A new day began, and Liam was relaxing on the couch, pondering what to do today. He played around with his phone, reading through various news.
Suddenly an annoyed voice reached his ears:
"Liam, you are distracting me!"
The young man turned his head, incredulously watching Serena, who was being taught by her private teacher, her bear 'Sergeant' sitting at the table with them.
"I didn't do anything, though…"
"But I can't concentrate. Why don't you go meet your friends or something?"
Liam scrutinized his sister, guessing that she might be embarrassed. After all, she was a few years behind her peers in learning.
"Sure, I'll leave."
Chuckling lightly, Liam got up, heading for the door. When he arrived behind his sister, he suddenly hugged her briefly, whispering into her ear:
"You are doing great!"
Before Serena could react, Liam was already out of the door. Now he stood in the stairway, pondering what to do. Walking downwards he came up with an idea.
Liam passed by Merida's clinic, heading for the familiar lower city. Stepping outside, he looked up towards the high buildings blocking all light.
I certainly didn't miss this place.
With a sigh Liam stuffed his championship ring in his pockets and followed the familiar path. He watched the people huddling on the street, covered in thick blankets, with indescribable feelings.
If I hadn't arrived in this world, would this have been the original Liam's fate?
Liam shook slightly, picking up his pace. Soon, he arrived before a familiar fenced-off area. When Liam passed through the rusty gate, he found his former community.
Not much had changed since Liam came here last time. Only the fresh bread shared between a few of the homeless looked suspicious. Liam guessed that it might have been bought from the money he left them the last time.
"Who are you? Sir, we don't want any trouble!"
A dirty, rough-looking man eyed Liam suspiciously, causing him to chuckle:
"Joe, don't you recognize me anymore after only a month? I'm…"
"Liam!"
A familiar voice approached the two. Liam recognized his old friend, the slim, brown-haired Trey Ecras.
"Trey! Good to see you again!"
Trey's smile was bright despite him involuntarily hiding his yellowed teeth behind his lips. He opened his arms wide, but suddenly showed some hesitation.
Liam could guess what the young man was thinking, stepping forward to reciprocate the hug. Immediately the invisible wall between the two men broke.
When they broke the hug, Trey looked Liam up and down, nodding like a proud brother:
"Look at you, you are doing better and better! Come, let's talk at the fire!"
Liam happily accepted, gathering with his old companions. Trey's mother welcomed him happily, stuffing a piece of bread in his hands despite his refusal.
Next, he was interrogated about his current life. Liam told them about the game, but help back somewhat as he didn't want to sound boastful.
"Ah, I heard about that. Fate of Crunaboul… damn now I'm jealous.", joked Trey.
Liam could see his friend's desire in his eyes.
"Well, what if I had a way for you to play?"
Trey looked at Liam skeptically. The latter wore a teasing smile, presenting an offer which he had discussed with his friends yesterday:
"Our guild will be founded tomorrow and is in dire need of people. You can join us and even get a console! Don't worry about the money, you can slowly pay it back from your wages! And naturally, I can assist you!"
Liam didn't lie to Trey. Every guild needed not only top talents but also common members who worked daily to accomplish guild quests. Maxing out the member limit was important for the fast development of the guild.
For this reason, they had already decided to hand out consoles on a loan basis. But all of this was only possible with a generous upfront investment from Silva, which would be decided this evening when the Colvilles had another family meeting.
But Trey appeared to be skeptic. Despite trusting his best friend, he didn't expect such a pie to fall from the sky. It took Liam a few minutes to convince him.
Eventually Trey trembled from excitement, knowing that this was a big chance.
Liam smiled brightly while turning towards Trey's mother:
"Ms. Ecras, what do you think? Are you willing to join as well?"
Noticing the hesitation on the woman's face, Liam was already prepared:
"You don't have to. Our guild also has a need for workers outside the game. We will build a gaming house, which needs to be maintained. I'm sure you will find a job there.
This goes for all of you!"
Liam swiped his eyes over the community, which welcomed him so selflessly in the past. He was happy, finally having some ability to give back. But suddenly he frowned, feeling that something was missing.
"Hey, Trey. Where is the pastor?"
Immediately the mood became heavy. Trey hesitated before saying:
"We don't know… He went out yesterday and hasn't come back yet."
"What? Do you know where he went?", asked Liam in shock.
"Well, he wanted to negotiate with some people who have been harassing us recently."
Looking at everyone's faces, Liam's stomach sank.
"Did something happen to the pastor?"
"I don't know…", whispered Trey.
Memories rose in Liam's mind of the good-natured pastor who took care of the community. His thoughts moved quickly as he came to a decision.
"Trey, can you show me where the pastor went missing? I want to help him!"
"What? No, it's way too dangerous.", sated Trey's mother instantly, echoed by the others.
Liam let out a sigh, noticing how afraid they were. It took him a long time to convince them, promising that he would be careful.
Eventually Trey's mother agreed reluctantly, telling Trey to show Liam the place.
The two friends left the community, making their way through the lower city. It didn't take long for them to reach the edge, where the lower city fused with the middle city, leading to a large industrial park in which Liam worked a few times in the past.
Trey brought his friend into an abandoned building, entering a flat on the upper floor. A spicy smell entered Liam's nose coming from the industrial area, explaining why this building had been abandoned.
Looking around he suddenly raised his brows, noticing the clear footsteps on the dusty floor. He glanced at Trey but didn't say anything.
Together they settled next to a window. Trey pointed out a large warehouse not far away.
"You see that building? It's a base of some gang. While most gangs have been hiding since the last purge by the army, this one has become bolder! They harassed us multiple times, which prompted the pastor to seek them out.
Since then… he hasn't come back."
"Don't worry. I'm sure he is alright! I will get him out!"
"I can only hope you are right…"
Trey looked at his friend with mixed emotions. He was surprised by Liam's courage. Usually no one dared to mess with the gangs.
But Liam's eyes were transfixed on the warehouse. He felt a hint of excitement. The knife in his hand, which he grabbed from his former home, trembled faintly.
However, he quickly admonished himself for his feelings.
Don't be stupid, Liam! Go in with your shadow cloak, find the pastor, and leave!
The shadow cloak was where Liam's confidence stemmed from. He was looking forward to putting this item rewarded by C to the test.
The young man scanned the warehouse for a few minutes, studying the layout, before preparing to go.
"Trey, I don't know how long I will take. Whatever might happen, don't follow me. If I don't return within a day just call the army!"
Trey frowned, looking at Liam with conflicting emotions, scoffing lightly:
"The army? You think they would help us? Are you joking?"
"I don't know…
Liam really wasn't certain. The lower city was generally unsupervised by the army. But Liam guessed that they might make a move to rescue him since they are trying to recruit him.
Therefore, he patted Trey's shoulder reassuringly before leaving the flat. With a quick thought a long, black cloak suddenly appeared in his hands.
Liam felt the mysterious fabric in his hands and was immediately intrigued.
Maybe I should take some time to study this thing. It would be great if I could figure out how it works.
Unfortunately, now was not the time. Liam could only ask C for information.
C, can you introduce this shadow cloak to me?
Immediately, a panel was mysteriously projected before his eyes.
[Shadow Cloak
Effect: Shield the wearer from all means of detection for 120 seconds.
Cooldown: 1 hour]
C, what does all means of detection include?
Liam waited for a few seconds, but he didn't receive an answer. His brows twitched.
Do I really have to test it myself?
Liam let out a sigh, draping the black cloak over his shoulders. With a thought the magical effect was activated. Liam didn't notice any change except for a small countdown in the corner of his vision.