Second Under,

Merriheim.

29 th Mazem, 1092.

"NOOOO!" Froy flung the report against the wall where it combusted to dust. "That damned Maggot! How did he survive the hydra!?" Sweaty hands futilely tried to wipe the sweat that lined his forehead. "No, no, more importantly, what is he doing? We cannot afford the attention!"

Froy’s eyes darted around the chamber in a panicked rage then rested on Aygor's hammer. He screamed as he reached for it, "If you would only give me wh- ARGH!" He yelled as his arm was blasted away, leaving it severely singed. A fire burned in his eyes as he glared at the hammer. "I will have you."

"I assume you mean Chaos will have it."

Froy whirled around in shock as he turned to the source of the voice. He paled as he retreated, unknowingly entering the hammers barrier field. A reverse shock, louder this time, flung him to the altar where the bowl was placed. He landed on his knees, shaking with fright and as a result of the barrier. "P-Prime!" Froy stammered, bowing his head immediately.

"What is happening, Froy? You assured me the maggot was dead." The voice was calm, serene, but with a hollowness that chilled the bishop's veins.

"I-I swear, he fell into Suvron's abyss," Froy managed through chattering teeth. "My brother confirmed his fall personally. He should be dead!"

"Ah, yes, your... brother." The prime made the word sound like an infectious disease. "This is his second failure, is it not?"

Froy paled as he realized the implication of that question. "Ye-yes sir, but I assure y-"

"Do not beg Froy," the prime interrupted. "It is beneath you." He paused, allowing his words to sink into the bishop's core. "Your brother's fate is sealed. He will be sacrificed to Chaos tomorrow."

Froy's breath caught in his throat. He could not beg. If he did, he would join his brother in damnation. His hands shook as he struggled to think of something, some way to remedy the situation.

"You can not save your brother." Short pause. "You can, however, seek vengeance against the man who caused his death."

Froy looked up as mist rose from the bowl. The fog condensed in to a mercury-looking liquid, which then solidified into a round mirror. An image formed, and Froy seethed with rage at the daeben it depicted.

"His name is Kashi, a summoned from the daeben . The guild leader for the Hopeful Maggots. His last known location was at Meilfour."

Tears welled up in Froy's reddened eyes as he glared at the image. "I will hand-"

"Do with him as you wish. However, two accompany him of whom the Order is interested."

"Yes?"

Images of a beautiful aqua-blue haired girl and a silver-haired halben with mad eyes took form on either side of the daeben. "We do not yet know the halben’s identity, but the human is a songstress called Lunette Falsetto. Last night she helped defeat Monig Ocell in the mines. I have not heard a voice as pure as that even from the gods. She must be captured."

"And the halben ?"

"He uses blood magic. He slew some of our cousins in Monoch, and stole the ' Book of the Dmaned .' Capture or kill him, but the book must be retrieved at all costs."

"Yes, Sir."

"Contain your fury Froy, that you might unleash your wrath on our enemies."

Froy stiffly shook his head. "For the return of chaos."

"May we stand strong."

Rine’s Bar

Kashi sat at the counter nursing his drink. His guild members, spurred on by the expansion notice, had dispersed to complete his requests. They were not the only ones. The bar's patrons also fled when Muko announced the news, most likely to get their things in order.

Kashi gazed at his reflection in the yellow liquid. "So, this is the face of those who rely on others." His gaze, unlike Razznik's, was calm, almost soft, but his brows were still creased in a frown. Yeah, relying on people might be nice, but his fundamental nature was to trust himself above all else. Which was why he was still uneasy despite the level of trust he accorded his guildmates.

Still, it was an improvement. Slight, but an improvement nonetheless. With every passing day, he became more Kashi and less Suzuki, which was his motive in the end.

"We need to talk," an intense, deliberate voice called from directly behind the daeben.

Kashi hid his shock well. He had not felt the man's presence at all. In fact, he still could not sense him, but he was definitely there. He repositioned his cup, allowing the face of the man behind to be reflected in the drink.

A pair of eyes - both somehow green and red - glared at him behind a curtain of straight jet-black hair. The dark, young man's chiseled square jaw clenched when he noticed the daeben's actions. "I said we need to talk," he repeated, more an order this time.

Kashi turned around to look at the strange man and was hit with his second wave of artistic jealousy since entering Merriheim.

The man had the best apparel he had seen since he started, and its almost all-black color, coupled with the palest skin, served to darke n the atmosphere around him . He wore a black knee-length leather jacket on a fitted blue and black top, and loose-fitting trousers. His naturally dark hair was slicked backwards, leaving only a few stray strands on either side of his forehead.

However, it was the intricacy of the clothing's design that got to the daeben. Dark chrome plating placed strategically at his shoulders and on his armguards added protection without contrasting the man's atmosphere.

The perfect blend of armor and aesthetics. The pinnacle every craftsman should aim for. The picture every artist wishes to paint...

"I do believe I said we needed to talk" Tall, dark and handsome repeated, his voice a mix of annoyance and dark humor.

"My apologies," Kashi said with a short nod as he got off his seat. "My mind was otherwise engaged."

"Sure," the man dismissed with a wave. Dark grey eyes focused on the daeben. "You're Kashi of the daeben right?

Kashi's brows furrowed as he attempted to identify the man's apparel. He was rewarded with multiple failure prompts for his efforts. The daeben swallowed hard as he realized the implications of his repeated failures.

Despite Kashi’ s rapidly increasing unease, he maintained his calm demeanor. "Yes, I am. May I ask who seeks me out?"

The man flashed a smile, possibly relieved he had finally met his target. However, what really caught the daeben's attention was the prominent canines he sported. Unlike Taiga's his were far too long to be considered slightly longer than usual. However, before the daeben could process it, the fangs were gone all too fast. Maybe he had seen wrong.

"My name hasn't been uttered in so long, I don't recall what it was. You can address me as Rider." He said with a swift bow.

"Rider? That's a peculiar name."

"It's a reminder of my past. I belonged to a sect called 'Sunset Oblivion.' We were-"

"Riders of nature's wildest beasts," Kash i’s face turned white as a sheet as he finished in a strained whisper. "... Including dragons."

Rider frowned. His tone darkened as he asked, "How do you know that?"

Kashi took in a deep breath. When he released it, his eyes and voice were once again sharp. "I read about it in Riven's archives."

Rider was about to say something when -

"Dragons..." Syel called as he joined up with them. He regarded Rider with suspicion. "You're a rider, right?. Own a dragon?"

Rider stiffened at the word 'own.' "I don't own a dragon. I do, however, have one as my partner."

"Semantics," Syel said, rolling his eyes. "So, when do we meet him?"

"Her."

"My bad," Syel apologized with a grin. "When do we meet her?"

"Hopefully, soon."

"That is not why you are here," Kashi said, returning them to the subject matter. "Why did you seek me out?"

"I've been trailing the blood elf and his companion for weeks," Rider informed them.

Kashi and Syel raised their brows in unison. It was not every day someone openly confessed to being a stalker.

"Very well," Kashi said. "Was there a purpose for that?"

Rider nodded. "Yes. For many centuries I have sought a strong and fearless guild, and from their strength, I judged them to one day be summoned by such a guild."

Kashi's brow creased. "Is the Hopeful Maggots the guild you speak of?"

"With your leave, it has the possibility."

Kashi got to his feet as he thought on Rider’s words. "How good are you with a horse?" He cursed under his breath when he realized just what he had asked.

Kashi’ s question was rewarded with an incredulous glare from Syel. The man had just revealed himself to be a rider of dragons. Did he really need to be asked if he could ride a mere horse?

R i der frowned, causing Kashi to wince slightly as his skin felt the coldness of leaking bloodlust. "Did you read about Zeno in your archives too?"

Kashi swallowed hard. He had really messed up by asking that question. He could not let this man know what he knew. "I am personal friends with Rosendun's King. It allows me such privileges to browse sections of history never released to the public. It was there I read of the legend of Zeno and the Sunset Oblivion."

Rider relaxed. It was plausible. The continent placed significant importance on history's preservation. All manner of forgotten tales and legends were hidden in the secret chambers and vaults of many royals and high personnel. "Did you also read of her end?"

"Only that she got betrayed and the sect destroyed."

"Did they say who betrayed her?"

Kashi shook his head. "No, it was not written."

Rider looked away, eyes downcast. "Probably for the best. Knowing that man's name only ever brings misfortune." He returned his attention to the daeben. "Why did you ask if I was good with a horse?"

"I have somewhere I wish to visit. It would save us both time if we spoke as we rode."

"Smart," Rider acknowledged. "I h-"

"Slow down gents," Muko called from behind the counter. "Before you go running off on another adventure, I've got something for you."

Kashi turned to the barkeep with a sheepish grin. "A recipe for all your drinks?"

"Ha-ha," Muko laughed sarcastically. "Like you haven't already gleaned them all."

Kashi shrugged innocently. "Not all. Some have been proving rather difficult."

"That so? Then I might stay in business just a little bit longer."

"Uh," Syel interrupted. "People waiting here, just saying. Might wanna get to the point?"

Muko apologized and took out three huge books and a map which he placed on the counter. "The map's of Merriheim, most accurate and current in the region. It has the only known entrance to the dwarven kingdom."

Kashi took the map and studied it. His system map updated immediately, and he knew it was the real thing.

"The first book is for advanced-level enchantments. The second is on beginner rune-marking and precious stones, while the last is on the history of the dwarven kingdom." The barkeep patted the books as if patting a lost son. "These aren't spelled books, so you actually have to read them cover to cover. Think you can handle that?"

Kashi nodded with a smile. "No problems with reading. I happen to enjoy it." A pause. "Why do you bestow unto me such gifts willingly, though? You could sell them for a for a fortune."

Syel raised a brow. Was it because of tall, dark, and handsome? The daeben had been speaking like some Edo Period wannabe.

Muko grinned. "Hunters help each other out... if they feel like it."

Kashi's eyes widened in shocked surprise. "You are a brethren of the Hunters' Brotherhood?"

"That I am," the barkeep confirmed. "I'm less of a fighter. I hunt secret recipes in deserted regions such as these. You never know what magnificent fauna you can come across."

"Yes, I understand your meaning," Kashi said. "But how did you know I was a hunter?"

"You mean despite the fact that your badge is safely tucked away in that 'inventory' of yours." Muko brought out a badge of his own. Unlike Kashi's brown one, his was gold. "Higher ranked badges can detect lower-ranked ones. With that said," he took out a silver badge and gave it to the daeben. "Uniting Rosendun, finding and defeating a hydra, joining two countries, and starting a war. You've done more as a hunter in the past months than some in their entire lifetimes. You get a jump over a couple of ranks as a result and these free gifts."

Kashi examined the badge as a prompt informed him of his increase in rank.

"One last piece of advice. If you are planning on fighting the church, Brotherhood of Chaos, or whatever those mooks are calling themselves these days, make sure you either learn magic or how to fight with your aura. We used to have a training arena that taught that, but it's been long since destroyed. Restoration will take some time."

Kashi nodded. "Do not trouble yourself over that. We have all met with misfortune in the past years. Also, I am well versed in the art of aura-fighting. I should not require an excess of time to pick it up."

"Another thing you read?" Rider asked, tone drier than the sands outside.

"Yes," Kashi lied. He really could not let this man know the truth.

Kashi placed the books and map in his inventory. There would be time to read them later on. For now, he needed a change of scenery. If he was going to talk with this man, it needed to be on his own battleground. He looked to his senior-ranked brother. "It feels odd asking this of you now that I know your rank..."

Muko urged him on with a brisk nod and wave.

"Could you oversee, or appoint someone you trust to run the mines in the name of my guild?" Kashi took out a parchment from his inventory and handed it over. "There are instructions there for how it is to be managed."

Muko glanced through the contents and whistled. "This says you want at least sixty percent of the primary workforce to always be made of residents, and citizens of Meilfour get special privileges. Why is that?"

Kashi shrugged. "Honestly, because I cannot trust the Summoned. We are a selfish and crude bunch. There is also the fact that your people could use the work. Not just for the money but to rejuvenate them. This city will be a splendor soon, but it needs its people to accomplish its potential."

Muko thought on it, then smiled. "Well then, I suppose I should let you in on one last secret."

"Pray, tell?"

"Next time you're in Meilfour, I'll introduce you to a stylist, put some order to that chaos you call a hair."

Kashi frowned. "A what now?"

PING!

Universal Skill Unlocked: Stylist

Stylist: Legends are made not only by the sword, but by a hero's appearance. Take a moment from the killing to beautify yourself in the salons of Destia. The noble stylists will treat your body like a canvas, creating a picture of beauty, ferocity, or pride as your wish desires.

Stylists Now Available!

Can Now Alter Appearances In Salons!

Stylist Skill Can Only Be Learned Through Apprenticeship!

Kashi's eyes widened in amazement at the prompt. This was because no amount of monetary value could be placed on what he had just unlocked.

For RPG gamers, character customization was a huge deal. They must be able to interchange clothing, weapons and actually see the changes for it to be considered to have a sound customization system. However, even of the games that had these, very few actually granted the chance to change up your character's facial and body appearance mid-game.

There were no salons in Razznik's time. Back then, nobody complained because they figured it was an unnecessary vanity. But the daeben knew. He knew that just like many things in life, they simply could not appreciate it because they did not have it yet. With its release, players would swarm like rabid dogs for the opportunity to spice up their character.

After all, it was the same reason his alternative armor and clothing designs had sold like hotcakes and were now being used as the standard by most craftsmen.

Kashi pushed his thoughts back to the present. "How many stylists are there?" He asked, brow raised.

"Five in the continent," Muko replied immediately. "All five reside here."

Kashi could scarcely swallow his laugh. The monetary value was now clear to him. It lay in the fact that the stylists were all here in this town. This place would be flooded soon, both with summoned and residents looking to learn the skill so they could perform it in their own cities. Whichever way, it would take this city's economy to the sky on the wings of a garuda.

All of these thoughts ran through the daeben's mind, but his calm exterior betrayed nothing. He clasped hands with Muko as he bade him goodbye, then made his way out of the establishment accompanied by Kira, with Syel and Rider close behind.