Tom wanted to scream when he got back to Hopkins. He wanted to find god and strangle him to death like he was in an episode of the Simpsons. Because when he got back to Hopkins, he found a massive refugee train full of scared, dirty, hungry and tired people waiting to get into his settlement. With six giant flying space turtles swimming over their heads.

  But no, that wasn't why Tom was angry. That honour went to the people at the head of the refugee train. An Elephant man in pyjamas, two Kitsune, a wood elf dressed like a Jedi, a half-gnome he was sure was Nila, a flaming orc that wasn't Ignis, a half-giant with a bow and what he really hoped wasn't a half-fey. And to top it all off, the biggest, blackest man he had ever seen with a barbed spear over his shoulder, a shield on his back, with a scorpion tail coming out of his ass.

  "Hey Tom, how are you doing?" Jaime called out to him as he noticed them walking up to him.

  Tom stared at them, slack-jawed and fuming, his temper bubbling like magma ready to erupt.

  "How am I—" Tom’s voice hitched as he gestured wildly at the scene before him. "How am I doing? I just led an attack on a goblin invasion because I didn’t think you’d get here in time! And now I come back, and here you are, with what? A freaking parade?! You said it would take you another week to get here. What the actual fuck?!"

  "Good to see you haven't changed," Sebastion chuckled.

  "Alex!!!" Maple called out as she raced to hug the newly minted [Arcanist].

  "Maple!! How did you guys get here?!" Alex cheered as she hugged her best female friend.

  "We got lucky," Blitz called out as they drifted together.

  "Lucky? Lucky?!" Tom’s voice rose an octave, his fury threatening to boil over. "I broke both my legs during that fight, and you guys got lucky?! You couldn’t have sent me a heads-up? A phone call, A quick system message? Smoke signals? Fuck, I’d have settled for a carrier pigeon!"

  Botut, who was an elephant man, lumbered over, his trunk swaying slightly as he spoke in a calming tone and an Indian accent. "Tom, it wasn’t planned. We've been fighting monsters all the way here. We only got here so quickly because a boss monster had cleared out the path south of you. Once we killed it, we could pretty much sprint here."

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  "South? Why didn't you just go through Langley?" he asked.

  "Because Botut would have been the only one to make it through."

  Tom frowned.

  "What? Is Langly filled with undead?"

  "…."

  "…."

  "…."

  All eight of his friends were as silent as the grave.

  "Oh my god, Langley is full of undead." Tom cursed.

  "Not just undead. Though it is completely overrun, Titus found a wyvern nest in the Langley Casino. We think it's using the undead as a food source. But we couldn't exactly get close as none of us have a stealth build." Blitz added happily.

  "Well fuck. Side note: I am happy to see you all. You specifically because I need more people I trust to administer the nightmare that is Hopkins," Tom admitted. "But right now, I want to bitch at the universe. I mean, I could have waited a day. A day, and we would have crushed that goblin horde. So could you kindly just let me rant."

  Botut shrugged. "You need a better [Coordination] skill."

  "I hate you all," Tom muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. His friends burst into laughter, their amusement only stroking his irritation.

  "Now, let's stop freezing our asses off out here. It's fucking freezing." Blitz heckled.

  "I heard you have a greenhouse," Clover asked Abaddon as she climbed on top of his massive shoulder for a ride. "Would you mind showing me?"

  "Duncan, Duncan. I need a telescope. Mine got smashed, and I've been trying to map Luriel, Bree and God's eye. But my perception is too low." Nila demanded.

  Sebastian and Maple were talking with Alex, while Travis and Godric were arguing about their builds. Jaime had become interested in the battle and had struck up a conversation with the Major, of all people, about what had happened.

  Tom rolled his eyes, and he started to lead everyone inside to get settled. He was happy he had already set aside private rooms for his guildmates. He looked over his friends:

  Godric liked to pretend to be a Jedi, but he specialized in mind magic. Sebastian was a Harry Potter nerd and one of the best mages he knew. Maple did crowd control, but she was always there when someone needed to talk. Botut was the gods damned Tombmaker, but he was also the chillest dude he knew. Titus never said much, but he was always willing to listen, and he liked to just be there. Blitz, the flaming barbarian, was a battle maniac, never afraid to get into a fight. He had even less impulse control when one of his own was threatened. Nila loved space, and she clearly picked a bloodline that allowed her and her brother to go into space as giant space turtles. Clover just liked to hang out and tend to her plants. Jaime loved warfare, and he would talk with Tom and Botut for hours about tactics.

  Tom didn't realize how much he had been missing them until just that moment. Tears fell from his eyes as Nila hugged him. He would find the rest of his guild. No matter what.

  Awoken Myths Guild List

  Thomas Bruner

  Alexandra Ling

  Skippy

  Abaddon

  Duncan Coffeehouse

  Travis the Lizard Wizard

  Jaime the Scorpion King

  Blitz

  Sebastion Sato

  Maple Sato

  Nila Dhruv

  Botut the Tombmaker

  Godric Kimble

  Titus Deadeye

  Clover Lux

  AN:

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