Elias leaned ba his chair, arms crossed loosely over his chest. "So, let me get this straight—you ged halfway across the map by some cryptic elf, killed a dragon, ate its heart, and now you've got this ability called Dragohat about sum it up?"

  Rael sat across from him, rolling a piece of bread between his fingers. "More or less."

  Elias tilted his head, curiosity sparking in his eyes. "Alright, I gotta ask—what exactly does Dragonrite do?"

  Rael took a bite of the roll, chewing quickly before replying. "Every time I e a dragon's heart, I gain one of its abilities. This time, I got Abyssal Maw. It summons a dragon's head wreathed in purple fmes to bite enemies. She but powerful."

  Elias let out a low whistle. "Man, that's actually insane. So… does that mean yonna go around hunting dragons now?"

  "Not anytime soon," Rael said, shaking his head. "I o get ba track with my main at first. This side trip already ate up more time than I expected."

  "Uh-huh. And what about Miss Power Leveler Extraordinaire?" Elias smirked, clearly amused.

  Rael tore another piece from the roll and popped it into his mouth, chewing without muthusiasm. "Yeah... I o hit level twenty fast so she'll stop h around."

  Elias chuckled. "Dude, just let her carry you. Saves time, and she gets to feel like a hero."

  Rael gave him a ft look, but Elias only grinned. Without further argument, Rael shoved the st bite of bread into his mouth, wiped his hands on a napkin, and leaned back. The faint hum of the immersion pod signaled as he re-logged into the game.

  Rael's vision adjusted as he re-ehe game world. The faint sounds of distant chatter and the creak of wagon wheels echoed through the streets of Hun. Without wasting time, he opened his pyer panel and spotted Sabrina's he only one on the list, still online.

  [EzPz4040]: Still up for that leveling?

  The reply came quicker than expected.

  [Artemis]: Give me ten.

  Rael closed the panel and leaned back against the stone wall near Hun's southern gate. True to her word, roughly ten mier, Sabrina appeared in the dista she wasn't alowo other pyers trailed behind her, both gesturing animatedly as they argued with her.

  "e on, don't just bail—"

  "You're seriously ign us for this guy?"

  Sabri her gaze straight ahead, determinedly ign both of them as she approached Rael. The other two, a man and a woman, exged a gnce before their eyes nded on him.

  Rael blinked, unsure what was happening. Friends of hers? Guildmates?

  Before he could ask, Sabrina suddenly grabbed his wrist.

  "Run."

  "What—"

  "Run!"

  Without waiting for a response, she yanked him forward, taking off at full speed.

  "Hey! Get back here!"

  "Don't let her get away again!"

  The two pyers bolted after them, weaving through startled NPd carts as their shouts echoed through the city.

  Rael barely had time tister what was happening before instinct kicked in. His boots pounded against the cobblestoreets as Sabrina dragged him through narrow alleys and across bustling pzas. Townspeople shouted in protest as crates were knocked aside, and vendors scrambled to protect their wares.

  "Left!" Sabrina called, pivoting sharply down a side street. Rael followed without hesitation, gng over his shoulder to see their pursuers closing the gap.

  "They're still on us!" he shouted.

  "Obviously!" Sabrina shot back.

  Dodging past a group of pyers exiting a shop, they burst into the main square, where nterns cast flickering light against stone walls. Sabrina's grip on Rael's wrist never loosened as she zigzagged through the crowd. One of their pursuers vaulted over a fountain to cut them off, f Sabrina to veer down another alley.

  "This better be part of the power leveling!" Rael called as they sprinted past startled guards.

  "Less talking, more running!"

  The chase dragged on through twisting streets and over rooftop shortcuts until, at st, Sabrina ducked beh a low archway and yanked Rael into the shadows of an abandoned courtyard. She pressed her back against the wall, pulling Rael down beside her as both tried to steady their breathing.

  Heavy footsteps echoed nearby, gradually fading as their pursuers tinued down another path.

  Siletled over the courtyard, broken only by their ragged breaths.

  Rael exhaled sharply, gng sideways at her. "Okay… what the hell was that?"

  Sabri out a shaky breath, brushing stray strands of silver hair from her face. She gnced sideways at Rael, then looked away, scratg the back of her neck with a sheepish grin.

  "Uh… so, funny story," she began, her voice taking on an awkward, ugh-like tohose two? Yeah, they're kinda… my guildmates."

  Rael raised an eyebrow. "Guildmates?"

  "Yup. Because, uh… I might be—well, okay, I am—the guild leader of a pretty well-known guild. And, uh… I sorta, maybe, definitely ditched them." She gave an awkward chuckle. "You know, for adventure and stuff."

  Rael just stared. "...You ran away from your own guild?"

  "Look, leading a guild is stressful, okay?" she defended, holding up her hands. "It's all recruitment this, diplomacy that—'Sabrina, the alliance meeting starts in ten minutes!' Bh, bh, bh. I just wao cut loose, explore, maybe blow up a few monsters—adventure!"

  "And I came into py how, exactly?"

  "Well… you kinda gave me the perfect excuse," she admitted with another nervous ugh. "Helping a newbie level up? Totally valid reason to disappear for a while. Plus, I owed you one, remember? So teically, I'm still being responsible."

  "...By running from your own guild?"

  "Details." She waved it off with a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Anyway, thanks for being my getaway excuse. Now that they've seen you, though… might o stick together for a bit longer."

  Rael exhaled slowly, ping the bridge of his nose. "Fantastic."

  After a few moments of silence, Sabrina straightened up, brushing dust from her coat. "Well, since we're already on the run, might as well make the most of it."

  Rael gave her a look. "Make the most of it?"

  "Yup! While you were off... doing whatever you were doing, I picked up a pretty good quest from the Adventurer's Guild. Thought we could knock it out while we're leveling you up," she expined with a grin as she opened her interface. With a quick motion, she tapped to share the quest.

  A system prompt appeared in Rael's vision:

  [Sabrina has shared the quest: "Howling Shadows"]

  Rael sed the description briefly, then raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a member of the Adventurer's Guild."

  "Eh, no biggie." Sabrina waved a hand dismissively. "Shared quests don't share rating, but the experience, gold, and item drops are still split. So you still get rewards, just not the reputation boost."

  "Fair enough," Rael replied, closing the panel. "Where's the quest location?"

  "Outside Hun, north past the frost hills. It's not too far if we keep a good pace."

  "The's move before yuildmates show up again."

  Sabrina grinned and adjusted her bow. "Race you to the gate."

  Without waiting, she dashed ahead.

  "...Why is it always running with her?" Rael muttered, but still took off after her.

  The city walls of Hun faded into the distance as Rael and Sabrina sprinted across the moonlit grassnds. The air carried a faint chill, brushing against their faces as their footsteps ched over frost-tipped bdes of grass. Clouds drifted zily across the night sky, casting shifting shadows across the open pins. Beyond the hills, the distant silhouette of a dense forest loomed beh the pale silver light.

  As they slowed their pace, Rael gnced sideways at Sabrina. "So, what's the quest about? The description retty vague."

  "Standard hunt-and-clear mission," she replied, adjusting the quiver at her hip. "Some pack of corrupted wolves started prowlihe northern woods—aggressive, mutated, the usual. Locals have been losing livestock, and a few travelers got attacked he main road. Shouldn't be too tough, but there's a pack leader we o take down. It's ae-tier mob, so keep yuard up."

  Rael nodded silently, falling into step beside her as they crossed the rolling hills. Sparse clusters of frost-touched shrubs lihe path, their brittle branches swaying faintly in the breeze. The faint hoot of an owl echoed through the air, mingling with the distant rustle of unseen wildlife.

  As they he treeline, Sabrina slowed, her gaze sing the shadows between the pines. "We're close. You ready?"

  Rael rolled his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of his bow across his back. "Always."

  The forest swallowed them in silence as they moved beh the opy. Moonlight filtered through the branches above, casting shifting patterns across the frost-covered undergrowth. The air smelled faintly of pine ah, but beh it lingered a sharper, metallig—the st of blood.

  Sabrina crouched beside a patch of trampled grass, brushing her fingers against the disturbed soil. "Tracks. Definitely wolves. And from the spag... they're moving fast. Stay sharp."

  They pressed deeper into the woods, their footsteps muffled against the frozen ground. The faint crack of a distant branch made Rael pause, eyes narrowing as he sed the darkness ahead.

  Rustle.

  A low growl rumbled through the air, vibrating through the trees like a distant drumbeat. Rael reached for his bow just as a pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared betweerees—then another, and another.

  "Ining!" Sabrina called, already drawing her b taut.

  The wolves burst from the shadows in a flurry of dark fur and gleaming fangs. Their eyes glowed with an eerie crimson hue, and patches of their flesh twisted with unnatural bck veins.

  Rael loosed an arrow in a single fluid motion, striking the lead wolf between the eyes. It colpsed mid-leap, but three more took its pce. Sabrina's shots struck with rapid precision, her arrows streaking through the air in quick succession.

  One wolf lunged for Rael's side, fangs snapping toward his arm. He twisted aside, drawing another arrow as he stepped back. With a sharp twang, the projectile pierced the creature's throat, sending it crashing to the ground.

  Another wolf circled wide, its growl low and guttural as it crouched low to the ground. Before it could spring, Sabrina's arrow found its mark, pierg its fnk with a dull thud. It yelped and stumbled, but before it could recover, Rael fi off with a shot to the head.

  The remaining wolves hesitated, their crimson eyes flickering with primal caution. Then, as if some unseen and had been given, they melted bato the shadows, their footsteps fading into the distance.

  Rael lowered his bow, exhaling slowly. "That all of them?"

  "No. That was just the vanguard," Sabrina replied, her eyes sing the darkened forest. "They're testing us—seeing how strong we are. Their alpha must be close."

  The deeper they vehe thicker the air seemed to grow, heavy with the st of blood and something fouler. Twisted branches cwed at the sky above, their frost-ced limbs bendih an invisible weight. Sparse patches of moonlight illuminated patches of crimson-stained snow, evidence of past hunts.

  Rael's grip tightened on his bow as a low, resonant growl echoed through the trees. The grouh their feet seemed to vibrate faintly as the sound reverberated through the earth.

  "Here we go," Sabrina murmured.

  A pair of eyes bzed through the darkness ahead—rger, fiercer thahers. As it stepped into the clearing, its massive frame cast a long shadow across the frost-cround. Its fur was matted bck, streaked with crimson veins that pulsed faintly beh its skin. Jagged bone-like protrusions jutted from its shoulders and spine, glistening in the moonlight.

  [Dire Alpha - Corrupted]Level 25 - Elite

  The alpha let out a thunderous snarl that sent a flock of crows bursting from the trees above. Its breath misted the air as it lowered its head, muscles tensing for a charge.

  "Focus fire on its legs first!" Sabrina called as she notched her arrow.

  Rael loosed his shot an instant before she fired, both arrows streaking toward the creature's front legs. Oruck true, embedding deep into its right shoulder, while the razed its hihe alpha roared in fury and lunged forward with explosive speed, closing the distan an instant.

  Rael rolled aside as its cws raked the ground where he'd stood, the force of the impact sending frost and dirt into the air. Sabrina sidestepped its charge, firing tid shots that struck its fnk, though the creature barely seemed to notice.

  As Rael regained his footing, he focused on its movements—the slight hit its stride from the arrow in its shoulder. Drawing back his b, he aimed for the injured joint and loosed another shot. The arrow sank deep, and the alpha stumbled with a snarl of pain.

  "Keep it off me for a sed—I'm going for a charged shot!" Sabrina shouted.

  Rael shifted his stand fired a rapid volley of arrows to draw the alpha's attention. Each shot struck its hide, though its thick, corrupted flesh absorbed much of the impact. With a snarl, it luoward him, cws gouging deep furrows into the frozeh.

  Rael rolled aside, narrowly avoiding its swipe as the air whistled past him. The alpha skidded to a halt, cws scraping id dirt as it pivoted to face him again.

  Sabrina's bow glowed faintly as she finished charging her shot. The arrow ignited with a fsh of silver-blue energy as she released it, the projectile streaking through the air with a high-pitched hum.

  —CRACK!

  The arrow struck the alpha's chest with explosive force, sending shockwaves rippling through its body. The creature stumbled backward, blood spraying from the impact as jagged cracks of light spread across its corrupted flesh.

  "Now!" Sabrina called.

  Rael seized the opening, summoning his Abyssal Maw. Shadows coalesced beside him as the spectral dragon head erupted from the void, its eyes burning with violet fire. With a deafening roar, it lunged forward, jaws snapping shut around the alpha's throat. The creature thrashed violently, its cws raking at the spectral maw to no avail. Purple fmes licked across its fur, searing through flesh and bone alike.

  With a final, shuddering gasp, the alpha colpsed to the ground. Its eyes dimmed, and the corrupted veins across its body faded into bed scars. Silence fell across the clearing, broken only by the distant rustle of wind through the trees.

  As the st system messages faded from view, Rael exhaled slowly, l his bow. Beside him, Sabrina stretched her arms overhead, her gaze lingering on the spot where Abyssal Maw had vanished.

  "When you said you had an ace up your sleeve, I didn't expect it to be a dragon head," she remarked, raising an eyebrow. Her tone was light, but there was a glint of curiosity in her eyes.

  Rael gave a nonittal shrug, but Sabrina wasn't finished.

  "Actually…" She tilted her head, studying him with a thoughtful expression. "Now that I think about it—you didn't panice during the entire fight. And half the time, we were following your lead, not mine." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "So... you're not a newbie, are you?"

  Rael froze. The question was so matter-of-fact that any denial would probably just make things worse. His mind scrambled for a reason—he couldly admit he'd assumed she'd chase him across the entire ti if he hadn't agreed to her request. And sidering she was Sabrina Ashford, it wasn't far-fetched to think she could dig up everything about his life in half a day.

  So, without thinking, he blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.

  "I… uh… I just like your pany."

  Silence.

  Sabrina blinked, her lips parting slightly as a faint blush crept across her cheeks. "Oh, um—"

  Before she could say another word, Rael took a quick step back. "Anyway, race you back to town!" he shouted, pivoting on his heel and sprinting toward the forest's edge.

  "Hey—what?!" Sabrina called after him, her voice a mix of surprise and amusement. Left standing by the alpha's corpse, she touched her cheek absently, feeling the warmth still lingering there. After a moment, she huffed out a ugh and shook her head.

  "Running away, huh? Maybe it's a trait we share," she muttered before taking off after him.

  * * *

  "Y-YOU—!" Elias gasped between wheezes, pointing at Rael like he'd just withe greatest edy act of the tury. "You—pfft!—y-you said—you liked her pany—and THEN—" He gasped for air. "AND THEN JUST—RAN FOR YOUR LIFE?!"

  Rael sat across from him with his arms crossed, deadpan. "You do?"

  "NO!" Elias howled, rolling onto his bad kig his legs in the air like aururtle. "I SEE IT! JUST—THE BLUSH—THE PANIC—THE SPRINT—" His ugh hit a new octave, somewhere between a squeak toy and a malfunile.

  Rael rubbed his temples. "Why did I tell you this..."

  "I 'T—" Elias tried to sit up, but another burst of ughter hit him like a truck. He fell back again, arms filing as tears streamed down his face. "OH MY GOD, I 'T BREATHE—"

  Rael raised an eyebrow. "Good. Maybe it'll stop the noise."

  "ACK—" Elias suddenly choked mid-ugh, clutg his throat as he filed like a fish out of water. His chair wobbled dangerously before tipping backward with a loud CRASH.

  Rael didn't move. "Karma's effit today."

  "W-WAIT—" Elias wheezed from the floor, waving a hand as if to signal his final moments. "I'm—dying—send help—"

  Rael stood, leaned over him, and poked his cheek. "Yeah. You'll be fine."

  "NOOOOO—!" Elias howled o time before dissolving into a mix of ughter, coughing, and i nonsense.

  Rael sighed and looked at the ceiling. "This is who I live with..."