As Will led Onalenna out of the main road into an alleyway, the narrow path twisted like a snake through the city's underbelly—far from the vendor stalls and canteens that lined the central districts.
Behind them, Rex trotted, low and silent. His gums were twitching, and his teeth clicked softly with each step. The dog—if you could even call him that—had been trying to hold back a growl ever since they left the main road. His fur bristled with tension. Something about this man reeked of bad intentions. But Rex, loyal and disciplined, wouldn't act without a command.
Still, the way the dog bared its teeth—silent, deliberate—told Onalenna everything she needed to know.
That something was off.
After all, Rex wasn't just any dog. He was a dungeon-won guardian beast—earned by Asher himself after clearing one of the hardest Class-B dungeon bosses in the southern frontier. At least, that's what she'd been told.
