I stare at the contact that I completely forgot I had with more than a little disbelief. This is the second time I've ever talked to Gil. One of the last places I would've expected to do it, too. Is he stuck selling stuff for store credit just like all the other constructs, I wonder? And how the hell does he have his messenger function unlocked already?

Slowly I take a breath and steady my thoughts. No need to theorize when I can just ask the guy.

'Hey, Gil. Yeah, it has been a while, hasn't it? I found the 'right way' to get into this quest, which involves a pretty convoluted series of things I don't feel like getting into right now.' I pause, briefly consider adding more detail, but ultimately decide against it. 'So you're actually taking part in the quest now, right? How come your Class Card isn't greyed out?'

I tap send and wait for a response. It pings in a minute later.

'Apparently I'm 'not subject to all quest restrictions', whatever that means. Probably because I have to access my Class Card to sell things, and since I was brought here to sell things, the quest can't lock me out of that. Unfortunately I'm also getting bloated with a bunch of bones people are shoving at me, and apparently I'm not allowed to say 'no'.'

Gil's sigh is obvious even through plain text. But if he's not complaining about store credit, then maybe there is an outlet here to earn more Worth.

'Sometimes you forget the system hates us, and then it goes and does shit like this.' I write.

'No doubt, no doubt. So what district are you stuck in? Mine's just called 'furthest', which kind of scares the crap out of me.'

Eurgh, that doesn't bode well. 'We're in Yunrov. Can you see anything but endless walls?'

Gil sends a text string that looks like a shaking head. It actually moves, which is pretty impressive. 'Walls, walls, and more walls from my perspective. Weird that they'd call a district furthest and not put it at the furthest point, but who knows? Space is probably warped to all hell here anyway, so the ends could be wrapping back around each other to make a cityscape ouroboros.'

Another terrifying thought. One I can definitely make use of. 'I'll see if I can find out how far apart we are. Worst comes to worst, I can send someone with a relocation coin so we can meet face to face. One last question; are you buying stuff for Worth or store credit right now?'

'Worth.' Gil replies less than two seconds after I hit send. 'The quest tried to make me use store credit, but my skill overwrote it. Stupid thing bitched at me for a good ten minutes straight before it dropped me in a huge-ass store with a fountain in the middle. I spent half an hour just trying to find out what the squiggles I was supposed to be selling actually were!'

I chuckle and move to send my Class Card away, but the reality of Gil's situation stills my hand. His skill basically puts him at the whims of the system. One second he could be sitting with friends, chatting up a storm, and the next he's… well… here. Stuck in a quest that he didn't ask to be a part of. Maybe that's why I haven't seen much of him at all. There's a damn good chance he has even less freedom than the rest of us Worth Classes.

'Is this why you're not around that much? Because you're getting yanked from one quest or clearance upgrade to another?'

The next message takes a little longer to come in. Almost like Gil's hesitating. I'll have to take whatever he writes with a grain of salt.

'Whatever you're thinking–it's probably about that bad. Yeah, unless I'm doing something where the system can't kidnap me, there's always the risk that I'll just disappear because the system needs a shopkeep that's strong enough to survive whatever quest it's got going on. Usually it's just for a few hours, but sometimes it's like right now where I actually have to finish the quest to get out.'

Wow. Just… wow. That sucks so unbelievably hard. 'Shit, have you found any workarounds?'

'Oh, yeah, one or two. Other Worth classes are number one and actually getting into quests of my own is number two. I'd love to stay and chat some more, but there's something going on, and my gut's telling me not to take out my Class Card in front of these people. Anything else before I gotta go?'

He said 'these people'. Meaning more than one. That shouldn't surprise me, but it does open the possibility for a very specific scenario.

'The people you're with–are any of them masked?'

'Mmhm. One of them is a horizonguard, but I'm not sure where from. Damn, time's up. I'll message you again when it's safe for me to talk. Anything you send from now until then won't get read. See you soon, hopefully.'

The horizonguard. I doubt to all hell there's two of them in this quest, so by pure chance, Gil got sent to their district. Or maybe it's not chance. They could have some items, skills, or spells that let them summon shopkeepers. I send my Class Card away without sending another message and make a mental note for yet another objective we now have to complete. Add that to my vision from the construct, connecting the nearby districts to our tower, and whatever the hell is going on with the fake shellraisers?

Our plates are damn full. And we've got nothing but time to pick them clean.

I turn back to the room with doors. Click looks up at me questioningly as I lean against the frame. "There's a district called 'furthest'. How far are we from it?"

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It furrows its brow. "Furthest. Multiple days at a fast pace without any breaks. But… and I hate to say this… furthest is one long district that encompasses the entire border of the city. If you're looking for something specific inside of it, you may have to run the entire perimeter."

"Shit." I hiss. "We need more info than just that, then. I'll get him to find out the name of the closest district to him. That'll work, right?"

Click nods. "Yes, it will."

"Perfect. I'll be back later." I step away and let the door swing closed. Click tilts its head to the side to try and watch me walk away, but the space closes before I get anywhere of note. My head burns with possibilities, all of which boil down to one fact.

Gil is with the horizonguard. And I can't assume that's a coincidence. Either the quest, the system, or the horizonguard is responsible for this. Depending on who it is the severity of the situation shifts from an annoyance to real possible danger. Because now there's three Worth Classes stuck in this quest.

Which makes it the perfect time for the system to try and get rid of us in one fell swoop.

I pace back and forth at the top of the tower, shooting glances towards the two lighthouses occupied by the five unknowns. Jumble's been in there for a little too long for my liking, but I haven't seen or heard anything that's worth worrying about. Which worries me. Pearl and Clutter at least have a reason for taking so long, but what's keeping Jumble and Euro?

Are they negotiating something without me? Shit, I hope not. There shouldn't be anything to negotiate; all five of the unknowns get tower and facility access, but they have to work together with us. It's the entire point of the damn quest. I sigh and run a hand through my hair. Can't just stand here like this going crazy in my own brain. Gotta do something. I turn and look out the other side of the tower, where the fabric Clutter put up still hangs.

You know, maybe it's time I paid Jumble's friends a visit. Set some things straight.

I stare at the fabric for a few long moments. Yeah. It's time. I nod to myself and make for the stairs, hurry down the tower, and leave its safety in the direction of the lighthouse they call their home. The sight of a figure looking down from the top catches my eye, so I put on my toothiest smile and wave up at them. A flinch visible from down here shakes their body, and they back away instantly.

Wonder which one of them that was.

Crossing the plasticy courtyard takes a little longer than I'd like. Every step feels like there's daggers glared at my back, but my awareness and my eyes both tell me that I'm imagining things. It doesn't stop paranoid shivers from lancing down my spine, or my teeth from clenching so hard that they grind against each other like sharpening knives. As I reach the lighthouse I look up at the hole in the sky. And a slightly solid pink mist that falls from it like the aftereffects of some cosmic gender reveal party.

"That's a new one." I mutter to myself as I put my hand on the wall. It opens easily, and on the other side, all three wait for me. "And here I was thinking you wouldn't be welcoming. Hello again, Ward. Rina. Dani."

Ward and Rina say nothing. Dani grimaces.

"You." He spits. "What have you done to Jumble?"

I shrug and let myself in. Nobody stops me. "Maybe I was just the friend she needed. Maybe I mind controlled her. You'll never know."

"I know." Ward grumbles. "Anyone with eyes knows."

Rina nods in agreement. "It's stupidly obvious. But Dani won't accept it."

"There's nothing to accept! This… this…" Dani shoves a finger in my direction. "This harlot seduced Jumble right out from under us! And for some forsaken reason, Euro decided to side with her!"

"I mean, I kind of get it." Rina mutters.

Dani glares at her, full of venom. She just shrugs. "What? Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong." Dani snaps. "We need to work together on this, not fracture like brittle bones."

"Now he says it." Ward sighs. "But does he actually mean it?"

Colour blossoms on Dani's face. "Of course I do! I want… I want what's best for all of us. Just because I went a little… power mad… it doesn't make me a bad person. But I'm better now."

I can't help but snort in amusement. "Sure, buddy, sure. If you're willing to accept it, I'm willing to extend an olive branch. But there's going to be more than a few stipulations to keep us safe from you."

Dani gawks at my choice of emphasis. "Are you including Jumble and Euro with that 'us' or 'you'?"

"Depends on you." I grin and hold out my hand. "You'll get guest access to the tower. Jumble's in charge of everything you do, and she's responsible for any of your screw-ups. Think you can behave for no reason other than to not embarrass her?"

Dani considers my offer long and hard. He obviously doesn't like the idea that Jumbles in charge, but from the conflict on his face, he doesn't like the idea of losing her either. My awareness flickers as a hand meets my own, but it isn't Dani's.

Ward clasps my outstretched hand with both of his. "As long as we're all on the same page, I have no problems with it. Anything to keep the party together."

As he lets go, Rina nods in agreement and firmly shakes my hand. "As long as we're together. All of us."

She side-eyes Dani as she speaks. The paladin finally sighs and takes a step towards me, obvious discomfort and annoyance written plainly on his face. He takes my hand like it's the most disgusting thing in the world and gives the most half-hearted shake I've ever had the displeasure of being a part of. Grabbing and shaking a dead fish would've been more pleasant.

"As long as we're together." He reluctantly says. "But if that ever changes, we're done. You hear me?"

I pull my hand back as quickly as possible. "Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night. Now that we're buddies, we're going to have a team meeting in the meditation chamber. Attendance is mandatory."

My Class Card pings, and my heart rate spikes. I pull it out fully expecting a rescue plea from Jumble, only to be pleasantly surprised by a simple 'they're all in!'. Relief slips down my spine as I send the thing away and turn back to the three stooges. Who all look strangely terrified compared to a second ago.

"Meeting's now. Let's get moving." I turn to leave, then look over my shoulder. "We've got a shit ton of work to do, so be ready."

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