ã€ŠJuvenile Gladiatorsã€‹


 Chapter One - The Fool

    "Again. Why does he do this to us? Why can''t he let us finish our friday''s in PEACE." Emphasized the poor brooding Naomi to her posse of five. The tall bean-stalk of a stick was Rene, he waved his hands lack-lusteredly with a dim expression. "Ugh, let the teacher be. He''s only got one more year with us before he sends us out of this school."

    "Yeah, he probably thinks this is his last chance to change us for the better... Or something. I don''t know." Judy added, her plump cheeks puffing in frustration. The other two girls present just exchange indifferent glances before sighing at the given assignment from their homeroom teacher.

    On the far corner of the microwave-heated classroom was a loud group of teens glued to their phones, yelling curses and bloody murder to the other people on screen before a defeat was plastered on their screens.

    "Noob!" Cried out a smaller male from the side before he got a piss-angry glare from one of the others. "Whatever Bryle, I told you to watch the mid! What did you do? JUNGLE." Criticized a clean-cut looking male with slinted eyes of dissapointement.

    "Jungle my ass, I was trying to look out for the other hidden hero who DID pass by the top and not the mid! If you''re looking for someone to blame, look at Nick and Fadi! Hell they looked like they played blind!"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Bryle shut up! I was dead!" Retorted Nick, pushing his glasses up in irritation.

    Fadi, the large boy that he was, scoffed as loud as it sounded like a cough. He looked like he was about to throw the phone at bryle from the other corner before he shook his head. " I was saving your damn ass from being killed by that Puppet Hero!"

    "These jargons." Muttered Rellan from the front of the room, looking to the addicted players before he turned to the girls in the circle with him. "I''ll never understand. Play, sure. But not say."

    "Guys, be quiet. President has an announcement." Called out a familiar voice from all the senseless bickering in the back, their secretary had just tried to silence the classroom which almost came to an abrupt halt before a short girl walked on top of the platform in front of the classroom.

    The petite girl cupped her hands near her mouth before yelling out, "Guys, listen up. Before we all go, we have to go to the library. Teacher Roger just said to go there to write down something as a class."

    "Huh?"

    "Ugggghhhh..."

    "Why...?"

    Loud retorts and hushed murmurs echoed the small room of 42 students, she puts her hands up and flails them in attempt to get back their attention. "Guys! Guys, come on. We just need to go there now and we''ll just see what we''ll do next. Okay? Everyone close the electric fans and turn off the light--" The president then turns to Jy, their secretary. "--Jy, please lock up before we leave. Okay? I''ll go ahead to prepare the chairs."

    The stout and intimidating looking woman then nods her head, "Alright."

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Fool. 42. Library. Not him. Cries. Death. Beginnings. 28. Head.

 Chapter Two - Quiet Acceptance

    Many awoke to the sound of deep hurling and hushed sobbing, quiet mutters and sharp curses. One boy starts to sit up with the help of his bruised hands, pushing him up as best he could with a small pained grunt. He looks around, dazed for a moment before his eyes snap open wider than saucers. He bolts up to his feet, his body too filled with alert that the bruises and strains he felt were nothing but mere stings. "Wha--No. No, no. No, this can''t be happening." He repeats to himself, his brows pin together in worry, his face in disbelief.

    The small area of grassy terrain was occupied by groups of teenagers either on the ground still stirring awake or talking amongst themselves about the predicament they were in. "August." Spoke a voice from behind the frazzled boy. He turns; his shoulders relax in relief, but not enough to remove the fear still crawling down his back. "Grey, what... What the hell happened yesterday?" He says softly, his words were slow and desperately trying to cling to the tone of restrained calmness, it wasn''t working as his voice cracked in the last bit. Before he could receive his answer, he gasped at the sight of his best friend''s unusual get-up.

    Grey, from yesterday, had worn the school''s uniform which was the white button up short-sleeve with a dark brown ribbon strapping the front just under the collar of the shirt. She ''was'' wearing the ankle-long coffee colored skirt with 2 inched leather heels, all uniform coded from the school of Prestige High.

    But now, she wore something worth calling to the medieval era back for. It seemed to be a mix of a modern design and an old armor uniform. Heavy metal plates covered her body like it was practically forged in her size. The armor clung to her frame from the sharp gorget to the rerebraces and vambraces, breast plate, gauntlets and even paddings on the sides of her hips. Leather cloth shone as her pants, the cloth seeming to look expensive yet durable from his perspective. Tall brown strap on boots with buckles holding onto them in place just below her knee were dusted by the terrain¡¯s dirt on the front of the shoes. Though, this wasn¡¯t what surprised him.

    Unlike what he had witnessed yesterday, she now had a large belt with two scabbards on each side of her hips, long swords which he can assume from his wide knowledge of old aged weaponry, is a kind of broad sword. Two of these hung onto strapped buckles by the sides of her belt, one armored hand rested on the right¡¯s hilt with a clunk as she pumps her breast forward in hopes to seem more confident. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about what happened later¡­ and the armor. For now, I need you to help me round in the rest of the people for an announcement.¡±

    Augustus was already confused, so he decided to not press on questions yet and replied with a short nod and pursed lips. She nods back in reply as thanks, she gave a weak smile to assure him that everything was going to be alright. He smiled back, waiting for her to turn her back before dropping it slowly, his faith in his own life at the hands of this world he¡¯s now in brings only an unsettling feeling in his gut.

    In a circle hastily crowded together by the down-ridden students, they squat together. Holding each other in protective hugs and groups with the only solace of safety being the hill they had decided to rest atop for the night. Now, the sun has just rose from its sleep, painting the area in a hue of early baby blue and orange. It would¡¯ve been a breath-taking sight from where they were if it weren¡¯t for the situation.

    The quiet scenery of the hill garners a few oak trees and dry leaves scattered across the area, the group had huddled just beneath the tree for comfort. While in chatter, the group sees four of their fellow classmates step from behind the tree, all four in glimmering armor. If it weren¡¯t for the dire situation, they would¡¯ve looked like they came from a costume party. But no, the armor before them looked as real as their situation. The shining glint of the wear gleamed dominance along with the heavy weaponry by their sides, belts and backs.

    The first to step out was Grey Bellarosa, their fellow sports junkie and game nerd. Her usual carefree expression now morphed into a colder and more solid face. Her face was still bruised from the fight that took place yesterday. Second in line came Rio Archwood, the awkward boy with a knack for art and music. Despite his shy and fragile attitude, his face held a burden that the remaining students were yet willing to comprehend. Third was Joshua Harrison, a stout bearded student who carries himself poorly in fashion despite his riches back home, but as he carries the heavy axe and war hammers by his side, no one dares complain about his lack of decency for wear from now on. Lastly was Noah O. River, their somewhat prideful foreign friend from Korea. It could be his race, or just his personality, but with him, everything just magically seems to go his way. His pride and attitude could only get him so far in class.

    All don what seemed to be heavy armor of this world¡¯s best material, just from the intricate design they could tell¡­ Or perhaps it was not? Honestly, they were basically shooting random guesses in the dark.

    ¡°I um¡ª¡°Grey spoke up first as she called for their attention with a raise of her hand, ¡°¡ªI hope you guys had at least a decent amount of sleep. It must be hard considering our predicament right now.¡± She says, her brows furrow in worry at them as her raised hand now lowers back to her side.

    She clears her throat; her steely grey eyes dart from student to student, ¡°If you guys remember¡­ Yesterday, we¡¯ve lost¡­ half of the class. From 42 students¡­¡± She gestures to the survivors in grim. ¡°¡­Down to 28, including me, Rio, Josh and Noah.¡±

    Continuing with a heavy heart, Grey had already noticed the lines of red and circles, swollen eyelids trying to keep open as they listened. ¡°As such, while you all were sleeping from last night, we had to figure out what the hell is happening. We dug info, found some shit and we¡¯re here to tell you about it. We just hope you¡¯re mentally ready for this.¡± She warns before Noah from the other side pulled out a scroll from thin air, landing on the palm of his hand before he handed it to her.

    After a muttered thanks, she began to read.

    ¡°Dear players of Everoe, a pleasant greeting to those who shall be joining our experience of a lifetime.

    I am known as the GM of this world, the Game Master of all the things that happen in Everoe. Supposedly, your new God. I have decided to bring ten thousand people into my creation in hopes of truly remaking the idea of what this game is truly about.

    The Tales of Everoe have three things that it¡¯s known for. A broad experience of the new fantasy world, The endless possibilities to your hard work and a thrilling feeling of surviving the next day.

    My goal in this world is to thrill the senses of my players, to erase their sad fa?ade back at their old world and to create a new and bright future here in Everoe, Thus, why I made this game almost impossible to escape to the real world.

    However, if you truly do wish to go back to your mundane lifestyle then I have only one request if you will.

    Earn the title of Grandmaster and forfeit your life to ascend into the heavens, let your soul purify in whole as it scatters across the different dimensions of the universes¡¯ plane.

    Do so and you shall be free.

    Thank you for participating and I wish you all the luck that Evecka can bestow.

    Signed, William P. Cousfold.¡±

    As the announcement ends and the scroll was slowly pulled down for Grey to see their reactions, the small crowd had a mix of confusion, worry, anger and gloom etched on their faces.

    Noah spoke up next to Grey, tilting his head down as his eyes looked forward to them. ¡°Guys?¡± Like stone hitting against a glass pane, their dazed expression, as they stared at Grey, shatters. Their faces morph into a general shock for a moment before their mouths start to sputter complaints.

    August trembles in the back, his hands shook as he starts to shoot up from his place, fists now tightened at his side. ¡°We can¡¯t leave? What kind of bullshit is that!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why should we even do this stupid game?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Cause we have no other choice!¡± Grey shot back, the scroll by her right hand now hovers above her palm and disappears into a blue colored ball of light before zipping away in thin air.

    ¡°We¡­ have no other choice. We¡¯re stuck here and there¡¯s not a fucking thing we can do about it, alright?¡± She repeats before solemnly looking down to her feet.

    The air grows slightly colder at her statement, the truth sounding so exotic to each of their ears. ¡°Bullshit. Bullshit is what this is¡ª¡° Another voice growls as he stands up. The ever so bad-ass ruffian, Robin, is now trembling in either fear or anger, his face was sweaty and his face was turning crimson. ¡°That shit for brains is telling us to reach Grandmaster? I¡¯m guessing from that rank that it¡¯s some impossible thing to aquire, yeah?¡± He asks, nodding to Grey with a look that says ¡®Am I right?¡¯

    Grey purses her lips then lets out a miniscule sigh. ¡°Yes, but not unless you guys try to get it.¡±

    ¡°If that guy is telling us to live here and actually get this title shit to leave, then fuck this! If that means we¡¯re gonna have to fight that headless nightmare that killed half our class then I¡¯d rather not!¡±

    ¡°HEY!¡± Grey raised her voice to Robin, her teeth were clenched as her eyes were wide in fury, veins started to line on her throat as she gripped the handle of her sword, unmoving. ¡°You think WE had a choice? You think WE knew that this would happen? NO! We didn¡¯t! You think we could¡¯ve saved the others in time? NO. We couldn¡¯t¡ª¡°This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Grey, shut up!¡± Yelled another male voice, but this was someone in their class that no one dared to speak against. Orlando stands with a frustrated look, his clean-cut hair now tossed around in a bit of an oily look as he clenches his jaw with squinted eyes. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. We¡¯re here, they¡¯re dead. Everyone just¡­ just move on! We can¡¯t waste any more time so just tell us what we need to do to get that¡­ Grandmaster title or whatever.¡± He looks to everybody with a pointed finger as he spoke, his familiar prissy tone actually gave more emphasis to his words as it rings true to reality. Like a giant slap against the crowd, they grit their teeth and stay quiet. Robin and Augustus exchange pained glances before sitting back down on the cold grass.

    Grey, unsure if Orlando¡¯s way of leading them on was right, hesitated. She looks to Rio and Josh to her right as they both give her a look to just move on. She clears her throat and looks back to them with knitted brows.

    ¡°Well, alright¡­ Um¡ª¡° She gestures to what she¡¯s wearing along with the other three standing next to her, ¡°As you all can see, me and the other guys here have some armor on and from the little knowledge we have about this world, we¡¯ve actually played this game before.¡± Josh then puts a hand up to explain after Grey.

    ¡°But we had no idea that this was going to happen. The thing is, we¡¯ve already finished getting the title of Grandmaster¡­ It¡¯s a online game. We¡¯ve been teleported to the land of Everoe and we¡¯re what this world calls the Gladiators.¡± Josh puts a finger to the tip of his nose as he rubs it by habit, ¡°The four of us can leave now if we wanted to.¡±

    ¡°But, we talked about it and we won¡¯t.¡± Grey added with a reassuring nod to the crowd as she noticed they were at the brink of spouting pleas to not leave them to their doom. ¡°We¡¯re not going to let you guys die like this. Not like how the others did.¡± She shakes her head at the horrible memory, it was still fresh in her mind. The real smell of blood and the real sound of dying screams. They were all still so vivid. Grey shudders for a moment before speaking again, ¡°Since us four have more knowledge about this world than you guys do, we¡¯re going to go about this approach in a more¡­ helpful way. Like cheats for newbies in a game.¡±

    Rio adds, ¡°But we need to make sure that you guys are fully-on board with actually fighting. Like using swords, guns, bows, and¡ª¡°

    ¡°There are guns in this?¡± Called a surprised voice.

    ¡°Yeah, but¡ª¡° Rio shakes his head, ¡°You¡¯ll see a ton more crazy stuff later on. But, again¡­ Are you all willing to do this?¡±

    Staring at the crowd, Rio waits for any sort of response. They only look to him then exchange slow glances at each other with short whispers, shaking their head and giving very audible whimpers.

    Nick, one of the more scrawny people in the back raises a hand up, pushing slightly broken glasses up the bridge of his nose. ¡°I mean, as what Grey said, It¡¯s not like we have any choice left. So, If you need us to do it, we¡¯ll do it to get out of here.¡±

    ¡°No complaints, alright?¡± Orlando speaks again in his commanding voice, even Grey¡¯s back straightens at his tone. The crowd pauses for a moment before nodding, sighing and giving small sounds of agreement.

    Augustus looks down to his muddied school shoes before he was nudged by someone from his side. He turns left, brows furrowing at whoever needed to talk to him right now. ¡°You okay?¡± Asked Charlotte, the short-haired aficionado of talents. Her usual porcelain white skin is now ruddied and dirtied from their sleep. Augustus gave her an unamused look, ¡°In this situation? How could anyone¡­¡± He states matter-of-factly.

    Charlotte¡¯s eyes wander down to the grass before pulling up her legs up to her chest, burying her chin inbetween her chest and knees. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, I know. It¡¯s just¡­ This is just too surreal. You know?¡± She shifts her gaze softly to him, her eyes a bit swollen from the uncontrollable water works she displayed yesterday.

    Augustus figured she cried herself to sleep.

    ¡°I know. But, if this is what it takes to go back home. Fuck logic, throw it out the god damn window. I¡¯m going to do everything it takes to go back home in one piece.¡± At Augustus¡¯ words, Charlotte gives a solemn smile, nodding her head.

    ¡°At least you¡¯re doing better than Arthur.¡± She lightly jerks her head to her right, Augustus leans down and peers behind Charlotte to see Arthur rubbing his hands, sitting in a hunched position with his knees up to his forehead. His face ducked and covered as his fingers intertwine with each other, as if warming his shivering hands. Augustus couldn¡¯t help but feel pity before leaning back, crossing his arms. ¡°At least he isn¡¯t screaming bloody murder and running away or anything. Let¡¯s just hope for the best.¡±

    At his statement, the crowd¡¯s whispers and erratic mutters come to a halt as Grey coughs loudly, her metal armor shook as she shifts in place, gaining the attention of the crowd. ¡°While you all were sleeping here¡­ on the ground.¡± She sheepishly points to the dirtied terrain just below their feet, ¡°The four of us have found out how to use the system in this game, which follows the same mechanic as the online game.¡± She holds her hand out in front of her with her fingers spread out. A blue zap of blue light sparks in front of her and out of thin air popped another scroll, similar to the other one presented by Noah. Though, this one seemed bigger. The end caps were a vibrant gold with a polished sheen to it. With a small thin red ribbon tightly securing the scroll, it hovered in front of her palm before she snatched it.

    ¡°We¡¯ve also decided to take it upon ourselves to not rely on the NPC¡¯s here. We-¡±

    A hand shoots up, Caine¡¯s head peers through the back as he interrupts. ¡°Sorry, what¡¯s an NPC?¡±

    ¡°Why am I not surprised you don¡¯t know that?¡± Muttered Elijah from his side, giving a snarky scoff before shifting in his place next to him.

    Caine shoots him a narrowed look, annoyed. Grey was about to answer before Elijah answered for her. ¡°Non-playable character. Which means they aren¡¯t real people here, I¡¯m guessing.¡± Elijah turns to Grey with a cocked brow, ¡°Right? ¡®Cause if what he said was true, that Will GM guy. Then we¡¯re one of the ten thousand people pulled into this place. We¡¯re considered as uh¡­¡± He shrugs for a moment, taking a blind guess. ¡°¡­PC¡¯s. Playable characters¡­?¡±

    Grey nods her head in confirmation, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right. NPC¡¯s are usually the ones telling new players what to do and how to do it. But because of the long tutorial process we four have done before, we¡¯ve figured to teach you the basics in the only possible way you all could learn it ¡®safely¡¯.¡± She then shakes the scroll in hand with her right, gesturing to it with her other hand. ¡°This was what we managed to accomplish, among many other things, from last night.¡±

    While Grey says this, Caine couldn¡¯t help but notice her eyes. Her dark grey irises were smaller than usual; the sides of her eyes were a faint red. ¡®She didn¡¯t sleep.¡¯ He thought, also taking into account the other three guys¡¯ short yawns and subtle shaking of their heads.

    ¡°With me, Rio, Josh and Noah¡¯s combined money, we assure you that you won¡¯t sleep on the ground anymore. We just needed a temporary space to sleep in since we needed to let you all sleep first.¡± Eyeing the scroll, she continues softly. ¡°Now, we were able to buy our very own guild house, our guild¡¯s name respectfully being Prestige.¡±

    ¡°A guild?¡± Asked another which followed an answer. ¡°Like an organization or a group of people under one name.¡±

    Noah and Rio nod their head as they turn to Grey to continue, ¡°We have to stick to the name of Prestige. You know, to not forget about¡­ them.¡± The crowd picks up on what she was saying, they immediately feel guilt as they were about to complain about the name dedicated to their kiss-ass of a school.

    ¡°But either way, we bought our own place for you guys to stay.¡± She pulls the red ribbon from the scroll, the fairly tanned parchment unravels and shows a neat looking appellation on the top that reads out, ¡®GUILD OWNED¡¯. ¡°Also, we¡¯ve received word from different schools across Everoe, the other players that we¡¯ve contacted have responded to us via¡­ erm, scroll.¡± Grey waves her hand dismissively, ¡°And uh, we¡¯ve all decided to have me and the three other guys here to be the guild¡¯s commanding officers and teachers for you guys, since we¡¯ll be implementing a school-like teaching system. So from now on, despite our ages, you¡¯ll have to address us as Commanders. Like, Commander Grey¡ªGuh, that sounds weird.¡±

    Grey knows for a fact that her classmates aren¡¯t that very tight-knit. They weren¡¯t all buddy-buddy with each other unless they needed to group up for a grade. Sure there were times where they¡¯d stay late in the classroom after dismissal, talking about anything that could¡¯ve filled the silence in the room, in between the tapping of aggressive tweets and millennial gaming apps. The thing with their class was that they were mostly independent, they never seem to find the same wavelength as the other, maybe one is too busy climbing the social ladder while the other is trying to put their shit together.

    To be honest, Grey was having a difficult time trying to mesh all this info up for her classmates, these strangers that were bound to be acquaintances for their whole high school year. Then this shit happened and now they needed to lean on each other for more than just emotional support. Grey narrows her gaze to the crowd, spotting Augustus¡¯ recoil at the thought of having the shitty system they had in school. She raises a hand before they could say anything. ¡°Listen, I know this isn¡¯t the greatest idea. But it¡¯s the only thing we avid players thought up of to ensure you guys wouldn¡¯t be in any real danger¡­ yet. I quote, ¡®yet¡¯.¡± She repeats, air quoting the last bit before zapping away the scroll once more, her hand now empty.

    Noah nods in agreement, ¡°But we¡¯ll be teaching in a more interactive way. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be as boring as it was back at school.¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Josh follows, clutching onto his dark beard. ¡°We promise.¡±

    Grey turns to Josh, giving a faint smile midst the down-ridden feeling she¡¯s had for the whole night. She turns back to her solemn audience, ¡°Well,¡± with a clap of her leather gloved hands, the metal clinks against her forearms as she gestures for them to stand up. ¡°We all need to get moving to our new home. We have a lot to discuss and it¡¯s¡ª¡° She tilts her head up, ¡°¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s still pretty early. So we only have a few things to do today then you guys can rest up for the next two days.¡±

    Grey walks to the side, ushering them down the hill and to a light trail leading out to two directions. She looks behind her, waiting for the throng to follow before giving a sharp whistle.

    Again, out of thin air, a gust of wind circles behind Grey as a faint white hue flashed brightly then dimmed. A loud thundering clap of horse hooves struck the ground as what seemed to be a horse appeared, its body engulfed in an array of black flames trailing its crest down to its dock, also taking the place of where its mane should be. It whipped its tail anxiously, clopping it¡¯s hooves with a whine as it almost looks excited to be let out. This horse was exotic to say the least. Not only was it literally covered in flames, but it looked like it¡¯s skin was replaced by armor. Grey turns in high pride to her classmates, a small smile makes its way to her face as she pats her steed¡¯s cold crest, it nickers happily at her touch. ¡°A Black Flamemare. It¡¯s completely plated in armor, it¡¯s mane and hooves are practically fire. But it¡¯s safe for the rider of course.¡± She scoffs, ¡°This is actually my first time calling her out like that, she¡¯s so cool-looking like this.¡± She basks at her pet as it leans in to nuzzle its snout under her arm.

    Grey gives a short chuckle before patting her nose and points to Noah, ¡°Noah! Get the Truck!¡±

    ¡°Truck?¡± Robin says in a small whisper, still shocked from the ever so mystical horse in front of them. He turns just in time to see Noah give his own whistle, a bit louder than Grey¡¯s before there was silence. The crowd waits in anticipation as a loud SLAM shakes the ground for a moment, a large food truck struck the ground with its four neatly wooden carved wheels, festival like flag banners were swinging under it¡¯s roof, as small lanterns lit the front and the back, swaying on the hooks of the roof. It looked more like an eco-friendly carriage than a food truck. ¡°It can hold up to five people.¡± Noah says, walking over to the front to the coach box. ¡°First five in our class, alphabetically. So we can take note of it on the way.¡±

    Grey nods and hops on her own steed, ¡°I can carry one more person. Josh can take another two. Rio, stay here and watch the remaining.¡±

    Rio nods from a far, giving a thumbs up with his metal plated fingers. Grey turns to the crowd, ¡°Four trips back and forth, it won¡¯t take long.¡± She pulls out a feather, ¡°Alright, everyone. Hop on.¡±

 Chapter Three - Welcome to Prestige

    ¡°I suppose the fourth trip back was for Rio, but he can go back on his own with his own pet.¡± Noah replies to the five people currently boarded inside his flying food truck.

    Yes. A legitimate flying food truck.

    The truck was levitating a solid hundred feet or so just above the grassy terrain, the shadow following under the vehicle ever so often dimming at the sunlight in front. ¡°Christ, this is so weird.¡± Robin exclaims with bug wide eyes, his mouth agape as he peers over the ledge of the food truck.

    The truck itself looks vintage, antique if one were to compare it to something in their time. The interior was loaded with plates, cups, silverware, glassware, pots and pans, etc. Each small closet inside was rimmed with golden linings, the handles being glass curved and carved into an intricate design.

    But what really struck them the most was that it was alive. Hell, this thing had a mind of its own. Well, if what Noah said was true, then they couldn¡¯t say anything against it. Meanwhile, Travis was internally freaking out at the altitude they¡¯ve been going at.

    The infamous playboy with a dozen pick-up lines to his disposal is now clutching onto the ledge of the truck, his knuckles were a powder white as he visibly shudders. His eyes were close shut as he sits in the back, muttering sweet prayers and occasionally singing himself a lullaby to hopefully calm his nerves. It¡¯s already been three minutes and he¡¯s already flipping out.

    The stoic and quiet Alisson turns to Charlotte, both have been watching the poor guy shudder like a new born puppy for the past minute. ¡°Poor guy.¡± Charlotte mutters, eyeing the blonde who they notice is trying to hold back a whimper.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Alisson replies quietly, ¡°I wonder how we¡¯ll turn out. Seeing as Travis can¡¯t handle even¡ª¡° Alisson gestures to the food truck, ¡°¡ªThis.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re right.¡± Charlotte says, her heart feeling heavier as she looks to the other people in the truck. The scrawny boy in the back next to the shivering Travis notices Charlotte¡¯s dazed expression; he tilts his head to look at her with a worried look. ¡°Charlotte?  You okay?¡± She perks up in place, her attention wandering to the one who called her. She gives a reassuring smile to Wynn, nodding her head as she shifts in place. ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Just remembering¡­¡±

    ¡°Remembering?¡± Wynn echoes, furrowing his thin brows.

    ¡°Yeah, about¡­ the others.¡±

    All of a sudden, the calming breeze passing through the open truck just got colder. The wind got quieter as their hair tossed around in the wind, fluttering softly against dim faces.

    Noah notices this, his eyes still on the road, or more like the front. He grips the wooden wheel that¡¯s used to steer the truck, he quietly clears his throat. ¡°That¡¯s why we made the Prestige guild. Why me and the other ¡®commanders¡¯ didn¡¯t leave. We¡¯re here to help and make sure that you guys don¡¯t get killed.¡±

    Noah¡¯s way of sputtering out what he thinks of any damn situation just makes him sound like a dick. But, he was straight to the point. He was honest and talking out of opinion. Even if they didn¡¯t want to hear it from him, it was probably for the best if it was he who broke it out to them like that. After all, what could white lies and false hope do to already broken resolve?

    Travis, Alisson, Robin, Charlotte and Wynn were quiet for the rest of the trip. Travis was mostly quiet because he was too afraid of looking down from the ledge, but other than that, everyone else were solemnly listening to the quiet whisper of the wind flowing past the truck.

    Within a few minutes of quiet flying, Noah lands the truck down on a residential area. There were a few houses with dull hues of blue and red and some even just plain hay and wood, Thatched roofs if that was the correct term, but where they landed was somewhere different. In between a small wooden fence was a dark gap that led into the darker part of the forest that surrounded the residential area. After Noah snaps his fingers, the truck disappears into thin air with a gust of wind and a white hue replacing the empty space. The teens inside flinched at the sudden loss of platform before falling onto the ground with thuds and squeaks. ¡°Ugh, a little warning next time, Noah.¡± groaned an irritated Robin before hopping up on his feet, dusting off his back and ass.

    Just as Robin was patting away the dirt and grass from his uniform, the ground shakes as the five others behind him looked up to see a galloping black steed and a¡ª

    ¡°Is that a m-magic carpet?¡± Travis finally speaks, his voice breaks at the last bit which sounded pretty hilarious from Robin¡¯s end.

    ¡°You know, I should be expecting a lot of weird stuff by now but It¡¯s still so weird seeing things out of¡­ the norm.¡± Wynn adds as he turns to Alisson with a heavy sigh, he squints to the now approaching commanders and their friends.

    Grey came in first with her Flamemare, The tall gentle giant sitting behind her was clutched onto Grey¡¯s waist for dear life as if it were his life line, his hair was pulled back as if he¡¯d stuck his head in front of an airplanes¡¯ turbine engine. Grey pulls on the black reins of the horse, it whines as its tugged back just a few feet in front of where Robin stood, Matthias gives a quick yelp before the horse stomps on the ground, shaking its head with a whine.

    ¡°Phew, alright. Last batch.¡± She says with a stoic look before noticing Matthias¡¯s hands around her were unmoving. She looks down to her waist then peers over her shoulder.

    Grey glances at an immensely frightened Matthias with eyes shut closed and shoulders pulled up to his neck. She couldn¡¯t help but give a small smile before clearing her throat. ¡°Matt. Hey, buddy. We¡¯re here.¡± She pats his hands on her waist and he instinctively flinches at her touch, he jerks in place and his eyes shoot open. ¡°Wha-Oh thank goodness. That was terrifying.¡±

    ¡°Never been on a horse?¡±

    ¡°Never.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re gonna have to get used to it then.¡± She says with a hint of a stern tone to it before helping him hop off the horse first before she did.

    Their feet plants onto the ground with a small thud, a circle of dust pushes away from where they landed as both Matthias and Grey rub their butts with a small pained look. Grey groans, ¡°But damn does she go fast.¡±

    ¡°No kidding, I felt like we were floating.¡±

    As Matthias says this, Elijah, the shortest of the group, walks forward from behind Matthias and pats his back. ¡°Well we were on a freaking magic carpet, I¡¯m pretty sure that was more terrifying that being on a flame horse.¡±

    Vallerie saunters up next to Elijah, her preppy way of walking still visible by habit as she looks around. ¡°So, where¡¯s the house?¡±

    ¡°The Guild.¡± Josh corrects before he snaps his fingers, his dark green magic carpet rolled up and disappeared out of thin air.

    ¡°Right.¡± Vallerie sheepishly clears her throat and lets Josh pass by her and Elijah.

    The group was now in front of the dark gap; Grey already sent her Flamemare away and was standing in front of the darker part of the forest in between the wooden fences.

    She puts her hands to her hips and announces, ¡°Alright, last batch. Just like I told the others, you all won¡¯t be able to leave the Guild or venture out of these grounds. Not unless you¡¯re accompanied by either of the following commanders or we allow you to do so.¡± She looks into the dark interior of the forest, vines and shrubs obstructing the way inside as she turns back to them and points to the eight of the teens and directs them to the trail leading inside. ¡°In you go. Come on.¡± She says hastily before entering herself, leaving the group unsure of how to even get through the densely packed forest.

    Josh and Noah usher the eight of them inside, upon entering, they seem to trip over broken logs, dips in the terrain and even what they thought was a giant snake was actually just a really thick root of a massive tree just by their right. The way through the forest was linear since they followed the only trail that was barely visible through the greenery. Thankfully, the sunlight of the now bright morning helped them traverse through the forest as the beams of light seeps through the thick foliage above them.

    In a mere few seconds of snappy branches slapping them from behind and leaves tickling the sides of their faces, Grey finally leads the band of teens outside of the forest, the rays of the sun hitting them directly as they exit. They squint and flinch at the light as they bring a hand up to shield their eyes, but as they blink past the blinding light, they start to see what lies ahead of them.

    ¡°Welcome to your new home.¡± Grey¡¯s voice starts to their side as she pulls a hand up, gesturing to the large wooden building they now branded their own.

    It stood at around fifty to sixty feet high with a ninety-ish feet of width. This place was massive, intimidating and kind of homey now that they took a better look at it.

    The brown patches of trail lead to a cobblestone pathway, the zig-zagging trail leads straight to the large wooden steps of the guild. Leading up the steps was the open porch where two column bases held simple columns of light concrete. From the looks of it, it seemed like it was a good four or five storeys high.

    They noticed the other people in front of the giant guild watching them enter, calling out to them. ¡°Hey! Guys, come on! Check it out!¡± Called the familiar voice of Ava, despite the circumstances they were in she seemed rather excited to check out their new home. The eight frazzled teens turn to each other with a look that says ¡®eh¡¯ and shrugged before they walked forward, going closer to the guild.

    The front of the guild had visible beams and posts sticking out to support the entire building, but that¡¯s what brought out the medieval feel to it. It had this polished sheen to the entire building, like a varnish washed over every nook and cranny to it. The roof was entirely made out of what looked like dark brown slates which accentuates the timbers redwood that covered the entire house. There were windows trailing the front all the way up to the top with large Palladion-styled windows in the bottom near the door.

    The door was what caught their eye, which was a large wooden double door with a large eye-catching brass door knocker. The door knocker¡¯s design was forged in the Prestige¡¯s school design, a simple globe with four divided parts. The heart, the brain, the soul and the hands.

    ¡°Is that¡­¡± Vallerie starts, a bit taken aback at seeing their school¡¯s symbol before Josh confirmed her thoughts. ¡°Yep. Everoe has this forging system that can create a specific type of design based on what you enter. We were lucky to even get the door knocker with the design. It was Rio¡¯s idea.¡±

    They all looked somewhat happy and amazed at the symbol, being carved into hard brass and placed in front of the guild like that.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Caine had a hand above his brows as he squints to look up at the large structure, ¡°This is¡­ amazing.¡±

    ¡°This is where we¡¯ll live?¡± asked Elijah, who was rather hesitant to even step closer to the foreign building.

    ¡°How did you guys even get this?¡± followed Augustus with his eyes ogling every little detail of the guild.

    ¡°Our earnings.¡± Grey answered with a hint of a disgruntled tone to it. ¡°Nevertheless, it¡¯s all ours. Now¡ª¡°She pushed forward past the crowd and huffed, climbing the few steps leading up to the open porch.

    She turns to the crowd, hands on her hips as she sees Rio shortly exit the forest and wave for Grey to go ahead.

    ¡°Welcome to your guild. Your new home, Prestige. The guild is going to be three things for us.¡± She raises her three fingers and pulls on her index finger, ¡°One, it¡¯s going to be your home. A place where you can sleep, eat, drink, bathe and keep your belongings. You can also cook in here, do your business and etc.¡± She then pulls her middle finger, ¡°Two, it¡¯s going to be your school. We have classrooms, a library, laboratory and even training grounds in here.¡± As she mentions ¡®training grounds¡¯, a few visibly tense as their mouths for an ¡®o¡¯ shape. At least they¡¯re excited for that part, makes her job easier to catch their attention like that.

    ¡°Three,¡± she pulls on her ring finger, ¡°It¡¯s a place of trade, since we are going to be a guild. We¡¯ll be given quests, but those quests, for the meantime, will only be done by me and the commanders. Those quests are the things that would pay for our repairs in armor and weapons along with the stash of food we¡¯d by every week.¡±

    She then looks to Josh and Noah with a nod, the other two nod back as if they¡¯ve planned for something already.

    The group watches the silent exchange before Grey turns her back to them and pushes open the double doors, ¡°Everyone, stay behind me and just follow along.¡± They quietly follow, ever so often looking around with curiosity as they walked up the wooden steps, heavy feet creaked against the sturdy wood as they begin to enter the guild.

    Noah and Josh both stayed behind, ¡°Let¡¯s head to the back.¡± Said Josh before Noah gives a short nod, ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll get the place ready.¡±

    As the group find their way inside, they are lead first into the foyer where a stone statue greets them in the middle of the room. There was this large statue of a woman with wings, tilting her head down to peer at whoever enters the room, her eyes were lightly closed and the stonework emphasizes her smooth features such as her long hair being pulled back by a circlet on her forehead, the arching bridge of her nose and even her faint small lips being pulled up into a faint smile. In a kneeling position, her body was wrapped by some sort of a large cloth dangling down past her shoulders to cover her body like a toga. She kneeled on the pedestal with both her hands grabbing onto the handle of a longsword that was piercing down in front of the pedestal, the emblem on the hilt shone a shiny blue color. Her wings however were not as big as they were expecting it to be proportioned, as it was straight and less detailed and more for support on her back.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Asked someone in the back, Grey didn¡¯t answer for a moment before walking forward, lightly pressing her fingertips onto the blade¡¯s fuller. ¡°This¡­ is Goddess Morrighan. The Goddess of Revenge and War¡­¡± She slowly turns to her side, ¡°¡­Also, the protector of humans.¡± She steps back and she could feel a chill run down her spine the moment she stepped away.

    There were a series of astonished gasps and whistles as they looked up to her statue, ¡°Is she here for protection or just for show?¡± Grey could hear this coming from Lemuel, who they call the ¡®Holy Child¡¯ of the class. With an appalled look on his face, he steps forward from the crowd with crossed arms, skeptical. ¡°You mean we¡¯re going to have to worship different Gods in here?¡± He says with a disappointed tone.

    Grey shakes her head with a shrug, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lem, I mean. We don¡¯t really have a choice¡ª¡° She points her hand back up to the Goddess statue and looks back to him. ¡°The Gods here are well¡­ more pro-active than when we were back home.¡± She takes a step back and gestures for Lemuel to move forward, pointing to the sword the Goddess was holding. ¡°Try it for yourself. Touch the blade and feel it for a moment.¡±

    Lemuel pauses for a moment, looking to Grey then slowly eyeing the Goddess from head to pedestal. He takes a step back, shaking his head. ¡°No. No not yet, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll try it later.¡±

    Grey nods her head, understanding his position. He will forever be dedicated to their old God, their only God of course. But for now, they had no other choice but to rely on these Gods and Goddesses for now.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Moving on¡ª¡° Grey moves around the statue and pulls her hand up, motioning up to what was behind  the statue. ¡°Here, we have the foyer for our Guild. Where we keep the bulletin board, To my right, for quests that we¡¯d receive over the next few weeks. To my left¡­ Well, we¡¯ll put something on that boring wall soon.¡±

    As the group follows her, they look around the foyer to see it being lit by four black framed lanterns planted on to each corner of the room, there was a big bulletin-board posted on the left wall with coffee-brown paper and maps pinned to the board with pins and hooks.

    But as they turned the corner from the statue, there lies in front of them a simple arc leading into a large open space where Grey walks in through first.

    ¡°This¡­ is the guild hall and, well, sort of also your dining hall.¡± The group follows through the arc and are again left to stare in awe at the interior design of the large dining hall that stretched out till the back of the large building.

    The Guild hall, as they entered, had a small space to move around in the front. The wooden floorboards of the entire dining hall were now covered entirely by a dark crimson rug that stretched out to the four corners. There were six long and thick wooden trestle tables that had a dark forest green table cloth draped over its length with small white tassels dangling from the long edges. With each table came a candelabra, all four candles on each of the tables lit with a small blaze of fire. The tables were arranged to have each of its shortest edge face them, three tables lined on their left and the other to their right, arranged in a straight line.

    On each side of the closest corner as they entered were two large staircases, both wooden with thin spindles holding onto the thick square hand railings. The staircases were facing away from them so if they wanted to go up, they would have to face back to the entrance to go upstairs from there.

    Grey leads them further into the interior and points up. As she does, all eyes look up to gasp at a very lovely wooden chandelier, the wooden arms that held up the candles were spiralling around each other, like snakes hugging their bodies close, then roots up to hold the now melting candles held in place by a metal pan platform for the wax to not drip over. The chandelier spirals down from the ceiling of what they think is the third floor¡¯s base. The second floor was visible to anyone who wanted to look up and from this angle, being in the middle of the dining hall, they could see a few more rooms upstairs with the spindles lining the edge of the second floor.

    ¡°How many floors is this place?¡± Asked Orlando, already impressed by the handiwork and placement of each object in the first floor.

    ¡°Four floors.¡± Grey quickly replied before clapping her hands to get their attention. ¡°Alright, first floor is your guild hall. This is where we hold meetings; strategize if needed and where we eat our breakfast, lunch and dinner.¡± She points to her right, which is to the crowd¡¯s left, to the large wooden wall that had two doors a ways from each other. The first door closest to them was a dark blue with a glass pane that was currently blocked by a dark grey curtain inside. Above the glass pane was a wooden plate nailed onto the door, which reminded them of what Dentists would use to put in vacant or not, ¡°The first door here is our laboratory, this is where we brew potions, alchemy crystals, enchant items, mostly anything specified under what we do back in Chemistry class¡­ But with magic. If there is anyone inside and are testing some potions, then please swipe the wooden sign there that says vacant to occupied.¡± She then moves her hand to point to the other door to the farthest to them and nearest to the corner.

    It was a pale white color with green linings on the door that popped into clover designs at each corner of the door. With a heavy golden handle to push and open with, it had a large K painted on its front with an eye-catching design and color of gold. ¡°That¡¯s our kitchen. A pretty big space to cook, stash food and grab munchies if you guys would like. But do know that we¡¯re on a tight budget, so we¡¯re going to have to stick to frugal eating. This means¡ª¡± She points to the crowd with eyebrows pulled up, ¡°¡ªDiet.¡±

    There was an audible groan before a few guys and girls snicker in the back, ¡°Food¡­¡± Some people start to mutter as they clutch onto their stomachs.

    ¡°Come on guys, we still have the other floors to check up on.¡± Grey says before stopping, ¡°Oh, right.¡± She quickly points to the opposite side of the first two doors and points to two lone doors near the staircase. ¡°Those are the first floor restrooms, not bathrooms. Use ¡®em when you don¡¯t have time to go upstairs to the fourth floor.¡± She then points to what they already knew was the fire place. It had the lovely d¨¦cor of brick wall tiles leading up to the ceiling, a clear white mantle sat above the firebox which was currently empty. ¡°Over there¡¯s the fireplace. Nice place to just grab a blanket and sleep next to whenever we¡¯d get rainy days.¡±

    ¡°Grey?¡± asked Matthias, who seemed to have fixed his hair back to normal but had some loose strands of hair still pulling up from his forehead.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Where do those doors lead to?¡± He points to the very end of the room, two of the same wooden double doors that were for the entrance were posted there, silently.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll show that to you guys tomorrow.¡± She stated vaguely before ushering them up stairs to the staircase on their left. ¡°Come on. Up we go.¡±

    They rubbed their arms, looking around the dining hall in amazement. The moment they had even stepped in through that archway gave them goose bumps as they marvelled at the large and intimidating interior. It was cold inside, but warm at the same time. The smell was like stepping into a forest that had just been rained on. Like a mix of an old wood smell, expensive cloths and burning wax. It was pleasant to say the least.

    ¡°So, here is the class floor, where we¡¯ll be taking our classes, of course.¡± Grey leads the following group upstairs to the second floor; they peered down to now get a good glimpse of the first floor from where the gap is open.

    The teens inspect the second floor that was spread out to different parts of the floor, as if the second floor had a square cookie-cutter and removed the middle part of the floor, leaving a giant square missing in the center. The flooring was carpeted with the same red rug from the first floor. ¡°There are four different classrooms here, each specific to each subject that we¡¯d teach you. You guys can check it out once classes start.¡±

    The crowd groans at sound of ¡®once classes start¡¯ but Grey knows deep down that these weren¡¯t just any other ¡®classes¡¯ they had back at their old school. No, THIS was a new and improved Prestige.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be learning how to¡­ fight. Right?¡± asked a meek voice. Grey turns to peer at the group, past the other teens looking down the railing to peer at the first floor. She spots Arthur, looking as timid as usual, walks out of the crowd and faces Grey with a worried look.

    Grey furrows her brows with a hesitated nod, ¡°As I said. We have no other choice, but don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re making sure that that won¡¯t happen. Alright, Arthur?¡± She turns to the rest of the crowd and gives a hopeful look. ¡°Same goes to you guys. Just, trust us¡­ Alright?¡±

    The small group nods in response, giving her the eye contact she needed to proceed with the little tour. ¡°Our names or on the designated plates on each classroom, so it¡¯d be easier to find our class. It just four rooms so, it¡¯s not really that much of a waste of time.¡±

    The staircase is now at the very end of the second floor as they pass by the left side of the guild where there were a row of uniformed windows plastered on the walls, they were framed with light brown timber and had dark red curtains shadowing the now clouded greenery of the outside. The windows were symmetrically placed on the right and left wall, just as the two classrooms across each other.

    ¡°What time is it by the way?¡± asked Seth, the more observant and yet somewhat more rational person of the class. The way he speaks always has some manner of¡­ danger to it. His suave way of enunciating his words could be because of his influence at home, but the class never bothered to ask. That or they were just too afraid to.

    ¡°Oh yeah, is there even a time here?¡± Followed Augustus with a nod.

    ¡°Of course there is. Clocks are still a thing here, it¡¯s just different from our old digital watches.¡± At the sound of this, something clicked in their heads.

    ¡°Oh shit. We don¡¯t have our phones.¡± muttered Elijah with a slowly shifting frightened look on his face.

    Kaden, the smart-ass of the group gave a quiet snicker, ¡°You noticed that now?¡±

    ¡°No phones. No wifi. Oh shit-¡° Martin places both his hands on his head, as if all of reality was just now coming to his realization.

    Grey groans, moving a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose, ¡°Oh dear.¡± She turns to face them and opens her hands to them, waving them to get their attention.

    ¡°Guys, listen. I know we¡¯re a ways back home but we have to focus on what we have right now. Alright? We have to focus.¡±

    ¡°Yeah but¡­ Our homes. Our families, will they even look for us? Look for the others who die¡ª¡°

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Grey cuts Martin short, he jerks back as her voice got a bit too loud. She gives a quiet sigh through her nose, before looking to them apologetically. ¡°I don¡¯t know, alright?¡± She echoes. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how we got here, how we¡¯re even going to get out of here with the time we have-There¡¯s a lot of shit I don¡¯t understand either. Trust me. But, all we can do now¡­¡±

    Lemuel spoke up as Grey trails off, ¡°¡­Is to move forward. We understand.¡± He nods to Grey, giving a faint smile to assure her. Everything¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll be okay.

    Grey give a thankful nod, biting her lip with a smile before turning back to the stairs leading to the third floor. ¡°Alright then, off to the third floor.¡±

    As she says this, Caine whispers in the back. ¡°But she didn¡¯t tell us what time it is.¡± Someone quickly hushed him as they followed along, not steering away from the group.

    Now on the third floor, the rug covering the ground was still the same colored crimson. The ceiling was a bit more elevated than the second floor, it being because the second and first had to share the same space of ceiling. Unlike the second floor, the third floor did cover the entire area. In the floor was about ten feet high or even a bit higher than that, as the second floor was probably nine feet high.

    Propped in the center of the floor was a very large round table with what looked to be a large map covering the whole table with a glass table top perfectly shaped on the circle table and map. To go with the vitage design was a small metal taper holder sitting in the middle with an unlit candle on it. Surrounding the large table were about ten chairs wooden chairs with a wing symbol carved on each of its back, all chairs being pushed inside the table. Grey led the crowd to the center, near the circular table and pats a hand on it. The metal close to her arm clink against the glass on the table.

    ¡°This is the third floor, or should I call the Variety floor, V-Floor for short. This is where you all come to do different skills and hone your talent¡­ sort of.¡± She jerks her head to the direction of the table then looked back to them, ¡°This here is a strategy table. You may use the dining tables downstairs to strategize, sure. But we figured that some others who want their peace and quiet away from the large dining hall would want a secluded area, so we had this made for people who want to¡­ you know.¡± She motions her hand in a circular gesture before moving on. ¡°Anyway,¡± She points to the sides of the floor. The floor wasn¡¯t as big as the first or second, maybe because of the rooms here needing more space to take up the higher it goes.

    She points to the faint light of small lanterns dotting the sides near the windows. Unlike the second floor, the windows were in front and at the back and not placed to their sides anymore. To their sides were doors. Fancy dark doors aligned to the ones across from it. There were three doors to their left and two to their right, all having the same design of curves and vines on it just as the double-doors downstairs had.

    She points to the first of the three doors. ¡°The farthest over to the front is the armory room. It¡¯s where we all stash our weapons, armor and other equipment that you can drop off. Like a storage room, I suppose.¡± She points to the one next to it, ¡°That over there is the tailor¡¯s room. Yes, we¡¯ll have you guys learn how to sew here cause money is very hard to acquire in this world now and repairing your clothes or even BUYING new clothes is a very veeeery hard thing to do.¡± Grey says with her pitch slowly rising up, she pinches her lips together as she waits for a reaction. They nod, understanding that only four out of twenty-eight of them were making money for all of them for now.

    She then points to the nearest door to the staircase they came up from, ¡°That¡¯s the healer¡¯s room. First-aid and clinical injuries all happen in there and we usually don¡¯t have that too bad of injuries in the game¡­¡± She waits for a moment before holding onto her arm, her gaze shifts to the ground.

    If Augustus remembered, she had a pretty deep wound on her right elbow when she took the blow of an attack from that headless creature. Did it already heal?

    ¡°No, nevermind. We¡¯ll have to keep the healer¡¯s room close to the staircase just in case somebody gets hurt.¡± She shakes of the down-ridden feeling of hers that began to well up once more, she then clears her throat. ¡°Now the other two doors to your right¡ª¡° She points her index and middle finger to the two other remaining ones across the floor. ¡°The one near the other staircase is the Library. The other is the Chapel.¡±

    Grey could feel the sensation of Lemuel¡¯s recoil behind her as she shakes her head, ¡°You all can check that out soon, again, once we get into classes.¡±

    She then brings them to the staircase that led up to the final floor, which the group thankfully reaches after about an hour or two into the tour. ¡°Now lastly, we have the fourth and final floor. Our chambers.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s in the fourth floor?!¡± Some manage to say in unison.

    She waves a hand behind her, not facing them as she walks upstairs and plants a foot on the still crimson carpeted flooring. ¡°Yep. We figured it¡¯d be easier to wake you guys up if you had to wake up and climb down the other floors to eat at the very bottom floor.¡±

    ¡°Evil.¡± Wynn whines.

    ¡°Yet practical.¡± Seth adds with a shrug.

    Grey lets them pass upstairs and they take note of floor being a bit smaller than the rest of the floors. She motions her hand to the first few doors lined up. ¡°Girls will be on the right side,¡± Grey then brings her hand to motion to the doors across from where they were. ¡°And boys on the left. We have eighteen boys, not including Rio, Noah and Josh, along with six girls, not including me, and we all gave you bunk beds ¡®cause we were having trouble buying the regular beds. Weirdly enough, bunk beds cost less than regular beds here in Everoe.¡± She says with an awkward smile, ¡°So, girls and boys are in different quarters.¡±

    There was a sigh of relief for the girls as the boys in crowd give a bit of a disappointed glance to the girls.

    Grey shakes her head disapprovingly, ¡®Horn-dogs.¡¯ she thought.

    Aside from the similar looking doors with a plate that says ¡®Girls¡¯ and the other saying ¡®Boys¡¯, the group spots two more doors in the back.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s our bathroom?¡± Asked an unsure Nick, adjusting broken lenses as he squints through the cracked glass.

    ¡°Yep. Again, boys on the left, girls on the right.¡± She said, pointing to the doors that had an obvious color coded ribbon on the knobs.

    Curious, the girls and boys go out of their following lines and bolt for the bathrooms. ¡°Wha-hey.¡± Grey flinched as soon as she saw them run towards the bathrooms. Were they seriously excited to see the bathrooms or just needed to pee.

    They all rushed inside in a waiting line, Robin almost running into the girls¡¯ area until Caine grabbed him by the collar of his uniform and dragged him into the boy¡¯s bathroom.

    Grey sighed and followed suit, knowing that they¡¯d react in three¡­ two¡­ one.

    ¡°No! NO! Ugh, oh noooo¡­¡± Groaned a female voice that can be made out as Ava. Grey follows the short groan in the female bathroom, she steps into light cobblestone that was peppered in different colors of white, grey and black stone. She steps in, seeing the lanterns lit at each corner and the highest part of the bathroom having small eyebrow windows where the fading light of the outdoor sunlight seeping in.

    The stalls were just as she asked for, and the only kind that were available at their expenses. They were wooden stalls that only reached to a maximum of five. Three being actual toilets and the other two being places to dip into your own bathtub.

    Well¡­ if you count the tub not being the usual rectangle glass bathtub but¡­ More like a giant wooden bucket.

    Ah¡­ glorious is the bucket.

    Grey pushes past the five other girls to see Ava hastily pulling down her skirt, her face mortified at the ¡®toilet¡¯ she was going to use.

    The toilet before them was a squat toilet. The cobblestones had a gap in the middle of the stall where it seems to be the¡­ ¡®area¡¯ where they should do their business.

    ¡°Oh Christ, I have to squat to pee?!¡± Ava whined with a sort of desperate squeak to her voice, ¡°No¡­ No, no. Grey, isn¡¯t there a normal toilet anywhere?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ No. Sorry.¡±

    Ava gives a frustrated whine before shooing the rest away from her stall, ¡°Fine, fine. Go! Shoo! Let me pee in peace!¡±

    ¡°Heh, Peace. Pee.¡± Charlotte snorts in the back which earned her a repulsed look by Alisson and a chuckle from a less tense Hope in the back.

    Grey ushered them all out to leave Ava to her ¡®Peace¡¯ and sees a few other boys exit the other room with relieved looks.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys go to the bathroom downstairs when we had the chance?¡± Grey asked, perplexed at the thought of them not wanting to pee yet after their experience.

    ¡°I guess we didn¡¯t have to yet.¡± Answered a relieved Kaden, huffing as he pulled up his zipper.

    ¡®Bullshit.¡¯ Grey thought with a small pout of disbelief, ¡°Oh¡­ Alright.¡± She sighs, giving them a good five to ten minutes to wait for each of them to take a good dump or a quiet pee.

    After what seemed to be forever in the awkward silence, Grey had to wonder why they didn¡¯t want to ask any questions yet. Were they too tired? Too hungry? If so, there were some things she was going to plan for them anyway.

    The rest have finished their businesses and fixed themselves up, making their way down the staircases as Grey ushered them down.

    ¡°You guys hungry?¡± She suddenly broke the silence against shuffling shoes creaking against wooden steps.

    There was a resounding ¡®YES¡¯ as they all groaned and pleaded behind her, she gave a smile before nodding as a response. ¡°Alright, yeah. I know¡­ Don¡¯t worry¡ª¡°

    By the time they reached the first floor, they were greeted by a lovely aroma of seafood, fried bacon and the familiar scent of rice.

    At this smell, their faces morphed from a dazed look into a surprised and slowly inkling excitement as they rush down the last set of steps to find a wonderful surprise waiting at the end of the two tables.

    ¡°We¡¯re done!¡± Noah announces, placing what looked to be the last plate on the very corner of the table as Josh adjusts one of the silverware on the table.

    The last two dining tables were riddled with food, plates and drinks. ¡°fourteen by fourteen.¡± Josh says, pointing to one table then the other. ¡°We have Abb Neagh Carp Stew, Bacon Wrapped Tuna, Chicken Soup, Vegetable Steamed Chicken, Fried Egg and¡­¡± He opens one of the covers of a wooden pot to reveal freshly cooked rice. ¡°Rice. Now come, eat.¡± He motions the currently drooling crowd to come over.

    Unsure, they all turn to Grey with a look. She laughs and nods her head. ¡°Go on. We¡¯ll explain more as you eat.¡±

    With that, they bull-rushed towards the long tables. Grey was glad that if only for a moment, even just for a little bit. She could distract them from the undeniable truth of their horrendous week of training.

    Hopefully, she could distract herself too.

 Chapter Four - Reminisce

    SLAP

    A bundle of papers were slapped onto one of the front of the dining tables. The dark haired foreigner nudges his head, gesturing for the first person in front of him to get it.

    ¡°Get one and pass.¡± Noah says to the now satisfied group of well-fed teens.

    The plates were smeared with goop of what were the remains of Carp Stew and Rice with a bit of chicken and bacon mixed in with their grub. A loud burp erupted from the end of the table as a meek long haired classmate purses her lips and hides her embarrassment behind her long raven hair. ¡°Nice one, Hope.¡± called from the other table, Robin, with a snort as he gave a weak thumbs up, his face in pure bliss at the large array of food he managed to scarf down. Hope merely sank lower in her seat, well, if she could on the seat being a long bench to accompany the vintage look of the long trestle dining table.

    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Asked Lemuel who, astonishingly, ate the most out of all of them with 4 plates stacked up next to him. He dabs a napkin on his mouth before eyeing Noah who motioned his hand up and down like a fan, as if saying ¡®just pass it¡¯. After Lemuel takes the papers, Noah then adds a few pencils to go with it as well. The pencils weren¡¯t the usual ¡®thin lead on top and eraser on the bottom¡¯, but were more like chunks of wood sharpened hastily to just get a good fat of lead out as a pointer.

    Noah makes his way to the front, right next to Grey then following Josh who had already given the other table a stack of papers and pencils as well.

    After said papers were passed on to all the students across the two tables, Grey cleared her throat with a loud cough. The dining hall¡¯s whispers die down. Grey tilts her head up, her hooked nose pointing up as she survey¡¯s the tables to check their expressions and wait for them to pay attention.

    Nathaniel passes the last paper and pencil to a quiet Lala, who hadn¡¯t eaten as much as the rest. Nathaniel held the paper in front of her, but she sat quiet, staring at her empty food plate before the copper-haired boy nudged her with his left shoulder. ¡°Lala, hey.¡±

    At the sudden physical contact, she blinks, tensing up in her seat as she widens her eyes. ¡°Oh-Uh, Nate. Yeah, sorry.¡± She gives a small cough before reassuring him with a miniscule smile. He cocks a brow before handing over the paper and pencil, not saying another word. He was worried, sure. But it¡¯s not like they were close or anything.

    It wasn¡¯t his problem to butt into ¡®yet¡¯.

    There were a few more whispers that managed to ask questions about the paper and its weird outline, such as Caine and Vallerie who were chatting across the second table. ¡°Name¡­ Talents?¡± read out Caine as he pulled the paper up to his eye-height. ¡°Warrior¡­ Lancer¡­ Fighter¡­ Whoa, what are these?¡± Vallerie excitedly reads it as well, clutching the paper with tight fingers.

    ¡°¡¯Dunno. We¡¯ll just have to listen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m getting all warm just from being excited.¡± Vallerie squeaks to Caine with two hands sliding up and down her face. Caine¡¯s brow shoots up as he looks around, rubbing one hand to his resting arm. ¡°Warm? You know, not that I¡¯ve noticed it¡­ This ¡®world¡¯ is comparably colder than where we were. Our country was basically in the middle of the equator.¡±

    ¡°Oh, It is! I just noticed!¡± Vallerie points to Caine with a shocked look.

    ¡°What? Our country being in the middle of the equato-¡°

    ¡°No! Not that! I meant that it IS colder, like, we don¡¯t need any air-conditioning any more or even a fan!¡±

    Caine leans forward, resting his elbows on the table as he bites his lip and nods. He looks around the guild hall once more, still in disbelief at the fact that this guild was ¡®theirs¡¯. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess we don¡¯t.¡±

    In a few minutes, the chatter settles down as they noticed Grey standing in front with a look that says ¡®Hey, keep quiet¡±.

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve all had your fill.¡± Grey began with a teasing smile on her face, the crowd replies with nods and sounds of agreement. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get into the nitty-gritty of today. It won¡¯t be long.¡± Grey nods her head to Noah first, then to Josh as they both slowly walk in front of the tables, not too near yet not too far.

    ¡°In this world, we have a thing we call ¡®Talents¡¯. Talents are basically classes in different games, like Warrior, Rogue, Archer, etc.¡± Noah and Josh shift in place, going into a certain stance that makes them bend down their knees a bit as they pull their head a bit low.

    Lemuel and Ian were in front of Noah, where the two slowly slid a few inches to the side of the bench they sat on, feeling cautious. Nick and Alisson did the same in front of Josh.

    ¡°Talents are what classify you as a Gladiator. The world of Everoe refers to those brought in from ¡®another world¡¯ and are sent here as Gladiators, a dominant species of multiple races who can master Talents and hone their skills. You will all be choosing your Talents today.¡± Grey, with her hands behind her back, nods to them with a waiting smile.

    Just as she predicted, they gave a few nods and looks of surprise. The noise started to build up around the tables again as they exchange pumped comments and mutters. Grey quickly spoke again, a bit louder to draw their attention once more. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll be explaining what the Talents are, eleven Talents in total. I¡¯ll say its name, what you¡¯d do, your weapons and how you fight.¡± She pulled up a paper from one of her back pouches and looks down to the list, it was another copy of the papers she just distributed.

    ¡°First off¡­ First Talent, Close combat.¡± At the sound of this, Josh and Noah¡¯s empty belts suddenly had a zap of an orange light by their waist. When suddenly, there sitting on their waists were dark brown scabbards with swords sheathed, waiting. Both of the boys slowly gripped the handle and pulled them out, there was a slow yet smooth sound of metal grinding against metal until they pulled the length of the blade out and held its point directly in front of them, the crowd¡¯s eyes widen at the sudden appearance of a weapon. ¡°Status, Warrior. Weapons, Axes, Blunt weapons, Scythes, One-Handed weapons, Two-Handed weapons, Rapiers and Swords.¡±

    As Grey reads out weapon by weapon, Noah and Josh seem to whisk away their swords back to who knows where and replace their swords with the following weapons said. Noah pulls out a small axe from thin air, Josh pulls out a mace, then vice versa as they pull out extraordinary weapons and replace them in a matter of seconds with a twinkle of an orange light in between shifting weapons.

    The crowd gazes at awe, like children watching magicians toy with their perception. But this was no ¡®magic trick¡¯. This was real magic.

    ¡°Warriors are melee attackers, they¡¯re usually the DPS of any party¡ª¡° She pauses for a moment after seeing confused faces appear through the crowd, ¡°¡ªEhm¡­ DPS meaning, Damage per second. They do a lot of damage in a short amount of time. Party is¡ª¡°

    ¡°Like a small group, right? In a game, you can group players up with a maximum count of¡­ say six to eight people?¡± Ava raised her hand in the back, ¡°Yeah, a party.¡± She repeats.

    Grey gives a small smile, ¡°Mhm. You¡¯re correct.¡±

    A dull looking male with thick ruffled brown hair scoffs across from where Ava sits, she shoots him a scowl. ¡°Got somethin¡¯ to say, Mason?¡±

    ¡°No. I just didn¡¯t think a rich girl like you would know what a ¡®party¡¯ meant.¡± He lazily replies, propping an elbow on the table as he picks his teeth. The crowd immediately tenses at his sour comment.

    Mason was a lazy butt-hole to put it frankly. If you catch him in a bad mood, well, you¡¯re in for some very colourful and highly detailed compliments. ¡®Compliments¡¯.

    Ava recoils at his display before hissing, ¡°I play games too, you know.¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe you should eat my¡ª¡°

    ¡°ANYWAYS.¡± Grey called out loudly which perked the crowd, she shakes her head. ¡°Moving on, yes, Warriors are the DPS of the party¡­ usually. They¡¯re fast on their feet and are just as fast with their heavy swings.¡±

    With a snap, the weapons from the two other boys disappear.

    ¡°Next, Second Talent, Lance combat.¡± Josh and Noah take a few steps back, kneeling a bit lower this time as a large spark of orange zips across their hands. There was this large weapon before them that had this cone-like structure. It was held on to by two hands, it opened up in front of the user and slowly thinned out. ¡°Status, Knight. Weapons, Lances.¡± Grey motions over to the weapon Josh and Noah was holding as she says ¡®Lances¡¯.

    ¡°God, this is heavier than I thought it would be.¡± groaned Josh as he adjusts his grip on the back.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, how ARE you carrying that Lance if you guys came into this world the same time we did?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, shouldn¡¯t you guys be beginners like us? Well, info and status wise? You guys already have money, magic and weapons!¡±

    The crowd agrees with a few confused looks and sudden realization at the fact.

    Grey shrugs, ¡°Remember when I said there were other people here? Some of the ten thousand people did play this game before and have earned some money, weapons, etcetera¡­ And apparently, our ¡®stats¡¯ here in this game are already registered the moment we came in here. So, it¡¯s like we were ¡®already¡¯ a part of the world.¡± She shakes her head after rambling. ¡°I really don¡¯t get the idea of it, but that¡¯s what we managed to figure out after¡­ Well, staying up all night.¡±

    ¡°All night?¡± Matthias echoed worriedly, his brows pinning close.

    ¡°Yeah, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s all for you guys after all.¡±

    Appreciated and warm, the crowd exchanges looks that were a bit uncomfortable at the lengths their classmates went through. But in this circumstance, they figured to just go along with it for now.

    ¡°Now¡­ Knights are known to be heavy hitters. They¡¯re slow, but they pack a punch. Think of it as another version of Warriors but with slower speed and more power.¡± Grey turns to Josh as he holds it up with a single hand, sticking his chest out in pride. ¡°If someone were to pick this, well, they¡¯d have to be somewhat big enough to lug this around.¡±

    Some of them eyed Evan, Caine and Matthias, since those three were obviously fit for the job. Evan being their batchs¡¯ Vice President and son of a very well-known local police officer, they can pretty much see him as one of the heavy-hitter types. Then there was Caine, good o¡¯l modest Caine. He has a fit body, all because of his ¡°part-time job¡± he says, lugging around rice and potato sacks to pay for his personal bills. Generally a kind and considerate guy with a sense of justice to him, being that he¡¯s always on their ass whenever they miss out on attendance or the like. Then there¡¯s Matthias.

    Matthias shrinks at the ogling gazes of the crowd. ¡°M-Me? With a Lance?¡±

    ¡°Yeah man, I mean you¡¯re on the volleyball team. You got great arms.¡± Started Nick from the front, gesturing to Matthias¡¯ arms that were currently on the table.

    Matthias pulls his hands and hides them under the table. ¡°You¡¯ve got great muscles too, you¡¯re good.¡± added Vallerie with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

    His face reddens more at the compliment(?) and sulks, lowering his head down. ¡°I¡¯ll see¡­¡± He mutters, earning a few giggles from the teens.

    ¡°Third Talent, Martial Arts.¡± Noah puts out his hands, palms facing the ground. He waits for a moment before small light particles shine across his elbows down to his fingertips, then in a flash, as his fingers curl into a fist, a pair of large gauntlets settled on his hands. ¡°Status, Fighter. Weapons, Knuckles. Now, fighters are those who like to get up and personal with the enemy. It¡¯s a Talent that requires a lot of technique and a hell of a lot of stamina. This is actually my preferred Talent since it was also my first.¡° Grey let¡¯s Josh hold the paper first as she extends out her hands the same way Noah did, pausing for a moment before pumping her fists forward. Beautiful yet dangerous looking knuckles covered her arms as she stretched her gloved fingers, the metal spikes on her knuckle-area shining under dim light.

    ¡°Now this is the opposite of Lances. They¡¯re fast, but need to take a lot of punches to do a ton of damage. But because of a few skills under this Talent, you¡¯d learn how to make each punch stronger than the last.¡±

    ¡°Figures you¡¯d like that.¡± Augustus gives a knowing smirk, propping an elbow on the table as he leans his head on it. ¡°Taking boxing and all.¡±

    ¡°That and the fact that she¡¯s a tomboy.¡± Said Mason with a teasing smirk.

    Robin immediately spits his drink on his plate as Mason says that and chuckles uncontrollably in between coughs.

    ¡°HEY. It¡¯s effective.¡± Grey says, the knuckles disappearing in white lights of fading particles. She takes the paper from Josh with a pout before continuing.

    ¡°Those first three are the main melee Talents and more basic yet hard to control types. If you think you¡¯re up for it, write it down. There¡¯s a list there so just refer to that.¡± Grey adjusts the paper in her hands and continues.

    ¡°Fourth Talent, Archery.¡± Josh holds his hands out and a flash of orange sparks before a long wooden bow with a simple design and a few bandages strapped onto it materialized onto his palm. He stretches the string and holds tight on the grip. ¡°Status, Archer. Weapons, Bow. Now we¡¯re starting off with the first Talent in long-ranged attacks. Archery is just as simple as it looks, it¡¯s for people who want a good distance away from the target and have good control with their arms. They¡¯ve also got to have their shit together and be light on their feet, quick with their draws¡ª¡° She makes a gesture as if she¡¯s grabbing an arrow behind her on a quiver and gives a mock release of an arrow. ¡°¡ªAnd they need to be able to get that bullseye.¡± Grey clicks her tongue with an unsure look on her face, ¡°A lot of pressure for someone. I know, but if you¡¯d like to stay out of the fray, then take that Talent.¡±

    ¡°Fifth Talent, Magic.¡± Noah¡¯s face for the entirety of the first four Talents was just him seeming bored. But as Grey announces the word ¡®Magic¡¯, he licks his lips in anticipation as he holds one hand out and zip. A long staff, that¡¯s even taller than he was stands next to him, rests on his palm. ¡°Can I do a thing?¡± pleaded an excited Noah as he turns to Grey, biting his lip with a smile.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Grey gives a disgruntled look and sighs, ¡°Fine.¡±

    Noah¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t get any wider as he picks up his staff, raising it a few inches from the ground before tapping the bottom of his staff on the ground.

    THUD THUD

    The small white gem that hung on a dangling vine on the top of his staff glowed a vibrant red before shifting to a darker shade of velvet. As the gem glowed bright, Noah raises the staff up with a quick pump of his arm, a streak of fire blazes above them as it shoots directly into the wooden chandelier, it swung on the metal hook that attached itself to the ceiling, the chandelier creaks slowly and is dyed a bit of orange at the sudden added fire to the candles. Luckily, it was like a bullet. Small and fast, so it only hit the area of the candle¡¯s wick.

    A series of ¡®woahs¡¯ echoed across the dining hall as they, by habit, clap at the little display of magic. ¡°We really are gonna learn magic.¡± Kaden says with his face contorting into an expression of pure excitement while Charlotte next to him slaps both her hands on the table as she jumps in her seat, repeating ¡°OhmygodOhmygodOhmygod¡± over and over again.

    Grey holds her hands up. ¡°The Status is Mage. Weapons, Staves. Like the one Noah has.¡± She gives a thumbs up to Noah as he whisks away his staff. ¡°Magic is one of the, if not, hardest Talents to completely learn. Noah here is a Grandmaster Mage so that¡¯s saying something.¡± At that, Noah gives a small wave to the crowd, wiggling his brows in his dickish pride. ¡°Unlike the other Talents so far, this one requires Mana. Mana is essentially another version of your stamina, Mana is what powers your Magic to be used, created and controlled.¡± As she says this, she flaps the paper in her hands.

    ¡°It also requires a lot of meditating, no joke. So if you¡¯re down with that then go for Mage.¡±

    With a huff, Grey rubs her forehead and continues. ¡°Alright, Sixth Talent¡­ Battle Alchemy. Status, Battle Alchemist. Weapon, Cylinders.¡± Josh holds out his arm, his hand balled into a fist as a streak of yellow circles his arm before the empty space on his forearm transformed into some sort of proto-type blow torch of some sort.

    On his arm was a brown padding with two straps circling his forearm, attached to the padding was this ¡®cylinder¡¯. It was a thick metal cylinder shaped weapon with holes on both ends, its length just about the same size as his arm. On what it looked like it¡¯s top was this metal strainer that served as its cap. The end portion of the cylinder had this ball like shape, like a tiny air balloon of some sort.

    ¡°Alchemy¡­?¡± Muttered Vallerie in curiosity, her interest now piqued as she leans in forward to squint at the contraption on Josh¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Alchemy is a sort of practice that enables someone to create items using different processes. Unlike Magic, this is more on the use of chemistry.¡±

    ¡°Teacher Roger.¡± Muttered Robin as he coughed in between his words, pretending to look around as if he didn¡¯t say it.

    Their table snickers as Grey held back a smirk, Their lovely chemistry teacher and ever so doting father figure of a home room teacher. Well¡­ Too doting if you asked them.

    But there was a look to their faces that made them feel¡­ regretful. Regretful for the joke that seemed too personal for them now.

    Grey managed to catch their attention with a clap of her hands, the paper almost crumpling in her palm. ¡°So, yes. Chemistry. We¡¯d finally have a use for what we¡¯d learned back in class. A use we¡¯d thought we¡¯d need till we get jobs.¡± She took a deep inhale and huffed out a short sigh, ¡°But for those who¡¯d want to fight using the power of science, that being where you¡¯d concoct your own crystal, like a fire crystal or ice crystal, then using it on the cylinder to blast either fire or ice. It¡¯s a pretty neat system.¡±

    Elijah perks at the sound of that, ¡°Blast fire, ey?¡±

    ¡°Yes, dear fledgling arsonist.¡±

    ¡°Heh, we¡¯ll see.¡± Elijah reaches his hand up behind his head to fix his blonde hair pulled back into a loose bun, he smirks. ¡°Who knew Chemistry could be useful like this.¡±

    ¡°Right? Ahem, now.¡± She gestures to Noah, ¡°Those are the three long-range Talents. Now this time, we¡¯re going into the versatile Talents. Which now brings me to the SEVENTH Talent, Dual Guns!¡± Grey finger guns Noah as he stuck his index fingers out and a flash of purple appears before two large metal guns with an intricate design to it rested on both his hands. He twirls them both on his fingers and strikes a pose, a shine suddenly sparkling on the tip of the muzzle.

    ¡°Status, Gunslinger. Weapon, Well¡­ Dual Guns. Yes, they always come in a pair.¡± She adds before anyone could even ask. ¡°Gunslingers are like the Archers, but with less work to aim. Unlike Archers, however, Gunslingers have a more wild kind of attacking. Archers are more on giving concentrated perfect slow-processed shots which is hard to master but is totally worth the effort of. Gunslingers thought are more rapid-fire based. DPS. They¡¯re both long-range and short-range if you create your own style of using it. Though I must say, the only downside to this is the amount you can reload and the time you have to reload. Gunslingers are one of the new Talents implemented in the game so there¡¯s a lot of things you can experiment with in cases of combos or techniques.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ You¡¯re allowing us to use a gun?¡± Asked Orlando, his brow slowly rising at the thought of having a firearm¡­ Legally.

    ¡°Well, yeah. I mean, these aren¡¯t REAL bullets.¡± She nods to Noah, ¡°Show ¡®em the cylinder.¡±

    At her command, Noah pops the side of the gun which seemed to be a more intricate looking revolver but with a longer barrel. As he pushes the cylinder, a pool of blue energy emanates from the six slots, it seeps out of the slots like ghostly entities slithering up and disappearing.

    ¡°Those are Mana bullets. They¡¯re processed from Shyllien crystals and packed into little tiny glowing bullets. They¡¯re not as strong physically, but they have this magical impact to someone that doesn¡¯t naturally injure you with holes through your body. It¡¯s just like a heavy sonic wave or some sort when it hits you.¡± Grey snorts as Noah slowly points the barrel to Alisson who gives Noah a double-take before squeaking, ¡°H-Hey! Noah!¡±

    ¡°Relax¡ª¡° Grey says before Noah pulled the hammer, ¡°--¡­Nevermind. Noah, come on.¡±

    He gives a shrug before snapping away the Dual Guns, the image flickers from his fingers as he crosses his arms. ¡°Kidding.¡± He merely says which made Alisson grumble a lousy complaint.

    ¡°Moving on to the eighth Talent, which is by far one of the coolest¡ª¡° She slowly backs away from where she stood, as did Noah who took a few steps to his right before actually going to where Grey was and gave Josh a thumbs up.

    ¡°¡ªPuppetry.¡±

    Puppetry? They didn¡¯t understand what was so fun about that. Do they magically make small dolls do their command or something?

    ¡°Status, Puppeteer. Weapons, Control Bars.¡± Eyebrows were pulled up at the sound of the weapon.

    ¡°Control Bars? What, like the Wii?¡± Asked Nick, adjusting his glasses to peer at the now concentrating Josh.

    Grey merely pulls a finger up to hush him as she then points silently to Josh, waiting.

    Josh pulls his hands out and a new weapon materializes into the form of crosses, these control bars that the old ventriloquists use to move the hands, feet and body of a wooden doll. On both his hands were just two flat small wooden rectangle pieces nailed in a cross.

    ¡°You see,¡± Grey starts as she lets Josh take a few steps back and take her previous place in the middle. ¡°The Puppetry Talent is for people who want to not get involved in a fight by themselves. They¡¯re tactical and fast with their hands, just as fast as Archers are. They¡¯re adaptable to melee combat or even long-ranged combat.¡± Grey turns to Josh, eyeing his back.

    ¡°Call the Pierrot.¡±

    Josh then whips the Control Bar, like smacking reins against a horses¡¯ back as a string then starts to form, it appears and disappears, trailing along the tips of each end of the Control Bar. The strings then flow forward, where a plume of brown smoke fogs on the floor and rises upward, creating this smokebomb like effect on one particular area only. The strings find attachment to whatever was inside the small constricted plume as the smoke disappears and there sitting on the ground was a small wooden Marionette.

    ¡°It looks like Mokujin from Tekken.¡± Mentioned Arthur who quickly covered his mouth, realizing his comment was a bit louder than he anticipated.

    ¡°Oh yeahhhh¡­¡± Agreed Robin, bobbing his head up and down as he took in the image of the unmoving 3 feet doll.

    It looked like one of those wooden training dummies with a wooden face, square blocks for hands and stumpy rectangle feet.

    Josh whipped the Control Bar again and pulled, the sound of gears turning and metal strings screech rang through their ears. They furrowed their brows, pausing, unsure if the sound came from those strings attaching to the puppet or not.

    As soon as Josh pulled, the Pierrot hopped on its feet. It turned to the crowd with a tilted head and slouched in place, knees close and feet spread. It was now visible for them to observe as they first notice its arms were slightly pulled up and the hands hung from where they assumed the strings were attached, it had a cute carved out smiley face with a small leaf growing on top of its head and on its left part of its chest was a carved out heart which seemed to look like it was¡­ pulsing. The carving itself looked like it was.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s both cool and creepy.¡± Charlotte¡¯s smile grows wider as she leans her back, gazing at the puppet. ¡°It¡¯s so cute!¡±

    ¡°Oh just you wait till you see it¡¯s skills. But that¡¯s just the first Marionette. Josh, get the other one.¡±

    ¡°Another one?¡± Charotte¡¯s eyes grew, astonished. ¡°Yeah but don¡¯t worry, Puppeteers can only control one at a time, so if you want to use the other one, you¡¯ll have to unsummon the first one.¡± She quickly adds right after, ¡°Oh, and Puppeteers only have two. The first one Josh showed was the Pierrot. Then second one is¡ª¡° she snaps her fingers, signalling Josh to call out the next puppet.

    Without moving, the small Pierrot dissipates, smoke replacing its place. Now, the smoke grows larger, its height towers the first cloud of smoke, standing at about nine feet. In the fume of brown smoke, there lies a silently sitting¡ª

    ¡°Colossus.¡± Grey says as the smoke disappears and leaves the larger wooden puppet lying on its bottom. Unlike what they noticed with first puppet, the Pierrot seemed drawn to the concept of a feminine look. The Colossus however was definitely built for a masculine feel. It had bulky carved trunks for arms with thick logs chopped to the size for its forearms and hands, legs and feet.

    With another whip, Josh looks up to the sitting giant and pulls the control bars down. A heavy sound of tension creaks, groaning as the Colossus slowly stands up and hunches in place. The crowds head slowly follows as it takes its full height.

    Its right arm hooked, pulling its shoulder up to shield a bit of its chin. It slowly bends its knees then straightens then bends again, repeating its movement as if it were ready to ram its arm into something. Like the Pierrot, it had a face, but instead of smiling, it had a small straight line for a mouth. Instead of the carved heart placed on its left chest, it centered in the middle of it. Large and softly pulsing.

    ¡°Whoa¡­ That¡¯s a Colossus?¡±

    ¡°Yep. There a lot of details around using a Puppetry Talent but that¡¯s for another time.¡± Grey said, walking up behind the Colossus and giving it a soft pat on the bottom. ¡°Goooood Colossus.¡± She coos, it heaves up and down, not responding.

    ¡°Literally ¡®playing¡¯ with dolls.¡± Wynn croaked, a bit terrified at the thought of going up against a Colossus, if that was even possible.

    ¡°Looks like something I¡¯d pick~¡± Ian sings with a gleeful tone, his hands cupped his cheeks as he leans his head right and left, staring at the Colossus as it then disappears into a puff of brown smoke. The sound of strings being pulled back echoes as Joshs¡¯ Control Bars vanish in a zap of green lights.

    ¡°The last versatile Talent, The Ninth Talent and Status¡­ Ninja. Weapons¡ª¡± Noah jogs up next Grey after Josh unsummons his Colossus and bounces in each step. He extends his hand in front of him and the other holding onto his waist. With a spark of crimson as it twinkles across his fingers and it takes place in his hands, materializing into two things, one looked like a large metal star and the other was something they could guess was a blade specified for Ninjas. ¡°¡ªShuriken and Kunai. It¡¯s already considered as a single weapon, like the Dual Guns and Control Bars.¡±

    A hand rises in the back, Grey whips her head to peer over the back and to see the quiet Hope looking up to her with a curious look. ¡°Yes, Hope?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ Ninja as in¡­ Assassins?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, pretty much. Though, they have a lot of Japanese elements into it. The people who made the Talent wanted it to be really wanted to base it out of the traditional Ninjas.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay. Okay¡­ I-I see.¡± She lowered her hand, nodding her head as her eyes wandered back to her empty plate, her shoulders less tense than before.

    Grey continued, taking note of Hope¡¯s piqued interest.

    ¡°Ninja¡¯s are, as what Hope said, Assassins of the night. They have quick attacks, deadly barrages of tricks and a lot of acrobatics.¡± She shakes her head with a pout before shrugging, ¡°They¡¯re just as new as the Gunslingers so you can do a ton more with them if you fancy a quick death to your opponent.¡±

    Grey pulls out two of her fingers and looks back to the list, ¡°Now the final Two Talents, the support Talents.¡± She looks up to them, ¡°Just for your information, not all of you can be supports. Some of you have to be on the battlefield and actually do some fighting. That and the fact that support classes don¡¯t get as much experience to level up, which means more time you need to reach Grandmaster.¡±

    They all respond with silence, their eyes tempted to look at the others next to them. ¡°Tenth Talent, Holy Arts. Status, Cleric. Weapons, well¡­ They have Staves or Wands just like the Mage. But, they¡¯re less of attacking and more on giving healing to other people and or yourself.¡± She points to both them and herself.

    ¡°Eleventh and last Talent is Music.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± Nick asked, freezing in place before shaking his head in disbelief. A surprised smile forming against his lips.

    ¡°Music.¡± Grey repeated a bit louder, nodding her head as if saying ¡®yes. Music¡¯.

    ¡°We¡¯d sing our enemies to death?¡± Nick adds sarcastically before getting a warning glance from Grey, ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t underestimate the power of strumming tunes.¡± Her eyes wander to Noah who was holding back a laugh, knowing full well how their classmates were underestimating such a Talent.

    ¡°Not only is it a support Talent, but it¡¯s¡­ one of the most useful to players, annoying to enemies and hardest to master. Their statuses are called Bards and your weapons consist of any instrument here in the game. Lyre, Guitar, Drum, the works.¡± She watches as Noah waves his hand in front then pulls his fingers back. As he does, a Lyre settles against his left arm and his right fingers begin to strum against the strings. A gush of wind blows beneath his feet as he tugs against the strings, notes playing beautifully as he pushes his hand back and forth across the Lyre.

    ¡°The Bard can aid their party with buffs. Buffs being boosts to someone¡¯s strength, stamina, skill or even inspiration. Bards can also cast different spells to control people or paralyze them, they can poison someone and¡­¡± She waves her hands, seeing as they get the picture. ¡°¡­Yeah, that. It¡¯s actually one of the reasons why Noah is our best PvP player in our party.¡±

    ¡°PvP? Like, Player versus Player?¡± Ava asked once more, leaning forward to tilt her head down, gawking at the nice looking instrument at Noah¡¯s possession before it disappears once more.

    ¡°We can spar with each other? Like FIGHT with our weapons?!¡± Wynn stands from his seat, a bit shocked at the thought of them pointing a blade at one another.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you guys won¡¯t go there ¡®yet¡¯, we¡¯ll see.¡± Grey assures him and pushes her hand down in front of her, as if motioning for Wynn to sit back down, which he soon follows.

    ¡°Now, each of you will be picking three choices. Make sure the first choice you have is something you¡¯d really want if possible.¡± She folds the paper as she announces, putting it away inside her back pocket. ¡°So your choice would also depend on the teams we¡¯ll be giving you guys.¡±

    ¡°Teams¡­¡± Mason repeated, holding a finger above his lip as he squints towards their Commander. He wasn¡¯t too keen on the fact that they¡¯d have to be grouped by their pick, Especially Grey¡¯s. After all, it¡¯s not like he was every friendly with the ones present.

    ¡°So start writing and don¡¯t forget your name.¡± Grey finishes as she takes a step back, ushering Noah and Josh to come over. It seemed like they were going to have their own little meeting for now.

    As the three started to whisper amongst themselves, the others start to write down their choices, asking some others about what theirs would be and what they¡¯re probably good at.

    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t think I can fight anything.¡± Martin grumbles dimly, crossing his arms as he stared at the empty paper.

    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re going to be staying here for who knows how long¡­ Then we¡¯ve got no choice BUT to fight.¡± Evan said, taking his eyes off of his paper to look at Martin from across the table.

    The narcoleptic boy groans, pushing his fingers softly onto his closed eyes as he grabs the pencil and looks back to his paper. ¡°But, I don¡¯t even know how to properly hold a knife in the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°Same.¡± Charlotte slips in as she puts her pencil down and intertwines her fingers, laying her chin on them and tilts her head. ¡°But you don¡¯t see me complaining.¡±

    ¡°Just write some Talents that doesn¡¯t involve an actual use of a weapon. Like¡­ Mage or Cleric¡­ Or Puppetry.¡±

    Martin sighs, running a hand through his hair before taking Charlotte¡¯s and Evan¡¯s words of ¡®advice¡¯.

    On the other side was Alisson who carefully glanced over her options. Wynn, who sat next to her, couldn¡¯t help but lean back to peer at her choices.

    ¡°Bard?¡± Wynn asked, furrowing his brows as Alisson instinctively pulled the paper to her chest and whips her head to her left. ¡°Wha¡­ Um, yeah. Why?¡±

    ¡°You chose Bard¡­ Cleric and Puppeteer. Those kindsa Talents, huh?¡±

    ¡°I mean¡­ It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a fighter.¡± Alisson states dead-pan.

    ¡°Yeah but Grey said that we should at least try¡ª¡°

    ¡°Grey said,¡± Alisson cut him off, ¡°that we should try and I did. She knows I¡¯m not the best in P.E. and to be frank, she knows more about our physical prowess than she lets on.¡±

    Wynn wonders if that was Grey¡¯s-best friend-gut feeling talking or Honor-roll-smarty pants talking, he decided to nod and keep silent. Wondering about the tiniest feeling of nostalgia blooming in his mind.

    They were supposed to graduate.

    If it weren¡¯t for yesterday, then¡­ They wouldn¡¯t have gone through this.

    No, this was just the first day.

    Wynn shakes his head. He can¡¯t be a burden to anyone like this. He has to just bite his lip and toss the thought out the window.

    Just for today.

 Chapter Five - Basics

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯ll be all for today. Thank you for your cooperation.¡± Grey says with a faint smile, the thick folded papers were under her armpit as she gives one clap and a short nod. ¡°Also, if you¡¯re asking for the time, we¡¯ll be placing a clock up here¡ª¡° She throws a thumb behind her where the double-doors leading out to the back of the Guild led out, ¡°¡ªand we¡¯ll be nailing it against the wall somewhere there. But, you guys took longer than I thought you would so I suggest you all go to the library first. Josh will accompany you guys upstairs and explain why. After all that, you¡¯ll all come back in the evening to the dining hall and we¡¯ll announce your Talents and your teammates.¡±

    At this, they all nod. Charlotte hoots along to Robin¡¯s frantic ¡®whoos¡¯.

    ¡°Teammates for our party, right?¡± Asked Alisson in a drawn out manner, trying to pick up on the gamer lingo with an unsure tone.

    Grey nods with a smile, ¡°Yep.¡± She looks back to the crowd and amplifies her voice, ¡°They¡¯ll be your teammates for as long as you¡¯re here. We¡¯ll pick teammates with Talents that¡¯ll fit in each team, so we¡¯ll have melee, long-ranged, versatile and another addition whether it be another melee or long-ranged or versatile or a support instead.¡±

    ¡°Four people in one party.¡± Noah adds as Grey agrees with a smile, ¡°Yeah, exactly. We¡¯ll be having¡­¡± She thinks for a moment, ¡°¡­Around six teams with four people each. Yeah. Anyway¡ª¡° She waves her hand to Josh, ¡°Go bring them to the library, we¡¯ll handle down here.¡±

    Josh, who stood by Grey¡¯s side, then walked in between the gap separating the two tables and nods to them, ¡°Let¡¯s go. They¡¯ll take care of the plates.¡± He says and gives one side glance to both Noah and Grey who just give him a comforting smile and thumbs up.

    The teens look to each other, then to the plates, then stood up. The bench legs screeched against the rugged flooring, forks and spoons clinked as they were neatly placed on the plates before the students stood and left.

    As they see the fading backs of the teens being led upstairs, Noah then walked over to the first table with a sigh. ¡°You know, we should hire some NPC maids and butlers or something.¡±

    Grey scoffs, making her way to the second table as she puts away the stack of papers, they zipped into a light blue color before dissipating from her palm. ¡°Like we have the money for one of those. We¡¯ve got to be frugal about this, Noah.¡±

    ¡°Says the one who buys more clothes than any of us.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a girl. Girls like clothes. Especially when I can dye them into any color I want.¡± She says with an increasing mock smile. Noah shakes his head, dark brown bangs tickling above his brows as he quickly cleans the first table. ¡°Right. Hopefully we can teach them NOT to be like you.¡±

    ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± She merely says, wondering if the four of them would even be able to teach them well, considering their statuses back in the classroom.

    They were extras.

    Nobodies.

    Just some more people who added to the noise in the back of the class.

    But either than that, they had no well-known reputation that made the whole school gawk at their existence, like some of their classmates.

    Either way, Grey shouldn¡¯t be thinking of that. She¡¯s one of the, if not, most approachable and friendliest of their class. She could get along with anyone if she wanted to! Hell, she made friends with Crystal from the second class who literally called her a ¡®stupid bitch who doesn¡¯t know her place¡¯. Turns out, Crystal was just insecure about having someone like Grey be so happy all the time. Grey thanks the one time she found Crystal drunk at a local bar as she spills her entire life story to her.

    ¡°What are you smiling about?¡± Noah asks, squinting. ¡°You¡¯re creeping me out.¡±

    ¡°Eh, nothing in particular. Just thinking about¡­¡±

    There was one person who she was worried about though.

    ¡°¡­Someone.¡±

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ¡°Orlando?¡±

    Josh calls out to a quiet Orlando who was currently gliding his fingertips across the clear glass table top, his eyes were glued to the world map beneath it.

    Josh had led the group up the third floor to their V-floor. While the others have already filed inside the library, Orlando stayed behind to check out the strategy table in the center of the room. The table that donned the entire world map of Everoe.

    ¡°There are only three continents on here.¡± He states, his brows furrowing at the map, his dull blue eyes sometimes being visible through the reflection of the glass.

    ¡°Yeah. Though, this world isn¡¯t as big as Earth.¡± Josh shrugs, holding open the door to the library as he waits for him. ¡°Come on, you guys need to get your books.¡±

    ¡°My books?¡± Orlando repeats in question, finally turning to Josh as he retracts his hand. Orlando walks forward slowly as Josh tries to hide his impatience, only blinking slowly as he explains. ¡°Well, I told that to you guys while we were climbing up the stairs. Since we¡¯ll be teaching you guys, you all need to get your books. We¡¯ve prepped them by the table but if you want you can go look through some of the books in the library.¡± Josh, being a rather plump fellow, had to walk inside the library first before letting Orlando pass.

    As he walked through the library door, he was greeted by a spacious room of large bookcases lining the walls. A large Palladian window was placed across the way where the slowly dimming sky stared back at him. He turns his head to see the pillars that held the room up were bookshelves as well as even the floors and small tables by the corners were littered with dusty and new foreign looking books. The scent of old paper and dusty wood hits him as his swivels in place, taking in the sight of the paper wonderland.

    He found the others inside were separating into different areas of the library, either flipping through books with confused looks, talking to each other and or looking around the interior just as he did.

    ¡°Your books are here.¡± Josh walks past Orlando as he points to a couple of stacked books by one large rectangular table that was pushed into one corner of the room. Orlando follows as Josh pats the top of the stack, ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Orlando said with a narrowed gaze. ¡°There¡¯s like¡­ Twenty books in there.¡±

    Josh laughs before patting the top book of the stack strapped with a ribbon. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s twenty-four.¡±

    Orlando¡¯s eyes widen as he walks closer past a pillar, almost tripping on a lone stack by the side before grabbing the sides of the strapped pile of books with a lazy slap. ¡°Christ¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Unlike our old text books, each book here has like¡­ 10 or 20 pages only.¡±

    ¡°They look thick.¡±

    ¡°They ¡®look¡¯ thick.¡± Josh emphasizes before leaving Orlando and begins to walk towards the door, clapping his hands loudly to get their attention. ¡°Alright everyone, come over here and listen up.¡±

    They all turn to Josh, giving quick nudges to each other as they slowly approach closer into a semi-circle. Josh begins, ¡°So, in this game, we have this intangible space where we place our belongings called an inventory. It¡¯s where the weapons I showed you guys earlier go to.¡±

    A series of ¡®oh¡¯s¡¯ echo in the library as they nod their heads to each other, finally understanding that little mystery.

    ¡°Now I¡¯ll be teaching it to you in a simpler way. Unlike how we did.¡± He muttered the last part a bit bitterly before shifting his footing, ¡°Now, it¡¯s pretty easy once you think about it. Just imagine an open space that you can place and remove your things.¡± He snaps his fingers as he realizes something, pointing to them. ¡°Ah! Like our lockers! Think of that but a bit¡­ bigger. Oh, and without a padlock.¡±

    ¡°Fine by me, I never placed a padlock.¡± muttered Mason with a cocky grin before Josh continues. ¡°So, I want everyone to hold your stack of books.¡±

    Everyone proceeds to groan in weary sorrow as they lugged up the heavy stacks of books up by their hands, holding it by the bottom. Their hands shake in place as they await further orders. ¡°Alright now, unlike in the real world, Magic is automatic and more common. So if you think about placing your things somewhere else, it¡¯ll go there. Try it.¡± Josh waves his hands for them to test his theory.

    They give hesitant glances to each other, either unsure how to start or how to even think of something like that.

    ¡°The use of imagination¡­¡± Nick says his teeth bared and his lips pulled down, anxious before a high pitched squeal pierced through the tense atmosphere.

    ¡°OH SHIT! I DID IT!¡± Robin bounces in place as he presents his empty palms, the slow dull fade of blue proving enough evidence that he has indeed done the feat.

    ¡°Well damn, Robin.¡± Nick said with a small smirk, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could sing soprano.¡±

    ¡°Fuck off, four-eyes. At least I actually did the thing, let¡¯s see you try it.¡± He said, his face smeared with cockiness.

    Others gave off comments about how ¡°If Robin can do it then I can do just as much.¡± or ¡°It¡¯s that easy? Well okay then.¡±. Alisson followed not too long after Robin, then came along Evan and Augustus, then the rest picked up the whole concept of inventory storing in less than ten minutes.

    ¡°I got a question, Josh.¡± Asked Nick who thankfully was able to finally grasp the concept of transporting physical objects across an extradimensional plane of existence called their imagination. No big deal.

    Josh, who has been silently chuckling to himself at their reactions, turned to Nick as he slowly approached him. ¡°Huh? Oh Nick, yeah. What is it?¡±

    ¡°If doing ¡®this¡¯ is pretty much¡­ Well, easy as actually putting stuff in a bag physically. Then would mastering magic, like what Noah did, be easy for us to grasp? Or¡­¡± Nick trails off, his fingers curling as he waits for the response of a ¡®Yeah, pretty much¡¯.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The Commander makes a doubtful look, scrunching his nose up as he crosses his arms to Nick. ¡°Uh¡­ Well, no. It¡¯s not as easy as you¡¯ll make it seem. Like actual physical training, it¡¯ll take weeks for progress to actually show if you put your mind into it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, alright.¡± Nick nods, his eyes glancing to the sides of the bookshelves of the library before adding. ¡°We¡¯re allowed to look through the books here already, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Yeah, of course it is. Grey¡¯s just a bit on edge on our budget since she¡¯s uh¡­ she¡¯s our group¡¯s secretary. The books in here aren¡¯t really cheap.¡±

    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s understandable. Now that we¡¯re here¡­ In Everoe.¡± Nick pushes his eyeglasses back up, which Josh notices and squints. ¡°When did your glasses break?¡±

    ¡°Dude, they¡¯ve been broken since I woke up.¡± He says before removing them, squinting at Josh as he looks down to his cracked glasses. ¡°For real? I¡­ didn¡¯t notice. Sorry. I can go out to buy you some new ones, and don¡¯t worry about the grade. The glasses in this game are ¡®magical¡¯.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s new.¡± He says with a roll of his eyes, ¡°But they are! The lenses are crafted from a special kind of material of glass. They¡¯ve been enchanted to match anyone¡¯s grade! But uh¡­ It¡¯s pretty fragile. Unlike ours, those glasses are framed with hard wood.¡±

    ¡°Better than going blind. When do you think you¡¯ll get it?¡±

    ¡°Maybe tomorrow. We¡¯ll see.¡± Josh says before noticing the rest of them finishing their rounds of applause to Travis who seemed to finally understand the concept of ¡®imagination¡¯.

    ¡°Okay, very good. Now, just to clarify, you all have a maximum capacity for your inventory. Of course, you can¡¯t store THAT much in there.¡± He said before tapping his forehead, ¡°If you store a bunch of stuff in your inventory and you¡¯d think you wouldn¡¯t remember, you will. The magical thing about it is that you know just how much space you have and how much you don¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°How much CAN we put in?¡± Caine asked, tilting his head. ¡°For now, you can store up to two or three different weapons with a few clothes and some items, food, etcetera. Soon enough, we¡¯ll be teaching you how to expand your inventory.¡±

    Josh sees their looks of curiosity and beams, ¡°Well, if you guys want to practice using your inventory, just summon and unsummon a few things back and forth to get used to it. But for the meantime, I want you all to come outside.¡±

    He opens the door to the library and exits, they all follow with quiet footsteps, someone in the back trying out to call back their stack of books as it suddenly appears and slams hard against his foot. A string of curses parades out of Mason¡¯s mouth as he picks up his books and unsummons them back as a bundle.

    As they exit, they make their way upstairs to the fourth floor. Their chambers.

    ¡°What are we doing back here?¡± asked the freckled wimp, Wynn could only imagine what could come next as he sees Josh¡¯s expression as he faces them.

    Their chubby Commander looks across the people before him and points to the first person, ¡°Seth, can you come over here please? I¡¯d like to demonstrate my next lesson.¡±

    The walking porcelain doll of a teen raises his brows, a bit surprised for him to be called in first as he simply nods his head in response with his usual blank face now settling in.

    Now facing Seth, Josh begins. ¡°In this game, you can¡¯t simply steal anything from someone¡¯s inventory or if someone else is holding it. We¡¯ll get into detail about THAT soon but for now, I¡¯ll teach you the simple mechanic of ¡®trading items¡¯ in Everoe.¡±

    As he says this, a line of fire starts to draw out in front of Seth, he takes a step back in shock as the line seemed to follow. Like an invisible match lit a long wick through absent air. Under the blazing line rolled out what looked like a small scroll. The paper was blank till writings started to form, like it was being burnt onto the paper rather than scribbled. The burnt writings read out¡­

    Would you like to trade with Josh?

    ¡°You¡¯d see the paper asking you permission to trade. You can say ¡®Yes¡¯ or ¡®No¡¯, Nod or shake your head. It works either way as long as it knows the difference of confirmation from the player or not.¡±

    ¡°What are you giving me?¡± Seth inquires, moving his finger up to tap the paper in front of him as he notices it¡¯s actually not tangible. His finger seamlessly pokes through the image, like an illusion. The paper¡¯s side was rippling from where it was poked through.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to give you your new uniforms and clothes.¡± He says with a smile as the crowd¡¯s eyes widen at the items. ¡°Uniforms? We have our own uniforms in here?¡± asked Caine from the back which Josh answered quickly.

    ¡°We technically don¡¯t have uniforms specifically for Prestige but we¡¯ve bought uniforms, already implemented in the game, and clothes for you guys to use while you¡¯re here. They¡¯re better than¡ª¡° Josh gestures to their already tattered Prestige uniforms. The boys¡¯ white button down collars were soiled and dirty, wet from the sides as they slept on rather soaked terrain. Their coffee brown long pants were just as dirty with a few scratches and ripped parts out from the bottoms that showed their already worn-out black leather school shoes. The same went for the girls, but with their skirts being just as torn as the boys¡¯ pants were.

    ¡°¡ªYeah. So, you¡¯ll all be taking a bath. After your bath, you¡¯ll all be wearing your new clothes and please do take care of them. Repairs aren¡¯t cheap either.¡± Josh left out the part where these were still beginner clothes so the repairs wouldn¡¯t be that drastic.

    Seth nods his head to the paper as it dissipates with this bright flourish. In his mind, he could see a new set of outfits pop into his inventory. They were a bit¡­ new to him. Though, he shouldn¡¯t be surprised at this point. It merely just caught him off guard.

    ¡°Armor¡­ casual wears, sleep wear, shoes, towels and¡­ oh my.¡± Seth squints in absent air, seeing his inventory form across his mind as he checks it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Robin, curiously peeking from the crowd as Seth turns to Josh with a hand to his mouth. ¡°Do you have underwear for the girls too?¡±

    Josh stammers out a quick response, ¡°Y-Yeah but I was told by Grey to be the one to give it!¡±

    Robin¡¯s face turned into a sour expression. ¡°Wait¡­ he gave you underwear?¡±

    ¡°Yeah and they¡¯re not really the decent kinds of briefs that I¡¯d expect. They¡¯re a lot more¡­ open? They¡¯re like really plain, longer than I thought they¡¯d be and very rustic¡ª¡°

    ¡°We¡¯re on a budget.¡± Josh explains as he waves for Seth to move on, ¡°Underwear is getting more expensive than actual clothes, so be thankful we have enough money for working underwear.¡±

    ¡°If it works, it works.¡± Wynn states with a shrug.

    The others exchange awkward glances before they were called into a line by Josh, one by one, each getting their sets of clothes, shoes, towels and medieval underwear in a quick trade.

    ¡°It says it¡¯s called ¡®Braies, medieval underwear for men. Tie the rope around your waist and you¡¯re good to go¡¯, what on earth.¡± said Augustus with a taken aback look on his face as he holds his cheeks with both his hands.

    They all recoil in awkward ¡®eugh¡¯ before turning their attention back to Josh and, in hopes, trying to move on to the next subject.

    ¡°Once you guys take a good long bath, you can bring your old clothes back to your chambers and set it aside. We¡¯ll get them tomorrow.¡± Josh says, ¡°To change into your new clothes, it¡¯s pretty much the same way you summon and unsummon your things. Though, these are your clothes we¡¯re talking about. But since our old uniforms aren¡¯t registered as actual items in a game, you need to remove it physically. Same with uh¡­ your undergarments.¡±

    The girls couldn¡¯t help their faces contort into a disliking expression. ¡°Okay¡­ But please let Grey be the one to get the ¡®girls¡¯ old uniforms and stuff, okay?¡± pleaded Alisson with pinned brows.

    Josh nods his head, ¡°Yeah, yeah. I¡¯ll be sure to tell her now go¡ª¡° He slowly ushers them to the way over to their bathrooms.

    ¡°Go on. The water we get is from a nearby river, the rest of the dirt goes into another part of the guild that burns and removes potential filth that goes through there. Sadly we only have cold water.¡±

    All of them pull their shoulders up at the feeling of cold water against their still adapting skin to the new cold atmosphere. ¡°I know. It sucks. But we can¡¯t really do anything about the water system here yet. So, just bite your tongues until then. Okay? Okay. Come downstairs when all of you are clothed in your Adventure Wear next to your uniforms.¡± Before they can protest, Josh has already made his way towards the staircase, his back slowly fading as he walks downstairs, leaving them to their inevitable cold bath.

    ¡°Great.¡± Robin grunts before entering the bathroom first, summoning out this very scruffy and old looking towel. ¡°I call first bath!¡± He yells out, breaking the silence as the rest start to rush in the bathrooms, wanting to get this freezing torture over and done with.

    In a solid hour or two of waiting for everyone to finish taking their baths and at least brushing their teeth, with what they found placed on one of the large mirrors with a ledge on it. Those toothbrushes weren¡¯t the softest, as one fell victim to the spiky ends of one of them.

    ¡°Are you okay, Arthur?¡± asked a worried Evan.

    ¡°Why me¡­¡± Arthur groans in a bit of pain as he holds the side of his throbbing cheek were the gum has finally stopped bleeding.

    The boys took longer than the girls, considering that they didn¡¯t really need as much time as the girls. Unlike the girls, there were six stalls with three only being the shower and tub area.

    They were surprised to find vials of glass by the edge of a closed wooden window inside each stall, only the shower and tub stalls, and saw the stamps of ¡®HAIR VIAL¡¯ and ¡®BODY VIAL¡¯. The contents were a viscous blue for the hair and a dark green for the body, the blue smelling like a mix of sweet fruits and the other having a soft aroma of herbs.

    ¡°Is it just me or does that body vial smell like mint?¡± said Augustus, slowly walking out of the male¡¯s bathroom with a towel over his soggy light brown hair, his forearm pulled up to his nose as he took a good whiff of his still drying skin.

    A few others came out with a sneeze, rubbing their arms with a shiver. A cold shower and a cold house never mix well.

    Once they finished taking their cold baths, they all took a good look at each other, complimenting the other and noticing that they all had the same Adventure wear. Apparently Orlando was the only one who noticed the clothes being said to be ¡®unisex¡¯ when he checked its info.

    They all sported the same colors as they had a short dark brown scarf around their necks, resting till their shoulders. They had on a vest with the same dark brown color as their scarf. It had some buckles as its straps to accentuate the look as it also had on a black belt strapped just above the hips that covered their belly button region. They had an undershirt with a dull grey color, having a small design of dark brown laces against their chest. They¡¯ve got knee-length black pants that had an odd-diamond shape design on each leg. Their shoes were all the same too, if not some had a bit of a small difference in shade, but other than that, they all had the same dark brown colored boots that covered way above their ankles.

    ¡°Man these braies are so¡ª¡° Robin tugs against his crotch area with a sniff, ¡°¡ªopen. I can feel my balls hanging freel¡ª¡°

    ¡°TMI, ya¡¯ weirdo.¡± Charlotte scolds, covering Alissons ears who instinctively pulls her head down with her hands balling into fists, the sudden physical contact of anyone could make her freeze like a cat being held by the neck.

    They hurriedly walk towards their own quarters, girls going to theirs and the boys to the other. Orlando was the first to arrive to the door as he grabs onto the knob, turns and pushes.

    The long rows of bunk beds greet him as he walks inside, footsteps creaked against now different colored rugs, the rugs were a soft dark navy with the beds¡¯ blankets and pillows a dull teal. The room had small lanterns dotting the sides of their walls, in between the gaps of the bunk beds that were pushed up to the walls. Each bunk bed had a small light-toned wooden table next to it where they could probably place their belongings, and each bunk bed had the following ladders attached to it.

    ¡°Should we decide who bunks with who?¡± asked Kaden who excitedly raises his hand, ¡°If so, I wanna go with Robin!¡±

    ¡°Um¡­ No. Weirdo.¡± Robin merely says, muttering the last bit before Orlando cuts in, ¡°I suggest we all bunk with ¡®buddies¡¯ later, when we receive our teammates. That way, we know who to be closer to whenever we wake up.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I agree,¡± followed Evan as he places his dirtied uniform down on one of the tables closest to the door. ¡°Let¡¯s leave our stuff here for now and discuss it later.¡±

    There were a series of nods before they quickly left their things and hurriedly went out, seeing the girls waiting for them to exit.

    ¡°What took you guys? We were only there for a few seconds.¡± Asked Ava who was later followed by Lala and Hope as they made their way to the staircase.

    ¡°We were deciding if we needed to pick our bunk buddy.¡± Explained Wynn, ¡°But we wanted to pick later after we get our teammates.¡±

    As they explained their idea to just pick a bunk buddy later to the girls, they¡¯ve reached the bottom floor in a few minutes and are greeted by the newly placed clock on the dining hall¡¯s wall.

    It was already six-o¡¯clock, how time indeed flies when you¡¯re having fun.

    The tables were cleaned out, not a single speck was seen on the table cloth of the end two tables as they noticed the windows were dimmed, the outside now showing off its now setting sun as the clouds grey out. Grey stands in waiting, talking to Rio before adjusting in place. Now that they thought about it, where was Rio the whole time they were inside?

    Grey pats Rio by his shoulder and looks to the approaching teens with an anxious look, there was a glint of excitement that flashed across her wide eyes as she smiles.

    ¡°Everyone please sit down. We¡¯ll be announcing your Talents and teammates for the rest of your time here in Everoe.¡±

 Chapter Six - Motley

    The chatter in the dining hall dies down as the newly placed clock ticks, echoing across the guild. Silence settles onto the two tables where the newly bathed teens sit patiently, staring at the woman in metal.

    Grey shuffles her feet, moving a few steps forward as the steel greaves clink against her knees. A smile pulls against her lips as she fixes her gaze onto the first table, then to the second table.

    She holds up her left hand, turning her head to Rio. He hands her the paper that he has been holding since they¡¯ve entered, his forehead was visibly sweaty which they wondered if it was just Rio being the sweaty guy that he is or he was potentially worried for the teams and their chosen Talents.

    Maybe both.

    She takes one glance at the paper and shoots her eyes back up to them, her face was unreadable. ¡°You will all be divided into six teams consisting of one girl and three boys each. One will pose as the melee, the other will be long-ranged, the third will be a versatile with the last being a random pick. We¡ª¡± She motioned to her and the other Commanders, ¡°¡ªhave tried to balance out one melee, one long-ranged, and one versatile or support for the random fourth members. So, once we pick your teammates and Talents, you¡¯re stuck with those. After all, they were from your choices.¡±

    They all shift uncomfortably; a bit anxious at the thought of forever sticking to a Talent they weren¡¯t really comfortable with. Then again, some of their choices really had no choice.

    That and the fact that they were going to be paired up with people in their class.

    Let¡¯s just say, the remaining twenty-four that survived weren¡¯t the closest in the class. Despite how well they ¡®get along¡¯ with each other, personally, they weren¡¯t as fond to each other as they let on.

    Though, now that their life was on the line, the only thing they could do was¡­ wait and see.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be calling people to come in front as I read out your name firsts, have you all in line, then state your Talents. So¡­¡± her words trail off as both Grey and Rio take a few steps to their left, making sure there was enough space for them to stand in the middle.

    ¡°The first team.¡± She calls out, looking over the crowd to spot the first person sitting anxiously at the right table. ¡°Alisson.¡±

    Alisson jumps in place, her heart races as all eyes turn to her direction. She slowly stands up, tugging loose dark chocolate hair behind her ear. Her plump rosy cheeks puffed as she quickly shuffles over in front, her head was pulled low as she forced herself to stare at this more interesting looking dirty spot in the rug than to the many eyes ogling her.

    ¡°Travis.¡±

    The last person at the end of the first table had been leaning on his palm till he we called. He froze, raising his brows in surprise, ¡°Me?¡± He whispers, a few sarcastic remarks spout out of Mason who had been sitting right in front of him, telling him to just stand up and walk. As Travis stands up, adjusting his hair ever so gracefully before walking forward, his magnetic sapphire eyes settle on Alisson as he makes his way next to her and pats her gently on the shoulder, ¡°Hey there, Alisson.¡±

    Alisson looks up to the fair-skinned blonde, giving a small smile, before eyeing the hand placed on her shoulder.

    Travis pulls his hand back and gives a light chuckle, ¡°Sorry.¡± Oh right, Travis almost forgot. She hates being touched.

    ¡°Nate.¡±

    The next boy for their team jumps out from his seat as his wide hazel eyes sparked in excitement. His fluffy copper tinted hair was brushed in his usual quiff with an annoying loose strand bouncing against his forehead. He jogs up front and stands next to Travis, bending his body forward to look at Alisson, who¡¯s been avoiding eye contact ever since she¡¯s been called. ¡°Hi Alisson. Doin¡¯ okay?¡± His scruffy tone asked worriedly, a large smile plastered on his face.

    She nods quickly, her dark brown eyes peered to her left to glance at Nathaniel. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°Orlando.¡±

    A pause.

    His name was like an unspoken rule, never to be said and never to be spread. Even in the classroom, his presence was like having the literal idiom of ¡®an elephant in the room¡¯.

    There were a few who pursed their lips with a dumbfounded look on their faces, some tried to look at other people¡¯s expression in hopes of filling their own lack of reaction and others let out the breath they¡¯ve been holding, thanking their new gods for not being teamed with Orlando.

    Orlando slowly stands with an impassive look on his dark features. His thick clean-cut ash brown hair was neatly combed up, his usual steely black eyes were slightly narrowed. He walks forward with his head held high and his strong square jaw clenched tight.

    He moved at a steady-pace before standing tall next to Nathaniel, who gave Orlando a surprised look and shooting a ¡®WTF¡¯ expression to Travis and Alisson, they respond with a panicked look with thin lips as they decided to just keep quiet and look back to the crowd.

    Robin couldn¡¯t help but snort, muttering. ¡°This is priceless.¡± He claps a hand on the table, snickering as he holds his mouth.

    Grey gives a long sigh before reading from the paper, ¡°Orlando, your Talent will be Archery.¡±

    Orlando gives a side glance to Grey before nodding, his expression seeming a bit relaxed. It was obvious he was content with it.

    ¡°Not a bad pick. Orlando¡¯s a straight up perfectionist so it¡¯d make sense to pick that.¡± muttered Elijah in the back, conversing with Augustus who sat behind him.

    ¡°Ballet plus Pride, Archery. Makes sense.¡± Augustus snickers, eyeing Orlando who seemed too wrapped up in his thoughts to hear them.

    ¡°Nate.¡± started Grey again, ¡°Your Talent will be Fighter.¡±

    ¡°Nice.¡± Nathaniel breaks into a grin, his fingers curled and balled into a tight fist as he rolls his shoulders.

    The crowd nods, kind of seeing Nate as the brawler type.

    ¡°Travis, your Talent will be Gunslinger.¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± His lips puckered, his soft features shifts into a happy expression as he claps his hands. He smiled, ¡°I won¡¯t let you down, guys.¡± He says to Nate and Alisson as he awaits the next Talent.

    ¡°Alisson, you will be having two Talents.¡±

    Their team¡¯s face froze for a split second before all their heads turned to Grey.

    ¡°What?¡± They all said in unison, unexpected at hearing Grey¡¯s announcement.

    ¡°Grey?¡± Alisson called out, ¡°Why?¡± She asked in a higher pitch and with a familiar feeling of slowly rising anxiety filing her gut.

    Grey looks to the team, then to the crowd as she explains with a gentle look. ¡°In each team, there¡¯ll be someone who will take up one combat Talent and one support Talent. This is because we figured that, as a team, they¡¯d need a support to help them when they¡¯re doing quests and all. But as a single player, they need to have another Talent to level up. As I said with support Talents, they don¡¯t have as much ¡®umph¡¯ to their increase of experience. Which means, they¡¯re gonna need to have another Talent.¡± She shrugs in Alisson¡¯s direction. ¡°So the people who¡¯re going to have two Talents, for the sake of your team, please do your best.¡±

    Alisson¡¯s mouth opened and closed, trying to find the right words for this obvious mistake. But before she could protest, Grey gestures them back to the table.

    ¡°You may now take your seats.¡±

    ¡°I wonder what we¡¯ll be doing after this.¡± Travis mutters, walking ahead the flustered Alisson and worried Nathaniel.

    ¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t we worry about Alisson?¡± Nate asked Travis, looking back and forth to him and Alisson with a sense of alarm.

    Travis gives a quick pout and shrug, ¡°We can talk to her about it after we listen to everyone elses Talents and Teams. I¡¯ll make sure to¡­ ease some of her burdens.¡± Travis winks while Nathaniel cringes inwardly, patting his back to move faster to his seat.

    As Travis, Nathaniel and Orlando go to their respective seats, Alisson slowly finds her way to the front and sits quietly, her hands starting to moist by habit.

    Grey couldn¡¯t help a glance at her direction, her mama-bear instincts kicking in but she managed to restrain herself. ¡®Later.¡¯ She thought, thinking it¡¯s best to let her think about it for a while.

    ¡°The second team¡­ Matt.¡±

    A large thud against wood resonated across the hall as they stared at a surprised and hurting Matthias. He grinds his teeth, slowly standing up to his full height of 6 feet as he rubs his aching knee. His short dark blonde layered hair swept to his right, he pulls the side fringe lower by habit, his dark green eyes dart back and forth to the two tables as he walks quietly in between and waits in front with a sheepish smile and wave.

    ¡°Elijah.¡±

    ¡°Ey! Matt!¡± Elijah bounces off of his seat, waving at the meek giant as he makes his way over. He had his dusty golden hair pulled back into a high tight bun, properly fixed with his fingers as his makeshift comb. Friendly brown-green eyes stare back at Matthias as he wanders over to his side, giving him a loud pat on the back that echoed with a THUD.

    ¡°Next¡­¡± Grey pauses for a moment, a smile begins to itch. It was tempting, but she shakes her head and heaves out a sigh. ¡°AvaandMason.¡± She speedily says before looking to the crowd, her lips drawn into a thin line.

    Ava shoots up from her seat, a hand slamming against the table. ¡°Excuse me, what?¡± The last time she threw a fit was when someone cat-called her across their school¡¯s gymnasium.

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m paring up with Ms. Blonde Bimbo here.¡± Mason grunts, hissing at Ava as he stays in his place, not even bothering to turn his body to Grey¡¯s direction.

    ¡°For once, I agree with Mason.¡± Ava adds, pointing to his direction with a look of distraught.

    ¡°What? That you¡¯re a blonde bimbo?¡±

    ¡°Oh boy.¡± Elijah mutters to Matt who simply laughs nervously.

    ¡°I will cut you.¡± Ava glares at Mason.

    ¡°Empty threats.¡±

    ¡°I.will.cut.YOU.¡±

    ¡°Try me.¡±

    ¡°OKAY.¡± Grey yells out with wide eyes, her hands were held up. Her expression screamed stress as she points to the two of them. ¡°This is exactly why I wanted you guys to be in the same team. I¡¯ve already told you, I won¡¯t change my mind.¡±

    ¡°Come on, please.¡± pleaded Ava, clapping her hands together as she bent forward in her place. ¡°Just for me and Mason. Just this once. Come on, Grey.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Grey¡¯s voice was heavy. Unlike her usual care-free tone that they¡¯ve gotten used to in the class, the usual happy-go-lucky sound in her voice was gone. Her face was stone cold, her mouth pulled down as she lowers her hands. ¡°You think you guys can do the same shit you¡¯ve done with the teachers back at our school? Beg and kiss their ass? This is why we¡¯re all so distant with each other. Why you guys don¡¯t even bother to actually care about the other. I know, waste of time. But now that you¡¯re here, I don¡¯t want to hear crap from any of you anymore. You¡ª¡° She holds her index finger up, shaking, before her shoulder relaxed. She takes a step back, eyeing the ground before looking back up to them.

    Grey sighs, ¡°I¡¯m not changing it, nor am I changing any of your Talents. Trust our judgement, please.¡±

    Ava and Mason exchange disappointed looks from across their table, ¡°Ladies first.¡± Mason sarcastically says, gesturing her to walk ahead. Her eyes fix onto him with a cold stare before huffing, stomping off to her place next to a rather uncomfortable Elijah. Mason follows, giving a snarl to Grey before standing next to Ava.

    Ava tosses her long strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder, her thin tendrils directly slapping against Mason¡¯s face. He blinks back the flash of blonde before snapping her a long hard look, which she returns whole-heartedly. His beady black eyes met with her gleaming chestnut browns. Elijah and Matthias could practically feel the tension rise from their glares alone.

    Grey looks back to Mason and Ava, raising her brows with a following smile. ¡°You two will also have the same Talent. You¡¯re both Warriors.¡±

    Their staring contest broke abruptly as they whipped their heads to the Commander. ¡°What?¡± Mason said, holding his hands up to her.

    ¡°Wait, why are we both Warriors. That¡¯s allowed?¡± Ava asked, bending over to glimpse past Mason¡¯s blocking body.

    ¡°Yes, it is. Though, Mason.¡° Grey turns to him with a thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯ll be having two Talents. Warrior and Cleric.¡±

    Now all four of the people in line bent lower, glaring at Grey with a horrified look. ¡°We¡¯re gonna die.¡± Elijah muttered, the edge of his lips pulling up into a defeated smile as he smacks a hand on his forehead.

    ¡°She isn¡¯t serious¡­¡± Matthias whispers, his mouth almost hanging open with a sense of anxiety rising in his gut. No. NO.

    Matthias was never close with Mason. Not even a little bit.

    They were classmates once in fifth grade and occasionally talked about what assignments Mason would forget. But that was about it.

    However, Matt knew one thing about him¡­ and that¡¯s Mason never gives two rat fucks about anyone other than himself.

    It¡¯s a wonder how he gets good grades apart from his cooperation.

    ¡°Mason will be both your DPS and your support. So do keep in mind that you all have to work together in hopes of seeing the light of tomorrow.¡± Grey ends it with a passive aggressive tone and looks back to her paper.

    ¡°Elijah, you¡¯ll take Battle Alchemy. Matthias, you¡¯re going for Puppeteer.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Matt furrows his brows. ¡°Oh¡­ It was my third choice. Why¡¯d you go for that?¡±

    ¡°Balance system.¡± Grey says deadpan before waving them off. ¡°Alright, go back to your seats.¡±

    With the second group feeling more and more stressed out after every word Grey spouts, they decide to keep quiet, walk back to their seats and share a similar look of defeat.

    ¡°At least I got the Talent I wanted.¡± Elijah says to himself, sitting down with a huff as Charlotte gave him a sorry look.

    ¡°The third team¡­ Robin.¡± Grey flips her two fingers, beckoning the dark-haired boy by the second table. Robin merely smirks at his name being called and pops up, he stretches his arms and cracks his neck. He ran a hand through his black hair, rocking his usual stylish short crew cut with a bit of a fade. Walking over to his spot in front, Grey continues.

    ¡°Martin.¡±

    The class¡¯ sleep-deprived red-head gives a quiet yawn, standing up with a grunt. ¡°Great¡­ I¡¯m with Robin.¡± He rubs the back of his scalp, curly folds of red smothering his fingers.

    Martin gazes from slowly opening and closing lids, he spots the ruffians¡¯ dark chocolate eyes staring him down. Dick. Martin inwardly cusses before making his way by said Dicks¡¯ side.

    ¡°Lemuel.¡±

    Nick audibly scoffs, pushing his lips inward with a smile holding back in his face. Robin glares at the four-eyed nerd before turning to Grey.

    ¡°Grey.¡± He calls her out with wide furious eyes, she shrugs with a taunting smile.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°What are ya gonna do.¡± She replies before looking to the approaching class priest.

    Prim and proper, he walks forward with a respectful nod to Robin, who merely nods rigidly with his eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Robin.¡± Lemuel greeted in a plummy tone, grinning innocently with his clear overbite smile.

    ¡°Lemuel.¡± He responded gravely.

    Lemuel picks at his own short curled brown hair, quietly humming to himself as he ignores the slightly uncomfortable foul-mouthing heathen he stands next to.

    Rio sighs next to Grey, ¡°You had to put Lucifer and Jesus in the same group.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I nice.¡± She whispers sarcastically before calling out the last name. ¡°And¡­ Lala.¡±

    Platinum blonde locks bounce from her back as she leans on the table, light green eyes grow wide. ¡°O-Oh. Okay.¡± She spoke hoarsely, biting her rosy bottom lip as she stands and walks solemnly towards her spot next to Lemuel. With a thousand yard stare, she stands silently with her left hand gripping her right arm.

    Martin on the other side cocks a brow, was she still thinking about him?

    Probably. It¡¯s not like any of them could forget the others either.

    ¡°Now, team four.¡± Grey pats Lala by the shoulder, the shorter blonde almost jolts at the slight pressure as she continues. ¡°Lala will be your Archer.¡±

    ¡°Archery¡­¡± Lemuel echoes next to her, nodding his head. ¡°Nice choice, Lala.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh¡­¡± She gives a forced smile, scratching her cheek. ¡°Thanks Lem.¡±

    Martin furrows his brows, ¡°If she can¡¯t even pay attention to the announcement, how can she even concentrate on shooting an arrow.¡± He whispers, Robin¡¯s eyes slide to his right to peer at Martin, his head still unmoving.

    ¡°Wanna give her a pep talk then, Ginger?¡±

    Martin tsked, crossing his arms with a slowly boiling face. ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Lemuel¡¯s Talent is Ninja.¡± Grey adds after removing her hand from Lala¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Ooooh.¡± Lemuel claps his hands, ¡°Nice¡­¡±

    Matthias sighs from his seat, leaning his chin on his palm. ¡°Was I the only one who got their third choice?¡± He muttered to himself with a pout.

    ¡°Martin is your Puppeteer and Robin will have two Talents.¡±

    The two boys in the end of their line look at each other, appalled. Martin barks out his complaint first, ¡°I swear, you¡¯re trying to kill our group and Mason¡¯s.¡±

    ¡°Ditto.¡± Mason calls out from the back with a clear fist balled and trembling in anger.

    ¡°How can Robin be their support? He can barely support himself.¡± Kaden, The short Beelzebub of their class grins, holding his chin as if wondering why the thought of Robin actually multi-tasking important roles is now a legitimate thing. Why, Commanders. Why.

    Ava was sitting right behind Kaden, watching the twerp spout the insult with a look of amusement. To Ava¡¯s thought on this, she would rather take Robin than Mason actually. But that wasn¡¯t going to happen now, would it.

    It was clear that Grey wanted to put the worst compatible people in the same team to ¡®make them up¡¯ and ¡®get them to work together¡¯. But if she really knew their class, then this kind of system never worked in class.

    Robin could only growl at the insult thrown by that problem child, he grits his teeth and in a fit of anger flipped his bird. Lemuel next to him smacked his wrist with large bug eyes poking out, a disapproving look affixed on his face. ¡°Robin.¡±

    ¡°Eugh.¡± Robin grunts, frantically scratching the back of his head with a look that says ¡®Why-me¡¯.

    ¡°Robin, you¡¯ll be taking Fighter-¡° His face lights up. ¡°-and Bard.¡± His face dims.

    ¡°B-Bard?¡± Martin stutters next to the shorter boy, ¡°Wait, you had Bard in your choices?¡±

    ¡°Yeah? S-so what?¡± Robin loudly states with a stomp of his foot, ¡°Got a problem with that, huh?¡±

    ¡°No! No, I just¡­ Was that your first choice?¡±

    ¡°It was my third.¡± Robin confessed, crossing his arms as he proceeds to avoid eye contact with anyone. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was gonna be picked.¡±

    ¡°Alright team three, good luck. You may now take your seats.¡± Grey waved them off with her paper and sighed. ¡°Okay¡­ Three more.¡±

    Lala exits first, wobbling as she walked with the dazed gaze she had on the moment she stood in line. Worried, Lemuel took note of her worry and decided to talk to her about it soon. After all, he wasn¡¯t the class¡¯ self-proclaimed counsellor for nothing.

    ¡°Team four, Nick.¡±

    Pushing up his glasses that almost slid down his arched nose, he stood with a sigh. ¡°Guess it¡¯s my turn. Please have nice people.¡± He silently pleaded with an anxious look.

    Nick wasn¡¯t much for attention. He had short light auburn hair and small blue eyes hidden behind thin framed glasses. But with a height of 6¡¯1 and his unparalleled streak of being a consistent honor roll, he couldn¡¯t help but getting a few glances of either envy, awe or both.

    Following suit, Grey calls out. ¡°Arthur.¡±

    Meek with black hair split in the center, large black square framed glasses prompt on his small button nose. He squeaks, hearing his name being called. Wide eyes of aqua stare at Nick as he pushes himself off of his seat reluctantly, rubbing his neck.

    ¡°Hey ¡®glasses buddy¡¯.¡± Nick greets with a small smile, one hand rested on another as he swings back and forth in place. Arthur looks up, begrudgingly walking to his place as he adjusts his own frames.

    ¡°Hey Nick.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes droop, ¡°Wanna bet we¡¯ll have Kaden?¡±

    Nick snorts, shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ll bet we¡¯ll have Seth.¡±

    ¡°Yikes.¡±

    ¡°Next¡­¡± Grey flaps the paper, eyeing the two in their place. ¡°Evan.¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±

    ¡°Nice, another responsible person.¡±

    As the two boys in line held their chest, grateful to have Evan in their team, they could see a bulky figure stand up from his place.

    Evan stood muscular with a straight jaw clenched firm. He was a simple man with a simple style. A very¡­ old style. He had his blond hair kept neatly parted on his right side, his icy cold blue eyes gazed at his two new teammates as he walked to Arthur¡¯s left, towering over the smaller boy with his usual superior presence.

    Before any of the two next to Evan could say anything to break the awkwardness of their group, Grey adds. ¡°¡­And Hope.¡±

    The three, yes even Evan, visibly flinched, though they managed to not look as uncomfortable as they should be.

    Hope scrambles out of her seat with a squeak, keeping her head low. Her long obsidian Rapunzel like hair slaps against her back as she speed walks to her place next to Evan, puffing a loose fringe tickling her cheek.

    Hope wasn¡¯t ¡®bad¡¯ per say. She was better than Mason or Robin, to put it that way.

    But they never really understood what goes through this¡­ eerie girls¡¯ mind.

    Evan couldn¡¯t help a peek at the odd girl as he sees her fingers play and tap against another, nervously looking up then back down to her hands, biting her lip in the process.

    Grey continues, ¡°Hope, your Talent will be Ninja.¡±

    ¡°How fitting, give the weirdo a sharp object.¡± Orlando mumbled, a finger taps against his chin. Lala broke from her dazed stare at her hands as she snapped a look to Orlando from across the table, she wanted to call him out on it but¡­

    She looked back to her hands.

    ¡®Not my problem.¡¯

    Hope looks to Grey with a stiff look; taking a moment to process her Talent before nodding.

    ¡°Evan, your Talent will be Lance Combat.¡±

    Evan nods at this, noticing a few people in the crowd patting each other saying ¡®Told you.¡¯ Or the like.

    ¡°Arthur, you¡¯re going Fighter.¡± Grey nods her head approvingly, ¡°At first I thought you were joking or you didn¡¯t have enough time to think about it¡­ But, judging from the number of times you striked out different Talents, I¡¯m sure you know what you¡¯re getting into¡­¡± She leans forward to get a glance at him. ¡°¡­Right?¡±

    Robin stands from his place, pointing at him. ¡°He¡¯s into fighting? Like¡­ fist fighting?! He¡¯s smaller than me! And that¡¯s saying something!¡±

    ¡°Height doesn¡¯t matter, you Mexican oompa loompa.¡±

    ¡°Who said that?!¡± Robin whips his head and shoots the people behind him a nasty look, ¡°Who called me an oompa loompa?! I¡¯m gonna smack yer face with my small oompa loompa hands!¡±

    The crowd snickers at his ¡®threat¡¯ before Grey continues after a giggle or two. ¡°Well, Arthur had it as his uh¡­ third choice. Like you Robin. So you can¡¯t judge his choice for wanting to do something different.¡±

    Her words wanted to sound like she supported his decision, but a part of her was still feeling that Mama-bear side pop out for him. Especially when she can see his face drain of color. He ¡®did¡¯ pick it out¡­ right?

    ¡®Soon. Control yourself, Grey.¡¯ She shakes away the thought before turning to Nick, leaning even further to see his expression harden.

    ¡°That means you¡¯ll be getting the two Talents, Nick. You¡¯re going to be both Mage and Cleric, seems easier since both uses Mana.¡±

    ¡°Mana again¡­¡± Seth said with knitted brows, not really catching the lingo of ¡®Mana¡¯. What was it again? The ¡®essence of magic¡¯ as what he remembered seeing an ad about it on his phone¡¯s Play Store.

    ¡°Best left to me, I suppose.¡± Nick shrugs, before pointing to his seat for confirmation to sit back down.

    ¡°Oh yeah, right. You guys can sit back down.¡± Grey smiles, waving them to go back.

    Evan notices Arthur¡¯s rather pale face and hard look on his face and called Nick¡¯s attention in a discreet matter, walking to his side.

    Nick turns just in time to see Evan softly nudge Nick¡¯s arm and gesture to Arthur¡¯s face. ¡°Should we speak to him?¡± Evan asks in a hushed tone.

    ¡°Later, if we have the time. Woah, first team meeting already?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave out anyone¡¯s thoughts to their own anymore. Not after establishing our groups.¡±

    ¡°Does this also include uh¡­ Hope?¡± Nick¡¯s voice got even quieter at her name as Evan shoots him a dark look.

    ¡°She¡¯s our teammate now. We can¡¯t change that.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know. But, should we bring her along to talk to Arthur¡¯s Talent?¡±

    Evan couldn¡¯t reply. He followed Nick back to his seat and gave a small shake of his head, validating Nick¡¯s thought on Hope.

    She really wasn¡¯t meant for talking. So, bringing her along to talk to Arthur would probably pose more problems if she wasn¡¯t careful with her wording.

    After all¡­ This could probably be solved between guys.

    Grey looks to the paper, and scans the remaining two teams with her finger. She taps on the fifth team¡¯s name.

    ¡°Alrighty, team five. Augustus.¡± Grey called out his name with a merry tone, smiling in his direction as she sees her best friend wave, standing up with his luscious thick slicked back burgundy hair, his mesmerizing dark brown eyes and his straight Greek curve of his nose.

    In short, he was attractive¡­ And he knows it. An honest handsome prick, Grey couldn¡¯t have picked a better best friend.

    He gives a faint smile to Grey, nodding to her as she returns it with her own nod.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to give me two Talents, aren¡¯t you?¡± He slips in a whisper, standing in place as she looks down to her paper, her eyes brows go up as she scans the list.

    ¡°Who knows¡­¡± She trails off before looking back up to spot the short-haired ray of sunshine in the back, ¡°Charlotte.¡±

    The perky brunette that she is gleamed bright, waving at an excited Augustus and Grey before popping out of her seat with a following ¡°Woop¡±.

    She jogs in front, patting Augustus¡¯ shoulder and finger gunned him, ¡°Hey August.¡±

    He smiles back in return, noticing the still vivid red under her eyes. He forced his smile to stay for a while before dropping it softly after she went next to him. He couldn¡¯t blame her for crying. Hell, he was close to breaking down himself yesterday. But, he didn¡¯t see it happen.

    Luckily, he didn¡¯t.

    He¡­ didn¡¯t.

    ¡°Seth.¡±

    Seth smirked in his seat after seeing Augustus cock a brow and turn to Grey. ¡°Grey, you know I love you.¡± August pulls a finger up, ¡°But there can only be one handsome devil in this team.¡±

    Seth stood with his usual grace and poise, slender fingers tapped against the table before he pushed himself off and made his way to the front, a taunting grin etched on his face as his piercing pure hazel eyes narrowed at August. ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, Augustus. This is the first time we ever grouped up in any activity. Including back in class.¡±

    ¡°True.¡±

    ¡°We never hung out that much so why not use this opportunity, yes?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I suppose so.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡±

    ¡°Yup.¡±

    Charlotte felt the passive aggression rise, the plastic shimmer and the bad blood bolster. She could only laugh, clapping her hands together in hopes of lightening the two¡¯s dead stares at each other.

    ¡°Then¡­ Wynn.¡± Grey¡¯s intervention at the blizzard forming around the two snapped their gaze apart as the three of them turned to the freckled boy who got a pat from Robin, who leaned across the table with a slowly growing smirk.

    ¡°Go get ¡®em tiger.¡± Robin teased before pushing the brunet off the seat, which almost made the scrawny boy lose his footing.

    Wynn stumbles forward with a wobbly walk, ¡°Well¡­ This just got peachy.¡± He quavers, clearing his throat before inching to his place next to the last person he wanted to be teammates with.

    Seth. The epitome of beauty, grace and ladies on his face. Mr. Out-Of-Your-League.

    In comparison to Wynn, who was literally just a year older than Seth. Wynn¡¯s voice was a pre-pubescent carwreck in comparison to Seth¡¯s buttery Godsent voice that was literally created to seduce women (and men).

    Okay, he was getting a bit too exaggerated. But Wynn¡¯s thought process on even the smallest things could overload in his brain. He was an over thinker, and this group of peppy, attractive and talented populars just won¡¯t help his self-esteem. He was like their pedestal or something, he couldn¡¯t help a frown.

    ¡°Now Wynn, you¡¯ll be taking Close combat.¡±

    As if the whole ordeal of his mental worrying back and forth in his brain NEVER happened, his eyes glinted in excitement as his shoulders slowly rose.

    ¡°O-okay!¡± He croaked out, trying to sound determined. Luckily, he was able to get his first choice.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be counting on you, Wynn!¡± Charlotte cheered, pumping her fists at him with an exaggerated look of fiery exhilaration.

    Wynn flushes at her, ¡®Pretty and energetic as always.¡¯ He smiles back with a thumbs up, ¡°S-sure, Charlotte. Don¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°Awesome!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, do your best Wynn.¡± Seth adds in a low tone, crossing his arms as he leans to Wynn¡¯s side, a cocky smirk tugs at his lips with his eyes narrowed down on Wynn¡¯s freckled face.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Alright.¡±

    ¡°Seth, you¡¯ll be taking Ninja.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± The tall boy¡¯s lips turned upwards, content with his Talent.

    ¡°Tall, dark and mysterious¡­ And a Ninja.¡± Nick whispered to Alisson from across the table, ¡°Pretty sure he isn¡¯t human.¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure we¡¯ve theorized about that too.¡± Alisson says with a playful smile pulling on her lips.

    ¡°Charlotte, your Talent will be Gunslinger.¡±

    She hums with pleased tone, nodding her head before giving a salute with two fingers and puckering her lips. ¡°Gotcha.¡±

    ¡°Then that means¡­¡± Grey turns to August who was already waiting in anticipation. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re getting two Talents.¡±

    ¡°Called it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be their Mage and Cleric. I know how you love your magic games.¡±

    ¡°Yes. I. Do.¡± He emphasizes with a clap per syllable, leaning forward as he gives a grateful smile. ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well that were your choices. Anyway¡­ You may now go back to your seat and those who didn¡¯t get called are the last people to be teamed up with.¡±

    As Grey waves for the next people to join in, Four figures stand in unison.

    ¡°Oh hey, Vallerie.¡± The taller blonde greeted the shorter girl, she waves to him as she makes her way to her line. She was glad to have Caine over at her team, more or less someone independent. She couldn¡¯t hold a candle in comparison to him.

    Well, both Evan in the other team and Caine were pretty much the dads of their class. She pauses to think about it.

    Faint widow¡¯s peak, deep green eyes, charming smile and fit bod? It¡¯s a wonder how he can incorporate his golden heart to his golden looks.

    ¡°Oh hey, Caine! We have¡­¡± Vallerie¡¯s dull green eyes skim the other tables to see Ian, Mr. Bowl haircut and Happy-go-lucky.

    ¡°Oh~ Hello Val! Hello Caine! Hello¡­¡± Ian¡¯s high pitched voice seemed to slowly trail off, his hand that had been waving high up suddenly lowered, his slanted brown eyes seemed to dim as he sees the last person walk to their line.

    A short boy stands mischievously across the line, giving his infamous Cheshire smile to them as he grazes his fingers across the fringe of his messy spiked hair. His eyes glowed a fiery amber as his gaze locks onto the three of them.

    ¡°Hello teammates.¡± Kaden¡¯s greeting came off as malicious, with the hungry look he¡¯s giving to his new playthings for teammates, they could only gulp.

    ¡°Guess every team has some kind of person they¡¯re not too fond of.¡± Ava mentions quietly which caught Mason¡¯s attention; he snorts low and leans to her direction from across the table.

    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡±

    ¡°Do you even want to get out of this¡­ ¡®Everoe¡¯ place?¡± She snaps with gritting teeth, her nails clawed against the tablecloth as she narrows her look to him.

    ¡°Duh, of course. That¡¯s the reason why we¡¯re here¡ª¡°

    ¡°Then stop pissing people off and actually try to be nice. Cooperate. And shut up.¡±

    ¡°Who made you Boss?¡±

    ¡°A self-proclaimed title that I¡¯d like to keep. Deal with it.¡±

    At the two¡¯s quiet banter, Matthias and Elijah could only sigh in their seats. Guess they¡¯ve got a ways to go.

    ¡°Alright, Now¡­¡± Grey points to the brunette in line, ¡°Vallerie, you¡¯ll take Battle Alchemy. Judging from your Chemistry grade for the past two semesters, I¡¯m sure this¡¯ll be a cake walk.¡±

    Vallerie nods, pursing her lips. From her blank expression, it seemed like it was her second option. Caine noticed it and cocked a brow, what was her first then?

    ¡°Caine.¡± The tall blonde¡¯s eyes snapped wider as his train of thought broke, he turns to Grey with a smile, the sides of his cheek dip into soft dimples.

    ¡°Ah, yeah?¡±

    She stared for a moment, before clearing her throat. ¡°Ahm¡­ Lance combat.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh yeah, okay.¡± His first choice. That was good.

    ¡°Ian, buddy. Your Talent is Puppetry.¡±

    ¡°Yes yes!¡± The plump boy pokes his rosy cheeks, ¡°My third choice!¡±

    ¡°Why¡¯s he so excited for that?¡± Rio whispered to Grey who received a small ¡®dunno¡¯ and a shrug.

    ¡°Lastly¡­ Yes, Kaden. You¡¯re the same with August.¡± Grey could see her bff¡¯s expression from where she stood, she ignored it. ¡°Mage and Cleric.¡±

    ¡°Oh good, I like playing the support roles in games.¡± Kaden pinched his bottom lip with a look of anticipation. ¡°I¡¯ll be doing my best from now on¡­¡±His voice echoes eerily before he turns to the other three. ¡°¡­Alright?¡±

    The three of them make hesitant signs of agreement before turning back to Grey with a look that says ¡®Let us sit, please¡¯.

    Grey could only feel guilt for the teams she created, but it was the only choice they had considering their Talents that placed on their paper.

    ¡°Okay¡­ You may all sit down.¡± Grey says with a more serious tone to it, she waves them off watching their backs move and find their respective seats.

    The guild hall was quiet for a second before Grey snapped away the list of paper in a flourish of blue, she crosses her arms over her chest plate, it creaks of a metal grinding.

    ¡°Six teams. Four members.¡± She started, ¡°This will forever be your team until we get out of here, for the sake of making sure you all complement each other.¡± She holds a hand up, seeing their mouths open to say something witty. ¡°Up. I know, ironic. People who you don¡¯t really know are people who you can lean on to. But since you guys had the choices, I might as well say that maybe it was fate that lead to this¡­ odd teammates.¡±

    She could see them cringe at the word ¡®fate¡¯ and continues, ¡°Right, anyway. Enough of that bullcrap, I¡¯ll get to the juicy bits.¡± She starts to pace to the right, her hands now falling and hooking behind her, she looks up to the orange tinted ceiling where the chandelier swung quietly. ¡°Tomorrow is Sunday, where me and the other Commanders will be busy for the whole day prepping for Monday. You will receive schedules tomorrow and by around¡­¡± She turns her head slightly to the clock in the back, the paces back and forth again slowly. ¡°¡­Eight or so, you¡¯ll all come down here after exploring the place a bit. You can¡¯t leave, so that¡¯s one. You may talk to your teammates, go looking through the library and researching. The library is the only place that¡¯s accessible at the moment, so please be patient till we give explanations.¡±

    She stops after the sixth pace, her foot trudged against the thick rug as she turns to them with a sad look. ¡°I¡­¡± She pauses, deliberating whether or not to say what she wanted to before shaking her head and smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll get the food ready. Noah and Josh should be finished with it.¡±

    Augustus shifts in his seat, squinting at Grey¡¯s total plastic fa?ade. He might need a word with her later, if he would be allowed to.

    ¡°Well, after your meal. Do go to your chambers, I¡¯ll be seeing you tomorrow night.¡± With that, she pats Rio on the shoulder and nods.

    ¡°Get those two, It¡¯s my turn to take watch.¡±

    ¡°On it.¡±

    With that, Rio waves to the two tables with a faint smile. ¡°Stay here, I¡¯ll get the food.¡±

    They turn to see Rio jogging off to the entrance of their guild and notice Grey leaving out the back door, pushing the large double doors of the back and stepping into the darkness of the night.

    SLAM

    For the moment, they were left with silence and a slowly growing understanding of the predicament they were forever going to be stuck with. Their teammates.