Chapter 12 - 1st task
Lila slumped in the Guild lobby's least-broken chair, her boot propped up on the table, a fresh gash running down her arm. The white bandages wrapped around it were already turning pink. She scowled at the ceiling, muttering curses under her breath.
"Sewer rats. Of course it had to be sewer rats."
The mission had been simple—clear out a nest of mutated rodents in the city's underbelly. But "simple" in Hunter terms usually meant "disgusting and likely to bite your face off." She'd taken an arrow to the shoulder and a claw swipe to the leg before finally putting the last one down.
The lobby doors creaked open, and Lila glanced up, half-expecting another rookie covered in monster guts. Instead, she saw Fin—fully healed, no bandages, no limp, just the same scuffed boots and slightly-too-big vest.
Her eyebrows shot up. "Well, look who's back from the dead."
Fin spotted her and grinned, sauntering over. "Miss me?"
"Like a hole in the head," she said, but she shifted her boot off the table, making space for him. "How's the whole 'almost dying' thing treating you?"
He dropped into the chair beside her, stretching his arms. "Eh, overrated. Hospital food's worse than slum stew, and that's saying something."
She snorted. "Yeah, well, enjoy the luxury while it lasts. Soon you'll be back to eating whatever monster you just killed."
Fin shuddered. "Please tell me that's not a real thing Hunters do."
"Only the desperate ones." She tilted her head, studying him. "So, what's the deal? Mara just let you waltz back in after that mess?"