"Alright. Let's get this over with."
Paul flashed his pendant at the guards stationed outside the merchant guild's front gate. They gave a nod, letting him pass. As he entered the grand hall, muffled whispers trickled toward him from his so-called colleagues. Their hushed tones weren't exactly subtle, and Paul didn't care to indulge in the idle gossip of old men.
A second set of guards opened the door leading to the meeting chamber. Inside, only about twenty of the fifty invited members were present. Most merchants didn't bother with these private reunions, typically little more than stock talk or market chatter, but today felt different.
"I made it very clear that a gosti was coming. All the signs were there."
Paul had been named an informant weeks ago. That alone had tipped him off about something big coming to the guild. He'd tried getting more out of his superior, but the man had acted like revealing any more would cost him his life.
"It looked like he was going to puke from the stress."
Paul settled into his assigned seat, the farthest from the stage. It was not a surprise for him. Of all the merchants, he was the least wealthy.
He leaned back, propping his feet up on the empty chair ahead of him."Might as well relax before the show starts. Wish they'd hurry up. I need to get back to my family."
He'd debated even coming. Leaving his sick daughter for a few hours was a hard decision, but his wife insisted she'd manage. She didn't want him missing on the mystery happening that night. Gloribel wasn't one to gossip, but she did like to keep herself in the know. Paul couldn't blame her, something about the sudden meeting stirred his curiosity too.
A mid-season assembly with the wealthiest of the guild?
"Could it be some sort of underground bidding war?" he murmured. "Nah, too clean for that."
The merchant guild had only been around for less than a decade, yet it already worked hand-in-hand with the kingdom's political machinery. A secretive bid would be wildly out of character, officially, anyway.
"Well, look who it is. Our dear friend Paul."
Paul turned to look, already regretting it. "Oh. Great. Dumb, Dumber, and Dumbest."
"Careful with that mouth," one sneered.
"Remember your place, low rank."
"Hmph, hmph."
Richy, Dicky, and Chatty strutted over, smug as ever. Paul didn't bother hiding his disdain.
"Can you beat it? I'm trying to enjoy a little peace before the circus starts."
Richy scoffed, pushing Paul's feet off the chair. "You won't see much anyway. Might as well stay quiet and let the real players work."
Paul smirked. "Just 'cause you had the advantage of arriving in this town a few months before me and getting a few sales doesn't make you better. I made twice your yearly profit this month. Honestly, you should be the one sitting behind me, but let's see what you'll say after this year's review."
Richy's face darkened. "Why, you—"
"—Settle down, everyone. We're about to begin." the announcer said.
At the podium stood a man in a green robe, gray hair flowing to his torso, white beard perfectly groomed. His crow's feet deepened as he adjusted his glasses and scanned the room.
"A shame so few of you who were summoned actually came. The young should learn to show up if they want to thrive. Still, it speaks volumes about those of you who are here. I have high hopes." He paused, as if realizing something, and then cleared his throat, "I apologize. You weren't called tonight to hear an old man rant, but to understand what's ahead, I must speak briefly on our history."
As the old man gave his speech, some couldn't keep themselves quiet.
"Hmph, hmph."
"You're right, Chatty. If the guild master's talking, this'll take all night," Dicky muttered. "Should've stayed home."
"Shut it," Richy snapped. "I'm trying to listen."
Dicky raised a brow. "You are actually interested?"
Richy nodded slowly. "Patience. I've got a feeling they're building up to something big."
Paul rolled his eyes, but deep down, he agreed.
The guild master continued, "This guild was founded unlike most. Usually, a guild forms for mutual aid, product standards, fair trade practices. But this guild... it was made for something else entirely: to bring noble families together. One district. One purpose."
Uncomfortable murmurs broke out. While everyone in the room was noble in some form, that didn't mean they were equals. Wealth and rank still divided them.
"Like it or not, you're all nobles. Despite your political differences, I brought you here for unity. That is this guild's true purpose."
A man stood, visibly annoyed. "Bringing noble families together isn't a simple task. Why would the guild want that to happen?"
"The answer," the guild master said, turning, "will be given by our special guest."
He stepped aside. A woman in a dark robe approached the podium. Her face was hidden under the hood, but her delicate pale hands, adorned with pearls, was exposed. She touched the wood lightly and observed the guild members who were present.
"Greetings to all. I thank you for being here tonight. I wish the circumstances were better for a proper assembly. Time, however, is not on our side."
She turned to the man who had questioned the guild master.
"You asked what drove this unity. The answer is simple. You all belong to the kingdom's most influential families. This was not planned for our time, but fate has rushed our hand. We need your help, urgently."
A woman stood. "Can we skip the buildup? We've heard nothing but vague warnings and history. What's actually happening here?"
The woman raised her head. Though her face remained hidden, her voice was clear.
"What's happening… could be the end of the world as we know it."
Silence fell upon the room.
"The... end of the world?" Dicky whispered.
"Hmph, hmph."
"This is bad." Richy muttered.
"There it is," Paul said. "That's the bomb."
Murmurs erupted. Shock turned to panic.
The guild master raised his hand. "Calm yourselves. The session isn't over." he tried calming down the uproar, but it was a futile attempt.
"Is this some kind of joke? How do you expect us to accept this? A stranger walks in and announces the apocalypse?" One person said.
"This is absurd!" said another.
It was getting to a point where, for the first time, Paul saw the guild master's calm and collected behavior crack.
"Silence! How dare you—"
"--It's alright, Gandorf." The woman said as she raised a hand. "They don't know who I am. Their reaction is expected."
The guild master took a step back. She now held the room.
"I know you have questions. I'll answer what I can, but let's keep it civil."
A noble raised his hand. "How do you know the world is ending?"
"There's been an overwhelming spread of the blight. It is nothing as seen before in the Kingdom. As the blight spreads, it'll soon take our land, our homes and eventually us. The future is heading toward disaster. We must act now."
"Then, where are the knights of Heratia?"
Her face grimace, "Our brave knights are tied up in the south... and also spread too thin around the kingdom."
"I'm sure adventurers would want a piece of the action. Why are they not being recruited?"
"We've reached out, but there free spirits. They don't like the idea of being part of the kingdom knights. They could be contracted for a limited time, but they won't move without funding. That's why I'm here. The kingdom needs its nobles."
And so, the questions went around the room. One by one, the woman answered each question with poise and authority. Paul couldn't help but be impressed. She had the room in the palm of her hand.
Still, there was one question lingering in the room.
"Alright, enough with this is madness!" a woman said, "Who even are you? Can you back up what you're saying."
The woman took out an emblem, its symbol of that of a pegasus, "I come as a representative of the Reinsfield family. I assume you're all acquainted with the family."
The whole room fell silent once more.
"I suppose you're all also aware they're the ones responsible for letting any merchant establish their business in Aoba, a very good market place might I add, without heavy fines or special permissions. Is that enough backing for you?"
"Great," Richy murmured, "just great."
Paul understood his displeasure. Wherever you believed the family or not regarding the current status of the kingdom, if you refused to cooperate, your privilege could be revoked. Basically, this meeting is a roundabout way of telling them the Reinfields held their business hostage unless they did as they were told.
Between the murmurs, the woman's voice rang out, "I know what you all must be thinking. Rest assured the family isn't taking your privileges away. You're free to make the choice you want, but let me tell you this... when the blight consumes the kingdom, there will be no business to return to. That is if you make it out unscathed."
The members seemed to be deep in thought. To think the people in that room had the power to turn the tides in their favor against the blight. All they had to do was make one decision.
"Everyone, the time is now. Will you take part in saving our kingdom?"