The atmosphere in the guild headquarters of the Valiant Blades was tense. While the rest of the team was on a mission, Seraphina, leader of Aria church, had sent Adrian to negotiate with the Raven's guild, but he had gone missing without a trace.
While some knew about Adrian's mission, the group as a whole, was informed about the incident upon their return a couple of days later, and now they were busy discussing what they should do next.
"Where could Adrian have disappeared to?" Vincent, their leader and a magic swordsman, growled, his fists clenched in frustration. "That fucker always causes trouble for us!"
"I agree! This is ridiculous! Adrian has been missing for days, and we still don't have any clue about his whereabouts," Amelia, the fiery redhead and the team's archer, paced back and forth. "Lady Seraphina should have known better than to trust him with such a crucial mission."
The group's mage, Sophia, was quick to respond. "He contacted me as he entered the Raven's Guild building. I'm sure they had done something to him!"
"Sophia," Vincent mumbled, scratching the scar on his face. "You already know that they claim. Adrian never arrived-"
"I know they are denying he was ever there, but I'm certain he was!" Sophia yelled, slamming her hands on the table.
The other members of the team exchanged glances. They didn't believe her, as it was clear on their faces. Yet none of them wanted to offend the strongest member of their party. So, Clara, Sophia's best friend and a warrior, interjected.
"Are you sure, Sophia? Maybe you misheard him. Adrian's been known to get things wrong." Clara said, moving her auburn hair out of her face as she got up to hug Sophia.
"I didn't mishear anything," Sophia said, adjusting her spectacles with a glare that stopped Clara in her tracks. "Adrian specifically said he was inside the Raven's guild building, and the negotiations were about to begin before disconnecting."
Marcus, the group's tank and brawler, chimed in. "Come on, Sophia. Knowing Adrian, he's probably just flunking from his duty or got caught up in some other guild's drama. We don't need him as much as we used to, anyway."
Amelia nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We've outgrown his analysis skills by now. Besides, the church might even send us someone better in combat now that Adrian's gone."
"Well, that wouldn't be a bad thing. Even if the church can't, we can find someone ourselves, someone who can throw a punch." Clara scoffed. "It's not like Adrian contributed much lately in the mid-level dungeons."
Vincent raised an eyebrow. His patience was getting thinner each moment with his group's blatant disregard for Adrian's disappearance.
"Alright, everyone, let's not jump to conclusions. Whether Adrian was useful or not, we need to find him," he stated before facing Sophia. "Sophia, are you sure he didn't mention anything suspicious?"
"He didn't," Sophia replied firmly. "He said he was there for negotiations, nothing else."
"Maybe he just wanted to say goodbye to his favourite pair of spectacles before disappearing into thin air," Amelia snorted.
Sophia abruptly stood up as the argument escalated, knocking her chair backwards.
"I can't believe you're all so indifferent! Adrian's missing, and none of you fucking care!" Sophia exclaimed. "Maybe you don't need him, but I sure as hell do! I'm going to find Adrian, with or without your help."
Before anyone could react, Sophia stormed out of the guild hall, leaving the team in stunned silence. Vincent rose to follow Sophia, but Clara touched his shoulder, stopping him.
"Let her go," she said. "Adrian was her lover; she obviously took his disappearance hard. Give her some time, will you?"
Marcus added, "And Amelia, it wouldn't hurt if you showed a bit more empathy. Adrian might have been a pain for us, but he meant a lot to Sophia."
"Does it look like I care about human emotions?" Amelia rolled her eyes as her elf ears poked through her hair. "Anyways, I'm leaving. You guys can do as you please with Adrian's issue."
Vincent sighed angrily, feeling a mixture of frustration and disappointment. He had hoped Adrian's death would open up new opportunities for him, especially with Sophia. But it seemed like Adrian's ghost continued to haunt him even in death.
***
Meanwhile, in Victor's hideout.
After hiding Victor's corpse, Adrian turned around, and a mirror caught his attention. He had noticed the ogre skin patched all around his body and wondered what else had changed about him.
He hesitatingly walked to the mirror, not knowing what to expect. His reflection stared back at him, but it was not the familiar face he expected.
Like his body, there were several small patches of ogre skin around his face. But that wasn't all. He could feel something different about his face. The shape was a bit off, as if a part of his skull had been replaced by someone else's.
As he stared at his face, he realised his eyes were slightly off. But he wasn't surprised. After all, he had used a skill he never had before on the stranger mere moments ago.
"It was because of the eyes..." Adrian sighed, his fists clenched.
Suddenly, Adrian felt a surge of rage inside him. He had always been a rational pacifist. But his death had messed him up. He couldn't control his anger anymore and struck the mirror with a force that shattered it.
Breathing heavily, Adrian surveyed the remnants of the mirror scattered on the floor. The reality of his situation gnawed at him, but he knew he needed to regain control.
He had a lot to think about, and he couldn't lose his rationality on trivial stuff, or else he would waste the opportunity he had been given to exact his revenge.
"I can think about who or what after I escape this place," Adrian mumbled, taking a deep breath. "I need to get out before someone comes looking for whoever I just killed."
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he searched the chamber for clues or tools to aid him. But as he did, he heard a similar notification sound of the system.
It surprised Adrian as he had thought the system would have disappeared after his death. But he was wrong.
"Let's see what we got here..."