I Only Tame Dragons

A partnership.

It was a smart move, one that had many advantages.

However, Horizon wasn't just some pushover. While teaming up with Wingless Valkyrie might offer an edge down the line, he had to make one thing clear right here and now.

Horizon gave a small, calculating smile. "A partnership, huh?" His voice was low and thoughtful, as though he was mulling it over. "And what exactly does a partnership with Wingless Valkyrie look like?"

Seraphina didn't hesitate. "We're a powerful guild. We control a significant amount of territory and resources. If you align with us, you'll gain access to everything we have to offer. We're a well-established group. You'd be a valuable asset to us, Horizon. Think of what we can accomplish together."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The rest of the women looked at Seraphina with a mix of disbelief and apprehension.

Dawnfire crossed her arms, shaking her head. "You can't seriously be entertaining this. He's a killer. We don't know anything about him. Why would we trust him?"

Aria muttered something under her breath, still wary of the idea. "We can't let our guard down with someone like him."

But Seraphina remained unshaken. She knew this was the right move. She wasn't naive enough to think Horizon would be an easy ally, but she also knew that the power he wielded was undeniable. If they could draw him in, if they could win his trust, there would be nothing they couldn't achieve together.

Horizon's gaze hardened, a slight edge in his voice as he spoke. "All that sounded tempting enough," he said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "but you've overlooked one key detail."

Seraphina crossed her arms, meeting his stare unflinchingly. "And what might that be?"

"We're not Eternia right now," Horizon replied, voice steely. "Here, your guild holds no power. I do. And if I wanted, I could end this negotiation—and every single one of you—right here."

The tension thickened, pressing down like a physical weight.

Aria and the others gripped their weapons tightly, their stances ready for battle. Their eyes flickered warily between Horizon and his allies—the undead trio of Damon, David, and Ford, each one standing like a dark sentinel behind him, watching with an eerie calm.

Only Seraphina held her ground, calm and collected. She tilted her head, a small smile dancing on her lips. "And yet, the fact that you haven't attack us outright suggests you're not entirely against an alliance, does it not?"

Horizon's eyes glinted with approval; she wasn't an idiot, at least. "Exactly. I'll agree to a temporary alliance, but there are terms." He spoke with finality. "I lead this group. Any loot that falls within my class is mine, and I get first pick of everything else. If your guild can accept that, then I'm willing to cooperate with you . . . until we got out of here that is."

"What?!" Velvet was the first to protest, her voice sharp. "This is ridiculous! If anyone's leading us, it should be Seraphina!"

"That's right," Dawnfire chimed in, his expression stern. "You don't belong to any guild so we don't know what you're capable of, and this is the Wingless Valkyrie you're talking to."

Aria nodded. "Seraphina has always had a strong track record when it comes to leadership. We'd all feel more at ease with her leading us."

"I don't think you have a choice here," Horizon replied, not even blinking.

Velvet glared, her voice sharp as a blade. "I've had enough of you. Who do you think you are?"

Before their objections could escalate further, Seraphina raised a hand, silencing them with a firm, unyielding gaze. "Enough," she said. "I've made my decision. We'll follow Horizon's lead—for now."

A ripple of disbelief passed through her guildmates. "Seraphina, are you serious?" Velvet asked, her tone hushed with shock.

Seraphina met their eyes, her expression resolute. "Listen, the priority here is survival. We have to make it out of this place alive. The other guilds are likely already forming alliances, and it's just us against whatever threats lie out there.

"We're at a disadvantage alone. Horizon's undead forces give us an edge, one we can't afford to ignore. We're in uncharted territory, and this isn't the time to get hung up on pride or what's fair. I need all of you to trust my judgment—and put our survival above everything else."

Aria and the others exchanged uneasy glances, reluctantly falling silent. Seraphina's logic was sound, but the unease lingered.

Joining forces with someone who commanded an undead army left a bitter taste. None of them could shake the gnawing fear that, at the first sign of weakness, they'd find themselves joining those ranks.

Horizon, watching them with a satisfied smile, gave a slight nod. "Good. Now that we've settled that," he said, his voice firm, "let's get to work."

"Work?" Seraphina asked, her brows knitted. "Do you know the way out of this place?"

Horizon gave a nonchalant shrug. "No."

Velvet rolled her eyes, crossing her arms with a scoff. "Typical."

"But those guys probably knew what happened here," Horizon replied, gesturing to the corpses scattered across the sands. The bodies lay desiccated, their skin cracked and dry, as if something had drained them of life.

Fiora glanced at the scene and gasped, her face paling as she stumbled to the side and doubled over, retching.

Velvet, visibly shaken, took a step back, her shock clear. "What . . . what happened to them?"

Aria muttered, horrified, "Who or what could do something like this?"

Nyx, however, merely rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Seriously? You're supposed to be a first-rate guild, and you're squeamish over a few corpses? Haven't you seen worse? How did you even make it this far?"

Seraphina suppressed a small smile, glancing at Nyx. "You're not wrong. Apologies—my team's just on edge with everything that's been happening here, and everyone's worn out."

"Excuses," Nyx muttered with a smirk.

Horizon ignored the exchange, stepping out of the tent and making his way over to the corpses. "You can rest inside the tent, then."

His skill, [Raise Corpses], was nearly ready to activate again, and these dead guys might just have the answers he needed.

Seraphina followed him, her gaze suspicious. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get some answers," Horizon replied, eyes fixed on the bodies. "But if you know anything about what's happening here, you could save me the mana."

Seraphina looked back at her guildmates, exchanging a glance with Velvet and Dawnfire.

After a tense silence, she answered, "We're as much in the dark as you are. We don't know where the exit is. Fiora said it's not in this area."

Horizon's gaze shifted to the newbie, who immediately flinched and tried to hide behind Seraphina, visibly unnerved by his scrutiny.

"So, she can sense the exit?" he asked, his voice calm but probing.

Dawnfire huffed, his tone slightly defensive. "Fiora's in tune with the natural environment around her; she can detect mana fluctuations. If the exit's here, it should have traces of Eternia's energy. But this place is . . . different."

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Horizon nodded. "And the monolith? Can she detect that?"

Fiora cowered further behind Seraphina, and the guild leader answered for her. "No, she can't. We've been wandering around here for hours, and there's nothing. Something is disrupting Fiora's ability to sense it. It's as if . . . this entire region is warped."

Horizon fell silent, contemplating her words. It seemed each guild had brought along some sort of "anchor"—a guide to help them navigate through this unfamiliar land.

And he was willing to bet that for the Wingless Valkyrie, this anchor was the connection Fiora had to the natural mana flows around her. Without her, they'd be just as lost as everyone else.

And in this place, those anchors were everything. Right now, their only points of orientation were the exit and the monolith—yet they were elusive, hidden behind layers of magic that felt both ancient and unnatural.

"If something's blocking her senses, that means there's likely a source—a barrier or ward placed intentionally," Horizon said, glancing back at the desiccated corpses. "Or maybe it's a trap. Something set to confuse and wear us down."

Seraphina nodded. "That's what I feared."

Dawnfire let out a heavy sigh, her gaze lingering on the corpses scattered around them. "If we can't figure out what's going on here, we might end up just like them." She gestured toward the bodies, making Fiora's face pale as tears welled in her eyes.

"Stop scaring her," Aria murmured, pulling Fiora close and giving her a reassuring squeeze.

Seraphina looked at Horizon, her voice low and serious. "Do you have a plan to get us out of here?"

Horizon inclined his head toward the corpses. "They're the key. I'll raise them—see if we can learn what happened to them."

"Right . . . of course you can do that," Velvet muttered, crossing her arms.

She flinched when David loomed over her without warning. She stiffened, her usual boldness faltering. "Yikes, what's his problem?"

A faint, almost amused smile tugged at the corner of Horizon's lips. "Careful showing hostility toward me. My undead can be . . . overprotective."