That dress of hers felt like it was on fire. She checked to see if the enchantment actually set it on fire. So far, roast Fiona was not on the menu. But the glinting gold embroidery did seem a little brighter. Or, was that just the lighting?

  All she did know was that she needed to remain cool, not dump on King Barry in the public spotlight, and more importantly, celebrate with her friends. She was far from the only person who had helped land a walloping on Doug.

  A million other worries instantly cropped up. Was her hair frizzy? Did she have anything stuck between her teeth? There wasn’t any time to worry about those and anyone who might have issues with her, wouldn’t bother wasting their time on her.

  “Alright then, fellow adventurers, greetings!” she announced in a loud tone—and got a tad too close to the amplifier near her, singing like a strained violin. The noise woke up the few people snoozing at the party and got everyone else’s attention. “Whoops, sorry, my bad. Everyone in the back woken up now? Great, let’s get started!”

  She flashed her gaze across the room. This celebration was about everyone who had risked their lives to deal with a kingdom-level threat, and stepped up to the plate. “Fellow guildmates, esteemed guests of our illustrious hall, welcome and thank you for gracing us with your presence tonight! Now, I wasn’t exactly planning a speech. I think Jake is usually trying to steal away the amplifier when I’m on stage,” she added with an unsubtle wink to him. A subtle glance and slight grimace when he looked to where the band would normally be playing, was not lost on her. “So, for those of you who don’t know me–”

  “We all know you, Fiona, we love you!” a younger adventurer in a flirty blue dress called out from a far-off table. She gave the enthusiast a gentle hand wave and a flash of a smile.

  “Alright cutie, call me later! I guess it goes without saying, if you don’t want recognition, don’t go beating up dragon lords!” She gave up any hope of doing this quickly, with just a few lines. People were leaning in attentively. She had to fulfill the part, now.

  Think Fiona, think! What should you talk about? And not about Barry this time. Or Douglas, the guy I trounced without effort. This should be the one time you talk about yourself, and everyone who graced these halls, putting it all on the line for Fiefdala! She examined the room and looked for the people she needed to appeal to. “So, I’ll keep this speech short. I came into town about six months ago, with not a single copper in my pocket. Actually, there were a lack of pockets. Or pants attached to pockets," she added with a nervous laugh, and there was a wave of catcalls and hearty laughs. Not many knew about that one, but there were a few who did.

  "Now, I wanted to highlight my first mentor, Jacob Fervier. Jacob here helped teach me some tricks of the trade. I studied, I trained, I excelled at what I had always wanted to do since I was a little girl: adventuring and protecting lives.”

  It was a truth, even from her childhood in a faraway world. Dreaming of going on adventures, battling great evils, and standing triumphant. The reality was, it was never made out to be so easy. Her words got some of the newer recruit's attention, eager eyed and captivated by her presence. “It's hard work. That’s the one thing you won’t understand, until your first missions. The danger is always there. They can’t prepare you for everything. I certainly had to get my fair share of saves when I first started. I had to learn fast. But I did it, because it was a passion, and they can teach you to adapt and improvise. It’s how I started at the bottom, as a fair elf maiden–as some have called me,” she adds with a leering grin at a burly man sitting silently in the back. He grunted, and shook his head.

  “Now, people ask me, ‘But Fiona, how did you get so good?’ Truth is, it’s just training, and working with your fellow adventurers. When you're out in the field…your teammates are your family. And you protect your family like nothing else," she stated adamantly. "I have good friends who helped me force the surrender of Douglas the Red, and I didn’t solo it. Well, I mean I beat up the dragon and left him humiliated, but I didn’t take on a whole army by myself,” she added as a murmur of laughs emanated through the room. “I’d like to thank them personally. Nick, Cita, you guys rock, the unsung heroes over there!” Fiona pointed out, and Nick did that bird-like swivel as if he’d been startled. Meanwhile, Cita gushed and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, waving to the adoration of the room.

  “Anyway, didn’t mention it earlier, but I wanted to thank Jake for taking the time out of his very busy schedule. He’s done an awesome job of polishing the for tonight’s events. Seriously, Jake, the snacks are awesome!” she exclaimed in a burst of excitement. He stood there, arms folded, muzzle clenched, and fighting back a chuckle. “Yeah, I had a reputation when I was in the barracks. Fiona, the snack thief. I always knew when they had dumplings in the cafeteria. Jake threatened to have my class rebranded to rogue, on account of many precious treats mysteriously going missing. I can tell you, it wasn’t me!”

  “The pastries have never been so well guarded,” Jake called out, even as he cracked a smile. Fiona strolled around, looking to command this room. She pondered how her newfound abilities could aid her. Was there a way to influence this room positively?

  The tinging on her wrist seemed to emanate along her spine, too. It was like making a sales pitch. You couldn’t sell something that people didn’t want. The trick was, you needed to offer something they wanted or needed. And this city, while it had come far, still had many promises unfulfilled.

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  "I think the city needs to recognize the risks the guild takes, in place of a fully outfitted military. We explore, we recover lost culture, and we defend and protect the citizens of Fiefdala on many fronts, every single day. People shouldn't lose sight of that--for those who can let their kids roam outside the city limits without worrying about monsters and bandits. I certainly will never forget the important jobs we do, even if I move on from the adventuring life."

  Now for the big moment.

  “I’ll keep this short. I have a new shop opening up, thanks to the generous donation of one giant, mean, overgrown kobold named Doug, the not-so-red,” she added with an infectious smile. “I want you guys all there! Now, to show the generosity I have for my fellow teammates–minus the incident of the snacks, which totally had nothing to do with me–I have a proposal. Every purchase on the first day of the grand opening, I’m gonna donate ten percent of the proceeds to the Adventurer’s Guild!"

  There were cheers, a few gasps, and a few looked on like they had no idea how to react. Greg was sitting there, with a wide-eyed stare, and Bonnie was beaming. “Yep, that’s right, I’m going into business, and I want to ensure the adventurers and curios of Fiefdala have what they need, to help keep this shining establishment dragon-free! Or slime-free. My friend Darla seemed very sad about the lack of slime monsters in the public bath; I have no idea why. Must be a cultural difference thing,” she shrugged, before wagging a hand.

  She continued, even as the laughs subsided. “Anyway, not important! The grand opening is in a few days, so bring your friends and families! Bring rich guys, too! No, I'm mostly joking, but seriously, bring an appetite for cool stuff, and we’ll make it a grand old event!” she called out, and surveyed the room for the general reaction.

  There was nothing but a wall of roars and excitement; she smiled proudly at that. She might be taking a big hit on opening day, but in her head, she figured she could come out even further ahead, with a little bit of goodwill going a long way. She wanted Barry to know the score: she’d thumb her nose at possible death, and not be intimidated.

  That flutter of energy on her wrist also seemed to be a silent approval, too. Were the wings...flapping? She must have imagined it. A glance at her wrist left her wide-eyed:

  The wings were flapping animatedly. Okay, the scarce little I know, that’s not normal for marks, is it?

  “Well spoken Fi,” Jake announced and broke her pending panic, before she gently handed him the amplifier. “Alright folks, there you have it! The lovely Miss Swiftheart, swiftly knocking us off our feet with her charm!” he called out, to a few boos from everyone wanting Fiona back on the stage. “We’ll have additional refreshments coming out soon! Also, our little gala will have a bit of music. Liebert, that’s your cue!" he announced with a pointed claw, and the gathering of musicians started playing a cheery tune.

  Fiona was already skipping ahead, back to the table where Greg was trying to bury his head into a table, and doing his mouse-warding spell. Fiona doubted mice would dare to take up residence in the guild hall. “Aw Greg, why so down?” she asked with a small tsk sound.

  “You just gave up ten percent. For our opening day. Our biggest day," he groaned. “Do you have a death wish, Miss Swiftheart?”

  “Greg, have some faith,” Bonnie said while trying to coax him back up above table level, and missed Fiona’s slight look of terror at Greg’s inadvertent slip. “This is Fiona we’re talking about! She knows what she’s doing. Giving back to the guild is a very smart move. You can’t put a price on goodwill.”

  “Bonnie, there is only so much goodwill before you put yourself in the red and dead!” Greg once again was breaking composure at the worst time, and Fiona gave him the ‘I’m going to kill you later’ smile she’d used to great effect on the last boyfriend. “This is how we end up net negative. Profanely net negative. Do you have any idea what that’ll cost?”

  “Greg, don’t be a square peg in a round hole,” Fiona assured him. “It’ll be fine! You know we didn’t have any acquisition costs on these!”

  “Good feelings do not equate to a successful business,” he muttered, and brought his head up from the table, and adjusted his crooked glasses. “Fiona, you can’t do things like this, where I’m in pure reactionary mode. I can't work like that.”

  “We have stuff to sell, and we need to line clients up at the door,” she added. “I guarantee you, we’ll be fine in the long run! Eat some food, you look pale. I can’t have you wasting away into a little skeleton! You would make a terrible skeleton, by the way, and they play cards terribly.”

  Her sullen friend looked up, a faint crease of a smile emerging even though he was still upset. “I would very much like to not be a skeleton, either. Alright, it’s your show, Fiona. But do warn me when you plan on trying reckless, crazy, or counterintuitive things, alright? I can’t advise if you just…you know, do things before you tell me.”

  “I know, Greg. We’re…we’re in business together,” she conceded. I should have told him beforehand, that was a mistake. “I’ll run business tactics by you before I go so something crazy, alright?”

  “Fair enough. Now lean back, and enjoy the festivities, while I work with the rest of the crowd.” She tossed back another dumpling, and swore she heard the distant lamentation of Felix at the loss of the culinary treasure.

  It did taste better when hastily separated from its intended recipient. She doubted the Contract would have let her get away with ‘Snack Thief’ if she’d asked for it. Whatever goddess or wizard in a bad robe brought me here, they certainly have given me plenty of latitude. But, why? It was probably better not to test this one. Her drama had gotten her one unique class, and trying for two might be pushing beyond even her level of luck.

  But, maybe ‘snack thief’ had been her intended Destined Class, in another life–

  Her ears perked up, and she heard the commotion coming—no, barnstorming in, and she could hear a slow, exaggerated clap from up on the second floor. Her gaze lifted, and she snapped to attention when she saw who it was.

  Standing there, looking regal in a dress jacket and a white shirt and giving her a slow clap, was the villain of the hour. Barry was peering down at her table, all smug looking. Just like that, her mood instantly soured.

  This benchwarmer king was a dose of instant curdled milk and spilled snacks, everywhere he went.