Amber liquid was poured generously.
Nyxian nearly finished hers before Zee had even lifted her glass. She raised her glass again to the attendant to refill her, before he took the bottle back to the bar at the back of the room.
Kaelor watched Jax carefully.
Jax barely sipped.
"Experience levels," Jax began smoothly, "measure points earned. Not final judgment. Not leadership. Not execution. Nobody has ever defeated a beast by showing them their experience levels."
Kaelor nodded slightly.
"And you propose…?"
Jax leaned back.
"A reevaluation."
Kaelor leaned back in his chair, glass in hand. He contemplated the situation.
The man across from him radiated power far beyond his declared level.
Kaelor did not know how that was possible.
But he knew it was true.
Eight years as Guild Master.Twenty years before that in the field.
He had learned to read eyes.
And Jax's eyes did not belong to a novice.
"If I were to consider a reevaluation of your team, what would be in it for this guild?"
System Notification:
Negotiation Skill Leveled Up
Jax smiled at the screen that popped up that nobody else could see.
He opened a portal to his dimensional storage space.
And placed something on the floor to the side of his desk.
The severed head of an A-Rank Crystal-Armored Grimsteed.
Pristine.
Cleanly severed.
Zero damage to the skull.
The room went utterly still.
Kaelor rose halfway from his chair.
The severed head weighed several hundred pounds.
Jax had placed it on the floor as casually as one might set down a loaf of bread.
Effortless.
Nyxian's breath caught.
It was Steed's head.
She knew, logically, that when they had harvested the remains, it was for trade. For leverage. For growth.
But logic did not dull the sting.
That had once been hers.
But it didn't make the feeling any less painful.
"You killed this." Kaelor stated. "In the dungeon, during your raid."
Jax sipped his drink.
"Only an A-Rank party would be capable of selling such a trophy. At least to a person like a Guild Master."
Kaelor's eyes flicked to the mounted heads lining his walls.
He imagined that Grimsteed displayed there.
A symbol.
A message.
He swallowed the rest of his drink.
Jax watched his reaction, and realized he was really close to ending this negotiation.
With the dimensional portal still open, he then reached in, and grabbed out another one. This one was Grim.
His head was just as large, and Jax carried it with ease, resting it beside the other one.
"This Floor Boss came in a Pair, so they should be sold as a pair."
His golden eyes widened visibly.
Both beasts heads were flawless. He glanced around at his trophies he had collected, or secured during his years of travel, as well as those that were gifted to him or he bought.
And none were as undamaged as what he was witnessing before his eyes now.
How this group was able to secure not one, but two A Ranked Beasts so cleanly told him everything he needed to know. They were NOT an E Rank guild party.
"What are your terms?"
Jax's tone remained even.
"A fair assessment. Not based on Experience levels of the party members, but instead, based on aptitude and skill. Nobody else needs to know of this change in evaluation. If we were to be formally recognized as an A-Rank party, and compensated for the raid, I'm sure these gifts and donations to the guild could be left here when we leave."
Kaelor did everything in his power not to smile. He tried to take a drink to hide the excitement behind his lips, only to realize he had drank all of his glass. He looked up at his assistants for a refill of not only him but the Vixens who had also finished their drinks.
Nyxian was already holding her empty glass in the air.
But Jax had not even reached half way of his glass.
But Jax had one more surprise to sweeten the pot.
"And we request fair valuation on one remaining crate of mana crystals.Approximately one thousand Yellow-grade units."
Behind him, the Vixens blinked.
One crate?
He had held one back? He knew he was going to have this exact conversation, and that he would want this crate to help them elevate their rank faster.
Kaelor did not bother with decorum.
"Fill it."
The assistant obeyed until the amber liquid touched the rim.
Kaelor lifted the glass and drained it in one long swallow.
"Awe!" He exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.
He had authority.
Promotion was within his power.
Continental records justified it.
Publicly aligning with the record-breakers strengthened Solmere's prestige.
And the trophies…
"I believe," he said slowly, "we have a deal."
He extended his clawed hand.
Jax clasped it firmly.
But Kaelor did not release it immediately.
"There is one more matter we need to clear up."