After a long battle with Kromsius, we finally reached the end. It was an arduous fight, taking so much longer than it ever should with a real party. Though part of it was my fault, I am using a summoner, it was also not helped by the lack of real teamwork. Any PUG can form a squad and come down to the second boss here, as long as they were experienced enough. But they would never be able to master this dungeon as well as a real team could. And that is the problem with these newbies I see before me, they were no different than a PUG.

They didn’t pull themselves together when they wiped for the first time, they didn’t come together after that close victory over Corpsebreath, and they didn’t notice that one of their teammates was quietly suffering alone. They didn’t do anything wrong per say, they just didn’t do anything that I wouldn’t expect out of picking a group of random players. They were each individually talented players, but nothing they showed proved that they could be equally talented teammates. Since my goal is a full Legion Raid, how can I trust these guys to be one of the 96 players needed to complete one. Runelord, Barbarian, Cleric and Water Mage each were looking at the loot drops of Kromsius. But no one notices a suspiciously silent Warrior, who was quietly standing around.

Warrior decided to do nothing, we can even see that he decided to pass on all of the loot. When I checked on the voice chat, I could see he had muted himself again. He had put a wedge into the party relationship right from the beginning, when he didn’t want to reveal his build. I assume he had hoped to mend that wedge with good party play, instead both bad luck and poor emotional management fractured the party. The sad part is, the rest of the newbies didn’t realize it. This is going to be a tough evaluation once we leave the dungeons. I just hope that the rest of the parties went much better than this.

Kromsius dropped his Legendary Axe, the first time I have personally seen it drop. The rest of the loot was just metal ores and gold, but the Axe is a major score. I swear I can almost see hearts in the eyes of Barbarian looking at the thing. I didn’t have the heart to roll for greed on it, and so did the rest of the party. We also rolled for the rest of the loot dropped by Corpsebreath, I managed to snag the Jungle Core and the unidentified Longsword. The magic metal ores went to Runelord, well the rare level weapons and armor were shared among the newbies. The Bad Breath Grimoire was to be sold by the guild, and the gold given out equally. Each of us made it out pretty well with this dungeon run by the gold earned alone.

We ended the dungeon run by the party vote, and found ourselves back at the entrance where all of the parties waited. I see the Parties led by Blake and Michael both went well, all of them seemed chatting happily in the all chat. Kira and her squad got back the quickest, she had completed the dungeon fully unlike us. Armando was supposed to be here as well, but I don’t see him anymore. His party lead, Peyton, was still here chatting happily with her other party mates. Hopefully everything is going ok with him, he has been getting more and more distant as the days go on.

“Hey Alex! Nice of you guys to join us! First you made us wait as Jaxon’s and you are late coming out of the dungeon!” Blake yelled out cheekily.

“Yeah Alex, you sure took your time. (did everything go ok?)” Michael said, privately messaging me for the details of the mission.

“Yeah! It actually went better than expected! We got ourselves a Grimoire drop and a Kromsius’s Axe drop! I would have loved to continue the run of good luck, but we ran out of time. (I need to have a discussion with this group, the Warrior preferably 1 on 1)” I answered back, while typing a message for Michael.

“Ooh! A grimoire! It has been a while since we had a successful Spell Steal.” Kira said, happy for the good luck.

“Awesome! You kiddos better enjoy the mounds of money you are gonna get!!” Peyton said, look at the newbies of our squad.

“How did everything go for your teams? Did any squad completely fail?” I asked, kinda hoping that we were not the only ones who didn’t clear.

“Ehh… didn’t go so well for us. Armando had a rough time, so he decided to call it an early night. I think he was feeling so hot today, he was already pretty quiet with the reunion too.” Peyton said, trying to apologize for him.

“Oh ok, my bad for not noticing. I will message him tomorrow, see how he is doing. I was hoping to see him join us later too.” I said, a bit remorseful that didn’t notice him feeling bad. Maybe I am not being attentive enough.

“We got to the final boss, but we were unable to finish him off. We just could handed the stacks that the Stupid Tree was dealing out.” Huffed out Kira, sounded cutely disappointed.

“Well my squad did great! We finished everything quickly, just we got basically nothing on the drops except crafting materials. Said Rhyse, happy with his group despite the lack of good drops. He really does open up once he is in the game, happy he has made progress.

“Yo Alex, how did you guys not clear even though Rachel was on your team? Having a [Pathfinder] of her skill should have made that easy?” Tyler interjected, trying to stir up some trouble again.

“We lacked firepower because I chose [Summoner], so that fights took longer than necessary to finish. I am sure ----”

“Ah I get it, it would be difficult to carry useless newbies with only a [Summoner] and a [Pathfinder] huh. I would be you that drew the short straw.” Tyler interrupted, trying to make the rest of my party realize that they too dragged the team down.

“Hey, it is their first time here. You certainly weren’t great the first time you tried it.” I said, trying to get him to back off a bit. Tyler snorted and moved on, trying to be the bad guy once again. Wish he would stop that...

“Hey guys lets celebrate a bit! We actually got tons of rares and uniques to sort through and Appraise! Even a couple of legendary drops too! And tons of ore!” Blake yelled, trying to make the mood festive after Tyler made it slightly awkward.

The newbies started cheering after a slightly awkward pause, getting excited to have finished a notorious dungeon like this. For many of them, this is the first time they have joined a guild. They enjoy the nice atmosphere, the thrill of cooperative success, and the joy of having like-minded peers around you who enjoy the same things you do. Many of them are freshman, and special freshman that have only gone through orientation. To join a circle of friends so early into college, the fear of isolation and loneliness feels distant to them now. Sure they probably still feel a bit homesick, but now they are having fun with a different type of family now. I felt the same way when I first started, and I want this feeling to stay after I am gone. A home that welcomes good people, especially the ones who make mistakes.

Warrior was still quiet, I think he was probably waiting to hear bad news before logging off. I asked him to join me, and to enter a 1 on 1 chat. His voice sounded a bit weak, but he accepted the invite. I made a new party with just him and myself, and I teleported us back to the guild. I messaged Blake and Michael to take care of things while I handle this. We entered the temple in the central area, the large Pillar of glowing intricate runes still dazzling. You can’t really tell body language from an avatar, but you can almost feel Warrior’s tension building.

“You feeling ok man? You sure had some bad luck, I think you probably beat me in unlucky dice rolls.” I opened up, trying to relieve the tension with humor.

“Yeah I am ok, just disappointed in my performance…” said Warrior, quakes in his voice as he speaks.

“Hey, I know that people made the dungeon run seem like a super big deal. But it is not as important as you think. There is no way I would judge people solely on a dungeon they have never done before.” I replied, still trying to have him ease up.

“Ok, thanks for telling me that…” Warrior said, still not really convinced.

“Do you want me to start, or would you like to ask me any questions first?” I asked, trying to start the dialogue.

“I think I know the answers to my questions, I think I just want to hear your verdict.” Said Warrior, the voice getting husky, with a slightly feminine rise in pitch.

“I think you know that there were errors performed in the last few battles. It really didn’t help that our party was super unqualified to handle that dungeon, we were really winning by razor thin margins.” I answered, explaining the issues with more details.

“So, any small error became a disaster the moment it happened, because we had to fight perfectly in order to win. And we all know that perfection is impossible to maintain. I don’t think you should be ashamed of your performance.” I continued while Warrior listened.

“I also like to apologize for not speaking up, I normally would clear any tension like before it formed. But the idea of this test was to see party unity, and it wasn’t like they were being too harsh on you. I think the person who is the harshest on you is yourself, I think the battle with Kromsius showed that to me.” (Alex)

“Yeah, I lost my mind a bit there. I just wanted to show that I can do it, that I wasn’t a waste of a party slot.” Warrior responded finally with a morose voice.

“It happens to the best of us, I know I used to take on far more responsibility than I should. One of the lessons I hope you take away from this, is that you shouldn’t try to compensate for an error with sheer effort. You should calmly approach it with a plan, I mean as best as you can. I know I am not perfect at this too.” I calmly spoke, with some self-deprecating humor to lighten up the mood a bit.

“So is this it...I am going to be kicked out of the guild now” Warrior said, on the verge of tears as he said this.

“No, I don’t think I have said anything like that. If I was gonna kick you out, I would have said so directly. I wouldn’t spend the time trying to correct you here if I was going to kick you out.” I said frankly, without any margin of speculation.

“B-But Why?...I made all those stupid mistakes, I was a liability in the dungeon…” Warrior said, shocked at my declaration.

“Did you not want to be in this Guild or not? I would prefer to keep you around, but if you don’t want to stay I won’t force you.” I said a bit cheekily, trying to get Warrior to stop being so negative.

“I Absolutely want to stay! But can you really accept someone as bad as me---”

“Then it is settled then! You will stay in the guild” I quickly interrupted, hearing the response I wanted.

“But...Why…?” Said Warrior, small sobs slowly breaking through the composure he was trying to hold.

“Before I answer that, let me ask a few questions. Why did you not want to tell me about your build?” (Alex)

“I didn’t want to share a new Job route I was trying out...to figure out how to get the [Hero] job.” Warrior said, saying the second part of the answer quietly.

“Wow!, trying for a job that I have certainly never seen! That is quite the achievement you are trying to accomplish! I can see why you wanted to keep quiet about it, but unfortunately I think I already understand what your build already” I said, not expecting such a strange answer. The [Hero] job is basically a myth, there are no confirmed job holders despite the rumors and tacit confirmation of its existence from the Devs. It is a Holy Grail that every guild has tried for at least once, to see that a new player is trying that all on his own is unbelievable.

“Yeah well, I wasn’t making any real progress. I was just trying to play the game and find something cool. But people made fun of me for it before, so I keep quiet about it now.” Warrior said, sniffling a bit from the tears.

“People like that are fools, they are slaves to the Meta instead of trying to recreate it. The whole point of the game is exploration and discovery, there is nothing wrong with trying. Let’s ask another question, why did you ask the Alumni so many questions?” (Alex)

“I was trying to see if they have good leads on the [Hero] job, but I see now that I was just annoying them. Sorry, I am not very good at talking to people.” Warrior said, reflecting on his actions during the Reunion.

“That is fine, a surprising amount of us were bad at talking at first. We are gamers after all, talking to new people can be scary for us. Hopefully our Guild can help you overcome that weakness. Alright final question, why did you want to join our guild? Was it to find a way to get the [Hero] job?” I asked, hoping to hear the correct answer.

“No...well maybe a little bit, but what I really wanted was to join a group that plays E.S.S. I was a loner in Middle School and High School, even in elementary I got teased by the other kids. I played E.S.S. and other games to take my mind off of my loneliness. When I heard about Chronicle, I thought I finally found a place to belong, as sad as that sounds.” Warrior confessed, tears coming a little again.

I heard it, the answer I was hoping to hear more than any other. There are so many people who joined our guild because it was a fun place to be. Or it was a way to join a top ranked guild, and try to be a part of some special. The people I look for are the people who were once like me, the ones who want to find a home. Or at least a shelter, while they survive through the extremes of college.

“I believe that you came to the right place, despite the cult-like reputation this is a Guild that is about finding friends. I would be happy to have you around, though the choice is ultimately yours. Would you like to be a part of Chronicle?” I said, hopefully not sounding too cringy with those statements.

“Yes, I absolutely would! But didn’t you promise to tell me why you wanted to keep me around? I am still a bit confused” Warrior said, bewildered but happy.

“Because you have a simple joy of the game that is rare to see these days. You also want to accomplish new things in the game, despite a recent wave of people who don’t even try to do anything but leech off of the discovery of others. And you also simply want a place to make friends, which is the easiest thing to give. The amount of people who try to use us as a business connection is absurd, especially since this is a group of video game nerds.” I explained, perhaps revealing a couple of grips of my in the process. Seriously though, stop trying to get contacts through us.

“Thanks...I don’t know what to say now. Just...Thank you.” Warrior replied with a teary sounding voice.

“Do you have any plans for tonight? My group of friends and I were planning to do some raids tonight. Would be happy if you joined us...uuh...I actually didn’t catch your names from earlier, mind telling me again?”

“Hehe...my name is Anne, and I would be more than happy to join you Alex” Anne said with a giggle.

“Oh I actually didn’t know you were a girl, Oops my bad. Your voice is huskier and deeper than from other girls…” I awkwardly try to explain, realizing I ruined a good moment there.

“Hehehe, you were almost cool there. Don’t worry, I get that a lot. Lots of people think I am just a feminine boy at first glance.” Said Anne, giggling at my expense.

“I feel bad now, a lot of people thought I was girl in Middle School and Highschool due to my own androgynous appearance and voice. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you, I am sorry” I rushed out a quick apology, since I did the same thing that annoyed me growing up.

“It is ok, I also play a male character after all. And if you really want to make it up to me, would you p-p-please be my friend.” Anne said nervously, sounding almost cute with her stutter.

“Absolutely, in fact I would like to introduce you to people who would also like to be your friend Anne.” I said with a smile, maybe trying to regain the image of a wise guildmaster.

“Okay! I also want you to help me with my quest for the [Hero] job. I am sure the guild has some research lying around” Anne said, greedy just like a gamer should be.

“Oof, well I am interested in trying to help you actually. It would be so much fun to discover it and parade around the player cities. The reactions would be priceless!” I said, dreaming a little bit.

“Yeah! That would be so funny, I can almost see our inboxed exploding with offers!” Anne cheerily said, dreaming with me.

“Oh! One more thing, I got this for you.” I handed the Ancient-Leveled 2-Handed Sword that dropped off of Corpse breath. The whole reason I rolled for it was because I wanted to give to Anne as a peace offering.

“Wh-wh-what?! Are you Sure!? This is something valuable you know!? Anne stuttered incredulously, shocked at my offering.

“I was planning on giving it to you from the beginning, especially since you passed on all the loot in the dungeon.” I explained, a little awkwardly.

“Oh I see, you pretty much planned this conversation from the very beginning didn’t you?” Anne said accusingly.

“Yeah, I expected we would be having this conversation since the Battle with Corpsebreath. Figured that the sword would work as an apology though” I answered apologetically.

“Wow, you are mean” Anne said with a cheeky undertone.

“Yeah I deserved that. Hopefully the sword and the info on the [Hero] job will abate your anger” I accepted with a sly little reminder of the gifts I am giving.

“When Rachel recruited from orientation, she told me you were the kindest devil I would ever meet. Now I know what she was talking about.” Anne said with a giggle, trying to poke a little fun at the guy that created schemes that pit parties against each other.

“Aww man, it seems reputation dropped even further. Hopefully playing with us for a bit will turn your opinion around. Also I need a conversation with Rachel soon.” I replied a bit hurt. Come on, I am not really that bad am I?

“Alright Mr.Devil, led the way for me” Anne jabbed with one more cheeky remark.

I declined to respond to the final jab and brought her with party teleport where the rest of my friends are at. Out of 18 total trial members, only 2 were asked to leave the guild. One was a member on Blake’s Team who decided to talk nonstop shit to members with a non meta build. And the other decided that he didn’t care enough about the game to want to join us, he figured his guild slot would be better filled with a more dedicated player. The 15 of the new recruits joined up with various cliques within our guild and already started challenging dungeons or doing quests. The only people standing on the once full field, is my close group of friends.

I see the whole group waiting for Anne and I to finally catch up with them. They immediately greeted her with congratulations and warm welcomes. Kira and Peyton scolded me for thinking Anne was a boy, a new punishment of getting her some new accessories from ore we got from the dungeon was decided. Blake and Michael also reminded me this was now the third time I had made them wait for me, so I will not be getting loot rolls in the raids we were about to do after all. Anne just gave me a sorry full of pity, and promptly abandoned me to my fate. She is truly one of my friends alright, the ones who punish me without mercy.

We continued on with the night, we decided to do a raid after all. The raid was called Clockwork City’s Revival, It was a beginner friendly raid that allowed flexible player numbers. It had the benefit of being full of ores and minerals meant for crafting, which made our resident crafters Veronica and Michael happy. Anne was happily chatting with Kira and Peyton, all of them eager to level their jobs some more. I was just admiring the amazing art and design of the city, the massive towers of constantly moving parts makes a wondrous sight to behold. The ticking of the clocks and bursts of steam being released from the vents really makes this an aesthetically pleasing raid to do. I always wished they would update the city more, give it better loot to farm for. The only reason for veterans to play this, is to train some newbie friends or guild members. Feels a little sad most people only experience doing this raid once, even though the devs put so much work into the art of it.

Our party of Blake, Michael, Anne, Veronica, Rhyse, Kira, Peyton and myself challenged the wondrous city of fantastical machinery. We enjoyed our time through the raid, experiencing the joy from a first timer like Anne vicariously. It is like showing a great movie to a friend, most of the fun is seeing that person enjoying it. Our overpowered stack trounces through most obstacles, but luckily the bosses still provide a challenge in teamwork. Anne gets to have a proper trial, this time without the pressure of possibly being removed from the guild. Hearing everybody laughing, Michael and Blake bickering over something trivial, seeing Anne having a healthy conversation with my friends. This is the feeling that I enjoy the most, the feeling that I will miss more than anything once it is gone. Once again, I think of the fact that less than a year remains. It is funny, our fear of losing something can sometimes make us forget to enjoy it while it is still here.

[Anne POV]

I was sitting alone in orientation, just waiting for the instructor to stop speaking about how great campus life is so I can just go to my room. I see all of the other students whispering and texting each other, all of them seem to be enjoying their wondrous college life. All I am doing is just playing on my phone, trying to get past all these annoyances. I do hear a couple of boys whisper about Endless Story Saga, talking about all the great things they do together probably. I played casually for a long time before finally getting sucked into it a year ago, the problem is that games that are long running tend to be hard on new players. Especially on newbies without guilds like myself, I didn’t even have friends to play with. But that all changed when some random girl saw my looking at the E.S.S. forms. The girl said that she was part of a strange guild that actually was pretty famous on campus. She said she was looking for some new members, and actually invited me to go to a seminar about it. I think this is the first time someone invited me anything, well there was that time some girls pretended to invite me to her birthday but put down a different address for the house.

I looked over the orientation sheet, where special “conferences” are being held for different clubs and sororities. And I saw one about the game E.S.S, though the fact it was about a game was hidden behind a boring sounding description and a boring stock photo. Probably to dissuade regular people from attending it. For the first time since I moved here, I was actually excited by something in real life. I looked up any info online about a guild that was located American South-West University, and saw a bunch of info about an eccentric guild that was top 5 in our server rankings.

I rushed out of our “campus life” seminar as soon as the instructor stopped speaking and immediately set out to find this guild’s seminar. I must have looked at that sheet a million times over, not really believing something like this exists until I came across the classroom it was held in. I saw a bunch of other students already sitting in the room, with three instructors that looked radically different from one another. One was a small feminine boy who had a bright smile and a surprisingly deep voice. Another was a tall muscular boy who had a gut beginning to form. The last one was the starting Tight End for our football team, a guy who has prospects for the profession league. I got seated and waited for a while, everyone was waiting for the 3 boys to start speaking. After another 20 mins, the small boy stopped to look at a clock and said “I guess this is everybody” and began to set up the projector screen for a presentation. This is how I learned about the guild named Chronicle.

After raiding with Alex’s group of friends till early in the morning the call of my bed grew too powerful to ignore. For the first time in my life, I looked forward to tomorrow. I don't know how I found this or even why I deserve it, but I finally found a place to belong. Talking to all the kind people here, having fun bickering over loot, or planning to go to the Square tomorrow with the rest of them. I am actually going out with friends to hang out in town, my parents would be overjoyed by the news! God Tomorrow! Tomorrow is going to be such a great day…