The faction known as “New World Order” was ranked third on the leaderboard, located a county away from Cara and Jared’s factions. Although seemingly distant, they played a crucial role in this tale. One day, a group of survivors stumbled into their territory and were promptly brought before the leader of the faction.
The guards forced the three survivors to kneel on the ground, bowing down in apology for the intrusion. As they awaited their fate, they gazed upon a throne in the center of the room, shrouded in darkness. Suddenly, thunder boomed overhead, and a shadowy figure loomed over the chair. The survivors braced themselves for the worst when someone unexpected appeared - a child.
“At ease, men,” Arien said calmly, his youthful voice belying his position of power. “Please fetch some milk for our guests,” he continued, before turning to the larger of the two guards and whispering conspiratorially, “And perhaps some cookies too - diplomacy always makes me snacky.”
Arien, who was just nine years old when the apocalypse began, had a height that betrayed his age. He had to use a wooden stool to climb up and down from his throne, which was comically oversized for him. His scruffy blond hair was rarely combed, giving him a carefree look that belied his cunning mind. He wore an orange jacket with a poofy faux fur collar that extended above his cheeks, paired with brown shorts and matching orange boots. His perpetual smile unnerved some of the guards, who found it hard to read his intentions.
As he settled into his throne, Arien absentmindedly fidgeted with the strings of his jacket before addressing his guests.
Arien peered at the survivors with curiosity and asked, "Do you belong to a guild?" When they answered no, Arien's face fell, "Oh, that's too bad. Our guild is all about bringing peace to everyone. We want to unite all the guilds and work together." Arien then turned his head to an empty spot behind him and asked, "What do you think Papa Z?" as if he was talking to someone invisible.
One of the survivors whispered to his friend, "I think this kid is a bit crazy."
Suddenly, Arien's eyes glowed yellow, and a small bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of them. The survivor's friend quickly spoke up, "Actually, my sponsor is Poseidon. Maybe we could work together?"
"Uncle P!" Arien exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "Well, if you change your mind and decide to join our guild, we'd love to have you."
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“Yes, we will join your guild,” the survivor said cautiously.
“Hooray!” Arien cheered, but his smile quickly faded. “Oh, but I don’t like the guy who said mean things about me, he has to go.”
“By ‘go’ you don’t mean–” the survivor began to question before being interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
“Yay! My milk!” Arien clapped, then he carefully grabbed the cup that was handed to him. “Thanks, Geo!”
“I told you, sir, please call me George,” the large man corrected.
“You got it, Geo,” Arien said with a grin, then turned back to the survivor. “But don’t worry, I was just kidding. We don’t get rid of people unless they're really mean.”
The survivor let out a sigh of relief. Arien then dismissed them to go with Geo to get registered. Then he opened up his system to see a notification:
Arien smiled, “That sounds like a great idea Papa Z. But who should I bring?”
Arien's eyes scanned through the list of guild members on his system. He paused at the name of a particular member, then grinned. "I know just the person," he said to himself.
He quickly typed a message to his chosen guild member, "Hey Tilly, meet me at the gate in five. We're going on a mission!" He hit send and waited for her reply.
In a few seconds, his system beeped with a response, "Sure thing, boss! Can't wait to go on an adventure!"
Arien smiled wider. Tilly was always up for a good adventure, and he knew she was also very skilled at diplomacy. He grabbed his orange jacket and put on his orange boots. He made sure he had his sword on his side, just in case they ran into trouble.
He headed towards the gate, where Tilly was already waiting for him. "Ready to go?" he asked her.
Tilly grinned back, "Always ready for an adventure, boss!"
As they walked, Tilly easily took care of a few smaller demons that they came across. However, when they stumbled upon a Pit Fiend, Tilly grew visibly anxious. In her experience, taking down a Pit Fiend required at least three strong fighters. She readied her sword, prepared to fight to the death for Arien.
Arien, on the other hand, let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh my god, this is so boring," he complained. With a flick of his hand, a bolt of lightning struck the Pit Fiend, instantly killing it. "I wish we could just teleport or something!" he grumbled.
Tilly laughed, "If only it were that easy, boss." As they continued their journey, Arien filled Tilly in on the mission Papa Z had sent him on. They were to visit two guilds to the east and try to convince them to join their cause of bringing peace to the wasteland. Tilly listened carefully, taking mental notes on what to say and how to approach the leaders of the other guilds. Arien, on the other hand, was more interested in the adventure and the possibility of making new friends.