The Chamber of Commerce Building, Pittsburgh - 7:15 AM

As the building slowly ascended, I crossed my arms and waited. Everything around us started changing. Acidic Allen’s body and his puddle were the first to disappear, but soon the chairs, counters, decorations, and more were slowly fading out of existence to be replaced by something the administrator deemed more appropriate.

The DMV disappeared along with several of the walls, revealing an open floor plan with a fountain in the middle. With a nod towards Jamie indicating that she should follow, I started heading towards the middle of the building as it began to solidify.

Everything that made this building what it once was, aside from most of its exterior, was now gone, wiped away in a few minutes to become the Guild of Guilds.

The tile beneath us looked like marble, and the fountain had cherubs spitting out water from the top. Eight elevators took up the four corners, two to each, and led upwards to a plethora of rooms and balconies overlooking this central area. When looked at from above, it seemed almost like a cross with the corners taken up. The roof was all glass, revealing the gray sky above us. It was still dark, but the building’s arrival was like a spotlight.

Every liberated building returned to the surface with a bright light that shot to the sky as a way to tell everyone that it had returned, and this one was no different. It was so powerful that even those on the outskirts of Pittsburgh would be able to see it, and it wouldn’t be long before they started showing up to investigate. They would show up sooner once the scenario quest dropped.

A screen popped up in front of me just as I thought about it.

[[Second Scenario Quest: Guildmaker (1)]]

The Pitt beckons for heroes, though any who enter the dungeon alone will find themselves in a bind. The depths abhor those who think too highly of themselves.

Humans yearn for security, community, and acceptance. They yearn for solidarity, and so does the Pitt. Create a guild for your fellow players to join so that you can liberate the buildings deep underground.

Once you are a part of a community, you are not required to rove in packs like wolves. However, any who completes a dungeon without belonging to a guild cannot return it to the surface and will not be able to gain points from completing the Pitt’s quests.

You are the first to make it to the Guild of Guilds, and it is up to you to build the first guild.

Objective: There are currently no guilds, so create one.

Reward: 1,000 points for the first Guildmaster, 10 Guild Points.

Leads to: Second Scenario Quest: Explore The Pitt (2) [Guild].

Jamie wrinkled her nose as she swiped away the quest screen she would have also received, and I snapped mine away a moment later. “So there’s no way to move on without being a part of a guild?” she asked. “Why is this administrator so keen on teamwork?”

“As long as you’re part of a guild, it doesn’t matter,” I explained. “You can be a guild of one and get the rights to liberate buildings from the Pitt, you just won’t be as efficient at clearing quests. As for teamwork… well, it’s a lot more nefarious than they’re letting on. They want a bunch of people together in a zombie apocalypse, right? Where, if you get bit, then you can turn depending on your Constitution. They want people to form bonds and lose their friends and loved ones, or turn suspicion on each other, or something else.”

“Is that something your Patron told you?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Nah, figured that out on my own,” I told her. “Think about it. The administrator’s mad that not enough people died during the zombie outbreak that made up the first scenario, and it wants more drama. It wants people to become paranoid, to backstab, and to suffer to make up for its shortcomings and perceived slights. It wants people to become used to each other, form new relationships with them, and then watch as they’re snatched away. Remember, Jamie: every administrator is nothing more than a power-hungry middle manager. Some are worse than others, but they’re all bad.”

Jamie watched me carefully for a few moments before nodding, and I exhaled. “The administrators are a sore topic for me,” I admitted. “But I know you don’t want to hear about that. We should be getting visitors any moment n-“

The sound of clapping and footsteps reached our ears. I turned towards it casually, though Jamie did so while reaching for her spear. Holding up a hand, she paused before letting her hand drop to her side. I approached the trio coming towards us.

“Oh, I was hoping that someone would start the scenario early!” the man in the lead loudly remarked, his voice somehow both hauntingly ethereal and haughty at the same time. “What a joyous occasion this is!”

I said nothing, instead setting my hands into my hoodie as I came to a stop just a few feet away from them. Jamie was the first to speak, however.

“Elves?” she asked in confusion.

“Yep,” I answered.

The man who had spoken to us was undoubtedly an Elf, and he had an unearthly handsomeness to him. He was tall, nearing seven feet, with pale skin, high cheekbones, and platinum hair. His ears were long, pointed, and stuck out from the side of his head. The fine silk robes he wore of green and whites completed the look. Well, almost.

His face was also extremely punchable, something that a younger version of myself had definitely tried before. These days, I knew better, but that only stopped me from acting on it.

Behind him were two identical women of the same race as he, and they also wore the same kind of outfit. Their platinum hair was braided, and they walked with their hands folded over their stomachs. Their elegant beauty would cause a lot of issues over the next few days, just like his. Luckily, fighting was discouraged in the Guild of Guilds.

“Welcome, players of Pittsburgh,” the man said, bowing down to his waist to greet us. The women did the same. “Let me be the first to congratulate you on completing the precursor quest to the second scenario. Honored players, allow me to greet you kindly. My name is Kail Fortetta.”

“I am Medi Akkarae,” the woman to his left added.

“And I am Tsae Akkarae,” the woman to his right continued.

“We three run the Guild of Guilds, and I am its Master of Masters,” he said as he righted himself. Medi and Tsae followed suit. “Please, may I know your names, oh honored players?”

“Anthony Franklin,” I replied. Glancing at my companion, I saw her staring at the three with no intention of speaking up. “And I’ll be your first guildmaster.”

“Most wonderful, sir, most wonderful indeed,” Kail said with a clap of his hands. “Normally I would allow the others to handle newcomers with any questions and concerns, but the first time is something truly spectacular. Please, come with me and-“

I held up my hand, and the Elf trailed off. “There’s no need for any of that,” I told him. “We’d like to start, finish, and then get back to it.”

[[Patron Message]]

Anthony, I realize that you’re in the middle of something, but you did mention having to run some new names by me. You have not run any names by me yet.

Sincerely,

Sara

“Don’t worry about the name,” I said up to the sky. “I think you’ll find it just fine.”

Kail’s eyes flicked from me towards the ceiling before returning. “Are you, perhaps, speaking with a Patron?” he asked cautiously. 

“Yeah, nothing to worry about. I’m not crazily talking to the sky for nothing.”

“Of course, sir.”

[[Patron Message]]

Have you decided on a name that references me like you did the Angel Express?

If so, I’m flattered, but you also shouldn’t. The name of the train can be put down to the Break Free skill, which transforms you into an Angel, but you know better than to give out information that can link back to me.

Why don’t you go back to one of the old names? Those are fine, aren’t they?

Sincerely,

Sara

“I think it would be fine regardless, and there’s not much that I can do, you know?” I continued. “Twice is only coincidence, after all.”

“Are you really having this discussion now, Franklin?” Jamie asked, crossing her arms.

“It’ll only take a minute,” I replied.

“If you like, sir, so long as you have the points then we can leave the topic of a name to your Patron,” Kail offered helpfully, though his pleasant facade was starting to crack.

I paused at those words. Normally, I was all for naming my own organizations and keeping agency for myself, but that was a solid suggestion. Guilds could be renamed monthly for a cost, so even if I didn’t like it for whatever reason it could be changed down the road.

Still, even if it was Sara, I didn’t want to give this to anyone else to decide.

“No, I’ve figured it out, and I’m ready to move on.”

“Very well, sir,” Kail said, inclining his head slightly. He waved his between us like he was opening a menu, and one appeared before me. “Here are the rules for guilds. I suggest you read them carefully before we move on to the next step.”

I read through the fairly short list, but only because they expected me to. The rules for guilds was something that had been seared into my memory for a long time now. It was fairly simple as far as rules went.

Guild on guild violence would not be tolerated outside of the proper venues, though the worst they would do was bar an offender from joining or creating organizations. Some of the dungeons had multi-guild elements, which was something I was going to end up using at least once, but most guilds had an unspoken rule that you wouldn’t mess with a dungeon that already has other people inside of it.

Any grievances could be filed with the Guild of Guilds and a moderator would be selected to help quell bad blood between organizations. Such events happened a lot, especially if someone felt like others took what belonged to them, but this choice was rarely taken. A guild of people fancying themselves to be cartographers would emerge early on, and one of their most popular maps would be the one that showed the multi-guild dungeons that didn’t end in death.

The rest of the rules didn’t pertain to us. It went into detail on how the building would be treated when their guildhalls activated. No littering, no fighting, no loud noises, be polite to those who work here; these were basic, common sense restrictions.

I looked up at the balconies. The building could hold 100 guilds inside their extra-dimensional rooms, and any who were starting out would be stuck here until they reached their first big milestone. First, they had to gain at least 10 Guild Points by liberating buildings in order to become a rank 2 guild. They would then have the chance to move their guild into a new home.

Surprisingly, most of the smaller guilds stayed inside this building. It was near the entrance to the Pitt, and being around so many people was reassuring even if you were competing with them. This community would never have the solidarity of the Georgia World Congress Center and their love of the games at the arena, but it wouldn’t be completely dysfunctional by any means.

“I accept the rules,” I said, swiping away the notice in front of me.

“Thank you, sir,” Kail said with another nod. He swiped his hand, though no screen appeared in front of me this time. “The fee for creating a guild is 5,000 points. I believe the two of you just received 1,000 points each, so if you have the other-“

“He said that he would handle it,” Jamie said curtly.

“That’s right, it’s my guild so I’m footing the whole bill,” I said with a smile. There was no way he’d have known I was sitting on over 60,000 points, which was a level of wealth unheard of in most parts of the world right now, but there was no reason to let him know that. “Also, I’d like to hear the quick version, please and thank you. The building’s arrival wasn’t very subtle, and I’m sure more people will be showing up at any moment now.”

Kail’s lip curled slightly at being rushed despite my politeness, but he quickly schooled his expression and nodded again. “Of course,” he said evenly, a paragon of customer service. “Then we’ll do the first making of a guild… quickly.”

“I sure would appreciate it.”

“What would you like to name your guild?” he asked.

“Sol Ligatus,” I said before spelling it out before leaning towards Jamie. “It’s Latin and loosely translates to Fettered Sun. Or bound. Tied. Those kinds of words. It could also be Solis Ligatus, but that doesn’t roll off the tongue the same way, you know?”

“Why?” she asked.

“Feels right,” I told her, grinning.

[[Patron Message]]

Okay, I’ll admit, that’s a fairly tame way of referencing me. There are plenty of sun god Patrons out there, as well as those who oppose them.

This isn’t so bad. While it does remind me of my circumstances, I still approve. This is a fine name.

Sincerely,

Sara

“My Patron agrees,” I said, swiping away the message before pointing up.

“A fantastic name, sir,” Kail said as he swiped again. “Of course, every guild has an image assigned to them by the system based on the name and guildmaster’s deeds. If you find that it is not to your liking, you can change it to one of your designs at the cost of points, though you or a member of your guild will have to provide the artwork yourselves. This is what the system has come up with for Sol Ligatus.”

Kail spun his hand around as if turning a computer screen, and a box appeared for both Jamie and I to see. The icon was an orange, stylized sun on a black background. Around it, nearly touching the edges of the square logo, was a thin golden ring. It was fairly simple, and I loved it.

Not everyone seemed to, however, and I saw Jamie carefully remain neutral. “Disappointed?” I asked.

The Weapon Master made a small, noncommittal noise. When she noticed I was watching her, she shrugged. “I was hoping for a Warmeowger icon.”

I couldn’t help but snort a laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure that would have been amazing to everyone involved,” I said sarcastically. A series of screens popped up in front of me.

[[Congratulations!]]

You are now the Guildmaster of Sol Ligatus.

The Guild Menu has now been unlocked. You may begin inviting people into the guild at your convenience.

Your guild is Level 1, collect Guild Points by liberating dungeons inside the Pitt to increase your level and gain rewards.

[[Notice]]

You are the first player to create a Guild. +1,000 points.

[[Second Scenario Quest Complete!]]

The first guild in this world is named Sol Ligatus, and you are its master. You have started Pittsburgh down the path it was meant to travel, and thus shall be rewarded.

Rejoice, as the Second Scenario begins in earnest now.

Reward: 1,000 points for the first Guildmaster, 10 Guild Points for Sol Ligatus, Second Scenario Quest: Explore The Pitt (2) [Guild] begins.

[[Guild Rank Up!]]

Sol Ligatus is now at rank 2!

Rewards: the guildmaster may now claim any liberated building or safe zone as the guildhall as long as they have not been designated for something else. Any members of the guild may choose an article of magical clothing or armor they own, and the guild crest will appear on it.

Collect 25 Guild Points to increase your rank and gain more rewards.

[[Second Scenario Quest: The Pitt (2)]]

The first guild, Sol Ligatus, has been formed, and now that option has been opened to any who has the points. The Pitt is now open to all, though only those who have joined an organization known as a guild can truly bring your city back to the surface.

Your home, Pittsburgh, has been snatched out from under you. The system has taken the buildings and hidden them deep underground in the form of dungeons. Some are close to the surface, and are fairly tame. Others are deeper, and require far more fortitude to reclaim. Not all will be returned in their same condition, but the dungeons that are liberated will return.

To make matters worse, the undead have begun emerging from the Pitt. This is due to something lurking further beneath the underworld than many are willing to go. They will continue to swarm until the source is put to rest for good. Whichever guild has the most points when the foul beast below is defeated shall be heavily rewarded.

Now get out there, make or join a guild, and dig your city out of the rubble.

Objective: Liberate dungeons in the Pitt, and find the source of the undead.

Time Limit: To be announced

Reward: Linked to Guild Points earned.

[[Notice]]

You were one of the first players to find the Hidden World Boss [Esaraphelscion, Angel of the End]. +2,000 points.

This reward has been reduced due to scenario limits. Points will be given to you at the beginning of each scenario until you have received them all.

“Wow, that’s a lot of boxes. Little weird that I’m getting that last one now, but I guess this does start the scenario properly,” I chuckled, swiping them all away. “Thank you for your help, Kail Fortetta, but we’ll be off now.”

“You… don’t have any questions?” he asked slowly.

“Nope.”

The Elf began to raise his hand and opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it. I saw the makings of a barely constrained sigh as he nodded. “Good luck, Guildmaster Franklin. Whenever you return, your guildhall will be waiting for you.”

I didn’t bother to correct him as I nodded, waved, and turned to walk away. “Let’s head back to the train, Jamie. You can get your armor fixed up and we can get this guild up and running.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she replied. Before we left, she did pause in order to put on some socks and shoes. It wasn’t armor, but it was still better than walking barefoot through the snow.