Andras's Mission – Inside the Bathhouse, Rewriting Fate
The Bathhouse – Steam, Light, and the Approaching Shadow
Inside the bathhouse, warm steam rose from the pools.
The walls were covered with ornate mosaics, and the air smelled of herbs.
The leaders of the four great merchant guilds were already seated in the private chamber:
Jack Goldfred, Andras's grandfather
Lord Dolermo, Vanessa's father
Lord Fernandez, head of the western merchant house
Lord Williamsky, lord of the eastern guild
All of them in bathrobes, surrounded by steam, deep in political debate.
Andras entered.
His heart pounded.
He knew what would happen.
He knew where the killer was.
He knew Vanessa's father was minutes from death.
But now…
he would not die.
The Conversation – The Fog of Politics
Jack Goldfred stood up, smiling.
"Young Wolf! You finally arrived. We were just debating peace between the Empire and the Kingdom."
Lord Williamsky waved a hand.
"Peace lasts only until the Demon King's army moves. The Hero still hasn't returned."
Lord Fernandez sighed.
"The demons grow bolder. They're burning villages on the border."
Lord Dolermo nodded.
"The Empire and the Kingdom should unite. The merchant houses want this too."
Andras heard the words.
But his attention was elsewhere.
On the ceiling.
In the steam.
In the invisible shadow.
The future‑sight crystal vibrated softly in his eye.
There he is.
The chameleon beast‑man.
Exactly where he remembered.
The Assassination Begins – The Killer Moves
In the middle of the conversation, the steam shifted.
A shadow slid across the ceiling.
Invisible, silent, deadly.
The chameleon beast‑man slowly drew his poisoned dagger.
The target:
Lord Dolermo.
Vanessa's father.
Andras's heart tightened.
"Now…" he whispered.
The crystal flared.
The world slowed.
The chameleon leapt.
The dagger sliced through the air.
The steam parted around him.
Andras raised his hand.
The Lightning – Rewriting the Future
"LIGHTNING STRIKE!"
Blue‑white light burst from the tip of his staff.
The lightning cut through the steam and struck the chameleon directly.
The creature's body convulsed, then crashed to the floor, smoking.
The dagger slipped from his hand and clattered harmlessly onto the stone.
The four guild leaders jumped to their feet in shock.
"What the—?!" Williamsky shouted.
"An assassin?!" Fernandez cried.
"My grandson… saved us!" Jack Goldfred said.
"You saved my life, Young Wolf," Lord Dolermo said, voice trembling.
Andras slowly lowered his staff.
"Umbra sent him. And he's not the only one."
The men paled.
"Umbra…?" Dolermo asked. "The legend? The Empire's shadow?"
Andras nodded.
"Yes. And tonight he wanted to kill you. But he won't succeed."
The Black Raven Arrives – The Threads of Fate Converge
A shadow slipped in through the skylight.
The Black Raven — Vanessa — arrived, sword in hand, breathing hard.
"Father! Are you alright?!"
Lord Dolermo turned toward her.
"Yes… yes, my daughter. Young Wolf saved me."
Vanessa looked at Andras from behind her mask.
Her gaze was shocked.
Grateful.
And something else…
Something Andras had already seen once.
In another timeline.
Andras smiled.
"Good to have you here, Raven."
Vanessa's eyes widened.
"You… you know who I am?"
Andras nodded.
"I do now. And we'll need you. Umbra isn't defeated yet."
Vanessa slowly nodded.
"Then… we fight together."
Andras's heart thumped.
This time…
Vanessa lived.
And the future could be rewritten.
The Team Reunites – A New Thread of Fate
After the Bathhouse – Stepping Out of the Steam
Andras — or as the people of Ferenz now called him, Young Wolf — stepped out of the private chamber of the bathhouse.
The air was still thick with steam, but the danger had passed.
The chameleon beast‑man's corpse smoked on the floor, and the four guild leaders were still trying to process what had happened.
In the hallway, Vanessa, the Black Raven, waited.
Behind her mask, her eyes were still wide with realization.
"Wolfwood…" she said softly. "I thought something terrible would happen. Or… that my father would die."
Andras smiled.
"He won't now. I knew what would happen. And I prepared."
Vanessa stepped closer.
"How…?"
Andras only said:
"Instinct."
Vanessa nodded.
She didn't press further.
But her eyes revealed she sensed a deeper secret behind it all.
At Wolf Lodge – The Team Returns
The Wolf Lodge inn glowed with warm light as the team members returned one by one.
Fireburp and Ersi escorted a ten‑year‑old boy home, then proudly recounted how they had "accidentally" burned three bandits.
Anita and Ironclaw arrived covered in blood and dust, carrying the evidence from the harbor warehouse.
Andrea and Eris Scarlett were already seated, writing their report about the two dead mercenaries.
Noelle stood behind the counter, watching everyone with worried eyes.
When Andras entered, every gaze turned toward him.
"Young Wolf!" Fireburp shouted. "Did you kill the bad guy on the ceiling?!"
"I did," Andras replied.
Andrea nodded.
"The mercenaries are dead too. The bathhouse is safe."
Anita placed the evidence on the table.
"We cleared the entire warehouse. The High Councillor is dead as well."
Vanessa stepped forward from the background.
The team stared — the Black Raven rarely showed herself openly.
"The High Councillor…" Vanessa said. "Arcturus Veldran. The Emperor's advisor. And Umbra's father."
The team gasped.
"So it's true…" Ersi whispered. "Umbra is his son."
"Yes," Vanessa said. "And now that his father is dead… he will be even more dangerous."
The Strategic Discussion – The Next Step
Andras sat down at the table.
The team gathered around him.
Vanessa also sat — for the first time as a member of the Wolfwood team.
"Listen," Andras began. "We won today. But Umbra is still alive. And now he knows we're hunting him."
Andrea nodded.
"Then what's the next step, Young Wolf?"
Andras looked at Vanessa.
"We need to protect the Dolermo family. After the High Councillor's death, Umbra will seek revenge."
Vanessa lowered her head.
"My family… has suffered enough already."
Andras continued:
"He has several hideouts in the city. Our next target will be Umbra's main seal workshop. That's where he creates the demon‑summoning seals. If we destroy it… he'll weaken."
Eris Scarlett's eyes lit up.
"Light will purify it."
Anita clenched her fist.
"And ice will block his path."
Fireburp jumped onto a chair.
"And fire will blow it up!"
Ersi sighed.
"Fireburp… not everything needs to be blown up."
"But it can be!" the dragon girl grinned.
Ironclaw peeked toward the kitchen.
"Is there food?"
Noelle smiled.
"I'll bring some soon. And… Young Wolf… I'm glad you're alright."
Andras smiled.
"Thank you, Noelle."
Vanessa and Young Wolf – A Short, Quiet Moment
When the team dispersed, Vanessa stepped closer to Andras.
"Wolfwood…" she said softly. "Today you saved my father. And me."
Andras shrugged.
"That's my job."
Vanessa stepped even closer.
"No. It's more than that. You… somehow you're always there when needed."
Andras looked away.
His heart tightened.
He had already seen Vanessa die.
He had already lived through the loss.
He already knew what it felt like to lose her.
But now…
Vanessa lived.
And that changed everything.
"From now on, I'll protect you," Andras said quietly.
Vanessa blushed behind her mask.
"Then… we hunt Umbra together. Wolfwood."
Andras nodded.
"Together."
Tracking Down Umbra's Seal Workshop – The Path Into the Heart of Darkness
At Wolf Lodge – The Silence After the Mission
The inn slowly quieted down.
The team members scattered:
Fireburp and Ersi escorted the child home,
Anita and Ironclaw sorted the evidence,
Andrea and Eris Scarlett wrote the bathhouse report,
Noelle prepared tea for everyone.
Andras — Young Wolf — sat at the table, Vanessa standing beside him, cloak removed but mask still on.
The memory of steam and blood still lingered around her.
Vanessa spoke softly.
"Wolfwood… what's the next step? Umbra won't stop."
Andras nodded.
"I know. And now that his father is dead, he'll be even more dangerous. But there's a place we need to find. Umbra's seal workshop. That's where he creates the demon‑summoning seals. If we destroy it… he'll weaken."
Vanessa's eyes lit up.
"Then let's go."
Andras raised his hand.
"First… we need to piece the picture together."
The Strategic Briefing – The Map of Darkness
The team slowly returned to the table.
Noelle served tea, then quietly sat in the background — she guarded Wolf Lodge, just as Young Wolf had asked.
Andras stood and pointed at the city map pinned to the wall.
"Listen. Umbra's seal workshop is somewhere beneath the city. In the sewers, or in an abandoned cellar. Based on the evidence found in the harbor warehouse, there are three possible locations."
Anita took out the parchments.
"Here, here, and here. Each one has an old sewer system running underneath."
Eris Scarlett leaned forward.
"Based on the energy of the seals, which one is the strongest?"
Andras looked at Vanessa.
"Raven? You know the city. Which place feels… too quiet? Too abandoned?"
Vanessa bent over the map.
Her mask cast a shadow across the paper.
"This one," she said, pointing. "The old Dolermo wine cellar. We haven't used it in years. The sewers run directly beneath it. If someone wanted to hide… that's where they'd go."
Andras nodded.
"Then that will be our target."
Dividing the Team – The Campaign Against Darkness
Andras looked around.
"Now that the assassination failed, Umbra knows we're hunting him. It won't be easy. But together, we can do it."
Andrea stood.
"What's our task, Young Wolf?"
Andras began listing:
Andrea and Eris Scarlett
"You two go ahead to the wine cellar area. Scout the surroundings. If you see a seal, don't touch it. Umbra uses traps."
Andrea nodded.
"Understood."
Anita and Ironclaw
"You two approach through the sewers. If Umbra summons demons, you'll be the first line of defense."
Ironclaw's eyes lit up.
"Demons? Can I eat them?"
Anita sighed.
"No. But you can smash them."
Fireburp and Ersi
"You two stay on the surface, at the cellar exit. If Umbra tries to escape, you stop him."
Fireburp grinned.
"We'll blow him up!"
Ersi massaged her forehead.
"Only if necessary…"
Vanessa and Young Wolf
Vanessa looked up.
"We go in first. Wolfwood and the Black Raven."
Andras nodded.
"Yes. Umbra wants me. And he wants you. If we go together, he can't surprise us."
Vanessa smiled behind her mask.
"Then let's go."
The Team Sets Out – Toward the Darkness
The door of Wolf Lodge opened.
The team stepped into the cool night.
Andrea and Eris Scarlett headed toward the rooftops.
Anita and Ironclaw toward the sewer entrance.
Fireburp and Ersi toward the street behind the cellar.
Vanessa and Young Wolf walked together toward the Dolermo wine cellar.
Moonlight cast long shadows across the cobblestones.
Vanessa spoke softly.
"Wolfwood… are you ready?"
Andras nodded.
"Now I am. Because this time… we won't lose anyone."
Vanessa's eyes shone.
"Then let's win together."
And the two of them walked together into the heart of darkness.