Chapter 387

  Bureaucracy A Guild Master’s Best Friend

  I’m Not Alone.

  That was my first thought when I saw the wonder and power that Penelope had managed to unleash with but a want and a forceful application of willpower.

  If I had to describe the effect, of being forcefully sucked into and compelled to follow someone else’s overwhelming application of an unknown energy type, well I would have to say it was frightening. But the good kind of frightening. The frightening that lets you know that there are still wonders to be unleashed in the world and that regardless of what you do, the world can be a beautiful place if you just take a moment to stop and appreciate the beauty before you.

  “WAIT!” Penelope’s one power infused word still echoed out, as if being caught in a tunnel. A tunnel created by her own use and application of will. I felt the need to turn my head and take in the spherical like effect that was covering us and protecting us from any outside influences. Yet, I knew the gesture would be unnecessary as my Angel’s Sight made such actions meaningless, for I could already see everything around me in perfect clarity. With my Perception Attribute as high as it was currently, I could see through the edge of Penelope’s impressive, albeit fairly limited scope of power. For inside the dome that we were in time moved normally, while outside time moved at a faction of its power.

  Better still, her new power, brought to life by a layer of bright and rainbow like spectrums of colors showed hidden details of the world that had up until now been hidden from me. Like throwing paint to reveal an invisible stalker was nearby, so too had Penelope’s power revealed the final few hidden features of the world. Even now I could see the thick tethers of Karma linking Raygunnr and myself off to the distance, towards our next event that had been forcefully created and tugged upon to get us out.

  For a moment, I wondered why such an event would be forcefully thrust upon us, especially as I had been relatively good. Normally the system made such forced responses when it tried to keep me from doing something world breaking. That was why I was caught completely off guard by the fact that this time things were different. This time it was Penelope who had almost broken the world and caused the world to administer self-preservation modes. Self-preservation modes that were quickly bypassed by an immense wave of unknown energy and Willpower, the two main factors needed to spark any true change. Well, any true change in this world, and likely any other world as well. Imagination and willpower were often the two things I needed before my time here to make projects work. To take things from the ‘this is a good idea phase,’ to the actual ‘implementation phase’ requires both imagination and willpower to succeed. Here the world was no different, other than you could see the effects of your willpower that much easier.

  That was why, my first thought when seeing the fact that Penelope had done this; watching her literally pulled a random form of energy out of thin air and implemented it with pure perfection, to exert her will on the world around her. My first true thought was the fact that I was not alone, that I wasn’t a freak.

  Or maybe I was still a freak, but I finally had someone who I could share these moments with. Also, seeing Penelope’s shocked and confused face right now was absolutely priceless. Seeing her looking equal parts astonished and guilty, I can’t help but wonder if this is exactly what I look like every time I do something similar by pulling out an entirely new form of energy.

  Pausing, I almost wonder why there isn’t an announcement noting this exact moment. This spontaneous and wonderful event. Then as if reading my mind, I feel the gears of the world slow grind their way forward, if ever so slightly and produce the marker I had been expecting.

  Seeing the World Announcement, I paused as I felt both humbled and simultaneously wanting by the description. The most powerful force, that was the description given. Which both implied that everything I had done to this point was lackluster and somehow lacking in comparison to Penelope’s accomplishment. While it also completely failed to identify what said force was.

  Actually, reading the description, I can see why it might be greater than everything I had performed up until this point as this was clearly listed as a force, while everything I had used up until this point was energy. One being the application of energy in a given direction, and the other being the sparking energy that can be funneled into a direction that ultimately becomes force. At least that is how my mind distinguishes the two nouns. Yet, even after that slight mental clarification, I realize that I am still not one step closer to understanding exactly what force Penelope had manifested. Nor why it was so beautiful.

  Poof.

  Then almost as if on cue, I see Mallory, who always appears right after such World Announcements are made. Seeing her appear and seem to catch Penelope who has the same shocked expression that I normally have at this exact moment causes a blend of trauma and camaraderie, traumaraderie? Traumaderification? To form within me. As I see the always intimidating Mallory charge forward and seem to invade Penelope’s personal space almost immediately.

  As Mallory approaches, Penelope does the same startled backpedal movement that I do, while keeping the same shocked look on her face as she clearly looks like she wants to explain what happened, but can’t find the words. Again, so similar, but yet odd to see it happening directly to someone other than myself.

  “I, I can explain—” Penelope begins, and again I feel like I am watching a play of how these events normally play out, but this time I am taking on the role of Penelope, the observer, while Penelope shows my typical reactions.

  “Gods, you two have spent too much time together,” is all Mallory says as she stops mid-step and turns from Penelope to face me. Then turning back to Penelope, she continues, “I’m not here to bite your head off for this, this is actually a good thing.”

  “Then why do you look so annoyed?” Penelope shot back.

  “Because, this just cost the guild a million gold coins, and we are kind of strapped for cash at the moment,” Mallory commented.

  With that, I pause as I remember this happening earlier. As she speaks, I remember past conversations about the guild paying a million gold coins for each World Announcement. Which invariably caused an annoyed look to form on Mallory’s face. Seeing it now, I realize that it wasn’t a fact that Mallory was mad at the accomplishment, but part of her was mad at having to fork over a million gold coins per world announcement.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Oh, well it can wait,” Penelope stated.

  “What and take a bond? No, it’s fine. I’ll just supplement it with my own money until funding related to bets and Planetary Positioning quests are completed,” Mallory stated as she seemed to magically create an IOU form from thin air that had the Midnight Hunter Guild’s insignia and Mallory’s own signature automatically signed. Then flicking it twice like it was a polaroid picture, she paused seemed to wait for the faint magical residue to dry up and then handed it over to Penelope.

  That’s when I read the note thanks to my Blind Eidetic Speed Reading Skill, a Skill that I could fortunately use anywhere within the limits of my vision.

  Short, simple and something that I have never seen in my entire life.

  “Oh, thank you,” Penelope exclaims while reaching out with both hands and grabbing hold of the document like it is worth a million gold coins, which apparently it is.

  Seeing the exchange, I feel momentarily happy for Penelope, but then I can’t help but express a growing surge of discontentment in that I have never received such a voucher.

  “Hey!” I call out, my voice a little angrier than I initially intended, but seeing as Penelope and Mallory both turn to face me at this moment, I pause for a second before I choose to ask about my own status, indignantly. Mallory just raises one eyebrow, as if begging me to go on with what question I have that would cause such an outrage. Seeing her response, I realize that this might be a trap, but I feel the need to go on regardless.

  “Why does she get a voucher, when Raygunnr and I have never gotten any vouchers for our World Announcements,” I state, making sure to drag Raygunnr into this, so I don’t seem as petulant. Right now, I’m arguing both for myself and on behalf of Raygunnr, who I am almost certain has had at least one joint World Announcement with me. Something about Voodoo, maybe? Yet, before I can get lost in trying to track down when Raygunnr was also noted in a World Announcement with me, that’s when Mallory who had been waiting for this exact response just responded.

  “Gee, if only I had thought about that beforehand,” as Mallory speaks, I can feel the sarcasm rolling off of her in waves. If sarcasm was a body odor, hers would be the sweat of annoyance and exhaustion mingling in a most unpleasant of ways. I open my mouth to clarify, but she continues, “you need to set up an Guild Bank account.”

  As she speaks, I pause and remember part of my guild contract from when I first joined the Midnight Hunters, back before we made our trip out her and I am pretty sure there was a direct clause about creating a bank account that the Guild would then post my paychecks to. Remembering that, I hold up a finger, an action that is mirrored by Raygunnr’s massive mechanoid frame as he takes my gesture and seems to add a bit more sass and a slight head roll to the gesture. I think he is mocking me, but we are talking about money right now, and this feels like a stall tactic, which is why I decide to press on.

  “Wait, didn’t I already have a guild bank account from when I first joined the Midnight Hunters?” I ask, legitimately confused. Hearing my response Mallory does her own response to Raygunnr’s actions holding up one finger and adding her own excessive head roll back, as she replies.

  “You had, and still have an old bank account under the old Guild mercantile system. Out in lands that have since been conquered by the Legrand Empire. But that is okay as we managed to move everything to the new bank.”

  “New bank?” I ask, trying to recall if I remember this happening.

  “Yes, ever since we established World’s End, the guild has since incorporated and switched to depositing all earnings to individual accounts at the World’s End Bank and Trust Venture, a Guild run bank.”

  “WebTV?” Raygunnr asks in Mana Language, clearly making an acronym out of the bank’s excessively long name, but we just ignore him as Mallory continues, either not seeing the bursts of Mana or choosing not to understand the odd morse code like language. I also ignore Raygunnr and instead focus on the important question.

  “So we don’t have an account?” I ask, pointing to myself and Raygunnr, who I am currently inside. Raygunnr again mimics my actions by pointing first towards me, then raising his hand up to point at his face.

  “You do have accounts, but you have not filled out the forms to gain access to your accounts, meaning that your money is just sitting there. There have been withdraws made on your behalf for recipe items and similar rare materials that were withdrawn at your behest, but yes, for the most part your money is just sitting there gathering dust.”

  Badump, badump, badump.

  At that, I feel my heart begin to beat erratically as I can only imagine that money going stale as literal layers of Blight dust falls on my beautiful pool of money, corrupting it slowly. It isn’t until I see Raygunnr dramatically raise his own hand over the area of his armor where his dual cores are, that I realize I am doing the same by holding my hand over my own heart. Shaking my head, I dismiss the act and realize that I need to take care of this quickly.

  “Is there a way we can gain access to our accounts and see our money and sort of swim around in it and feel its warm embrace as we dive into it?” I ask.

  “You want to act like an elderly cartoon duck?” Mallory asks. Hearing her response I pause, as I realize that is almost exactly what that duck character would do.

  “Well, I had been thinking more like a greedy dragon with their hoard of gold, but yes ducks work,” I reply.

  Mallory just pauses and stares at me for a moment as she seems to debate with herself about what she should say. Ultimately she just shakes her head.

  “Well, you are in luck, as I have your forms needed, right here,” Mallory eventually states as she shakes her head, and then waves her hand and proceeds to generate two blank World’s End Bank and Trust Venture account access forms. Seeing her action again, this time I can tell that it isn’t magic, and she definitely didn’t have these forms already filled out with our names and guild positions already filled out in her inventory. Instead, it was clear that Mallory had use some type of pseudo-magic on it, that’s when I realize the truth.

  “You used a Perk to create these forms?” I ask, as Raygunnr reaches out his massive hand to clamp down on the offered sheets for the two of us, only now do we realize that these forms are designed to be filled out by regular sized people and not giant sentient mechanoid creatures.

  “Yes, it was one of my options offered at our second to last Guild Expansion phase. This way any signed document becomes binding and automatically comes back to me once filled out completely. Thus, no need to worry about turning these back in, just filling out the forms completely and signing will be enough for them to come back to me.” Mallory states.

  At that Mallory holds out a clearly magical pen, but then pauses as it is clear that giving the pen to Raygunnr will likely cause the pen to burst between his massive fingers.

  “Can you just open up and give these forms to Cass?” Mallory asks, as she waves her hand and calls back both forms, and then moves closer to the cockpit area that I am still housed in, and offers the instruments to me. There is a minor pause as Raygunnr looks sad that he is too big to feel normal enough to fill out guild paperwork.

  “Fine,” Raygunnr flickers, his words coming across as depressed.

  The door whirrs open, and a simple use of Telekinesis causes the papers to come straight to me. I fill out the form for me easily, using the magical pen that is surprisingly easy to use. I’m assuming this pen is also part of the same Guild Master perk. Just holding it, I can feel the magical tether that binds both the parchments and the pen back to Mallory in the way that only soulbound items can feel. Mentally I get the image of a bank pen with those metal beads attached, the ones that always grind and protest when you drop the pen down in an approved container.

  Once I am done with my form, I hold up and see Mallory’s perk activate, drawing the form directly to her.

  “Your form has been accepted, please proceed to the nearest World’s End Bank and Trust Venture location.” Mallory responds almost automatically. I almost want to ask where that would be, but then just pause as I realize I still have Raygunnr’s form.

  “Now what do we do with this?” I ask, holding up said form.

  “If Raygunnr consents, then I can act as witness and you can fill it out on his behalf,” Mallory continues.

  At that, I just pause and raise my own eyebrow, waiting. Finally, I ask, “well?”

  “Well what?” Raygunnr asks.

  “Do you give me permission to fill out this form on your behalf?" I ask, annoyance filling my voice as I realize Raygunnr is being difficult for seemingly no reason.

  “Sure, please and thank you,” Raygunnr begins. For a second, I pause, glad he is not going to make this any more difficult than it already is, until he speaks again. “Can’t build my Mechram without my earnings.”

  And like that, I just groan at the comment, but I still continue to fill out his form.

  For a moment, it feels like everything is fine. That the world is going to be just fine. I even forget why and how this whole chain of events started and how we got to this exact point. A point where I was filling out Guild Perk created parchment for a sentient mechanoid robot who wanted to build what I still imagine to be a giant open garage. Basically, a gazebo for cars. Well not cars, but other Teleiotís, at least I hoped that is what the overall design and architecture of this Mechram would be. Yet, as I was having these thoughts and filling out this form to help out Raygunnr, I missed the signs of growing trouble.

  Trouble that began with a capital ‘P’.