98.-The Weight of Wings

The guild was a whirlwind of noise and chaos, a boiling pot of hoarse voices and wood shuddering under fists and tankards slamming tables with a rhythmic thud. The air was thick with rancid sweat and sour ale, a stench that clung to the throat like a bitter swig, while oil lamps flickered, casting long shadows that writhed over grimy faces and gleaming, eager eyes. Cassian felt the familiar weight of his sword in his hands, the leather grip straining under his calloused fingers as he unsheathed it, the blade slicing the air with a sharp hiss that cut through the din. His boots pounded the splintered floor as he stepped forward, his blond mane whipping with the motion, his pulse thundering in his ears with a fury forged in years of blood and steel.

Before him stood her—Kaili, a figure in black armor that gleamed under the dim light as if woven from liquid shadows, her jet-black hair falling in waves that caught glints like a river of molten obsidian. Her silver eyes with black sclera pierced him like stellar ice, glowing with a cold light that seemed to hum in the air around her, and she stood motionless, one eyebrow arched as if he were prey unworthy of her notice. Her beauty was a weapon as sharp as her strength, the curves of her form straining the metal with a lethal grace that made him clench his jaw until a dull ache throbbed up his temples. The whole guild watched—Rolk with his tankard halfway to his lips, Gorran with arms crossed, Tarin nervously drumming his bow—and Cassian knew he couldn't back down. Not after that scrawny gardener humiliated him with his infuriating calm, and she defended him like he was worth more than all his trophies combined.

"Who does this woman think she is?" he thought, his eyes narrowing as heat surged up his neck, the sting of his wounded pride burning his guts. "I've torn ogre fangs out with my bare hands, slept in caves with wolves howling as my lullaby. This is just a challenge, and I'm going to break her."

"I'm not holding back just because you're a woman!" he growled, his voice deep and steady slicing through the noise like a hammer on an anvil, though a tremor of rage crept into the edge. He took another step, raising his sword with a fluid motion honed in rain-soaked nights. "Show me what you're made of, or keep hiding behind that weak gardener who stares at you like a lovesick mutt!"

She snorted, a short, icy sound that slipped out like a hiss between clenched teeth, her face twisting into a sneer of contempt that made him clench his fists until his knuckles popped. "How dull, human," she said, her voice dripping sarcasm like distilled venom, the air around her faintly buzzing with each word. "Is that all you've got, or do you just want me to pat you on the head?"

From a nearby table, Sebastián leaned back with a tankard in hand, his dirty shirt flapping loose as he took a slow sip and let out a low chuckle. "Good luck with that, buddy," he said, scratching his neck with a calloused hand, his tone casual cutting through the air like this was all a child's game. "She's not the type to be impressed easily."

Cassian felt the heat explode in his chest, his teeth grinding as he channeled the fury into his arms, sweat already beading on his brow like drops of lead. "Let him mock me. I'll split her in two, and that scrawny bastard will see what happens when he crosses me." With a roar that tore his throat raw, he swung a precise slash at Kaili's shoulder, the blade whistling with the strength of years hunting beasts. The impact rang out with a metallic clang that jolted his hands, rattling his wrists as if he'd struck a mountain. The sword bounced back, its edge pristine but useless, leaving not a scratch on that black armor. She didn't even flinch—just stood there, staring at him with those silver eyes that gleamed like a predator sizing up its prey, the air around her humming with a power he couldn't name.

"What the hell?" Cassian growled, stumbling back a step, sweat stinging his eyes as he tightened his grip, the metallic taste of exertion rising in his throat. His hands shook slightly, but he clenched them harder, refusing to yield. "Doesn't matter. Just a bad swing. I'll crack that damn armor if it's the last thing I do." He stepped forward again, boots grinding against the splintered floor, and struck once more, this time a diagonal slash at her chest, the blade slicing the air with a furious whistle. But she vanished—a black blur that barely brushed his sight—and reappeared at his side before the blow could even reach her. With a casual flick, she pressed a single finger against his chest, a light tap that sent him staggering back. His boots slipped on the sticky floor, and he crashed into a chair that shattered under his weight, the dry crack of wood echoing through the guild as laughter erupted like a jagged chorus.

"That's all you know how to do?" Kaili said, her voice icy slicing through the air as her dark hair flowed with a brutal grace, a crooked smile curling her full lips. "My gardener's got more finesse tripping over his own boots."

The guild exploded into laughter, a roar that hammered Cassian's ears like a blacksmith's forge, each guffaw a lash against his pride. He clenched his jaw until a sharp pain stabbed his temples, heat flooding his face as he hauled himself up, splinters digging into his palms. "Damn you!" he roared, his voice trembling with fury as sweat dripped down his chin. "She's not that fast. She can't be. I just need to land one hit." He adjusted his stance, breath coming in short gasps, and charged again, this time thrusting straight at her gut, the sword's tip glinting under the flickering light. But Kaili tilted her head just enough, a near-imperceptible shift, and caught the blade between two gloved fingers. The metal groaned under the pressure, bending like clay, and with a lazy flick of her wrist, she yanked it from his hands. The sword flew, smashing into a nearby table that split in two with a wet crunch, tankards toppling and splashing ale in a chaotic echo.

Cassian froze, breath trapped in his throat, his empty hands trembling as the guild roared louder, laughter mixing with gasps of awe. "What…?" he rasped, panic clawing up his chest like an icy snake.

The uproar swelled, tables shuddering under eager fists, the floor speckled with splinters and spilled ale as adventurers leaned forward, their shouts bouncing off the rafters like a pack of starving hyenas. Cassian felt the burn in his chest, his pulse pounding in his ears like a war drum, sweat streaming down his face and dripping into his short beard, the stench of metal and leather searing his nostrils as he stared at that motionless figure before him. The heat of the crowd rose like a thick fog, reeking of sour breath and rotting wood, and he sucked it in deep, letting it stoke the fury roaring in his guts like a fire that wouldn't die.

"This isn't a trick," he thought, his fingers curling into empty fists, the tremor climbing up his arms as panic tangled with his rage. "She's strong—too strong. But I've carved my name in blood. I won't fall like this!" He lunged for his fallen sword, boots skidding on the sticky floor, and wrenched it from the splinters with a snarl, the metal scraping wood as he hefted it again. "I'm not done with you!" he roared, his voice cracking at the edges as he charged once more, this time swinging a wild arc that sliced the air with a desperate whistle. Kaili didn't even budge—she raised an open hand, and the blade slammed into her palm with a dull thud that reverberated through the guild. The impact jolted Cassian's arms, pain shooting up his shoulders like lightning, but the sword didn't budge an inch, trapped in her grip as if he'd struck an iron wall.

She laughed, a low, cutting sound that thrummed in the air like a storm's echo, and twisted her wrist with insulting ease. The sword bent under the strain, metal shrieking as it curved into an impossible angle, and with a fluid motion, she flung him back. Cassian flew, crashing into a table that burst into splinters under his weight, the wet crack of wood ringing out like thunder as tankards and stools toppled in a mess of splashes and muffled yelps. Pain ripped through his back, the splintered wood scraping his skin through his worn leather, and the air rushed out of him in a broken gasp that tasted of bile and blood, the metallic tang flooding his mouth.

"Damn it!" he snarled, planting a trembling hand on the shattered floor to push himself up, splinters stabbing into his fingers like needles as the guild roared around him, laughter now laced with whispers of awe and dread. But before he could rise, she was there. Her boots pounded the floor like hammers on iron, a slow, deliberate rhythm that shook the rafters. Cassian looked up, his vision blurred by sweat, and saw that black armor closing in, the metal humming with each step like an echo of his own ruin. Her dark hair swayed with a brutal grace, stark against the inhuman strength she radiated, and a gloved hand seized his throat, fingers clamping down with a force that crushed his breath. She hoisted him like a broken sack, his feet kicking uselessly in the air, his own armor groaning under the strain, and the guild quaked, laughter fading into a chorus of gasps and murmurs.

"Is this a B-rank warrior?" Kaili said, her voice cold slashing through the air like a freshly honed blade, a crooked smile curling her lips as her silver eyes flared with an icy gleam, the hum around her intensifying until the floor trembled. "My gardener's got more strength kicking rocks than you swinging that sword."

Cassian felt heat explode across his face, his pride twisting like a rope about to snap, the taste of bile and blood rising in his throat. "Let me go, you witch!" he gasped, his voice strained but defiant, each word a struggle against the pressure choking his neck, his hands clawing at her gauntlet in vain. "That weakling you call a husband doesn't give you any glory—just shame!"

She laughed again, the sound crackling in the air like a whip, and hurled him toward a nearby wall with a casual flick of her wrist. Cassian slammed into it with a force that rattled the beams, plaster cracking and tumbling in a cloud of dust as he slid to the floor, the breath fleeing him in a ragged wheeze. Adventurers stumbled back, some tripping over toppled chairs, their early laughter replaced by a tense silence broken only by hushed whispers.

Sebastián spoke from the sidelines, his voice cutting through the chaos as he took another swig from his tankard, foam dripping down his chin. "Told you, buddy, a beer was the smarter move," he said, scratching his neck with a calloused hand like he was watching a barnyard scrap. "Your sword work's a mess—you oughta practice with a shield more."

Rolk bellowed from the back, his guffaw rumbling like a hammer on an anvil, though it carried a nervous edge now. "Cassian, looks like a damn ogre's got you!" he shouted, pounding the table until ale splashed his beard, but his laughter died fast, his eyes locked on Kaili with a flicker of doubt.

Cassian tried to rise, his hands shaking as they clawed the floor, panic gripping his chest like an icy talon. "This can't be… I've clawed my place in this world with blood and steel. I won't let them reduce me to this!" But his legs buckled, pain and humiliation crushing him like an unseen weight.

The guild had turned into a battlefield of wreckage, tables overturned and splinters strewn like shrapnel, the air thrumming with the echo of his fall, each of Cassian's gasps a piercing reminder of his failure. The lamps flickered over a sea of grimy faces, the adventurers' shouts now a low murmur laced with held breaths, the floor sticky with spilled ale and broken wood. Cassian lay amid the debris, sweat and bile mingling in his mouth with a taste that choked him, his boots kicking feebly against the floor as he tried to stand. But Kaili advanced, her armor clanging with each step, and seized him by the throat again, lifting him like a rag doll. Her fingers tightened, the metal of her gauntlet cold against his sweat-slick skin, and she slammed him into the floor with a heavy thud that shook the rafters, dust and splinters raining down in a haze around them.

He gasped, the breath fleeing in broken wheezes as pain tore through his ribs, a dull crack echoing in his chest. He tried to push himself up, sweat sliding down his brow and splashing the floor in silence as his hands trembled, the splintered wood scraping his skin until a sharp burn raced up his fingers. But a boot planted on his back before he could catch his breath, the cold metal of Kaili's armor biting through his worn leather, pressing down with a calm that made him feel tiny. He growled, hands clawing at the shattered wood, splinters piercing like needles, but there was no escape—that pressure was an anvil, and he was pinned beneath it.

"Kneel and beg forgiveness, cockroach," she said, her voice an icy blade that cut deeper than any sword, each word dripping with a threat that chilled his blood as her dark hair swayed with a brutal grace, her silver eyes blazing with a cold light that pierced him to the bone. "Or I'll snap you like that wolf."

Cassian clenched his jaw until a dull ache throbbed up his temples, the heat of humiliation searing his cheeks like embers, the metallic taste of sweat and defeat flooding his mouth. "This isn't human—it's something else," he thought, his mind spinning in a whirlwind of fury and fear as the weight crushed him, the guild watching in a silence heavier than the laughter. "That scrawny gardener… what does he have that I don't? What the hell is she?"

There was no way out. His hands shook, knees scraping the wood as he dragged himself a step, the rough grind of his armor against the floor drowned by the tense murmur around him. "Forgive me…" he muttered through gritted teeth, the word bitter as poison on his tongue, "I just ran my stupid mouth."

"Louder, human!" Kaili snapped, her boot pressing harder, the metal clanging against his back like a war drum, the air around her buzzing with an intensity that made the nearest adventurers flinch back. "Let them all hear what you are!"

Cassian swallowed, the acrid taste of bile rising in his throat, and raised his voice, cracked but audible. "Forgive me!" he shouted, the echo bouncing off the rafters as the guild shuddered, a graveyard silence swallowing the laughter. "I'm a braggart with a mouth I can't shut!"

Sebastián chuckled from his table, a low, warm sound that sliced through the chaos like a stream in a tempest, setting his tankard down with a soft thud as he scratched his chin with lazy indifference. "Good boy," he said, his crooked grin glinting under the flickering light. "Now you've earned that beer. Though with that yell, you might scare off a wyvern."

Gorran spoke from the back, his voice dry cutting through the air like a dagger sliding from its sheath. "I warned you, Cassian," he said, crossing his arms tighter, the tattoos on his forearms flexing, his gray eyes fixed on him with a mix of pity and wariness. "She's not prey to hunt."

Cassian let his head drop, sweat sliding down his chin and splashing the floor, the splintered wood scraping his cheek as the silence wrapped around him like an icy tide. His sword lay amid the wreckage, its blade bent and glinting uselessly under the flickering light, and for the first time in years, he felt the weight of something he couldn't kill or bend—something that had reduced him to nothing before everyone, his pride shattered among the splinters and spilled ale.

The guild's clamor faded into an uneasy silence, a low murmur slithering between the broken tables and ale puddles like a cold wind over a ravaged field. The lamps cast long shadows twisting on the walls, the air heavy with a stench of metal, sweat, and splintered wood that clung to the skin. From his spot by a beer-stained table, Sebastián watched with a half-empty tankard in hand, his worn pack slung over one shoulder as a crooked grin curved his lips. Before him, Cassian lay sprawled amid the debris, his blond mane matted with sweat and ale, his chest heaving in ragged gasps that echoed in the stillness like a distant drum.

Rolk approached with heavy steps, his boots thudding on the sticky floor, and let out a hoarse laugh that rumbled like a hammer on an anvil, though his eyes gleamed with a respect tinged with awe. "Told you not to poke her, you idiot," he grunted, clapping Cassian's back hard enough to make him cough as he hauled him up, ale dripping down his beard. Gorran lingered behind, arms crossed and one brow raised, his face impassive but a flicker of caution in his gray eyes, his gaze locked on the door where Kaili and Sebastián had vanished. Tarin muttered something nervous, his fingers drumming faster on his bow, the green leather of his gear stained with sweat as his green eyes darted between shadows, as if fearing she'd return.

Sebastián set his tankard down, the soft thud ringing in the silence, and scratched his neck with a calloused hand as he watched Kaili shake her hands like she'd touched something filthy. She strode toward him, her armor clanging with each step, the metal humming like distant thunder that turned heads in the guild. Her black hair flowed like liquid obsidian, brushing that sculpted waist straining the dark plates, and her silver eyes sliced the air with a gleam that still promised chaos. He gave her a pat on the back, the dry smack bouncing in the stillness, and let out a low laugh.

"Hey, Kaili, you didn't break him so bad we've gotta sweep up the mess," he said, his warm voice cutting through the charged air as he adjusted his pack with a clumsy tug. "Flattened him worse than that wolf from years back."

She turned her head toward him, her eyes softening for a fleeting moment—a warm glint that flashed and faded into a hard disdain that couldn't fully hide a spark of satisfaction. "I don't have time for nonsense, gardener," she growled, her voice sharp as she pivoted toward the door, her short cape flaring behind her like a banner in a storm. "Let's get out of this dump."

Before Sebastián could reply, the receptionist stumbled forward from the counter, her quick steps trembling the splintered floor. Her hands shook as she clutched a crumpled parchment, her braid unraveling over one shoulder, an ink smudge streaking her cheek like a war mark. "W-wait!" she stammered, her voice barely audible over the guild's whispers, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and urgency. "There's a wyvern in Ashwood Forest killing villagers. The reward's good, and—"

Kaili cut her off with a low growl, barely turning as she shot a glare that could've frozen a river. "Save your tales for the fools who buy them," she said, each word a blunt strike that made the girl step back. "I'm not interested."

Sebastián shrugged, adjusting his pack with a relaxed motion as he winked at the receptionist. "No rare plants, no deal," he said, his tone light but firm as he followed Kaili to the door. "See ya, pal."

The guild door groaned as Kaili shoved it open, the scrape of wood against frame letting in a cool breeze that smelled of mud and night, and the two vanished into the gloom of East Vigil. A heavy silence fell over the guild, the creak of settling wood and the drip of a broken tankard echoing like a slow heartbeat. Adventurers exchanged glances, some with tankards frozen mid-lift, others muttering under their breath, their faces etched with awe edging into fear. A woman with red braided hair dropped her dagger with a sharp clack, her eyes locked on the door as if expecting the floor to quake again. A burly man with a scar slashing his nose gripped his tankard until the metal whined, his earlier laughter replaced by a furrowed brow heavy with doubt.

Rolk dragged Cassian to a table, his laugh fading to a grunt as he dropped him onto a bench that groaned under his weight. Gorran approached with slow steps, his boots thudding on the sticky floor, and stopped before Cassian, arms crossed as he stared down with those gray eyes that cut like blades. The leader of the Silver Crows looked up, his blond mane plastered to his face, ale clinging to his skin glinting in the dim light, and growled something under his breath, the taste of defeat still bitter on his tongue.

"That woman's not of this world," Gorran said, his voice low and dry, each word measured as if slicing the air with precision. "And that scrawny one, Sebastián… watch who he runs with. Whatever they are, they're not prey to hunt—they're hunters, and we're the ones who bleed."

Cassian clenched his fists, splinters digging into his palms as the guild slowly returned to its usual chaos, tankards rising again like nothing had happened. But the silence of that moment, the weight of that stare, seared into him like a scar that wouldn't heal.