Melissa stared at Arwin’s extended hand like it were made of solid gold. Her eyes flicked up to his face. It was so silent in the room that Arwin could almost make out her heartbeat. Thought flashed through Melissa’s eyes but her features gave nothing away, the trained mask of a professional. And, in that second, she found her choice. Her hand lifted to clasp Arwin’s. “If you can give me anything that gives me so much as a chance, then I accept. Any price you require so long as it leaves my family intact is acceptable.” “I require nothing but the fame you will earn my work and future partnership. I won’t say no to some money once you have your feet back out under you, but that’s it,” Arwin said as they shook. He released Melissa’s hand and it dropped back to her side. “There’s only so far that weapons and armor can take you. If you want to deal with a threat this big, you’ll still need warriors.” Arwin shook his head before Melissa had finished her question. “Sorry. I am not. My guild are not mercenaries. I’ll outfit you. Anna and Lillia will heal you, and we’ll protect you while you’re in our walls, but we’re not going to start a war. We aren’t strong enough to, nor can we afford to.” Melissa didn’t look surprised. She just nodded her understanding. “I understand. I still had to try.” “Of course,” Arwin said, a small smile crossing over his features. He could still smell the tantalizing juice from the meal he and Lillia had made. Some more food sounded fantastic after a near crisis had been averted, but there was one more thing to handle before he could worry about that. “It’ll take me some time to get you a full set. None of my own guild even have something like that yet. I’ll need a week at the very least. Possibly more.” “A week,” Melissa repeated. She rolled the words over in her mouth as if tasting them. Her expression was inscrutable. Her father really had trained her well as a merchant. The more she recovered from the residuals of the poison and got her feet out from under her, the harder it was to figure out what she was thinking or read any fear in her expression. “Far shorter than I would have expected for magical items, but still far longer than I would have liked. Even a day is too long to delay my task, but I was prepared for worse. I will find a place to stay.” “Why look?” Lillia asked. “This one will work just fine. I guarantee you won’t find cheaper — or safer.” Reya jogged over to the door and pulled it open. The vampire stood on the other side, his frilly suit slightly ruffled and a splatter of red once again sprayed across his front. Arwin suppressed a sigh. It looked like Madiv had lost another fight with — The subtle smell of metal and iron in the air. It clung to Madiv like a specter. That’s not ketchup on him. That’s blood. “Madiv?” Lillia asked, instantly catching on. “What’s going on? Don’t tell me you got into another problem with the Ardent guild.” “I do not believe it was the Ardent guild,” Madiv replied. “But there is a trained group of killers encroaching on our territory. Eight men in grey uniforms and with masked faces.” “Gray? Eight men?” Rodrick’s eyes sharpened and he spun toward Melissa. “The assassin that tried to kill you. He wore gray? You never said he wore gray.” “I - I didn’t realize it was relevant,” Melissa stammered. She took a step back and bumped into the counter at the anger in Rodrick’s voice. “The assassins couldn’t have found me already. It’s not possible. And eight of them? I’m not worth nearly that many men!” “What’s going on?” Olive asked. Her hand fell to the hilt of her sword. “Rodrick, it sounds like you know something. Maybe you’d like to share?” “Gray clothed assassins that travel in groups of ten,” Rodrick said, his voice grim. “Yes, I know of them. They’re members of the Falling Blade. A guild of assassins for hire. They only take major jobs and are quite expensive.” “A group like that was hired to kill me?” Melissa asked, her face going as pale as a sheet. Her back pressed against the counter as she fought to swallow. “Why?” “Hold on,” Olive said. “Madiv counted eight. One is dead. Where’s the last one?” “One attempted to apprehend me for questioning. He did not believe they were in dangerous territory.” Madiv adjusted his cufflinks and looked over his shoulder. “I rectified his misconception. Eight remain.” I’ve never seen Madiv fight, but if he was able to handle one, we can fight back. I’ll be damned if I let a group of assassins stroll onto my damn street and do what they want. “How much shit are we in?” Olive asked. “Can we win?” “They’ve got different groups in the guild. I can’t say for certain,” Rodrick said. “But I don’t think we’re going to have much choice. If Madiv already killed one, it won’t be long before they’re here.” “I can leave,” Melissa said, and her voice only trembled slightly. “I’m sorry for bringing you all into this.” “Don’t bother,” Arwin said curtly. He scanned the tavern as he felt adrenaline start to pump through his veins. There were no signs of anyone lurking in the shadows, and he suspected Lillia would have known if anyone was there anyway. “Two of their members are already dead. We’re in conflict already. No point for you to just kill yourself on top of everything.” “How far are they?” Reya asked. She gripped the hilt of her dagger and shifted from foot to foot in either anticipation or worry. Knowing the weapon she had, it was probably a mixture of the two. A shadow rose up behind Madiv. Arwin called out a warning and lunged forward, but the vampire was faster. He spun and hands clapped together, stopping a sword an inch before it could drive into his neck. Madiv thrust the blade to the side and twirled out of the way as the shadows pulled back fully, revealing a gray-clothed man slightly shorter than Arwin. He carried several throwing knives at his waist and had a second sword strapped to his other side. Behind him, three other shadows rose up from the ground. Every single one of them looked identical. Arwin couldn’t tell one from the other. There was no sign of the other assassins, but that was no surprise. I’ve fought stealth-focused monsters before. They use a few to draw the attention, then send their real force in while you’re focused on the bait. The assassin that had cut at Madiv took a step back, joining the ranks of the other gray-clothed men instead of trying to press the attack any further. “Step aside. You are in our way,” one of the men said. The voice came from their general direction, but it was impossible to tell which of them had spoken. Arwin’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward and summoned his helm. “This is our territory. Leave,” Arwin said. “That’s the only warning you’re going to get.” “We do not need a slaughter. Put aside your misplaced sense of honor and step out of the way, or you will join the ranks of the dead today. Do not make the mistake of believing that you have a fighting chance against us because two of our members were killed while they were on their own.”