Fear of Walking Alone

"********************************************************************************************************Faster!"

Bast's blood sword cut a deep gash into the ground Meliadol had been just a scant half-second previous. The thief rolled again, both to put distance and to mask the placing of his Electric Needle Trap.

One final roll brought him up to his feet, and he spun to face the berserker, sword drawn.

"You're still too obvious." Bast shook his head, taking a step and stabbing the very ground where Meliadol had set the trap. It sparked and discharged harmlessly.

"Come on," Meliadol finally had enough, throwing his sword to the ground. It clanked and bounced a few feet away,"This is bullshit. Of course you know I was going to place a trap. That's what we're practicing."

Bast dismissed his sword and crossed his arms as he looked at Meliadol with a raised eyebrow, "Yes, and you've dodged around here for a hot two minutes before placing the trap. The point of this training was to learn how to mask the mandatory kneeling animation using rolls. Obviously you failed, because I knew exactly when you actually did place it."

Meliadol couldn't say anything to the berserker's simple logic.

"If you want to know where you went wrong, it was the timing. I saw the hiccup during the roll when you used the skill. You're still activating it too soon." Bast's face softened, " It'll get better when you get Knife Throw and Caltrops in a few levels. They can both be used in the kneeling posture to initiate, allowing you more options during a roll."

Meliadol nodded, his anger fading now that he had a bit of time to dwell on it. It was silly to take out his frustration on a friend. He reached down to pick up his sword, "I thought caltrops was a universal skill? Usable at any time?"

"It is. 'Any time' includes roll-kneeling, yes?"

"Fair enough." Meliadol sheathed his weapon, "Mind if we take a break? I'm sorry for snapping at you. Just getting annoying when I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere."

"Nonsense, little Mel!" Bast slapped him on the shoulder as they turned toward the room exit, "You are new and you've learned so much in such a short amount of time. Trust me, you'll be just fine. Plus you got the best damned teacher helping you out!"

The berserker gave him a thumbs up and a shit-eating grin. It was so ridiculous, like something out of an anime. The only thing that was missing was the glint and lens flare. It was a drastic change from the tough teacher persona he had moments before.

Meliadol found himself smiling. It was impossible to remain angry sometimes.

"So, what do you want to do?" Bast asked as they stepped out of the training room and into the main guild hall of <Pandora Epidemic>. It was mostly empty, but the few in there waved at the pair as they entered. Since their little boss thievery, the few remaining members were noticeably more active. Meliadol knew there was no way that this fact escaped the astute berserker either.

He looked at his sword and considered his options.

It had served him well, but his thoughts were far away…

**********************************************flashback*************************************************

"This is yours." Bast handed him a massive red ruby, easily the size of his fist.

"But Bast, this is…" Meliadol hesitated, his fingertips brushing the large stone. Each hard facet caught the light of the desert sun, the ruby edges alight with a crimson flame.

"Nonsense, little Mel. Take it! You've earned it with your actions today, right guys?" Bast looked around, raising his voice to draw the attention of the rest of the raid. "Today we announced our return to the world of Nevergarden, and you played a vital role in it! Well-earned, and well-kept, I say!"

They circled around, the elation of victory still plain on their faces. A warm feeling settled in Meliadol's gut. People he had gotten to know while playing this game. The massive body of the fallen dragon encircled them, and in that moment, Meliadol felt as if he was in the center of the world.

"I don't have an issue with it."

"Me either."

"You did fucking great out there, man. You deserve more than just vendor trash off PvP."

"Go for it."

"Eh, I guess."

Heoh included, they all voiced their affirmation. Everyone wanted him to take a piece, and with such a display, he was in no position to refuse. He accepted the gem, and it was warm in his hand, holding a pulse of life within its depths.

Heartstone of Aremais, the World Breaker

<Key Material>

"Ancient when the word was young, he fought against his Fate and was cursed by the Gods, cast down to the land below. He wanders the sands desperate to end his torment, forever doomed to never find that which he seeks."

Key Material?

Meliadol looked back to Bast, but the berserker was already announcing what else the boss had dropped. His mouth dropped open. These people that he looked up to were haggling like homemakers on Black Friday.

"I could use it. The piece would be a great center anchor for my legacy upgrade."

"Ooooooo, I need that drop to work on a side-grade for my legacy as well. I have this build I want to try out."

"Duel you for it."

"I'm a healer. Picking on a healer is just mean."

"Now now," Bast interrupted Auri and Mikeal before it could get heated, "We'll go by need basis and roll for it. If you win a piece of loot, you're out of rolling for anything else, alright?"

"Sure." Mikeal agreed readily, but Auri nibbled her bottom lip.

"I'll pass on this then. I actually want the scales more for a fashion set." she admitted.

And like that, the rest of the loot was handed out by Bast in short order. Meliadol watched, still clutching the stone. It pulsed in his hand, though he had no clue as to its true worth. When Bast was finished the boss's corpse vanished into the aether. Everyone looked pleased, having gotten something to make this venture worth their while.

"Hey Bast," Meliadol started to ask, but the berserker held up a hand, looking suddenly up, toward the cliffs.

"Looks like we have visitors." Bast muttered, and the entire group turned as one. All around the overlooking cliff, from where they had actually ambushed <Divinity> from, the silhouettes of countless players appeared.

Meliadol recognized some of them.

"I guess <Divinity> is a little butthurt about us draggin' our nuts all over their faces." Heoh mused.

That drew a few snickers from the rest, but Meliadol paid it no attention. No, what caught his eye was the cold countenance on the face of one man. Gryffyn was looking directly at him, and there was no mercy in his stare. Gone was that friendly expression and easy going demeanor. The look he gave Meliadol was the same look he had given Heoh. For whatever reason, this deeply troubled Meliadol.

"What do we do?" Meliadol intoned blankly.

"You don't have to worry about anything!" Auri said comfortingly, coming to stand next to him, "You're a lowbie. They can't PvP you yet. As for the rest of us…"

"…as for the rest of us," B.D. picked up the sentence even as he pulled out his guns, "Well, we'll do what Bast thinks is best."

Dust was kicked up as <Divinity> came down the side in a wave, large plumes of dirt and rocks forming an avalanche of players with one goal in mind. <Pandora Epidemic> and Heoh looked at Bast for direction, but the berserker was calm as he bit his thumb and summoned his great-sword.

Meliadol could sense the trust they had in his judgement, and the jealousy that arose deep inside filled him with shame. Would he one day be as recognized?

"What we will do my friends…" Bast said dramatically, swinging his great-sword out to point at the incoming horde, "…we will do the only thing we can do…"

Bast held the pose for a second, and Meliadol felt himself hanging on the edge of what the man would say next. Then the berserker dismissed his sword and spun around, legs pumping wildly as he ran with all his might, leaving a trail of dust that left the rest of them dumbfounded.

"RUN!!!!" he shouted, his laughter plain in his voice.

"Motherfucker."

"That piece of shit!"

"I knew it."

"Classic Bast."

Despite their words, the humor and lightheartedness was unmistakable. Meliadol couldn't stop himself from laughing either as the rest of them split off, desperately trying to stay ahead of the huge horde out for their blood.

And so began a chase that lasted the better part of the day.

***************************************end flashback***************************************************

"You okay, little Mel?" Bast asked.

Meliadol jolted, not realizing how badly he had zoned out. The sudden appearance of Bast's big, goofy face twisted up with concern was too much for him and he broke down in laughter. The berserker's eyebrows raised quizzically at this and it only sent Meliadol into another bout of howling.

He didn't care that now everyone was staring. Let them. For as long as he could remember, he had taken everything he had ever done seriously. Even his one outlet in life, video games, was something he approached with direction and drive. He was the guy who got every item. Who obsessed over being the best he could be. Who immersed himself in every nuance of a game that caught his attention.

To think that he had to wait until this virtual world to truly feel alive. The irony wasn't lost on him. How long had it been since he had laughed so freely in the real world? He couldn't remember, but what he did know was that it flowed freely when he was inside this world, with these people.

At the realization, his laughter faded, and he looked up at Bast, who had taken up leaning against the wall, arms crossed, as he waited for Meliadol to calm down.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Meliadol said suddenly, and Bast's face lit up with surprise.

"Shoot."

The next words were difficult, because he had intended to go about this on his own merits, but again and again he had been proven wrong. Only a fool overlooked that which had shown itself true just to save a bit of pride.

He took a deep breath.

"Can I join your guild?"

Bast looked at him with a serious expression, one that was at odds with his normal devil-may-care demeanor. "And what made you change your mind?" he prompted, his tone insistent.

There was only one correct answer.

"Nevergarden isn't meant to be played alone."

Several tense seconds passed as Bast considered him, but soon a smile blossomed on the berserker's face. "Congratulations, you've passed the second and last requirement to join!"

Bast started a slow clap and it was soon taken up by the entirety of those in the guild hall, everyone standing as they shouted congratulations. Meliadol looked around, both surprised and touched by everyone's actions. Not many were present, but the richness of the applause and the honesty of their smiles went far beyond mere numbers. The warm ball in his chest that had been incubating burst open, and a pleasant tingle ran down his spine.

The acceptance was a warm blanket, comforting and familiar, and did much to drive away the specter of Gryffyn's accusing face.

Player Bast has invited you to join the guild

<Pandora Epidemic>!

Do you accept?

Yes No Ignore all further requests to join this guild.

He quickly clicked yes.

A shimmer of light ran through his character.

And….that was it.

Meliadol was now a member of <Pandora Epidemic>!

The tension of his body came out in a rush. It was if he believed that perhaps Bast might change his mind at the last moment. His own eagerness both surprised and terrified him. Still, now that he was finally part of a guild…

"So, uh…now what?" he asked, feeling kinda stupid.

"We're a max-level guild, so you get quite a few benefits." Bast stated, holding up a hand to begin ticking off several points, "Now that you're a part of us, you can both accept and post Personal quests on our board. You get a minor experience boost when you group with guild members. Access to the guild bank, though the items you can access depend on your rank. Some aesthetic gear. And…uhhh…ummm…"

"…you can set your Recall point to the guild hall." Darlia added, shaking her head as she approached, "Did you at least give him an access key?"

Bast rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Oh yeah! I should probably do that, huh?"

"Fucking hopeless sometimes, I swear." Darlia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before glancing to Meliadol, "Congratulations though. Was about fucking time you made the leap and joined."

Meliadol grinned, that was probably as much of a greeting as he'd get from the Blade Dancer, but he was okay with that.

The berserker produced a small golden key from thin air, pulled from his inventory. With a small flourish, he handed it to Meliadol. The words <Pandora Epidemic> were emblazoned on the side, glowing lightly. Meliadol wrapped his fingers tightly around it, the weight comforting in his hands.

"Thank you." he said truthfully, before depositing the key into his inventory. With it, he could now freely access the guild hall.

Bast gave him a thumbs up, "My first order of business, as your guild master, is to command you to get stronger! You carry our name now."

"Our fearless leader." Darlia remarked, her sarcasm thick and heavy, "What's next? 'Do good things better, do more damage, stop dying'? Hurry this up, Bast, I need to talk to you about something."

"Hey now, I have a plan." Bast turned to Meliadol, "Go to the message board and accept the quest 'Guild Business – Urgent'. It's a custom guild quest I made with the system to help lowbies in the guild. It adjusts itself depending on level and class, so I think you, as a Thief, will find it very interesting."

Meliadol nodded, he was getting bored of training that didn't grant experience any way. Having direction was nice. And solo mission? Sounded like it was right up his alley. He turned toward the board, but a thought stopped him.

"Hey, Bast?" he asked, his back still to the pair.

"Hm?"

"What were the requirements to join? I recall you saying that you had rules you couldn't break…?"

"Oh, that." Meliadol could hear the cocky grin in Bast's voice, "The last rule was that you had to ask with no prompting from a member."

"I see…and what was the first rule?"

"Everyone in the guild had to want the person to join."

*********************************************************************************************************