CHAPTER 4 ASHES AND RANK

Synopsis

Outskirts of the Blackroot Ravine – Midday

Three figures stood at the cracked stone mouth of the dungeon, cloaks billowing in the bitter wind. Grey adjusted the strap on his shoulder, peering into the descending dark. Itarim twirled his blade once and slung it across his back with practiced ease. Liria knelt, brushing her fingers over faint glyphs carved into the stone.

Liria: "This wasn't listed as a sealed-class ruin. The Guild log marked it as 'C-rank instability.' This…"

She trailed off.

Grey: "You feel it too."

Itarim: "Yeah. This place hums like it's been holding its breath for too long."

She rose, unslinging her blade.

Liria (half-joking): "If we die, I'm haunting the examiner who cleared this quest."

Itarim (grinning): "Only if I don't beat you to the afterlife."

They stepped inside.The interior was colder than expected, dry, and lined with bone-dry roots that twisted along the ceiling. The trio moved silently. Grey took the lead—his senses sharp, instincts humming. Itarim held the rear, watching the paths behind. Liria covered the flanks, blade drawn.

Itarim (quietly): "Weird. Not a single creature. Dungeons don't go quiet like this unless—"

CRACK.

The floor split beneath them.They landed hard on a moss-slicked platform—barely avoiding a pit of thorns. Liria coughed, wiping blood from her lip.

Liria: "Everyone alive?"

Grey (grunting): "Barely."

They climbed to their feet.

That's when the growl echoed.

Itarim (freezing): "That's not a gruntling. That's…"

From the shadows, two massive figures emerged. One was coiled in scales like molten silver, breath steaming with venom. The other—a quadrupedal beast cloaked in emberlight, eyes like dying suns.

Liria (shocked): "S-Ranks? In a C-Rank zone? That's not possible!"

The silver-scaled beast roared, shattering the surrounding stone with sonic force.

Grey (low, calm): "We run."

Itarim: "We die if we don't."

They moved.

A breath later, the beasts lunged.

Liria leapt between rubble and arcane sigils, Grey weaving paths of illusion with shadow-step technique. Itarim covered her back, steel clashing with fangs.

But it wasn't enough.

The silver beast cracked open the platform beneath them, and all three tumbled again—deeper into the abyss.

They hit the bottom—bruised, bleeding, coughing smoke.

The ember beast landed like a falling star.

Liria struggled to stand. "We're not… making it out."

The two boys stood shoulder to shoulder.Grey and Itarim stepped forward in unison, weapons drawn, breath shallow but steady. They looked at each other—shoulders bloodied

Itarim's knuckles bled. Grey's breathing slowed—focused.

They looked at each other. And in that shared silence, they nodded.

A pulse tore through the chamber.

Grey (inner monologue):

No more hiding. Not this time.

The air shivered.

A pulse—silent, invisible—tore across the chamber.

Grey's shadow peeled backward unnaturally, clinging to the walls as if resisting gravity. His back arched. His pupils slit. Hair surged out, once black and gray, now a wild silver-white, his eyes now an icy grey. It fell to the nape of his neck, flickering as if caught in a breeze. His aura sparked—roaring with stormlight—violent arcs of violet and Indigo energy crackling across his skin like a coiled tempest.

Itarim—his pupils slit and glow bright amber, his hair now wild and long, falling to the middle of his back. His once gray-black hair has turned dark blue. His nails are long, almost claw-like, and his canines have extended into short fangs.His violet blue aura roars around him like a lightning storm.

Grey's Primal Form: STAGE ONE.

He raised his lance. The ground beneath him fractured.

At his side, Itarim growled

Itarim's Primal: CONTROLLED STATE.

He twisted his sword once—then ignited it.

Liria (gasping): "You're… what are you?!"

They didn't answer.

The beasts roared.

And the boys unleashed.

The silver serpent lunged, fangs glowing with venom. Grey vanished mid-step and appearing at its flank.

Grey (roaring):

"Scatter."

His lance whipped forward with blurring precision, tearing through the serpent's armor. Each swing disintegrated space—cracks in the air itself shimmered behind the weapon, as if reality couldn't keep up.

He moved in a flash again—once, twice—flickering between planes, piercing through the serpent's jaw and vanishing before the tail could strike. A breath later, the beast's eye exploded in a splash of red bile.

On the other end, Itarim took the ember beast head-on.

Steel met fang.

He weaved through infernal strikes, fury and technique married in perfect rhythm.A foot slid, his shoulder dropped, he twisted beneath a claw, slamming his sword into the beast's exposed chest.

On the other end, Itarim took the ember beast head-on.

Steel met fang.

The blow slammed like a cannon—carving a helix through the monster's shoulder, blood hissing midair.

Grey launched upward—catching the stunned serpent in mid-rear—and slammed his lance down with both hands,smashing it against the chamber walls.

The chamber shook due to the impact.

Liria could only stare

The serpent hissed, disoriented—Grey dashed forward, too fast to follow. The ember beast lunged at Itarim once more

And they both struck.

Grey's lance pierced straight through the serpent's maw—through skull, spine, and floor, planting it like a flag.

Itarim's blade, slashed upward into a diagonal arc—shearing the ember beast's entire chest cavity, exposing organs, cracking bones.

Both monsters collapsed.

Dead.

Grey dropped to one knee. His Primal Form fading. Hair damp with sweat. His mouth opened slightly, but he couldn't speak.

Itarim stumbled over, blood dripping from his knuckles. He caught Grey just before he collapsed entirely.

Grey (voice low):

"Didn't hold back this time…"

Itarim (smirking):

"Didn't plan to."

They both laughed—shaky, broken laughter.

Liria walked forward, slowly. She looked down at the corpses of the monsters, then back at them.

Liria (softly):

"…Monsters. You two are monsters."

Neither denied it.

The trio returned—bloodied,

They turned in fangs,hide and horns the obtained from the S-Rank beasts.

Guild Clerk (stunned): "This… this bounty alone is worth three lifetimes of gold. You… this is..."

They walked away before he could finish, heavy pouches in hand.

CITY STREETS – MINUTES LATER

The celebration didn't last.

A masked menemerged from the shadows.

—blade drawn.

Robbers.

Liria (drawing her blade):

"Stay back. I've got this."

Grey:

"Wait—"

Too late.

She surged forward.

The first robber lunged—and she caught his blade barehanded.

Itarim (eyes wide): "She's not using aura—!"

She pivoted—slammed the assassin into a wall, stone cracking. The second leapt—and she spun, heel-kicking him into the air like a rag doll.

Grey (murmuring): "…That strength wasn't there earlier."

Liria (wiping her hands):

"What? Surprised?"

Itarim:

"Very."

Liria (grinning):

"You two weren't the only ones hiding something."

She winked, walking past them.

Grey (quietly): "Itarim..."

Itarim: "Yeah I know, we need to ask Liria what planet she's from."

AT ROSEBRIAR INN

The clatter of plates, the hiss of boiling broth, and the scent of caramelized garlic filled the air. Rain pattered against the windowpanes, a gentle rhythm that matched the slow unwind of bodies and minds after a long, near-fatal day.

Grey slumped against the inner wall of the inn's common room, one hand still gripping a damp cloak.

> It smells like scorched stone... and something sweet... wait, is that ginger?

Across from him, Itarim was already downing a pitcher of mulberry cider, foam clinging to the side of his lips as he let out a long, satisfied groan.

Itarim:

"Sweet stars, I thought I'd die before I tasted real food again."

Grey (eyebrow raised):

"You always say that."

Itarim (grinning):

"Because it's always true."

Liria walked in last, her coat draped neatly over one arm, hair slightly wet from the drizzle. She looked… not tired. Just tactical about her exhaustion.

Liria (dropping into a seat):

"I paid the healer to fix your ribs. You're welcome."

Grey (tilting his head):

"So that's why I can breathe again."

> She's oddly thoughtful. Still not sure if I should be relieved or afraid.

The trio sat at their usual table—carved from old pine, near the kitchen window where the inn's chef, Master Kanji, reigned supreme with his apron stained and his scowl worn like armor.

As they sat, Kanji noticed them through the steam.

His eyes narrowed.

Then widened.

Then—his entire face lit up like a solstice lantern.

Kanji (booming):

"You survived! You glorious, reckless maniacs!"

He slammed a tray down onto their table. Bowls of thick stew, fresh seared boar strips, and something deep-fried and mysterious sizzled in front of them.

Kanji (pointing dramatically):

"Everything you eat tonight—half price. Or double if you die before paying!"

Itarim (mouth already full):

"Mhh… worf it…"

Grey (smirking):

"You're our favorite innkeeper now."

Kanji (grinning):

"Ha! Don't say that unless you mean it. I remember things."

Grey (raising an eyebrow):

"You do know there's dessert, right? Maybe don't eat the furniture next."

Itarim (unbothered):

"If I'm gonna die fighting scorpions and shadows, I'm going down full."

Liria (dryly):

"At this point, I'm surprised you haven't developed a second stomach."

Kanji (from the kitchen):

"I'll prep the candied lotus buns. But if you throw up on my floor again, it's going on your tab!"

They all laughed.

For a moment it felt like they were normal teens.Not assassination targets. Not future saviors or threats to world order.

Just kids. Hungry, tired, alive.

Plates stacked. Bones stripped clean. Grey leaned back, finally full.

Later That Night – Shared Room

The fire crackled low. Outside, thunder whispered across the hills.

Grey sat near the window, wiping his lance clean with oil and cloth.

Itarim was already snoring, arm slung across a pillow like it owed him money.

Liria sat cross-legged, sharpening her short blade with calm, methodical strokes.

Grey (softly):

"Hey. You fought like a different person today."

Liria (without looking up):

"That was the point."

> No denial. No arrogance. Just truth.

Grey (quietly):

"…Thank you."

She looked up.

Liria:

"Get some sleep, storm boy. We've got more dungeons to raid in the morning."

Grey (smiling faintly):

"Yeah. Right."

THE FOLLOWING MORNING...

The adventurer's guild was quieter than usual. Even the crystal chimes that usually swayed above the main desk were still—like the building itself held its breath.

Inside, three names flashed on the Quest Board in burning blue script:

> [GREY, ITARIM, LIRIA – SPECIAL S-RANK EXAM]

Target: Emerald Scorpion Queen

Location: Glassfang Hollow – Forbidden Zone

Objective: Retrieve both spincers

Status: Lethality: Confirmed

Grey stared at the notice, eyes narrowing.

Grey (murmuring):

"…So we're being tested with assassination targets now."

Itarim (cracking his knuckles):

"She's S-Rank. I've only heard of her in nightmare stories from veterans."

Liria:

"She's more than a monster. They say she was born from the World Root itself—an anomaly that turned predator."

Grey (flatly):

"Well. That's encouraging."

Grey stepped forward, his voice low but pointed

"Why are our names lit up like wanted criminals? We didn't sign up for any S-Rank execution."

The guild hall receptionist—a young woman with silver earrings and eyes that saw too much—didn't flinch.

Receptionist (softly, professionally):

"You'll find out inside. Guild Commander Veyra is expecting you three."

She gestured to the double doors behind the counter—doors rarely opened except for court summons or emergency rank revisions.

Itarim (grinning):

"Well. Guess we're either getting promoted or executed."

Liria (dryly):

"If it's execution, I'm haunting the chef. He overcooked my rice again."

They pushed through.

COMMAND ROOM – GUILD HQ, UPPER FLOOR

The chamber was round, with stone arches forming a high dome. Magical glyphs circled the ceiling, shimmering with old protective wards. In the center stood Guild Commander Veyra, a broad-shouldered woman with her hair in battle braids, stood with arms crossed,clad in forest green military robes, a rapier at her hip.

Her eyes flicked up as they entered. Golden. Sharp. Measuring.

Veyra:

"You're early."

Grey:

"We're never late for our own funeral."

She didn't smile.

Veyra:

"This is a trial. One that could rewrite your status in the entire region."

She waved her hand.

> A floating orb of mist glowed above the war table, revealing a three-dimensional projection of Glassfang Hollow—twisting caves, webbed passages, and a pulsing green core where the Emerald Queen waited.

"We've lost four S-Rank parties. She's evolving. Adapting. Poison spreading beyond the Hollow's boundary. If she breaches the surface,the forest will rot within weeks."

Itarim (whistling low):

"Guess she's tired of just being a dungeon boss."

Veyra:

"This mission wasn't chosen randomly. The Queen shifted the same night you three survived Blackroot Ravine."

A silence fell.

Liria (eyes narrowing):

"You think she's… connected to what attacked us before?"

Veyra:

"Exactly"

She pointed to the scorpion's glowing form.

"Bring back her spincers. Both. Still pulsing with venom. That's how we trace her origin... and stop the next threat before it spreads."

Then, she dropped a sealed envelope onto the table.

"Inside is your temporary S-Class clearance. Use it to access forbidden techniques and void-keyed waygates. You have until nightfall to prepare."

She turned away.

"Survive... and I'll make sure you're not treated like pawns again.Glassfang Hollow has claimed four elite units. The Scorpion Queen molts every seven days. Her spincers are coated in a neurotoxin that can kill a Drake in seconds. You'll have five hours. After that... she burrows. And you won't find her again until the next blood moon."

She tossed a rolled scroll onto the table.

Liria (catching it):

"Entry sigil and the extraction rune?"

Veyra:

"Correct. And one more thing…"

She looked at Grey—too directly.

"…A watcher from the guild will be observing. Try not to embarrass yourselves."

> Liria's heart skipped. A watcher from the Guild? Already?What kind of task are they really putting us up to?

GLASSFANG HOLLOW – AFTERNOON

The dungeon was unlike the last.

This one breathed.

The cave mouth exhaled sickly green mist. The ground was damp with the sheen of venom. Long crystalline thorns jutted from the walls, humming with heat.

Itarim (in a whisper):

"Yeah. This is S-Rank all right."

The deeper they moved, the worse the stench became.

Grey (low):

"She's molting again. That means she's more aggressive."

From the walls, the glittering remains of past molts pulsed faintly with heat. Something scuttled—fast. Then another.

Suddenly—Crystalline Stinglings started swarwming the area

Itarim (drawing his blade):

"About time something tried to kill us."

The swarm poured from the walls—sharp-bodied insectoid creatures, blades for limbs and glass-like wings that screamed when they moved.

Grey (flicking his lance):

"Three, left wall. I'll split them. You cover the rear!"

Itarim tanked the initial wave, drawing them into a choke point and Grey split them with Spiral attacks, through their ranks.Liria unleashed an advanced slash combo that finished the last 6 in seconds. From this point the made their way into the queens

layer where she awaited them.Twenty meters tall. Her carapace shimmered emerald and obsidian. Eight limbs curled beneath her, and two spincers gleamed like polished blades.

Grey's mind blanked for a moment.

"This… isn't a beast.It's a relic."

The Emerald Queen coiled her limbs like blades in prayer, her multifaceted eyes glowing with ancient hunger.

Grey (calmly):

"This is just another step. We've fought worse. We're walking out of here alive."

Then came the voice—not spoken, but pressed into their minds:

Emerald Queen (telepathic):

"Arrogant humans to think you will dig your own graves…"

The Queen's lunge shattered the ceiling above. Green venom rained like acidic sleet.

But the trio didn't flinch.

Grey darted to right and Liria to the rear ,each with energy.

The Queen hissed, her psychic senses momentarily split.

Emerald Queen (growling mentally):

"Tricks…"

She stabbed forward aiming to impale Grey.

That's when Grey's vanished.

BOOM.

Her legs erupted, with her attention deviated Itarim took of a leg joint clean off.

"Tempest Veil."Grey yelled out a battle cry,with a cold voice

His form blinked once—twice—reappearing between the Queen's third and fourth legs. Her pincers dragged like submerged steel.

With swift moves he drove his lance up—clean into her undercarriage.

CRACK.

The carapace buckled. Green blood sprayed in ribbons.

Itarim (roaring):

"Now!"

He dropped from above with high speed He slammed into the Queen's thorax with both fists, triggering a shockwave that threw the queen off balance.

Her scream echoed into their skulls.

Liria (chanting):

"Blade Art #6 — Viridian Spiral!"

> Her sword curved mid-air, riding the air current. It circled the Queen's head, then came down in a perfect arc—

SNAP.

One pincer flew off.

Then silence.

The Queen writhed—but couldn't stand.

Grey (panting):

"She's regenerating."

The Queen's core began to glow—veins across her body igniting like wildfire.

Mutation Trigger – "Queen's Second Form: Spinal Bloom Venom"

Her back split open. A crown of green crystalline limbs unfolded like spider-petals.

Grey's knuckles tightened.

The Queen's second form towered like a desecrated god. Her back had split open to reveal a crown of pulsating emerald tendrils, each tipped with crystalline thorns that glowed with unstable venom.

The air itself crackled—tasting of metal and acid.

Grey (gritting his teeth):

"She's evolving too fast…"

Liria (eyes fixed, sword tight):

"Then we need to be faster."

Grey and Itarim doubled their initial speed,the moved so fast it seems like they vanished out of plane site.Making it harder for the queen to land a hit.

Liria remained alone in the center.

Liria (softly, to herself):

"You boys are all brawn…"She raised her sword and sprinted directly toward the Queen, slashing through swarms of hatchlings that emerged from the broken walls.She jumped over a venom blast, landed on a protruding spike, and shouted.

"COME ON, YOU DEGENERATE LOBSTER!"

The Queen screeched—the sound like a thousand daggers scraping glass. Her spinal crown flexed and locked onto Liria.

A beam of toxic light surged—Liria deflected it with her blade mid-spin.

> Grey watched from the shadows, eyes narrowing.

Grey (whispering):

"She's drawing too much fire power"

Liria reached the Queen's undercarriage. With precise steps, she climbed the collapsing ridges, slicing away smaller tendrils, her cloak burning at the edges.

Itarim (from the ridge):

"She's buying us seconds! Go, go—!"

Then it happened.

The Queen's stinger quivered… and dropped low.

Too low.

Grey (realizing):

"No—wait—She's baiting her!"

A false opening.

A spike surged from the stinger—not forward, but backward, like a trap folding in reverse.

Liria turned too late.

SHHK—

The spike pierced straight through her chest.Blood sprayed across the green crystal thorns.

Liria's eyes widened—not in fear—but in regret.

Her sword dropped, clattering down the crystal tower. Her lips moved without sound, but Grey could read them:

Liria (voiceless):

> "Don't stop. Finish it."

Then, her body went limp, the Queen tossing her like discarded prey.

Grey froze.

A soundless scream roared inside his mind—memories flashing like fire.

Her laughter at the inn.Her smile when they met.Gone.

Itarim stood still,his body shook.Grey's body erupted into black-and-indigo lightning. He roared out a battle cry,his voice distorted with rage.

Grey (unhinged, voice doubled):

"I'll TEAR you OUT of this world."

Itarim (unhinged, voice doubled):

"I'll TEAR you OUT of this world."

Itarim (screaming):

"RRRRRAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!"

The Queen shrieked—but it was too late.

Grey blitzed across the air—twenty feet, fifty, then inside her crown.

He tore through three petals, spinning like a blade of annihilation.He drove his lance into the queen's spinal core—crack—the crown shattered into ash and black light.

Itarim dropped in from above like a meteor,with both fists on the queen,the impact shattering the ground beneath her.

He pounded the Queen's midsection six times in a second—each blow exploding with shockwaves. One cracked her thorax. Two tore her legs off. The last disintegrated her entire tail.

Green blood flooded the arena.

The Queen twitched—then went still.The crown crumbled. Her venom faded and dungeon was still.

Grey dropped to his knees beside what remained of Liria—barely a silhouette, her blood mixing with the crystal dust.

Grey (voice hollow):

"She wasn't supposed to die…"

Itarim (panting):

"She held the line…"

Grey:

"No. She gave everything."

He pulled her pendant from the dust and closed his fist. He yelled on top his voice with agony while years ran down his eyes.While Grey mourned Itarim retrieved the queens spincers, he helped Grey up and they reported back to Veyra...

BACK AT THE GUILD –COMMAND ROOM – GUILD HQ, UPPER FLOOR

The wind outside was gentle, too gentle for what had been lost.

Grey stood still in front of the long, obsidian desk. Behind it, Commander Veyra leaned against a crystal-paneled wall, arms crossed, unreadable as ever. The white banners of S-Rank flanked her—emblazoned with twin wings and a crown of blades.

On the table before her, two black-inked certificates glowed with faint golden light.

> "S-RANK LICENSE GRANTED – GREY "

"S-RANK LICENSE GRANTED – ITARIM "

But neither boy moved.

Grey's eyes were dull, unblinking.

Itarim (quietly):

"I got the spincers… one still twitches. Must've been tied to her core."

He set the grotesque emerald limbs on a metal tray. They pulsed once—then went still forever.

Veyra (flatly):

"You completed the mission. The hardest we've ever recorded. You did more than survive."

Grey (coldly):

"We didn't."

A pause.

Veyra (after a beat):

"She knew the risk. She accepted it."

Grey:

"She was our friend."

Veyra didn't argue. But her eyes softened, just slightly.

She pushed forward the licenses.

Veyra:

"As promised… your S-Rank titles. You can stay, or leave. No one will question it."

TWO DAYS LATER – EDGE OF THE VILLAGE

The sky was overcast, clouds dragging low like mourning shrouds.

Itarim adjusted the weight on his back: a wrapped bundle of cloth and ashses—Liria's remains. What was left after the Queen's final attack had been barely enough to fill the satchel.

Grey (softly):

"She liked the sea."

Itarim:

"She liked punching me."

A faint smile—painful and real—touched his lips.

They turned eastward, toward the coasts of Silver Reach, where cliffs overlooked stormlit oceans and mists cloaked the tides.The wind carried faint voices—memories,Liria's memories.

> Liria's laughter.

Her complaints about their dumb food choices.

Her blade training in the morning.

And then nothing.

After experiencing the weight of death Grey and Itarim with all their power have never so weak. So they decided to spend each day on their journey training.