The silver coin on the table landed. It had two sides, one with the Tree of Woe, and another with a face of man. It landed on man.
Kraus was the first to kneel.
"My life is yours, high lord!"
The others followed suit.
"I kneel too, my lord!"
"I will work for you, my lord!"
Siderius’ eyes lingered to each of them a few seconds.
"The mark on your arm is the name of your new guild. We are a secret organization with only one purpose.
We do not tolerate betrayal or incompetence.
We will find you, wherever you are, and deliver judgement."
"Yes, my lord!" They said in unison.
"Our guild is called the guild of Xander. Our purpose is to be the protector of men. You bear its mark and you must follow its creed.
I swear to guard at the gate of men."
The three were not expected of this turn of events. However, they did as they were told and repeated after Siderius.
"I swear to guard at the gate of men."
The atmosphere suddenly became solemn and Siderius’ serious expression added even more layers in the air.
"I swear to strike all evil dares crossing the kingdom of men."
"I swear..." They repeated.
"I swear to stand with my brothers and sisters even in the face of death."
"I swear to stay in the dark to protect the light. I swear to never betray the guild, humanity and my honor."
"Stand, my brothers." Siderius’ voice echoed through the shack. "From this day on, you are no longer a mere commoner. You are no cutthroats nor sellswords. You are a member of the guild of Xander!"
They all stood up and looked at Siderius with glee.
Kraus’ gaze was filled with ambition. He never thought fate would deliver him to this secret organization. An event that changed his life forever. He already imagined how powerful and influential this guild actually was.
This was his ticket out of poverty and misery of a commoner.
The other two were filled with lesser desire. Greed, joy and even a tiny bit of pride. They didn’t know what they actually entered, but they were sure it was much better than their original lives in Mucktown.
"Don’t be too happy yet." Suddenly, Siderius’ voice sterned. "You are only temporary members. This is simply a chance to join us.
You have shown great bravery and endurance in front of me. But you need to also show us that you are capable.
Lady Ashe here is the handler at Mucktown. She does jobs for me. And now, you do jobs for her.
Your first mission is to kill Geobard."
Siderius tossed the silver coin on the table to Kraus.
"This is your early payment. Any questions?"
Kraus took a deep breath and nodded.
"Yes, my lord! Geobard has a wife and two sons. How should we deal with them?"
Siderius smiled and patted Kraus’ shoulder.
"You are a meticulous one, eh? Our oath is to stay in the dark. So try to be discreet and kill the target only. If there is any witness, you can also shut them up.
However, that will lower your chance of being an official member. Shedding unnecessary innocent blood is the sign of incompetence."
Kraus’ face turned serious.
"I’ll understand, my lord! We will do our best."
"Good man. Call me Lord Watcher. That is my official title in the guild." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveIꜰire.net
The band of brothers left to do their mission. Siderius and Ashe observed them at the door of the house.
"The Guild of Xander, Master? Is it where you received all of your alchemy knowledge?"
"That is a question you need not to know, my apprentice."
Ashe’s eyes lost to the dark scenery outside. Everything made a bit more sense to her. How an actor could change so quickly and become a fierce warrior.
She thought that Siderius was approached by this guild similar to how the thugs had just been. It was the reason for his changes and newfound strength.
"Am I a member of Xander? Is it alright for me to learn from you?"
Siderius smiled gently and patted Ashe’s head.
"Don’t worry, my apprentice. I never do anything that will cause harm to me."
Siderius made up that organization just because it would be better to control these thugs.
He showed them fear then offered them wealth. Two great things that could pull anyone’s strings. However, without a purpose, these two sides would quickly fade away.
This organization provided a perfect cover for Siderius and Ashe. It also made them seem more dangerous than they actually were.
These thugs would think twice before betrayal. After all, they would not be brave enough to withstand the rage of a secretive powerful guild.
"Why do you want to kill them, Master?" Ashe couldn’t help but let out a little whimper. She was visibly distraught from what happened.
It was only the second time she saw death. The first was Gert. And last time, she didn’t even dare to look at the bloody scene.
Her eyes darted to the bodies on the floor. "They didn’t do anything..."
"Oh, but they did, my apprentice. Their presence here proves just that. They would have killed you."
"But they didn’t. And Geobard too, he could be greedy. I agree that he deserves punishment but death is too much. His family is also innocent."
Siderius sighed heavily. He walked over to Ashe and looked at her crumbling face. She was obviously in shock.
Siderius slapped some sense into her.
"Without me, you would have died.
Without me, they would have robbed you of everything then thrown your body in the river.
Geobard knew this. But he ordered them all the same.
If Geobard died and his family saw who did it, what do you think they would do? Just accept their fate and forget?"
Siderius’ hand was imprinted on Ashe’s cheek. She was on the verge of crying but she managed to hold it in and regained her composure. She took a deep breath and looked deep inside her soul.
The fusing process of True Aether was bothering her for a few days now. She hadn’t had much success.
But everything became so clear at that moment. Ashe opened her mouth and breathed out another puff of gold dust. Her soul fused with the first dust of enlightenment, starting her path on Alchemy.
When Ashe opened her eyes again, they were clear and calm. She understood what Siderius had been implying.
"What a cruel world." Ashe muttered. "But for survival, it’s the only choice we have."
"It seems like you just figured something out."
"I understand now, Master. The actual meaning of the Rule of Exchange. It’s not just matters and money. But also life and destiny.
Nothing comes from nothing. Everything has a price.
They came for blood so they must pay in blood.
Geobard wanted money even at the cost of lives. So it is life he will lose.
His family is merely the byproduct of his action. If they know it is us, they will take revenge. Further bloodshed in the future, over and over and over again.
We can only end it before it spreads.
If only Geobard made a different choice."
Siderius could see that Ashe had lost some of her innocence. She just had a peek at the back stage of the world. The filthy violent aspect of it.
Ashe walked away and took something out of her cupboard. It was a unique kind of a weapon that Siderius had previously asked her to make.
A primitive throwing sling with two thin ropes attached to a small pouch in the middle.
Siderius had been thinking of adding a ranged weapon to his arsenal. Bow was an obvious choice but it needed arrows. Sling was a worse choice but Siderius could use anything as a projectile.
As Ashe was a tailor, she would be the perfect candidate to make the sling. When Siderius had left a message telling her to sell the buffalo meat, he had also asked her to make a sling.
Ashe gave the primitive weapon to Siderius. He examined it carefully, stretching the cords and testing the thickness of the pouch.
"Supreme craftsmanship. You have very good hands, my apprentice."
Ashe smiled. "Thank you, Master. It is my pleasure to help you."
"I will be visiting the Rocky Pit tonight. I need to check up on Carsten and also need to buy some more materials from them. Carsten’s cure is not easy to make."
"I understand, Master. Then I will stay back and deal with these corpses."