With their companions released to rest after the expedition, only this final task remained.

  As Jamie and Thomas stepped out of the Golden Fiddle, the midday sun hung high in the sky, casting brilliant light across the bustling streets of Hafenstadt. Despite the early hour, fatigue tugged at their limbs.

  As they approached the Commercial Quarter, they were welcomed by the sounds and scents of the city. Vendors called out, hawking wares. The aroma of fresh bread mingled with the salty tang of the nearby sea, while seagulls circled overhead, their cries adding to the urban symphony.

  Though both men were familiar with the labyrinthine streets, Thomas took the lead.

  "It shouldn't take us long," Thomas remarked, his gaze scanning the crowds with practiced ease.

  They wound their way toward the heart of the commercial district. Tall buildings lined the avenues, each adorned with ornate signs and banners emblazoned with emblems: crossed swords, mystical runes, gilded hammers. The guild houses stood shoulder to shoulder, their architecture a blend of old stone and polished wood, inviting and imposing in equal measure.

  As they walked, Jamie ensured the crystal they had retrieved was securely tucked away in his satchel. The gem pulsed faintly with an inner light. Beside him, Thomas hefted a bundle wrapped in coarse cloth: the troll hides they had collected as additional proof of their deeds.

  Thomas pointed toward a grand entrance flanked by statues of armored warriors. "That entrance is for adventurers," he explained, his tone informative. "Usually, they require you to have prior experience with a mercenary company before they'll even consider you."

  "Aside from it being more difficult to become an adventurer, is there any other difference?" Jamie asked, his curiosity piqued.

  Thomas glanced at him. "I can't speak for other cities, but here in Hafenstadt, mercenaries are tasked solely with extermination missions, getting rid of threats like monsters or bandits. Adventurers, on the other hand, handle a bit of everything. Search and apprehension, escorting valuable items, exploring uncharted territories. Anything high-risk that you can imagine, an adventurer will take on."

  Jamie nodded thoughtfully. "I see." He pondered the distinction, considering how it might affect their future plans. While the adventurers' diverse roles were intriguing, he wasn't sure how they could leverage them at the moment.

  At last, they arrived at a formidable stone building bearing the emblem of the Mercenaries' Guild: a silver sword crossed over a shield emblazoned with a roaring lion. Massive double doors stood open, the dark wood etched with intricate designs and reinforced with iron bands.

  Jamie and Thomas exchanged a glance before stepping inside.

  The interior of the guild hall was immense. A great hall filled with the din of conversations, clinking armor, and the occasional burst of laughter. Long wooden tables stretched across the floor, where mercenaries of all shapes and sizes gathered. Some sharpened their blades, others swapped stories over tankards of ale, and a few haggled loudly over the prices of rare monster parts.

  The air was thick with the scent of smoke, metal, and sweat. Banners hung from the rafters high above, each representing different mercenary companies. Some long-established, others new and aspiring. Trophy cases lined the walls, displaying preserved claws, fangs, and other grisly mementos of past victories.

  The hall was teeming with people; it seemed every mercenary in Hafenstadt had convened here. To the right, a modest bar nestled in the corner, where a few solitary figures nursed drinks, lost in their own thoughts or quietly observing the bustling scene.

  However, the vast majority of the crowd was gettering on the queues, each one leading to a set of counters manned by guild attendants. The air hummed with a blend of anticipation and impatience.

  Each rank level within the Mercenaries' Guild had two distinct lines: one for registering new missions and another for submitting spoils and claiming rewards. The ranks ranged from D up to the elusive Triple-S, but only the queues from D to A were occupied.

  The D-rank lines were especially congested, teeming with fresh-faced recruits eager to prove themselves, as well as seasoned mercenaries taking on simpler tasks to fill their purses. The sheer number of individuals in the D-rank queues created a sense of organized chaos, with figures jostling for position yet bound by an unspoken code of conduct.

  Jamie surveyed the scene, taking in the sea of armor-clad bodies and the labyrinth of lines. "Looks like we're in for a wait," he remarked, adjusting the strap of his satchel where the Monster Crystal was safely tucked away.

  Thomas nodded. "Seems so," he agreed, hefting the bundle of troll hides slung over his shoulder. The weight didn't appear to bother him, but the prospect of standing in line for hours was less appealing.

  Resigned to the inevitable, they joined the end of the D-rank submission queue. The line crept forward at a snail's pace, each slight shuffle bringing them a fraction closer to their goal. To pass the time, Jamie observed those around him. A dwarf with a braided beard and a massive axe chatted animatedly with a stern-looking woman clad in light armor, a bow slung across her back. In front of them, a pair of young adventurers, barely out of their teens, whispered excitedly, their eyes alight with dreams of glory.

  Minutes stretched into hours as the line inched forward. The sun reached its zenith, sending shafts of light through the high windows to paint patterns on the floor. The ambient noise became a backdrop to Jamie's thoughts, his mind drifting as he stared absently at a nearby tapestry depicting a dragon soaring over a battlefield.

  At long last, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the front of the queue. The hall was no less crowded than when they had first entered; if anything, it seemed even more bustling with the arrival of mercenaries returning from morning assignments and others seeking new opportunities in the afternoon.

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  Behind the polished oak counter stood a young woman with vibrant red hair cascading in loose waves over her shoulders. Her eyes were a striking emerald green, and her smile was warm and genuine. Jamie recognized her as the attendant who had assisted him during the registration of his company, though in the flurry of activity, he hadn't caught her name.

  "Hello! Good to see you again," she greeted them cheerfully, her gaze flicking between Jamie and Thomas.

  "Good to be back," Jamie replied with a polite nod. "We're here to submit the mission we received. It was part of our approval process."

  He reached into his satchel and retrieved the official documentation, a neatly folded parchment bearing the guild's seal. Placing it on the counter, he watched as the attendant unfolded it carefully, her eyes scanning the contents with practiced efficiency.

  "Let's see," she murmured, her finger tracing the lines of text. "Ah, the goblin elimination assignment in the southern woods. Congratulations on completing your first mission." She looked up with a bright smile. "I'll just need proof of the goblins' defeat. If you have any materials—ears, talismans—we can process those and arrange payment accordingly."

  "That's exactly our problem," Jamie said, his voice steady yet carrying an undercurrent of urgency. "We didn't find the goblins alive, their nests were destroyed. In their place, we found trolls and a Monster Crystal."

  The cheerful expression on the guild attendant's face vanished, her rosy cheeks paling as if the blood had drained away. She was a young woman with bright eyes and a quick smile, but now her gaze was fixed on Jamie with a mixture of shock and concern. Around them, nearby mercenaries paused in their conversations, the low hum of the hall quieting as ears tuned into the unfolding exchange.

  "Are you certain it's a Monster Crystal?" the attendant asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  "Absolutely," Thomas interjected, stepping forward. "I've seen others in the past."

  The attendant swallowed hard, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the counter's edge. "I... I need to report this immediately," she stammered. "We must evacuate the area and summon the army."

  "Wait!" Jamie raised a calming hand. "We've already handled the situation. That's why we're here. To check if there's a problem. Is there an issue with that?"

  Confusion flickered across the attendant's face. Before she could formulate a response, Jamie felt a heavy hand clamp down on his shoulder, a grip both presumptuous and unwelcome.

  "Hey, buddy," a gruff voice drawled from behind him. "It's not cool to be spouting lies like that. We've all been standing in this line for hours, and now some no-name waltzes in spouting nonsense?"

  Scattered laughter erupted from the surrounding mercenaries, a mocking chorus that grated against Jamie's nerves. He tilted his head just enough to glimpse the speaker from the corner of his eye. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, muscles straining against worn leather armor. A wild, unkempt beard framed a sneer that oozed disdain.

  Without warning, Jamie moved with the swiftness of a striking serpent. His right hand darted to his belt, drawing a slender dagger with a polished blade. In a fluid motion, he brought the dagger upward, its keen point coming to rest just beneath the man's stubbled chin.

  "I'm not your friend," Jamie said coldly, his eyes locking onto the man's with an icy glare. "And I didn't give you permission to touch me. Remove your hand, or I'll draw this blade from one side of your face to the other."

  A tense silence fell over the hall. The mercenary's smug expression faltered, uncertainty flickering in his eyes as he realized his position. The weight of the dagger's point against his skin was a sharp reminder of his miscalculation. Around them, other mercenaries watched with bated breath, the previous mirth snuffed out like a candle in the wind.

  Slowly, the man raised his hands in a placating gesture, stepping back to release his grip on Jamie's shoulder. Satisfied, Jamie lowered the dagger, the steel gleaming briefly before he sheathed it at his side.

  Turning back to the counter, Jamie reached into his satchel with his left hand and retrieved a small glass vial. Inside, the Monster Crystal pulsed faintly with a mesmerizing inner light. He placed it gently on the counter before the attendant.

  "I've brought the crystal for evaluation and to receive the appropriate reward," he stated calmly. "And my partner has some troll hides to submit as well."

  Thomas stepped forward, unshouldering a hefty pack and dropping it onto the counter with a solid thunk. Jamie continued. "In total, we got rid of twenty trolls, though we can only provide proof for ten. We had burned the remaining too badly."

  A collective gasp rippled through those within earshot. The attendant's eyes widened, her composure wavering. "T-twenty trolls?" she echoed, disbelief lacing her words. "That's equivalent to a Rank B mission, perhaps even Rank A. I... I'm not authorized to process something of this magnitude. I'll need to summon the Guild Leader."

  Without waiting for a response, she turned and hurried away, her footsteps echoing across the wooden floor as she disappeared through a doorway behind the counter.

  Jamie and Thomas stood in the gathering silence, the weight of numerous eyes upon them. Some mercenaries exchanged hushed whispers, while others regarded them with newfound respect or perhaps suspicion. The atmosphere had shifted, the casual camaraderie replaced by a charged tension.

  Moments later, the attendant returned, accompanied by an imposing figure. A tall woman strode confidently beside her, commanding attention with each measured step. Her long, silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, contrasting sharply with the dark leathers and armor she wore. Most strikingly, a sleek, feline tail swayed subtly behind her, its movements accentuating her predatory grace.

  "You two," she said, her voice firm but not unkind. "Follow me."

  The attendant lifted a section of the counter, allowing Jamie and Thomas to pass through. They complied, feeling the myriad gazes of the guild members following their every move.

  She led them toward a grand staircase that spiraled upward, each step creaking softly underfoot. As they ascended, the clamor of the main hall diminished, replaced by the quiet hush of the guild's upper levels. Ornate tapestries adorned the walls, depicting epic battles and legendary heroes of ages past.

  Reaching the second floor, they proceeded down a long corridor illuminated by the soft glow of enchanted lanterns. The air here was cooler, tinged with the scent of parchment and aged wood. At the end of the hall stood a pair of double doors, each carved with intricate patterns of mythical beasts entwined with vines.

  The woman pushed the doors open, revealing a spacious office bathed in warm light. A rich carpet stretched across the floor, muffling their footsteps as they entered. To either side, plush sofas upholstered in deep burgundy fabric invited visitors to sit. In the center of the room, several high-backed chairs surrounded a low table crafted from polished mahogany. At the far end, a large desk commanded the space, its surface meticulously organized with scrolls, ledgers, and quills arranged alongside a brass inkpot.

  The lioness-woman moved behind the desk and settled into a carved wooden chair adorned with velvet cushions. She gestured gracefully toward the chairs before her. "Please, have a seat," she said, her gaze sharp and assessing. "Let's discuss exactly what happened."

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