When I came out of the bath, I felt eyes stare into me. There weren't many that avoided looking my way. The guild master was up on the third floor, looking down into the mess, and alternating between looking at me, and the people who had also turned to look at me.

I was in the same ragged clothes but at least I was fresher. Four days of grime from walking, and four nights of grime from sleeping in tents, plus some extra hours here and there, made for one hell of a layer of grease on my skin.

But now, it was gone. I wasn't exactly sure how - I hadn't brushed my skin, only rubbed it. Magic, if I had to guess.

Some eyes turned away, completing whatever scan they were doing, or withering under my gaze when I maintained eye contact. It mattered not. Crysi was trying to get my attention at the desk, so I walked over, calm and collected.

The rough fabric of the shirt I wore was getting on my nerves, and it had definitely given me a rash on my back.

When I reached the desk, Crysi held up a pouch so I could see it. I held my hand out, and she moved to put it in my hand - then pulled it back at the last second with a glint of sadness in her eyes.

"I don't think you deserve this." she said, holding my gaze. "The guild master recommended we give you a fifth of the reward for the completed task. The rest goes to their families. Well, Marad and Kelst's families, anyhow."

They had families, huh. I did feel a pang of remorse for that. I had taken life out of this world for my own gain. Yet the pang was fleeting and non-consequential. I let it pass, then held my hand out for the pouch again.

"I will only use it on essentials, as though they had given me a gift of their own free will." I said. Though, ultimately, I would break that word if I needed to, I was in dire need of the essentials, and if my solemn vow convinced her, then I could get on with it.

She hesitated for a second longer, then gave me the pouch.

"Thank you. Gelt was… a friend. Always far too prepared for the situation."

She lingered for longer than a second when trying to label their relationship - which made me think it was something more.

"Apparently, not prepared enough in the end." I said, and she looked at me with incredulousness. How dare I say something so true?

A shout came across the hall, rough yet distinctly feminine. I knew who it was at once. Xyippe waved a hand when I looked over. She was on the far side of the second floor, in another room like the one I had entered when joining Gelt's team.

So, they are staging grounds and meeting places both. Good to know. I looked at Crysi again, but she had turned away, so I went up the stairs instead. I passed the Master on my way up, and he nodded slightly to me.

I still felt eyes on me as I walked, from rooms I passed with open doors, or from below. Xyippe waved me over, and brought me into the far-end meeting room.

Instantly, three eyes jumped to me, and I could feel their disdain in moments. Experienced, or perhaps practised in the art of judging, two other members stripped me bare with their eyes.

One stood up, looking at my height. I was slightly taller.

The other stayed silent.

"This is who I told you about." said Xyippe, with some slight glee in her voice. She then turned to me, and introduced us.

The one still sat was Kreis, a swordsman - who's blade was on the table. Long, and slightly curved towards the point. I'd looked into swordsmanship as a pursuable hobby once, and had collected various weapons for years. It was because of this, I knew the blade on the table to be a Kreigsmesser.

The other held a staff, long, and made of some kind of metallic material. Nothing I had seen before, since it was silvery, yet had a red hue. His name was Alveros, and he walked with small strides up to me, then put out a hand.

I shook it, and he seemed confused, yet walked back all the same. Strangely enough, he walked backwards, but he did not turn around to do so.

"You bring a cursed, unequipped, unexperienced, adornmentless unknown to us, and you expect him to be good enough to join." said Kreis, thumbing the hilt of his blade. "You have heard the story, yes, that he got his last team killed?"

I scoffed. "I did not 'get' them killed. They died because they could not protect themselves properly. Had I not been there, the result would have been the same."

"I'm sure it would, male-spawn." he said the words 'male-spawn' more like he was beginning to say 'malevolence'.

The other spun on him. "I would give him the benefit of the doubt." he said, but then turned to Xyippe and smiled apologetically. "But I do not see him joining us."

"Aww, shucks fellas, thanks for the vote of confidence." she said, then threw two fingers up at the both of them. "Yet I don't see either of yous askin' anyone else - you're both pussies."

Alveros looked away at that, but Kreis yawned.

"If asking people gets us newblood like this, then I'd rather go alone." he said, then turned his head up and away.

"Oh fie. Curse you both. We can't go in to the missions we do with only three. I'll come back when you've some sense." she said, then charged out the door.

I made to follow - neither of these people interest me, but Alveros places a hand on my shoulder, and impresses a pouch on my hand.

"She is right. I am sorry, and thus I give you this in recompense."

I see. He's the extremely apologetic and nice kind of person. I gripped the pouch, then nodded and left. I saw Xyippe rip the front door of the guild open, then batter past two returning members.

Outside, I found her in a nearby alley leant up against a wall. When she noticed me, she smirked slightly.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"I thought feignin' a tantrum might get 'em to reconsider. It look like it worked?" she asked.

I held up the pouch Alveros had given me, and nodded.

"At least on Alveros." I said, watching her. She was breathing heavily, but it wasn't out of physical exertion. No. She was genuinely angry.

"Good, then we can get you voted in." she said, then sighed whilst shaking her head.

"I take it you don't like your teammates much?" I probed.

She laughed slightly, but we both knew it was fake.

"Not since our leader died. He was the best of us, able to handle my chaotic nature, able to deal with the snide remarks and stringent disciplines that Kreis holds himself to, but hates. That, and he actually convinced us to give more of our share to Alveros for his condition."

"Sounds like a good guy."

"He wasn't a good guy. No, not at all. He was manipulative, self-righteous and sometimes inhumane. But he upheld benevolence to his core. If yer were in his team, you was family." she said, smiling on old memories. "We didn't do nice things all the time, but we always had each other."

Family. What a brilliant way to be evil, yet still have people see you as good. Something I should adopt.

She perked up, slowing her breathing and peeling herself off the wall.

"Well, you have coin. Why don't we go shopping?" she asked, then looked me up and down. "You do need some new clothes, darlin'."

"I can't argue with that. Care to show me around?"

We travelled together through streets that were looking decidedly less… utopian than when I first looked over the city. It was as if the buildings themselves were terrified of the coming war. The smell of baked goods still graced the air, but so too did the smell of wet stone, of muddy feet, for the rain fell in small droplets.

We entered a weaver's establishment, and purchased a couple of tunics made from a material that was similar to wool, but seemed denser and stronger, and some hose made from similar stuff. Two pairs, and two pairs of undergarments too. Essentials.

Next up was a swordsmith, with a daughter who made armour. With more or less the last of my money, I bought a long, black gambeson. It was like a particularly thick and heavy coat, only it strapped together at the front with five leather belts secured with buckles.

I was surprised to find it was actually comfortable.

Looking over the weapons, I considered multiple options.

My first adornment allowed me to, essentially, use weapons that would require two hands with only one. I wasn't entirely sure how that would work until I picked up a blade.

It was long, if I had to guess, about 140 centimetres, and the length of the grip was under half that itself. Absolutely a two-hander, even if the smith didn't say that himself. As I touched it, I felt the weight, not too heavy. But then it felt much, much lighter, like someone had shaved it in half.

I swung it in a test, using two hands. It felt good.

"Oh, yous the type for a double hander are ye?" he asked, seeming slightly surprised. "I had you pegged for a longsword, meself."

I swung again, but then took my other hand off the handle. It felt much lighter than I had expected, and I swung it in another arc. It felt slightly slower than before, but not by much.

Hmm. That made me think. If I could wield a two-hander like a one-handed blade, then does that mean with two hands, I was technically having the same effect as if I had three arms with which to swing?

Because it felt like it. I smiled. Then I wanted a longsword - something I could use in two-hands if I needed to. I would gain all the benefits of my adornment, for technically the weapon was two-handed. Not sure what the criteria are for it to activate, but when I touched the longsword he handed me, I felt it.

There was another reason. If I was seen with a two-handed weapon, using it like I could, there would be suspicion. Imagine if I swung around a claymore with ease. No, I'd have to wait for that kind of power, for I had locked away the option of doing so by telling Velsa that the Silencers had killed the Matriarch.

The swordsmith offered me a longsword, and it felt… right. I decided to take it.

With that, the last of my Gussiame Chatla was gone.

Xyippe and I were walking through the streets again in no time, yet this time I was at least equipped. Of fortunate note was that my boots were good quality, unlike everything else - and fit me perfectly. Strange that it was only the boots that did so.

Even the gambeson I had bought was a little unfitting. Slightly too large in some areas, too small in others. But I would take a lack of comfort over death any day.

I had a burning question in my mind. What was Alveros condition, and why would he have to pay more for it. With this question, I had spoken to Xyippe.

She frowned slightly.

"He isn't sick, or injured if that's what you're wondering. No, he has a story, one I'll let him tell if he wants to." she said, uncharacteristically serious.

"Then what's Kreis story?"

"Our old leader was… older than us, and friends with the Guild Master, too, though younger than him. Kreis was his official apprentice, to say the least. We all learnt from him, but Kreis was training to master a specific sword style, one that required a specific creature's adornment. He's hostile to you because of that."

"Because of his training."

She put her hand on her shoulder.

"No, because of the Rustwraith Matriarch. That's… what he needs to actually put his training to use."

"And there was one nearby that is now dead." I finished.

She nodded. The rain increased in a heavy shower, so we hid under a stone arch.

"Yeah. It sucks for him. Even if you had killed it, you can't trade adornments between people. Benevolence knows that would cause a lot of issues."

"I keep hearing people talking about Benevolence, Malevolence, Bloom and Blight. What are they?"

"You don't know?" she said, surprised. That was getting old.

"I'm from a secluded location far to the north, called Hell." I lied. "We don't get much - not even magic."

"Strange places exist in this world." she said, smiling slightly. "I want to see all of them. Would you take me, at some point?"

"I would, but outsiders are not allowed inside the veil."

She dropped the smile, but nodded in acceptance.

"Benevolence and Malevolence are two sides of a coin. Good and Bad, you might say, but the scholarly would disagree. Benevolence is concerned with stuff like oaths, blessings, kindness, and charity. Stuff that helps other people. Malevolence is the opposite. Not objectively evil, but seeing to yourself above all else, promises to yourself, increasing your own strength, selfishness and greed."

"That makes sense. Then I assume Bloom and blights are polar opposites too?"

"Hold on, there's more. There is overlap between Benev and Malev. Pride is a common one - pride in others, and pride in yourself are more or less the same thing. Cruelty can be a benevolent act if it prevents people dying, but cruelty can also advance yourself in some way."

She smiles slightly.

"My dad taught me this, years and years ago. Strange that I would use his exact words again." she said, then returned to the present.

"To answer your question, yes, the Bloom and Blight are opposites too. Yet there is a shared space between them, just like with Benev and Malev. This shared space is a opposite to the Benev and Malev shared space, and thus they all fight against each other."

She sat down against the stone.

"Bloom is… life. Life can be cruel, as the Valakis eats the Muklia cubs. But it can be brilliant, as those cubs grow up to be majestic beasts. Blight is death, and it too, can be cruel. A plague that wipes out thousands of young people. But it can, also, be brilliant. A fire that wipes out a forest also allows it to regrow, but with different trees and animals that come from other places to fill the void."

"You seem, passionate, about this." I said, sitting down next to her.

"My father was a scholar, and he researched the Five Planes exclusively. Ours, which is the neutral plain where everything interacts. The Bloom plain is a massive jungle with exotic life and unending greens. Blight is a wasteland of perpetually dying creatures that are born and then reduced to nothing in seconds. Benevolence is made of gold and light, yet has black magma running through it. Malevolence is red and dark, but is bright from glowing stone."

She pokes her hand.

"I think the moral he was trying to tell me is that sometimes good comes with evil, and evil comes with good. Then, after he was gone, I met Hallidais, our old leader, and found it to be true. He took me in when I had nothing. Less than nothing - I was half-dead on the streets. Yet he brought me into the warmth without a second thought. How could someone like that be evil?"

"I don't think he was." I said, and she looked at me with a strange glint in her eyes. Her body faced slightly towards me. "I think he looked after his own, and didn't care what the rest thought."

A few tears rolled down her eyes and she wiped them.

"I looked after my own, and damn the rest!" she said, loudly and suddenly. "Those were his last words. Words you just quoted, nearly as they were spoken upon his deathbed."

She wiped away the last of them.

"Honestly, we need a leader. Kreis can't do it, nor can Alveros because of his condition. I'm… not cut out for it. I don't expect that from you, but I hope you can be some sort of paste that keeps us together, some small fragment of what brought us together in the first place."

A power vacuum in a strong team, and three emotionally exploitable people. This could work very, very well for me.

I smiled to myself.