Robin rose alongside the Sisters Sharp to make his way into the office of Zahn Tossh. Lantha led the way, followed closely by Ora-Jean and Fiamah. Grathilde moved more slowly, holding back just enough to walk next to Robin.

‘Don’t believe a word he says,’ she murmured quietly to him. ‘He’s good for the guild, good for himself, not necessarily good for every guild member. Get me? And after Lantha’s report, he’s going to be very interested in getting you to do some more “specialist” work for him. Be careful what deals you make.’

Robin merely nodded, not having time for any further response before he was inside the office and the door was closing behind him.

The inside of the room spoke quietly and very assuredly of its occupant’s power. The wood was dark, smooth, and polished nearly mirror-bright. There was a sideboard with several expensive-looking crystal decanters holding various liquids in a subdued rainbow of shades. Glass cases holding unique artefacts were spaced evenly about the room and the walls were tastefully hung with weaponry and artwork, each equally exquisite to the next.

Zahn Tossh, himself, was a handsome figure with a carefully trimmed goatee, slate-grey skin, onyx horns, and a pair of massive bat-like wings in a mottled pattern of black-and-grey. To allow for freedom of movement, he was garbed in a loincloth and leather harness. Bracers glinted gold on each of his wrists, and from the way they shone Robin was fairly certain they were enchanted down to their very molecules. A pair of pince-nez spectacles, also in gold, rested incongruously on his nose.

Not a figure he would want to go toe-to-toe with in a fight, that was certain.

‘Ah! Welcome back.’ Zahn greeted each of the Sisters Sharp by name and eagerly accepted the folder of written material passed to him by Lantha. ‘This will come in very handy indeed at the next Council meeting. Thank you.’

The man’s eyes gleamed briefly white as the packet of information glowed in response.

‘Very useful.’ Zahn smiled toothily, revealing elongated canines. ‘And this must be Young Mister Robin, whom you have written so eloquently about.’

‘Hello.’ Robin stopped himself from saying ‘At your service’ at the last second, Grathilde’s warning ringing in his ears. ‘I’m afraid Lantha and the others didn’t mention you much at all.’

Fiamah, at least, had the grace to wince slightly at that.

Zahn laughed.

‘They do have to operate under certain strict orders when out in service to the White Star Company,’ he said.

Interesting. So they hadn’t been out on Adventurers Guild business in general. Robin wondered what that implied.

‘Lantha here has given me to believe that you are interested in joining the Adventurers Guild under the auspices of our own White Star Company. In fact, she argues most eloquently on your behalf.’

Whatever power Zahn had used to read and absorb all those reports instantly was one Robin wanted for himself someday. No. Focus. Play it cool. Not too eager and not too disinterested either.

‘It seems an equitable choice, given the options I have at present,’ Robin said carefully.

Zahn laughed again.

‘And I see Grathilde has been telling tales as well, or you’d be much more eager. Well, nothing wrong with that.’ Though the way his eyes glittered as he said that told a different story. ‘Very well. Let me make the usual pitch, and possibly add on a few other incentives based on Lantha’s glowing report.’

The Guildmagister rose and began to move about the room, using the decor to underpin his words.

‘By joining our Company you have access to some of the best equipment and craftspeople in the land. And that’s before you consider salvage rights available from sanctioned missions, exploration, and delves into dungeons both living and reliquary.’

Zahn’s taloned hand tapped significantly against the crystal case containing an elegant wand. Robin’s [Bardic Lore] kicked in to fill in some of the gaps. Living dungeons were those dungeons that had a controlling or animating spirit and reset or regenerated themselves at set intervals. He didn’t manage to get exactly what reliquary dungeons were, but he assumed they were, well, relics. Leftover things from previous periods and thus, once plundered and cleared of monsters, empty and done with.

‘You will have access to our archives and libraries, our trainers and healers—basics included in your yearly dues, special services beyond that purview available at reasonable prices.’

Robin’s ears perked up at that. More knowledge and power was good. Yearly fees though, how high were those? Before he could ask, however, Zahn continued.

‘I should point out here that the Sisters Sharp have already agreed to sponsor you and pay your first year of dues—a very generous offer, by the way.’

‘We took it out of the extra money you brought in performing in taverns,’ Ora-Jean whispered, too loudly.

Grathilde didn’t even look that sour about the lost funds, which was perhaps even more touching than the fact they’d done this at all.

‘Th-thank you.’ Whatever Robin had been expecting, this was not it.

‘You helped us out of a couple of tight spots,’ Lantha replied. ‘It’s only fair you see some benefit.’

Judging by the look in Zahn’s eye, he was looking to benefit from the transaction as well.

‘Lantha speaks quite highly of your efforts in the more complicated grey areas you seem to have found yourselves in. I’m sure we can find more than enough for you to do with the White Star Company and ensure you profit as greatly from the relationship as we will.’ Zahn was measuring him with his eyes.

Robin could tell the Guildmagister already had something in mind. That was good. That was some negotiating leverage. He could work with that.

Hopefully. Zahn looked sharp as flaked obsidian. Robin was suddenly very conscious that he was treading much, much deeper waters than he had heretofore encountered in this world.

It also didn’t escape Robin’s notice that Zahn kept framing the discussion in terms of the White Star Company, rather than the larger Adventurers Guild. He wracked his brains, hoping to shake loose some useful [Bardic Lore] on the subject but unfortunately came up empty.

‘Well, ladies,’ Zahn’s voice broke Robin out of his mad search of his subconscious, ‘now that you have discharged your obligations, you are free to go. I shall settle matters up here with Robin and then send him down to the main hall to get orientated.’

Robin wanted to object to the assumption that he was going to accept the offer, but he couldn’t manage to. It was too good an opportunity, and for basically free? He had to take it.

Lantha and the others made as if to leave, Grathilde a hair slower than the others. Robin gave her a minuscule nod. He’d be alright.

The Sisters Sharp filed out. Zahn didn’t say anything else until they had and the door had clicked shut again. It did so with a finality that Robin suspected spoke of heavy layers of wards on the office.

‘Have a seat. This shouldn’t take long.’ Zahn gestured to a chair across from his, the broad desk between them.

Robin sat as the man plucked several pages of parchment from midair. So the Guildmagister had a bit of showman to him as well, did he? Robin had pulled a similar trick often enough to recognise when someone was pulling items from an extradimensional space.

‘This is just a simple boilerplate contract, the kind we use with most of our recruits,’ Zahn said breezily.

Robin took hold of the pages and settled in to read them carefully.

‘You don’t—well, I suppose you have every right to, yes. Let me know if you have any questions. I expect page thirteen will prompt a few.’ Zahn settled back into his chair and proceeded to watch Robin read the document.

There was quite a bit of legalese here. Robin surreptitiously opened his character interface and increased his Bureaucracy. If ever there was a time not to get caught in a loophole, this was it. Things cleared substantially after the boost, thought it was still quite the struggle. This had clearly been written by someone with a much higher level of the relevant knowledge than he had.

Still, he managed to find the obvious loopholes. Most of it really was what Zahn had presented it as: a boilerplate contract. It was solid, and served both sides reasonably well. It favoured the guild, of course, but that was only to be expected. Robin mentally marked at leat two areas where he could abuse the wording to his own advantage, however.

Then he got to page thirteen. This was decidedly not boilerplate. Well, it was clearly pre-prepared, not written with him specifically in mind, but it was far from standard. There was mention of binding oaths of secrecy and clandestine operations.

‘I’m surprised you’re letting me see this,’ he remarked, more to test Zahn’s reaction than for any other reason. ‘You can’t sign everyone. And if you don’t, it seems like a lot of people would know that you engage in…extracurricular activities.’

‘Anyone who is dangerous enough to be afraid of knowing, will already know. Anyone else isn’t a threat even if they do.’ Zahn flicked his fingers. ‘And anyone who objects is likely going to be placated by the fact that the Council of Noviel both knows about these activities and regularly uses them to benefit the citizenry of this fine city. It’s not such a terrible secret as all that. The bigger secrets are the ones we can enforce silence on after you sign.’

Robin almost missed how Zahn turned his ploy around on him and used it as a lure for his curiosity. Damn. How much had Lantha told the man in those reports of hers? He was playing against a seriously stacked deck here.

‘And if I wish to remain a regular member of the company? Without all these extracurricular activities?’

‘We can accommodate that as well.’ Zahn raised an eyebrow. ‘Though I would be surprised if you elected to go that route. You seem the type with ambitions, and you’ll find what you’re looking for a lot faster by opting in on the specialty work this contract gives you the choice of pursuing.’

It was clear that Zahn would be a lot stronger an ally if Robin made himself a lot more useful to the man. Fine. Nothing wrong with that kind of exchange. But it irked Robin to just go along with it. If he was going to be a special kind of minion he wanted a special kind of reward! Or at least a nice signing bonus.

‘I see there are spaces here in the contract for enhanced access to guild services and resources.’ Robin tapped the parchment in front of him.

‘Yes. Those usually come with the higher tiers or with increased monetary donation to the guild.’ Zahn smiled. ‘I take it you’d like those added to your year as an incentive.’

‘You guessed right.’

‘Done.’ Zahn reached over and swiftly made the change. ‘Anything else?’

Robin was caught off guard. He’d expected to have to fight for that. Either Zahn really wanted him or, more likely, it wouldn’t cost the guild nearly as much as it would profit them with Robin picking up the extra work. There had been an extensive section of the contract dedicated to the percentages he owed the guild whenever he made gold under their auspices, after all.

‘I want a refusal right,’ he said. ‘I’m not comfortable giving you carte blanche to tell me what to do with no checks on that power. You could order me to kill puppies or children.’

Zahn raised an eyebrow.

‘A hyperbolic example, but you take my point,’ Robin said.

‘I don’t suppose you’d take my word for it?’ Zahn asked.

‘I will if I can write the language into the contract that binds you,’ Robin offered.

‘No, that’s quite all right. We have a standard morality clause—and commensurate financial penalties—we can adapt to fit this situation.’

They haggled back and forth a bit more, but in the end Robin signed and became the newest member of the White Star Adventuring Company under the Auspices of Noviel’s Adventurers Guild.

Robin was pleased overall with the bargain he’d struck, though he had the sneaking suspicion that Zahn would take the extra cost out in extra work.

Oh, well. At least it was unlikely to be boring.