Chapter 24:- Plans Of The Arrogant
High above the clouds, a private plane hummed like a large sleeping animal. It moved smooth and fast.
The plane was made from dragon scales, griffin bones and other dungeon artifact.
A mix of magic and machine that showed how much humans had advanced since the days they hunted those creatures.
The seats were wide and soft. A glass of something cold sat on the table. The passenger who held that glass had a neat suit and a look that never smiled.
His name was Darius Black. People called him many things. In the hunter rankings, he was loud and proud. S-Rank. A man who wore style like it was armor. He had gold on his fingers and a scar that looked like a slash near his jaw. He moved like someone who never had to apologize.
A girl with eyeglasses sat across from him. She had a tablet and a pen. Her hair was pinned neat. Everyone in the plane called her Rin. She did the lists, the calls, the scheduling. She kept Darius's life in order.
"Why not fly, sir?" Rin asked, not sounding rude, but honest. She knew him well. She adjusted her glasses and watched the flight map, which showed their slow arc to the country. "You could get there faster on your wings."
Darius smiled like he smelled something good. He lifted his glass and swirled it. The ice clicked. "And miss this?" He looked out the small window, where the sun made a smear on the clouds. "No. I like this luxury. Wings are quick, yes. Wings are useful when you want to be loud, fast and look flashy. But this...." He shrugged. "This is nicer. I like to enjoy the ride."
Rin typed something. "Is it really because of the comfort?" she asked. "Or is there another reason?"
Darius leaned back and laughed soft. "Rin, you always ask too many things. Sit down. Learn to enjoy what comes. Anyway, this country asked for help. Small country. Only one new S-ranker in their whole Continent. Pathetic. They have a problem: an anonymous guy online who tells people how to raid dungeons easy. Like it is a recipe. They want me to find him. They want me to scare him, preferably on camera."
Rin looked up. "Why accept? It's not your place."
Darius's smile tightened. "Oh, I will take the money. They are desperate and desperate people pay well." He tapped his fingers on the table. "Plus, I want to see how far they will go. I want their artifacts. I want to see the faces when I ask them for an outrageous price. I will take their money, take their praise, take their dungeon spoils and leave them with less than before. I always get what I want."
Rin frowned slightly. "You mean to use them?"
"Use them." Darius shrugged. " That's a strong word but yes... I do not like this country. Too weak. Too much pride without teeth. Their leader called me and begged. I can act like a hero for the camera. Then I will take compensation. The government will think I am a savior, and I will be richer. Simple."
Rin tapped her pen. "And the anonymous guy? Do you think the guy is dangerous?"
"Maybe," Darius said. "But dangerous is a word people throw around when they are scared. Besides I smile in the face of danger. Someone posts a guide and they get thousands of clicks. That is not a world ender. It's an annoyance. But the real value is who wrote the guide and why. If someone is teaching people to raid dungeons too easily, they might be giving away things no one should share."
"Like artifacts?" Rin asked.
"Exactly," Darius said. "Artifacts and knowledge. People like that ruin balance. They let fools die, and they let others get rich fast. I have a nose for such things. I want to sniff the trail, find the maker and have him to myself."
Rin nodded. Her glasses reflected the little map. "So you will be paid to hunt them, and also to be a show for their cameras. You will take the reward, fame and the anonymous person.. How?."
Darius sipped and smiled. "I will do it my way. But tell me, Rin..." He leaned forward just enough to look like he was joking but not. "If we find the author, I get the artifact or the credit?"
Rin smiled small. "You get both, sir, if you play your cards well."
Darius laughed like a man who could not lose. "Exactly."
He turned his face to the window again. Below, the world was round and smooth. He tapped his fingers again. He thought about the job like a game. A game where he could be king for a night and siphon gold and praise. He enjoyed the idea. He liked making governments feel small.
Rin watched him, thinking small surprised things. She had worked for him long enough to know most of his edges. People gave Darius power and he grinned and took more. He was proud and cold. He did not pretend to care about the little countries. He cared about trophies and stories.
They would land in a few hours. He would play the hero and charm the press and make the government feel lucky to have him. And if he found a trail to the anonymous person? He would follow it like a hound, and then see where it led him. If it brought artifacts to his hands, he would not hesitate.
Rin watched the sky and wondered about the people below. She wondered about the poor country, about the anonymous poster who might be a mess of trouble, and about the hunters who lived by rules and sometimes broke them. She did her job and looked at the notes. The plane hummed like sleep. Clouds ran past like soft beasts.
Back with Lyra — Small Aftershocks
Lyra stood frozen, one hand clutching her head as a sharp pulse of memory crashed through her. Her knees trembled. The world around her blurred and tilted, the echo of screams clawing at the edges of her mind. Faces: terrified, pleading , begging her not to kill them as she slowly pulled the trigger . The smell of gun powder. The sound of their loved ones screaming , raw and angry.
Her palms still burned from the fight. For a fleeting moment, something deep within her smiled, she had stopped those men tonight. She had almost gone too far again… almost slipped back into that darkness she swore she'd buried.
"Don't kill us," a memory whispered.
"Please…"
Her breath hitched, and she leaned against the wall, heart pounding.
Then she thought of Kelvin. The hood. The way his calm cut through chaos. And somehow, the storm inside her began to quiet.
"Something about you...." she thought faintly as she rested on the wall, "just makes me feel better."