“You’re fucking insane.”

“You want to gain those levels?” Andy asked the woman as she stared at them in shock, nodding slowly, “Then that is what we’ll be doing.”

“But why do I gotta be the bait?” Quick asked, “My [Sprint] Skill isn’t lacking or anything, but if I mess up once, I’m dog food!”

Eta growled at her at that, the Rogue just glaring at the Shadow Wolf.

“This is the easiest way to level you up quickly,” Jake shrugged, “At least that we know of. Unless you want to go fight the World Boss a couple of times instead.”

“World Boss?” Quick gulped, “Nah, let’s do this instead.”

“Great,” Jake smiled at her, “So, run into the woods and try to draw an entire pack back to me, Goldrun, and Eta, we’ll take care of the rest.”

“You fucking better,” she muttered as she darted off, the sounds of howling coming from her direction shortly after.

The dark figure blurred past them a few minutes later, quiet swearing coming from her mouth as Quick dove to the ground behind the three of them. The pack of Starved Wolves charged out after her mere seconds later, Jake, Andy and Eta laying into them as the Rogue cowered on the ground. A minute later, and the fight was over, Quick getting up and looking at the carnage around them in surprise.

“I…I got a level just from that!” she gasped, “I’m level five now! And I got a Fate Point for it!”

“We’re not done yet, kid,” Andy laughed as the woman snarled at him, “Get back out there and bring in some more wolves for us.”

“I’m twenty-three!” she called back as she ran back into the woods, this time taking a little longer before the howls sounded out.

“She doesn’t look it,” Andy muttered to Jake as they waited for the Rogue to return, readying their weapons to strike the moment a wolf appeared.

------

Dawn broke over the fields, its light reaching the edge of the forest that surrounded Dusk Keep on three sides. The two men and one wolf didn’t even look up at the beautiful sight as they slaughtered the last of the most recent pack of Starved Wolves, the fourth member of their current party actually helping them now.

“Level seven!” she shouted triumphantly as she downed one of the wolves, watching as Jake and Andy finished off the last two with relative ease, “Damn, that was crazy!”

“You got time for one more round?” Andy chuckled as she started to nod, before freezing, an annoyed look on her face.

“Damn, just got the notice that I only got an hour before log out,” she sighed, “Gonna have to head back to town.”

“Alright,” Andy nodded, “See you around.”

“What about you two? You gonna log out here, or something?”

“Nope, we’ve got friends we’re meeting with later,” Andy grinned, “So we’re going to loot this lot and then head back in for full-timer log in.”

“You talk as though you guys are in Pods,” Quick sighed, shaking her head, before noticing the shit eating grin on Andy’s face, “Wait…you aren’t really, are you? Lucky bastards!”

“Just go back to town,” Andy waved her off, Jake tossing the Rogue a small purse which she easily caught.

“What’s this?” she asked, looking at the purse.

“Your share of the loot,” Jake shrugged, “We’re going to be selling a lot of it, but I don’t know when we’ll see you again, so that’s your share.”

“Nah,” Quick hummed, about to toss the purse back, “The levels are enough for me right now.”

“Keep it,” Jake said flatly, the woman pausing, before pocketing the purse, “We’ll see you around.”

“Oh, sure,” Quick nodded, “But before that, here.”

Quick Fingers has sent you a Friend Request.

Accept?

Y/N?

“Friend request?” Jake asked, Andy nodding.

“Yeah, I friended those other guys we killed the WB with last time, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t know that was a thing,” Jake admitted, getting a confused stare from Quick.

“Sorry about him,” Andy laughed, “Jakey’s a bit of a noob when it comes to MMOs. Just ignore it and you’ll be fine.”

“Right,” Quick said, drawing out the word as she turned away, “Anyway, see you two some other time, then?”

“Count on it,” Andy nodded as the woman left their party and began to run back to town, “Well, that went better than expected.”

“And?” Jake asked.

“And what?” Andy replied.

“Did you also level up?”

“What? Oh, yeah, about an hour ago, actually,” Andy grinned, “Level nine now. Soon enough I’ll be able to get a pass to enter the city from the Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Pass to enter the city?” Jake hummed as they started to loot the bodies, Jake harvesting the Alphas once again.

“Yep,” Andy said cheerfully, “You have to reach level ten before you can get one. I mean, some folks have made it to the city gates, but the guards won’t let you in unless you have a Guild Pass.”

“I see,” Jake nodded, “So, what now?”

“Now, we finish looting and harvesting, then we head back into town and meet up with my regular party by Miri’s shop,” Andy grinned, “Oh, I can’t wait to see how surprised they’re going to be to finally meet you.”

“Miri’s shop?” Jake asked, “Where’s that?”

------

Sophie Baxter, the seventeen-year-old only daughter of Gregory Baxter, a prominent and wealthy businessman, was confused.

“Why did you not tell me that you were acquaintances with a lord, Miss Sticated?” Salazar Oftburn, the Mage Class Trainer, asked almost as soon as she had logged back into the Mage’s Tower of Dusk Keep, “And one so talented and knowledgeable in the Arcane Arts! You simply must bring him back here as soon as possible! I have so many questions for him about his Magic!”

“I…will do just that, Ser Oftburn,” Sophie nodded dumbly, shocked by the usually surly and dismissive man’s strange new attitude.

“Ah, no need for that, you may simply call me Salazar,” he said excitedly, Sophie noticing the jealous stares from the other Mages around them, “Especially if you bring that man back to me! Oh, what I have learnt already, and could learn from him in the future! It almost bogles the mind!”

“I’ll get right on that, then,” Sophie nodded again, walking stiffly through the doors of the tower and into the library.

She quickly checked her messages, seeing the Goldrun had sent a group message asking their party to meet up in the alley that Miracle Crafter, or Miri to her friends, used as a makeshift workshop. Shaking the strange interaction with the Class Trainer from her mind, Sophie began heading in that direction. It took her a while to reach the alley, having to push through the press of other players as they logged in and rushed to the Adventurers’ Guild or various taverns to meet up with their own parties, but she eventually did it.

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“Hello all,” she said as she walked into the cool dimness of the alley, stopping as she spotted the new figure standing in the midst of her regular party.

He was wearing a large cloak, trimmed in obsidian black fur, with a wolf’s head cowl hiding most of his face. That would have been surprising enough, if he hadn’t currently been unloading stacks upon stacks of hides and iron ingots into Miri’s arms as the crafter looked like it was the greatest day of her life. Shadow and Goldrun were just laughing, Holi standing off to the side reading from a book as they looked up at her arrival.

“Who is this?” she asked before she could stop herself, the stranger handing over the last of his materials before turning to face her, pulling back his hood to reveal a strangely familiar face.

“This,” Goldrun said dramatically as he held out a hand towards the man, “Is my friend, Jakey.”

“I…Hello,” Sophie said as she held out a hand, the man taking and shaking it firmly, “I am Sophie Sticated.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” he said in a friendly but formal tone, his smile natural, but still obviously practiced, just as she had had to learn for the many functions her father had taken her to in the past, “I’m Jake. Jake Grey.”

“Likewise,” Sophie nodded, still staring at him as she tried to place why he looked so familiar, “Are you a friend of Goldy’s?”

“Goldy’s?” the man asked, looking at the Defender as he nodded, “Oh, yes. I share an apartment with him. Or…at least we did. But An-, I mean Goldrun is my friend, yes.”

“And he’s the Firster!” Shadow suddenly shouted, “Goldy wasn’t lying! He really is friends with the Firster!”

“That’s beside the point right now, Shadow,” the Defender laughed, turning to his friend, his grin growing even wider, “Why don’t you show it to them, Jakey?”

“Show it to them?” the man blinked in obvious confusion, “Show what to them?”

“The token, obviously,” Goldrun sighed, Jake starting slightly before nodding and taking something out of his inventory.

“No way! Is that a Permanent Guild Token?” Shadow gasped, staring at the black palm-sized token, “They cost a fortune! How’d you get one?”

“Well, it turns out that breaking the game as badly as Jakey did is quite profitable,” Goldrun laughed, “So he’s pretty much loaded with gold! He was also the one who bought me the full set of Iron Armour I’m wearing.”

“Speaking of, give it to me,” Miri suddenly said, motioning at Goldrun’s gear, “It’s barely serviceable in that condition, I’ll repair and upgrade it as much as I can. Which should be a lot with all these materials.”

“Right!” Goldrun nodded, quickly unequipping the armour and handing it to the crafter without question, who immediately set about taking it apart, “Anyway, get in the party, Sophie, we were waiting for you to get here so we could form the Guild.”

“Form a Guild?” Sophie asked, Goldrun nodding enthusiastically as she automatically accepted the party invitation, “Right now?”

“Yep,” the muscular man said, turning back to Jake again, “Okay, Jakey, you’re up! All you need to do is squeeze the token and it should activate!”

“Okay,” Jake nodded, blinking a moment later as the screens appeared in front of all of them, “It requires a name? What should I call the Guild?”

“Ooh! The Shadow Cabal!” Shadow shouted, the idea immediately getting shot down by Goldrun.

“Nah, man, it’s Jakey’s token, he gets to decide on the name,” he said, “So come up with a good one, mate!”

“A good name?” Jake hummed, looking down at the large wolf Sophie hadn’t noticed beside him, and nodding his head.

The screen in front her quickly changed, Sophie reading over it in mild shock.

You have been invited to join the Traveller Guild: Champions of Gaia as a Founding Member.

Accept?

Y/N?

Numbly, she accepted the prompt, a notification telling her she’d gained a new Title as part of an Achievement appearing a moment later, which she quickly checked.

Guild Founder

You are a Founding Member of the Traveller Guild: Champions of Gaia

Rare Title

+5% damage when partied with Guild Members.

“Holy shit!” Shadow said happily, “This Title is awesome! Especially since we’re all going to be partied together most of the time anyway! And we get a Fate Point as well! But what’s with the name?”

“I know, right?” Goldrun hummed in satisfaction, “And I wouldn’t diss the name if I were you, Jakey’s god might smite you or something.”

“Smite me? God?” Shadow blinked, “What are you talking about, Goldy?”

“Oh, right,” the large man said, tapping his chin in thought, “You guys don’t know the full story yet, do you? Hey Jakey, you feel up to telling them?”

“Sure,” the other man nodded, Sophie finally finding her voice.

“Wait,” she said, staring at Goldrun in annoyance as she used [Observe] on him, “Before that, I have a question for you, Goldy. When and how did you reach level nine without us?!”

------

“Woah, that’s crazy!” Shadow said as Jake finished his story, “So you managed to solo a World Boss, got some super awesome Titles and a bunch of Epic Quality equipment, and got a Quest reward from a god?”

“Gaia isn’t a god, though,” Jake tried to explain, “Well, not exactly. She’s a Primal, something beyond a god. At least, according to what I’ve researched and what she’s told me.”

“Doesn’t matter,” the Rogue laughed, “We really do have the Firster in our party, and that’s enough for me!”

“What confuses me is how you managed to do all of this without the entire server finding out about you,” Sophie hummed, “I mean, we did get a notification about you reaching level ten, but after that, nothing. There’s been almost nothing about you on the forums, either!”

“Yeah, but that’s a good thing, right?” Andy said, watching Miri closely as she reforged and polished his new armour, “I mean, people not knowing about Jakey is better for all of us, because we aren’t going to get swamped by randos looking for handouts, right?”

“Yes, but you said that you partied with a few off-timers before, yet I can’t find any posts about Jake by them at all,” Sophie huffed, scrolling through the forums on the screen open in front of her, “I can find plenty of posts by them by searching their game names, mostly looking for other off-timers to play with, but other than one of them boasting about a sword he got, there’s nothing specific about Jake.”

“Oh, that might be because of the Privacy Clause Mr Steele was talking about before,” Jake said as he watched the Mage wave her hands about in front of her, “He mentioned it made it difficult to find me at first, and I had to give them permission to contact me.”

“And how did they get that permission if they couldn’t contact you in the first place?”

“Oh, they asked Gaia to ask me,” Jake hummed, petting Eta behind the ears as the wolf sat beside him, “I gave permission through her, and Mr Steele called our old apartment right after we logged out on the first day.”

“Wait, Mr Steele? As in Howard Steele?” Shadow gasped, “The guy who’s basically in charge of GNW?”

“That’s the guy,” Andy grinned as he nodded, “I just about had a heart attack myself when I answered the call. Imagine being halfway through dinner, and arguably the most important person in the gaming world right now calls you up for a chat! Speaking of which, did you guys get messages about contracts when the Guild got made?”

“A message?” Shadow asked, quickly waving his hands in front of him, “Nope, no messages here.”

“Me neither,” Holi added.

“Really? Weird. I got one confirming that my subordinate contract was fully active now, but that’s probably cause I signed it earlier,” Andy hummed, “Anything on your side, Jakey?”

“Oh, yes, actually,” the cloaked man said, “I have a bunch of notifications asking if I want to send the contracts to each of you, except Andy.”

“Who?” Sophie asked, looking at him in confusion, “Who’s Andy?”

“He is?” Jake said, pointing at the Defender as Goldrun groaned, shaking his head slightly.

“Wait, Goldy’s real name is Andy?” Shadow chuckled, quickly putting on a dour expression as Andy glared at him, “Right, that’s not cool, Jakey. You aren’t supposed to leak personal info in game.”

“What? Oh, right,” the man blushed, “Sorry, Andy.”

“It’s cool, Jakey,” Andy sighed, “It was bound to happen eventually. But yeah, my name is Andy in the real world.”

“Brian,” Shadow suddenly said, making the others look at him in confusion, “That’s my name. Only seems fair to share it after all.”

“Rachel,” Miri hummed, dunking a piece of armour into the trough of water at her side, causing steam to billow out of it.

“Well, if we’re all sharing, I am Helena,” Holi nodded, turning to look at Sophie.

“Sophie,” the Mage sighed, pouting slightly when the others just stared, “What? It’s not like I’m the only one who uses their real name as their gamer handle.”

“Fair enough,” Andy chuckled, “And you all already know that Jakey is called Jake IRL. So, are you going to send those contracts through or not, mate?”

“Sure,” Jake nodded, holding out hand before pausing, “Oh, who would like me to send the contract to them? I don’t want to annoy you all with something you’ll reject.”

“Send it over!” Shadow grinned, “If it’s half as good as Goldy claims, it’ll be worth it!”

“Sure,” Miri muttered as well.

“I would like to see it, even if I may not be able to accept,” Holi nodded, “I have to be available for my children and husband in the real world, after all.”

“I mean, I won’t be able to sign without my parents’ permission, but I can send it to them to check,” Sophie sighed, “My dad knows a lot about this sort of thing.”

“Wait, without your folks’ permission?” Shadow chuckled, “What, are you a kid? Would explain a bunch of stuff, actually, like how you’re so small!”

“Like you’re one to talk, Shadow,” Andy laughed as the Rogue pouted, before quickly looking at the contract that had just appeared in front of him, “How old are you, Sophie? If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Seventeen, turning eighteen in two months in the real world,” she replied as she also started looking over the contract, “So I’m technically still a minor, thus needing my parents’ permission to sign.”

“Dude,” Shadow breathed, “This contract is crazy! Access to a FD Pod, a monthly salary, and in game bonuses? I am one hundred percent signing this thing!”

“Same,” Miri hummed, having paused in her work to read through the contract as well, “Done.”

“There’s even a family health insurance package!” Holi gasped, “Henry’s medication is expensive, and this will help immensely.”

“So, you’re all going to sign?” Andy grinned, everyone except Sophie nodding, “Great, then send the contract over to your folks, Sophie. I’m sure they’ll be cool with you working for someone as big as Neurotech. Oh, wait, don’t you have school as well? Won’t that mess with your playtime?”

“Not really,” the Mage replied, sending the document to her father’s private inbox, “I’ve been privately tutored most of my life, so I’m actually done with school for the most part. That’s how I’m able to play GNW as much as I am, my father let me have a gap year of sorts before I have to attend University.”

“Nice,” Andy nodded, “Anyway, I think that’s everything, so how about we go get some food and discuss the plan for getting you all to level ten pronto!”