Leaving Adya standing there and watching him walk away, Cass made his way back to the Annex. The look in her eyes hadn’t come across as sad or melancholic. More…determined.

  When he got to his small, enclosed space, a stack of contracts awaited him. As it was his free day, he could save them for tomorrow, but he needed something to distract him from the major decision he knew he’d soon have to make. A week, Kara had said. A week to decide on something that could potentially affect him for years.

  As he plotted out several Delivery and Administrative Quests, Adya’s large eyes came back to him again and again. What was in this for her? Seriously? He was just another QuestWright. Admittedly, one that leveled quickly, but another cog in the underworkings of Liora. Was there something else going on? And if so, what?

  He shook his head and focused on his task. Drafting pulled from whatever he was feeling at that moment, so he needed a clear mind while he worked. As he knocked out several in succession, the Skreels, both simulated and real, appeared in his mindscape without warning. Would having a Guardian make that big of a difference? What really came with the contract?

  He shook his head again, knowing he was just circling the drain of his thoughts. He wouldn’t understand everything unless he accepted. But locking himself into a contract with one person for years just didn’t sit right with him.

  Remembering what Kara had said about the number of Pathfinders who would arrive that day, he went in and created ten tests, just in case.

  The Heatmap was already hyperactive. Although there was a slight food shortage in the Forge and a few water filters needed to be installed, something else stood out to him with greater significance. There was a powerful gap in the Depot's sand supply at the moment. Sand was a primary ingredient in the creation of mortar. He couldn’t see why the gap existed, only that it was apparently a considerable dearth. Cass wouldn’t be surprised if his little wall project was creating an issue there.

  Rather than wait for a contract, he decided to take the initiative and be proactive. After all, why would he have a Heatmap if the System didn’t want him to go about fixing things? It didn’t cost the Guild anything to put the Quests up, and he could include in the draft that any income from ground-up concrete would go directly to the delivery person. Wouldn’t that encourage people to take on the Quest?

  Taking action, he cracked open his construction books and created two new Quests. One was a message to the organization that primarily made the wall’s bricks. They were all sourced from one location, and it was easy for him to find them on the map. The message would include a few alternatives for creating mortar historically, including the use of gravel or pieces of ground-up concrete. He noted that the new formula should be used sparingly, as the books stated it would slightly degrade the structural sound of any wall it was placed in.

  The second quest he created, he duplicated two more times with the same information. Locate and grind up any unused concrete you might find. There was a ruin just south of the grounds that was still left over from before the reshaping. As he understood things, it was a large collection of broken buildings.

  Due to placing the Quest outside of his System map, he wouldn’t be able to create a waypoint, so he spent some time creating directions and giving the Questors an idea of what to look for. He also suggested that they bring along a wheelbarrow borrowed from the stables to make it easier to carry. Following that, Cass drafted the Quests and was unsurprised to see three Tier 2s appear before him. Then he sighed.

  He couldn’t hold off any longer.

  Standing up, drafted vellums in hand, he walked over to the reception area and found Adya had already left. As had Kara. Located behind the desk was a Clerk he’d seen a few times from the second floor.

  Handing the pleasant man the Tier 2 Quests, as well as the ten Tests he’d made, he confirmed that the man understood how Pathfinder worked, then walked over to the Quest boards and pinned the new Tier 1s.

  It was time to get a move on.

  Walking out with his head held high, Cass made his way over to the Meeting Room. Sitting just to the left of the Atrium, it was one of the few locations in the Guildhall he’d never entered. As he arrived, large groups of people in a smattering of different colors stood around the area. Dressed in metal, leather, and the occasional robe, every face was cast in a grim or serious expression as they spoke quietly to one another.

  Cass made his way through the group, receiving more than a few inquisitive looks along the way, before reaching the door. There, a man and a woman in brown robes smiled at him as the woman began speaking.

  “Hello, QuestWright Vale. Maestro Moore said you would drop by. Please enter.”

  “Oy!” A voice yelled behind him, “Why does he get to go in!?”

  Cass didn’t get to hear their response as the man in the robe opened the door and gently ushered him through in a hurry.

  Within was a long table with several plush chairs on either side of it. Currently standing in front of the chair at the end was an exhausted Guild Master Hollis. On the other side stood a fiery woman, her long robe adorned with lightning motifs. Cass knew just from the descriptions he’d heard from others that this could be none other than Nia Wayman, Commander of the Valiants and arguably the most powerful combat Calling in Liora.

  People around the room didn’t even notice his entry as Cass quietly walked in and located Mr. Moore, one seat behind the Guild Master, with his fingers crossed in front of him. The Maestro’s eyes were already on him as they trailed from Cass to the chair to his right. Walking over, a few near-silent conversations stopped as the leader of the Valiants flung her hand out at the Guild Master.

  “It’s been two weeks of non-stop portals, dungeons, and defending against incursions. The Red Tower is on its last legs before we need to abandon the outpost, so I ask again. What is your plan on combating this unprecedented invasion, and when can we start to really fight back?”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  The middle-aged man and woman behind her gave a hearty “hear-hear” before she sat down and looked expectantly across the way.

  Cass couldn’t see the Guild Master, but he imagined the man was formulating a powerful response. He was mistaken.

  “I don’t rightly know,” Hollis replied to the room, the tone of his voice stopping any other conversation from continuing. “Master Chask,” He said, nodding at the scared man sitting in the middle of the table, “Informs me that we’ve had several infiltrators this week from the Dark Guilds. About two days ago, Adya Korring, an unaffiliated Scout, ran into one just outside of the Registry. It got away, but not before she discovered a unique weapon it left behind. If it makes a single scratch, it will fester and be all but impossible to heal.”

  Cass had several questions that arose immediately. Why was it right outside of the Registry? Why was Adya fighting without him knowing anything? And what was a dark guild?

  But now wasn’t the time to ask.

  “Cloners and their upgraded Callings, Doubles, have been making their rounds across Liora. This week alone, we’ve captured and killed seven, but know of at least a dozen more making their way around the city. More than that, monster incursions have increased to a point that I am beginning to fear that we’re about to enter a second Reshaping. And from my contracted Scout, who is currently beyond the walls as we speak, I’ve learned that there’s a gathering of Palehides surrounding something even larger only a few dozen miles away. Perhaps a Carapex or even a dungeon-less Briarhelm.”

  One of the Silvers in the back snorted, “Briarhelms don’t leave dungeons.”

  “They did during the Reshaping, fool, and don’t ever talk to the Guild Master like that again; he’s done more for humanity than you can imagine.” A large man in bright, silvery armor said near the Valiant’s leader.

  A man by the name of Phillio Cordell raised a green and gold gauntlet in the air. Cass had met him quite a bit over the years, as he was the leader of the GoldenCrowns. He was typically soft spoken, only deigning to speak when he felt it would have a great impact on those listening. Oddly, one of the seats behind him was empty.

  “Dungeons contain their monsters as long as the portal is stationary. If something happens and the portal closes without the creatures being killed, you have a spill-out. Used to happen all the time when they moved through their mating season.”

  A twined pair of men in purple armor raised a hand, “Have we considered the fact that the Dark Guilds are attacking simultaneously with the increased incursions?”

  “Yes, and that’s a good point,” Hollis replied. He looked behind himself and met Moore’s eyes, then raised an eyebrow when he noticed Cass before saying, “Maestro Moore has compiled the reports and research we’ve developed over the last few weeks. Maestro.”

  Moore lifted several pieces of paper from a bag and threw them in the air. They drifted of their own accord until landing neatly in front of everyone, including Cass, who plucked it from the air.

  “I apologize for the theatrics. I rarely get to use that ability, and I was so sure in my second Tier that it would have great value.”

  Hollis gave a tired laugh as the Clerk continued.

  “As far as we can tell from the reports among the outposts, Trackers, Scouts, Hunters, and you fine company men and women, the Dark Guilds are preparing Liora for a major offensive. Cassio, our young QuestWright beside me, discovered in his line of work that several of the walls had been degrading. What he didn’t know was that it was recent, not something that had happened gradually or due to neglect. Through his concerted efforts and with the budgetary increase of the Liora City Council, we’ve managed to fix several issues that might’ve grown larger without proper care. He and Scout Adya are to be commended on solving what might’ve turned into a rather large problem.”

  “That’s great and all,” Said the Valiant commander as she looked at the paper before her, both eyebrows up as she seemed to read and then re-read it. “But this report is saying that we’re facing not one Dark Guild, but several.”

  “That’s correct,” Moore said with a placid nod, “On two of the Cloners and the only Double we captured and interrogated, we found several pictures created by high-level Clerks. You may not be aware of this, but Clerks have an intimate connection with paper that only intensifies as you progress to higher levels. I’ve inspected each and can tell you with no qualms that I recognized two imprints to be from the Ghostmarks and the Returners.”

  The Ironbound Commander lifted her head, “Who’s the third?”

  “Unknown at this time,” Moore said with a helpless chuckle, “But I’ve sent it to the Capital to be analyzed by my mentor, the Scribe. I will tell you this, the photos they held were all key officials in one capacity or another in Liora. It’s a miracle so far that we haven’t lost anyone.” He smiled at Chask, who gave a rictus of a smile back before leaping across the table, a knife in his hand.

  Several people moved at once as the Master of Hunters quickly soared through the air, an oddly tube-shaped knife moving toward the still-standing Guild Master Hollis's throat.

  The Guild Master hadn’t even taken a step back when a thunderclap split the air. The attacker was knocked down and thrown through the table into the floor. In a blur, the leader of the Valiants stood over him, electricity pulsing from her hands into his body as smoke and the smell of burning flesh drifted into the room’s atmosphere.

  As Hollis finally moved, what was odd to Cass, still trying to catch up with everything, was that nobody yelled or panicked. One moment, Chask had been sitting there; the next, he was flying at Hollis with a knife held out front.

  Was this an everyday event for combat Callings? But even as he thought that, he noticed neither Moore nor Hollis appeared shaken by the attack.

  With one hand pinning the man to the ground as he spasmed, the leader of the Valiants created a pinpoint line of lightning to cut through the edges of Chask's Guild robe. It split open like a cocoon, revealing a motley brown and purple body that continuously tried to reshape itself beneath her.

  “Why did it attack?” One of the Shattermark twins asked, leaning over calmly and inspecting the creature's skin.

  “I know why,” The Silver’s leader replied. He lifted the paper that sat in front of Chask and mimed it to the room. On it in big bold writing, it said, I know what you are.

  Cordell, the GoldenCrown’s leader, stepped over and lifted the paper that had sat in front of the leader of the Valiants. Be ready for Chask to attack someone. Look under the robe.

  “But how did you know?” The other Shattermark twin asked.

  Moore smiled, “Elementary, my friend. Cassio, please take the paper out of the Double’s right pocket.” Cass stepped forward and felt a small zap running through his body from being so close. Reaching into the robe’s side pocket, he got a shock that made his hair stand on end for a brief moment before pulling out a piece of paper.

  On it was a younger-looking Gerald Hollis. He showed it to the group as the Guild Master looked at the picture of himself with a wan smile.

  Moore spoke in a placid manner, “I told you, Clerks have an affinity for paper. This Double is from the elusive third Dark Guild arrayed against us, and I believe Master Chask is very likely deceased. Oh, also, you’re all going to have to de-clothe and allow our good friend Nia to electrocute you. Apologies.”

  here.