The evacuation of the NPCs from the forest and the homes that appeared continued to go on without incident. Kokou and Awen continued to clear out a parameter around the Guild Hall which made the final stretch much easier on the confused and tired families. Soon just as Pneuma predicted there were more people then they had the capacity to house even in the 250 room Guild Hall. Soon tents were set up in the now cleared grounds as temporary housing.
Kevin and Jessica were confused at such a large influx of people. They weren’t NPC that worked for them, instead they seemed to be the spouses and children of staff members. These individuals would not have existed in the game but it was implied that many NPCs had families. Meaning that coming to this world created families for NPC and the influx where the homes that those families would have realistically had. As time went on things finally started to set in for Kevin and Jessica and this unbelievable event started to feel more real.
Soon more of the Avatars appeared, first was Hyperion who rushed to the grand entrance with his weapon, a golden lance, called [God Craft] Sun’s Retribution, in hand thinking they were under attack. He was still in pain, the effect of the teleportation to the new world so Jessica was surprised he could move at all. Jessica user her [Deal with the Devil] ability and Hyperion joined the rescue effort. Following Hyperion was Eraká who turned out to be a gentle giant like Lilitu wrote in her bio. She took charge of the temporary housing and helped families get settled. All of the servants that had been gathered were put to work cooking and helping to construct the tents. That left only two avatars that Kevin and Jessica hadn’t seen yet.
It appeared that rescue efforts were going to continue well into the night and many people appeared to be running on fumes by this point. Jessica sat with Daiyu, she wanted to get as much insight into how the NPCs acted as possible. They seemed to remember the world of the game differently from how the actual game played. To them they always had families and lives and recalled an abridged version of game events as if they were real. Daiyu recalled the day AFKIRL won the Guild Battle and she and her sister were hired to work for the greatest guild in all the realms.
“The way you used that artillery magic with master Harahel rushing the enemy team at the end was incredible!” Daiyu said with excitement as she sat on the floor beside Jessica. “And it was only the two of you left and you beat like fifty guys! Who does that?”
“It was a close battle,” Jessica said with a smile. “We almost lost had it not been for Ke… Harahel distracting the enemy long enough for me to finish the spell. Using artillery magic that close is not recommended.”
“Thank you for staying here with me, Lady Lilitu. Honestly I thought you would be a little different.” Daiyu said. “Not in a bad way! I just thought you wouldn’t care about someone like me.”
“I care about everyone here.” Jessica stated as she pointed to the stitched insignia of the guild on Daiyu’s sleeve. “That means we are family.”
“Daiyu!” A voice called out.
Daiyu’s head snapped to the origin of the sound. A woman, Daiyu’s sister Li was running in from the door screaming her name. Li looked exhausted and panicked. Li is in the guard uniform with a saber at her side. She was a mid level guard which in the game would have made her around level forty five. Of course as a mob NPC she would be significantly outmatched by a player of the same level. Jessica stood as Daiyu got up and ran towards Li. The two sisters embraced warmly as Jessica walked casually over to them.
“We have been waiting for you, Miss Li.” Jessica said as she approached.
Li’s tired eyes opened wide as she kneeled down. Li looked over to Daiyu and instructed her to do the same when she saw that she wasn’t.
“There is no need for that.” Jessica said with a smile. “Trust me I am not royalty.”
“Lady Lilitu pardon my sister.” Li stated shooting her a disappointed glare.
“Your sister helped me considerably, there is nothing to pardon.” Jessica said with a smile. “After you two catch up, come find me tomorrow. I would like to talk to you as well, Miss Li.”
***
Kevin and Pneuma walked the now cleared space between the massive Guild Hall and the dense forest. The ground was soft fertile dirt which was practically tilled thanks to Awen’s powers. Every now and then a new group of people would emerge from the woodland being escorted by one of the many guards. The map provided by Pneuma proved instrumental in the recovery efforts. However, more homes and people were still appearing and with night approaching they were worried that not everyone would be found before nightfall.
Kevin looked at the faces of the NPC, they looked exhausted, some ready to collapse. The guards were relentless in their search after all many of them were finding family members. It seemed as though panic might break out any moment, the guards only holding it together because they could lose themselves in their responsibilities.
“More houses have appeared in the west,” Pneuma's shy voice said. “And I can sense Murder Lord Death Kill and Aureole inside.”
“That’s fantastic, that means the gang's all here.” Kevin said. “We need to get everyone together.”
“Did you want to use the guild chat?” Pneuma asked.
“Wait, you know about the guild chat system?” Kevin asked.
“Yes of course! We use it all of the time.” Pneuma said.
“I see.” Kevin stated. “Pneuma, this may sound odd but the transference from our world to this one has left me disoriented. Could you explain how to use the Guild Chat?”
“Oh, it is no problem at all! You taught me how to use it so it is like I get to pay you back!” Pneuma said giddily in her shy way. “All you should have to do is think about the guild. Focus on those with the crest of AFKIRL. You will be able to feel our presence in your mind. Then push your magic through that connection! You can talk to everyone that has the crest of the guild or chose a specific person.”
“Anyone with the crest? Including the servants and guards?” Kevin asked.
“Of course.” Pneuma said.” Although the servants can’t respond if you contact them they don’t have enough magic, so it’s a one way communication. The guards can only use it if you or Lady Lilitu allows them to. They have a different chat with one another that they use.
Kevin knew that spells worked since he used his flight and movement skills earlier and Jessica summoned her weapon to heal many of the people suffering in the area. However the guild chat wasn't magic in the game, it was a system to help players coordinate their teams.
If we can utilize systems from the game, not just magic, maybe we are still stuck in the game, Kevin thought to himself.
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Kevin thought about opening the contact menu and sighed when it didn’t open. He then thought about how he used his skills earlier. It was instinctive as if he had used them the same way his whole life. He thought about each member of the guild and could feel their presences. As the Vice Guild Master he was overwhelmed for a moment as he felt the soul of every guard, servant and avatar that possessed the mark of the guild on their soul. He was flooded with the knowledge of every name, job title, and level of each presence he felt. He reached out with his magic to the one he recognized as Lilitu or rather Jessica.
“Go ahead of me, Pneuma.” Kevin stated as he acclimated his power. “Thank you for showing me this.”
“You are welcome anytime!” Pneuma said as she walked around him.
“Jessica, can you hear me?” Kevin's thought traveled through the connection.
“Kevin?” Jessica responded. “Where are you?”
“Apparently Guild Chat still works. Pneuma showed me how to use it.” Kevin responded.
“This feels,” Jessica paused for a second to think of a word. “Uhh… invasive. Like you are talking directly to my soul.”
“I think I am.” Kevin said.
“Weird,” Jessica stated, “But what do you think about all of this?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what to think right now. If we were stuck in the game things would not be this… real.” Kevin said. “I talked with some of the NPCs. They act more like real people than some of the people I knew on the Bridge. If they were AI why? Your sister would have taken you out of the game by now I am sure.”
Jessica talked about her conversation with Daiyu and her perspective on the game world which to the NPC and Avatars are the real worlds. They all recall entire lives lived out in the game that shouldn’t be possible. They have familial ties with one another and others had actual relationships.
“If the avatar’s are based off of the text we wrote for them, are we going to change to be more like what we wrote for Harahel and Lilitu?” Jessica asked somberly.
“I don’t think…” Kevin started.
“No really.” Jessica interrupted. “Somethings are coming to me that I shouldn’t know or remember. Like what magic feels like to utilize. Even this feels familiar like a memory coming back to me. Before it felt like I was controlling a game, now… not so much.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Kevin relented. “But I don’t think we will become Harahel and Lilitu maybe. If this is real to begin with, what… we got transported to another world as our guild? Anyway we will talk about it later tonight. Pneuma taught me how to do this so we can get everyone together. All of our avatars are finally here.”
“So we are going to have a meeting with everyone?” Jessica asked.
“At least with the avatars and the captain of the guard.” Kevin responded. “We need a solid plan and the avatars seem to know what they are doing. I don’t know anything about search and rescue so I have just been walking around staying out of everyone's way. After everything is secure we can see about finding a way out of here.”
“They still see us as the Lilitu and Harahel. I don't think we should tell them otherwise.” Jessica said. “They look up to us which is weird but we are like heroes or royalty to most of them.”
“Yeah, so we roleplay.” Kevin said. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah,” Jessica responded. “Luckily I was raised to be a CEO. I guess now I can put some of that business school PHD to work.”
“You got this, I will connect everyone.” Kevin said.
Jessica and Kevin could feel the connection between themselves and everyone connected to the guild. All information flooded into their minds from their names, faces, races, classes and jobs. It was as if they looked at the character profile of hundreds of people all at the same time. If their minds had been purely human it would have driven them mad however they could feel their own souls push back and organize the chaos just as quickly as it flowed into them.
Jessica stepped out of the guild hall and stood at the top step of the grand entrance way she had her guandao in her right hand she stood tall emanating earned prestige. Everyone out in the newly forming settlement stopped what they were doing and looked up at her. Kevin as Harahel flew in an instant over to her side using the combination of skills he used earlier.
“To everyone that hears my voice and knows the name AFKIRL.” Jessica said her voice echoed in the mind of everyone with the mark of the guild in their soul. Those that weren’t marked heard her voice carry across the field and well into the forest. “I am Lilitu, Guild Master. I know many of you are scared, you are tired, and confused and that is okay. We do not know why we were summoned here or what forces brought us to this strange land. However, there is no guild stronger to defy Kings and slay Gods. To each of you I make this promise. I will get us home on my name as Guild Master of AFKIRL.” Jessica lifted her guandao into the air. “Your blood is not yours to shed.” Jessica said while planting the staff end of the guandao firmly on the ground. “Reclaim what belongs to me.”
The spell [Deal with the Devil] S activated and the sparkes of green light once again rose from the ground. Everyone within its large area of effect felt rejuvenated yet again. Those that were tired felt as if they just got a full night's rest. The spell soothed the mind and spirit of the people and what was once fear became determination to survive and admiration for Lilitu.
Kevin then dropped the magical connection to everyone but the avatars and the highest level guard commanders.
“Everyone, we are having a meeting in the briefing room now.” Kevin states. “Be there in one hour with your reports on the situation.”
***
The briefing room was a large space that looked more like a lavish indoor amphitheater. A platform for presenting information in the center of the half circle rows. Behind the platform were two raised podiums and chairs for the guild master and the vice master. Behind them was the crest of the guild embroidered in gold on a scarlet tapestry. Two floating pillars covered in glowing runes spun in place on both sides of the stage. The pillars projected the voice of anyone on the stage.
Kevin and Jessica sat at their podium looking out at the gathered NPC and avatars that up until a few short hours ago they would have never expected to be having conversations. Kevin and Jessica had one of their hands interlocked under the podium as they continued to have a private conversation using the guild chat function so that no one could hear them.
During the hour they had leading up to the meeting they found that many of the menus they thought they lost worked much like the chat. They were incorporeal only existing in the flow of their magic. Kevin had recalled how early when Pneuma presented him with the map it appeared out of nowhere. When Kevin and Jessica searched inside their magic they felt their inventories from the game. They could visualize every item they had stored in the incorporeal space and could pull them out at any time. They could not log out or contact the GM giving them both a hard pill to swallow. They both looked at each other for a second before Jessica nodded and stood up ready to face the reality of the situation.
All of the avatars and the chosen NPC arrived on time and the meeting was about to commence. The attendees were of course Kevin as Harahel and Jessica as Lilitu at the appropriate podiums. Then there was Pneuma, Awen, Kokou, Svaralfer, Hyperion, Eraká and finally the late comers Aureole and Murder Lord Death Kill who all sat in the first row. They had to make sure that Kokou and Svaralfer were on opposite sides of the small group. It didn’t really help as they had been arguing since they saw each other.
The two new avatars were still being caught up to the very limited knowledge the others had on the situation. Murder Lord Death Kill who preferred to be called Murder for short was excited at the possibility in finding new plants he can use in his potion making experiments. His antennae twitched wildly at the thought of being able to explore a new world full of never categorized plants.
Aureole was the opposite; he sat back and just absorbed the information being presented to him. His time as an assassin made him into a man of action not words. Whether he was in a new world or his old one all he needed to know was what beast needed to die next. He took out one of his many daggers and began polishing it while he waited for the meeting to start.
Liminal the Security Chief for the high ranked guards, sat behind the avatars out of respect; he was a level 100 celestial of the shinigami race. He wore an oni mask over a featureless black void of where his face would be. His outfit looked like that of a high ranked British colonial general with the guild seal on both sleeves. This was Kevin and Jessica’s first time seeing this NPC before and so they concluded he was one of the mysterious new beings created to fit the gap between game and reality.
In the third row was Freddric Ironjaw, the man over Lilitu’s personal Security detail. He was a level 75 human and wore very similar plate armor to what Cullen and Noah wore. He was older in his late fifties and had a grizzled face with a long thick beard. He had the demeanor of a veteran soldier looking to spend his twilight years in service for as long as his body allowed. Despite his age his broad shoulders and keen eyes more than displayed his skill with the mace at his waist.