Morning filtered through the stained glass of Room 18 in soft ribbons of amber and violet, casting fractured light across Ava's bare shoulders. She sat up slowly, disentangling herself from Sil's gentle hold and Adam's quiet presence at her back. The warmth they left behind lingered like a memory.
Ava moved with purpose, slipping from the bed and reaching for her travel cloak. The silk and furs of the night before were gone—now replaced by hardened leather, her silver-trimmed black coat, and steel-toed boots meant for roads and battle.
Sil murmured sleepily, "Already?"
Ava gave her a small smile. "Rest is a luxury. One we can't afford to waste."
Adam was already awake, slipping into his tunic wordlessly. As the others stirred from the floor—Ash stretching like a cat, Nicholas still groggy, and the beast yawning with a flash of fangs—Ava opened the small coin pouch resting on the nightstand.
She turned it over. A handful of gold coins spilled into her palm.
Sil's eyes widened. "That's... all we brought?"
Ava nodded, tone calm but edged with steel. "My castle is secure, but we didn't come with coffers. I brought enough to move quietly, not to live like nobles."
Nicholas let out a low whistle. "So we're broke."
Ash chuckled, tying his sash. "Then it's a good thing I enjoy killing for pay."
Ava slipped the coins back into the pouch and tied it at her waist. "We'll need more than beds and bread. Supplies, enchanted maps, teleport sigils. If we don't earn soon, we become liabilities."
She turned to the group, eyes fierce. "We take a quest today. Something that pays well."
Ten minutes later, they left the Emberhall and stepped into the bustling heart of the Gilded Plaza. The city buzzed with life: carriages rattling over cobblestones, merchants calling out deals in several tongues, and spellblades demonstrating wares with flashy explosions of light and sound.
The Gilded Flame Guildhall rose ahead like a fortress of magic—an enormous tower carved into volcanic blackstone, its walls threaded with glowing veins of molten orange. Despite its ancient, fearsome design, it pulsed with commerce and power.
Inside, the air shimmered with old spells and the constant rustle of parchment. Gild members filled the hall—some rough and ragged, others polished and dangerous. But all looked up when Ava and her retinue entered.
She was unmistakable: regal, shadow-wreathed, and flanked by beauty and danger.
As they approached the quest board, a grizzled elf leaned back in his chair, eyeing them through a monocle that glowed faintly blue.
"You don't look like the usual mercs," he said. "What's a royal doing in here?"
"Working," Ava replied simply.
Ash leaned closer. "We're looking for high pay."
The elf chuckled, thumbing through a pile of scrolls. "Plenty of work, if you're not afraid to bleed. Hmm… here." He pulled out a thick scroll marked with a golden ribbon. "A village two days out—Hearthvale. They've got a problem with corrupted wildlife and disappearing farmers. Might be a blighted leyline. Pays well. Five hundred gold upfront, double on completion."
Nicholas's eyebrows rose. "One thousand total?"
Ava took the scroll and read it over. "It'll take us off the main leyroad, but the risk sounds worth it."
Sil peered at the scroll. "Is it safe?"
"No," Ava said, rolling it back up. "But we'll survive."
They pressed their palms to the acceptance glyph, binding the quest to their party. The guild's magic flared briefly as their names were etched into the ledgers. The elf handed Ava a stamped token—proof of commission.
"Don't die," he said. "Expensive paperwork."
Outside, the sun climbed higher, and the group regrouped in the plaza.
Nicholas leaned against a stone pillar. "So what now?"
"We resupply," Ava said. "Then we head out before dusk."
They split off in pairs. Sil and Ava went to the alchemist's alley to stock healing elixirs and mana vials. Adam purchased dry rations and waterproof packs. Nicholas and Ash handled weapons sharpening and beast provisions. Every coin was carefully spent, Ava's brows furrowed as the pouch grew lighter.
By the time they met again near the eastern gate, the sky had turned a soft orange. The road to Hearthvale curved through rolling hills, shrouded forests, and long-abandoned ley shrines.
Ash studied the horizon. "If there's corruption there, it could explain the leyline instability we felt earlier this week."
Ava nodded. "Which means this isn't just a money job. It's information. And maybe a crack in something bigger."
Sil looked worried, her fingers twining in her silver braid. "What if the corruption spreads?"
Ava turned to her, eyes sharp. "Then we burn it back. Like rot from a wound."
With that, she took the lead, stepping out of the city gates and onto the road eastward. Her companions followed without hesitation—bound not by law, but by loyalty, and something deeper that had begun to bloom between them.
The wind blew wild and cool. Birds scattered in the distance. The sun sank slowly, painting the path ahead in hues of blood and fire.
Ahead of them lay coin, danger, and the promise of something far darker than beasts in a blighted forest.
And Ava welcomed it with open arms.