It did not take much convincing from Daryl to strike a deal with Anna that involved him and Mallory staying at the inn for a few weeks. Anna was just so concerned for Mallory that she was willing to extend their stay for another month for one hundred tokens. As much as Daryl appreciated that, he felt apprehensive about the fact that there was only one pouch of tokens left tied to the belt on the inside of his robe. Between having to pay two tokens for a dinner every night and going out to the square to buy food for breakfast and lunch, staying there just to get Mallory passably healthy proved to be very costly. It was not like Daryl was going broke anytime soon, but his token storage was outside the village, and he figured that he would have to pay another toll just to leave.

On the bright side of things, Mallory was starting to look better throughout her time at the inn. She was still rather skinny, but she did not look like she was on the brink of death anymore. Her skin regained its youthful glow and caramel complexion. Her hair continued to grow longer, only to the point it had reached her shoulders. She even seemed to have grown a little taller, too. At her height when she first met Daryl, she was up to the top of Daryl's knee. After the time they spent at the inn, she came up to the middle of Daryl's thigh. Her eyes seemed smaller with her face looking much less skeletal, but they were still big and round, nonetheless. Although Mallory was grateful for the treatment she had been given, the amount of wonder she had felt when she first arrived there was starting to wear off. Daryl noticed this change and began to think she was getting spoiled.

Having built a decent relationship with their hosts, the four of them sat around a table in their kitchen eating a pottage stew made from the grains they grew in the back of their inn for the evening. "So, Daryl," Daniel started, sitting across from Daryl.

"What is it?" Daryl asked after gulping down a spoonful of stew.

The old man stroked his beard, staring at the symbol on Daryl's clothing. "I've been meanin' to ask, what's with that snake on your clothes?"

Daryl looked down at the symbol stitched in his robe and answered, "It's a guild symbol."

"Oh really?" he asked with genuine interest. "You must be awfully skilled, then! Which one is it?"

Daryl had kept quiet about being a swordsman the whole time they had been there, simply because he did not want to hinder their relationship by telling them that he was a murderer. His sword was stashed in the stable behind Stalwart, and surprisingly neither of them had noticed the sword. Either that, or they may have just thought he kept it for protection, a bit unlikely, but possible.

Mallory stopped eating and looked to see what Daryl would say. She was curious about whether or not he would lie to them.

Before Daryl could speak, they heard something fall onto the floor from upstairs. Their heads turned toward the sound. Following that was the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, a creak with each step. It became dead silent in the kitchen. Fear came over Anna and Daniel's facial expressions with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. Their fear spread to Mallory's face as it became clear the two owners could not tell who had entered the building. Daryl slowly got up from his seat as they heard footsteps approaching. He put his back against the wall and listened for more footsteps. That is when a man with long, scarlet hair came through the room. He wore a yellow cloak with a black cotehardie underneath. He had white pants on and brown boots that went up to his shins. Daryl caught a glimpse of a red guild symbol on the back of his cloak. The swordsman shoved him against the wall with his hand on his throat. "Who are you?" Daryl hissed as he struggled under his grasp.

He tried to take Daryl's hand off of his neck, his grey eyes wide with shock. "Who am I?" he retorted through gritted teeth. "Who in the gods' names are you?"

"Liam!" Anna gasped. She rushed over and grabbed Daryl's arm. "Daryl, it's alright! He's my son!" she explained.

Daryl raised his eyebrows and released the man immediately. The man hunched over and coughed, trying to regain his breath.

Mallory just looked back and forth between Daryl and the newcomer, completely confused at what was going on.

Anna grabbed Liam by his shoulder and back. "Are you alright?"

Daniel went back to eating his stew, shaking his head. "I told ya to come through the door next time, dummy."

Liam jolted back upright and shot the old man a glare. "It was locked, and I lost my key! Besides, how was I supposed to know you guys hired a body guard?" His face softened, and he rubbed his chin. "Speaking of which..." He turned himself around to get a good look at Daryl, who scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. To Daryl's surprise, though, Liam had a smile on his face, and he pointed at him. "You're a black guy!" he acknowledged.

Daryl jerked his head back.

"Liam!" his mother scolded. "That's rude!"

"Yeah? So is pinning me against the wall and nearly choking me to death!" he argued. He rubbed his chin and cocked an eyebrow, taking another look at Daryl. "Now what were your people called again?"

"My what?" Daryl asked, feeling more uncomfortable in the bizarre scenario.

Liam snapped his fingers and grinned in realization. "African! That's it, right?"

"I...suppose," Daryl answered.

"Wow!" Liam exclaimed, directing his attention at his mother. "Where did ya find him?"

"We didn't!" Anna explained, her expression becoming an irritated frown. "They found us! They're just customers, is all."

"'They?'" Liam questioned. He turned around to meet the gaze of a very confused Mallory. Liam gasped, his grin growing wider, and walked towards the table. "A kid! A colored kid!"

With Liam's back to Daryl, Daryl was more able to make out what the symbol was on his cloak. It was a red star with a circle around it. Daryl had never seen the symbol before and wondered what skills this man might have had.

"Will you leave her be?" Anna asked.

Liam ignored his mother and took a seat across from Mallory. He leaned in closely to her face. She shrank back in her seat. Liam rubbed his chin. "You're not like the other one," Liam remarked, "you're much lighter. And your bone structure, hm..." He snapped his fingers and pointed upwards. "I got it! You're an Indian! Might even be a mixed one, too."

"Liam!" Anna shouted, marching up behind him and smacking him on the head. "That's enough!"

"Ow!" Liam complained, rubbing his head. He shot his mother a glare. "C'mon, I was just curious! I hardly ever get to see colored people in real life, only in books!"

"Well they don't need you getting in their faces!" Anna yelled with her hands on her hips. She gave her husband a look. "Someone ought to have manners around here!"

Daniel finally looked up from his food with a puzzled look at his wife. "What do ya mean?"

"Don't play dumb! You were rude, too, when you first saw them!" she explained.

Daniel rolled his eyes and got up. "Why do ya always have to turn everything on me?" he asked, starting to walk away.

"Because your son learns from you!" she argued, following him out of the room.

"Actually, I learn from reading!" Liam called out to them as they continued to argue their way out of the kitchen. Liam reached across the table to grab his father's bowl of stew and started slurping it down.

Mallory grimaced at the man, thinking about how Daniel's mouth was just on the spoon not even a minute earlier.

Liam noticed her expression and cocked an eyebrow. "What? We're family!" The man then turned his attention to Daryl standing behind him, who was staring at the symbol on his cloak, and he motioned for him to come sit down. "Don't just stand there; join us!"

Daryl looked at Mallory, to which she shrugged and began eating her stew again. The swordsman hesitantly took a seat next to Mallory and across from Liam. He stared at Liam, baffled as to why he was being so friendly.

Liam grunted as he gulped down some food and extended his hand to Daryl. "I'm Liam, by the way."

Daryl stared at the hand, still put off by his effervescence. He's part of a guild I don't know of and I just attacked him... I have to be careful."You're not upset with me?" Daryl asked.

"Uh, maybe I will be if you don't take this hand!" he warned.

Daryl shook his hand reluctantly.

"Now what's your name, sir?" Liam asked, still smiling.

"Daryl," he answered.

Liam pulled his hand away and aimed it at Mallory. "And what's your name, little one?"

She shook his hand and answered, "Mallory."

Liam nodded and pulled his hand away. "Nice to meet you both, then!" He continued eating his stew.

Daryl thought about whether he should mention the guild symbol on Liam's clothing, wondering if it would be a good idea to pry for information after just meeting him. He's awfully friendly. Then again, it could be some kind of act. He's been acting pretty bizarre this whole time. Talking about our skin colors, eating after his father... Since he's in a guild, he must have realized I am, too. Isn't he curious about which guild I'm a member of?

Before Daryl could figure out what to say, Liam started to speak. "Say, aren't swordsmen supposed to have their weapons on them at all times?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow. No wonder he didn't ask about the symbol, he already knew. "You're thinking of knights."

"Oh," Liam replied, "so that's theirrule. I always get you two mixed up!"

With the man casually bringing up the Swordsmen's Guild like that, Daryl worried about him ruining his relationship with his parents. "Listen," Daryl started, "could you keep that between the three of us?"

"What do you mean?" Liam asked.

"I'm not sure how your parents would react to me being a swordsman. They've been very kind to me, and—"

"You don't wanna stop taking advantage of them?" Liam guessed.

Daryl jerked his head back. "What? No, I've been paying—"

"Ha!" Liam laughed, pointing at Daryl. "You should've seen your face! I'm just messin' with ya, man!"

Daryl narrowed his eyes and frowned. He's no threat. He's just annoying. "How do you know about my guild, anyway?"

"If I'm being honest," Liam started, "I actually don't know all that much about your guild. I even forgot what your symbol was, until I found that sword out in the stable and saw you here."

Daryl felt his muscles tense up upon hearing him say that he found his sword. He exhaled and glared at Liam. "You didn't touch it, did you?"

Liam's smile faded to a smirk and he shrugged. "Maybe."

Mallory looked up at Daryl, silently hoping that Daryl would not kill the man, but with the fuming look on Daryl's face it seemed like he was strongly considering it.

Liam continued eating his stew, and then looked up to ask, "I am curious, Daryl, how many people have you killed?"

Mallory looked at Liam, and back at Daryl, a chill ran up her spine thinking about the possibility that someone might ask her the same question someday.

"That's none of your business," Daryl snapped.

Liam chuckled. "Lost count, have you?"

"Enough," Daryl blurted.

Liam laughed aloud, completely unintimidated by Daryl's tone. He raised his arms up. "Relax, Daryl! Touchy subject, I get it." He glanced at Mallory. "So how do you two know each other? Perhaps she's your apprentice?"

Daryl took a deep breath to calm down. He glanced down at Mallory and figured it would not hurt to confirm his guess. "Yes, she is."

Liam rubbed his chin. "Interesting choice! I had no idea women were allowed into your guild!"

"Are they allowed into yours?" Daryl asked with no hesitation. I should try to get some information out of him. He might know something about other guilds, too.

Liam jerked his head back and raised a finger at Daryl. "Sneaky, aren't you, swordsman? You're not gettin' any information out of me that easily!"

Daryl was somewhat surprised by that response. Coming in with that cloak and in front of his parents, he figured that he would not be too secretive. "You know where I'm from, isn't it only polite if you tell me where you're from?"

"I'm not really known for my manners," Liam scoffed, "so I think I'll keep my mouth shut."

"You keeping your mouth shut?" Daryl remarked. "That's hard to imagine."

"Oh, believe me," Liam started, "I can keep quiet when I have to, like how I'll keep your not-so-subtle secret away from my parents."

Daryl raised an eyebrow. "And why should I believe you would do that?"

Liam smiled and spread his arms out. "Because I like you two! So why would I go off and ruin my relationship with my awesome new colored friends?"

"You think we're friends?" Daryl asked.

"Of course! Well, you may not like me very much, but once you get to know me—"

"Friends don't keep secrets from each other, do they?" Daryl asked, almost not even knowing the answer himself.

The corners of Liam's lips went down in a pondering fashion. "I suppose you have a point, there, but there are certainly some things that simply cannot be shared. Unless..."

There it is. He just wants something from me. "Alright, what do you want?"

Liam cleared his throat and held up five fingers. "Five tokens."

Daryl sighed and reached into his robe. He handed the man five tokens, to which he stuck in a pocket in his cloak. "Thank you very much," he responded. "So then, about my guild..."

Daryl leaned in along with Mallory, who was also curious.

Liam took a breath, and continued, "We do allow women into it! There ya go!" He got up and started walking away, laughing out loud. Daryl shot up from his chair and stormed in front of him, causing him to stop in his tracks. Liam looked up to meet Daryl's burning gaze. "So...are all Africans tall, or is it just you?"

Daryl clenched his teeth and grabbed Liam by his shirt. Mallory got up from her chair and moved towards them, thinking about trying to stop Daryl. Daryl hissed, "Listen, you—"

"Liam!" Anna called from the main room.

The two men looked towards the voice. Liam looked back at Daryl and ripped his hand off of his clothes. He smirked back at Daryl's scowl with a slight frown on his brow. "What is it, Mom?" he called back as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Daryl?" Mallory asked looking up at him.

He looked down at her. "I'm just a little annoyed right now," he assured, "and five tokens poorer..."

"Mom! Put that down!" they heard Liam whine from the main room.

Daryl left to see what Liam was whining about, and Mallory followed. They entered to see Liam snatch a long, metal rod from his mother. The end of the rod curved into a circle, in which the shape of a star centered.

Liam caressed it, hunched over as if his mother had heavily damaged it. "This staff is brand new, Mom!" he explained. "Don't be so careless with it!"

Anna rolled her eyes with her hands on her hips. "Whatever it is, you had no reason to snatch it from me like that!"

"Ugh, I hope you didn't scratch it..." Liam muttered as he examined it. "I'd have to pay the craftsman another fifty tokens just to fix it!"

Mallory gasped and looked at Daryl, whose eyes widened at the mention of the word "craftsman." Daryl crossed his arms and acknowledged, "So you're allied with the Craftsmen's Guild?"

"No, I was just a customer," Liam answered, still rubbing his staff. "I'd like for us to be allies, but—" Liam stopped himself, realizing that he had been saying too much. His eyes got big and he looked back at Daryl.

Despite having a scowl on his face, Daryl's lifted chin indicated a look of satisfaction. Daryl appeared to be glad that he managed to trick Liam into giving more useful information shortly after getting tricked himself.

Anna looked at the two of them and frowned at her son. "I hope you haven't been antagonizing our guest, Liam."

Liam stood upright, a colder look in his stone-grey eyes while he set his staff against the door behind him. He smirked as he looked at Daryl and responded to his mother with, "Of course not, Mom. Daryl and I are friends."

Anna turned to Daryl with some doubt in her eyes and said, "If he gives you any problems, let me know."

"I don't think he'll be giving me any problems," Daryl replied, "it's like he said, we're friends now."

Anna straightened her mouth and raised her eyebrows as she made her way back upstairs.

With the three of them alone, Daryl had the first word. "You'd like for them to be your ally, you say. And why is that?"

"You're a smart man," Liam remarked, "use your imagination."

"Alright, I imagine your guild is weak," Daryl deduced, "and in need of outside help to strengthen it."

Liam narrowed his eyes, which confirmed to Daryl that he was right. Liam leaned back and shrugged. "Would ya look at that? Seems I really can't keep my mouth shut, huh?"

"If your guild is really that weak," Daryl continued, "why do you insist on keeping it secret?"

"You really think I'm gonna answer that?" Liam asked. "Just because you figured that out doesn't mean I'm willing to tell you more, y'know."

"What if I told you that I'd be willing to help you?" Daryl asked.

The smirk vanished from Liam's face as his whole upper body jerked back with surprise. "You're serious? You don't even know what my guild is!"

"True, but you have some information that'd be useful to us."

"'Us?'" Liam looked down at Mallory, then back at Daryl. "What's she got to do with anything?"

Daryl looked down at her, too. She did not stop staring at Liam with expectancy ever since she heard him mention something about a craftsman. The swordsman looked back at Liam. "The girl has quite a bone to pick with the Craftsmen's Guild, whose whereabouts you must know of."

"Does she?" Liam asked, baffled and looking down at the girl. "What'd they do to her?"

"They let their ally, the Hunters' Guild, kidnap her father."

Liam grew a softer expression and kept his attention on Mallory. "What did the hunters want with your daddy?"

Mallory looked down, once again being reminded of the worst day of her life. "He lost all his money in a game, and then he bet his life to try and get it all back. Then he lost again."

"I see, one of their game days I presume," Liam noted. Then, with a furrowed brow and a heartfelt expression, Liam responded, "I'm truly sorry to hear that, little one."

Mallory took a deep breath and decided to give in to her curiosity. "Tell us where it is," Mallory demanded, "please."

Liam kept that sad yet understanding look on his face as he looked down on the little girl. He straightened his mouth and sighed. "Look, I really am sorry for you, but even if I did tell you where they are, it wouldn't do you any good."

"Why not?" Mallory asked, hearing her voice get loud with impatience.

Liam glanced at Daryl. "I'm sure your master there can guess why."

Mallory looked up at Daryl, who was still looking at Liam. "It's because we can't take on one guild without taking on the other," Daryl answered, "and from what I can tell, both the Hunters' Guild and the Craftsmen's Guild are fairly powerful." Daryl looked down at Mallory. "Besides, this is your fight, not mine, and you haven't even started your training. These guilds won't be intimidated by just me and some skinny little girl. We're not going after anyone until you're ready."

Although Mallory understood the argument, she still huffed softly in frustration. How long will it be until we try to find Daddy anyway?

"Even when you are ready, we'll need more than just the two of us." Daryl directed his attention back at Liam. "That's where he comes in."

Liam crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really," Daryl answered with sternness in his voice. "It's like I said earlier, whatever your guild is, it's weak, and you won't refuse help from the Swordsmen's Guild."

"Please," Liam scoffed, "what could you do for me anyway? You're just one man, and my guild..." Liam stopped himself from saying more.

"I may just be one man," Daryl explained, "but I'm a top-ranked swordsman, and I can put in a good word for you. Not only that, but the Swordsmen's Guild isn't allied with anyone. Your guild could be the first, if you're willing to cooperate."

"Hm," Liam hummed as he rubbed his chin, "a top-ranking swordsman, you say? Do you have a title?"

"It's Dauntless."

Liam raised his eyebrows with intrigue. "Dauntless, huh? Can't say it doesn't suit you..."

"Tell me then," Daryl demanded, growing impatient himself. "Will you accept my help?"

Liam threw his arms up. "C'mon, quit pestering me! I told ya I can't tell you anything about the guild!" Liam continued to think about the offer, and then he made a decision. "Unless—"

"I'm not giving you anymore money," Daryl snapped.

"Oh, relax, will you?" Liam snickered. "I'd be stupid to think you'd fall for that old trick again! I was just going to let you in on a loophole..."

Daryl raised an eyebrow. Finally, something worthwhile. "What is it?"

"You see," Liam started, "my guild has a strict rule about us arriving at our headquarters alone, so I can't bring you."

"I never said you had to," Daryl retorted. "You can just tell me what the guild is, and I'll bring you to my—"

"Daryl," Liam interrupted, with a more serious look on his face, "believe me, it's better if I just show you."

Something in the man's face told Daryl that this was not another trick. He could not tell why, but Liam was completely serious about keeping his guild's name a secret. "How will you show me?" Daryl asked.

Liam picked up his staff behind him. "There's a forest you'll run into if you go straight past the inn. Once you get into the forest, keep going northwest until you find a dirt path to your left. Follow it, and you'll come across a cavern. Go through there, and you'll reach it." Liam opened the door behind him. "I'll head there now, but don't follow me. I need time to explain to the rest of them what's going on. I suggest you come in the morning." Liam glanced down at Mallory and then back at Daryl. "You can bring her if you want to. Who knows, she may even be interested in joining!"

Daryl took a moment to digest the information and nodded. "Alright, I'll be there."

Liam smirked. "Good." He started to walk out, but before he did, he turned to Daryl one last time. "I look forward to what our alliance will bring in the future, Daryl the Dauntless!" Liam left and closed the door behind him.

Daryl looked down at Mallory. "You want to go, too?"

Mallory nodded eagerly.

***

The next morning, Daryl and Mallory made their way to Liam's guild on horseback. Daryl followed Liam's instructions exactly, and eventually they made it to a large cavern formed by ancient, grey stones. There were horses that were tied to a wooden rod right above the cavern, so Daryl rode up there to tie Stalwart with the other horses before entering the cavern. He and Mallory made their way back down and stood in front of the cave. The place gave off quite an ominous feeling, with the inside of it just barely made visible by some sort of light at the end of it.

"Let's go," Daryl said, feeling prepared for anything.

Mallory took a deep breath to fight back her fear, and then nodded.

The two of them walked through the cavern to approach a tall, wooden door with lit torches on either side of it. Daryl knocked on the door, his other hand gripping the hilt of his sword firmly.

A few moments later, a grille on the door slid open to reveal a pair of dark brown eyes. The eyes examined the two of them, and then a raspy voice asked, "Daryl the Dauntless and his apprentice, I assume?"

Daryl nodded, refusing to release his grip on his weapon. "Yes," he confirmed.

"Good," the voice answered back, "Liam's been expecting you." He closed the grille and opened the door to them. He was a rather scrawny, bald young man who was unusually pale. His clothing was similar to Liam's, except his cloak was lavender. He gave them a closed smile and motioned for them to come in. "We're pleased to have you."

Daryl walked in, with a hesitant Mallory following behind. The swordsman's eyes widened at what looked like a giant library. The place was dimly lit with candles set up along the walls. About a quarter of the way into the room, it was filled with shelves and cabinets that were loaded with all sorts of books. A grave expression came over his face as he remembered the staff Liam had, in addition to the fact that he kept mentioning his love for reading. "Wait..." Daryl muttered. "Don't tell me..."

Mallory looked up at him with concern in her eyes. "Daryl, do you know what this place is?"

"Dauntless!" Liam's voice called out from Daryl's right.

Daryl looked toward the voice to see Liam approaching from afar with the staff in his grasp and a devilish grin on his face. "Liam, is this...?"

Before Daryl could finish, Liam thrusted a hand in the swordsman's direction. A yellow spark glowed between his fingertips, and he sent it at Daryl's chest.

Daryl felt a jolt of electricity run up his sternum, causing him to stagger backwards.

Mallory gasped and touched his arm. "Are you okay?" she asked. "What was that?"

Daryl clutched his chest, more surprised than hurt. Lightning? From his hand?

"What's the matter, Daryl?" Liam asked with a laugh. "You look a bit shocked!"

Daryl shot him a glare in response, but his eyes widened upon seeing yet another impossibility.

Liam's staff was glowing yellow with sparks of electricity spiraling around it. The ends of his cloak and scarlet red hair stuck upwards as his whole body emitted yellow sparks one at a time. His grin grew wider, and he spread out his free arm in a grand gesture. "Daryl the Dauntless and his apprentice!" Liam started. "I'm Liam of Lightning, and I'd like to welcome you both to the Sorcerers' Guild!"