Chapter Seven: The Guilds Gathering Festival Part Two

“Slip?” Lucas paled at the sight of the arrow below his groin. “You were clearly trying to shoot me!” The second arrow was embedded on the wall, about two millimeters from his ear.

“Oops, I slipped again.” Anne nocked her third arrow with an emotionless face.

“Stop it!” a Wolf Reign member growled.

“We’ll call Libra on you!” Another threatened them.

Two more struck underneath Lucas’s armpits. Again, Anne said aloud that she was clumsy, though everyone had a clear sight of her twisted retribution against him. Something that I’d remind myself to never tick her off if we ever crossed paths.

Anne continued shooting every time Lucas and his companions kept threatening her to call Libra, the city’s only police guild. The last arrow struck near his other ear. It was dipped with foul, green ooze, slowly melting a small chunk of the wall.

“Is that poison?” Lucas flustered as he grew paler and paler.

The Wolf Reigns were gaping in horror at the poison arrow. They might have been armed with swords, but they were at a great distance between them and the Green Bits, who were grasping their bows and ready to use them if they drew their blades.

“Help me!” Lucas screamed, but no one around them moved a muscle or said a word to help, not out of fear but unwilling for some reason.

Knowing the odds weren’t in Wolf Reigns’ favor, they fled. While running, Lucas glared at them with vengeful eyes.

“I will remember this, Green Bits! I swear —” An arrow struck the armor pad that protected his buttocks, startling him to dash ahead of his gang like a panicked animal while screaming. Once they were out of sight, Anne slung back her golden bow.

The petite flag-bearer plucked the arrows from the wall before scolding her leader, “It’s been decades since you got back here, and now you got us all into trouble. They’re going to report this to Libra.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “As if everyone here would care to defend those mongrels.”

After the Green Bits departed, the crowd went on as if nothing happened. However, the newcomers, including me and my friends, who witnessed the entire incident left bewildered.

“What was that all about?” I exclaimed.

“Just some bad blood between rival guilds,” Hassan’s distinctive voice said from behind. We whirled around and found him sitting in a booth.

“Where did you come from?” Katie demanded.

“I’ve been here long before you folks passed by.” He twirled his finger at a large sign above his head that read: INFORMATION. This must be an information booth mentioned from the orientation, one of many scattered throughout the district.

“So what’s the story between those two?” Wilt asked.

“Mostly territorial disputes over the Sleeping King Forest, big shots like the Wolf Reigns want to exploit its valuable resources. The Green Bits don’t like that. The Sleeping King is the last biggest place where rare and endangered creatures can roam freely.”

“Oh, so the Green Bits are like an environmental group,” Katie commented.

“More like hardcore eco-militia of hunter braves, actually,” Hassan said.

“Hunters?” Li cocked a brow. “That’s ironic.”

“True, but they are a perfect match for any war guild. Unfortunately, their small numbers almost prevent them from leaving the forest. As you can see, this festival is the only time they can go out to find recruits.”

“I see,” Li swallowed.

“But shouldn’t people here be supportive towards Green Bits’ action?” Wilt asked. “Or at least condemned the Wolf Reigns.”

“Well, that is true,” Hassan admitted. “But in this world, those who have the most wealth, power, and prestige are kings. Anyone who defies them guarantees absolute

recall.”

Our faces darkened after digesting those last three words. Now we understood why no one wanted to help the Green Bits.

The crier’s bell rang again. “Make way, make way! The Citrinitas Guild is coming!”

“Speaking of big shots,” Hassan said, “here comes another one.”

The whole forum gave way to the three mysterious figures wearing blue hooded robes and golden animal masks. Everyone stared in awe and curiosity as they passed through without anyone bothering them like what the Wolf Reign did to the Green Bits.

“Where the heck did you come from?” Katie was startled when she saw another Citrinitas member appeared in front of Alex.

Ignoring her, the fourth one bowed to the red-haired girl before dashing toward the others. It wasn’t long for the Citrinitas to exit the forum. Again, we were stunned.

“Did that guy bother you?” Katie asked.

Alex didn’t say anything. Instead, she showed us a golden card featuring a triangle with a circle inside and a square inside, all in black outlines.

“My, my, it’s an invitation card.” Hassan gazed at Alex and her card with interest. “You’re being recruited by the Citrinitas. Must be the magic inside you, is it?”

“Well, I —”

Katie wrapped her arms around the Finnish girl. “Don’t think of any ideas, Shady Man. She’s with us.”

“Shady Man?” I mumbled.

Hassan chuckled, “No offense, my friends. I’m not the only one who is interested in her.” His eyes motioned at the bystanders nearby. We glanced around to notice the same long, curious looks when we arrived in this city. This time, they were focused on Alex.

“Why are they staring at her?” Katie asked.

“It’s the Citrinitas,” Hassan replied. “They’re a big shot and a top-class alchemist guild. They made their wealth and fame from creating and supplying all magical items, like your translation stones.”

Surprised, we grasped our pockets where we kept our stones.

“They only invite braves with unique talents,” he continued. “It’s only natural that envious guilds always have their eyes out on their potential recruits.” Again, he had his eyes pointed around our onlookers.

“Alex?” Wilt noticed her becoming nervous.

“I never told anyone about my powers.”

“Of course, you haven’t,” Hassan said. “King Rad did tell you all to keep your powers a secret until you join a guild. Like I said, people always have their eyes out on their potential recruits, especially from those who know how to spot a good one among the newcomers.”

Wilt furrowed his brows. “We better get going.”

We exhaled our relief when he said that.

“By the way,” Hassan called before we could take a step. “In this world, there is a so-called rookie crushing. The Wolf Reign’s display of discourtesy towards the Green Bit was a futile example.” He glanced at Wilt. “I’d be careful if I were you.”

Wilt nodded once. “Thanks for the info.”

We began moving again but with haste, heading down an alleyway nearby. We left the forum for good.

“What was that all about?” I asked Wilt.

“I’ll explain everything once we get to the others. We need to make sure no one’s following us.”

Nobody spoke further when he said that statement. We marched aimlessly, moving through several alleyways to lose the curious eyes. Soon, we were walking with relief once we felt safe that no one was following or staring at us.

“Oh, no,” Katie gasped. We all stopped to see her looking dismayed.

“What’s wrong?” Wilt asked.

“Him.” She pointed.

Oh, no, indeed. I thought someone was tailing us. It was Brock who was waving and jogging toward us. We never expected he remembered us back in the orientation.

“Hey, I see you guys go around checking out the guilds back in the forum. Since we’re on the same boat, mind if I tag along?”

Katie and I cringed. We were not very fond of him when we first met. I had a bad experience with muscle-headed jocks like him in school. Of all the people in this city, why us?

“Hey, Chan,” he greeted Li. “Good to see you again.”

The Shaolin said in a peeved tone, “I’m Li Bao.”

Katie and I sneakily motioned Wilt not to have him in our group. He nodded in response before turning to Brock. “Alright, you can come with us.”

“What?” I was surprised.

“Hah! You heard him,” Katie exclaimed, not yet registering Wilt’s approving response. “Now turn around and take a hike. We don’t want you… w-wait, what?”

Later, we were at Westinghouse Street. In an empty alley surrounded by stacks of discarded wooden crates. It was a perfect place to hold a meeting, away from the prying public. Wilt told me that he invited about thirty fellow newcomers before Brock joined. After almost an hour of waiting, only eleven came. Among them were Sally, Travis, Jasper, and Nick. We met them at the orientation. Despite the small numbers, Wilt glanced at everyone with a smile.

“I would like to thank you all for coming on short notice,” he began. “I understand many of you are wondering why I called you here in secrecy.” Earlier, he said this was a secret. Nobody spoke out on why we were here. “This is the last day of the festival. Many of us here wanted to start a new life by joining a guild, but I know some of you wanted to be left alone.”

The latter was perhaps referring to me, I guessed.

“Before I get straight to the point,” Wilt continued, “let me ask you one question. What do you think of this place?”

There was a moment of silence. Everyone was waiting for someone to answer first until Brock said, “What do you think? This world is awesome!”

“And peaceful compared to where I come from,” Sally added. She was a dark-skinned girl with an accent that was certain she came from an African country.

“No more adults, no more schools, no more government, wars, pollution, and all the crappy stuff back home,” Katie quoted part of Rad’s speech. “This place is a kid’s paradise.”

Many agreed. The current society and technology of this world were roughly the same as ours. Plus, the free internet access here also made it easier for modern kids like us. There hadn’t been any conflicts here after the Second Great War except for guild feuds and some outlaws terrorizing the Yellow Zone. Nevertheless, this world was relatively peaceful compared to Earth.

Wilt shook his head. “This paradise is a lie.”