Lost in the Game

Day 44: Trying to rest

Arthur and Shadow arrived on the doorstep of the Blood Knights Guild Hall, and walked in as soon as Arthur opened the door. They were a little surprised to see so many people, and even more surprised that they were there to start searching for him when he was spotted by the second in command, Simone.

"Where have you been? We have been trying to contact you all day!" she exclaimed as those who didn't want to be there for this left.

"I will explain after I have gotten a drink." he said as he tried to lead Shadow to the bar.

"Why is he here? How can we protect our secrets when we bring outsiders into our stronghold?" she demanded following them.

"I invited him for a drink and to repair our gear." Arthur said getting agitated.

"We cannot afford to repair his gear!" she exclaimed as Arthur stopped and turned to glare at her.

"I have had a very bad day, and have invited the person responsible for my not dying for a drink, repairs, hell I may even have Ash Bringer make us some of that fancy food she does. I will discuss it all with you as soon as I get a damn drink. I have earned that much after the day I have had. As for affording it, I think you will find 9,000 gold deposited into the account about half an hour ago. We can afford his repair bill, no matter what it is, because I know mine is going to be several hundred myself." Arthur told her deadly quiet instead of yelling before she actually took a look at them.

Both of thier armor was on the edge of being useless, as its durability was barely at 2 after the battle with that boss. She looked closer, and could tell they were both exhausted as she marched over to the bar and put 3 glasses on it before she grabbed a mixer. "Have a seat." she said angrily as she began pouring different things into it before she added ice and shook it well.

Shadow took his after she filled his glass with a green drink, and loved it after a sip as his energy level started to rise as she had used a portion of an awakening potion. "Oh, that is so much better. 9,000 for the Guild tax?" he asked Arthur who nodded. Shadow pulled up his menu, and commanded a bag if gold filled with 9,000 pieces to appear as he set it on the counter. "My contribution than."

Simone looked at the bag, as it was clearly 9,000 gold as both men continued sipping their drinks. "What the hell happened? We think we found the floor boss, and have been trying to get in touch with you all day."

"Where at?" Arthur asked her.

"Undead Caverns." she said looking at Shadow.

"Definitely not the floor boss." je told her as he finished the drink and pushed the glass towards her. "Can I have another?"

She sighed as she made another round, clearly irritated with him. "How would you know?" she demanded.

"Because he and I just spent 3 seconds shy of a full day battling it in the Trola fields." Arthur said as he hit a few buttons and all the gear that was Guild bound dropped onto the floor behind him.

"How many of you?" she asked looking between them. "Why not come get us?" she demanded sliding the drinks back to him.

"Did not mean to engage it, and was a little busy to even notice I got a message or 75." Arthus said as he finally opened the tab. "Couldn't teleport out of the fight either, and us. Just the two of us." Arthur said as he grabbed a different bottle and drank this drink in one gulp before he filled the glass again.

"Why the hell would you engage a world boss with just him? Do you know how crazy that is?" she demanded as they both laughed.

"Irony is it was an interesting Alchemy lesson, and those were definitely not an herb that I grabbed." Arthur said making Shadow laugh. "Crazy? You should have seen that fight, so yes. I know how crazy it was, I was there and survived thanks to him."

She glared between them before she finally took her first drink. "You don't have herbalism as a Profession." she said as it was well logged in thier records who did what.

"You can add it to me now, as well as skinning." he replied as her eyes went wide. "As far as trusting him here, most of the secrets we have were provided by him. I think it is safe to say he could care less about what our Vaults are protecting."

"So you dropped Blacksmithing and mining?" she asked.

"No, still have both of those as professions. Just added Herbalism and Skinning as well." he told her.

"You can only have 2." Simone said as Shadow laughed.

"Actually, I have atleast 5 primaries. Not including fishing, cooking or first aid, which I have all of as well. Hey that sounds like a plan for my day, fishing. Hopefully you don't grab the hair of any more floor monsters." Shadow said as Arthur laughed and nodded.

"I am going to sleep first, than I think my Guild wants details of what to actually do to beat the boss." Arthur sighed as he looked at Simone.

"You actually faced the floor boss, alone, with him? How the hell did you survive?" she demanded as Shadow sighed.

"Barely." Arthur replied taking another drink.

"With luck, skill and determination." Shadow added before drinking his drink and pouring a shot of the hard liquor.

Simone looked at him amused for a moment before she looked at Arthur. "Are we making an Alliance with him as well now? He is not even part of a Guild." she asked bluntly.

"More of an understanding with one another." Arthur said looking at him. "He will be on the strike team, and has been a source of valuable information."

"We are giving him a slot?" she asked surprised as there had been intense debate about who would get the slots on the strike team.

"No, split evenly there will be 3 open places among the strike team that should not go to any one of the guilds but players who have shown they are valuable in a fight." he told her.

"Please, our Rogues would dismantle him easily." she sneered looking at him.

"Go get your best one." Shadow said looking at her amused. "Better yet, get your best of each class and I will teach them a lesson." he said with a smile as she sent several messages.

"What do you have in mind?" Simone asked.

"Little test, if they are better than me, they will pass. If not, they will learn a valuable lesson that will bring them imperceptibly closer to MY skill level." he told her with a smile as the 3 if them entered and bowed to her.

"You summoned us madam?" the one on front asked her politely.

"There is some debate about who among you is the best, and this Rogue here believes he can best you in a test." Simone said as the one eyeballed him.

"We will gladly show this noob thatbwe are the most powerful Rogues in the game." the Rogue Master of the Guild assured her.

"We shall see. Easy enough test, each of us will stand in a circle made if the other people present, and hide in shadows." he said with a smile as the Master looked at him.

"It cannot be done when someone-" he said as Shadow disappeared as everyone looked at him.

"Where is he?" Simone demanded as she looked around. The look on the Rogue Masters face was priceless.

"I wouldn't keep so many valuables on you milady. Someone may get ideas and follow you into a dark alley." He said setting the necklace from her inventory on the counter as he appeared right beside her. "Many things you might think impossible are merely the unwillingness to try." he told the Rogue. "Now it's your turn. Hide in shadows with us watching, or admit you are not the best."

Simone watched as all 3 of them stared at him like he had grown an extra head. Not one of them had the skill to do what he just did, and they knew it was not an exaggerated story as they had witnessed it.

"How did you manage that?" he finally asked. "Normally you cannot do that if someone is paying attention to you." the Rogue Master said.

Shadow smiled as he looked at him. "Very true, which means you have to find a way to make them lose thier focus for a fraction of a second. That particular way is via a spell called Blink that forces everyone looking at you to do just that at the same time. The fraction of a second allows you to disappear and begin moving." he told them as they were shocked.

"That is an illusion spell if I am not mistaken, from a mage." one of the others said.

"Did you think we could only steal equipment and gold?" Shadow asked him as he retook his seat. "Tell me, how many of you are Alchemists?" he asked them and only one raised thier hand. "Did it not join with your poison skill?" he asked.

"Yes, it did." he admitted.

"How many other professions do you have?" he asked him.

"2, leatherworking and skinning." the man replied as his friends looked at him.

"Give me a month, it seems we need to teach our people new tricks." Arthur told him.

"We are all learning, and it is something we need to correct. Call for a conference. I would like to discuss things with the Guild Masters and thier seconds." Shadow said as he stood up. "Thank you for the drink, maybe next time the hospitality will be better. Keep learning boys." he said before he used his teleport crystal to go to his home.

2 hours later 8 different Guild Masters entered his shop at the same time, Arthur leading the charge as he sipped a cup of coffee and took them to his upstairs room. It was supposed to be his apartment, but he liked his house in the woods far better for most of his time so it was barely decorated and he had just barely put the table in for them all to sit at.

"Why would a guildless merchant dare summon the 8 top alliances?" one of them asked as soon as they sat down at the circular table.

"I was under the impression the 8 of you were going to focus on creating a strikeforce to focus on clearing the levels." Shadow said without taking a seat. "If you think that me not being in a Guild should exclude me from leadership of this Strike Team, feel free to leave and inform your guilds they are never welcome in my shop again." he said as they all looked at each other.

"The strike teams do not use your shop. We buy most of our gear on the Auction House." another of them said smugly.

"Who do you think it is that supplies most of the things we purchase?" Arthur asked pointedly as he had seen what Shadow Killer was capable of.

"Not to mention that beginning tonight those items will no longer be available from the Auction House. Nor will the potions, bandages, food, or anything else I have been using the Auctio House for these last 43 days." Shadow added as they all looked around.

"There are other providers who will fill your shoes. We have several who are getting close to being ready to make the Epic gear, and in a few weeks will be able to make the Ultimate and Legendary as well." Salune from Green Lotus said to him.

Shadow laughed as he looked at her. "I have seen thier work, and while they can make the base designs, you will find them far less valuable."

"You believe you can convince Shadow Killer to stop selling on the Auction House? His potions alone make a fortune." one of the ones he hadn't met before asked him.

"Apologies, apparently I am less well known than I thought. Allow me to introduce myself, Inam Shadow Killer." he said looking right at the man as his face paled.