The guild room was a sanctuary of bruised knuckles and hard-won adrenaline. The air buzzed with the electric hum of victory, a stark contrast to the quiet, dusty space it usually was. Every core member was present, their faces a mixture of exhaustion, pride, and the lingering, fierce energy of battle. They were battered, but they were unbroken.
Tiffany stood at the head of the long, rickety table, a queen surveying her victorious court. "Very good, everyone," she said, her voice a cool, clear note that cut through the excited chatter. "All of you did an amazing job today. We have defended our guild. And we have captured every enemy."
A wave of ragged, triumphant cheers went through the room.
Jack, leaning against the wall with his titanium rod resting on his shoulder, let out a low whistle. "Yeah! That was one hell of a fight." He looked from Tiffany to Isabel, a hint of concern in his eyes. "But I heard you two were under a second ambush."
Isabel, who was dabbing a cut on her arm with a piece of gauze, just waved a dismissive hand. "We handled everything. There's no need to worry. We have a very capable team." She then looked at Tiffany, a new, hard-won respect in her eyes. "You are quite the powerful, Tiffany."
Tiffany's usual composure faltered for a fraction of a second, a flicker of surprise in her green eyes before she masked it. "Okay, guys," she said, her voice all business again. "Please, a round of applause for Qasim for his… timely intervention. And also, clap for yourselves. Because we beat the enemy."
The room erupted in a fresh wave of applause. Qasim, who had been standing quietly by the door, looked genuinely moved. "Thank you, guys, for accepting me back," he said, his voice a low, humble rumble. "It was only because the Leader showed me the mirror, and the Vice-Leader's and Miss Wilson's training. Thank you, both of you."
Axel, his own face a canvas of fresh bruises, spoke up, his voice full of a grim satisfaction. "This really was a tough battle. Like, we even got ambushed. But I want to ask, what are we going to do with the prisoners?"
"Give them food and the other necessities," Tiffany replied, her voice leaving no room for argument. "The Leader said he will handle them himself. There is a chance they will become an asset."
Ken Pots, ever the devoted follower, stepped forward, his eyes shining with a familiar, zealous light. "Yeah! The Leader is amazing! He is definitely amazing! But everyone, please, clap for our queens!" he boomed, his voice full of a theatrical, reverent passion. "Clap for Miss Watson and for Miss Wilson! And also for our commander, Mr. Mullar! It is because they were here, because they fought on the front lines to protect our territory, that we won this battle!"
Axel nodded in agreement. "Ken is absolutely right."
"The Vice-Leader is amazing," Qasim added, his gaze full of a profound, unwavering respect.
Padro, who had been practically vibrating with a post-battle high, slammed a fist on the table. "Yeah! The Vice-Leader is a total goddess while fighting!"
Kenji, Adam's unbreakable mountain, spoke last, his voice a quiet but powerful rumble that commanded the attention of the room. "But Miss Isabel is absolutely incredible. How she handled both Nanami and then Susie… we are really proud of you."
A new, easy camaraderie filled the room. The tensions of the past few days, the internal conflicts, had all been burned away in the fire of shared combat.
"Okay, team," Tiffany said, her voice cutting through the celebratory mood. "Everyone, go to the medics, get your first aid, and then go home. You've earned it."
After everyone had filed out, their tired but triumphant chatter echoing in the hallway, only a small group remained. Tiffany and Isabel stood by the table, a silent, shared understanding passing between them. Anna, Maya, and Chloe were with them, the intelligence and espionage division of their small army.
Anna was the first to speak, her voice a timid, worried whisper. "Miss Vice-Leader… we really don't know how there was another ambush." She looked genuinely scared, as if the failure in intelligence was a personal one.
Maya stepped forward, her own expression a mixture of frustration and a deep, simmering anger. "It was Hughes," she said, her voice a low, vicious hiss. "Suddenly, he just ordered his men to give support. Instinctively. He wanted to capture the Hunter's Guild today, because the Leader wasn't present."
Chloe looked down, her usual playful confidence gone, replaced by a look of profound regret. "We are really sorry for our negligence," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Isabel looked at them, at their guilt-ridden faces, and her own expression softened. "It's not about negligence," she said, her voice firm but not unkind.
"It's about how sharp Hughes is," Tiffany finished for her, her own voice a cold, analytical assessment. "He didn't have intel. He acted on instinct. He saw an opportunity and he took it. He is a very strategic opponent. We need to keep a close eye on him."
"Adam warned us," Isabel said, a new, hard-won respect in her own voice. "He said Hughes is not an easy person."
Anna looked like she was about to cry. "I'm really sorry," she said again, her voice cracking.
"It's okay, Anna," Isabel said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's not your mistake. It's just… we thought the enemy couldn't outsmart us."
"It's okay, guys," Tiffany said, her voice a rare, almost gentle note of reassurance. "We will learn from our mistakes." She then looked at Anna, her professional persona taking over. "Anna, prepare a report. Because Stacy and I are going to meet with a few people. Is the work I asked for completed?"
Anna nodded, a new determination in her eyes. "Vice-Leader, I will give you the report in the early morning. I am finalizing the work now."
"Good," Tiffany said. She paused, then added, her voice dropping slightly. "If the Leader asks about the battle, don't tell him about the second ambush. Just tell him we won. That's all."
Anna nodded again, a silent, shared understanding passing between them.
"Okay," Isabel said, a weary but satisfied smile on her face. "I'm leaving."
"Get well soon, Izzy," Tiffany said.
Isabel smiled at her. "You too, Tiff."
Tiffany didn't get annoyed at the nickname this time. She just smiled back. The battle had forged a new bond between them, a friendship born in fire and steel. As the last of them left the guild room, a new, more powerful sense of unity had settled over the Hunter's Guild. They had faced their first true test, and they had not just survived. They had won.
(Isabel's Perspective)
My body ached in places I didn't know I had. Every muscle was a dull, throbbing protest against the abuse I'd put it through. I was sitting on the edge of a training mat, slowly re-wrapping the grip on my three-section staff, when Maya and Chloe found me. They looked like they had just walked out of a particularly intense therapy session, their usual playful energy replaced by a quiet, somber exhaustion.
"Hey," Maya said, her voice a little softer than usual as she sat down beside me.
Chloe sat on my other side, a concerned look on her face. "We heard what happened. The fight with Nanami, and then that other girl… Susie. Are you okay?"
I let out a long, slow breath, the air hissing through my teeth. "I'm fine," I said, though my stinging arms and bruised ribs told a different story. "A little beat up, but… we won."
"We saw them bringing Nanami in," Maya said, a shudder going through her. "She looked… broken. And that Susie girl, she's giving me the creeps. She just keeps smiling."
"They were tough," I admitted, my mind replaying the fight, the blur of the hammer, the glint of the razor-sharp threads. "Nanami is a monster of pure power, and Susie… she's a serpent. Cunning and dangerous. If Kenji hadn't…" I trailed off, the memory of the hammer's descent, of Kenji's back taking the blow meant for me, still a fresh, raw thing in my mind.
"You were incredible, Izzy," Chloe said, her voice full of a genuine, heartfelt admiration. "We were watching from the comms room with Anna. The way you fought… you were like a whirlwind. You were a queen on that battlefield."
A small, tired smile touched my lips. "Thanks, guys." I looked at them, at their worried faces, and my own expression softened. "What about you two? You look like you've been through a war of your own."
Maya let out a dark, humorless laugh. "You have no idea. Debriefing after a failed intel mission is… intense. Tiffany doesn't yell. It's worse. She just gets quiet. And asks questions. Questions that make you want to crawl into a hole and die."
"She's not mad at us," Chloe added quickly. "She's mad at herself. For not predicting Hughes. But still… it's a heavy feeling. Knowing we missed something that big. That people got hurt because of it."
"It's not your fault," I said, my voice firm. I reached out and squeezed both of their hands. "Adam was right. Hughes is on another level. We all underestimated him. But we won't make that mistake again."
We sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, three very different women bound together by a shared battle, a shared purpose.
"So," Maya finally said, a flicker of her old, mischievous self returning to her eyes. "Now that the world isn't ending… are you going to tell us what it was like? Going toe-to-toe with a girl who swings a hammer, like a toy, and a girl with a thread."
I laughed and said, "Why not?"
(End of Isabel's Perspective)