The Fraternity was nothing like he expected. He kept saying guild hall in his mind and Heaven had to correct him twice when he blurted it out before he kicked the habit. They had driven to the eastern side of the city, formally known as the Sphere of Honor. The city was apparently separated into different “spheres” which was basically another word for district.

It was a reference to a part of the NPC spheres of influence within the city. Those within that sphere had a basic code that they all had to abide by. The main rule here was that each member was to treat even their enemies with all due respect and all agreements would be upheld to the best of their ability, even if they were tricked into it.

Ma’Z instantly saw how that was likely already being abused, but it was what it was. When he pulled up to the Fraternity, they passed a wrought iron renaissance-style looking gate that marked the front entrance, but immediately drove right past it.

Instead they drove around to a side entrance that led underneath the enormous mansion to an equally enormous parking lot. Each wall was nearly filled with someone’s Erzelis Frame. The eastern wall was comprised entirely of Scouts. The north wall had Rounders, while the west were all Titans.

Ma’Z counted at least twenty spaces per side. In the center was a group of bays with a scissor lift in front of it that looked like it could expand to hold any given Frame.

There were a number or racks that held various pieces of armor, no doubt to either replace or repair a damaged Frame. A circular tool rack lay directly in the center. It held several attachments he couldn’t identify, but he could make out a few, such as welding torches and a hydraulic socket and torque wrench.

Heaven pointed him towards the bay area and said, “Switch to Assault mode and pull into one of the bays if you would be so kind. I got a gift for ya.”

Ma’Z did as he was asked.

Pulling up to the bay, he quickly made out where to dock and pulled in. There was an audible click as the Frame locked into place. He then stepped out and met Heaven as she walked up to a console standing adjacent to the bay.

“You know, I remember you saying you made some gear for me, but for some reason I assumed you meant armor for myself,” he said, staring over her shoulder.

Heaven smiled as she glanced back in his direction while she continued to type away. “Well, if you want to get technical, it is for you. That little beater of yours is about to become your second skin,” she countered.

With a final click, the bay lifted into the air and slid around towards the scissor lift. However, instead of the lift rising, a group of mechanical arms descended from the ceiling and started removing the old plating from his Frame. A few of the arms clamped onto the Frame as the bay fell away. Piece by piece, they stripped away the rusted armor to reveal the naked frame underneath.

Little golden currents of electricity pulsed underneath over a mass of tubes that looked like someone had painted stars onto a black surface that reflected no light. Heaven backed away from the console pressing her knuckles to her lips to suppress a scream.

Ma’Z’s eyes lit up in panic as he watched her back away. “What happened? Is something wrong?” he asked. He looked up at his frame and felt a tingling sensation between his shoulder blades. The sight of it made him acutely aware of his surroundings and gave him the sense that the frame was staring back at him. Armorless as it was now, it suddenly looked like an electrified skeleton-shaped nebula.

“It was only a guess. I’ve only seen a handful of Frames like this,” Heaven responded, her voice sounding almost reverent. She held up a hand, waving it in front of the Frame as if trying to feel the energy coming from it. “They all had one thing in common. They were all-”

“Dark as midnight?” Ma’Z finished.

Heaven went still for a moment. Her mouth immediately shut. She then moved towards him as if she had a revelation and said, “No. Gold, Everett! Did you even look at your character sheet? What color is your name? Gold is the color of mythic here. The number of golden frames can be counted on one hand, and most had to evolve their frame into gold or in a few rarer cases, essentially scavenged it out of a dungeon.”

“Did they have a named core to go with it as well?”

“No. Those were always found. I think the exact amount is somewhere in the teens. Hold on.” Heaven quickly got ahold of herself and moved back to the console.

“Ok, but how can you tell it’s gold? I only see a black electrified skeleton.”

“The currents. Depending on the rarity, the color of the current will change hue to match. Gold is the highest rarity one can find, and it’s theorized to be closely related to one’s affinity. So it’s not just a matter of finding a really rare frame, but your compatibility basically being the highest it can be.”

“Ah. So I hit the jackpot, it seems.”

“Understatement! My own Erzalis is silver-tier. I’m only one off from gold. I can only hope to be so lucky to raise my affinity to finally get it.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will. Just become one with your second skin,” Ma’Z joked.

“Ha ha. Don’t get smug, punk.”

With a grin, she set her StoCar into a recess and watched it light up momentarily. It pulsated with blue light before turning a solid green. As it did, armored plates appeared on the empty racks and began to rotate along the carousel where the maintenance arms picked them up, one by one. Ma’Z’s Frame rotated into place as each piece was meticulously grafted onto its joining sockets and in less than five minutes, it was done.

Ma’Z gave it an appraising look, noting that the tingling sensation he felt earlier had died down, but not completely. If all Ma’Z had gotten was the armor he would’ve been beyond pleased, but it seemed Heaven went all in and added a number of additions to complement the suite.

The armor itself was painted in a two-toned black and green like his car. There were gold adornments across the shoulders and across the wrists and ankles.

He quickly noticed that the tires weren’t rubber, but some type of shape material with a high friction ratio. The front tires had swung back over the forearms like a pair of bucklers, with a mounted cannon protruding from below each shield. The lower tires retracted behind the calves, held by a single bar that could pivot at will.

All said, it looked remarkably skinny for a Rounder, but it also conveyed a sense of speed and power that made him swell with pride.

The head, however, looked downright menacing with slanted golden eyes and a horn like antenna that ended in a flat point. The hands looked almost human minus the sharp claw-like protrusions at the end of the thumb and index finger. And though they looked ornamental, Ma’Z figured the squared off points at the ends of the knees and elbows could probably do quite a bit of damage.

To round it out, Heaven included a much sharper looking black longsword and a bullpup style SMG with a top loading magazine.

Inwardly he cringed at the thought of having to fight in melee. The more he thought about it, though, he felt a lightbulb brighten as he remembered his affinity with magic.

“That looks… incredible!” He said, figuring he should say something before she did that thing where she cleared her voice because he was gawking.

Heaven, for her part, practically beamed from the compliment.

“So, I’m guessing I’m not going to need a wand or anything to cast magic, am I?” he asked.

“Not unless you really want one, but I think that’s a conversation we can have tomorrow. Tonight, I just wanted to get you squared away. After that, I’ll run you through your paces and explain the nuances of the Man/Machine link and how your physical body translates to vehicle and combat performance. You already got a leg up from being an actual racer and from all the weapon training I gave you, so you should acclimate pretty quickly. But for now we’ll-”

Heaven’s head snapped to a dark corner of the wall where Ma’Z was staring. “Wasn’t my imagination then, I’m guessing. Did you see anything?” She asked.

Ma’Z shook his head, then turned his attention back to her and said, “Sorry, thought I saw something move.” He then shrugged and looked back at his erzelis as Heaven lowered it back to the floor. The vehicular giant slid back into place within the bay as the clamps that held it rescinded back into the ceiling.

Once back on the ground, Heaven moved forward, tracing her hands along its leg. She closed her eyes as she felt the vibration of energy that danced within. “Come here,” she said, “Can you feel it?”

Moving beside her, Ma’Z pressed his hand against the frame and felt a surge of power flood into his arms. “Woah,” he said as he drew his arm back.” Heaven’s eyes shot open, her concern palpable. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

“No. No. I’m not hurt. That was just intense,” he said while trying to catch his breath. He tried to exhale a few more as he held his arm and said, “I’ve just never felt anything like that before.”

“What did it feel like?”

“It felt like… like power. It felt like it was mine.”

“Maybe that’s your affinity at play. I’ve heard some items have a resonance factor. If it makes you feel better, it’s a good sign of your magical ability.”

“It does!”

“I thought you might. Now, if you’ll do me a favor and go park somewhere on the north wall? Remember, each erzelis is keyed to the individual. No one can actually drive it but you, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be stolen.”

“Well that’s a rosy thought.”

“All kinds of peaches.”

Ma’Z jumped back onto his Frame and drove it to the wall. Just like the maintenance bay, there were grooves in the floor to hook in. With practiced ease, he spun around and backed in and joined up with Heaven, who parked right next to him. From there she led him to the western corner of the garage where they took a lift up to the main floor.

To Ma’Z, the transition from the bottom to the current floor felt like having his senses momentarily switched off. They stepped off what looked like a normal elevator and into the hallway of a fancy hotel.

Maybe it was because Ma’Z continued to think of it as a medieval guild, or some modern equivalent, he couldn’t help but marvel at the lavish interior that greeted his eyes. If it wasn’t polished brass, then it was equally polished marble.

The walls were a continuous pattern of ornately carved arches with holographic displays set into several of them. The most prominent was a ticker, highlighting each of their individual performance values and contracts completed. Right next to it was a leaderboard with Heaven displayed prominently in first, which Heaven promptly ignored and moved down the hall.

Continuing the aesthetic, the furniture looked like ivory, though the padding was blessedly something other than leather, but didn’t really look like something he’d want to sit on for a long period of time.

As they moved into what Ma’Z assumed to be the main lounge, there was a group of players, unceremoniously spread-out conversing amongst themselves. The alternating black and white marble floor gave way to an enormous red and blue carpet with the fraternity logo prominently displayed in its center.

On top of it was the first wooden object Ma’Z had spotted, a large wooden table with a holographic overlay displayed atop it. The legs and trimming were ivory though. The projection looked like a replica of the city proper. There were little blips that moved to and fro throughout that gave Ma’Z the impression of traffic coming and going.

A large man sat, leaning against the table. He looked like a fusion of a pro wrestler and a consummate soldier. He was human, dark-skinned, with the sides of his head shaved. He could only see most of his back – most of which was covered by an incredibly wide claymore – which was huge. He wore a casual red tee and black cargo pants. He sat with his arms folded, gesturing every now and again as he spoke with another member sitting across from him.

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That guy could’ve easily passed for a supermodel – if it had horns. He had pronounced cheekbones on deep violet skin with a visible pair of canines on a mischievous smile. The collar on his white, button up shirt, was popped on one side and Ma’Z wasn’t sure if it was just slovenly or on purpose. Over it, he wore a tailored gunmetal black vest, and matching pants.

Finishing it out was a pair of oxford style leather shoes, but if he didn’t know better, he got the impression they were also steel toed. He sat in a chair, hunched forward with an elbow resting on his knee. His curly black hair hung lazily over one eye – the other a prominent red with a black sclera. Next to his chair was a sniper rifle. Ma’Z guessed it to be a stylized AWM with an electronic trigger.

Beside him on a lounge chair, an identically dressed female was laid back with a book over her face, so he couldn’t tell what she looked like or what race she was, other than she was a light-colored brown. From what he could see, she had a barbed tattoo over her right arm, which he could only see because her sleeves were rolled up. Her vest was completely unbuttoned, revealing her white undershirt that was tucked haphazardly into her pants.

The opening revealed a pair of shoulder holsters underneath her vest. Unsurprisingly there were guns in them. A silver chain hung from her belt loop hooked to something hidden behind her back. She also had a leg holster. The pistol inside that particular holster might’ve made a certain vampire nod in respect. Unlike her model counterpart though, she was wearing military grade combat boots.

She was also snoring.

On the other side of the table facing them were two women in the middle of a card game. One had her back turned to Ma’Z, so he couldn’t make out much other than her reddish long-coat that hung sloppily over the side of her chair.

The other woman was a blonde with green eyes, who had her hair pulled back in a long wolf’s tail. Both sides were shaved down and she wore an open sleeveless v neck. The shirt fit snugly across her body of a material that kind of reminded him of a swimsuit.

The deep plunge of her shirt exposed a scar that ran clear across her chest and left arm. Ma’Z wasn’t sure what kind of statement she was trying to convey with that, but it was clear she was proud of it. She had on a pair of plain blue coveralls and tennis shoes with a buckle that ran across the metatarsal. The upper half of her coveralls were tied around her waist.

Behind her, he saw a pair of curved daggers slung over the back of her chair. By the look on her face, she looked like she was losing.

There were several other vacant chairs in the room, but Ma’Z’s eyes were drawn to the ivory and marble stairs that ran in a curve from the head of the table just a few feet from where the rug ended. He followed his vision up the stairs until his eyes fell upon a child making his way down, though child didn’t quite feel like the right description.

He was short and slim, but proportionally built. So, he wasn’t a dwarf. He had wavy brown hair and vibrant blue eyes. He wore a black a shirt under a black leather jacket with red stripes running up the sleeves. He had a racing glove on his right hand and a silver gauntlet on the other with loose, black jeans that had a holster strapped to each leg and a sword slung across his back. His black boots and goggles rounded out the outfit, and the moment their eyes met, Ma’Z figured it out. He was a Nilflen.

“Ah, so the princess finally returns with her prince,” he announced. All eyes immediately shifted toward Ma’Z and Heaven. Heaven stood tall, an easy grin on her face. The others smiled in return. Even the sleepy one moved her book slightly to catch a look at the pair.

Ma’Z looked incredulous. Why didn’t he sound like a child?

The large one with the muscles whistled. “Bold. I would’ve never guessed you to be an I’Lu,” he said. He was now standing to his full height, easily reaching seven feet tall. The man was a veritable tower unto himself.

“Explains why it took so long. Customizing them markings had to take some serious work,” interjected the model. The Spanish in his accent took Ma’Z aback momentarily.

“Telepathy, yay. Just what we need; more voices in our head.” The female card player, who’s face he couldn’t see, sounded less than enthused. She had a huge scar that ran from her cheek down her neck, and two more matching scars across her arm. Ma’Z wondered if that was intentional or if an actual claw did that to her. She was otherwise fairly attractive. She was a brunette, sporting a widow’s peak to go with her tight ponytail. Ma’Z noted the necklace and rings she wore.

She looked to be one of the more oddly dressed among her peers. She wore a grunge tee, frayed red pleated skirt, and torn black yoga pants, with casual black and white sneakers. She didn’t exactly have lipstick, though she did wear some dark eye shadow over her entirely white eyes.

The other girl balked at her and said, “Way better than coms that give away our position or shadow magic. It’s surprising that so few of your kind play I’Lu to be honest.”

“Maybe because they’re not trying to be hipster trash,” she shot back.

Ma’Z cocked his head at the remark. “Pot meet kettle?” he asked, completely confused.

Heaven choked down her laughter but held her tongue.

The grunge woman scoffed, turning up her nose. “I expected better from you Heaven,” she said, her voice dripping with contempt. “But I guess not even you could be perfect at everyth-.”

The next thing Ma’Z saw was the grunge girl being tossed ass over teakettle and Heaven standing over her with a gun to her face.

Ma’Z looked over at where Heaven once stood and where she stood now, completely dumbfounded at what just occurred. His face slowly turned to horror once he noticed the gun in her hand.

When the hell did she do that? How, he thought. Heaven stood over the girl smiling like she did when they first entered the room, but Ma’Z could see the smoldering anger in her eyes. He mentally reminded himself not to piss her off in this world.

The other woman, the grunge girl was playing cards with, groaned and gently pushed Heaven aside before she helped, what Ma’Z assumed to be her partner, up to her feet.

“You’d think you’d learn to shut the falsh up by now, but that’s about what I expect from a block head like you,” she said. She had an unmistakable tone of aristocracy, though he couldn’t quite place the accent.

The other members seemed to wear similar expressions like this wasn’t the first time the two of them had an altercation and Ma’Z was starting to wonder where she really got those scars from.

“Willing to bet that was your nosey auhs sneaking around the garage earlier,” Heaven said. “Why even sneak around instead of just introducing yourself? Even Ma’Z noticed you were there.”

“Falderskat! There’s no way.”

“I mean, I technically did,” Ma’Z chimed in.

“This falshing calker’s got a golden Erzelis! He had to have cheated someone out of it,” she screamed. It didn’t escape Ma’Z’s notice that she put her partner between her and Heaven so as not to get thrown again.

“Man, that’s petty even for you, Oraria,” the large man cut in. The look of disgust on his face spoke volumes. Ma’Z didn’t know why, but he instantly respected the man.

“Falsh off, Brigand. We waited all day for him to show and as soon as he does, he comes rolling in here in a relic tier Frame. You really going to tell me that doesn’t strike you as rank horse skat?”

The man, Brigand, rolled his eyes. He was standing with his arms crossed trying to keep his composure.

“Oraria, jealousy is really not your color, chica. Keep talking like that and I’m tempted to knock you over, myself. Frankly, I’m surprised Heaven hadn’t done it already,” the horned supermodel spoke.

“It’s alright, War. Oraria just lost her composure for a moment. Isn’t that right,” Heaven interjected.

Oraria stood silent, the two women staring daggers at each other, but eventually Oraria relented. Though she was still scowling, she exhaled a heavy breath through flared nostrils, nodded, then looked away.

The Nilflen that stood atop the stairs watched it all with his head cocked as if he were considering whether to act or not. As the tensions died down, however, he simply shook his head and continued to stride down as if it never happened.

Likewise, the others’ relaxed their stances, returning to a more casual position. The woman next to War hadn’t seemed to have moved at all during the entire ordeal, though.

The large one, Brigand, let out a sigh of relief and gave a pointed look at Oraria before turning his attention back to Ma’Z. His expression was hard yet considering.

Finally, the blonde spoke up, “Is it true though?” She was looking at Ma’Z, genuinely curious.

He looked over at Heaven not really knowing how he should respond. Instead she answered for him, simply nodding in acknowledgement.

“Holy Three,” War whistled.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t have much of an answer for that. I didn’t notice until after I got done with a raid boss.” Ma’Z said.

“A raid boss? You can’t possibly think we’re that stupid, can you?” Oraria said.

“Don’t know what to tell you, except that it’s true. But if you really want proof, then I’ll remind you that it was a raid boss. Raid boss means raid party, which means raid witnesses. Find them and they’ll corroborate. Pretty simple. And they can’t be part of my ‘lie’, because… you know… it’s my first day and I don’t know anybody.”

“Has Heaven explained to you just how many of these Frames exist?” the Nilflen asked. He was now standing amongst the rest of the group, looking tall despite his diminutive stature.

“Uh, not specifically, but about a handful?”

“And I doubt I need to explain speed runners or fraternities who generally make it a point to tackle the hardest raid dungeons and the like.”

“Ok, I think I see where this is going.”

“Good. ‘Cause it can’t be stressed enough how exceedingly rare your position is. Relic tier items are rare, and equipment even rarer still. The likelihood of finding a relic tier Frame, however, is so measurably scarce that if you didn’t see it with your own two eyes, you’d think they were a myth.

“I would ask that you let Oraria’s earlier outburst aside. Her attitude, notwithstanding, I can guarantee you if anyone else, anywhere was presented with this news, their ability to believe you would be sorely tested.”

As Ma’Z mulled that bit of knowledge over, he supposed it made a lot of sense. In the same way he suspected Heaven’s Frame to be among the highest grades possible, it stood to reason that the same would hold true for the rest of the guild… fraternity.

“Who cares about that?” Oraria asked rhetorically. She still wore a look of scorn on her face but didn’t look directly at Heaven or Ma’Z. “Where’d you get it? That’s the only question that matters here.”

“Off your mom, obvious-“ Ma’Z started.

“He got it at chara-,” Heaven interrupted.

“You don’t have to cover for me, Heaven.” Ma’Z interrupted back, the agitation clear in his voice. “This bitch’s attitude has been sideways from the jump, and even when given an out, she doesn’t seem to know how to let it go. I don’t owe her an answer, nor anyone else here. I just fucking started playing and already I’m embroiled in someone’s idiotic fucking head trip. So, how about you take your stank–“

“Ma’Z, hit the brakes please. Red light.”

Turning to Heaven, Ma’Z looked disgusted, but said no more. Instead, he turned back, quickly making his way back to the elevator.

He made it only two steps before he heard the sound of a thunderclap. Ma’Z turned his head to see Oraria sprawled out in a bloody heap.

“What the fu-” he started to say before he saw Heaven walking his way, gun still in hand.

“Would you be so kind as to take her to the infirmary, Tera’Lese?” The Nilflen spoke with mild concern, shaking his head. Ma’Z still couldn’t get over the unusually deep timbre in his voice. The blonde woman, who Ma’Z now understood to be Tera’Lese, nodded solemnly and picked up the mangled body of Oraria and walked out a side entrance behind the stairs.

“Guud fashng riddnce,” came the muffled response of the woman who still had her head buried under her book. She quickly sat up, catching the book, and looking out towards the group. She shook her head when she looked in the direction of the infirmary and said, “Maybe next time da nosey yautshi will learn ta mind her own business, yeah?”

“Kind of extreme though, don’t you think?” Brigand said.

“No mames. She insulted her man, and ruined the mood. I was half tempted to shoot her myself,” the tiefling said.

“Still a pretty extreme response. Just because we can treat it doesn’t mean we can just go around shooting people.”

“Talk skat, get the gat.”

“Agh. Fair enough. But could you please refrain from doing that in the future, Heaven?”

“You want a bullet too?”

Brigand quickly threw his hands up and put an imaginary padlock on his mouth, as he backed away.

“Ah, I must apologize for this sad excuse for an introduction,” the Nilflen spoke gesturing behind him to where Oraria was just carried off. “You must understand that everyone you see in this room right now is a core member and each has at least one relic with the exception of Oraria.

“I can say, don’t take anything she says to heart. She’s rude at practically all times, but she’s not only one of our few fighters, but also one of the best. We’ve been trying to get her a relic for a few weeks now, but to no avail.”

The Nilflen paused, letting his words settle. When Ma’Z said nothing, he simply continued saying, “But enough of our bitter Outrider. I believe we have introductions to dispense. I for one go by the name, Striga.”

“Yeah, nice to meet y- Wait. Striga?” Ma’Z interjected. “Like the plant that wipes out entire crops, striga?”

“I see you’re well read.”

“Nah, more like I just read random stuff, and every now and again it sticks.”

“Same thing.”

“What Striga isn’t telling you is that he’s the leader of the Fraternity,” the large man said.

Ma’Z turned towards him, unconsciously sizing him up and said, “Brigand, correct? I noticed you, uh, like big swords.”

“Big toys for big boys,” Brigand said with an easy smile, flexing. “By the way, I’m the Tuner and Warden class. “

“I’m War. Outrider, Gunsmith, and Blacksmith,” said the Tiefling. “The one with the book over her face is my partner, Chevalier, Outfitter and Designer, Vivi.”

Vivi grunted and gave a dismissive wave, but otherwise didn’t bother getting up.

“I guess you can count me as a Lancer and Mechanic. I’m Tera’Lese, though most just call me Tera.”

“And Oraria rounds out the group as an Outrider, Weaponsmith, and Mechanic,” said Striga. “I myself am an Architect, but also a Designer, Gunsmith and Blacksmith. I can only assume that Heaven needs no introduction, given your relationship.”

Ma’Z nodded, taking stock of the group. Even though he was here, in this body that felt real, he knew that didn’t mean he could just do what he wanted. There was too much he didn’t know. Too much ground he had to cover before he could consider himself on the same footing as the people in the room. And Heaven said it twice already. He had a lot of reading to do.

The rest of the group looked back at him, some of them expectantly, while others seemed to be trying to put on an air of indifference. Ma’Z would be lying if he said his brief encounter with Oraria didn’t chafe to the point that he wanted to go in the back and shoot her again for good measure, but at the end of it all Heaven vouched for them, so he felt he kind of owed it to her to give them a shot.

He turned his palms upwards and held out his hands to show he meant no harm, then looked to Striga and said, “Alright, well skipping the sales pitch, I assume you got a room for me?” Most of the members immediately started looking back and forth between each other before settling on Heaven who simply shook her head, like it was obvious.

Ma’Z picking up on the cue looked at her as well, letting realization dawn on him. Hanging his head, he put a hand on his hip while he pressed his thumb into the spot between his eyes and said, “Yeah, that was a dumb question.”

Striga, however, just smiled and held open his arms and said, “Then let me officially welcome you to our Fraternity. Welcome to the Fallen Reapers.”