Lost in the Game

Security 2

Arthur started laughing after finishing his drink and they walked past his shop to find 5 men and women being d**g out in irons, and watched as they were escorted and locked into the stockade where another 10 men guarded them. To Shadow, it was funny as hell to see, as they all looked even stronger than the goons they had sent earlier.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side." Arthur said as he took the lead. "Come on, we need to go have a talk with somebody."

Shadow sighed as they went to the second floor, and knew exactly where he was being lead. This was where all the Guild Headquarters currently were, as they couldn't move beyond this level, and no guild could claim a Capitol floor. "Nice place." he commented as they walked.

"I am sure you know it better than most." Arthur replied as Shadow gasped and ran to a flower that looked like it was on its last leg. He watched as Shadow poured some water on it, and than began harvesting it like he would any other herb. "That stuff is actually used for something?" he asked curious.

"You know where more of it is?" Shadow asked him and Arthur nodded.

"I will give you 50 gold for the location of each one." Shadow offered to show he was serious about it.

"It is that valuable?" he asked while Shadow nodded.

"One of the main ingredients of a potion that will start at 5,000 gold. No discounts given." Shadow told him as Arthurs jaw dropped. He opened the map, and sent Shadow the coordinates on this level.

"Not sure how much is there, but there are a bunch of herbs." Arthur said.

"Better yet, how about you and I form a party tonight and I show you just how lucrative it can be? That area is dangerous solo." Shadow offered.

Arthur nodded as they walked in front of a small green building, with a picture of a Lotus Flower on the sign that said what it was. He knocked, as Shadow did not have permission to enter.

"Business?" the guard who slid the eye hole open demanded.

"King Arthur of the Blood Knights to discuss important matters with Lady Salune." he replied.

"Him?" thw guard demanded.

"Representative Negotiator for the Merchants Guild." he said placing the pin on his cloak tonsignify he wasn't joking as Arthur realized how seriously he viewed the matter.

"We are attending to other issues at the moment, you will need to return tomorrow." he said making Shadow laugh.

"Your other issues is exactly what brings us to your door, and any further escalations of this matter will be responded to with force." Shadow said stopping the Guard who than unlocked the door and allowed them to enter.

"Take these two straight to Lady Salune." he told one of the other members who bowed slightly before showing them the way.

"- and explain how 5 men cannot subdue a bunch of peasant guards?!" the Lady yelled as they entered the conference room. She smiled as she saw Arthur. "Please tell me you have a positive response from all of this?" she asked.

"Sorry Lady, I cannot do that as of yet." Arthur said formally.

"Why are you here than?" she asked as her people had no information for her.

"You are the Master of Green Lotus Guild?" Shadow asked her plainly.

"I am." she replied looking regal as her long red hair fell down tonthe middle of her back.

"You are the one responsible for the actions of members Grimline, Shooter and Klyde?" he asked as she narrowed her eyes as she looked at him.

"They were on a mission for me, yes." she answered.

"Than I am here tondekand justice and repayment from you and your Guild for the numerous crimes of the aforementioned individuals. The total to be paid in gold for thier release is 22,496." he said handing her the Bounty sheets that had been made to include the damages of what they had done today. "As for the Palace Guards of level one, the Merchants Guild liked your idea so much, we coopted it. Except that tax now is to increase the security of the Level 1 Capitol, and those guards are less pissant now."

Lady Salune looked at the Warrant, and was shocked that it included destruction of property, extortion, battery and a whole host of other charges with detailed victims, witness statements, and the recording from his shop which played for all of the leadership when she played it. He had to give her credit as she watched it, as she was appalled by what she was seeing.

"That potion he dropped cost 5,000 gold?" she asked as it was listed all on it's own line item.

"Yes ma'am it does. Herschels Rejuvination Potion is rather rare, as well as the ingredients to make it. In fact, the damage done is significantly higher than that, as it has stopped my progress on being able to replicate it with an Alchemy skill." Shadow replied to her as her eyes widened. It was 10 times that amount to purchase just one full potion, and her men had smashed it. "So long as your Guild repays the losses induced by them to the Merchants and Players of the Level 1 Capitol, and you agree to ensure that your Guild never does anything like this again, they will be released. Otherwise they will be turned over to the Palace Guard at day break."

She looked at him angrily at what he said about her men. "What of those sent to rescue them and captured by the Guard?" she demanded.

"You will have to take that up with the Lords of the Capitol." he replied evenly as he had absolutely no control over thier fate.

"How did we get to this point?" she asked aloud rhetorically.

"You sent boys to do the work of men, and so far as I can tell ordered them to get money to fund this so called strike team any way they could. As such they discovered crime against players was most effective, and utilized it extensively. The real issue arose when they began attempting to extort Merchants such as myself, who have already made significant contributions to the effectiveness of the stroke team. However for the Green Lotus Guild, I assure you that assistance has now evaporated for my establishment." he told her as everyone gasped. So far as they could tell he was a guildies nobody, and he was telling her they would no longer get his assistance.

"The loss of a single merchant will not effect our operations drastically enough to make a difference." Salune said wryly making Shadow laugh.

"How about the loss of the entire Merchants Guild which 90 percent of the vendors have. ow agreed to join and abide by OUR rules? The first of which being is bad actors get no discount or assistance of any kind?" he asked her as Arthur looked at him shocked. "Just so you have some clarity on the point, your guild today alone received discounts totaling 18,470 Gold. From my shop alone."

That number surprised everyone, as it was a chunk of change that could equip 2 people in the best gear possible for the strome team. They looked at each other and knew in that moment it was not an idle threat anymore, and thier costs were about to significantly raise if they didn't do something. The guild helped with a lot of purchases, and discounts of that magnitude could be a game changer.

"What can we do to avoid this outcome?" she asked as he pulled out a packet.

"We can sit down and make a proper Guild rules list, that all guilds will abide by or be ostracized. Your men came into my shop demanding I assist them, when you will find no other player who has assisted more than yours truly." Shadow said as she scoffed.

"You think you have done more than the guilds?" Salune asked.

"No, I don't think I have. I know I have. That discount balance was today alone, and was your Guild alone. 10 percent of the profits I made, will be used to purchase or find more equipment for the low level players to have the equipment they need to feel secure so that perhaps one day they will be prepared for your strike team. I discounted my prices today for players who could not afford it, by 58,581 GDP today alone. The total since the launch 42 days ago, is well over 2 million gold. Not including recipes, harvesting techniques, places to grind, ways to improve efficency and strength." he said as he pulled out a book. "Recognize it?" he asked her as most of them nodded. "80 percent of the information contained in that book is information obtained by me, and provided free of charge. Information that could have earned thousands more if given to the info brokers."

Salune saw his point as what he had offered as examples went well beyond just money or gear. He was helping to teach them how to live, and many people had already begun making thier own small businesses successful based off of his knowledge.

"Who are you exactly? There is only one shop I am aware of that could possibly have the inventory for that level of discounts." she commented as he smiled.

"Shadow Killer is my name, and Shadows is my shop in the district." he said as they all knew he was not joking anymore. He was the biggest shop owner there was, open at all hours no matter what. It was the lowbies that needed help that insisted on going while he was there, trying to strike a deal that couldn't be obtained otherwise.

It took 2 hours for them to iron out the details that would assist both the Strike Team, and the low level characters progress. Salune was impressed by it, as it protected the merchants as much as it did the Guilds that focused on combat. The terms were complex, but so was surviving what this world would throw at them, as over 100,000 had already perished forever so far as they knew.

The 3 of them signed it, and Arthur smiled as it copied itself for each of them. It would be a simple matter of getting more signatories, as all copies were linked together and could only be signed.

"Have you ever considered joining a guild? I noticed you are only a representative for the Merchants Guild." Salune asked him.

"I talked to one of your own recruiters actually. They seemed to think that everyone needs the same training under your Masters in order to become members. When I refused to do the mandatory training, we decided it would be better if I went elsewhere. Just for future reference, I suggest you find a few merchants before we get to the third floor. Could be beneficial when you relocate your headquarters to a floor of your own." he told her with a smile.

"Idiots, it is clear by the way you act you could probably teach my masters a few things." she said as he handed her a book.

"Especially after you give them this." he said as he copied a book for Arthur as well.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Few recipes I have discovered in the interest of assisting more than just the strike team." he told her as the first chapter was health potions that went way beyond what the basic recipe did. The second was poisons, before it went into crafting skills that he had found.

"How do you know so much?" she asked him.

"Let's just say I like to experiment, and the results have lead to some discoveries that I have monetized. Those will automatically update each time a new floor opens and I get the chance to do my thing." Shadow told her.

"How long did this level take?" she asked him.

"5 days." he said as he and Arthur bid them farewell and left.