Sally grumbled to herself. Apparently you couldn’t just call a montage and then blip between different events. Hopefully, in the future she’d get a skill that could do that. She sunk into the throne on the balcony and pouted her lips. The constant sunshine was comforting, a soothing warmth than sunk into her fragile form. Full health, but she felt like she’d been rolled down a mountain.
Humphrey had prodded her for information, questioning every step of what she had gotten up to. At first, he didn’t believe such a simple System could exist, or that anyone would make the decisions they had to create an odd series of Quests with little to show for it.
“It just shows a deep lack of foresight,” he grumbled. Looking out across the Wasteland at the Players preparing to engage the Event again now that things had gone back to normal.
Sally sighed once more. It was over and done with now, and the elation had petered off. Chuck was right… she would need a few days of rest. “Think of it like this,” she said, turning her tired gaze towards the Death Knight. “When you pick up a creative hobby, you make a lot of simple messes before learning the skills for what looks good or works, right?”
“Yes. I suppose I can see the similarity. Hopefully, the creator of that world went on to make something better, or quit entirely.”
Hopefully, they were tangible, and she could eat their brains. They clearly had misused them, so it was only fair.
Norah stepped out onto the balcony, her hair up and wrapped in bandages. “Hi, hun. How’s my favorite zombie daughter?”
Sally gave her a wide grin. At some point, her adoption had become official - or at least as far as it needed to be in this world. The old Sally was dead, and she had been reborn here, so after getting used to it for a month, it now seemed pretty natural. Even though she was an adult, it was nice to have a parental unit. Helped keep parts of her own brain from exploding out.
“So tired.” She sunk down in the throne to further the point. “I ate a whole world and increased our landmass.”
The Mummy moved around as Humphrey stood so the two could sit. “We’ve come to invite you to the Guild, and I’ll update you with all the details.”
[Norah has joined the Guild]
“I’m going to meld to this throne,” Sally began, “but soon I’m going to go meet some potential recruits.”
“I’ll make us some coffee,” the Death Knight offered, before heading from the balcony into the house.
Norah smiled out at the horizon. “I knew you’d have no trouble with it.”
“Ah.” Sally squirmed. “I wouldn’t say no trouble, but it was a good test run.”
“And now you want more.”
It went without saying. She closed her eyes and felt content. Out of all of them, she felt the Mummy understood her desires the most. In terms of wanting to rise above weaklings, atop a pile of their skulls as the victor, anyway. While not technically royalty anymore, Norah did take her position on the Council seriously.
Sally opened her eyes and looked over at her. “I thought you’d still be at work, even if Chuck gave everyone the day off.”
“Edward is in and said other than a handful of people, it’s empty.” Norah raised an eyebrow at the zombie. “It’s difficult for me to boss around the dust and air.”
“Not worth going just to annoy Ed?”
Norah smiled and shook her head. “Edward is a close family friend, but professionally I can’t stand him. I have zero idea what that demon actually gets up to on the Council.”
----------------------------------------
Edward hummed to himself, leaning back in his chair with hands drumming on the armrests. He had seen the messages saying that Maintenance was over… but after that, it was pretty much radio silence.
What had really happened? More importantly, how could he use it to his benefit?
His blue eyes turned toward the bookshelf. Two rows of books with similar amber and gold bindings. Each with a clasp near the bottom that held a white opal. Twenty tomes in total. No text on the spines to give away the contents, yet he knew which was which.
Chloe had been sent home now, and he couldn’t imagine many others would be sticking around. He’d heard two voices moving through the corridor, discussing what the maintenance could have been a little while ago, and then nothing since.
So why was he still here?
With the flash of blue, a figure appeared in his room.
The demon turned, and his blank expression rose into a wide grin upon seeing the vampire standing there. “Theo.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Edward,” he responded. “Just a quick one. Checked your map yet? After the meeting, they sent Sally away… and she’s just returned.”
“Oh?” Edward brought up his Map as he swiveled back around into a normal sitting position. “So that explains all the System messages. Impressive.”
“Right? I’m just here to send you a Guild invite, as discussed during the meeting.” Theo grinned and stuck his hands into his pockets.
[Edward has joined the Guild]
“Excellent.” The demon continued to grin. “I can’t wait to be the festering blight that causes the Guild to crumble from within.”
“Big if true. Sally is probably getting an early night, but you want to hang out tomorrow?”
Edward nodded, and the vampire vanished in a flash of blue without saying another word.
He leaned back in his chair again. Things were really starting to get interesting now. Back to being an Outsider again. Perhaps that was why he had been hanging out here still, alone… although Theo would have been able to find him at home.
With a sigh, Edward relented to calling it a day. Standing from his desk and stretching out, the untouched report still laying on his desk, his hands went into his pockets. Another day to tally off on the calendar.
Idly, his eyes swept the room before he went to leave. Brow furrowed, he glared at his bookshelves.
One of the opals was now a red ruby.
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Sally knocked on the door frame as she entered the building of clean, soft-white tones.
At a small desk was a short goblin girl, a black bob cut hanging over her face as she concentrated on the task before her. A pack of crayons lay inert next to the page being scrawled upon - but the knock caused the eyes of the town healer to rise from the drawing and beam towards the zombie.
“Sally! How are you today?”
“I’m great, Bella.” She grinned and stepped over. “What you drawing there?”
“Drawing? Oh, no.” The girl held up the page to present it. “This is a representation of my daily cash-flow. See this dip here?” She pointed a short finger at the bottom end of a curved line. “This is when Chuck cancels your events for the day.”
“Sorry! It wasn’t my choice, if that’s any better.”
“It’s just bad for business.” Bella scowled before the emotion melted away into a smile. “Ever since I renegotiated my cut, I’ve been keeping a close eye on my finances. That ‘Arise and Shine’ Event you did has been my best earner.”
Sally nodded, thinking back at to all the screams. All the brains she ate and bones she broke. “They just couldn’t help throwing themselves at me - even though they knew they weren’t powerful enough.”
“Mama always says a fool and their gold are easily parted.”
“You’ll have to pass on that I said hi to her.” Sally grinned and looked toward the back of the building. “I’m actually after Henkk, if he is here?”
Bella nodded. “Upstairs. Hey, Sally? Could you ask Theo if we can all play ‘baseball’ again sometime? Jaxk won’t shut up about the last time and I want to take him down a peg.”
She clicked her fingers. “Consider it done, little Bell. I’ll see if fangs has the time tomorrow?”
The goblin nodded eagerly, excitement brimming in her eyes even as the zombie headed for the stairs.
The top floor of the hospital was mostly empty. When most injuries could just be healed by passing Bella a handful of gold, there was little need for long-term beds - yet here some were. Instead, it had become a pseudo-workshop, for one specific goblin.
“Sally, a pleasure,” the smooth voice came from across the room, where a pale goblin sat. Eyes of pitch black looked back to her as he smiled.
“Henkk.” She grinned. “I have a proposition for you.”
----------------------------------------
Chuck swiveled around in his chair to face the swordsman. “Fern said no. Although they used a lot stronger words. Continuously, for a minute or two.”
“They are happy now.” Dent shrugged, his eyes on his own messages. “Tower actually sees some use. Their function and needs are being met.”
The Architect stared at him for a few silent moments, before giving up on getting his attention. While the land acquisition had been tiring due to the stress, it had also used up a lot of the power he could wield. It was the main reason they couldn’t jump straight into another world.
“What we need is to streamline the process.” He tapped at the desk, deflating as his mind tried to come up with solutions. “Perhaps it was only draining this time because it was back and forth on the same day. If Sally was gone for a week, I’d of had more time to regenerate.”
“Plus, you need a full tank if you’re going to grab for larger or more complex worlds.”
Chuck raised his eyebrows at Dent, who apparently was paying attention despite his focus being elsewhere. “You’ve seen the three proposed, right? What do you think?”
The swordsman clucked his tongue and moved away from what he was looking at. “You already know which one Sally will want to do.”
[Henkk has joined the Guild]
“Oh, perfect.” Chuck smiled, but tilted his head in thought. “I know which, sure. But… what if we put those aside and…” He sent two files over through to Dent.
“Hmm. These are… both wildly different?”
“Method to my madness, Dent.” Chuck stood up from his chair and stretched out. “We’ve received an invitation for the goblin baseball game tomorrow. But I have another idea for the day after…” A wide grin crossed his face.
----------------------------------------
Humphrey rolled his shoulders out as he sat at the dining table and read the newspaper, his metallic hands dwarfing the small pages.
“You’re allowed to admit that you’d miss her, dear,” Norah’s voice came from the other room.
“I’m pretty sure I said that,” he grumbled. Maybe not in those exact words, but he thought it clearly enough.
After being her personal guide and protector throughout almost her whole life in the System, it was hard for him to allow her the distance she needed as a functional adult. She lived in a different area with her tolerable boyfriend, and seemed happy enough. They could teleport or message at any time.
Yet something about going to other worlds rubbed him the wrong way. Perhaps it was knowing how errors could crop up in a System - in part most of their existence was due to one bug or another. Chuck had been sure things would work out… but even if he had full confidence in the Architect, nothing could settle the worry he always had for her.
Human emotions were certainly troubling.
“You see the invite to the baseball game? It’ll be nice to spend time with everyone - I’ll pack a picnic.”
He’d admit it was fun last time, despite how heated it got. Some time in the village would-
The Death Knight stood from his chair, a wide grin across his face as crimson flame flickered behind his helmet. He closed down the message just received.
“Fetch my sword,” he called out. “They’ve just announced a competition-"
“Is it today?”
“Well… no.”
Norah appeared at the doorway, a soft smile on her face. “Then you don’t need it right now, do you? Warms my dead heart to see you so energized. What is the competition?”
Humphrey put his hands on his hips, fire sparking deep in his empty eye sockets.
“To determine who is the greatest sword user in the world.”