Why can’t we finish?”

Jenson rolled his eyes and glared at Hobbs. “You’re support. You don't need to practice your sword skills, I do. And I come early to make sure you don't use all the dummies.”

Hobbs looked defeated. “I barely do anything. My passive defense is in the garbage, I’m not very strong, and I can't heal very fast.”

Jenson laughed. “Boo hoo. All you do is whine and complain. Guess what? Life ain't’ fair. This is what you signed up for. At least you can heal yourself. I need you in order to regenerate. If you weren't a healer, I woulda kicked your ass out already!”

Hobbs was lost for words. “I guess…”

“Good. There's a reason why I'm the leader, because I have a spine. Now, if you wanna keep practicing, drop the damn sword and practice your healing, cause that’s the only thing keeping you here.”

Hobbs laid his sword on the table and ran off to the other tent.

Jenson turned to Hadwyn. “What do you want?”

Hadwyn grinded his teeth. Hadwyn remembered being treated like that in his party long ago. What made him the most angry was that he acted the same way, running off like a coward.

“We were just passing by.” Hadwyn replied.

“You’re doing a meetup.” Jenson tilted his head. He motioned towards other trainees gathered at the campgrounds. “I’m flattered, honestly.”

Hadwyn was going to say something but Kela cut him off.

“This is not for you. Also, don't be so mean to your party.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “It's been 3 years.” He motioned to his party members. “If I didn’t know how to lead, we would be dead.”

Hadwyn bit back the urge to tell Jensen that every quest, mission, or task he’d done was watched carefully by the Iron Guild’s supervisors. Sure, it didn’t take away from the fact that he hadn’t failed any, but the fact that the supervisors could swoop in if something went wrong definitely took away from his accomplishments, especially if he boasted about it so arrogantly.

Before Hadywn could say anything. He heard the clanging of a bell.

Suddenly, a fireball flew past Hadwyn’s head. In his mind, he didn’t realize what was happening, until Larry evaporated.

“Demon!” Someone yelled.

Hadwyn's eyes darted around at once, searching for the threat. He had not even registered the fact that Larry had died. He finally spotted it. A mutated-looking Orc shuffled, its mouth glowing and foaming.

Hellspawn. He thought. Not a demon.

Hellspawn were, as the Bestiary defined, ‘Recycled’ monsters. Hellspawn were usually deployed where there were slain monsters. They had enhanced strength, and intelligence.

And, they didn’t feel pain.

A student from another team was the first to attack. Hadwyn didn’t know his name, but he was impressed by the attack.

“Vine Vector!” The student screamed. Hadywn sensed the raw power in his voice. Hadwyn saw the skill in the students' position and his targeted Flow.

The Flow vector he commanded shot out of the ground. His technique was fluid and sharp. His arms raised, he guided the vines around the Orc Hellspawn, even if the vines didn’t kill the orc, I would at least slow him.

“Dammit!” Shouted Jensen. Hobbs came running. “I-”

“Go fuck yourself!” Shouted Jensen, standing over the charred corpses “You’re a useless piece of shit! Maybe if you practiced healing starts more-”

Another fireball wooshed, hitting a tent. One that Hadwyn prayed was empty.

“Instead of trying to impress me with your stupid fighting skills, you could’ve healed Larry!”

“I can try-”

“NO! You can’t do shit, he’s dead.” He pointed to Hadwyn. “Go to him!”

Hobbs ran over to Hadwyn. Another fireball erupted a tent. Where the hell where they coming from.

“Look!” Kela shouted. “What’s that?”

Hadywn followed her gaze. A small creature was perched on the shoulder of the orc. It had tiny winds and a contorted face.

It was an imp.

“Imp support!” Hadwyn yelled. “Shoot it down!”

All of the students who didn’t already have their bow out or projectiles primed aimed at the creature now. They began pelting it, with most missing and hitting the Orc. It roared and threw a rock…

Which clipped the student who was keeping the orc at bay. He fell to the ground.

“Grover!” Someone yelled.

Kela shouted. “I’ve had enough! Go to hell!” She pulled out her bow, an impressive one, it was a beautiful silver bow. Kela had bragged about it during many lunch breaks, but no one, including Hadwyn, believed her.

The Orc turned. It looked like a porcupine with arrows sticking out. It also seems to be growing in size.

Upon seeing this, the student’s began putting away their bows.

“Shit! Where are the coaches?” A student yelled.

Kela fired the arrow. It hit the Imp, punching a hole through it. The Hellspawn roared, upon seeing its companion eliminated, grabbing a tree trunk and hefting it as a bat.

Then it charged.

Hadwyn hadn’t fought a Hellspawn in a long while, so he almost forgot how fast they could move. He braced for impact. He powered his flow. His flow was significantly weaker than other Heroes of his level, but he was almost certain he could put down the beast.

Suddenly, Jensen leaped from one of the trees, having seemed to have climbed it, and Leaped onto the orc’s back. He plunged his sword into the nape of the Hellspawn.

“Iron pier-”

The Orc grabbed Jensen, tearing him off, leaving his sword behind, throwing him to the ground, then squashed him like a bug under his foot.

Hadywn was done charging his flow at this point. He leveled his arms in a U shape at the creature, right as it turned to him and brought its bat down.

“Splinter Sharp!” He parried the trunks. His attack flashed, splitting the tree and sending the centermost piece back in the direction it came.

The piece shot through the orcs neck, and took pieces of bone and tissue with it. The orc died immediately.

Just then, a rock smashed into the dead orc, causing its body to smear across the ground and land somewhere in the deeper wood. Gerrin and Sierra had arrived.

Hadwyn snapped out of his focus of battle and turned to Gerrin.

“Where the hell were you?” Hadwyn tore into Gerrin and Sierra.

Sierra said nothing, just taking in the gruesome aftermath of the battle. But Gerrin responded.

“We were fighting a beast of our own. A hellspawn, much like yours. A centipede, one I fought a long while ago. It came to us as Hellspawn. We managed to kill it, then we came to make sure everything was safe here.”

Hadwyn grimaced. “Jensen is dead… And a student named Grover is wounded, or maybe dead. He held it down while we took it down. I don’t know-”

“Come with us Hadwyn, we will go and search for missing students.” Sierra replied.

“Kela, come tag along.” Hadwyn beckoned for Kela to follow him.

“Do you mind telling us who killed the beast?” Asked Gerrin, inquisitively.

Hadywn hesitated for a moment.

“That would be Kela.”