Three days worth of walking later Jin found himself in a small collaboration of different clan members from all over the world. For gaining enough money to make it to Valor's Reach he had to take on clan quests.
"Yo Jin we're about to head out to kill that bastard Varek. You coming right?"
"Yeah, I'll be joining don't worry Kade." Jin said looking over at the guy who had short black hair and always wore armor.
"We have his location… He's at Mountain Pass near the East River." A figure said before vanishing into the dark.
After a few moments Kade, Jin, and 2 others had gotten up from the table they were sitting at and left the place.
As Jin followed Kade and the others out of the bustling camp, he took a moment to size up his teammates. Kade's armor clinked as he walked, heavy but worn with ease from years of use. He'd always struck Jin as someone whose rough exterior mirrored the kind of man who'd rather fight than talk things out. Behind him, a lean figure with a hooded cloak kept their face hidden, but Jin could see a faint glimmer of steel strapped across their back. The last member, a towering giant with arms covered in intricate tattoos, carried an axe half as tall as Jin.
The air was thick with anticipation as they made their way through the narrow trails leading toward Mountain Pass. Every now and then, Kade would spit out a stray remark, cursing Varek and his latest misdeeds.
Jin remained silent, listening as Kade's voice filled with disgust. Kade spat on the ground, glancing up with a hard look. "Mercenary work has its lines, you know? There's codes—unspoken rules. Varek tore those up a long time ago."
The cloaked figure tilted their head, their eyes barely visible under the hood as they cast a quick glance at Kade. "Wait here," they said, their voice carrying a sharp, high-pitched command. Jin watched as they raised a hand, fingers tracing faint circles in the air, and a thin veil of ki expanded around them like a shimmering web, stretching into the forest's edge.
A flicker of energy pulsed, a warning sign. The cloaked figure stiffened. "I have him," they announced in a low whisper.
Kade's lips twisted into a grim smile, and he tightened his grip on his sword. Jin glanced over at the others, their faces lit with anticipation and a hunger for vengeance. But Jin's mind was elsewhere—he just wanted his cut and a straight path to Valor's Reach.
"Let's get this done," Kade muttered, half to himself, his gaze fixed on the darkened path ahead.
Your setup looks solid, with Jin coordinating the roles clearly. Here's a polished version to enhance clarity and impact:
"Kael, you go first—draw Varek's attention with whatever way you can," Jin directed, his gaze steady on each of them. "Riven, stay back and keep up a barrage of ki or ice from range. Kade, you're with me. The moment Kael distracts him, even for a second, we strike together and go full force from there."
The team nodded in silent agreement, each preparing for the roles Jin had set.
Kael went up first and walked towards Varek after finding him just standing on the edge of the mountain looking below. "Varek!" Kael yelled at him, pointing his axe. "I've come to kill you."
Varek turned around slightly and smiled. "You?" He laughed in a deep, dark, twisted tone. "Like hell." He suddenly stopped laughing and closed his eyes for a moment.
Jin noticed and signed to Kade to strike now. "Forbidden Azure: Spirit of the Phantom Blade" Jin set aflame to his tango and dashed in towards Varek instantly using "Swiftless Feather".
"Steelheart: Metallic Blade." Kade activates being dashing towards Varek as well.
Jin and Kade pushed forward and caught Varek off guard and got 2 cuts in.
Varek's eyes widened as he felt the pressure from Kade's blade sliced him slightly but metal pieces chipped off from his blade and entered Varek, and Jin's flames began to use the metal for fuel and slowly started to burn from inside.
"Y-YOU BASTARDS!" Varek said holding his stomach in pain. Before Varek could even move towards one of them to attack a surge of ice flew at him.
Varek dodges the Ice by jumping out of the way and while he was still in the air, "NOW!" Jin said loudly. Within just a second of his command, Kael threw his axe at Varek while Kade dashed at him from his side.
Varek having no way to defend against this while seeing more ice flying towards him. "DAMN IT! DAMN THOSE WOLFSHR-." He said aloud before his head came off from Kade's blade with an Axe sticking into his stomach.
As Varek's head fell to the ground, a momentary silence enveloped the battlefield. The tension dissipated as Jin, Kade, and Kael stood over the vanquished foe, each catching their breath from the adrenaline of the fight. The acrid smell of burnt metal hung in the air.
Jin looked at Kade and Kael, his heart racing. "We did it," he said, still in disbelief at the swift outcome of their assault. The camaraderie between them felt stronger now, forged in the heat of battle.
Kade wiped the sweat from his brow, a grin spreading across his face. "I didn't think we'd take him down so quickly. Nice teamwork, Jin!"
Kael stepped forward, pulling his axe from Varek's stomach with a grunt. "Let's make sure he has no surprises left. Check his body for anything at all, especially if it looks useful."
As they went through Varek's remains, Jin's eyes caught a glint of metal among the shattered remains. He knelt to inspect it closer, revealing a shard of dark, jagged metal that pulsed faintly with ki. "What is this?" he murmured, feeling an unsettling energy radiating from it.
Kade leaned over Jin's shoulder. "Looks like some kind of artifact. Could be valuable, or dangerous."
Before Jin could respond, a cold wind swept through the area, causing him to shiver. A distant howl echoed in the forest, reminding them that danger still lurked nearby. "We should move. We can't let our guard down just because we've defeated one enemy."
Kael nodded, securing his axe at his side. "Agreed. We need to report back to the others. They'll want to know what happened here."
As they prepared to leave, Jin felt a strange connection to the metal shard. He tucked it away in his sleeve, determined to uncover its secrets later and to find out why he felt such a connection.
"Let's go," Jin said, leaving the area with Kade, Riven, and Kael.
As they were leaving, Jin thought to himself for a moment, "Wolfshr? I swear I heard something similar to that word… it was a little while ago… What is it, though?" He couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong with all of this.
Once they all arrived at a bar that they had been staying at for the previous three days.
"Another successful job thanks to Jin's coordination. I don't think we could've done it without this man!" Kade said in a cheerful manner while grabbing a drink of whiskey. Riven joined in and agreed slowly while grabbing a cup filled with water to drink.
Kael just slightly nodded before sitting down in silence.
Jin, on the other hand, was exhausted from having to watch these three like children for the past few days. A figure revealed himself from the shadows and tossed them all a bag and left the bar. Jin grabbed his bag and opened it revealing 3 gold coins and 120 silver coins. "… I think I have enough to make it all the way to Valor's Reach." Jin thought to himself and sighed deeply before going upstairs to put the bag of money with his other bags over the past week worth of small clan quests. He opened all of them and counted eight gold coins, 358 silver coins.
As he recounted the coins, a sense of self accomplishment washed over him. Eight gold, and 358 silver coins were a significant amount, especially doing clan quests only to receive this amount. Jin took out the bags and slowly spilled one bag into another until he held one bag holding everything inside it.
Jin pulled the stone out from his sleeve and dropped it into one of the empty bags and tied it before putting it back into his sleeve. Still was curious about what it could be, but he had other things to do first.
"What should I do next…" He murmured to himself and thought for a few minutes before grabbing everything he had and left the room, shutting the door behind him. Jin walked down the stairs and left the bar.
As he walked out of the small town he had stopped in, he looked above at the moon lingering over. "Wolfshr… what the hell is it?" Jin let out a deep sigh and just began walking north.
As Jin walked into the quiet night, heading north under the glow of the moon, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from behind. Kade's voice called out, breaking the stillness.
"Jin! Where are you going man?" Kade asked, catching up, his expression a mix of confusion and determination. "You're really just bailing on us like that, huh?"
Jin glanced over his shoulder, but kept his pace. "I have things to take care of… for that I need to get to Valor's Reach," he said simply, hoping to avoid any further questioning.
Kade's brow furrowed. "Then let us come with you. After this week? We've all seen how you handle yourself. You've got something… leadership, yeah, that's a word for it. Out of everyone i've worked with over my years, you've been the most honest and more compassionate leader. You really have gained my respect Jin." He gave Jin a firm nod, and put his hand on Jin's shoulder, as if he'd made up his mind.
Jin stopped and turned, surprised to see not only Kade's serious expression but also Riven and Kael walking up behind him. All three waited, their expressions expectant, as if this decision had already been made.
Jin held Kade's gaze for a long moment before letting out a reluctant sigh. "Alright… if you all want to come, I won't stop you."
A satisfied grin spread across Kade's face as he slapped Jin's shoulder. "Then let's head north!" he said, chuckling briefly before looking back at the others, who nodded in agreement. That night, under the starlit sky, they set out together toward Valor's Reach, an unlikely team bound by mutual respect and a growing trust.