“I’m sorry, but there doesn’t seem to be enough evidence to accuse Elder Einar of any wrongdoing,” the man said. Dirk’s official title was Warden, and given what Abby had told Zeke about how things worked, he was responsible for guarding the Champions of the Light’s wealth. Eventually, he’d be replaced by someone else, but his post was seen as something of an honor within the guild.

“But, Dirk,” Abby said. “The bookseller –”

“Identified someone who looks similar to Elder Einar,” he responded, interrupting her. “That’s not enough to go on. Look – Abby, I like you. I always have. But you can’t expect me to stick my neck out based on such flimsy evidence. I’d like to help, but…”

“But you won’t,” Zeke supplied. “Pretty much just like I told you it would go, Abby. This is something we’re going to have to take care of on our own.”

“Zeke, if you…do what I think you’re going to do…”

“I won’t kill him,” Zeke stated. Then, he turned to Dirk, whose face was unreadable. “Am I correct in assuming that the guilds in Beacon compete with one another for the best people?”

“You would be,” Dirk answered.

“And what would happen if someone screwed up in recruiting someone who was already level fifteen and had evolved his race?” he asked.

“Nothing good.”

“Further, what if that same recruit had already killed a level twenty-five elemental?” Zeke asked. “Would there be repercussions for whomever failed to recruit such an…asset?”

“Assuming another elder could verify such things, then yes,” Dirk said.

“And what about if that same incident caused the guild to lose a member who’d recently evolved her race as well?” was Zeke’s next question. “One who was in good standing with the guild.”

“Abby, is he suggesting that you would leave the guild over this?”

“That man tried to kill my friend,” was her answer. “And he had children kidnapped and sacrificed. Dirk, if the guild’s going to stand behind someone like that, it’s not an organization to which I want to belong. I’m aware that there are good people here. I think you’re one of them. But I can’t ignore what happened here. I don’t know what he was going to get out of it, but –”

Dirk interrupted again, saying, “It’s not complicated. Not even that uncommon, though it usually happens without the sacrifices.”

“What are you talking about?” Zeke asked.

“Do you know how Beacon’s protective aura works?” he asked.

“Not really,” Zeke admitted.

“It weakens monsters,” the older man answered. He ran his hand through his hair. “But it doesn’t necessarily prevent them from coming here. Most just avoid it because it saps their strength. For instance, take that elemental you fought. Seemed a lot easier than it probably should’ve been, right? Well, that thing was probably sitting at about half power. Maybe less. And it would’ve gotten even weaker the longer it stayed under Beacon. It was the same with those lizards you say you fought. I’m not saying that what you did wasn’t an accomplishment. It was. Not many people below level twenty could’ve gone into that situation and come out the other side intact. But if the lizardkin or the elemental would have been at full power, it would have taken elites to stop. And even then, no one would have come out unscathed.”

Abby’s face lit up. “That’s it, then!” she said. “Einar wanted to farm experience. Or achievements, maybe.”

“Or elemental cores,” suggested Dirk. “There are similar setups all over the place, but most people wouldn’t have sacrificed people – especially children – for their greed.”

Zeke looked away, thinking about Dirk’s revelation. It made sense, after a fashion. Dealing with the elemental had been gross, but it hadn’t felt as dangerous as the drachnid queen or the champion. In fact, he distinctly remembered thinking that the monster felt weaker than it should have been. More, Zeke could see the benefits of summoning a powerful monster and killing it while it was weakened. After all, the influx of experience he’d felt upon killing the elemental had felt appropriate for its level, if not for the power it displayed.

“Seems cowardly,” Zeke said.

Dirk shrugged. “People are like that,” was his response. “I got mine the hard way. You seem similar to me in that respect. So does Abby, which is why I’ve always liked her. No shortcuts. No cheating. Just good, old-fashioned hard work. I can respect that. As for the other way…”

“But you still can’t help us,” Zeke cut in.

Dirk shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he stated, his tone seeming genuine. “If I accuse him, he’ll have to go before the guild’s tribunal. And if they find him guilty, they’ll punish him. They might even kick him out. But there just isn’t enough evidence to warrant more than a stern talking-to.”

“And the other way? Holding him responsible for losing people who could be assets to the guild?” asked Abby.

“A loss of face, but little more than an annoyance,” the man answered. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know that there’s anything we can do if –”

It was Zeke’s turn to interrupt. “It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll just kill him the moment he leaves Beacon.”

He’d thought it through. Zeke had never been confident in Abby’s plan to get the guild to punish one of their own. He knew precisely how circumstantial their evidence was, and besides, he’d gotten a glimpse of how the new world worked. Power trumped all, and morality was little more than an afterthought. In that kind of environment, sacrificing a few powerless children and a handful of adventurers wasn’t an unreasonable price to pay for an elite to gain a little more power.

It was sickening, but Zeke wasn’t in the business of trying to change the world. But neither could he stand idly by while someone who’d tried to send him to his death walked free. So, he’d already decided to take matters into his own hands.

However, he wasn’t so arrogant that he thought he could kill a guild elder in their own guild hall. Even if he managed the feat, he would soon find himself at the mercy of the guild. Escape would be unlikely. Possible, but even if he got away, a guild like the Champions of Light couldn’t let such an attack go unpunished. They’d hunt him with everything they had.

But if Einar just disappeared while outside of the city? That kind of thing happened every day. They could ignore that. Behind closed doors, some of their membership might even thank him for ridding them of such a person.

“Wait just a minute,” Dirk said, finally standing. Zeke could feel the man’s power. “I can’t let you just threaten a guild elder like that.”

Zeke sighed. “As far as I’m concerned, I’d be doing you a favor,” he said. “Getting rid of the rot. You’re welcome.”

Briefly, the man looked conflicted. Zeke could only imagine the war going on within his mind. On the one hand, he probably held a large degree of loyalty toward the Champions of Light. He likely felt like he owed them quite a bit. But on the other hand, he didn’t seem the sort of man who’d look the other way when it came to sacrificing children, if for no other reason than because of how poorly it would reflect on his guild. Perhaps there was a conscience in there as well, nudging him along.

But he wasn’t an idiot, either. He didn’t know anything about Dirk’s strength, save that he was level twenty-five, but that was enough to put him on edge. If Dirk decided it would be less trouble if he just killed Zeke…

No – he had to be ready, and with that in mind, he held his skills on the brink of activation. More, his body was tense, ready to respond in an instant. Could he beat Dirk? Probably not. The man was at the pinnacle of power, at least for now. Oberon had implied that there was much more to come, but here and now, the man’s might was absolute. Zeke didn’t know if he could hold up to that.

Nor did he really want to try. In fact, he wanted a peaceful resolution, so long as Einar got what he deserved.

Dirk frowned, then said, “I can understand that. Let’s just say that I won’t interfere if you decide to go that route.”

“Really?” Abby asked.

“I’m not a monster,” he said. “The man killed kids. He didn’t hold the knife, but he killed them all the same. I can’t do much about it on my own, but that doesn’t mean I have to go out of my way to keep him from getting his just desserts.” He looked at Zeke. “Is that acceptable to you?”

Zeke nodded. “It’ll have to do,” he said. In a lot of ways, he preferred to take care of it himself. That way, he knew Einar would pay. The only issue was that he didn’t want to wait around for the chance to do what had to be done. There was an entire world out there waiting on him – more than that, if Oberon’s hints were to be believed – and he desperately wanted to find his place in it.

With that, their reason for visiting Dirk was exhausted, and Zeke, Abby, and Pudge left the guild hall. As they walked through the increasingly familiar streets, Zeke said, “We shouldn’t have gone to him. You should have just let me take care of it myself.”

“And you would have probably died,” Abby said. “This way, you have a chance to get out of it alive.”

Zeke shook his head in disgust, but he didn’t disagree. Attacking a guild elder within the guild hall was probably never the best idea, and he knew just how unlikely his survival would be in that situation. That didn’t mean he wanted to shy away, though.

“Probably for the best this way,” he stated, unwilling to acknowledge Abby’s expression of satisfaction. It hadn’t worked out the way she’d planned, but she’d still gotten what she wanted. Perhaps that was her intention all along. And maybe he should be thankful; after all, what she wanted was to keep him alive.

The rest of the trip through the city was largely uneventful, except that Zeke now noticed the white-robed priests more often. They’d probably always been there, but now that he knew who they were, he paid more attention. A while later, they found their way back to the inn, but the moment Zeke laid eyes on the building, he knew something was wrong.

For one, there were a handful of guards around, a couple of which wore the tabard associated with the Radiant Guard, the elite warriors of the Temple of the Sun. He slowed down, trying to think, but a voice cut through his impromptu planning session.

“Relax,” came the voice from behind him. “We’re not here to hurt you or anything. We’re only tasked with escorting you to the temple.”

Zeke turned around to see the familiar face of the guard he’d run into after breaking Einar’s jaw. “What is this about?” he asked.

The man shook his head. “Like they tell me stuff like that,” he said. “I just have my orders. All I know is that me and the boys are supposed to escort you to Master Silas Martel.” He glanced toward Abby. “Both of you. The bear, too.”

Zeke was tired of being told what he could and couldn’t do, and he was about to make it clear that he wasn’t doing anything or going anywhere until someone gave him some more information. Abby must have sensed him gearing up for a fight, because she put her hand on his armored shoulder, saying, “We should go.”

“What?” he asked, glancing in her direction. “Why?”

“He’s important,” was her answer. “One of the most powerful people in the city. It’s best if we see what he wants. Besides, I’ve met him before, and I don’t think he has any reason to have issues with us.”

That really wasn’t enough to douse Zeke’s anger, but he chose to trust Abby’s judgment. They might not see eye-to-eye on everything, but she had his best interests at heart, just like he was looking out for hers.

“Fine,” he said, and not for the first time, wished that he could just get back to the simplicity of killing monsters. All this sneaking around and dancing with politics wasn’t really his forte.

The guard signaled to his fellows, then they all set out toward the ramp that would lead up to the city’s final tier. Abby had been there before, but it was a first for Zeke. And despite his frustrations, when they reached the Temple Tier, he was impressed with the wealth on display. There was plenty of gold, a lot of marble, and more art than Zeke had ever seen in one place. He couldn’t say how rare or valuable any of the sculptures or paintings were, but he could at least assess their quality, which was top notch.

After going into one of the side buildings, they traversed a series of hallways and corridors until they were led to an office. Abby’s steps were confident; she knew where she was going. By contrast, Zeke could only follow blindly.

Finally, Zeke, Abby, Pudge, and the handful of guards reached an unadorned office door. The guard knocked, and a male voice bade them enter. Abby led the way, followed by Pudge, with Zeke bringing up the rear. When they went inside, Zeke saw an unimpressive office with only a desk, a few chairs, and a couple of file cabinets for furniture. Seated at the desk was an older man with a wispy beard that made him look like he’d stepped right out of an old-school kung fu movie.

As soon as the door shut behind them, the man rose from his desk, saying, “Abigail. Nice to see you again so soon.” Then, to Zeke, he said, “And Ezekiel Blackwood. You’re something of a troublemaker, aren’t you? No matter. Troublemakers aren’t always a bad thing. And…Pudge, is it? I must say, it’s been some time since I’ve seen a tamed monster. But there’s something different about you, isn’t there? Something…more…”

“You’re Silas Martel?” Zeke asked, pointedly ignoring the man’s honorific. “What do you want?”

“So direct!” the man said, smiling broadly as he clapped his hands together. “I like it. You have no idea how valuable simplicity can be when your entire life revolves around subterfuge. But I digress – the question is less about what I want, and more about what I can offer you. How would you like a mission?”