In my bedroom within the apartment I had a display case that was far nicer than pretty much any of the other furniture I owned. This was largely due to the fact that up until I had been Augmented, I barely made minimum wage and mostly just had furniture left behind from when my Uncle had lived in the same apartment.

  The Display Case had been generated by the game, acting as a spot to place the various trophies I had gained so far, each giving me small bonuses, and where I installed the Safe Room upgrades. The case seemed to be made of a rich, polished mahogany and while it had originally been relatively smooth, I had started to notice almost intricate etchings appearing along the edges of the wood. They didn’t seem to be depicting anything, though the designs were minimalistic in nature.

  Hidden under the third shelf of the case was probably the most important feature of the case though. I ran my hand along the shelf until I found the small button that was completely out of place on the otherwise perfectly crafted piece of furniture. With a single click, the display case started to pull backwards into the wall, slowly vanishing until it was replaced with a perfectly rectangular bright white portal.

  Before I moved, I activated my gear loadout, letting my equipment materialize back onto my body. I still hadn’t chosen the stats for my necklace just yet, intending on swinging through the resale shop and checking for a few extra items now that I had found myself sitting back at nearly 30,000 credits. I wasn’t expecting to find anything comparable to the necklace, but I did still have a back and head slot to fill out. I was actually happy to discover that the items for those two slots could be equipped while still being hidden from my actual loadout.

  Jon had explained to me that that was a common occurrence in MMOs, allowing players to reap the benefits of the gear while not necessarily having to run around with a cape and a full helmet on. I didn’t necessarily have anything against a cape, but I also hadn’t considered wanting one either. It really was going to depend on just how it looked, but that really only mattered if I grabbed gear that I could use.

  With my gear equipped, I stepped through the portal and immediately found myself descending down a smooth marble staircase downward into a large courtyard that must have been at least 100 yards long and wide. The moment the new scene fully materialized and the sudden change in light faded from my eyes, a new window materialized in my vision.

  “New Mission! A Real Guardian! Welcome back to the Square Loophole! It’s been a few days and we’ve been waiting until you popped on over here to drop this mission on you. Now that you’ve reached level 10 and survived the First Phase, a new section of the Guardian segment of Sanctuary Square has been opened. Head over and speak with Mr. David Gleibs, the Guardian Quartermaster for more information. Reward: You will unlock further features of Infinite Ascension.”

  There was a small glimmer of light that emanated from the west side of the square where the clean, welcoming Guardian segment sat and I felt my brow furrow slightly.

  “There’s a new area?” I thought toward Angie. Although she had no problem answering me when I spoke aloud, the most common courtesy Augments gave each other in Sanctuary Square was keeping all P.A.I. communication internal.

  “Yes, though this is one of the last new additions you’ll need to deal with. Though granted, this particular establishment itself has features that are locked behind leveling tiers,” Angie explained. “I’d suggest getting your mini-map installed first, you have a bad habit of forgetting to do things whenever you explore a new area.”

  “Noted,” I said, unable to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

  The mission vanished from my display and moved over to a small mission tracker on the side of my vision as I continued my way through the courtyard. The pathways were laid with carefully designed chevron-like layouts and several slightly raised grassy beds were scattered throughout the Square, with perfectly manicured hedges and floral decorations perfectly placed around large oak trees that provided ample shade. There were benches and picnic tables strewn about, though unlike when I had been through the Square in the afternoons and evenings, the square was far less occupied as I made my way through it.

  While I normally would have chalked that up to it simply being the morning, I wasn’t exactly sure where Sanctuary Square actually was either. And past that, there were Augments scattered all around the world now and there weren’t multiple places like this around the world, so it made sense that this place had activity going on at all hours. It had been just past 8 AM in New York when I stepped through the portal to get here, but in the Square, the sun still hadn’t fully risen. There were small lights scattered along the pathways lit up to accompany the low dawn light breaking over the gothically designed Miscreant segment on the east side of the Square.

  I navigated my way along the pathways, finding myself stopping as I came up to the statues of the five highest scoring Guardians. The First’s white marble statue was far less polished looking than the last time I had seen it, but his wasn’t the statue I had found myself staring at.

  TechWarden’s statue was made of some sort of jade, with mossy green hues shining in the morning light. His statue was the shortest of the five on the Guardian side and it depicted a goggled man with wild, almost mad scientist-like hair. As my vision highlighted him, his description box popped into my display.

  “TechWarden. Level 117 Gizmo Guru. Claimed Territories: 71. Status: Unknown.”

  I couldn’t remember what his stats had been the first time I had scanned him, it had been on the first day after all and so much had happened that I hadn’t retained what had been, at the time, a random piece of information. Even still, I had a feeling that he had more territories now than when I had last scanned him. I stared at the statue for maybe a minute too long, but I wanted to etch the man into my mind; to know I’d be able to spot him if he happened to come through the Square or try to come after me directly.

  “I’m going to take you down,” I found myself muttering before I looked around, slightly self conscious that someone might have heard my out of nowhere declaration.

  “That was kinda cheesy,” Angie said and I just shrugged.

  “No one heard it,” I said and continued my walk.

  There were a few people that exited a building that sat at the very center of the Square. It was a sort of bar and restaurant combo called The Common Ground. Up until my encounter with SnakeBite, I had thought it was the only place in the entire world that I was able to find mental silence. This had been due to the bar’s nature as Null Zone, a place where the Personal A.I. system was unable to work. But SnakeBite’s Safe Room had been equipped in a way that it had become a Dead Zone, not only silencing Angie, but also disabling my powers at the same time.

  If it wasn’t for the fact that I was now able to enforce Angie’s silence with my Acceptance Matrix off, I might have been more intrigued about finding out if there was a way to turn my own Safe House into a room like that, but even with my Matrix off, the thought of not having my powers felt wrong. I had had them for less than a week but they felt as much a part of me as my arms were.

  I navigated my way to the small staircase leading up to the slightly raised plaza that made up the Guardian’s segment of Sanctuary Square. I remembered when I had first come to the Square, I had thought that the Miscreant segment had reminded me of something that would have been right at home in a Halloween movie, with black iron gates, steep roofs with black shingles, and a general air of macabre energy emanating from it.

  In contrast, while I hadn’t realized it at first, the Guardian segment was practically ripped from a classic Disney movie, with clay tile roofing, colorful brick walls and wide bay windows on practically every shop within what was really an over-decorated strip mall. The ViewFinder, the Guardian’s interface upgrade shop, was located in the far corner of the plaza, though I found myself staring at the small alley that had appeared at the exact center of the main wall of the mall.

  “So why wasn’t this place just like… I don’t know, behind a locked door?” I asked and scratched at the side of my head.

  “It’s the rule of cool Loophole,” Angie explained.

  “How is an alley cool?”

  “You’ll seeeeeeee,” she sang and I had to admit even my curiosity was piqued.

  I shrugged and turned my attention from it before I headed for the ViewFinder, eager to get my Mini-Map installed. The shop was clean, with pristine white walls and matching white tile flooring. The walls were littered with monitors where I could look through the available selection of interface mods that I could have purchased. I had so far bought a Phone Upgrade and then the first level of a mod called a Revolver, giving me the ability to swap my action bar between two preset bars.

  The thought of my current Revolver layouts came to mind as I started wandering toward a counter at the back of the room. I did have a good stockpile of credits at the moment, and for 3000 credits, I could easily buy two additional Revolver slots. Before I could think too much about it, I headed for one of the walls and swiped through the screen until I found what I needed.

  As I reached the back counter with my upgrades selected, a green holographic figure materialized into the form of a raven-haired young woman with dark eyeshadow and several piercings on her ears and face. The digital avatar of Vanessa, the ViewFinder’s owner, gave me a wide smile that I had gotten rather used to seeing despite her dark styling.

  “I was wondering how long it would take you to come back for some extra slots,” Vanessa laughed, “I swear, every time one of you discovers the revolver, you guys come back in here every other day to buy more for added space. Hell, it’s why I keep them so cheap.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Well you won’t see me complaining about that, but they were a bit of an impulse buy,” I said and materialized the Mini-Map Coupon into my hand. “This was my main attraction today.”

  “Well I’d rather you spend the 35,000 that we normally sell that upgrade for, but I still get something when you guys use these coupons,” she said with a sigh. I handed over the 3000 credits for the two revolver slots and then she gestured toward the small scanner-like device sitting on the counter. “Place your hand here please.”

  A few seconds later, a small round overlay appeared in the top corner of my vision with a Google Maps like display filling the window. There was a small black arrow that sat at the center of the map, noticeably marking my position. Directly next to it was a blue dot that read Vanessa when I concentrated on it, though I noticeably couldn’t see any other dots outside of the room I was currently within.

  I thanked Vanessa before she vanished along with her dot off of my mini-map and then exited the shop. While the plaza was mostly empty, there was one girl laying back on a bench with a small drone flying in circles around her as she held open a thick tome of a book. On my mini-map she appeared as a green dot and when I concentrated on it, it read Eye Spy. I highlighted the girl, intent on confirming what I was positive I already knew as I walked over toward the alleyway.

  “Eye Spy. Level 77 Spymaster Trapper. Squad: Silent Protectors.”

  The drone flying around her seemed to react to me highlighting her and it darted over, circling around my head before the girl let out a sharp whistle.

  “Get back here Alpha, don’t make me store you again,” she said and her head flopped backwards as she looked my way. I couldn’t see her eyes behind the goggles that covered them, but she shot me a smile all the same. “Sorry about that, still working the kinks out of how they notify me.”

  “No worries,” I said with an awkward wave and looked up into the alley. “Just got a mini-map and was testing out some of its features.”

  “Been there, done that!” Eye Spy laughed as she turned her attention back to her book, raising a hand in what could barely be called a wave. “I’m gonna go back to reading now, I’ll try to keep the drones from following you around.”

  “Well… okay then,” I said internally as I turned and started walking up the new alley.

  The alley was nothing like the dirty city alleys I had taken to cutting through in the last few days, instead appearing more like a brick hallway that slowly widened as I walked up to a large pair of double doors. They opened automatically as I approached them, pulling backwards and revealing a long, regal hallway continuing behind the doors.

  The floor was covered in an artsy red and gold carpet and the bottom half of the walls were covered in dark panel wood, stopping at a neat trim halfway up that shifted into a decorative blue wallpaper. On either side of the wall, every few feet was a large, ornately framed picture. The closet of the ten frames that lined the walls held a picture of The First, his fists held at his hips as he posed with a wide smile. Although I could scan the picture to get details, that was largely unnecessary due to the small plaque that sat under the frame.

  “The First. #1 Guardian - First Wave.”

  I looked at the photo across from him and found it depicted a man in a black and gold costume with a sharp looking mask. His plaque labeled him as Warrior Duck, the Second Wave #1 Guardian.

  I went one by one, finding that each frame contained the individual wave’s top Guardian. I couldn’t be sure if it mattered if the person was alive or not given The First’s inclusion in the first frame. It had happened on my very first day as an Augment, but he had given up every single territory claim he had had and seemingly vanished into thin air as his statue out in the main square shifted from labeling his status as “Alive” to “Unknown.” That didn’t necessarily mean he was gone from the game, I knew for a fact that on the Miscreant side their top statue was that of a Miscreant named Jumpstart that appeared as “Dead” when his statue was highlighted.

  Although I shouldn’t have been surprised, I still was surprised as I reached the last frame and found a large photo of myself with my fists raised in a fighting pose. There was a hardened expression on my face and interestingly enough the portrait had my new gloves equipped as well. Seeing that I knew I hadn’t posed for a photo like this, I assumed it was just some sort of game generated thing, though I did take a small bit of pride as I stared at the plaque under the photo.

  “Loophole. #1 Guardian - Tenth Wave.”

  “See, I told you it was pretty cool. I mean, it’s not a giant statue in the main courtyard, not to mention if you stand around admiring it for too long you’re bound to get passed up, but still pretty cool,” Angie said and I shrugged, ignoring the jab as I turned away from the portrait and walked toward the double doors that sat at the end of the hallway.

  “Well you weren’t wrong, that was kinda cool… Though I still don’t necessarily see why it had to be at the end of a random alley… I mean, it could have just been behind a random door like I suggested,” I said before I reached the doors.

  “You’re probably not wrong but no one asked me about the design features, I just try and see the cool in the crazy,” Angie added.

  “Eh fair enough. Doubt I’ll ever actually get answers on this place, might as well not wonder too long about things like that.”

  Like the first set of doors into this hallway, this set opened on its own, swinging inward into what was ostensibly a large banquet hall. As I crossed the threshold into the room, the small location panel in the bottom corner of my vision flashed with Guardian Guild Hall.

  There were several pillars lined evenly around the room and much like The Common Ground, there were large portraits and memorabilia of various battles. Unlike The Common Ground, these were all focused on Guardian activity only, with Miscreants only appearing in portraits at the feet of Guardians, often in bloody heaps.

  “Angie, you there?” I asked curiously.

  “Yup! What, are you feeling lonely with how empty this place is right now?” She asked. While I might have scolded her in other situations, she wasn’t wrong. I couldn’t see a single other player at any of the tables along the main walkway, though there were more than a few tables hidden off in the corners of the room that could have had occupants.

  “No, I was just curious if this place was a Null Zone like The Common Ground or not,” I explained as I wandered in, taking in the large but almost cozy feeling room.

  While the tables at The Common Ground felt like a standard sports bar, the Guild Hall’s furniture were made up of large wooden tables with plush high-backed chairs that gave the place a regal but rustic feel. There were several doors lining either of the walls as I walked along a carpet that split the room into two sides toward the lone bar in the entire room.

  A man wearing a crisp black suit without a tie stood behind the bar, holding a small book in his hands that held his attention even as I approached him. He held a single finger up, making me wait nearly an entire minute before he took a bookmark and placed it in his reading material. The man had a well groomed mustache that curled at the ends and wore a small pair of round silver spectacles.

  “Mr. David Gleibs. Guardian Quartermaster. Mr. Gleibs is the overseer of the Guardian Guild Hall, providing instruction and access to the various features of the hall. He also happens to be the Hall’s only bartender and tends to take his time when making a drink, which is probably why most people get their drinks over at The Common Ground.”

  “Well hello Loophole, I was wondering when I’d be seeing you,” he said. He had a calming effect in the way he spoke and after he set his book down, his hands seemed to naturally move behind his back as he watched me carefully. “Welcome to the Guardian Guild Hall, I am Mr. Gleibs, the Quartermaster and Hall Manager.”

  “What, uh… what is this place?” I asked him, my attention drifting around the room before I realized just how vague my question was. “Sorry, I mean, what’s the purpose of the Guild Hall?”

  “The Guild Hall has a variety of services that you may find beneficial, though until you hit level 15, your only use for the Hall will be as a place to lounge. Once you hit level 15, you can purchase limited time Passport Tokens. Passport Tokens are utilized in association with the Guardian Job Board, allowing you to temporarily travel to a location in need that does not have a local Guardian presence. These jobs can be done solo or with a squad, however rewards for completing them, on top of the obvious experience benefits, are limited to Guardian Tokens, which you can exchange here with me for a variety of items,” Mr. Gleibs explained. “We sell a variety of meals here as well that can be stored for later consumption, granting a variety of buffs that you may find useful in your heroics.”

  “Huh… And why was this place blocked until I had gotten through the first phase?” I asked, trying to get as much information out of the man as I could.

  “Call it a cooling off period. It’s actually a mix between finishing a phase while acting as a Guardian and reaching level 10. This is intended to keep Miscreants who try to change sides from infiltrating this Guardian Safe House without proving that they themselves live up to the ideals of being a Guardian,” he answered. “It would be identical to the Miscreant’s Guild Hall if you were to suddenly switch sides. You would need to complete an entire Phase while a part of that side before you would be granted access to their hall.”

  “That makes as much sense as anything around here,” I said as I turned my attention back to Mr. Gleibs, part of his explanation clicking into place. “Wait, this place counts as a Safe House? Does that mean I could open loot boxes here?”

  “To be fair, I did tell you that there were shops on both sides that would let you do that,” Angie chirped up before Mr. Gleibs could finish nodding.

  “That is correct,” He said before I could respond to Angie, “There are specific Hall modifiers and events that will occur, granting bonuses to the items you receive from loot boxes while opening them here. If you place your hand on the scanner here, your induction into the Hall will be completed, this will provide you the option to travel from your Safe House directly to this room instead of the Square’s designated portal wall. Additionally, your system will be updated to provide information on the Guild Hall remotely, although it should be noted that you may only utilize the Hall’s features from the Guild Hall itself.”

  A scanner identical to the one in the ViewFinder materialized on the counter and I placed my hand over it. In a flash, the Mission Tracker shook and a window opened.

  “Mission Completed! A Real Guardian! You did it! You followed the extremely simple instructions and have gained membership to the Guardian Guild Hall! A new tab has been added to your menus screen. Did we really have to make this a Mission? No, probably not, but you also might have ignored this place for a week if we hadn’t turned it into a mission… And you should be happy too because you know what?”

  “Phase Points Gained. Mission Completed: You completed possibly the easiest mission in the entire game, but requirements for these gains are set so who am I to judge. Total Value: 50 points.”

  “Once again Loophole, welcome to the Guardian Guild Hall. I look forward to seeing your continued rise to prominence.”

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