The scent hit them first.
A mixture of sweat, smoke, stale ale, and something else — desperation.
Riven wrinkled his nose as he and Eron approached the gates of the small town.
Wooden walls, splintered and weather-beaten, barely held the place together.
Two guards in rusted armor lounged at the entrance, too busy gambling over dice to notice newcomers.
Nobody questioned them as they passed.
Inside, the streets were chaos.
Mud squelched underfoot.
Market stalls leaned precariously, their wares little more than scraps and rotting produce.
Children with hollow eyes darted between drunks and beggars.
The town stank of poverty — and danger.
---
"We should find a place to rest," Eron said, voice tight.
Riven nodded.
But every instinct screamed caution.
Eyes followed them.
Hungry, calculating.
They moved through the main street quickly, heading toward a rickety-looking inn with a faded sign swinging in the breeze.
"The Broken Lantern."
Charming.
Before they could enter, a man stumbled into their path — tall, unshaven, wearing battered leathers and a wicked grin.
"Well, well," he drawled. "New faces."
Three more men emerged from the shadows, surrounding them.
All armed.
All smiling like wolves.
Riven tensed.
---
> [Synchronization: 35%...]
---
"You look lost," the leader said.
"Maybe we can... help."
The inn's doors swung closed behind them.
No one inside would intervene.
This town had its own laws — and they weren't written on paper.
Eron swallowed hard, stepping closer to Riven.
The leader circled them slowly, eyes lingering on Riven's boots — still clean compared to the muddy filth around them.
A mistake.
In a place like this, clean boots were as good as a crown on your head.
---
Riven let out a slow breath.
He had two choices:
Submit — and lose everything.
Or fight — and mark his place here from the beginning.
He smiled coldly.
"Walk away," he said.
The thugs laughed.
"Wrong answer," the leader growled.
He lunged forward, swinging a short, rusty blade.
Riven moved faster.
Sidestepping, he grabbed the man's wrist, twisted, and slammed his elbow into the thug's throat.
The man dropped like a stone, choking.
The others blinked, stunned — but only for a moment.
They attacked together.
---
> [New Combat Skill Unlocked: Urban Combat Basics Lv.1]
---
Riven ducked under a wild swing, his foot lashing out to break a kneecap.
Another man grabbed at Eron — but Eron, fueled by terror, jabbed him in the gut with surprising strength.
Riven spun, using the momentum to drive his elbow into the jaw of the third thug.
Teeth scattered across the muddy street.
The last man hesitated — then turned to flee.
Riven snatched a stone from the ground and hurled it with lethal accuracy.
The thug crumpled, unconscious.
---
> [Synchronization: 38%...]
---
Silence fell.
People peered from doorways and windows, whispering.
Riven wiped his hands clean on the nearest thug's cloak.
He looked at Eron, who was panting heavily but still standing.
"You're improving," Riven said.
Eron managed a shaky laugh.
From the corner of his eye, Riven spotted movement — a figure watching from a rooftop.
A hooded silhouette, small and agile.
Gone in an instant.
A scout?
A thief?
Or something worse?
Riven didn't know yet — but he'd find out.
---
"Come," Riven said. "We can't linger."
They ducked into the Broken Lantern.
Inside, the inn was no better than the streets — smoke-filled, noisy, dangerous.
Patrons eyed them with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.
But no one moved to stop them.
Not after what they had seen outside.
They found a corner table and sat, backs against the wall.
A grimy barmaid approached, tossing two cracked mugs onto the table.
"Drink or leave," she snapped.
Riven slid a few copper coins across the wood.
The woman grunted and left.
---
As they sipped the bitter, watery ale, Riven scanned the room.
Mercenaries, bounty hunters, thieves — this place was a hive of scum.
But information flowed here like blood.
And Riven needed information.
About the town.
About the surrounding lands.
About the enemies who might be hunting him still.
---
> [Quest Available: Survive the Shadows]
Objective: Establish a safe base within 3 days.
Reward: Skill Enhancement (Stealth), Map Fragment (Tier 1).
> Accept? [Yes] / [No]
---
Riven smirked.
Yes.
The panel faded.
Three days to claim a place in this cesspit.
He would need allies — or at least assets.
---
Eron leaned in.
"What now?" he whispered.
"We build," Riven said.
"And we prepare."
He drained his mug, set it down hard on the table.
From now on, they would no longer run.
They would carve their place here — one broken enemy at a time.
---
Outside, the figure on the rooftop returned, watching.
And smiling.
Not all who noticed Riven were enemies.
Some were opportunists.
Some were curious.
And some... were worse.
---
> [Synchronization: 40%...]
---
In the heart of the town of shadows, the Archer of a Thousand Lives was about to make his first mark.
And nothing would ever be the same again.