CWD: Sewer Skewers ~ Epilogue

“I don’t care how ‘trustworthy’ you’ll be as a guild member. We’ll control the credits.” Nacho’s eyebrow twitched as Kala balked at his flat denial of the last in a long string of demands for joining her guild to the Chips. “The Chips will control the credits. I’ll cook, you’ll eat. Together, we’ll figure out how to beat the CrossHumans. You need to remember that it’s not just monsters we’ll be fighting, but beings that can think and plan as well as we can, and who actively want to destroy us. With the CrossHumans, it’s total war. That’s going to drive the other guilds to us anyway, even if the food situation doesn’t do it first.”

Kala flinched away at the venom in his words. Something about bearing witness to one single person taking down an entire swarm of Tier one rats, followed by essentially nailing a Tier two version to the wall with ten different skewers before driving one through its heart—laughing the entire time—had given her a vastly different attitude when dealing with the easygoing cook she had met so many months ago. “You’re serious. That wasn’t just another joke I didn’t understand from the Patrons? The CrossHumans are real? Intelligent humanoid aliens from another world, pitted against us in a battle to the death?”

“I’m afraid so.” Nacho nodded darkly. They had finished up down in the UnderFun and had almost fought their way back to the surface once more. It was not his favorite thing in the world to break his focus from his surroundings, especially in a dungeon, but everyone had known that asking her to be quiet until they were in a safe location was never going to work. Unfortunately, that meant that ending negotiations with her for her guild members was incredibly important for their long-term survival.

Nacho steeled himself and started sharing what little information he had. “The timeline has been accelerated, and Arriodd—their leader—won’t be what he would’ve been three years from now, even with the sword. We have a chance, which is something we need to take now, before things go as wrong as I know they can. If we’re going to do that… we have to work together.”

Kala finally found a smile, though it was a shadow of its usual brightness. “Good thing Final Victory already handed you their guild. Still, I can’t imagine that guild is going to rally behind you.”

“Luckily for us, they don’t need to rally. Crave was the Guild Master, and they’re bound by the deal he made on their behalf. Until Nacho gives them an option to get out, he can force them to do whatever he wants.” Reuben lifted his mug. “To greedy killers who will sign away leadership at the drop of a hat for a tiny chance at success! You know, on that note, you could talk to the remnants of Final Victory and see who would want to live in Jalapeño Town. I’m sure you’ll click with a few of those people; that’s where we’re going to house everyone that’s a little too… spicy to enjoy the polite society we’ve built on Armor Mountain.”

Kala didn’t look at Nacho, keeping her eyes on Reuben. He’d won her over, and anyone could read the trust on her face. Nacho made a note to keep Brie from ‘accidentally’ giving the Death Knight a permanent makeover if she tried to make a move on the charismatic man. “Even after I left, after I threatened you, and we almost killed each other… you’d still let me have Jalapeño Town?”

“Have?” Nacho shook his head with a wry smile. “You’ll be placed in charge of it, but you’re still going to be answerable to the Chips Guild.”

She nodded without a hint of reluctance, her inner passion shining through. “I’ll try not to be as difficult as… well, you know how I’ve been. Losing my father, Myron, some friends… this has been hard for me to take. However, I still have good people, and you’re right. We’re stronger together. I don’t mind not being the final say anymore; I just want to have a voice. I’ve had it taken away before, and… I guess I’m afraid it will happen again.”

“Doesn’t hurt that Nacho can keep your people fed.” Reuben put out a hand, and the two shook while Brie watched the interaction blandly. Very blandly. “We’re looking forward to saving the world with you.”

They were approaching the fetid waterfall that poured down the circular stairs to the surface when Taye called out to the cook. “Nacho! You’ll want to come and see this… I think someone left us a message?”

Nacho hurried through the group and stopped at a blank wall. It was a rough painting done in a black pigment, depicting a dozen figures wearing sunglasses standing over the bodies of people with comically round pupils.

One of the figures standing above the dead humans was a man with a curved sword—a katana. He wasn’t wearing sunglasses, and his eyes weren’t round.

They were crosses.

Nacho felt a shiver at the back of neck. A cold sweat dripped down his sides as memories tried to take over and keep him afraid. He shoved the thoughts down, remembering that he wasn’t the same person he had been the last time they had fought… and neither was Arriodd. “Let’s get home. We have a war to win.”

“Don’t be so glum, Nacho. All of us believe in you.” Brie pulled her friend in for an awkward side-hug. “We all saw what you did to those rats, and we’ll follow you to the abyss and back again, twice. If those CrossHumans have made the very unwise decision to come after us, I think that all you’ll need to do is give them a taste of your Sewer Skewers.”