“How many people can be expected for the party?”

“I would say sadly only 80 people or so. The others are far away, some are offline and some just won’t come because they are busy. All will fit and that is what matters. But sorry I will talk to you later. Many things need doing before the party and as you can see I cannot rely on Gambit.” He watched Major walking away to go talk to a new group.

He looked over at Gambit, he seemed to be talking to other people. He made a quick scan of the room before he would ask the others where they are. In the corner he saw Cuzen, he did not recognize him with the black cape on, but those broad shoulders he would identify in a line up.

He made his way over and saw he was talking to 6 other people. He recognized Stan the knight from a week or so back. He did not wait to be asked to sit down and took a chair at the table.

“Tinker, you remember Stan right, these are his friends. Those we could not save. They are Kyle, Eric, Kenny, Wendy and Beby.” He greeted them all in turn.

“So you guys came all the way to the city to join the guild?”

“Yes I have been talking with Cuzen here and he managed to get us an interview with your leader. We are waiting for him now to discuss what our initiation test is going to be.”

“Nice, Seems like he is on his way here at least. What have you guys been up to Cuzen?”

“I have been questing at the church. Yuri and his spirit hawk were questing about an hour’s walk from the capital, Zomger is doing a quest where he is trying to increase his healing. From what I heard you already know what Lina is up to. She is going to be late tonight”

“Yes, I wonder if she will be able to learn level 5 enchanting from the get go, that Grand Master William seems odd to say the least.”

“I would not know, you met the man after all. So what have you been up to?”

“Just came from the training hall, Learnt Alchemy, Zoology and Scavenger, made potions, finished my dam book, got invited to the Palace for lunch tomorrow and gained 3 levels so now I am above 50.”

“Well done my man. How do you like Weapon specialist?” They fist bumped.” Was it the C rank quest you completed that gave you the levels?”

“Yes,”

Stan talked for the first time, he and his friends had been quiet since he and Cuzen started talking. “See guys, spirit hawks, learning skills by starting from level 5. One man completing a C rank quest on his own and having lunch at the palace. I told you this is a guild is hardcore and worth joining.”

“It better be, I don’t want the same thing happening like the last guild.”

“What happened at your last guild?”

“We were about 10 levels or so behind the strongest raiding party. If we played with them, they would claim the best loot and never want us to attack with them. They wanted Wendy now and again to heal them and the rest of us they did not really want for the nice raids. So we left.”

“Yea that is bull shit. I don’t know if things like that happen here, since we are allowed to roam around on our own. But what I can tell our guild numbers are still increasing and nobody is complaining in the guild chat.”

Gambit arrived, they made the introductions and he sat down.

“We are always eager for new blood but our standards are rough. Have any of you completed basic training in magic or weapons?” Only the mage had.

“Not to worry, your levels are counting in your favour. Do you guys have other professions or unique skills?” It seemed they did not.

“Well do not worry, it is not all bad. By all rational standards you guys are average. How you handle combat and your willingness to better yourselves will determine if you guys get in. Have you been to the dungeon of Mogul?” They had not.

“Good, you are strong enough to start level 3. The average monsters there are between 80 and 90. Not the biggest of dungeons but it comes with a handy quest and the experience gained is good. Items on the other hand, I would not hope for something new but those you sell will get you some gold.”

“The place is a few hours walk from here but it is relatively hidden and not well known. I had already selected the person who

would go with you and monitor your party and fight. He will show you the way and answer questions you might have, he around the same level as you guys. He has never been there and will also do the quest. We understand that not all people can play this game all day long so he will hang around for a while and wait for you guys. Do not worry about him, he can handle himself and will be farming the dungeon solo while he waits for you. The down side is, he is staying for the party, and after that he is going to sleep. So in about 40 hours from now he will be at the dungeon. You can wait for him at the town close to the dungeon. It is up to you guys if you accept our terms. He will give you more details once you start?” They agreed to the terms and left.

“So are you guys ready for the party? I was almost scared we would not make it. But the dungeon we were in we cleared fast. For a level 100 dungeon we went fast and farmed it pretty thorough. All of us in leader ship roles are going to be here. Ugly has been keeping the details secret.”

“Yes we don’t know much either and will have to see what happens later on.”

The night of the party was finally here. Most of the guild floor had been cleared. There was a place in the corner where an Npc band was playing music. There were 3 Npc’s walking around from person to person asking what they wanted to drink. They had 4 different juices, tee and water. Apparently the alcohol will be served later after the meals and speeches. Before the food people had the opportunity to mingle and get to know each other. Lina joined them 2 hours into the party and was just in time to get blindsided, until then Tinker, Cuzen, Yuri and Zomger were talking to a group of people right next to them. The guild had just over 250 members and only 80 were at the party. The guild house first floor was packed and you could see there were many people from all races attending. Most were humans but that was understandable. All wore their black coats so it was easy to spot the npc caterers or band members.

Our group of heroes did not have to move from people to people. Yuri went and changed his spirit hawk settings that guild members could see it as well. Thus interested members came over to them. They would first introduce themselves. Tell their rank in the guild and then ask about his spirit hawk. They told all the members what had happened. At the start Yuri did all the talking. Gradually feeling left out the others wanted to talk as well. Zomger would tell the part of the story of the mist and naked fairies. Cuzen would tell the part of the battle and quest. Tinker would explain the part of how an alchemist was needed to go there and what the dust was for. Then only was Yuri allowed to tell his part. They had probably met about half of the people when someone yelled for silence.

There were 7 players in the middle of the room, all the others moved off to their sides. They started singing and dancing. It seemed they were Scribes. The big golden scale and small silver sword in their black coats gave them away. There was 1 woman dancing like a belly dancer. A man and woman that seemed like they were on that show strictly come dancing. They were twirling and really dancing like professionals. 3 Others were singing and playing music. Even the Npc band joined in providing a sort of background music for them for added effect. The music they were playing sounded oddly familiar. Tinker started to recognize the songs.

They were songs that were popular about 3 months ago in the real world. It was on all the radio stations and top of the charts for a while. It seemed since all their members came from over the world it was best to play and sing music that was popular all over the world. Lastly there was a man that quoted poetry. Tinker did not understand half of it, but the female guild members were eating it up. Even Zomger said the guy was good. His second poem he sort of sung and performed. Lina arrived sometime during that performance.

When he was done Major and Gambit walked to the middle of the room.

G ”Ladies and gentleman” M “Knights and Scribes”.

G “Welcome to the BoS Guild house” M “To celebrate 6 months of Royal Roads.”

G “We quest and level hard” M “So a break and party was needed to reward ourselves.”

G “Food and drink will be served soon” M “That our own cooks had prepared.”

G “First we will have speeches from our different leaders and then ugly and I would say a few words.”

M “I would like to request that Yuri and his friends come after the rank leaders to tell the story about how they got the spirit hawk. It seemed like it is all the buzz in the guild tonight”

The group nodded that they would do it. Lina was not amused. She had just arrived and now she was suppose to tell the story. They told her to just smile and be pretty, they would handle the story.

First to talk was human female. She was tall and had long blond hair. Tinker would have said she seemed pretty enough. It was hard to see if she was a priest because she had clothes on and not a priest robe.

“Hello everybody. I am Aurora, leader of the Protection Knights. I am glad that I ended up with the guild and never regret that first day Gambit and the others asked me to be the healer for them while they attacked wolves. A lot of the dungeons after that were hell and I never imagined that I would keep up with their fast and reckless pace. But alas, we had many fun times and I was honored when I was asked to join the guild and be part of the ten that signed the original charter.”

Cheers erupted with clapping of hands.

Next up was a tallish fellow that looked normal enough and wore a mage robe. “Hey, I am Asmodian, Arcane mage that leads the Rune Knights. I knew the moment I first saw you guys clear mobs I wanted to be part of your group. Not sure how I managed to be a leader but since I still am, I guess I am doing something right. To Gambit and Major for giving us a home away from home”

Louder cheers and shouts of joy followed.

Next was one of most well built men Tinker them had ever seen. He was not to big like a body builder but all his muscles showed. He was a true specimen of male perfection. His face could have used work but with a body like that who needed an attractive face. “Zane, I am a monk and leader of the Natural Knights. My friends and I were looking for a guild and even had thoughts of starting our own until I fought Buster and Gambit. That was when I knew they were the best around. After that we all became friends and together we are the best around.” He did a back flip and twirled around a few times by only using his hands and arms to support his weight. Rumors placed him as second or third strongest in the guild after Buster.

He did not say much but he got cheers for his little show at the end.

Next was an elf. He wore a hood that covered most of his head and a mask that hid his face. Tinker could not help notice how he glided over the floor. He would recognize training like that in a second. “The name is Dismas and thieving is the game. I do not raid a lot with most of the guild and as far as leaders go I am probably the lowest of levels. I am in charge of the Precision Knights and spend most of my time questing and doing tasks that go unnoticed for most of you and the world. Do not worry I don’t steal from guild members and I never lie.”

He took out a bag and tossed it to Gambit. It sounded like coins. Gambit opened his inventory to add the gold. “You bastard when did you steal all my gold? I have not seen you close to me once tonight?”

“I would have robbed Major but I do not have the inventory space to carry all the gold he has.” Few of the guild members were not sure how to act and what to do. Most laughed and Tinker had a good idea what was going on. This thief claimed to be lower level than the other leaders but by taking Gambit’s money without him realizing it, was impressive. He was making a statement to the guild that he was not to be messed with.

Next was a big warrior in full battle gear. He was the only person dressed for battle. It seemed he did not catch the memo it was a party.” Buster, I lead the Vanguard Knights. To the BoS and Royal Roads.” He lifted up his cup and waited for the majority to mimic him and he sipped and so did the others.

As he walked away Major asked Yuri and the others to go tell the story. They were a bit nervous and tried their best to tell it all. Zomger being a natural story teller made for a good opening scene. He could nearly make people believe they were caught in the fog, instead of them. Cuzen even talked about the part where they kited the Gorilla in the fight of their lives. Tinker and Yuri stuck to what they have been saying all night so far. At the end of the story Lina made a big fire ball and shot it to the ceiling corner, before it impacted it split in 8 smaller fire balls that zigzagged all over the room on the way back to her where they disappeared again. They did not do any damage to anyone. They asked her what she did that for and Lina only explained they all had good parts of the story to tell and she did not want to be left out so she dazzled them with a fire show.

After that Major and Gambit were in the centre again. Gambit spoke first.

“Guys, when we stated this game 6 months ago we did not know what to expect and like all of you we were wowed out of our minds. When we started the guild 4 months ago we had but a few friends and look at us now. So many people are part of the guild and in time I hope I can make all of you my friends. I would like to think Major and I are doing the best possible to lead the guild and thanks to those others that help us make this not only a guild we can all call home but a place we can share everything we do.”

“Well I think fatty had stolen my speech so I do not have much more to add and say. I look forward to what the future holds and now it is time for the booze and food!!!”

Naturally that got the most cheers and claps. The Npc caterers brought food and another would bring the alcohol. On the menu were two types of cider, wine and ale. The other drinks served earlier were also still on the menu. Since Tinker them were under age they stuck to the earlier drinks. Yuri asked for cider but in the end it tasted like water. The band kept playing music the entire time. After the food there were minor complaints that Major did not provide desert. They got over it. The alcohol was taking effect. Most people were dancing and singing along to songs. In general most were terrible and in normal circumstances Tinker would say they should be shot on site but he was also dancing and being part of the moment. Zomger and the others were also dancing and making total fools of themselves.

80 People singing and dancing with music drew a lot of attention. Npc and players came to the guild house to look what festival or party was going on. Naturally many wanted to enter and be part of it. Buster was at the door and acted as bouncer with a mug of ale and big sword in hand. The first person that said the others can’t make him leave was killed the second he entered the guild.

Those watching were so shocked to see him killed so fast by a single person, and to make matters worse the person that did the killing did not get the murderer mark. After that they hung back a bit and stood around in the street. Hearing popular music from the real world assured that a crowd formed in the street. Many danced and sang with the music. A lot of them stood at the door and sneaked peaks inside. The door and high placed windows were open for circulation. Many more tried to enter but Buster made sure nobody that was not a member came in.

Sometime during the night Major came around to Tinker them. Lina was dancing with some dude, Yuri and Asmodian seemed to be busy with an in depth discussion. Zomger was talking to the bard that did the solo poem. Cuzen seemed to be talking to some people he did not know.

“Tinker how are you enjoying the party so far?”

“It is awesome dude. Must have cost a fortune?”

“Not really. Only the alcohol is costing a lot. The food was made by our cooks. The meat was donated and hunted recently by members. Npc band and the others are not that expensive for a night. Our own members that are singing and playing music are also doing it for free, since it is their profession they really don’t mind. In fact the bigger the crowd the more their experience gain is.”

“That is pretty good. These cooks have better skills than me, I can taste they know what they are doing. Also the stats they give are way more than mine.”

“Yes, they truly are magnificent. A lot of them have part time jobs at the best restaurants and one even helps out at the palace.”

“Really is he working there tomorrow?”

“Not so far as I know. Why you ask?”

“Just wondering if I am going to taste his food again. I have a lunch appointment at the Royal gardens tomorrow”

“O really, just who did you bribe to get in?”

“I was invited by Tristan Collins, he is my alchemy teacher and said I can bring a few friends. Pardon me for one moment, I forgot to ask the others if they wanted to come with. It will be 1 in the morning so not sure they are going to be awake and willing to go”

He used the party chat and sent and urgent message that all of them got with a nice sound too notify them.

Lina “Sorry I am going to be well asleep then. I need to rest, Grand Master William is really pushing me to the edge.”

Cuzen “Sure I want to see the palace and might as well stay awake till one to see it.”

Zomger “You did say the food was free right, I am in.”

Yuri, “All right you guys are forcing me to go, I will concede to group pressure and come.”

“Nobody is forcing you to do anything, Tinker merely asked and now you talking nonsense.”

“Whatever man, maybe there is another spirit that needs a companion, best that the expert be there.”

“Tell yourself whatever you need to, enjoy it while it lasts, because the moment one of us gets something new and unique you will have to put up with us.”

“I know, until then, I got a Spirit hawk bitches…..”

“Sorry Major, we just needed to figure out who will be going. Unfortunately Lina won’t be able to make it.”

“A pity, you mind if I take her place”

“Not really no, not sure they would have a problem with it and why do you want to go?”

“Well it is a once in a life time thing so I don’t want to miss out on it. If I can talk to Gawain Collins about business, even better.”

That was the actual reason he wanted to go, Tinker did not really mind, as long as they don’t get chased away from the palace.

The only other person he recognized at the party was Quantum. He considered walking over to talk with the guy but he really had nothing important to say and instead went looking for one of the cooks that made the best roast duck he had ever tasted.

At some point it seemed the party would last forever. Another highlight of the evening was when 7 people tried to enter the guild with force. They were quickly dispatched of. Zomger complained he got no experience and only gained infamy. It seemed he cursed a few of them in hopes of getting some experience but it did not work out like that. Outside in the street the guards were in great numbers for in case a riot or fight brakes out. If they would guess they would say there were about a minimum of 400 people in the street having a mini party of their own thanks to the music from the BoS guild house. As the evening went on more and more people started to log out to sleep, not all of them did. Some had just woken up for the party and would play once most have left.

Asmodian came over to Tinker to ask if he could borrow the potion needed to enter the fairy forest. It seemed he wanted the dust bad and if he could get a spirit Imp or something of his own he would not mind. He also added that he is taking some players with him and that one of them had alchemy skill. Tinker agreed to give him the bottle since he did not plan on going there soon anyway. Asmodian agreed to leave the potion at the guild house when they return and that he would also owe him a favor.

After the party the number of people that wanted to join the guild increased. For the next week Gambit had his hands full and had interviews with each person. He claimed that about 90% of those were idiots, about 7 % of them would fail the trails and about 3 % will join the ranks.

With about half of the members logged out or lying intoxicated on the floor Tinker also logged out

He went online to check posts and see what is new on the dark gamer web page. He even posted how he had gotten into the forest of fairies. Since there seemed to be not many with the alchemist skill and none with the potion they needed to get in. He was not worried they would abuse the information to much

He logged back just before the lunch started. He was starting to feel tired and knew he would last through a lunch if it was not to boring. He met the other 3 at the palace main gate. All three of them were wearing better clothes than Tinker had, so he asked for an extra shirt, if Yuri had one. Cuzen and Zomger were a bit too large and the shirt would look funny. Major arrived a bit late and apologized. He claimed it was 3 in the morning where he lived. He was among the first to log out so that he could sleep a bit before his alarm went off. He claimed he barely made it because he stopped by Gambit room to wake him up and annoy him. They asked him why he did it, and all he said was that Gambit had it coming. Major wore something that most nobles did, a blue suit that looked expensive.

They entered the palace with no problems, they asked a servant to take them to the Royal garden for lunch. He seemed skeptical they were actually invited. He agreed to take them close to the garden and then he would hear if they were invited. After everything was sorted out they were allowed to enter.

It was really a site to behold. There was a massive stone table which could seat 50 people easy and it was covered to provide shade against the harsh afternoon sun. The garden was covered with beautiful flowers and impressive water fountains. There were small places people can sit and gather all through the gardens. It seemed that a lot of people were present. Tinker was not expecting so many people. He recognized Tristan and Lancelot and the servant left them as soon as they started walking to the people.

“Tinker, for a moment I thought you would not come, we have been ready for a while now and have been waiting, I will introduce you to everyone and after that we can take our seats.”

“Sorry we are late, we had a delay on our side.”

They were introduced to most of the people there. It seemed Lancelot had three children and two of them were married with their own kids, Gawain had 2 kids and both of them had their own kids already. There were way too many faces and names to remember but Tinker had a general idea who was whose child and who married into the family. They moved to the table to get seated. It seemed they had a system. Lancelot at the head with his family next to him, next came Gawain’s family. At the end of it all they sat along with Tristan. Tinker and Tristan went on as normal and really talked mainly to each other. He was saddened to hear Lina was not there but he enjoyed meeting Major. After Tinker explained Major was one of the leaders of the guild he was in, Tristan understood more of why he was here and why Tinker had not really talked about him yet.

Tristan was being polite and asked the others where they stared and what they have been up to. The others explained and Tristan did enjoy the story of how they stopped cultist and a demon in Fell woods. Major just said he was a merchant and dodged the questions well of what he did, it seemed Tristan did not know of Major’s reputation. Tinker told him about the party they had last night and how it went.

They did not have to talk long before the food was served. The main dish was creamy fish with sweet potatoes, pumpkins and peas. They did not have a lot of fish because Zomger would release most of the fish he caught and Yuri prepared the fishes. He had shown Tinker how to gut them and cook them and so forth, but neither jumped at the opportunity to prepare fish. Deer and other meats were easy. For desert they had an option between 3 different pies. Servants brought the food and removed plates, others made sure that glasses were never empty. It sure was nice being royalty. They could get use to this.

When the last plate was removed the children ran way to play in the garden, the women went to a place where they can sit in the shade and keep an eye on the children. The men went to as small placement which had a table and about ten chairs. Tristan motioned them to follow and they each brought their own cups with. They took a seat at the table. It was round so nobody sat at the head. There was a moment of silence before Tristan broke the ice. He told the others how Tinker was the only out lander that showed a true passion for alchemy and how he had the insight to expand on the book to further his own needs. He also added that perhaps one day Tinker will most likely become one of the best alchemists in the land if he stuck to it and played war less. Tinker had no desire to become a full time alchemist, all the things he was doing now was so that later on he can become one of the best warriors in the game.

The conversation was stale to say the least. What do people of the land have to talk about with out landers? Only Tinker and Tristan were talking normally and the others were trying. There was an uneasy tension between Lancelot and Major. After about an hour of light conversation things were starting to heat up. Major started talking to Gawain asking how his business was doing.

“Business is good, with the influx of you out landers and more that come every day our sales are up, need for goods are increasing, more lost loot from monsters are returned to us. What about you? You say you are a merchant what products are you selling? Because I have not seen your shop and hear only rumors.”

“I like to think I sell and buy a bit of everything like your company does. It is true I do not have a stall but most of my business I conduct from our guild house. Unless you tell me what the rumors are I cannot really comment on them.”

“Just the usual of how you amassed a fortune in such a short time, how you use illegal means to do business and so on.”

“I like to think of myself a good merchant and are they only saying bad things about me?”

“Not at all, miners and farmers are singing your praises, your revolutionary way of doing business will change the way we have been doing it for thousands of years.”

“Glad to hear they do not all call for my head. If you are interested I would like to make use of your merchant wagons. Currently mine are full. As I understand you do have more than a few wagons heading to the various Kingdoms. “

“Maybe you should stop by tomorrow or when you have time than we can maybe work something out. Best not to pass on a good business opportunity, and if the rumors are true on the amount of supplies you ship each week you will need a big mercantile company behind you.”

“My thoughts exactly, I have been thinking either you or the Maximuss group. Seems fate had brought us here together. As I understand both your companies are about the same size only the amount of wagons differ as you send them out to different areas.”

“If by fate you mean Tinker.” Tristan added

“You are right, seems you have been doing you research Mister Major.”

“Yes, as I said I have been keeping an eye on you guys and it is about time I expand”

“Excuse me Mister Major.” Lancelot interjected. “Is it true you have a title?”

“That I do, it is not really one I use often because I fear many people get the wrong idea.”

“Really what is it and how did you come by it?”

“It is Boss. I received it when I had more than 100 of the people of the land working for me.”

“Major the Boss, it does sound rather intimidating. I had no idea you had so many workers. Many on the council have tried to find out what exactly it is you do, but it seems all those that send men to follow you end up dead or go missing.”

“Really, I can assure you that I have not killed or kidnapped any one myself. As a matter of fact I have not even killed one single monster since I came to this world. Business keeps me busy.” Later they would discover that Major really did not kill anyone, it was the other people in the guild that killed Npc’s that followed him, per his instruction of course.

“It seems we have a spy here today as well. You see that person standing there in the garden” Lancelot pointed and ever body looked. The spy saw everybody was looking and started to walk away.”I think he was trying to be a gardener but with no tools he stands out. If he tried pretending to look at the flowers it might have taken longer for me to notice him. At the end of it all it does not matter I guess.”

“What bothers me is the one hiding that tree” Yuri pointed to it. They saw nothing. He took at his bow and shot into it. He then yelled. “The next one is going to hit your head.”

A man suddenly emerged from the tree and made a hasty retreat.

“Who do you think he works for?”

“If I would have to guess Lord Max or any of the other lords that hold grudges towards you. He does enjoy talented spies.”

“Can a person get no privacy?”

“As I understand a lot of the lords who don’t like Major have given his description to the guards and servants. So whenever he is on palace grounds the spies come out and others go tell the lords he is here. They are so scared he makes a deal with another lord and undermines somebody. They just want to be kept in the loop and not blindsided by a business deal or whatever.”

“You don’t seem too worried?”

“I am not. I would have gotten the same message any lord would get if he enters the grounds. Whatever business Gawain wants to do I am not going to tell the others about it. If they think Major and I are plotting something I will inform them, that he came to lunch with Tristan’s new student. It may seem worse than it is. In the game of politics some things get blown out of proportion where small things get looked over. I can guess for the next week it will be the talk all over the palace that Major came to my midday lunch. If Major and Gawain start business I think the other lords will hate me more but after a month or so a new issue will arise and these things will be forgotten.”

“Sounds like you are use to it.”

“That I am. Since I was a young man I went with my father to meetings and after 30 years it I safe to say I know all the ins and outs of politics in our fine city.”

“Is Major not entitled to privacy and things like that?”

“Of course he is. So far as I know it is not illegal to follow a person and keep an eye on them. As long as you do not threaten or trespass on their lands it is fine. Becoming famous or infamous has its highs and lows you understand?”

“We do, is it common for spies to follow people around?”

“It is. Those expected of wrong doings or trouble makers get followed all the time. I am not saying Major is one of them of course. He is a unique case to say the least. With him being an out lander and amassing riches so fast how can the others not be interested in how he does it. I assume you are not willing to tell us here at the table how you do what you do?”

“Hahaha I am afraid a good business man does not reveal trade secrets.”

“Very well, on a other subject what do you think the future holds for you out landers here on our continent?”

Cuzen” Well I think we are going to explore every corner and place in your world. Where we come from we had people reaching all corners in our world. From the highest mountain tops to deep under the sea. I think that is one of the main reasons we had come here. It is a new world for us to explore and we do like our exploration.”

“I have noticed how you out landers seem to scatter and run all over the place with no fear of monsters or boarders to confine you.

Zomger” I like to think we focus more on exchange of culture and ideas. I like talking to the people and learning more about you and your culture. By listening to you songs and tales I can understand you more as a people. When you hear my poems and songs I like to think you understand us more.”

“I must admit I have heard some of your peoples songs and words and a lot I do not understand. I do understand the themes like love and struggle if that is the message of the song, but as a whole I am lost.”

“Don’t worry, even most of us don’t understand half of the time what the songs and poems mean and we are from the same world.”

Yuri ”Well I just came here for the ladies…..and to have a good time. Those that do come here, come here for their own reasons. Nobody is forced to be here and all have a choice before they come”

Tinker “I came here to be the very best. One whose name will be known by all. I want to be the first to explore everything place in your world, I want to be the strongest warrior that slays the biggest beast. I want to do things that now other out lander or person of the land has ever done. I can name so many other things I want to do but then we will all be sitting here till late tonight.”

“After you finished the first task I gave you I knew you had a lot of determination and what you are trying to accomplish is a good goal to have. Once you reach the top and all the land knows your name make sure you to tell them that I, Tristan Collins helped you along your journey.”

“Of course I will, at my Castle you will have a room for yourself and a garden full of the rare plants I discover.”

They all laughed at that. Major was still to say what he thinks the future holds.

“War” he said somewhat grimly. “Mark my words many things come and go, but war never changes. We will fight and many will die, but war makes sure many advances in skills, spells and knowledge will happen. I do not know if there will be piece one day but I can tell you this. There will be blood, new things that will wow you the moment you see or hear of it. That is why I am a merchant, in peace or war time there is money to be made.”

“You think so? Endless wars all over the lands?”

“Maybe one day. It helps a lot that there are always new monsters to kill and other things to keep us busy or distracted with.”

Lancelot “With the new laws that the king passed are you going to acquire a village or two of your own Major?”

“No not at all, I think I will wait and see how things go for now. There are many other places that need my attention.”

Major tried to change the topic of conversation. “How is the peace negotiations going with the Kallamorian’s, there haven’t been any new border disputes with them?”

“There is always a dispute of some kind between us and them. Last I heard they raided a small village and left again. I was not aware you took interest in matters like that?”

“Normally I do not much care what raids are going on, but I think it is helpful to have knowledge of the kingdom and its standing. If there is one thing I have learned, is that there is always someone making money for every battle or war that get’s fought.”

“I see, so you want to be that person. It has been many years since we had a full out war with the Kallamorian’s. We may have the bigger army and lands but their knights are of the best in all of the continent. I think they still hold grudges of the old days.”

“Really what happened between your kingdoms that they hate you guys?”

“I am not sure, long ago the Kallamorian kingdom lands spread far and wide, but after many battles they had to fall back and forfeit many lands. Now that I think about it that village they raided was long ago part of the Kallamorian kingdom. It is not only us they test. But I can’t see us going to war with them any time soon.”

“Enough of politics, tell us about the monsters you have faced. I have been living all my life in the city and a lot of people complain that we that live here in the capital have no idea what is going on in the outside world. I think Tristan is the only one that has seen monsters and experienced wars.”

“Well we fight any monster really, the more we kill the stronger we get. When we are done here we are thinking of leaving for a month or two to go kill more. We are not afraid of monsters and if they kill us we repay them back in kind. The quests and other rewards we get from killing monsters keep us going back for more.”

“What do you others do when you are not killing monsters and fighting in battles? I know Tinker picked up alchemy but surely Cuzen that is a paladin of Freya has other responsibilities?”

“We do a bit of everything. Some things to help us survive longer when we leave cities like cooking, others to make us stronger like training, and other stuff to past the time like singing and fishing. Most of what we do tracks back some way to our play style and interests.”

“I would have liked to live like you guys for some time. But responsibility to our house and country keep us busy.”

“Why have none of you joined the army? Surely you do not have to stay in the cities all the time, you can also go out in the world and kill monsters?”

“To what end? People die when they are always fighting. The work we all do here in the city is important and it helps us raise families and being part of the community. Those not fortunate enough to be born into wealth are usually those that join armies or the guards. Some of them live long but most do not, we are lucky and blessed to be safe behind our huge walls and titles.”

“Perhaps, each to his own I guess.”

They kept talking for the better part of an hour but they were starting to get tired and needed to sleep. They said their goodbyes and parted ways. All of them logged off and went to bed for tomorrow will be another day.