The Mission Ahead

Hours later, we all gathered in the guild hall for a guild-wide meeting. Axel and the inner circle wanted to discuss the upcoming boss battle. And analyze how prepared our troops were for it after the system event. Vane joined me, and Aine trailed in behind us, although not officially part of the guild. She would be assisting us in the battle to come, as she also needed to clear to the next floor.

The hall was full of people, I saw Lan standing near Axel, he gave a small wave as we walked to join the crowd. Vane and I made our way through to the front of the crowd. A few guild members clapped me on the shoulder on the way by, and I smiled in acknowledgement. My new armor shimmered in the lamplight, it was dark black metal, it clung to my form like a moveable second skin. It was thin, yet sturdy. An ominous aura of black energy radiated from it, I felt invigorated and strong wearing it.

The guild members crowded around Axel, who perched on this throne nonchalantly. He leaned forward and gripped the edges of the chair and banged the shaft of his axe against the ground to make noise.

"Everyone settles down!" He called out, the noise in the room quieted. He waved in the air and pulled up his menu, projecting an image of the large beast we will be facing in the center of the crowd. It lit up like a holographic image, its small projection still demonstrating its immense size.

"The Guardian of Mikado is our next foe, and the recent surprise event has shown us all we must be vigilant! The Game masters are throwing challenges our way, and we will emerge victorious!" He cheered and the crowd around him cheered in assent. 

"While the army of orcs that tore down our doorstep required the assistance of our sister guilds, this battle will be purely ours. We need everyone ready; we are bolstering our DPS numbers. Healers and support damage dealers will take central position, behind the DPS and tanks. Our pure magic users and healers will line the outer perimeter of the dungeon." He gestured to the map of the Guardian's lair. Indicating where each group will stand.

"The DPS units will be broken up into five cohorts. Each will be led by an inner circle or high-ranking member. You will follow your leader absolutely and without question. The main goal is to whittle down his health with as few casualties as possible." Axel started laying out the battle plan. The people in the room hung on his every word. I gazed around the room at the warriors who would be joining us. They looked raw and hungry for battle. 

"We will begin our offensive at the end of the week. That gives us time to ready supplies and organize our skills to be the most effective." Lan stepped forward, addressing the crowd. "Let's take this time to gather our forces, we will clear this level!" The crowd roared in agreement.

After the speech was over, I could feel Axel's eyes on me from across the room and struggled not to shudder under his gaze. Instinctively, I moved closer to Vane. He turned to look at me, and his gaze went from between Axel and I. His face fell in a grim line. Fearing his reaction, I hadn't told him about Axel's advances earlier in the day. Yet, the look on his face said I didn't need to tell him.

"It'll be okay." His voice soothed me. He placed a hand inconspicuously on my arm. I nodded. We moved closer to Lan, to discuss tactics for the upcoming mission. Lan smiled and took my hand in greeting, he nodded and clapped Vane on the shoulder.

"Glad you're here! You two will be leading a team of DPS units on the front lines." Lan spoke confidently. Vane nodded; I raised a brow.

"Together? Wouldn't we be better suited on separate units?" I asked. Lan sighed and nodded.

"You were, but Axel decided he feels more comfortable with more of his team in the command roles." He stated. I scoffed and clenched my fists. So, I deny him, and now my command is taken away?

"We'll do our best." Vane answered quickly, before I could butt in, and led me away by the arm. He pulled me over to the side of the room and turned me to face him.

"Breathe, Fayre. He's trying to show his control and authority. Don't give in to him, you're better than that." Vane's fingertips trailed down my cheek. I sighed and leaned into his touch. He was right, this was exactly what Axel wanted. He wants to rattle me; I don't need to have control of the unit solely. As long as Vane and I can both fights, we will succeed.

"He is just such a scum bag." I hissed under my breath. A smirk quirked the corner of Vane's lips. He nodded. We ventured around the edges of the crowd listening to idle conversation between guild members. I was still waiting for information on the units that are being sent out to attack fellow players. Axel seems to be keeping them under wraps. 

As I looked around at the guild members, it was astonishingly clear that many of them had green cursors and were not criminals. The few oranges scattered around the room, as well as a few of the red players. Where were the rest of the criminals? Grabbing a stein of ale, I wandered towards the edges of the crowds of orange cursored players.

"Darius' squad hasn't checked in. It's been three days." Stopping to listen in on a conversation, I tried to casually lean against a table. A rough looking man was speaking in low tones to a gangly fellow next to him.

"Darius is reckless. One of these days something is going to get him." The gangly one responded. Nibbling on my lower lip, my drink nearly spilled over in my hand.

"He's never not reported back from a mission before. Especially not one from Axel directly." The shorter man scoffed. I clenched my glass in my hand and it crunched, both men cringed and turned toward me. I shifted past in the crowd and cursed myself.

Finding myself near the edges of the crowd, my gaze scanned for Vane. He was caught up in conversation with two women from the guild. They leaned in close to him and smiled and giggled, their glasses of ale in their hands. My cheeks heated and I felt my heart pounding. I shook my head to steady myself. No time for shameless feelings like that.

Vane caught my gaze and worked his way toward me through the crowd, I nodded off to the side of the room. He followed my gaze and nodded. We each worked our way toward the other through the crowds of guild members.

"I'm thinking its almost time for us to head out." Vane said once he was within earshot I nodded.

"There's only so much we can gain tonight." I whispered in his ear, I thought I felt him shiver as my lips approached. He pulled away from me slowly.

"We'll get out of here." We nodded and made our pleasant exchanges with admirals close to us. Axel was surrounded by a posse of followers and was nonetheless aware of our exit. He'd gotten the glory he'd been looking for from his speech.

"Time to gather our resources." I said. And reached toward the large double doors that lead out. Vane on my heels.