At those words, Arwin’s anger flared anew. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"So you’ve heard," he said sharply. "You know they dared to strike my son in my own city."
Aldric t his gaze unflinchingly and nodded slowly. "I have heard."
Arwin’s fingers clenched around the edge of his desk. "They are arrogant," he declared. "A branch hall opens, and suddenly they believe themselves to be kings! They humiliate my son in front of citizens and Adventurers as if he were nothing more than trash. Do you understand what that ans? They are testing , they’re inviting war."
Aldric raised a hand slightly not in disrespect but as a quiet request for calm.
His voice remained steady. "Arwin," he said, using the City Lord’s na as an old friend might, "don’t go looking for trouble with them."
Arwin froze as if struck dumb by disbelief. "What?" he asked slowly, shock mingling with anger. "What do you an?"
"I’m being straightforward," Aldric replied calmly. "Don’t provoke the Guild unless you’re prepared for the consequences."
The weight of those words hung heavily in the air.
Arwin stared at him, montarily breathless with indignation; part of him wanted to scoff, who could threaten him in his own city? But Aldric’s serious deanor left no room for jest.
"Are you threatening ?" Arwin askedcautiously.
"No," Aldric shook his head firmly. "I’m warning you and there’s a significant difference."
Arwin’s tone sharpened further: "So you’ve co into my study at night to tell I should accept humiliation? That I should allow my son to be struck without retaliation?"
Aldric’s expression grew serious. "Your son was slapped because he acted foolishly," he stated bluntly, causing Arwin’s eyes to flash with anger.
Before Arwin could react, Aldric pressed on. "I’m not suggesting you accept disrespect. What I’m saying is that you shouldn’t rush into this without fully understanding what you’re up against."
Arwin leaned back slightly, tension still evident in his posture. "Explain," he demanded.
Aldric exhaled slowly. "Arwin," he began, "more than half a year ago, that Guild was rely a strange rumor from Greyvale. Now they have a branch in your city, and it’s expanding rapidly. Such swift growth doesn’t happen by chance. Soone is orchestrating it, soone with patience and a plan."
Arwin narrowed his eyes. "You speak as if you know them," he said.
Aldric’s jaw tightened in response. "I know enough to advise caution."
Anger surged within Arwin again. "Caution?" he echoed incredulously. "Aldric, they’re in my city! They don’t bow or ask for permission; they’re gathering ard n! And you tell to be cautious"?
"Yes," Aldric replied simply.
Arwin stared at him intently. "Why?" he pressed.
Aldric hesitated briefly before choosing his words carefully. "Because I’ve witnessed the consequences of underestimating them."
Arwin furrowed his brows in confusion. "What do you an?"
Aldric glanced at the desk before eting Arwin’s gaze again.
"Before taking any rash actions," he advised, "send n to thoroughly investigate the Guild not just their hall or their numbers but their leadership and thods as well. Pay special attention to that woman, Valeria."
Arwin’s eyes sharpened at the ntionof her na. "Valeria, the one who slapped my son?"
Aldric nodded gravely. "Yes."
Leaning forward again, Arwin asked, "What about her?"
"She is not soone to ss with," Aldric replied quietly.
"She’s strong enough to strike guards without consequence, that’s all there is to it," Arwin retorted.
"No," Aldric shook his head firmly. "You are wrong, she is strong enough to turn this entire city into a wasteland."
Arwin looked at Aldric with surprise flickering in his eyes as he looked at him with confusion as well.
Aldric continued, locking eyes with him. "She is discipline, the kind killers possess. I’ve seen real Knights before, n capable of blowing an entire mountain into smithereens but even they show emotion when they act: anger, pride, hunger... That woman? She handled your son like she was brushing dust off a table, no emotion whatsoever and no hesitation at all."
He paused for effect before continuing, "She chose humiliation over death, a choice not made by a re street fighter but by soone trained to send ssages."
Arwin swallowed hard. His anger lingered, but a crack had ford in its facade.
Aldric continued, his voice unwavering. "If you send guards to storm their hall, you won’t intimidate them," he said.
"You’ll only provoke a response. And if they respond, there will be blood in your streets. rchants will panic, trade will slow, and whispers will spread that the City Lord started a war and lost control."
Arwin clenched his jaw. "So what do you suggest?" he forced out through gritted teeth.
Aldric t his gaze directly. "Investigate," he urged again. "Find out who they are and who truly leads them before making any decisions."
Arwin stared at Aldric, suspicion swirling with the cold dread settling in his chest.
"Why do you care?" he demanded. "Why co to warn ? If I destroy them, it benefits rchants like you, lesscompetition, less order, more need for private guards."
Aldric’s expression tightened, and for the first ti, emotion flickered in his eyes.
"Because we’ve been friends for a long ti," he replied earnestly. "I don’t want to see you die because of pride."
Silence fell between them.
Aldric rose slowly, smoothing down his robe as he prepared to leave. "Don’t take this lightly," he cautioned. "If you want to protect your house, do so with your head not your anger."
Arwin remained silent, his thoughts tangled between rage and caution.
With a slight bow, Aldric concluded, "That is all I have to say." He turned toward the door.
Aldric," Arwin called out roughly as Aldric paused and looked back at him. Arwin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How do you know this?"
Aldric’s expression beca inscrutable. "Does it matter?" he asked quietly. "The warning is enough."
Arwin studied him closely; part of him wanted to press further, but sothing about Aldric’s calm deanor held him back.
Aldric nodded once before saying softly, "Good night, Arwin," then left the room.
As the door clicked shut behind him, Arwin was left alone in the study once more but now the anger that had filled the space was tainted by sothing colder and more dangerous: uncertainty.
Slowly sitting back down, Arwin glanced at the report again but didn’t reach for his commander this ti; instead, he sought out those quiet n, n who could observe without drawing attention.
-----------
PRESENT DAY
Arwin blinked as the mory faded away from him.
His chest felt tight, as if the weight of the past had pressed a hand against it. Slowly, he lifted one hand to wipe his face and realized cold sweat had ford at his temple, trickling down toward his jaw.
He exhaled heavily, leaning back and staring at the ceiling for a mont, as if it couldsohow carry away his troubled thoughts. mories flooded back, fear that had gripped him that night.
It wasn’t fear of the Guild itself; it was the dread of the unknown lurking behind it, the unseen force that could place a monster like Valeria in a branch hall and keep her obedient, controlled, and silent.
His lips moved almost involuntarily as he spoke softly to the empty room. "Old friend... you really saved my head big ti."
He remained still for what felt like an eternity, not calling for servants or moving from his spot. He reflected on how close he had co to making a grave mistake, how pride could have turned Riverdale into a battlefield.
If Aldric hadn’t walked into that study just in ti, his son’s slap might have escalated into sothing far worse.
And yet, the worst part was that Arwin still didn’t know everything.
But now he understood one thing with absolute clarity: whatever this Adventurer Guild truly was... it was not sothing a City Lord could treat like any ordinary organization.
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