A small smile played on Tyler's lips as he approached Grone's house. He entered the neatly kept yard and knocked on the sturdy wooden door. He heard voices from within – Grone's voice, he was sure of it – and a wave of relief washed over him. *Thank goodness he's inside,* he thought. He knocked again, a little more firmly this ti. Lisa's voice answered, "Just a mont."
Tyler waited patiently for a few seconds before the door swung open, revealing Grone standing on the threshold, a welcoming smile on his face.
"Good morning," Tyler greeted him.
"Ah, Tyler, good morning," Grone replied, stepping aside to allow him entry. "Co in."
Grone led Tyler into the house, into a cozy living room where a table was situated – their usual spot for als and conversation. Lisa sat at the table, cradling baby Heather. "Oh, hey Tyler," Lisa greeted him warmly. "Good morning."
"Yeah, good morning," Tyler replied, returning her smile.
Grone pulled out a chair for Tyler. "Oh, don't stand there," he said, "take a seat."
Tyler sat down, and Lisa's eyes, sharp and observant, imdiately noticed the change in Tyler's armor and, more significantly, his increased rank.
Tyler smiled, his gaze softening as he looked at Heather. "Hey there, Heather." Heather, in response, offered a tiny wave of her hand, her expression unreadable.
Grone chuckled. "So you ca by," he said. "You're lucky to have found here. I was just about to leave, you know."
"Yeah," Tyler said, "I had a feeling that might happen, so I had to hurry."
Lisa leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that your rank has risen again. You're a C-Rank, right?"
Tyler nodded, a hint of pride in his voice. "Yeah. I'm a C-Rank… plus assassin."
"A C-Rank ?" Lisa exclaid, her eyes widening in surprise. "I an, Grone told that you faced a boss monster and there were a lot of monsters you had to fight off, but to think that you'd beco a C-Rank …"
"Oh," Tyler said, a small smile playing on his lips, "I actually faced another boss monster right after I took a mission after you left."
"You faced another boss monster?" Grone asked, his surprise evident. "Which one was it?"
"It was the Trihorn," Tyler replied.
"Oh, you faced the Trihorn?" Grone said, impressed. "That's impressive. Soone killed it about three weeks ago. I didn't think it would respawn so quickly."
"Oh, soone already killed it?" Tyler said, tilting his head. "What makes you think it respawned too quickly? How long does it take for a boss monster to respawn?"
Lisa answered, her voice calm and informative. "Monsters mostly respawn after a whole month or so," she explained. "Most boss monsters respawn after a month and a half; it depends on the boss monster, really. The Trihorn respawns after a month, but it's not abnormal for a monster to respawn quickly. It's rare, but it's not surprising."
Grone nodded in agreent. "Yeah," he said, "so that ans the Crimson Wolf we killed will probably respawn in a month and a half or so."
"Oh, so that's how it works," Tyler said, understanding dawning on his face. He looked at Grone, his expression turning serious. "Right, I ca here wanting to talk about sothing else."
"What is it?" Grone asked, his attention fully on Tyler. Lisa also leaned forward, her expression attentive.
Tyler took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "As you know," he began, "I said I'm moving out of here. Well, I already did. And I wanted to repay you for all that you've done."
He stood up from his chair. "Here's my thanks for everything you've done," he said, his voice sincere. With a faint blue shimr, a pile of coins materialized on the table in front of Grone and Lisa, appearing as if from thin air. Gleaming gold coins dominated the pile, interspersed with a smaller number of silver and copper coins.
Grone and Lisa stared, surprised by the sudden appearance of the wealth. "Whoa," Grone exclaid, "that's a lot of gold coins. How many gold coins are those?"
Lisa, already counting the coins, answered, "These are forty-six gold coins and ten silver. So he basically gave us forty-seven gold coins."
"Kid," Grone said, his voice a mixture of surprise and concern, "I know we've helped you in the last few days, but you have to rember, you didn't even stay here for a month. I'd say you've only consud about…"
Lisa interrupted, her voice calm but firm. "Nineteen gold coins worth of food," she stated.
"Oh," Grone said, a little sheepishly, "you knew exactly how much he spent during his stay here."
Lisa's voice softened slightly. "Well, we were budgeting for sothing, so… every ti I counted the things we saved, I had to know."
Grone nodded. "Nonetheless," he said, "that's a lot of money."
Tyler smiled, shaking his head. "But I'm not done yet," he said. He put his hands behind his neck, unclasping the necklace he was wearing. He handed the necklace to Grone. "You forgot this, rember?"
Grone examined the necklace, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Yeah," he admitted, "I do rember. Honestly, I rembered right before I arrived in Veridia."
Grone looked at Tyler and said, "Thank you," as he carefully put the necklace on. Suddenly, a translucent system panel appeared before Tyler, displaying the ssage: *Azeroth's Curse decreased by 30%*.
Grone felt a familiar, slight sting in his chest, but this ti, he didn't react outwardly. *It's working again,* he thought. *Funny, every ti I put this necklace on, it feels like I've lifted a bit of a burden off my shoulders.*
Lisa pointed at the necklace. "Is that the necklace you were talking about?" she asked Grone. "The one that increases your ability to level up?"
"Yeah," Grone replied.
Heather, noticing the necklace, reached out with both arms, babbling, "Papa… Papa… gim!"
Lisa smiled, a playful tune in her voice. She picked up a small, golden chain from the floor. "You play with this one, okay?" she said, handing the chain to Heather. Heather imdiately grasped the chain, stretching and examining it with fascination.
"She's always been attracted to shiny objects," Lisa comnted.
Tyler chuckled slightly. "Yeah, I noticed."
Grone turned back to Tyler. "Well, so what now?" he asked.
Tyler t Grone's gaze. "Well, I already had plans since I've paid you and everything," he said. "I was thinking of actually making more money by crafting a lot of items and selling them at Hector's shop, like I said before. And my plans go well beyond that."
Grone nodded thoughtfully. "Well," he said, "it seems you have a pretty solid plan in motion, and I hope it all goes well for you."
"I hope so," Tyler replied, a confident smile on his face.
"Um, dear, you rember what we were talking about right before Tyler ca in, right?" Lisa said, quickly removing the small golden chain from Heather's mouth. The baby had been attempting to eat it.
Grone nodded. "Right, Tyler," he said, "we want you to check Heather's rank—to see her level, to be specific."
"Well, sure, I can do that," Tyler replied. He looked at Heather, and a system panel appeared above her head, displaying the ssage: *Heather Grone, Level 11*.
Tyler's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh," he said, "she's a level 11."
"A level 11 already?" Lisa exclaid, her voice a mixture of surprise and concern.
"Just like I thought," Grone said, "she's leveling up fast, isn't she?"
Lisa's face clouded with worry. "Yeah, but this is bad," she said. "If she keeps leveling up like this, it's only a matter of ti before they find out."
Grone placed a reassuring hand on Lisa's arm. "Trust ," he said, "that won't happen. No one's going to find out about this. Rember what we talked about? We said if she's above level 10, your mother can figure out if she's a mage or a tank, like her father."
Tyler was surprised. He hadn't known Grone was a tank. He glanced at Grone's necklace; a silver 'C' was clearly visible. *So that's what a tank's necklace looks like,* he thought, before refocusing on the conversation.
"How will Heather's grandmother figure out what type of hero she is?" Tyler asked.
Grone and Lisa spoke simultaneously, their voices sharp and urgent. "Don't call her that."
Sorry," Tyler said, realizing his slip-up. "I misspoke."
Grone sighed, "It's fine," "We just don't want anyone to know she has… that kind of potential. That's all."
"Alright, I understand," Tyler said.
Lisa spoke up, her voice firm. "Okay, I'll take her with tomorrow to Lyria."
"Yeah," Grone agreed, "that's the best decision we can make right now."
Tyler suddenly rembered sothing. "Oh," he said, "I forgot to give you sothing." He held out his hand, and a water pouch materialized with a soft shimr. Heather, watching, let out a surprised gurgle.
"Oh," Grone said, a sheepish look on his face. "I totally forgot about it."
Lisa said, "So that's why I couldn't find it! You took the holy water with you again, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Grone admitted, "I'm sorry about that. I forgot you'd put holy water in there, and I took it with ."
Lisa sighed, but her tone was forgiving. "It's fine." She stood, holding Heather close, and turned to Tyler. "Thank you," she said, taking the water pouch and placing it on the table. She then left with Heather, heading towards her bedroom. Tyler assud she was putting the baby down for a nap. A mont later, he heard Heather's happy babble calling for her mother.
Lisa returned shortly, carrying an empty pouch. She began carefully transferring the gold coins from the table into the pouch.
Grone turned to Tyler. "Right," he said, "I was just about to head out. You want us to go together again?"
"No," Tyler said, "actually, I wanted to ask you sothing first. Where can I get so water? Where do you guys get water around here?"
Lisa answered Tyler's question. "Oh, if you want so water, you have to get it from the well near the church."
"Oh, near the church?" Tyler asked. "You said the church was near the guild, right?"
Grone confird, "Yeah."
"Oh, if it's near the guild hall, then I know where it is," Tyler said.
Lisa added, "Yes, the well is right in front of the church."
"Thanks," Tyler said. "Then I'll be heading out."
"All right," Grone said, "I guess you don't need any guidance."
"Yeah," Tyler replied, "I've gone there before."
"Guess I'll be heading to the base then," Grone said.
"Yeah, I guess so," Tyler replied. "I guess I'll see you around."
As Tyler headed out the door, Grone called out, "Goodbye!" Tyler waved as he left Grone's yard. Grone smiled to himself. *Huh, just like that,* he thought. He went to the bedroom to grab his bag before heading to the Crossroads base.
Tyler began walking through the town, heading towards the guild hall, knowing the church and well were nearby.
anwhile, in Aria, the Black Cloud Guild Captain stood in his chambers, gazing out the tall windows. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. *This really isn't a coincidence,* he mused. *This person must be targeting our guild mbers. He killed Gary and Steven. And then he killed Lucas. And right after our guild mbers heard that, so of them started going into a panic. I could barely control them. I could even barely control Grant since Lucas has been a companion of ours for a long ti now.*
Suddenly, the Captain heard a soft footstep behind him. He turned, and saw Jason Branch enter the room. Jason, Grant Branch's son and the fourth mber of the Black Cloud Guild, was a young man with short black hair. He carried a small silver staff topped with a golden orb, about the size of a tennis ball.
"Ah, it's you," the Captain said, his voice regaining its composure. "What brings you here?"
Jason's expression was serious. "Do you really not know who killed Lucas at the Crossroads base?" he asked.
The Captain's brow furrowed. "No," he replied. "If I did, I would have said it, wouldn't I?"
Jason remained calm. "Right," he said, "you're afraid it could be a mber of another guild, am I right? Specifically, the Dragon Guild."
The Captain nodded. "Yes, but what makes you think I'm specifically thinking of the Dragon Guild?"
"Two guild hunters? Who are they?" Jason asked.
The Captain, looking directly at Jason, said, "Ian Cross and Alec Downer. They took off hours ago."
Jason frowned. "But aren't those just C-Ranks? You could have just sent C-Rank plus mbers. Are you sure they're going to pull it off? Plus, these guys are about the lowest-ranked people in our guild."
The Captain said, "You underestimate them too much. It's just obtaining information, that's all. I told them not to do anything reckless."
"Alright…" Jason said, his tone unconvinced. "If you say so."
The Captain's eyebrows shot up. "You know," he said, "you sound and look very calm for soone who just lost his brother."
Jason's expression hardened. "Trust ," he said, his voice low and tight, "I'm trying my best to keep myself calm." As he spoke, his grip on the arms of the chair tightened until the wood groaned and splintered under the pressure. He stood abruptly. "You know," he continued, "I didn't really want to get into this guild in the first place. And I didn't give a rat's ass about Gary and Steven."
The Captain stared at him, surprised by the unexpected outburst.
Jason's voice dropped to a near whisper. "But nonetheless, he was still my brother," he said. "Anyone who dares lay their hand on my family deserves death and nothing more. Well, actually," he continued, his eyes glowing faintly gold as he looked at the Captain, "they deserve more than death. They deserve to suffer more. Don't you think?"
The Captain felt a wave of intense aura radiating from Jason. Jason's skin shimred with a faint golden light for a fleeting second before returning to its normal tone.
Jason shrugged. "It's just a thought," he said. "I an, we never got along with them in the first place."
The Captain said, "Yeah, we never did. But I've co to the conclusion that it can't be the Dragon Guild. They have no reason to do this. No one wants to start a guild war for no reason."
Jason said, "Oh, we just don't know the reason," settling into a chair near the tall windows. "So what now? What are we going to do about this?"
The Captain, standing near the tall windows, said, "Well," he said, "I've already sent two guild mbers to the Crossroads base to dig out so information on that hunter."
"Yes," the Captain agreed, "soone like that definitely does deserve…"
Jason cut him off. "But let ask you this question."
"Go on," the Captain said.
Jason took a step closer. "What happens when we find out that person is actually a guild mber? Or possibly a Dragon Guild mber?"
The Captain hesitated. "Honestly, I'm not sure," he admitted. "That's what's been troubling right now. What if we find out he's in a guild… or the Dragon Guild? What do we do then?"
The captain continued saying, "Well, I'm thinking even if he was in the Dragon Guild, that wouldn't stop you from wanting to kill him, now would it?"
"Well," Jason said, "it might, but I don't think it would stop Father and my sister. You're lucky I was able to convince him not to storm that place right now, searching for him."
The Captain nodded. "Right, and I thank you for that. Listen, even if we find out he's from any guild, we'll make sure he gets what he deserves. I was already formulating a plan to deal with the situation if he was one of the Dragon Guild mbers, or any part of a guild."
"Oh, really?" Jason said, intrigued. "Let us hear this plan."
The Captain shook his head slowly. "No," he said. "I would tell you this plan if we actually find out that he is part of a guild. Telling you now is no use."
"Alright," Jason said as he sighed, "but make sure those guys co back as soon as possible. I don't think I can keep them calm for much longer. And I don't think I can hold myself back much longer either." With that, Jason turned and left the room.
The captain sighed and said, looking out the window once more, "They better not screw this up."
anwhile, Alec and Ian were in a wagon heading to the Crossroads base. Ian ran his hand down his short blonde hair. "Ugh… Damn it," he muttered. "We just joined the guild two weeks ago, and now there's a guy targeting guild mbers, killing them? Just our luck, huh?"
Alec, with his short brown hair and leather armor, wearing leather gauntlets, said, "Yeah. To think we hit the jackpot joining a guild that hasn't been around too long… I an, we knew that in the long-term plan we would beco one of the guild's elite mbers."
Ian said, "Right, but here we are, going to the Crossroads base to ask for information regarding this guy." Ian pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, flipped it open, and showed Tyler's drawing. It depicted Tyler with short black hair and blue eyes. "I an, who the hell does he think he is?" Ian continued.
Alec said, "Well, that's why we're on this small mission, right? We're going to find out." He added, "Can you hand that to ?"
Ian handed the drawing to Alec. Alec said, "You're pretty good at this, huh?"
Ian smiled slightly. "What do you an, drawing?"
Alec said, "Yeah, it looks pretty good." Ian said, "Yeah, I was always the best." Alec looked at the driver. Ahead of them, the Crossroads base was visible. They were close now.
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