The Elf player-character who I met almost a month ago wore an entire outfit that resembled modern casual clothing from my real world. A large t-shirt, comfortable pants, and a baseball cap which covered his short hair. Somehow players like him and Wise manage to find this stuff, why can’t I? Anyways meeting this tall Elf now is giving me a completely different impression than the one I had before.

From what I’ve heard so far, FeeNix’s speech is relatively the same as before. But I can’t tell whether he’s raping (or whatever) better now than before or not. Yet what’s different now is that he’s in a full set of armor. He appears a lot more impressive than almost any other Player I’ve seen before with my own eyes in this game world, including May’s “apple guard” armor set.

The dark brown feathery cloak hangs locked onto the chest and shoulder plates of his torso, heavily hanging elegantly down just before the backside of his knees. Most of what he is wearing appears to be simply crafted out of regular metal ingredients, but his plate and mail nonetheless grimly shine a glowing gray color into my vision. And what’s surprisingly the most noticeable thing about his armor-set, is what I first thought to be animal scales surrounding his torso and legs, but it’s instead a beautiful skirt made out of lightly golden-brown feathers. I assume this armor-set which FeeNix is certainly flaunting around to everyone has something to do with the name of his guild which he told me earlier, “The Nomads of the Griffin”.

It’s amazing how everything around FeeNix right now doesn’t suit his face or personality, which is still just as casual and sometimes cringe inducing as “usual” from what I remember when I briefly traveled him. And I mean, everything. I expected him to come alone to visit us after calling him over here, because I now finally have a good idea for this Invasion-Quest, and I now want to ask him a favor. But… it looks like he’s brought his whole guild over to meet us! Oi! Are you planning to bully us?

WiseMaster667: “So when is your friend coming? The event is about to start in 25 minutes!”

MC: “He should be here soon…”

…

May: “Hey guys, check it out. Do you see that 50+ player guild near us? Those guys are the Nomads of the Griffin, watch out for them in the future.

Krafty: “Who and why do you even know about them?”

May: “They’re a recently popular guild that a lot of people want to join. And why wouldn’t I know about them? Unlike you, I am actually somehow more relevantly aware of this server’s affairs compared to you. Just listen to the NPC’s talk about ‘how divine spirits forming guilds’ or how sometimes there aren’t any high-skilled quests available because a guild like them finished those before anyone else.”

Krafty: “I still don’t see how you or I would even need to know anything about that. And I know for certain you aren’t interested in stuff like that, like how Amulet is.”

May: “It’s simple. You want a certain rare item? A big guild like them could acquire it way more easily than you could ever do it on your own. You want protection or friends because you’re a lonely loser? An organized big guild like them has probably got you covered! That is, if you got what it takes.”

Krafty: “So why aren’t we trying to join them?”

May: “Because you got me, your big sister, taking care of everything for you!”

Krafty: “Shut up! I already mentioned how I’ve gotten way better at this game already! So don’t think you’re babysitting me anymore!”

(May: “anymore, so there was a point in time where I was…hehehe”)

WiseMaster667: “Anyways, it seems like the Nomads of the Griffin are heading exactly towards our direction for some reason…closer and closer…”

MC: “I think that’s because the person I’ve called over to meet us is within that group…”

I knew that a guild like the Nomads of the Griffin were one of the larger and better guilds in this server, but I had no idea they were so well renowned that even May knew about them! Normally May doesn’t care about the popular community topics of this game, particularly the roleplaying, because she’s simply more interested in just having fun swinging and poking her spear at AI monsters. I don’t blame her, the gameplay in Divine Mortality is so satisfying even on its own. But now, I also feel strangely awkward for suddenly having to tell them that the person I called over here is literally the leader of that renowned guild. Surprise?

WiseMaster667: “Are you sure? I don’t see why a single member would want to drag along so many of their guildmates just to speak with our petty group.”

MC: “Well, you see… the one who’s dragging along the rest of the guild is the Guild Master, the same person who I invited to come over here…”

*WiseMaster667 uncharacteristically instantly leaps up*

May and Wise: “WHAAAT?!?”

Krafty: “Ouch, Wise why would you scream into your microphone?”

(May: “Why does it sound like it’s normal for me to yell into the microphone?”)

(Krafty: “Well, you see…YEAH!”)

WiseMaster667: “Amulet are you serious?!”

MC: “I sure am. This time I’m not joking around.”

WiseMaster667: “Ready up Amulet! Prepare to perfectly use all of your charisma for the best diplomacy possible as we negotiate our plan for ultimate success!”

MC: “Wise, I must warn you that I don’t think you’ll get far with normal diplomacy becau- “

WiseMaster667: “Everyone, attention!”

(Krafty and May: “Since when are we soldiers in an army?”)

As the Nomads of the Griffin casually march towards us, every other Player and even NPC character all step aside due to the pressure of wanting to see who are those people that are steadily passing by them. Usually, Players don’t care whether someone is standing right next to them in mass gatherings, unless it interferes with their field of vision. So, there does exist a small “personal bubble” of space that many Players abide by. Yet, this bubble has grown tremendously, enough so that the few NPC characters who are present at this event are reacting as if royalty is walking past them.

I instantly recognize FeeNix, leading his guildmates in the center. There are mostly Elves and Himenians in this group. But I do spot a few Sunmel and Dwarf or Dwelf player characters in the mix as well. Most notably is the giant cat man who is standing far in the back of the group. I say cat man, but he looks more like a lion with long strands of fur hair extending all around his head. Then there are two particular characters standing right beside FeeNix. One is a young girl, I assume Himenian, dressed in a light blue robe who is holding an orange wooden staff that is almost double her height. On the other side is what I could only assume to be a fellow Dwelf. I’ve seen other Players who chose the Dwelf race like I did, but so far, I’ve barely seen any Dwelf NPCs in this game. This gal (or is it guy?) is relatively tall for a Dwelf, around the same height as that young girl who is fairly short. The Dwelf is wearing a simple long dress and a pointy hat, so she must also be some sort of magic caster like the Himenian girl? Anyways, what’s clear to me is that this guild has oddly walked all the way here to follow their leader, who's come just to chat with us before the event starts. They all reek of professionalism. Guilds in this game aren’t difficult to form, but they do serve a definite purpose. So, there must be a specific reason to why someone would form or join a guild because otherwise they might as well have joined a large party-group instead (like mine) which are way more simple, efficient, and casual. So, even after a month into this game’s release, a large and popular guild like the Nomads of the Griffin isn’t only uncommon, but it’s also impressive to behold since they're simply so rare and often times difficult to join… I would be lying if I said that I'm not intimidated right now!

FeeNix: “What’s up my lil’man digs’n’elf, our relationship has just now gotten dusted off the shelf.”

MC: “Yeah, uh, hey there FeeNix. These guys here are my pals WiseMaster667, Krafty, and May. And you are FeeNix, the leader of this guild?”

FeeNix: “Hell Yeah, as well as the number one rhyme master under da sun!”

WiseMaster667: “I take it that the Guild Master of the Nomads of the Griffin enjoys to rhyme?”

*The Dwelf steps up*

Applepie: “That would be an understatement! Our leader is a self-proclaimed “rapper”. Don’t worry! I also wanted to call out for assistance and arrest him right away, until I was informed that it’s an other-worlder term for something different.”

FeeNix: “Hehey! Applepie here loves to say some silly sh*t, a joker like her is like a smoker who doesn’t know when to QUIT!”

MC: “Wise you just need to understand that FeeNix basically only raps or rhymes whenever speaking out loud”

WiseMaster667: “Isn’t that such a bothersome rule to assign unto yourself?”

FeeNix: “I don’t understand you- all I know is my freestyle is slick like sand, and it’s somethin that nobody can contend. Friend or foe, it’s more than just for show.”

(Applepie: “I beg to disagree”)

WiseMaster667: “Uh, very well then. Now, shall we begin discussing our suggestion? No, a request to be more specific.”

While Krafty and May hanged out with some of the Nomad Griffin members, I acted a little bit like a translator between FeeNix and Wise. Never have I imagined what a conversation between FeeNix and Wise would look like. Surprisingly, Wise has a lot more patience than I give him credit for, which isn’t actually surprising. However, what is surprising to me is how much of a refined gentleman FeeNix has become. Well, I guess the word “gentleman” is too strong, but it’s merely to state that he’s somehow still the same old FeeNix while somehow managing to act as a proper Guild Master. I see no faults! I guess that explains how he's being followed by 50 of his guildmates right now, and I'm not even counting the 100 other members of his guild that are either currently offline or simply aren’t interested to participate in this event.

Okay, that’s enough with their personalities. It’s been 10 minutes already and the event is ever closer to beginning. Conveniantly, both my group and FeeNix’s side were already in the same type of mindset for the plans we’ve come up with separately. But now, we’re merging them together because me and Wise have successfully “allied” up with the Nomads of the Griffin. And it’s not like this will be a big deal or anyone cares about it because we’re literally a party of 4 Player characters. Oh, and Eseli who has been quietly with us the whole time. I can’t believe I almost forgot about her.

The plan is simple. We’ll head towards the same direction as FeeNix’s guild is going, which is towards the farthest right sides of Coldpass. The entrance is a valley, but it slowly transforms into a mountainous highland that has a mixture of rocky terrain and open frost-grassy grounds. While the Nomad Griffins lead the charge, they’ll aid us by preventing other smaller groups from interfering with our route. And so, me, Wise, Krafty, May, and Eseli will be able to practically skip ahead over half the Coldpass area. The game world is still a huge map, but it’s not like the real world so we can cross the entire country of Coldpass in around 30 minutes, but probably even less. We want to be able to loot the most valuable treasures first before anyone else. FeeNix understands that there is only so much inventory space that each Player character has, so even if we take a lot of treasure, they’ll surely still be a lot more left for his guild to plunder. This also greatly benefits his guild because our group would basically be acting as scouts that will soften the enemy up ahead. So, the Nomad Griffins will could steadily and securely advance and “conquer” large parts of the Coldpass with their sheer numbers and relatively high skilled players.

I’m also honestly thankful to have met FeeNix. It does feel cheap of me to say this, but FeeNix has told me that since parting ways at the town of Susana he has always wanted to “keep his promise” of being someone worthy to be part of my friends list. I remember him saying something like that…but I had no idea he meant it that way. So unexpectedly dramatic! This feels cheap because to him it’s like he’s repaying a debt to me…but there wasn’t anything like that in the first place! I guess he’s just joking around, but either way, he’s decided to have his guild cooperate with us in this rare event. I am very grateful for that!

Krafty: “Wise, aren’t you forgetting to mention something?”

WiseMaster667: “Ah correct! FeeNix, just so you know, in case we come upon the Ogre Captain we plan to try and defeat him…Fenix?”

Looks like the giant Sunmel warrior has quickly come over to us, and he bows to us?

Gerald: “Pardon mine intrusion, but our leader has temporarily ascended to the other world.”

WiseMaster667: “What does that mean?”

Krafty: “So, not even Wise can understand this level of roleplay!”

Gerald: “I refer to that, our leader has left temporarily to use the restroom…”

MC: “Since when did he get up and leave?”

Gerald: “Pains me to say but it has been several minutes, I had only just now checked on the divine “text chat” after noticing that he had frozen over”

WiseMaster667: “I did notice that FeeNix had suddenly become quitter and less bouncy than before…but that means he hasn’t heard anything I’ve told him the past several minutes!”

Gerald: “Indeed, our apologies. But, as one of the Guild Master’s trusted companions I can service my ear and inform my leader afterwards if that is acceptable for your terms?”

MC: “Yeah! Sure, of course it is!”

WiseMaster667: “Apologies accepted…now to quickly mention once again, we plan to fight the Ogre Captain if we ever get the chance to. There shouldn’t be any, but just to check, there are no issues on your side?”

Gerald: “No issues indeed! But, I must say that it’s incredibly unlikely for you all to ever get the chance to fight the Ogre Captain…because the Nomads of the Griffin shall slay that beast first!”

Krafty: “Oooh! so it’s a challenge!”

WiseMaster667: “Which we will statistically lose, but we can try so anyways.”

Gerald: “Indeed, nobody knows what the future may hold. Oh, and before this glorious event soon commences, I believe it should be our duty to provide your group with an assistant from our side. A sign of good will that I am very sure that our leader would have also suggested if he were here at this moment.”

WiseMaster667: “Interesting, what are our options?”

Gerald: “A alchemical warrior, a wizard, a ranger, or a mender (a priestess).”

Wisemaster667: “Hmm…Krafty, May, and Amulet, what do you fellows think?”

Krafty: “I don’t really care; any help is good help!”

MC: “May is busy playing with that girl.”

Gerald: “Ah, you refer to our sweet Sprite? Yes, she does indeed enjoy being spun around like that”

Krafty: “I can’t believe my scary friend May is able to actually look like a big sister having fun with a younger sibling!”

MC: “Out of curiosity, is Sprite the mender?”

Gerald: “Indeed she is, a beautiful maiden of the healing arts! Countless times has she aided greatly in our assaults against enemy forces.”

WiseMaster667: “You think we should have a Mender on our side? My calculative side is telling me that since we are already a powerful damage dealing group with already strong defenses, we shouldn’t really worry about in-combat healing support. It does sound illogical, but it simply wouldn’t matter much when facing the enemy grunts or even the Ogre Captain.”

MC: “You’re probably right Wise…buuut. This old man thinks that having the most cooperative and happy party would be the best! It looks like May and Sprite are bonding so easily, so it should mean that we wouldn’t need to worry about changing up our pace to suit another member?”

WiseMaster667: “Hmm, fine I see why not. There are no downsides. It’s of course better to be safe than sorry.”

Krafty: “Flawless logic!”

(MC: “I felt a hint of sarcasm…”)

(Krafty: “I don’t know what you are talking about!”)

Gerald: “I must admit, I hoped that you wouldn’t have chosen to take dear Sprite along your journey since she is like the inner soul of the Nomads of the Griffin, like pure water from a glacier, like a forever blooming spring flower, like-“

FeeNix: “Yo! Cheers to our friendship. I hope all of our fears are now cleared? Good! Now we should all get ready to party hard!”

*Trumpets sound*

The Invasion Quest is already beginning!? Already so soon? At least FeeNix managed to arrive right on time!

*The background music changes to a slowly increasing intense beatings of war drums and other instrumental melodies*