JarsForJars stepped through the portal, dropping her off in Myneria. As soon as she cleared her personal portal point, she was greeted by chaos. Word had traveled instantly, multiple towers received the exact same message, dragons had appeared over Myneria.

Dragons were always a rumor, randomly generated paintings in raids, untradeable items like dragon scales and teeth in treasure chests. In all the raids and dungeons, world events, or even legendary quests, dragons had never appeared in HYTOMA. Sure there were Drakes and Wyverns, but Dragons?

JarsForJars was at a disadvantage, her real world responsibilities kept her out of the running of top guilds. So for an event like this, she always had to be the first on the scene, otherwise she would be on the sidelines. There was a point in time where she earned a name on the Achievement boards, being a person who always seem to be at events before anybody else. That time had quickly went by, as buying the surprising that information was expensive, and her wallet drained faster than being able to fill it up.

Getting to such an event, when clans had already set up their stores and taverns, it would require a miracle to get anywhere in this mess. While thinking about her next steps, she moved to her first stop, the City Barracks. She did not squander her previous fame by placing herself in a unique position with the City Guard. During a small event, that almost went completely ignored, she found herself fighting shoulder to shoulder with the City Guard in the sewers trying to save the fourth Prince. After the event came to an end, she was given the title "Honorary Guard", instantly making her Exalted with any Guard in the Kingdom.

It was the Exalted status was really her only hope to get out in front of the huge pack inside the city. While it seemed like everybody in HYTOMA was sitting in Myneria, nobody could figure out exactly how to get outside of the city. The City Guard and the Holy Paladin Order refused to allow anybody to leave the city, stating that both the King and the Pope ordered the gates closed. Even EndlessLooting, the leader of the guild Llama Patrol, First Guild to the King was shut down, and was even thrown in jail for trying to force his way through the front gate.

As JarsForJars cleared the gate to the barracks, she thought of how she would approach this. She was warned not to try and abuse the favor she was given, and pushing in the right way could cost her the treasured Exalted status. As she looked over the training yard, she frowned, seeing the entire yard empty. Even during wartime, day or night, there were always guards honing their skill. She pushed past the main door and walked into the Great Hall, freezing at the silence of the hall. The door which was relentlessly maintained, closed behind her, rather than the muted click, it sounded like a baseball bat hitting a thick soft-covered book.

Jumping at the boom behind her, her eyes landed on the information desk, and her favorite NPC was dozing at the desk. Giving the NPC the nickname Sarge, she had made this poor NPCs life a living hell. Constantly making jokes at his expense, taking part in practical jokes that typically ended with a sign around his neck. While constant harranging, she still viewed him as a friend, even if his lines were delievered based on her reputation with the City Guard.

She approached the desk and saluted to the NPC. "Hi Sarge, you must be feeling extra lonely today."

The NPC straightened at the counter, and looked at JarsForJars, and a look of annoyance was plain his face. "JarsForJars, how long has it been now? 4 months now?" She winced, and unfortunately for her, Sarge wasn't done. "Have you gone on and found a new and exciting quest line? Or maybe you are just too good to be seen in the City Barracks. You even forgot to put your Honorary Guard title on."

She stood upright, realizing that the best course of action right now would to treat this as a military type dress down. She didn't even think about the title, knowing that trying to change it now would give Sarge something else to call her out on.

Sarge, who was now two steps away from JarsForJars, had him face to chest. He looked down at her, pouring all of his authority over her, letting her know that she was skating on very thin ice. She refused to back down, she had to respond with her own strength.

"Sir, I apologize, not an apology to you personally, but to the Guard. I have forgotten where I have learned many lessons, where I learned the value of sacrifice for the people, and where the trust in the person beside you is paramount." She put her fist over her heart and lowered her head. "For the heart and soul."

He didn't move, he just looked down at her, his jaw sticking out. He was measuring her, his AI likely receiving reports on her profile and gameplay history. He just grunted, turned on his heel, and resumed his post at the counter. "Well, since you value your fellow guard, you won't be opposed to trying out a new system for us."

She dropped her salute and took a relaxed stance. She hoped her face was blank, showing nothing, because inside, she was exploding with emotion. A beta test, meaning she would get to be one of the first people to see a new patch. When was the last patch from Ninth? JarsForJars wasn't allowed to digitize when the last patch was released, and that was 3 years ago. Since the game was constantly monitored and updated, there really was little use for updates. New dungeons and raids appeared regularly, along with endless possibilities for personalized dungeons. When enough trades people reach a certain level, new materials are generated, and recipes. No, this meant how people lived in HYTOMA was about to change. The lastest patch offered official support for items recovered by Wanderers.

"With what has happened today, the Royalty has finally approved a new way for us to deliver Quests to adventurers, rather than hope someone pops through our door at the right time. This whole mess today has caused us to lose control of the situation, and forced us to just block everybody out." He just rolled his eyes as his hand rolled towards the outside of the building. "All the people that just rushed here, they didn't have a clue how explosive this situation is. What happens if some idiot decided to shoot off some magic at one of those dragons, setting off the entire flock? If those dragons decided to turn their attention on the city, the Pope isn't even sure if the Holy Protection surrounding the city would last.

"Anyways, you were supposed to be one of the people who were going to be sent out there to see what is going on. With all the inflated egos roaming around the city, there would be a full blown riot because players like EndlessLooting think all quests belong to them." Sarge rolled his eyes at the situation. "So we have locked down leaving the city, and hiring anybody who can work with protection magic to help boost the Holy Protection. This new tab will allow you to receive quests, as well track any open items that you are required to complete." Sarge looked at her, authority painted across his face. "I tell you this right now, do not abandon these quests, you will be punished accordingly. These aren't like your regular quests, which you can just abandon if you don't like the way they are going, you see them through to the end, or you stop receiving new quests."

** Contract tab unlocked. What sarge is saying right now is very important, you may regret missing what he is telling you right now. Sorry for the distraction, but it has to be this way. Ninth **

Ninth? Why was Ninth bolded, and what distraction. "That will be the only way you will be able to safely skip a quest that is presented to you. Since you seem to be too good to come and visit me every so often, I'll be good enough to repeat these instructions after these dragons clear the air."

That distraction, had her excitement about being a tester turning to fear. One of the Council AI was directly involving itself into her life, purposely distracting her away from receiving instructions on the new system. Could she trust this new system, did she even have the luxury of trusting this test? Judging from the words coming from Sarge, along with text in the new skill, there were consequences in failure.

"Now go, I have no time for Mercenaries." She stared at Sarge, what does he mean mercenary?

** Title lost - Honorary Guard. Sorry friend, but the town guard despises adventures who take quests for the result of gold **