It took another three days before Gerald realized there was actually something wrong. Three days only because that was how long it took for the final few missions that were out to dry up and leave him with no new Eris to count.

Storming into the guild hall, the vacant hall hit him like a solid wall. "Where is everyone? Why is there nobody taking any jobs?" he yelled out into the room, the few remaining waitresses, Luna, Aqua and Kazuma the only ones around.

Luna was the first to answer, a sad smile on her face. "Oh, they're all outside. They said 'no accountability, no work' and said they'll be taking no more jobs until their demands are met."

"Yeah, something about seizing the means of production and returning the power of labor to the proletariat?" Kazuma added in, nodding along sagely.

" Accountability?! And what in the world is a proletariat? This is preposterous! These jumped-up commoners want 'safety' in adventuring?! . Luna, go tell them to knock it off and get back to work before I call the guard on them" he demanded of his head manager, expecting her to perform exceptionally as always. That smirking swine Feldart had to be behind this! Heads were going to roll-!

"Well, I would, sir, but the guards are already out there. It seems that they have befriended quite a few adventurers over the years and are taking their side" Luna explained, shrugging in a 'what can you do' way.

"WHAT?!" Gerald's face went from red to white to purple in an alarmingly short time. The guards were on their side too?! He was a noble, they were supposed to enforce his orders, not side with little more than glorified vagabonds! "I… I..! Of all the-! Damn it all! Surely they can't keep it up for too long. We're their sole source of income! Without coming in for jobs, they'll starve soon enough. We'll just starve them out then" he reasoned. With the sneering, superior grin of someone assured of victory, he turned and stormed away, he went to wait out the 'siege' and scheme his revenge for this impudence.

Luna and Kazuma could only smirk at each other. "Just as planned," Kazuma chuckled.

"He has nooo idea what he's getting into," Luna agreed.

-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-

Days turned into weeks and weeks slowly compounded to a month under 'siege' before things came to a head. The adventurers had made a tent town outside of the village, keeping largely to themselves and buying food in bulk from literally anywhere but the guild. With the adventurers refusing to use guild services, the guild itself had to stop buying from local farmers and wholesalers, forcing them to dump their produce onto the market for cheap, where the adventurers gladly snatched it up for their impromptu occupation. The bigger issue for the town however, was the lack of monster extermination missions being completed. Complaints had started pouring in to the hall, asking why monster populations were ballooning out of control and allowed to build up outside of Axel. No deaths had been reported yet, but with close encounters, damaged fences, eaten livestock and more, it was only a matter of time. Having no good answer to the angry demands of his would-be clientele, Gerald could do nothing but apologize, make excuses and delay, praying to Eris (who was obviously not listening) to have the adventurers cave in and go back to work. Worse yet, there was rumbling by some of the local, lesser lords (who were still in better standing than him) that they were going to be taking it up with the capitol if he didn't do something about it soon.

These thoughts in mind, he started to pen a letter to Lord Dustiness. He had helped Ignis once or twice when they were both younger in matters of state. That was before he had his fall from grace though, so hopefully he would be able to get help from the younger lord.

The letter made its way to Dustiness' estate before the end of the day, Gerald actually having spared the money to have it teleported to the manor proper. What he hadn't planned on was Ignis being out of town at the capitol. Instead, the message was relayed to his eldest daughter. His daughter had been looking for an excuse to go to the guild for a while anyway…

Two days after the missive was sent out, Gerald found his answer in the form of Dustiness Ford Lalatina showing up in the reception area of the guild, dressed as an adventurer. He'd only seen her once when she was a little girl, and nobody else in Axel knew of her. For her, this was a chance at a fresh start to where she could indulge in her more carnal desires.

She approached the desk, Kazuma running it today as he read up a bit on mana theory, clearing her throat. "I am Darkness. I have come on behalf of Lord Dustiness Ford Ignis to settle the issues between the local adventurers and the guild. Where is the guild master?"

Looking her up and down,Kazuma could confidently say she was his type. She was tall, had long, flowing blonde hair and a body to die for. Her chest alone was the second largest he'd seen in this world and she even seemed his age. Something in her eyes meant he couldn't shake a feeling of unease when looking at her, though, like she was looking at a prime cut of meat and imagining a meal... Registering what she said, he could only smirk, pointing towards a set of stairs behind the counter. "Gerald? He is upstairs, holed up in his office. He got tired of the protesters throwing stuff at his windows at night so he has been staying there since it's on the third floor."

Darkness tilted her head, confused at why the counter attendant seemed to be amused by this whole situation. Going up to the office, she knocked on the door, waiting on permission to enter.

"Come in" came the gravelly voice of Gerald.

Opening the door, Darkness is almost taken aback at just how in disarray the room was. While it had once been a functional office, it now looked like a cramped bedroom. A small bed was off to the side, the desk pushed against a wall to make room and Gerald seated in his comfortable chair, trying to keep comfortable. "I take it you're here on behalf of Lord Dustiness?"

Nodding, she bowed to Gerald, her nose wrinkling at the scent of alcohol in the room and sizing him up. While she did dream of one day finding a cruel drunkard and- No, now was not the time for such fantasies… And besides, Guildmaster Gerald cut a less-than-impressive figure. That could be appealing in its own way, but- PRIORITIES, Darkness! "Yes, I am his eldest daughter. He was unavailable when you sent your missive so I came to resolve the issue myself. Tell me, what exactly is happening?"

"The adventurers are refusing to do their bleeding job is the problem. They gave me a list of demands and figured they just wouldn't work. I tried to set the guards on them, but they agreed with the ingrates. I need you to get out there and get them back in here working. I don't care what it takes, but the monsters are starting to build up to dangerous levels. The capital has already started threatening to do something if nothing changes soon." By the end of his rant he had stood up, frothing at the mouth as he moved about the room. Before he was done he had started panting from the exertion, now leaning against the window, watching the people move below.

"I'll… see what I can do about it sir." Bowing, she left to try and negotiate with the strikers. Seeing Gerald's deteriorating state of mind caused her a moment of concern about what she had jumped into… Before she put it aside with a hopeful grin. A whole mob of angry, near-riotous adventurers? Be still her beating heart!

-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-

Feldart had been told about someone entering the guild hall and had quickly made his way over to intercept. Kazuma had warned him about the possibility of 'scabs' trying to break the strike, as well as the oddly more appealing idea of Gerald sending for less legal means to break their will. Either way, he was having none of it! The girl had only been in the hall for a few minutes, but it had been enough, the old adventurer having been holed up nearby in a bar.

"Hey girlie, you didn't just take a job from the guild hall, did ya?" he asked, motioning with his chin back at the building she'd just left.

Shaking her head, the statuesque blonde quickly rebuked him. "No, I was sent to assist the guild master with an ongoing issue. Perhaps you could help me? I was told the local adventurers have all stopped taking missions?"

"Aye, that we did, young lady. And so long as that bastard is in charge, we'll continue to do so. He seems to have it in mind that we're nothing but disposable soldiers, put on this earth to make him a quick buck. What he forgets is that he needs us more than we need him. I'll save you the trouble and tell you right now, going to the camp won't do you any good.. Me and the others have already decided to stick through this to the very end. We don't care what he throws at us! No matter the bruises, no matter the broken bones, no matter the cold, the hardship and hunger! If that involves soldiers from the capitol coming and rounding us up, treating us to the lash, burning-hot irons, or selling us off as slaves, to die without freedom or dignity, we're making our stand here- Uhm… Are you alright?"

Darkness had been impressed by the speech, at first. It was delivered clearly, passionately and with the kind of command she'd expect from a member of a proud, military family. Towards the end however, her attitude had taken a bit of a turn. She had started to pant heavily, her eyes glazing over and her arms wrapping around her body, a deep blush spread across her face. "Please, let me join your cause!" She exclaimed, giving no further explanation.

"…eh?"

-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-

Kazuma couldn't have dreamed of the boon they had fallen into their laps with Gerald's would-be legbreaker, Darkness choosing their side! He had expected the lowlife to try the same underhanded tactics that had worked so well in his previous world and have her try and threaten the adventurers or cause trouble but made an about face before even making it to their camp! She had even started funding the food stores of the adventurers out of her own pocket so they could keep the strike going longer. Frankly, the fact that it seemed that she had been his one and only trump card was almost disappointing. The old fart couldn't even protect his corruption competently.

That had been five days ago and Gerald was at his wit's end. He no longer had any ideas to get the adventurers back out into the field and his own wallet was running empty paying the guild workers. He couldn't even just stop paying them because then he'd have nobody to give out missions if people did come back! Kazuma was stirred from his idle musings, the front door slamming open as Hunter (apparently the Hunter he had Aqua save had chosen the class that matched his name) came bursting in, panting. "Kazuma! There are a bunch of soldiers marching towards the hall right now! They look like they're from the capital."

"The capital you say? About time they sent somebody. Out of my way, boy" came the borish voice of Gerald, shouldering his way past Kazuma and Hunter to greet the contingent.

Outside there are at least forty soldiers all bedecked in the house colors of Dustiness. At their head rode Ignis himself, his noble heritage on display for all to see as he dismounted his horse. Seeing his one time friend, his eyebrow twitched and he gave a curt nod of acknowledgement, his mouth narrowing into a thin line of annoyance. "Gerald."

"Lord Dustiness! I'm so glad to see you. My letter must have finally made it to you. These barbarous adventurers have been refusing to work, effectively trying to extort me and the kingdom. I tried to have the guard arrest them but they refused! Are you sure you brought enough men to deal with so many numbers though?" The fool trailed off towards the end, completely unable to read the room.

Lord Dustiness closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and trying not to gag on the smell of alcohol, sweat and desperation. "Gerald… Once upon a time, you helped me. For that, when you had your little 'accident', I arranged for you to be left in charge of this guild - as respectable a position as you could hope for, so you would be safe and comfortable in your later years. I see now that that was a mistake." He pulled a roll of parchment, handing it over to the bewildered old man, who had thought his friend had come to save him. "In there is a list of your misdeeds against the kingdom, including but not limited to extortion, embezzlement, endangerment of the realm, and dereliction of duty. We are here to escort you to the capital where you will be properly tried. Regardless of the outcome, though, it has become obvious to the crown both that you do not care for the wellbeing of the adventurers that protect our kingdom from harm, or comprehend the responsibilities of your position. As such, you are hereby stripped of your enfranchisement as Master of the Axel Adventurer's Guild." He stepped straight past the shattered man, trying to come to grips with what just happened, ignoring him like a man might ignore stepping on a bug. Kazuma, Aqua, and the other guild workers had emerged from the hall during the commotion, some curious and others (two in particular), eager to see sweet, sweet justice in action. Few of them however, expected Lord Ignis to head straight towards them, specifically towards Kazuma. "You must be Satou Kazuma, correct?" He asked, looking down at the young man and taking his measure. The boy didn't look like much, but given that he was the only one who fit the name and didn't look in the least surprised by the turn of events, it only made sense. Add to that, he was standing between the fallen Gerald and the rest of the staff. Ignis could tell that, although Kazuma was probably not even aware of it himself, he had accepted the position of leadership in this little revolution.

"Um, yes sir, that's me" he managed to get out, only just remembering to bow as he did so.

"Hmph… good job on your investigation. You were able to give us a decent enough start point to move forward with our inquest. On behalf of myself and the people of Axel, I thank you. Now all that remains here is to keep such an incident from occurring again. I might have considered you for the position, were it not for your junior status with the guild; instead, I believe I'll take my cue from that manifesto included in your letter and allow the adventurers themselves to choose their new Guild Master." His task done, he motioned for his men to move, two of them seizing Gerald under his arms and hauling him into a waiting wagon for transport. The sudden, iron grip seemed to shock the disgraced noble out of his stupor and he immediately began to bellow in protest.

"You conniving, traitorous, bastard! I gave you a roof over your head, food in your belly and a job and this is how you repay me?" The old man frothed at Kazuma, banging against the bars of his transport.

Kazuma grinned, waggling his fingers cockily while waving goodbye to him. "Don't worry, you'll get the same in jail!"

-Ko-No-Su-Ba!-

The banging of tankards, belting of banter, and belching of beverages was all that could be heard that night within the guild as the adventurers flocked back to celebrate their victory. Nothing concrete had changed yet, save the removal of Gerald, but that was enough for most of them and Luna had given her approval to break into Gerald's private reserves to celebrate. How one man had enough to liquor up the entire guild didn't really bear thinking about. Towards the wee hours of the morning, when the taps were starting to run low, Feldart finally caved in to the raucous shouts of, "Speech, speech, speech!"

"Alright, alright, settle down ya hooligans, I'll give ya your bloody speech." He was teetering himself on top of the table he stood on, having had a few to many brews himself. "Many of you think you have me to thank for all this hullabaloo going on and your month off from working. To that I say, I'm flattered, but you really think this punch-drunk old bastard has enough brains left in his head to come up with something like this?" He paused for the murmur of laughter to die down. "The fact is I was just a figurehead for the real mind behind our victory, our very own pencil-pushing counter-jockey, Kazuma! He saw how bad Gerald was treating us with his own eyes… And he took that personally." He teetered on his feet, taking another long pull from the tankard in his hand and momentarily losing his train of thought, before deciding to wrap this up, rather than go on for another few hours of drunken rambling. "So, here we are! Three cheers to Kazuma!" The noise was almost deafening as Kazuma nursed his second beer with Aqua and Luna. Aqua had been hesitant at first about drinking again, but with Luna and Kazuma on hand she felt safe enough for one or two glasses. For a start. "Alright, alright, shut your holes! Now, for the last bit of the night. Kazuma might have had the idea and did all that fancy legal writing, but let's not forget our favorite maiden, Luna, who worked with him to make this all happen. And as such, since we get to choose our next guild master, I say, let's have it be her!"

The response made it clear that the drunkards were fans of Luna and her taking up the mantle, many of them having trusted her for years. The fact that she was going to be able to be effective when doing it was only a good thing. The only person surprised was Luna herself, who looked like she had just been punched as she sat there, adventurers congratulating her even though she hadn't accepted. After the first five minutes, she gave up, realizing she was stuck with the job.

As the festivities wound down for the night, the front door slammed open. In it stood a short, red and black clad mage with an eye patch and staff, defying the entire room with her stance. "I have come to challenge the adventurer Yunyun!"