The road finally curved around a patch of crooked trees, and through the thinning rain, Kai squinted at a weathered wooden sign swaying on rusty chains.

  "Timberhollow," he read aloud.

  Ren leaned over his shoulder, unimpressed. "Sounds like a place that sells overpriced firewood."

  Kai wiped the rain off his face and straightened his back like he'd just spotted the gates of a royal capital. "It's a start."

  Ahead of them, a modest frontier town came into view—surrounded by damp woods and misty hills that looked like they'd been stuck in autumn three months too long. Timberhollow wasn't much to look at, but after walking through miles of rain and mud, it might as well have been a palace.

  The outer gates stood crooked but open, flanked by bored-looking guards under makeshift canvas awnings. Inside, the town buzzed with muddy carts, shouting merchants, and the general chaos of people trying to make a living while avoiding puddles the size of small lakes.

  Kai's eyes lit up. "Look at this! Civilization!"

  Ren raised an eyebrow. "You say that like it isn't covered in mud and bad attitudes."

  Just then, a wheelbarrow hit a rut in the road and splashed a nearby worker, triggering a loud shouting match complete with creative insults about someone's goat.

  Kai smirked. "Home sweet home."

  By the time they reached the gates, Kai was half-dragging his feet and Ren looked like a walking towel commercial gone wrong. Mud streaked their pants, their shirts clung uncomfortably to their backs, and the bag on Ren's shoulder let out a soft hrrmph like it was just as annoyed with the weather.

  A guard standing near the entrance—a stocky man in a dented helmet—glanced up from under his awning. He gave them a once-over, squinting like they were just another pair of lost travelers.

  "Identification?" the guard asked flatly.

  Kai straightened, trying to muster what little heroic presence he had left. He threw his thumb toward his chest and announced, loud and proud, "We're summoned heroes!"

  For a brief moment, it seemed like the world itself might hold its breath.

  The guard blinked. Then snorted. Then laughed—a wheezy, full-bellied laugh like Kai had just declared himself the king of the puddles.

  "Yeah, sure you are," the guard said, wiping a tear from his eye. He waved them through without a second glance. "Go on in. Soup's probably still hot at the Stonebriar Inn."

  Kai stood frozen in place, jaw twitching.

  Ren patted his shoulder as he walked past. "Strong first impression, champ."

  Kai groaned and followed him in.

  The twins shuffled deeper into town, drawing a few curious glances as they passed through the muddy main street.

  Kai tried to square his shoulders and look like he belonged here. It didn't help that every third person they passed looked like they'd stepped out of a Boss Fight Monthly magazine.

  Adventurers and mercenaries crowded the street—towering men in studded leather, women in plate mail with swords taller than Kai, mages with glowing crystals floating around their heads. One guy casually leaned against a cart polishing an axe bigger than their entire bag.

  A duo in matching cloaks passed by, both carrying rune-inscribed spears that hummed faintly with energy.

  Kai gulped.

  "Look at these guys," he muttered, dropping his voice. "Everyone's armed to the teeth. We look like we just lost a bar fight with a salad."

  Ren, trailing behind with Bo bumping against his hip, glanced around with his usual unimpressed expression. "Correction—you look like that. I look like a respectable traveling accountant."

  Kai shot him a glare. "You're carrying a bag."

  "And you're covered in mud."

  Kai groaned again, muttering under his breath, "First impressions, my ass..."

  Kai was mid-grumble when Ren, already tired of feeling like a wet sponge, glanced down at Bo swinging on his shoulder.

  "Well... no harm in trying," Ren muttered.

  Kai side-eyed him. "Trying what?"

  "Getting dry."

  Before Kai could object, Ren unfastened the flap and stuck his hand inside.

  "Alright, Bo... help us out here. Something to dry off."

  The bag rustled. Shivered. Gave a suspicious little hurk.

  And then—WHOOSH!

  Ren yanked out a towel.

  A flaming towel.

  "OH COME ON!" Ren yelped, flinging it like it was a live grenade. The towel hit the mud with a wet sizzle but didn't go out. If anything, it flared brighter.

  "FIRE! THEY BROUGHT FIRE!" someone shouted.

  Several passersby stumbled backward, and a nearby fruit vendor narrowed his eyes.

  "Not again..." the vendor muttered. He reached down, grabbed a full head of cabbage, and hurled it like a fastball.

  THUNK!

  It nailed Kai square in the chest.

  Kai staggered. "What the hell—?"

  THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!

  More cabbages flew. The vendor shouted after them. "Take your cursed camping gear somewhere else!"

  Ren ducked as another leafy projectile sailed over his head. "I think that's our cue!"

  Kai didn't need telling twice. He grabbed Ren by the arm and the two sprinted down the muddy street, flaming towel smoking behind them as the vendor kept pelting vegetables like it was a national sport.

  They didn't stop until they ducked around a corner and pressed themselves against the side of a creaky old shed, both of them panting like they'd just outrun a dragon.

  Kai doubled over, hands on his knees, rainwater and cabbage juice still dripping down his front.

  He glanced sideways at Ren, scowling.

  "Good job, by the way," Kai snapped between breaths. "Day one, and you've already got people chucking vegetables at us. Bang-up job. Really building our reputation here."

  Ren leaned back against the shed, arms crossed like he wasn't mildly out of breath too.

  "Oh, sure," he shot back. "Because clearly, I knew Bo was gonna cough up a flaming towel."

  Kai threw his hands up. "It's a bag, Ren! Why would you even try?!"

  Ren tsked, tilting his head like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because I was wet. And cold. And I don't like smelling like soup stock."

  Kai opened his mouth... closed it... then groaned louder.

  "Great. First the guards think we're a joke, now a cabbage dealer's ready to run us out of town."

  Ren gave Bo a little side-eye. "Could've been worse."

  Kai glared. "How?!"

  Ren paused, then nodded at the bag.

  "...It could've burped up another toad."

  The bag wiggled slightly on Ren's shoulder, as if considering it.

  Kai slumped down against the shed with a frustrated groan. "I hate this place already."

  Kai sat in the mud for a beat, rain dripping off his hair, until a thought lit up behind his eyes. He stood suddenly and slammed his fist into his palm with a dramatic smack.

  "I've got it."

  Ren looked at him like a man bracing for emotional whiplash. "Oh no."

  "The Adventurers' Guild," Kai declared, eyes shining. "That's our next move. That's how all hero journeys start! We go there, register, pick up a quest, and boom—we're officially on the map."

  Ren stared at him. "You realize we're not actually heroes, right?"

  Kai rolled his eyes. "Minor detail."

  "You don't have a weapon."

  "I have grit."

  "You have mud."

  Kai jabbed a thumb at himself. "And a spirit that can't be extinguished!"

  Ren gestured to his own soaked shirt. "Meanwhile, I have mildew."

  Kai grinned like a man with a destiny. "C'mon, Ren. It's the guild! We'll walk in, sign a paper, maybe get a starter quest slaying rats or something."

  Ren looked at the bag.

  Bo shuddered ominously, as if offended.

  "Fine," Ren muttered. "But if the rats breathe fire or ask riddles, I'm making you talk to them."

  Kai started marching confidently down the road, already hyping himself up with dramatic imaginary music.

  "First the guild," he said aloud, "then the glory!"

  Behind him, Ren sighed and followed, bag in tow.

  "First the guild," he echoed under his breath, "then the tetanus."

  The brothers walked side by side down the muddy road, dodging the occasional puddle and broken cart wheel.

  Kai scanned the street like a man on a mission, pointing at every armored person they passed with increasing confidence. "Alright, just follow the mercs. Wherever the muscle heads go, that's where the guild is."

  Ren raised an eyebrow. "Flawless strategy. What if they're just going to get lunch?"

  "Then we follow them to their table," Kai shot back. "Make connections. Network."

  Ren sighed and glanced around. His eyes drifted toward the hill at the center of town, where a larger stone-and-timber building towered over the rest. It had double wooden doors, a faded crest carved above the entrance, and several adventurers crowding the front steps.

  He pointed lazily. "Or... hear me out... the biggest building in town."

  Kai followed his gaze, blinking. "...I was getting to that."

  Ren smirked. "Right. Master tactician at work."

  Kai ignored him, puffing his chest as they changed course toward the obvious guild hall. "Just stick with me, and we'll be rolling in gold in no time."

  Bo shifted on Ren's shoulder with a sound that could only be described as an unimpressed blorp.

  The closer they got, the bigger the guild hall seemed to loom over them. The muddy streets felt quieter here, the shouting and cart wheels fading into the background under the heavy creak of the guild's swinging sign overhead.

  Kai stopped a few steps from the doors, his breath catching just a little in his throat.

  He'd read about places like this.

  Guilds. Quest boards. Brave warriors standing shoulder to shoulder, ready to take on the world.

  But reading about it in the back corner of a bookstore was one thing.

  Standing here, mud-soaked and empty-handed, staring up at the real deal...

  ...that was something else entirely.

  He swallowed hard.

  Ren, standing just behind him, tilted his head slightly. "You getting cold feet?"

  Kai squared his jaw, trying to hide the hesitation, but it was already written all over his face.

  "...No," Kai lied, voice a little too tight.

  Ren smirked softly. "Sure looks like cold feet."

  Kai glared over his shoulder. "They're slightly damp, thank you."

  Kai inhaled through his nose, squared his shoulders again like a man walking into destiny, and shoved the heavy wooden door open with both hands.

  The warm, muggy air inside hit them like a wall—spiced food, wet leather, and the faint bite of spilled ale. The place was alive.

  Part tavern, part war room, part paperwork purgatory.

  Long tables were packed with loud adventurers—some comparing weapons, others bragging about monster hunts or payouts. On one side, a row of wanted posters lined the wall, faces of dangerous beasts and bandits sketched in heavy black ink. On the other, a bored clerk argued with a robed mage over tax forms.

  The twins stepped inside, dripping wet and looking like they'd been dragged here by fate itself.

  Kai barely took two steps before zeroing in on the front desk.

  A single receptionist sat behind a wooden counter, flipping through parchment like she hadn't slept in two days. Her name tag read Mira.

  Kai marched right up, planting his hands on the counter with just a little too much force.

  "My brother and I," he announced proudly, "would like to become adventurers."

  Mira didn't even flinch. She finished scribbling on a form, glanced up, and gave them both a once-over—their mud-streaked clothes, their empty belts, and the bag that seemed to burp quietly in the awkward silence.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  She arched an eyebrow.

  "Uh-huh," she said dryly. "Well, you're just in time. The guild master's running the qualification test today."

  Kai leaned in, gripping the edge of the counter. "We're ready."

  Mira smirked. "That's cute. You'll need to pass the test first."

  Kai froze. "Test?"

  Mira nodded, leaning on her elbow. "Three parts. Strength. Magic affinity. And the written exam."

  Ren leaned in beside Kai. "Written?"

  "Over there," Mira added, pointing to a waiting area near the back. "Test starts soon. Good luck."

  Kai looked at Ren, swallowing hard again. "How hard could it be, right?"

  Ren didn't blink. "We're doomed."

  The brothers shuffled into the testing area at the back of the guild hall, joining a growing cluster of hopefuls. The space had clearly been cleared out for the occasion—tables pushed to the sides, weapon racks stacked in the corners, and a few chalk circles scrawled on the floor for... whatever was about to happen.

  The other applicants looked, well... prepared. A pair of teenage mages in matching cloaks whispered incantations to each other. A broad-shouldered farm girl rolled her neck with an audible crack. One guy already had a scar over his eye, and Ren was pretty sure that was on purpose.

  Kai and Ren, on the other hand?

  They looked like they had been mugged by a soup kitchen.

  The other hopefuls glanced their way, most with casual dismissal. A few looked concerned. One guy actually looked offended.

  Kai tried to puff up his chest.

  Ren just slouched harder.

  Then heavy boots thudded against the floor.

  All chatter stopped as a stocky figure entered—a broad dwarf with a weather-beaten beard, a heavy iron pauldron on one shoulder, and the kind of stare that made even loudmouths shut up fast.

  "Alright, listen up," he barked. "Name's Thalgar Ironbrand—Guildmaster of Timberhollow. That means I've lived long enough to kill five monsters for every fool that's died thinking they were special."

  A few nervous chuckles. Kai stood straighter.

  Thalgar paced slowly, gaze sweeping the room like he was sorting the wheat from the very flammable chaff.

  "Before we begin, understand this. Guild life ain't a storybook. It's messy, brutal, and thankless more often than not. You don't get a medal for surviving. You get another job. You don't get a feast for slaying a beast. You get blood on your boots and a bill for new ones."

  He stopped pacing.

  Turned.

  Eyes locking dead-on to Kai and Ren.

  "...You two. Twins?"

  There was a beat of silence.

  Then Ren, without looking up, replied dryly, "No. We're cousins. Just very emotionally in sync."

  A snort rippled through the room.

  Thalgar blinked once, then let out a grunt—half amused, half resigned.

  "This'll be interesting."

  Thalgar raised his hand and barked, "First test—Strength Assessment. You'll each step forward and lift the practice blade. Simple as that."

  A pair of guild workers rolled out a massive, dull-edged greatsword onto the testing platform. It wasn't sharp, but it was massive—easily six feet long and thick as a tree trunk. It looked less like a sword and more like something you'd use to demolish a building.

  Kai immediately felt the pit in his stomach grow deeper.

  "First up! Hildra Stonebrook!"

  The farm girl—Hildra—stepped forward, cracked her knuckles, and grabbed the hilt with both hands. With a clean grunt, she lifted the thing like it weighed nothing and held it steady in front of her. The room actually let out a small cheer.

  Kai leaned over to Ren. "Okay, but she's built like an ox."

  "Uh-huh," Ren replied flatly.

  The rest of the applicants took their turns. Some struggled but managed to lift it off the ground, others barely budged it. One poor mage nearly pulled their back out before giving up.

  And then...

  "Yamazaki, Kaizen!" Thalgar barked.

  Kai wiped his hands on his shirt, ignoring the way his palms had suddenly gone sweaty. He stepped up, cracked his neck like he'd seen in movies, and grabbed the hilt with both hands.

  "C'mon... c'mon..." he grunted, leaning his entire body weight into the lift.

  The blade didn't move.

  Kai shifted his grip, teeth grinding.

  "One more—"

  He yanked upward with everything he had.

  The greatsword didn't budge.

  Kai did.

  His foot slipped on the muddy floor, and with a loud CRASH, he fell backward—straight through a nearby bench, snapping it clean in half.

  Someone in the back let out a sympathetic wince.

  Kai groaned, staring up at the ceiling, already drafting his resignation letter to the universe.

  Thalgar sighed loudly. "Yamazaki, Renji."

  Ren didn't even move from his spot.

  He held up a single finger.

  "Pass."

  Thalgar raised a brow. "Pass?"

  Ren nodded, deadpan. "On trying."

  More laughter rippled through the room.

  Thalgar pinched the bridge of his nose but didn't argue.

  Thalgar stepped forward again, this time holding a smooth, glass-like orb the size of a cantaloupe. It shimmered faintly with inner light, hues of blue and silver dancing inside like swirling mist.

  "Second test," he announced. "Magical Affinity."

  He raised the orb slightly for everyone to see.

  "This here's a manatide crystal. You touch it, it reads your potential. Doesn't matter if you're trained or not—it'll still react if there's juice in you. More glow, more affinity."

  He set the orb on a short pedestal at the center of the testing area.

  "Step up. One at a time."

  One by one, the applicants stepped forward and placed their hands on the orb. For some, it glowed bright and steady—strong magic users in the making. Others had smaller pulses, dim but present. A few barely flickered, but even that earned a satisfied nod from the examiners.

  Kai crossed his arms, trying to look like the lack of strength test success hadn't bruised his ego. Too badly.

  Then—

  "Yamazaki, Kaizen."

  Kai stepped forward, flexing his fingers like it would somehow summon magic out of thin air.

  He planted his hand on the orb.

  And waited.

  Nothing.

  Not even a spark.

  The orb stayed as dull as a rock in a rainstorm.

  Kai leaned in, eyes narrowing like he was trying to scare the magic into appearing.

  The orb remained stubbornly unimpressed.

  Thalgar raised an eyebrow. "Huh."

  Kai withdrew his hand slowly and muttered under his breath, "This thing's rigged."

  "Yamazaki, Renji."

  Ren stepped forward without much ceremony. He gave the orb a half-hearted look, then placed his hand on it.

  For a brief moment, it flickered—faint, irregular, like a match trying to catch flame in the wind.

  Then it dimmed again.

  One of the examiners leaned in, scribbling on a sheet.

  "Odd... brief flicker. Unknown interference?"

  Thalgar grunted.

  "Means it can't read him properly. Could be something shielding his affinity. Or..." he eyed the bag hanging off Ren's shoulder, "...something messing with it."

  Bo let out a subtle whine, like a kettle starting to boil.

  Ren looked at it. "You behave."

  Thalgar let out a tired sigh, rubbing his temples like this part of the process aged him a few extra decades every time.

  "Final test," he grunted. "The written exam... and yeah, it's exactly what it sounds like."

  Groans echoed across the room as the examiners passed out parchment and quills. Several applicants shifted nervously in their seats. A few, the smug ones, cracked their knuckles like they'd been studying for this moment their whole lives.

  Kai and Ren sat at the very back.

  Kai squinted down at the parchment like it had just insulted his bloodline.

  Ren rested his chin on his hand, already looking dangerously close to nodding off.

  Begin.

  The scratching of quills filled the room as the applicants got to work. Charts, maps, monster identifications, guild policies—it was all there in cramped, unforgiving ink.

  Kai tried. He really tried.

  But by the third question—"List three legally recognized monster habitats and their regional tax codes"—he had given up.

  By question five, his parchment had become a war zone of crudely drawn swords, flaming dragons, and what might have been a stick-figure version of himself holding a victory flag labeled "Ultimate Hero".

  Meanwhile, Ren had written exactly three answers, scratched out two of them, and somewhere between listing monster classifications and the ethics of dungeon looting...

  ...he'd fallen asleep.

  Head resting on his arm, soft snores barely audible over the scribbling.

  An examiner walked by, paused, and sighed like this wasn't even the first time today. They leaned down and carefully confiscated Ren's quill, shaking their head before moving on.

  After what felt like forever, Thalgar finally stood again, crossing his arms as the examiners gathered up the papers and rolled the orb back to storage. He let the silence settle before clearing his throat.

  "Well," he announced, "I've seen better batches... but I've seen worse."

  A collective sigh of relief passed through the hopefuls.

  "You lot who passed—head to the front desk, get your papers stamped, and welcome to the Timberhollow Guild. Go find work."

  Cheers and quiet fist bumps rippled through the crowd as most of the applicants filed out, some already talking about which quests they'd try first.

  All except two.

  Kai and Ren stood awkwardly to the side as Thalgar's gaze slowly, heavily, settled back on them.

  His tired eyes narrowed ever so slightly, like he'd already prepared this speech in his head.

  "No strength. No magic. No focus. No results."

  Kai winced.

  Ren didn't even flinch.

  Thalgar rubbed his beard, sighed deeply, and finished with:

  "No skills. No class. No coin. No party. No dice."

  It landed like a hammer.

  Kai deflated on the spot, fists clenched tight at his sides.

  Ren rocked back on his heels. "So that's a no, then?"

  Thalgar nodded without missing a beat. "That's a no."

  Kai looked like he was gearing up to argue—hard. Maybe demand a second chance, maybe just yell out of sheer frustration.

  But Thalgar raised a hand, stopping him before a single word left his mouth.

  "I'm not heartless, kid," he said, his tone softening just a fraction. "Just honest. You're not guild material. Not yet."

  Kai's shoulders sank.

  Ren looked like he was bracing for the next shoe to drop.

  "But," Thalgar continued, jerking a thumb toward the window, "you head down the main street, take a left at the blacksmith with the cracked anvil sign. You'll find a place called The Crooked Tankard."

  He scratched the back of his neck, clearly not thrilled to be saying this.

  "Bookkeeper there's an old adventuring buddy of mine. Name's Gorin. Owes me a favor."

  He looked them both in the eye, stern but not unkind.

  "He'll put you up. Give you a roof, maybe a hot meal. At least until you get on your feet."

  Ren blinked. "...You're sending us to your friend?"

  Thalgar grunted. "Better than sending you back into the rain."

  Kai looked like he was trying not to smile. "You sure he won't throw vegetables at us too?"

  "No promises," Thalgar muttered, already turning back toward the guild paperwork.

  The sky had darkened into a misty gray by the time the brothers made their way through Timberhollow's winding streets. Following Thalgar's directions, they passed a blacksmith's shop with a cracked anvil sign, a closed apothecary, and what looked suspiciously like a goblin massage parlor (which they definitely didn't ask questions about).

  Finally, they stood in front of a squat, lopsided building with a faded wooden sign hanging by one chain.

  The Crooked Tankard.

  The lettering was chipped. One of the windows was boarded up. Something in the chimney made a strange huffing sound, like it was both wheezing and judging them.

  Kai stared at it, arms crossed. "Nope. I'm not sleeping in a haunted fire hazard."

  Ren adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "It's not haunted."

  Kai pointed. "It wheezed at me."

  Ren was already walking toward the door. "So do you when you eat spicy food. Doesn't make you haunted."

  Kai took a step back. "Look, we could find another inn. One with windows. Floors. Standards."

  Ren turned back to him, brow raised. "We have no money, no job, and no options. This is better than sleeping in the mud with a sarcastic toad."

  Kai opened his mouth to argue. Closed it.

  "...Fine."

  He trudged after Ren with all the enthusiasm of someone heading to a root canal.

  Ren pushed open the creaky door, and the scent of firewood, pipe smoke, and something vaguely stew-adjacent filled the air.

  Behind the bar stood a wide, balding man with a crooked nose, polishing a mug that had definitely seen better centuries.

  Ren approached casually.

  "You Gorin?"

  The man grunted. "Who's asking?"

  Ren gestured back at Kai. "We're the twin-shaped disaster Thalgar warned you about."

  Gorin blinked once.

  Then barked out a low laugh. "He didn't say much... just said you were 'strays worth not letting die in a ditch.'"

  He set the mug down and motioned them over.

  "Well then. Let's find you boys a place to sleep."

  Gorin grabbed a ring of mismatched keys from under the counter and waved them toward the stairs.

  "Come on, I'll show you what I've got left."

  The twins followed him up a creaky staircase that sounded like it was one strong breeze away from collapsing. He stopped at a crooked door at the very end of the hall and pushed it open with his shoulder.

  The room was...

  ...a room, technically.

  Two straw-filled mattresses sat on the floor, lumpy and a little damp in the corners. A tiny window let in what little light the foggy sky allowed. The single candle on the bedside table looked like it had been burned down and re-melted at least five times.

  A broken chair sat in the corner. Its leg leaned like it had given up on life years ago.

  Kai looked like someone had just told him they were sleeping in a goblin nest.

  Gorin crossed his arms. "Ain't pretty, but it's dry and cheap."

  Kai opened his mouth to protest—again—but Ren cut him off with a hand on his shoulder.

  "We'll take it," Ren said plainly. He looked at Gorin and gave a small nod. "Thanks for the hospitality."

  Gorin grunted. "Food's downstairs if you're hungry. Pay's negotiable if you don't mind wash work or hauling crates."

  He turned and left, the door creaking shut behind him.

  Kai slumped onto one of the mattresses with a dramatic flop, staring up at the stained ceiling.

  "We're living the dream, Ren... the dream."

  Ren kicked off his boots and sat on the other mattress, resting back with his hands behind his head.

  "It's something," he said with a shrug. "And that's better than nothing."

  The bag let out a soft blorp in agreement.

  The candle on the wobbly nightstand flickered faintly as the rain finally started to let up outside. The silence in the cramped room stretched, thick and heavy.

  Kai sat hunched over on the edge of his mattress, staring at the floor like it had personally betrayed him. His hands hung limp between his knees, his jaw tight, his knuckles white.

  Meanwhile, Ren sat cross-legged on his own mattress, staring at Bo like it held all the world's answers.

  "Alright," Ren finally broke the silence. "Let's think this through."

  Kai didn't look up. "What's there to think about? We're not adventurers. We're not anything."

  Ren ignored the pity party and kept going, gesturing lazily toward the bag. "We've got Bo. It spits out junk, sure—but maybe that's the point."

  Kai shot him a sideways glare. "Oh yeah? What, you wanna sell rotten apples and fire towels to tourists?"

  Ren leaned back on his elbows, unfazed. "No. I'm saying maybe we use it to salvage. Ruins. Dungeons. Even back alleys. Stuff nobody wants. Stuff nobody's watching."

  Kai sat up straighter, frowning. "Scavenging? Seriously?"

  Ren shrugged. "Money's money."

  Kai stood up, pacing the tiny room. "We need a real path. A real future. Not... picking through other people's trash."

  Ren raised a brow. "And what path do you see, Kai? Because right now, this is the only one we've got."

  Kai froze, staring at the busted chair in the corner, jaw tightening again.

  Ren leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

  "I'm not saying it's ideal," he said quietly. "But it's something. And something is better than waiting around for a hero title that's never coming."

  Bo gave a soft, low rumble—like it was agreeing with Ren, just to annoy Kai further.

  Kai let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair.

  "...We should be more than this."

  Kai turned his back to Ren, running both hands through his rain-matted hair, letting out a heavy sigh.

  Ren, unfazed, leaned over Bo and casually reached into the bag.

  "Alright," he muttered, "let me prove it to you."

  With a dramatic shlorp, Bo coughed up a cracked iron helmet, rusted and missing one ear guard.

  Kai glanced back with a dead stare.

  Ren reached in again and pulled out a bouncing slime toy—one of those cheap, squishy novelties you win at carnivals. It made an annoying squeaky sound as it jiggled on the bed.

  Ren didn't stop.

  Next, he yanked out a taxidermied squirrel frozen in a pose that could only be described as mildly judgmental.

  Kai's eye twitched. "Seriously?"

  Ren held up a finger, dug deep one more time, and triumphantly pulled out a weathered scroll titled:

  "How to Milk a Basilisk (2nd Edition)"

  Kai threw his arms in the air. "You expect us to survive with this?!"

  Ren stood, tossing the squirrel onto Kai's bed like a personal insult.

  "No," Ren replied flatly. "I expect you to distract the monsters... while I dig up anything that might sell."

  Kai opened his mouth to fire back, but the words caught in his throat. He sank back onto the mattress, leaning forward on his knees again, voice quieter now.

  "...I feel useless, Ren," he admitted, jaw tight. "No class. No magic. Not even a dumb title to pretend I'm something I'm not."

  The bag gave a small, almost sympathetic whum.

  Ren sat back down across from him, resting his elbows on his knees.

  "Look," he said, voice softer now. "I don't need you to be a hero."

  Kai finally looked up, eyes tired but searching.

  Ren met his gaze, steady and real.

  "I just need you to watch my back."

  Kai nodded "I can do that..."

  The faint crackle of rain finally died off, replaced by the soft creak of sunlight breaking through the cloud cover. Thin beams of gold stretched through the grimy window, catching in the dust hanging in the air.

  Ren stood, stretching his arms overhead with a loud yawn.

  "Alright," he announced, rolling his shoulders. "Sky's clearing. Market'll be busy. Perfect time to unload some of Bo's... treasures."

  Kai flopped back on the bed, groaning into his arm. "We're really doing this?"

  Ren grabbed the bag, slinging it over his shoulder with a satisfied pat. "Yup. Trash to treasure, brother. Trash to treasure."

  Kai sat up slowly, rubbing his face with both hands before standing to follow. "Let's see if this plan actually works... though I have my doubts."

  Ren glanced over his shoulder with a cocky smirk.

  "You have no faith in your own brother? That's cold."

  He opened the door, holding it like he was about to step onto a royal stage.

  "When I'm in the zone, I could talk the Devil into lighting himself on fire."

  He threw a finger gun at Kai.

  "Being a salesman? Light work."

  The Crooked Tankard's door creaked shut behind them as the twins stepped back into the now sunlit streets of Timberhollow. The earlier downpour had turned the dirt roads into damp, steaming patches of mud, but the townsfolk didn't seem to mind.

  The Day Market was in full swing.

  Dozens of stalls lined the streets, shouting vendors hawking vegetables, cloth, iron tools, and suspiciously wobbly potions. The air smelled like roasted meat and wet stone. A bard somewhere nearby was badly tuning a lute.

  Ren picked a half-empty patch of dirt near the edge of the market and unceremoniously dropped Bo onto the ground.

  Kai watched, already bracing for embarrassment.

  "Alright, Bo," Ren muttered, "let's make magic happen."

  The bag wiggled once, twice, then horked up a collection of random junk onto a faded old merchant's rug they'd borrowed from the inn's supply closet.

  Scrap metal that looked like someone had chewed on it.

  A pair of cracked potion bottles, one leaking something green that smelled like feet.

  And—disturbingly—a small pile of semi-burnt animal bones.

  Kai pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are so getting kicked out of town."

  Ren didn't flinch. "We're fine. Early inventory drop, that's all."

  As a few passersby slowed to glance, Bo suddenly shivered and plorped out something new—a small, sealed wooden box, marked with faded runes.

  Kai raised an eyebrow. "Huh. That actually looks... decent?"

  They leaned over it, dusting it off, but when they looked up again...

  The curious townsfolk had already moved on, unimpressed.

  Kai groaned. "See? No one's buying."

  Ren stood up, brushing his hands off on his pants.

  "Yeah... yet."

  Kai squinted at him. "You really think someone's gonna fall for this?"

  Ren smirked, cracking his knuckles.

  "Brother... watch me work."

  Kai leaned against the edge of their sad little rug, looking more like he was waiting for a funeral than a sale.

  Ren, however, stood with arms crossed, eyeing the crowd like a predator waiting for a moment of weakness.

  And then—opportunity walked by.

  A tall noblewoman, dressed in forest-green silk and accompanied by two sharply dressed guards, strolled past their sorry display. She barely spared them a glance, clearly ready to move on like everyone else.

  Until her eyes landed on something near the edge of the rug.

  A small, crooked black comb, jagged at the ends and faintly humming with an ominous aura Kai hadn't even noticed before.

  Kai leaned over to Ren and whispered, "Pretty sure Bo spat that up next to the squirrel earlier."

  The noblewoman leaned in, her lips curling into a pleased little smirk. "My, my... is that... a Valensian Nightcomb?"

  Ren blinked once.

  Twice.

  Kai opened his mouth to correct her—Ren stomped on his foot without looking.

  "Indeed it is, m'lady!" Ren declared with way too much confidence. "A fine piece from the southern collectors' market. Extremely rare."

  The noblewoman gasped softly, turning to her guard. "I've been searching for one for my collection."

  She glanced back at them.

  "I'll take it. Ten gold."

  Kai looked like he'd just been struck by lightning.

  Ren didn't even hesitate.

  He scooped the comb off the rug and presented it with both hands, bowing ever so slightly.

  "A pleasure doing business."

  One of the guards handed over a small coin pouch, and just like that—

  Ten. Gold. Coins.

  The noblewoman left, beaming, completely unaware that she'd just purchased what was probably a cursed rat's hairbrush.

  Kai stood frozen, jaw hanging open.

  Ren tied the coin pouch to his belt with a satisfied grin.

  "And that, dear brother," Ren whispered, "is how you sell trash."

  Kai stood there, still processing what had just happened, when another figure approached their setup—a hunched old man in a tattered cloak with wild eyes and a crooked walking stick.

  The man squinted at the pile of semi-burnt bones, leaning in closer with a growing look of horror.

  He jabbed a shaky finger toward them.

  "By the spirits... Is that—Uncle Harvin?!"

  Ren blinked. "Uh—what?"

  The old man staggered back, clutching his chest like he'd seen a ghost.

  "You've desecrated him!" he wailed, drawing the attention of several nearby shoppers. "He's been missing for YEARS—and now you're SELLING HIS BONES?!"

  Kai's eyes went wide. "What?!"

  The man dropped to his knees, shaking his stick at the sky. "I demand an exorcist! A high priest! A cleansing ritual!"

  Ren leaned toward Kai, whispering out of the side of his mouth, "I told you that pile was bad vibes."

  Before Kai could respond, Bo let out a suspicious little pop noise.

  Both brothers turned just in time to see a small, brightly colored child's balloon sticking out of the bag's flap.

  A kid nearby pointed. "Hey, that's mine!"

  The balloon floated back out fully, bobbing lazily into the air...

  ...with tiny, gnashing teeth circling its middle like some kind of inflatable piranha.

  The kid screamed and ran.

  Kai slapped his hand over his face. "Oh my god, we're gonna get arrested."

  Ren sighed as the crowd started backing away.

  "Well... that's one way to clear the competition."

  The old man was still wailing when a pair of town guards pushed their way through the small crowd gathering around the commotion.

  One guard, helmet slightly crooked, pointed his spear toward the brothers.

  "You two! Stop right there!"

  Kai immediately raised his hands in the most suspiciously guilty pose possible. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Big misunderstanding here! That guy—" he pointed toward the old man still flailing on the ground, "—he's confused! Mistaken identity! Very common! These bones? Not his uncle! Completely unrelated remains!"

  The guards didn't look convinced.

  Ren, already inching backward toward the alley, whispered, "They're not buying it."

  Kai nodded stiffly, still holding his hands up. "I know."

  One guard took a step closer, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  Ren grabbed Bo, yanked the rug into a messy bundle, and muttered, "Time to go."

  Kai glanced between the guards, the crowd, the cursed balloon still chomping lazily in the background...

  "Yyyyup. Time to RUN!"

  And just like that, the brothers bolted.

  Bo let out an excited hrrk as it bounced against Ren's side.

  "Stop them!" one guard barked, but the brothers had already ducked into the nearest alley, slipping on mud as they made their getaway for the second time that day.

  Meanwhile... back at Timberhollow's Guild Hall...

  Thalgar sat at his desk, nursing what looked like his third mug of something strong and bitter, when the door to his office creaked open.

  A female adventurer, still suited in light armor and wiping rain from her shoulder pads, leaned casually against the doorframe.

  "Heard you passed up a couple of twins earlier," she remarked, chewing a toothpick between her teeth.

  Thalgar grunted without looking up. "Yeah. Didn't pass the test. What about it?"

  She let out a quiet snort. "Word in the market says they stirred up a cursed relic scam, tried to sell graveyard bones, and released a floating biting balloon into the crowd."

  Thalgar slowly lowered his mug.

  "What?"

  She shrugged. "Guards are chasing them halfway to the back gates. Thought you might wanna know."

  Thalgar let out a long, exhausted breath, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

  He reached for the side ledger, flipped to the guild's restriction list, and scribbled down two new entries:

  Yamazaki, Kaizen – Temporarily Blacklisted

  Yamazaki, Renji – Temporarily Blacklisted

  He didn't even bother adding a reason.

  He just muttered to himself as he put the pen down.

  "Should've let 'em sleep in the street..."

  The brothers bolted around a corner, skidding in the mud, Kai pulling Ren by the arm.

  "Here!" Kai hissed, spotting a narrow alley tucked behind what looked like a high-end inn with polished brass lanterns and velvet curtains.

  They ducked into the shadows, pressing their backs to the cold, damp wall. Kai held his breath as they listened.

  Boots stomped past on the street. The guards were close.

  "They couldn't have gotten far!" one barked.

  "They must've gone this way!" another added.

  The sound of armored footsteps grew distant as the patrol moved farther down the road.

  Kai finally let out a shaky breath and leaned forward, sliding down the wall until he hit the ground with a muddy thump. He buried his face in his hands.

  "...This sucks."

  Ren leaned against the opposite wall, catching his breath, Bo hanging awkwardly from his shoulder.

  Kai let out a bitter laugh, head still down. "We're a joke, Ren. We can't fight. We've got no magic. We can't even sell garbage without nearly getting arrested."

  He dragged his hands down his face.

  "We're so far from being real adventurers... it's not even funny."

  Ren was quiet for a second. Then he pushed off the wall, walked over, and crouched in front of his brother.

  "...Then we stop trying to be."

  Kai blinked, confused.

  Ren shrugged. "Screw the guild. Screw the tests. Screw trying to fit into someone else's checklist."

  He stood again, rolling his shoulders, looking down the alley like he could already see a different future waiting just beyond it.

  "We build our own reputation," he said. "Start small. Scavenge what we can. Sell it to people who actually want it. Survive smart, not loud."

  Kai raised an eyebrow. "Freelance adventurers?"

  Ren smirked.

  "Freelance chaos merchants."

  Bo let out a small, supportive blurp.

  Kai stared at Ren for a long moment, rainwater still dripping from his hair, his back still pressed to the cold stone.

  "So... no glory," Kai muttered.

  Ren crossed his arms, waiting.

  "No swords."

  Ren nodded once.

  "Just garbage diving... and making it up as we go along."

  Ren gave him a small, lopsided grin. "Exactly."

  Kai let out a breathless chuckle, shaking his head like he couldn't believe this was their life now.

  "...We're gonna die, aren't we?"

  Ren leaned back against the wall, looking up at the cloudy sky, completely unbothered.

  "Probably." He smirked wider. "But we'll do it our way."

  Kai let his head fall back against the wall, eyes closed, a real grin finally cracking through the frustration.

  "Hell... alright. I'm in."

  Bo gave a muffled fwump, like it had been waiting to hear that the whole time.

  Later that night, the brothers crept back to the Crooked Tankard under cover of darkness, ducking through the back to avoid any nosy eyes or cabbage-wielding merchants.

  Their room was exactly as they'd left it—crooked, damp, and somehow even smaller after the day they'd had.

  Kai dropped onto his mattress without a word, already snoring softly within minutes.

  Ren stayed sitting for a while, staring at the bag resting in the corner. Bo sat there, still and harmless-looking, like it hadn't coughed up flaming towels, cursed combs, or skeletal remains just hours earlier.

  "...Freelance chaos merchants," Ren muttered to himself with a tired smirk, finally laying back and closing his eyes.

  The room settled into silence.

  Then—

  a faint pulse.

  Soft, almost like a heartbeat.

  Ren's eyelids fluttered slightly as a whisper, barely audible, slithered through the air.

  You opened the door...

  Don't forget to feed me something new...

  Ren stirred, frowning.

  He cracked one eye open, staring toward the corner where Bo sat motionless.

  "...Tired," he mumbled to himself, rolling over. "Too tired for weird bag dreams..."

  And just like that, he drifted back to sleep, completely unaware that the bag's flap twitched... ever so slightly.

  To be continued...

  Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.