The Administrator stood on the surface of the red planet, observing from a distance as the new set of Guides introduced themselves to this batch of humans. It was an occurrence she’d seen many times before, though rarely from this close. This pair was new to it, she could tell. The strain in their smiles, the exaggerated gestures; it was a clear giveaway.

At least, in the eyes of the Administrator. The humans likely couldn’t tell. Their emotions were enough to distract them from the subtle signs.

She could hardly blame them. The humans or the Guides. The Integration of Earth had been… unprecedented. And unexpected. This tutorial group was still larger than standard, but the systems in place had been strained to the limit trying to deal with the sudden influx. These Guides had been pulled out of their apprenticeships early to run their tutorial here. Assisting the tens of millions of humans that had been transferred here would be a crash course that they wouldn’t ever forget.

This was the last of the humans she had had to split off from the initial tutorial group. The prophesied Integrations were still taking place during the Earth fiasco, and having to find suitable tutorial worlds for hundreds of new groups while trying to mitigate the effects on planned integrations had been an impossible task, even for her.

Many toes had been stepped on. Guides had been upset to learn that the planets they’d made plans and strategies for had been suddenly taken for others; upset enough, even, to speak up to her. Few would be able to muster the courage to speak out against an Administrator, and only those working within the organization that ‘managed’ the System would dare.

Of course, when other Administrators had shown up, their complaints disappeared. It was exceedingly rare to see even one Administrator in one's life.

It had been centuries since she herself had seen another of her order.

Millenia since there had been five in one room together.

She snapped out of her thoughts as one of the new Guides approached her. This one was of a reptilian race, with dull colored scales and claws extending from their hands. They approached gingerly, hands clasped in what she understood to be an instinctive act of non-agression.

They spoke in their native tongue, and the Administrators Aetheric constructs translated. “Most honorable Administrator… We thank you for trusting us in this time of emergency, and for bringing us forward to serve as fully-fledged Guides… Now we must ask… Is there anything else that we can assist you with on your mission?”

Their words came in gentle, undulating waves, some quirk of their anatomy and evolution driving the sound. The Administrator shook her head. As much as she’d like to converse with the Guides, she didn’t need to be here anymore. Her presence gave them anxiety, and she couldn’t contribute to the tutorial process.

More importantly, she was needed elsewhere.

“No, honorable Guide. I have asked much of you, and I’m sure it will prove to be a challenging task, but my work here is done. I will be leaving immediately. If any irregularities occur, contact the Guides Association. They should know when to escalate to ask for Administrator interference.” She glanced out over the humans assembled in the slight valley below them. “I’m sure these people likely hold even more surprises for us still.”

With a nod to the Guides, she turned away. Her time with these humans was over, but her investigation into them was not. She flicked her hand out in front of her, and a dark slash appeared in the air. With deceptive speed, the rift expanded, releasing a cold, bitter wind. The inside was dark and shifting, but not formless. Extending out from the hole in space, growing as they watched, was a path hewn in rough blocks. Made of the odd, smoky darkness, the path branched in the distance before disappearing, consumed by the dark.

The Guide shuddered as she stepped past them, toward the portal. As she passed its threshold, all sounds vanished. Passing into the space between worlds, she felt the gaze of its inhabitants. Distantly, she heard the mournful sound of chains, drifting in their prison, an acknowledgment of her presence.

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As the rift whispered shut behind her, she moved on. On, towards Earth.

Kevin idly twirled the carving knife in his hand, sitting in the large workshop amongst the other crafters. Well, the real crafters. He didn’t consider himself one of them, and didn’t think anyone else would if they knew how he was doing the same work as them.

Today was going to be his last day hanging out with the Crafting Crew. The Fabrication Team. Whatever you wanted to call them.

His joint research on Skills with Victor had brought him here, to get some insight into how others gained Skills, to see how existing Skills complemented new ones, and to get some experience himself. He’d found out a lot of interesting things, but it was about time to go. The crafters were starting to get their feet under them, and the place was quickly going to be less of a Skill lab and more of a functioning factory.

Which wasn’t even getting into the new political plays going on.

In the last few days, Council member Ian McIntyre had shown his worth as the man in charge of the Skill management initiative by finding enough books to outfit a whole crew of folks with [Enchanting]. They were here and they were working, but there were some… minor tensions showing.

The carpenter whose bench he was sharing stared across the workshop floor, to the enchanters on the other end, and the spectacle playing out by them. He half-turned to Kevin, speaking low. “Do you think they’re going to start a fight? Anthony looks pissed.”

And he was. Currently, Anthony was arguing with the leader of the enchanters. It had only been a few days and they were already unionizing against Anthony.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a union, Kevin thought, but everyone can see where this one came from.

The enchanters would be a valuable part of the workshop. While everything being made with Skilled craftsmen was already impressive, even at entry level skill, Frank had proven that a simple enchantment could elevate things to the next level. The only issue was that a Skill book was needed to get [Enchanting].

Ian had provided those.

And then he’d walked his little cohort of enchanters over to the workshop, like a parent dropping off his kids at school.

The Fabrication Team was part of the Vanguard, and the Vanguard belonged to Anthony.

Except, apparently, this little part.

Kevin just shook his head, picking up a block of wood. “Anthony’s already fighting, but not with the enchanters. They’re just the first punch.”

His carpenter friend sighed. “I almost envy you. I’m loving [Carpentry], but working here, with that going on? It’s not gonna be fun.” Mood ruined, the man picked up his own piece he was working on. Right now, he was trying to make some basic staves. Making weapons wasn’t something he had cause to be familiar with yet, but it was a fairly basic shape.

Kevin watched what he was doing out of the corner of his eye for a while.

Copy [Carpentry] into available slot?

Y/N

He gave a silent assent.

Copied [Carpentry] into Skill slot.

Skill slots full!

Upgrade [Jack of all trades] or clear slots to continue copying.

With a smirk, he slid his carving knife across the wood, enjoying the feel as it glided along the grain with ease. I might need to pick some of these crafting Skills back up after the Volunteer exam. They aren’t half bad.

Despite any setbacks Anthony had experienced dealing with the growing political tension with Ian, he and his team had managed to put together a test that should prove who was ready to go out on their own. Frank, Kevin, and the others had been among the first to sign up.

They’d done what they could to prepare. All that was left was to do.