NOVPUBIt struck Arwin that gathering the entire Menagerie, not to mention Wallace and Koyu, just to tell them all his life story was surprisingly nerve-wracking. The only person that wasn’t here was Esmerelda — and that was mostly because nobody could quite figure out where she was. Many of them knew large portions of it, but nobody had heard the entire thing other than Lillia.
Arwin really didn’t love the idea of thinking back that far. There were too many things that he didn’t want to remember. Too many things that could have been avoided if they’d just all been a bit more aware. A bit smarter.
But his guild had stood with him long enough. They’d spent time together, fought together. And it was becoming increasingly apparent that Arwin hadn’t just been summoned for no reason.
It had been to feed the Mesh. But the Mesh had given him a class with traits that were eerily similar to the symptoms that the world itself was suffering. No matter how Arwin looked at it, his past was almost certainly going to be relevant to events that would affect them all.
He couldn’t avoid addressing it if that was the case. Keeping his own guild in the dark when he was going to be taking them into danger and fighting the Adventurer’s Guild was not the move of a leader.
And so he told them.
As they all sat around the tables in the now-empty Devil’s Den, Arwin told them everything he could remember. He started from when he had been taken from Earth, leaving out nothing.
Arwin tried not to pay too much attention to anyone’s reactions. He didn’t need or want the pity. As much as he cared about everyone in the guild, there was only one person that truly understood what it felt like to be formed into a weapon within its ranks — and it was Lillia.
Pity would change nothing. Right now, the only thing he was interested in was making sure they were prepared for whatever could come their way. Whether it was making sure Rodrick knew what signs to look for when investigating something in the future or explanations so Wallace knew why they hated the guild so much, it didn’t matter.
He just told them everything.
It took several hours for him to get through everything. By the time he had finished, everyone’s drinks had been finished. Nobody had so much as touched their mugs in an hour. Lillia had joined in on her own story, filling in much of the other side to what he had seen.
Everyone had heard at least parts of it, but this was the first time that they had laid out every single piece of the puzzle on the same table.
But they weren’t the only ones that spoke that night. No sooner than Arwin and Lillia had finished did Rodrick and Anna lay their own cards on the table. Most of the Menagerie had already heard their story, but it was new to Koyu, Wallace, Monica, and Kien. All of them had varying pieces of information about Arwin, much less Rodrick and Anna’s history with the Secret Eye.
Even Art and Vix hadn’t known the full extent of everything.
And now it was all on the table. Koyu laid his own past out once the others had finished. Elias and Mave joined him in revealing their own histories, as did Madiv. The vampire’s past and identity were potentially met with the least surprise of the entire night.
Not a single person was surprised to find he was a Vampire. Not even Wallace, who hadn’t had many dealings with him, batted so much as an eye. The only person that actually did seem surprised during that reveal was Madiv himself, who seemed to have thought he’d had everyone who didn’t know otherwise fooled.
But that was that.
Among the Menagerie, there were no secrets left.
The conversation ran late into the night. When it finally ended and there was nothing left to be said, they were all silent for quite some time. Nobody could have said just how long it was. The air in the Devil’s Den felt still enough that even time itself couldn’t quite move properly.
It was Koyu who finally spoke.
“I am pleased that I did not strangle all of you for moving onto my street and disrupting my peace,” the Lich said. “It would have been a great loss.”
“I still can’t believe that you’re the fucking ghost,” Reya grumbled. “Do you have any idea how many rumors there are about you?”
“A Lich, an undead, a Siren, and a Vampire, and an Orc all in the same guild,” Monica said, shaking her head and scratching at the back of her neck. “Along with the former Hero of Lian and the Demon Queen herself. If the Adventurer’s Guild knew we existed, they’d have an aneurism.”
“Good riddance to them,” Wallace said. His gaze darted around the table like he was staring at a pile full of gold. “I was convinced that I couldn’t be surprised anymore after Arwin. It seems I was entirely wrong. Necrohammer’s decisions are starting to make more sense. I don’t understand how such a group managed to come together.”
“I think like-minded people tend to be drawn together,” Olive said. She flexed her wooden fingers, then splayed her hands out on the table as she rose to her feet. “I’m sure the Mesh had something to do with it. The world has been stagnant for a long time. With the way the Adventurer’s Guild has everything stuck in an endless loop for this war… there’s no real challenge anymore. It’s hoping we shake things up.”
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“I’d say you’ve already been doing that,” Wallace said. He stroked at his beard. The dwarf’s eyes were a little distant, as if he were still trying and failing to process everything that he’d heard tonight. He squinted at Rodrick for a moment. “I’m still finding it hard to believe you’re a Fallen Paladin.”
“That’s what you got hung up over?” Rodrick asked. “Not even Anna?”
“The nice ones are always the ones you have to be the wariest of. Takes a lot to make them snap,” Wallace replied. “I knew you were good at sniffing around, but there’s a difference between being good and being an ex-Secret Eye operative. There are a few things I’d love an answer to.”
“My services are available to those who ally with the Menagerie. At a discount, of course,” Rodrick said, his eyes glinting. “Feel free to place an order. I’ll cut you a good deal.”
Wallace scrunched his nose. “Should have seen that coming. Fair enough. I’ll be in contact. And I’ve got some questions for the rest of you as well. Monica in particular.”
“Me?” Monica blinked. “I’m really nothing special. They just gave me a job as a bouncer so I can live in my own form without having to hide. How are you more interested in me than literally anyone else here?”
“Is it true orcs have a unique form of metal that they use entirely for making equipment for shamans?” Wallace asked.
“I — what?” Monica paused, clearly not having expected the direction of the question. “Yes. It is. It’s been a long time since I was last with my tribe, though. I’ve been with Raen for many years.”
“That’s fine,” Wallace said with a wave of his hand. An excited twinkle lit in his eyes. “But I trust you can still speak orcish?”
“I can. Why?”
“I’ll get back to you on that,” Wallace said. He rose to his feet. “There’s a lot I need to think about. But you can rest assured that I’ll hold to my promise. Not a word of what I heard tonight will ever leave my lips. We will speak soon, and I will make it worth your while.”
“And until that time, I suggest we get some sleep,” Lillia said through a yawn. She raised a hand to cover her mouth, then shook her head to try and clear it. “I’m exhausted, and I think we’ve all got long days coming tomorrow. No need to stay awake for any longer than any of us need to. Tomorrow will come whether we’re ready for it or not.”
The others all nodded.
Then they dispersed for the night, minds somehow both burdened by new knowledge and lightened by the sharing of it.
***
The next week passed in a blur.
Arwin spent almost all the time he had in the Infernal Armory along with Koyu and Wallace. The three of them tested out different strategies and made a slew of items that Reya then took to sell.
Every hour they spent working was one Arwin felt himself improving. Having the combined knowledge of two old experts was beyond invaluable… but it wasn’t cheap. Wallace had already composed a list of materials he wanted procured and handed it to Reya, who then passed it to Rodrick to put feelers out for potential clients.
The Secret Eye swung by as well. Selen arrived early one morning, staying just long enough to inform them that their new Guild Rank was 301. Then she’d left once more.
They’d gone up nearly two hundred ranks from the tournament, which meant they were probably now the highest ranked guild for their relative strength. Everyone above them would have competed in brackets of the Proving Grounds above Adept Tier. The Menagerie was officially on the map, and so was Milten.
They all took no small amount of pride in that fact.
More attention was on their street than ever before.
The random smith that had apparently set up shop on the Menagerie’s street continued to show up every day. Arwin had still yet to see her — he went to work before she arrived and headed back well after she’d left.
She was definitely persistent. But Arwin had bigger things on his mind, so dealing with her wasn’t exactly at the top of his priority list. Reya said she wasn’t even taking anything from his own sales. Everything he made was quickly bought up by people waiting to get into the Devil’s Den, which Lillia had expanded to accommodate even more people at once more with the help of Riker.
The smith wasn’t causing him any problems yet. Until she did, he saw no reason to waste time interfering with her work and accidentally bringing her fame at the cost of his own growing name. Paying the smith no mind was still the best strategy they had to getting rid of her.
Arwin was more than happy to continue as things were. Right now, the only thing he was really waiting on was a list of potential customers that he could make equipment for. Reya had been collecting names while Rodrick investigated all of them to make sure he wouldn’t mistakenly create something for someone that would abuse it. They’d promised that it would be done soon — and then Arwin could take things from there.
He was certain that at least some of the people coming to hire him would both have the rare materials he needed and not be a terrible person.
Arwin was just starting to settle into his routine when Melissa caught him on the way over to the Infernal Armory one morning.
The young woman looked far better than the last time she’d met — though he supposed not having assassins breathing down her neck went a long way in accomplishing that.
“Arwin!” Melissa exclaimed, her eyes lighting up as she stepped out from the vaguely suspicious alley she’d been waiting in.
“Melissa. You’re early,” Arwin said, blinking in surprise. “I thought you were working with Raen. What brings you here so early?”
“That, actually,” Melissa replied. “I wanted to catch you before you got to work. Raen and I have been expanding the coalition we’ve formed, and we’ve had a lot of success with it. Our foothold in Milten is getting a lot stronger. And as a result, we’ve got a job that neither of us can handle right now. I think it could be beneficial for all of us. We have a chance to steal one of the biggest clients the Kererus Colition. It would be a brutal blow… but we can’t do it on our own. We’d like to request the Menagerie’s help. It’ll be more than worth your time, I promise.”
Arwin tilted his head to the side. Melissa sounded more excited than he’d ever heard her.
“I’m listening.”
“It comes with full access to a newly formed dungeon,” Melissa replied, her eyes twinkling. “An Expert Tier one.”
Arwin’s eyes widened.
The majority of the Menagerie were Adepts but, between his equipment and their skills, they punched well above their weight class. Access to an entirely new Expert Tier dungeon promised not just a perfect place to train, but also a location where they could potentially get access to good new materials.
“Okay,” Arwin said. “You have my attention. What’s the job?”
