There were ten men and women, including Gunnar and Em, seated at an oblong table. A clean-shaven man with a bowler hat sat at the head seat. Leilani sat to his right. But all eyes fell on Gunnar as they began.

“You’ve been a busy man, Gunnar Ashwood,” the Bowler said.

Gunnar suddenly felt sheepish. “Sorry about that.”

“I expected to meet you the night of Dravingdel’s party.”

“I, er, had a pressing matter to attend to.”

“More pressing than your new guild?”

“I mean, technically, I wasn’t a Nighthawk at the time. I’m still not, as a matter of—”

Em jabbed him in the ribs.

“Sorry.”

The man in the bowler hat leaned forward. His face had not shown any form of expression since they’d entered the room. “Did you or did you not accept a guild trial from the Nighthawks?”

“I did, sir,” Gunnar said.

“It is the expectation of the guild that anyone who commits to a guild trial has already made their intentions clear about joining, and awaits our acceptance.”

“I didn’t mean to imply that I didn’t want to join. Just making light about a formality.”

“Is that a habit of yours, making light of serious matters?”

Gunnar grimaced, suddenly wondering if he had made a fatal error. “Only when it helps to face those matters, sir.”

Leilani rolled her eyes. “Enough, Faraday.”

Faraday leaned back, adjusted his bowler hat, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Some of us in this room have a sense of humor, but I would advise you save your jokes for your comrades and take things seriously when it comes to the masters of your new guild.”

Gunnar breathed a little easier. “So you still want me, then?”

The man smiled for the first time. “You would not be here otherwise, Mr. Ashwood. A remarkable situation considering the fact you went MIA for three days without a word. From you or Em.”

“It’s complicated, Lord Faraday, sir,” Em said. “A matter of a continuum.”

“I see.”

“We fought to protect some friends of mine,” Gunnar said.

“And you managed to disconnect from space and time in that fight?”

Gunnar feared it sounded absurd. “It was part of the plan, to untether the place and move it. We didn’t anticipate the time thing.”

Faraday stroked his chin for a moment. “Well, you managed to shake up quite a few things in this city. The good news for you is that this business with Sykes distracted the Red Cloaks from focusing on us in the aftermath of the party. Admiral Benton’s death looked like an obvious Nighthawk operation, but that slave ship was not something we would have been behind. And the ensuing response drew the attention of the Red Cloaks and thieves’ guilds toward some rogue assassin, allowing us time to plot our next moves.”

“That’s great to hear,” Gunnar said.

“A fortunate outcome from a foolhardy move.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We all have our personal concerns, and your concerns are none of mine, so long as they don’t interfere with the mission of the Nighthawks. We would all be remiss if we did not express our trepidation that this situation with Sykes could pose a threat, should it continue.”

“I won’t poke the sleeping bear, if that’s what you mean.”

“I doubt this bear is sleeping.”

“Sykes no longer knows my whereabouts,” Gunnar said. “And I intend to keep it that way.”

“Hmmm… another way in which the past three days have worked in your favor, then. We will be arranging a new identity for the time being, but I think it best you lie low for awhile, at least in Thailen.”

Gunnar nodded. “Of course.”

“Your victory over Sykes has the Red Cloaks frustrated with the guilds. A convenient situation, but if you were to be captured, that could change quickly. We will be sending you out of the city.”

“Out?”

“Like I said, we need you to lie low,” Faraday said. “But there are pressing matters ahead, and we need every member we have playing their parts.”

Leilani cleared her throat.

“Ah, yes,” Faraday said. “But first we have a… formality to deal with.”

Gunnar, and a couple of the other members smirked, but Faraday did not break his stern expression.

“Gunnar Ashwood, we were impressed with your work at Dravingdel’s party,” Faraday went on. “You got the job done and saved one of our own in the process. You may have noticed that most of the guilds in this city are beholden to the empire. But we are not one of those guilds. We remember the old ways—the Thailen before the empire arrived. And it is our hope to restore those old ways and the old gods. None of us in this room serve the Elysian gods, and so I must ask, which god do you serve?”

“Nymoria,” Gunnar said. “Not a very well-known one.”

Leilani nodded to him. “The same could be said for all our gods. It is the way of the empire.” The noble woman’s voice was reminiscent of a song, soft yet powerful.

“We are here to change that,” Faraday said. “To upend the balance of power. You are a part of that now.”

Gunnar nodded, thinking of Lex’s last words. Defy the gods.

This seemed to certainly fall in line with that path, and it made sense to him why Nymoria had wanted him to stick with the guild.

“There’s nothing else I’d rather do.”

The masters all nodded their approval, as a prompt appeared in front of his vision.

[Progress Alert: Guild Request—You have been offered to join the Nighthawks, a guild known for their revolutionary ambitions. Acceptance means opportunities—quests, weapons, training, lodging, and so on. But it also comes with a hefty amount of obligation.

To join a guild means to give up a part of your own freedom. Your aims will no longer be your own. You must strive to garner the approval of the masters of the Nighthawks. Should you succeed, this may lead to even more opportunities. Should you fail, this may lead to your own demise.

Do you wish to join the Nighthawks? Yes/No]

Gunnar mentally assented.

[You have been accepted as a member of the Nighthawks. Your current Guild Member Rank is: New Recruit. You are a member, but you’re not walking in with any degree of prestige. This rank offers you basic rights within the guild, including access to low-class weapons and armor, food rations, and basic housing. You may keep 10% of any loot attained on guild business. Complete a quest to advance to the next rank.]

He didn’t exactly like how low he began on the totem pole, though he knew that was to be expected. But it made him want to prove himself all the more.

Leilani produced a dagger from her purse, a long, thin blade with a silver hilt and an ebony handle. There was a diving black bird engraved into the pommel.

Steel Nightblade

Item Class: Signatory weapon, Melee

Quality: Rare, Dwarf-crafted

Base Damage: 24

Weight: 3

Durability: 12

Enhancements: Varyan steel

Description: Composed of a rare alchemical metal, this blade deals significantly more damage than most other daggers. It is also a signatory weapon of the Nighthawks. Best not to go chucking this one around.

Gunnar took it eagerly, admiring the remarkable shimmer of the blade in the lamplight, and stowed it in his Inventory.

“You’re a Nighthawk, now,” Leilani said, leveling her gaze at him. “Should you prove my impression of you correct, there will be much more to come.”

“Thank you,” Gunnar said, suddenly filled with the urge to hurry out and do anything to prove himself. “So you want to send me out of the city?” he asked, turning to Faraday.

“Lord Kai was just explaining the details of your mission before you arrived,” Faraday said.

An olive-skinned man rose to his feet. He had long black hair pulled back into a man bun with a narrow line of a beard along his jawline.

“Admiral Benton’s assassination was the first piece of a much larger scheme, as I am sure you’ve guessed,” Kai said. “Since you’re a New Recruit, your knowledge will be limited to the scope of your mission in Mavenport.”

“Mavenport,” Gunnar said. “That’s a slaver hub, isn’t it?” He recalled Nort the dwarf mentioning the place.

Kai nodded. “Like Thailen, it exists at the edge of the empire, though outside the Altaean Sea. We are sending a crew out tomorrow evening. There are several quests critical to our aims in the coming days.”

“Hits, you mean?” Gunnar asked.

“It will be up to your captain about the nature of the quest you will be assigned.”

“Who’s the captain?”

Gunnar gulped as Niall stepped forward from his duty at the door and bowed his head to Lord Kai.

He did not miss Niall’s pointed smirk as he met Gunnar’s gaze and said, “I’ll be leading the mission.”