Displeasure written all over King Hertar’s face, he slammed both the letter he had been sent and the notice posted around town onto his desk and leaned back in contemplation. Hayla’s demands were outrageous. She essentially declared Alarna’s area of influence to end at the current tree lines surrounding the town, and all activities outside would need to be approved by their new organization. She claimed this to be necessary to be able to provide protection from hostile elements, but the underlying tone was more than obvious.

Hayla was placing herself and her group onto a pedestal, looking down on Hertar and the other Rulers. If they were to take ownership of the Wildlands, they would position themselves as leaders above all others. Such a regime would be inescapable. Adding to the arrogance, she was also demanding a hefty sum for their protective services, which was to be paid in monthly intervals. The letter described in detail what was expected of Alarna, how their rights would be limited going forward, and what they could expect in return. At no point did it suggest that declining to participate was an option.

The notice meanwhile was more of an advertisement, with nothing but positive information—work, money, opportunities, and safety. Despite the guards’ efforts to contain it, it was already spreading like wildfire, and many citizens were eagerly discussing it. Hertar clenched his fists in frustration.

Zara had been sitting across from him in silence for a good five minutes, observing him with a look of confusion. She hadn’t seen him lose his composure before, so she was curious as to what could have caused him to become so angry.

Lait seemed to be contemplating the same question, and after a moment, he gathered the courage to ask. "Your Majesty, if I may ask, what happened?"

Hertar's thoughts were abruptly interrupted, and he raised his head to look at Lait. With a grunt, he gestured towards the papers and replied, “Read.”

Lait scanned the contents of the letters, and his eyes widened as he quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. “Hayla... is blackmailing you?” he exclaimed incredulously. “This is absurd. Or, well, it would be...”

Hertar nodded in agreement. “That’s right. It would be, if we weren’t talking about them.”

This group had an impressive track record of not only surviving, but somehow living in the Wildlands. They had repeatedly escaped prosecution, fought the most dangerous beasts known to man victoriously, and nobody could say for sure how strong they were or could become. They were the only ones who could claim ownership of the Wildlands and not become a laughingstock. They were a force to be reckoned with already, but given a little bit of ruthlessness and cunning planning could make them unstoppable. Letting Hayla go with them had been a mistake.

Lait understood the king’s worries, but he still seemed uncertain. “Even so... Aren’t these claims too bold? They’ve been out there for a few days, with a very small group of people, and now they mean to take ownership of everything?”

“Are you talking about Tomar?” Zara interrupted.

“Yes,” Lait responded. “It seems they’re attempting to build up a beast fighting department of sorts out in the Wildlands.”

“Beasts?” Zara frowned. “I thought whatever Lilly did prevented most beasts from coming here.”

“Supposedly, her blessings are only temporary,” Lait explained. “It seems that we need to expedite our research into the scripture sigils that were found on several trees outside.”

“We don’t have conclusive information yet?” the king asked, irked.

“Not yet, my apologies. It seems like the temple’s scripture researcher disappeared, and with Gean Maila gone as well, there are no experts left in town.”

The king’s tone grew more forceful. “And what about the Sourcerer? Have you made any progress in locating her?”

Lait lowered his head apologetically. “I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. Her place of residence remains unknown, and whenever we send people to the temple, she's nowhere to be found. It seems she's actively evading us.”

Hertar grunted in annoyance. He wasn't blaming Lait, but the situation was becoming increasingly frustrating. They needed more information to be able to react appropriately to these letters. Standing up from his desk, the king began pacing slowly, deep in thought. The two men began to discuss various approaches, weighing the pros and cons of each. It was clear that they needed to act quickly and decisively.

Zara listened with growing curiosity, her mind racing to fill in the gaps in her knowledge about what was happening in town. Riala had always been talking about scripts, the Callings, mana, and this healer, but she had only conveyed partial information. Now, as she eavesdropped on the conversation between Hertar and Lait, she felt like she was getting a clearer picture of the situation.

“If I may, Your Majesty,” Lait said, “I propose that we send a squad to confirm the claims about the blessings. We need to know if there are gaps in the protective barrier, and where.”

“Yes... And we need to reevaluate you two venturing outside. It might be too dangerous at the moment.”

Zara shot up from her chair. “Wait, what? No, that is unacceptable. We have a deal and I will hold you to it!”

Lait tried to hold her back as she stepped closer to the king. “Please calm yourself! It would only be for a little bit! We don’t know what the situation is like outside!”

“I don’t care! You promised me this, and you will—”

Zara was interrupted mid-sentence by an alarm going off in the distance, bells warning of a beast appearing. Everyone’s eyes went wide as Hertar hurried out of his office, leaving a furious Zara behind.

***

When a single wolf appeared in the plains south of Alarna, the outlooks were perplexed, but not overly concerned at first. While a category three was not to be taken lightly, a competent squad could dispose of it without much risk. Looking closer, however, this beast appeared to have eerily glowing red lines run across its body, which immediately unnerved the guards. Recent events made them even more wary of unknown beasts than they had been before, and this prompted them to ring the alarm, even though the beast wasn’t yet close to the town. Three nearby squads were gathered and headed out to intercept or scare away the beast before it could get closer.

It didn’t take long for the lone wolf to take notice. Its gaze darted back and forth between the incoming guards and the dense woods behind it. It should’ve fled, like any other of its kind upon seeing this many Fighters, but instead, it stood its ground, baring its teeth in a low growl that grew more menacing with each step the Fighters took.

They learned what was special about this monster when the wolf’s growl suddenly grew deafening, and the air was rent with a searing heat as the wolf opened its maw wide. Flames erupted from its jaws, hurtling towards the group with frightening speed. The guards froze in terror as the fire scorched the ground before them. A few more steps and at least a few of them would have been gravely injured, if not worse. The intense heat of the flames was enough to singe their skin, and they could feel the searing pain of the fire even from where they stood. It was a narrow escape, and they could feel the weight of the situation settling heavily upon them, knowing that they had to tread carefully if they hoped to emerge from this encounter unscathed.

The squad leaders wasted no time, barking orders at their subordinates while surrounding the fearsome creature in a standard formation, spears at the ready. Some of the guards attempted to draw the wolf's attention, while others crept up from behind, hoping to catch it off guard—a tactic that rarely failed with wolves.

The Fighters fought valiantly, but despite their best efforts, they could not seem to get close enough to it, as it wielded its flames masterfully to keep them at bay. Anytime it noticed someone approaching, it pushed them back with a fierce blast of fire. And even when a Fighter managed to sneak up on it, the beast spun around with lightning speed—ready to attack—as if knowing what was happening in its blind spots.

As the battle raged on, the guards began to realize that this foe was beyond their abilities. They hadn’t been able to strike it even once, and while their numbers had not decreased, their exhaustion was growing by the second as they evaded the flames. The guards were determined to stand between the beast and the town’s innocent people, but they understood their fate to hang in the balance.

Just as the guards began to tire and their resolve wavered, a sudden rustling in the woods caught their attention. A lone figure on the back of a massive wolf trotted out from behind the trees. Stepping into the sunlight of the early morning, they immediately recognized them as Tomar Remor and his pet beast Hati.

The fire breathing wolf noticed them as well and seemed immediately on edge as it looked between the guards blocking its way and the new threat. Without warning, it jumped over some of the guards and spewed fire in Tomar’s direction mid-air.

The young man remained unfazed. Casually extending his arm, a powerful blast of water shot out from his hand, aimed straight at the beast. Fire met water, but the heat was no match and the flames were swallowed in an instant. Hati let out a triumphant howl as the blast made contact with its mark, and the once-terrifying beast fell to the ground with a thud, defeated.

The guards stood in stunned silence for a moment, unsure of how to react to what had just transpired. They looked up at Tomar skeptically, uncertain of his intentions, but his eyes appeared fixed on their hometown behind them. Following his gaze, they saw multiple figures standing on top of the town walls, watching. Even from this distance, they could tell that one of them was the king, adding to their uncertainty.

They stood face to face with a criminal, but not only had he just saved them, they couldn’t hope to match him in battle. There were also no standing orders to apprehend him after his banishment, so they came to the conclusion that nobody could expect them to even try. By the time they overcame their indecisiveness and turned back towards Tomar, he was already returning to the woods, Hati dragging the corpse of the dead beast after him.

A sense of relief washed over them as the situation resolved itself. It seemed Tomar had only wanted to help them. He had no obligation to do so after his banishment, and yet here he was. Their thoughts wandered to the notices posted around town, announcing that his group would make it their lives’ purpose to protect humanity, and the guards watched reverently as Tomar disappeared from view. The majestic image of their savior, sitting atop a category three in a neat suit would forever be imprinted in their minds.