After stuffing my face a second time, I stood around uncomfortably for a while. I didn’t know anyone here, and wasn’t comfortable with the idea of going up to a random group of people to start a conversation.

However, other people didn’t seem to have those same qualms. I was approached more than once by people who, after learning that I was the Chief Dungeon Maker for a company they’d never heard of, politely but abruptly found reasons to leave the conversation.

Finally, I saw Damien walking toward me, no longer accompanied by Jacques.

“Glad to see you’re keeping busy. I half expected to find you at the buffet still.”

I shook my head with an innocent grin. “I wouldn’t do that.”

He snorted. “Well, did you do any mingling? Find any potential clients?”

I raised an eyebrow, and this time it was his turn to shake his head. “Right, I forgot who I was talking to, you’re clueless about networking. So what have you been doing then?”

“Mostly just standing here. I did have a brief conversation at the buffet. Strangely, the more I stood here doing nothing, the more people seemed to come up to me. At least until a few of them must have spread the word in other conversations that I wasn’t anyone important.”

“That’s normal. Typically at parties like this the only people to stand aloof from others are those who feel they have nothing to gain from networking. People who feel like that and are able to get into this party are usually titans of industry. I imagine the people coming up to you were hoping to get in the good graces of some CEO of a huge corporation.” He paused before letting out a grin. “And once they realized you were of even less import and power than they were they probably couldn’t get away from you fast enough.”

“There were several people who had to take business calls, yes.” I gave a small, wry smile.

Damien chuckled and started to say something but was cut off by the approach of a large figure. The man was huge, and I would guess he was some sort of Warrior or other fighting class, and pretty advanced in it as well. His face was thick and stern, the sort of face you might see on a soldier or a commander in the Guardians. He wore no jewelry aside from a band on his wrist made from some metal I didn’t recognize. His hair was dark and graying and his eyes were a cold blue.

Damien’s face paled as the man approached and spoke in a gravelly voice. “You really dared to show your face here?”

I looked between them in confusion. Damien drew back a little, his back stiffened straight. He drew a deep breath and seemed to collect himself. “Good evening, Father.”

My eyes widened. This was Damien’s father? I had imagined someone more refined looking, more aristocratic. Yet, despite his hulking size and threatening demeanor, the man did exude an impression of...perhaps not wealth, but perfection. There was nothing to criticize about his clothing, his hair, really anything. That level of perfection was only achievable by people who spent a great deal of money.

“I won’t have you embarrassing the family at this party. You’re leaving, now.” Damien’s father grabbed his wrist in a vice like grip and seemed intent on dragging Damien off. I quickly stepped forward, interposing myself in the small space between the two.

“Excuse me. We haven’t met. I’m your son’s business partner. If Damien wants to go with you, that’s his choice. If not, that’s also his choice. Now, please let go of his hand. Otherwise, I don’t mind making the exact sort of scene you seem to want to avoid.” I did my best to meet his eyes, though I had to crane my neck up to do so. His gaze focused on me and it took everything I had not to look away as the pressure of his regard descended upon me like a hammer to an anvil.

“This is none of your affair. I suggest you make yourself scarce. If you do so quickly, I might even forget your attempt to interfere in the business of your betters.”

I smiled. Weirdly, his condescension and clear dismissal gave me courage. This was familiar territory for me, something I’d experienced throughout my life in the form of bullies like Brock. “And if you let go of his wrist in the next ten seconds, I won’t loudly shout out that the current CEO of Rust Corporation is attempting to kidnap someone.” I kept my smile polite, and my words even. My threat was, in many ways, weak; he would not face serious consequences for his actions given the amount of personal power he had as well as the power he could bring to bear through Rust Corporation. However, he seemed to care about appearances a great deal, and I was banking on that saving me from a very painful lesson in the next ten seconds.

He met my gaze seeming to wait for me to drop. I kept my smile on my face, but couldn’t help the tension from building in my shoulders as I struggled not to form fists or take any other sign of offensive action. My mind flashed back to the early days after the apocalypse, an image of a beast, blood dripping from its maw, standing over my parents bodies as I hid, crouched in some bushes, my hands over my mouth, desperately trying not to make a sound. This man in front of me was a predator, and showing weakness in front of a predator was the same as saying you were prey.

Before the ten seconds were up, a silky smooth voice cut in, as a beautiful, if aged, woman glided close and put her arm around Damien, who had been gazing at the floor this whole time, avoiding his father’s gaze.

“Now, now dear, there’s no need for this. If Damien doesn’t want to come right now, well then I’ll simply talk to him here. I have so missed you, my son.” She smiled as she said this. I wanted to look at this newcomer, who was apparently Damien’s mother, but I couldn’t drop my gaze from the man in front of me. He continued to eye me for a second before giving a snort of displeasure and turning to look at his wife, Damien’s mother.

“The boy needs to learn Diana. Coddling him as you do is part of the problem. He’ll never learn to be a man if you don’t stop.”

The woman turned and smiled at him. “Come now, Artur, you wouldn’t deny a mother the right to care for her boy now would you?”

He snorted again but released Damien’s wrist. Seeing that the immediate threat had been dissolved. I took a step back to stand even with Damien. “Pardon me, for I did not make a proper introduction. My name is Basil Thorn. I am your son’s business partner.”

I studied Diana as I spoke. Based on the brief conversation we had in the past, I had thought Damien’s mother would be, well, much more militant, not unlike his father. However, she appeared graceful and caring, almost as though someone had created the ideal woman in a laboratory. Even as I thought that, I felt a chill down my back as she spoke in a honeyed tone.

“Why Basil, of course we know who you are. Orphaned at a young age, bounced around the system until the age of 16 when you filed for emancipation. You worked at menial jobs to get by until the foundation of the university when you reached the age of 18. You then took 4 years to get through the Dungeon Maker course, hampered by your need to work during your first year. However, due to your excellent academic results you received a scholarship from the Church of Janus’ Widows and Orphans Fund allowing you to spend the next three years focused on your schooling and graduating on time. Since then, you made your way in the world as a Dungeon Maker for hire, before encountering my son, who convinced you to engage in another one of his harebrained businesses. I believe you are currently employed with Grainola are you not? Some sort of bottled water dungeon?”

My blood ran cold. Not only did she know my entire history, she even knew what project we were working on for Grainola. That information could only have been known to a few people within the company, yet somehow she was aware of it. She continued to regard me, waiting for some response, and I forced a smile onto my face. “You are well informed, madam.”

She tittered softly. “Oh, please, you must call me Diana. Calling me madam makes me feel like my mother.”

I suppressed a shiver at the difference between her mannerisms and her cunning as I bowed my head. “Of course, gracious lady. Please forgive me for the offense.” I stopped short of actually calling her Diana as, despite her words, I was sure that would be an offense of a different sort and perhaps an opening for her husband Artur. I felt woefully unprepared for this sort of verbal fencing. I wasn’t sure how much of my caution was justified and how much was paranoid. Luckily, I didn’t have to fend for myself for too long.

“Mother, father, how...wonderful...to see you both. Though we would enjoy staying to chat, we must excuse ourselves as we are obligated to go speak to our host who granted us an invite to the event. I must beg your pardon.” He spoke, face still pale, but his voice even. He still did not look at his father, directing his words to his mother.

“Of course, dear. I’d expect nothing less from a son I raised. Always so polite,” She smiled and patted his cheek. I could see him suppress a flinch at the contact. “Do say hi to your sister if you see her. She’s wandering around here somewhere.”

“She’s here?” Damien seemed surprised, but quickly recovered. “Of course, I will be sure to greet her. Now, if you will excuse me, mother, father.” He tugged at my arm, and I quickly muttered a quick goodbye to the chilling couple. For all that Artur gave me the impression of a predator, it was Diana’s honeyed tone as she delivered seemingly innocuous words that nonetheless were threatening that scared me. With him I feared to meet him in a dark alley. With her, I felt the need to check my drink for poison.

I could feel them continuing to look our way as we retreated into the safety of the crowded party. I suppressed a shudder and kept walking, doing my best to ignore the predatory gazes following our progress.