At 6:25 a.m., I woke up. I’d set my alarm for 6:30 so I could watch the new spawns across the street. Pale morning light filtered through the blinds, soft and gray. Looking to my left, I saw a tumble of dark red hair spread across the pillow. A few strands trailed over the edge of the black comforter. Blaze was still asleep.

  I was glad we hadn’t done more than cuddle. Last night she’d asked me, “Can we go to bed? It’ll be more comfortable than the couch, and I’m starting to feel cold.”

  “That’s probably because you aren’t wearing anything,” I teased. “Maybe you should have worn something under those robes besides your sandals.”

  “It didn’t feel right when I put them on. Don’t know why. Like I didn’t want any part of Blaze in the fight,” she told me.

  “Except the sandals?”

  “Except them. I didn’t even think about them. They fit the look.”

  “That they did. I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t asked me when I was going to tell you to get naked,” I reminded her.

  “You kept me warm.”

  “That I did,” I thought, reliving the quiet, close moments of the night before. It wasn’t what I expected to happen…maybe not what either of us expected. I was still trying to process it.

  “And why it happened.”

  THE RING MUST BE REPLENISHED. DO SO NOW.

  The voice jolted me. The dungeon’s avatar stood next to my bed, faintly glowing, as if it were carved from the air itself. It faced me directly.

  “All right. Hold on a moment,” I told him. The avatar felt more like a “him” every time I spoke with it. I raised my hand, stared into the ring, and pushed MANA into it.

  “Will? What’s going on?” Blaze’s voice came from behind me, still groggy.

  “Just feeding the dungeon breakfast,” I said. “I’ll finish in a minute.”

  She shifted closer, her body pressing against my back, her arm snaking its way and wrapping around my chest, holding me tight.

  “That feels nice,” I murmured. Then my alarm went off, a sharp, electronic chirping sound breaking the quiet. I stretched to shut it off, then finished filling the ring.

  “All done with your feeding. Now go away for a while,” I told the avatar. It blinked out.

  I rolled over, slipped my arm around the lovely lady lying next to me, and smiled. “We have a few minutes. Whatever will we do with it?”

  By seven, we stood on my porch, sipping coffee and watching the 19th & Fox party fight across the street. The air was cool, damp from overnight dew, and smelled faintly of flowers. I wore black jeans, a T-shirt, and black slippers that weren’t fuzzy. Blaze had her robes back on, sandals creaking softly when she shifted her weight.

  We both had our cups of coffee.

  “Looks like the Orc Warrior, a Shaman, and three Goblins again,” I said.

  “They’re looking good. Yoshi’s Level 4, and it looks like he has some new armor pieces. They don’t match. He must be buying it in the STORE,” Blaze replied.

  “He mentioned they had Samurai armor. One piece at a time upgrades work. They may be ready for the first few rooms of the dungeon. If Meg’s the Healer and Ryan’s a caster, they’ve got a solid core.”

  “Are they still in school?”

  “I think this is their last week. But I can check.” I answered.

  “Or we can ask them when they’re done.”

  “True. The last Goblin just went down and they’re dropping the shields.”

  We waited for the cars idling on the street, watching their fight, to pass before crossing. “Good work on the spawns,” I told them. “Any new ones?”

  “Not since the day before yesterday,” Yoshi said. “There are mini spawns like the first day, between the regular times. Our new people are handling them with one or two of us helping. They’re leveling up. Nobody’s died yet. Nothing we couldn’t heal.”

  “Good. I like your new gauntlets. Set up a time and I’ll do more enchanting for your guild.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Thanks. I’ll check around. We’ve got two Enchanters now, but they only do plus ones. Also, two Alchemists. One’s a chemistry senior who joined yesterday. We’re trying to fast-track him so we can have healing potions for everyone. The other’s Morticia.”

  “Smart. You mean potions like this?” I pulled a Healing Potion from my INVENTORY.

  “Where’d you get that?” Yoshi blurted.

  “They’re announcing it today, but a dungeon opened southwest of town yesterday. We were the first ones in,” Blaze said, pulling a MANA Potion from her INVENTORY. “Healing and MANA potions show up in later rooms, usually one of each in a chest.”

  Everyone crowded around to see them.

  “How far did you get?” Art R asked.

  “We cleared it,” I said. “Barely. Almost died in the Boss Room. You won’t make it that far yet. You must clear every other room first. If you get eight or ten rooms, you’re doing good.”

  “You’ll also gain a level or two,” Blaze added. She tugged at her sleeve. “These robes dropped from a Level 5 Orc Mage. They can cast the same spells I can. We were all Level 6 or higher when we fought them.”

  “Damn. You guys are gettin’ up there,” Art R said.

  “We had a head start. You didn’t. You’re still doing better than most,” I said.

  Yoshi nodded. “We had a lot of people wanting to join after they heard about the President. Most were brand new. We took a couple, but turned the rest away. Guild’s full right now. We might hit Level 2 today with the spawns we’re fighting. We’re a few Guild Points short.”

  “Dad looked at the Guild Rules and set up a spreadsheet to track what we need. With the waiting list, we dropped a couple guys who weren’t helping. They came twice, maybe. James says we should stop taking newbies and focus on growth.”

  “That’s your call. We may need to do the same with the Irregulars. If you can, send me a copy of that spreadsheet.” I gave him my email. “Also, have your dad look into what higher-level guilds can do. After a point, they can merge. There can also be a guild of guilds. Multiple guilds working together. I’d be interested in doing that with your guild.”

  “You would? Woah… I’ll tell the others. Thanks.”

  “You all have a good day. We haven’t had breakfast yet, and we still work for a living,” I said. We said our goodbyes, then crossed back to home and breakfast.

  It wasn’t rushed, but Blaze finished before me so she could change for work. I told her I’d update her on anything new, especially dungeon plans.

  After she left, I sent a Guild Chat asking when people wanted a full guild meeting and where we should hold it. I mentioned checking on convention center meeting rooms.

  Then, fortified with food and a full cup of coffee, I settled at my computer to get a couple hours of editing in before heading to the STORE to talk to Albert Holmes. On my to-do list, I added: put things in GUILD BANK.

  Two hours later, a call came in from an unknown number with a capital city area code. I let it go to voicemail. Curiosity won, and I called back. The man introduced himself as Dennis Stewart, Intellectual Property lawyer with Sebastian, Albertson, Stewart, and Ridenbacher, based downtown in the capital. Their practice covered the entire state.

  “Pete Schreyer, told me he was your lawyer, called me. Said you were looking for an IP lawyer. As the First Mana Mage and top U.S. player in what’s being called The Game, we’d be delighted to represent you. I didn’t recognize your name at first, but your title is well known. So are some things you’ve done,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “To be blunt, I spent the last hour researching you. Seeing you go from no one to being honored by the President in a week…impressive, to say the least.”

  “Thank you,” I said again. “But it’s not just me. There are at least five of us for now. Blaze, Bhaarrt, Ingrid, Shadow. Maybe more soon.”

  “Shadow too! My daughter adores her. Says when she can get in, she’s going to be a ninja like her. If we do this, can she meet her? If you say yes, you’ll probably hear her scream all the way in Eddington.”

  I laughed at the image. Shadow might not find it funny…or maybe she would. “I think I can arrange that. I’ll ask her. How old is your daughter?”

  “Twelve. Thirteen on November one.”

  “We want to move fast,” I said. “Cover as much as possible. Name, image, whatever else. None of us have a lot of money up front, though. I want you aware of that.”

  “You aren’t the first. With your recognition, we can negotiate and cover the registration fees. You’re looking at a percentage of income from your identities’ sources,” he said.

  “Does that cover pregame income? We all work for a living. You’ll also need to clear things with the FBI.”

  “The FBI?”

  “Blaze is an FBI agent. Been one for seven years. She’s Resident in Charge of the new Eddington office.”

  “I didn’t know there was an office there. She’s full time?”

  “She is, though not always in the office. Part of her job is learning the Game and training other agents. It’s her day job.”

  “Now I place her. Nerves of steel. She faced down a guy with a rifle, didn’t she?”

  “If it hadn’t been for our shields, PokerRun would have put three bullets between her eyes. Ten feet away. He’s a Hunter/Marksman. Competition shooter. Also, an Irregular. One of the snipers on City Hall during the Battle of Eddington.”

  “Sounds like you should register your guild name too.”

  “We can, but it isn’t a business,” I said.

  “You can also do it with organization names. This is bigger than I expected. Pete didn’t tell me everything.” He sounded annoyed but still shocked.

  “This is turning out bigger than I, or we expected. I called because Pete’s an old friend. We were in the same class in law school. He didn’t tell me who all we might work with.”

  He sounded both a bit pissed at him and was still in shock from what we were discussing.

  “Look, we’re planning an Irregulars meeting tonight. I don’t know if everyone can make it, but if you can put together what you offer and what it costs, we’ll talk. Some people won’t do it…like Father Stoddard.” I gave him my editing email.

  “Why not Father Stoddard?”

  “He’s the local Catholic priest. Also, a Holy Healer. He might have to run it past the Vatican or at least his Bishop. I’m not Catholic, but I’ve known him for years.”

  “I’ll have something in a few hours. If I can, I’d like to meet you tonight. If you’ll have me?”

  “That’s fine. I’ll ask the guild. Might be late…one of our people works evenings.”

  “No problem. I promise. I’ll keep in touch and keep you updated. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent you.”

  We said our goodbyes, and I added a few more notes about doing this on my computer. It was turning into one busy day and I hadn’t fought anything yet.

  Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money

  Book 3/Scene 24/Early The Next Morning