"So, it's decided then?" Liz asked to the room. 

She had gathered the individuals of her guild who could loosely be named as its leaders.

This of course included herself and Magnus who were quite literally the leaders, but also Seb and a few other members of Magnus's gang. Piper, Jess and Bailey were present, but not in the room.

Liz had messaged Nina in hopes she would appear as one of the highest levelled members of the guild, but she had responded she was supposedly busy and would be for some time - as such, she would not be available for assistance.

This left Walpurgis feeling even less staffed than before.

"Yep, duels are the best bet on our part." Magnus responded, "With what you've told me about your abilities, you will have the advantage in any one-on-one confrontation. Though we will have to fill in the other two slots."

"Gloria can fill in the second slot." Liz said, her first guardian nodding in affirmation, "With her strength, it's near certain she would win. The real problem is the third player."

"How so?" Trev, one of Magnus's gang's officials, said, "It's best of three. We're pretty sure you'll win and you feel the same about Gloria - surely the third doesn't matter."

"Nothing is set in stone." Seb responded, "And what Liz is worried about is that most of the guild is low level since the members are from the gang and have only just started playing."

There were nods of agreement, while Liz was certainly a powerhouse - one who could defeat almost anyone in a one-on-one fight - that was certainly not the same for the rest of her guild. In reality, if not for her, Walpurgis would be among the weakest guilds in ELO.

"If only, Nina were available..." Liz sighed as she thought back to the fighting prowess of her friend.

"Perhaps we could find an alliance." Enzo, another of Magnus's officials, responded, "According to the announcement allied guilds can send reinforcements to help one another."

"It's a solid plan, but to do that we'd need to find a strong enough guild willing to ally with us." Grant, the last of Magnus's included officials, reminded the table - ELO was a highly political game and Smokey and influential figure; removing her would be the best for most.

"I think the best thing we can do is raise our levels as fast as possible, while hoping that Lizzy and Gloria win so that our third is not necessary." Magnus spoke up, leaning back in his chair in discomfort. He did not really like all the fancy game politics he had been forced into, it was hard enough keeping control of the slums and now he needed to keep control of a whole other organisation, the only reason he had continued the endeavour was Elizabeth's insistence - though the money produced did certainly assist in his motivation.

"Fine..." Liz sighed, not seeing any other way, "Now we need to consider the final event: Collapsing Castles."

During the selection, the random event was greyed out and could not be inspected further - as a result no one knew what the event entailed. Clues could be derived from the name, but otherwise the participants were in the dark.

"It sounds like we have to destroy a castle." Seb said flippantly.

"Maybe, but I doubt that's all there is to it." Magnus responded before turning to Gloria and Eren who were sitting off to the side behind Liz, "I've heard you two had past lives, don't suppose you know."

"We've lived before, but I spent my entire life in the church and Gloria travelled the world alone." Eren said apologetically, "Sorry we couldn't be more help."

"Don't worry about it." Liz smiled, though she did feel as though Demeter had scoffed slightly at her guardian's response. Still she chose to ignore it for the time being.

"We'll have to leave it for the time being." Grant sighed, "There's no point worrying about things we can't control - especially when we can begin levelling."

"Yeah. We need to send orders to guild members that all combat focused members need to focus on increasing their level." Seb said, standing up and letting out a breath, "Right now, the highest after Liz and Gloria is... Bailey or Jess."

Liz's eyebrows, that she didn't really have, raised. She had only briefly met with her sister since she had needed to begin her war council and so had no time to notice their levels - she was quite pleased to know their levels had already risen quite high for how much they had played.

Everyone stood to leave, only Liz, Magnus and Seb remaining behind to speak for a moment longer.

Before character creation Liz had offered the recommendation of choosing a random race and so most guild members did; as usual most were given what could be considered duds and a smaller group of others gained special races - Magnus and Seb were among that few. Trev, Enzo and Grant had not received anything special; being an elf, human and dwarf respectively. However, Magnus and Seb had received races that were not available to be chosen - though they had not been as lucky as Liz, Piper or her friends. 

Magnus had become a [Weretiger], the evolved form of the [Tigerkin]. The were-races were powerful, especially with the racial skill [Monster Form]. but the race was still not all that rare and many other players were werebeasts - a tiger was decently powerful as a predatory species, but still nothing exceptional.

Seb had also received a half-beast form, but in a different strand. He had become a [Merfolk], a race proficient in water magic and undersea combat - but not especially powerful on land. They were weak to fire magic and higher temperatures, but gained significant buffs in a body of water scaling with the amount they were submerged. One benefit of the merfolk biology was that the transformation from fins to legs was not actually a skill, but part of their attributes and so Seb had gained the skill [Ocean Language] that allowed him to speak with fish and other aquatic life - not useful at the moment, but may have potential in later stages.

"We should look into why Wolf Fang may be attacking." Magnus said as he approached Liz.

"I already know why, uncle. We have history." Liz responded, irritated that she had acted as she did towards them - now it was biting her in the ass.

"I think there's more to it." Magnus said with a shake of his head, "Seb did some research on their leader and he's not really the guy to hold grudges."

"Yeah. According to reports from other games, Pycta, is not the kind of person to hold grudges." Seb explained, "In reality the only things he actual enjoys is fighting and alcohol - chances are someone payed him to start the guild war."

"Couldn't his guild have forced him into it?" Liz asked, becoming more sceptical.

"Unlikely, he's really hard headed and does whatever he wants. As the guild leader he's the only one who can declare war and it's unlikely he did it after being pressured by his allies." Seb explained. 

Liz was silent for a moment, putting more thought into it. Thinking back on the times she had fought with Wolf Fang, the encounters now seemed strange - it was almost always the same groups of people who attacked her, every now and then a few others would be mixed in, but it hardly seemed like the guild had been ordered to hunt her down like Golden Radiance had so clearly been. 

She couldn't even walk past a Golden Radiance member with a 50 metre distance without them trying to start a fight.

"... Fine. Look into it." Liz relented, sending the pair on their way to level up. Magnus patted Liz gently on the head before leaving - a gesture she somewhat enjoyed, even if it made her feel some slight confusion.

"Let's go." Liz called out to the 3 undead behind her - the ones who had come to be her guards: Gloria, Eren and Demeter.

As she walked from the room she sent her consciousness into the doll she had placed by Luthor, finding that the tunnels were progressing quickly, as was the wall now that giants had been made available; but he would need more delicate workers for building any actual buildings. Liz promised to look into it before turning herself to the puppet she had sent left with the undead handing out food to the villagers.

The one in charge was an unnamed undead, but as a bone slayer it had enough intelligence to do as instructed. Looking around she could see the villagers were wary, but still taking food - they seemed so desperate for anything that even possibly death-by-undead was worth risking. Liz smiled slightly, wishing she could do more, but knowing that the construction of her city would be the best way to help these people.

Liz had also made the decision to gather up those from other villages in her territory here as she could not possibly care for those as they were spread out - she was just glad the number of villages in her's and Gloria's territories were small. 

Once I have a better handle on things, I'll start making more cities and branch out. Liz had thought to herself.

With both of her most important projects proceeding as planned Liz returned fully to her main body, taking it off autopilot as it were and finally returning to her sister with a smile.

For the first time, Piper quite literally towered over her sister. The body of an abandoned doll being significantly shorter than a dhampir.

"Sis." Piper called out with a smile, rising from her seat, "Did everything go well."

"Pretty much." Liz responded, motioning for Piper to sit as she went to another of the sofas, "New orders thought, everyone needs to work on improving their level - as it is you guys are among the higher levelled players. If it stays that way, one of you is going to be fighting in the duel event."

"Cool!" Jess called out, making Liz chuckle slightly. Bailey seemed slightly less comfortable with the idea - though it was much harder to tell on her new body. Piper also seemed ready:

"Anything to help you." She smiled, considering how best to improve. Increasing her level was good, but Piper immediately recognised her power came from her skill. [Blood Tyrant].

The girls all talked for a while before deciding to head out and increase their level, Liz having other plans.

She watched Piper leave with a smile, happy to see her sister enjoying herself like this; if worried that she may place herself in real danger like Liz already had.

"Are you not worried about her highness, your majesty?" Demeter asked, having come to refer to Piper as a princess - causing the girl to be flustered by Demeter's insistence.

"Of course, but she's smart. Things will definitely be fine..." Liz said, not entirely certain, but believing her sister would not act rashly, "Anyay, we need to start dealing with the metals. Luthor tells me they're finding it in droves." 

 

Piper, Jess and Bailey had received information on the dungeons in the wasteland. They were familiar with those cleared and conquered by Liz and wanted to find one that would both help them level up and be enjoyable.

The final decision was based not only on level, but also how interesting the name was:

[Unlucky Carnival (Uncleared)] [Recommended lvl: 50]

[B-Rank Dungeon]

The girls smiled as they finally found the dungeon, much further than the ones Liz had conquered and isolated from any other dungeon - ultimately unrelated to the vein of metals below - and prepared to enter. The 3 girls stepped inside, but a strange feeling overcame them, like the sensation of discomfort in the gut as one descends on a roller coaster, but lasting far longer - each of their eyes were forced shut and as they felt the sensation stop, allowing them to open their eyes, they found they were no longer mere inches from one another.

Each of the girls had found them somewhere different - standing before a different attraction with no way to go but forwards.

Piper had surrounded by long and sharp stalks of corn, the only path forward being marked with a rickety old sign:

[Unlucky Carnival Presents: Hell's Acres Terror Maze]

Bailey found herself in the foyer of a house that seemed to have fallen apart. The door behind her was not even real, simply painted on in the image of an ornate oak door. Broken wood and shattered glass covered the floor like a carpetting of sharpness - the only thing not destroyed and decaying being a single sign hanging from a dust and old chandelier:

[Unlucky Carnival Presents: Nightmare Dollhouse]

Finally was Jess, all alone atop a creaking tower. She felt as though a single movement would bring the entire structure down as rotted wood creaked and moaned under the pressure of the wind. Jess found herself precariously balanced on the only flat part that remained - the structure reminded her of an old ride in an themepark her parents had once taken her where a chair would take you up and down at incredible speeds. As if to confirm such suspicions a sign stood blinking with lights atop the ride - right in Jess's view:

[Unlucky Carnival Presents: Devil's Drop]

Each of the 3 girls face a dangerous trial, one where their path forward may not be so clear.

Yet, as the odds climbed against them - none looked on with hopelessness, but rather with excitement at a new challenge.

---

As news of the upcoming war between Walpurgis and Wolf Fang spread, different people had different reactions.

The Flame Emperor had let out a hearty chuckle, looking forward to the conflict - he could not wait to see what Smokey was capable of; but if she could not even beat mere mercenaries, then he would know she was not worth his interest.

Within the newly established building of the Valkyries, the higher members waited for their leader's decision. She had expressed a desire to establish a positive relationship and the opportunity had seemed to present itself - yet she did not arrange an alliance as was anticipated.

"Let's wait until they reach out." Isla said, a sly smile spreading across her beautiful lips, "Send word on the forums that we hate to see them struggle, subtle hints that they should come to us for help." 

If they become indebted to us that would be great. Isla thought to herself, feeling her plan had no downsides. But even if they don't, win or lose I come out with an advantage.

Then, deep in a forest a beautiful elven woman sat on a collapsed log, a palm-sized dolphin layed gently on her head. The elf was frowning as she read the forums of the upcoming war - she hated to see others being pushed around, but could do little to nothing about it.

"... Hmm. I suppose I could offer an alliance." She muttered, merely thinking outside. But her eyes quickly turned to another panel she had open, one being flooded with messages. Her smile returned, displaying her beautiful teeth and charming dimples that only made others want to protect her even more, "It seems you all liked that idea."

She laughed, sounding like a melodic tune rather than something a normal living being could produce before she grabbed hold of a solid white, wooden staff adorned with a beautiful emerald and headed deeper into the forest - stepping into a mist that seemed to devour her in her entirety.

"I suppose that would be fun." She laughed before disappearing entirely.