[Scene: Whisper's Light Guild Hall – Interrogation Room]
Morning sun cracked through the stained-glass window, painting colored streaks across the reinforced iron chair in the center.
Alex Zoteb sat bound, battered, shirt torn at the shoulder. His mouth dripped dried blood. His eyes… still defiant.
Before him stood five.
Guild members.
Kael, the speedster—shorter than the rest, lean and solid.
Eron, the healer, average-looking but deadly calm, wearing a total of five rings, one on each of his finger of his right hand.
Arjun, the longbow user—tall, wiry, messy black hair like ink dripped on a storm. His magical bow was slung on his back, but even unstrung, it radiated elemental threat.
Rhask, the brute—his four-foot sword leaning against the wall beside him.
Solis, the dual-wielder, stood closest. Two non-magical swords in his hands. Nothing fancy. But in his hands, nothing more was needed.
They stared in silence. The air grew thick.
Zoteb smiled with broken lips.
Zoteb (hoarse):
> "What is this… intimidation parade? If you're gonna kill me, do it."
Kael (calm, deadly):
> "You're not worth killing yet."
Rhask (growling):
> "Yet."
Eron stepped forward. Not with force, but quiet gravity.
Eron:
> "Your mana threads are fractured. I can sense how much damage Katrina has done. You shouldn't be arrogant."
Zoteb tilted his head.
Zoteb:
> "You sound like a priest."
Eron (flat):
> "I'm a medic. But I bury people too."
A silence again.
Solis walked forward, dragging one of his swords across the stone floor, letting the metal sing.
Solis:
> "Let's not waste time. You attacked one of ours. Whisper's Light doesn't forgive that."
Zoteb:
> "She burned down a mansion that wasn't hers. I retaliated."
Arjun stepped forward now, voice as cold as his shadowed gaze.
Arjun:
> "Then you admit it. You're not some wandering assassin."
Zoteb (snorts):
> "You're slow. Yeah, I'm not just anyone. You ever hear of the Ryven Pirates?"
The words shifted the room.
No one flinched.
But the tension spiked.
Kael (quietly):
> "That explains the gear."
Rhask:
> "And the stench."
Zoteb (grinning despite bruises):
> "We were stockpiling weapons. Supplies. The Iverro Mansion was our checkpoint before setting sail toward Veil Stream."
"Your girl… Katrina… she burned it all down."
The lights from Eron's rings flared slightly.
Eron:
> "So you came to kill her. Out of vengeance."
Zoteb:
> "I came to make a statement. Pirates don't forget debts."
Solis (steps closer, blades drawn):
> "Neither do we."
Zoteb looked at each of them, their positions, the way they moved like muscle memory bound by unity.
He laughed—weak, a wheeze through pain.
Zoteb:
> "You think this is over? You think the Ryven crew will let you go? Burning the Iverro Mansion wasn't just property damage. It was a declaration. You've made enemies."
No one moved.
Then—
Rhask (low rumble):
> "You burned down your own fate the moment you targeted one of us."
Arjun finally spoke again, his hand brushing the bowstring that had begun to glow faintly with wind element.
Arjun (softly):
His eyes narrowed.
"It means war now."
[CUT TO BLACK]
Chains clink as Zoteb drops his head, a bead of sweat rolling down his bruised cheek.
And in Whisper's Light, war drums begin to beat.
Scene: A Smoky Bar – Somewhere In The West Sea]
The Ryven Pirates drank like they ruled the sea.
Laughter crashed against the walls louder than the waves outside.
Mugs clinked, dice rolled, and smoke curled around the rafters like ghosts watching a feast.
Then—
BANG.
The door slammed open.
A younger pirate burst in, chest heaving, eyes wide.
Young Pirate (urgent):
> "Captain—Captain Ryven!"
Ryven, the man himself, sat at the center table—broad-shouldered, a jagged scar across his collarbone like a badge.
He didn't turn immediately—just downed another drink.
Ryven (grinning):
> "What? Zoteb wiped out all of Whisper's Light already?"
He chuckled, teeth glinting.
Ryven (mocking):
> "That idiot always goes overboard. Only Katrina's head would've been enough."
He raised his mug again.
But the scout didn't laugh.
He stood stiff, voice barely above a whisper.
Young Pirate:
> "I'm afraid… that's not the case."
The room dimmed with silence.
Young Pirate:
> "Vice-captain Zoteb has been defeated."
"He's captured. Whisper's Light plans to hand him over to the government."
For a moment—nothing.
Then—
CRASH!
Ryven hurled his mug into the bar counter.
Glass and splinters flew. Beer soaked the floor.
He stood slowly.
Ryven (growling):
> "Whisper's Light !!!"