Draven's eyelids fluttered open, and he blinked up at the cracked ceiling of his dark room. His body still ached from yesterday's training.
'I overdid it. Need to build up my endurance.'
After getting home the night before, he'd collapsed in his tracksuit and shoes, too exhausted to change. With a groan, he pushed himself up and stretched, working out the stiffness in his muscles.
He shuffled to the window and tugged the curtain aside, letting sunlight spill into the room.
'Slept till morning. Not surprising—hunting and training drained me out.' He sighed. 'Ranking up fast should be the priority if I want a comfortable life.'
His stomach growled.
"Yeah, yeah. I hear you."
After a quick shower, Draven grabbed his diary and headed out for breakfast.
At his usual spot, he dug into a hearty meal while flipping through the diary, settling on his next target. The green mist region was still his best bet—the Soul Eyes and Obsidian Carapace made him feel like a fish in water while hunting.
Then an argument nearby caught his attention. He glanced up, fork halfway to his mouth—and nearly choked.
Old Joe, with a stylish haircut and dressed in a suit, was flashing a 'charming' smile at two females: a young lady and a teenage girl.
Draven's jaw dropped. 'Impossible. Old Joe in a suit? Sacrilege!'
Old Joe and the young lady were trying to keep their voices down, but their argument was heating up, making it hard to lower their volume.
Draven considered ignoring them, then remembered Old Joe's earlier claim.
'He said he was meeting his daughter. That must be her. How did someone a beauty like her ended up with a child for him?' He stifled a sigh. 'Some people have eyes but are still blind. Not my problem.'
Just then, Old Joe spotted him, excused himself, and hurried over.
'Oh, hell no. Nothing good.' Draven stiffened as the girl and woman turned their stares toward him.
He stood abruptly—he'd already paid—and strode for the door.
"Draven, wait up!" Old Joe called after him.
Draven quickened his pace, scanning the street for a taxi.
Old Joe caught up, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Why're you running? I'm like a father to you! You don't turn your back on family!"
Draven whirled on him, eyes sharp. "I dare you to say that again if I don't gut you right here. Last time you pulled that 'father' crap, you scammed me out of everything."
Old Joe raised his hands in surrender. "No hard feelings. You broke into my place and sold all my stuff as payback—we're even."
They locked eyes for a tense moment before Draven finally relented. "What do you want?"
"I knew you'd hear me out." Old Joe grinned. "Those two ladies you saw are related to me. Remember my daughter? That's her and her mother."
Draven folded his arms. "And?"
"I need you to help me convince them she's mine—without a DNA test."
Draven blinked. "You serious? If she's really yours, why avoid the test?"
Old Joe waved a dismissive hand. "Let's focus on the 'convincing part' and leave the complicated details."
Draven narrowed his eyes. "They rich or something?"
"Filthy rich," Old Joe admitted, eyes gleaming.
"No wonder you want to claim a daughter that's not yours and get a beautiful wife as the cherry on top. Seriously, Old Joe? A sugar mommy?" Draven stared at him incredulously
Old Joe leaned in, lowering his voice. "Fine, you caught me. But it's a sugar wife, not a sugar mommy; she's not older. Let's forget that. I just need you to convince them, and I'll give you 5% of the wealth."
Draven gave him a once-over. "I don't know where you get the confidence to run this scam, but count me out."
He turned to leave, but Old Joe kept pestering him—forcing Draven to break into a full sprint to escape.
Draven reached the association, passing other Elites engaged in their businesses, greeting Grace before heading to the Plane after changing into his Iron Plate armor.
But he overheard whispers along the way, and when he pried his ears to listen, the news made him scowl: Jude had broken into the Third Order and challenged Selene.
He didn't know who Selene was or what the challenge entailed. All he needed to know was that Jude had ascended. Despite the peace in Haven, where killing someone would get you banned from entering the plane by the Council, Draven didn't want to bet his hopes on such a fragile law.
'Problems rising left and right. I need to grind and ascend to the next rank to fix my stupid legacy Elite system. And I need new armor to hide my face; the Obsidian Carapace will only draw Jude's enmity since I stole the Gear and tried to kill him.'
He quickly left, only to bump into Vera at the gate.
"Draven," she said with a smile. "I've got an opportunity for you."
He arched a brow. "I'm listening."
"Not here." She gestured for him to follow. "My room."
When they arrived, she unlocked and entered her room. Draven hesitated and peeked inside before stepping in—her room was a copy of his.
"So?" he prompted as she shut the door.
"To help Selene hunt a Third Order monster."
"Count me out," Draven shot down her offer instantly.
"The payment is a Second Order arrow. Since you're new and not rich, lacking wide connections, you probably don't have a good arrow. I can even show you the descriptions to know the differences," Vera said, staring into his eyes.
Draven hesitated, weighing his options.
'If she's offering an Order arrow from her deductions, she must be smart. If I have a better arrow, I might actually be able to threaten Jude's life for real.' He exhaled. 'I need a way to defend myself if he comes for me.'
Draven made his decision. "Two conditions." He raised a finger. "First, I will inspect the arrow and take the payment upfront." A second finger joined the first, his voice sharpening. "Second, you tell me exactly what we're hunting." His eyes hardened. "I don't plan on dying a foolish death."