I can barely remember introducing Harold to the guys. Like a zombie, I did quick introductions, walked off without a word, and stumbled into the Private Room configured only for me. I wasn’t even sure if I had closed the door behind me before collapsing on the bed.
It was a dreamless sleep, and when I came to, I felt better than I had in weeks. I didn’t understand the mechanics of sleeping inside a game, but I couldn’t tell the difference really.
I emerged from my room relaxed, calm, and feeling up for the challenge of conquering the day.
I was greeted with the sounds of absolute chaos.
A panic took over as I became aware of the sounds. What the hell was going on in the Guildhall?
Peering over the banister, I was shocked to see dozens of players milling about, the little pockets of conversation echoing loudly throughout the Hall. Distantly, I noted how well the private rooms insulated the sound…or I had just been that tired.
I cautiously made my way down the stairs, scanning for Kink, T, or Jeremy. The search for the guys engrossed me, so I was slow to notice the din of the Guildhall quiet down. When I realized that I could hear myself think again, I stopped, finding myself near the bottom of the stairs.
All around, the cacophony of moments before had dwindled into a wave of hushed whispers.
“It’s her.”
“Look at her armor.”
“Level 100! I didn’t believe it.”
“Dude, she’s hot!”
“She looks like all the other Isabellas dummy!”
“But way more badass!”
I felt myself blushing under the scrutiny of what must have been fifty players. They were organized in a giant line, and I noted it extended well out the door and out of sight. Feeling completely uncomfortable standing in front of all these people, I started to weave my way through the players. I needed to find the guys to find out what the hell was going on. I mean, I guess I knew that this was the recruitment line or seomthing of that nature, but I had thought they would wait for me before setting this up.
“Can I get a selfie?” someone asked as I walked through.
“Oh..uh, maybe later-” I started to say.
“Ooooo, me too!” another called.
“Me, me,” a third person said, jumping up and down with their arm raised.
I tried to appease the throng, but everyone was jockeying to get closer now, and it was all I could do just to breathe. My chest started to get tight, the anxiety shooting through my body out of nowhere.
“Can you back up?” I asked, but my voice was lost in the crowd. I felt another panic attack coming, and I was two seconds from just bowling through the mob, when a voice cut through the noise.
“EVERYONE BACK THE FUCK UP!”
The reaction rippled through the crowd as I spotted Jeremy shoving his way towards me.
“ANYONE THAT IS WITHIN A METER OF RAY ON THE COUNT OF THREE IS OFF THE LIST!” he shouted. Despite the relatively soft voice of his female character, the tone was all Jeremy, and the crowd responded instantly.
Jeremy was at my side in moments, eyeing the crowd with bad intentions.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Do I have your attention?” he asked in a normal voice.
There were murmurs of assent, and the crowd maintained its new calm.
“No one,” he said. “And I mean no one, approaches the King without coming to me, Kink, or T first.” He waved at me, running his hand up and down like he was Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune. “This is the Bugatti, the King and Queen wrapped in one, the Emperor who has blessed you with his mere presence-” He was going a bit overboard, but it was having the proper effect, so I let him go. “-This is that 11 out of 10 at the club that you don’t even look at. You hear!? That’s rule number one of Fight Club: You. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Ray.” He was scanning the crowd, his face in a scowl. “Is that clear?” he demanded. There were responses in the affirmative, but it apparently wasn’t enough for Jeremy. “I said: is that fuckin’ clear, you goddamn house cats?!”
Shouts went up among the crowd, and Jeremy finally seemed mollified.
Turning to me, he said, “Follow me, Ray. Shit’s crazy right now.”
“I’ll say.” The crowd was starting to pick up in volume again as people discussed…well, me, I guess. I had to raise my voice to be heard over the noise. “What’s going on? I assumed you guys would wait for me.”
He stopped and raised a brow at that. “You were out for 18 hours, Sleeping Beauty.” I staggered at that. That…couldn’t be right, could it? “We waited a full 9, but decided to get shit done. Lots to do,” he added, continuing to lead me out past the line of players and into the back courtyard.
There were at least fifty people in the courtyard, split between three lines branching off from the main line that exited from the Hall. Each line led to a table, and I immediately spotted Kink and T at their own tables. Presumably, they were interviewing recruits.
Kink was the first to notice Jeremy and I, and he paused his discussion with the player in front of him to come up to us. T noticed the movement and followed behind.
“Ray!” Kink said, slapping me on the arm. “You’re alive!”
“We were talking about breaking in the door if we didn’t see you soon,” T added as he walked up.
I shook my head, still not believing how long I had been out. “Damn, guys, sorry I was MIA for so long. I shoulda been here to help organize,” I said as I looked around.
Every pair of eyes was locked on us…no, locked on me. Jesus, I don’t think I’d ever get used to that.
“Naw, fuck that, Ray,” T said. “You needed it. You’ve probably been on an adrenaline rush since this all started.”
“Yeah,” Kink added. “We’ve been doing fine, actually. You could go chill out a bit longer if you wanted.”
“No, I feel great,” I said. “Although, I’m a little uncomfortable with all the staring…”
Jeremy perked up at that, turning to address the courtyard.
“Will you monkeys quite staring at the man!? He’s not some fuckin’ side show!”
A hundred eyes immediately found something else to look at, though most couldn’t help but glance over surreptitiously every couple of seconds.
“Thanks, Jer’,” I said with a smirk. “Should we get you a shock baton or something?”
Jeremy tilted his head like he was considering it, while Kink and T laughed.
“I think Jeremy’s actually found his true calling,” Kink said. “Crowd control!”
“He’s got everyone so whipped, they look at the floor when he enters the room,” T laughed. “It’s like he’s god damn Darth Vader walking through the Death Star.”
Jeremy’s face went soft, his eyes locking onto T. “T, that is literally the nicest thing anyone has ever said…to anyone, like ever.” He went to go hug T, but T held him off with an extended arm. “Come on, T, don’t make it weird.”
They struggled like that for a few moments while Kink and I laughed at the absurdity of it. The recruits around us watched with confusion, unclear if they were now allowed to look in our direction or not. I felt myself begin to relax, and a thought occurred to me.
“Hey, guys,” I said, interrupting Jeremy’s shenangins. “Should I, maybe, address everyone, while they’re all gathered, I mean?”
The three of them shared a humorous look. “Uh, Ray,” Kink said. “This is the seventh group of 100 we’ve seen today! We’ve got hundreds more coming in the next few hours, with hundreds more already out the door.”
My jaw dropped. That many…!? “How?” I asked, shaking my head. “How the hell is that even possible? Who’s organizing all of this while you guys interview?”
The three of them gave a pointed look over at the corner of the courtyard. I turned to follow, and saw Harold standing there, a clipboard in his hand and a little smirk on his face. I smiled and waved him over.
“You organized all of this?” I asked him as he approached.
He shrugged casually. “I am the Guild Manager. I thought it within my purview to assist with the recruiting effort.”
Kink scoffed. “Assist?” he asked Harold. He turned to me, his expression serious. “This guy is like a wedding planner, an event coordinator, and a workhorse mixed in one. Dude’s a machine!”
T nodded agreement. “Yeah, no joke, man’s been making all the moves.”
I turned to Jeremy, because he was the one I had been worried about the most. I didn’t think he would take to a new member within the inner circle so graciously.
He scowled, rolled his eyes, then clicked his tongue. “Okay, fine! Roldy knows what he’s doing,” he said reluctantly.
Harold coughed discreetly in his fist. “I prefer Harold, if you don’t mind,” he said quietly.
Jeremy turned to him, clucking his tongue in disappointment. “And you were doing so well…”