It took more than an hour for most people to straggle back in. That didn’t include the soldiers staying the night to secure and clean up the site…like the remains of the white sheep. There were no black sheep remains.

  The sheep guy woke up after a while. At first, he didn’t know where he was or how he’d gotten there until someone explained it. He wasn’t happy, but Dr. Peters told him the government would reimburse him for his flock…or get him new ones. That softened the edge, but not by much. He’d raised those sheep since they were lambs.

  People brought food and drinks, and we had a party in the convention center. We didn’t care if anyone wanted us to or not…we just did it. We hauled in more tables and chairs, rearranging things into our own celebration. An Irregular I didn’t remember seeing since the Battle of Eddington coordinated the whole thing.

  That turned out to be the archer and mayor’s assistant, Sam Something. I only remembered him after casting REVEAL STATS to figure out who he was. Hard to believe it had been only a week and a half since this all started. It felt a lot longer.

  The top level of the GRA was losing its mind over the new information. The problem they saw was that, from all appearances, each World Boss could be different. And not everyone had the army to call on for help. Maybe that would change? Then it would be like the old monster movies with the military fighting the kaiju, or giant monsters.

  The only real injuries tonight came from flying debris during the last artillery strike. Apparently, I hadn’t gotten the warning out in time to stop all of it.

  They told me SandB had burned out the last of her MANA shielding the line in those final seconds. She’d protected most of the fighters, making her their hero for this battle. She’d even gained two levels. She was now a Level 6 Mana Mage. That was the level I’d been when this all started a week and a half ago. Now there were two higher-level Mana Mages in Eddington.

  Falstaff and I let the Irregulars and 19th & Fox guilds know we wanted to talk to all of them before they left. A double guild meeting. By the time enough people cleared out to give us space, it was past midnight. We didn’t even bother trying for a private room. We just claimed the end of the main hall.

  Falstaff and I stood in front while the rest of the room either kept partying or watched from a distance.

  Falstaff looked at me, and gave me a quick nod. I started the meeting.

  “We’ve been talking for a few days about merging our two guilds. The Irregulars and 19th & Fox together have enough members to form a Level 3 Guild. The catch is, it’ll be full. That’s a problem…but we have a solution. Before I get to that, I want to go over the changes the merger brings.”

  I laid out the perks. More experience for both members and the guild, faster leveling, bigger treasure and item drops. It wasn’t much yet, but as we grew it would add up. “There may also be things the Game hasn’t shown us yet.”

  Falstaff picked up where I left off. “We’ve had Will helping us from the start. He’s in our neighborhood. I’m still a high school student…my time’s limited. I’d love to run the guild full-time, but my parents won’t let me. Guild Level 3 allows multiple people to share the same responsibilities. Assistants with the full authority in the guild office they hold.”

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  We both studied the guild members’ reactions. To me, they looked good. Most seemed in favor.

  Falstaff continued, “Overall, our guild members are younger. The Irregulars are mostly older. Together we cover the full range of ages and abilities. There’ll be someone for anyone to relate to. We know Will won’t favor his old guildies, and I don’t think the rest of them will either. I think this is the right move.”

  He paused dramatically, scanning the crowd. “I wonder if he’s done theater?”

  “We’re good. No…we’re great! We’re the President’s Guild. Will says the award stays with the person after a merger. No one else gets the badge unless the President herself comes back to Eddington and hands them out.”

  I jumped in. “She said she’d return. I believe her. We’ll probably find out the day she arrives…maybe the day before. We’re 19th & Fox. We’re the Irregulars. We can do whatever she needs us to do.”

  “And whatever Eddington needs us to do,” Falstaff added. “We don’t want to lose either guild’s identity if we join. Our suggested name for the merged guild is the 19th Street Irregulars. I know, it sounds like the Baker Street Irregulars, but that’s fine. Blaze told me she had that in mind when she suggested the original name. I like it.”

  The chatter that rippled through the crowd sounded in favor of the name.

  Falstaff pressed on. “Will has one more thing to add. Then we’ll take a vote so we can all get some sleep. And we’ve got our 1 a.m. spawn to fight. That’s not changing. Right, Will?”

  I nodded and smiled. “Right. None of that changes. But here’s the problem…if we merge, our Level 3 Guild will be capped out. No new members. I can fix that. For clearing the Eddington dungeon, each of us got something unique, tailored to us. I got a book.”

  I reached into my INVENTORY and pulled out the Tome of the Master, holding it high.

  “It’s called the Tome of the Master. Honestly, it should be called the Tome of the Guild Master. It doesn’t do much…just raises a guild by two levels. That would make us Level 5. We can have up to 150 members, with five percent boosts to abilities and finds. Now that makes a difference. How do you feel about being in a Level 5 guild instead of a Level 3?”

  Their cheers answered the question for us.

  “To keep this short…let’s vote. All in favor of the merger, raise your hands.” We had two volunteers from each guild count. Out of nearly 50 people, 44 raised their hands.

  “Now, those against. Hands up.” Three this time.

  “We’re ignoring the one who raised their hand twice,” I said dryly.

  “The ayes have it. We merge.” I held out my hand to Falstaff and he took my hand, and together we said, “Merge guild, 19th Street Irregulars.”

  A golden glow flared…not just around Falstaff and me, but everyone in the guild. I couldn’t help but wonder what the members not present thought when they suddenly lit up across town. The SYSTEM Message Box popped up with the answer.

  “GUILD MERGE: 19th St. Irregulars.”

  Then I opened the Tome and read the activation. We glowed again, twice this time, and the book dissolved into nothing but blue motes of MANA.

  The new Guild Information read: 19th Street Irregulars. Level 5. Members: 60 out of 150. It also listed the merged Guild Banks and a few other perks.

  One new feature was Guild Mail. Now we could send messages, and even items, without meeting in person.

  That wrapped the night. Blaze and I gave Shadow a ride home, then headed back ourselves. By then, I’d rested enough to drive safely. We showered, slipped into our game robes and sandals, and poured small glasses of something alcoholic. At 1 a.m. sharp, we stood on the porch, an arm around each other’s waist, watching the spawn fight flare up across the street under the dark spring sky.

  A few minutes later, we came back inside, ready for bed. That’s when I froze.

  Standing in front of us was the Dungeon Avatar. I hadn’t seen him in a while.

  WE NEED TO TALK.

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