In the few seconds it took Evelyn to glance at the message and read what it said, Marvin had vanished from the street. She just about caught a glimpse of his figure disappearing into a nearby alleyway.

“Marvin! It’s Evelyn, what the hell man? After all this time you’re just going to vanish on me?” she shouted, but his footsteps didn’t falter and by the time she had run to the alley, the man was gone. “FUCK! Why?”

It was perhaps the first time she had cursed since arriving in the tower. Evelyn had no idea what to do, and no clue what would have caused one of her best friends in the world to run away from her like that. Their reunion was perhaps one of the things she most anticipated, and had been thinking about endlessly during her time in the tower.

One of the few things getting her through the darkest and most difficult challenges had been the prospect of seeing Marvin, Lily and her family again. So why had the reality been so far from her imagination?

I just don’t understand. And on top of that, there’s this ‘World Event’ going on. I won’t be able to find Marvin, if he doesn’t want to be found. It sucks, but I have to focus on the bank and this event, given that it’s time limited. He’s in Haven somewhere and I will track him down as soon as I can. Idiot.

“Who was that?” asked Anthea, a curious glint in her eye.

“Oh no one,” she replied, “I thought I recognised them but I was mistaken.”

“I see.”

They went the remainder of the walk back to the guild headquarters in silence. It had been a pathetic lie, and Evelyn knew that Anthea had seen through it, but the girl had the emotional intelligence to not pry further.

When they returned, it was to a transformed building. Her mother had been hard at work during the past few hours and had delved deep into the workings of the property system, resulting in a metamorphosis of the place.

The floors were still made of marble, but were no longer scuffed and dirty. Black streaks curled and twisted through the white stone and four pillars led up to the border of a domed glass roof that filtered the last rays of the setting sun into sparkling beams that illuminated dancing specks of dust.

To one side of the lobby there was a long desk crafted from a dark wood, reddish brown in colour and topped with a slab of the same marble as the floor. There was a padded chair behind it which looked luxuriously comfortable, along with a stack of paper and a few quills. Evelyn had no clue where her mother had obtained them, but they completed the air of professionalism that now suffused the place.

On the opposite wall to the desk the name of the guild had been carved out in black lettering, a sharp contrast to the white marble walls. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the particular style her mother had chosen, but Evelyn couldn’t deny that it looked magnificent.

Anyone who walked into the Defiance building would immediately know that their guild was a serious organisation with plenty of essence behind it. That was the vibe Evelyn was getting, at least.

“Woooow.”

Turning to Anthea, Evelyn saw her mouth agape and eyes wide as she looked around the place. To someone who hadn’t experienced her mother’s particular taste for design it would have been a shock, she was sure.

Even the staircase had received a makeover, now made from marble rather than the smooth grey stone it had been before and with a few ornate gold trimmings and decorations here and there. Anthea plodded around, staring up at the glass roof in wonder as Mei Han came down the stairs and beamed upon seeing her daughter’s return.

“Evelyn my dear, how was your walk? What do you think of the lobby? Simply fabulous, isn’t it?”

“Yes, you’ve outdone yourself mother. I love it. Especially the roof, it’s a beautiful touch. Are father and Kayla still here? We need to talk about this World Event.”

“Your father is just upstairs, he said he needed some time alone to think about something. Your… friend is it? She went out. Said she would be back later this evening.”

“Friend? Something like that, yeah. Who knows. Can you call him down? I’ll need to try and find Kayla, but I don’t know if we’ll have time. Maybe when she sees the message she’ll come back.”

“Oh, if you want to reach her you can use the guild chat! We were having a look through everything that became available and discovered it. Much more useful than that crowded local chat.”

“Huh, that is nifty. If only there was a private messaging feature,” Evelyn lamented.

“That would be so cool. Then I could talk to you and Kayla all the time, even when we aren’t together,” said Anthea.

Evelyn didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm, though she now hoped that if there was a private messaging feature it would come with a block function, or at the very least a mute button. “Yeah, super cool.”

Guild Chat - Defiance

Eve: Kayla, I need you back at the headquarters to talk about this World Event. There’s a timer and I don’t want the other guilds and people of Haven to get a headstart on us.

The guild chat functioned in much the same way as the local chat and Evelyn didn’t struggle to figure it out. Kayla didn’t respond immediately, but after thirty seconds or so a message came through.

K: Sure thing darlin’. I was going to head back soon, give me fifteen minutes.

“Alright, we’ll gather here in fifteen - that’s when Kayla is going to be back. If you have any skill crystals lying about or spare attribute points, now is the time to spend them.”

“It’s so difficult to think about which skills to mix together, though. I’ll just choose the strongest ones. That seems smart,” said Anthea, her face screwed in concentration as she tapped through her invisible menu.

“Whatever works for you. Feel free to ask for help if you need it.”

“Okay, I will. Thanks.”

~~~

Twenty-five minutes later, the five members of Defiance had gathered in the lobby to discuss the first World Event. Kayla had arrived a little later than she had expected, and her father had taken his sweet time pulling himself together.

World Events had been mentioned back when Ventura cleared the 16th Floor for the first time. There had been some speculation among the people of Haven about what they were, but after so long without any further information from the tower the topic soon went forgotten.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Now, it had resurfaced in a big way and there were plenty of resources up for grabs, provided the five of them were able to compete with the other, larger guilds and the numerous unaffiliated challengers in Haven.

First, they all read over the message from the tower regarding the World Event. It was expansive and vague at the same time, giving them a lot of useless fluff and little concrete knowledge.

~ World Event 1 ~

Invasion of the Deep

It has been a few months since Haven was founded, and in that time it has grown to become a bastion of respite for the challengers of this tower. However, the previous residents of the area are not pleased with this blight on the landscape. They are rising up from the deep depths in which they dwell to make their objections known.* Event Information *Duration: 48 HoursDifficulty Rating: B-Clear Conditions: SurviveBand together or compete to defeat the most invaders amongst your factions, the decision is in your hands. Choose wisely though, because you may find that there is nothing left to rule over once the dust clears.Rewards will be allocated based on individual and guild contributions, and distributed separately. Full access to Haven’s defences will be unlocked upon event start.Best of luck to you, challengers.Time until World Event begins: 01:14:36

“So, we’re being invaded from underground. Does that mean the monsters will attack from anywhere in the city? Or only from beyond the walls. Should we split up or fight together? Any suggestions?” said Evelyn.

Despite her reservations about taking up the mantle of leadership, she found herself settling into the role rather well. That didn’t mean she intended to do so forever, but at least for now it was a comfortable distraction.

“My initial thought was that they would invade from outside the city. There’s a hint in that last paragraph, about the defences being unlocked. It suggests that they will be useful during the event. The tower is a cruel bastard, but it never does things without purpose,” said Kayla.

“That’s true. Why don’t we position ourselves on the walls, with a clear vantage point that lets us see into the city and outside. That way we can react to whatever happens when the event starts. We are at a disadvantage against the larger guilds and I don’t think spreading ourselves thin is the way to go. Focusing our firepower in one place until it becomes ineffective seems like the best strategy,” suggested her father.

“I think your father is right dear. Staying together means we won’t be at risk of sabotage from others. And I’m loath to let you out of my sight after finally reuniting,” said her mother.

Evelyn hadn’t even considered the sabotage angle. She had been so excited for a fresh challenge that the idea that others might take advantage of the chaos to kill other challengers hadn’t crossed her mind. However, it was a clear fact that killing another person would give you a portion of their essence and stars. Some unscrupulous individuals would be seeking to capitalise on that.

“Alright then. We’ll stick together as one group and find a suitable position on the walls. We only have an hour before the event begins so grab whatever you need and let’s get moving. Try to avoid the bigger guilds for now, we don’t need to make more enemies than we already have,” said Evelyn.

“Sounds like fun,” said Anthea.

“You’re the boss, darlin’. I go where you point me.”

“Wonderful plan dear, I’ll do my best to assist.”

“Have you made progress on the bank yet, my little menace?” asked her father, taking everyone by surprise and earning him a few strange looks.

“Not the time, husband. I know you’re excited about Evelyn’s project but try to table it until after this current palaver is finished,” said her mother.

Anthony looked rather sheepish after the scolding from his wife but Evelyn was giggling away. The whole thing was rather funny to her, but seeing her parents acting like teenagers in love was heartwarming.

“There’s one other thing we need to figure out before we leave,” said Kayla as the group prepared to depart. “Defiance needs a symbol. A logo to represent our guild.”

“Yes! How about an ant? Ants are great,” said Anthea with great enthusiasm.

“They sure are darlin’, but I’m not sure they would convey the right image.”

“What is the right image? What represents us as a group?” asked Evelyn.

“Well, the name you chose represents rebellion. To choose your own path and not give in against all the odds. How about a phoenix? They are locked in an eternal battle with death. They defy its clutches. And they’re beautiful,” suggested her mother.

“I like it. It’s poetic,” said Kayla.

“What a perfect idea Mei,” said her father.

“What’s a phoenix?” asked Anthea.

Evelyn burst out laughing. The cheerful girl always usurped the tension, always flipped a moment on its head. “I love it. Fantastic idea, mother.”

A few moments later, through the magic of the property system and a crafty application of her talents, Mei had produced a black shield carving underneath the ‘Defiance’ written on the lobby wall. Upon the shield was engraved a golden phoenix, rising from a pile of golden ash.

“Now, let’s go and beat this World Event’s ass,” said Kayla.

It only took a few more minutes for the group to be ready, since everything they would need for a battle was already in their inventory or a part of their status. Unlike on Earth where armies would need huge supply chains and craploads of heavy equipment to engage in warfare, things were simpler in the tower and far more exciting.

The street the headquarters was on was situated a little distance from the centre of Haven, which meant the walk to the walls took about twenty five minutes. By the time they had arrived, huge crowds had already gathered and there were queues forming to get up the stairs onto the walls. With fifty minutes until the first World Event began, everyone was equal parts excited, terrified and curious.

“I don’t want to wait around forever. Why don’t we just climb the walls, it shouldn’t be too difficult?” said Anthea.

“I agree with the girl. Most of these people are unaffiliated. We’d make too many enemies if we pushed our way through. The walls are only about fifteen metres tall. With our strength it shouldn’t be a challenge,” said her father.

And so, they began to climb.