That was the Horns of Hammerad. Ceria the half-Elf, the [Cryomancer] with her skeletal left hand, Pisces, a [Necromancer] with a haughty attitude and a rapier hanging at his belt, Yvlon, a [Wounded Warrior] whose armor didn’t gleam like her older brother’s, and Ksmvr, a three-armed Antinium cast out from their Hive.
The [Wounded Warrior] shouted as she reached Pisces’ door. Ksmvr knocked politely. There was no response. Yvlon growled and raised her voice even louder.
A series of thin metal cords erupted from her fingertip and wrapped around Yvlon. The [Wounded Warrior] shouted in outrage and fell back, struggling. Ylawes stepped forwards and a wall of ice sprang up.
Ksmvr stood politely at attention, armed with his short sword, dagger, and other gear. He even had his cloak on and the bow strapped to his back. Ceria had to smile; he was always ready. She turned and saw Pisces and Yvlon looking at her. The [Wounded Warrior] raised an eyebrow.
She stood up. Yvlon and Ksmvr did likewise. The [Wounded Warrior] smiled slightly as she held out a gauntleted hand. It was bad manners to eat with her gauntlets on, but the woman was doing it anyways. Ceria had noticed Yvlon wore her armor—at least her gauntlets and armguards—at all times. To hide her damaged arms?
“Get more artifacts. Get to Invrisil and call in whatever favor Ryoka bought for us. Uh…find Ryoka? Maybe. Level up a bit. I’m Level 28. If I could hit Level 30…I’d love to gain a new class instead of [Wounded Warrior]. Something actually strong, like Ylawes’ [Knight] class. I feel like the weakest link sometimes.”
The Antinium had been rising, hand holding Yvlon’s. Ksmvr fell back lightly into his seat as Yvlon let go. He watched as Yvlon straightened. Ceria and Pisces, standing by the door, saw Yvlon turn. The [Wounded Warrior]’s hands clenched. Her armored fists rose. Caddin’s glare of hatred turned to one of alarm.
The [Wounded Warrior] took a shuddering breath. She looked around the Adventurer’s Guild. So did Ceria. Only then did she see some of the adventurers had freed themselves from her ice. And more than a few were still conscious. But no one was aiming at her, or Pisces, or Yvlon. The fight was out of them.
Pisces yelped as Yvlon turned and delicately punched him in the stomach. He rubbed at his gut as the [Wounded Warrior] turned back to the shrieking [Receptionist]. Yvlon waited until the woman was done screaming before she replied.
The Horns of Hammerad walked down the street. A [Necromancer] in pristine white robes, a yawning half-Elf, a [Wounded Warrior] wearing bright armor and lending her shoulder to an Antinium covered in mud and blood of two colors. People stared as they passed, but the four didn’t care. They spoke to each other and only to each other.
The Bone Horror, which had been building upwards, fell to pieces. Pisces and Ceria gaped at the bones lying on the ground. Yvlon and Ksmvr looked up. The [Wounded Warrior] bit her lip, trying not to laugh.
