Seraphis strolled into the Assassin’s Guild, her boots clicking against the polished stone floor.
The air smelled of ink, steel, and blood
, as always.
The Guildmaster sat behind his desk, flipping through a stack of bounty reports. He barely looked up when she approached.
“Back already?” he muttered, shoving papers aside. “I thought you’d be off causing chaos for at least another week.”
“I need a mountain.”
That got his attention. His head snapped up, brows furrowed in confusion.
“…The f*** you just say?”
Seraphis
crossed her arms
, meeting his gaze without hesitation. “A mountain. You know—
big rock, high altitude, fewer people to annoy me.
”
The Guildmaster leaned back in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Out of all the insane requests I’ve heard in this damn job, this one might top the list.” He sighed. “And why exactly do you want a mountain?”
Seraphis
shrugged casually
. “I’ve always lived near the woods. I find it peaceful. A mountain has fewer idiots wandering around.”
The Guildmaster stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head, a
half-smirk creeping onto his face
.
“You’re a piece of work, you know that?” He rummaged through his desk, then tossed a
folded parchment
onto the table. “Here. Directions to some noble brat who just inherited a useless pile of rocks. I’ll set you up with her.”
Seraphis picked up the paper, unfolding it.
The name scribbled at the top was ‘Lena Veltora.’
“She’s selling a mountain?”
“She’s trying to sell whatever she can,” the Guildmaster said, stretching. “Her father left her in debt, and she’s desperate to offload that heap of nothing. You’ll probably get it cheap.”
Seraphis nodded, pocketing the directions. “Good.”
She turned to leave, but the Guildmaster called after her, “Hey.”
She paused.
“You do realize normal people buy
houses
, right? Not entire f***ing mountains?”
She smirked under her mask. “I’ve never been normal.”
The Journey to the Mountain
Following the map, Seraphis traveled
east of the city
, through rolling hills and dense forests, until she reached
a small village at the base of a massive mountain range
.
It didn’t take long to find
Lena Veltora
—she was standing in the village square, haggling with a merchant over the price of
a single loaf of bread
.
Seraphis approached, taking in the girl’s
ragged noble attire
—elegant, but worn with age.
Her green eyes darted toward Seraphis cautiously.
“You Lena Veltora?” Seraphis asked.
The girl
stiffened, then straightened her posture
, masking her nervousness. “Who’s asking?”
Seraphis pulled out the
Guildmaster’s note
, letting her read the signature at the bottom.
Lena’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re with the Assassin’s Guild?”
Seraphis didn’t bother confirming. “I heard you’re selling a mountain.”
Lena blinked. “You’re serious?”
Seraphis stared at her, unblinking.
A moment of silence passed before Lena
sighed, rubbing her temples
. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Alright, follow me.”
She led Seraphis up a winding path
past the village
, the dirt road turning to gravel as they climbed higher.
After an hour of walking, they stood before
an immense, towering mountain
. Its
rocky cliffs jutted into the sky
, sharp and untamed.
Forests clung to its base
, and small rivers ran down its slopes.
Lena crossed her arms. “There it is.
Mount Kaelthorne.
It’s been in my family for generations, but it’s useless to me. No mines, no villages, just wilderness.”
Seraphis scanned the landscape, eyes sharp.
No signs of heavy human activity. No major roads leading to it.
Secluded. Isolated. Defensible.
She turned to Lena. “How much?”
Lena hesitated. “A place that size?
Ten thousand gold.
”
Seraphis
tilted her head
. “You’re broke.”
Lena flinched. “I—”
“Two thousand.”
Lena’s mouth opened in protest, but Seraphis
held up a single coin
—a
platinum piece
, worth a hundred gold on its own.
A small fortune
in the hands of someone desperate.
Lena hesitated for only a second before
snatching the coin from her fingers
.
“Deal.”
Seraphis
handed her the rest of the payment
, then turned to
her new mountain
, already forming a plan.
This wasn’t just going to be a hideout.
It was going to be a
fortress
.