Light and earth cultivators completely gutted and revamped our glass house. First and foremost, for privacy reasons and added security, all but the entrances of our glass guild hall are covered with stone. Stone creation is a cultivation process of its own.
Our architect, Nico, is a gift from above. Before settling in Anvil, Nico traveled the world with her companion Tracy, searching for unique architecture. Before that, she served fifteen years in a mercenary guild in a specialized demolition unit. She favors wearing flowing dresses complimenting her long charcoal hair and marble skin.
A short wand is on her hip belt, and she always wears a turquoise gauntlet on her left hand. The gauntlet itself seems to be able to shift its form from a jeweled bracelet or open-finger glove to a stone gauntlet. She manipulates the earth like she's conducting a musical performance, waving her gauntlet hand and short wand in rhythmic motions. Despite her powerful and commanding presence, she and Tracy spend most of their time playing with the children.
The first step in the Guild Hall transformation is Nico gathering dirt and transforming it into rocks. The rocks are piled and melted with extreme heat provided by Fury and Voss. Voss uses a rune to amplify his firepower past that of mage rank. The rock is melted into a molten, which Nico forms into building stone and places in the prepared ritual circle. Inside Gene's ritual circle, the stone is aged, allowing it to cool down and compact slowly as if it were happening naturally instead of the thirty seconds it takes to complete the batch.
The fired and cooled stone is predominantly white with black, gray, yellow, and red speckles mixed in it. The smooth building blocks are nearly as strong as dragon glass and are every bit as heat resistant. The firestone is easy to build with, draws less attention, and we have an abundant supply. The one major downfall is that it is less mana-malleable than dragon glass. However, it still allows for a few enchantments, rituals, or runes. This isn't a problem for us.
Outside, our Guildhall only shows its dragon glass at the four entrances. Due to internal damages caused by needlessly jealous death mana with attachment issues, the dragon glass has a darker and rougher sheen.
Each entrance has a massive firestone archway similar to our teleport and training hall. The arches support the rest of the stone that covers the dome from the base to the top. However, instead of doming at the top, our guild hall plateaus, leaving plenty of standing ground. The observation point peers over the entire town and looks tall enough to see beyond the forest. The glass dome was big without the stone structure. Now the building is very much the center of our town. It is practically our town.
"Firestone provides the ultimate protection and foundation for our Guild Hall," says Nico, who leads our tour. "With the use of runes and enchantments, the stone alone can withstand the attack of several mages at once. Since the stone takes on the purpose of defense and structure, we can be more creative with our dragon glass and the enchantments."
Nico steps toward the glass entrance. "Welcome to the first floor — the guild floor." The glass divides in the middle, and both halves slide to the side, creating an entrance as large as the archway. We step into a large, massive room that spans the entirety of the first floor. Hugging the walls surrounding the guild hall are all sorts of guilds. Traders Guild, Crafting Guild, Forestry Guild, Leather Guild, The Guild Society, Paladins Guild, Mercenary Guild, Bowers Guild, there's practically a guild for everything, and they are all represented here. Though only some guild stations are entirely set up, most have members stationed at their desks.
Stairs to the second floor are next to each entrance, between entrances, and a few spiral around the support columns in the middle of the first floor. Placed in the middle of the first floor is a circular desk divided into four sections. Each section has enough room for six people to work side by side.
"This massive desk is part of the Rising Fist Guild. At this center, we will hand out quests, rewards, memberships, and promotions," says Tracy. "Since we are officially a guild city, this will be the heart of our town."
Becky, our guild admin, sits behind the desk next to Kealin. The two stare at a stone tablet that glows with runes and scripts. Kaelin holds a finger to the stone, highlights a section, and does some calculating with his other hand. He shakes his head and counts again, then scribbles a note on a separate tablet.
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"Welcome," says Becky. I'm sorry we can't be more accommodating. We are trying to forecast our guild's growth so that the monarchy can make preparations." I avert my eyes from Becky's intense glare. I don't think she's upset with me. Becky just naturally glares. I think that's the nature of the storm inside her.
"You think people will join?" Asks Fen.
"Not everyone, but once they see the perks we have to offer, people will join," answers Becky.
"Eternal Life!" Bones calls out, using a hand against his mouth to project his voice.
"They will not even know about that until the higher tiers," Kaelin says without looking up from his tablet. He holds the number three on one hand and five on the other. "Dungeon membership is actually listed as a life potion perk."
"Oh damn, we aren't going to lead with the best parts?"
"Not until new members are thoroughly vetted and can be trusted. While all of us, Anvileers, are grateful we were fully accepted, we understand the risk and burden you all have taken because of that. We will not have to be so casual with our trust anymore… at least not with our secrets." Becky is killing it in her role. She knows her stuff and presents it with confidence. I try to picture Bone or me in her position or even Kaelin's. This guild would burn down faster than fire can consume. Hell, I'd be the one adding the fuel.
"But we have good perks to offer the fresh meat, right?"
"Gross. You probably should not refer to people like that." Noth chides Bones and gives him a playful punch.
"You put that thought in my head."
"We have plenty of perks, with housing, food, and equipment being the basic. Every candidate-level member of the guild will always have a meal available. Associates will get gear upgrades and repairs. Members will be provided housing. And the perks will keep getting better from there, with pet bondings, training hall access, classes, techniques, skills, and free dungeon runs. I can go into more detail, but that is not the point of your tour."
The Guild Hall's second floor is slightly smaller than the main floor, with the ceiling a foot or two shorter. The room is tall, and the giants in our group, like Fury, have another two feet of clearance. The entire level is dedicated to food and leisure. A massive buffet outfitted with Glimmer's runes keeps food fresh, preserved, and stocked. Before, we were limited in what we were able to raid. Now we have all sorts of variety. Sections of the buffet are dedicated to food groups, and then there are sections devoted to food from different regions. It looks like the best dream has come true in real life.
On both sides of the buffet are bars with enough seating to accommodate a hundred people each. Lined against the walls are private spaces for those who don't want to socialize, and tables and chairs are set up orderly. By my estimate, five thousand people can fit in here at once. The thought of such a large crowd in an enclosed space sends me the chills.
The third floor is a space for the guild administration. Several meeting rooms and offices are set up for the guild leaders, and the runes etched into the glass walls let us see outside. If I didn't see the outside before coming in, I wouldn't know we're surrounded by stone. The views bring a serenity to the otherwise less-than-exciting floor. I'm glad the guild leaders have a comfortable setup and a space to work without interruption. Bones is just excited he has his own office space.
The fourth and final floor is for the King and the Matron. It has workspaces, meeting rooms, and clear glass like the admin floor. It also has views of the entire island and the insides of all the buildings except houses. From this floor, we can see it all. The Golden Coast, The North Coast, and the horde's last standing fortification are currently projected on the viewing walls. We have constantly monitored the goblins and kobolds. For the most part, they are just trying to survive. They still send out squads to scout the area and look for their dungeon core, but more often than not, they are busy fighting off the demons that are now focusing on the other side of the mountain.
Our two coasts are taking shape and will soon be ready for people to move in. Colby plans to let visitors rent out shops and homes or buy them if they have enough guild credit. In fact, the entire island is officially the guild's, and Colby can decide whether to let others expand outside of our planned city space. The plan is to keep it all contained, and then we will see how we feel about expansion.
Just as there are runes and scripts to help the guild leaders fulfill their jobs, the fourth floor has no shortage of cool features. The creepy spy wall is just the tip of the iceberg.
After touring the upper floors of the guild hall, Nico steps aside and lets Takumi lead us down the stairs to the underground.