Cass would later learn that every district and section in Liora had its nickname.

  The East was commonly referred to as the Stream. Whether that was because it was the economic center of Liora or because a river ran through the district, he didn’t know.

  While the north was commonly called the Depot, the west was often referred to as the Forge due to its proclivity of attracting trades that focused on crafting. And the south, well, the south was the Grounds, with two gates separating the east and west companies that lived beyond Liora’s walls.

  Everything had a nickname, including the Liora Guildhall. They called it the Grind. And Cass felt that Grind in every inch of his body as he slowly rolled over and felt the sand drifting from his hair into his eyes.

  “Ugh,” He moaned, immediately followed by a curse at the gritty sting. Tutoring had taken over an hour out of his life, and right now, his whole body felt like a single, pulsing throb. Standing up with a hiss, Cass dropped his robe to the floor and slipped on his now-clean workout clothes from the day before.

  They smelled like Lavender.

  “Whoever you are, invisible cleaner, I think I love you,” Cass said to the air as he painfully slipped his clothes on. Not wanting to be rude, he hung up the sand-covered robes on the edge of the closet before making the bed and leaving.

  The update he’d received upon waking had told him to go to the same rock and gravel-filled area Kara took him to when they first met. Stepping out to the start of sunshine, he began the light, hissing jog to his third workout in two days. Only a few moments passed before a cursing Pellin caught up to him.

  “Every…thing…hurts.” The man gasped out as they fell in line together.

  “Same,” Cass said, choking for a second on some warm spit in the back of his mouth. “Did…you…wash…your…hair?”

  “What?”

  Gasping and mumbling back and forth as they tried to shake off the accumulated soreness of the day before, Cass and Pellin made good time to the area. That’s when they saw it.

  Kara’s robe held several shades of pink and orange, rather than its standard Guild brown. When she caught them looking, her eyes immediately settled on Cass, “What?”

  He was still catching his breath as he got out, “No-nothing…just…I like the…color.”

  Glare still maintained on him, she said, “You saw the Tier 4 Guild Trainer yesterday, Evalyn?”

  Placing his hands on his head as he stood upright, he finally got out a full sentence. “Yeah, she was in the Guild section.”

  “She likes to play pranks on all the low-rung Trainers. Something about keeping up morale.” Kara pointed at her robe with emphasis, “Today’s prank. Now, get ready, the exercise today will be rough.”

  And it was rough, just as she’d said. Among the fields of rocks and gravel, close to two-dozen sweaty trainees rolled across the ground, over and over again, as Scout Dev tossed them through the air.

  “You have to place your hands first, then tuck your shoulder!”

  “No! See how your ass stings? You’re doing it wrong!”

  “Roll!”

  “RRRolll!”

  “Cray, Vale, I’ll see you tonight.”

  A quick shower followed as Cass inspected the purple bruising across his body. Pulling out a gray tin they’d been handed as they left the first class of the day, Cass tried and failed to close his nostrils to the smell.

  “Ugh.” He dry-heaved as something knocked into the back of his throat. “Oh, that’s awful.” Scooping out a thin, yellow paste, he did as he’d been told, applying it to all the aches and pangs across his body.

  An immediate cooling sensation struck him each time he rubbed it in. Letting out a sigh as the pain finally abated, Cass threw on his robe and had a speedy breakfast with Pellin and Orla. It was quickly turning into a routine he enjoyed. Pellin would say something smart, Orla something witty, and Cass would laugh in the background. It was fast becoming his favorite part of the day.

  True to her word, the Archivist spoke about Callings, providing a brief overview of the three generalist types everyone was familiar with, before discussing something new.

  “Esoteric Callings exist. Our young friend Pellin in the back falls into that category. While we assign System Engineers to the Administrative part of our world, truly, it is in a league of its own. There are so few System Engineers that the small number we’ve interviewed has dramatically broadened the scope of what we know about them.”

  The class ended with Pellin speaking a bit about how his Calling worked before the third class came up. Vex gave a lengthy rundown of the formation of Companies following the reshaping, essentially denigrating every non-combatant calling in the classroom. Both the Trade and Administrative tables were less than pleased when the class finally ended.

  By the time he stomped into the Annex, a multi-colored Kara was already waiting there.

  “How was the Gruff-rub?”

  “Is that what it’s called?” Cass asked, sitting in his ratty chair as the System Map appeared. He tried not to wince as the movement stirred up some lingering pain. “It smelled like three rivers of shit got together for a meeting.”

  Sharp laughter filled the room. “I thought the same when I was in your position. It’s an enhanced alchemical medicine. You wouldn’t want to know where the materials come from, but the results speak for themselves. By tonight, all those little boo-boos and owies will be gone.” Standing up, she pulled a brown bag out from behind her and handed it to him.

  “What’s this?”

  Kara raised an eyebrow. “Open it up.”

  Inside, Cass found several bottles of water, some wrapped and labeled food items, and a few miscellaneous items. Tinder and Flint. What looked like a canopy. A tightly rolled sleeping bag.

  But something about it felt off. It was too balanced for the items haphazardly within. Cass pulled the sleeping bag free to take a closer look at the interior. That’s when the oddity revealed itself. The bag’s size never changed. Even as Cass held it up and tried to shake it out, the contents within remained still and unmoving.

  “Spatial Lock,” Kara said with a smirk. “That bag is nearly weightless, fireproof, and form-fitted. I’d love to be able to tell you it’s a gift from me, but it’s actually from Guildmaster Hollis, who spent a pretty penny on it.”

  Cass gawked, “You gave me a relic?”

  “No, the Guildmaster did, and he gave you a reason not to die in your first trip outside of the city.” Pointing at a loose flap in the back, she said, “There’s a shoulder-crossed strap there to make it easy to carry. I’m guessing the Guildmaster doesn’t want to see you walking around anywhere without this on your person.”

  Cass pushed the sleeping bag back in and took the rare pleasure of watching it accept the change with no alteration in its structure. Looking from the bag to Kara, a few gears in his mind began to turn.

  “Hey, I have a question for you.”

  “Alright,” She slapped the desk after sitting down, bu-dum, dum. “Go ahead.”

  “Who am I allowed to assign quests to? I know I’m still in training, but that’s never been answered.”

  Kara paused in her desk beats as she gave him a sharp look, “Are you going to suddenly make my job harder?”

  Cass considered how to answer that for a second. “I don’t think so? I mean, the more I know, the less of a chance there is for that to happen.”

  She laughed, “A Calling for less than a week, and I’m already getting some pushback. Alright, fine, Mr. QuestWright. I like the spunk.” The snapping sound of her folder came out. “A QuestWright may not be ordered to give quests to those they fundamentally disagree with.” She looked at him with a grin, “I’m betting that’s more for the protection of the Questor than the QuestWright themself.” Her eyes traced back to the list again. “Only thirty percent of all Quests created in a day are required to be guild-focused. This percentage shall rise in tune with the level of the QuestWright. Should a QuestWright’s assigned tasks begin to lapse, all Quests shall be aligned to the Guild until a proper review may occur. If, at any time, the ethics of a QuestWright is called into question, they shall be placed in confinement until an investigation by a Tier 3 or higher functionary may occur.”

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The folder snapped shut as Cass processed that, “So, there’s no problem with me assigning quests to my friends?”

  “That depends. Are you planning on sending your little Baker buddy out into the reach for some quick Monster xp?”

  “Absolutely not,” Cass said, horrified at the idea of it. “Gary is much more of a lover than a fighter. While I can’t talk about what’s out there from experience, from what I know, the first look at a Monster would give him a stroke. Or at least, nightmares for the rest of his life.”

  “Very good,” Kara said with an approving nod, “Because he’s waiting in the lounge area.”

  “What?” Cass stood up, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Kara pointed at his new bag, “Because of the gift? That’s worth a ton of money, by the way. If you lose it, you’re not getting another one.” Looking at him, she sighed, “You’re not going to be much use to me like that. Go ahead and grab your friend; feel free to show him around if you'd like. I don’t even mind if you give him a quest. But DO NOT put it on the boards. As long as you explain the quest face-to-face and personally track it, a little extra experience will only help. But Public Quests require Guild oversight, and what you’re making right now does not qualify. You get a pass today.”

  Cass left the Annex in a hurry. Gary was an Apprentice Baker, not a warrior, and while calling him naive would be easy, it wasn’t quite accurate. The man had a heart of gold and could easily be taken advantage of by seedier characters. Like the kind who enjoyed drinking in the Quest Registry.

  But that isn’t what he came upon when finding his friend.

  Cass slowed as he caught sight of the scene. Surrounded by a dozen or so Company men and women, Gary was busy explaining something as he approached. The sounds of crinkling paper and light laughter drifted over as his big friend waved his arms with excitement.

  “Mixing is important! At the Golden Crust, we track everything down to the smallest bit. You get the percentages wrong on a good mix, and the garbage that comes out won’t be good enough to feed your most hated enemy.” Noticing Cass, he waved but didn’t stop. The people standing all around him were happily munching away on whatever was in the yellow box on the table. “So, what do you all think of our newest creation? Toffee Crunch!”

  Several nods and brown smiles spread around, with a particularly boisterous individual clothed in silvery metal patting his back as he laughed loudly, “It’s delicious, Gary. You make this beauty at the Golden Crust?”

  “This and more,” Gary said with a smile.

  “Then expect to see more of the Shattermarks coming by. Come on, everyone, let's grab those Quests we were told about.” Still laughing, he and a big group of people got up and left as Gary walked over to Cass with a much-reduced box in his arms.

  “Hey, buddy. I got some rare time off, so I thought I’d sneak over and have a look around the place. So this is the Guild, huh?” He looked at the wooden walls and messy tables across the area. “I thought it’d be more organized.”

  “Gary…” Cass knew what to do. “Gary, how would you like to get an extra set of experience every day?”

  “Every day…” He paused, “Like, every day, every day?”

  “Yep.” Cass said with a nod, “I’ve got a plan.”

  Together, Cass and Gary walked out of the Quest Registry and made the quick trip over to the Entrance Hall. With a big smile on his face, Cass waved Jim out of his booth.

  The portly man looked at him with a squinted eye, “You’re not meant to leave the Guild until your second block with Kara. What do you need, Cass?”

  Stepping behind his friend, he pushed the big man forward, “This is my friend Gary, who works at the Golden Crust in the Grounds. How would you like it if he brought you a different delicacy every day?” Seeing the big man’s eyes widen, he stepped out from Gary’s shadows with his arms wide. “It wouldn’t be free, but you also wouldn’t have to wait every day to get your treats. Gary, about how many different delicacies would you say the Golden Crust makes each day?”

  “That’s a good question,” Gary said, scratching his chin. “In the morning, before we open, I’d say there are about forty different kinds of donuts and waffles. We usually don’t start making the complicated stuff until mid-afternoon, like cakes and our new Toffee treat. Oh.” Opening the box, he showed its contents to Gatekeeper Jim. “Would you like one on the house?”

  “On the house?’ Jim said, fingers already reaching for the open box, “No, I couldn’t. Well…sure, why not? Since you’re offering and all.” Pulling out a brown bar with a nutty topping, he took a bite, the crunching sound echoing around the area.

  “Mmhmm.” He mumbled, eyes closed in euphoria. Through a mouthful, he looked at Gary, “What’s it going to cost me to have it delivered?”

  “That’s the thing,” Cass said, interrupting before his friend could talk, “It’ll only cost you the average price of the treat itself. Gary will deliver it to you personally each day in the morning.”

  Another crunch and moan followed before Jim held out his hand, “Deal.” Shaking with both Gary and Cass, he happily walked back to his booth, the treat in his hand quickly disappearing.

  Gary turned to Cass, “This has to do with your Calling, doesn’t it?”

  “Yep! Follow me!”

  Walking quickly back to the Annex, Cass sat down as a box of pastries fell to the floor behind him. “Holy shit, Cass. Is that Liora?”

  “Just one square mile of it,” Cass replied, already plumbing the shallow depths of his System access. Keying in the new Quest, he began to fill out the required boxes quickly. By selecting Gary as the deliverer directly, he was able to sidestep the issue of range. It wasn’t about bending the rules, but mastering them.

  The sweets weren’t coming from the Golden Crust, far outside of his range. They were coming from his friend Gary.

  Quest ID: CV-0001-D-LIA

  Objective: Garry Trenner will deliver a minimum of one sweet per day to Gatekeeper Jim

  Assigned Candidate: Gary Trenner

  Status: Active

  Questor Reward: +5 XP

  QuestWright Reward: +0.5 XP

  Upon reviewing it, he didn’t find any issues. Focusing his intent on the screen after pulling out three Vellums, Cass created the first quest he knew would be completed.

  A silvery glow erupted on the desk, causing Gary to shout and step back.

  [TIER 1 DELIVERY QUEST]

  To extra-sweet Gary, bring one deliciousness to Gatekeeper Jim in the morning to satisfy his need for fat pockets. Upon completion, bring the quest to pretty girl Chancey for your experience reward.

  Do not fail, please.

  Cassio Vale

  Liora Guildhall

  QuestWright

  Cass cursed, “She’s totally going to see that.”

  After recovering, Gary looked over his shoulder, “Whoa, is that a Quest? It’s got some kind of silvery sheen all over it. Looks fancy.” He got close without touching it. “How much experience is this going to give me each day?”

  “Only five, but we might be abl-”

  “Five experience? From just this? That’s going to double my daily rate!” Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the quest. Both Gary and the Quest glowed at the same time as a new notification struck Cass’s screen.

  [QUEST ID: CV-0001-D-LIA HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY GARY TRENNER]

  [System Notice]

  Bonus experience granted for your first accepted quest:

  10xp

  Achievement progress:

  2/10

  There’s that Achievement progress again. Plus, the bonus experience doubled. Is it linear or exponential?

  Gary was already talking as Cass mentally stepped out of the screen, “Double the xp? That’s great, Cass. How often can we do this? I’ll be level ten in no time.”

  Cass pulled out the other two Vellums and repeated the process twice more. The writing was slightly different for each, and on the third attempt, he succeeded in simply having the word "Chancey" appear without any modifiers.

  Taking the Quests, he placed them in the empty top drawer, closing it shut. “Drop by here each morning, Gary. I’ll hit the Annex before my first class of the day and make sure you get your Quest. Around six in the morning. Deal?”

  “More than a deal,” Gary said, pulling Cass into an awkward back-hug, “This is going to change my life. Thank you, Cass. You’re a good friend.”

  “Best friend,” Cass said, turning around and giving him a real hug.

  “Best friend.” He agreed, returning the gesture.

  Gary left a few minutes later, and the day slipped back into a familiar rhythm that Cass was still getting used to. Though he did gain a bit of popularity when he entered his next class with a yellow box partly filled with Toffy treats.

  Later that afternoon, a new notification came in.

  [System Notice]

  You’ve gained .5xp for Gary Trenner’s Quest Completion.

  Your System Reputation has increased by 1.

  Details can be found in the Quest Ledger.

  Bonus experience granted for first completed Quest:

  20xp

  Achievement progress:

  3/10

  He smiled as a thought derailed him from the class discussion. My first bit of reputation.

  When the resource management class ended with another fixing of logistical nightmares, Cass shouldered his bag and followed the instructions on his screen. Kara wanted to meet him at the Foundry, and somehow, he knew it would be quite the experience.