The reason behind their fight was uncertain, but Dylan was worked up while the other man toyed with him. Aiden watched from the side as the situation escalated, and Dylan summoned a red sword out of thin air.
A circle formed around them, and Aiden had to find a spot to see the fight. He climbed a nearby tree and got a better look. The two sides both had their weapons drawn, and the crowd cheered for them to fight.
"Take it back," Dylan said as he raised his sword. "If not, your tongue is mine to keep."
"I only said the truth," the man said with a smile. "Seeing you this agitated… it seems I was right."
Dylan bolted forward. Aiden could not follow the man with his eyes, making it seem like he disappeared. He reappeared in front of the man, and their swords clashed. A shockwave pushed the crowd backward and almost sent Aiden to the ground.
Their swords trembled as they pushed against one another, and in under a second, they exchanged several blows. Aiden could not see their clash, but could feel the vibrations pulse through his body.
In just a few blows, the campsite around them turned into a torn battlefield—ashes, blood, and long gashes across the ground. Their fight was escalating further, as Dylan was the first to use his ability.
The man turned to two, and they circled around their prey. He struck from different angles, but his opponent yelled out for a shield to appear. The two attackers, Dylan and his clone, staggered backward.
The man lunged forward.
Aiden knew this would be the end for Dylan.
Moments before he met his fate, a rift appeared between them. Genevieve appeared between the two, and her sword flashed. Its trail split the sky in two and sent both parties sliding backward on the ground.
"Infighting will not be tolerated in my camp," she said, her voice icy cold. "Anyone who breaks that rule is not welcome and can return to Argan alone."
Dylan and the other man dropped their weapons at once and bowed to the Guild Master. She looked at them, her blue eyes apathetic.
"In normal times, I would send you back to Argan," she said. "But we need every man we have to survive the incoming battle. If you cannot be smart enough to put your differences aside, tell me, and I will remove you from the mission."
"We oblige, Guild Master," both of them said in unison. "Please forgive us."
Genevieve spared them another glance before turning toward the rest. "We will reach our destination in a day. Until then, I want no more infighting or problems. We are a team, after all."
No one said anything, and Genevieve disappeared with a flash of violet. Aiden watched the crowd disperse from above before jumping down to join them. He wanted to follow Dylan, but a hand pulled him back.
"Where are you going?" Elijah asked. His friendly expression was no longer there. "You plan on skipping our duties even more? I don't know why the guild assigned you to my team, but I don't like this attitude of yours."
"Let go," Aiden said. "I was finishing my task."
"We have a new one," Elijah said. "We were asked to patrol the area."
"I thought we already did that," Aiden said.
"I received new instructions that a group of monsters appeared, and we have to take them out," Elijah said. "Follow me."
Aiden looked at him lead the way, but didn't object. He followed after him while a suspicion arose in his heart. Elijah led Aiden back to their tent, where the others were already waiting.
Elijah then explained that a group of monsters appeared from a mountain nearby, and that his superior in the Guild asked them to take care of it. They began forming a plan and some strategies, while Aiden and Raymond remained silent.
The monsters were called Shadow Weavers. According to Elijah, they were stronger than normal monsters because they had awakened their first ability—shadow teleport. They finish off their unaware prey with their long scythes.
"They don't seem like opponents we can handle," Raymond said with a frown. Aiden had to agree. "Are you sure the guild assigned this task to us?"
"If you don't think you can handle it, I can ask the guild to send you back to Argan," Elijah said as a matter of fact. "I need to hear your decision now."
Raymond was silent, and he glanced at Aiden. Somehow, he knew that Aiden agreed that this entire thing seemed suspicious. Therefore, Aiden answered on their behalf.
"There's no need," Aiden said. "We'll participate."
"That's good," Claw said. "Seekers need to challenge themselves."
Raymond nodded. Elijah began explaining logistics, while Aiden studied the rest of the group. Silas seemed unbothered, but Catherine looked uncomfortable. She glanced at Aiden and Raymond for a while, but didn't say anything.
Their group left the camp shortly after, just as they were about to serve lunch. They navigated the dense forest to catch a glimpse of the mountain that they were about to climb.
"Something is wrong," Raymond whispered next to Aiden as the two trailed behind the rest. "I don't think this is really a task assigned to us by the guild."
"What makes you think that?" Aiden asked.
"The Shadow Weavers are not monsters we can handle," Raymond said with a frown. "The four are a team, which makes me think that they are working together. We should too."
"You think you can trust me, or I can trust you?"
"Trust is overrated," Raymond said. "But if we don't work together, something bad might happen."
"If anything, it would happen to you," Aiden said. "I'm a nobody. You are the heir of a noble family. I bet my money that someone is here to assassinate you."
"I bet mine as well," Raymond said with a grin. "I just want to know if these four know about it or not."
"What difference does it make?"
"I need to organize my kill list," Raymond said, his innocent expression disappearing, replaced by a cold, calculating killer.
"Killing is that easy for you?"
"I have too many enemies," Raymond said with a grin. "But not enough allies."