Nearly an hour after Scott and Rosa began to recruitment building upgrade, Team Badass gathered around the tarp covered building out back. The size of it had increased to a great degree while they were gone. All eyes were on that tarp, though no one spoke. Each of them held confliction inside their hearts. Things were changing quickly, and soon those changes would lead to new joys and potential sorrows.

"Hey, something's happening," said Cia when the tarp started to rise upward.

"Is it done?" asked Frank.

"Probably," said Scott. "It's been at least an hour by now."

The tarp drew up and away from the newly upgraded building, revealing a plain looking single story tall brick and mortar site. There was a short concrete walkway leading to an entrance door made of steel and glass, while a concrete awning overhead protected the entrants from the sun and inclement weather. A sign to the right of the door showcased a pair a steel-toed work boots on a white background. The words 'Recruitment Office' were emblazoned in bright red paint, above the boot icon.

"Well, let's go see what's going on inside," said Scott cheerfully.

The others followed him as he headed toward the door, only to stop when he came to an abrupt halt. The moment his hand touched the door, he'd received a new message.

[Warning]

This building requires a minimum of one worker to be assigned. You may appoint a non-player faction member to be a worker, or one may be hired through the system. A system recruited worker may be of any race or gender, and will be randomized. Standard system workers will be locked at level zero, unless the faction leader utilizes their professional experience to increase the level of the NPC.

Standard randomly generated NPCs cannot upgrade to a new tier unless they participate in the subjugation of a powerful enemy. A standard NPC may train their stats regardless of their level or tier.

You may pay extra to acquire an individual better suited to the job that they will be assigned. A premium upgrade allows the NPC to be generated with its own tier-appropriate, non-transferable, equipment. They will also be assigned a class based on their tier, and work assignment if any.

Premium NPCs may increase their stats, and will automatically increase to the next tier as soon as they meet the level requirement.

Release of a system generated NPC from service will delete that NPC. They can then be recruited again as a different class, or even as a different race. The faction that released them cannot recruit them again before one year has passed from the time of their removal from service. Another faction may recruit the released soul without a waiting period.

Please Note: NPCs who are not system generated may be unlocked by their faction leader for the purposes of leveling and tier upgrades. The upgrade will require professional experience.

Premium NPCs will defend their base of operations during normal business hours. They leave the base during off-duty hours and will be unavailable for defensive measures at that time. Non-premium NPCs, other than appointed faction members, will not defend the base. Instead, they will close up shop and evacuate the area.

A system recruited NPC will be loyal to the faction that hires them, but they will require a monthly salary in accordance with their level. Payment will be made come directly from the faction coffers on the first day of each month.

Usage of an NPC's specific skill, in this case Faction Recruitment, will increase their job experience. If a premium NPC gains enough experience, they will increase their level. Upon increasing their level, their maintenance cost will increase per month.

You may fire an NPC at any time. Firing a system generated NPC releases them from service. A non-system generated NPC will return to the faction worker pool. They may then be assigned to another task. The building assigned to that NPC will not be usable until a new worker is assigned.

Appoint an NPC

Cost: [Free]

--

Hire a Standard System Generated [Recruitment] NPC [Double cost if recruiting a known soul]

Cost: [4000 Daemons]

Maintenance Cost: [1000 Daemons per month, per level]

Hire a Premium [Recruitment] NPC [Double cost if recruiting a known soul]

Tier 1 Cost: 10000

Tier 2 Cost: 25000

Tier 3 Cost: [Locked]

Tier 4: Cost: [Locked]

Tier 5 Cost: [Locked]

Maintenance Cost: [10% of initial cost in daemons per month, per level]

[--]

Scott snorted and shook his head, "Well, damn."

"What is it?" asked Frank. "Did something go wrong?"

"No, but we have to spend some more money before this place is up and running," said Scott.

Harold moved forward and asked, "Why?"

"Well, this building requires a worker to be assigned to it. We don't have any NPCs in the faction, so we'll have to hire one from the system," said Scott. He took a breath then waved his hand around, "We'll have to pay them every month, but we also have the option to spend a small fortune to get a fairly substantial boost to our faction."

"What kind of boost?" asked Frank.

"Not sure, really," began Scott. He looked Frank in the eye then turned to the others, "We can purchase a premium individual, whatever that means."

"The cost?" asked Harold.

"Could be as low as four thousand, or as high as fifty thousand, daemons," said Scott.

"Shit!" exclaimed Cia excitedly, her eyes going wide. She slapped her hands over her mouth and looked apologetic, but Scott shook his head. "No need to hide it. That's exactly what I thought when I saw this."

Cia coughed a little and looked away despite his words. It was still embarrassing to blurt things out in mixed company.

"Fifty thousand..." said Harold slowly. He looked at Scott a moment later and asked, "Do you think it would be worth it?"

"Maybe. I mean, it's pretty expensive so it's bound to be better than pure randomization at a lower grade. Plus, the cheaper NPCs would always be locked at the lowest level unless I spent experience on them and they fought a boss monster," said Scott. "I'd rather pay more cash up front, and save the experience for classes like priests, mages, and front-line people."

"Can we just hire someone now, and upgrade them later?" asked Gretchen. "I mean, in most games you can do stuff like that..."

Scott nodded to her. "Seems so, but we'd have to pray that we get attacked at home by a powerful monster. Otherwise all of our standard recruits will be stuck at the lowest tier. That might be fine for a few people doing laundry, or something, but it would suck for anyone else."

He looked around at the crowd then said, "I don't think the cheaper standard NPC option is worth it in the long run, but if any of you want to just bring your people back and don't care how it happens, it would be the cheapest option for you in the future."

Scott looked at Rosa. "Since the first recruit is Rosa's dad, I think it would be best to hire the most expensive NPC. That's the cost for someone who is second tier already, since they can help defend the house during work hours."

"Ok..." said Rosa. She took a deep breath then looked down at the ground, "My dad's gonna cost fifty thousand daemons..."

"Yes, if you want him to cost that much," said Scott.

He walked over to Rosa and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I made you a promise, but this is for an NPC. They can only be here during work hours, always leave otherwise, and they have serious limitations on their ability to grow stronger."

A brief moment of silence passed between them before Scott gently asked, "I'll authorize the payment if you want me to, but do you really want your father to be restricted like that?"

"No," said Rosa softly.

"Is this a one-time thing?" asked Rachel suddenly. "I mean, you have other places you want to upgrade, right?"

"I don't think it's a one-time thing, no," admitted Scott. "I'm pretty sure that this is how the system actually works for recruiting people, and they're just forcing us to recruit a recruiter NPC since we don't have an NPC in our faction to take the job."

Rachel walked over to Rosa and offered her a smile. "What's the problem? Just hire the cheapest guy possible to get the doors open, and then make the first official recruit that we need be your dad. This doesn't even really count as recruiting, does it?"

"I don't want to sway you one way or another," said Scott. "But if your dad can be recruited as anyone other than a dedicated shop worker, he can at least leave the base and fight alongside us out in the countryside. We wouldn't need to spend fifty thousand daemons, and he would be free to spend time with you whenever you both wanted to hang out."

"I would prefer it if he could travel freely... so, just do whatever this time," said Rosa after a long sigh.

Sighs of relief were heard from several members of the group. It was a lot of money to spend on one person, after all. The value of the NPC that ran the recruitment office was uncertain. Would a low level NPC not be able to handle recruitment easily, or would it even matter if they were weak?

Scott returned to the door and considered his options. He only had a little over fifty thousand daemons to work with at the moment. In the end, he opted to go for a premium tier one NPC.

It was the best compromise for the situation. There would be no need to unlock them in case their level and tier mattered for the recruitment office, but they would cost less than half of the price of a second tier. Scott planned to use the recruitment office often, so the recruiter would receive reasonable amounts of experience on a regular basis as well.

[Please Wait]

We are searching our catalog for local souls willing to work in this establishment.

Searching..........

Searching.......

Searching....

Searching...

Soul Located!

[--]

A loud fanfare echoed through the air as a new message appeared before him. No one else seemed to notice the musical score at all, so Scott assumed it was just something for him to enjoy. He grinned like an idiot when a new message appeared before him with a name flashing in golden letters.

The Recruiter Bobby Bennett has joined Team Badass!

Scott informed everyone of his decision, and why he made it. No one spoke out against his logic, but they were all eager to see the new recruit in person. Scott opened the door and led everyone inside.

The interior of the building proved to be nothing more than an open room housing a single wraparound counter. There were two doors at the back of the room, one was behind the counter and the other was beside it.

"So, this is worth twenty thousand daemons?" asked Cia.

"We'll find out," said Scott before he walked over to the counter. There was a little sign that read 'Ring Bell for Service.' "Ring. Ring," said Scott before he tapped on the bell a few times.

The door behind the counter opened a moment later and a medium height older man with salt and pepper hair walked out. "Hey, now. You must be the boss?"

"I suppose you can call me that," admitted Scott with a smile. "So, you're Bobby Bennett?"

"That's what my mama called me most of my last incarnation. You can drop the Bennet part if you want," said Bobby. He offered a friendly smile and reached his arm over the counter. Scott shook the man's hand and then turned to look at everyone else. "So, introduce yourselves I guess?"

The others gathered around and spoke briefly to Bobby. The older man smiled and nodded to them all and acted happy to be working as a recruiter.

"So, were you from here?" asked Scott.

"Yeah, that's how recruiting works," said Bobby. He drummed his fingers on the counter briefly then continued, "There are a lot of things that I'm not going to be able to talk about, but apparently I can tell you a little."

"What's stopping you from telling us everything?" asked Frank.

Bobby looked to the big man then offered him a wry smile, "Non-disclosure agreements, and control protocols, as the guys in the head office call it. I literally can't answer some things because my body won't respond."

"That's terrible!" cried Cia. She barreled forward and put her hands on the counter. "They even go that far?"

Bobby shrugged, "I'm not going to complain. This is a pretty sweet gig, and the controls are only for when I'm at work."

"How is it sweet?" asked Scott. He ran his fingers through his hair then continued, "You can't even leave the base."

The recruiter laughed then waved Scott off cheerfully. "Have you ever had a job? When were you able to just walk off any time you liked? That's what this is, my day job."

"Day job?" asked Harold. The older man leaned sideways to look around Scott and Frank. "What do you mean?"

"Can't really talk about it much, but the place where everyone who died is hanging out is pretty sweet. The beer's always cold. The music is great. We're all twenty years old, in perfect health, and the weather's wonderful," said Bobby. "If it wasn't for the one year limit on staying there, most of us would refuse to come back to this place."

"Sounds... nice," said Frank.

"Yeah, it's paradise," said Bobby with a grin. The grin faded a little a moment later, however. "We only get to stay there for a year though before we have to make a decision. Do we reincarnate in this world as babies, or do we leave this world altogether."

"This is a lot to take in," said Harold. "Are you saying everyone who died here is safe and happy now?"

"If they're on the other side, they're good. Otherwise, I have no idea," said Bobby.

A flurry of questions rose up, and Bobby answered as many of them as he could. In the end, a lot of the requested information involved things that he either could not, or would not, answer.

"So, taking a job like this recruiter gig lets you stay in Paradise for longer than the one year limit as long as you're actively working your store hours?" asked Scott. "That's why you took the job?"

"Absolutely. That place is about as close to perfect as it gets. There's no getting fat, or sick. You can eat anything you want, or have all the nice clothes you could ask for without worrying about money. It's like a long term all-expenses-paid vacation, really," said Bobby.

He continued, "I'd tell you more about the other reasons to work, but I can't. It's against the rules."

The conversation picked up once again. Everyone clamored to ask more questions, but the results were the same as the last round of questioning. The answers only made people want to ask more questions.

Eventually, they returned to the real reason that they were in the building. Bobby answered those questions readily. "Yes, you can bring back anyone you know. You can also bring back someone random from within this region."

"This region?" asked Frank.

Bobby waved his hand through the air and a panel of light appeared before him. "Yeah, we're in region C-Seven-Alpha of US Thirteen." He looked over to Frank and then to Scott. "It's a mouthful, but it basically means we're in the former United States area and somewhere between the American South, and the Mid-Atlantic areas."

Scott looked at the message screen that Bobby brought up earlier. It provided a map of the area that lacked details, but showed the region to be roughly sixteen hundred square miles. It was shaped in a forty-by-forty square, each side measured in miles, and encompassed the city along with several smaller towns located nearby. At the top of the map, the term Region US13-C7-A appeared in bold letters and numerals.

"I see," said Scott. He stepped aside so everyone else could look at the map for a moment. While they checked it out, he looked at Bobby and asked, "So, recruiting people..."

"That's my job, boss man," said Bobby with a smile.

Scott gestured to Rosa, and waved her over to him. She walked over quietly then looked between him and Bobby. Scott said, "Go ahead and ask him."

Bobby looked to Rosa, and she took a deep breath. "I would like to bring my father back."

"Of course," replied Bobby. "Do you want to bring him back as an NPC, or a player?"

Rosa looked to Scott, and he nodded to her. She looked to Bobby and answered, "Player."

"Premium, or non-premium? If premium, what tier?" asked Bobby.

"Premium, first-tier," said Rosa.

Bobby called up a message screen and asked for her father's name. "Michael Sanchez?" he asked, to be certain.

"Yes," said Rosa.

"Alright, place your hand against the light panel and say his name once more," said Bobby. "There are a lot of Michael Sanchez's in the world, and we need to be sure that we get one associated to you."

"There's a chance we can bring back the wrong guy?" asked Scott.

"Absolutely. If you just go on name recognition alone, there are thousands of Michael Sanchez's in the world that the system recognizes," said Bobby. He took a breath then continued, "Recruiting someone you know basically means someone you know personally. Try to recruit a celebrity that you only know by name, and you might get a guy with the exact same name but not the guy you wanted."

The system scanned Rosa's hand and the list dropped down to one option. Bobby Showed the image of the one remaining individual and her eyes lit up. "That's daddy!"

All eyes were on her before, but now the interest level had increased several times over. Were they about to see a miracle in action?

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Bobby. He asked one more question, "Do you want to pre-select his tier-one class?"

"We can do that?" asked Scott.

"Sure, if you have the money," said Bobby. "I can also hook him up with improved starting stats. All of his base stats would start at ten points."

"How much would all of that cost?" asked Scott. If it was affordable, it might be worth it to go big with each recruit.

"Six hundred forty thousand daemons," said Bobby without batting an eyelash.

Cia gasped loudly and clutched at her chest. "S-six..." For a moment it seemed as though she might faint, as her eyes started to roll back in her head.

"The tier one guys are supposed to be ten thousand!" exclaimed Scott. "How could the price go up so much?"

Rosa looked down at the ground. It would cost a fortune to revive her father.

"It's all the bells and whistles that you added. Knock off the extra stat points, and let him get a random player class..." said Bobby. He did a quick change and then continued, "Eighty thousand."

"Twice what we've got to work with," said Scott.

"Recruiting people is so expensive," said Rachel. "Isn't that going to be like sixty-four thousand daemons a month?"

"That's just for shopkeeper NPCs, and guards. Basically, anyone hired to work a specific job. Though, a city guard would cost that much since they are basically NPCs with combat classes," said Bobby.

"We can hire guards?" asked Scott. "That's a thing?"

"Yeah, but unless you're swimming in daemons I wouldn't suggest it. They cost less than players, but you have to pay them by the month, and they only work a set shift schedule. If you're attacked when they're off duty, they won't be here to help," said Bobby.

Rosa closed her eyes tight and sighed. It would cost so much to bring her father back. It wasn't fair to the others, but she could not help wanting it to happen.

Scott discussed guards with Bobby for a moment then noticed Rosa's expression. He changed the topic back to her father. "What if we brought him back as a non-premium player? Is that a thing?"

"Sure," said Bobby. "Cheapest option is eight thousand daemons."

"What? So cheap!" babbled Cia giddily. Suddenly, eight thousand daemons did not seem like such a large amount of money.

"What do we get for him if he's at that price?" asked Scott.

"You get a level one player recruit. He will start with one point in each of his base stats, like you all did. He will have no profession, but you can use a big book of professions on him to upgrade him," said Bobby.

"Eight thousand? We can do it for eight thousand..." said Rosa.

"Can we start him with a chosen class, and improved stats?" asked Scott.

Bobby nodded, "Yes. The cost will go up to sixty four thousand, but it can be done. The only real difference is that as a standard player, he'll need to be unlocked before raising his tier."

"What about removing the improved stats?" asked Scott.

"Thirty-two thousand," said Bobby. "It's a good deal, really. You can choose the class and train the guy until he can survive a boss fight. Wouldn't be any different than some of your other people."

"It's a little expensive still," said Rosa, softly.

"Not really," replied Scott. "Your father ran a private security firm, right? Trained with all kinds of weapons? A guy like that, with the right class, could be a great asset. He'd probably know other guys who'd be great to add to our faction, too."

"Private security?" asked Frank. "I wonder..." said the big man, thoughtfully.

"What ya thinking man?" asked Scott.

Frank looked to Scott and said, "Martin's dead now... he wasn't like Daniel. So, another officer involved with us would be good."

"Something to think about, yeah," said Scott. "I'd think that you wanted to try and bring your sister back, first, though."

"I do, but I'm thinking about the future... and a few more guys like Rosa's dad, or Martin and some of the other officers wouldn't be a bad idea at all," said Frank.

Scott nodded to him, then sighed loudly. "We're going to need a lot of money, soon. This is great, but expensive as hell."

Rosa flinched visibly, but Scott ignored it. The fact that she felt guilty about the costs involved was obvious. Bringing attention to it could only make her feel worse. He told Bobby, "Let's bring her father back for thirty-two thousand. We don't have a priest or a cathedral yet, so we need our player members to be as strong as possible."

"No problem boss man," said Bobby before entering the chosen selections, "It'll cost thirty-two thousand daemons, but what class do you want him to have."

"Given what Rosa said about her father, he'd probably be best suited for something in the frontlines," he said before looking over to Rosa. "I'm thinking he'd make a good Arcane Slayer, like I used to be. Solid physical attack power backed by elemental magical damage."

Rosa nodded softly. "Yes, it does sound right."

Bobby added in the specified class and finalized the recruitment options. Scott received a message requesting that he authorize the transfer of funds. He did so, and a moment later a loud fanfare erupted once more.

The Arcane Slayer Michael Sanchez has joined Team Badass!

A moment later the door beside the counter opened and a black haired man of with vaguely Latino features walked out. Rosa's eyes widened briefly, just before tears welled up in her eyes. Lower lip quivering, she asked in a disbelieving tone, "Daddy?"

Michael blinked then looked toward her with a quizzical expression, "Rosa?"

Her eyes widened once more and shock washed over her face. It soon turned to an expression of tearful joy as she cried out, "Daddy!" before rushing over to the man.

Michael gasped in surprise then opened his arms wide, a joyous smile of his own spreading across his lips. "Rosa!"

All eyes were on the pair as father hugged daughter tightly and began to spin her around. "My beautiful girl!"

Until now, Rosa had seemed quiet and reserved for the most part. While Scott knew her to be a strong person, despite how desperate she seemed when they first met, because nothing seemed to get to her. Once she gained the power to fight back, she did so with zeal and never failed to go train if the option came up. Now, however, the expression on her face was not that of a hardened warrior.

Rosa cried loudly as she clung to her father, her joyful sobs echoing through the room. "Daddy! Daddy..."

It was a beautiful reunion, and the first of many to come. Scott tried to fight back a tear of his own, but eventually he relented. This sort of thing, he'd never realized it until he'd awakened earlier that day, but this was everything that he'd been fighting for all this time. A father holding his daughter tight, both happy to be reunited in the ruins of humanity's fallen dream.

Scott did not even bother to wipe that tear away as it slid down his cheek. He could not bring his grandmother back, but he could bring back the loved ones of others. Nothing would ever be the same again, but the duo spinning, laughing, and crying before him were proof that there was still room for something good to exist in the hell that the world had become. Those joyful sobs and high-pitched wails were the birth cry of a new age to come.