The summons came before sunset.
A messenger stood at the forge doorway, posture stiff.
"Guild Commander Vale requests your presence."
Requests.
Not invites.
Rollo glanced at Kendo. "I'm coming."
The guild hall smelled of leather, oil, and ambition. Trophies lined the walls—skulls, claws, fractured cores mounted on polished wood.
Garrick stood near the center table.
The ironback jackal carcass lay beside him.
Its wound was unmistakable.
He did not waste time on pleasantries.
"You forged this blade?"
"Yes."
"With what material?"
"Iron," Kendo answered evenly.
Garrick's gaze did not waver. "Iron does not do this."
"It does when refined properly."
A long pause followed.
Several guild members exchanged looks.
Garrick stepped closer to the carcass and ran a finger along the cut. "This penetration depth matches mid E-tier guild steel. Possibly low D-tier."
Kendo remained silent.
"You have not previously demonstrated that level of craftsmanship," Garrick continued.
"I improved."
"That quickly?"
"Yes."
Rollo stepped slightly forward, not aggressive, but protective.
Garrick noticed.
His gaze moved between them.
"You understand," Garrick said carefully, "that irregular weapons destabilize ranking structures. Hunters trust tiers. They train according to tiers."
"I'm not destabilizing anything," Kendo replied. "I'm improving my forge."
"Improvement does not happen overnight."
Kendo held his ground. "Sometimes it does."
The room tightened.
Garrick studied him for several seconds longer, then finally stepped back.
"You will present your forging process for inspection within three days."
That was not a request.
Kendo's heartbeat thudded in his ears.
"I work alone."
"Not anymore."
The meeting ended there.
Outside, Rollo exhaled sharply. "That wasn't curiosity. That was warning."
"I know."
"They suspect you."
"They suspect the result."
Rollo stopped walking. "And what happens when they suspect the source?"
Kendo looked toward the northern ridge again.
Three days.
That was time.
But not much of it.
That night, as Kendo lay awake, a distant tremor rolled beneath the town — strong enough to rattle loose tools from the forge wall.