The Rayseer Adventurer Guild was a lot busier than Dolern's. It has a bigger building, thicker adventurer members and louder atmosphere….Well, usually louder.
When I stepped inside, the noise just… stopped.
Dozens of adventurers, men and women built like they bench-press boulders for fun turned to stare at me.
Swords, axes, spears, all gleaming under the ceiling lamps.
I froze mid-step, suddenly very aware of the small phoenix on my shoulder and the tiny white tiger loafing on my head.
Tweety's feathers rustled quietly.
"They seem impressed."
"I think they're calculating how fast they can kill me," I said in our mind link.
Shiro yawned from above.
"No one here could touch us."
"Great," I muttered. "Please don't prove that."
I forced myself to walk to the counter like nothing was wrong. My boots echoed on the wooden floor, and the silence followed me all the way.
The receptionist, a young woman with neat brown hair and the eternal "I'm paid to be nice to chaos" smile, looked up as I approached.
"Um, hi," I said, sliding my adventurer card across the desk. "I'm John Avery. Registered in Dolern. I just need to update my location."
She blinked, reading the name, then looked back at me at Tweety, at Shiro, then back at me.
Her polite smile didn't falter, but I could see the tiny flicker of recognition in her eyes.
"Of course, Mr. Avery. That will be three silver coins."
I handed over the coins quickly, hoping the silence behind me would end if I just finished this fast.
But when she picked up my card, her expression changed slightly.
Not bad…just… more careful.
"One moment, please," she said, bowing slightly. "Could you wait here a minute?"
"Oh… uh, sure?"
She disappeared behind the counter, through a small door.
Tweety tilted his head.
"Is that normal?"
"Maybe they're verifying my card," I said. "Or maybe I've been blacklisted for excessive campfire smoke."
The lobby stayed quiet. Every time I glanced behind me, another adventurer pretended not to stare.
After a few awkward minutes, the receptionist returned, holding my updated adventurer card and a small sealed envelope.
"Thank you for waiting, Mr. Avery," she said with professional calm. "Your card has been updated. However, the Guildmaster would like to have a word with you."
"Oh…" I said weakly. "A word. That's… great."
"Please follow me."
The receptionist led me down a short hallway lined with quest posters and trophies, monster heads, scales, even a few weapons I hoped were just for decoration.
At the end of the hall was a large wooden door with a plaque that read:
Guildmaster Ailock
She knocked twice.
"Sir, Mr. John Avery is here."
A gruff voice answered, "Let him in."
The door opened, and I stepped inside.
The office looked exactly how I imagined a Guildmaster's office would look: cluttered, full of papers, half-eaten sandwiches, and the faint smell of ink and cigarettes.
Behind the desk sat a broad-shouldered man with a balding head, a mismatched mustache, half blond, half black and eyes that said I've seen too much adventurer nonsense for one lifetime.
He glanced up from his paperwork.
"So. You're the man everyone's talking about."
"Uh," I said, closing the door carefully behind me. "I hope it's the good kind of talking."
He raised an eyebrow.
"That depends. You wouldn't happen to know anything about a certain 'forest purge' near Dolern, would you?"
Tweety made a quiet noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
I smiled nervously.
"Ah. You've heard about that."
"Everyone's heard about that," Ailock said dryly. He leaned back in his chair, mustache twitching like it had a mind of its own. "Fire and wind magic on that scale doesn't just happen."
"Well, technically, it did just happen," I said weakly. "Completely by accident. Like, a controlled accident."
Shiro snorted from my head.
"It was not controlled."
"Traitor," I whispered.
Ailock stared at us for a long moment, then sighed.
"You're either the unluckiest man alive or the bravest idiot I've ever met."
"I prefer 'culinary adventurer,' actually."
That earned me a quiet chuckle.
"You've got the nerve, kid. I like that."
He shuffled some papers on his desk, then pulled out a file with my name on it.
"Relax, you're not in trouble. The Guild just likes to keep tabs on people who, you know, accidentally incinerate half a forest."
"Ah, good," I said. "That's… reassuring."
He handed me my card back and leaned forward.
"Just stay out of trouble, Avery. And for the gods' sake, try not to bring divine beasts into city limits again."
I smiled awkwardly.
"I'll… do my best?"
He nodded slowly.
"That's all I can ask. Oh, and Avery, welcome to Rayseer."
I grinned. "Thanks, boss. I'll try not to blow it up."
Ailock leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking under the weight of too many years of guild politics. Then, with a grunt, he stood and disappeared through a door at the back of the office.
For a moment I just stood there, awkwardly fiddling with my card. Tweety pecked at my ear.
"He left. Should we flee?"
"No," I whispered. "He's probably getting paperwork. Or rope. Hopefully paperwork."
The door opened again and Ailock came back out, carrying two heavy pouches that clinked in a way that made my wallet-sense tingle.
He dropped them onto the desk with a solid thunk.
"Your reward," he said simply. "Fifteen-hundred gold. Official payment for the orc extermination."
My brain stalled.
"Fifteen… hundred?"
He nodded. "That was a Class S quest, boy. We've sent full parties after those orcs before but none came back. You and your familiars wiped them out without leaving a single tusk behind."
Tweety fluffed his feathers, smug as always.
"Naturally."
"Wait, Class S?" I repeated. "As in the scary letter kind?"
Ailock's mouth twitched like he wanted to smile but remembered he was management. "The same. Those orcs were nesting along the fastest route between Dolern and Rayseer. Travelers have been forced to take the long way around for months. You did this kingdom a favor."
I looked at the pouches again, still half-expecting him to snatch them back.
"Uh… thanks. I guess."
He chuckled, then reached under the desk and produced another envelope, this one is sealed with the guild's crest.
"I've got something else for you, John. A special quest."
My stomach immediately began writing my will.
"Special… how special?"
"A single pit viper. Class S."
I blinked.
"That sounds very special."
He ignored my panic. "It's nesting somewhere along Route 3. Same area you'll be passing through if you head south. We've already lost two scouting teams, but you've got those two monsters of yours."
He nodded toward Tweety and Shiro.
"It should be easy work."
Tweety gave a low hum.
"A viper? Hardly worth stretching my wings."
Shiro flicked his tail.
"Can I eat it?"
I forced a nervous laugh.
"Ha… sure, yeah, easy. Totally fine. Quick question, though, what about me?"
Ailock shrugged. "Stay behind the familiars, I guessed? Of what usually Tamer does."
"You guess?! That's not reassuring!"
He just grinned and pushed the envelope toward me.
"Then this will be good practice for your familiars."
I stared at it for a long second before tucking it into my bag with a sigh.
"Right. Practice. Great."
Ailock's voice softened a bit.
"Relax, John. You've already proven yourself. Just… don't die, alright?"
"Solid advice," I muttered. "I'll add it to my to-do list."
Tweety puffed up proudly.
"Come, John. Let's find this pitiful snake and roast it properly."
Shiro yawned.
"If he doesn't faint first."
"Love the confidence, guys," I said dryly, hefting the gold pouches. "Let's go before he changes his mind."
As I left the office, Ailock called after me,
"And try not to set Route 3 on fire this time!"
I waved without looking back.
"No promises!"
Route 3 wasn't much of a "route."
If anything, it looked like nature had politely asked humans to leave and then slammed the door shut.
The trees were so thick they blocked half the sunlight, and their roots tangled like angry noodles, and the air smelled like wet moss and rotten leaves.
According to Guildmaster Ailock, all I needed was the head as proof.
Simple, he said.
Just cut it off and bring it back.
Yeah. Simple. He must be insane.
Shiro was already in his full-size tiger glory, big as Fel and just as smug about it. His fur shimmered faintly in the light, white as snow and lined with blue streaks of frost.
He crouched down, and I climbed onto his back.
Or more accurately, I clung to him like a terrified squirrel on a moving train.
"According to Ailock," I said, "we just need the head. The rest is ours."
Shiro rumbled approvingly.
"Good. Pit viper meat is… excellent. Firm. Juicy. Slightly sweet.
Tweety landed beside us, his golden feathers gleaming faintly.
"True. Cook it properly and it's divine. A rare delicacy among beasts."
I blinked.
"You've both eaten one before?"
"Of course," Tweety said, looking offended. "But seasonless. We wonder how it will taste once you cook it, John."
I frowned.
"Okay, but… how big are we talking? Human-size snake? Anaconda-size? Or…"
Tweety paused.
"Hmm. Large."
"That's not comforting."
"Big enough for a good feast," Shiro added.
"Still not comforting!"
Shiro lowered himself and gave a short growl.
"Hold tight, John. I smell something."
Before I could protest, he bolted forward in a blur of white fur and pounding paws.
"SHIROOOO!"
The wind roared past my ears as we tore through the dense underbrush. Branches whipped by, leaves slapped my face, and I regretted riding on his back.
Tweety flew above us, wings glowing faintly as he soared effortlessly through the canopy.
"Do try not to fall, John."
"I'M TRYING!" I shouted, clutching Shiro's neck like my life depended on it because it absolutely did.
Shiro didn't even slow down.
His powerful strides crushed roots and sent dust flying.
He was in pure hunter mode now, eyes sharp, nostrils flaring.
"The scent is strong," he said, voice low and rumbling. "It's nearby."
"Fantastic," I wheezed. "Maybe we can-ow-walk the rest of the way?"
"No need," Tweety said cheerfully. "I'll let Shiro handle this one. Consider it… a warm-up."
"A warm-up?!"
"Mhm. For the real monsters you'll meet later."
"Oh, good! Can't wait for that!" I yelled, ducking just in time to avoid a branch that could've taken my head off.
Shiro suddenly came to a halt, muscles tense, eyes locked ahead.
The air around us grew heavy, still, and oddly cold.
"Found it," he murmured.
I peered past his mane and froze.
The ground trembled softly as something massive slithered through the thick ferns ahead. A faint hiss echoed through the forest, sharp and low, like steam escaping a kettle the size of a house.
And then I saw it.
A single, glinting eye. Yellow. Reptilian. And watching.
"Oh," I whispered. "When you say big…"
The snake's head rose slowly above the bushes, each scale the size of a dinner small plate, green-black and glistening. Its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air.
"That," I croaked, "is not a pit viper. That's a pit nightmare."
Shiro's tail swished once, his claws digging into the dirt.
"Stay on."
"Stay on?! That's your plan?!"
"Fight well, cook later," Tweety said, hovering above us with an unbothered tone. "I expect something spicy."
"SPICY!? I EXPECT TO DIE!"
But it was too late. Shiro leapt forward with a roar, fangs bared, and the forest exploded into motion.
The pit viper struck first.
One moment it was still, the next it lunged. It was fast enough to blur, jaws wide enough to swallow a whole.
Shiro twisted sideways, claws digging into the dirt as the snake's fangs slammed into the ground where we'd been a second ago. The impact shook the forest, flinging leaves and dust into the air.
I barely held on, clutching Shiro's fur like a seatbelt.
"Okay! Okay! You've got this!" I shouted.
"Stop yelling!" Shiro growled back, swerving as the pit viper's tail whipped across the clearing.
It cracked the trees like thunder, snapping the trees like twigs.
Shiro dodged again, fluid and fast, his body weaving between strikes. But with me still on his back, he couldn't move the way he wanted.
"John," he rumbled, voice calm even as the earth exploded around us, "I cannot attack freely with you clinging to me."
"Then what do you suggest I-"
He suddenly launched me into the air.
"WAIT, WHAT-!??"
Before gravity could finish ruining my life, a pair of golden talons caught me mid-fall.
"You are welcome," Tweety said smugly, wings flaring as he steadied me in the air.
I hung from his claws, legs flailing.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU BEASTS?!"
"Focus," Tweety said coolly. "The tiger is about to perform."
Below, Shiro skidded to a stop, frost forming under his paws. The air temperature dropped zero in an instant, mist curling around him like smoke.
The pit viper hissed and lunged again, its enormous body slicing through trees.
Shiro exhaled once. The ground around him froze solid.
Then, with a roar that shook the leaves, frost spikes erupted from the earth. All are sharp, crystalline shards launching upward like arrows.
They shot toward the snake's head in a deadly barrage. The pit viper twisted, dodging most of them with surprising speed, but not all. Several spikes scraped its scales, leaving streaks of ice and frostbite where they struck.
"He missed!" I yelled.
"He never misses," Tweety said softly.
And he was right.
Because just as the pit viper lunged again, triumphant, Shiro moved his claws in a single, precise motion.
Thin, glimmering frost threads whipped through the air barely visible until they caught the light. They cut clean through the pit viper's neck as it passed.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then, with a sickening thud, the serpent's massive head hit the frozen ground, sliding several meters before coming to a stop.
The body followed, coiling violently before collapsing in a tremor that rattled every bone in my body.
But even headless, the monster wasn't done. Its severed head lunged instinctively, furious straight at Shiro.
"Shiro, look out!" I shouted.
He didn't flinch.
A pale-blue shimmer appeared around him,.a frost shield, thin but solid, glowing faintly. The viper's fangs slammed into it, scraping harmlessly against the barrier. Venom splattered across the ice, hissing and steaming but unable to melt through.
Shiro's eyes narrowed.
"Foolish creature."
The shield flared once, then shattered outward, blowing the head back in a cloud of ice dust.
Then silence fell.
The forest, moments ago a battlefield, now stood eerily still. Frozen mist hung in the air.
I blinked, still dangling from Tweety's claws.
"So… that's it?"
"That's it," Tweety confirmed, lowering me carefully to the ground.
I landed awkwardly and immediately collapsed to my knees, gasping.
"You know, I think I've met my daily cardio goal."
Shiro padded over, completely unbothered, his fur glistening with frost.
"The proof you require," he said, flicking his tail toward the massive severed head.
I looked at it, the size of a wagon, and sighed.
"Yeah. Great. Totally easy to carry back."
"It is light when frozen," Shiro offered helpfully. "Besides, you have your item box."
"Sure. You freeze it. I'll just toss it inside my item box."
Tweety landed beside me, wings folding neatly.
"You should be proud. You survived another Class S."
"Proud," I said weakly, "is one word for it. Traumatized is another."
Still, as I watched Shiro's frost fade and the sunlight glitter over the frozen clearing, I couldn't help but smile.
We'd done it. Again.
Now, all I had to do was figure out how to push this massive pit viper's body inside my item box.