They all walked briskly, until they started jogging. Each one feeling like if they stopped their momentum for even a second, they might not be able to start up again. The trepidation in the air was that heavy, walking into the unknown like this. Especially after the stressful events they had just been through. But then again, this was clearly something completely different.

The rainbow, where it struck the ground, gave off only a slightly stronger magic aura than the valley all around.

They ran up close.

Then as one they went for a touch.

Then they lost each other.

Stepping into the rainbow was an experience like no other. The colors suddenly swept in close and swirled all around her, and the first thing Livia saw when the vision of the valley returned was how every detail, large and small, was different.

They had been unsure of how to prepare, and what to bring for the meeting. In the end they decided to pack lightly, hoping that the Spirit would provide in case their stay was extended. Even Hyde and Algernon decided to go, although there was a bit of a scene when Roldy tried to coax the owl to tag along via his shoulder, only for the creature to instead hop onto Oscar.

Clearly he has a preference. Can’t fault that, really. But the thought of everyone else was the first thing to leave Livia’s mind when she found herself all alone in a valley where the rainbow now somehow covered the totality of the - even larger than usual - sky above.

Instead of craggy cliffs and trails of vegetation on the valley’s sides, there were now rounded slopes from which several incredibly tall and thin waterfalls fell, forming smaller rainbows of their own where they landed to form extensive ponds where life seemed to thrive.

The grass was greener, and the air held the fragrance of flowers from a kinder world. The marked change was evident all over. The previously corpse-riddled fields were suddenly interspersed with shiny rocks of every hue, some of which looked formed as if by passing craftsmen; while some were left natural, but no less special for it.

But despite all the wonderful sights in her periphery, all Livia’s eyes seemed to want to focus on was the giant statue sitting on a lovingly ornamental alabaster throne in the middle of the valley. Right there on the grass far below her.

The enthroned warrior had on powerful armor that looked like it was all out of rock, but it must be painted or else there were types of stone out there of mineral colors that Livia had never seen before. Actually, that sounds likely.

The thing stood taller than 120 feet, despite being seated, and the eyes seemed to shine like diamonds. The very sight of the monument had Livia walking even before she knew it.

It took her a good fifteen minutes, but she approached the thing without her eyes leaving it once, not even to check where she was walking. Once she was so close that any closer would ruin the angle, she focused fully on her scrutiny.

Between the vambraces and gloves, the boots and the shinguards, there were lifelike tufts of fur, of a deep and rich crimson that looked too real. The face was helmeted, but it clearly had a protruding jaw, like some sort of wolf or a fox.

Leaning against the throne was a tall weapon, half again as tall as the sitting warrior. It looked like a staff with a solid globe stuck near the end of the shaft. On closer inspection it seemed carved out of a single stone, because there was no way a heavy, round stone like that could stay attached to the thin staff so smoothly otherwise.

Even seeing it from up close like this, the diamond eyes were reflecting the myriad light of the sun in the sky. But just as Livia was satisfied that she had taken in every detail, and was about to look around for what other secrets the valley might hold in its current state, the giant thing changed subtly, from jagged to suddenly having its lines smoothed out.

Then it moved.

For the rest of the [Guild] members it was a different experience, even from the start. They were encompassed by the same colourful swirl, and ended up in that same idyllic valley under an identical, enlarged rainbow sky. But other than that, nothing was the same.

They were not in sight of a statue, and they were certainly not left alone to roam or follow whichever landmark caught their attention.

Harold was bowled over by a gang of tuskless pigs, who were nevertheless just as hairy as boars. They pushed him from behind, down a hill. As soon as they made contact he heard them squealing and grunting, but it was like they had been on mute before that. How else could they have approached him so closely, yet appeared so unexpectedly?

When he finally stopped rolling and managed to drag his face out of the mud, he was faced with a different gang. This time it was a gang consisting of mossy green frogs, with four protruding eyes, two of which seemed to inflate and deflate as it breathed. It was hypnotic, somehow.

Before Roldy had even gotten further than posting on his hands, or knew what was what, the pigs were on him like bloodhounds again; making the frogs leap away, seemingly chuckling, while the young [Druid] was assailed by the oinking brutes.

Oscar meanwhile landed heavier than the others and lost his feet.

He found himself on his back in a field of roses, where butterflies coasted from flower to flower all around. The sight of the sunny glade he was in… It was mesmerising, but Oscar had been expecting something different, and so he got to his feet swiftly and stayed on his guard.

Luckily he still had his sword, and while he refrained from pulling it, in case the watching Spirit might be offended, his hand was already resting on the handle.

Looking around, the glade was not in a deep forest at all. In fact, past the trees he could see the same fields and sights that had first met the others. But that all seemed further away than the actual distance would suggest.

What little he could see of the sky above was as colourful as the rainbow earlier, but more subdued by the lense of the wild forest that was all around.

His eyes darted to the side and caught one of the butterflies watching him, making his eyes widen in surprise.

What he saw was no insectile visage staring at his neck - except for the fully black eyes and protruding antennas… The face and the body, arms and legs meanwhile; it was humanoid. With a strongly pink tinted skin, and the bright orange wings of a butterfly, with black patterns marking the structure of the fragile-looking limbs. Is that a Sprite?

When the thing saw it had been caught it acted like the jig was up, crossed its arms in front of its chest, while looking Oscar up and down, looking unimpressed. And then it gave him some sauce in a piping voice.

“What is that useless thing you’ve got your hand on?”

Kalle found himself not in the valley at all. Although he could see it, in all of its glory.

He was far above on the sloping hills, where an unnatural river went along the valley sides, finding the perfect spots to sidle over the edge and let its flow find the space to fall.

But the spot he was standing on was barren. It was a spot right over the edge that you saw from below, hidden to anybody watching.

But when Kalle went to take a step forward his view suddenly changed, along with his geographical position.

He was underground. In what felt like, a well?

Despite being perfectly round, it was rather large, and he could see the rainbow sky above, so supposedly he was now down in the valley, but it was difficult to make out much.

Kalle tried touching the walls, and as expected they were damp, but rather than the strong dirt required where you might dig a well, it was all loose soil, reminding him of compost.

As soon as he removed a small layer Kalle found his dirty hands covered in another cleansing spot of sunshine.

He could see through a smaller hole now, all the way up to the surface, and it gave him perfect vision just like he had had up above.

But he saw only one of his friends at a time from here, and he had to keep digging a bit when loose soil kept falling to cover up the opening. Only if he made another hole, on the other side of the room, would it show him someone else.

He went through views of Livia, Roldy and Sten, even Oscar and Hyde. Then he got sick of the strange place, and tried to step backwards instead, into the darkness to see if the walls continued trapping him the whole way around, or if he might find a tunnel in the dark - only to end up back at the barren spot far above.

He could still see his friends down below, engaging in all sorts of strange events. Somehow their feelings were amplified, like he was right there with them.

Sten’s experience was a lot more surreal, because it was a scene that kept repeating itself, with him as the primary participant.

He came upon a wounded warrior, armoured and faceless, and too small for easy identification. It may well have been a child, but they had exceptionally well crafted gear.

But next to them was an equally wounded sunbear of Doc Forrest, a shining sword planted in its chest.

He straight away went to help save the life of the warrior. His Skill stopped the bleeding, and then Sten set to work for hours, using what he learned from the healing house. Doing whatever he could to make them comfortable and hopefully lessen the warrior’s fever.

But then the vision ended the same way, with the mighty but usually peaceful bear using the very last remainder of its life to strike them both dead. It happened even when he tried his best to divide his time by helping them both.

His mind swirled then, in a deep darkness.

When his vision faded in once again, despite having kept his eyes open, he saw that he was at the beginning of the scene, and the whole thing replayed itself, no matter who he helped first or how.

Livia looked up too far and fell backwards. She almost started rolling down the hill, but luckily her shirt got pulled almost over her head and then got caught in the tall grass to save her. Then she was able to work her head out to look up again, at the giant thing that was now looking right back at her.

It held still for a second, but then it stood up fast, and the air became a rushing wall sweeping over her again, for but a second before it passed like a wave from the huge motion.

“Hello there… Does this remain the traditional greeting among mankind, still? Otherwise I must apologise.”

The titanic statue finished with a bow at the waist, and the motion nearly swept Livia off her feet again, but when she looked back up, a different part of her vision surprised her enough to distract from what the Titan was saying.

[Level 10: Business Guild Master]

[Skill Granted: Mark of Worth]

[Skill Granted: Guild Schematics]

[Skill Granted: Membership’s bounty]

[Skill Granted: Officer Corp]

[Skill Granted: Maze of Conviction]

[Skill Upgrade: Advanced Bookkeeping -> Bookkeeping Supervisor]

But not even Livia's capstone was enough to distract her from what came next out of Mr Beard's mouth, at the same time as the Titan spoke.

[That is Van Vicci]

“I am Van Vicci.”

It took her quite some time, but Van Vicci had an aura that was calming. Otherwise the very sight of such a large thing moving like a person would have sent Livia fleeing until she puked, several times over, to the point where she finally fell from that exhaustive pace of a full blown panic. It was not just the size either, but the massive, impenetrable magic aura his presence projected. It did not even feel like normal magic, it was all his, completely out of anyone else's control.

Still, in the beginning she was hyperventilating even despite the calming part of the aura, it did not help that Van Vicci kept talking in that booming voice of his.

When Livia finally responded… He was so, well, Human… That she could not help but try and treat the situation casually, she had been preparing to meet a Great Spirit after all. Just maybe not the central Great Spirit of her most beloved book series.

“Back up please, uhm, Mr Van Vicci… Sorry, do you think you can speak a bit quieter?”

When the Titan actually physically backed up she realised she was talking to a very literal person. “Uh, sorry I meant, what were you saying?”

“There, is that better?” Now it was like he was speaking in Livia’s ear, from just a foot away. Not the most pleasant feeling, but she did not wish to complain.

“Yeah, that’s perfect. Are you seriously Van Vicci? Is he not dead, are you the real, true article?”

“In the flesh, I swear it on my truest stone.”

That raised so many questions. How did people not know him as anything other than the rainbow Spirit, was he putting charms on people, or some geas that forced them to keep his secrets?

Livia certainly got the feeling that she would not be spreading this information around lightly, even with the casual nature of the legends introduction. How do I begin to guess at the powers available at level 100? Even Redd is more like a superhero than a normal person.

“And you give boons to people, that’s what you’re up to, these days?” Livia couldn’t help but laugh at the idea, which seemed to make Van Vicci smile in turn.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m the secret at the start of the rainbow, surprised?”

“Well, yeah. what the hell. Did you defeat all your enemies, is that why you’re hiding here?”

“In a way, I realised time would do the task for me, eventually. I don’t want to talk about that, in any case. This rainbow is for a different matter, an opposite matter in fact: the future.”

Livia was listening raptly. “I have prepared some games, for your friends,” He showed her images of them all around. “And made the denizens of my valley play nice, to a point,”

With that he showed her the Sprites that were pulling Oscar towards a lake, trying to convince him to get rid of his enchanted iron sword.

“Will they be alright, can I help them out somehow?”

“They will be safe, even if I might have to intervene before they perish, do not worry.”

Livia tried to, but those Sprites were looking fishy in her eyes, and Kalle had on a forlorn look. She wanted to be there to advise them.

“I have a different kind of game in mind for you, a simple one.” Livia felt like she should be prepared for anything, but it was not what she expected. How could she have guessed at something so mundane, after all the inspiring views of Van Vicci’s rainbow valley?

“A game of words, since you are a leader, are you not?”

Livia gulped at that, even with her first capstone accomplished she could not yet claim to feel confident in her role. Are a few days to consolidate too much to ask?

“I try to be, what did you have in mind?”

“I will say a word, and you will respond with something to beat it. If you escalate too quickly, the public outcry will begin a backlash allowing me to win, let’s say.”

Livia was confused, since this hardly seemed to pertain directly to leadership. “But what’s the underlying objective, what are our words meant to defend?”

Van Vicci’s giant, fanged head leaned in closer. “Good question, how about… The protection of a [Guild]?”

Livia gulped again. She was getting the feeling she might be doing that a lot today. “Okay, I guess we’re playing more than once? You start, show me the ropes,”

“We will see, but yes. We have time. Dagger.”

Livia decided that was her cue to sit down. “Alright, spear!”

“Hmm, sword.”

This seemed silly, but Livia was guessing he would eventually pull out all kinds of items or Classes and Spells, in a slow escalation. She settled in for the long haul, thinking of the rewards that may well be on offer if she could impress him, the first sapient to reach level 100 and apparently become something like a Great Spirit. I wonder if Van Vicci ever learned about nukes?

"Swordbreaker."