"My name is Vick Castro," I said, breaking the silence that hung in the office.

Guild Master Chase's gaze remained fixed on me, his eyes inscrutable, as if he were studying me from within.

After a moment, he shifted his attention to Evelyn. "Thank you for your help, Evelyn. I'll take care of the rest."

"Very well, sir," Evelyn said, bowing respectfully before stepping into the elevator.

As the doors closed, a palpable tension hung in the air. Chase's penetrating eyes locked onto me, and I could sense his curiosity brewing.

"Why do you wear a mask, Vick Castro?" He asked, wasting no time in asking the question burning his mind.

Truth be told, if I was in his shoes, I'd also be asking the same question. Unfortunately, I knew that unveiling my true identity wasn't an option. If I removed the mask, the consequences could be dire.

I hesitated for a brief moment, contemplating a plausible explanation.

"I wear this mask to conceal some hideous battle scars that mar my face," I replied, my voice tinged with a hint of embarrassment.

"Scars, you say? Well, you're not alone," the guild master said, his expression softening.

"I'm not?"

"No, you're not," he replied, pointing to a small scar above his left brow. "I too bear the marks of hard-fought battles. But scars tell tales of resilience and strength, Vick. There's no need to feel embarrassed in front of me."

Anxiety tightened its grip within my chest as I chuckled nervously. "Thank you for your understanding, Guild Master. However, my scars are far less discreet."

Guild Master Chase dismissed my argument with a wave of his hand. "You need not hide behind a mask in my presence. I insist you remove it, Vick."

The room seemed to close in on me, and I felt the weight of an impending decision. My fists clenched involuntarily as I realized I was being backed into a corner. The thought of making a desperate escape flickered briefly in my mind, but reason prevailed. There was no use in running away from an S-Rank adventurer, especially one as formidable as Guild Master Chase. He held a power that far surpassed mine.

Guess I'm going to have to draw the line, cross my fingers, and hope that everything works out...

"I'm sorry, sir," I said, offering an apologetic shrug. "But, I won't be taking off my mask."

"That's a shame," he uttered, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Guess we're going to do things the hard way."

The hard way?!?!

For a moment, the Guild Master's gaze bore into me, his gaze once again unreadable. Then, with a casual shrug, he sighed and looked at his guards. "Vincent, Winston, restrain him."

My heart sank at the realization that the Guild Master was ready to take drastic measures. There was no getting out of this without a fight.

The guard on the left was the first to move, extending his paw-like hand to place it on my shoulder. In that split second, I made up my mind.

"Not on my watch."

Without hesitation, I released a surge of mana, channeling it through my body. With lightning speed, I grabbed the guard's wrist, using it as leverage to propel myself into the air. In one swift motion, I slipped under his guard, driving my knee with all my might into his exposed chin.

The impact reverberated through the room as the guard was sent hurtling backward, crashing forcefully against the wall. His body crumpled, momentarily stunned.

I looked at Guild Master Chase, noticing a hint of shock on his face as he stared at his fallen guard.

"He'll be f-"

Before I could finish the sentence, the second guard sprang into action, giving me just enough time to bring up my guard.

The guard's head smashed against me with such force, that I felt every muscle in my arms twitch in pain. The force of the attack threatened to knock me off balance, but I mustered all my strength and managed to stay upright.

With determination fueled by adrenaline, I focused my mana, directing a hefty chunk into my right arm. As the guard lunged towards me on all fours, I mustered all my strength and drove my elbow down onto his head.

A grunt of pain escaped his lips, momentarily disorienting him.

Seizing the opportunity, I swiftly maneuvered, leaping over the guard's crouched form and landing gracefully behind him.

In a seamless motion, I propelled myself back into the air, utilizing both my mana and body weight to deliver a powerful kick that connected squarely with his back. The impact sent him hurtling through the air, crashing against the window with a resounding crack that echoed in the room.

"Not bad," the Guild Master said, his gaze flickering between his fallen men and me. "You just beat my men as if they were some good-for-nothing C ranks."

I shrugged nonchalantly but remained silent. I knew that it wasn't a matter of me being inherently stronger than the Guild Master's men. Their mana levels were likely on par with mine. However, the countless battles I had fought against Dahlia throughout the past year had sharpened my skills and taken my combat abilities to an entirely different realm.

The Guild Master let out a sigh and slid his hands out of his pockets. At that moment, an icy chill washed over me as my entire body froze.

What the hell? W-Why can't I move?!

Panic surged through my veins as I desperately attempted to move, but all I could manage was to blink.

Fear tightened its grip around my heart as the realization struck me that I had fallen under a powerful spell. I needed to find a way to break free, and fast.

My mind raced, searching for a solution, and I knew that once I escaped the spell, I would have to rely on the talisman to summon Dahlia. As things stood, I saw no other viable means of escape.

With deliberate steps, the Guild Master started closing the distance between us.

"You know, it's a shame," he said, his voice resonating with a mix of disappointment and amusement. "If only you had complied with my request and removed that mask of yours, we could have avoided all this unnecessary trouble. But it seems you're determined to make things difficult."

As he spoke, the weight of his words bore down on me, amplifying the tension in the room. The spell's hold tightened, constricting my movements and filling me with a sense of impending doom.

Refusing to succumb to the fear, I closed my eyes, blocking out the sight of the approaching figure. I needed to focus on breaking free.

Every fiber of my being strained against the invisible chains, and with a surge of resolve, I managed to move my jaw. Summoning every ounce of strength, I sank my teeth into my cheek, blood gushing out of my mouth.

In that moment, the spell shattered, releasing me from its suffocating grip.

Without hesitation, I tore the talisman from around my neck, preparing to activate it and summon Dahlia.

"STOP!" Guild Master Chase screamed, his voice ringing out urgently. "Whatever you do, don't activate the necklace."

I raised the talisman in the air and saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes as he got a better look at it.

"Judging from your reaction, you must know who this belongs to."

"I do! I do!" Guild Master Chase said. "Just please don't press that button. If you bring that crazy woman over here, she might blow up my building again."

"Wait, you know Dahlia?!"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"How?"

"We're old friends," he replied. "What about you? How do you know her?"

"She's my master."

The two of us stared at each other, a silent understanding seemingly settling between us.

Just as I opened my mouth to say something, I heard a groan come from the corner of the room.

I turned and saw the two guards I'd knocked down before, starting to get up.

As the guards slowly regained their composure, one looking disoriented while the other limped, Guild Master Chase cleared his throat. "Vincent, Winston, the situation has been settled. Make sure to get yourselves checked in the infirmary."

The taller guard, presumably Vincent, nodded in acknowledgment and helped his limping comrade into the elevator, the doors closing behind them.

With the guards out of sight, Chase gestured for me to join him at his desk.

As we walked, he sighed heavily and addressed me with a mix of disappointment and annoyance, "You should have shown me that talisman the moment you stepped through those doors. We could've avoided this whole clown show..."

"How was I supposed to know that Guild Master Chase knew Dahlia?"

"Call me, William."

"Well then, William," I said, rolling my eyes. "How I should have handled the situation?"

"Don't worry about it, the past is the past."

William collapsed into his chair, exhaustion etched across his face. From his drawer, he retrieved a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a glass. "Don't mind the drink. Helps me calm down. Especially after a close call like that."

"Close call?" I snorted, shaking my head in disbelief. "What do you mean by close call? You had me completely pinned."

"By close call, I mean that you were only half a second away from pressing that bloody button."

"What is it about her that scares you so much?" I inquired, genuinely curious. "Is it related to the time she blew up your building?"

William poured himself a second glass of bourbon, his hand steadying the glass as he took a deep swig. With a resounding thud, he placed the empty glass on the desk and chuckled softly.

"Ah, that incident," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of amusement and apprehension. "Last time she paid me a visit, she got mad at Evelyn for bringing her tea instead of coffee and nearly wiped out an entire block. The woman has a temper."

I chuckled in response, finding the image of an intoxicated Dahlia wreaking havoc all too plausible.

"Tell me, Vick," William inquired, placing the bottle of bourbon back in its drawer. "Did Dahlia tell you why I requested her help?"

"She didn't tell me anything regarding you," I clarified. "All she told me was that a vampire lord and his familiars had taken over a dungeon?"

William nodded, sighing deeply. "Typical of her to send help, without coordinating with either party. Very well then, I guess I'll explain the situation to you."

"I'm all ears."

"Around a month ago, we got reports from a small town near Thornshade, about some sort of disturbance happening in the dungeon. To establish if the reports were true, I sent a team of C-rank adventurers to investigate. Out of the ten adventurers that I sent only two came back, one which died a week later in the hospital. I've sent at least over a hundred adventurers since then, hoping to turn the tables but I've yet to see any results. All I have to show, are dozens of mission reports filled with casualties."

"Have you sent A-rank adventurers yet?" I asked.

William sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I've sent three so far, two of which are lying in a coma."

"What about the third?"

"He gave his life to buy his team time to escape."

A small silence enveloped the room as I processed the situation. It seemed things had taken a turn for the worse. Still, one small detail seemed to not fit in my mind. If what William had said was true, then it was obvious that whoever this vampire was, he was strong. If that was the case, then why hadn't William taken matters into his own hands?

"Forgive me for being blunt," I spoke up, breaking the silence. "It's clear that this vampire is a lot to deal with, even for an A-Rank adventurer. How come you haven't handled the situation yourself?"

"AHA!," William exclaimed, clapping his hands. "And that, my friend, is where things start to get complicated. Painfully complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"When I first started getting these reports, I thought we were dealing with ordinary insurgents, however as of lately, I've come to have a theory."

"What theory?"

"I believe that there's someone behind this disturbance. I don't think that we're dealing with ordinary rogues, I think we're dealing with a nasty web of schemes. I'd be willing to bet all my fortunes, that someone powerful, someone with influence, orchestrated this charade."

William's theory could be viable, but I needed more information before I could come up with a theory of my own.

"What makes you think that?"

William chuckled, his eyes turning to look out at the city below. "There's been a turf war going on for years, Vick. The public has no idea, hell, even most government officials are oblivious to this. Nevertheless, there's been a war happening for a while now. I don't know if you know this, but every major guild has an area that falls under its jurisdiction. The larger your turf, the more dungeons you have, the more adventurers you get, and the more power you have. That's how the game works."

"That's a hell of a game."

"It is," William said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "My guild has jurisdiction over an area of four thousand square miles. Three of the biggest dungeons in all of the Everlorn fall under me. Unfortunately, Thornshade isn't one of those three."

"Let me guess," I said, reading in between the lines. "Thornshade is sharing the border with another guild."

William nodded. "For many years, my guild has been contesting the right to have Thornshade, however our neighboring guild, the Scorpion Guild, has been doing the same. Did Dahlia tell you about trekle berries?"

"She did."

"If it wasn't for those damn berries, I would have ceded my claim for Thornshade long ago. The reason the Scorpions want to take Thornshade is to take over the distribution rights of those berries. If those bloody mercenaries succeed, the market value of trekle berries will skyrocket, making it a product that will no longer be accessible to ordinary citizens."

"So you think the Scorpion Guild is behind the attack?"

"I'm sure of it," William replied, slamming his fist on the desk. "I can smell their nasty paws all over this mess."

I nodded, letting the situation sink into my mind. "You know, you never told me why you couldn't go to Thornshade yourself... However, I think I might have an idea as to why."

"I'm listening."

"If you were to go, it'd be taken as a declaration of war."

"You've hit the mark," William chuckled. "A couple of years ago, our two guilds signed a non-aggression pact. The treaty included a clause where no S-rank adventurers from either guild were allowed to step foot in the dungeon. That bloody clause is the only thing stopping me or my fellow S-ranks from marching in there and kicking some vampire butt ."

"I'm going to make a guess and say that it was the Scorpion Guild that pushed for this clause to be added. If that's really the case, it makes perfect sense for them to use a third-party group with no connections to them, to take over the dungeon."

William's eyes lit up. "I couldn't have said it better myself! As we speak, I'm organizing an investigation to find proof that there is in fact a connection between the Scorpion Guild and that damn vampire. Once I have concrete proof, I'll be able to call on the Enclave and call for the supreme court to shut those fuckers down."

"It seems you have a plan in place. A really good plan," I noted, tapping my fingers on the armrest. "Now, please help me understand why you asked Dahlia for help?"