A Life Without Meaning
#4 of Aspire
Mary was in charge while Calder was out collecting materials. Since the founding of The Watchers, their membership grew exponentially, with some people quitting their current guilds to join them. In fact, some other guilds created alliances, primarily for trading but also to show that they were peaceful. As long as Calder, the Giant Slayer, was the leader of The Watchers, they were both feared and respected.
One of their newer members, a monk class specialized in unarmed combat, seemed to believe he was the greatest fighter ever and rules didn't apply. He had been warned twice for conduct issues, mostly harassing female members. It was only his second day in the guild, and he was about to get his final warning and the honor of being the first player booted from The Watchers.
Mary was going through the guild messages, happy that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary, "Miss Mary! He's doing it to the new recruits!"
Mary slammed her hands down onto the table, "That's it, he's out. Where is he?"
"Showing off to them in the training room." Upon creation of a guild, a building was created out of nowhere, and yet in the same exact location as all of the other buildings. Once you're in a guild, you only see yours and not a blank building. Guilds have services such as training, crafting, and food so that the members have little to worry about. Those who lack combat skills are more than welcome, in most cases, to take from the community box to create things, and eventually open a guild store in the market.
The training room was a place for newer players to get used to combat, skills, and movement with no threat of dying, "Ladies, you just need to relax, lose some of that armor and you can move easier..." Mark was in his basic white gi and bothering two females, one a greatsword warrior in light armor and the other a blacksmith that was no doubt having the other test something out.
"Mark, you're done here. Your membership is revoked."
"Oh come now, you don't mean that sweety. I may intimidate you a bit-" A flaming whip cracked through his head but caused no damage, "Hey!"
"For that, I'm marking you as an enemy of The Watchers. Have fun being hunted prick." He fizzled and vanished, "Sorry about that, but there will always be those types."
"It's fine, he was more like a mosquito than a threat. Anyway, I think I found a way to modify Calder's order." About a week ago, he asked any craftspeople in the guild to create simple copper rings and the one enchanter to utilize a specific enchantment that was nearly pointless. Essentially, the enchantment made it so that whoever was wearing the ring could not receive further enchantment on their equipment. It became a symbol of The Watchers, and members who had been in the guild for over a week were given one.
Mary stretched, "Yeah? What's that?"
"Simple. I can now enhance armor with the same attribute without damaging or affecting the current armor. I can plate over plate armor, stitch it into robes and leather, that sort of thing. It's a bit pricey though, so it's not entirely viable."
"Sounds good to me, keep up the good work." Mary sauntered off and bumped into Calder as he entered the guild, "Well hello handsome."
"Picked up a bunch of plants and junk that we can use, what's been happening here?"
"Booted a dick, that's about it."
Calder emptied his supplies into the community box, "Vindicators are still ripping people off, hate to say it but we might need to take over that copper mine."
Mary sat down, "I know, it's hurting everyone. Think we can though? If we swarm they won't accept the challenge, and if nobody is there they can keep it for as long as they want." The wooden interior became more soothing by the day.
"I figure if we get a large enough group of volunteers, a lot of archers mind you, I can go over that hill and they'll only see me. I can easily take a few of them out, but in numbers they'll get cocky. After they accept, everyone charges in."
"Better than anything I could have come up with. Think they'll take the bait?"
Calder smiled, "Of course. We took over their main recruiting territory and pushed them way past Dead Chapel. If we time it right, there won't be too many by the mine."
"Question for you... why would they be there?"
"Good question, but they tend to use the location as a safe meeting spot and trading location. No monsters, pretty flowers, all that stuff. I've been scouting it out, never more than ten and never less than four at any given time."
"Sweet, I'll see if I can round up a few fighters. What will we do when we win?"
Calder scratched his head with his shield hand, a rather humorous sight with his giant shield, "I guess keep some copper, and sell the rest for the minimum amount. We don't need to get rich." He paused, "Think the alchemist we got a few days ago has time to work on a few exploding potions?"
"Probably, all he does is work on potions. You go get him, and if he's ready we'll discuss where to meet, sound good? Great!" She skipped off into another room, even though sending a guild-wide message was no different than a private message. Calder made his way to the crafting hall.
There he was, in his red robe and rectangle hat, working on more potions, "Hey, Len, can I ask a favor?"
"Yes, yes, what is it?" He was a bit older than Calder, and much less social.
"Do you have some exploding potions available? I need a bunch."
He pointed to a chest, "Yeah, take what you need, I've got too many." Calder picked up about twenty, which would at least help, "Get going, I have to perfect my art."
Calder didn't feel comfortable enough to say anything, so he shrugged, left, and sent a message to Mary, "Hey, let's meet on the ruined path just outside of the Dead Chapel, it's a short walk from there."
"Done, I'll lead the others there, you teleport. These scrubs need the experience." He shrugged and opened the menu. As long as you have been to an area and have defeated a hidden number of monsters, you could teleport there from anywhere in the world. Calder did so and waited outside, killing a few monsters to pass the time. Over an hour passed before Mary arrived with five others, "All ready?"
"Did you change your name... no, my memory is just fuzzy. Let's go. I'll lead, the rest of you follow Mary's orders. Take these potions and chuck them when the time is right." He gave everyone a few exploding potions and marched through the hills and stopped just out of sight of the mine, "I'll move ahead, when they accept the challenge, swarm in."
Calder took a deep breath and made his way to the top of a hill. The Vindicators had three members around the mine, all higher levels than Mary and the others, but weren't a threat to Calder. It didn't take long before he got their attention, "Oh great, let's just get out of here."
"Hold up, I propose a duel."
"Duel eh?" The leader of the three looked to his friends, "You know, he's a higher level but together we can take him. Should we?"
"Hell yeah!"
The warrior drew his big sword, "Alright punk, you're on!" He was accompanied by an archer and a soldier. Calder felt pity for the three Vindicators, they didn't even check the conditions of the duel or if anyone was in his party. He gave the signal and rushed in on his own.
The three Vindicator's confidence faded quickly as the motley crew of misfits ran over the hill and lobbed exploding potions at them, doing significant damage. Calder's own charge nearly killed the lead warrior, "Surrender and live!"
"We surrender we surrender!" A light flashed and the mine's owners changed from the Vindicators to The Watchers, "Wait... what?!"
"If you lose in the vicinity of a controlled resource, the winning guild takes over. Now leave, you have no business here." Calder turned to his guildmates, "Wow... that was pretty easy."
..........................................
"Interesting strategy young Calder... you're a curiosity almost too dangerous to leave alone." The man in the black clothes and white mask dropped from a tree branch, "Peace is desirable, but rarely is it nature. Can you keep this up?"
He walked a few steps away before a man in armor appeared behind him, "At this again?"
"What's a white lie or two?"
"The last time your toyed with someone an entire server was eliminated. Must you be so hell-bent on chaos?"
The man in the mask smiled, though only he knew, "Chaos is such an ugly word. I prefer reality. Just because we are forced to live in these worlds-"
"Silence!" The armored man looked over at Calder, "That child had potential like I have never seen. It is likely he will unite this world without your interference, but if you do bother them for too much longer nothing good can happen!"
"So?"
"Are you joking? You want millions to die at the drop of a dime?!"
The man in the mask faced his comrade, "Want? No. But it will happen. Even if I were to stand aside, nature would take over, the people will rebel against the false peace and Calder will be killed."
The armored man shook his head, "Experimentation cannot always go as you plan."
In the previous world, the very people the masked man tried to manipulate almost caused his death, "True, but that simpleton wouldn't dare raise a hand against me. He'd probably let me stab him over and over if need be."
He disappeared and the armored man looked back to Calder, "He may not be violent, but he's no fool. Those rings... he's already wary."
............................................
Calder yawned in the guild hall, "I really feel tired. At least people have a cheap source of copper and our own blacksmiths can practice with nearly unlimited supplies." He bit into a digital apple, "I also wish these things had taste."
Mary sat down across from Calder, "That went well today!"
"Yep. I still don't like fighting."
"You're good at it... but I understand. It's weird to try and kill someone... almost like my entire being tries to tell me know by my brain says that I have to."
Calder felt a bit of concern, "Mary... what now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what do we do now? We've helped new people, we've essentially saved the economy here... what's left for us?"
Mary leaned back, "I guess... just live our lives?"