Morning light poured over the streets of Algora's western district, casting soft reflections on the dew-covered rooftops. The market square, usually alive with cheerful shouting and the clamor of coins, felt unusually stiff. Shopkeepers arranged their goods in quiet focus.
At the heart of the plaza, a raised stone platform stood. A row of city guards, clad in polished steel with the Algora crest embossed on their cloaks, stepped forward. One of them, a tall soldier with a commanding presence, climbed the platform. In his hand was a sealed parchment, and he gave a firm tug on the market bell.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The sound cut through the morning air. Heads turned. Stalls went still. More people began to gather.
The soldier unrolled the scroll and raised his voice.
"Hear ye, citizens of Algora! By the order of Lord Halric Algoria, following consultation with the military, and the Guild. The West Gate is hereby sealed. Entry into the Western Forest is now strictly prohibited to all civilians, merchants, and unauthorized adventurers."
A wave of surprised murmurs spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"Closed? Why? "
"Must be something big if the Lord himself gave the order…"
A familiar Silver Star emblem flashed near the edge of the crowd—Rein and his party had stopped mid-walk. They listened in silence, eyes narrowing.
The soldier continued:
"This decision was made to ensure the safety of the people. Recent events have raised concerns about unknown dangers within the forest. Effective immediately, any attempt to breach the closure will result in detention and formal punishment under city law. This is a temporary restriction for now until further notice is given."
People exchanged worried glances. A child clutched his father's cloak. A few merchants shook their heads, already calculating the cost of trade routes being blocked.
As the guards began to post official notices on the surrounding walls, the crowd slowly began to disperse.
There was unease in the air. Questions left unasked. And up above, on the tiled roof of a smithy overlooking the plaza, a lone figure in dark robes remained still, observing everything that's happening .
Scene shift: Adventurer guild
The Guild hall buzzed with low murmurs and uneasy glances. A cluster of novice adventurers gathered near the central quest board, eyes darting over the tacked-up notices, only to pull back with furrowed brows and mutters of discontent.
Adventurer 1, frowning, "There's still nothing about the western forest again…"
Adventurer 2, crossing his arms, "Three days in a row. Not even a patrol request. Something's off."
Adventurer 3, voice lowered to a whisper, "They say a C-rank team vanished without a trace—and then silence."
Adventurer 1, gritting his teeth, "No official word from the Guild? Come on, they're definitely hiding something."
A fourth adventurer approached and tapped the board with two fingers, pointing toward a blank space where a notice used to be.
Adventurer 4, narrowing his eyes, "They removed the last west forest cleanup quest just yesterday. Like they're pretending it doesn't even exist anymore."
Just then, the front doors creaked open and two city guards stepped in, one carrying a rolled-up notice. They marched toward the information board and pinned a fresh notice up with a firm thud.
Several adventurers craned their necks to read it.
"…Notice of west gate closure?"
Adventurers starts murmuring.
"Now they're sealing the gate? Something's really wrong out there."
Off to the side, Garret stood silently with his back against a column, arms crossed, observing the murmuring crowd.
He let out a quiet sigh.
Garret murmuring to himself
"Tch… the rumor's spreading like wildfire. And without those quests up, they'll only get louder." As he heads out of the guild.
West Gate Command Post – Morning.
The towering gates of the western exit stood firmly closed, guarded by rows of armored knights and city soldiers. Their polished armor gleamed under the morning sun, their eyes sharp, watching the tree line beyond the barrier. Behind the gate, a large command tent had been set up—tables covered in maps, and scattered paperwork.
Inside, Vel stood near the center table, a familiar gleam of excitement in his eyes.
"We'll send in two teams," Vel said, gesturing to a drawn-up section of the western forest. "A scout team goes in first. And make sure that they should not engage in combat unless absolutely necessary. The raid team will move in only after they report back."
Darius adjusted his robes, nodding. "The Crimson wing clan sent a scout team, The phantoms."
Garret leaned against the support pole of the tent, arms crossed. "The Silver star team from Black Star clan is also ready."
Vel clapped his hands together, a grin forming. "Perfect. I'll gear up and go with them."
Thwack.
A rolled-up scroll hit the back of Vel's head with surgical precision.
"No," Shin said flatly, standing by the table with his ever-growing clipboard of documents. "You're not going anywhere."
Vel turned with a fake pout. "C'mon, Shin. What if they run into something dangerous ?"
"You're not just an adventurer!," Shin replied, not even looking up as he scribbled something down. "You're the Guild Master."
"Shin," Vel said with exaggerated exasperation.
Shin raised an eyebrow. " you'll end up running off alone, slicing trees in half, and probably leveling half the forest before someone stops you. Again."
Garret snorted a laugh. "I remember last time. The southern forest still hasn't recovered fully."
Darius added, deadpan, "Pretty sure we found a 20 meter deep crater."
Vel sighed dramatically, dropping back into his chair. "Fine."
"Good," Shin said, placing a tall stack of paperwork in front of him. "Now start signing these Reports. You've been dodging this for three days."
Vel looked at the stack like it had personally betrayed him. "This is my punishment, isn't it?"
Shin smiled, finally looking at him. "No. This is your job."
Few moments Later-Noon
The massive western gate creaked open slowly, the heavy wooden doors dragging against stone.
The scout team, cloaked in muted colors and equipped with lightweight gear, as they vanished into the shadowed trees.
Darius watched as they left and Garret stood beside him, shifting his weight slightly in his armor. Not far from them, the Silver Star party—Rein, Silvyi, Lysa, Elin, and Faren—stood by.
Garret turned his head slightly toward Rein. "That monster you mentioned—what exactly did you see out there?"
Rein glanced toward the forest, jaw clenched. "It wasn't like anything we've fought before. Its arms were wrong... twisted and lumped together like melted flesh. Its head tilted too far, like it didn't know how to be human. And its eyes—" He stopped for a beat, lowering his voice. "They didn't reflect light. Just stared through us."
Lysa looked uneasy at the memory, but stayed quiet.
Garret's brows knitted together. "You're saying it was intelligent?"
Rein shook his head. "No… not intelligent. But aware. Like it recognized us as a threat. Or maybe prey."
Darius finally spoke, tone steady. "And if what the Guild Master said is accurate, that it's already mutated—grown larger in just a few days…"
"Then we may not be dealing with a monster," Garret finished grimly. "But something Dangerous."
Rein nodded. "I don't know what it is."
Garret exhaled and rolled his shoulders, staring into the forest. "Let's hope the scout team finds something."