The journey back to Oakenford felt longer than the trip out.

  My mind wouldn't stop racing.

  I needed answers.

  We reached Oakenford's gates just past midnight. The guard on duty recognized me and waved us through without question. The town was quiet, most people asleep. Only a few lanterns still burned in windows where families worked late on repairs.

  I didn't go back to the inn. I went straight to the Adventurers Guild.

  The main hall was dark, closed for the night. But I could see light coming from the upper floor where the administrative offices were. Someone was still working.

  I tried the front door. Locked.

  I knocked. Hard. Loud enough to wake anyone inside.

  Footsteps from above. Then coming down the stairs. The door opened, and Garrick stood there in his shirtsleeves, looking tired and confused.

  "Demecillo? What are you doing back so soon? The quest—"

  "I need to talk to Renna. Now."

  He blinked at my tone. "She's not here. What's going on?”

  I pushed past him into the guild hall. "Where does she stay when she's in town?"

  "Vera, you can't just—"

  "Where?"

  Garrick hesitated, then sighed. "The Stone Rest Inn. Two streets over. But it's the middle of the night, you can't just—"

  I was already heading for the door.

  "Vera!" He called after me. "At least tell me what happened!"

  I didn't answer. I was already outside.

  The Stone Rest Inn was easy to find. Nicer than the place I'd been staying.

  I walked up to the front door and pounded on it.

  A minute passed. Then two. I knocked again, harder.

  The door opened. An older man in a nightshirt glared at me. "Do you have any idea what time—"

  "Which room is Renna Vos in?"

  "I'm not telling you that! It's the middle of the night!"

  "Which room?"

  Perhaps he recognized me. He swallowed. "Third floor. End of the hall. But if she complains—"

  I was already pushing past him, taking the stairs two at a time.

  The third floor hallway was quiet. I found the door at the end and knocked.

  "What?" Renna's voice came from inside, muffled and annoyed.

  "It's Vera Demecillo. We need to talk."

  Silence. Then, "It's the middle of the damn night."

  "I know. Open the door."

  More silence. Then I heard movement, footsteps. The door opened.

  Renna stood there in a simple nightdress, her long blonde hair loose around her shoulders. She looked tired and annoyed.

  "This better be good," she said.

  "The quest was a setup."

  That woke her up. Her eyes sharpened. "What?"

  "The monster attacks in the northern woods. The whole thing was staged, everything designed to lure me out there and test my abilities."

  Renna stared at me for a moment, then stepped back. "Get in here."

  I entered the room. It was simple but comfortable. A bed, a desk covered in papers, a wardrobe. Renna closed the door behind me and lit a lantern.

  "Start from the beginning," she said.

  So I did.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  When I finished, she was silent for a long moment.

  "You're sure about this?" she asked finally.

  "He admitted it to my face."

  She turned away, running a hand through her hair. "Damn it."

  "Did you know?" I asked. "Was the guild involved?"

  Renna spun back to face me. "No. Absolutely not." Her voice was hard, angry. "I approved that quest based on legitimate reports. Scout observations, testimonies, physical evidence. Everything checked out."

  "Everything was faked."

  "Yes. And that means someone went through a lot of effort for you.”

  Renna slammed her hand on the desk. "This is a massive failure of our verification system. If someone can manipulate guild intelligence this easily..." She trailed off, her jaw clenched.

  I watched her carefully. Looking for any sign she was lying, that she'd known all along.

  But I didn't see it. Her anger was real and her frustration sounded genuine.

  She was telling the truth. She'd been played just like I had.

  And I hope I was right.

  We sat in silence for a moment.

  "Did this Morris say anything about who he was working for?" Renna asked.

  "No. But he made it clear he wasn't with Drakmoor. Actually seemed disgusted when I suggested it."

  "So we have an unknown faction, and a capable one at that." Renna's expression was grim. "And they're interested in you."

  "Yeah."

  "Any idea why?"

  I shook my head.

  "What do we do?" I asked.

  Renna was quiet for a long moment, her expression troubled, then looked at me directly.

  "You need to leave Oakenford."

  I blinked. "What?"

  "I'm serious. For your safety and for the town's. Whoever is targeting you has significant resources. If they decide to come at you more directly, they won't care about collateral damage."

  "You're saying I'm putting the town in danger."

  "I'm saying that a town that just survived an attack from Drakmoor can't handle another crisis right now."

  Damnit.

  She was right.

  "And you can't protect yourself and everyone else at the same time.”

  I looked down at my hands. Part of me wanted to argue. To say I wouldn't run, that I'd stay and fight whoever came after me.

  But she was right. And honestly, I'd been planning to leave soon anyway.

  I needed to follow Jorik and Emil to the Mistfall Sanctuaries. Make sure they were safe. I'd just been waiting to make sure Oakenford was stable first.

  Now I had another reason to leave.

  "Alright," I said. "I'll go."

  Renna looked relieved.

  "Where will you head?"

  I hesitated, not wanting to give too much away. "South. I have... people I need to find."

  She nodded, not pressing for details.

  She moved to her desk. "I'll file the report about the compromised quest. Launch an investigation. But that's going to take time, and I can't guarantee we'll find anything."

  "I understand."

  "Vera." She waited until I met her eyes. "Be careful out there. Whoever these people are, they're organized and they're interested in you specifically. Watch your back."

  "I will."

  She nodded. "Good luck. And if you find out anything about who's behind this, send word to the guild. We need to know if there's a larger threat."

  "I will."

  =====

  That morning, I woke before dawn. I packed quickly. I didn't have much. Spare clothes, basic supplies, the money I'd earned from quests. Everything fit into a single travel pack.

  Before I left, there were people I needed to see. People I needed to say goodbye to.

  I decided to find Garrick first.

  The guild hall was already open when I arrived, even though the sun had barely cleared the horizon. Garrick was at the reception desk as always, sorting through papers. He looked up when I entered.

  "Vera."

  “Garrick.” I walked up to the desk. "I need to talk to you."

  "About last night? You stormed in here all of a sudden.”

  He set down the papers. "What happened with the quest?"

  I glanced around the hall. A few early morning adventurers were checking the quest board, but no one was close enough to overhear.

  "It was a setup," I said quietly. "The whole thing. Someone used the guild to lure me out there."

  Garrick's eyes widened. "What?"

  "Renna's handling it. She's launching an investigation." I leaned against the desk. "But I'm leaving Oakenford. Today."

  Garrick studied my face for a long moment. His expression shifted from surprise to understanding.

  "I see..."

  He reached under the desk and pulled out a small leather pouch. He set it in front of me. "Your quest payment. For the northern woods investigation."

  I picked up the pouch. It was heavier than I expected. "Thanks."

  "Will you be back?"

  I thought about it. Would I? Oakenford had been the first place I'd really settled in this world. The first place that had felt almost like home.

  "I don't know," I said honestly. "Maybe.

  Garrick extended his hand. "Take care of yourself, Vera. And thank you. For everything you did.”

  I shook his hand.

  "You too, Garrick."

  "Be careful out there."

  I left the guild hall and went looking for Aditya.

  I found her at the training grounds behind the guild, practicing sword forms. Her movements were precise and more focused. She'd improved since I'd first met her.

  "Aditya,"

  She stopped mid-swing and turned. When she saw me, her face lit up. "Vera! You're back! How was the quest?"

  “Can we talk?"

  "Of course. What's wrong?"

  We moved to a bench at the edge of the training ground, away from the other adventurers practicing.

  "I'm leaving Oakenford," I said. "Today."

  Aditya's expression fell. "What? Why?"

  "It was always my plan," I said. "I never intended to stay here permanently. I wanted to travel, see more of the world."

  "But... I thought you'd stay longer. At least through the rebuilding."

  "The town's going to be fine. They have capable people here. Nicholaus, the guild, all the adventurers." I looked at her. "And they have you."

  She shook her head. "I'm just E-rank. I can't do what you did."

  "Not yet. But you will."

  "It won't be the same without you."

  "Yeah…Keep yourself safe, Aditya. Don't take unnecessary risks."

  She stood too, then suddenly hugged me. I froze for a second, then hugged her back.

  "I'm going to miss you," she said quietly.

  "I'll miss you too."

  We pulled apart. She wiped at her eyes quickly.

  "Where are you going?" she asked.

  "Northeast. I'm not sure exactly where yet. Just... traveling."

  "Will you come back?"

  "Maybe. Someday." I gave her a small smile. "And when I do, I expect you to be at least B-rank. No excuses."

  She laughed, though it was a little shaky. "I'll try."

  I turned to leave, then paused. "Take care of yourself, Aditya. And thanks. For being my friend."

  "You too, Vera."

  I walked away from the training grounds, from the guild, from the only two people in Oakenford who'd really known me.

  Nox was waiting near the town gate. Fei circled overhead, ready to travel.

  I took one last look at the town. The damaged buildings slowly being repaired. The people moving through the streets, rebuilding their lives.

  This place meant a lot to me but now it was time to move on.

  Time to go.