The Manaverse

Radiance

Granite City

Jut sighed as the automatic locking door of the Radiance 's third floor clicked shut behind him. The nifty enchantment always caught him off guard. Well, except for today. He was too busy thinking about the encounter he just had.

The smaller room was open and well lit by the panes of long, clear glass that let in the Red sun's rays. There were some light fixtures that held magical lights made by Truman and his enchanting crew that were off but would light up after the sun went down. The space between the door Jut entered through and counter was large enough for around ten to fifteen people to be shopping comfortably at the same time. The counter itself was made of three large display cases that wrapped the room, leaving a small space behind it. An attendant could walk behind the case and pull items out for the customer to take a closer look at. A few racks of clothing and armor were spaced in the middle of the room on the customers' side. Besides the door Jut walked in through, there was only one more door on the other side of the room, behind the counter. It was made of a thick dark wood and required a special key. It also had the same automatic lock enchantment. Being a registered member of the Guild allowed one to bypass these locks with a simple touch.

Looking around, Jut found who he was looking for behind the counter. Diggy was loading items into the middle display case.

"Diggy, my man." Jut said as he approached the counter.

The Minotaur popped up, a grin on his face. "Jut, dude. I didn't expect you here. What's up? Bringing me more weapons to sell?"

"I did. I brought a few more elemental weapons. We can't seem to keep them in stock, no matter how many I craft." Jut sighed again as the pair danced through their always random handshake.

"Probably because yours are always a higher quality than most of the other Weapon Smiths' around. Either that, or the other Smith's are too busy making nails, hinges and other hardware for the Safe Zone's Builders." Diggy said with a knowing grin. "Hasn't the Safe Zone requested the same of you, too?"

Jut nodded. "I turned in my requested, weekly quota on my way here. Two hundred normal ranked, Stone Metal nails. Two hundred more are due by next Thursday." The Drakkin reached into his inventory pouch and pulled out a few of the weapons he had mentioned and set them on the counter top for Diggy to examine; one mace, one short sword, and four daggers in total.

"Damn, Jut. These just keep getting better and better. When are you going to replace the team's weapons?" Diggy asked, holding up the elemental mace to catch light off of it's Stone Metal surface. It's surface emanated the soft, green energy of wind magic.

Jut gave his best friend a grin. "Oh, I will do just that soon enough. I have a surprise for the whole fighting team. I just need some time with Truman to finish the last of them. It also depends on if the Beastly Five take me up on my offer or not."

Diggy cocked an eyebrow at Jut. "Already asked them to join the Guild then?"

Jut shook his head. "Not yet. I did, however, give them all a Radiant Invitation just before I made it up here. They were eating downstairs. I expect them to show up soon." He cleared his throat feeling awkward, then nodded. "Hey, bro. I - uh - have a message for ya."

Diggy tipped his head, looking Jut over. The Guild Leader was acting hesitant, even for him. "Just spit it out, dude. What message?"

"Here. She told me to pass it to you." Jut accessed his Contact List and "shared" Catherine Kammy's contact information with Diggy.

"Who is this?" Diggy gave his friend a curious look.

"She's the Headmistress of the Academy. She was eating with the Beastly Five downstairs. I guess one of them works for the Academy and brought her with."

Diggy made a gagging sound. "Who picked their name? Are they all that Beastly?" His expression turned curious once more. "Was the Headmistress hot? And, doesn't that mean she is a Safe Zone Staff member?"

Jut shrugged, but couldn't hide his grin. "It does, but I guess you'll have to contact her yourself and find out." Jut was concerned about her association with the Safe Zone. Despite the fact that they have provided so much for the citizens, they have given him nothing but grief so far.

As if the Beastly Five had heard them talking about them, the door opened slowly. Sky and Mike entered cautiously.

Diggy, despite being on the night crew for so long, was very charismatic. He instantly jumped to attention and an inviting smile appeared across his lips. "Welcome to the V.I.P. section. Please, look around to your hearts content. Remember, your Radiant Invitation will only allow you two hours of access. Once your time is up, you will be prompted to return to the second floor."

Jut thought the warning Diggy gave was a little much, but even Wendy had told him it was a good idea. It was a good idea to set expectations early on to avoid any issues.

Jut tried for a grin himself and felt he was rather successful. After all, he had been the one to invite them upstairs so he needed to . "Sky... And Mike, right?" Jut asked, seeing their Safe Zone profiles flash in their vision thanks to Alex.

Mike looked around. He looked stunned. "I already noticed it down stairs, but how do you guys have so much glass in a non-System building?"

"Oh, our Guild's Builder knows a lot of people. We provide the materials and he finds someone to do the job." Jut gestured to the nearest display. "Go ahead, look around. We've got some pretty cool stuff."

The Roc-kin had been stunned into silence and he appeared to be nearly vibrating with a growing excitement. "This is so cool. Thanks for the invitation. I wanted to thank you for the Skill Orbs to you gave us. They have really helped." Sky stepped closer to Jut and stuck out a feather covered hand. Nervous words continued to pour from the bird man. "You have no idea. We wouldn't have made it as far as we have without those Skills. You guys are so cool. That Dungeon clear was amazing. We were-"

Jut took Sky's hand and shook it. His sharp first word cut off the other man's stream of words. "Breathe, Sky. That's it. And it's no biggie. We were glad to help. Now, use that excess energy to check things out. You might benefit from some of them." Jut gestured to the first section of the room, the stands of armor. He pointed to one item in particular. It was a long flowing robe, dyed a sapphire blue. Jut examined the item's information as he let the Roc-kin step into place to check it out for himself.

Item: Water Linen Robe

Type: Armor

Slot: Chest

Rank: Stone

Durability: 100%

Damage Resistance: Minor Slashing

Rarity: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Enchaments: Self-Repair

Affinity: Water

Description:

A magical robe woven from Linen. The potency of Water Aspected Spells' and Skills' is increased by a small amount.

+2 Intelligence

Creator: Joy Armstrong

Enchanted by: Truman Styles

Both Sky and Mike poured over the different sets of armor on the display. There was a healthy mix of cloth, chain mail and partial plate armor. Each piece had a different elemental affinity and increased a variety of stats. It wasn't long before the two were eyeing specific pieces that would match their own needs.

Just like with Jut finding out how to increase the rank of his crafting materials, so did the rest of the Crafters in the Guild. Even without Jut telling them about his success, they would have stumbled upon their own various processes when they upgraded their Crafting Skills. Due to Jut's ability to get more Monster Cores, the entire team was able to experiment pretty freely with them. This led to many new items for them to sell, all of which were saved for the their new V.I.P. section where they planned to sell their best items.

Sky and Mike were like children in a brand new candy shop, running from case to case to examine the different items on display. Sky leaned in close to the case on the far right, looking at the red, blue and green potions. Jut pulled up the information on the red one on the top shelf in the middle of the display. The liquid was the same color as the previous potions Isabelle had made for the team, but this one had a subtle red glow emanating from the bottle as well.

Item: Health Potion of Fire

Type: Potion

Rank: Stone

Rarity: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Affinity: Fire

Description: A Stone Ranked Health Potion. Consume or place on injuries to restore 50% max HP and heal the body. This effect is halved for each rank you are above this potion's rank. Will initiate a 45 minute Health Potion Cooldown upon use. Will reduce the effectiveness of all healing effects by 10% for 24 hours or until sleeping for 6 or more hours. Will increase the users resistance to fire Magic by 25% for 30 Minutes.

Creator: Isabelle Wynters

Between the center case that had Jut's Stone Ranked weapons set out and the final case on the left that had Monster Cores, Skill Orbs, and other System spawned items, everything else in the shop were Normal ranked, enchanted items. Jut's favorite items were the regular clothing with the self-repair and the perfect fit enchantments Truman and Joy had made together. He only wished all the clothes had from before the initialization could have received them too. He examined a black T-shirt Mike was considering.

Item: Shirt

Type: Clothing

Slot: Chest

Rank: Normal

Durability: 100%

Damage Resistance: n/a

Rarity: Uncommon

Quality: Average

Enchantments:

Self-Repair

Perfect Fit

Description:

A casual garment made to cover the chest. This item will repair itself over time. One size fits most.

Creator:

Joy Armstrong

Enchanted by:

Truman Styles

Just like when a child's excitement at the new candy store had dissipated, Sky and Mike each picked one item and had Diggy begin to ring them up at the single System Panel in the room. Jut took that moment to butt in.

"Before you make your purchase, I wanted to ask you guys something." Jut said, putting on the best inviting smile he could muster.

Sky looked at Jut and froze. His expression was a thorough mix of terrified, confused, and happy all at once. It was Mike who responded to Jut.

"What's up, Mr. Zoak?"

"Please, call me Jut. My team wants to run the Dungeon again. Only this time, we want to do the ten person mode instead. Would the Beastly Five be interested in filling in as our other five team members?"

Both of the men looked even more stunned than when they had arrived, as if they never imagined they would be asked a question like that.

The Roc-kin started to nod his head, his words tumbling out over each other. "Us? what? Of course. I mean, are you sure?"

Mike was the one who came to his senses first. "I know I want in, but we have to talk to the whole team. When were you guys planning on going?"

Jut shrugged. "Talk to your team first. We can meet as a group and plan it out later."

As if his brain had finally connected to the rest of his body once more, Sky nodded. "That's probably for the best." His bird like features twisted into contemplation. "I think I can get them to come up here now to talk about it. They are still downstairs."

"Are we really still called the Beastly Five?" Mike complained to Sky, the latter's gaze far away as he accessed his Communications System.

Sky nodded slowly, his tone distracted. "We haven't agreed upon a new one yet. I can't change our name to nothing, even if nothing would be better than something dumb."

Mike let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. "It is kind of dumb, yeah, but not as dumb as some of the names we discussed when we picked it."

"Well, I only suggested it because we couldn't decide on anything cooler. It's better than the "fantastic five." Sky retorted, his gaze still far off. He nodded again then looked at Jut. "The rest of the team is coming up now."

Before Jut could respond, Mike cut in. "Oh, come on, it would have been a great tribute to some awesome comic book heroes. Where did you even come up with the Beastly Five anyway?"

Jut smiled and laughed at the pair after they started bickering over names and previous suggestions while they waited for the rest of their team to arrive. "So, how about becoming Radiant Crusaders then?" He spoke just loud enough for his words to register with the two men.

Diggy grinned and nodded his agreement. "We are recruiting just now." Jut gave his friend a grateful grin.

Dumbfounded, Sky and Mike turned to look at them.

"Seriously? Us?" Sky asked.

"Are you serious?" Mike asked in unison.

"Deadly. If I don't start recruiting in earnest, the Guild's Administrator will literally kill me. Your team was the first I wanted to make the offer to." Jut said seriously. "If your team agrees, you can keep the Beastly Five as your team's name, if you so desire."

"But, why us?" Sky asked again. He looked so down trodden when he said it, it made Jut feel awkward. "We can't even clear the Dungeon yet."

Mike's mood dropped too. "He's not wrong. We struggle to even clear out Lairs and Dens, that's if we can even find any."

Jut gave his best understanding look. "With so many Adventurers out hunting, the number of Dens and Lairs is going down fast it seems. I am sure more will spawn. As to why you? We want to expand the Guild, but I don't want an open registration. Not yet, at least. I chose to approach your team specifically because I think you all try your best and are doing what needs to be done for all the right reasons. Don't sweat clearing the Dungeon yet. We will work with you guys and see if we can offer any help if it's needed. You might just need to level up your Skills a bit. I know we should have. We almost didn't get the clear at all."

The two looked to one another, uncertain and unsure what to say.

"Don't decide just now. Instead, let me show you around the Guild's new complex. Then take a few days to think about it. We can run the Dungeon first and see how we all feel." Jut tried to sound reassuring. "We found another Den we want to clear tonight anyway, so it's no rush."

The door to the public stairs opened again while Jut was talking. A familiar, blonde man walked through the door, followed by the rest of the Beastly Five.

"What's this about a Den? We hitting that Spider one to the South tonight? Oh, and I think I found a few strays on my way here." Brick gestured behind him. He walked over to Jut and offered him his hand. The two high-fived before Brick began unloading pieces of Stone Metal gear onto the table in front of Diggy. The new comers that had followed him in all started looking around the small shop area.

"Hey! I am not a stray!" The dog-like Beastkin, Roxy, said in a feisty tone. She was instantly distracted. "Oh...that looks awesome." She rushed over to one of the stands of gear.

"Calm down, pup. I was just teasing." Brick said with a small chuckle as he approached her and ruffled her hair.

"Just because I am a Canine-kin doesn't mean I am dog, dude." Despite the look of frustration on her face and in her tone, the dog woman leaned into Brick's touch.

"Maybe not. But you seem to like head pats." Brick teased further.

The teasing and laughter that followed broke any tension from Jut's offer and soon the three Crusaders and the Beastly Five were chatting easily. The only one still a little hyped up was SKy, but he seemed to be calming down.

The Roc-kin spoke up, still a little timid. "You...you mentioned a tour?"

The three others that joined late all looked excited. It was clear to them after looking around the building that a majority of the space on the second and third floors was not used for the shops, leaving a lot of the massive building unaccounted for.

It was Brick who answered. "Oh, yeah. If you guys are seriously considering joining the Guild, you need to see the place first. It's pretty sweet. I am sure it will sway your answer."

Diggy lifted the section of the counter that allowed access behind it and gestured for the Beastly Five to follow him. "Right this way."

Even though he felt out of his element, Jut took charge of the group and began their tour after they all squeezed past the counter. The door lead to a hallway reminiscent of the one on the bottom floor that reached the far end of the building. There were a few couches and decorations spaced between the multiple doors on either side.

"This floor has our crafting rooms, a room we have set up for a gym, a sparing ring and a meeting room." Jut explained, gesturing to doors around him. He stopped and showed them the insides of the rooms as they passed. The rooms were empty for now, but each was labeled with what they would become. Each was also a moderate size, almost double the size of their penthouse rooms. "We should be setting up the forges and other crafting stations within the week. The Gym already has some simple weights. However, the sparring room seems a little complicated, but out lead Enchanter said he was close to figuring it out."

"I can't wait. I'd much rather craft the stuff I make to sell here than in our assigned housing." Brick said with a sigh. "Then I won't have to walk all the way down here after using up all of my Stamina."

The Beastly Five remained mostly quiet as they looked around each room. Their excitement was evident and Jut was pretty sure they were already going to say yes to his offer. At the minimum, he figured they would run the Dungeon. He lead them down the stairs on the far end of the hall to the second floor. It was a large, open living space with a full kitchen and dinning room. It was large enough to fit all of the Crusaders, the Beastly Five and many more people besides. The panes of glass here were larger than on the other floors and the space was very comfortable.

"This is the common area, where the crafters and other Guild members can rest and relax between adventuring, training or crafting. Crimson will keep the fridge well stocked too. We are also going to hang a jobs' board on the wall, similar to the one at the Adventurer's Guild. The tasks we will put up will mostly be resource gathering tasks, but it's a good start."

The Elf of the Beastly Five, Jut saw her name was Diana thanks to Alex, spoke up as she looked around the open living area. "If you guys have those penthouses, why are you setting this place up instead?" Her voice contained a small amount of awe. "And how did you build this place so quickly?"

"We wont get to keep all three of them forever, so we decided to get our own place started." Brick said with a shrug. "We've already been approached by some of the Safe Zone's staff to see if we would vacate at least one of them. We wont. Not until the year's end at least. Hopefully, by that time, we will have a fourth floor put into place with residences available for the whole Guild."

"The building went up so quickly due to all the help our Builder, Derrick, was able to get. And you know, System Fuckery." Diggy gave the Beastly Five a wide grin as all of them nodded. It was still astounding to most people how easy the System made some things.

Through a second door that lead from the first floor's restaurant area, Isabelle and Joy walked in. They both grinned when they saw the other team looking around.

"Did they say yes?" Joy asked, looking at Jut.

"Not yet. How about we all discuss that now?" Jut asked and gestured to the long table in the middle of the room.

The ten adventurers all sat around. Jut couldn't help but smile to himself. They were going to be the first ones to clear ten person mode, he just knew it.