So this is what it feels like to run out of MP and Stamina, I wonder to myself, ignoring the appearance of The Birdcage's drops.

Although I was able to survive in The Birdcage's concentrated Presence, it rapidly drained my health, mana and stamina just to exist in proximity, and likely would have killed me in a few more seconds.

"Silver!" Henna arrives faster than the others, full of concern for my well-being. Her anxiety fades a little when she sees I'm still breathing, and with her help, I'm able to sit up a bit, though the frostburn-like sensation on my chest and stomach from the Soulbane-laced magic blasts makes it a painful experience. Soulbane damage is never pleasant, and only going to be more common as the game progresses.

If you don't have some kind of Soulbane damage to amplify death penalties, there's little point in plying your trade as a member of the Infamous community, after all. Even if you lose a level and have to wait five minutes to respawn for a normal death, it can hardly be considered an effective solution to a problem, and repeatedly killing someone isn't a particularly elegant or efficient tactic - not least because they can just hole up in the settlement they respawned at until their enemies get bored and give up.

It's still too early for the PKers to be getting their hands on such tools and methods, mercifully, but it's still an inevitability.

"I'm...fine...Henna..." I force out some words of reassurance, feeling too lightheaded to speak complete sentences. Fumbling at my side, I pull out a mana potion, and down it, grimacing at the horrific taste. Relief isn't immediate, but once it's digested and circulating through my body, I'll at least be able to stand properly.

"I think I speak for all of us when I ask 'What the actual fuck, Silver?'" Jupiter seems almost at a loss for words. The rest of the team nod or murmur agreement.

"If you...would give...a minute..." I grumble, giving the Wizard a pointed look. Though initially confused, understanding flashes in his eyes.

"Oh, you've finally run low on MP?" He asks, chuckling with schadenfreude on his mind, "How's it feel? Fuckin' sucks, don't it?"

"Shut up...shitty wizard..." I give him a two-fingered salute, "Keep...watch...on cathedral...for assassin from earlier..."

"The guy I shot?" Jade blinks, "Yeah, sure. If he's still around. Wouldn't be surprised if he ragequit if you blueballed him like that, though."

Neither would I, but going off Giovanni's later reputation, odds are he's been stewing in his animosity in the cathedral for the past several hours trying to figure out how to get past The Birdcage for Round 2 with me. That being the case, he'll definitely see this as an opportunity to take me down.

Honestly, I'm not particularly afraid of him in his current, inexperienced state. Especially amongst this group of talented individuals, but adverse odds were never something Giovanni cared about and even if he doesn't show up again now, he absolutely will in the future. Getting rid of this new stalker of mine is going to be an irritating experience. Thoughts for another day.

---

 

Ruined Sidestreet, Truth District

Once recovered enough to stand on my own strength, and leaving behind the gaggle of Newborn that emerged from inside the Cathedral to hassle and gasp at us, I explain my hypothesis that the same thing which allowed me to ignore the contact damage of The Pool of Desire in Miner's Nightmare would work just as well on The Birdcage. Which, it did, after a fashion, though not nearly as effectively as I'd imagined.

"So, how exactly?" Jade immediately questions, cocking an eyebrow.

"I suspect it's part of the Guidance I received from my Guide," I hazard vaguely, "The exact mechanism of which, I have no idea. It's attached to a Title, but the information on it is being hidden from me."

"Guidance?" Miss Leovoldt asks, leaning against a partially ruined house. Windy looks to me for permission to tell the uninitiated and receives it.

"You can get freebies from the person you met when you were making your avatar," Windy explains simply, "So long as you ask nicely."

"Well, shit," Angelus clicks his tongue, "That might have been nice to know beforehand."

"Yeah, right?" Jupiter looks disappointed, "Where's my OP cheat powers?"

"...Implying that this is in some way breaking the balance," I raise my eyebrows, "It's, near as I can tell, just a moderate resistance to Soulbane damage. Which is almost never seen at our Level outside of exceptionally specific circumstances, like now."

That and something perhaps to do with my Charisma, I glance at a stone-faced Henna and look away before making eye contact. Asking why Henna trusts me as much as she does, as quickly as she did would be rude. Her reasons are her own.

"In any case, The Birdcage was still ultimately just an inanimate tool with barely a shred of sentience. I figured that so long as someone suitably strong could get close enough to kick it over, it'd crumble pretty quickly," I conclude, "And I was right. Though the intended strategy was likely to dodge around while shooting off ranged attacks, it possessed basically no defences against someone just walking up and smashing it apart beyond the force of it's Presence. Even being resistant to it, it still continuously drained away at all of my life-force - I still have a 70% stat penalty for another hour right now on top of that. In another few seconds, I'd have been dead."

Windy whistles, "That's a spicy debuff. Guess we're taking a break for an hour before we go handle the last guy? Since Rambling Rose finally got off their asses and killed The Brand."

I equivocate, "Although we're not going after him immediately, we still have something we need to go take care of, in case you forgot?"

"Oh, rrright..." She coughs, embarrassed, "I uhh...definitely did not forget. Nope. Nuh uh."

"Guild time?" Jupiter leans in, excited.

"Mhm," I nod, "We need to head back to the Sheveret Troop Encampment first to get our Contribution Points converted into something useable, which for me means raising my Fame and Reputation. The rest of you can use yours however you see fit, but I recommend trading it in for the same. Opportunities to raise both can be difficult to come by and they have more benefits long-term."

"Rep grinding is one of my least favourite things, so that'll probably be what I do," Jade agrees, recalling some particularly unpleasant experiences from the look of disgust on her face, "Not like I really need much else right now 'cept maybe some better armour. Because this set is nice and all but it's like five levels out of date by this point."

"Not much to be done about that right now, I'm afraid," I sympathise, since I also need to consider upgrading my equipment - but at least I and Windy have more options on that front thanks to the simple fact of Henna existing. If memory serves, it takes a little while for the replacement manager sent by the Pioneers' Alliance to convince the craftsmen Geronil locked in the basement to get their heads out their asses and interact with the players, and they're the only real source of non-metal armours in the city.

"Yeah, well, just don't forget about it," Jade huffs, "We all need upgrades."

"I suppose we should get going then," Angelus rubs his shoulder, "Are you sticking around at all, Ingrid?"

"You mean, to join your Guild?" Miss Leovoldt blinks, "Nah. I'll stick around for the last fight though."

Jupiter and Windy look a little disappointed at her rejection of the idea of joining us permanently, but I'm not about to force the issue. When it comes down to it, I wasn't even going to bother asking at this juncture - the respect that Wolf Hunt's core membership has for Mr Fathom is too strong for it to be so easy to poach one of them, though I couldn't begin to guess as to why.

No, I'm content to have their support as an ally. I'm not greedy to take control of every single talented individual I meet, and my current priority for recruitment is additional tanks and healers in any case. As well as a Trapper or some other crowd control specialist for WLR.

"In that case, could you go with Henna back to Stone Arsenal?" I request, "We'll meet you there afterwards."

Miss Leovoldt turns to Henna, then shrugs, "Eh, sure. I can do that."

"Thanks," Henna bows her head briefly, "I don't expect there'll be...much left inside, though. Odds are most've my tools and stock's amidst those piles of junk in Tridor Plaza."

"Possibly," Windy muses, "We can rummage through it if you want?"

Henna shakes her head, "Don't bother. I'll be compensated by the Empire for the trouble, most like. Especially after chippin' in like I have been. The Empire don't forget those Citizens who do it a kindness."

When it's not politically inconvenient for them, I add silently. Otherwise, it's all about that All For One, One For All philosophy.

On the surface at least. Recently, that ethos has been ringing a little hollow to the minds of foreign powers, The Truth Liberati in particular after the state decided to get heavy-handed with their treatment of The Starlight Truth Faith; Turning it into a glorified propaganda machine.

---

 

Sheveret Troop Encampment, Fander Field

Our first order of business is to speak with the aide-de-camp to Captain Sheveret, as he's the one responsible for handling Siege Contribution Points gained from the Event. The Troop Captain himself is above such administrative busywork, from the way he acts.

"Greetings, Citizen, would you like to exchange merits accrued in service to the Empire?" The balding, middle-aged man asks woodenly, operating on a far more basic AI pattern than his boss.

"Yes. I would like to exchange all my Siege Contribution Points for Empire Commendation Tokens," I inform him, disinterested in the small collection of Copper-Tier equipment and miscellaneous crap.

"Certainly, Citizen," reaching into a box next to him, he produces ten tokens, "Your service to the Empire is noted and rewarded. Glory to the stone that gives our lives foundation."

"Mhm," I scoop up the small glass tags and crush them in my fist, instantly raising my overall reputation fivefold and my Fame in the Empire by a notch. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a concrete representation of either value, so I can only make an estimate based on personal experience.

The rest of the Guild exchange for Empire Commendation Tokens as well, following my lead for lack of anything more appealing to their needs. Angelus speaks up first, "So, is that enough for us to start the Guild?"

"Presumably," I shrug, "We won't know until we talk to City Hall."

"If you say so," he responds tepidly, "I'd hate to have gone through all that for nothing."

"Don't be such a downer, man," Jupiter cajoles the healer, "Have some faith. Some optimism."

"Heeyyyy!" A familiar voice interrupts Angelus' retort, "Silver, and crew."

"Olrica," I greet the arrival of the assassin, who, frankly, looks almost as bad as I probably do.

"Don't mind me, just here to cash in our points," Olrica winks, one of Rambling Rose's vice-leaders, Generous Morning arrives a little after her and nods politely.

"Mr Nosster."

Foreseeing a certain someone running her mouth off again, I speak up before she gets the chance, "Congratulations on your defeat of The Brand. I expect it wasn't easy."

"No," Generous Morning admits, "Most of us perished in the attempt, ourselves included. Fortunately, Hadrian and the rest of the main force pulled through in the end. I believe you just missed them."

I'll count my blessings on that. Though I confess a little surprise at how polite she's being, all things considered.

"Still, you should be proud of the accomplishment," I glare at Jade to keep her from laughing, "Don't let us keep you waiting."

"Thank you," Generous Morning walks past to the counter without a second glance, dismissing our presence completely.

"Talk later, yeah?" Olrica whispers, joining her superior.

Filing out, Jade immediately starts complaining, "Man, come on, we killed three minibosses faster than they could get rid of literally fucking one of them. What's wrong with a little gloating?"

"Because it's a childish way to behave," I say pointedly, "More so than you provoking them into that 'bet' was in the first place."

"Killjoy," She grumbles, kicking a pebble.

"Anyone else get a weird vibe off that mage chick?" Jupiter asks, "Girl has some A-Tier chill given the circumstances."

"A bit," Windy admits, "Reminds me a bit of you when we first met, Silver."

Taken aback, I blink, "...Okay?"

"Oh good, the Tour Guide species is multiplying," Jade feigns a tragic tone of voice.

---

 

Tridor Plaza, Meteo City

Money from my bank account in hand, we approach the steps to City Hall. The Plaza has yet to see any efforts to clean up the remnants of it's occupation by The Scavenger, but a few members of Sheveret Troop are standing watch to ensure nobody tries to make off with any of the looted items. 

I can all but guarantee that at least one idiot is going to make an attempt.

"Before we go in," I address the group, "This is your last chance to reconsider before you sign the System Contracts. Read them carefully, as they have been slightly revised to be more watertight and better reflect our circumstances going forward. If you have any concerns or additions, please share."

Sharing the updated contracts, I await their decisions.

Windy skims through the changes which reflect her position as my second-in-command and immediately agrees, "You already know my decision, boss."

Hesitant, but silent, Jade also signs the contract with a complicated look directed at her best friend.

"I'm in all the way," Jupiter agrees, "This team is going places."

Finally, Angelus signs the contract, "Not sure how suited I am to being an Officer, but I'll give it some effort."

Feeling a strange sense of pride, I smile wide, "Thank you. Let's get this done."

Ascending the steps and entering City Hall, the remnants of a barricade against intruders greets us in the spacious reception area. Several benches furnish the lavishly decorated lobby, while a long carved stone counter takes up most of the room's width opposite, with an office space behind it staffed by clerks.

To the left and right are guarded staircases leading up into private offices for people such as the city's councillors to take care of sensitive paperwork and schmooze VIPs.

Full of purpose, we approach the counter and tap the call bell to attract a clerk's attention.

"Greetings Citizen. Please be aware that our operations at this time are limited. How can we assist you?" A pretty Firm woman takes responsibility for our business.

"I wish to register an Official Guild," I hedge, "Would that be possible?"

"Guild Regristration Requests are available," the clerks answers with a genial smile, "May I know the basis of your request?"

"My service to the Empire," I answer.

"Your deeds are adequate," she maintains her smile without a single twitch, but I can only feel relief, "Registration requires an administration fee of 50 Stone Gold, sir. Do you have the payment ready?"

I dump the full amount onto the counter, feeling for all the world like I just ripped out one of my kidneys and presented it as collateral. This pile of coins represents the culmination of all my efforts thus far, and it's painful to have to give it up, even if its chump change In the grand scheme of things.

"I have confirmed the amount," the clerk keeps smiling, and hands over a small bundle of forms, along with a quill and ink, "Please complete the forms accurately to finish registration. Updates to information after the fact will incur additional charges, where changes are possible."

Complying, I painstakingly write out the name of the Guild and my signature repeatedly throughout, checking off the appropriate boxes as I go, before getting the others to sign as founding members alongside me.

"On behalf of The Empire of Stone, I welcome your Guild as an Officially recognised 1-Star Organisation. Please acquit yourselves in a worthy manner for the good of all other Citizens," The quasi-sentient clerk congratulates us.