Walking back through the building with two abyssal chickens, one dretch, and a quasit was quite the entourage for all the survivors to see. Along the way through the building, Tom was joined by his party members who were curious about the situation as well.
"So where are we meeting the other guild, Brian?" Tom asked.
"We are to meet outside the building across the street. There was a cafe there before all of this apocalypse shit happened." Brian replied.
"Anything else we know about them?" Derek asked.
"I get the distinct feeling that the leader of the guild didn't want to meet with us, but that some of his people were pushing for it. So I would advise hear them out, consider what they have to say, and be as cordial as possible." Brian said, looking back suddenly at the demons. "Is there any way to not have your new friends with us? Monsters being the big issue with this new world we find ourselves in and all."
Stopping mid-stride, Tom looked back and them and thought. He hadn't considered if he could dismiss them. He thought about the skill which didn't give him any new information. So he just looked at them and spoke.
"You are dismissed. Return to where you came from."
With that, portals opened on the ground and the creatures went back inside.
"Apparently I can," Tom said.
"Excellent! And the other little friend?" Brian said gesturing to Jerky.
"Oh, no, he's here all the time. Can't send him away, but he can turn himself invisible. Jerky, I need you to stay invisible while we talk to this other group of people. OK?" Tom said looking down at the quasit.
"Jerky invisible. OK!" Jerky said happily and then vanished from sight.
Tom felt the quasit climb up and sit on his shoulder though, so at least he knew where he was.
"Where did he go?" Brian asked.
"He's here on my shoulder. Shouldn't be a problem. He's much more agreeable than the other summons." Tom replied.
"Alright," Brian said, still a bit apprehensive. "I guess we should get moving then."
They continued out to the front of the building where there were security guards posted twenty-four hours a day. They saluted as Tom and his team passed making Tom feel awkward at not knowing all of their names. Walking across the street there was a man sitting at one of the tables wearing camo pants, a vest with so many pockets filled with stuff that Tom was sure it weighed at least ten pounds, and a white t-shirt with a cowboy hat. Even in Texas, this getup was weird. Not the hat, but the rest of it.
Standing up as they approached the man stared intently at Tom. Tom, for his part, extended his hand to shake. The other man just stared down at it and then back up at Tom.
"Hello, I'm Tom of the guild Vanguard. It's nice to meet you," Tom said, still awkwardly holding his hand out.
Squinting at Tom, and still not shaking his hand, the man continued to eye Tom down until he finally spoke.
"Names Joe," The man said in a low almost raspy sort of voice.
"Well, Joe, how can we help you today? I heard you wanted to meet with us." Tom said.
Again, there was a long pause. Joe took a toothpick from his pocket and put it in the corner of his mouth as he continued to stare at Tom with a look that showed he did not want to be there.
"I really didn't. It's some of the people in my guild that wanted me to reach out. I knew this goddamned day would come, but no one wanted to listen to old Joe." Joe said.
"What do you mean you knew this day would come? You knew aliens would invade and turn our lives into a video game?" James asked.
"No, dumbass. I knew that the apocalypse was coming and I was prepared. That's why they follow me." Joe replied.
"Oh, so you're one of those preppers," Tom said.
"I am. And it served me well so far. I was ready while most others were caught with their pants down. I have food, shelter, guns, ammo, and a whole lot more to live on. Some of them laughed at me for what I did. But I'm the one laughing now." Joe said, staring even harder at Tom. "What about you? Were you ready boy?"
"Well, not like that, no. But we managed to adapt pretty well so far." Tom replied.
"Ah, so you were one of those non-believer sissies. Well, that's too bad. But I'm here because my friends think we could benefit from an alliance. I think you got too many people to look after and it's gonna drag you down. I only formed my guild with enough to get the basic benefits from the system. You got so many people you are gonna constantly run out of resources. You'll see." Joe said, derision clear in his voice.
Tom really wanted to give this guy a piece of his mind about how he treated people. Then he remembered what Brian had said and tried to push down his feelings.
"So what is it you're hoping to gain from this meeting?" Tom said.
"An alliance of sorts. I'd hope that if either of us was in trouble we could rely on each other for a little backup." Joe said.
"I don't see why not. We do want to try to help people out. If you need us we will be happy to help."
"Good, good, that's great," Joe said in a way that immediately made Tom uneasy.
"Because you see, we got this little problem with some monsters around our building and we'd really like to get a little help in getting rid of them," Joe said.
"Ah, I see," Tom said, feeling like he was getting more of the truth behind their meeting than before. "What kind of monster problem?"
"Some kind of flying lizard. Been a real nuisance to us over the past day as they began to swoop in to attack as we tried to leave the building." Joe explained.
"And you can't just shoot it down?" Tom asked.
"We have been. But we can't seem to get them under control. There are too many and they're pretty fast. With more bodies, we could clear them out better. I notice you don't have any monsters roaming around here anymore." Joe said.
"No, we have been out daily killing as many creatures as we can find going further and further out to try to keep a safe perimeter. So far it appears to be working." Tom said.
"We are trying to do the same, but there aren't enough of us," Joe said a bit exasperated.
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"Why don't you join up with us then? We could use someone who was prepared for an apocalypse to help us out here." Tom offered.
"Too many people. That's the problem boy, you won't be able to extend your resources to so many people." Joe replied. "I can't risk running out of supplies since this is the new way of life."
"But you also can't replenish your supplies on your own," Tom said.
"That's where you're wrong. But I don't want to go down that path giving away all my secrets." Joe retorted.
"Fine, whatever. Keep your secrets. We will see if we can help." Tom agreed reluctantly.
"Preciate it, boy. And if we can return the favor later, just let us know." Joe said in return.
"It would be nice to just join guilds together but if that isn't an option I guess I'll have Brian keep you on the list of people to call if shit hits the fan," Tom said.
"Boy, we are already standing in a brown-splattered room with human-shaped silhouettes from where it hit us instead for all the shit flinging that the fan has done. All we are doing now is trying to clean the walls off with a single square of toilet paper." Joe replied.
"Well, that was very....descriptive," Tom replied.
"And it's only gonna get worse, mark my words," Joe said.
"Yeah, we know....the space pirates and all. That's why I want us to work together." Tom said feeling like he was beginning to talk to someone only willing to listen to themselves.
"Space pirates are the least of your concerns," Joe said. "You need to be worried about the people who are going to get desperate enough to try to kill you for what you have."
"Space pirates are definitely the biggest part of my worry. I know how to handle things here on earth. Its beings who can travel across entire galaxies and will come here with weapons likely far behind our capabilities that worry me most." Tom replied.
Joe paused as if thinking about this fact for the first time. He stayed quiet for a long moment before he spoke.
"Still don't think that I can join up with you. I have a stockpile specifically rationed out for the number of people I have with me." Joe replied.
"We are working on growing our own crops as we speak and have professionals looking into most other options as well. If you as a survivalist joined us then we would be that much better for it. I'm not asking you to share your goods, just your knowledge." Tom countered.
"So if I join you, I get to keep all my goods?" Joe asked.
"Certainly. And we can even help you out if you need something." Tom said. "You may find that being part of the larger group has its own benefits."
Joe stared at Tom, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not.
"Help me with the lizard problem, and you got yourself a deal. I was gettin' tired of havin' to make all the decisions anyhow." Joe replied. "But I get to keep all my items. Better not be hearin' you go back on your word a few days down the road."
"We've never made anyone give up any items. In fact, we tend to hand down our old items when we get new ones. Do you might end up with new gear." Tom said, feeling a sense of relief come over him that he wasn't going to have to continue dealing with this man as an opponent.
"Well, alright then. Let's get going so we can bring everything over." Joe said.
Tom and his party followed Joe back to his base while Brian went back to the center. They arrived a few blocks away at a small diner that Joe had apparently claimed as their guild building. To say that they had a little lizard problem was an understatement. There were hundreds of the little things.
Small reptiles looking like anoles, but ten times bigger with wings on their backs nearly covered the building. As the team approached all their eyes went straight to them. Freezing on the spot, the party didn't move any closer as they waited to see what the lizards would do. Tom inspected one of them.
Sky Scales
These small reptilians are not very dangerous on their own, but they always congregate in large numbers making them much more dangerous as their prey usually succumbs to death by a thousand cuts.
HP: 5/5
MP: 0/0
SP: 100/100
Level: 3
Attack: Bite, Claws
"They appear to be really weak, but there are so many of them that it's going to be a bit of a problem," Tom said.
"Does anyone have any big AOE spells?" Derek asked.
"Big what?" Joe asked.
"AOE, it means area of effect. It's a spell that targets a specific area instead of just one specific enemy." Derek explained.
"Oh, well then, no I ain't got nothin' like that," Joe replied.
"That's alright. Anyone else?" Derek asked.
Everyone stopped to look at their skills. Tom checked on his spells as well.
Eldritch Blast
This spell casts a ball of green eldritch fire at a target.
Cost: 20 MP
Damage: 15-22
Casting time: 2 seconds
Cooldown: N/A
Dark Ball
This spell casts a ball of dark energy at a target.
Cost: 20 MP
Damage: 18-24
Casting time: 2 seconds
Cooldown: N/A
Dark Healing
This spell heals the HP of Neutral or dark-aligned creatures for 50 HP.
Cost: 25 MP
Casting time: 3 seconds
Cooldown: N/A
Dark Weapon Flame
This spell will ignite the user's weapon with a black flame dealing extra darkness damage with each hit.
Cost: 15 MP
Damage: additional 10-15 Fire Damage per strike
Casting time: 1 seconds
Cooldown: N/A
Doppelganger
This spell creates an exact duplicate of the user that follows its exact movements. Duplicate is an illusion and cannot deal damage.
Cost: 50 MP
Casting time: 5 seconds
Cooldown: 15 minutes
Lightning Strike
This spell casts a bolt of lightning at a target. Spell has a chance to recast from the original target to another.
Cost: 25 MP
Damage: 22-30
Casting time: 2 seconds
Cooldown: N/A
"I have taunt. Which would just make them all attack me, but I'm not sure how that will help in this situation except to make me die faster." Kevin said.
"Hang on a second. Kevin, you just got the Belt of Constitution right?" Tom asked.
"I did," Kevin replied.
"And does Rage increase your defense along with your ability to have extra high defense when you aren't wearing armor?" Tom continued.
Kevin paused to check his skills before replying. "Yes, it does."
"Do you think it would be enough to shrug off most of those attacks? They seem pretty small." Tom asked.
"I'm not so sure. There are a lot of them to whittle down my defenses." Kevin said.
"Well, then I'm not sure there is anything for it. We are just going to have to do the best we can with what we have. I can summon some fodder for us for the time being and then we have to just try to kill as many as we can." Tom said.
Casting Summon Demonic Familiar four times, Tom summoned three Abyssal Chickens and one Dretch. Seeing the Dretch reminded him that it had an AOE gas attack.
"Chickens, its lunch time, go get you some lizard snacks. Dretch, you need to go in there and use your Abyssal Fart Cloud to try to poison as many of those lizards as you can. Is that something you can do multiple times in a row?" Tom asked.
The dretch nodded its head.
"Great! Time to get in there and cut the Abyssal cheese. Do you need me to pull your finger or anything?" Tom joked.
The dretch looked at him funny, confused, then turned and plodded off after the chickens who had needed no second urging to find a snack.
The lizards turned their attention to the demons headed their way and began to hiss in warning from their perches as they drew closer. Showing no signs of slowing down, the lizards jumped off the building, spread their wings, and began to fly toward the creatures daring to invade their territory.
As they took flight, Tom was reminded of the nature documentaries of bats flying out of a cave at night. They flew erratically and started to dive-bomb the demons. The chickens began to have a hay day grabbing the lizards out of the sky and eating them as they flew by. The dretch was swatting them down and would then grunt as it let out a noxious green cloud from its ass. It was thick like fog rolling in and any lizards that got caught in its billows would crash to the ground choking.
This wasn't going to last though because the demons were being picked apart slowly by the mass of lizards.
"If you have spells use them now!" Tom called readying his eldritch blast. He fired it off at one of the lizards and it caught several others on fire with it as it went down. Having little mana left, he cast dark flame blade and moved in to start swinging. Kevin activated rage and went in to start attacking as well. The rest of the team either followed in or fired at the targets from a distance.
The lizards began to swarm all the melee combatants biting and scratching at them. The weapons were just too big and the targets too small. The team had to retreat.
"FALL BACK!!!" Tom called to everyone.
Everyone began to make a run for it. The lizards persisted and tried to swoop in to continue the attack as the team ran for cover.