Into the Shadows
The doors of the Adventurer’s Guild slammed shut behind Emmic, cutting off the confused chatter and fearful whispers. The moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the empty streets of the city. Emmic pulled his cloak tighter around himself, concealing his face beneath the hood as he made his way toward the Black Market District.
"I need 500,000,000 shards in three weeks," he muttered to himself. His thoughts raced, but his heart remained focused on the girl lying in the healer’s hospital. He couldn't let them sell her to the slave traders. No matter what, he would save her.
The black cloak fluttered as he walked swiftly through the dimly lit alleys, each step more determined than the last. He reached the entrance of the Black Market, where shady figures and dangerous adventurers often gathered for work no one dared to talk about in the open. This was where he could take the highest-risk, highest-reward jobs. No one here asked questions, and no one cared about identities.
Pushing open the creaky door to a hidden underground tavern, Emmic stepped inside, the smell of smoke and alcohol thick in the air. Around the room, various bounty hunters, mercenaries, and criminals lounged about, drinking and exchanging information. The noise died down as Emmic entered, his dark presence felt even among the most hardened adventurers.
He approached the bar where a burly man with a scar over one eye looked up from polishing a glass. The man’s gaze lingered on Emmic’s masked face for a moment before he grunted, "You new here?"
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Emmic nodded. "I need high-paying jobs. Now."
The bartender raised an eyebrow, glancing at the faint glow of Emmic's eyes beneath the mask. "You're bold, kid. But the kind of jobs you’re looking for… ain’t pretty."
"I don’t care." Emmic's tone was cold and resolute. "Give me the hardest ones."
The bartender snorted and set down his glass. "Well, I hope you're ready, because most who take these jobs don’t come back." He reached under the counter and pulled out a black notebook, filled with bounty listings, assassinations, and monster hunts that were too dangerous or illegal for the Adventurer’s Guild to handle.
Flipping through the pages, the bartender settled on a particularly gruesome entry. "Here. This one’s been on the market for months—The Red Fang Pack. A gang of notorious criminals with a bounty of 250,000,000 shards on their heads. They’ve terrorized villages on the outskirts, and the guard can’t handle them. They’re all wanted dead, no exceptions."
Emmic stared at the page, his mind already calculating. "Where are they?"
The bartender looked at him cautiously. "They’ve been spotted near the Deadwood Forest, east of the city. Dangerous terrain, full of monsters and bandits, but that’s the least of your worries. The Red Fang Pack... they’re vicious. There’s a reason no one’s taken them down yet."
"I’ll take it," Emmic said without hesitation.
The bartender smirked, impressed by the boy’s nerve, but he shook his head. "You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But you’re gonna need a lot more than that to take them on. Be careful."
Emmic didn’t respond. He turned on his heel and left the tavern, disappearing into the night once more. His mind was set—he would take down the Red Fang Pack and claim the bounty. He needed that money, and he would do whatever it took to get it. For the girl, for her freedom.