"As much as I hate to interrupt and would rather let you all sort this out yourselves," Rod began, "I should mention that I will only allow Daryl to go on such a quest so long as he finds someone who is willing to pay for the job, and is able to bring help from both our guild and Liam's."

Daryl whipped his head back at his leader, completely unaware of that idea beforehand.

Rod greeted Daryl's bewilderment with a serious nod. "If he goes through with it without doing so, he and his apprentice will no longer be welcome at this guild."

There was a hushed gasp from the crowd, but no murmuring in light of Daryl's command for them to stop talking.

The news startled Mallory, too. Although she did not care about being kicked out of the guild once she got strong enough to save her father, she knew that the guild meant a lot to Daryl, and he would be less willing to help if it meant giving up his livelihood.

Daryl's eyes burned with fury at the old man for dropping such a bomb on him at an unexpected time. Why didn't he tell me that before? Is he just saying that to calm them down?

Rod made a gesture with his arms toward the guild, ignoring Daryl's speechless glower. "Now then, the entire guild will only be in conflict with the others if the job is done through the order of the guild. If not, the only ones punished will be the ones involved, through their expulsion. I understand that even then, we will be put in question, but through the perpetrators' expulsion, we will be able to make it clear that they acted on their own. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the guild responded in unison.

The only two who did not respond right away were Daryl and Mallory. Mallory jumped at the united response, and called, "Yes, sir," in order to fit in, but it came out a little late and awkwardly.

Daryl looked down, still furious about the situation.

"Daryl," Rod called.

Reluctantly, the swordsman looked up to see the stern expression on Rod's face that told him he meant every word of what he said. Daryl exhaled through his nostrils and replied with, "Yes, sir..."

Rod sighed with relief and clasped his hands together with delight. "Good! Now that Daryl's done me the favor of easing your suspicions about our new allies, let's get back to that!" Then, he grumbled under his breath, "So I can get some sleep." With that, he turned to Liam, who was frozen in the same spot during Daryl's whole spiel, unsure of what to say or do. "Wrap it up, Liam," Rod ordered.

The sorcerer looked at Rod and jumped up upon realizing all eyes were on him once again. He forced a smile at the crowd and looked down at Daryl. Although he did feel grateful for Daryl stepping in to save him from a disaster, it meant that he was finally in the position in to reveal the most startling information to the guild thus far: the fact that he and Wade were sorcerers. Along with that, he had not become any more likeable to them since the induction started, so their reaction to the reveal was hard for him to predict. He took a breath and decided to address Daryl first. "Well, first and foremost, uh, thank you, Daryl, for clearing things up for us."

Daryl simply crossed his arms in response.

Liam pulled at his shirt anxiously and continued, "So, I'm sure you're all wondering what our guild is. And you might find the answer shocking..."

Daryl looked away and hoped no one would notice him rolling his eyes to the back of his skull.

Mallory subtly shook her head thinking back to the first time she heard him make that joke.

It managed to get a giggle out of Grace, though, but she kept it quiet since the majority of the guild had no idea it was a joke at all.

"Because..." Liam extended an open palm in front of him and flexed his fingers. Soon, the golden sparks laced between his fingers and flew randomly out of his palm. Compared to what he did for Daryl to reveal that he was a sorcerer, it was a much smaller spectacle, making sure that he did not freak anyone out too much. The swordsmen began to gasp and point at his hand. With that, Liam finished, "...I am Liam of Lightning, and we are the Sorcerers' Guild!"

"Witchcraft!" they shouted. "It's taboo!"

"I know it's frightening!" Liam called back to them, resting his hand at his side. "And I know the power I have can be destructive. But look at this!" Liam pulled the light bulb he brought with him from his hideout out of the pocket in his cloak. He tightened his grasp at its end, and it lit up.

The audience's shouts became more of a confused, yet curious hum seeing the unknown contraption before them. It radiated a perfect, white light that they had never seen before. It reminded them of light from the sun itself.

"This, is what we have to offer!" Liam explained with a proud grin. "We've acquired knowledge of the world as it was in the past, and we're using our sorcery to create things like this! Things that can make the world a better place! We're here because we want to share this knowledge with all of you, not just to strengthen my guild, but to help the world evolve!"

Despite his best efforts, the people still looked highly skeptical with grimaces on their faces. Some of the younger boys there looked apprehensive. There were only a handful of people who seemed genuinely intrigued in what he proposed.

Liam straightened his expression, knowing from the beginning that the light bulb probably would not have been enough. Demonstrating the most of what he could do with his lightning would only make people panic, so he stuffed the bulb back in his pocket and turned to Wade with a smirk, who had been waiting patiently for his turn. His blank countenance perked up somewhat when he caught eye of Liam. Liam nodded and said, "Your turn, buddy. Show 'em what you're made of!"

Gradually, a peaceful, slightly giddy smile spread across the silent boy's face as he faced the crowd. Within a moment of smiling down at the swordsmen, they became speechless.

Daryl noticed the sudden shift in the crowd's atmosphere and turned around to see the little boy's smile. Just like that, he felt lighter again, and that time, a warmth ran through his body. His eyebrow twitched with mild irritation. What is with this kid?

Unlike all the hypermasculine men surrounding her, Grace did not feel the need to suppress her own smile at the sight of Wade's. He is the cutest thing!

Mallory felt similarly to Daryl, though. She was not sure she should have welcomed the sensations that the boy was emitting to his audience.

Seeing that he had everyone's undivided attention, Wade turned to his left and made his way down the stairs toward the shoreline. All heads turned to watch his descent and make his way to the shore. Going close enough to the water for the tide to reach the very tips of his shoes, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He continued to beam through doing so, basking in the sea breeze. He slipped out of his shoes and stepped into the sea, the water up just below his ankles. He opened his eyes with his exhale. Then, he raised his arm with his forearm extended forward. Slowly, he dipped his fingers downward along with the rest of his hand, and then his with his arm. After making the wave like motion with his arm, he set it straight out in front of him, and the tide was set back. The body of water went silent and completely still. Wade hummed with satisfaction.

There was a quiet stir in the crowd in response to the boy's action, like people were trying to convince one another that the child really stopped the water.

With a satisfied sigh, Wade raised his elbow, making a hill shape with his arm. As if in response to his movement, the water trailed backward and formed a massive, hill shaped wave before the boy.

Everyone except Liam gasped with wonder, completely mesmerized by Wade's control over the sea.

Then, Wade raised both of his arms, and with them, the wave expanded upwards. It was like a giant, clear wall of water. As if the display was not already spectacular as it was, the boy made slight back and forth motions with his hands to make the water ripple. The moon and the stars could be seen through the towering water. The shimmering water made the starlit sky look like a mosaic mural.

The swordsmen cooed in awe at the wondrous sight.

Mallory's mouth fell agape at the sheer splendor of his sorcery. He controls water! But how does he calm people down just by being here?

Wade looked back at Liam, to which he placed his hands on his hips and gave his partner a proud nod. The boy looked around at everyone else to see that they were all enamored by his sorcery. He blushed faintly and turned back to his work. Closing his eyes, he carefully lowered his arms. The water wall gradually fell, following the motion of the boy's arms. Once his arms were fully lowered, he spread his arms out as if he was setting the sea back to its original state. Like that, the tide went back to normal, flowing back and forth below his ankles.

Wade stepped back from the water and slipped his shoes back on, turning around to face his audience. He was pleased to see that he was met with a crowd full of smiling faces.

This is nothing like Liam's lightning. It's so much more...serene. Daryl's eyes were wide. Although he was expecting something unnatural, he was not expecting something so enticing as that. Additionally, he was more impressed with Liam's decision to bring Wade. He had our guild's location in mind when he chose him... The child wouldn't have been able to do this if it weren't for the sea. I guess I haven't been giving Liam enough credit.

See, buddy, I told ya they'd love you! With the newfound confidence he felt with Wade's success, he felt the need to reel things back in and explain more about his friend. "As you all witnessed, Wade here is gifted with water sorcery. With his power, imagine how much easier it'd be traveling overseas! He's even working on finding a way to filter out the impurities from saltwater, so fresh drinking water would be made more accessible! And—"

"And," Rod butt in, a somewhat amused smirk on his face, "We think you'd all be happy to have him on our side. Well, gentlemen? Will you accept the Sorcerers' Guild as an ally with these two to represent them?"

The men looked around at one another, some hesitant faces among them. It took a moment, but someone started with the first, "Yes, sir!" One by one, the men followed up with the same affirmation, and then it became two by two, three by three, until the whole guild agreed with their leader, ending with a final, "Yes, sir!" in unison.

Liam sighed with relief, wiping sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. Thank the gods for Wade. That definitely wouldn't have worked without him!

"Good," Rod responded dryly, picking up the snuffer cap behind him. "Now let's get outta here so I can get some sleep." He started putting out the torches that lit up the night, essentially forcing everyone to head upstairs before getting lost in the growing darkness.

A group of people stayed behind to talk to Wade and tell him how excited they were to have him as an ally, to which Wade responded with nothing but smiles.

Liam came down from the stage with slumped shoulders, feeling disappointed about his presentation.

Grace went up to him and nudged him on the shoulder. "Hey, cheer up, man!" she encouraged. "Ya got what you wanted, right?"

"Yeah," Liam answered, giving her a small smirk in return, "but...I dunno. It feels like I barely did anything."

"Aw," Grace mocked with pouty lips, "sad because your little friend showed you up?"

"What? No, I'm happy for him!" Liam insisted. "He wrote me a note saying that he wanted to make new friends before he came here."

"Oh!" Grace cooed, putting a hand to her heart and her face melting. She looked over at Wade and said, "That's so sweet!"

"Yeah..." He looked over at his little partner he had known for over a year, almost completely surrounded by swordsmen and handlers. Although Wade's mood was hard for Liam to read most of the time, it was clear in that moment, with a smile so wide it made his eyes squint, that he loved being showered with praise. Wade caught eye of Liam and nodded with delight. Liam perked up a bit at the gesture, but when he noticed the scarred man who tried to attack him the other day scowling at him as he walked off, he returned to feeling glum. "I'm glad they love him, but it still feels like everyone hates me..."

Even though Grace was never in a position in her life where she felt like most of the people around her hated her, she at least knew what it was like to have a lack of respect from the people around her. For years, no one acknowledged her as a part of the guild, but as the woman who helped clean up the shop. Eventually, she managed to earn their respect through her actions, and she was positive Liam could do the same. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, "Don't worry about it. They'll warm up to you!"

The sorcerer responded with an unassured hum, keeping his gaze on the ground.

Grace tucked her hair behind her ear and softly said, "Hey..."

The smooth tone in her voice caused him to lift up his head and look into her eyes. He was instantly enticed by her lovely smile and cerulean eyes.

Then, she finished with, "I don't hate you." After a moment of peering into his unique, steel eyes, she leaned towards him and gave him a peck on his cheek.

Rose filled his cheeks upon receiving the kiss, smiling warmly to reciprocate her beaming glow. Not sure what else to say, he replied, "I don't hate you either."

Grace giggled and pushed him away a bit.

Liam rubbed his shoulder and continued to fawn over the blonde swordswoman.

While the two of them had their moment, Daryl eyed Rod putting out the torches, still fuming over the unexpected threat from he announced to the guild. He would put me on the spot like that after I gained control of the crowd for him?

Mallory noticed the look on Daryl's face as he waited for the old man to come down and she went up to his side. "Master...?" she started.

He exhaled as he met eyes with his apprentice. Seeing her furrowed brow and a facial expression that he read as her pleading with him not to hurt Rod, he shifted his eyes back to the old man coming down the stairs and replied, "I'm just going to talk to him. Stay here."

Mallory reluctantly obeyed as her master walked off to meet Rod at the end of the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a something moving back and forth in the distance and it took her a moment to realize it was being directed at her. She looked to see what it was, and she was surprised to see a beaming Wade waving at her, while his new fans began to leave. Mallory's eyes widened as she felt that strange, yet real-feeling joy that she felt when he offered her a smile the first time. Even though she was still not sure whether or not to appreciate what he was doing to her, she figured that she could at least wave back to him. She did so by half-heartedly raising an open palm.

Wade smiled even harder, putting his hand down as his eyes squinted.

Mallory blushed and pushed her hair back, looking away from the silent sorcerer.

Daryl stormed up to the end of the stairs as Rod set foot on the beach. "What was that?" the swordsman demanded.

Rod gave him an annoyed glance and answered, "Daryl, I have to keep the guild together, and I can't let anyone put it at risk."

"And you couldn't have told me that earlier?" Daryl snapped. "What were you thinking saying that to—"

"Watch your tone, Daryl," Rod ordered, raising a stern hand at the swordsman.

Daryl huffed and closed his mouth to listen.

Rod lowered his hand and took a breath. "I've been thinking it over. It's not like I decided on it days ago and kept you in the dark on purpose. With you training your apprentice and going out on a job, I couldn't find the right time to tell you."

"You certainly had plenty of time to nap," Daryl retorted.

"I was thinking it over for days..." he explained, extending the word "days" to get his point across.

Fantastic excuse.

"It's just that, right there and then, when your plans were being questioned, I felt that was the right time to ease their concerns. To let them know that your actions alone won't put everyone in jeopardy. The king only allows us to run our guild so long as it doesn't cause conflict on a larger scale. If I were to let one of my swordsmen, especially one of your reputation, go out and wreak havoc on another guild without any formal cause for doing so, there would be chaos. The king would assume I'm letting my guild get out of control, and we'd be disbanded and arrested. Need I remind you how the king responded back when you did have formal cause for attacking another guild?"

Daryl's eyes shifted away from Rod for a moment, knowing full well that he made a solid point about that. "No, sir..."

"So you understand?" Rod pressed. "This quest must be done through the order of the guild. That means getting a handler to find someone to pay you for a specific job, one that involves saving the girl's father. If you two go on your own, you're both done here."

Daryl turned his glare back at Rod. "Who in their right mind would pay for a job like that?"

Rod shrugged and answered, "That's for you and your handler to find out." He started to walk past the swordsman as he stood there frustrated and flabbergasted.

"Wait," Daryl said, turning around before Rod could leave him.

Rod looked back and asked, "What is it?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why do I need to bring other swordsmen? And sorcerers?"

"Because whoever's gonna pay for it is gonna pay a lot, so that incentive will extend to the others coming with ya. And for a job as risky as this one, it might put the guild at ease to know that there are other capable warriors on board for it."

Daryl's eyes shifted away. "I see."

The old man took another step away from him, but then he stopped to look back at his swordsman with a cocked eyebrow, a look of warning. "And it's to make sure you don't go too far. The same goes for your apprentice."

Daryl jerked his head back and blinked a little. He glanced at Mallory, who had been waiting anxiously for their conversation to come to an end. I understand why he'd say that about me, but why her...? In spite of his puzzlement, he turned his attention back to his leader and nodded. "Yes, sir."

With a final nod, he began to walk off toward the stairs to the workshop. On his way, he smiled down at Mallory with a wink and said, "You two will make great friends!"

Mallory cocked an eyebrow and watched him continue to walk off, knowing that he was referring to Wade and wondering if he was implying something more than friendship. In any case, she refused to make eye contact with the boy again and walked over to her master.

"Hey, Daryl!" Liam called, walking towards the shore to retrieve his little partner.

Daryl looked over at the two of them.

"Thanks for everything!" he called with a newfound glee in light of his interaction with Grace. "We couldn't have made it this far without your—"

"I know. You're welcome," Daryl called back.

Liam chuckled, knowing Daryl was probably still in a sour mood about Rod's announcement about him, and waved at him with Wade's hand in his other hand. The two of them made their way back to the workshop with the others.

"Y'know," Grace started, walking towards Daryl and Mallory, "I expected this meeting to go a lot worse!"

"Did you know about that deal?" Daryl asked, narrowing his eyes at Grace.

She rolled her eyes and answered, "No, Daryl. I would've told you myself if I did."

Daryl softened his gaze and grunted.

Grace smirked and playfully elbowed him on the arm. "And if it makes ya feel any better, I'll gladly be one of those swordsmen you need to bring!"

Mallory brightened up after hearing her say that. "You would do that?" Mallory asked.

Grace pat her knees and bent down to meet Mallory face to face. "Of course, sweetie! I wanna be there to help!"

Mallory felt some tears start to well up in her eyes at Grace's kind gesture. She closed her eyes to quell the water from falling and she nodded to Grace in response.

"Grace," Daryl started, feeling a bit apprehensive about the idea of Grace going on such a dangerous mission, "you don't have to—"

"Ah-ah!" Grace interrupted obnoxiously, shooting up and sticking a finger towards Daryl's face. "No talking me out of it! I've already decided! And that's that!" She jokingly crossed her arms and exhaled with a firm puff.

Daryl stared at her for a moment, reminiscing to the times Grace was Mallory's age and awed at how much she had grown since then. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Grace."

She smiled wide in response.

Daryl looked up at the sky as the night became much darker after the time they spent at the meeting. He looked down at Mallory and said, "Let's go find a place to sleep. It's been a long day."