Over a decade earlier, Alphonse Kneller had been betrayed on Earth. Left on the streets of a city collapsing under the weight of anarchy, he had sat on a sidewalk waiting for a person he knew would never come. He didn't know why he placed his trust in someone he barely knew. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were related by blood. Alphonse figured he had misconstrued the meaning between sharing blood and being bonded by it.

There was no home waiting for him, and he had wondered if the place he lost might even be considered a home. He sat and waited for something to end it – perhaps a stray bullet, a passerby with ill-willed intent, anything.

A man with a brown bag had stopped in front of him on the third day when Alphonse was long passed wallowing in his misery. Honestly, he had reached the point of feeling nothing at all as he sat shivering in the rain.

The man didn't look at him with pity – just an empty sadness that mirrored his own. The deep wrinkles reaching from his eyes gave him the appearance of someone who might cry at any moment. But his shoulders were straight, and he held his head high despite the pressure of the world around him.

Both of them no longer had anyone that they could call “family.” Alphonse accepted the opportunity to retreat from society, and he soon called this man his father.

A few months ago, Alphonse had been betrayed on Hovestile. Left in the suffocating darkness of a dungeon, he waited for a death that would return him to the world where he'd lost his father – a world with no more opportunities to give. Either his wounds would claim him, or the monsters in pursuit would cut him down.

Alphonse had placed his trust in someone he thought he knew, but that person had left him behind without lifting a finger. Not a shred of effort to give him the chance to build the home he sought so desperately.

But he had been saved by two beastkin who were in their own desperate situation. Kirie had found him and stood firm as they struggled through the dungeon. Asa had healed him and remained by his side through the remainder of his recovery.

Their relationship started as an affinity based on understanding, which soon grew into friendship maintained by a family atmosphere and a promise of home.

Now, Alphonse stood at the head of the long table in one of the Guild Union's meeting rooms with seven individuals waiting on his words. He always anticipated this day with a mix of dread and scarce traces of optimism.

It was just as Rinka had said at the Submerged Oasis, “Trust is such a fickle thing. One must have your quality of resilience to understand it is a necessity that changes much like the weather.”

Alphonse didn't plan on revealing everything. There were too many dangerous factors to consider. Too many consequences. Too many enemies with powerful influences. Too many unknowns.

But GRIM needed allies.

Alphonse felt Ash's keen gaze on him as his eyes bore into the table. He didn't even risk sparing a glance at her reflection in the immaculate, polished surface. Without a doubt, she would be the most difficult to appease. The fox woman was too perceptive, and she had also been exposed to plenty of crucial information during the battle against the spellcaster in the demihuman district. Hopefully, she wouldn't bring up those particular inquiries with everyone present.

“Trust is such a fickle thing,” he repeated.

Alphonse steeled himself and observed the people he was choosing to trust.

To either side of him were Kirie and Asa, suitably positioned as the lieutenants of his guild. Kirie lounged back lazily in her chair and gave him a confident smirk as she laced her fingers behind her head. Asa sat straight and stared at him with her customary look of indifference. As Alphonse was about to shift his attention, he noticed the faint hint of a smile as her lip curled up on one side.

Their reassuring presence reminded him of a quote his father recited, “Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”

He didn't think much of the quote back then. After all, it was just the two of them living in a small cabin, secluded from the world and entirely off the grid. There was no third person to consider at the time.

Three of them were keeping secrets at the moment, and two of them were very much alive. There were some obstacles along the way, but Alphonse felt Kirie and Asa had done a pretty decent job holding everything together. He knew his father's words were something to live by, and they may have been correct in most instances, but he convinced himself this wasn't one of them. He was relying on his own judgment and the encouragement of his companions.

He looked further down the table to his left where Ash and Kureha sat. The fox woman wore her leather armor with the twin scimitars strapped to either hip. The sling rested beneath her healthy arm, which crossed her chest in a stiff posture. Not even the slightest shift or disturbance in the room took her attention away from him.

Kureha did her best to mirror Ash, but there was the notable shifting of her eyes and the ruffle of her loose-fitting dress as she readjusted in her seat. It didn't help that there were more humans in the room than she was comfortable with. Discussing tea at the shop with Alphonse was one thing, but there were three other humans present. The wolf girl rested her arms on the table and focused on him as well, but it was clearly meant to calm her, rather than analyze like Ash.

On the right side opposite the beastkin were Derek, Anya and Kaede. The original agreement was that Anya would solely represent her party, but after some deliberation, Alphonse deemed it necessary to bring the warrior along since he had also placed himself deeper into whatever conspiracies hounded them.

Anya had also explained the reason for bringing Kaede when they entered the meeting room earlier than everyone else. The motherly receptionist explained that the dangerous discrepancies with quests didn't sit right with her. Kaede suspected GRIM was especially being targeted, and so she revealed that Anya's quest had been directly from her in case Alphonse's job went awry.

“Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead,” Alphonse repeated. “Trust...is such a fickle thing.” I bet Rinka and Dad would've gotten along. He smiled inwardly at the thought.

“So, where to start...” Alphonse announced.

He didn't need to wait long for an answer. “From the beginning,” Ash said. She mirrored Kureha and rested an arm on the table in a less inimical pose.

Everyone visibly stiffened at her directness, but Alphonse was already acclimated to her straightforward attitude.

“You didn't know why the Siren attacked you,” Ash said. She gave the other humans a sideways glance. “But maybe now you at least have a vague idea, especially after what happened with that spellcaster. Not to mention the dark ogre near Lamfell.”

The rest of the individuals at the table shifted in their seats a bit as they waited for him to answer.

Alphonse nearly choked when his throat wouldn't comply, like a child who was trying to swallow a pill for the first time.

I planned for this, he thought. I can't give all the details, but we can give them this much.

Alphonse released a ragged breath through barely-parted lips. He pulled the chair out and took a seat. He locked eyes with Ash, and the fox woman responded with a weak smile that almost seemed apologetic.

“Alright,” Alphonse started. “But first, I need to make one thing clear. I honestly have no idea as to why there are so many discrepancies with quests, because I don't see the relation between the spellcaster and whoever is behind it. The Siren Incident didn't make any sense to me either, but it might have some connection.”

Alphonse clasped his hands tighter to keep himself from shaking, but he knew it was a futile effort.

He was surprised when Anya leaned forward and raised her hand in a calming gesture. “It's alright. You don't have to tell us everything.”

“We're here to try and figure out what those connections might be,” Kaede added helpfully. “But too much information can be as detrimental as too little.”

Derek spoke next and gave Alphonse the most obvious expression of pity he'd ever received. It was worse than the time when his father found him on the street when he was a child.

The big man ran a hand through his close-shaved hair and let out a low whistle, like a person who witnessed someone performing a dangerous stunt. He lowered both hands to his lap, rolled his shoulders and straightened in the chair.

“I've seen this hesitation before,” Derek said. He stared up at the ceiling, as if conjuring an image along the flat surface that only he could observe. “A friend from my unit had the same look you're wearing right now.”

Alphonse made the traditional motion of raising a hand to his scarf. It was the one nervous habit he simply couldn't break, and it proved that his eyes told Derek everything he needed to know. He recalled the warrior mentioning offhandedly that he'd been a soldier back on Earth. The man kept most of the details close to his chest, but Alphonse could tell when his brow furrowed that he'd seen some things. Terrible things.

“We were carrying out a special mission. I'll spare you the heavy details, so let's just say the whole ordeal was a fucking mess,” Derek said.

“We received some flawed intelligence, and it left us as sitting ducks in the middle of a desert. Hell, you could've mounted a neon sign on a humvee, and we wouldn't have been more obvious. Orders had to be sent through multiple channels before we received them, and sometimes they came in with a bundle of static. We didn't have direct comms to the spotter plane over us either.” Derek shifted in his chair a bit, as if readying himself for bad news, even though he already knew the end of the story.

“A communication came in late, way later than what the situation called for, and my buddy received garbled orders that he had to interpret. We could've asked them to restate it, but we probably would've been blown to bits while the enemy readjusted their angles. And these guys didn't walk their fire¹In this case, referring to mortar fire. Each impact is observed, and then a correction to angle and other factors is made to put the round closer to target – they were well-trained. Time definitely wasn't on our side, but maybe we would've had a better idea.

“Anyway, he made a call based on the enemy's experience, and what he thought command designated as our safe-zone from the spotter. He chose wrong. Half our unit was wiped out as mortar fire rained down on us.”

Alphonse closed his eyes as he attempted to picture the scene. He knew that there was no way to even fathom such a thing without actually experiencing it.

“He never stopped blaming himself, all the way up until he died a few months later,” Derek said. “He lived the rest of his life with nothing but regret and a barrel glued to his head.”

Derek gave Alphonse an unreadable look when he finished the story. His eyes appeared glassy in the faint light of the room.

“I'll never forget that look on his face when he relayed the orders to us,” Derek said. “The way you look now reminded me of him. It doesn't matter if the result is promised in a few minutes or a few months. You aren't just debating about trust here; you're also afraid that whatever you're going to tell us might put us in the line of fire. Am I right?”

Alphonse's shoulders rose and fell sporadically as he took in the full weight of Derek's words. He slowly curled and released his fingers as he averted his gaze to give himself a few precious seconds to collect himself.

He found that his lips were dry as the desert that Derek mentioned. He rested a hand on his thigh, as if it would help straighten his posture. The pain flared in his knee, even though he hadn't done anything strenuous with it.

“Yeah, that's part of it,” Alphonse finally said.

Thankfully, Anya diffused the tension when she punched Derek in the shoulder and shook her head. “Geez, that got heavy real quick. Now you decide to tell people about your past? I've been with you since the beginning.”

Derek shrugged. “Well, this seemed like the right time to bring it up.” He gave her a wry grin. “And you're just such a terrible listener.”

Anya punched him again playfully and feigned a pout as she rested her chin in her palm. “Asshole.”

Derek massaged his arm and made a poor attempt to stifle his laughter.

Everyone else at the table relaxed a bit at the duo's light banter. It was some much-needed relief between the inevitable grimness of their talks.

“He's right,” Kaede said as the brief mirth died down. “Everyone here is already a part of this in varying degrees.” She leaned back in her chair and raised her chin, like a mother preparing to lecture her child. “And this doesn't just concern you. There are other adventurers in danger with these quests. Remember, it's my job to ensure the well-being of all adventurers.” She waved her hand casually and added, “It's also kind of exciting to break the rules. It's like I'm on an adventure too.”

“Guess you're just as crazy as the rest of us,” Anya said. She feigned an exasperated sigh. “We got pulled into most of this shit, so I doubt whoever's behind this is just gonna leave us alone. A dark ogre, a Siren and that damn spellcaster. How the hell do you expect us to back down now?”

Kureha shifted in her seat and managed to wear an asserted expression upon hearing everyone's declarations, but it only lasted a moment as she scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “Well, I guess I'm not the adventurous type. I kind of feel out of place here. The only thing I'm good for is making tea...” She pressed her fingers together nervously.

Ash interjected before the wolf girl had a chance to disparage herself further, “That's not true at all, Kureha. We already know you have a way of reading people. You warmed up to Alphonse immediately, despite him being a human.”

Kureha stared down at the table, and her fingers pressed together at an almost feverish pace as a tinge of pink rose on her cheeks. “Th-that's true, I guess.”

Kureha's twitching ears and swaying tail actually had an effect that seemed on par with everyone else's statements. Alphonse felt completely at ease just having the wolf girl around. She was just so...honest.

He also realized that Ash's offhand comment actually implied that there was more about Kureha than what appeared on the surface. It was as if the hinted information was a sort of silent exchange between them.

Ash caught him examining her and gave him an almost imperceptible wink to confirm his suspicions.

Alphonse relaxed. Alright then...

He proceeded to tell them everything he'd learned – excluding the Construct Contracts, of course.

He recounted his journey through the Mesatend Forest when he escaped from the ogre, Bejhkara, with Sebastian and his family. He described the second encounter with the ogre and how the monster was being controlled by the strange, dark fluid that turned it into a walking horror.

Anya and Derek also added their own experience with a dark ogre and provided information from the other adventuring parties that encountered similar foes. Alphonse's group was involved with a much more extreme case, but they had all fought the dark ogres. Bejhkara clearly had a personal grudge against GRIM as well.

After a brief break of discussion, everyone in the room was on the same page. They knew that the powerful spellcaster was responsible, and they were certain that he wanted adventurers to complete the dungeon in Lamfell. Until then, they would consider him as neither ally or foe.

Then there was the Siren Incident. They weren't able to find any direct connections, but an attack from two powerful monsters against GRIM seemed too big of a coincidence; however, it was still a possibility. The only other likely explanation was the involvement of another party, since the spellcaster didn't seem to have any use for the Siren in relation to the Lamfell dungeon. In the end, they didn't have enough information to settle on any truly sound theories.

Following that, Alphonse recounted everything Jin Hanlon and Evelyn Fortellia said about the possible malicious intent towards adventurers from members of the High Council – which obviously incited plenty of surprised looks from everyone in the room – save for Ash.

He also told them about the recent quest that gave GRIM an excuse to leave Forgedalk. This labeled Jin, Evelyn and the spellcaster, Bevka, as allies.

Alphonse removed the scarf from his face when he concluded the most recent explanation. He started to wrap it around his wrist to make sure it still hid his profile from appraisals. After a bit of consideration, and with silent approval from Asa's precautionary warding, he rested it on the table.

He realized that the other humans hadn't seen his face up until now when their mouths opened slightly.

“Kaede,” Alphonse said. The receptionist stiffened in her seat when he broke the awkwardness. “You probably wondered why I took such a keen interest in adventurer reports.”

“It did cross my mind a few times,” Kaede answered. “I've known some dedicated adventurers, but with you, it was almost obsessive.”

Alphonse figured she started catching on after a while. She was a smart woman. She had enough prudence and observation to sneak into the Guild Union's archives holding restricted adventurer documents – the ones that were completely original, unedited and barred from public use. She even knew exactly what to say after what happened to him with the Siren Incident. She really was the persona of a watchful mother to adventurers.

“Evelyn's warning confirmed some of my suspicions about the High Council,” Alphonse said. “I can't give specific details though. I'm sorry.”

“Remember, too much information can be dangerous,” Ash said. “I agree with Anya. We trust you this much. All I ask is that you keep us in the loop.” She looked at everyone else for confirmation, and they all nodded in unison.

“Give us the results,” Derek said.

Alphonse made his declaration, “It seems likely that some members of the High Council are making adventurer deaths look like accidents. I don't know why these people want adventurers dead, but that's my conclusion. Jin and Evelyn seem to think so as well.”

After some more discussion, they agreed that the antagonists in the High Council and the spellcaster were entirely separate entities with differing goals. The spellcaster would not be the focus of their concern until they completed the Lamfell dungeon. Dealing with two factions at once would've been a daunting task, and the prospect of even a third would be downright disheartening.

Alphonse looked over at Ash. Thankfully, she refrained from asking any specific questions regarding the spellcaster's mention of “Seeker of True Equivalence,” or anything about his “book.”

“Alright, how do we deal with this?” Ash asked. “Do you have some sort of contingency plan? We obviously don't have enough information to take any offensives.”

“I have the start of one,” Alphonse said. “But it will only work if the other side makes the first move.” He reached into a side pouch of his bag and placed an envelope on the table. “I need your help.”

Derek gave him an encouraging thumbs-up. “Like Kaede said, we're already involved.”

Ash spoke and represented the other side, “We'll do what we can, within reason.”

“Thank you,” Alphonse said. He bowed from his seat.

He composed himself and slid the envelope down the table to Kaede, who snatched it up as if it were a skewer dropped in a campfire. She stared at the letter for a moment before giving him a quizzical look.

“This is the start of everything. If Jin Hanlon thinks that adventurers are being killed on quests, then he will definitely visit the Guild Union to examine reports. When he shows up, give him this letter and recommend that he read the reports involving an adventurer named Alphonse Kneller.”

Kaede nodded. “I can do that.”

Anya flung her hand up vigorously, like a student vying for the teacher's attention. “I have an idea. Why don't you use that certain favor from Ruslin?”

Alphonse leaned forward, intrigued. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, we don't know him that well, but Forward Earth has a ton of influence. Our leaders have a lot of insider information since we branched off into trade agreements outside the capital,” Anya said.

“That's a good point,” Derek said. “Ruslin may be a lieutenant now, but he still has close ties with the leaders, thanks to his business background when he was on Earth. He also dipped his hands into other basic affairs far more than any of our people.”

“Right,” Anya concluded. “And I bet those council bastards will have adventurers entering the Lamfell dungeon before we get back. Forward Earth will be part of that effort once they find a way around. Ruslin will have tons of information that might be useful.”

Alphonse considered the proposal. They could start connecting some of the dots based on how the military behaved and how eager the council was to throw adventurers on possible suicide missions. They already agreed that Jin Hanlon's warning held plenty of merit. And it wouldn't be strange that GRIM wanted to stay in the loop since its members would be in La'abrine.

He saw no downside.

“I know even less about that guy,” Alphonse said. “He was a total ass when we first met, but he doesn't seem so bad overall. Whatever information you think might be useful – I'll leave it up to your judgment.”

Anya gave him her playful salute. “You got it, boss!”

Alphonse barely managed to hold back his surprise when Ash made her own pronouncement, “I will also speak with my contacts,” Ash said. “And you don't owe me that favor anymore. I have people that will be in touch, if that's alright.”

“Works for me,” Alphonse answered. He had to admit that the prospect of meeting Ash's people was borderline nerve-wracking. If they were anything like her, then he would need to be on guard. She might also involve the alchemist and the masked woman.

He wasn't lying about only having the start of a plan. His guild could only accomplish so much with their limited expertise. GRIM needed allies, and those allies were here now. They also had people who specialized in areas that left them some breathing room.

After everyone else voiced their suggestions, Alphonse was able to establish the finer details of their plan. It demanded patience, but he didn't see any other way to mount an offensive until the other side revealed their hand. Or at least part of it.

When the meeting officially came to a close, the varied parties were ushered through the back employee entrance of the Guild Union at staggered times to avoid suspicion.

Alphonse considered the meeting an absolute success. It was clear that there were still some brimming questions, but everyone seemed satisfied overall. The first verbal battle was over.

Alphonse nodded to Kirie and Asa as most of the participants departed. The two catgirls didn't need an explanation and respectfully followed everyone out of the meeting room. Their knowing eyes lingered at the door for a moment, and they silently mouthed some encouragement before easing it shut.

Alphonse turned to face the remaining individual in the room. Ash stared back at him with that calculated gaze.

He didn't want to let the silence linger between them for long. He would lose the momentum he'd gained. It was best to be as honest and straightforward as possible.

“Guess I need to sate some of your curiosity,” Alphonse said to the fox woman.

Ash rested a hand to her chest in feigned innocence and gave him a smirk. “Just a bit. After all, your enigmatic nature is one of the few things keeping me around.”