Very rarely were any members of Eternal Nightmare granted access to Odin's chamber, but today was a special day, and it could be afforded the grand gesture. Of course, Jin didn't quite yet know why Odin was summoning him to the room, situated on one of the higher floors of the Spire. The Eudaemon enjoyed watching his lands from the very peak, and so he had made sure to place his own room at a similar level. It also gave him the privacy offered to those who stayed towards the higher end of the building: an offer only made to his guild members. After all, the Eternal Nightmare hall was home to a great many followers of Odin, although most were not allowed to venture above a certain level.

In this instance, Odin would be waiting at a grand dining table for his guildmate to join him. A cultist, one of the Wizard Lord's personal servants, had been sent down to fetch the Healer, and relay the message. It wouldn't be long until he arrived.

"Huh," Jin replied from his bed. His feet were kicked up against the wall. A ball of light dropped from his hands that he was focused on. The servant brought a message from Odin. "Are you sure? I'm more of a fringe operator. He probably meant Erebues or Achlys," Jin went, back to his magic but the servant verified. JIn rolled out of his bed, "Well. I wonder." He walked out of the room and headed to the elevator. Not many people traveled up to those heights. He thought back to his little ball of light. To the outside, it probably looked like a man frivolously playing with magic. But it was a condensed ball of energy towards the ends of casting out his own magic.

He waved farewell to the servant and took the ride to the highest floors. The doors slid open and the light mage walked through. Odin sat at the end of a grand table. "Hey, boss. We aren't under attack again are we," he joked and made his way next to the Guild Leader.

"I'm still getting used to your new look. What's on your mind? Planning a retaliation?"

Those who didn't know Odin, and indeed even many of the cultists who saw him more as their messiah than anything else, would never think about the way he was with his guild members. Especially those whom he had grown close to. Zane, Venus, Achlys, Erebus. Caius and even Steel, wherever he was, were a part of that group that Jin also found himself in. The people who would speak plainly with Odin, who didn't need to put on any formal airs around the guildmaster. They trusted him, they were loyal to him. And he would die for any one of them himself, there was no need for anything more.

"Unless someone is going to run into this room in the next five seconds and announce it, I think we're safe." Odin replied, a cheeky grin spread across his face as Jin made his way towards him at the table.

He would wait until the healer was comfortable before he began to speak, as today business was of a much more official sort. "Don't worry, the retaliation will come. For now we need to consolidate our forces, and I need to learn how muscles work again." His jovial tone then dropped, and his face moved on to the matter at hand, "It is for that reason I have brought you here. Erebus, Achlys, and yourself came in my hour of need, and we beat back the invaders that dared set foot in our home. I want you three to be rewarded for that. I can trust you with so much, you have proved that."

Odin got up from his seat and walked across to a large map sprawled across his wall. A map of Fiore, with all the locations of known guilds circled and annotated. In Dahlia there was another circle, fresher ink, as if made in the past days. "We have amassed a greater force than I could have ever foreseen, but Eternal Nightmare isn't the place for all of them. There are things we can do, and there are things we can't. It is for that reason that I've made the decision to split our banner among two guilds: one led by my closest ally in Dahlia, where I have sent Achlys to grow stronger and spread my influence. And Eternal Nightmare, here in Oak."

"I can't lead both from the Spire, and I can't rule Fiore where I am now. I need to stand above both guilds, stand apart so that they can be united under our banner."

"Jin Tatsumi, you have fought alongside me in lands foreign and known to us, and we have succeeded in both." Odin took a bow as he asked his question, "Would you honour me by becoming the guild master on my behalf?"

Jin leaned back in the chair. The first couple of legs rose less than an inch from the ground. The light mage put his hands on the back of his head. Although it was a relaxed stance that he wouldn't take in front of Odin's servants or the masses outside. While they were alone though, he would treat Odin as the man he was. An old ally from the war.

"I imagine they are all regrouping from it too. And serving time in the boiler. Still hard to believe. You roped me into fighting off knights and light guilds already," he joked but he wasn't upset by it. It was not so different than already being in hot water.

"Yeah now that you are a...well you have a body again. I can actually do my job around her better," he replied. Not really knowing how medical skills would have helped a Lich. When Odin's tone dropped, so did the legs of Jin's chair. Serious matters always had a way of turning up. He had no idea what the reward would be. He assumed a sum of jewels and was already thinking about what meal he would treat himself to.

"Thank you. It's what we're here for after all. You promised to help me and I'll have your back," He stood up from the chair, giving the moment the attention it deserved. "It was a crazy battle. But definitely left an impression." He wanted to make a joke about always being literally under fire around Odin but let it slip by for now.

Jin eyed the fresh circle on the wall. Unsure if it was a future ally or a target. "Two guilds," he said questioningly. He hadn't realized how expansive the numbers had grown. Looking out the window would be proof enough of the growing presence. Many of the members acted on their own too. So it was hard to tell just how the ranks had expanded.

Odin kept speaking, and yet the paladin wasn't sure where it was going or what this had to do with a reward. As Odin continued, Jin looked around the room. Thoughts processed one after the other. Achlys was sent to the other guild. His hands began to sweat. Someone that Odin trusted was running that one. Odin couldn't lead both from here. Jin looked around the room, but Erebus wasn't there. The clear choice for the spot. 'Crap. Crap. crap. Please say jewels...please say Jewels'

Jin swallows, getting ready to spit the words 'Absolutely not' out. But he choked. Odin gave a small bow. He tugged at the mages, heart strings, bringing back the war and their triumph then. A time he wanted to move on from. From running with a band. leading assaults and more.

"Damn you Odin, and your honor," Jin replied and bowed back. He knew the structure of a military well. Odin mentioned running them both, which would mean Jin was more proxy than a master. A manager at best. It was for that reason.

"If there is no one else...and this is what you want...I'll accept. But I'm a faceless member who barely knows anyone else."

Odin realised the position he was putting Jin in with his request. The man had been a Blue Pegasus mage only a few years ago, and he had gone from that to defending the dark guild from Rune Knights. And now Odin was asking him to step in as the master. Of course, the Eudaemon would still be in charge, but he had to be smarter about how he ruled the underworld of Fiore. And leaving Eternal Nightmare with every high bounty in the country was not the way to do it. People would hunt Odin down no matter where he was, so this was better overall, both against his enemies and to consolidate his forces.

"I will still lead from the shadows, and you will have the experience Erebus can offer to maintain order around here." Odin began, glad that Jin had agreed but understanding that it was a reluctant acceptance, especially given his relatively new state within the guild.

"I will help you settle, but know that I picked you because I want you in this role. The second guild also has a new master with experienced followers. I want to see you both grow under me. You have potential Jin, and whether you like it or not I'm going to bring it out of you."

Odin ended on that jovial tone again, laughing as he spoke before going into one of his cabinets and procuring one of his very expensive spirits, an imported sake from Jin's country of Joya, alongside two cups made of the finest design. The politics were done, now they could discuss and celebrate, as he poured some for both himself and his close ally.

"Please, allow me to put your mind at ease. I've no doubt you have questions, I will answer them all."

Jin sighed with a sense of relief washing over him, "Well that's good to know. So you just need a pretty face at the helm then," he joked with a cheeky smile, knowing it was deeper than that. For the short amount of time they had known one another, they proved loyalty in the great battles they shared. It was good to at least hear that he wouldn't be taking on so much work.

"Thanks," he responded to Odin's sincere words about choosing him. The paladin playfully scoffed at Odin calling him out about potential and ran his hand through the front of his hair, "Potential. I have plenty of potential to seek out my life of peace, wine, and love." He answered as Odin snagged some wine from a nearby cabinet.

He shrugged and rose the freshly poured cup for a cheers, "To changing another nation. May there be less fire in our future," he would clink cups and then shoot back the drink.

"I suppose I have a few. What direction are we going in with the guild? From what I gather we are amassing two fronts. And then taking out the nobles. But will it still be scattered strikes or are we aiming for a unified strike? And what is it you need from me?" Jin wasn't proud of it, but other than peddling medicine all he really knew about was warfare.

"Oh don't you know it, I need the prettiest we've got." Odin joked back to his friend. The world was certainly changing around him. No longer was he the scourge on the planet, a sickness to be eradicated. The Eudaemon had close friends, not just one ally but a guild's worth of people he could keep close to him and trust with his life. Whether he could discuss it easily or not, it was the truth of the matter.

Odin would raise his cup with Jin's, chuckling at his words. "If only it could be that easy." He drank the cup in sync with the new guild master, solidifying the new rule, even if he was only to be the face of the guild. But after drinks came the questions, something Odin was willing to assist with. He had to ensure this transition would be smooth but, given Jin's efforts in the invasion, everyone in the guild would at least know his name and capabilities. It was his job to find out about them.

Ever the commander, built for warfare, Jin knew exactly how to fight the nobles. Another reason he was a good fit to be the pseudo-leader of Eternal Nightmare. "As you know, our end goal hasn't changed. We still wish to change Fiore, either replace Reign or abolish the monarchy completely. But, no matter how strong we are, we're just one guild. The change can start with us, but it can't come from us alone."

"We need a group dedicated to amassing a force from all those who have been persecuted under Reign's Fiore. We need the people on our side, which has now begun. But beyond that, and I can't believe I'm saying this, we need the Light guilds. However, not in the way you might think."

"Many of them will never outright ally with us, especially Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus. They are tied to the crown and can't escape it now without some drastic changes. But the neutral guilds: those that simply wish to complete their own tasks and enjoy their lives, they have power. Some very influential mages are flocking to these groups, and all we need from them is confirmation that they won't try to stop us. If we attack Reign, and the only ones standing against us are the royal guard; if we have the rest of Fiore supporting our claim, either directly or indirectly, then we might avoid bloodshed entirely."

"That's why it can't be me. Every influential mage has either already met me, or at least has an opinion of me. They don't know you yet and, while they might not trust Eternal Nightmare's goal when I say it, you are different. You were Blue Pegasus yourself once, you can show people what side we are truly on, in ways I could never achieve."

He shook his head and laughed with Odin. The man was becoming more and more a trusted friend. These moments were far and few in between with the world they put themselves in. "I wish," he joked back as their glasses clinked together. And just like that, the wanderer had become the face of the guild. Something he would never have seen coming from their quick moment at the pub they met at. He hated that it made sense. But knew that with Odin still at the real helm, things wouldn't change much. Aside from some more running perhaps.

He took another swig and pressed his hands against his knees as Odin laid out the details. "Oh," Jin quickly replied when Odin mentioned needing the light guilds. The leader was right. everlasting change happened with the will of the people. They just needed someone bold enough to direct their passion. And there it was...the real truth of the matter, laid out plain to see.

"Well you know I'm a man that likes to avoid as much bloodshed as possible," a questionable statement given they found one another in the middle of a bar fight. Odin had calculated a plan years in the making.

"Seems like things are starting to line up for you. I prefer to hang out on the sidelines...and now you want me to be a diplomate?" he shook his head and ruffled his hair in thought.

"Skillfully thought out. You're right. With me having flown under the radar. I'm a fresh face to most. Running some diplomatic missions sounds better than trudging out into the battlefield. I'll reach out to them and see what I can do. Hopefully united...we can do it with a major war. We dealt a big blow to infinity wolves. That may detour some aggression for now. Long enough for us to change our image." he was already thinking of who to talk to next and where to go. unfortunately, the very people that had beaten prior, maybe some of the more important ones to have had on their side.

"It's gonna be tough. Maybe more so than Bosco.But hell...Let's do it. any advice on who to seek out first?"

At least Jin was accepting of the new responsibilities that were about to be placed upon him, more so than Odin was actually expecting. He was a loyal ally, and a good friend. They had seen wars begin and end, bloodshed and diplomacy, and now Jin was going to look for a way to end things without the death of the king, if entirely possible.

Odin didn't know if he completely believed him, if destroying the monarchy like that was even possible. But as they drank and talked late into the night, Odin knew Jin had the power to manage it. If anyone could, it was him.

-Exit-

Jin talked with the man throughout the night and shared drinks. They sat as if they were old friends. And in many ways they were. They had seen war and now sat at the sit of a guild together. The man had found the healer alone at a bar with no path in mind. And in someway he was given one to follow. But now things were talking on a new form. One that had the potential to change the light-hearted healer to something else. Being around such dark forces. he had to wonder if he would eventually fall aswell.

whatever happened, he supported Odin's mission regardless of if it made complete sense to him or not. There was a lot of info on the king that was still unknown. But the things he saw happen were bad enough to keep him on this path. War was never too far behind. he learned the members and the layout of the future from Odin, with a plan to see it through.