Chapter 63: The Guild Master

He turned to walk toward the stairs.

"One more thing."

He waited.

"There’s been talk. About that C-rank party. Beeran’s Blades." She paused. "They’ve gone missing. The whole Guild is in a frenzy."

Emeric kept his face still.

"Missing?"

"Didn’t come back from their last rift. Three days now." She studied him. "Doesn’t happen often. Vessels go missing, sure. But a whole party? A C-rank party? That’s unusual."

He met her gaze.

"I wouldn’t know anything about that."

"Of course not." She tilted her head. "It’s just... I recalled something. One of my colleagues mentioned they saw a handsome newbie at the board a few days ago. Said a C-rank party tried to harass him. Tried to start a fight."

She paused, "and you’re the only handsome newbie I’ve seen around here lately."

Emeric ignored the comment.

"I don’t know anything about it."

"Mm." She didn’t look convinced. But she didn’t push. "Well. If you hear anything, let me know. The Guild is offering a reward for information."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

He turned and walked toward the stairs.

He could feel her eyes on him as he went.

---

The third floor was different from the rest of the Guild.

No crowds. No noise. The corridor was narrow, lined with dark wood panels and faded portraits of Vessels. A hall of fame for previous guildmasters of some sort. A single lamp burned at the far end, casting long shadows across the floor.

Emeric walked to the end of the hall.

The door was plain. Unmarked. He knocked once.

"Enter."

Then he used the key that Sera had given him.

The office was smaller than he expected.

A single window looked out over the city. A heavy desk sat beneath it, cluttered with papers and ledgers and a cold cup of tea.

Bookshelves lined the walls, crammed with volumes that had seen better decades. A fire crackled in a small hearth, fighting back the evening chill.

Behind the desk sat a man.

He was old. Grey-haired. Weathered. His face was filled with old scars. His eyes were sharp—carrying an intimidating aura with them.

Aldous Crane. Retired S-rank. Guild Master.

He looked up as Emeric entered.

"Halden."

"Guild Master."

"Sit."

Emeric sat.

Aldous studied him for a long moment.

He didn’t speak. Didn’t offer tea. Didn’t smile. He just looked. His eyes moved over Emeric—his shoulders, his hands, the way he held himself. As if weighing, measuring or judging him.

Finally, he spoke.

"You’re the one who cleared the Slime Caverns solo."

"Yes."

"I’m told you found a flier that wasn’t supposed to exist."

"Yes."

"The one who made Sera curious."

Emeric said nothing.

Aldous leaned back in his chair. It creaked beneath him.

"Sera doesn’t get curious often. She’s seen too much. Too many Vessels. Too many fools who think they’re special. But you caught her attention." He paused. "That makes you interesting. And interesting is dangerous in this business."

He reached for a folder on his desk and opened it, flipping through the pages.

"Your file says E-rank due to an incomplete evaluation. Machine malfunction. The clerk noted ’unusual interference.’" He looked up. "What aren’t you telling me, Halden?"

Emeric met his gaze.

"Nothing that matters."

"Everything matters."

"Then ask me a specific question."

Aldous stared at him. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his face.

"You’ve got spine. I’ll give you that."

He closed the folder.

"Let me tell you what we know."

Aldous stood and walked to the window. Stared out at the city below.

"The flier you found. The one that put you on the Slime Caverns. It wasn’t posted by the Guild."

Emeric already knew that. But he let the man speak.

"We investigated. Every posting goes through Sera. She maintains the board herself. No one else has access. No one else has the authority." He turned. "But someone placed that flier. Someone with access. Someone who knew the system well enough to slip it in without being noticed."

"Who?"

"We don’t know. But we have a lead." Aldous crossed back to his desk. "The Pierrot Broker."

The name hung in the air.

Emeric waited.

"The Pierrot Broker is not a person. Not exactly. It’s a network. Information brokers. Manipulators. They operate in the shadows. They know things they shouldn’t know. They sell secrets to the highest bidder." Aldous paused. "They also arrange accidents. Disappearances. Deaths that look like accidents."

"You think they sent me into that rift."

"I think someone hired them to send you into that rift. The question is who. And why."

Emeric absorbed this.

"The rift was pretty different," he said slowly. "The slimes kept getting stronger. More numerous. That’s not normal is it?"

"No. It’s not." Aldous nodded. "We’ve seen it before. Rifts can be... manipulated. Seeded with additional creatures. Made more dangerous. It takes resources. Connections. Someone wanted you dead, Halden. And they went to considerable trouble to make it happen."

Emeric thought of Beeran and the C-rank party. They had followed him. Trapped him. Tried to kill him.

But they hadn’t placed the flier. They had just taken advantage of it.

Someone else had set the trap.

"Who would want me dead?"

"That’s the question, isn’t it?" Aldous leaned against his desk. "From what I’ve seen, you’ve made enemies. Any of them could have hired the Broker."

"Then why bring me here? Why tell me this?"

"Because I don’t like being played." Aldous’s voice hardened. "Someone used my Guild. My board. My system. They turned my institution into a weapon. And I want to know who."

He walked around the desk. Stood in front of Emeric.

"I can’t promote you. Not yet. If I do, whoever set this up will question your fzst paced promotion even though I know your E rank status is likely not the case. They’ll go deeper underground. Cover their tracks. We’ll lose our chance."

"I understand."

"But I can watch. I can investigate. And I can keep you alive long enough to find out who’s trying to kill you."

Emeric met his gaze.

"What do you want from me?"

"Information. Cooperation. And patience." Aldous smiled. Grim. "You’re going to keep doing what you’re doing. Rifting. Training. Growing stronger. But you’re going to report to me. Tell me if anything unusual happens. Tell me if anyone approaches you. Tell me if you feel like you’re being watched."

"I’ve felt that way for weeks."

"Then you’re smarter than most." Aldous extended his hand. "Deal?"

Emeric looked at the hand.

Then he took it.

"Deal."