It was an uneventful ride. The steady rattle remained unchanged as the carriage rolled off the roads and onto uneven lands, and was only punctuated by the muted groans of the wheels running over pebbles and sticks. It was a sign that they were nearing their destination, and Rana knew that the outskirts of kingdom territory almost never stayed uneventful.

The further a person strayed from the roads, the easier it was for them to encounter roaming monsters. The ashen woods hid many terrors, and most of them sought to destroy humanity. If it were not due to the necessity of population growth and resource requisition, the kingdom would've not chosen to expand as much as it had. In the end, the wealthy stayed within the safety of fortified cities, and the poor had to band together in faraway settlements. The aggressive expansion was needed, but it was also what created the crisis the kingdom currently faced.

The united front of humanity against monsters under the guidance of the Church was no more, and it was all due to the actions of a single entity. The records of her sister’s campaign were yet to be discovered, but there were two major consequences far greater than the fall of High Tower. The traitor paladin annihilated the inquisitor sect of the Church, and managed to break the power of the divine decrees. Without the shield against corruption, and the absolute judgment that smote those who defied the king, humanity’s unity fell victim to their own sins.

Over the century, human ambition lead to the rise of new factions, new alliances were established by those abandoned to the ashen woods, and eventually, the kingdom became nothing but a throne guarded by the four great fortresses. The only constant, was that the Church still held onto its authority, the only difference was that it was an authority abused by the corrupted.

That was what she determined in the Guild.

It was a miracle the monsters did not manage to consume the entirety of humanity. Yet that was only a passing thought. She knew better. Miracles do not exist. There was something halting the advance of monsters, and that was an unknown too dangerous to remain a mystery.

Still, Rana had more pressing matters. When browsing the device for jobs at the guild, there was one particular assignment that caught her attention. The assignment was not anything outside of the ordinary on the surface. Scouting reports indicated a pack of roaming monsters strayed too far away from the Forest Boundary and posed a threat to nearby settlements. While it was true that monsters dwelt in the ashen woods and preferred it that way, it was not as if their behaviors were uniform. They would deviate a little from their norm, and when enough of these variances stacked up, monsters would find themselves far from their normal dwellings. When that happens, a group of marked ones assembled and formed a subjugation party. She remembered her sister telling her all the different party formations that happened and made for interesting fights of teamwork and skill. Her sister always believed in the strength of unity. Rana preferred to fight alone. There were fewer variables to be worried about.

The reason the assignment was worth her attention was how mundane yet important it was to be on both the Layrest board and the Church board. It was a sight she had seen before. When the Church had business that needed to be conducted in secret, it was usually done under the shadows of routine postings. The Church board was specifically created for their agents as a cover. There were many marked ones with access to the Church board, but only a select few could cipher the important tasks that needed to be done. It was a ruse she once helped maintain.

Rana did not know the specifics of the assignment, but she knew it was an investigation of sorts. The board posting was a perfect pretense if the agent needed to disappear or dispose of unfortunate witnesses, after all, monsters were the perfect excuse in tying up loose ends. The only thing she was unsure about, was what the Church was looking for. The news of the traitor paladin was still too new for any action from the Church, and the location itself was too far away from the place where she killed the Stallhorn patrol captain. Not to mention with how fractured and corrupt humanity was, the possibilities of the investigation were pointless to deduce at this moment. What truly intrigued her was how obvious the ruse was. The Church was desperate, the assignment was urgent.

Whatever the case, she needed confirmation. That was why she took the posting off of the general board and became part of the hunting party. She was going to meet up with three other marked ones who also applied for the task, one of which would be the Church’s agent.

Rana formed a small smile on her face. It reminded her of her days as an inquisitor when she had to journey the kingdom and uncover treachery and corruption. It was until she was the Grand Inquisitor did she have her order do the fieldwork for her. She chuckled. To think she was now reminiscing about old times like her stubborn teacher. Rana died young, but her memories were even older than she had ever been. She didn’t know how to adjust her perspective. Was she older, was she wiser, or was she the same as the day she died? She wondered if she would still have these thoughts if her sister did not occupy a part of her heart.

Her eyes snapped open as she sensed hostility in the far distance. It was not a marked one, yet it was far too early for her to be near where monsters were. Did the pack roam even further inland? She sighed. It seemed like she would have to walk the remainder of her journey.

“Monsters are coming, go,” Rana told the coachman and hopped off the cart before he could respond. She had no doubt he’ll listen and flee. The man dared not argue with a marked one when it came to dealing with the enemies of humanity. She had no intention of sacrificing herself nor did she have an interest in protecting a stranger. The aggro of monsters had one thing in common despite its many forms, and that was they only had aggro on things they could reach. If she were to fight them, the coachman would be a liability.

There was also no reason to endanger the innocent. Going out of her way to harm a stranger was as foolish as protecting one. It was unnecessary. She wondered if that was what she truly thought, whether her heart would allow it. She knew it was what her past believed. However, today would not be the day her belief was tested.

Rana flicked her wrist and back.

[Stats — Health: 160/160, Mana 260/260, Focus: 1/100]

She closed her Status as quickly as she opened it.

Rana signed again and prepared for battle as shadows within the grey clouds loomed over her. Travels at the outskirts of the kingdom never stayed uneventful. She could’ve at least tried not to jinx it.