When Danika logged in again after she returned home, she found ZipZing surrounded by messenger animals, and shortly after by her guild members, as though she'd been missing for days instead of gone for a few hours.
"Haha," she laughed nervously.
Icieth bounced up and down hopefully in front of her. "What did you think?" the ottermin questioned.
"I'm still reading," Danika replied.
She glanced at Kit who stood with an anxious expression behind the three newest guild members while she read the long-winded proposal that seemed to boil down to "we'd like a stage to perform on".
Kit said quietly, "I can wait."
Hearing that somehow made Danika feel that she should hurry even more. She turned to MatchlessMinion, who gazed up at her questioningly. "They want a stage to perform on, which would be fine, but I've got no idea what would be involved in trying to build one. Since you dealt with the research and permits for the guild hall, do you think you could figure out some options for this?"
"Read my message first," he suggested dryly, but then he told her what it said anyway. "We're moving, so I'll only have my phone to play from, for a couple of weeks. And SaltySiamese and I won't have as much time. I was thinking maybe you should reduce the number of guild quests we're accepting again, at least until those guys get back?"
Danika shot Shrubbery a worried look, but the pretty dryad only lifted her eyebrows questioningly, and then glanced at Kit.
"So… probably not then?" Icieth asked with disappointment.
"If you're going to give up that easily, no, probably not," MatchlessMinion agreed with amusement.
"We aren't ready to give up!" Tundo protested, and he stepped forward from his usual position behind Icieth.
"Good, then I'll outline the first steps and you guys can do the research on it yourselves," MatchlessMinion said cheerfully.
Danika was relieved that he seemed willing to take over, and zipped over to Kit.
Kit spoke up suddenly, "We could build it in Tianxia. You don't have to purchase land unless you need a spot near the town center, where it's mostly claimed already?"
Danika blinked at her in surprise, but MatchlessMinion said, "Hmm, it wouldn't be a bad idea to claim an area there anyway, strategically."
"Aishin said that having guilds build there will allow the guild that controls the city to keep them under surveillance," Danika objected. "And I think it's probably true, since it's being governed by players instead of the game system's NPCs."
"That goes both ways though," MatchlessMinion pointed out. "Having a proper guild space there also gives us a point of access to everything within the City of Sand, even if they try to close it off later."
--
They all discussed it for a bit longer, and then agreed to at least add it to the list of possibilities.
MatchlessMinion outlined the information that the three newest members would need to provide before the guild committed to constructing such a thing. Icieth, Tundo, and Melodious were somewhat subdued by the sheer amount of information that needed to be gathered. Their faces were determined as they set off though.
MatchlessMinion turned and winked at ZipZing after they'd gone, and said slyly, "Looks like I should be seeking out some profitable adventures this week. If we can put Underneath on stage within 'Living Jade Empire', this is going to be a really sweet investment."
Danika frowned down at his little furry face, but Shrubbery giggled. When Danika turned to look at her, she said, "Unless they can all have some kind of official band login alternate account, nobody will really believe it's them will they?"
Kit laughed, and agreed, "At least not until they hear them sing."
"Think what an awesome music video something like our guild memory quest would have made," Shrubbery suggested.
"Eh, there needs to be some kind of epic battle in it at least," MatchlessMinion objected.
Danika rolled her eyes and turned to Kit and asked, "You were waiting for me to log in?"
Kit's expression sobered, and she nodded. "Help me find the traveling merchant's other self," she requested.
"What?" Danika asked blankly.
"I'll help?" Shrubbery volunteered.
Kit smiled at her, but shook her head. She looked at ZipZing again and asked hopefully, "I know it's probably cheating, but can you look for him while you're at work tomorrow, and then come show me where he is?"
"Why do you think the traveling merchant has another self? I mean, he has lots of selves, but you mean something else right?" Danika questioned.
"He told me that he thinks he can also be someone else and still be the same person, like the cat did," Kit explained. "He said, 'When you find that person, it will be announced to the world,' and Silvam said it sounds like he gave me a quest, even though I haven't got one listed."
"Like the cat did?" Danika asked.
"When he became the snow leopard, he was still actually the King of Cats right? Even though he was just an ordinary cub at first?" Kit replied.
"I'm not sure I'd ever have called him ordinary," Danika muttered, but after a moment she nodded.
"But he's a God isn't he? He was in the cut scene with all the Gods at the beginning of the desert expansion," Shrubbery pointed out.
"The merchant's a god too, technically," MatchlessMinion replied before Danika could. "I mean, how else could he be everywhere at once? And he's even more undefeatable than a dragon."
"People attack the merchant?" Danika blurted, making Kit gasp worriedly.
MatchlessMinion gave them both a look and shrugged. "Sure, I mean, I bet most people have tried it. There are videos of lots of top combat path players being creamed in one hit on the forums. He's invincible."
Kit sighed with relief, but Danika eyed the little Chinchillamin and asked sweetly, "So, how many times did you die of stupidity?"
He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed. Behind him Shrubbery held up three fingers.
"A new identity announced to the world…" Danika said thoughtfully, and then she laughed and declared, "OK, so our guild seems to have an exclusive new world changing quest, to help our favorite druid unravel the merchant's riddle and find the first NPC alt in the game!"