I watched as Ysillith finally released his spirit to the graveyard, his corpse transforming into a skeleton. Not out of danger yet, I quickly scanned the surrounding rooftops and alleys. Of course, they would have stealthed, but I checked anyway.
“I think they fled,” I said to no one in particular.
“Damn, Ray.” That was the max-level player who had healed me. “You’re a savage! Tea-bagging his ass while he’s streaming out to the world.” Him and the others who had stuck around laughed at that. “He’s gonna think twice before he fucks with you again.”
I smiled, but my mind was elsewhere. That had been so close. They had snuck into the Guildhall! Well, now I knew never to keep the entry status as ‘Open’. Lesson learned. But more than that, they had sent five level 60 Rogues after me. If the other Rogues had stood by Ysillith, they would have taken me down easily. I needed backup - and as much as Jeremy had just saved my ass, a level 15 wasn’t going to cut it.
I turned and approached the healer. His nameplate read:
Name: BartHeals
Class: Heavenly Cleric
Race: Human (M)
Level: 60
“Hey there, can I call you Bart?” I asked the healer.
“That’s my name,” he said with a smile.
I nodded. “Cool. Were you applying to DGW, Bart? Before the craziness I mean?”
He shrugged. “I mean, I was kinda just checking out the scene,” he said noncommittally. “I wanted to see you in person first, ask some questions about the Guild. Then see if it was the right fit.”
“Okay, then, Bart. You’re at the front of the line now.” I turned to address the players that were assembled on the streets. “Anyone that fought those Rogues was fighting for DGW, and for me, even if you didn’t know it,” I called out. “Form up the line again, and give your name to my Guild Manager.” To Bart, I said, “Follow me if you’re still interested.”
He seemed to think on it for a moment, then shrugged. “Sure, why not?”
Jeremy, Kink, and T had been corralling players back, but I waved them over now.
“You good, Ray?” Kink asked.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said. “It was a close call, but I’m okay.”
“You’re more than okay, dude!” Jeremy said, slapping my arm. “You kicked his ass! How the hell did you know which shadow thing was the real one?”
I shook my head discreetly, my eyes flicking to Bart. “Let’s talk about it later. Can you guys help Harold get the names of the players that fought with us? I think they deserve to cut the line. What do you guys think?”
“Yeah, for sure,” T said. “Can’t blame the lowbies for dippin’, but I definitely saw some level 60s scram like some bitches.”
“We already know every player that was in line,” Kink added. “So if they’re not here now, they ran.”
“Awesome,” I said. “We’ll make sure Harold gets those names - we don’t need players that’ll run from a fight.” I turned to Bart. “Which brings me to you. Let’s get inside the Hall where we can talk.” I pointed at the other players that had been fighting. They were milling about, chatting with each other after the excitement. “You guys are next if you wanted to see about joining Damsels?”
Most of them looked excited, and I directed them towards the guys.
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“Come on, Bart,” I said, waving him to follow.
We started for the Guildhall, and I noticed Harold standing in the doorway. “Great fight,” he said, as we approached.
“Aw, thanks,” I said. “It was stupid of me, but it worked out.” I grabbed his shoulder and smiled. “That was some really fast thinking on your part. I’d be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”
He looked away, embarrassed with the praise. “Oh, that? I just did my job, really…”
“No, you went above and beyond, Harold.” I turned to include Bart, who was at my shoulder. “Both of you are the reason I’m still breathing. Harold, this is Bart. Bart, this is our Guild Manager, Harold.”
Bart nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“You as well,” Harold replied with a dip of his head. “Thank you for keeping our Guild Leader alive.”
He shrugged at that. “The name’s BartHeals, not BartFlees,” he said with a chuckle. “I woulda done more, but I think it was best Ray fought solo. If we had jumped in, those other Rogues mighta snuck in some shots. Whole thing coulda gone South fast.”
“Appreciate that,” I said, nodding agreement. “Let’s head in. Harold, obviously no one goes in the Hall that isn’t specifically keyed in by you, me, or the guys.”
“Say no more,” Harold said.
Bart and I squeezed past him. In my Guild menu, I noticed Harold whitelist Bart, and he had no trouble entering behind me. But the entry status was closed now, so even if the door was left open, only those whitelisted would be able to cross the threshold.
With that done, I led Bart to the back to interview our first level 60 recruit - and potentially, my first part-time bodyguard.
----------------------------------------
I personally interviewed ten of the twelve players that had helped against the Rogue hit squad. Three of them, including Bart, were level 60. The other seven were in the level 54 to 59 range, with three of them being 59. Our conversations had varied for each individual, but the highlights were mostly the same. I felt that these individuals could be trusted, and could eventually form the backbone of our max-level activities. And I wanted some higher-level players I could venture out with that I trusted. Not strictly bodyguards, but players who wouldn’t run from a fight.
On their end, they had all had various questions. Some had wondered about the ethos of the Guild, the Contribution Store, and other benefits DGW was offering recruits. Others had questions about what my aspirations were for DGW - if we were going to participate in Guild Wars, would we claim prime Lots, and what kind of Raids and PvP we would be doing.
But all of them shared certain questions - questions about me. Was I really trapped in the game? Did I really only have a single life? Why was I fighting enemy players then? Why did I release that video?
And so on.
Bart had asked me a specific question that I didn’t have a good answer for initially.
“What’s in it for you?” he had asked. “Why this Guild? Why the skill path competition? If you had laid low, people would have forgotten about BigSword’s article in a week.”
For a moment, I didn’t know how to answer him. My instinct was to say that I didn’t have a choice. But that was dumb - of course I did. Then I thought, well, Al told me to. But that didn’t ring true - I had wanted to do the video, come out to the world with my story.
And then the truth came to me - a subconscious truth I hadn’t even realized.
I wanted to make this second life matter. I wanted to build something great, something special. Not that I wanted to be important, but I wanted to be a part of something that was important. Become a part of something bigger than myself.
From the moment my parents were killed, I had started giving up. It didn’t happen all at once. Little things began to slide, become unimportant. Going to the grocery store seemed like a chore. Maintaining any sense of exercise or activity would have me wondering what was the point. Inch-by-inch, my life eroded out from under me, until I was just a person existing. Sure, I had fun playing video games with Jeremy, enjoyed junk food, and relished sleeping late. But I didn’t let myself realize they were hollow experiences - I had become a shell of a person.
I was no Batman, that’s for sure. My parents’ death hadn’t spurred me into action - it had sucked the wind right out of my sails.
Funny enough, it took my own death for the realization to set in. Life is more than just running through the motions. Life is dreaming, and working towards those dreams. Life is danger, and excitement, and uncertainty. Life is fickle, and tenuous, and can be snatched from you in a blink.
But I deserve to live.
And I’m not just going to phone it in this time…
I’m gonna take this opportunity handed to me by Al. I’m gonna use this second life to the fullest.
I’m gonna go…wild.
Sorry, that was cringe. But fuck it, I’m not gonna let embarrassment stop me from putting my stamp on this game.
There’s a new boss bitch in Swords & Sorcery and I’m done apologizing.
Okay, okay, I didn’t say any of that to Bart. But I thought it, so it counts.
End of Book One