*****

"Enjoying your meal, Ver?" The deep but familiar voice made Vermouth realize who it was immediately.

"Br- I mean, Bela!" Vermouth exclaimed. "You really came in ten minutes! How?"

"I had a skill fit for fast travel," he vaguely replied. "I'll tell you about it later, for now, let's talk about something else."

"Oh yeah, okay," Vermouth replied before she shoved a slice of her steak into her mouth. "But before that, how did you know it's me? I don't remember telling you my appearance."

At this, the man shrouded in darkness, Bela, chuckled softly. "I looked for a small girl eating by her lonesome. If you narrow it down that way, it becomes easy to find you."

"I see. Somehow, that annoys me." Vermouth replied, frowning as she continued eating.

"I see," Bela chuckles, lowering his hood and exposing his face.

His in-game face was no different from his real face, the only difference was that his hair and eyes were black instead of the usual dark blue hair and silver eyes. On his right cheek was a broken heart with each half having a different color of black and white. He wore a black hooded trench coat. Under it was a black shirt tucked into his loose black jeans that was secured by a black leather belt. The ends of his jeans were tucked into his shin-high black boots.

"What's with the edgy get-up, by the way?" Vermouth asked nonchalantly, a piece of steak in her mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ver," Bela replied, the girl responding by rolling her eyes. "This is the best early gear for the rogue class, it's not my fault that it looks like this."

He patted down his trench coat with an exasperated sigh.

"You chose the rogue class? Why? I thought if it were you, you would realize that the mage class would matter the most in two months." Vermouth inquired with a curious gaze.

"Yes, I thought of that. But I also realized that you will be choosing it so I thought about it for a while and chose another class that would be useful in the real world," Bela explained. "And the rogue class was the best I could think of."

"Heeh. Is it because you can sneak from place to place?" Vermouth asked, finishing her last slice of steak.

"Yup. Being able to turn invisible with the innate skills of the class, I'll be able to gather information by spying on targets of interest. Makes going to places easier too, like you've already witnessed," Bela explained, smiling with a bit of pride.

"But even I can turn invisible and even teleport from place to place," Vermouth informs him with a curious look. "Can't a mage do that too? What even are innate skills?"

"Eh, what kind of build do you have, Ver? And how do you not know of innate skills?" Bela looks at her with confusion, raising his brows questioningly. "Wait, you still haven't read the file I sent you, have you?"

At this, Vermouth chuckled and looked away awkwardly. "Well… everything's been going well so far, so I thought I don't have to just yet…"

Hearing her words, Bela groaned and palmed his face. "Alright. I understand," He said. "But you have to promise me to look over it once we're done with this meeting, understood?"

"Okay, fine…" Vermouth raised her hands and sighed, giving in to her brother's request. "I promise I will."

Satisfied, Bela leans back on his chair. "Alright, now let's talk about our future meeting with the guild leaders searching for you."

"Guild leaders? There are more of them?" Vermouth gaped, taken aback by this new revelation.

"Yeah," Bela nodded. "I found it out on the forums after a bit of research when you told me about players searching for you. Apparently, four guilds are working together searching for you. And these four are on the top twelve guilds."

"Well now… I'm honored?" Vermouth said with a nervous chuckle. "If I may ask, what's the guilds and leaders' names?"

"Right. First, the one majorly responsible for searching for you, Sui's Sauce of Ichor's Remnants. Leader of the biggest crafting guild, AlbertHammers of Zeus' Bladesmiths. Allied guild of Zeus' Bladesmith and leader of the largest sword-only guild, LAN of Clashing Swords. And the leader of the most reputable guild, Alex_Andra of Chains of Astra. According to what I found, these four are their guilds are involved in searching for you with the intention of persuading their way into giving you their aid and helping successfully conclude your regional quest." Was Bela's lengthy explanation.

"That is…" Vermouth mutters nervously, her hands covering her mouth and muffling her words as she speaks playfully. "I have four top guilds gunning for my head? It's that big of a deal?"

"Yeah. And in two months time, it will be an even bigger issue. So make sure you take this quest seriously, Ver." Bela reminded with a point of his finger.

"I know, I know. I understand already," Vermouth rolls her eyes before smiling. "Thanks for the reminder though."

"Alright, with that aside, let's discuss what we should expect in this meeting," Bela said, taking on a more serious tone. "First, the thing that we have that they will want. And that is…"

"Access to the quest, or some form of involvement with it," Vermouth finishes. "That's the only thing I can think of that they will want immediately."

"You're right. But they will want something else too other than that. They will demand that you, and probably me, to join one of their guilds." Bela points out.

Confused, Vermouth humms a question. "But why?"

"It's simple," Bela snaps his finger and proceeds to explain. "In their search for you, I'm sure that they already have learned of your achievements through the world announcements. If they knew you are a new a player, they would want you even more."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind." Vermouth responds.

"Right. These two, we can expect them to demand. But as we've already discussed, we will let them partake in the quest, so that's one of the list." Bela clarifies.

"And it isn't that big of a deal to join one of the top guilds, if anything, it should be helpful, right?" Vermouth thought out loud.

"You're right, it isn't a bad thing. But you have to remember that some of these guilds have enemies of their own." Bela reminds to which Vermouth nods. "So if you're joining one of them, I recommend joining Ichor's Remnants since they're a fairly neutral guild and are well-liked by the community."

"Noted," Vermouth replied.

"Now, as for what we will demand from them. What do you think? It's your quest." Bela said as he waved his hand at her.

"Hmm… Aside from all the rewards of the quest, nothing comes up…" Vermouth hums, rubbing her chin in thought. "Besides, I already got a lot of good stuff just by accepting the quest…"

"Ah, you probably shouldn't demand getting all the rewards for yourself," Bela said, popping Vermouth out of her head.

"Why? It's my quest." Vermouth frowns.

"Well. If I had you help me bake three cupcakes and I eat all of it, what would you feel?" Bela asks with a playful smile.

"I'd hate it…" Vermouth frowns deeper.

With a chuckle, Bela rubs Vermouth's head playfully. "See? That's why you shouldn't be selfish."

"Fine…" Vermouth sighs, giving in. "But I want the best reward that will fit my build!"

"That's more like it. Now, want me to contact them for you? It's better that I'm the one who does it." Bela said before opening his main interface.

"Hm? Why, is there some kinda bounty on me or something?" Vermouth chuckled at her own joke.

"Funnily enough, that's exactly the reason and I want it," Bela replied with a grin.

"Wait, wha-?" Vermouth stammered at her brother's words. "Seriously? How much?"

"Not much, really." Bela waves her off nonchalantly with a grin. "Just ten million Rof for the person who would be able to point out the player Vermouth. Personally from Sui's Sauce."

"Call them and split it with me!" Vermouth slammed on the table as she shouted.

"Got it, you greedy little gremlin," Bela chuckles as he types on his interface.

Vermouth looks on with an excited smile on her face, thinking about the materials she could buy with that amount of Rof, and wondering how powerful of a totem she could make.

"Alright, they're headed for the meeting spot. I said I could bring you to them in exchange for the reward." Bela said as he stood up. "Shall we go now?"

"Ah, wait. Let me just return this key so that I don't bring it with me accidentally," Vermouth picks up the key and brings it to the counter, telling the owner that she will be away, before promptly returning to her brother's side.

"Alright, I'm done! Lead the way!" Vermouth said upon returning.

"Right. Try not to fall behind." Bela smiled before bringing up his hood, hiding his face with it.

Vermouth smiled in response as they both left the building.

---

"This is the place," Bela said as he looked around, searching for the figure of the players they would be meeting.

In front of them was an inconspicuous two-story wooden house hidden behind a thick layer of shrub and vegetation.

Bela had led her back to the outskirts southwest of Olfor Mountains, within the rocky and foresty boundaries of Muryo Forest and Olfor Mountains.

Vermouth looked at the building with a nervous gaze, not knowing what to expect.

"I'll knock," Bela said, pulling Vermouth out of her absentminded state and responding to her brother with a nod.

Bela gave her a reassuring smile before approaching the door. "Don't worry, it's not going to be as bad as you're thinking," he said comfortingly before facing the door and raising his hand.

Bela knocked at the door twice, eliciting scrambling noises from within. "We're here, please open up." He said loud and clear.

Vermouth tensed uncomfortably from where she was standing. She was about to meet some big characters, some of the people who would lead all of Masen in the future. Who wouldn't be as tense in this situation?

The door creaked open, giving way to a dimly lit room where four figures sat behind a wide table. Vermouth was unable to discern the appearances of the occupants as she and her brother stepped into the room, the four figures hidden behind their own shadows cast by the dim lantern attached to the ceiling above.

"Hello there," Bela casually greeted, startling Vermouth with how nonchalant he was being. "I've brought her like I said I will. Can I have my rewards now?"

The four figures looked at each other, nodding in silence. Probably confirming her name through the "Nearby Players" list everyone can access. The figure furthest to the right threw a golden plate the size of Vermouth's palm, written on it was "10M Rof."

Bela promptly picked it up and nodded in satisfaction. "Hm. Payment received. Well? What now?"

After Bela's words left his mouth, the temperature within the room physically dropped. Vermouth shuddered as she looked at the four with an intense gaze, clutching her staff tightly.

Steadily, the one who threw the golden plate started shuddering, trembling in place. Vermouth watched him with caution, ready to cast a barrier over herself and her brother in case the figure suddenly decided to attack.

The figure continued trembling, placing a black-gloved hand on the table, tightly clenched into a fist. Was he angry? Should Vermouth cast a barrier now?

Vermouth's thoughts were answered as a loud, young, and hearty laugh resounded within the room, the figure smacking his hand on the table as he laughed loudly.

"AHAHAHA! I can't! That reaction is too good!" The figure shouted as he held his stomach. "I'm sorry guys, but I can't keep the roleplay up anymore! It's too funny! HAHAHA!"

Vermouth stood dumbfounded as the other four started laughing and snickering silently as well. Looking up to the side, even her brother had a fist over his mouth, his shoulders trembling up and down.

Mouth agape, Vermouth stared at the five of them with a dumbfounded expression. "What is going on? They were roleplaying!?"

Vermouth could physically feel the blood creep up to her face, dying her cheeks in red. Vermouth pulled down her hat to hide her embarrassment, her lips trembling in fury.

"This is so embarrassing! AAAAAHHH! And I was being so tense, too!" Vermouth shouted within her mind, oblivious to the warm gaze the five were giving her. "I wanna dig a hole and bury myself…"

"Aah, that was a good laugh…" The figure furthest to the right exclaimed with a cheerful tone. "Aight. Playtime's over, let's get to the introductions!"

"I agree," the figure in the middle left said, his voice deep and husky. He snapped his finger and the room lit up, the lantern turning brighter.

Vermouth let go of her hat, exposing her slightly red face, prompting a snicker from the guy furthest to the right.

"Yo! The name's Sui's Sauce! You can just call me Sui for short." He introduced himself with a tip of his hat.

Atop his white hair was a tall black top hat, attached to it was a thin silver chain connected to the black monocle magically hovering over his left eye, complementing his youthful face. Draped over his shoulders was a grey cloak secured to the collar of his black suit, complemented by a white undershirt and a purple necktie. A purple glove covered his left hand while a black glove covered his right. A pair of black trousers and black leather shoes completed his attire.

"Apologies if we made you uncomfortable, my player name is Alex_Andra. You may ignore the underscore and call me Alexandra. Or just Alex for short." The woman seated in the middle right greeted with a curtsy bow while remaining seated, placing her wide and circular feathery hunter's hat on the table.

Similar in color to her dirty brown hat, she wore a large cloak that hid everything under her neck, and her hands wore a long leather glove. Her long velvet hair was tied up in a low ponytail.

"Hello there, my fellow midget! I'm called AlbertHammers! Call me anything you'd like!" The young man furthest to the left greeted with a cute smile that highlighted his baby face, his voice was high and almost feminine. Just like he said, he was as small as Vermouth, if not a bit taller.

His rounded glasses accentuated his round eyes, and his long hair styled into a bob framed his face and further made him cuter. Hovering over his head was a barbed halo made of some deep red metal that Vermouth couldn't tell what. For simplicity, he wore a white tunic and a pair of leather gloves that reached up to his elbow. To finish off, he wore an oversized and long sweatpants.

"And lastly, I am LAN. All capital letters for emphasis. Call me that, it's short for that purpose." The man covered in armor from head to toe greeted with his deep and husky voice. 

The man wore a set of armor that hid the entirety of his body. The armor was a beautiful color of bright cyan, with white trims and highlights. Engraved all over it were symbols that glowed and pulsed a deep blue, further enhancing the beauty of the armor. On his back was a long curved sword and a shorter one. ¹A/N: They're basically a katana and a wakizashi. But let's not call them that cause there's no Japan in this world.

"Well? Are you just going to stare or are you going to introduce yourselves?" Albert waved at the two of them, gathering their attention.

Bela went first, giving a short and polite introduction before he gave Vermouth a slight tap on her back.

"I'm Vermouth, as you probably already know." Vermouth introduced herself. "Nice to meet you."

The four reciprocated her greeting, giving their own "Nice to meet you's."

"Ah. To Mister informant here, you may go now. We're going to be discussing some important stuff with Miss Vermouth here, so please kindly leave." Sui smiled at her brother, standing off his chair and pointing at the door with his palm open.

"Ah, I'm actually going to be participating in this meeting, per the request of my sister here. So if you don't mind." Bela smiled back and explained.

"Ooh… wait, so I got tricked here, huh..?" Sui said in slight disbelief and amusement. "You were already planning to meet with us but wanted the Rof. Dude, that's sly of you two, haha."

"Welp, there goes your money, Sui," Albert chuckled lightly before waving his hand, prompting two chairs to assemble themselves in front of the two. "Please take a seat."

The two didn't wait to be told that as they sat on the newly made chairs. "Woah, that's cool…" She thought in wonder.

"So, straight to the point we're going," Albert starts. "The four of us want to join you in your quest and make sure that it is successfully concluded. You get two options here, right? You either state your demands and let us in after we provide, or we force ourselves in."

Bela chuckles lightly as he gives Vermouth a reassuring pat on the shoulder, easing her tense shoulders that she didn't notice. "Please, no need to make yourself sound threatening, we were already planning to let you into the quest. This is equally important to all of us, after all."

"Well, that makes things easier," Albert replies. "What do you want in exchange though?"

"I'm not the one making demands here, so Ver. Go ahead," Bela said to Vermouth, presenting to her the metaphorical stage.

Vermouth gives the four of them a scrutinizing gaze before sighing as if to relieve herself. "First," she looks at Albert as she starts, the young man smiling and listening intently, "do you know someone called Laberia?"

"Also known as Airebal Lexie, the woman who created the perfect one-to-one mana-to-electricity convertor." Vermouth mused in her mind.

*****