We all walked back, past the same fallen tree where we had hung out just 20 minutes earlier. We hadn't said a word during the entire walk; everyone remained silent. The battle against the monster and the loss of two human lives weighed heavily on us, and I was largely responsible for someone's death there. The fight's fatigue and adrenaline had worn off, and the reality of it all began to settle in even more. Despite everything, I felt fine; in fact, I felt strong—strong enough to take on Eric and this Adam guy, who apparently didn't like me. Still, I couldn't stop my hands from shaking as I thought about the Ghoul, our deceased member, and the one who had come to assassinate me. It was all a bit too much; I had never handled a situation like this before. Looking around, I could see the same emotions reflected on everyone's faces; it was overwhelming for all of us. Only Emma didn't seem as crushed as the rest of us, or perhaps she was just doing a good job of hiding it. Yet every thought of the day's misfortunes led back to one name: Adam.
"The problem isn't really Adam; I think we can handle him," Emma said out of nowhere, as if she could read my mind.
"The problem is his faction; they have, let's say, a bad reputation," she continued.
"A bad reputation, how?" I asked.
Emma swallowed hard and spoke quietly, as if there were someone nearby to overhear her.
"Their name is The Pale," she said, slowing her pace so I could catch up, and we began walking side by side.
"They're a rather small faction, but they're one of the strongest," Emma continued, matching her steps to mine.
"They're known for human trafficking and using people as bait for monsters. They also kill other hunters in portals. Of course, all of this applies only if these claims remain unverified and are merely based on allegations. You can join them, but anyone who tries to leave is found dead, eaten by monsters, or involved in some kind of accident in a portal—you get the idea. But, as I said, there's no hard proof—just rumors. That's why they remain a small faction; nobody wants to join them." She spoke while focusing on her steps.
For the rest of the walk to the portal, we trudged in silence; no one had anything to say. As we approached the expansive grassland, we spotted a few tents scattered about. It was getting late, and most students had already left. Only the strongest had chosen to stay for the night. Normally, we would have stayed overnight as well since we didn't possess any belts, but there were only three of us, so we needed to return and report what had happened.
"We hunted at the edge of the forest until a wolf-like monster jumped us and dragged one of our group members away," Emma began to fabricate a scenario about what transpired.
"We ventured into the forest, chasing the wolf in an attempt to rescue our fellow student. During the struggle with the monster, we lost another member of our group," she explained, setting her bag down and pulling out a wolf pelt and some large teeth.
"We managed to salvage the dead monster, but we couldn't stay to retrieve the others because we heard creatures approaching. This belt is quite valuable. I doubt the Academy will ask too many questions if they can have it," she said, starting to walk toward the portal with the belt in her other hand.
It seemed as though she had everything meticulously planned; there was no reason to inquire about where she acquired the belt. I wouldn't get any answers anyway. It appeared she had a backup plan in case someone died, intending to bribe the Academy with a high-quality belt.
Is this truly all that will be required? Two dead human lives, and Emma thinks he can just hand over a belt as proof and hope they don't ask too many questions? As I approached the portal, struggling to devise a backup plan, I wasn't so sure of Emma's plan.
Can I even trust Emma? I wanted to trust her, but lately, I've had bad luck with strong hunters. I felt comfortable with Edward, but Emma was a different story. She is always collected and calm, even when dead people are involved, unlike Edward, who is more straightforward. The lack of remorse or simple emotions sometimes makes me uneasy around her. As we reached the gate, I found peace in my mind, at least for now; I was going to trust Emma.
On the other side of the portal, back at the academy, a couple of soldiers waited for us just in front of it. They had set up a portable table piled with papers listing the names of the cadets, along with boxes for all the loot the cadets had managed to collect. The academy took all the loot and gave you some money for it. It's common knowledge that you would receive only 15% of the true value of your loot, making it a pretty profitable business for the academy. Factions usually take half, which I still think is too much, but at least it's better than 15%.
Just a few steps out of the portal, a guard sitting at the table looked at us, furrowing his eyebrows, and asked, "Where is the rest of the group?"
Emma raised the belt, walked up to the table, and placed it down. She explained our scenario without even batting an eye. When the guard took the belt, I noticed a small part of a white ribbon tucked into it. The guard spotted it too and pushed it down with a smooth movement.
"Go into your rooms," he ordered. "When more information is needed, you will be called."
I lay down on my bed and didn't even bother to change clothes; Edward did the same. We both stared at the ceiling.
"We're in deep trouble, aren't we?" I asked, still facing upward.
"If you lower your head, you'll eat shit; that's how deep it is." Edward replied.
"So even if we manage to defend ourselves against Adam, we still can't do anything to him. If we even touch a hair on his body, his faction will come after us." I tried to summarize the situation.
"That's about it. He'll just keep sending people." Edward sighed and continued, "His parents lead the Pale clan, and he has enough money to keep sending assassins. Eventually, some of those assassins will succeed."
"Is it wise to hang out with me then? You're a target too then." I asked Edward, slowly turning my head to gauge his reaction.
"If it were any other faction, I would have left a long time ago," he said, smiling.
"But the truth is, I really—and I mean really—hate the Pale," he said, turning his body toward me, leaning on his hand, slightly raising himself, and giving me a wild smile.
Before I had the chance to inquire, "What is his grudge with the Pale?" the door opened. Emma walked in, wearing loose sweatpants, her hair no longer in the bun at the top of her head; instead, it was curly and damp, as if she had just stepped out of the shower. Without saying a word, she walked to the empty bed and lay down, joining us in staring at the ceiling. After a brief moment of silence, she stretched her body and asked,
"Do you always make enemies so fast?" There was no need to think about who the question was directed at.
"This is definitely a record," I replied with a hint of humor.
A small smile appeared on her face, and she opened her mouth, seemingly ready to ask another question, but a loud bang interrupted her. We all rushed to the window to see what had just happened. A high-tier portal opened, and wounded soldiers streamed through.
"Get the leaders ready; a portal breach is about to happen!" a commanding voice yelled, issuing orders as soon as he arrived.
There was something in his voice that caught my attention. I recognized that voice. I opened the window, leaned out, and looked toward the portals. My heart sank as anger surged within me, so intense that dark fog began to emanate from my forearms. It was someone from my list of targets, the same person who oversaw the desert mission: Mayor Clark.