The walk back from the mine was quiet.
Dust and ash clung to Inigo's boots, and a faint sheen of dried blood stained the cuff of his glove. Lyra walked beside him, her cloak torn near the hem, and her quiver noticeably lighter than when they arrived. The sun had risen higher in the sky, casting long beams through the trees and burning away the lingering mist.
Neither spoke for a while. The silence wasn't awkward—just earned. A warrior's quiet.
Inigo adjusted the strap across his chest, his rifle dematerialized and safely tucked away in his system. Slung at his side was a bloodied sack filled with kobold ears, a grim but necessary proof of their extermination. Lyra carried another, smaller satchel, containing the cracked remains of the chieftain's staff and its severed claws—trophies that would validate their claim.
As Elandra's gates came into view over the hill, Lyra finally broke the silence.
"You fight like you've seen war."
Inigo glanced at her. "Not war. Something worse. But I learned to keep moving forward."
Lyra nodded, accepting the answer without pressing. "Still… I'm glad I went with you."
He smirked. "Changed your mind about Bronze-ranked adventurers?"
"I changed my mind about you."
By the time they entered the Adventurer's Guild, the hall was buzzing with its usual midday energy. New quests were posted. Old parties celebrated. The clatter of tankards and boots filled the air.
But as soon as Inigo and Lyra stepped through the doors, heads turned.
They were a sight—scuffed, battle-worn, and carrying the stench of blood and smoke. The murmurs started instantly.
"Is that them?"
"They actually went through with it."
"No way they came back alive…"
Inigo ignored them. Lyra did too.
They approached the front desk where Elise was stationed, sifting through paperwork. Her eyes lifted the moment she heard Inigo's boots approach.
Then they widened.
"You're back," she said, genuinely surprised.
Inigo dropped the bloodied sack onto the counter with a solid thump.
"Job's done," he said. "Kobold nest cleared. Chieftain eliminated."
Lyra followed suit, placing her pouch next to his. "Here's the chieftain's remains—staff shards, claws, and what's left of his armor."
Elise blinked, then slowly opened the sacks, carefully inspecting the contents. Kobold ears, charred talons, and the unmistakable curved claws of an alpha.
"You actually… did it," she murmured.
"Told you we would," Inigo replied, voice casual.
Elise looked up, gaze flicking between the two of them. "No injuries?"
"None worth mentioning," Lyra answered calmly.
Elise took a breath and reached under the counter for the mission ledger. She flipped through the pages until she reached the entry for the A-rank extermination quest. Her quill moved quickly—inking in the status, writing down the confirmation of a completed bounty.
"Proof submitted," she said. "Confirmation pending, but I can already verify enough here to issue the base payout."
She reached for a drawer and withdrew two heavy coin pouches.
"Two gold coins. Thirty silver. Base reward. I'll issue an additional fifteen silver for the chieftain's materials once the Guildmaster finishes verifying the relics."
She slid one pouch to Inigo, the other to Lyra.
Inigo took his with a nod and a satisfied smirk. "Guess I'm eating well tonight."
Lyra simply accepted hers in silence, slipping it into her belt pouch.
"I'm going to need both of you to sign off on the official report," Elise added, pulling out a parchment.
They did so quickly, Inigo with the same crisp script, Lyra with her elegant, practiced handwriting.
As she pressed the final seal, Elise looked up again, this time softer. "You know… I wasn't expecting you to return."
Inigo raised an eyebrow. "That makes two of us."
Lyra offered a slight smile. "And yet here we are."
"Yeah." Elise smiled faintly, but there was real warmth behind it. "And for the record? I'm glad you proved me wrong."
Just then, a nearby group of adventurers who had been watching finally approached. One of them, a burly man with a battleaxe strapped to his back, stepped forward.
"You two took out the kobold alpha in East Hallow?"
Inigo gave a lazy nod. "We did."
"No casualties?"
"Just theirs."
The man gave a low whistle. "Damn. Respect."
Others followed, nods of quiet approval passing between once-doubtful faces. No more scoffs. No more dismissive whispers.
They'd earned their place.
After a few more nods and exchanged looks, the crowd dispersed. Inigo leaned back against the counter, arms crossed.
"So," he said, "that's how you get people to stop looking at your Bronze badge."
Elise rolled her eyes. "Don't let it get to your head."
"I won't," he said. "I'll just let it sit there and inflate my ego for a while."
Lyra, standing beside him, smirked. "You've earned it."
Elise looked at her, then at Inigo. "Guildmaster's going to want to meet you both after this. He'll want a formal report, maybe even assign you follow-ups if anything else stirs near the mines."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning. He's in meetings for the rest of the day."
Inigo nodded. "We'll be here."
With that settled, he turned to Lyra. "Want to grab food? I still have half my gold left."
She gave him a small, amused look. "You trying to buy my praise now?"
"No, I'm trying to not eat alone. Big difference."
"…Fine," she said, shaking her head slightly. "But next time, I pick the place."
"Deal."
They turned toward the doors, the warmth of the sun greeting them once again as they stepped back into the street—tired, hungry, but victorious.
Now, he earned a date with an elf.