By the time they decided to turn back, none of them argued.
Nine Stoneback lizards lay dead behind them, scattered across tunnels they'd memorized by instinct and landmarks. The fights had gone well, too well, almost. But the weight in their limbs told the truth. Muscles shook when they stopped moving. Wrists ached from repeated impacts. Breathing came heavier than it should have.
Arin checked his status while they rested, back against a cold stone wall, sword laid flat across his knees.
Two hundred and seventy Lord Coins.
The number sat there quietly.
They didn't linger.
Victor spoke first, rubbing the ache out of his jaw. "If we keep pushing, we'll start thinking that we've got it handled." He glanced down the tunnel. "That's usually the point where things go wrong."
No one disagreed.
They skinned what they could, five hides from the last chamber, working carefully, efficiently. There was no rush, but no wasted movement either. Raul kept watch, daggers loose in his hands, eyes tracking every sound that didn't belong to them. Arin helped where he could, then focused on packing the meat.
They took as much as their bodies would allow.
By the time they finished, the bags were heavy enough to pull at their shoulders. Enough meat to feed the village for days. Not a feast, but sustenance. The kind that mattered.
The trip back wasn't quiet.
The smell followed them, no matter how tightly they wrapped the bundles. Smaller monsters tried their luck along the way, nothing like the Stonebacks, but desperate and hungry enough to be dangerous. They dealt with them quickly, without ceremony. Raul moved first. Victor ended things. Arin stayed where he needed to be, watching angles, stepping in when needed.
By the time the village came into view, the sun was already leaning low.
Arin checked again.
Three hundred and four Lord Coins.
"That'll do," he muttered to himself.
The smithy came first.
They stored the hides carefully, stacking them where they wouldn't warp or rot. Victor took a moment longer than necessary, running his hands over the Stoneback leather, already planning improvements, adjustments. His eyes were tired, but sharp.
Then they went to Rasir.
The moment they stepped inside his house, something felt off.
The air was heavy, not with heat, but with pressure. Rasir stood near the center of the room, spear resting against the wall, posture straight in a way that didn't belong to a relaxed evening. His expression was hard, jaw set, eyes fixed on Arin.
"Sir Rasir," Arin started, shifting the weight of the meat on his shoulder. "We brought—"
The pressure hit them before the sentence finished.
Rasir released his aura.
It wasn't explosive. It didn't need to be. It pressed down like a hand on the chest, making breath harder to draw, and legs feel suddenly unreliable. Victor's knee bent before he caught himself. Raul grit his teeth, shoulders tensing. Arin felt it the most, like the air itself was telling him to kneel.
"How dare you trick me like that?" Rasir said.
Arin forced himself to stay upright. "Trick? Sir, what are you talking about?"
Rasir's gaze sharpened. The pressure intensified just enough to make the message clear.
Arin activated Lord's Eyes.
___________________________
Name: Rasir
Core Talent: Spearmanship
Rank: Captain
Potential: Low
___________________________
Captain rank pressure.
"You tricked my daughter," Rasir said, voice controlled but burning underneath. "Didn't you?"
"Sir," Arin said carefully, each word chosen with effort, "please calm down. Let's talk."
For a long moment, Rasir stared at him.
Then the pressure vanished.
"Sit," Rasir said.
They did. None of them argued.
Rasir took a breath, long and deliberate. "What's your plan with my daughter?"
Arin met his gaze. "Nothing underhanded. My talent lets me see potential. Mina has a lot of it. More than most people I've met. It's being wasted here."
Rasir's grip tightened around his spear. "That doesn't give you the right to risk her life. You were planning to cross the Scorched Pass. Were you planning to take her with you?"
"Yes," Arin said. Then, after a pause, "But not recklessly. If she's in danger, all of us are. We don't put people behind us and run ahead."
Rasir scoffed. "Big words for someone your size."
Arin didn't flinch. "Leaving that aside, she already joined us. She's our teammate now."
That did it.
Rasir's eyes flashed, sharp and cold. He turned on his heel. "Follow me."
They didn't have time to exchange looks before they were already moving.
Mina's hut stood quiet when they arrived. She opened the door before Rasir could knock. One look at their faces told her everything.
She stepped aside. "Come in."
Her expression was calm. Resolute. Like she'd already decided how this would end.
Rasir faced her. "I've heard you. I've heard them too." His voice softened, just a little. "If you want to leave, that's your choice."
Mina didn't hesitate. She nodded once.
Rasir turned back to the three of them. "But don't think I'll hand my daughter over without knowing you can survive out there, and that you won't drag her into death's jaws."
Arin opened his mouth, but Rasir raised a hand.
"Fight me, all three of you at once," Rasir said. "Hold ten blows. That's all."
The room went silent.
"If you can do that," Rasir continued, "I permit you to take her. If you can't, none of you leave this village."
He looked at them, expression unyielding.
This wasn't anger anymore.
This was a father drawing a line.
And waiting to see who was strong enough to stand on the other side of it.