A color guild? That is their grand scheme? Such partly thinking on their part. I will decimate them. --43.7 Seconds Post-Integration.
They ended up in a place called Johnson's Badder. It was self-described as an 'artisanal ice-cream shoppe.' But they also sold fountain drinks, milkshakes, and assorted side dishes such as potato fries and chicken tenders. SIMP had arranged for both of them to work the same shift.
"This is so boring," Theo moaned. "I could be back in my dorm, doing something, anything! But nooooo! I'm here, flipping patties when I could be flipping the bean."
Clark ignored his friend's inappropriate statements. They were given a task upon entering and asking for the manager. That task was flipping burger patties on a large grill. Well, the task was less 'flipping burgers' and more 'monitoring the machine which flipped the burgers en mass. Most of the labor involved monitoring machines and intervening when the machine messed up or had to have a component or ingredient replaced, such as, filling the deep fryer baskets with frozen fries. Despite Theo's whining, the labor was not hard.
"Come on, man," Theo continued. "You can't say you like this. You look just as beat as me! Let's go have some fun in my room!"
Tempting as it was to take off with Theo, Clark decided he would be the air of reason. "We have to do this, Theo. We both need more Accomplishments unlocked. And, besides, you heard SIMP, the money we earn working here will transfer to our standard paycheck. I need every cent that comes my way. Same for bonuses, so what's to hate?"
Theo looked concerned for his financial straits or at least had the good intuition to put on a concerned face. Though he still didn't look like he wanted to stay and work. "It's just I wasn't expecting to work more, today... I already work so much."
Now, it was his turn to be concerned. "And I get that. We both work too much. I do nothing but work. If I'm not working, my life is being put in jeopardy. Doesn't do anything for my anxiety, I will tell you what. I don't have a choice in the matter, though. I have to work for my community. I'd supposed that's why you're antsy, because you don't have that at your back?"
"Yeah. I guess... I thought I would have more time to search for my clan's relics. Instead, I found one minor sigil stone. Great! Not worth selling my working life over, not yet."
'A minor sigil?' Clark told himself. 'We risked our lives for a minor sigil?!' Ignoring the fact that the sigil stone's worth wasn't the bigger issue, Clark focused in on his friend's meaning. "What are you looking for?" A machine beeped on the other end of the line. Clark went to empty the basket of fries and dump another frozen bag into the basket. He did this for the entire row of baskets on that end.
"Any artefacts, really," Theo said, replacing a bag of ketchup. "The big ticket, though, is something my people call 'the forever sigil.' It has intense magical properties capable of curing disease and bending reality. Or so I am told, anyway. I don't know for sure it is somewhere in the tower, but when I review my intel, it has to be here. Nothing else makes sense."
"Sounds like quite the item. If Augustford does have it, I doubt it will be randomly in the dungeon interior. I wouldn't think they would keep anything like that in anything less than a solid platinum vault or whatnot."
"You would think, but if the minor sigil we found was in the dungeon interior, then who knows what else is there, waiting for us..."
What could he say? "Wherever it is, I will help you look for it." That was easy enough to speak. Theo appreciated it as he could feel his friend's warmth radiate as though Theo was an oven himself. Or that could have just been the ovens... either way, Theo's productivity picked up a notch.
Then, they both worked and worked until SIMP called their shift.
The front's manager came from somewhere out back and handed them each a single sheet of paper. "That is your accruals. Nothing special since this was your first shift and all, but if you keep at it, you might have something to show in some months. Or years. Up to you. Either way, thanks for your help, you two. Amazing about the work ethic in you Lifers. A full shift at Augustford and then a half-shift here? Darn! I have teens who only show up for half their shifts and that's after they begged me to hire them. How do you do it?"
"With dedication," Clark said.
"And out backs to the wall," Theo said, more sarcastically.
The manager laughed and returned outback to resume doing whatever they had been doing before. He and Theo left the restaurant and had a small vanilla ice cream cone to show for their efforts.
[Accomplishment Unlocked! 'Moonlighter:' You picked up a part-time gig. Should I alert the press?]
"I guess that was the Accomplishment SIMP wanted us to unlock," Clark said to himself. "I wonder how many extra Accomplishments are nested beyond this one?"
"At least the ice cream is good. Refreshing after working in that muggy, awful non-air-conditioned place," he said, enjoying the chilled air on his skin. "Still want to hang out?"
Theo licked at his cone intermittently. He looked distant. "Nah. I'm tired. I think I am going to head back and rest. Talk later."
"Oh, okay. Sounds fine. See you later."
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
He had his ice-cream cone in silence. Around him, tables were full of families and young people making noise and joking. Their sounds seemed to him a mile away. It was only he at his table. No one else asked to sit despite the dining area packed. He finished his cone and walked at a leisurely pace back to his dorm.
"How was your outing?" SIMP asked, friendly, for once.
"Fine. I guess. Not as happy-go-lucky as I thought it was going to be, though. Theo either whined the whole time or said conflicting things. So, it was fine."
"'Conflicting things'? What do you mean?"
"Yeah, like, he said he would rather hang out than work but when work was over, he didn't want to hang out. What was up with that?" Clark asked but he didn't think SIMP would give him an answer. Or one that was useful.
"People are like the sea, Clark. A mystery at the best of times. Much like the sea, don't bother to fight people's inclinations. Accept it, for better or worse. Theo's behavior will be fine, in time. Find yourself some sleep, okay?"
For once, he was more than happy to listen and rolled himself into bed with a hearty desire.
When he woke up, he had some time before his shift. SIMP insisted he use that time productively. "I thought you said that revealing myself to the Green Guild as your champion would be counter-productive if done too soon?"
"Clark! You are not 'revealing' yourself. Only acquiring membership with the guild. Technical membership, at that," SIMP shot back.
"Okay. What is this 'technical' membership?"
"It is the lowest guild tier one can join. It is a membership for those employed with Augustford. For a long time, even that didn't exist, which made magic use hard for those without the natural inclination. You shouldn't have any issue with enlisting."
"Enlisting? Is this going to be a whole issue, like the anti-monster league? Or a specialist department? Wait. Was that it is called, 'specialist'?"
"Yes. Specialist department is the term. And no, it will not be anything like those. A Technical Membership is what many Augustford Employees end up with as part of their tenure with the company. It gives them the right to use basic magical items and equipment while on the job without fear of the system dinging their Core Metrics."
He looked at the Guild Office. Totally green, every shade of green, too. He walked into the store, the door sliding open as if it was from a spaceship.
The inside was like a cave. A chilled, green, clean cave.
Ahead and placed in the exact center of the room, was a solitary half-circle desk. It took up a lot more of the chamber than one might expect. It was manned by a well-dressed female clerk whose button up uniform and slim half-skirt reached her knees. Dress shoes, a silk bow in her hair, yeah, she was by far better dressed than anyone he had met so far -- except for maybe the floor managers.
"Hello. My name is Clark, and I would like to apply for a technical membership, please."
"Of course. Please, may I see your System Link?" the clerk spoke, every word measured, like she was a scientist in a lab.
Clark grabbed the wire forever wrapped around his shoulders and handed it over. The clerk scanned it several times then scanned it some more after her machine beeped. "Cola Clark, correct? New Lifer."
"That's correct, ma'am." He didn't like how she laid emphasis on his new status. 'New Lifer.' He swore, if another chance to help the company while advancing himself, and all because he was 'new,' he was not going to be happy.
"Unfortunately, it does not look like I can approve your technical membership at this time."
Anger coursed through him. He had to unclench his fists multiple times, then slip his hands into his pants pocket just to not be tempted to use them. He knew better than to lash out at someone in violence. Yet the feelings in him were so great, he was mighty tempted to disregard that truth. "Madam. There is a plague ravaging this store -- neigh, this company; yet I am not allowed to participate in the anti-monster defense league until I hit some arbitrary data; I am expected to perform at my best for my job, yet, I am not even allowed to use magic without this bullshet membership. I am getting sick and tired of this crap! I am a LIFER with this company, your SISTER company. I demand membership!"
"That won't work, Clark..." SIMP warned in his ear.
The clerk looked confused, shocked, like she had never experienced something like this before. She babbled for a moment.
Seeing an opportunity to press his advantage, Clark took it up a level: "And I am this dungeon's champion! I will not be denied membership -- FULL membership, not some technical crap!"
"Clark, what are you doing?" SIMP chided in his ear. "Now is not the time to reveal this information. "You have made things a lot more difficult for yourself by revealing this information!"
He ignored SIMP. Everything she said was true. He was making it a lot harder for himself at this point. He didn't care, though. He had endured too many nonsensical uncertainties. The anti-monster league, not being allowed to work with Theo, now this. No. It was too much. He was done with not being allowed to advance himself, and for why, bullshet red tape? Enough was enough.
Pressing his glare to the clerk, she could only mumble about 'dungeon... champion?' Clark inched himself over the desk, continuing his glare. "Ma'am. It is my right as the dungeon champion. Full membership, now!"
Then, with a trembling body, the clerk typed into a computer. Slowly at first. "This form... fill it out, please..." and slowly, she slid to him a form.
Clark took the form and filled it out with all the necessary information. He was happy with the form. It showed a real membership icon, not the technical membership SIMP wanted him to have. Did he know if a full membership would be better for his needs? No... But his words had flowed from his throat before he could stop them. He figured, if he was going to shout and demand things like an irate customer, he should at least get the most bang for his emotional blubber.
He finished filling out the form and handed it back to the clerk. He kept his stern gaze affixed on the clerk, ensuring she wouldn't suddenly try her hand at enforcing the company's protocol. "Anything more?" He spoke darkly, out of tune with the rest of his harmony.
"Uh, n-no, I d-don't think s-so..." she spoke as if she were a child being scolded by a parent. Clark knew that feeling all too well. His own parents, though loving, were keen on correcting him if he stepped out of line even slightly.
The following minutes passed as some of the most intense minutes of his life. His heart must've beat as loudly as the clerk's own. Every second the clock ticked away, he had a premonition of some siren blaring or maybe a manager coming up to fire him and destroy his community's delicate situation. Thinking about it now, he knew SIMP's correctness even more than a moment ago. He was playing with fire.
With another stroke of a key, a printer sounded. "There you go, sir. Your Green Guild membership card. It has full membership privileges, as you... requested."
He grabbed the membership card. It was small, easily sized to fit snugly inside his pocket. It held all of the necessary information. Plus, the big marks, the icons which gave him full rights and privileges of a Green Guild member. Sure, he didn't understand what those privileges entailed, but he knew they had to be good. "One final thing," he said. "An informational booklet would be nice, if you have it."
"Yes, of course!" the clerk yelped and fetched for him a thick guide. "Please, take that book as a welcome gift."
"I think I will. Thank you, ma'am. With that, I will take my leave."
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