The Begalir Kingdom

  a sprawling dwarven realm built deep beneath the earth, was a marvel of craftsmanship and ingenuity. Its forges burned day and night, producing the finest weapons and contraptions known to humans, elves, and beasts alike. But this industrious nation was no stranger to peril. Every day, the kingdom's dark tunnels and caverns churned out threats — monsters lurking in the shadows, eager to spill into dwarven settlements.

  Though it could and did make for a most powerful army, it could not waste resources on every little menace. So, instead, they depended on adventurers, daring individuals who answered the call to protect the kingdom from dangers too great for commoners yet too insignificant to warrant full-scale military intervention. Over time, Begalir had become one of the rgest guild hubs in existence, its halls bustling with eager adventurers from all corners of the world.

  Inside the Maria Guildhall, a quest giver loomed over a wooden desk piled high with parchment. His stern gaze met the Silver Stars, an S

  css team of adventurers known for their exploits throughout the kingdom.

  "And your quest is to kill 150 Dirtlings, 20 Golemites, 30 Spirebats, 15 Geospawners, 40 Pebbleslingers, and 40 Stoneburrows just outside the town of Maria," the guild worker announced, his voice clipped and efficient. "Your reward will be 1,500 gold coins upon completion."

  Calm Lancaster, the self-procimed leader of the team, leaned against the desk with a cocky grin. "Nearly 300 monsters, huh? That's quite the haul—and quite the reward."

  The receptionist, Dukrael Jadehide, rolled his eyes as he handed over the quest papers. "This is why the mission is rated A+. It's assumed you and your team can handle it, considering you're the Silver Stars." He didn't bother to mask his sarcasm. "Anyway, enjoy your monster-sying spree. I'll be here, earning a pitiful 12 Ironmarks an hour.

  Calm puffed out his chest, ready to boast. “And you’re correct to have faith in us! Allow me to introduce myself: the strongest swordsman and the leader of this fine group!”

  “And I am Dukrael Jadehide, and I run this front desk and my life is miserable and I get paid 12 Ironmarks per hour.” The receptionist replied before nonchantly handing the quest papers.

  Before he could continue, Rurnyl Midira, the group’s sharp-tongued archer, cut him off. “Calm, you’re an idiot. And you’re not even a swordsman.”

  “What? Of course I’m a swordsman!” Calm protested, gesturing to the weapon strapped, dangling almost, across his back. A double bded spear.

  "Exactly," chimed in Mariot Sartre, their assassin and the only Valkyren in the group. She casually unsheathed a sleek dagger from her scabbard, twirling it deftly in her hand. "These are swords. See the difference?"Calm spun toward the alchemist for support. “Caineghis, back me up here!”The wolf beastman, engrossed in cleaning his custom potion-and-bomb crossbow uncher — nicknamed Wolfstrider — barely spared him a gnce.“You’re not,” Caineghis muttered without looking up.“Come on! Mitsuzane, help me out!” Calm turned toward the mage, the kindest of their group — a halfling mix of human and squirrel beastman.“You are a swordsman,” Mitsuzane replied with a warm smile, her bushy squirrel tail flicking as she adjusted her magical bracelets.“Yes!” Calm pumped his fist triumphantly.“Of course.”“Anyway, let’s get this show on the road! Mitsuzane!” Calm gestured energetically.Obliging, Mitsuzane csped her hands together, weaving glowing threads of energy to create a swirling portal. A moment ter, the group stepped through, emerging near the abandoned mining cave, two kilometers from the city of Maria — right into the thick of battle.“Enemies ahead!” Calm shouted, just as Mariot grabbed him by the arms and flung him into the swarm of Dirtlings.“Treacherous Spin!” he bellowed, twirling his double-bded spear with lethal precision, slicing through the Dirtlings in a whirlwind of steel. He hurled the weapon like a boomerang, cutting through more foes before it returned to his grasp.“Calm, look out!” Mitsuzane cried as an eight-foot-tall Golemite loomed over him.Before it could strike, Rurnyl, the sharpshooter, nded a perfect headshot with her arrow, bringing the hulking creature down.“Mariot! They’ve got summoners in the backline!” Caineghis called out, firing a makeshift bomb from Wolfstrider, obliterating a cluster of Dirtlings and Stoneburrows. A retaliatory barrage of rocks struck him. “Ow! Rurnyl, Pebbleslingers!”“On it!” Rurnyl acknowledged, knocking another arrow.Mariot darted through the air, flying at 80 miles per hour, weaving around stagmites, stactites, and colpsing columns while dodging hurled rocks. Ahead, thirty Spirebats swarmed toward her.“I’ll take you all on!” she shouted, drawing both daggers mid-flight.She body-smmed the first Spirebat, plummeting with it to the ground before throwing her dagger into a second. The weapon returned to her hand as she grabbed the downed Spirebat and hurled it into a Geomite, the impact crushing nearby Dirtlings and Stoneburrows.“Mitsuzane! Some support would be nice!”“I’m working on it!” Mitsuzane called back, her bracelets sparking with energy as she invoked her spell.“Kha’dran thol vyrak! Stones of the deep, awake!”She csped her hands, fingers pulling glowing threads of light, shaping a luminous circle in the air. With a decisive motion, she shattered the circle into shards of energy. As the ground rumbled beneath her, stone fragments coalesced into the form of two massive 12-foot golems.“By the bond of earth and spark, I forge you for the fight! Arise, my unyielding guardians!” Mitsuzane decred as the golems charged forward, smashing through waves of enemies.“Aegisthar!” she cried, conjuring a glowing frontal shield to protect Calm, Rurnyl, and Caineghis. With her left hand, she cast a healing spell on Calm, who staggered after being struck by a rock.“Revithar!”

  “Great job, Mitsi!” Calm called out, his double-bded spear glowing with renewed magical energy as his bruises healed in moments.Mitsuzane blushed, her squirrel tail flicking with embarrassment. “Aww… thanks! That’s very sweet of you!”“Uh, you lovebirds—shut up and fight!” Caineghis barked, grabbing a gas potion from his satchel. He loaded it into Wolfstrider and fired into a nearby tunnel, filling the shaft with a thick, noxious mist that choked off an entire wave of incoming Dirtlings.Meanwhile, Mitsuzane’s golems dominated the frontlines, smashing through Dirtlings, pushing Golemites aside like bowling pins, and spping Stoneburrows into rubble. Rurnyl, ever the precise archer, used her elven skills to pick off the Pebbleslingers, clearing the skies for Mariot.Mariot, in the thick of the chaos, tore through the Spirebats like a whirlwind. Her daggers fshed as she stabbed, sliced, and hurled her foes with relentless ferocity, making her way toward the Geospawners. For someone who cimed to be an assassin, her style was far more brawler than stealth.“Yah! Come on!” she roared, wings fring as she spun midair. Her sharp feathers sliced clean through a Golemite’s head. In the same motion, she grabbed a Geospawner, snapping its neck with brutal efficiency.“Quite the sight, Mariot,” Rurnyl commented, firing an arrow that took down the st Spirebat.“I’m a Valkyren,” Mariot replied with a satisfied smile. “Brutality is expected.”“And you call yourself an assassin,” Caineghis quipped, reloading his crossbow. “You’re clearly a brawler.”Mariot’s smile vanished. With a sharp fp of her wings, she released a flurry of knife-like feathers that narrowly missed Caineghis.“Whoa, hey! Calm down!” Caineghis protested, raising his hands defensively. “We just finished here!”Mariot’s feathers stopped mid-flutter, but her gre spoke volumes. Valkyren history wasn’t easy for her to stomach — especially the empire’s dark legacy of conquest and war crimes.Before the tension could escate, Caineghis froze. His ears twitched, and his nose caught a faint, unfamiliar scent. “My beast sense is tingling.”“More enemies?” Rurnyl asked, already knocking an arrow.“A boss,” Calm answered grimly as the team instinctively formed a battle stance.Rurnyl drew her bow taut, Caineghis prepped another votile potion, and Calm spun his spear into an armed position. Mariot flexed her gauntlet bdes, while Mitsuzane summoned her magic.With a sweeping motion of her hand, Mitsuzane shouted, “Illumivare!”The air shimmered as a wave of light radiated outward, revealing a hulking shape behind a nearby wall. Seconds ter, the wall exploded into rubble as a massive creature emerged.“A Gravemaw!” Caineghis excimed as the towering, 20-foot-tall monstrosity — a css-S threat — burst through, its stone-like hide bristling with glowing veins. The Gravemaw lunged forward, instantly consuming Mitsuzane’s golems. Its size swelled to 30 feet.“Move!” Calm shouted as the group dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding its rampage. Calm rolled to safety while the Gravemaw’s massive tail struck Mariot mid-flight, sending her crashing into a wall.“Sol d'l'uuniloh!” Rurnyl yelled in her native tongue, uncorking a glowing potion and pouring it over her eyes and arms. Within seconds, her reflexes and senses amplified. She fired arrows at a blistering pace, unleashing 55 shots per second, each one striking the Gravemaw with pinpoint accuracy.“Popping the super abilities, huh?” Mariot groaned, pulling herself to her feet. She smirked, blood dripping from her lip. “Alright, my turn.”“Spüre das Zorn der Engelsklinge!” In her native tongue, Mariot unleashed a powerful cry as her body underwent a stunning transformation. Two wings became four, her wingspan expanded from 18 to 30 feet, and her height surged from 5'1" to an imposing 7'5".“Mariot, throw me!” Calm shouted.Without hesitation, the transformed Valkyren grabbed him, her newfound strength propelling him like a missile. Calm soared straight at the Gravemaw, smming into its massive face and driving his spear deep into one of its eyes. The monster shrieked, thrashing wildly as it cwed at its wounded face.“Now!” Calm barked.Mariot sprang into action, spinning with incredible speed. Her wings became a storm of feathered bdes, each one cutting into the Gravemaw like a hail of knives, while her arm bdes sshed with deadly precision at 400 miles per hour. Rurnyl joined in, firing her final arrows as her supercharged potion effects waned and her quiver emptied.Caineghis added his support, unching poison and explosive potions from his crossbow. Each projectile struck the Gravemaw, bursting with lethal impact.Mitsuzane, meanwhile, prepared her ultimate attack.“Gravimagnus!” she shouted, her voice echoing through the cavern.Purplish energy swirled around her arms as she cast the spell. Gravity itself became her weapon, condensing around the Gravemaw and crushing it from all sides. The monster’s roars turned to guttural gurgles as it was compressed into a singur mass before shattering into dust.The battle was over.Calm retrieved his spear while Mitsuzane colpsed to the ground, completely drained. Mariot clenched her hand, reverting to her smaller form as her body trembled from the exertion.Nearby, Rurnyl screamed in pain, dunking her head into the cold cave ke.“Ahhhhhhh!!!!” Rurnyl and Mariot screamed in unison.Super abilities, as always, came with a heavy price. Mariot’s hand was pierced clean through from stabbing herself to activate her transformation, blood dripping freely. Rurnyl had poured the enhancement potion directly onto her eyes, the chemical reaction searing her vision. Mitsuzane, while spared physical injury, was left utterly depleted, now fast asleep on the cavern floor.

  “And that’s the quest completed. Now for the hard part: getting everyone back to the guild,” Calm remarked, rubbing his temple.“Ah, crud—heaven’s my foot!” Caineghis yelped as he stubbed his toe on a jagged rock.

  Calm strapped the unconscious Mitsuzane to his back and wrapped Mariot’s bloodied hand in fresh bandages.

  “Don’t try to get clever and pop that ability again,” Calm warned.

  “I know, I know. Shhh... it hurts as usual,” Mariot muttered, clenching her trembling fist.

  “Keep applying pressure. And Rurnyl — are you good? Been a while since you did that,” Calm asked, gncing at the elf.

  Rurnyl raised her head briefly from the water, her voice muffled. “Absolutely.”

  Then she dunked her head back in.

  She was not okay. Between the chemicals burning her eyes and keeping her head submerged in the freezing ke, it was clear the enhancement had taken a brutal toll.

  “Yeah, this is why I don’t cast magic on myself or drink potions,” Caineghis said, shaking his head.

  “And yet, you’re the alchemist,” Calm replied with a smirk.

  “Yes. The alchemist who refuses to drink his own potions and instead throws them like some bombardier — which I am.”

  “Let’s head back to town,” Calm said, gncing at the weary group.

  “Well, alright then. Now for the worst part,” Mariot grumbled, fastening the st of her bandages.

  “Walking?” Rurnyl asked, emerging from the water with fresh bandages over her eyes.

  “It’s not the end of the world if you can still fly,” Calm replied bluntly.

  “Yeah, that’s the worst part,” Mariot shot back, her irritation clear.

  Despite her compints, Mariot could fly faster than most Valkyrens—easily reaching speeds of 80 to 100 miles per hour compared to the average 50. But she still grumbled, particurly because Mitsuzane, their mage and means of instantaneous travel, was out cold for at least a day or two after using her strongest spell.

  Calm sighed, shaking his head. He’d dealt with Mariot’s gripes plenty of times before. As the second strongest in the group, she had the right to compin — but that didn’t make it any less tiring.

  “Alright how about we just get home and I can deal with anything that is bothering you.” Calm complied.

  “Tavern, Ironbrew.”

  Sigh “Of course.”

  “Looks like you’re losing some money today Calm.” Runeyl chuckled as Caineghis helped Calm strap Mitsuzane onto his back.“Ahhh, I will unfortunately that is inevitable as the leader of this fine party it is my sole duty to take care of all of the paperwork and needs of all you.” Calm replied as he handed a small healing potion to Runeyl as the group then turned back to the city where that guild is located. Gank.

  After four arduous days of traveling, the party finally returned to Gank. After getting a room at the local inn, Calm suggested they go to Mariot's favorite tavern with the party, saving on expenses since it was just the two of them. Mitsuzane joined them but still recovering from the previous exertion of magic did not drink. Meanwhile, Caineghis stayed in the potions shop to replenish his bomb and potion stock, and Rurnyl was at the bcksmith restocking her arrows.

  At the tavern, Mariot nursed her usual mug of Ironbrew, relishing its strong fvor, while Calm skimmed through the test newspaper. His brow furrowed as he stumbled upon a noteworthy article.

  "Hey, listen to this," Calm began. "We’ve finally got news about that kingdom helping Elijah."

  Mariot, mid-swig, arched a skeptical eyebrow. "Really? I figured they'd cave and legalize guilds by now. Those elves are just too stuck-up for their own good." She set her empty mug down on the counter. "Server! Another drink!"

  "It's a relief they're getting help, though," Mitsuzane added gently. "That war sounded devastating. So many lives lost. any aid must be a blessing."

  Calm nodded and continued reading, but his train of thought was interrupted. "Ugh, this paper's got a hole in it. Cheap print. Anyway. seems this new ally, the United States of America, is making waves in the Elijah Kingdom. They're pushing back against. wait, here it is! The Queen might be considering legalizing guilds."

  Mariot sat up straight. "Sounds like an opportunity. Maybe we could snag a big contract there."

  Calm's expression turned a shade grimmer. "One thing—they don't exactly love humans."

  "Well, that sounds like a you problem," Mariot quipped, her tone as sharp as the edge of a training sword.

  Calm rolled his eyes. "Wow, thanks for your overwhelming sympathy, Mariot."

  "You're welcome," she said, feigning sincerity.

  "I was being sarcastic!" he snapped.

  "What's sarcastic?" Mariot asked, actually baffled.

  Mitsuzane grinned and patiently tried to expin. "When someone says the opposite of what they mean, like to be funny or mean something sharp.

  "Ohhh. yeah. No. I don't," Mariot confessed with a roll of his shoulder. "Anyway, you think Elijah is the next stop in our kingdom-hopping odyssey?Calm threw up a hand in distress. "Perhaps. First, though, we've got a contract in Aetheris Spire.

  "Aetheris Spire? That's my homeworld!" Mariot wings quivered at the thrill.

  "Yep. So enjoy your drink, because we’ve got to head to Mount Falcon soon to catch the pegasus carriages to Zephyrael."

  "The floating continent?" Mitsuzane asked, her eyes wide with wonder.

  "That’s the one," Calm confirmed.

  "Alright," Mariot said, raising her mug. "But I’m getting one more drink.

  Calm sighed. "You owe me fifty gold coins after this."

  Mariot smirked. "Totally worth it."