Delusional Confidences

(Mallory)

Like a heat seeking EO wrecking ball being set loose on the campus, Mallory finally managed to catch up with the offending target and finally got to hear some of the worst pick-up lines used.

This time Mallory had managed to track down the culprit to the recently renovated junior petting zoo. A menagerie of some of the deadliest animals that are indigenous to the Blighted lands all held together in one place.

"So who would you pick, pre-Augmentation of course, one gorilla, or one hundred people?" The subject of this inquiry asked.

Hearing the topic, Mallory could only roll her eyes, as it seemed that some people used the most random subjects to start up conversations with women. From the accounts that Mallory had gathered to this point, it seemed that the subject in question had an ample resolve to go out and personally hit on every single female he found. This time, the subject had somehow found Jillaria, the daytime feed handler for the animals, which he was now quote unquote "putting on the moves."

How did she get here? Why was the guild leader of one of the most powerful guilds in the world taking time out of their very busy day to track down potential ethics complaints? Simple, she had to witness firsthand the alleged violations being conducted by the noted subject, especially as he was now a candidate to join the Midnight Hunters. Not only was he a proposed candidate to join the Guild but potential ties to nepotism dictated that if this person did join the guild, then he would be granted a higher position, regardless of individual capabilities or contributions.

This was why she personally had to take time out to verify claims. Normally this would be tough, for most would keep their actions to a minimum, but this subject seemed hellbent on wearing out his welcome wherever he went.

"I don't know, this seems pretty barbaric of a question," Jillaria replied visibly shaking at the way the smaller humanoid creature casually strode forward to get closer to her while she was feeding the animals.

"Me, I'd go with the humans," the subject began, as he did Jillaria quickly finished filling up the one trough that she was at, picked up her feed bucket and began moving to another section of fence to start feeding more animals. It was clear from her body language that she wanted nothing to do with the creepy creature that followed her, but the creature continued its banter.

"Mhmm," the tightlipped response should have been enough to point out that she was disinterested, but he persisted.

"Yeah, see even without tools, you've got to figure that at least one would have their arm ripped off in such a way that it would have a sharp edge to it. That way one of those people in the back that were using the first as a meat shield, could now use that same person as a meat spear as well." The subject continued and even looked expectantly at the end as if waiting for some type of response.

Jillaria did give a response, but it was over and finished far too quickly for the much lower leveled subject to have noticed. But Mallory noticed, it was a note of revulsion that was quickly conquered by training and relentless etiquette. Honestly seeing Jillaria in action, Mallory began wondering if she should take the girl as part of her envoy when going to interact with particularly difficult diplomats.

Jillaria for her part again went about performing her duties quickly and efficiently, without making any major signs that she would want the subject to go. Though part of this was due to Jillaria at one point looking around, making eye contact with Mallory and then nodding her head at Mallory. The look and gesture were easily noted and translated by Mallory, so long as Mallory was on standby to help in case things went out of control, she could continue to act with the most professional manner possible.

For a moment, Mallory wondered if Jillaria felt she needed to put up with these questions from someone who clearly didn't get the memo on what was acceptable but decided to leave that alone for the moment. Instead, she watched quite possibly the worst display of social interactions possible. These were interactions that might otherwise be comical, if not performed by someone that looked like a slightly molding teenager that hadn't quite hit their last growth spurt.

"So what do they call this area, this open field?" The subject asked, gesturing with his hands towards the open terrain before him where monsters of different kinds were allowed to go out and run wildly on the converted plains. With pride Jillaria took a moment to look up, and took in the sight before her, before answering confidently.

"This is called DPW Ranch."

At the naming of the place, it was clear that the subject mouthed the letters, D.P. and W. Confusion clearly etched on his face while he muttered to himself. Jillaria with her enhanced senses, noted the confusion and went about answering the unspoken, but still muttered question.

"That stands for Dire Phase Wolf Ranch, for all of the animals here are only possible to be observed thanks to the Dire Phase Wolves that befriended the spirit of these lands." Jillaria began, as she spoke, a note of reverence filled her as she began touting some of the mythos that the members of the guild were now passing off as facts. "A spirit who took the desert and first made it into an oasis, and then a bastion of plenty that you see before you. Before the spirit of these lands came, this land was all barren. But she worked with the Dire Phase Wolves taming them so they would be able to interact with and live amongst our members. The spirit cleansed the meat that the Dire Phase Wolves captured, and in so doing created miniature versions of those same animals that were to take the place of and help replenish the lands. Due to that cooperation of beast and guardian spirit, we named this land in honor of the creatures who made this place possible. Thus, DPW Ranch."

"Huhh," was all the subject managed to reply to that update. Hearing Jillaria speak it almost made it seem like she thought this place was blessed. Then again, more and more people were coming to that same conclusion, that Cass was in fact that sacred spirit or guardian not just of this place, but of the Guild itself.

Mallory also seemed to understand Jillaria's seeming reluctance to say anything negative towards the subject given his clear relationship to said guardian. With the subject quieted, Jillaria paused and contentedly stared out across the fields and watched as wild beasts of unimaginable size and potential race out and but heads with each other, only to have injuries healed slowly due to safety measures woven into the supporting pillars of the area. This was a class project that the Enchanting+ students took on themselves as a community project while Dr. Spiritlight was away.

Seeing the changes made to the land in person was something that Mallory had not anticipated meaning so much to her. Obviously, she had heard about the projects, how Penelope herself was leading the community improvement task. One that all of the Enchanting+ students ultimately joined in on eventually. That was quite possibly the only bright spot of Cass being gone, the way her students all rallied and tried to find ways to put what they had learned into ways to improve the Guild.

At first Mallory heard the snarky remarks from others, reports that the only reason why the students did such projects was to ensure they stayed off duty rotations and rosters. For a moment, Mallory even believed the words, and while that might have been the case, particularly at first, that was not the case towards the end, when the classes all came together as one to use what they had learned to improve World's End, a little bit each day.

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Taking a moment, Mallory breathed in and took in the majestic sight before her. A majestic sight that was quickly ruined by the comments that she was on hand to record and observe firsthand. For after a moment of perfect silence where only the sound of magic and monsters could be heard, the subject spoke.

"Did you know that all I need is 'U' to help put the Raunch into this Ranch?"

Hard Inhale.

Hearing the comment, Jillaria seemed to be at her limits for what she could put up with as she visibly forced herself to breathe in deeply and break eye contact from the little subject. A subject that given time and levels, would likely grow into a very beautiful creature that would no doubt cause many women to swoon with such terrible lines. But sadly, the subject's lower levels and odd starting race made the subject appear to be creepy more than cute.

This was when Mallory decided to step in to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed or worse, have Jillaria's perfect calm ruined by the actions of one persistently annoying mutated pixie.

FWOOSH!

Mallory moved, the world flashing before her heightened senses in less than a second as she found herself from the far end of the open supply barn, where she had been standing and watching. To having her body placed just in between Jillaria and the subject.

"You've done remarkably well today, why don't you take the rest of the day off, Jillaria." Mallory posed.

"But I don't…" Jillaria began.

Hearing her comment, it was clear that she was one of those people that truly lucked out in life. That is, she was apparently doing exactly what she loved. The fact that she loved these animals, and their care and maintenance was apparent from her every action. Further it became clear that part of why she was so willing to put up with the Subject's constant reproach was that she wanted to share her joy of these animals with everyone, including Robi.

Mallory didn't know if that love and want to share her enthusiasm made her appear particularly vulnerable to people like Robi, but from a glance it was clear why many people would want to at least approach her. That is, until they saw that she was more invested in the animals that she cared for than for a physical relationship.

"As you wish," Jillaria finally managed to say, taking a moment to understand what was happening and why exactly Mallory had interposed herself between Jillaria and the subject. With that realization complete, Jillaria nodded and quickly began to leave. Mallory had the feeling that she would not leave these lands, especially as she was one of the on-sight nature reservists, meaning her hut was in the middle of these fields, but it was clear she would give Mallory the space and time she needed to talk with Robi.

Finally, once Jillaria fully left the area, and Mallory was alone with Robi, Mallory paused and centered herself before giving the speech.

"Look, I don't think this is going to work out," Mallory began.

"What? I mean we haven't even brushed each other's tonsils yet, how can you say that?" A creepily smiling Robi began. Again, the base outline was there, the structure, the infusion of energy all showed that eventually this creature before her could be pretty and was ultimately meant to be pretty. But right now, he was clearly closer to the sickly and struggling caterpillar than he was to the majestic butterfly. Which was sad, especially considering according to what Cass had to do to let this person be able to move around freely, he had to be turned into a caterpillar forever. Meaning he would never be able to fly on his own or as whimsically as Cass could. This was the price of power, yes he started off as a level one mythical beast, one that couldn't even walk under their own power without being modified greatly.

Also of concern was the fact that Gwen was nowhere nearby, meaning that if Mallory did anything like apply physical corrective actions to an outsider of the guild, which this person now clearly was, this person would be killed in an instant, something Mallory found out the hard way earlier. This was why she tried to remain calm and most importantly she tried to make sure there was space between the two of them. Still her automatic reflexes kicked in as she let out an automatic response.

"BLECH!"

"Oh come on, you know you have to at least be curious as to what it would be like, right?" The subject Robi asked.

"No, just no, now stop," Mallory stated while holding up her hand in halting gesture. Then to Mallory's surprise he did, the normally overly insistent unstoppable EO machine stopped. Even he seemed confused by the fact that he had to stop.

"Oh wow," Robi began, his eyes flickering but clearly seeming to read text that appeared before his eyes.

Text that was sadly hidden from Mallory as she was not his guild leader, which was also why she was currently here to tell him the news that this partnership would not be possible, particularly with her witnessing the interactions of a potential Guild Candidate firsthand. Though Mallory was interested in the reason for the sudden shocked confusion that filled Robi's face.

"You can't continue to speak can you?"

"No, I can't. I'm not certain why?" Robi trailed off as he tried to understand what was happening. Then as if giving out his playbook of what was possible he asked, "what does it mean when I have been ordered by someone entrusted to be the mortal protector of these lands by the spiritual protector of these lands?"

Hearing that, Mallory wondered if the pixie was drunk, as he was clearly making no sense.

"Oh wait, is the spiritual protector of the lands, the ones the tall prude was talking about?" Robi asked.

It took a moment for Mallory to parse that statement before realizing, "wait you mean Jillaria?"

"Yeah, the prudish girl," Robi responded. Hearing his response, Mallory could only shake her head in exasperation, for that prude as he so crassly put it, only allowed Robi to live due to her apparent respect for Cass. Which Mallory now wondered if that had anything to do with the clear system prompt that Robi was now inquiring about. To be certain of her assessment of this situation, Mallory pressed.

"I assume you are relaying information from a system prompt?" Mallory asked.

"You mean random words that won't go away from my sight? Yes." Robi began.

Hearing him speak, Mallory felt like she was talking to a complete beginner to the world. As in someone who didn't even read the mandatory handbook one was provided and forced to sign at different places to even join the world. Still, this could be to her benefit as she could use this moment to find out more information about what Robi was now seeing, even if she was taking advantage of his own ignorance.

"Yes, now tell me is it a quest, or a warning?" Mallory began.

"How can I tell that?"

"Warnings are in red boxes, while quests are in blue," Mallory let out.

"Oh, its definitely red and blue," Robi provided. At that Mallory just questioned, then tried to see if she could trick Robi into providing information.

"Share what it states exactly with me."

"Share?" Robi asked questioningly, but it had the same exact effect as sharing the information from the tab that was now stuck to his vision.

Warning: Mythical Beast Encroachment: You are encroaching on the lands claimed by a similar in type mythical creature (Mythical Pixie). While on the lands of another similar in type mythical beast (Mythical Pixie) you must follow the laws of that land, or fight for dominance.

New Quest Identified: Asserting Your Dominance: You have encroached on the lands of another similar in type Mythical Creature to your own (Mythical Pixie). Given your currently unaligned nature, you have the option to Lead, Follow, or Get Out of The Way.

Note 1: By accepting to Lead, you will assert your dominance over the current leader of the area (Cassiopia Spiritlight). By choosing to Follow, you will accept Cassiopia Spiritlight (your current wife) to be your leader whereby you must follow all commands given. Or you must choose Get Out of The Way, whereby you will be forced to leave the area within 24 hours, unless granted an extension by current noted ruler of the lands (Cassiopia Spiritlight).

Note 2: Cassiopia Spiritlight has chosen to take a subservient role to Mallory Valhalla, thereby allowing Mallory Valhalla to provide orders in her stay.

Mallory had just finished reading through the text logs and seemed to understand why Robi had to stop when ordered to. The reason being described in Note 2, where Mallory had been granted the ability to lead the area in Cass' place.

"Seems like her, never wanting to truly take control, despite ruling from the background," Robi began, his words laced with something, bitterness perhaps? Before Mallory could delve too deeply into the seeming range of emotions being shown, he continued.

"Oh, I see. This is a forced quest, where I need to choose one of the options," Robi mused to himself.

Forced quest? Mallory tried to understand what Robi meant by the term, but then realized he meant it was a quest that he had to choose one of the related options that were listed, an Automatic Quest.

That moment of translation was all it too for Mallory to lose focus and make it so she was unable to prevent what would most likely be another attempted Robicide.

"I choose to lead," Robi began.

CHIME!

Almost as if the servers, or most likely people financially invested in the servers had wanted a chime rang out, causing an eruption of sound to echo out. Then Mallory realized the world was apparently changing to meet the new level of monsters that everyone was able to now evolve into.

That or this functionality had always existed, but there were never any mythical monsters to truly test yourself against. That said a zone-wide message rang out letting everyone know that changes could soon come.

Warning: The First Mythical Monster Battle for Zone Supremacy Has Been Enacted. Everyone at World's End brace yourself as the control of your territory is now under contest. Time remaining for Challenged to appear: 29:59, 29:58, 29:57…

And like that, Mallory realized her worst fear might come true. Was Cass too distracted to realize that someone was challenging her for dominance? Also, would she care enough to try to fight for that which was hers?

No, the biggest concern for Mallory clearly related to the possibility that she might see the message, intend to go, and then be distracted by mutating magical clouds for thirty minutes, while everyone else was forced to follow Robi's rules. Whatever that meant.

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