The party has lost all its charm. The air is now thick with the unspoken threat of Lord Burix and the unfathomable weight of the King's gaze. I have gone from being a ghost to a curiosity, and now to a target. Every hushed conversation, every glance thrown in my direction, feels like an assessment, a potential threat.
"You shouldn't stay here," Roxis advises, her voice barely a whisper. "Tybalt Burix is a vindictive and powerful man. He won't respect the King's warning in public, but in the shadows, he will use every means to harm you."
"She's right," Elian adds. "You are an adventurer. Your place is no longer in Kryndal. Leave. Go explore the world, become stronger. Far from him. Far from here."
Their words are wise. It is the most logical thing to do. Flee. Hide again. But something in me refuses. Fleeing is what I have done my whole life. Fleeing my village, fleeing the bullying, hiding in the sewers. Gluttony does not want to flee. It wants to confront. It wants to devour the obstacle.
"If he wants to find me, he will find me wherever I go," I reply. "Kryndal is the heart of power. This is where I must grow stronger, not in some distant forest. Hiding would only delay the inevitable."
"That's suicide," Elian insists.
"No. It's a hunt. And I am no longer the only prey."
As we speak, a commotion occurs near the entrance of the hall. A royal messenger, sweating and out of breath, makes his way to King Alistair, who is conversing with a group of dignitaries. He hands him a sealed scroll.
The King reads it, and for the first time, his calm expression cracks. A barely perceptible frown darkens his face. He speaks a few words in a low voice to his captain of the guard, who nods and hastily leaves the room.
A murmur ripples through the crowd. A royal party interrupted by an urgent message never bodes well.
I pay no more attention to the incident, too absorbed in my own situation. I leave Elian and Roxis, promising them to be careful, and I melt back into the corners of the hall, becoming a shadow once more. I need to think, to plan.
It is then that a discreet voice pulls me from my thoughts.
"Adventurer Reinhardt?"
I turn. A man I have never seen stands there. He is dressed in the plain livery of a castle servant, but he does not have the posture of a servant. He stands straight, his sharp, intelligent eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Yes?"
"His Majesty the King requests your presence. In private."
My blood runs cold. The King. Wants to see me? In private? My first thought is that it's a trap. A ruse by Tybalt Burix to isolate me.
The man seems to read my hesitation. "Do not be afraid. It is a royal command. Please, follow me. No harm will come to you."
I have no choice. To refuse a royal command is an act of treason. I am trapped.
I follow the servant through a maze of corridors, far from the music and laughter of the party. We arrive at a small, unobtrusive door. The man knocks, then opens it.
"The adventurer Reinhardt, Your Majesty."
I enter a small private study. Maps and books are stacked on a large oak desk. Through the window, the city's rooftops stretch out as far as the eye can see.
King Alistair is there, alone, standing by the window with his back to me. He has removed his circlet. Without the trappings of royalty, he looks almost... normal.
The door closes behind me, leaving me alone with the most powerful man in the kingdom.
"Approach," he says without turning.
I take a few steps forward, my heart pounding in my chest. My Analyze skill is useless. I am blind before him.
"You are afraid of me," he says. It is not a question. "That is a healthy reaction."
He finally turns and looks at me. His gaze is intense, as if he can read every secret I am hiding. "I had my men look into you, Reinhardt. Your story is... remarkable. Orphan. Day laborer. Then, suddenly, an adventurer capable of feats far beyond your rank and experience. Tell me, where does this power come from?"
The question is direct. He wastes no time on pleasantries.
I know that lying is pointless. He would see it. "I was born with it, Your Majesty. A skill. A curse, most of the time."
"The Hunger," he says, and those two words chill me to the bone. He knows. How can he know? "A primordial skill. Dangerous. Unstable. A power my ancestors sought to eradicate from this world. And yet, here you are."
He walks to his desk and picks up the scroll that was handed to him earlier. "I did not bring you here to judge you, Reinhardt. Nor to execute you. Not today, at least. I brought you here because I have a problem. A problem that may require the talents of a predator like you."
He hands me the scroll. "Read."
I take it with trembling hands. It is a scout's report, hastily written.
"Majesty, the situation on the Forgotten Frontier is critical. The Breach has widened. The creatures emerging from it are more numerous, stronger. We have identified a new species, which we have named 'Shadow Howlers.' They are fast, elusive, and seem to be coordinated by a higher intelligence. Our legions are suffering heavy losses. We need reinforcements. But more than that, we need someone who can infiltrate their lines and eliminate their leader. A suicide mission."
"The Forgotten Frontier," the King explains, seeing my confusion. "A scar in reality, at the edge of the kingdom. A place where the veil between our world and the Void is thinner. From time to time, creatures emerge. My army has been containing them for decades. But this message... it indicates an escalation. An invasion."
I look up from the scroll, still not understanding. "Why me? You have Holy Knights, generals, war mages..."
"And they all fight in formation, in broad daylight, with honor and courage," he cuts me off. "They are the kingdom's hammer. But to kill a snake, you don't need a hammer. You need a knife in the night. These Shadow Howlers are creatures of stealth and ambush. To defeat them, I need someone who thinks like them. Someone who is not afraid to get their hands dirty. Someone who is used to hunting in the dark."
He looks me straight in the eye. "Lord Burix wants your head. He will use his influence, his assassins, his lawyers. You are an anomaly in Kryndal, a nail that sticks out, waiting to be hammered down. But if you work for me... you will be under my protection. As long as you are useful to me, Tybalt Burix cannot touch you."
The offer is there. A gilded cage, once again. But this time, the cage is the entire kingdom. And the jailer is the King himself. It is a chance to turn my greatest enemy into my unwitting protector.
"It's a suicide mission," I repeat the words from the report.
"Yes," the King admits without hesitation. "For an ordinary soldier. But you are not ordinary. You are a monster who hunts other monsters. It is your nature. So, I ask you, Reinhardt, you who carry the Hunger. Do you want to spend your life hunting goblins for a few gold pieces, while waiting for a vengeful noble to have you assassinated in your sleep? Or do you want to hunt for your King, and devour enemies this kingdom has never seen?"
He is offering me a pact. My freedom and my survival in exchange for my skills as a killer. To serve the top of the food chain for the right to continue my own ascent.
My skill, Gluttony, vibrates within me. It is hungry. And the Shadow Howlers, creatures from the Void... their essence must have an exquisite flavor.
I have no choice. I never have.
"When do I leave?" I ask.
A faint smile appears on King Alistair's lips. "I like your pragmatism." He turns and rings a small bell on his desk. "You will leave at dawn tomorrow. You will not be alone. You will need a guide, and perhaps a conscience."
The door opens. Roxis Heart and Sir Elian enter the room. They bow to the King, then look at me, their faces a mixture of shock and incomprehension.
"Lady Heart, Sir Elian," the King announces. "I present to you the special agent I have chosen to lead the incursion on the Forgotten Frontier. You will be under his command."
The world has just tilted on its axis. Me, commanding two Holy Knights. It is a poisoned honor. It is a test.
I look at my only two friends, my only two lights. And I understand that the King has not just given me a mission.
He has just given me hostages.