Chapter Six: The Guilds Gathering Festival Part One

After the welcome party, we headed straight to our new home that the Crimson Shadows provided. I was cautious when walking down the street ever since Li told me that someone was spying on us. We arrived at the Carthaginian apartment with a blue roof. The inscriptions on my card key said: Room Three-Twelve. Therefore, my new home would be in the twelfth room on the third floor. To my convenience, there was a laundry shop and a grocery store beside the apartment.

The next day, we had an orientation back at the castle about the rules and customs of this world. It was strange that Rad personally lectured us since he was the Party God’s brave. Meaning, he would never get sobered — ever.

From the orientation, we learned that the City of New Beginning was in the middle of a continent, which was also called New Beginning. It reminded me of the two New York, the famous city and the American state, back on Earth.

New Beginning was divided into nine square districts. Each was a small walled city, with a forum at the center with four main roads running in cardinal directions toward the four gates, leading either to the outside farms or to another district. It was once home to millions of braves, but when the two Great Wars broke out, its population had reduced to over fifty thousand. Most of them lived in the Eastern District. It had been a free zone since the city’s founding, which was why the newcomers and I settled here for the time being.

Before searching for a job, I went around exploring to know more about this place. It took me an entire day to see every sight in the Eastern District, but I couldn’t explore the other eight. They were under control by powerful guilds. Therefore, no one but their own members could enter. They even gave me threatening stares as if there would be trouble if I stepped closer, so I turned back and reminded myself to never venture out of the Eastern District.

Afterward, I stayed in my apartment for four days. When I first got here, all I got were a bed, a few pieces of furniture, a small kitchen, bathroom, closet, and a door leading to a small balcony. It wasn’t exactly a five-star hotel, but I still considered it as a home. Inside the cabinet, there was a month worth of food and new clothes. They were complimentary gifts from the Crimson Shadow Guild; I wouldn’t survive thirty-three chaffs in my pocket, and the only clothes in my possession were the ones I wore when I came to this world. I was glad that I brought my favorite hoodie coat.

Another problem for me was finding a good income before the free rent expired. I was on my bed, streaming through the website, Quest, to find myself a suitable job. There was a knock on my door. I got up to check who it was.

“Hey.” It was Wilt who greeted me after opening the door.

“Um, hi?” I replied with a quizzical look. Now that we were safe in this city, there was no point in me staying with them anymore. How did he know which apartment I was living in?

 “So this is where you lived,” Katie popped her head over Wilt’s shoulder, “we’ve been looking all over for you.” She took a long glance inside my apartment. “Hmm, just like ours. We live on the second floor, by the way.”

I blinked. “H-how did you guys find me?”

“Hassan told us you haven’t come out in four days,” Wilt replied. “He got worried, so he asked us to check you out.”

That was mighty nice for Hassan — or creepy.

At first, I told them I’d like to be left alone, but I gave in after Katie kept bugging me to come with them. We went to the ground floor, where Alex and Li were waiting. The Shaolin looked different today. He had a blue shirt and white sneakers added to his monk attire.

“If you’re going to ask, it was Katie’s idea.” Alex noticed me staring at Li oddly.

“It’s the Twenty-First Century, you know,” Katie said. “I don’t want him to lag behind today’s trend.” She had a point. We had a hard time teaching Li how to use his cell phone. I assumed he lived far from the big city. Probably a monk’s life was a secluded life.

“Okay, now that we found Sam,” Wilt said, “let’s head to Westinghouse Street. The others might be there soon.”

“What others?” I asked, wondering if something must’ve happened after I left them.

Eventually, we were at the forum. Everywhere I looked, tents, booths, and stalls sprawled like we were in a grand festival, bustling with activities. People were shouting on the streets.

“Warg Guild is looking for a healing brave! No need to fight on the front line!”

“Stormbringer Guild is open to all newcomers! Join New Beginning’s finest!”

“Crafting braves wanted in the Gondola Guild! Come and check our benefits!”

The fascinating part of the forum was the flags soaring in thousands, like a swaying forest of colors. The metal balls on the top of each pole were either iron or copper. There was also silver, gold, and platinum if I looked harder.

“When did these happen?” I asked.

“It was the day after you cooped up in your apartment,” Wilt replied. “You should’ve come out more often.”

“Or at least watch the internet news like regular people,” Katie added.

I didn’t. There were so many websites to check. I forgot they had a news web here.

“What is all this?”

“It’s a Guilds Gathering Festival, Sam,” Alex replied. “Rad mentioned this during one of his —” she twirled her fingers, “episodes.”

We all chuckled when we remembered the Party King’s orientation. I still didn’t get why a drunk like him lectured us, though he did give us crucial details about this world.

Every year, when the seven suns formed a circle, newcomers were magically summoned in the Gate Ring. The numbers who arrived from different timelines were random. Some were in dozens, hundreds, but the highest record was ten thousand about two hundred years ago.

On the fifth day, the city held the Guilds Gathering Festival, in which thousands of guilds from all over this world gathered to attract recruits. To join any of them depending on what type of gods granted to their braves. If a war god chose me, for example, my powers would base off as a warrior or a general, and I’d be either in a war guild or an adventurer guild. Sometimes recruitment was diverse. Even a healing brave could join a war guild.

The metal ball on each flagpole would tell me about its hierarchy. From lowest to highest: iron, copper, silver, gold, and platinum. For guilds to elevate their rank, they had to achieve a couple of impressive feats and fame; becoming a silver-class and higher guaranteed them wealth, power, and prestige. Once they reached the gold-class, the Guildmaster had the right to be treated like royalty. The Boston Tea Party was an example, which was why everybody addressed Rad as a king. The platinum-class was the pinnacle of its hierarchy. Fifteen guilds had managed to attain that rank, and Rad warned us not to anger any of them at all costs.

While we were strolling, a boy crier rang his bell for everyone to hear. “Make way, make way! The Green Bits Guild is coming!”

In an instant, the crowd gave way to the wild-looking bunch wearing furs and grass cloaks, each armed with a bow and quiver of arrows.

Two girls led in front. One of them was a brown-haired petite, holding a flag with a silver ball on top of its pole. Their flag featured a stag with tree-like antlers on a green field. The other girl must be their leader who gave out an air of authority. She had a scowling face, frightening green eyes, and wild raven hair. She possessed three quivers of arrows and a golden bow slung on her back.

The crowd stared at them with awe and curiosity, except for one group in armored suits with their backs leaning against the wall of a nearby building. They were glaring at the Green Bits with snob and spite. Their leader stood out among them due to his black armor engraved with many wolf motifs.

“It’s Lucas from the Wolf Reign Guild.” Someone next to us recognized him.

There was a lot of whispering. Then people started to move back, forming a semicircle around the two groups. A battle might occur at any moment.

“The Great Anne Bess of the Crescent Moon,” Lucas greeted in a mocking tone. “You’re a long way from the forest, aren’t ya?”

There were gasping whispers and gossip around us. Anne Bess of the Crescent Moon was Artemis’s Brave, the Greek goddess of the hunt. They mentioned her fame as Green Bit’s greatest warrior and winner of the Nightmare Valley Raid.

“You’re not welcome here, Green Bits,” one of the Wolf Reign members sneered, yet the Green Bits pressed on while ignoring their heckling remarks.

“Go back to the woods, you bunch of savages,” Lucas taunted. An arrow buried between his legs.

In a blink of an eye, Anne readied her second arrow.

“Sorry, I slipped,” she said coolly with an English accent. The word, savages, must’ve struck her nerves.