Alex and Emily rounded the corner of the dimly lit alley, and the sight before them made Alex's blood boil. Betty was on the ground, curled up as a man in church robes, a high-ranking official judging by the ornate embroidery, struck her again. She cried out in pain, her frail hands trembling as she tried to shield herself.
"Hey! Stop that!" Emily shouted, stepping forward.
The man turned, his face twisted with disdain as he looked at the two of them. "And what does this matter to you? This old hag deserves it. She's nothing but a useless bag of bones."
Alex's fists clenched at his sides. He could feel his blood rushing in his ears, his anger building with every word that came out of the man's mouth.
"She's done nothing to you!" Emily snapped. "Leave her alone!"
The man sneered, shrugging. "Why should I? People like her are a burden to society. Better to remind her of her place."
That was it. The moment he said it, something inside Alex snapped. Without thinking, he charged forward, his fist connecting squarely with the man's face. The impact sent the official stumbling backward before he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Emily stood frozen for a moment, her eyes wide. "Alex! What did you just do?"
Alex shook his hand, pain from the punch just barely registering. "I couldn't take it anymore! He was asking for it!"
Emily looked down at the unconscious man, then at Betty, who was trembling on the ground. "You might have just gotten us into more trouble than we can handle. You realize that, right?"
"I know, I know." Alex sighed, looking genuinely regretful. "But he was making me so mad, Emily. I couldn't just stand there and watch."
Emily knelt down to help Betty up. "I get it, Alex. I really do. But this… this is going to cost us." She glanced at the unconscious official. "We need to get her out of here."
The two of them helped Betty to her feet and carried her back to her small house. She was dazed but unharmed for the most part, apart from a few bruises. Alex helped her onto her bed and sat down heavily in a chair nearby.
"We can't just leave her here," Alex said, his voice tight with worry. "What if he comes back and takes it out on her?"
Emily sat beside him, shaking her head. "I doubt he'd report this to the church. Admitting he was caught beating an old lady? That wouldn't look good for him."
Alex frowned. "You're right. But still, we can't leave her completely unprotected."
Emily gave him a grim look. "We don't have a choice. You knocked him out cold, but it won't be long before someone notices. We've probably got an hour, maybe less, to get out of here."
Just as she finished speaking, the sound of armored footsteps echoed through the street outside. Alex rushed to the window and peeked through the curtains. "Knights," he whispered harshly, panic creeping into his voice. "They're coming this way."
Emily moved quickly, grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling a note. She tucked it into Betty's clothes. "This should explain everything. Hopefully, it'll be enough to protect her."
The knights' voices grew louder. Without another word, Alex and Emily slipped out the back window and disappeared into the darkness, their hearts pounding.
They ran through the quiet streets, eventually arriving at the guild's living quarters. The building was dark, save for a single light flickering in the upper window. Alex knocked frantically on the door until it swung open to reveal Darren, the guild master, standing there in bunny-patterned pajamas, a toothbrush dangling from his mouth.
"What the hell?" Darren said, his words muffled by the toothbrush. He pulled it out, frowning at them. "What are you two doing here in the middle of the night?"
"We need to talk," Alex said, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "It's urgent."
Darren sighed, stepping aside to let them in. They quickly explained everything—Betty, the church official, the knights. By the time they finished, Darren's frown had deepened into a grim expression.
"Well, this is a mess," he muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. "You two realize you can't stay in Eldranth anymore, right? The church holds a lot of power here. If the knights catch you, it's over."
"What do we do?" Emily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Darren sighed, pacing back and forth. "You'll have to leave the country. Eldranth is the westernmost nation on the continent, so your best bet is to head west. There's an island off the coast—home to the Beastmen Kingdom. They used to accept human visitors, but for some reason, they stopped reaching out to us years ago."
"Will they even let us in?" Alex asked, his tone doubtful.
"Who knows?" Darren shrugged. "But it's your best shot. Most of the nations on this continent are allied, and the ones that aren't are… less than friendly to humans. At least the beastmen have a history of tolerance."
Darren grabbed a map from a nearby shelf and unrolled it on the table. "You'll need to pass through a few cities on the way: Drakemouth, the City of Mercenaries; Halveth, known for its bustling trade; and lastly, Arcanth, the City of Studies. From there, you'll find a port that can take you to the island."
Alex and Emily studied the map carefully, committing the route to memory. "Thank you, Darren," Emily said, her voice thick with emotion.
"Don't thank me yet," Darren said. "There's one more thing." He disappeared into the back room. Moments later, he returned with Lola, the guild receptionist, trailing behind him. Her usual bright smile was gone, replaced by a sad expression.
"What's going on?" Lola asked softly. "Why are you leaving?"
They explained the situation to her, and tears welled in her eyes. "You two didn't deserve this. You were just trying to do the right thing."
Before they could respond, she pulled two cards from her pocket and handed them over. "I was going to give you these tomorrow, but… well, now seems like a better time. Congratulations. You're officially C-rank adventurers."
Alex and Emily stared at the cards, a bittersweet sense of accomplishment washing over them. "Thank you, Lola," Alex said quietly. "For everything."
Lola wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "You two take care of yourselves, okay? And don't forget us."
Darren clapped Alex on the shoulder. "You'd better get moving. The knights will be searching for you by now."
With one last nod of gratitude, Alex and Emily stepped out into the night, leaving behind the only home they had known in this world. The road ahead was uncertain, but they had no choice but to keep moving.