The whirling dark faded away, and I stayed for a few more seconds in my homemade darkness. "The Obelisk Eight, huh… What have I got myself into now z-z-zingeroni!"

Seems I zoned out for a while as a kick in the leg arrived and caused me to sit up straight and swing my fist out in a reflex.

"Wardi. Glad to see ya standing, man!" I stood up and punched his arm it's only fair after all tit for tat. He made a scrunched face and we both laughed. Rhua and the rest came over to us, and I saw when everyone had their backs turned to them that Horace gestured to Rhua do the high five jive, she reluctantly agreed barely putting any energy she normally gives for it, whilst they quickly did it before anyone else caught on and wanted to join in.

That was one hell of a dangerous event, that darkness… it was almost pleasant, dare I say? As if it wouldn't hurt me if I tried touching it?" Wadi said aloud to the group, curious at their responses.

"How you interpret the world really matters, light isn't always as honourable as it seems, and the dark is loathed when it's just misunderstood," Lucy said with a proud tone in her words. I think this has been a testament to that, don't you?" Wardi shrugged at her words, and Rhua responded.

"Darkness banished an evil today, let's not forget that, still though, I can't believe that we all levelled up twice, that's never happened." Rhua followed up with.

"I learned a new Agni Art, it sounds scary though. Hope I don't have to use it anytime soon."

The manor is all but destroyed as I looked around, the Von family had gathered near the main entrance, bloody, bruised, beaten, and yet still smiling.

"Good on them for making it out of there," nodding in the direction of the family.

"Broekslang is going to be on a bounty list if we don't intervene and help set the record straight, though, we should stick with them for when the guards arrive," Rhua said with a stern voice.

Rhua called to them, waving at them to come closer. "I think it's best we stick together, Von's… the guards will expect a full report for what occurred here," said Rhua to the family.

Broekslang replied, "Right you are, lads and lasses, lead the way, this old coot has had enough for one day."

"Broek my love, here, let me help you walk, put your arm around me," said Frigibits, with Rella helping on the other side.

"Thank you, my little angels,"

It wasn't long before we limped back into town, and the head guard was in full steam heading our direction. Hattie was also with him, towering above everyone as expected of her. "Wardi, what's going on? The town was evacuated from all the chaos at the manor!" She asked him with worry on her face.

"Better sit down for this one Wardi said, though, without even a remote chance of us knowing it they were there, Guild leader Emcee and her deputies, Frank and Curly, stood tall, dangerous, and proud. She was looking exceptionally enraged, but that is her typical look.

"What an honour it is for someone of your prestige to come meet us personally" said Wardi not before having to quickly react to Frank's quick step and defend himself "Watch your fucking tone boy, I could end you easily and she would demolish all of you alone" pushing Wardi down to his knees in a show of force.

"Huk! Show your respect for the boss mate, won't be telling you twice! Said curly.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted, stamping her foot, causing all but Rhua to lose balance in the tremor.

"You lot get to the guild if you know what's good for you," Barking at us, Hattie and the she head guard Sazi, then told Frank to "Go find Larry and that fucking stinking butler Hans" And so we did mostly out of terror, nothing says come and spend time with us like the threat of quick death.

I personally have visited many guilds and but it's my first time being in one of the top ten. Zooport guild was far plainer and more modest than I expected inside…minus the taxidermy trophy wall above the bar and guild flags that hung from the rafters. If someone told me this was a tavern, I would have thought none the wiser.

Frank and Curly set up multiple anti-sneak traps, and Emcee herself cast the most violent wind barrier Art I've ever seen and felt. There is definitely no one, besides those in the top ten rankings, who could even try to listen in on this conversation coming.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Now, Broekstwonk, it's your manor that's been the talk of the town for a while now, so you're first up to talk. Emcee said. I looked at the others, wondering if someone might get bumped off in here. She is serious, the pressure in the room and the intensity were unbearable, I thought to myself.

Meanwhile ….

"Your grace, the CCTV is fully operational once again, the G.I.T's have been hard at work to meet your expectations and more, they have agreed among themselves: Godployees must always work in pairs during the shift.

"What say you, Yayzus? Earth was your department, so tell me, how did the space2u company end up being on the trajectory course for Terra and Malicore? I've waited eight years for an answer, lest you forget…they're not even in the same direction!? Tyrokun the 7th shouted to the lesser god.

"We are still investigating your graces, earth earned the space traversal right, but it is clear their technology is still behind, far behind in fact compared to worlds like Regalsha, I believe the cause of the problem was a software failure that failed to update the auto pilot coordinates, they still use Ffenstri 89 in most of their systems.

"Of all the higher-level humanoid worlds, how did that one end up progressing beyond its limits said Eria the 2nd.

A voice in the background coughed, "Lowkey" cough.

"Omg Z shut the F up," said Yayzus, looking at Zeus in his typical toga and sandals, letting out a bellow of a laugh and winning himself an invisible smack from Knowah, which sent him flying out a window.

"Lowkey…that little dritt deserved to be punished, hijacking the ships from the Scioners and puppeteering them around earth, setting the natives into frenzy, he knew what he was doing when crashed the ships there too, he practically gave them a free pass to space with their tech, lucky for us they're too stupid to figure out the insta-port technology and only managed to figure out how to make galacta-fuel for their puny earth rockets." Serilia bellowed.

Tyrokun the 7th said. "Of course, your graces, he's serving a Jurassic sentence at HMP God Harsh after all for his stupidity, rest assured he's being regularly brutalised by Atnas himself."

"SPLENDIDLY GOOD," sang the seven of dawn in unison.

"Always doing good work, Atnas. He deserves to be in line for a promotion to the lessers if you ask me," says Tyrokun.

"I'll consider it…Now for the agenda at hand," Serilia spoke aloud.

Eria floated up into the air with a parchment in hand, showing various statistics. "Phaals' chasm ideas have been a great success. Feedback gathered by the lesser has given us some valuable insight into the system. The inhabitants and I quote 'Go bananas' whenever one of them opens, and it's led to some interesting results when the drop items get used by the sentients, particularly by those with creation-based skills.

Sentient 1337 – Broekslang Von, using his status to gather expensive materials, appeared to have manufactured a potion called 'Abominade' which gave him some notable physical enhancements against that group that has the non-sent in it. Serilia, upon hearing about her old creation, perked up,

"Oh my little cherub is still around" she scorned That little shit and his nerve Serilia thought to herself "I do hope he continues on his merry-" DEATH! DEATH! DEATH, she screamed internally - "Way," smiling as she said so.

"In other news, it seems Aya has been spo-"

***

I zoned out whilst the group caught Emcee up to date with what had been going on.

"I'm so sorry, Emcee, I wish I could help, but I genuinely cannot remember anything about what I wrote in my journal, it must be a side effect of the manipucent." Broekslang said to Emcee.

"It is a good thing your wife could remember the group you dealt with, I believe them to be real, their Identities not to be, however."

"Manipucent are rare, and Broekslang is well known for his wealth. You think he was targeted, boss Curly asked Emcee, we were mostly out of the conversation at this point.

"FUCKING hell yes, he was targeted Curly, and it's probably someone in the top one hundred."

"Boss, I'll look into some suspects. I think it will be an Arts user. No way would a fighter class have that sort of smarts about them for a plan like that, you know what I mean?" Frank said, taking the heat off Curly.

"That's a terrible stereotype, we just finished talking about how people hide their true strengths for the rankings, if anything a fighter would be the smartest pick, especially now that double classing has become a trend" said Rhua frustrated at being pigeonholed into the 'Must be dumb because not a arts user grunt-grunt' category.

"You're not even in the top 100, so shut the Fuck up loser." Frank raged at the gall of Rhua, in his mind, she had no position to talk.

"Enough Frank, she has a point, a mage may be the most likely candidate, but it could be anyone, I suggest looking into who has had a hold of manipucent in the past."

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