The mercenaries who had tried and failed to corner the cloaked girl stumbled back into the heart of the Azure Sentinel Guild's compound, their faces still bruised from Kaelith's fist.
Their boss sat in a grand chair carved from blackstone, a man with a scar running from temple to jaw. His aura leaked like smoke — Tier Five, honed and dangerous. His name was Veynar, and in this part of Azura, his word carried the weight of law.
The mercenaries dropped to their knees.
"Boss… we ran into trouble at the gate."
Veynar's eyes narrowed. "What kind of trouble?"
One of them licked his lips nervously. "Not the guild guards. A stranger. An outsider."
Another spat blood, his teeth still loose. "He—he floored us with one punch. Didn't even blink."
Veynar leaned forward. "An outsider humiliated my men at Azura's gates?" His voice was calm, but beneath it lay steel.
"He's strong, boss. At least Tier Six. Maybe stronger," one muttered.
Veynar's expression shifted. For a moment, silence hung heavy. Then he chuckled, low and cold.
"Interesting. An outsider with that kind of strength… he could be a tool. Or a problem."
He tapped his finger against the arm of his chair. "Azura has laws. Outsiders who lift a hand against its natives are enemies of the land itself. And enemies of Azura don't live long."
The mercenaries' eyes lit with cruel glee. "Then we can crush him without lifting a finger—"
"Not yet," Veynar interrupted. "First, we'll offer him a hand. If he takes it, we own him. If he refuses, the law buries him. Either way, we win."
---
The Offer
The next day, as Kael moved deeper into the city, he felt it — eyes watching him, whispers curling at the edge of his senses. He wasn't naïve; he knew the guild had marked him.
It didn't take long before the mercenaries reappeared, this time dressed in clean armor, their bruises hidden beneath smug smiles.
They cornered him in a market square, where vendors and locals bustled around, pretending not to notice.
"Our boss wants to meet you," one sneered. "You impressed us yesterday. Strong, sharp. Azura needs men like you."
Kael's gaze was cold. "You mean Azura needs slaves like me."
The mercenary's smile faltered, but another quickly spoke. "No, no. Not slaves. Partners. Our boss has influence here. With his backing, you'd rise fast. Maybe even earn citizenship."
Kael said nothing.
"Think about it," the man pressed. "Without ties, you're just a stray in Azura. Strays don't last long. But with us? You'll eat, drink, and cultivate in peace."
Kael studied them for a long moment, then shook his head.
"I didn't come to Azura to crawl behind someone else's shadow. Tell your boss I'll pass."
The mercenaries' smiles died. One spat on the ground. "Wrong answer, outsider."
They walked off, but Kael could feel the weight of their threat trailing behind them.
---
The Trap Closes
By nightfall, Kael was already feeling the shift. Guards at corners stared longer than before. Locals whispered louder when he passed.
The guild had moved quickly.
He realized the truth: the offer had never been real. It was bait. By refusing, he had given them the excuse they wanted.
The next morning, as he stepped into one of Azura's wider streets, a booming voice rang out.
"There he is! The outsider who assaulted natives of Azura!"
A squad of armored guild enforcers surged from the shadows, weapons gleaming. Their insignia marked them as official guardians of the city — and worse, the crowd believed them.
Gasps rippled through the street. Merchants pulled back their carts. Citizens whispered curses. To Azura, there was no greater crime than an outsider harming its people.
Kael raised his hands slowly, his face calm. "False accusations. You know the truth."
The lead enforcer snarled. "Silence! Outsiders don't speak before judgment. You'll come with us quietly, or you'll be cut down where you stand."
Kael's jaw tightened. He could feel the noose tightening. Veynar had planned this perfectly: whether Kael surrendered or resisted, his fate was sealed.
Unless he broke the noose.
---
Resistance
"I see," Kael said quietly. "So this is Azura's law."
Then, in a voice that carried across the plaza, he added: "But I am not a lamb to slaughter."
His aura erupted, shaking the air. Gasps rang out as the pressure of a Tier Six cultivator rippled through the crowd.
The enforcers hesitated. Then their leader roared, "Seize him!"
They surged forward.
Kael moved like lightning. His fist smashed into the first enforcer's shield, splintering it with a deafening crack. A second lunged with a spear — Kael twisted, grabbed the shaft, and slammed the man into a wall.
The crowd scattered, shrieking.
But the enforcers were many, and more poured in from every street. Kael was forced back, step by step, his knuckles bloodied, his chest heaving.
"Damn it," he muttered. "So this is how they hunt outsiders."
---
The Chase
The trap tightened further. The guild had laid it well. Each street was blocked, each alley sealed. Enforcers didn't fight to kill — not yet — but to drive him, herd him like prey.
Kael fought, leapt, and darted across rooftops, his cloak snapping behind him. Below, enforcers shouted, their boots pounding like thunder.
Arrows hissed through the air. Kael dodged, rolled, and struck back, sending one archer tumbling from the roof. But the pressure mounted.
The entire city seemed to turn against him.
If I let them cage me, he thought grimly, I'm finished.
---
The Turning Point
At last, Kael reached the edge of the city. The gates loomed ahead, guarded heavily. Beyond them stretched the vast wilds of Azura.
He paused for a heartbeat, chest heaving, mind racing.
Behind him, enforcers closed in, their leader shouting triumphantly: "Kaelith Varion! By the law of Azura, you are condemned—"
Kael turned, eyes blazing. "By the law of Kaelith Varion, I will not bow."
He dropped into a fighting stance. His fists clenched, his spirit flaring higher than ever before.
The enforcers hesitated. For the first time, they saw not an outsider to be caged — but a warrior who would tear the bars apart.
And somewhere, unseen in the crowd, a cloaked girl watched, her sharp eyes narrowing.