Alex shivered in the chilly night air. Not for the first time, he wondered if this was a mistake.

I’m sure I’ve seen this in a horror movie somewhere.

Alex waited near a park bench, and paced to keep warm. The lights of the park allowing him to look back and forth for anyone who was heading in his direction.

He was surprised that it had only been a few days since he registered for The Adventurers Guild. For some reason, he’d expected it to take a week or two for them to get back to him.

He didn’t have to wait long before a man walked up and pulled back his beanie to reveal a familiar face.

“Alex! Good to see you again.”

It was the same recruiter from earlier in the week.

“Andrew, right?”

“You got it. I’m glad you decided to register. You seemed a bit skeptical when we spoke on Monday, so I really wasn’t sure.” Andrew said before reaching his hand out to shake.

He still had the same smiling eyes that made Alex think he was just a generally happy person.

Ugh. Extroverts.

“I was hesitant; you guys want a lot of information. I’m surprised knowledge of skills is so open. Wouldn’t people want to keep that close to their chest?” Alex asked, then shook the man’s hand.

“Hide your abilities? Why would you need to do that? Are you planning on doing something shady?”

“Huh? What— no, I…”

It took a moment for Alex to realize that Andrew was smiling at him with an eyebrow raised.

“I’m just joking, man. Skills are largely private. Even though you gave that information to the Moderators during registration, that sort of information won’t be put on your profile. It’s just there in case the Peacekeepers need to step in, and they rarely do that.”

“Peacekeepers?”

Andrew shrugged. “There is a write-up on the welcome page of the App. When you get access here in a bit, make sure you read through it. There’s a lot of useful information there.”

“Okay, so now what? Am I a Guild Member?”

“Not quite yet. It’s a small thing, but they take “Guild Member” seriously as a title, and you only get that title after you get the premium subscription. A bit silly, I know, but your title will be an ‘Outer Member.’ It just means that you have been vetted and are trusted, but you are missing some access to more features or information.”

“Alright, an Outer Member then. What did you need to meet with me for then?”

Andrew pointed to his eye before saying, “I have to use my skill on you before you get full access. I read your profile before coming over. I just need to use my skill to make sure you didn’t lie about your information.”

“You can see my information?”

“Most scanning or analysis skills pit my Willpower stat against yours. The higher mine is, the more information I get. Since you’re a lower level, I shouldn’t have a problem seeing enough to verify. Now, hold still, please.”

Alex shrugged, though he felt a bit uncomfortable as Andrew just continued to stare at him for a few seconds.

Andrew’s eyes flashed blue, and then he breathed out.

“Alright, Alex. You’re all set, man. Welcome to The Guild.”

Huh?

“That’s it? What did you do? I didn’t feel anything?” Alex asked.

The older man laughed, “Yes, that’s it.”

Alex asked him what exactly his skill did and if Andrew would be willing to share the information. The recruiter just shrugged and said that the information is common knowledge in The Guild, so he didn’t mind sharing.

Andrew’s specific ability was called [Analyze], and it allows him to scan almost anything with System Access to see a brief read-out or description.

Alex was surprised to hear that the skill was used on everyone who joined AG and that it was even used on every Rift that the guild found in the local area. Apparently, using an [Identify] or [Analyze] skill on a Rift would show its Rank and Rarity. That information would then be recorded in the app and sent out to those who were in the appropriate strength range for the Rift.

“So, what is my rank?” Alex asked.

“You’re going to be an E Rank Outer Member, which you’ll see on your ID Card within the app when it populates. It should only take an hour or so.”

"E-Rank? That is what the Nexus Hub notification said the Rift I went into was."

“Yes, that sounds right. E Rank is the lowest rank, so a Common E Rank Rift is the most common and easiest to tackle.” Andrew nodded.

“What level are you, then?”

Andrew shook his head, “Now that is a rude question. So far as etiquette has been established, even me using my skill on you to get your information is considered rude.”

“Okay, I do have one more question. Just about the Guild in general. How can a group like this even exist? Doesn’t the Hunter’s Association have the full weight of the military behind them, not to mention their resources?”

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Andrew chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "You'd be surprised how often I get that question. The truth is, the government's got its hands full right now.”

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. Rifts are popping up all over the country, sometimes multiple at once. The National Guard's being stretched thin trying to contain them all."

Alex's eyes widened. He hadn't realized the situation was that dire.

Fuck. No wonder they're scrambling for recruits.

Andrew continued, "That's where we come in. We're nimble, we're local, and we're not bogged down by all that red tape."

"But they’ve got to have more resources, right? More manpower?" Alex asked.

Andrew smiled at him. “Manpower isn’t everything these days. One Awakened can take on dozens of normal humans or soldiers. It’s about quality over quantity now.” He paused before clarifying, “Not that we’re actually going around fighting against the government’s forces or the military, mind you. But, there have been some instances where our guys have made it to a Rift first, and they don’t bother to try and push in when they see someone else is helping handle the situation. It would likely be more of a headache than it’s worth to try and force Awakened away from the Rift, especially if a fight breaks out.”

The realization hit Alex.

Of course. That makes sense, too. If they’re already struggling to contain the breaches, what’s the point in potentially fighting over who gets to close them?

"Plus," Andrew added, interrupting Alex's train of thought, "you'd be surprised how many people prefer us over the government option. Lot of folk out there who'd rather keep Uncle Sam out of their personal business, you know?"

Alex nodded slowly, processing the information. It all made a lot more sense when it was explained like that. He could imagine people wanting to maintain some sense of independence in the face of such drastic changes, especially if there was a lot of power or wealth to be gained from Rifts.

"I get it," Alex said. "It's not about competing with the government directly. It's about filling in the gaps, being there when they can't be."

Andrew beamed. "Exactly! We're not trying to replace the Hunter's Association. We're just another line of defense in this crazy new world."

As they continued talking, Alex found himself reconsidering his skepticism. The Guild wasn't just some ragtag group of vigilantes. They were organized and purposeful, and apparently, quite a large number of people were willing to support them.

Eventually, Andrew raised his hand, cutting off the torrent of questions.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve got to head to two other recruits before the night’s over. The last thing I need to tell you is to try and stay under the radar. We aren’t in direct competition with the Hunter’s Association, but we certainly can’t go head-to-head with the government if things turned in that direction. We’re a group of normal people who wanted to create a safe haven of information and growth outside of Big Brother’s umbrella. If you get approached by their recruiter, reach out to the Moderators through the app and let them know what’s going on. Almost any other question you could want to ask will have answers in the forum section of the app.” He smiled guiltily after finishing his speech.

Alex put his hands in his pockets.

“Right. Sounds good.”

Andrew waved and began to walk backward away from Alex. With a smile, he added, “Also, read the FAQ. Don’t make a post about every question you’ve got.”

Alex waved back and began to make his way back to his apartment. As he traveled, his thoughts swirled.

Andrew said that I would need to get a premium subscription to the AG app before becoming a Guild Member. John mentioned that his group just finished getting the 'Mana Stones' required for the subscription after about a week and that it was definitely worth it.

I think I should make that my next goal, then.

Guess that means I need to head back into a Rift.

Alex was surprised that the prospect of going into another one didn’t scare him but instead excited him.

While on the way home he checked the app a few times, but the access to his account still wasn’t ready.

It wasn’t until he got home and was making some dinner that the notification pinged on his phone.

Excited, he sat on the couch and began to browse through the articles in the welcome section.

‘Welcome to the Adventurers Guild App!’

Introduction:

‘Welcome, Adventurer! You’re now part of a growing community dedicated to exploring the Rifts and unlocking the potential of your newly awakened abilities. This app serves as your hub for information, training, and connecting with fellow guild members. With your current membership, you’ll have access to limited resources and insights that will enable you to navigate the world of Rifts and power.

The app is still in development, and we’re adding new features regularly! If you want to recommend a feature or see the roadmap for updates, subscribe to the [Newsletter Thread].’

The welcoming article continued with some generic community guidelines and rules. Alex was particularly interested in the bit that mentioned it was best to keep personal information to oneself to ensure safety and that the Guild was not responsible for its members' safety.

They want it to be very clear that they are not trying to be a police force- just a community trying to band together.

It had some references to other articles on how to find Rifts and set up notifications through the app, as well as proper decorum for connecting with other adventurers.

Out of curiosity, Alex clicked on the one about Rift explorations and notifications and was impressed to see the comprehensive article that they’d written. It had some tips and tricks and even a checklist of things that everyone should take into the Rift.

Looks like a camping packing list.

Alex backed out of the article and navigated to the forums tab within the app. He had to close out of a premium membership pop-up that let him know they were creating training games and classes exclusive to the membership.

There were articles on all sorts of topics and posts about people sharing their abilities or asking questions about specific monsters that they had encountered.

Woah. This is a lot.

Despite the sheer volume of information he now had available to him, Alex couldn’t help but feel excited. He knew, without a doubt, that he wouldn’t want to do anything else but dive head-first into the app.

Before diving into any of the articles, he wanted to check out his ID card. There was a button at the bottom of the screen with an icon that looked like a driver’s license. When he clicked on it, an image of what looked to be a digital ID card presented itself in landscape mode.

He turned his phone sideways to get a better look. He was surprised to note that the photo was the same one used on his government-issued ID, and the card had information neatly arranged around the card.

Hate that picture.

Alex remembered taking it two years ago. He’d been wearing a black hoodie and had tried to smile, but the woman behind the counter had yelled at him for it and then told him to take off his jacket. So, instead of looking his best, he looked like a criminal being processed. A flat face, tousled brown hair, and unamused dark brown eyes staring into the camera.

The card showed that he was an E Rank Recruit, Level 1, and had no class. He was relieved to see that it didn’t say anything about his Trait on there.

Pretty lackluster, huh? Maybe they’ll put more on there as I level up.

There wasn’t much to it right now.

He shrugged and leaned back while tabbing back over to the forums to see if there were any interesting posts. It didn’t take long until he had found several that interested him. One article, in particular, caught his attention, though. It was titled “Learn to Use Mana and Empower Your Body.” His eyes lit up, and he tapped on the article, but before he could begin to read, he heard a loud hissing sound behind him.

Fuck!

He jumped up and moved quickly to the stove as the water boiled and splashed over the side of the pot.