EPILOGUE.
Session Zero.
The knights of the round table sat on the balcony of Gavin’s fortress situated at the top of a high hill overlooking the valley Arrowton was built within. Evening was setting in and the gang was just digging into Gavin's lavish spread, mutton that had been slow roasting over coals all day, gently rotating and dripping fat into the fire erupting in little spurts of delicious smoke. They had vegetables of all varieties and mugs of ale freshly poured and ice cold.
“I don't even think we need a healer” Gavin was saying “it's just someone on the team who's not actually helping kill monsters.”
“Can't argue with that logic.” Val said, her eyes fixed on the roasting meat.
“Also, turns out, if you really really want to live you can just not die when you die.”
“Is that what happened?” Judy asked.
“Yeah, I think it's because I really didn't want to get electrocuted. It's my job back on my world to be super careful about not being killed by electricity. I think it'd tear a hole in reality or something, here check this out” Gavin said, pushing the notification of his title out to his companions via their new telepathic link.
“I think I speak for everyone when I say that you will severely regret it if you abuse our new telepathy ability.” Val shuddered.
“I would never.”
“You would Gavin. And just so you aren't tempted, this is a taste I'll give you if and when you do.” Val warned.
Gavin's face blanched, going slack with horror.
“How did you? Nevermind, I solemnly vow not to use this power on you for my own amusement so long as you never tell the others… that.”
“Deal.” Val said, shaking his hand.
“Oh, come on, at least make the deal to exclude us as well.” Judy groaned.
“Find your own blackmail. This is only useful as a bargaining chip if you two don't know.” Val said, shrugging.
The crew drank and laughed as they told stories late into the night, Gavin even starting up his armour making project again. The only piece of equipment he had to his name was his spear that had remained uneaten, the twin to Samanias blade. He hoped at some point in the future it'd be joined by a similarly themed bow for Judy and something for Val. But for now he was content with fabricating himself some armour, especially focused on not dying like a chump to some two bit terminator knockoff.
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“Hey, guys, something been bothering me since the other day.”
“Go on.” Sam said, not trusting his tone.
“When are you gonna do something cool?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I killed Geraldine. Boom. Dead. Judy killed Vance, little bit less cool but I'll give it to her, it was still pretty fuckin cool. Sam, ahh, talked to her mum, which was cool I guess, what are you gonna do?”
“Ooh, cold.” Judy laughed.
“Did you get punched in the mouth a lot growing up?” Val asked casually inspecting her nails.
“Ahh, yeah, actually.” Gavin mused, scratching his chin.
“Can we get this meeting back on track?” Sam said.
“Yeah, so, we’ve got you as our tank, Val and Judy as DPS and me as hybrid support.”
“I don't like those terms to describe the group dynamic.”
“Well, what do you use here?”
“I’m a vanguard, Judy is a scout-”
“Judy is not a scout.”
“It’s just our naming convention Gavin, it doesn't really matter.”
“Okay, so, it doesn't matter if I say they’re DPS and you’re a tank? Good, lets move on. What’s our goal as a party?”
“Team.”
“Whatever. There’s obviously some god bullshit coming, but what about side quests and stuff?”
“We should focus on contracts for a start, you need some time to make us some new gear and we need to work on fighting together to learn how to best approach each enemy. We should be able to start taking higher ranked group contacts in the next few weeks.”
“We should also think about moving further away from Wildenesse, it’s still close enough that trouble could come looking.” Val said.
“What about one of the big cities?” Gavin asked “There’d be a lot better resources to get me up to speed.”
“It’ll take a lot of work to stand out there if you want to be eligible for the good contracts.” Sam said.
“Yeah, well, I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.”
“Just to be clear, you can do any sewer elementals by yourself.”
***
Later that evening as Gavin cleaned up the table and spit outside he felt a subtle presence that felt vaguely familiar.
“That was a well timed deception you orchestrated back in Wildinesse” said a disembodied voice that seemed to come from every shadow.
“It was mainly Judy's idea” said Gavin reflexively “If you’re here to start handing out magic powers you should start there. What one are you by the way? I don't think we've met.”
“Paragon is with your friend Judy now.”
“Oh. Well, carry on then”
“My brother has offered you power for furthering his goals.”
“Yeah, you guys do tend to like doing that, is that why you're here?”
“Yes. Your other companions are having similar conversations as we speak”
“No kidding. About time someone other than me had a god showing up to shower them in gifts.”
“We do what we can.”
“So, I had an idea that you lot were giving me powers left right and centre to face some challenge in the future, if you're all banding together to juice the team up the fights not over? There's something more? Also, why come to us now, now back when the action was happening? Its not like you lot to fuck about.”
“It is not in my nature to give you the answers you want.”
“What did you say your name was again?”
“You can call me Guile.”
“Guile as in lies, deception, that sort of thing?”
“I prefer trickery and subterfuge.”
“Riiight. So, what have you got for us?”
“Paragon was right about you” Guile said, placing an object down on the wooden picnic table then vanished into the shadows as if they'd never been there.
