Since Lux and the others had been gone for some time, Lisa returned to her desk and resumed organizing the guild's documents. It was part of her usual routine as the receptionist.
At this small branch, only she and the guild master were assigned, and while she manned the ground floor daily, the guild master rarely left his office unless a serious issue arose.
Fortunately, due to the low number of active adventurers in Egrish, Lisa was never overwhelmed with work. The pace was slow, the atmosphere quiet, just the way she preferred it.
Suddenly, the door to the office swung open and the guild master rushed out, his footsteps heavy and urgent. He moved straight toward Lisa, a rare look of concern etched across his face.
"Did that party already leave?"
He asked hastily.
He was a man in his forties, broad-shouldered with a rugged build and a deep scar running across his left eye — a clear reminder of his past as a veteran adventurer.
Lisa blinked in surprise.
"Yes… they left quite some time ago. They're probably nearing the dungeon by now. Why? It's rare for you to leave your office like this,"
Lisa said, raising an eyebrow.
Guild master let out a long sigh.
The Guild Master let out a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"I just received a classified letter from the Head Guild. We were supposed to get it yesterday, but since we don't have a magical communication stone in this branch… it had to come by carrier bird."
Lisa listened carefully, her brow furrowed in concern.
"And… what's the content of the letter, Guild Master?"
She asked.
The Guild Master's expression darkened.
"There's a warning about a group of adventurers who've been luring others into dungeons… then killing them and stealing their belongings. They pretend they encountered some 'accident' during the quest. Three members of the group have already been captured while trying to pull the same trick elsewhere."
Lisa's eyes widened in horror.
"Who… who is this party? Wait, don't tell me… is it Storming Night?!"
She shot up from her seat, her voice rising in panic as the realization hit her.
Besides Blake and Lowel, those temporary members, especially Will and Vox, had always seemed suspiciously well-equipped.
"Yes. Three members of their group were seen roaming in Floran, the town just west of here,"
the Guild Master continued, arms folded tightly across his chest.
Lisa's face grew pale.
"What should we do? Guild Master, Lux is with them too!"
The Guild Master sighed, the weight of the situation pressing on his shoulders.
"It can't be helped. I've already requested assistance from the nearby guild. Unfortunately, we don't have enough capable adventurers here to act right away."
"But… Lux could be in danger…"
Lisa's voice trembled slightly, her worry slipping through.
"Don't worry,"
He said, his tone a bit softer.
"Lux isn't that weak, right? We just need to hold out until help arrives… which should be by tomorrow morning."
There were occasional cases where adventure parties would trick inexperienced or lower-ranked adventures into joining them on dungeon exploration. Since dungeons were isolated and hidden from public view, they became the perfect place for such crimes to go unnoticed. Some parties would lure other in with the promise of teamwork, only to ambush, rob or even kill them inside.
In the worst cases, the victims were never found, and some was kidnap and sold as slave in the black market. The criminals would fabricate a story about a failed quest or deadly monster encounter.
The Adventurers Guild had tightened its rules over the years, even assigning supervisors to oversee registered parties. However, corruption and the influence of money remained persistent issues, ones that couldn't be easily erased.
The majority of these cases often occurred in small towns and villages where few adventurers were stationed. To make matters worse, these criminals rarely acted alone, they had backers supporting them from the shadows. Despite the guild's efforts, their activities continued to grow, slipping under the radar and spreading unnoticed.
Neither the Guild Master of Egrish nor Lisa had expected that such criminals would target a quiet village like theirs, let alone bring three other adventurers with them.
Lisa, however, could only hope that Lux would return safely after guiding them to the dungeon. Saving the others would come next. For now, they had no idea what kind of tricks Blake and Lowel might have hidden up their sleeves.
The only thing they could do now was wait for help to arrive the following morning.
The guild master placed a reassuring hand on Lisa's shoulder, hoping to calm her before quietly returning to his office.
Left alone, Lisa stared blankly at the guild's entrance, worry etched across her face.
"…Lux,"
She whispered softly, his name barely escaping her lips.