The Weight of the Deal
Jarek walked out of the Ironfang Ruins with a new problem.
Or maybe a hundred.
"You shouldn't have agreed to that," Sylva muttered as they moved through the streets of Rookhaven, keeping to the shadows.
Jarek exhaled. "I didn't agree to anything."
Tobias groaned. "Oh, sure. You just smiled and said, 'Sounds like fun.' Totally different."
Cassian added, "You realize what this means, right? Valric owns us now."
Jarek shook his head. "Not yet."
Bran frowned. "Yet?"
Jarek turned to them. "We're going to use Valric just as much as he thinks he's using us."
Sylva's eyes narrowed. "You think you can outmaneuver him?"
Jarek grinned. "I think I don't have a choice."
Valric had power. Influence. Information.
And Jarek needed all of it if he was going to finish what he started.
Sylva sighed. "So what now?"
Jarek's grin faded.
"Now, we strike first."
The Target: Caden's Stronghold
Caden had lost his supply line. His grip on Rookhaven was weaker than ever.
But he wasn't gone.
And if Valric wanted him dead? Jarek would at least make it look like he was cooperating.
"Where's Caden holed up?" Jarek asked.
Sylva didn't hesitate. "The Iron Raven estate."
Tobias groaned. "Oh, come on. That place is a fortress."
Jarek smirked. "Good."
Cassian raised an eyebrow. "Good?"
Jarek nodded. "If we hit him there, he'll know nowhere is safe."
Bran snorted. "Or we'll all die."
Jarek clapped him on the shoulder. "Then let's make sure we don't."
The Plan
The Iron Raven estate was built like a war camp.
Caden had filled it with mercenaries, traps, and enough weapons to arm a battalion.
A full assault? Suicide.
So Jarek wasn't planning one.
"We get in, hit him where it hurts, and get out," he explained.
Sylva nodded. "How?"
Jarek grinned. "By making them let us in."
Phase One: The Trojan Horse
Three hours later, a cart rattled down the dark road toward the Iron Raven estate.
Two guards stepped forward, torches in hand.
"Who goes there?"
The driver—one of Valric's men—held up a ledger.
"Supply delivery. Urgent request from Caden himself."
The guards exchanged glances.
"We weren't told—"
The driver sighed. "Do you really want to be the guy who made Caden wait?"
The guards hesitated.
Then, they grumbled and waved him through.
As the cart rolled past the gates, Jarek and his team lay hidden beneath the supplies.
Sylva whispered, "I can't believe that worked."
Jarek grinned. "People are lazy."
Tobias muttered, "Let's hope they're not all lazy."
Because once they were inside?
The real fight would begin.
Phase Two: Infiltration
The cart rolled to a stop in the courtyard.
Guards moved toward it to unload.
Jarek gave the signal.
In an instant, his team exploded from the cart.
Knives flashed. Blades sank into throats before alarms could be raised.
Tobias grabbed a bow, loosing an arrow into a guard reaching for a bell.
Cassian spun, disarming another before slamming him into a wall.
Bran snapped a neck, letting the body fall silently.
Within moments, the courtyard was theirs.
Jarek wiped his blade. "Too easy."
Sylva didn't look convinced. "That was the quiet part. Now comes the hard part."
Jarek grinned. "Then let's make some noise."
Phase Three: Caden's Wake-Up Call
Jarek kicked open the door to the main hall.
Inside, Caden's elite guards turned in shock.
Jarek grinned.
"Miss me?"
The first rushed him. Jarek sidestepped, driving a dagger into his side.
Sylva tore through another, her twin blades a blur.
Tobias loosed three arrows in quick succession, dropping enemies before they could react.
Cassian grabbed a torch from the wall—then hurled it into a pile of banners.
Flames erupted.
Alarms sounded.
The whole fortress roared to life.
Jarek chuckled. "That should do it."
Bran looked up. "You set the place on fire?"
Jarek smirked. "Of course I did."
Because this wasn't just about killing Caden.
This was about sending a message.
Phase Four: The Boss Fight
Jarek kicked open the last door.
And there, sitting in his lavish office, was Caden.
The crime lord didn't look surprised.
He just sighed.
"So," Caden muttered, "Valric finally sent his dogs after me."
Jarek tilted his head. "You sound disappointed."
Caden stood slowly, drawing a curved saber. "I expected better."
Jarek grinned. "Then let's not disappoint you."
Caden moved first.
His saber lashed out, fast as lightning.
Jarek barely dodged, feeling the blade slice a strand of his hair.
Sylva struck from the side, but Caden twisted, parrying her with brutal efficiency.
Cassian lunged. Caden countered, smashing a fist into his gut.
Jarek cursed.
This wasn't just some crime boss.
This was a killer.
Caden grinned. "You thought this would be easy?"
Jarek wiped blood from his mouth. "Wouldn't be fun if it was."
The Final Blow
The fight was brutal.
Caden moved like a ghost, dodging, countering, striking.
Tobias loosed an arrow. Caden slashed it out of the air.
Bran swung an axe. Caden sidestepped.
Cassian lunged again. Caden's blade flashed—
And then—
A gunshot.
Caden stumbled.
His eyes widened.
He turned.
Jarek stood there, smoking pistol in hand.
Caden sank to his knees.
"You… cheated," Caden muttered.
Jarek grinned. "Of course I did."
Then, he fired again.
Caden was dead.
Aftermath: A New Power Rises
The Iron Raven estate burned.
Jarek and his team slipped into the night, victorious.
But as the smoke rose into the sky, Jarek knew this wasn't the end.
This was just the beginning.
Because now?
He had done Valric's dirty work.
And Valric?
Would come to collect.