Stars Awoken: A LitRPG Apocalypse (The System Apocalypse Book 7)

by Tao Wong

  “I might have gotten a little carried away,” I admit to Ali.

  The Spirit snorts, and I down the green juice while walking into my room. Maybe I should regulate how much research I do. Even if I do enjoy the research and have a tendency to fall into the “zone” when doing it, getting out and killing things is good.

  So. Guild. Quests. Dungeons. Death.

  Right. Back to the usual grind then.

  Chapter 6

  A couple of hours, later after an entirely refreshing nap and even more refreshing shower, I’m wolfing down a large meal with Ali, though he mostly picks at the food and swills the alcohol.

  “Are you sure we have to join a guild?” I say.

  “Yes,” Ali says. “Irvina regulations. It’s how they control access, especially to the higher Level dungeons.”

  “Which are the ones we want to go to.”

  “Exactly,” Ali says. “And there’s nothing wrong with joining a guild. They do provide a ton of resources. And as a Master Class, you’d be highly valued.”

  “But there are cons too, right?”

  “Well, sure. But I’ll filter out the guilds with bad reputations,” Ali says. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Not that kind of con. Pros and cons. Negatives.”

  “Oh. Right. Yeah, mostly around guild dues and occasional mandatory quests,” Ali says. “And some guilds align themselves with various factions.”

  “I’d like to stay neutral.” When the silence drags on, I finish chewing the piece of steak I’m eating and meet Ali’s incredulous gaze. “What?”

  “You literally just finished aligning your entire planet with the Edge. And pissed off the Fist and the Traditionalists,” Ali says. “You are the most politically charged contractee I’ve ever had.”

  “Yeah, but that was politics,” I say. “Not personal.”

  “You don’t actually believe that, do you?”

  “No. Not really.” I sigh, my appetite gone. I push my plate aside, eyeing the feast left and pack it up to store in my inventory. While everything that goes in comes back out in roughly the same state, storing, say, a bowl of soup still needs care. Unless you want to accidentally pull it out the wrong way around. “Right. So we need to join a guild and it’s likely one that’ll be politically aligned. Unless there’s another option? I mean, not everyone wants to join guilds, no?”

  “There is one.” Ali makes a face as he reluctantly admits the truth. “But it sucks. They take a good twenty-five percent of your take, compared to most others’ ten. And with your status, we could probably get it down to five.”

  “Who?”

  “The Non-Affiliated Guild of Adventurers—NAGA,” Ali says slowly. “Not to be confused with the actual species. They offer certification, sale of goods to members, and guild quests. Membership with NAGA gives you access to affiliated guilds for use of their accommodations and other guild services, generally at a much higher price. Mostly, NAGA adventurers use that benefit in cities which don’t have a NAGA branch, which is most of them.”

  I cock my head to the side. “That’s it?”

  “It’s the crap choice of the undecided,” Ali says. “Those who join it are either too scared to get involved with a proper guild, too weak to be accepted by anyone else, or too hesitant to reach for real power. Most of the time NAGA only gives you access to generic quests—the ones that are available for anyone. Material collection quests basically. Anything more specialized goes directly to proper guilds.”

  “But joining it means you aren’t aligning yourself with any group, right?”

  “Again, too late for that, boy-o.”

  I cross my arms, glowering at Ali. The Spirit returns my gaze, waiting for me to resolve myself to the inevitable. I hate the idea of getting even more involved in Galactic politics. I hate the idea that joining up with one group means I’ll be forced to choose sides. The sides all have agendas and ideology that I might or might not agree with.

  All I want to do now is research and work out why our world, my friends, my family had to die. All I want is an answer to the question of who put this damn farce of a System in place, why millions struggle to survive and millions more fight and bleed and die every day. Every year. Why billions have fallen and even more slowly fade away.

  The System gives us Classes and experience, a guided way to grow. But it limits us too, forces us to use their Shop, their System. It encroaches on our privacy, demands that bodies be fed into the grinder of dungeons. It warps society to bend to its insane healing speed and Mana use, making things like violence an everyday occurrence. It creates tiers between society, offering those who were lucky enough to be born into a good family, a good guild, a leg up on Skills and Classes. Guidance on how to build yourself, on what Skills to purchase, what to focus on.

  Never mind the tyrants and autocrats at the Heroic and Legendary Level. Stories abound of those who use and abuse their positions to rule over settlements, planets, or in some cases, empires. When someone hits that Level, it’s hard to knock them down. A Master Class is powerful, but they can still be dealt with. Heroics require large forces to pin down and deal with. Large forces like guilds…

  “If I do go with NAGA, what are the negatives? Beyond the obvious lack of help,” I finally say, pushing aside my ambivalent feelings. Better to listen now than keep grumbling over something I can’t change.

  “Well, for one thing, you’ll get pestered endlessly by all the guilds asking you to join them. Hiding away in the Questors’ inner sanctum might save you a little, but once you actually go into the dungeons, they won’t stop,” Ali says. “Next, dungeons are similar to Dungeon Worlds. All those people you’ve angered? They can target you in there without risk. Most guilds set up times when their guild members enter the dungeons together, so they can aid each other if necessary—if it’s viable for the dungeon obviously. Where that isn’t possible, it’s still safer to have a group around. Being with NAGA means you get none of that.

  “On top of that, you’ll be paying more at various stores and the like. There’s no Reputation bonus with NAGA, so any quests you find and complete won’t be as effective. With some of the bigger guilds, they’re big enough that some of your enemies will back off. At least from open confrontations.”

  I nod. Thus far, no one has come to deal with us. Not directly. Though I’m wondering about the attack by the pirates. It’d be easy enough to pass word down to mess with us, and someone like the Fist or the Traditionalists had good reason to want to stop us from arriving at Prax. As for the Thirteen Moon Sects or the Zarrie, they’ll likely come along to deal with us. Our only advantage right now is that with our Levels, they face the same issue as when they first faced us—finding enough people of appropriate strength. And in Irvina at least, they’ll have to do it in a way that won’t come back to bite them in the ass.

  Still, the fact that I’m basically locking myself in a room means that I’m making myself a sitting target. Sooner or later, they’ll come.

  “You can stop grinning now. It’s creepy.” Ali pops a grape-like object in his mouth and chews. “Then there’s all the stuff that a good guild will give you. Also, you might want to consider the fact that Mikito and the rest of your people are joining up.”

  “Mikito’s joined a guild?” I say, then realize how stupid a question that is. Of course she joined one. Otherwise how could she get into the dungeon? “Which one?”

  “Eh, there’s an official and hard-to-pronounce name, but most call it Tig’s Guild,” Ali says. “Tig, the Guild Master, is a late-Level Heroic Class.”

  “What Class?”

  “War Oracle. Very, very high Agility, haste, and other speed spells, combined with the ability to foretell the future and create buffs for those he’s with. He’s also got a variety of conditional high-attack damage-dealing Skills. Stuff like ‘if X person moves here after three steps and if Y person is in this location and the moon is waxing’ kind of thing.” My jaw drops, and Ali shrugs. “Cond
itional Skills and Spells give more bang for the buck in terms of Mana output. Like three to four times.”

  “Damn.”

  “Lots of people have tried to replicate his success. A few have gotten decent results, but no one’s made it to Heroic levels yet,” Ali says. “Rumors are, he’s also specced for very high levels of Luck.”

  “I can see how that’d work.” I drum my fingers on the table. “All right. Fine. Tig’s Guild might be viable. But tell me of some others.”

  “Right. Next, we’ve got the Tex-98s. They’re aligned to the Technocrats. Not particularly an issue for you, but the reason I’m talking about them is that the Technocrats are sort-of aligned with the Questors too. Add the fact that we’ve got our Elemental Affinities and they’ll be slavering over us joining them. Now, their Guild Leader…”

  I lean forward and pay attention, resigning myself to some study about these matters. Whether I like it or not, I’ll have a lot of options and I’ll have to make a decision at some point. Best to make the decision while the ball is in my court.

  Once we’d discussed and thrown around names and ideas, in the end, we came up with a short list of guilds. I stuck NAGA on that list because, well, I’m still drawn to the idea of being neutral. Even if I know I’m not seen as that. Probing my thought processes a little more, I must admit I’m a bit pissed with both the Traditionalists and the Fist for setting up Earth the way they did. So maybe I’m not as neutral as I’d like to think I am.

  Once the list was decided upon, it was time to actually visit the guilds. While I’d seen the buildings that hosted the various Adventurer guilds, we hadn’t stopped at them. Interestingly enough, the majority of guilds ringed Irvina’s Arena, rather than the Prime Dungeon as I’d expected. It seemed that the dungeon had initially been set up some distance out of town, but years of development had enveloped it. Rather than the guilds, what grew up around the dungeon itself were the butchers, harvesters, and other shops that dealt with the produce of the dungeon. Instead, the guilds clustered around the Arena, a place to test and train their people while showcasing their strength.

  “The Verdant Green Waters,” I read, staring at the sign right above the double doors leading into the guild. The building appears relatively quiet, but that’s no surprise considering it’s the middle of the day. Most people would come in during the morning and evening. Only those who finish their quests early or are in to relax or socialize would wander in during the middle of the day. “A bit pretentious, no?”

  “It’s better in our native tongue,” the short yellow creature with red cheeks says to me.

  My ears twitch slightly as I glare at the fellow who managed to sneak up. It’s particularly impressive considering I have the ability to see through most Stealth Skills and tech.

  Peemoracha ‘Pi’ Kyaka (Level 38 Shadow Master) (M)

  HP: 1780/1780

  MP: 4530/4530

  Conditions: Shadow Servant (x3), Linked Form, Shadow Clone

  “Your native tongue?” I say.

  “The founder was part of my clan,” Pi says with a slight smile. “We get tons of our members from my clan. Even if we are small. Our clan, that is. Not the guild.”

  “Don’t let him fool you. His ‘clan’ spans four solar systems and has a combined population over twenty billion.”

  “Right.” I look at him with Society’s Web for a second. Ever since leaving Earth, I’ve found little use for the Skill. After all, I’m trying as hard as I can to avoid politics. But the myriad webs, both small and big, that lead from him clue me in. “You’re the Guild Master, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Pi admits. “I sensed you outside. Your shadow’s heavy. Thought it’d be time to deepen the shadows. Talk.”

  “Trying to convince me to join you?”

  “Of course,” Pi admits. “Inside?”

  I sigh and follow the yellow man, grumbling quietly to myself. Still, this is a Tier II guild, like the rest on my short list. We decided to join Tier II guilds rather than a Tier I, not because we couldn’t but because of the hassle involved. Better to be a big fish in a smaller pond than a big fish in a big pond. Since I don’t want to be saddled with too many obligations, I can probably make my case this way. At least, that’s what I try to explain to Pi.

  But after my explanation, the alien sighs. “Not sure this works. We’re about loyalty. Brothers in shadows.”

  I can’t help but nod to acknowledge his point. The loyalty that the guild is known to share with its members was the main selling point and the reason I’m here. If I have to join a guild, joining one known to back its people seems a good trade.

  “But loyalty has to be earned. You want loyalty from us. But only want to offer a little. Not a fair trade, no?”

  I offer Pi a wry smile even as I admit he’s right. After all, I’m basically asking him to give me full rights to do what I want while enjoying the protection of their guild and their services. In turn, I promise to only occasionally help them. And of course, pay my dues.

  “Not going to work, Redeemer. You not want to change offer?” When I shake my head, Pi nods. “Not worth it then.”

  I grimace but stand, almost offering my hand before Ali’s hiss and a note on Galactic customs makes me freeze. Right. Shaking hands is not exactly considered good manners in the galaxy. “No hard feelings.”

  “Good,” Pi says with a flattening of his ears.

  I follow the man out, sighing. Well, one done. On to the next.

  “We at Enkrago pride ourselves on our connections throughout the Galaxy. We’re always one of the first guilds to a developing world, ensuring that we develop strong connections with the natives,” Joffrey says, the Enkrago’s Vice-Guild Master. He is, amusingly, a bookish Hakarta with a pair of bladed whips strapped to his thighs. “Of course, in the case of Earth, we have established six guild halls in your ‘Africa.’”

  Well, that explains why I don’t recall them. My time in Africa was cut short, mostly due to a rather unfortunate death while I was visiting. That kind of leaves a bit of a taint in other people’s mouths. So I rarely visited, just popping in to deal with problems when they occurred.

  “If you join Enkrago, we can guarantee you some of the best paid and most exclusive quests in the System. Our connections give us amazing opportunities that cannot be rivaled. If you’re looking to join an expedition, get paid to hunt dangerous beasts, conquer settlements, or just explore new dungeons, we’ve got it all,” Joffrey continues, almost bouncing in his seat in excitement. “I can tell you, a Combat Classer of your Level would attract a significant number of new, personal requests.

  “On top of that, if I may be so bold, I can help you fill out your current party roster. Once we put out the word that the Redeemer of the Dead is looking for new members, we’ll be flooded.”

  I raise my hand, but Joffrey continues to blither on for a few minutes. I have to switch on my Aura to drag his attention to me before I can speak. “That’s great and all, but you didn’t listen. I don’t want to take on too many quests. Or find new party members. Or be bugged about new things to do. I have my own plans.”

  “Well, of course you do! And we’d do our best to meet them,” Joffrey says, nodding firmly as his huge nostrils flare. “We will only send the most important quests your way. We can even set up a minimum deposit requirement.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying I doubt I’ll take on any quests at all,” I say.

  “Oh, of course. Most of our Master Classers don’t. Just meeting with our patrons and taking one Class B or higher quest every six months should be more than sufficient,” Joffrey says.

  “Class B?” I open my mouth to question him then shut it, holding up a hand to stop Joffrey’s blithering. “You know what, never mind. I think I’ve heard enough.”

  “Really? Perfect. I’ll get the paperwork ready—”

  “No, no. I still need to look into some other things. Don’t worry, I’ll call you if I decide to go with the Enkrago.�
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  “Of course. You have my contact information, right? Well, here it is again,” Joffrey says, though some of his enthusiasm has wavered.

  I head out of the private office. Beside me, Ali is laughing silently and invisibly, a giant bag of popcorn in hand.

  “That’s it?” I say, eyeing the NAGA guild.

  “Yup.”

  “That can’t be it.”

  “It is.”

  “That’s…” I look up and down the stall. It’s literally a stall installed into the side of the building, large enough to fit the bored-looking grey creature with big eyes and nothing else. “Underwhelming. I thought you said there was a guild branch here.”

  “It is a guild branch. That’s the guild master,” Ali crows, savoring his triumph as I struggle to hide my disappointment. I mean, I like to think I’m not hugely influenced by glitz and glam, but seeing the difference between the large and ostentatious guild branches that I’ve visited and this…

  “Maybe we’ll come back later?” I say hesitantly.

  Somehow, this physical example of how little the guild offers has hit more than all the talking we did beforehand. While the part of me that doesn’t want to get involved still refuses to back down, the more rational part is telling it to shut up. Compromise is something I can do. The gods know I did more than enough of that while getting Earth on the Council.

  Guild after guild, I pop in to talk to them. Some are obsequious and slimy, desperate to get me involved. Others are accommodating, willing to work with my requests so long as I am willing to compromise on my own requests. And others are more hesitant, wishing to work with me but wanting to explore our relationship on a temporary basis. It’s not entirely the red-carpet treatment Ali had painted. Eventually, I find myself in Tig’s Guild, Mikito’s choice.