11 Chapter 11: Lengths and Bounds

As they approached the towering palisade that was the joint Guild Hall, the Gemini Twins went in first as Kevin held the door open for Luca and Dominic. Luca hesitated just outside of the building. His attention caught by a pair of children who cautiously begged from the bottom of the steps leading into the Guild Hall, asking for assistance in the dungeon, a chance to leach a bit of experience, and borrow some Sol for gear. "Leave it alone Luca, nothing good can come of it." Commented Dominic from behind him, trying to coax him indoors.

"Can't we help them somehow? Are most people like that?" Asked Luca, horrified at the sight of it. It was hard for him to see the relative squalor the rest of the humans were living in, hard to see people brought so low. Every single human he had seen as they walked, these children included looked hungry and partially emaciated. If not for the magic of the World Dungeon, they would be starving.

Luca looked at Dominic, whose horned head shook in a no. "Things are complicated here, and I know you mean well, I do, but you have to see it from our perspective, we can't waste the resources on anyone that can't pull their weight on a dive. A dungeon is a ruthless place. You'll need to learn to be equally ruthless if you want to survive. I'm not a monster, though. If you want to give these people the shirt off your back, feel free to do so. Just understand no one will extend you the same compassion, and if you die, so does these people only real shot at surviving. You want to help. Get stronger."

Shifting his feet uncomforting, Luca had nothing to say. He couldn't find the words to fit the emotions he was experiencing. Maybe he's right, but why does the thought of not doing anything right now to help these people make me feel so guilty. Luca looked around, seeing that few of the humans had anything that could pass as armor and fewer than that had weapons. The guild heads he had traveled with seemed to be the exception.

"I know that look, Luca, I've had the same one many times. Though not as much recently. That sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, like being covered in dirt and you just need a shower. I know that feeling it comes with being a leader. None of us get to be heroes. We get stuck, making the hard decisions no one else wants to make. It's our job to weigh the needs of the many, verse the needs of the few. One day when you're in my shoes, you'll understand." Comforted Dominic with a world-weary but empathic expression on his face.

"How can any of them survive living like this?" Asked Luca, both concerned and disgust lacing his voice. "How can they hope to survive? I've seen first hand what some of those monsters can do. This can't be right."Dominic ignored the question, walking into the building with his head low. Either unwilling to answer or not knowing how to.

It was Kevin who begrudgingly responded, still holding the door open, "They've seen the monsters up close too, I'm sure. I'm sure of it. We all have. No one here gets a pass to sit. You've got to be tough and get tough in this world. Things aren't fair. Not everyone starts with the same level of power or abilities and gear. For those who have nothing, they can either lay in the streets like these guys have been or go out and to cling whatever chance at the power they can get close to. That's what you have to do if you want to advance. All of us are just poor bastards trying to survive with the hand we've been dealt."

"But," said Kevin as he let go of the door and walked down the stairs, staring directly at the children who had been begging. "Not everything is as it seems either. Sometimes you need to look for the truth and not blindly accept what you see." Without saying anything more, Kevin jumped up into the air and slammed his fist downwards into the ground, sending shocks of seismic waves outwards. Luca tried to interfere but was stopped by both of the twins who had come back out to investigate what was taking so long.

"Just watch." Commanded Keira, though her voice was more sympathetic than Luca expected, and though he wanted to rip himself free from her, he knew it was a mistake he couldn't afford to make.

The air around the children seemed to ripple as they begged Luca to save them, and as if they were made of glass, cracks began to appear. With a shrill shattering sound, the image of beggar children was dispelled. Underneath the illusion, a panicked middle-aged man appeared. Sloppy looking but well-nourished, this man briefly tried to explain himself before running away as fast as his legs could take him. No one bothered to chase after him.

"Is that why you told me not to bother?" Asked Luca bashfully, seeing that the group had come back for him. "Because it was a trick? A con?"

"Honestly, no." Admitted Layla. "Kevin just assumes everyone begging is a con man. But it wouldn't be the first time that attitude has failed him and got somebody hurt. Like Dominic said, it's complicated. Just try not to be so naïve."

The Gemini twins and Dominic gave each other knowing glances. They had all been similar to him once, idealistic in the absence of harsh realism. This was something Luca would need to learn. No matter how powerful he might grow to be, if he died before he reached his peak, it wouldn't matter. Even if Kevin was right, or at least right some of the time, his speech didn't sit well with Luca, and Luca bristled uncomfortably, irritated by it. He could recognize a lecture when he heard one, and he hated being lectured.

Some things needed to be experienced personally. The dungeon, in that sense, was a great equalizer. Those who dared did. All who resided within the dungeon had learned first hand what Luca still had yet to learn. Chase strength or die, no one within the World Dungeon could thrive by being weak. No one gets ahead by being content with where they are.

That Luca didn't respond wasn't lost on Kevin, who followed up on what he had been saying. ""I'm not trying to be harsh, but you need to prepare yourself for how things are. We've been here since the beginning, and I've already seen hundreds of people die. I've seen just as many people I thought were solid burn out say fuck it. Imagine seeing that, the light just sort of die in a friend's eye and have to watch them quit to lay down and die in the street like these guys. We've been grinding for months doing what we can just to keep each other and our guildmates alive. Once you start going with us on dungeon dives, you'll see what I mean. The dungeon doesn't care who you are, who you were, or how shitty your life might be. The weak die, that's it."

"Alright, I get it, Kevin, thanks," Luca responded rudely, trying to cut off the conversation. That's not the kind of person he was. That's not how he was raised. Luca thought of his father and how the man had died saving him. The last thing he thought of was that his father was weak. His father had been one of the strongest people he had ever known.

Layla spoke up. "That's enough, Kevin. No need to give away all the details before he joins. We don't want to scare him away now, do we? He can find out, as you like to say, just how shitty things are once he joins us.

Kevin rolled his eyes. "No, I guess we don't. I wasn't trying to scare him. Just, well, you know how things are"." He looked at Luca with a harshness that said what words didn't, "You and me are done." Whether Luca realized it or not, it was a look that implied he had gained an enemy.

"Yes, we do know how things are." Replied Keira in irritation as she pushed open the Guild Hall doors and ushered the rest of the group in. "Now, be quiet and behave Kevin. Don't talk out of turn on matters that aren't your place to discuss."

Luca was thankful for an end to the conservation and followed behind Dominic as the Gemini twins entered first, followed by Kevin in the rear as they entered the rough-looking wooden palisade. The wood of the building appeared grey, warping slightly due to the sun, and from inside now that he was closer, he could hear loud, boisterous laughing and aggressive yelling. I guess this is it then, can't back out now." He thought to himself as he entered the building.

From the entrance, Luca saw that the main floor doubled as the recreational center of both the Legends and Chaos guilds. Long tables divided the room as seated patrons, drank deeply from frothing mugs of beer imported from the surface, or in an apparent parody of well-known brands. Trails of smoke wafted up from glowing embers around the billiards tables in the back.

Yet, for all the evidence of a lively social gathering, Luca was only met with silence. Every person in the room had stopped doing what they were doing. Whatever partying, camaraderie, and revelry had been going on instantly stopped. Replaced by openly hostile looks directed his way as the entire room filled with guild members from each of the guilds edged their hands towards weapons, ready to attack him at a moment's notice. Luca's blackened wings stirring all of them into action before being waved off by the guild leaders.

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"As you can see." Commented Dominic dryly as he passed through the doorway onto the guild floor, "Our guilds take security seriously and the presence of strangers."

Luca tried to pass through the same doorway but found his wings didn't quite fit. Eventually having to duck under the doorway to keep up with the group. Awkwardly trying to maneuver his wings, that even when folded up against his back had proved to be somewhat of a problem. His struggle elicited a round of ill-meaning laughs from everyone. His embarrassment breaking the tension aimed at him, even as undercurrents of hostility could be felt, and suspicion of him clearly remained.

"Easy there, Luca." Said Dominic with a laugh as he turned to help Luca get through the doorway before looking towards the joint membership of the guilds with the look of authority, signaling the lot of them to quiet down. "Everyone, this here is Luca. He's going to be joining our little family. If you get the chance to make sure to go ahead and introduce yourselves sooner rather than later. We want him to feel at home in our guild family. He's a prospect, and we are very interested in him."

Towards the back of the room by the stairs leading up to the guild offices, a big man with a bushy trimmed bear wearing riot gear sat his beer down and shouted through his hands. "Hey, newbie. Chaos blows. Go big with Legends. I'll take you out and power level you to ten if you join us in Legends. You can even be in my squad. I'm John the Younger."

A series of "Ooooohs." and "Boos" were shouted across the room. Dominic and the other guild heads rolled their eyes as all manner of formality broke down. To Luca, the whole affair seemed surreal but had normalcy to it that he craved. They've already convinced me. Admitted Luca to himself. I want this.

A thin-looking woman in a plain-looking black jumpsuit that was tight on her body, hiding her features beneath protective armor, raised her head up from the table and spoke. "If you think you can keep up with Chaos, you can join my team. I'll do more than power level you to ten; I'll teach you how to use weapons, not just one of them, but most of them."

With a big grin on his face, John challenged the offer. "That's not a bad deal, kid, but I'll sweeten the deal if you join my team. I don't care about which guild you belong to. I'll teach you a class. I'll teach you all the ways I know to be a tank and how to keep your teammates alive. Usually, I charge big money for that. Its how I pay my drinking tab, and I'm offering it to you for free."

As Luca considered the choices, Dominic held up his hands to silence the group. "He'll have plenty of time to make up his mind. But for now, our leaders need to have a private chat with him, so make sure you brush up on your pitches in the meantime. I'm 100% positive. He's gonna be one of our heavy hitters. We've landed a Marlin."

I think I already know what my answer is going to be team-wise, thought Luca. "Can either of you teach me how to use a spear to fight?" Asked Luca as he humored a fantasy of himself in dragon armor, the long spear in hand facing off against a horde of monsters, preparing to split the very earth in combat. Luca looked at each of the two team leaders longingly. The entire room erupted in laughter.

"Typical rookie power fantasy. We're Americans, well most of us, and none of us know how to use a spear. This ain't a video game kid. Besides, all those types died in the first wave." Laughed John in good humor.

"Are you done?" Interrupted the Gemini twins in unison as they walked through the room, pushing passed Dominic and Luca. Both of them heading towards the stairway n the back that led up to the guild officers quarters. The room quieted before them as guild members whispered amongst themselves, something seemed off.

Shaking his head, Dominic replied, "Yeah. We're done. Let's go." As he grabbed on to Luca's hand and dragged him along up the stairs before disappearing behind the door as Kevin followed behind. In their wake, the members of the two guilds who had seen the abrupt change began to theorize and gossip about the newest prospect. l