At that moment, Henrietta's eye twitched slightly, Jesse had been hugging her and inadvertently been resting her elbow on her bladder.

  "I just need to use the bathroom, carry on without me"

  Jesse quickly released her, but from the look she was giving Henrietta, it was obvious that she thought the bathroom was needed to dry her eyes, and not for the toilet. Excusing the room, Henrietta went through two internal doors, and then found herself in a long corridor, with several doors on either side down its length.

  "Err, I forgot to ask where the toilet is"

  Muttering to herself, she felt too embarrassed to go back and ask for a guide, so she just decided to check each room. Opening the first door, she was met with a closet full of cleaning supplies. The next door along revealed a large room with a pool table in its centre. Inwardly cursing at there not being at least some indication as to which room is the bathroom, she tried the next room and stood there in shock.

  Back inside the living room, Michael, the Vice Guild Master, was talking over various concerns regarding outside influence in the wake of the Dungeon incident. The Guild Master had a sudden thought, and realised he never told Henrietta where the bathroom was, and he knew a certain room was situated before it. Looking behind him to Charlene, he saw she was in the kitchen and brewing a pot of tea. Glancing at his niece, he found she was in the middle of hacking into a small news company.

  He inwardly grimaced at the idea of chasing after a woman going to the toilet, but he had to act quick.

  "I forgot to tell Henrii where it is"

  In a single fluid motion, and not leaving time for anyone to say anything to the contrary, the Guild Master quickly got up and went after her.

  Henrietta had opened a door and seen it was not the bathroom, yet she did not immediately close the door. For some inextricable reason, she felt herself being drawn in and crossed the threshold. She was not sure why, but something about the room felt off, and it not being the glaringly obvious things in front of her.

  Inside the room was a large desk, complete with two high powered lamps, and several scalpels and glue bottles. Lining the walls were numerous identical display cases, their contents easily visible through their immaculately cleaned glass doors. A vast assortment of different models were arranged within them, those ranging from WWII era battle tanks, to futuristic mecha type robots, and even vibrantly coloured dolls houses. Even a model aeroplane was displayed hanging from the ceiling.

  Henrietta saw all of it and immediately knew what they were, and who made them, although that information she had obtained much like this one, through an honest accident.

  In the past when returning to the Guild late after a gruelling Dungeon run, she had not fund a soul around, although her key-card still worked and the lights were on. Upon further investigation, she had seen the Guild Masters doors slightly ajar, with a light escaping through the gap. She had heard muffled noises and a loud cracking noise and a moan, with her mind immediately deciding that the Guild Master was having an elicit affair with his personal assistant. Even so she knew she should not pry, like all good mysteries, she had to find out the truth. As her heart pounded and images of Charlene clad in leather, and wielding a whip against a bound man, she was both thankful, and also slightly disappointed once graced with reality.

  Henrietta looked through the crack in the door, and saw Charlene indeed looking down at the Guild Master and being domineering, but the lowly Guild Master was only being scolded for indulging in his hobby. His desk had a half constructed model plane with a broken wing, and seemingly Charlene, his personal assistant, had told him off for doing it in the Guild numerous times before.

  Now back in the present, Henrietta's attention was drawn to a signed framed picture of a well known idol, colloquially known as Amri-Chan. Stood in the centre of the image, and posing in a coquettish manner, she was clad in a pink and white lolita style getup. Her pale skin and dark black hair, made her dazzling blue eyes stand out even more. Her charm was palpable and even moved Henrietta's heart, that was until a looming shadow was cast over her, and made her blood run cold.

  Just before Henrietta attacked on instinct, a familiar voice reached her ears.

  "What are you doing Henrii? This isn't the bathroom"

  Turning around to see the Guild Master, the extreme closeness of him forced her to look up, and so she fought the urge to stamp on his toe and launch him through the wall.

  "Ahh, ohhh, sorry Guild Master. I wasn't sure where it was, so I just tried each door"

  The fearsome look on the Guild Masters face, immediately subsided and was replaced with his usual affable demeanour.

  "I thought that might be the case. It's the next room down on the other side"

  Wanting to get out of the situation quickly, and her body being extremely aware of the real need to urinate, she made to head to the bathroom.

  "Thanks Guild Master"

  Surprisingly though, her path was blocked by a muscular arm, with the Guild Master staring at her, unblinking while he spoke, with a menacing undercurrent hidden behind his smile.

  "By the way, you didn't see anything in there, did you Henrii?"

  Looking at him in slight confusion, Henrietta answered him honestly.

  "Huh, you mean all of your models, or that pictur....."

  Henrietta's words were cut off when the Guild Master quickly repeated himself.

  "No, you didn't see anything in there, DID you Henrii?"

  Quickly understanding his meaning, she deduced that the Guild Master must be extremely embarrassed about his hobby being revealed. Such a thing as crafting intricate dolls houses and being an idol fan, ran rather contrary to the image of a towering behemoth of a man, who is also a Guild Master, and an S-Class Adventurer.

  "No Guild Master, I didn't see anything"

  The pressure that was hidden behind the Guild Masters eyes instantly vanished, and his fake smile turned into a real one, as he removed his arm that blocked her way.

  "I thought so. That's a good girl. Now don't dawdle, I'd rather not have any puddles"

  Henrietta was at a loss for words, with the Guild Masters words urging her to act in in a way she could not refute.

  What the hell was up with him then? The only time I've seen him exude that much pressure before is in combat...Was he really that embarrassed about his model collection? It doesn't exactly match his image, but at least his hobby isn't drugs, or kidnapping young girls or something.

  The Guild Master observed Henrietta enter the bathroom and lock the door behind herself, all the while he watched with a casual smile on his face. The moment she was gone though, his attention immediately went to his personal office. His eyes glided over everything in the room, to make sure nothing was out of place, before they finally fell on a closed closet at the side of the room. Noticing the lock was still on it, he smiled and began to hum a tune, as he turned off the light in the room. The door shut with a soft thud, and an audible click denoted the lock engaging.

  From inside the room, the locked closet had a small gap where its double doors met, and from inside the darkness, the light from a petrified eye could be seen. A muffled noise escaped the confines before it ceased.

  Henrietta finished up in the bathroom, and made her way back to the living room and a warm smile from Jesse, as she took backup her seat. In front of her, Charlene had brewed a fresh pot of tea and poured her a cup. The porcelain tea cup was filled with a green translucent tea, that gave off a relaxing aroma. Understanding it was brewed especially for her in account of her nerves, she readily accepted it from Charlene, with a smile and her thanks.

  Across from her, Jardon had been in the midst of discussing strategies due to his position as Head of Public Relations.

  "I'll control the Guilds socials and make it clear no monsters escaped, and it was a deliberate attack, but everything is under control. When the expected dissenters pipe up online, I'll focus the public's anger onto them, and if it still doesn't work, I'll get Jesse to doxx them"

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Upon hearing her name, Jesse looked up with a face full of confusion and doubt.

  "Ehhh? Whoa, whoa, don't rope me into your PR stuff Jardy. I'm not just going to hack randos, well unless they say something bad about Henrii!...He He"

  Jesse smiled at Henrietta, her pearly whites on full display, her face full of innocent optimism. With her arm held up, she flexed her non existent muscles and attempted to exude the aura of a dependable big sister. The scene made Henrietta well up inside, and even momentarily consider if adopting her is possible.

  Jardon accepted Jesse's words, understanding arguing with the bosses niece, probably would not yield good results. Letting out a sigh, he pushed a blank piece of paper and a pen across the table and spoke.

  "Henrietta, put your social media usernames and passwords on there please"

  Before Henrietta could even think of the ramifications of giving away such private information to Jardon, Jesse quickly chimed in, and pushed the paper away with a scoff.

  "Creep! Who knows what you'd do with those. I'll manage Henrii's, I already know her passwords, so it's fine"

  Jardon shook his head and looked to the Guild Master for support, only to be met with him purposefully inspecting his cuticles. Henrietta was extremely confused at that point, and expressed it so.

  "Wait JJ, how do you know my passwords?"

  Only to be met with evasiveness at its finest.

  "Don't sweat the small stuff Henrii. I got you covered, I won't let him see your personal pictures"

  Jesse's carefree attitude and aura of innocence, quickly dispelled the doubts within Henrietta's mind, but a slither of uncertainty still persisted, although she did not vocalise it.

  "Oh, okay, thanks JJ"

  I have a really bad feeling for some reason. I feel like I'm slowly sinking into quicksand.

  At that moment, Jardon jumped up from his seat and looked concerned, now realising what time it was.

  "Oh crap. I've got to go or I'm going to be late. I'm sorry Guild Master, I'll CC everyone in whatever emails I send"

  As Jardon was making for the door, Jesse asked the room where he was going in such a rush, with Henrietta answering her.

  "To do his shift at the Krusty Krab"

  No one knew what she meant, but Jardon heard her words and went bright red, shouting as he left.

  "It was a present from my little brother okay!"

  After that, the rest of the meeting was quite uneventful, with the Vice Guild Master agreeing to go and smooth stuff over with the Central Government, and Jesse confirming that she would supervise Jardon's dubious PR campaign.

  With everyone now left the Guild Masters apartment, only himself and his personal assistant, Charlene was left, while she tidied away any mess. With her perfect professionalism on show, she politely bid her farewell and left the Guild Master alone.

  Stretching his arms in the air, he let out a slight groan as his muscles stretched and he grew an inch taller. Walking to his office, a slight melodic hum escaped his lips as he unlocked his office door. With the light now on, he approached the closet at the side of the room, and let his fingers drag across its surface, thumbing against the the vertical ridges of the door. A slight noise emanated from within, before he grasped a handle at the top, and brought down a metal shutter that was lined with soundproof material.

  Taking a seat behind his desk, he withdrew a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button. A moment later and a model aeroplane that was hanging from the ceiling, began to emit a beam of light that scanned the Guild Masters face. Upon completion, an audible click came from the desk draw beside him. He withdrew a VR headset, then proceeded to put it on and power the device up.

  Inside a virtual space, the Guild Masters consciousness was downloaded onto an avatar, that was one of many sat around a large, round table. In the middle of an expansive field, the sun was beaming down, and a cool breeze blew by, all the elements feeling real to the Guild Master. The large wooden table and the individuals who were seated around it, looked completely out of place in the middle of nature, yet no other soul existed to question the abnormality of it.

  Sat on his chair, the Guild Masters cumbersome avatar had dark grey skin and stubby arms, as well as a horn emanating from his forehead. A humanoid rhino that seemingly fitted in with the various other avatars that were present. A humanoid elephant with pink skin, a black skinned humanoid alligator, and a feminine divine phoenix who's flames did not effect her surroundings, as well as various others.

  At the centre of the table, a golden three sided pyramid appeared. Approaching the height of nearly 2foot, its elderly faces on each side, were easily visible to all. A moment later and the faces acted as one and spoke.

  "Beginning the Meeting of Illumination.....Rhino, give your report"

  The Guild Master subconsciously cleared his throat and then began to talk, his normal voice replaced with a synthesized version that was unrecognisable from its owner.

  "We have concluded that the Golden Light Guild was subcontracted to acquire the remnants of the Dungeon Core.....The Dark Guild, Goliath was responsible, but we are yet to find anything that concretely leads back to them"

  From across the table, the large pink elephant that looked like it wandered straight out of a Saturday morning kids cartoon, spoke up. The elephants voice was child like, and came across as unnerving coming from such a large avatar. Its voice lingered somewhere in-between male and female, with its gender ultimately unknown.

  "Rhino, what happened inside the Dungeon? Was it a double cross, a third party, or something else?"

  All eyes in the room moved back onto the Guild Master, with everyone also wanting the answer to that unknown.

  "We ultimately will not know unless we catch the escapee. We believe it to be a third party, it wouldn't make sense for someone on Goliath's payroll to cause such a scene and bring attention to them.....If the third party does indeed have the Dungeon Core remnants, the main thing is to ascertain as to their purpose....Goliath's goal is to create an artificial Dungeon and wipe the rest of humanity out....But this third party, I really don't know"

  The central pyramid illuminated, and then spoke to everyone.

  "You have all been sent the image that Rhino acquired, the identifying factors are negligible. Thus, we recommend a wait and see policy, while strengthening security"

  Within the view of everyone except for the Guild Master, the image that Jesse had enhanced was shown. The seconds passed as each person looked over the image and deduced that nothing could be garnered from it. The black alligator was the first to speak, in an artificial deep voice that resonated within everyone's ears.

  "Rhino, why the hell did you use the Golden Light Guild for collapsing a Dungeon? All of us know they are a proxy and to keep an eye on them, but it doesn't mean giving them free reign over such a delicate matter"

  The disdain in his voice was easily recognisable, even behind the artificially created vocals. The Guild Master tutted inwardly, and replied with his own annoyance being audible.

  "It wasn't my call. I wanted the Dungeon collapse to be handled in house, but the Cent........"

  In the middle of his words, the pyramid at the centre of the table glowed brightly, cutting off the microphones of everyone present. Now in control of the conversation, the pyramid spoke to rebuke them both.

  "This is not the place for petty squabbles, or placing blame....You will all be contacted when the next meeting is called....With this I end the Meeting of Illumination"

  The pyramid ceased its glow and then vanished from the space. Many of the avatars vanished one after the other, leaving only the Guild Masters rhino avatar, as well as the black alligator and the divine phoenix. The black alligator began to talk again, directing his words to the rhino.

  "Instead of collapsing the Dungeon, you should of handed it over to us. You can't even manage a singular level one Dungeon. Tsch"

  Attempting to slam one of his stubby hands on the table, the rhino missed and could only reply, without the added effect of physically showing his anger at the alligators words.

  "Why the hell would I hand over a Dungeon to you and the area it's in!? And I know it was you who was responsible for the breakdown of that Dungeon! There's no way the weird crap that went down in that Dungeon, wasn't the work of your minions"

  The black alligator was taken aback by the Guild Masters words, if the meeting was done face to face, it would have been obvious that he was not acting with what he said next. But unfortunately, the virtual setting did not afford him that benefit.

  "Eh!? We didn't have anything to do with that, we're not that damn petty!"

  From across the table, the only other avatar who had not vanished, up until now had been silently observing the two bickering. Only now did she decide to speak up. Her voice was obviously feminine, conveying a gentle tone that blended in perfectly with the calm setting they were currently in.

  "Enough of this flirting you two......Now Rhino, why don't you relinquish your contract with Henrietta and send her over to me. She can grow better under my care, just as a baby chick should do"

  The Guild Master was visibly angered by the comment, once again he tried to slam his fists into the table, this time with both of them, he actually succeeded. His stubby rhino fists hit the table and just phased through it, as if it was not even there. Not letting that perturb him the slightest, he replied to the divine phoenix.

  "Henrii's staying here were she's valued, and has freedom. You know she would never listen to your words anyway, so stop trying"

  The divine phoenix did not properly reply, only turning her head away in annoyance.

  "Hmph"

  The black alligator had another concern entirely, seemingly to be in a slight panic, he spoke to the two of them.

  "Whoa, whoa. No real names here, you know the rules!"

  Both the rhino and the divine phoenix looked at the black alligator with deadpan expressions, that looked comical on their animal avatars. Letting out a deep sigh, the divine phoenix spoke as if stating a fact.

  "Everyone else has gone, it's just us. This is why you're still single"

  The Guild Master started laughing at this, shelving his animosity for the divine phoenix, and enjoying the ridicule of the black alligator. Not focusing on the last part that mocked him, the black alligator quickly replied and pointed to the side of the table.

  "We're not even alone, she's still here!"

  Both the rhino and the divine phoenix followed the direction he was pointing, and laid their eyes on another avatar that had not moved, or spoken the entire time. A humanoid sloth was lay back against her chair, her brown fur near enabling her to blend in with the chair she was sat on. The long fur completely concealed her eyes, and gave no clue as to the direction she was looking, or even if her eyes were open.

  The Guild Master let out a noise of surprise, as he had not even noticed the sloths presence the entire time they were there. Across from him, the divine phoenix gave no such reaction, apparently being aware of the sloths presence the entire time.

  "Stupid crocodile, she's asleep anyway so it doesn't matter. And even if she wasn't, it still doesn't matter"

  The Guild Master had, had enough of the virtual space and the bickering, so removed his headset to leave, just as the black alligators words were being said.

  "I'm an alligator, you daft pigeon!"

  His avatar vanished from the virtual space, leaving the gentle sunlight and cool breeze as a thing of the past.