Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

Within the austere confines of the Black Cloud Guild Mansion, Anna walked beside Silvia, her gaze constantly drifting towards the woman beside her. *This…* Anna's thoughts spiraled. *This person… I never would have thought… she would do something like that.*

She knew of Silvia's past, the whispers of her former life as an inquisitor. Anna, however, had never truly believed them. Silvia didn't fit the image. Around others, Silvia seemed kind, approachable, and easy to talk to. Anna had even wondered if Silvia was a competent hunter, until the guild revealed that Silvia was an A-rank. But after what Anna had just witnessed, the reality of what Sylvia was seemed a stark contrast to what she had perceived.

Silvia remained silent, her gaze fixed straight ahead. Her armor, *leather armor*, once polished and pristine, was now stained with the gruesome evidence of her work: blood, Rebecca's blood, plastered and matted on her metallic form, even partially covering her face. The crimson stains were not even wiped away, a chilling testament to the violence that had taken place.

Memories of the girl who had been bound to the metal chair, trapped by wires laced with razor-sharp spikes, surged unbidden into Anna's mind. Rebecca's face, contorted in a silent scream. The missing fingers, the empty sockets where her eyes had once been. The tangled, blood-soaked hair, the smeared mask of crimson that obscured the features. The entire scene was carved into Anna's memory.

To think that Silvia, the woman walking beside her, was the one who inflicted such horrors… it was difficult for Anna to reconcile those images with the person she thought she knew. Silvia, when she spoke, always sounded… normal. But then came the echoing screams in the cellar, muffled yet harrowing. The screams whispered into her quarters. The way Silvia's face… remained so composed… normal… It was unsettling.

Silvia's gaze then instantly locked onto Anna's. The directness of the look was unnerving, and Anna instinctively averted her eyes. A low, almost amused humming, not quite a chuckle, emanated from Rebecca.

"Was it the first time?" Silvia asked.

Anna, her voice strained, replied, "First time with what?"

Silvia answered, "Was it your first time seeing something like that?"

Anna, her voice even quieter, answered, "Uh… yes. It's my first time. Is she dead?"

Silvia replied, "Not yet. She's not dead yet."

Anna's voice trembled slightly. "Are you… used to doing something like this?"

Silvia hesitated, her expression unreadable. "Well, I can't say I'm *used* to it. I just try not to think about it. I always tell myself… there's no choice. And when I'm done, I just try to forget about it."

Anna shook her head in disbelief, as they continued walking through the winding passages of the Black Cloud Guild. "Forget about something like that?"

"Yeah." Silvia's voice held a note of false conviction. "You might think it's hard, but it's not. If I didn't try to do that… I don't think I'd be the same." Silvia lied, and Anna did not notice.

Anna nodded slowly, as if she understood what Silvia meant, though the truth was, she barely did. Anna said, "I have seen dead bodies before. I mean… the Captain once *forced* me to take a person's life before. That was… of course, while we were hunting. A hunter just insulted the captain while we were trying to get him to S rank in the orange tier monster zones. He just told me to kill him. I hesitated, but… I ended up shooting him with my arrows. Even before that, I have seen dead people… but I've never seen…"

Silvia finished the sentence, her voice flat, "…a body destroyed in such a manner… while… still alive."

"Y-yeah…" Anna said, her voice laced with a thread of hesitation as she stared down at the smooth, polished stone floor they were walking on. She turned, her gaze flicking to Silvia, and saw that Silvia's face was still a mask of composed calm. There was even a small, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.

Anna thought to herself, *I thought inquisitors weren't normal. All the inquisitors I've met which are just three in total, if I include Silvia were either too serious or downright sadistic. Normally, people wouldn't approach them, or just talk to them. Either way, each and every Inquisitor would behave strangely… but now that I think about it, with the job description… it's normal for them to act strangely… But she just acts *normal*… If anything, she's the abnormal one.*

Suddenly, Silvia *pushed the two-way door* into the library, a vast chamber filled with towering bookshelves that stretched towards the high ceiling. The room was dimly lit by the flickering light of a few strategically placed torches in the corners, and a magnificent chandelier, filled with dozens of lit candles, cast long dancing shadows across the room. Inside, the guild members were gathered, the atmosphere tense and expectant. Some were leaning against the bookshelves, lost in thought, while others were seated around a long, heavy table surrounded by numerous chairs.

The captain sat at the head of the table. He looked up as they entered, his face creased with concern. "Any news from our prisoner?"

Silvia sighed as she strode toward the group, and settled into a chair across from Alec. "Sadly… she's not saying anything. I could… go further with the interrogation, but I'm afraid any more… harm to her body… would kill her."

The captain crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and sighed heavily. "There's no use then, I guess we'll just have to kill her."

Luna, a woman seated next to the captain, clad in a form-fitting armor that appeared to be created with black fabric, said, "I told you she was telling the truth. She probably doesn't know where the hunter is."

Teno, who was leaning against one of the towering bookshelves, spoke next. "I heard you say… she said that she just *left* the guy in the forest. Jason could have at least looked around before he came back with her."

Jason, sitting on a chair, glared at Teno, his eyes narrowed. "Hey, my skill drains a lot of mana, alright? Plus, she redirected us from his position. When we spotted her, the guy was probably beyond my skill's reach."

Teno retorted, "You still could have looked for him without using your skill."

Jason threw his hand up in exasperation. "Look, I had no idea where she would have dropped him, alright? We chased her a pretty long way. And that monster zone is huge, so she could have dropped him *anywhere*."

The vice-captain, a stern-faced man, finally intervened. "Enough, you two. It wasn't Jason's fault that he couldn't find him."

The captain, his gaze fixed on Silvia, addressed her. "Are you sure she didn't say anything at all? Not a single piece of information regarding the hunter?"

Silvia shook her head. "No… What's strange is… it's almost like she doesn't know a lot about him, either. I asked her where the hunter stayed, and she said she didn't know."

"I even asked her about the hunter's second name, and she didn't know that either. I thought she was lying at first, but… after… *torturing* her a bit longer… she still said the same thing, so… I doubt she was lying."

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The captain then leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "What if she *was*?"

Silvia shook her head firmly. "No… I doubt she was. I know when people are trained to endure torture, and… she's not one of them."

Benny, a fighter-type assassin who was leaning against the bookshelves, dressed in worn green leather armor, spoke up. "Yeah… I could hear her screams all the way up to the kitchen."

Sabrina, who was sitting at the table, turned to Benny, her expression a mixture of exasperation. "Of course you would… you're always eating."

Benny defended himself. "Hey, I'm always *training*… that's why I always get hangry so fast, alright? I can't always train on an empty stomach."

The captain sighed, the weariness evident in his voice. "Looks like we'll have to look deeper into this hunter… without her help. So far, what we know is that he's a C-ranked assassin hunter, and that he mostly operates at the Crossroads Base."

Lena, a sharp-eyed woman with a practical air, interrupted the captain. "I don't think he will be hunting at the Crossroads Base anymore… seeing that we failed to capture him there twice."

Alec chimed in, "Yeah, you're right."

The captain turned to Alec. "How many carriage men did you ask?"

Alec paused, his face suddenly paling. "Sorry… carriage men? We didn't ask any carriage men…"

Sabrina facepalmed, the sound echoing in the sudden silence. "You didn't ask any carriage men…?"

Anna, who had been silent, observing the unfolding scene, finally spoke up. "You do know… most carriage men know more than they should, right? Why didn't you ask any of them? You even had a *drawing* of him. You could have asked them…"

Alec, his face flushing, retorted, "There weren't any carriage men there, all right?"

Sabrina, her expression a mixture of disbelief and exasperation, asked, "What about the one you came with? You could have asked them."

Alec, his voice tight, said, "How would *they* know?"

Sabrina, her voice rising in disbelief, shouted, "These are the same people who transport people from the Crossroads Base to Lyria, Aria, and Veridia, you *idiot*!"

Alec, stung by the rebuke, fell silent, staring down at the table, clearly embarrassed by his oversight. He hadn't spent much time in the south of Aerlion, and it showed.

The vice-captain, his expression unyielding, said, "Well you are going back there early in the morning, you and Jacob are going to try and get the information out of the carriage men. We need to know where that hunter comes from."

Jacob, a man wearing black leather armor, rolled his eyes. "Come on… why can't *he* just go by himself?"

Aleck, his face pale, protested, "Are you kidding me? Go by myself? I'd rather go with someone else. That guy… killed that idiot because he refused to come back with me. What if he sees me while I'm out there by myself?"

Jacob, sighed. "Fine… you're such a coward anyway."

Alec, his voice barely above a whisper, muttered, "The last person who said that to me… *died*."

The captain, his voice regaining its authority, said, "That's settled then. Now… let us continue where we left off, shall we?"

Anna then said, "Yes, you said… now that you've reached S-rank… we are able to take on quests straight from the capital."

The captain nodded, his expression one of satisfaction. "Yes, that's right. We've been waiting for this moment for months. I know I've already thanked all of you for helping me reach this stage, but… I'll say it again. I can't thank you enough. I thank you for being with the Black Cloud Guild… ever since it was beginning to form. Even if you recently joined us… I'd like to thank you for being a part of us… for being a part of the Black Cloud Guild. Each and every member…" He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room. "…each and every one of you… *are* the Black Cloud Guild."

Teno chuckled, clapping his hands. "Like we've said before… you're our captain… of course, we'll always have your back. Without you and the vice-captain, the Black Cloud Guild wouldn't have come this far."

Meanwhile, Jason internally thought, *Yeah, right… My father, the vice-captain, did most of the work in this guild. Without him… This guild wouldn't have as many members as it does. He always manages to give reasonable excuses for why the captain is a control freak… calming everyone down.* His thoughts soured. *And now… everyone knows that the captain doesn't really care about his members. He only cares about his goals… Even putting aside the subject on who killed my younger brother…*

*If that assassin truly cares about his partner… he might come tonight… but I don't think he will,* Jason thought.

Jason then thought, *I recently turned off my search skill because it was depleting my mana. I doubt that hunter will come.*

Jason inwardly sighed, the captain's and the guild members' voices fading into a dull hum. *I'll just activate it for one more time before I go off to rest.*

His eyes began to glow with a faint, golden light as he sat across from Benny who had just sat down. Benny, ever observant, noticed the change, but remained silent. As soon as the skill activated, Jason's vision expanded, encompassing everything within the range of his search ability. He could see *everything* within the radius of his ability, allowing him to observe the simultaneous occurrences throughout the entire building.

He saw Mani and Melissa in a room, Melissa whispering quietly to Manny, who was resting on a bed. He saw Rebecca in the cellar. He scanned the yard. But then, his eyes widened, and he shot to his feet, unintentionally pushing his wooden chair backward. The chair scraped loudly against the stone floor, the sudden screech echoing through the library.

Mid-conversation, the room fell silent as everyone turned to face Jason and his father, the vice-captain.

The vice-captain asked, his voice laced with concern, "Jason, what is it?"

Jason's voice was urgent, his words clipped, "He's here."

Alec echoed Jason's words, his voice tinged with a thread of fear. "What? He's here? That hunter?"

"Yeah… he's right outside," Jason confirmed.

Immediately, the entire guild sprang to action. Anna said, "What are we waiting for? Where is he? Let's go get him!"

Silvia watched the chaos unfold while everyone was scrambling for their weapons and falling to the agency in the room.

Jason, already moving towards the door, said, "He's in the backyard… he's just standing there."

The captain slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on Jason. "Are you sure it's him? Is he alone?"

Jason confirmed, "Yes, he's completely alone in the area. And he's wearing some kind of mask and black armor. But yeah, I'm sure it's him."

The captain nodded, and the other guild members were already rushing toward the door. Sabrina quickly stood up and followed, and so did the vice-captain.

The captain muttered under his breath, "Why would he come alone?"

Jason replied, "I don't know… but I can't see anyone near the base… except for him."

Suddenly, Jason exclaimed, "What?"

The captain asked, "What? What happened?"

Jason's voice was filled with confusion. "He disappeared!"

Sabrina and the vice-captain, paused on the threshold, turning back to face Jason.

Sabrina asked, "What do you mean… he disappeared?"

Jason said, "He… He completely disappeared. He vanished out of there. Almost like he teleported."

The captain's frown deepened. "Teleported?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't know, alright? The guy was there one second, and then… he just suddenly disappeared."

Jason turned, passing his father and sister, and sto walked out the door. *What the hell happened just now? Where did he disappear off to? I need to go get my staff,* Jason thought.

Meanwhile, as the chaos erupted in the library, Tyler plummeted towards the rooftop of the Black Cloud Guild mansion. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sounds around him. He listened intently, trying to isolate the two unusual voices, the two people with the distinct, labored breathing patterns that he had registered earlier. *Alright.* He focused his mind. *I need to find Rebecca. I want to see if I can do this. I want to see if this works. If it works...*

Tyler was trying to teleport to where Rebecca was listening to her voice. But now, with the cacophony of shouts, the sounds of steel and leather, and the general hubbub of the guild, her breath was drowned out. The fact that she was underground, the sounds muffled by the thick walls of the mansion, made it even more difficult.

Tyler clenched his teeth in frustration. He opened his crimson eyes, and decided: *Screw it. I know where to go.*

In a room, Mani sat on the bed, her legs drawn up to her chest. She was breathing rapidly and raggedly, consumed by fear. Standing beside her, her golden brown eyes filled with concern, was Melissa. She spoke words of comfort to Mani, but they seemed to have no effect.

"It will be alright, trust me, no one is going to get hurt," Melissa said softly, looking at Mani. Mani looked at Melissa with wide, terrified eyes, her body shaking. "He's here… people are going to die…"

Melissa heard Mani's words. "No one is going to die. You should have faith in your guild members. Don't underestimate them…"

Mani, clutching her knees to her chest, stared at them, trying to find some solace in the familiar position. Then, her gaze shifted to Melissa, who was speaking with a gentle reassurance. That's when she saw him.

Suddenly, Melissa gasped, her words catching in her throat.

Mani's eyes widened with terror, her scream dying in her throat. She scrambled backward on the bed, desperate to put distance between herself and the unseen danger. Her back hit the wall, and she pressed herself against the cold stone, her body trembling.

Tyler was right behind Melissa, a shadow materializing from nowhere. He held a crimson dagger over Melissa's neck, the polished blade reflecting the dim light.

Tyler's crimson eyes met Mani's, promising only pain. "Scream, and she dies," he said, his voice a low, menacing whisper. He then addressed Melissa directly. "Don't try to think, just answer. Or… I'm slitting your throat. Where is Rebecca?"

Melissa tried to find words, a lie, a way out, but the words wouldn't come. Then, Tyler slid the dagger down her throat, and it slightly cut her neck. A thin line of crimson bloomed on her skin.

"She's in the cellar… underground," Melissa gasped, the words a desperate plea.

"Good," Tyler answered.

But as soon as the word left his lips, a golden light erupted from Melissa's back, momentarily blinding. Tyler saw the system panel appear before him: "Melissa Own has activated skill: Light of Calm."

The light quickly dimmed, but the moment of respite was fleeting. Melissa, believing her skill had worked, tried to wrench herself free. But Tyler's grip tightened, his hand around her waist a steel band. The crimson dagger only cut deeper into her neck.

Melissa gasped, *My skill… it didn't work?*

Tyler then asked, "What was that? What type of hunter are you?"

The blade slid again, cutting deeper into her throat. Melissa squeaked, and crimson blood began to flow freely from her neck. "I'm a saint… I'm the guild's healer," she managed to choke out, her voice a strangled whisper that barely escaped her lips.

Tyler's eyes widened, and a cruel smile spread across his face, even behind the mask, revealing the grim satisfaction he found in the situation. Mani watched with a growing sense of dread and terror, her heart pounding in her chest. She saw the slight squinting of Tyler's eyes, the tightening of his jaw, the almost imperceptible upturn of his lips, and knew he was enjoying this. Melissa was being held hostage right in front of her. She saw the blood trickling from Melissa, the terrible gash in her throat. The thought of the pain, the fear, the imminent death, sent a shiver down her spine. If Melissa dies, she might feel the same. Tyler then muttered under his breath, "This is perfect."

Suddenly, a wooden barrel filled with water materialized in front of Melissa. Tyler then said, "Turn that into holy water."

Melissa, confused and in agonizing pain, hesitated, the words catching in her throat. "What…?"

Tyler pressed the dagger even harder against her throat. "Do it."

"Okay," Melissa said, the word a broken whisper that was lost amidst her pain. She brought her hands together, extending both towards the barrel filled with water. A golden light erupted from her hands, illuminating the whole room. The light was mostly focused on the barrel, bathing the water in a divine glow. Tears streamed down her face as she prayed, her voice trembling, "Oh Goddess, lend me your strength."

The light then dimmed, its brilliance fading. "I did it… I turned it into holy water," she said, her voice barely audible, a thread of exhaustion laced with relief.

"Good," Tyler said.

Then, suddenly, the barrel of water shimmered with a blue light and disappeared right in front of Mani and Melissa, surprising them both.

Then, the door burst open.