The Guild Master, his face a mask of controlled fury, leaned forward, his hands clasped tightly on his desk. He had lost the first round, and the humiliation was a bitter taste in his mouth. He wouldn't risk open confrontation, not with a "Soul-Binder" who had proven his ruthlessness. Instead, he would use a different kind of weapon: a test.
"A test it will be," he said, his voice as cold as a serpent's hiss. "But not a simple one. The guild's records show an ongoing issue in the city's underbelly. A section of the sewers, known as the Sunken Labyrinth, has been overrun by a new type of monster. Our best hunters have gone in, but none have returned."
He unrolled a map of the city's sewer system, its lines a tangled mess of corridors and waterways. "The Sunken Labyrinth is a confusing place, a maze of pipes and tunnels. The monster that lives there is a Miasma Shroud—a cunning creature that uses a suffocating, poisonous fog to kill its prey. It's a Rare-rank monster, but its unpredictable nature makes it far more dangerous than it should be."
He looked at me, a flicker of a challenge in his eyes. "The guild needs that monster's essence. Its unique ability to produce a poisonous fog would be a powerful asset for us. Your assignment is to enter the Sunken Labyrinth, defeat the Miasma Shroud, and bring back its essence. You will also bring back the artifacts of the hunters it has killed. They are Guild property."
I knew this was a test, a way to keep me and Juts under his thumb. He was sending us into a kill zone, a place where even experienced hunters failed. He was hoping that we would die, or at the very least, that the Labyrinth's unpredictable nature would humble me.
I simply smiled, a cold, humorless expression. "A test. I accept."
Juts, who had been listening with wide, terrified eyes, looked at me, a silent question in his gaze. He didn't understand the depth of the Guild Master's cunning, the layers of deceit in his simple assignment. He didn't know that the Sunken Labyrinth was not just a kill zone, but a place where a powerful hunter could hide secrets, a place where a Guild Master could bury evidence.
"You will be given a basic map of the sewer system," the Guild Master continued, his voice now filled with a triumphant note. "And nothing else. You are on your own. You have three days. If you fail to return, the guild will consider you a liability, and we will hunt you down."
He handed me a rolled-up piece of parchment. I took it, my hand steady, my mind already formulating a plan. I didn't need his map, or his help. I had my own knowledge, my own secrets, and my own cunning.
"The Labyrinth is a place of illusions," I said, a faint smile on my face. "A place where the monster's poisonous fog can confuse and disorient a hunter, a place where it can hide and wait for its prey. But I am not a hunter who is easily confused. I am a hunter who thrives in the shadows."
He said nothing, his eyes fixed on my face, a mixture of fear and rage on his expression. He knew that I was not bluffing. He knew that I was not a pawn to be used, but a predator who would use him.
I looked at Juts, who was still trembling with fear. "Come," I said, my voice as calm as ice. "We have a monster to kill."
We left the Guild Master's office, the guards watching us with a mixture of fear and respect. They had seen the Guild Master's fear, and they knew that I was not a boy to be trifled with.
Juts was silent as we walked through the city's crowded streets. The city was a blur of colors and sounds, a stark contrast to the quiet of the forest. He looked at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and confusion.
"What was that?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "What did he mean by 'Soul-Binder'? What did you do to me?"
I simply smiled. "I gave you a chance, Juts. I gave you a chance to be strong. To be a hunter. You should be grateful."
He said nothing, his eyes fixed on my face, a thousand questions running through his mind. He didn't understand. He didn't understand that the world was a brutal, unforgiving place, and that the only way to survive was to become a monster.
The Sunken Labyrinth was a dark, foreboding place, its entrance a gaping maw of rusted iron and crumbling stone. The air was thick with the smell of decay and a strange, sickly sweet odor that I knew was the monster's poisonous fog.
I looked at Juts, who was still trembling with fear. "Remember what I taught you," I said, my voice calm. "Use your mind. Use your cunning. Don't be a fool."
He said nothing, but he nodded, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the Sunken Labyrinth. He was still a boy who wanted to be a hero, but I would teach him that there were no heroes in this world, only survivors.
The game had just begun.