When I woke up, sunlight was already streaming through the window—I’d slept in longer than usual. From the common room, I could hear Sharla and Milli talking, their voices animated. I stretched, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and headed out to join them.


    The moment I walked in, Milli looked up with a grin. “How was your night at the church?” she asked.


    I felt my ears heat up. “Yeah, it was fine. Lots of sweeping and cleaning,” I lied, the words spilling out too fast.


    Neither of them seemed to notice my discomfort. Instead, they gestured to a note pinned to the door. Josiah had left us a list of all the parties that had approached him the day before, and twelve names were written on it. Milli let out an excited squeak and immediately sat at the counter, spreading out her notes as she started organizing everyone into manageable groups. She dove into the task with a surprising amount of energy—clearly, the rest had done her good.


    Sharla and I exchanged glances. “We’ll take another patrol quest,” she said. “Let’s leave Milli to work her magic.”


    Downstairs, we were met with another group of eager players waiting for us. Sharla and I directed them to Milli, sending her a quick message as we passed.


    <hr>


    Ryan:


    Hey, downstairs is a bit crowded—another group waiting for us. Good luck.


    Milli:


    Ugh. I’ll sort it out.


    <hr>


    We made our way to the community board to pick up a quest, but just outside the western gate, a surprising sight stopped us in our tracks. Dozens of players were paired off, sparring under the watchful eyes of Ed’s men. At the front of the crowd stood the man I’d spoken to the other night, they were giving instructions on the use of a sword in shield in formation. He was loudly giving directions while going through the movements. He saw me, and he raised a hand in a casual wave.


    “Why did I ever tell them to train anyone?” I muttered under my breath, fighting the urge to glare. It didn’t matter what we did—Edward seemed determined to keep acting on our behalf, no matter how unwelcome.


    I shot Milli another message.


    <hr>


    Ryan:


    You might want to get out here. Ed’s got a full-blown training camp set up at the western gate. If they’re going to act like this, we need to keep an eye on them.


    Milli:


    He’s taking all the fun out of this! Fine, I’m coming—with Andrew.


    <hr>


    Sharla stopped to observe the drills. She crossed her arms, nodding reluctantly. “They’re… competent,” she admitted. The instructor’s commands were sharp and precise, and his movements showed a level of experience that was hard to argue with.


    We finished the patrol quickly, taking out the assigned number of goblins and heading straight back. Leaving Milli alone with Edward didn’t sit right with either of us, even if Andrew was there.


    When we returned from our quest a few hours later, Milli and Andrew were deep in conversation with Edward. To my chagrin, Milli was laughing at something Edward had said, and the way she leaned into the discussion made it seem as though they were old friends. The sight only deepened my unease.


    As we approached, Edward was crouched near the gate, drawing a detailed battle map in the dirt with a stick. He walked Milli through his preliminary assault plan, explaining formations and contingencies with practised efficiency. She nodded thoughtfully, occasionally pointing to symbols on the map as he elaborated on their meanings.


    “The biggest challenge,” Edward was saying, “is avoiding a full encirclement. The road is wide and exposed, and there aren’t any natural formations we can use as cover. We can’t build fortifications in advance at the mission site, either—they’d just be dismantled before we could even use them. Whatever we do has to be built the day of the assault.”


    I stared at the mud map, recognising the layout of the goblin encampment. It was quite accurate—Edward had clearly been briefed on the intel I’d provided to Milli. A sense of resentment flickered in my chest, but I held my tongue, focusing instead on the discussion.


    Sharla and I moved closer, listening as Edward dissected each problem and rattled off potential solutions with calm authority. His expertise was undeniable, and for all my wariness, it was clear why people followed him.


    When he finished, Edward stood and walked over to me, extending his arm. I saw his intention immediately—he wanted to add me to his contact list. I ignored his attempt, and clasped his hand for a handshake instead.


    Edward studied me for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly before a smile spread across his face. “Fair enough,” he said smoothly, releasing my hand.


    I didn’t return the smile, keeping my expression neutral as he turned back to Milli. For now, the moment passed—but the tension between us wasn’t going anywhere.


    We spent the afternoon supervising the training efforts, and before I knew it, Edward had seamlessly maneuvered us into more active roles. It started subtly—asking for our input here, suggesting a demonstration there—but by the time we were ready to leave, Sharla and I were moving through groups, giving pep talks, briefing teams on the goblin encampment, and answering questions.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    To my surprise, the experience was actually enjoyable. I could see the excitement and focus in the faces of the players we spoke to, a sense of purpose shared among them that was hard not to admire. But every time I caught Edward’s smile from the corner of my eye, it reminded me of how easily he had lied when we first met. That doubt gnawed at me, keeping my guard up despite his charisma.


    As the day wound down and we were about to leave, Edward pulled me aside.


    “Ryan,” he began, his tone warm and conversational, “I know we didn’t exactly get off on the right foot. But I really hope you’re starting to see how useful we can be to each other.”


    I hated to admit it, but he had been wearing me down throughout the day. Maybe we should give him a chance?


    Before I could respond, he added, “I want to tell you something that only my men know.” He paused, glancing around to ensure no one was listening. “I don’t have a class. I’ve never even registered at the guild.”


    I studied him, trying to gauge his honesty, but his face betrayed nothing.


    “I’m not a spring chicken anymore,” he continued with a self-deprecating shrug. “I can’t go out there and fight like the rest of you. Some days are good, but on others...” He trailed off, letting the implication hang. “And I don’t trust the guild. They’re part of this whole... messed-up system, aren’t they?”


    If he was lying, he was doing an excellent job. My gut told me he might be telling the truth. “Why let your men join, then?” I asked, trying to poke a hole in his story.


    “Just because I don’t trust them doesn’t mean they can’t be useful to us.” He gave me a sharp look, as though the answer was obvious. “We tried going it alone, Ryan. Lost good men on day one. Out here, you don’t survive without a class, and you can’t get a class without a guild.”


    Edward took a step closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Ryan, I want to join your guild. Think about it—with your resources, my experience, and my men, we’d have a legitimate shot at doing more than just surviving. We could thrive.”


    I made a noncommittal noise. Edward’s eyes flashed with annoyance, and for the briefest moment, his polished exterior cracked. He looked like he was ready to lose his temper, but he managed to suppress it, masking his irritation with a thin smile.


    “Ryan,” he said, his tone tight with restrained frustration, “stop playing coy. This is a serious offer. With our combined efforts, we could—”


    “Not going to happen, Edward.” I cut him off, my voice firm. “I’ve already resigned myself to working with you, but, having you in the guild? That’s off the table.”


    For the first time, Edward’s friendly mask slipped completely. His face reddened, and he looked at me with thinly veiled rage. The man who had been so calm and collected all day suddenly seemed like a cornered animal.


    “Stop being such an impetuous child!” he hissed, his voice low but trembling with anger. “Are you really going to carry what happened with Tim around forever? Grow up!”


    The raw desperation in his tone was striking. But just as quickly as it had appeared, the moment passed. He took a deep breath, his charming fa?ade snapping back into place.


    “Forgive me,” he said smoothly, his tone disarmingly casual. “It’s been a long day in the sun. I’ll let you think on it. Don’t be too hasty about throwing away my friendship.” He clapped me on the back—firmly, but not aggressively—and walked away.


    When we got back to the tavern, we decided to unwind with a drink. Andrew had already messaged Fiona and Josh to meet him there, so we joined them at a table. As we sat down, Josh shifted uncomfortably, making a point to avoid sitting next to Sharla. She didn’t acknowledge the move and calmly slid into the seat beside Fiona and me.


    “Honestly, they run a tight ship,” Sharla said, waving Josiah over.


    “I was talking to one of Edward’s guys earlier,” she continued, “and they’ve started making portable barricades. Another group’s working on some kind of oil bomb to create a firebreak—keep the goblins from rushing out at us from the forest. Pretty cool stuff, if I’m being honest.”


    I grunted, the sound a mix of irritation and resignation. With his resources and men, we could realistically launch the raid within a week. But working with him felt like making a deal with a devil.


    I decided it was time to share what Edward had confided in me. Keeping it to myself felt like playing directly into his hands. “Edward wants to join our guild,” I said flatly. “He says he doesn’t trust the adventuring guild.”


    I let the statement hang in the air, offering no opinion. But my tone said everything.


    Milli spoke first, hesitant. “Hypothetically, if we did let hi—”


    “Veto.” Sharla’s voice cut across the table, calm but firm. She smacked her hand on the wood—not loud, but with enough force to draw everyone’s attention.


    “I’ve seen what his men are capable of,” she continued, taking a drink from Josiah as he brought over a tray. “I don’t vibe with torturers. And let’s not forget what he let Tim do to you, Ryan.”


    Milli raised her hands in surrender. “Retracted.”


    I sighed, relieved to see I wasn’t the only one who rejected the idea outright. “We do still need to work with him, though,” I said, reluctantly. “We’d be completely lost without his support. If we turned him down outright, there’s nothing stopping him from organising his own raid. We have no idea what happens when a filter is cleared, and it’s too big a gamble to go it alone.”


    Across the table, Andrew, Josh, and Fiona exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with the subtle glow of interface activity. They were chatting. Finally, Fiona spoke for the group.


    “Speaking of people joining the guild... we were wondering if you’d let us join?”


    Her words hit like a thunderclap. I stared at them, caught off guard. I didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Keeping the guild small—with just Milli, Sharla, and me—had made things simple. Comfortable even. Adding new members felt like it would splinter what we had. I liked them, sure. We’d done enough quests together for me to consider them friends. But the thought of formalising it felt... heavy.


    Still, I couldn’t make the call alone. I opened the group chat with Sharla and Milli.


    <hr>


    Ryan:


    What’s the feeling here? Any objections?


    Sharla:


    I don’t hate it. Might be a bit weird with Josh, but I’m sure we’ll work it out.


    Milli:


    My dad always said not to mix your love life and your work life. That being said, my mum started out as his boss.


    <hr>


    I glanced up from the chat. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts at the moment,” I said carefully. “If we make it through this next week, we’ll talk more. But for now, you can consider it a tentative yes. We just don’t have the time to train anyone into a new class right now.”


    Josh’s expression told me that they hadn’t considered that part.


    The three of them exchanged relieved glances and nodded quickly.


    “Totally fair,” Josh said, exhaling heavily. He puffed out his cheeks, blowing the air out in a long sigh. “We were planning to stay in the guild until after the raid anyway.”


    Milli pulled out her trusty pack of cards and declared it mandatory to hold a guild induction ceremony. The ceremony, as it turned out, mostly consisted of a rowdy game of Kings, peppered with bouts of singing—led, unsurprisingly, by Milli and Fiona. The laughter and camaraderie carried us late into the night, each of us peeling off one by one as exhaustion set in.


    By the end, only Milli and Josh were left, deep in a heated debate about their school days and which electives were better for university admissions. Their animated argument swirled with equal parts nostalgia and stubbornness, each trying to outwit the other.


    I took the opportunity to make my excuses, feeling the familiar pull of the amulet scratching at the edges of my mind. Spending the evening laughing and joking with them had dulled the ache, if only for a little while. For a few fleeting hours, I’d almost forgotten its hold on me.


    “Maybe this is going to be a good thing,” I thought, letting myself feel a glimmer of hope before I closed the door to my room and activated Samantha''s Kiss.