Gareth: "How did it end up like this?" 

Standing a couple meters away from his most trusted comrade, Gareth Was utterly bewildered. Looking at the spectacle occurring before his eyes, even the veteran soldier was astounded.  

Alice: "Why are you clinging to him like that?!" 

Pluvia: "I can cling to him however I like!" 

Standing on either side of the Solomon, Alice and Pluvia had grabbed a hold of each of his arms. Pressing their bodies into him seductively, they glared at each other. Acting like a pair of children fighting over a toy, the two of them quarrelled back and forth. 

Alice: "Humph, who said you can?"  

Pluvia: "Well you like it, right?"  

Looking up at Solomon, Pluvia drew him into their argument. Caught between a rock and a hard place, he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with his hand.  

Solomon: "Uh, I don’t think this is the time for this." 

Unwilling to tread into such dangerous waters, Solomon tried to redirect their attention. Even the inexperienced Solomon knew not to pick sides in times such as these.  

Nicholas: "Oh please, don't mind us."  

With a heavily sarcastic tone, Nicholas waved his hand at the trio. Yet the two girls were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't pick up on his blatant sarcasm.  

Alice:  "It's alright, we don't mind you. " 

Pluvia: "Right, don't worry about it." 

Waving off Nicholas's comment, they both went back to their arguing. 

Alice: "See, he doesn't want you."  

Pluvia: "He never said that. how do you know it's not you who he doesn't want?"  

Angry that his comment had gone over their heads, Nicholas let his emotions get the better of him. Like a blind rabbit, he carelessly walked into the lion's den.  

Nicholas: "I wasn't being serious, can't this wait till later!" 

As soon as he'd finished his words, instant regret washed over Nicholas. His body tensed up and buckets of sweat started leaking from his body as the malicious glares of the two "lionesses" focused on him. Like a deer in front of headlights, he'd completely frozen up. The pressure from their gazes alone completely petrified him. 

Nicholas: "Agh! M, my bad. P,p, please forget what I said."  

Speaking through chattering teeth, Nicholas desperately apologised to the two women. Understanding the huge landmine he'd stepped on, Nicholas wished he could reverse time. But unfortunately for him, he didn't have such a convenient power.   

Alice: "What are you interrupting us for, huh!?" 

Pluvia: "Right, who are you to speak to us like that!?" 

Facing down the two deadly vixens, the normally outspoken Nicholas turned into the quietest mouse like person in existence. Feeling fear and regret overwhelm him, he quietly made a promise to himself. "when I get back to Domain, I'm getting myself a time machine".  

Watching the comical scene from the side-lines, Gareth thought back to how this situation had developed. A few minutes ago, when Pluvia's healing had just finished, everyone had come rushing towards her and Solomon. Little did they know they'd find the two entangled in a deep embrace. Seeing such a scene, Alice instantly separated them. Giving Pluvia a deadly glare, she started chastising her. But to everyone's surprise, Pluvia didn't flinch at her words. Before anyone could even react, she'd jumped back onto Solomon. Pressing herself against him, she said something about claiming him for her own. Quickly recovering from her shock, Alice grabbed a hold of Solomon as well. Alice didn't hesitate to deny Pluvia's words and claim Solomon for herself. Though for the shy Alice, she did so with a beet red face. From there it had devolved into what was happening now. Being so suddenly faced with such a situation, no-one else knew what to do. So they just watched on helplessly as the two women fought over Solomon.  

Gareth: "Argh, how did it turn into this?"  

Rubbing his temples, Gareth didn't know how to think about the current predicament. Thinking about the two parties involved, he began weighing one against the other. Though on one side he supported Alice as his close ally and friend, he also saw the appeal of the angelic Pluvia. Realising that he was seriously considering such an unimportant topic, he burst out into laughter. For the previously militaristic man to consider such a simple thing as this with so much importance was hilarious to him. If his wife or stepfather saw him now, they'd barely believe he was the same person.  

Gareth: "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"  

Pluvia: "Hey, what are you laughing about!?" 

Alice: "Yeah, what's so funny!?"  

Realising he'd made a fatal mistake, Gareth's innards turned green. He'd sabotaged himself and brought the deadly mistresses attention onto himself. But unlike the inexperienced Nicholas, he knew how to deal with such a turn of events. After all, he'd poked quite a few bears in his time. Or women in this case.  

Gareth: "Uh, no. It just so happened that Tony told me a hilarious joke about the two of you."  

Pluvia: "Ohh, is that so?!" 

Alice: "Then I'm sure he wouldn't mind telling it to us!" 

Using Tony as his scapegoat, Gareth didn't hesitate to throw him under the bus. Slowly backing away from the man in Question, he expertly diverted the attention away from himself. 

Tony: "Huh, me?" 

Being brought into the situation so suddenly, Tony couldn't process what had happened. Looking at the ally and instructor who'd abandoned him so ruthlessly, Tony could only mutter out a few words.   

Tony: "Ah, you see the thing is."  

Looking at the two approaching ladies, Tony took a shaky step back. Having now fully understood Gareth's betrayal, he could only watch as the two vixens approached him. Trying desperately to think of a way out, he looked pleadingly towards his nearby teammates. But as his eyes crossed with theirs, they all Guiltily looked away from him. Even the normally dominant Solomon acted like a meek sheep. 

Alice: "So, what's this joke then?!" 

Pluvia: "It's got to be good to have gotten Gareth, right?" 

Watching as his demise approached, Tony's face turned gaunt. He suddenly looked like he'd aged decades in mere seconds. Luckily for him, the system soon came to his rescue.  

Guild Bot: "Your first benefit had been bestowed. Now your second will be awarded. " 

Voicing out in everyone's mind, Guild bot's expressionless voice drew everyone's attention. Glad that he was no longer the centre of attention, Tony praised the system as his saviour. To contestant, the words of the system were like gods laws. So whenever the system spoke to them, everyone undoubtedly focused their whole attention on its words.  

Guild Bot: "In the interest of balancing the power dynamic between your guild and the capitalist mages this mission's characters with powers."  

Cutting straight to the heart of it, Guild Bot told them what their second benefit was. Hearing the news, everyone was surprised. But as Guild Bot wasn't finished speaking, everyone remained silent. After all, it would be tragic if they missed an important part of the message because they talked over it.  

Guild Bot: "The characters will be randomly assigned enhancements based on their compatibility with the systems enhancements. They will all receive two skills and a single energy or genetic enhancement with the exception of Rob. due to his high level of compatibility and abnormally strong will, he will receive 4 skills and both an energy and genetic variation." 

Finished conveying its message, Guild Bot went silent. At the same time as it did, 5 new pillars appeared in the Cavern. But unlike the last blindingly bright pillars of light, these new ones were pitch black pillars of darkness. As if they were made of the abyss itself, these pillars of darkness absorbed light instead of producing it. Just looking at it would make you feel like it was drawing you in. Centring around the unconscious characters, they pulled them up into the air. As they were drawn into their own dark cocoons, the characters disappeared completely from view.  

Tony: "well, that's really fuckin creepy." 

Breaking the silence left by Guild Bot, Tony commented on the pillars of darkness. Looking at the dark spires stretching up to the caverns ceiling, he felt shivers run up his spine.  

Nicholas: "I wouldn't recommend running into that one." 

Glancing over at Solomon, Nicholas cracked a shitty joke.   

Solomon: "Haha, I don't think I will." 

Letting out a dry laugh, Solomon focused in on the Jet-black pillars. Using Qi to strengthen his already impressive eyesight, Solomon tried to see into the pillars. But even then, it was like looking into and endless pit. The more he focused and tried to see through the darkness, the less he actually saw. Realising that these weren't the sort of pillars you could see through, he gave up on even trying. Looking over at his comrades, he noticed they were still admiring the eerie spectacle. Watching them, a couple of thoughts surface in his mind. First was that they still had an extremely tough mission ahead of them. The second was how he still had to complete a hidden mission, even with the threat of another guild looming over them. But for the moment, he let everyone stare at the amazing, albeit disturbing, pillars of darkness.  

Stolen story; please report.

Solomon: "Fwuuuuu, haaaaaaaaa." 

Taking a deep breath, Solomon readied himself for the challenges ahead.  

Solomon: "All right everyone, let's not waste the little time we have. We should come up with a plan while we still have the opportunity."  

Drawing everyone's attention away from the pillars, Solomon Reminded everyone of the situation they were in. As amazing and bizarre as the pillars were, they were still a herald of the dark times to come. They were a signal of the harsh struggle everyone was soon going to face.  

Gareth: "Yeah, it's probably best that we plan now. It's not like we're doing anything important anyways." 

Bringing his attention away from the pillars, Gareth agreed with Solomon.  

Pluvia: "So, where do we start?" 

Unsure of what they needed to consider first, Pluvia asked Solomon. 

Solomon: "Hmmm, well first would be whether we change our initial plan or not." 

Thinking about their current predicament, Solomon knew what would be the most contested point. Having made a deal before the mission, he had to earn an F rank token this mission. Otherwise, he'd have to abandon everyone and join the three great guilds. Forced into a corner by that deal, Solomon had to complete a difficult hidden mission and reach F rank. As dangerous as that was before, he now had to do the hidden mission while also looking out for the Capitalist mages.  

Tony: "What do you mean, of course we can't stick to our original plan."  

Nicholas: "Right, it's way too dangerous for us to split up in this situation."  

Hearing Solomon's seemingly insane words, Tony and Nicholas naturally expressed their opinion. As they Kept in the dark before the mission, they didn't know about Solomon's deal with Diogenes. So naturally, when weighing up the variables, they easily sided with sticking together. knowing that he couldn't convince them otherwise, Solomon decided to tell them about the deal. Though it would mean admitting he'd lied to them, and put them in danger because of that lie, he still went ahead with it. Clenching has jaw, Solomon went ahead and explained everything to them. Expecting them to be upset, and with due reason, Solomon prepared for their anger. But as he finished his explanation, the situation didn't develop in the way he'd expected. 

Tony: "Oh, so that's why you were so adamant about completing a hidden mission."  

Nodding his head vigorously, Tony seemed to be putting the pieces together in his head. Having heard it all from Solomon, Tony now knew why Solomon had acted weirdly about the mission at times.  

Nicholas: "Yeah, I did think it was weird how determined you were to complete one. But now I understand." 

Standing beside Tony, Nicholas was also echoing his sentiments. Like the older man, he was also putting it together.  

Solomon: "It was completely my decision and I'm totally responsible for it. Any anger you have should be directed towards me. So, if there's anything you want to say, please go ahead." 

Even after seeing the pairs calm reaction, Solomon still felt extremely guilty. Solomon couldn't bear thinking that they might be keeping quiet about their complaints because of his position. Bowing his head down, he tried to get them to honestly voice their anger. 

Nicholas: "Ah, please don't bow to us like that. We're not upset or angry." 

Surprised by Solomon's sudden bow, Nicholas took a second to react. stepping forwards, he grabbed Solomon by the shoulder. Telling him it was fine, he tried to get Solomon to stand straight. As Both the Guild leader and a person Nicholas personally looked up to, he felt that it wasn't right for Solomon to act that way. 

Solomon: "Really?" 

Being forced to stand properly by Nicholas, Solomon asked the silent Tony if he felt the same. 

Tony: "I don't mind. If I was in the same position as you, I would act the same way." 

Agreeing with Nicholas, Tony also wasn't angry with Solomon. Though he was surprised that neither of them took it badly, Solomon left the matter at that. Though he still felt guilty for what he'd done, now wasn't the time to go on and on about it. Their time was limited and spending it on issues like this wasn't something they had the leisure to do.  

Solomon: WSo, is everyone okay with us sticking to the original plan?W  

Looking around at everyone individually, Solomon hoped no-one would disagree. Though everyone knew the reason for Sticking with the current plan, no-one had any delusions about it being the easier option. For Solomon, Rob and Gareth to leave in a separate group would significantly weaken the main group. though they would be bolstered by the empowered characters, it would still be a big hit to the group's strength. That means if they faced an extremely dangerous situation, like facing the capitalist mages or the creatures above ground, they'd have to deal with it themselves. The incentive to keep everyone together was very high in such a situation. 

Alice: "It's fine with me" 

Pluvia: "I feel the same" 

Having already expected the girl's agreement, Solomon wasn't very surprised.  

Gareth: "I'm still fine with it." 

Then when Gareth also agreed, Solomon was similarly unsurprised. though he'd thought Gareth might want to stay with the main group for both his and everyone else's safety, he never even considered him straight out disagreeing. 

Nicholas: "My sister and I are fine with it." 

Speaking on behalf of his sister as well as himself, Nicholas also agreed. Hearing his affirmation, half of the worry in Solomon's heart disappeared. Now looking over at Tony, Solomon's anxiously awaited his answer. 

Tony: "I don't think the idea of us splitting up at such a dangerous time is very clever, But I've never been very smart anyways. Let's go for it." 

At first, Solomon thought Tony was going to disagree. But as a broad smile spread across his face, Solomon knew that wasn't the case. 

Solomon: "Now that that's settled, we need to think about how we're gonna deal with the capitalist mages. Anyone have any ideas?"  

Now that they'd established their plan going forward, they could discuss the dangers that their enemy posed in more detail. But as Solomon looked around expecting someone to speak up, no one did.  

Solomon: "No one?"  

As an awkward silence settled over everyone, the previously nice atmosphere was shattered. Facing down a daunting enemy two ranks stronger than themselves, even the usually vocal Pluvia remained silent. Feeling dejected that everyone was so quick to give up, a seed of frustration grew in Solomon's heart. 

Gareth: "Is there really anything we can do against them?" 

Breaking the silence, Gareth bluntly voiced what was on everyone's mind. Feeling the seed in his heart grow larger, Solomon tried to argue against Gareth's words. 

Solomon: "Maybe not, but that doesn't stop us from trying." 

Though Solomon tried to raise everyone's morale, it didn't have much effect. Compared to the fear that an E rank guild evoked, his words didn't hold much weight. Knowing his teammates were more affected by the notion of some guild they hadn't even seen yet than his own words, Solomon's frustration reached its climax. Unable to contain himself, Solomon let it all out. 

Solomon: "Argh, I can't accept this! I can't accept all of you just giving up so easily! I didn't make it this far and survive through so much just to roll over and die for some pieces of shit! I didn't put my heart and souls into this guild just to watch it crumble before the weight of a little challenge! It doesn't make a difference if we're facing another guild, or a deadly monster, or even a fuckin god! I'm not going to let my guild give up so Easily!!!" 

Surprised by Solomon's sudden outburst, everyone stared at him wide eyed. Seeing his unwavering will even in the face of such huge danger gave everyone a little bit of courage.  

Gareth: "Ah, sorry Solomon. you're right." 

Alice: "Yeah, we were too quick to give up." 

pluvia: "Right, we're in the wrong." 

One by one, everyone apologised to Solomon.  

Nicholas: "Our bad." 

Tony: "Sorry man."  

Sasha: "I'm sorry as well." 

Embarrassed by everyone's sincere apologies, Solomon looked away from them. He didn't think his outburst would have such a profound effect, changing everyone's attitude. Determined not to waste their newfound morale, Solomon went about redirecting their thoughts. 

Solomon: "It's alright everyone, I shouldn't have lost myself back there. Let's get to making some plans." 

With their new positive attitudes, it didn't take long for someone to have an idea. 

Gareth: "I've got a suggestion." 

Solomon: "Go ahead." 

At this point, Solomon was glad they were having the discussion. Having learnt from his fight with the Queen, he knew exactly how dangerous it was to not plan things. 

Gareth: "Well, as we already know we can't fight them ourselves, why don't we use this world to our advantage." 

Hearing Gareth's words, Solomon instantly understood his meaning. 

Solomon: "You mean pitting them against the creatures above ground." 

Putting it into simpler words, Solomon made sure that everyone understood Gareth's idea. 

Gareth: "That is one possibility, but the creatures aren't the only dangers in this world. Why don't we try and use the military?" 

Alice: "The military?" 

Thinking about how powerful the capitalist mages would be, Alice couldn't see how the military could help. They only had guns and bombs which probably wouldn't have much of an affect. 

Gareth: "Yeah, I know that the ground troops can't really help us, other than maybe delaying them. But if we can convince them to help us, couldn't they send tanks or even jets." 

Explaining in more Detail, Gareth pointed out the military's ability. even if they are only ordinary humans, the technology and weapons they have could still be very damaging. Though the tanks might not pose a huge threat as you can rush them, there's no way they could rush a jet travelling at Mach-speed.  

Solomon: "It's a good idea, but I don't think it will work for us." 

Though Solomon liked the idea, he found too many issues with it after calculating in his head. 

Solomon: "First there's the issue of getting the military's support in the first place. They would probably have their hands full containing those two creatures. So it's unlikely. But even in the case they do agree, they certainly won't do it for free. They'll likely make a deal with us." 

Thinking it over in his own head, Gareth saw the logic in Solomon's words. Knowing how the military worked, having been a soldier for a very long time, Gareth could guess the type of deal they'd want. in exchange for their help, they'd want the teams help in dealing with the creatures.  

Gareth: "I see, I guess we can't use this sort of plan." 

Feeling slightly dejected, Gareth gave up on his idea. Seeing his drop-in attitude, Solomon quickly tried to cheer him up. 

Solomon: "It's not a bad plan, and if we get put in a corner it may be a risk we have to take, but it's just not something we should use as out first option." 

Gareth: Right!" 

Seeing Solomon trying to keep his mood up, Gareth gave him a reassuring smile. 

Solomon: "So, does anyone else have an idea?" 

looking around, Solomon saw everyone shake their heads. it seemed that even with their high morale, it didn't change their lack of a plan. Realising that no one would be able to come up with a perfect solution in such a short time, Solomon made a decision. 

Solomon: "Since none of us can think of anything good for now, I'll just set a couple rules for if we encounter the capitalist mages. Other than that, we'll have to plan for the challenges as they come. Is everyone all right with that?" 

Though Solomon hated not having a well thought out plan, especially now that he knew how important it was, he didn't have any choice. no one was going to come up with anything, so it would be a waste of brain power to dwell on the topic. 

Alice: "We're fine with it." 

Speaking on behalf of everyone, Alice answered Solomon. 

Solomon: "Okay, so rule number one. if you run into them, you run. No trying to fight back, or trying to outsmart and trick them. The minute you get a whiff of them you start running." 

Wanting to drill this first rule into their heads, Solomon made sure to emphasise on it. knowing how powerful they were, he didn't want anyone having the delusion that they could face up to them.  

Tony: "We will. it's not like any of us have a Deathwish." 

Solomon: good, then here's the second rule. if you end up being cornered by them with no way to escape, you don't panic. No matter what, you can't panic. As soon as you do you've lost. But if you've still got a clear mind, I'm sure you'll be able to find a way out. 

Pluvia: "Right, we won't give in easily." 

Giving Solomon a smile, Pluvia spoke up for everyone. 

Solomon: "Good, then that's it. Other than that, you'll have to improvise." 

Feeling like his rules were a little lacking, Solomon ended the discussion. 

Solomon: "Hands in everyone."  

Glancing over at the characters Solomon noticed their transformation beginning to end. Holding out his hand palm side down, he told everyone to do the same. Stepping forwards, they did so one after another. When everyone's hands were on top of his, Solomon looked around at each of his teammates.  

Solomon: "We've had a rough start, but we pulled through. Now we've got an even bigger hurdle before us, so what are we gonna do?!"  

Following the lead of the older members, everyone joined in. 

Everyone: "Survive!"  

Solomon: "what was that!?" 

Everyone: "Survive!!!"  

Solomon: "I still can't hear you, what are we gonna do?!!!" 

Everyone: "SURVIVE!!!!!"