The Goldmare Consortium didn't send messengers.
They sent predators.
By the time Risenne and I reached the main gate, the air had already changed—heavy, metallic, suffocating. A convoy of gilded carriages gleamed under the morning sun, decorated not with ornaments, but with teeth carved from pure gold.
Predatory symbolism.
Arrogant symbolism.
Typical Goldmare.
Risenne stood close enough that I felt her shoulder brush mine.
Not by accident.
Not anymore.
And the guild guards? They looked like children in a thunderstorm.
"Montig," Risenne murmured, her hand resting casually (too casually) near her sword hilt, "we need to be careful. The Consortium doesn't negotiate. They devour."
I smirked.
"Perfect. We speak the same language."
Risenne's sharp exhale sounded like half amusement, half worry.
The Delegation Arrives
The carriage door opened.
A man in a gold-stitched suit stepped out—tall, thin, smile sharper than a razor. His hair was white, perfectly styled, his eyes a cold shade of amber.
He looked at me as if I were a product to be appraised.
"Montig Levan," he said without introduction.
"Or should I call you the Quiet Tyrant?"
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
Risenne stiffened—protective, alert, her hand subtly shifting closer to her weapon.
I stepped forward.
"You may call me Montig."
The man chuckled.
"No. A title chosen by your people carries weight. We respect weight."
He wasn't respecting me.
He was measuring me.
"You are?" I asked.
He bowed with a flourish.
"Rael Goldmare. Acting Speaker of the Consortium."
Not a low rank.
Not even mid-tier.
This was someone who usually only appeared at king's courts or coronation events.
Yet he came here.
For me.
Good.
Rael's Opening Attack
Rael clasped his hands behind his back.
"Montig Levan, the Seawave Guild owes us eighty-seven thousand gold pieces in delayed shipping fees."
The guild gasped.
Risenne inhaled sharply.
I raised an eyebrow.
"That debt does not exist."
"Oh, it does," Rael replied smoothly. "Your previous leaders concealed it. Do you deny their signatures?"
"I deny their authority," I said.
He blinked.
Just once.
Risenne's lips curved slightly—she loved when I said things that should terrify people.
Rael continued, undeterred:
"We expect repayment. Immediately."
"No."
He paused.
Risenne almost smiled.
Rael narrowed his eyes, the golden flecks tightening like a predator locking onto prey.
"You refuse a Consortium mandate?"
"I refuse stupidity."
Gasps again.
Risenne's hand on her sword tightened.
Rael stepped closer—
but Risenne stepped in between us instantly.
Her stance was relaxed, but her aura said:
Take one more step and I'll remove a limb.
Rael's eyes glittered.
"You've tamed your guard well."
Risenne growled softly.
"She's not my guard," I corrected.
Rael smirked.
"No? Then what is she?"
Risenne froze.
Her heartbeat thudded once—sharp, loud.
I answered without hesitation.
"My partner."
She inhaled sharply, eyes widening just a fraction—enough for only me to see.
Rael laughed softly.
"Interesting. Very well. Montig and… partner. Let us proceed."
The Real Threat Unveiled
Rael snapped his fingers.
A clerk handed him a long parchment, which he unrolled and displayed with theatrical flourish.
"This document asserts Goldmare's right to seize all Seawave assets upon failure to repay the concealed debt."
The guildguards panicked.
Risenne's sword hummed in its sheath—she was one breath away from drawing it.
Rael continued:
"I, being generous, propose a compromise."
He handed me the contract.
"Join the Goldmare Consortium as a vassal guild. Your power will be recognized, your authority stabilized, and your survival guaranteed."
A vassal guild?
Meaning:
We work for them.
We obey them.
We lose independence.
And they claim ownership over Montig himself.
I looked at the parchment.
Then tore it in half.
Silence.
Utter silence.
Risenne's breath stuttered with both pride and terror.
Rael's smile faded.
"You dare—?"
"Yes," I said.
He stepped forward again, slow and deliberate.
"You misunderstand your position, boy."
"I understand it perfectly."
Risenne moved even closer. Anyone looking would assume she was just guarding me…
…but her heart was pounding for reasons that had nothing to do with battle.
She whispered, low enough for only me:
"Montig, he's dangerous. Please… be careful."
"Do you not believe I can handle him?" I asked.
"I believe you can handle the world," she whispered back, "but that doesn't mean I won't worry."
Her honesty hit harder than any threat.
The Tyrant Answers
Rael's voice cut through the moment.
"You refuse our alliance," he said.
"You refuse the debt."
"You refuse to kneel."
"Then tell me, Montig—what do you offer?"
I stepped closer to him.
Our faces inches apart.
Risenne's breath hitched behind me—her instincts screaming, her loyalty unshaking.
And I said:
"I offer Goldmare a new truth."
Rael raised an eyebrow.
"And what truth is that?"
"That the Seawave Guild," I said,
"will never kneel to a weaker predator."
Gasps.
Risenne's eyes widened with fierce pride.
Rael's expression finally cracked.
"…Weaker?"
"You hide behind gold and paperwork," I said.
"I build power from ashes.
I break systems with words.
I destroy leaders without drawing a blade."
Risenne whispered without thinking:
"Gods…"
Rael clenched his teeth.
"This is war, Montig."
"No," I said softly.
"This is negotiation."
He stared at me.
Then at Risenne.
Then back at me.
"…The Consortium will respond soon."
He turned sharply.
His carriage door slammed.
The convoy rolled away.
Leaving behind a guild trembling in the wake of my declaration.
After the Delegation
Risenne grabbed my arm the moment they were gone.
"Montig—"
Her voice cracked—
she realized it and steadied herself.
"What you did… that was reckless."
"Yes."
"That was dangerous."
"Yes."
"That was—"
"Necessary."
She exhaled hard.
Then, softly:
"Montig…"
She looked at me with raw emotion.
"You're going to shake the entire region."
"I know."
"And it terrifies me."
"I know."
"But I won't leave."
Her voice dropped to a whisper that carried more weight than any confession:
"I'm yours. Wherever this path goes."
I looked at her.
Truly looked.
"Then walk beside me," I said quietly.
No hesitation.
She stepped close—
so close her forehead touched mine for a moment,
a gesture and a vow.
"I will."