Lost in the Game

Negotiation

Shadow watched as thier faces fell as what he had just said sank in, and none of them dared challenge he couldn't do exactly what he had said he would. Nearly all if the Merchants had joined the new Guild, and he was credited for banding them together under a single banner, and even paid thier taxes as if he was a member of the Guild. Many of them knew him removing his things from the Auction House and moving the items to the shops alone would be a huge blow if he than banned them from his shop. He was THE premier supplier of not only trade goods, but items both drops and crafted gear.

"Being part of a Guild makes you stronger faster." another of them said. "As members of the strike team we need to be at the top of our game. How can you ensure you will remain relevant on the upper floors?" Salune asked.

"True, being a member of a Guild can do that for players who do not know how. I didn't get to my position by playing nicely, or by following the rules." Shadow said to them as he pulled out a book that they could tell was made by him.

"What is that?" Darkness asked of the Sharpened Sword Guild.

"This is the new Guild Guide for the Strike Force Alliance. It contains all the details that the other books contained, including the Rogues Guide." he said as they all looked at it. "It represents everything I have learned myself, and roughly a million credits worth of information from the brokers that people have been paying for left and right. Including the brokers from some of your very own Guilds.

"If we are going to do this, we need to ensure we do it in a way that will allow your members rest and relaxation, as well as being ready to fight at a moments notice. We need true leadership free of the squabbles and bullshit that reads alliances apart. As far as I am concerned, that means none of you can be Battle Master of the Alliance. Each of you believe that your Guild is better than the rest, and that is your choice to do so. As far as I care, you are all equals that have a lot to learn if you all wish to survive until the end." Shadow told them summoning a chair and sitting down. They could tell he used a spell, they just didn't know how.

"How do we establish things than?" Salune asked. "We believe we have found the floor boss in the Undead Caverns-" she said as Shadow cleared his throat.

"The Undead King is not the floor boss. This is." he said projecting the image from the table.

"How do you know?" Cassias asked from her seat as he projected his and Arthur's floor 3 access.

"Because I have already defeated it and will be traveling to floor 3 upon completion of this meeting while your Guilds prepare your members." he replied as they all started grumbling.

"You have a strike team?" they asked as he laughed.

"No, that was pure accident. Also sheer luck we survived that encounter as there were only 2 of us." he said as they scoffed.

"Tell us something we might actually-" Salune said when Arthur projected the achievement of killing a floor boss with 3 or less people.

"He is not lying people, and has already shown he is one of the most knowledgeable people in this game. I for one happen to agree with him, as each of us has too much pride in our Guild to see someone might be above us all. I was forced to accept this when we fought that monster while he taught me the basics of my 3rd and 4th professions." Arthur told them displaying his own skill sheet for all of them to see it was indeed possible.

"Very well, how should we go about this? We can have up to 100 in a raid party, and there is no way to evenly distribute how many from our alliances can attend." Salune asked.

"I suggest each Guild be given 2- 5 man teams that will represent you Guild in the strike force. How each of you determines who that is will be up to you. That gives the strike team equal representation from the Strike Force Alliance, but also allows for the formation of 4 teams that will be determined through a tournament. To make it fair to the Guilds not represented here, and solo players such as myself, anyone may challenge for the position on those 4 teams. We must ensure only the best are going up against unknown floor bosses. Each team will need a tank, healer and 3 DPS. Which classes you use are up to you, but 3 rogues as DPS should be avoided as each class has strengths and weaknesses we will need." Shadow replied as he displayed the proposal.

They all took the time to read through it, as it wasn't just a simple proposition as they had thought. He had taken the time to draw up a comprehensive agreement, and a challenge function for the 20 members who would be chosen from the Arena.

"If you are appointed Master, are youneligibke to be challenged?" Freemont asked him.

"Yes, all members of those 4 teams is open to being replaced. I will not even gain my own spot until I progress through the initial tournament that you 8 will be the judges of." he replied to all of them.

"Why the 8 of us?" Salune asked.

"Because you are the Masters of the guilds that make up the Alliance, and Captains of a strike team. How you establish who from your Alliance is on your teams is your choice, but stacking them with weak players and sending your strong ones to the tournament will not be acceptable behavior. If it is discovered that any Guild has done this, there will be consequences." Shadow said determined.

"I suggest each of the Guilds has it's own tournament in the Arena as well, some know going in that we are taking only the best. Done before the open tournament, so our weaker players can have a chance of earning one of the final 20 slots. Otherwise I recommend we close the tournament to the 8 Alliances given teams to represent them already." Arthur said as almost all of them agreed with him. "Only those in our guilds can challenge our Guild teams, and only one challenge per player per floor, to be done before the location of the floor boss is determined."

The vote was quick, that each Guild would hold it's own tournament in the Arena, before the grand Tournament filled the final 20 slots of the Strike Force.

"That is agreed then. Since the floor boss here doesn't require any great skill, I suggest we hold the tournaments beginning at sunrise in 2 days time. That will give each Guild the time necessary to clear the boss here, as well as any players who wish to go to floor 3. I also suggest we make it a requirement to join the Tournament, each player has Level 3 unlocked." Shadow suggested and they all agreed with him as well.

"Where is the boss for this floor located?" Salune asked as Shadow displayed the map with the location pinned.

"Trojal Fields, near the base of the mountain. These flowers reveal its location." he said showing them a screenshot of the encounter before Arthur had pulled on them. "The tunnel under the mountain to floor 3 is in its den. It is a difficult boss only because it is only vulnerable at the joints and eyes. 10 man teams should have no issue, and be able to manage it easily." he told them as they all nodded.

"We need to decide on loot rules for the boss." Salune said.

4 hours later Shadow finally reentered the 3rd floor, and as much as he wanted to begin farming the materials, he knew he needed to focus on getting to the Rogue Hideout before any of the other did so he could finish any quests here first as he had done with the other levels already. He hoped to keep up his perfect record for that, even if it would be unrealistic across all 200 levels. As soon as his feet touched the sand of the parh however, the crablike creatures he had observed began swarming, and even though they were easily killed, thier numbers would mean someone could become overrun.

For nearly 2 hours he fought his way across the sand as they seemed to never end when he heard a group of people battling thier way across as well, and because there were more of them they were moving faster than he was. He also was farming thier meat and hard carapace from skinning, as he had a feeling they could be useful later on when he visited the trainers.

Salune lead her 10 man party, and he was surprised to see that there weren't any Rogues. He was 10 feet from the grassy part of the trail when 50 of them jumped up between him and it, and one of her group cast a massive fireball killing them all in one hit.

"Well what do we have here?" she asked as they approached and he jumped off the beach. "Nice call on that boss by the way, still a pain, but manageable with 10 people."

"All of our aim has improved as well." Snake eyes said with his wand out.

"Yeah, hitting the small targets will do that to you. Thanks for the save back there." he said tonthe mage he had not met yet.

"Welcome." he said simply nodding to Shadow as they all ignored them.

"Gonna loot those?" he asked as they shrugged thier shoulders. "Mind if I do?" he asked as they laughed and turned the loot rule for them off and he showed them how to do a mass looting and skinning of all 50 at once.

"Ok, that was cool." Salune said as they all disappeared at the same time.

"Easy too." he said explaining hownl to do it as they walked the few hundred feet left to get to the village that made up this levels safe zone.

"You should really consider joining a Guild." Demon Killer said to him after they had all been introduced. He was the Mage who had saved his bacon.

"Know any that are recruiting that will let me go about my business and actually listen when I say I am better than thier Rogue Master?" he asked reminding her why he wasn't in her Guild already as they entered the village. "Can I offer you all a drink?" he asked as they shook thier heads.

"Nah, we need repairs and than we are going to do some questing while we are the only party here." Salune said as her team ran to the various open shops.

"Well, I owe you one after that save. Perhaps when we have more time. Later." he said before vanishing and noticing the Hideout on this floor went underground and had no windows. He smiled when he saw the door for the Masters chamber and disarmed the booby traps before he easily picked the lock and entered.

"Well, don't just stand there Shadow Killer. We have much to discuss after the success of your last mission." Master Gorman said appearing at his desk.