The Tower King

The road to Grimpoint stretched on in an almost unreal tranquillity. Twilight thickened, and the air grew cooler as they progressed beneath the dark canopy. Night noises rose up around them, a mixture of rustling in the thickets and animal calls in the distance. Sora occasionally glanced around worriedly, but Jarek, relaxed as ever, walked at a steady pace, as if nothing could really worry him.

"You're stressing too much, kid," Jarek finally blurted out with a sidelong glance at Sora. "Nobody's going to come down on us. Not now."

Sora gritted his teeth. He knew he should relax, but his mind was still too agitated by everything he'd been through recently. He simply nodded and remained silent.

The forest grew sparser as they approached the outskirts of Grimpoint. The first lights of the town began to appear in the distance, flickering behind the hills. The familiar smell of smoke and damp earth wafted through the air, a sign that they were not far off.

Jarek stopped suddenly and held out his arm to block Sora's path.

"One thing before we go in," he said, staring at him earnestly. "Everything that was said earlier stays between us."

Sora nodded without hesitation. He had no interest in divulging anything. His power, his fight in the cave, all these things had to remain secret. Jarek seemed satisfied with his answer and resumed walking.

They passed the first settlements in silence. Grimpoint was still bustling, even at this late hour. Merchants were tidying up their stalls, several locals were walking the streets, and a few mercenaries were finishing their meal in one of the taverns still open.

"Well, kid, this is where we part ways," declared Jarek, stretching. "I'm going to have a nice drink, and you..." He left his sentence hanging, but his amused smile showed that he knew very well where Sora was going to end his evening.

"And as for your reward, we'll pick it up in the morning." he continued, moving towards the tavern nearest to him. "Right now, I'm too lazy to write the report."

Sora looked at her spitefully, saluted him and set off alone in the direction of the Mercenary Order.

Arriving in front of the Mercenary Order building, he took a deep breath before pushing open the heavy wooden door. The interior was quieter than usual, most of the mercenaries having already gone back to their quarters or on mission. Only a few groups scattered around the tables were whispering among themselves, sharing stories of their exploits.

Nerris, faithful to her post behind the reception counter, looked up as he entered and gave him a warm smile.

"Oh, you're back!" she said, setting a stack of papers to one side. "Is Jarek with you?"

"He decided the tavern was more important than the report," Sora replied with a sigh.

Nerris chuckled. "Surprising... or not." She observed Sora more seriously. "How did the mission go?"

Sora hesitated a moment before answering. "Pretty well. A few complications, but nothing insurmountable."

He hoped his answer would suffice. He didn't feel like explaining everything just yet. Nerris seemed to understand and didn't insist.

"In that case, you should get some rest. You can file your report in the morning, Jarek will probably have it done before you're ready anyway."

Sora nodded, grateful. He headed for the stairs leading to the mercenary dormitories. Every step reminded him how exhausted his body was. The aches and pains left by his morning training were now added to those from the fight in the cave. He could hardly wait to collapse on his bed.

When he finally reached his room, he closed the door behind him and leaned against the wood for a moment. The solitude of the room suddenly struck him. Here, out of sight, he could finally release the tension he'd built up all day.

He sat down on his bed and ran a hand over his face. His thoughts looped back to the evolution of his skill, to the slight wound he had inflicted on Jarek and also to Aden and Aria, whom he had met in the inn at lunchtime. Everything was moving very fast, perhaps even too fast for a simple day.

A sigh escaped him. He didn't have the strength to think any more tonight. For now, he had to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day, with new challenges. He let himself fall back, staring at the ceiling for a few moments before fatigue finally swept him off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

...

Jarek pushed open the door of the tavern "The Silver Horn" nonchalantly, a smile on his face as the familiar smell of alcohol, smoke and grilled food greeted him. The place was bustling, almost as it always was at this hour. Groups of mercenaries laughed loudly over their tankards, exchanging tales of battles and successful contracts. Others, more discreet, were playing dice or chatting quietly in the darker corners of the room.

Jarek sat down at a table that seemed more secluded than the others. He called for a waitress, who quickly brought him a mug of beer and began to drink it slowly.

He didn't have time to savor his relative silence for long. The tavern door swung open, letting in a group of four people. Jarek immediately recognized Aden at the head, whom he had just met at lunchtime, with his eternally confident posture and scrutinizing gaze. At his side, Aria advanced with natural elegance, her keen gaze sweeping the room.

Behind them, two other individuals followed close behind. One was a massive, dark-skinned man with a shaved head, dressed in light armor with a metallic sheen. His face was impassive, but his eyes watched every detail with calculated vigilance. The other was a shorter woman, with brown hair tied back in a tight ponytail, wearing a dark cape that partially concealed her equipment. Her mischievous smile contrasted with the taciturn aura of the warrior beside her.

Jarek raised an eyebrow as the group headed straight for him. He put down his mug and leaned back in his chair, watching them approach with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

Jarek was the first to speak as his surprise guests had just stopped in front of his table. "Aden. I never thought I'd see you twice in one day. Did you miss me that much?"

Aden sketched a wry smile. "Jarek. If you didn't want to see me, you wouldn't have come here on your own initiative."

While swallowing his sip of beer, Jarek blew his nose slightly, betraying his true intentions.

Aria took her place at the table without waiting for an invitation, resting her elbow on the worn wood. "I didn't expect to see you alone. Where's your little Obsidian rank?"

"Sorry Aria, I don't want him to have bad company," Jarek replied with amusement.

The massive warrior crossed his arms, observing the exchange without intervening, while the woman in the cape took her turn with a malignant smile.

Aden leaned back against the wooden chair and stared earnestly at Jarek. "We need to talk."

Jarek raised his eyebrows, but didn't lose his relaxed air. "If it has anything to do with what you said to me at lunch, then I'm listening."

Aden crossed his fingers on the table and tilted his head slightly forward, lowering his tone to avoid attracting the attention of the tavern's other customers. "Like I told you, there's starting to be some movement on this floor. And nothing positive."

Jarek continued drinking his beer without showing any more astonishment than that. "I know all about that, you told me at lunchtime. I'd like you to explain in more detail exactly what's going on."

"A newcomer seems to be wreaking havoc at the examination center." Aden replied, still with a serious tone. "I haven't been able to find his first name, but for over a month he's been picking on the top 10 on this floor and killing them off one by one."

Jarek didn't answer immediately. He stretched slowly, as if this conversation didn't interest him in the least. "And so, what business is it of mine? Even if he managed to kill the 10ᵉ and the 9ᵉ, you know as well as I do that there's a real gap between them and me."

Aden remained silent for a moment, then crossed his arms, fixing Jarek with a piercing gaze. "He didn't stop at the tenth and ninth, Jarek."

The mercenary, still taking a sip of his beer, stood still for a fraction of a second before slowly resting his tankard on the table. He raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Explain."

Aria spoke up this time, her serious tone contrasting with her usual mischievous smile. "It started a few weeks ago with number 10, followed by number 8 last week, but the most frightening thing is what happened yesterday... Yesterday, the body of the 1st was found. He and his entire team were killed; they were unrecognizable, but everything points to him."

A heavy silence fell over the table. Even the waitress passing by seemed to sense the tension. Jarek let the information slowly seep into his mind. The first one. The individual who had dominated the floor for years. Dead.

"Any details?" he finally asked, his tone lower than before.

Aden shook his head. "No need for that. They met for a death match last night, and the result is as you know it now. The examination center is trying to hush it up, but given that this duel was fought under the watchful eye of some spectators, it'll only be a few more days before all the big cities on this floor know about it."

Jarek tilted his head back, watching the tavern ceiling as if for answers. "A guy strong enough to kill the first... and who's going after the top ten." He paused for a moment before letting out a light laugh. "I guess I'm next on the list, right?"

"Probably," Aden confirmed bluntly. "You're ranked third. If this guy's following a pattern, you'll soon be a target."

Jarek didn't answer immediately. His smile faded slightly, replaced by a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. He had never sought to climb the rankings for glory. He'd arrived at this position by sheer force of circumstance. And yet, he now found himself in the crosshairs of an unknown adversary.

"You might be in his sights too, Aden. What do you think?" he finally asked.

The veteran sighed and glanced around them before leaning forward slightly. "I'd tell you I'm strong enough to defeat him, but I think we'd better join forces. Given that he's killing the higher-ups and their teams, I think his allies are powerful too. That's why 4 of us are here tonight. I'm currently number 7, Aria is Silver rank, Ulrich and Lyra are also Silver ranks, but they come from the city of Nerahm."

Jarek looked carefully at the two people he didn't know, before finally greeting them with a simple nod. "I see no reason to refuse, only I have one condition."

Aden crossed his arms, already expecting a condition from Jarek. He wasn't surprised, and knew that an alliance with him would never come without a quid pro quo.

"What are your conditions, Jarek?" he asked, his voice pragmatic.

Jarek smiled slightly, as relaxed as ever despite the magnitude of the situation. "Simple. You're going to find me this guy and propose a death match in three months' time, at the examination center."

Surprised, Aden settled back in his chair, but it was Aria who answered faster than he could. "Wait, you want us to go and see him for ourselves? What if he kills us?"

"He won't." Jarek replied with a haughty smile. "If he enjoys killing the top 10, he won't be able to resist our proposal. Face the 3ᵉ as well as the 7ᵉ in a fight to the death. It's an unmissable offer, especially if we're the ones proposing it to him."

Aden seemed to understand Jarek's point of view and nodded in agreement. Only, one question seemed to be lingering in the back of his mind. "Why do you wish to wait 3 months before proposing this duel?"

A big smile appeared on Jarek's face, satisfied that Aden had asked this question. "I need our secret asset to develop a little more before I let him loose in the big time."