Chapter 109: A SMALL GUILD NAMED MOON GODDESS

The afternoon passed without my noticing.

After that upgrade panel, I still had to accept the thanks of every Silvergrass villager one by one. The bread-seller woman insisted I take home three pieces of honey bread. The old yard-sweeping granny asked whether the Goddess preferred lavender or roses. The village chief proposed holding a small celebration by the lake every week, complete with floating lanterns, and asked whether I’d mind if the village youths helped tend the garden in front of the temple. I answered "no" thirty times and "thank you" twenty times, and before I knew it, the system window showed the colors of dusk creeping across the edge of the sky.

When night finally fell, and the moon truly rose over the lake, I sat on the temple steps feeling as if I had just finished ten end-of-semester reports at once.

"Tired," I muttered to myself. "Am I a hunter or a caretaker of a house of worship?"

Naturally, the question had no satisfying answer. But for some reason, that clean night with its cold lake wind stirred an old desire in my chest: I wanted to draw a bowstring. I wanted to hear the whistle of an arrow, feel the vibration of the new Moon Bow’s limbs, and watch a damage number fly above a monster’s head. More than that, I wanted to find gold coins, because the numbers on that upgrade panel still haunted my head.

Hunting. Elite mobs, or better yet, a boss. Even a bankrupt Saintess still had to eat.

I stood, patted the back of my shorts, and walked toward the waypoint crystal at the edge of the village. Behind me, the temple bell rang once, as if seeing me off in hopes that I’d return with more money.

The waypoint to StoneBrook cost three silver coins and moved me to the plaza, now lit by blue lanterns on every corner. Nights in StoneBrook always felt livelier than its days. Players preparing to hunt clustered near the gates, merchants displayed illumination potions on their carts, and in a corner of the plaza someone was playing a flute with a fairly pleasant tune.

I had barely taken twenty steps from the waypoint crystal when the door of the "Silver Moon" Inn across the street opened, and a girl with wavy black hair stepped out in leather armor gleaming under the lantern light.

"Syl!"

Mira turned at the sound of my footsteps, and her face brightened like a puppy seeing its owner come home. She half-ran across the street, and I barely had time to catch my breath before she stopped one step in front of me and gave a small, very polite bow.

"You’re back. I was just about to send you a message."

"What a coincidence," I answered, smiling. "I was about to look for you."

"Perfect timing. I just came out after my afternoon rest, too." She glanced briefly at my new appearance, her eyes widening slightly, but chose not to comment. "Miss Alya and her friends are already waiting near the south gate. Shall we walk together?"

We walked side by side along the busy stone road. Mira walked half a step behind me as usual, but no longer with the short steps of a girl just learning. There was a new confidence in her shoulders, and the way she observed our surroundings reminded me of a hunter who understood when to be alert and when to relax.

"How was your hunting earlier?" I asked.

"Fun." Her eyes sparkled. "After you left, I joined Miss Alya’s party until dawn. They took me to a small forest in the east with level 18 to 22 monsters. At night, the EXP was huge."

"And now?"

Mira opened her status window and slid it toward me with two fingers.

Name: Mirabelle Race: Vampire (Monstrous Race) Level: 20 Racial Passive: Nocturnal Blood Racial Skill: Blood Sense Lv. 3 Element: Blood Element (Racial Element) Lv. 1 Sub-Skills: Crimson Needle Lv. 1, Blood Veil Lv. 1 Other Skills: Knife Mastery, Evasion, Cooking

"Level 20," I repeated, genuinely impressed. "In one night and half a morning."

"The last few levels were thanks to Miss Yuna." Mira lowered her head slightly, embarrassed. "She insisted I finish off an Elite Boar that was almost dead with the final blow."

I nodded as I glanced over the skill list. Blood Element. An element ordinary players couldn’t choose, since it opened only to Vampires at Level 20. From the brief descriptions beneath it, I could tell that Crimson Needle was a high-speed projectile of blood needles, while Blood Veil created a thin red mist that concealed its user’s position.

"What’s the cost?" I asked, because every powerful element surely had a price.

"Blood skills use MP as usual, but each use raises Bloodlust by two to three percent." Mira bit her lip. "I’ve brought five bottles of soup. Miss Alya said I may drink during battle if I must."

"Good. Don’t wait until fifty percent."

"I remember, Syl." She smiled widely. "Three conditions, right?"

I could only snort softly. This girl clearly no longer needed to be guarded like a child. She needed someone walking beside her to remind her now and then, not in front of her as a protector.

StoneBrook’s south gate was guarded by two NPC soldiers in silver armor. Beneath the largest lantern, at the edge of a long stone bench, four very familiar figures were arguing in voices clearly audible from afar.

"I said we should go to the rock cave first!" A slender white fox with three bushy tails swaying restlessly was slapping a map spread on the ground with one paw. "The Elite there is Lv 31, and the drops are bigger!"

"And that cave is full of traps." A tall girl with dragon scales on her cheeks, a heavy shield leaning against her leg, crossed her arms. "I can hold off attacks, but I don’t want to hold off attacks while being crushed by stalactites."

"At least Yuna still has a shield," muttered a tiny azalea shrub, calf-high, standing on a tangle of her own roots, her pink petals quivering with annoyance. "The one most easily crushed by stalactites here is just me."

"If anyone gets hurt, I’ll heal them," said a pointy-eared girl in a neat white robe, smiling soothingly. "So it’s fine."

Alya, Yuna, Flora, and Lumina. Four friends who had been like family to my sister since SWO began, and who had by now become like friends to me too.

"Sis Syl!"

Alya noticed our arrival first. Her three tails shot up like antennae, then she leapt from the bench and ran toward me. I raised a hand to stop her, but too late. She slammed into my chest, wrapped both forelegs around my neck, and rubbed her furry head against my chin until I staggered back two steps.

"Where have you been all day?! I sent ten messages and got no reply! Do you know that this morning the whole server..."

"Alya." I patted her head gently. "Slowly. People are watching."

Alya jumped down, circled me twice while looking me over from top to bottom with her sharp fox eyes. Then she stopped, and her three tails puffed up to twice their size.

"Sis," she whispered. "Your hair is shining. Your skin is glowing. Your clothes..."

"Wonderful," Flora cut in, creeping closer over her tangle of roots, her pink petals trembling happily. "Absolutely wonderful. Sis looks like a royal priestess from a fairy tale."

Lumina was even more honest. She studied the Moon Bow on my back, sighed in awe, then covered her mouth with her palm. "That’s... Legendary, isn’t it? And Sis Syl is really... that Saintess?"

Several players near the gate turned their heads. I could feel those gazes touching my back like needles, and I hurriedly pulled my hood lower.

"I’ll explain later," I said quietly. "But yes. That’s me."

"I knew it," Yuna muttered with a firm nod, then looked at Mira, who stood behind me. "And Mira, we already know level twenty is the last threshold before you stop taking penalties. How about we try somewhere higher tonight?"

Mira nodded, eyes shining. "I’m ready."

I looked at the five figures in turn, and an idea that had been circling my head all day finally found its way out.

"Before we leave," I said, "I have two things to offer."

All four looked at me. Mira raised her head curiously too.

"First, I have a small temple in Silvergrass. A temple for the Moon Goddess. If you’d like, I can invite you as its followers. No obligations, no levies. Just a little blessing, and helping me reach my quest target."

"I want to!" Alya answered before I’d finished the sentence.

"Me too," Flora followed.

"The Goddess who chose Sis Syl must have good taste," said Lumina with a gentle smile.

Yuna narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, then gave a short nod. "As long as there’s no obligation to memorize long prayers."

Mira touched her chest. "I’m always with you, Syl."

I opened my title menu and found a new button that hadn’t been there before: [Invite Follower]. I pressed it five times, once for each person before me. One by one, confirmation windows appeared in front of them, and one by one they touched the Accept button.

[Followers of the Goddess Selene: 65/100]

[Moon’s Blessing: MP regeneration +3% at night for all followers.]

"Five people in five seconds," I murmured. The village NPCs had taken far longer to think it over.

"And the second?" asked Alya, her eyes still sparkling.

"The second," I took a breath, "how about we form a guild? A small one. Not to take over castles or defeat big guilds. Just a place where we can hunt together, share the spoils, and not have to explain ourselves to anyone."

A brief silence. Then Alya leapt up, shrieking with delight.

"Agreed! Totally agreed!"

"I’m in," said Yuna, and for the first time her smile appeared without restraint. "I’m tired of being offered spots in guilds that only want my shield."

"I want to join too," Flora whispered.

"Gladly," said Lumina.

Mira squeezed my hand briefly without saying anything, and that was answer enough.

The StoneBrook Guild Registration Hall stood on the west side of the plaza, a two-story building with a large wooden sign bearing the emblem of three badges: a sword, a shield, and a scroll. Inside, the line of players waiting to register their guilds snaked all the way out the door. I briefly considered giving up, but Alya immediately bit the hem of my robe and tugged it gently.

"We just walk in, Sis. I asked earlier, and they said there’s a special counter for small guilds."

The special counter turned out to be in a corner of the room, manned by a sharp-eyed female NPC in round glasses who seemed to be calculating something in her notebook. She lifted her head as the six of us approached, and I caught her gaze lingering for a second on my faintly glowing silver hair.

"Registering a new guild?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Number of members?"

"Six."

"Guild name?"

I paused. A name. I hadn’t thought about that at all. I turned to the others, and Alya immediately nudged my calf with her snout, full of meaning.

"The name has to be cool. Like Silver Foxes! Or Three-Tailed Foxes!"

"Too personal," Yuna muttered.

"What about a flower name?" Flora suggested.

"We’re not opening a flower shop," Lumina chuckled softly.

I thought for a moment, looked at the six faces waiting along with me, then murmured, almost unintentionally:

"Moon Goddess."

Everyone stopped arguing.

"Moon Goddess," Mira repeated gently. "That’s good."

"Because we’re all her followers," Lumina added.

"And because our temple stands beneath her light," Flora nodded.

Alya at first looked like she wanted to protest, but in the end only snorted softly with her tails drooping. "Fine. That’s a good name too."

The bespectacled NPC noted something in her book, then slid a thin form toward me.

"Registration fee is ten gold coins. Choose a Guild Master and a Deputy."

I opened my mouth to point at Alya, but Alya shook her head quickly, her three tails swaying.

"Sis Syl should do it. The temple is yours. If there’s anything important, you’re the one who should sign."

"Agreed," said Yuna.

"Agreed," said Flora and Lumina in unison.

"The Deputy is Alya," Mira added with a satisfied smile. "Because Miss Alya is our true captain."

Alya gaped for two seconds, then covered her snout with both front paws, holding back laughter. I took a deep breath, took ten gold coins from my already thinning pouch, and handed them to the counter.

Ting.

GUILD REGISTEREDGuild Name: Moon Goddess Guild Master: Syl (Saintess of the Moon Goddess) Deputy Guild Master: Alya Members: 6 / 10 Guild Tier: 1 Available Facilities: Guild Storage (50 slots), Guild Chat, Guild EXP Bonus +2% Guild Hall: Not yet owned

"Congratulations," said the bespectacled NPC in a flat tone that somehow sounded sincere. "Moon Goddess is now officially registered. May your hunts bring you great profit."

Soft applause and small cheers came from the players behind us who had been waiting in line. Some looked at us with curiosity, while others seemed to be whispering and pointing at my hair. I pretended not to hear and turned toward the door.

A small guild. Six people. No castle, no grand ambitions, only a place to come home to and a reason to laugh together. Compared to the three giant guilds currently fighting over territory and drawing up wanted lists for the White Elf, this felt like a picnic. And I didn’t mind at all.

We left StoneBrook through the east gate and followed a muddy trail toward Murkwater Swamp. The air turned damp and smelled of wet earth as we entered the swamp’s outskirts, where mangrove trees thrust their roots out of the black water like the fingers of giants gripping the ground.

Alya walked in front with her three tails swaying warily. Yuna and her shield took the frontmost position. Flora and Lumina guarded the left and right flanks, while Mira and I stayed in the middle.

"Warning," said Lumina quietly, closing the map book in her hand. "This area is recommended for Lv 30 and above. The night monsters can reach Lv 34. And an Elite often appears in the deep swamp."

"Elite?" My eyes lifted at once. "Drops?"

"Usually twenty to fifty gold coins, sometimes rare materials. The boss is even bigger, but it rarely appears."

I smiled faintly and took the Moon Bow from my back. The bow glowed softly as soon as I touched it, as if it had been waiting all along.

"Good," I said. "That’s enough for tonight."

Alya turned with a wide, eager grin on her snout. "Ready, Guild Master Sis?"

"Don’t call me that," I sighed.

But the smile on my face had already appeared, and I knew tonight would be a good one. Mira activated Blood Sense with a small motion of her fingers, and a faint red glow swept across the swamp around us.

"Three creatures to the northwest," she whispered. "Lv 31, 32, and 33."

I slowly drew the bowstring. In that dark swamp, the moon reflected on the surface of the black water, and my Moon Bow vibrated subtly.

"In that case," I said, "let’s begin."