Sora silently followed Jarek out of the Order. As they reached the Order's main hall, many eyes fell on them and many conversations stopped to observe the two mercenaries moving together.

Sora felt a slight shiver of embarrassment when he realized how many eyes were staring at him from all sides.

Sora tried to avert his eyes from the insistent stares, but the heavy atmosphere of the Order's main hall only amplified his discomfort. The murmuring soon resumed, but this time in a low voice, as if the mercenaries around him feared that Jarek might hear them.

Jarek, on the other hand, walked on as if nothing had happened, his confident, nonchalant stride conveying an unshakeable confidence. He stopped briefly in front of Nerris, still at the counter, and gave him a charming smile.

"I'm off to complete this quest. Jarek announced as he held the mission out to Nerris, who looked at it briefly. "Also note that I'm taking a rookie under my wing today. If I don't come back, blame it on his incompetence," he joked, pointing to Sora with a shake of his head.

Nerris rolled his eyes but retained his usual smile. "If you're the one going on the mission, I don't have too much to worry about." She replied mockingly, before turning to Sora. "And you, Sora, try not to get killed. We already have too much drama in this Order."

Sora nodded with a strained smile, unable to respond to Nerris's levity. He could still feel the weight of the stares on his back, as if every mercenary in the room was waiting for him to make a faux pas.

Jarek, on the other hand, burst out laughing as he patted Sora on the shoulder with a force that nearly knocked him off balance.

"You hear that, kid? Try not to become another 'drama'. It'd be a shame to ruin my reputation."

Sora gritted his teeth but said nothing. He preferred not to add to the mockery, knowing that Jarek liked to play on his nerves.

After Nerris had validated the mission and scribbled a few notes on a register, Jarek resumed the mission and gestured towards the door. "Come on, let's get going. Real mercenaries don't have time to waste here."

As he passed through the Order's great door, Sora felt a slight sense of relief as he left the heavy, oppressive atmosphere behind. The air outside was colder than he had expected, the wind light but brisk. He followed Jarek who walked ahead of him, still with the same nonchalance, but his steps seemed calculated, as if he knew exactly where he was going.

"So, what's the mission exactly?" asked Sora to break the silence.

Jarek glanced over his shoulder, an enigmatic smile on his lips. "Patience, patience. Are you in a hurry to get it over with, or what?"

"Not really," Sora muttered. "But if I'm going to follow you, I might as well know what I'm getting into."

Jarek stopped abruptly, forcing Sora to stop too. He turned around slowly, his smile widening.

"All right, kid. Listen up. Our target today is a creature we call the Mist-Reaper. An abomination that has manifested itself near the swamps north of town."

Sora felt a shiver run down her spine. The name alone was enough to evoke something sinister. "An abomination?" he repeated, trying to hide the slight tremor in his voice.

Jarek nodded. A vicious beast. It feeds on unwary travelers, and rumors say it manipulates the mist to hide and ambush. Officially, it's only a minor threat, but unofficially..."

He shrugged with an amused smile. "Let's just say that even some experienced mercenaries avoid rubbing shoulders with them. But this kind of critter shouldn't be a problem for me, even with you in my way."

Sora felt a lump form in his stomach. "And... me, in all this?"

Jarek stared at him, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of amusement and seriousness. "You? You're observing. You learn... And who knows? If you do well, you might even manage to hit them at least once."

Sora clenched his fists. Jarek's words oscillated between provocation and veiled encouragement, but they weren't enough to calm his apprehension.

"Strike at least once?" murmured Sora. "Actually, I'm not going to be much use..."

Jarek burst out laughing, a sonorous burst that echoed in the cold air. "Yeah, sure, you'll be totally useless, but you've got to start somewhere. Besides, I'm here. As long as you don't do something totally stupid, I'll bring you back alive. Maybe even in one piece."

Sora gave a forced smile, but he knew he couldn't always rely on Jarek alone. That's why he had to do his utmost to assimilate as much as possible while watching Jarek fight these creatures.

They continued walking for a while. The alleys of the city soon gave way to a dirt track that was obviously little used. And as the sun began to set, a light veil of mist began to settle around them.

"Alright kid, from now on, we're going to start being in the swampy zone." Jarek announced in a relaxed tone. "But before you get panicky, you should know that the Mist-Reaper isn't lurking around here. The mist is too light to worry about."

Sora didn't reply and simply nodded as he continued to follow him. But reflexively, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw.

As Jarek began to whistle as if nothing had happened, the mist became more and more present, to the point where it was now difficult to see more than 20 meters ahead.

Numerous dead trees protruded like skeletons from the murky water, and the silence was oppressive, broken only by the distant sound of dripping water. The earth had slowly turned to mud, and the air seemed harder and harder to breathe.

Suddenly, Jarek stopped, stopped whistling and held out his hand in the air, as if to say stop to Sora. "I think we've arrived." He drew his curved blade from its scabbard and turned to Sora.

"Okay kid, before we fight, we're going to lay down two rules. First rule: always stay close to me, at least within sight. Second rule: if you see anything moving, let me know before you start acting like a hero. Got it?"

Sora nodded actively before he too drew his sword and looked from right to left to see if he noticed anything strange. His heart was pounding as they slowly ventured back into the misty swamp.

Suddenly, a guttural, distant cry tore through the silence, an inhuman sound that made the hairs on the back of Sora's neck stand on end.

Jarek turned to him with an almost enthusiastic smile.

"That's our target. Ready to meet the Mist-Reaper, kid?"

Sora swallowed hard, his sweaty hands gripping the pommel of his sword. He nodded wordlessly, staring at Jarek who advanced with casual confidence.

The cry seemed to come from further away in the mist, but its strange resonance gave the impression that it was coming from all directions at once. The atmosphere had become even more oppressive, and the mist seemed to thicken around them like a moving wall.

"Stay focused, kid," Jarek murmured in a serious tone, his eyes scanning the indistinct shadows. "This thing likes to play with its prey before it strikes. Don't let it distract you."

Sora nodded, inhaling deeply to calm his nerves.

They continued to advance through the swamp, their footsteps sinking slightly into the thick mud. Every crack of branch or sound of rushing water seemed to amplify the intensity of the moment, until a swift movement drew Sora's attention to his right.

"Over there!" he shouted instinctively, pointing his sword at an indistinct shape gliding through the mist.

Jarek only averted his gaze in the direction Sora had just pointed before looking back in front of him.

"That was a good one, kid," he murmured, squinting. "But it wasn't her, right now she's testing us."

"What? Testing?" stammered Sora.

Jarek smirked. "The Mist-Reaper never rushes. This creature likes to gauge his opponents, to sense their fear. You'll have to be on your guard."

No sooner had he finished his sentence than a splashing sound came from behind them. Sora turned sharply, raising his sword, but saw only a mass of shadows slipping into the water before disappearing in an instant into the mist.

"She's playing with us!" shouted Sora, panic rising in his voice.

"Exactly. At least, that's what she's trying to do." Jarek crouched slightly, his muscles tense like those of a feline ready to pounce. "She thinks she's calling the shots, but she doesn't know who she's dealing with."

Before Sora could ask a question, another scream, closer this time, split the air. Then a colossal shadow emerged from the mist, its contours blurred but terrifying.

The Mist-Reaper was there.

The creature was massive, its elongated, sinuous body resembling that of a snake covered in shiny, translucent skin. Its brilliant eyes pierced the mist with a ghostly light, and its long, sharp claws left deep tracks in the mud. The monster was easily a metre taller than Sora and at least twice as wide.

Sora felt his breath catch at the sight of the monstrosity. He instinctively took a step back, but Jarek was already advancing, his toothy grin illuminated by the dim light. "Keep your cool, kid. Watch and learn."

Jarek leapt forward with lightning speed, his curved blade tracing a luminous arc in the air. The Mist-Reaper dodged with fluid movement, but Jarek gave him no respite, linking his attacks with fearsome precision.

Sora stood still for a moment, mesmerized by the fight. Jarek was incredibly fast and agile, and he could hardly even follow the movements of the two fighters clearly. But Jarek's movements exuded a mastery Sora had never seen before. Yet the creature seemed just as formidable, its claws and tail sweeping through the air with terrifying force.

The battle between Jarek and the Mist-Reaper quickly intensified, with the surrounding mist becoming almost an actor in its own right. Every time Jarek struck, the monster retreated or slipped through the thick fog, making its movements unpredictable. Jarek's blade whistled through the air, narrowly missing the creature's gleaming abdomen, but he pivoted instantly, anticipating a blow from the Mist-Reaper's muscular tail.

Sora, standing motionless a few yards away, watched in amazement. He had never seen such mastery. Jarek's attacks were fluid, calculated, but what struck Sora even more was the expression on his face. Jarek was smiling, a smile that oscillated between pure excitement and icy concentration. This wasn't a fight for him, it was a game.

The creature was not to be outdone. It swept the ground with its claws, throwing mud and water in a wide arc that forced Jarek to leap backwards. Then, with an almost supernatural leap, the Mist-Reaper disappeared into the mist, leaving only ripples in the stagnant water.

"Don't let go, kid!" yelled Jarek in Sora's direction, pivoting to follow the creature's movement. "It's not gone. It's getting ready to attack."

Sora clutched his sword in clammy hands, trying to calm his erratic breathing. Fear almost paralyzed him, but he knew he couldn't look away. He had to watch, understand, assimilate every move Jarek made.

The mist suddenly began to move, as if animated by a will of its own. A massive silhouette formed to Sora's left, but before he could cry out, Jarek placed himself between him and the menace. In one fluid motion, he parried a sharp claw, the blade of his curved saber deflecting the attack with a metallic sheen.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you at least going to try and pretend to help me?" snapped Jarek, without even looking at Sora.

Sora wanted to reply, but his words died in his throat. Before he could move, the Mist-Reaper pivoted on itself, its tail sweeping through the air at frightening speed. Jarek leapt back to dodge, but the impact sent a wave of mud in all directions, splattering Sora and forcing him to raise an arm to protect himself.

The monster let out a piercing scream, a mixture of hiss and roar that shook the air around them. Sora felt his heart pounding in his chest as the Mist-Reaper reared up, his silhouette even more imposing in the thick mist. The creature seemed to hesitate between attacking Jarek or pouncing on Sora.

Jarek didn't let the opportunity slip away. Taking advantage of the monster's indecision, he slid under its elongated belly with almost inhuman speed. His blade split the air, cutting a wide gash in the beast's translucent flesh. A black, viscous liquid gushed from the wound, spreading a pungent odor that made Sora wince.

The Mist-Reaper recoiled with a roar of pain, his tail whipping through the air in disarray. This time, he seemed enraged.

"This is where it gets interesting," muttered Jarek, almost to himself.

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