Magical After: Dark World Book 1 Part 1

by David Gunter

  “If skill alone were enough, we’d all be officers, wouldn’t we? A guild made of only officers would be the same as a guild without officers.” SaltyDawg paused just a bit to let that simple truth settle the matter.

  Of course, it made sense to WhoDadi5O, but it felt like an obvious dismissal. He was beginning to think that he was being manipulated, and with recent memories of a persistent salesman running through his mind, he continued following the guild leader down the long straight hall, but with much more alertness.

  The guild leader started talking about the responsibility of an officer and the duty of newly appointed officers to bring players with potential ‘into the fold’, as he put it. SaltyDawg clearly was trying to say something without actually coming out and saying it. The Eleventh, as SaltyDawg was referring to him now, listened and began taking notes as he learned from a master manipulator.

  “We provide our officers greater rewards, better starting gear, funding, and even their own guard detail. We do this so that our officers are able to go about guild business without worry and also so that potential members might see the perks of joining. If we take care of you, we know that will, at least for many, be a huge incentive to join. For example, let’s assume that you have a quest that can be shared by other players; you could, of course, do all the work of scheduling the event and finding qualified members to join, but even though that could work once or twice, our experience and support could turn that into a well-oiled machine. You could simply show up and find players lined up and prepped, awaiting only a quick word or two to get the event started, and we could do that month after month. Now that’s power leveling!” The guild leader buttered up his Eleventh well, or so he believed. He continued, “You mentioned that you had a partner who had made some connections in the city? Well, he or she could use our resources as well. What might they accomplish with that kind of support! Am I right? We could offer far more protection for their efforts than any single player could, don’t you think?”

  WhoDadi5O just looked at the guild leader, waiting to see if he expected his Eleventh to simply respond with compliance. The silence that followed was deafening. He looked at the guild leader from the corner of his eye as they walked, and he saw that the man was confidently looking ahead as if the matter had been settled.

  This kind of railroading was not too foreign to WhoDadi5O. He had had a bossy mother, after all. Speaking up in defiance, he’d learned, never went well with someone like this. He’d learned the trick to someone like that was to agree simply to think on it some more.

  “Well, you make a lot of great points, Sir! I’m going to have to consider your point of view more seriously once I’ve had a taste of this well-oiled machine you speak of. Tell you what, I promise to look at the stats for the last ten boss fights and see if I carried those wins to the finish at my own expense or if the guild provided me with any compensation for any wipes or canceled raids. If we really are that well organized, I’ll take you up on that.” Of course, WhoDadi5O already knew the answer to that question, but he also knew the guild leader knew that answer and would, hopefully, avoid pushing the matter any further.

  “(cough, cough), well.. I would expect nothing less from someone as skilled as yourself.” Was the guild leaders only response?

  The attempted ‘quick save’ was obvious, but the Eleventh didn’t think the matter would simply be closed indefinitely. He knew that people like SaltyDawg, ‘A’ types, had many ways of getting what they wanted. He was going to have to proceed very carefully in order to keep the identity of his compatriot a secret.

  The guild leader and his Eleventh turned from the long hall into a large cavern with a raised platform, a little ways off, and the guild leader turned and said, “Well, this next part is one of the game’s own mechanics. We officers can choose who we approve of for the post, but ultimately, the game has the final say.”

  WhoDadi5O turned to SaltyDawg and fixed him with a confused and very skeptical stare.

  “Now, now, I have every confidence that, based on your skill, you will have no issues meeting the game’s officers challenge, but unfortunately, actually becoming an officer, and having access to the guild benefits I mentioned before, is only possible if you meet the next bit face on, with commitment. “

  The Eleventh turned and looked at the raised platform farther ahead and let his eyes follow the stairs leading up to the top of the platform. There, above, but looking down, stood a figure beneath a black hood. The creature didn’t move but only stood there simply waiting. The Eleventh assumed it was waiting for him, though it occurred to him that the creature had always stood there looking down. Its purpose was far beyond his concerns and his affairs. He felt that, but he didn’t know why.

  WhoDadi5O walked towards the stairs, and the guild leader turned and walked back down the hall where the officers awaited.

  The hooded figure waited at the top of the stairs for the challenger to arrive.

  Geeky Terms

  - NPC: Non-Player Character. Is usually a character that is not controlled by a living human being.

  - NEC: Non-Essential Character. Is character which doesn’t play a serious role within the game. Can be a floating lantern or pet dog which only exists for aesthetics.

  - Buff: Something that adds power to a character. A character receives a health buff if a trait adds to a character’s health. It is temporary unless otherwise stated.

  - Debuff: Opposite of a buff. A curse would be an example of a debuff. It’s a bad thing.

  - Handle: Is the ID of a player. Players can chose a handle only when they create a new character. Choosing a fun and memorable handle is a pretty important thing ... if you want to be remembered.

  - Server: Is a computer that is primarily responsible for running a game. Players connect to a server and it acts as a coordinator for all the players in the game.

  - Ping: Send someone a message through any number of methods. “Ping me if you need me.”

  - Wipe: When all the players die in order to reset a fight.

  - Boss: A big monster or opponent usually requiring many players working together to defeat.