Chapter 175

The Guild of Guilds, Pittsburgh - 8:31 AM

It had been quite a few days since Jamie and I had seen the Master of Masters, Kail Fortetta, and the Akkarae twins. Back then, their building had only just been liberated and there hadn't been anyone around to appreciate it. Aside from the trio and their small army of Elven workers waiting for the people of Pittsburgh to get rich enough to start their own guilds, it was empty.

Now, everything was hectic.

People loitered all over the open first floor of the building. The fountain in the center was a popular place. Even though there had only been a few benches surrounding it, there were several lawn chairs, recliners, and even a few couches that people had brought in their inventories. It was a popular place to relax and mingle.

Thankfully, the phase where everyone wanted to flirt with the Elves was mostly over. It was, quite frankly, both hilarious and uncomfortable to watch. I didn’t fault anyone for trying it given the circumstances and some of the attendants even enjoyed the attention, but I still considered it bad manners.

The ringleaders of this circus were far and beyond the standard norms of beauty, but their workers were still leagues above average when it came to looks. That was a thing with most Elves, really; the administrators really leaned into the perception that they were supposed to be supernaturally gorgeous. Even Hao, a Dark Elf, fit that description.

Looking around, I saw that a few people were still salivating over them, but I rolled my eyes and let them do their thing. How they spent their apocalypse was up to them. If they wanted to respectfully approach an NPC, and respectfully was the only option of approach here, that was their prerogative. Some might even consider trying to hook up with a beauty from an adjacent humanoid species a noble goal.

I defiantly fought the urge to look up towards the sky the way I did when I talked to Sara.

Taking a breath to recenter myself, I started looking around with purpose. Olivia had told Kayla she would be waiting for me in the morning, but the area was incredibly crowded. I made my way towards the place I thought she would most likely be, the fountain.

It was a wonderful feature. Thanks to the way the floors were set up with a cross shape all the way to the glass roof, the water had a lot of vertical space it could travel through. Short bursts shot back and forth through the air, leaping out like fish before falling into the water on the other side. When I approached, a screen popped up in front of me.

[[Guild of Guilds Rankings]]

Congratulations, you belong to the #1 guild, [Sol Ligatus]! Here are the top five for the city of Pittsburgh.

1st. Sol Ligatus: Rank 6; 558 points.

2nd. The Greg Davis Crew: Rank 5; 280 points.

3rd. Pittsburgh Pride: Rank 5; 227 points.

4th. Yinzers United: Rank 4; 181 points.

5th. Diablos Diablos: Rank 4; 153 points.

Greg was really pushing his people hard to make it that far in such a short amount of time. Knowing what I did about the man, he was elated coming from behind and still snatching second place, but it also killed him knowing that he had so far to go to catch up to Sol Ligatus. There were far more people in his organization than mine, but most of them had to team up to take out double digit dungeons. Given the layout of the Pitt, this slowed them down considerably.

I made my way around the fountain in search of Olivia. As I was walking, I paid attention to what the people were saying. Most of the conversation was about the Pitt and their next destination within. Some were excited, others scared and worried, but there wasn’t any talk of Demons that I could overhear.

Completing a full circuit around the fountain, I didn’t catch sight of the redheaded woman anywhere. Frowning, I made my way to one of the attendants. Several kiosks were set up, and I headed towards a tall, perky Elven man who looked absolutely delighted to see me.

“Guildmaster Franklin,” he said joyfully, bowing low in a traditional Elven greeting. “I am Treln. I must admit, I did not expect to see someone of your status today.”

“Just a bit of quick business, Treln,” I replied, bowing back to him in the same way. No need to be impolite. “I am looking for the Greg Davis Crew. I have business with Olivia.”

“Of course, please give me a moment,” the Elf said as his hands started waving in front of him. I put my hands in my pockets, one stuffed with my whip and the other full of the Guaranteed Strike Mitt, and waited patiently. It didn’t take long. “The Greg Davis Crew is in… section B, third floor, room 312.”

He pointed towards the far corner of the room behind me, and I turned to face that way. “Alright, perfect. Thank you, Treln.”

“And thank you for doing such a terrific job, Guildmaster Franklin. Please, come see us again,” he said as I started walking away, waving back at him.

Once I crossed the lobby, I hit the button for the elevator and waited for one of the doors to open. A group of people in cloaks and robes walked out of it, all holding some sort of mage’s weapon, and I waited to get in. I was joined by a few more adventurers and pressed the buttons for them when asked.

Two stops later, and I was on the floor I needed to be. The hallways here were covered in doors that led to spaces like the Angel Express’ Subspace Depot. Each one was a guildhall for a different group. Some had plates on the door to indicate which one had claimed it, while others were completely unadorned depending on the amount of privacy a group wanted.

I walked by a few open doors to see people relaxing, eating breakfast, and generally hanging out. There wasn’t any stopping or staring, and I didn’t make any unnecessary eye contact. It felt good to see people being normal for a change.

Room 312 was situated near the balcony. I looked down to take in the view. Beneath us, the fountain was shooting water that nearly made it to this floor before gravity pulled it back down. I noticed a few people glancing around in awe, and it seemed like this was their first time here. Even though they had an inventory, they carried things that most people wouldn’t need unless they were moving.

Turning around, I faced the door. The nameplate on this one was nearly twice as large as the others. “The Greg Davis Crew,” I read aloud. “Guildmaster: Greg Davis. What a damn narcissist.”

With a sigh, I hit a button on the wall beside the door. There was no speaker attached to it, but I heard the man inside as if there was nothing between us. “Guildhall for the Greg Davis Crew, may I ask who’s knocking?”

“It was more of a button push, but this is Anthony Franklin,” I answered.

“Who?” he asked.

“Well, that’s rare,” I said, amused. “I’m Guildmaster Anthony Franklin, of Sol Ligatus.”

“Oh! You’re the boss of the guild the boss is pissed off about because you’re so far ahead!” he exclaimed.

I paused for a moment. “Is that really something you should be telling me?”

“… Probably not.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” I said with a chuckle. “I’m here for a social call. Could you tell Olivia so that she can come and greet me?”

This time, it was his turn to pause, and the silence stretched for an uncomfortably long time. “Are you still there?” I asked.

“Yeah, sorry. Just a moment.” I heard him get up and walk away before everything went silent again.

I started to become irritated as it took them a few minutes before I heard footsteps from the magical intercom again. Taking a breath, I smoothed over my face and put on a smile.

The door opened to reveal Greg Davis looking overjoyed to see me. One of his guild members, a man still dressed in pajamas, gave me a slow, almost hesitant wave. I ignored him.

“Anthony! Good friend, it’s been too long,” he said, stepping out and taking my hand to shake. “It’s so good to see you.”

“And you, Greg,” I told the older man. “I was in the neighborhood, and thought to come visit.”

“As you do, of course,” he said before dropping my hand. “Why don’t you come inside? We’ll grab some irons and have a chat. I was actually planning to come visit you today, so the fact that you’re here is one hell of a coincidence.”

“One hell of a coincidence, indeed,” I repeated as I stepped inside the large room full of chairs and couches.

The Greg Davis Crew’s guildhall was decked out in gold. Most of it were things that I recognized were non magical goods that came from the Pharaoh’s Tomb, such as large vases, shields and spears, and jewelry in cases. I had to make myself look around as if I were impressed. It had all been sold anonymously so there was no way they’d know it was me, and I wasn’t about to out myself.

“This guildhall is pretty sweet,” I said, giving the other guildmaster a small whistle. Although gaudy, the gold and black theme of the room was actually set up fairly well. That was all Olivia. She had a really good sense for interior decorating.

Still, it had nothing on the Hall of the End.

“Thank you. It's quite the story, actually,,” he said, pleased by my reaction. “Me and a couple of the boys liberated a gold shop a little while ago. Almost had more treasure than we could carry, but we managed it. Had to fight a big Golden Golem. Really wished it hadn’t disappeared once the building came up, I would have loved to set it up somewhere as a trophy.”

I kept my smile on my face despite knowing I was being lied to. “That’s pretty interesting. The only golem’s I’ve seen in the past few weeks were made of coal. I advised a couple of friends to light them on fire and let them wear themselves out. I’m sure that tale pales in comparison to yours, though.”

“It was a story for the ages, for sure,” Greg said. He led me through the main hall and passed a hallway labeled Bedrooms to get to the kitchen. It was fairly minimal compared to the last room, but it had everything they needed to prepare food. He opened up the fridge and pulled out a can of Iron City Beer. “Thirsty?”

“No, thank you. Appreciate the offer, though.”

Greg shrugged. “Suit yourself,” he said, closing the fridge. “William said you were looking for Liv? He was the guy at the door.”

I nodded, but didn’t want to say anything that might get Olivia in any trouble. “Kayla saw her last night and decided she wanted to invite her over for something with Jamie,” I lied. “Honestly, I stopped paying attention, but I thought it would be a good chance to come and see you. It was on the way, so here I am.”

“Liv’s down in the Pitt, but I’ll pass on the message,” Greg said, opening and sipping his beer. “She did say she spoke to those two last night. You got attacked or something, right? You put out a curfew for their safety.”

“Not everyone can be as sturdy as me. I told you that keeping my entourage safe was one of my top priorities. Good looking talent like them doesn’t grow up just anywhere, you know?”

“Oh, I know it. I wish the girls around here looked half as good as Olivia,” he said with a laugh. “Hell, I’d settle for half as good as that Kayla girl of yours. We’ve sure got some eye candy, eh, Ant?”

“You’ve got that right.” I nodded and put my hands back into my pockets before I could do something with it that I would regret.

He still needs to safeguard Pittsburgh, so you can’t just lay him out and make him spiteful. Just let it slide, I thought to myself. At first I was surprised at how protective I felt over Kayla, but shook it off. Now wasn’t the time. I just needed to change the subject.

“What were you coming to see me about?” I asked.

Greg put on a smug grin. “I found that little Demon of yours,” he announced. “Little fellow, big arms, weird voice. Thinks he’s a doctor, like you said.”

I closed the gap between us in an instant. “How?” 

“My Patron, Achlys, sent me a series of directions,” he explained. “Me and some of my men followed it, and we found Pustibule inside. That was late last night.”

I frowned. How would Achlys know where to go? I decided it didn't matter, and looked Greg over. “Did he do anything to you? Are you still human? What-“

“Relax, relax,” he said, putting his hand on my chest and pushing me away. “I’m still me. You can do your Angel vision or whatever you need to do to see that I’m not Demonified or Demonized or what have you.”

While he was talking, I had already activated Aura Sense. Greg’s was, as always, dark gray and wispy like smoke. Not completely convinced as there had been ways to keep me and Sara unaware, so while I was looking I took my glove off and placed my hand on his. It didn’t give me the same jolt of wrongness I had felt before, so I took a breath.

“Satisfied?” he asked, pulling away and taking another sip.

“I am,” I answered honestly. Even if Greg didn’t side with me in the war against Pustibule, my whole reason for reaching out was to keep him out of the Demon’s clutches. It looked like that worked out for me. “It’s been a hectic week. Where can I find him?”

“He’s in the Pitt,” he answered. “But, before you start running in there all reckless and whatnot, I have a price.”

“I already paid in advance,” I said evenly.

“That was for letting you know if I found him on top of keeping your secret,” Greg said. “Which I’ve done. If you want to know his exact location, then I’ve got something I want from you.”

“I already paid,” I insisted, some bite entering my voice. 

“And I need more,” he said. “It'll barely be an issue for someone like you. Plus, the sooner you agree, the sooner I tell you. I can be very stubborn when I feel like I'm not being treated with the respect I deserve.”

The smile on his face was incredibly punchable, but I took a breath. Just one more stupid thing and I would be on the path to removing Pustibule for good. It could wait a short time. “What do you want?”

“Two small things,” he said. “Very small, very easy.”

“Go on,” I grunted.

“The first thing is, I want the Greg Davis Crew to come out from under your shadow,” he said after another sip. “Your guild was the first, and you got one giant head start. I want your people to stand down for a few days. Give us time to catch up. Not overtake you, just close the gap.”

“Counteroffer,” I said immediately, the plan coming into my head while he spoke. “The rest of my guild continues as they were, but I’ll step out for about a week.”

Greg arched an eyebrow. “A week, you say.”

“About a week,” I repeated. “Could be more, could be less. No promises. There’s a dungeon I’ve been meaning to go to. Trial of the Silver Dream. It’s a little 20 pointer, but it’s got something I need. I’ll be out of commission for some time. You get me out of the way so I can’t liberate things like the arena, 75 guild points, or Rexxel’s Bank, which was 100. The rest of them still fight and go about their business, but not at full power.”

I watched as Greg stroked his chin at that suggestion. It was already clear to me that he didn’t value my friends even after I said Jamie was one of the few people I was hesitant to fight. Or perhaps he forgot it because I praised him. Either way, I felt like he was going to agree.

“If that's the best you can do, I'll take it,” he said, confirming my feelings. “You disappear for a bit, they flail about how they want, and we catch up. That’s fine by me. Now, the second thing we can take care of now.”

“What is it?”

“We head down to the Fieldhouse, and you and I have a little fight,” he said.

That request took me by surprise. “Really?” I asked, unable to help myself. “You want to fight me?”

“And what’s wrong with that?” he asked, looking halfway offended by my reaction. “Look, I’ve seen your record. I’m 12 and 0 myself, only just started a couple days ago. You’ve got something of a cult following there, and that’s fine. Your 50-0 is something to strive for. I’m striving, so I want to fight you.”

It took me a moment of thinking before I completely understood. “You want me to take a dive!” I accused.

“Hey, keep your voice down,” Greg snarled, taking a few steps to see if anyone was listening. Once he was satisfied, he returned. “Look, we’re both very powerful men. I’m not going to step into the ring against you without some assurance that I’m going to come out on top. Your fans are still going to love you, and I’m going to be the man who took down Anthony Franklin, the Warmonger. That’ll mean a lot once you leave Pittsburgh for good.”

I pursed my lips. This wasn’t the first time that Greg had challenged me, all bluster and insecurity, but it was the first time he challenged me with leverage. A surprising part of me wanted to refuse outright. To tell him to go shove it up his ass. Not just because of his insufferable attitude, but because no one beat me in a fight.

So, I took another breath, and I willed the tension to leave my body as I closed my eyes for a moment.

“And no, I won’t reconsider my terms,” Greg said.

“Fine, we’ll do this now,” I said. He reached out to shake on it, but I held up a finger. “But! You have to tell me the way there now so my Patron can do some recon. I have a way to get into the Pitt very quickly, so I might have a faster, alternate route in.”

“That explains why you get so much done,” Greg muttered.

“Not really. I set it up yesterday after the fight with Jeremiah specifically so I can get back to my search quickly,” I said. “That’s my terms, considering you’re going to sully a long win streak.”

The older man was thinking it over. “Once the duel timer’s ticking down at the Fieldhouse, I'll tell you. That way I don’t have to worry about you running.”

“I’m a man of my word, Greg. Have to be, to get to how I am now.”

“That could be true,” he admitted. “But I like it better this way. I'll tell you there. And you’re not just going to quit once you get in, right? You’re going to make the people think you tried your best?”

“Please. No one here has even come close to pulling out my best,” I growled. Then I took another breath. I really needed to calm myself down. “I'm sorry. Apparently, this means a lot to me.”

“A man’s image should mean a lot to him, so I understand,” Greg said easily. “Pride is a difficult sin to buck, isn’t it, Angel?”

“Is it a deal, or not?” I asked, holding out my hand.

“Oh, it’s a deal all right,” he eagerly answered, firmly shaking my hand.

I squeezed tightly and pulled him in close. “And if you’re fucking with me, I will make the rest of my time here in Pittsburgh very painful for you.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, wincing as I nearly crushed his hand.

Letting go, I started walking to the door. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

“Don’t need to get anything ready?” Greg asked, victory in his voice.

I didn’t bother looking back at him. “The only thing I need to do is start this crusade against Pustibule,” I said. “So get your ass in gear, Greg. We’re about to make Fieldhouse history, and it is not going to be pleasant for you at all.”