Silver Coins and Midnight Whisper

The sun had begun its slow descent behind the city walls of Silverhaven, painting the sky in soft hues of tangerine and rose. Lamplights flickered to life along the main roads, casting warm halos across cobblestone paths as vendors packed away the remnants of the day's trade.

Inside the bustling Adventurer's Guild, Selena practically skipped up to the receptionist's counter, parchment in hand and a grin stretched across her face. Red followed behind at a steady, composed pace, his presence as always drawing quiet glances from other guild members.

Selena: Quest complete!

Selena declared proudly, slapping the slime extermination notice onto the counter like it was a dragon-slaying contract.

Behind the desk, Receptionist Sophia raised an amused eyebrow.

Receptionist Sophia: Let me guess. Slime hunt?

Selena nodded, still grinning. Her tunic had streaks of colored slime on the sleeves, and her hair had an unfortunate curl of dried blue ooze at the edge.

Selena: I defeated them all! Wriggly, jiggly, squishy blobs of doom!

she said dramatically, placing a hand to her forehead as if she were recounting a battlefield saga.

Receptionist Sophia: Well, Miss Hero, let's get you paid.

With a rustle of parchment and the stamping of a guild seal, Sophia slid a small pouch of coins across the counter.

Selena scooped it up with shining eyes.

Selena: Ohhh! This one's heavier than last time!

She pulled the drawstring open and dumped the contents into her palm right there and then, completely oblivious to the etiquette of not flaunting coin in a room full of hungry adventurers.

Selena: One, two, three...ooh, there's a shiny gold-looking one! Wait, no, silver. Still good! Four, five…

Red leaned his back against a nearby pillar, arms folded as he watched her, his expression unreadable but his eyes faintly amused.

Selena:…ten, eleven—Oh my stars, this is the richest I've ever been!

Selena gasped, clapping the coins back into the pouch and hugging it to her chest like a child with sweets.

Selena: I could buy...no, wait...I could rent a whole roasted turkey! No, wait again, a small turkey and still have coin left over for shampoo and maybe a cinnamon bun!

Receptionist Sophia gave a light laugh.

Receptionist Sophia: Try not to spend it all in one place.

Selena: No promises...

Selena said solemnly, then turned toward Red.

Selena: Sir Red! We feast tonight!

Red gave a faint shake of his head.

Red: You're buying?

Selena puffed up her chest.

Selena: With honor! And with twelve whole silvers!

Then, as she turned to leave the counter, her shoulders slumped and she yawned hugely...clearly running on leftover excitement and very little energy. The day's battle with particularly stubborn slimes had drained her more than she'd realized.

Red caught her just as she started to stumble forward, her body finally registering the need to rest.

Red: Hey...

Selena: I'm fine! she mumbled sleepily, clinging to his arm.

Red: You're falling asleep on your feet.

Selena: I'm fine...

Red nodded to Sophia and guided Selena to one of the benches along the wall of the guild hall. She plopped down and curled up almost immediately, her coin pouch clutched in both hands like a stuffed toy.

Selena:...so shiny… she murmured, and then her breathing evened out.

Red stood nearby for a moment, letting her sleep while keeping one eye on the guild doors.

The adventurers around had mostly returned to their meals and conversations, save for a few amused glances in Selena's direction. The firelight flickered along the stone walls, and the evening bustle mellowed into a calmer rhythm.

Then Red felt it.

That distinct tingle on the edge of his senses, a presence just beyond the guild walls. Someone was watching.

He stepped out without a sound.

Outside, the evening air was crisp, carrying the distant scent of smoke and roasting meat from the market square. Red walked around the corner of the guild hall and into the dim alley that ran alongside it.

There, leaning against the shadows, stood a man draped in dark traveler's robes, hood up, face partially obscured, but posture relaxed. The only detail that stood out was the silver-etched clasp that pinned his cloak.

Red said nothing, but he came to a stop before him.

The man produced a narrow scroll and extended it without a word.

Red took it.

Etched on the wax seal was an emblem: a crescent moon cradled by thorned branches, the unmistakable sigil of the Midnight Pact.

He broke the seal and glanced over the content, his eyes flickering once at the red ink scrawled across the parchment. No names. No details. Just coordinates and a phrase:

Mysterious Man: Confirmed movement. Prepare extraction.

Red's voice was quiet, but it cut through the dark like a blade.

Red: Where?

The messenger's lips curled slightly beneath the hood.

Mysterious Man: Somewhere in the north

Mysterious Man: As usual… don't make it obvious.

Red gave a subtle nod, folding the scroll and slipping it into a hidden pouch beneath his cloak.

Red: understood...

The man melted back into the shadows without another word, vanishing as quickly as he'd appeared.

Red turned, the wind ruffling the edge of his black coat. His gaze lifted toward the northern horizon, barely visible through the city rooftops, and lingered there for a moment longer than necessary.

Goblins. Smoke. Whispers of the Pact.

Trouble was brewing.

He returned inside the guild hall, walking past dozing adventurers and murmuring patrons until he reached the bench where Selena still napped, her cheek pressed against her coin pouch.

She stirred slightly as he approached, murmuring something about "silver pancakes" before rolling over and falling back into sleep.

Red sat beside her in silence.

He knew the peace wouldn't last long.

But for now… she could rest.

And he would prepare.