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    Kaius looked around the room.

    They were back on the top floor of the guild—one that was totally reserved for the guildmaster’s roof. However, rather than return to his personal office for this conversation, they had exited the stairs and taken a door just off the foyer before his quarters.

    Ro had led the way with confidence, having met them in the common room of the guild just as they had entered. Thankfully, it didn’t draw too much attention. The guild had many trainers, and it wasn’t all that odd for Ro to take an interest in promising youngsters—so most just assumed she had taken on that mantle.

    Not even the most conspiratorial would assume that they had been training with the guildmaster daily.

    After a short walk past tapestries and paintings, Ro had opened a door—leading to some sort of meeting room.

    Rieker was already waiting, sitting on one side of a large rectangular hardwood table. A luxurious thing, etched in filigree, blooming flowers, and fantastical birds in flight. High backed chairs surrounded it on all edges, enough for five people to sit across each long edge.

    The wall behind the guildmaster were austere, much like all the others. That said, they were still clearly expensive. Wood panelling—a deep brown with rosy undertones—flanked the bottom third, while the upper section before the sculpted ceiling was papered with some sort of rich red.

    Simple, but beautiful. Even the wardlights let off a soft yellow glow that filled the room with a gentle ambiance.

    Kaius’s eyes skimmed past the large windows that adorned the wall past the head of the table, revealing a high view of Deadacre. Also pretty, but ultimately not what he was here for.

    Today was when they would learn of their next contract—and the finalised details of Rieker’s plan to rush them to the Steel ranks—or potentially further, to the second tier.

    “Come, come, take a seat.” the guildmaster said, waving them towards the seats across from him.

    They filed in—Kaius pulling out a chair so that Porkchop could sit next to him. Ro circled around the table, taking her position at Rieker’s right.

    “First, some ‘gifts’. Ro?” Rieker said, turning to the guild manager.

    Drorome nodded, reaching into her doublet to pull out two familiar medallions, and three small charms that looked like beads of woven wire. The former were guild tokens—much like their own copper ones, but bronze instead. Ro pushed them forwards.

    “These are for your new rank—congratulations, you made Bronze.” Ro’s voice was flat and insincere, though Kaius knew that for all the woman was acting stoney, she did have a genuine fondness for them. “I hope you appreciate the two days of forms it took to get you this after a single mission.”

    On the back of her withering stare, she smiled—face flicking quickly to a bright warmth. “It’s a genuine achievement, and as much as I have been grumbling about the extra work, it’s a well deserved reward. With the overleveled nature of the assassin spider, you earned a bonus—one-twenty gold. I took the liberty of splitting it between your accounts in the division that Ianmus requested.”

    “Bronze is where the guild truly begins to invest in its members—giving access to our banking through the use of your medallions. In cities with a guildhall, most establishments catering to delvers can draw on it directly, but you can always withdraw coin at any hall.” Rieker interjected. “Most importantly in our case, it clears you for missions up to level one-hundred.”

    Kaius nodded. He’d known of both, but it was good to confirm they had earned it all the same. Thankfully, by the time they had outgrown threats on that scale, they had both Rieker and Ro to smooth their advancement to Iron—they’d already said they would do as much.

    Apparently, the ranks weren’t so much a direct declaration of the levels of a given team—instead, they were designed to show off the caliber of threats they could face. Most people did not fight above their level—certainly no one went to the extremes that he and his team did—but it wasn’t entirely unheard of for elite teams to enter a new rank ten to twenty levels early.

    “These, on the other hand.” Ro tapped the rings. “Are not a reward. They are a loan. Rieker had to request them personally from the head office—pulling strings to do so—and they are exceptionally valuable.”

    “Our new masking artifacts? Ianmus is getting one too?” Porkchop asked.

    “Indeed,” Ro nodded. “We don’t just need to hide your class identifiers, or that you are a greater beast—we need a total mask, something that will obscure you completely against analysis from anyone under the third tier.”

    Kaius ogled the plain rings that looked like they were made out of simple steel, finding it hard to believe they could be so potent. Masking them utterly from someone at the peak of the second tier? He was no expert in the skill, but from what Ianmus had said, that was a steep ask.

    It also made his mind drift to what Rieker had said so long ago, that even high in the second he considered himself only a middling power. It went against everything he knew. From everything he had been taught, third tiers were as rare as dragon’s teeth—but Rieker made it sound like they were almost common.

    “I see you recognise your value.” Rieker said with a nod. “Indeed—I can confirm that these were hard for me to acquire, even with a career’s worth of connections to draw upon. I would have liked to get something that would have hidden you from a third tier. Unfortunately, I do not have the wealth, pull, or favours to get something like that.”

    “Plus, it is of dubious value.” Ro interjected. “The chances of a third tier—one with an analysis skill, mind— coming to Deadacre of all places is vanishingly small, and if you catch their eye—you’re already fucked. Someone in the first standing up to their analysis would be just as damning as them seeing it in the first place. We hope, by the time you brush against such lofty shoulders, you will more than be capable of handling your own Mask.”


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author’s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Kaius caught Ianmus staring at the rings, an intense look of contemplation furrowing his brow. Finally, he looked up to their superiors.

    “What tier and rarity are these? From what I know about enchantment theory—what you’re saying it can do is impossible for something less than a second tier artefact. Well, unless they are named items.”

    Ro and Rieker grinned, matching smiles that were all teeth.

    “You’re right. They’re Unusual second-tier artefacts—took me a month to secure them. At significant personal cost, mind you.” Rieker replied.

    Kaius blinked, his mind reeling. First the regeneration tonic, now these rings? Just how rich was Rieker!? They had to be thousands of gold! At least!

    Rolling her eyes, Ro slapped the guildmaster on the shoulder—it was a telling display of familiarity, one that was enough to ground Kaius from his shock at the expense of the artefacts.

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