Cass didn’t remember falling asleep. One moment, Bella had been nuzzling his face as the last remaining Councilors expressed their concerns over the state of the city. The next, he was waking up in a bed, the constant pull of the Guildmaster’s Annex calling to him.

  Adya was seated in the Guild Master’s chair, dead asleep with her face pointed toward the closed door. At a glance, he could see how disheveled she was, his emotional connection dark and empty while she rested. When he’d lain on the floor, her emotions had been turbulent to say the least. It was nice to have someone care for you that much, but the intensity worried him.

  As for his bonded, his Bella ping was telling him that she stood just outside the room. No doubt she was guarding him, as she would every time he worked out in her stall. Habits were funny that way, apparently even for horses.

  The whole incident in the Atrium had only reinforced his mindset. He was not a combatant. He had some means to pull through events that would probably kill him, no doubt to the shock of many, but he was no warrior. His Survivor path wasn’t designed to fight, only to survive, and he was lucky to have it.

  The paralysis at this point had mostly worn off, though lingering remnants affected the worst possible places at this moment. He didn’t make light of it. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to unlock Survivor, Cass would be in the same position Hollis currently found himself in. But he was still paying the dividends of yesterday’s brutality.

  There was a great lingering weakness in his body, as was apparent when he tried to sit up and felt the shakiness strike his supporting arms. He had an idea of what that meant from oddball conversations between his parents; he needed food and rest. But this was a morning where that would have to wait.

  Because there were Callings to hand out.

  As he tried to sit up further, his arms gave out and he collapsed back into bed with an “umph!” A splitting headache worked its way into his brain, but more than that, it woke up his interior guard.

  Adya’s eyes shot open with alacrity as she looked in his direction, “You’re awake! How’re you feeling?”

  He tried to speak, but his tongue and jaw still held some leftover remnant of the poison. It mostly came out as garbledy gook that wouldn’t be very impressive from the Atrium’s stand. Adya understood his frustration right away, her body going stiff as she looked him over.

  “That’ll disappear with time, I think. Master Brannic and one of the Valiant healers came by earlier and said you’re recovering quickly. Fast enough that they…may have taken a bit of your blood.” When his eyes shot wide open, she threw her hands out, “I told them that wasn’t fair and that you should be asked when conscious, but when Master Brannic said it might be needed to cure the Guild Master…well.”

  That mollified Cass a little, but he was going to have words with the head of the Foundry the moment his tongue decided to work. Since he still couldn’t talk, he tried to communicate with her purely through feeling alone. It didn’t go well.

  “Are you hungry? No? Thirsty? Yes, wait…no?”

  Cass tried speaking again as the slow-burning of healing continued to push the poison out of his system, “Cashewlings.”

  Adya, bless her heart, really tried to understand him. “I can get Cashews, I think.”

  Cass gently shook his head and weakly propped himself up again, “Chawlings.”

  “Chawlings?” She paused, “Chawlings? Oh! Callings!” She looked him over as she thought about it, “I think they can wait a day.”

  Cass shook his head again, “Grild Rasta. Schee mee. Schity, doughs I arrive.”

  Adya ran that through her mind, “As the Guild Master you think you need to be seen so the city knows...arrive?”

  “Allrive.”

  “Oh, so they know you’re alive. Hrmm…” She stepped forward and pushed on his chest. For the second time, he collapsed with an Oomph. “Yeah, you can barely sit up, and I don’t think we want you speaking. It’s only a day, Cass.”

  “Mrow,” Cass said, trying to imply with his feelings how important this was. “Hrope, preople reed hrope.”

  “But how are we…” She trailed off as he felt her emotions level out, then leap up in excitement. “I’ve got it!”

  Amelia...

  Not twenty minutes after that conversation, six young people walked the Uncalled Way deep within the Atrium. They stepped past the bristling guards, past the memories of every Lioran who had once walked the same way, and marveled at the pictures riding along the line of the wall.

  In the front was a young man not much past fifteen, but whose body would fit better on a giant. Though the ceiling was high, he instinctively ducked his head to move through the area, his five trailing companions following along in his great shadow.

  Near the rear was a young woman, thinner than most, with flowing red hair trailing far past her shoulders. She moved with trepidation, having not gained her Calling in the previous instance. There were only so many offers, and she greatly worried that this would be a dud as well.

  As they entered the brightly lit room, a sharp-eyed woman stood in their way. Reaching out, she showed them all a silver dial in her hand, a round impression on the top. They wouldn’t be allowed in unless they completed the ‘test’, as she called it. With a heaving shrug, the young man in the front went first and made not a sound. That couldn’t be said for the following Uncalled, who gasped and swung his hand in the air.

  When it was her turn, the sparks lit up, causing Amelia to sharply breathe in with a hiss before she could stop herself. Presenting her hand as the others had, the woman looked it over far more closely than expected, then told her she could proceed. When she walked in, Amelia wasn’t ready for what awaited her.

  In a line, the group of five stood before her as they all stared up at the Book of Callings and the man beside it. She’d heard rumors after the announcement. That he wasn’t much older than them; That he was new to his Calling. Some even said that he was too young and inexperienced to run the Guild. But that wasn’t what she saw right now.

  Astride a giant bay horse was the temporary Guild Master himself. Feet in stirrups, he looked less like a boy a little older than herself, and more like a warning. He sat up straight and stiff as a board while looking upon them. His standard brown robes had splotches of blood dripped across them like a painting. Torn and rent, the Guild Master looked like he’d been through a hellish experience and come out the other side stronger. Or maybe harder. Amelia wasn’t sure if that made him inspiring…or terrifying.

  With a startling slowness, he raised a hand up before the person in front could speak, “I’m…tired, so this will…not be… a long speech.” Each word sounded like it was pulled from him with a hook. Even the horse seemed to be listening.

  “Times are…harsh. The danger…paramount. But you, will stand, forefront in my mind.” He paused again, leaning back a little on his steed. “We have to have…hope. Bravery. A willing-willingness to fight for one…another. Or Liora…will fall. So,” He gestured, and for a brief moment she thought he might fall off his horse, but it was only a moment. “-so come. Take your Calling. Your…future. I am…excited to see…you grow.”

  An older man in guild robes stepped up next to the Book of Callings. In the quiet, the clearing of his throat was loud, “My name is Maestro Thomas Moore. If you would please step up, we can begin.” He moved to the Book of Callings, then opened the cover.

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  Amelia stepped up.

  Cass...

  Cass was exhausted. The act of sitting up straight and waiting for his body to fight off the remaining pieces of poison still drifting through his body was more than time-consuming; it was painful.

  Before he’d been helped onto Bella by both Adya and his guard, they’d scrounged up some quick food and drink for him. Jimmy, the unsmiling Guard’s name, had been fast, but the nourishment wasn’t enough. He should be in bed at this point. Yet here he sat, squinting in pain at the Uncalled. This wasn’t fair to them. He should be the happy, smiling Guild Master that Hollis had presented on his big day. Instead, they got the bloody, glaring Cassio Vale. A remnant of a young man who, when all was said and done, had taken a single hit before being knocked out of the fight.

  Not exactly a beacon of hope.

  The uncalled stepped up. He was huge, and though Cass stared at him, Profile gave up no information. Must be from the satellite locations, Cass thought. How he got here with everything going on out there is a mystery. He blinked tired eyes as the young man followed Moore’s instructions.

  Reaching out a monster of a hand, it engulfed the two pages of the book as Cass’s screen lit up.

  [Proclamation of Calling – The Liora Region] By Authority of the Calling System of this Sovereign Land

  Let it be known, recorded, and entered into the annals of our Regional Registry:

  Name of Recipient: Daniel Keff

  Calling Received: That of the Earthmolder, a practitioner of earthly arts and elemental command, as conferred by the United Calling Registry.

  Designation: Recognized henceforth as an Unaffiliated Mage, bearing no current allegiance to guild, banner, or institutional order.

  Status of Confirmation: Accepted, attested by the Vocators as nominal and ratified into public record on this day.

  So entered with solemn authority under the authority of the UCR and the Charter of Callings.

  What in the hell is that? Cass questioned as the young man accepted his Calling, a broad smile spreading across his face. United Calling Registry? And why is it written that way?

  The mention of the Vocators was curious. He idly wondered if he had never learned of the Vocators in Hollis’s letter, would the writing look different? How much of what the System said to him was truth, and how much was subterfuge?

  The next person stepped up and received a Calling that seemed to lack what they were looking for. They accepted their role as a Cooper, but there was no elation to be had in their eyes. They stepped to the side where a Guild clerk walked them away, whispering to them what their next steps would be. Cass didn’t like the bend in their shoulders.

  Even with what I can see now, I have no choice in what Callings they receive. It must be automated somehow.

  Cass mentally noted that the stands above were full and steeled himself on Bella’s back. They were here to celebrate the futures of their friends and family, and maybe even to scout for a new apprentice. He couldn’t allow himself to slump down or look anything other than the strong Guild Master his people needed.

  Each person stepped up and followed the same process. They warily glanced at the Book of Callings. They curiously looked at Moore. Then, they gulped, looked at him, and placed their hand on the book.

  Was he that scary? He didn’t think so. There hadn’t been time to both eat, drink, get on Bella, and change his robe. But maybe that was for the better.

  Let those above, as well as those taking their Callings, see what kind of fight they were in right now. Let them all see what the Guildhall had become. Floor scorched, the smell of ozone drifting through the air; The man in charge showing signs of injury and fighting. That was the war right now, and he was fine with the visual.

  Hope could be etched in blood when it was necessary.

  It’s like Hollis always said, Humanity will prevail. He never said humanity wouldn’t get injured to all hell. What Cass didn’t want to think about was that humanity had also caused his injuries, but it came on unbidden anyway.

  Adya poked his leg and he got a feeling of warmth from her at the same time that irritation filtered in from his bonded. Bella lightly tossed her head, scaring the second-to-last Uncalled enough that he threw his hand on the book, then walked away before the announcement was even done hitting their screens.

  The last person to approach was a young reddish brown-headed girl. Profile did have a slight amount of information on her. Apparently, she lived and worked in the Depot, and her parents were involved in sorting and identifying materials brought in from Dungeons. Cass didn’t remember seeing her during the Pathfinder days, so it was likely that the information came from Adya.

  The girl performed the same ritual as the others, but the announcement was one he wasn’t expecting.

  [Proclamation of Calling – The Liora Region] By Authority of the Calling System of this Sovereign Land

  Let it be known, recorded, and entered into the annals of our Regional Registry:

  Name of Recipient: Amelia Rodriguez

  Calling Received: That of the QuestWright, a seeker and constructor of noble endeavors, charged with shaping, issuing, and guiding Quests of import and consequence, as conferred by the United Calling Registry.

  Designation: Recognized henceforth as an Unaffiliated Administrator, bearing no current allegiance to guild, banner, or institutional order.

  Notice: The QuestWright Calling offering has not been accept-

  It took all of a moment for the girl to look at him with wide eyes, blink once, then make her own decision.

  Status of Confirmation: Accepted, attested by the Vocators as nominal and ratified into public record on this day.

  So entered with solemn authority under the authority of the UCR and the Charter of Callings.

  Notice: Would you like to automatically assign QuestWright Amelia to the Liora Guildhall at this time?

  Oof, that’s a rough question.

  Cass hated to do it, as he remembered how it felt when he was in her shoes, but the Dark Guilds had already shown who their targets were. A young QuestWright gaining her Calling on the day after both Guild Masters were incapacitated? One whom, it was possible, would automatically be assigned an important position should anything happen to him?

  Her life was far more dangerous now than it had been all of five seconds ago. As for why a new QuestWright was raised, Cass had some guesswork about that.

  Hollis was paralyzed, so he left a letter inferring his authority into me. I come under attack, and somehow the Book of Callings knows, registers that fact, then raises another QuestWright in case I don’t survive. That way, there’s never a time when the Guild goes without one. I thought I was a good planner, but Hollis puts me to shame.

  He knew that QuestWrights were important, he just couldn’t shake off the odd feeling of being replaced.

  Here he was, in charge of the entire Guild, and he felt jealous of someone taking on the same Calling as himself. Like dad always says, ‘There’s always more growing up to do.’

  Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he accepted the automatic shift. The girl stumbled for a moment, then looked around in a light panic. Cass sighed, then looked up at the crowd.

  “Young Amelia and… I, need to have a word. If you will excuse us. Oh,” Damn twists everywhere I turn. I forgot the last line. “Congratulations to all of you…on receiving your Calling.”

  Sending his feelings to Bella, she turned and plodded toward his new office as Adya coaxed the girl along. Cass got the feeling she stumbled a few times on the way over, but she followed all the same.

  When they got there, Jimmy stepped over and blocked everyone’s view as Adya helped him down from his horse. Legs buckling, they scooted into the Guild Master’s office as the young girl came in. Adya closed the door with a flash of silver after helping Cass into the Annex.

  Cass leaned his head against the chair, turning his back on a map drowning in a sea of red. “Hello Amelia, how’re you feeling?”