36 – Guild

Unlike Winston, a century hadn’t taken a toll on Rafael, as it wouldn’t for any demon in adulthood. Maybe there was a slight maturation of his features, since time had at least some sway on the long-lived races, but Vivi couldn’t spot any meaningful differences.

He had slicked-back hair, keen red eyes, and skin as pale as hers. He was dressed like a nobleman, wearing sharp, tailored clothes that spoke of high status, and he walked with confidence and purpose. Two black horns jutted from the top of his forehead—straight, not the curved horns of high-blooded demons.

She revised her initial plan and cast invisibility on him too before setting out, since while he didn’t have the same notoriety as the Sorceress, his was a face people would recognize. More than hers, even. The Chief Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild would be identified faster than the oft-misrepresented hero of a century past. She also applied two [True Sights].

Meridian was home base to a good portion of the world’s guilds, and since it was best to contain the chaos so many adventurers brought, a district had been cordoned off. The trip to Vanguard’s guildhall lasted all of a few minutes traversing the Adventurer’s District.

Blue badges and even green flashed without much rarity in this part of the city, but Vivi had reinforced her spells with that in mind. Barring a dragon in disguise—which wasn’t impossible—nobody should see them.

In two minutes, they stood in front of Vanguard’s guildhall. Along with a small crowd.

To her horror, it had become a tourist destination.

Or the primitive equivalent. Obviously there were no flashing cameras and obnoxious poses being struck. But a thick rope hung around the front perimeter, keeping away the dozen people or so who had stopped to admire the historical landmark. A commemorative plaque was posted in front. At least there weren’t statues.

Finding the whole thing strangely embarrassing, Vivi slipped underneath the barrier and walked to the front door. While large and well-built, with wood and stone and brick and glass, nothing screamed the importance of the guild. It looked not dissimilar from the others around it, if, in fact, less gaudy than the two adjacent buildings. Both of which she suspected had vied furiously for ownership of real estate in such close proximity to Vanguard’s esteemed hall.

She read The Wardens on the one to the left, and people were streaming in and out of the swung-open double doors. She wrinkled her nose. Great. Her neighbors were the Caldimores. How serendipitous.

Maybe the main family wasn’t as annoying and spineless as the branch? She shouldn’t judge them all by Count Barnaby’s behavior. The Wardens didn’t seem to have a bad reputation. Saffra hadn’t seemed to indicate such, at least.

Arriving at the door, Rafael raised an eyebrow in silent questioning. Vivi waved her staff, casting an illusion to block anyone from seeing the door be pulled open, then grabbed the handle and tugged.

The guildhall yielded.

Behind her, Rafael sucked a breath in. Vivi suspected he had known it was her, that she wasn’t some illusionist disguising herself as the Sorceress, but nevertheless, opening the guildhall that had been closed for a century was a momentous event for him. For her too, if to a lesser degree. She felt her pulse pick up in excitement.

The guildhall was bigger inside than out, which for once wasn’t thanks to Vivi’s personal wards. Guilds were a natural feature of Seven Cataclysms, and upgrading the tier of a guild expanded its interior while keeping the exterior building—and the plot of land it sat on—reasonably sized. A gameplay necessity for cramming hundreds of player guilds into the same district. The poorest guilds had needed to use instanced versions; only the richest were given permanent real estate, and inactivity could quickly lead to eviction.

All of that seemed to have translated via the System, if no doubt in its own unique ways.

A short foyer led into the common room.

Vanguard, both in the game and in this world, was a small, private group comprised of her and her friends, so despite their relative influence—all five of them being some of the top players of Seven Cataclysms—they had designed the interior of the guildhall to be small and cozy.

Even more than her estate, the space had been immaculately preserved. Magically, rather than through a butler’s diligent efforts. There was no dust, decaying wood, or old smell pervading the air despite the years. The common room was tidy and clean. A collection of comfortable chairs surrounded a fireplace, the Vanguard insignia—a torch burning gold fire—hanging above the mantle. She swept her gaze around the room, taking it all in.

Rafael did the same, a hint of wonder in his eyes.

“I wondered if I would ever set foot inside this building again,” he murmured. “It hasn’t changed at all.”

As interested as she was, she couldn’t match Rafael’s nostalgia. It hadn’t been a century for her. That usual disconnect of standing in a place that she’d only ever known virtually had hit her too. That sense of surrealism. But she was getting used to it.

Her [Guild Status] command hadn’t magically repaired itself upon entering, and she debated asking Rafael. She didn’t know if that was a normal screen, though, and had yet to broach the topic of her ‘memory problems’.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Rafael saying, “There’s a quest on the board.”

Vivi’s eyes turned that way. Sure enough, a tan parchment was pinned into the cork. Intrigued, she walked over.

She pulled the paper off and read it, Rafael looking over her shoulder.

***

~ Mythic Quest ~

The Restoration of Vanguard, Stage One

For nigh one hundred years the guild that shepherded the world through seven earth-rending Cataclysms has lain dormant—its treasures lost with it. Now, the last of that noble organization returns. What was lost cannot always be reclaimed, but what has been broken may yet be forged anew.

Though nightmares linger behind, more may lie ahead. There will always be need for a Vanguard.

The author’s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Task:

– Locate one prior craftsman of Vanguard and reinduct them into its ranks. {0/1}

Rewards:

– Progress Guild Tier from zero to one.

– Regain access to the Craftsmen Quarters.

– One item harvested from the Umbral Regent will be reforged into a Lv.2000 relic with no level requirement.

***

They stood in silence as they digested the words.

“A System-granted quest,” Rafael finally said. “Rated mythic.”

“The task doesn’t seem especially difficult,” Vivi said slowly. “Just one craftsman?”

“Indeed. And the reward is…” He paused. “Significant.” His brow furrowed. “The implication that the Craftsmen Quarters are locked, though, is concerning. As is how the guild’s tier has been reset to zero.”

“The vault,” Vivi said in sudden realization. “Is the vault gone?”

She’d been delighted to find her personal storage intact. But would that luck hold for the guild’s vault? She knew the answer before she made her way across the common room, down a staircase, and to the end of the cellar. The thick metal door stood there, at least. The vault hadn’t simply been erased. But when she tried turning the handle, it didn’t budge.

“That’s unfortunate,” Rafael said.

Vivi stepped back and considered the heavily defended vault entrance.