Chapter 36: Prelude- Guild Wars Tryouts
The studio lights dimmed.
The music faded and just like that
The moment was over.
Crew members moved immediately.
Cameras lowered.
Assistants walked across the stage.
Producers began reviewing footage.
Berry stretched slightly and laughed.
“Well,” she said cheerfully, “that went smoother than half my interviews this week.”
Dillion exhaled slowly. It hadn’t felt smooth.
It had felt like walking across thin ice.
Berry stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“You handled the Guild Wars question well.”
“I didn’t even know what it was.”
“Exactly,” she said.
She smiled like that had been the point.
Behind the stage glass, Isla was already typing rapidly on her tablet.
Alexandra Vale was gone just vanished like she was never there.
That somehow bothered Dillion more than if she had stayed.
Berry followed his gaze. “Oh,” she said lightly. “You noticed.”
“Hard not to.”
“Don’t worry,” she added casually. “If the CEO shows up to watch your interview, that’s usually a good sign.”
“Usually?”
She grinned. “Depends on what she’s evaluating.”
That didn’t help Dillion at all.
A production assistant stepped up beside them.
“Great segment. We’ll push clips within the hour we already started posting some Highlights.”
Berry gave a quick thumbs up. “See? Instant fame.”
“I’d settle for instant coffee,” Dillion muttered.
Berry laughed. “I like you. Watch your back out there.”
Then she was pulled away by another producer.
Just like that, the energy around the stage dissolved.
Lights cooled.
Crew moved equipment.
The moment ended.
Isla met him at the edge of the studio floor.
“Good answers,” she said calmly.
“That Guild Wars thing wasn’t in the briefing.”
“No it was not.”
“Why?”
“Because you weren’t meant to know yet.”
Dillion blinked. “…That’s reassuring.”
“It’s strategic.” Isla said while fixed Dillions Coller
“That doesn't bring me any relief at all” Dillion says as he leans his head back with fake tears rolling down his cheeks
They stepped out of the studio area into the hallway.
The difference in atmosphere was immediate.
The studio had been bright and loud.
The Eden Center corridors were quiet.
Controlled.
Glass walls.
Soft lighting.
Eden logos embedded subtly into the architecture.
“Berry accelerated the narrative,” Isla continued.
“On purpose?”
“Yes, for Momentum,” she said simply.
Dillion shook his head.
“She basically nominated me live on air.”
“Yep.”
“That’s insane.”
“It’s effective.” They walked past a large digital wall.
The SNN logo flashed across it.
Below it, Clips from the interview were already being processed.
His shield block against the Minotauras.
The Sobek strike.
Berry introducing him.
“That was fast,” Dillion said.
“This is the Eden,” Isla replied.
He stopped walking for a moment.
“You mean everything is in this building?”
“Yep.”
“SNN.”
“Yep.”
“Player services?”
“You betcha.”
“Depth terminals?”
“Yes.”
He looked around again.
The building suddenly felt bigger.
Less like an office, more like infrastructure.
Then his phone buzzed.
Once.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Twice.
Then again.
Dillion pulled it from his pocket.
CRIT HAPPENS : Guild Chat
Messages were flying.
Kael
“YOU DIDN’T TELL US YOU WERE DOING SNN”
Lana
“Nice jacket by the way”
Mika
“They showed the Minotaur clip again ??”
Gorran
“Guild Wars??? Explain.”
Dillion scrolled through the chaos.
Another notification appeared.
Private message. Valen. He opened it.
Valen
“I watched the interview.”
A second message followed.
“Enter Sora immediately. Guild suite in 10.”
Dillion exhaled slowly.
“Guild reaction?” Isla asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“Valen wants a meeting.”
“That was inevitable.”
They crossed the Eden Center atrium together.
The building buzzed with movement.
Players heading toward immersion wings.
Technicians assisting new users.
Security scanning badges.
Above them, a massive screen was already replaying the SNN segment.
Berry’s voice echoed faintly through the open space.
DILLION “WATER GUN” RODGERS
A couple players nearby were staring.
“…That’s him.”
“The Sobek guy.”
Dillion kept walking.
Isla didn’t slow down.
They passed the public immersion wing.
Rows of Eden pods stretched down a long glass corridor.
New players stood in line while technicians calibrated neural rigs.
Dillion glanced through the glass as they walked by.
“That line used to be my life,” he said.
“Your first few months,” Isla replied.
“Yeah.” Back then he had waited like everyone else.
Check in.
Queue up.
Find an open pod.
Just another player logging in.
They continued deeper into the building.
The noise faded, the hallway grew quieter.
More private.
More expensive.
Eventually they reached a secured corridor.
GUILD ACCESS
Isla tapped her badge against the panel.
The door unlocked.
Inside was a lounge area reserved for major organizations.
Glass meeting rooms.
Comfortable seating.
Pod suites lining the walls.
Guild emblems marked each door.
Iron Vanguard.
Crimson Talons.
Depth Hunters.
Dillion walked past them calmly.
He had been down this hallway before just not that long ago.
They stopped at the door marked with the silver stormblade crest.
CRIT HAPPENS
Isla opened it, the suite inside was quiet.
Six immersion pods along the wall behind a glass wall,
Large tactical display screens.
A central lounge area the guild often used between Depth runs.
Dillion dropped his phone onto the counter.
“Everyones already in?” he asked.
“Yep. of course they are.”
He walked toward one of the pods.
Unlike the public ones, these were newer.
Faster neural sync.
Cleaner interface.
Guild priority routing.
One of the benefits of belonging to a major organization.
He placed a hand on the pod rim.
“Funny,” he said.
“What is?” Isla asked.
“Three months ago I was organizing travel books on random countries .”
He gestured vaguely back toward the book shelf.
“Now I’ve got a private pod in one of Sora's top guilds.”
Isla didn’t look up from her tablet.
“That’s what happens when you join a successful guild.”
He stepped into the pod.
The canopy slid closed over him.
Soft blue light filled the chamber.
Neural sync initializing. Outside the pod, Isla continued working through her tablet.
Inside, Dillion closed his eyes.
And a moment later, the Eden Center disappeared.
Sora loaded around him.
And somewhere inside the Crit Happens guild suite
Valen was waiting.
The world rebuilt itself around him.
Stone beneath his boots.
Lantern light warming the room.
The familiar interior of the Crit Happens guild suite.
Dillion stood at the center of the room as the last fragments of login light faded around him.
His Eden gear had already loaded in.
Shield strapped to his arm.
Knife at his side.
Light armor fitting comfortably across his shoulders.
Back to normal.
Across the room the entire guild was already there.
Valen stood near the strategy table, arms folded.
Kael leaned against the wall.
Lana sat on the edge of the table.
Gorran stood near the far pillar.
Mika rested near the window.
No one spoke.
The room felt tight.
Not hostile but waiting.
Dillion cleared his throat slightly.
“…So.”
Valen stepped forward. “You finished the interview.”
“Yes.”
“You handled yourself well.”
“…Thanks.”
Valen stopped a few steps away from him.
Studying him carefully, his eyes moved over Dillion’s armor.
Shield.
Knife.
Soul Mark glow.
A long pause....... Then out of nowhere.
Valen burst out laughing.
Not a small chuckle.
Real laughter.
“Oh that’s disappointing.”
Dillion frowned. “What is?”
Valen gestured vaguely at him. “I was hoping the butler outfit would load in.”
The tension in the room shattered instantly.
Kael snorted.
Lana laughed outright.
Even Gorran cracked a smile.
Mika shook her head.
“You mean the Eden jacket?”
Valen wiped his eye. “Yes.”
He straightened up and mimed opening a door.
“Welcome to the Crit Happens estate, sir.”
Kael laughed harder.
“Dillion the Distinguished.”
Gorran nodded approvingly.
“Very professional.”
Dillion crossed his arms and sulked with his head and serious look on his face.
“It was a media jacket.”
Valen grinned. “You looked like you were about to serve tea.”
Mika walked over, still smiling.
“To be fair,” she said, “you did look good.”
Dillion gave her a grateful look. “Thank you Mika.”
Valen clapped him once on the shoulder.
The laughter faded, but the room felt lighter now.
“Relax,” Valen said. “You survived the interview.” “Barely.”
Valen leaned back against the strategy table.
“Welcome to the public eye.”
Dillion exhaled. “I didn’t ask for that.”
Valen shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”
Kael pushed off the wall.
“You realize half of Sora watched that interview already, right?”
Lana nodded.
“It’s all over the network feeds.”
Gorran added, “And Berry dropping Guild Wars like that?”
He shook his head. “That was brutal.”
Dillion rubbed his temples.
“I didn’t even know what Guild Wars was.”
“That’s the funny part,” Kael said.
Valen’s expression shifted slightly.
Still relaxed but focused now.
“Guild Wars is a showcase tournament.”
“Berry said that.”
“She left out the important part.”
Dillion looked up. “What part?”
Valen folded his arms.
“Guild Wars is where the major guilds show off their future.”
Silence settled again.
Not tense.
But serious.
“No captains,” Lana said.
“No vice captains,” Gorran added.
“Only rising players,” Kael finished.
Dillion looked around the room.
Then back at Valen.
“You’re thinking about entering someone.”
Valen shrugged.
“Of course I am.”
Crit Happens is known as a top guild…
“But we’re also known for something else.”
“The weakest top guild,” Kael said.
Lana groaned. “That rumor again.”
Valen smirked. “It’s not completely wrong.”
Dillion blinked. “You’re just saying that?”
Valen shrugged. “I’ve been in the public eye for years.”
"Top twenty-five in Sora. You hear what people say about you.”
He gestured toward the guild.
“They think we survive because we’re organized.”
“They think we’re disciplined.”
“They think we’re careful.”
He looked directly at Dillion.
“But they don’t think we’re dangerous.”
A faint wind blade formed briefly in Valen’s hand, spinning once before dissolving back into the air.
“And Guild Wars…” He smiled slightly.
“…is where that changes.”
Dillion crossed his arms. “So you want me to enter.”
Valen tilted his head. “Nope.”
The room paused.
Kael frowned. “…No?”
Valen looked around the group.
“Dillion is entering.”
Dillion blinked. “…Okay.”
Valen held up a finger. “But you’re not entering alone.”
Silence.
Real confusion now.
Lana looked between them. “Wait.”
Gorran frowned. “Guild Wars teams aren’t full guild deployments.”
Kael straightened slightly. “It’s a small roster format.”
Mika tilted her head. “So who else is going?”
Valen didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he walked around the table slowly, letting the question hang.
Green wind currents curled around his fingers as he thought.
“Crit Happens has a reputation,” he said calmly.
“The weakest top guild,” Kael muttered.
“Careful,” Lana said.
Valen smirked slightly. “It’s not entirely wrong.”
He looked toward Dillion.
“We’re disciplined.”
He gestured toward Gorran.
“Reliable.”
Toward Lana.
“Organized.”
Toward Kael.
“Strategic.”
Then he spread his hands slightly.
“But Guild Wars isn’t about stability.”
He looked around the room. “It’s about momentum.”
Dillion frowned slightly. “You’re building a roster.”
Valen nodded once.
“Exactly.”
Mika crossed her arms. “So who are we bringing?”
Valen smiled faintly. “We don’t know yet.”
That earned him several blank stares.
Kael was the first to say it.
“…What?”
Valen’s grin widened. “Because tomorrow…”
He tapped the table once. “…we’re hosting tryouts.”
Silence.
Then chaos.
“You’re WHAT?” Kael said.
Lana nearly slid off the table. “Tryouts?”
Gorran blinked. “You mean open recruitment?”
Mika laughed once in disbelief. “You’re serious?”
Valen folded his arms.
“Very.”
Dillion looked at him.
“You’re bringing new players into Crit Happens?”
“Possibly.”
“For Guild Wars?”
“Yes.”
Kael rubbed his forehead.
“You realize half of Sora is going to show up.”
“That’s the idea.”
Lana looked between them.
“You’re turning this into a spectacle.”
Valen shrugged.
“We’re already a spectacle.”
He pointed toward Dillion.
“Thanks to him.”
Dillion sighed. “Great.”
Valen looked at him again.
“You wanted to know if you were ready for Guild Wars.”
“Yes.” Valen smiled.
“Tomorrow you’ll find out.”
Dillion frowned. “How?”
Valen’s answer was simple.
“Because you’re helping me judge them.”
The room went quiet again.
Mika’s eyes lit up. “Oh that’s cruel.”
Kael laughed. “You’re making the rookie run tryouts?”
Valen nodded. “He’s the benchmark.”
Dillion stared at him. “I just got here.”
Valen smirked.
“Exactly.”
