It was still dark when Hela finished setting the table. The tavern lanterns burned low, their amber light trembling against the walls as the faint hum of the sea drifted through the open windows. Outside, the harbor was veiled in mist — ships rocking gently, their ropes creaking. The air carried the scent of salt and tar, of fishnets drying on the pier, and somewhere far off, a gull cried into the gray morning.
The smell of cooked meat and toasted bread hung thick in the tavern. A pot of lentil stew still bubbled at the edge of the fire, its surface shimmering with fat. Wooden cups of water were set beside each plate — warm enough to take the chill out of the hands.
Duja came in, kissing Hela's cheek.
"Morning," he mumbled.
Hela smiled. "Go call Dilek and the others."
Duja yawned loudly, dragging his feet as he walked up the stairs, knocking at their doors one by one.
—
The group gathered slowly, still wrapped in the drowsiness of dawn. Chairs scraped against the wooden floor. Marcus yawned. Ami muttered something about the hour. Yet before long, the quiet was filled with the small sounds of breakfast — spoons tapping bowls, bread tearing, stew bubbling.
Dilek was already reaching for the salt pork, stacking slices onto his bread as if afraid someone might take it first. Nandita took smaller bites, her fingers wrapped around her mug. Across from her, Marcus scooped from the stew pot with deliberate care, mixing in cheese until it melted into the broth. Diego tore into his egg and bread together, half a grin on his face, crumbs sticking to his small beard. And Ami, still half-asleep, leaned forward and let the steam from her bowl warm her cheeks before she began to eat.
"So what's the plan?" Nandita asked, turning to Dilek while taking another bite.
"Well, we'll see... Today we start preparing, so I guess we might get busy," Dilek replied.
Hela and Duja joined them as Duja asked, "The raid is starting, huh?"
"Yeah, in a couple days," Dilek said, taking a drink of water.
Duja looked around at each of them. "Kind of surprised that you're an important part of the raid... what's your star level?"
"One star, likely," Marcus responded.
"Wait, come to think of it, we haven't gotten our adventurer's cards yet, right?" Dilek asked.
"Oh, yeah — let's ask Percy about it today," Nandita said.
Hela smiled as she watched them eat. "Eat well and come at the earliest, at least. I'll be able to prepare something nutritious."
"Uhh, no thanks, lady," Diego said, drinking his stew broth. "Your nutritious food tastes terrible."
"There's a reason it's nutritious," Hela replied, slightly annoyed. "And I'm sure no one else minds, right?"
"I do..." Duja said nervously.
Hela turned to him, eyeing his round stomach. "Looks like you need some change, don't you?"
"He's done for," Dilek muttered, taking another bite.
Ami, still drowsy, took small bites as Nandita looked around. "Is Kelid sleeping?"
"Again, don't call her that," Dilek said. "She copied my name."
"She must have her reasons, right?" Marcus asked.
"Maybe. But she could've chosen Sucram."
Marcus gave him a look. "Really?"
"Yeah. It's a terrible name," Dilek sighed, finishing his breakfast.
By the time they were done, Hela cleaned the table and wished them good luck. They got ready, wearing their equipment before heading out. Hela waved goodbye as Duja lazily waved beside her.
—
The group walked to the guild. The streets were waking — vendors lifting shutters, gulls circling above the rooftops, and the sound of carts creaking over cobblestone. Reaching the guild hall, Percy and a few other staff members were guiding adventurers and assigning their roles.
Percy noticed them. "Hey, dude! Good morning! Good that you woke up early — we're planning the placements. You guys should head north to the gate. Iris and the main group are discussing it there."
"Oh, thanks," Dilek said.
The group made their way to the north gate, where Iris stood amid a crowd of armored adventurers. The moment their eyes met, Dilek stepped forward.
"Great," Iris said, her tone brisk. "Now that you're here, listen up. You're going to talk to the Ruda. I'm not expecting you to convince him not to fight — but you're going to talk like that, alright?"
"Yeah, sure. But why?" Diego asked from behind Dilek.
"Because we need to stall for time," Iris said. "I'm planning to show most of the forces up front, but using Jerome's illusion casting, we'll secretly send multiple three- and two-star adventurers to surround them while you talk. Once the talk starts ending, give us a signal, and we'll attack from behind, catching the goblins off-guard. If it goes well, this'll be the easiest raid yet — zero casualties."
"Got it," Dilek said. "It's going to be fine. I even thought of some lines along the way."
"Hm? What lines?" Nandita asked.
Dilek struck a dramatic pose, hand outstretched, eyes teary. "You and I aren't so different... we both had our sad pasts."
"BAHAHAHAHA!" Ami burst out laughing, curling up standing.
Marcus leaned in. "Are you sure that'll work?"
"Why do you think not?" Dilek asked.
"Saint... I didn't know you had a sad past," Diego said, eyes watery. "You remained kind despite your harsh past, huh?"
"Diego, that's a line most of the shows use," Nandita sighed.
Iris raised a brow. "Glad to see your enthusiasm. You'll be assisted by the Darkest Night."
"Oh? Come to think of it, where is he?" Dilek looked around. "I really wanna see this edgy dude."
"Edgy?"
A chilling voice filled the air. The chatter around them died as a tall figure appeared — the Darkest Night. His cloak was black as pitch, draped over his shoulders like smoke. An elephant skull covered his head, hollow eyes staring.
Dilek froze. "O-oh... nice to meet you."
"Scared, are you?" The Darkest Night's voice was calm, but heavy — the kind that pressed against the chest.
"Who's scared of you? I'm not scared at all!" Dilek shot back, trying to sound bold.
"Is that so?" The Darkest Night smiled faintly as the world around them dimmed — shadows thickening, air growing cold. But Dilek stood still, unfazed.
The Darkest Night's grin faded, just a little. "...Surprising."
"Surprising, isn't it?" Dilek smirked, glancing at his status window.
BP: 4
Skill: Brave Against Edgelords / Passive (acquired)
He smiled smugly as Iris groaned. "Quit it." She turned to the Darkest Night. "Discuss the Ruda plan with them."
"Of course."
He lowered his pressure, letting the others breathe again.
Dilek grinned. "Hey, uh, Darkest Night — can I call you something else?"
"Whatever you like," the man replied.
"Fine, I'll call you Tusk for now."
The skull turned slightly, amused. "...Very well."
"Let's discuss it, shall we?" Dilek said, cracking his knuckles.
—
The six of them sat on a stone staircase outside a quiet house, going over the plan.
Dilek sighed. "Diego, let's go. I'm bored."
"If you're getting drinks, get some for me too," Nandita said, raising her hand.
"Got it," Diego replied, hurrying after Dilek.
Tusk watched them walk off. "Well, we've pretty much covered everything. You can take a break. I'll report to Iris."
"Oh, that's great!" Ami said, pulling Nandita up. "Come on, girls' time!"
"Wait—Marcus!" Nandita called out.
Ami turned. "Hold on — this is girls' time," she repeated firmly, dragging Nandita away.
Marcus stood there alone. "Aw, man... I'm all alone…"
—
"Saint, this is so cool," Diego said as they walked through the northern camp. "It's like they're preparing for a war."
Dilek smiled. "Yeah. For them, a raid probably is a war."
Soldiers marched past — the Duke's men — their armor clinking, boots hitting the dirt in rhythm. The air buzzed with energy and tension; adventurers ran drills, shouted instructions, polished their weapons. The northern side was closed off to civilians, leaving only fighters and the hum of preparation.
A small kid bumped into Dilek. "Hey, kid, you shouldn't be playing here," Dilek said kindly.
The boy looked up, scowled. "Who the hell are you, loser?" Then walked away.
...
"…Saint, you cannot attack a child!" Diego yelled, pulling Dilek back.
"COME HERE, YOU RASCAL! DON'T YOU KNOW I'M THE VVIP HERE?!" Dilek shouted.
Percy appeared, sighing. "That's an adventurer, Dilek."
Both Dilek and Diego jumped. "Shit, you scared me..." Dilek muttered.
Percy joined them as he briefed the two about the situation. "We've assigned everyone their roles. We're doing a practice drill this afternoon."
"Afternoon?" Dilek looked up at the pale sky. "Wouldn't that be bad if the Ruda saw us drilling? He could get ideas, y'know?"
"That's the plan," Percy said as he walked.
"Plan? How's that a plan?" Diego asked.
"The plan is to do different formations every day in case scouts are watching," Percy explained. "It's to confuse them — make them think we're planning a normal frontal assault. They won't expect an ambush if they think they know our strategy."
"Ohhh, smart," Dilek said. "Hold on — but isn't that wasting time? Preparing for formations we won't even use?"
"It's not," Percy replied. "It helps everyone follow commands faster. It's slower at first, but worth it. Look at them — they're fired up."
Dilek watched the adventurers forming shield lines, pretending to block imaginary projectiles.
"Cool…" Diego said, impressed.
"What was the last raid?" Dilek asked. "You said there are raids every month — what was the last one?"
"The Undead Raid," Percy said quietly. "It was difficult, but we managed. We had a lot of four- and five-star adventurers back then."
"Last time? How come they're not here now?" Dilek asked.
Percy sighed. "They're on a five-star quest. Our guild leader, too. That's why Iris is leading this one."
"Is a five-star quest that big?" Dilek asked. Behind him, Diego was mimicking the adventurers again, pretending to block arrows with an invisible shield.
"It is. Multiple guilds usually join forces for those. This one's closer to a six-star, honestly."
"What's happening?" Dilek asked.
Percy looked at him. "You don't need to know right now. Just remember — because of that quest, we lost most of our manpower. That's why we're relying on your team to stall the Ruda. Don't let us down."
Dilek was surprised by Percy's tone. "Sure… least I could do."
He looked over at Diego, still playing around. The nearby adventurers laughed at Diego's antics as he exaggeratedly raised his invisible shield.
"Hahh..." Dilek exhaled, smiling faintly.
Then he noticed something. "Diego — come here."
Diego walked up. "What is it, Saint?"
Dilek pointed at a man among the shield formation. "Haven't we seen him before?"
Diego squinted for a second before saying. "Oh... yeah, we have. The day you tested my skills — we saw those four people leaving the gates, right?"
The man was moving stiffly, unnaturally. His motions were like a wooden puppet — slow, jerky. His eyes didn't blink.
"Whoa... it's like he's being controlled," Diego chuckled.
Their both their eyes widened, As realisation set in.
Dilek grabbed Percy's shoulder. "PERCY — tell me! The goblin quest — did anyone else take it after us?!"
Percy was startled. "Woah, calm down!"
"TELL ME!"
"No... not to my knowledge..." Percy said, confused.
Dilek's thoughts raced. 'No... maybe I'm jumping to conclusions too fast. Percy said no one took the quest... maybe that guy's just sick... wait—'
"Percy, how long did it take you to remove the goblin request from the board?"
Percy frowned. "Following protocol? About three hours."
"Three... hours?" Dilek turned back toward the man.
The man was staring right at him.
Dilek's spine went cold as the man smiled — and waved.
"EVERYONE, GET AWAY FROM THAT MAN!" Dilek shouted.
BOOM!
A massive explosion of green blood erupted, splattering across the square. The people nearby screamed as their skin began to burn — the blood melting through armor and flesh alike.
"SAINT! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Diego yelled, grabbing Dilek's arm.
Three more explosions echoed in the distance — screams, chaos, the stench of acid and death spreading through the air. Percy froze, panic on his face, while adventurers scattered in every direction.
Dilek stood there, stunned. His ears rang. His mind blank.
He slowly turned toward the north gate, walking in front.
And there — atop a huge boulder in the distance — stood the Ruda.
The Ruda smiled.