Scent of Calamity [Divine Calamity]

The slave bowed and nervously hurried off, ascending the stairs in the entry foyer and into the bowels of the guild hall. Through the hallways they went in search of one of the guildmistresses, until eventually they found Thana. The warlord was in the war room, reading through a small stack of missives they’d received from various members that had infiltrated the Luminous Covenant and Ironheart Pact. Their agents were doing quite well with ingraining themselves into the factions without arousing much suspicion, taking whatever steps were necessary to climb the hierarchy and become more trustworthy. While they weren’t yet at the point of being able to overhear any major secrets or cause any true damage from within, they were establishing themselves as crucial cogs in the machine, and it would only be a matter of time before their efforts bore an abundance of fruit. All they needed to do was have patience.

And Thana was nothing if not patient.

Her attention didn’t so much as flick to the slave as they entered, her eyes continuing to read the report in her hand even as the woman approached. She dropped to her knees and bent her torso forward until she was fully prostrated at Thana’s feet. There she remained, stone silent and motionless, until…

“Speak.”

“Your worship, there is a man in the foyer requesting an audience. He claims he wishes to join the guild.”

A single brow lifted on Thana’s forehead with interest, finally turning to face the servant. “Is that so?” Ironically, there weren’t too many men that had stepped forward to join their ranks. There were plenty of male slaves, certainly, but curiously enough when she had built this guild with Yuri and Yuli, the vast majority of interested parties had been women. The small handful of men that had joined in the past hadn’t lasted very long. Would this one wash away like the others, or would he prove to be of more substance? There was only one way to find out. “Well, best not to keep him waiting then. You may go.”

As the slave hurried to her feet and left, Thana also stood. With a touch of her magic, she transformed into one of her many aliases: a tall man with long shaggy dark hair that was loosely braided to one side. An eye patch appeared over one eye, and a tight fitting red shirt with a lavish feathered pauldron on one shoulder hugged his torso so closely it was practically glued to the taught muscular structure beneath. While much of the guild knew who Thana truly was, the guildmistress rarely choosing to walk the halls of her own establishment in disguise, she did often take precaution when approaching potential new members. After all, she wasn’t quite ready for the world at large to know that she had returned from the dead. The time for her to reveal herself was swiftly approaching, but it would not be today.

He filled a crystal glass with red wine and made his way toward the entrance of the guild. It didn’t take long to spot the newcomer lounging on one of the couches. His dark hair was also long, longer even than Thana’s disguised form, and he seemed to sport a similar physique. In fact, his body was excellently crafted. Rarely did one’s physical appearance truly catch her attention, but even she had to note that he was quite handsome.

Approaching at a comfortable pace, he gently sank down into the seat of the couch that sat across from the one which the newcomer occupied. “So,” he said, his tone pleasant with a small but affable smile upon his lips. “I understand you wish to join my guild. We are, of course, open to new membership. May I inquire as to your interest in Divine Calamity? And perhaps to what it is you hope to bring to the table, mister..?” The question lingered to give the newcomer a chance to introduce himself as the disguised guildmaster put the glass to his mouth and drew from it a quiet, dignified sip.

Kaz explained, if vaguely, about his ‘research’ that he was hoping to keep out of the prying eyes and hands of the Rune Knights, a statement which drew a raised brow of curiosity from the guildmaster but otherwise was not remarked upon in any way. In exchange, he offered up his capabilities for use by the guild as desired. The disguised Thana listened with interest, watching with a keen eye as the man demonstrated his ability to morph his form, choosing that of a delightfully beautiful woman.

The single visible eye on the guildmaster made no attempt to hide looking the new physical aspect over, not necessarily in a lecherous fashion but certainly an appreciative one. A pleased hum escaped his lips. “I can certainly think of plenty… being a shapeshifter myself, whose abilities are equally difficult to detect, I am intimately familiar with how exceptionally useful such skills can be.” Indeed, the smile that he gave was more than open to the prospect of having another member with similar talents around the guild hall.

“You may call me Ezekiel,” the man told him, returning the introduction. “I am the founding guildmaster of Divine Calamity, alongside my fellow associates Yurielle and Yuliana. You’ll find that we don’t have very many rules here. For the most part it’s survival of the fittest. Yuri and Yuli and I don’t tend to get involved in any squabbles between guildmates if they arise; you’re expected to handle your own disagreements. Pretty much the only hard lines we stick to is that any and all guests are restricted to the entry foyer here unless given prior consent by one of the three of us to venture into the restricted areas of the building. And that rule is primarily in place to help reduce the possibility of any Rune Knight spies from smuggling themselves in. We have quite a few individuals here that the Knights would just love to get their hands on for far worse crimes than simply being a ‘dark’ mage, myself included, so we do like to give our members a certain sense of security in that regard.”

Ezekiel paused for a moment to take another sip from his glass, allowing the mouthful to linger between his lips to appreciate its taste before gently swallowing. “For the most part, the slaves are open to usage by the members for whatever you may desire. There are a few that members brought in for personal use, and I’m sure you will learn those in time. Naturally, you are allowed to bring your own slaves as well. As for your research, as long as it doesn’t hinder the guild in any way, you are free to practice whatever hobbies you desire. And certainly if you ever need assistance with anything, you have but to ask and we’ll see what we can do. While I am more than capable of ‘laying down the law’, so to speak, I much prefer to interact at an open and honest level with the members. Things simply operate so much more smoothly when all parties are satisfied, you see.”

“Otherwise, all we ask for membership is to undergo a trial of a guildmaster’s choosing. Think of it less as a test of loyalty, and more as… proof that your intentions are what you say they are. It should take but a moment.” Lifting his free hand, he beckoned toward a nearby slave, who hurried over and immediately knelt at Ezekiel’s feet, ready for instruction. A woman with striking blonde hair, she was rather young – not very far into her adult years. Maybe early twenties or so. The guildmaster gestured almost dismissively at the woman, his single eye still turned to Kaz. “Kill this one and we’ll call it even, shall we?”

A simple test indeed, but one that someone with more noble intentions would certainly balk at. A Rune Knight attempting to infiltrate the guild would almost certainly hesitate to take the life of an innocent slave. A bit wasteful of a request, perhaps, but slaves were a dime a dozen and another could easily be found to take her place. Given the lack of subsequent detail, Kaz could assume that the manner and speed of the murder was up to his preference as Ezekiel merely waited with patience to see what the would-be recruit would do.