"E-Eris? Are you okay?" I shakes her arms, worrying.
Her body is trembling. Her grip on my hand tightens. Her complexion is unnaturally pale, like soone lost inside a terrifying nightmare.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Korum, the silver-haired wolfman, chis in, his brow furrowing in concern. His one remaining arm twitches slightly as if he's debating whether to reach out.
"Eris?" I ask again.
It takes a few long, tense seconds before Eris finally stirs. She blinks rapidly as if breaking free from a trance.
"A-aah, I'm… I'm fine, I was just… too shocked," she forces out.
"Yeah…" Korum mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think we all were. Who would've thought… three of the big five guilds of Zehrak would fall apart, just like that?"
Eris straightens, regaining so of her composure.
Her expression hardens.
"How?" she asks, her voice firm and demanding. "How did this happen?"
Korum exhales, his shoulders sagging. "It was Black Scorpion," he says grimly. "They waged war against the other guilds."
Eris stiffens. "What? Black Scorpion?"
Darron nods. "Yeah… just like that, they tore through everyone."
And looking at Eris, it's clear that the na ans sothing to her. I can tell by the way her jaw clenches, her fingers twitching slightly. There's sothing about this guild that unsettles her.
"Eris… what's Black Scorpion?" I ask hesitantly.
But before Eris can answer, Korum turns to . "It's another guild, young lady," he explains. "One of the biggest in Zehrak. A really powerful one. You've really never heard of it?"
"I-I'm sorry… I don't know much about the Zehrak Desert." I admit.
Hearing that, Eris gives a reassuring squeeze on the hand before explaining.
"Felicia's a new adventurer. She's never stepped foot outside Mistvale. In fact, this is her first dungeon trip."
"Oh, I see," Korum nods in understanding.
"Well, welco to the grind!" Darron adds. "The dungeon is a dangerous place, especially to a pretty girl like you, so please be careful, Felicia."
"T-thank you," I nod, appreciating his concern.
"Anyways," Eris turns to , before slowly explaining the whole picture for . "The Zehrak Desert is a vast place belongs to the Zerakia Kingdom. And within this desert, there are five major guilds: Shadowfang, Razortooth, Serpenttail, Eagleclaw, and Black Scorpion, each manages their own territory consists of a few towns or cities. Sablethorn and Lunera belongs to Shadowfang. However…"
Eris turns to face Korum and Darron.
"Yes, Shadowfang has fallen. That ans both towns belong to Black Scorpion now." Korum says grimly.
"I-I see…" I nod.
"But how did that happen? How did the Black Scorpion suddenly gets so strong?" Eris asks.
At her question, both Korum and Darron bow their heads, their gazes locked on the ground as though unable to bear the mory.
"Haiz… we have no idea," Korum admits, letting out a ragged sigh. "All we know is that, about five months ago, Black Scorpion attacked out of nowhere. Their force was nearly unstoppable… and with our Guildmaster gone, there was no one strong enough to stand against them. Shadowfang fell in three days."
"What?" Eris exclaims, her tone incredulous, as though she can't believe what she's hearing. "But even if the old man was missing, you still had other executives, right? The Twelve Shadow Pillars—aren't they all at least A-rank? And didn't the top three reach S-rank? How could they lose?"
"That's true," Darron says, raking a trembling hand through his hair as frustration tightens his voice. "But even so, we couldn't hold out against a hundred A-rankers. It was impossible!!!"
"WHATT? A hundred A-rankers?" Eris echoes in stunned disbelief.
"And that's not even the worst part," Korum adds, his eyes clouded with an almost haunted fear. "Their Guildmaster… I've never seen anyone so terrifying. Our three S-rankers tried to gang up on her, but she killed them in under two minutes!"
"Yeah," Darron agrees, swallowing hard. "From what we've heard, she might actually be the sixth person in this world to reach SS-rank…"
And with that, an ominous silence cloaks us, pressing down like a tangible weight.
…
"Ah… I can't believe this," Eris mutters under her breath. "Over a hundred A-rankers plus an SS-rank Guildmaster? What the hell…"
Suddenly, sothing seems to click in her mind. "Wait, don't tell —" she begins, her eyes widening in realization. At the sa ti, her face pales as though she's seen a ghost. However, before she can finish, she clicks her tongue in frustration.
"Tsk…"
"E-Eris, do you… know sothing?" I venture, tugging on her arm.
But Eris rely exhales and shakes her head.
"No, I'm just… too surprised. That's all," she says.
However, sothing about her tone makes suspect otherwise.
But I don't think I should press her right now.
Nevertheless, she forces her composure and turns back to Korum and Darron.
"But tell —when those Black Scorpion fighters attacked, did you notice anything… unusual about the way they fought?"
The two wolves share a haunted look.
"No," Korum finally replies. "They were just unbelievably strong."
"And cruel," Darron adds in a trembling murmur. "It was like they enjoyed the killing. The day they showed up… it was a bloodbath."
"Yeah," Korum murmurs, lowering his head. "They slaughtered most of our guild mbers. Most of the pillars were also killed when they refused to surrender themselves to those bastards. Many was tortured to death as well…"
"In the end… thousands of Guild mbers… only a few of us got out alive."
At that mont, both n sag as though the weight of mory is crushing them. Their bodies tremble, tears pooling in their eyes as they clench their teeth against the surge of horror.
"Haha, at the end of the day, we're just cowards," Korum mutters and laughs brokenly. "We left our friends to die… We betrayed our own guild…"
Despite their imposing stature, the two wolfn now appear fragile, trembling as bitter regret and anger mingle in their expressions. The rawness of their grief is palpable, making my own throat tighten.
Softly, Eris rests a hand on Korum's shoulder. "Please, don't say that," she murmurs. "Surviving is what matters. If the enemy was truly that strong, staying behind wouldn't have changed anything. No one can bla you for safeguarding yourselves and your families."
"T-thank you," the two wolves mumble, though their hands still shake despite her kind words.
For a while, the four of us remain there in suffocating quiet, allowing their sorrow to spill freely. Torchlight dances across the scene, illuminating tear-stained faces and casting flickering shadows that make everything feel all the more somber.
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