Publisher's Summary Enemies emerge everywhere. Stagnation starts seeming standard. Results require Ruthlessness. Joe has been moving deeper into his study of ritual magic and further away from his combat team. He's learning more and more, but more often than not needs to choose between his research and squad leadership. Improving the town is a huge help to the guild, and they have been pushing to increase their power. Their rapid increases have not gone unnoticed. The guild receives an ultimatum, delivered by assassins and signed with blood. If they continue to accrue power and fame, each and every person with a grievance against the guild will come to smash the town back to square one. With tensions coming to a head, all Joe wants to do is leave it all behind and reach the next area. He flatly refuses the guild when they ask him to devise lethal options to use against the gathering army, but when the time comes...even Joe is unsure if he'll step into the limelight and show everyone exactly how ruthless he can be. ©2020 Dakota Krout (P)2020 Mountaindale Press