The morning of the mission arrived cool and grey. Kyle stood at the door with his gear checked and short staff strapped to his back. Natalie watched him from the kitchen doorway.
"Try not to get eaten," she said with a forced smile.
"Wouldn’t dream of it. Too chewy." He paused. "I’ll be back, Natalie. Promise."
"You better. Don’t make me come drag you out of that dungeon myself."
"Wouldn’t want that," he chuckled before stepping outside.
A black Guild car waited at the curb. He slid into the back seat and the car pulled away.
The driver, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard, glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "First time in a Rank 6?"
"That obvious, huh?"
"You’ve got that look. Excitement mixed with ’what the hell am I doing?’" The driver shrugged. "Seen it before
