“Sorry I’m late.” Dallion rushed into the guild building. “There were some issues at the inn, so I—” he suddenly stopped.

From his school experience back on Earth, Dallion expected a sigh, some sort of minor grumbling, or at the very least a remark about how he’d arrived late on his first emergency assignment. Instead, he found the main hall packed with guild members. Quite a lot of them, Dallion had become familiar with from the daily celebration feasts—some times his own, others, not.

There were several senior guild members present, all of them geared up to the teeth. Looking around, Dallion wasn’t able to spot any captains. Instead, there was one thing he couldn’t miss—the overwhelming presence of packrats.

“Hey, Dal.” Arthurows gave Dallion a pat on the back. “Seems like we’ll be working together again.”

“You got the call as well?” Dallion wondered. While he was grateful to Arthurows for the armadil shield, and found him as a cool guy, the idea of going on an exploration with him wasn’t reassuring.

“Everyone in the guild has. I’d say all the packrats are here. Whatever happened it’s probably big.”

“Calm down, calm down,” Estezol said loudly while standing on a desk. “Everything will be explained shortly. No need to make a fuss.”

The noise deceased, but the guild members continued discussing amongst themselves. Dallion could hear part of the whispered conversations. There was talk of injuries, people going missing, even speculations about someone dying. The particular usage of the word made shivers run down Dallion’s back. As far as he was aware, there wasn’t supposed to be any death in the awakened realms. The worst thing that could happen—and that was pretty horrifying—was for someone to have their awakening powers sealed. Why was the word death used so casually, then?

“Don’t worry too much,” Arthurows whispered. “If things were really serious, we wouldn’t have learned about it.”

That was a cynically-corporate way of thinking, but Dallion had to admit it stood to logic. There was no practical point in dragging junior members into a fight it was obvious they couldn’t win.

People kept on arriving for the next ten minutes until the room was entirely full. At that point, the guild door was closed and barred. Aware that something important was about to happen, everyone immediately went silent.

“Alright.” Estezol began. “Some of you might have guessed already, but for the newbies, we’ve had an awakened disappearance.”

Without hesitation, Dallion entered the realm of his library ring. The echo there was expecting him, seated calmly in its usual place.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist,” Nil sighed. “Dear boy, what am I going to do with you? You’re exactly like those incorrigible people that start reading a scroll from the bottom up.”

It took a moment for Dallion to catch the meaning. When he did, he had to admit that it was amusing.

“Estezol is talking about an exploration gone bad,” Nil continued. “As you’ve already seen, sphere items follow different rules. In some cases, the levels aren’t just corridors or mazes, they are entire miniature realms stacked one atop the other.”

I knew it! Dallion smiled internally. He had suspected it since his selection trial, and now someone had finally given him the confirmation he wanted.

“Please try not to be so smug about it.” Nil narrowed his eyes.

“Smug? Me?” Dallion feigned innocence. “Just because I’m right? Never.”

The behavior was obviously childish, but Dallion felt that he had earned it after suffering Nil’s training regiments all these months.

“Usually only promising members are told,” the echo went on. “Since these items are rather special, only selected exploration parties are aware of them. Exploring one involves large groups of people of various professions. The number of levels till item fulfilment vary, but usually are above thirty.”

Thirty levels? That was impressive indeed. Having to go through so many would be a serious investment in time and people. Guild members probably worked round the clock clearing level after level, like peeling off the layers of an onion. And just like onion, there likely was a lot of swearing and tears involved.

“Every now and again a person, or group of people get lost.”

“Lost?” Dallion interrupted. “I thought a person could always leave a realm at will.”

“Have you already forgotten everything I’ve taught you,” Nil sighed heavily. “You cannot leave an awakened area if the owner expressly forbids you to. Unless—”

“Unless you are stronger than the owner,” Dallion finished the sentence.

“Some sphere items are their own owners. The only points at which one can leave are upon completing a level. Killing oneself off doesn’t always work. The person would just end up lying on the ground, waiting for someone to drag them out. But that’s not the tricky part. Sometimes, a person remains inside even after they have let go of the items in real life.”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine a team of five awakening an item. Once they return to the real world, no time has passed. They simply release the item and continue with the rest of their day. Well, in some cases one of the people just collapses on the floor. Real time continues to flow, but their so-called soul remains in the item. Scholarly circles call this a type of soul confusion.”

Dallion froze. He had heard the term before, though in an entirely different context.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s not that serious.” Nil crossed his arms at the sight of Dallion’s shocked expression. “All it takes to fix this affliction is for a group to enter the realm, find the person in there, and complete the level in question. When that happens, everything is returned to normal.

The explanation sounded too good to be true. If it were really that harmless, why had so many people been called and with such an amount of urgency at that?

“So, by lost Estezol is referring to a lost soul?” Dallion asked.

“If you’re into that kind of terminology, yes, I suppose. Again, you have almost nothing to worry about. Like all the other packrats you’ll just be doing the carrying. The greatest challenge you might face is to carry the actual lost, if your group happens to stumble upon them.”

The addition of the word “almost” made Dallion a lot more tense. If Nil wanted to get him frightened, he was doing a pretty good job. Then again, fear didn’t work too well on the reckless.

“What creatures will I be facing?”

“I have no idea. My original isn’t involved in exploration activity. That’s March’s area of expertise. Adzorg tends to focus on ways to actually improve the skills of the guild members, not brainless adventures in relics of the past. The only thing certain about the past ages is that they are no more, and it’s best that all reminders of that time are buried away with them.”

“Of course.” Dallion saw no logic in what was said. “Thanks for the info, Nil. I’ll be back if I have any more questions.”

“Please, please, come again,” the echo said in the most sarcastic fashion possible. “I’m always looking forward to these little chats. After all, why bother reading an unadulterated masterpiece, when I can summarize it in a few minutes?”

Instead of an answer, Dallion left the ring, instantly returning to the real world.

“It’s usually a rare occurrence, but with so many explorations going on, it’s inevitable to occur every now and again,” Estezol continued. “The key point is that all of you help find some of our guild members in the awakened realms as quickly as possible. For this purpose, you’ll be divided into groups. It’s of vital importance that you listen to everything your group leader says, and above all, no heroics! You’re packrats, so you’re here for support. Any questions, anyone?”

There were none.

“Good. In that case, listen for your names and head to the third floor when you do. Oh, and you’ll all receive a two gold bonus at the end of this mission, provided we safely retrieve the lost.”

“Any bonus if we’re the one who finds them?” Someone asked. Dallion vaguely remembered seeing that person at the selection trial.

“No,” Estezol said adamantly. “This is not a competition. We’re rescuing some of our own. “

With that, the “briefing” in effect ended. Estezon remained standing on the desk, answering occasional questions, but the group formation had already begun. People were being called out from the staircase one by one.

Arthurows was among the first to be called. A regular guild member, he was no doubt part of a real group, not a mere packrat. That made Dallion feel a bit better.

This is your chance to show me off, Dallion’s shield said. Might get you noticed.

“I’ll only get a mentor when I pass my trial,” Dallion said under his breath as quietly as he could.

Wrong type of noticed, the guardian laughed. Guard skills excel in groups. It’s much easier to defend a group of people than yourself. Be sure to pick the right targets.

Dallion groaned mentally. There were times he seriously wondered why he was paying three gold coins for the shield.

The room was half-empty when Dallion was called. Feeling slightly anxious, he made his way up the staircase to the third floor. So far, he hadn’t been in that section of the building. The sight surprised him. As it turned out, the entire fourth floor was divided into four extremely large rooms. The one Dallion was directed to had a mirror-like item in the center. Eight people surrounded it, placing a hand on the mirror’s frame. Their other hand was stretched out so that a group of six more people could grab hold.

This is how large groups enter? Dallion wondered. If he didn’t know better, he’d say he was back in kindergarten. Given that it took a single instant for any number of people to enter the awakened realm, the method was perfect for allowing large groups to participate. The eight people with direct contact were going to be the leaders, and everyone grabbing hold to them was to be part of their group. By Dallion’s calculations, over fifty people were going to take part. The question was what were they going to find.

“Dallion,” Vend shouted. “Grab hold.”

Dallion rushed towards the man and did as he was told. Was it a coincidence that he’d be part of his future-mentor’s group? In theory, everything was possible, but somehow Dallion doubted it.

“You’re just a packrat,” Vend said. “Got it?”

“Yes,” Dallion replied.

“That means no fighting and no music.

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Drat! Dallion really had wished he’d be able to show how much his music skills had improved. Apparently, he’d have to show off in some other way, maybe even display the capabilities of the armadil shield.

“Got any weapons?” Vend asked.

“Just one.” Dallion tapped the section above his right boot with his free hand.

“Don’t use it unless you have to.”

That’s some rather pointless advice, Dallion thought. Even so he stood there patiently as more people gathered around him, each holding Vend’s arm. When the number reached six, reality changed.

Sphere Item Awakening

The PUZZLE DRESSER is level 12 of 20

Puzzle dresser? The name sounded quite anticlimactic. Dallion had expected it to be a weapon at some sort, or at the very least some long-range observation gizmo. Instead, they had entered a fancy makeup table.

You are at the START of the PUZZLE DRESSER’s first level

Unseal all levels to fulfill the PUZZLE DRESSER’s destiny.

So, this is a large level, Dallion looked about. If it weren’t for the lack of sky and the colossal cave columns reaching the ceiling, one could almost be left with the impression that they were in the open. Moss and multi-colored fungi covered the floor like a field of grass. Small crystalline clusters created the illusion of trees and bushes continuing towards a fake horizon. The only thing missing was a sun, although with the level lit up, seeing wasn’t an issue.

Several hundred feet ahead, two groups were making their way forward at a hastened pace.

“Listen up,” Vend said. “We’ll be making our way to level twelve. The main groups have already cleared the levels, so we won’t have any guardian problems. Even so, be careful with the small critters. It’s likely the A-team didn’t get them all, especially further down we go. If anyone sees something suspicious, let me know right away. Remember, we’re not here to fight, we’re here to find those of us who’ve become lost. One day the same thing could happen to any of you. Keep that in mind before rushing off to do some “heroics.”

Dallion swallowed. This wasn’t an experience he ever wanted to go through.