The smell of cheap ale and charred meat lingered in the dimly lit tavern, where Kaelen Ashford lounged against the back wall, nursing a half-empty mug and wondering how soon he could disappear without paying. The rickety old establishment was loud and bustling with people—all chattering, laughing, and losing their coin to dubious games of dice. To Kaelen, it was just another night, another excuse to keep his head low, pocket a few silver pieces, and maybe find a mark or two for some "voluntary donations."
But tonight was different.
As Kaelen lifted his mug to his lips, his eyes caught a commotion near the tavern entrance. A crowd had gathered around a young woman—clad in sleek, silver armor and waving a shiny sword like she was in the middle of a battlefield. She had the kind of fearless expression that made him wince; she was clearly the heroic type, the sort who charged headlong into danger without a second thought. The kind he tended to avoid.
"I seek the one they call Kaelen Ashford!" she declared, her voice loud enough to hush the entire tavern.
Kaelen froze mid-sip, feeling every head turn toward him. It wasn't the first time someone had come looking for him, but usually, they were debt collectors, not warriors with expensive-looking swords.
A groan escaped his lips as he slumped lower in his chair. "Oh, for the love of…"
The armored woman's eyes locked onto him immediately. "You there! Are you Kaelen Ashford, the infamous rogue and master of the shadows?"
He almost laughed. **Infamous? Master of the shadows?** Whoever had told her that had clearly been very drunk or very mistaken. But the way she looked at him—like he was some legendary hero—piqued his curiosity, so he decided to play along.
"Who's asking?" he replied lazily, propping his feet up on the table and trying to look disinterested.
She strode forward, ignoring the amused murmurs of the patrons. "I am Ariella Moonfire, knight of the Silver Order! I've come to recruit you for a mission of utmost importance to the realm!"
Kaelen raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, 'Knight of the Silver' or whatever—you've got the wrong guy. I'm not interested in missions, realms, or whatever noble nonsense you've got planned."
Ariella's eyes narrowed, her jaw set in defiance. "I was told that you're a man of incredible skill and cunning. The kind of rogue who can turn the tide of battle with his wit alone."
Kaelen laughed out loud, unable to help himself. This was already shaping up to be more fun than he'd expected. "Flattered, but I'm afraid you've been lied to. Now, if you'll excuse me—"
Before he could finish, a blinding flash of light burst into the room, followed by a loud **POP**. His vision swam as a holographic screen appeared in front of his eyes, displaying a line of text in bold, glowing letters:
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**Congratulations! You've activated the Wrath Points System.**
**Wrath Points Collected: 5 (Annoyance at 'Knight of the Silver Order')**
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Kaelen blinked, staring at the floating text. It was ridiculous—some kind of joke, right? He rubbed his eyes, hoping it would vanish, but the screen remained, bright as ever.
Ariella frowned, looking at him in confusion. "Are you…all right?"
He waved a hand, trying to swat the screen away, but it stayed stubbornly in place. "Is this some kind of enchantment? Did you cast a spell on me?"
"Spell?" she asked, tilting her head. "I… no, I didn't do anything."
Great. Now he was seeing things. Kaelen sighed and decided to just ignore it, chalking it up to some trick of the mind. But as he lowered his hand, the screen changed.
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**Mission Update: Gather more Wrath Points by irritating others, or embracing your own fury!**
**Current Rewards: +1 Silver Dagger (Common)**
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A glint of silver appeared out of thin air and clattered onto the table. Kaelen stared at the dagger, still not sure if he was dreaming, hallucinating, or finally losing his mind.
But one thing was certain: whatever had just happened, his life was about to get a lot more interesting.
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