Dawnview had never seen this many eggs.
Not chicken eggs.
Not monster eggs.
Ten softly glowing, slightly humming, absolutely-not-normal eggs held by ten absolutely-exhausted players as they half-stumbled into the plaza like survivors of a very pretty apocalypse.
For a second, everything stopped.
Then the system announcement hit:
> DAWNVIEW ANNOUNCEMENT:
Azure Hollow has been Cleared.
First-Clear Party: [Stormbreakers of Dawnview]
Unique Reward: Primordial Eggs (10).
Route Unlocked: Dawnview → Emberton.
The plaza exploded.
"THEY CLEARED IT!"
"IS THAT AN EGG??"
"WHY IS IT SPARKLING—"
"IS IT GOING TO HATCH RIGHT HERE—"
"IF SOMETHING BURSTS OUT OF THAT I'M LOGGING OFF—"
Aria lifted her egg overhead like a championship belt.
"BEHOLD—MY CHILD."
Her egg promptly tried to roll out of her hands.
"HEY—!" She clutched it again, swaying. "He's spirited. Like his mother."
Dot pressed her legs into Aria's scalp in mortified solidarity.
Riley shifted his own egg more securely in the crook of one arm. It was heavier than it looked, a storm-blue shell veined with faint, moving constellations. When he moved, the lines flowed—rethinking themselves.
Arcial padded close to his leg, golden eyes never leaving the shell.
Sofia clutched her silver-threaded egg to her chest, Ether hovering close, wings folded like she was trying not to smother it with affection.
"They're beautiful," Sofia murmured.
"Okay but like," Kalyani said, staring at her own ember-veined egg, "objectively speaking… mine is the coolest."
Her egg gave off a single, smug spark.
Sofia jumped. "Is… is it supposed to do that?"
"It's fine," Kalyani said confidently as the bottom of her satchel started to smoke. "He's just enthusiastic."
Rezion shifted his floating frost egg carefully away from Kalyani's. "Please don't cook my ice baby."
Frostwing chimed from his shoulder, as if seconding the request.
The Adventurer's Bureau front door slammed open so hard it bounced.
The Bureau Master NPC strode out, looking flustered and deeply, deeply impressed.
"You actually did it," he breathed. "You cleared Azure Hollow."
He zeroed in on the eggs, eyes widening. "And the Hollow's Heart recognised you."
Mira pushed past him, goggles still in her hair, hands outstretched.
"Let me see them—no, wait—don't hand them over, I'll drop them—just hold them still in good lighting—"
Kipp staggered out behind her, clutching a notebook full of shaky diagrams.
"They're resonant," he babbled. "Multi-phasic. They're not bound to one element at all, they're waiting to imprint—this is insane, this is—"
He took one step closer to Riley's egg, tripped over his own foot, and face-planted into the cobblestones.
Mossling waddled out from the workshop and poked him.
"He's fine," Aria said. "He's just overcome by parental feelings."
Dot gave a little approving click.
The Bureau Master cleared his throat. "Dawnview owes you more than applause."
He gestured.
A small group of NPC officials approached—the mayor, the forge chief, the head of the trade post. They looked like they had absolutely not planned to have a ceremony today, but were doing their best to pretend they had.
The mayor raised a hand.
"Stormbreakers of Dawnview," he said formally, "you have protected our routes, unlocked Azure Hollow, and brought back… this."
He nodded to the eggs.
"We do not fully understand them. But the Hollow has chosen you, and we will not stand in its way."
Hayes bowed slightly. "We were doing our job."
"Yeah," Aria added, "getting almost electrocuted is our passion now."
Ether bonked her.
"—our respectful passion," Aria amended.
The mayor's mouth twitched.
"From this day forward," he went on, "you are recognised as Dawnview's first Guardian party. And any guild you register will be granted official backing—discounts, repair priority, route priority. You've earned it."
Kalyani's head snapped up.
"Did he say guild?"
Five minutes later they were all crammed into Kipp & Mira's workshop, eggs carefully set in a padded crate Mira had produced out of nowhere.
Aria poked hers.
It wobbled and zapped her finger.
"Rude," she muttered affectionately.
Riley opened the guild creation interface that had appeared in his menu the moment the mayor finished talking.
> CREATE GUILD
Minimum: 6 members
Guild Stone: Provided by Dawnview
What would you like to call your guild the system chimed
Hayley leaned over his shoulder. "This is it."
Hayes folded his arms. "We need something that fits everyone. Not just the combat team."
"Not just the crafters either," Mira said, hugging an armload of notes.
"Or my personal greatness," Aria said.
Dot instantly smacked her.
"Look," Aria protested, rubbing her temple, "I'm just saying, 'Aria and the Backup Dancers' has a ring to it."
"Denied," three people said at once.
Kalyani started ticking off on her fingers.
"Okay, we need options. Rapid-fire. Go."
"Storm Lynx Appreciation Society," Hayley suggested.
Arcial squinted at her.
"Eggsecutive Decisions," Jonathan said.
Everyone groaned.
"Twelve Idiots And A Forger," Kipp mumbled from the floor, where he was still lying but apparently listening.
Mira thumped his head lightly with a hammer. "Absolutely not."
"National Aria Protection Programme," Aria tried.
Ether lifted her wing.
Aria sighed. "Fine. National 'Mostly' Aria Protection Programme."
Hayes pinched the bridge of his nose. "We are not calling our guild NAPP."
Rezion, unexpectedly, spoke up.
"'Hollowborn'?"
Sofia smiled. "I like it. But it sounds more like a title than a guild."
Riley's fingers tapped the table, eyes distant for a moment.
Dawnview.
The Stormfront.
Azure Hollow.
Forgers and alchemists, crafters and frontline shields, healers and chaos gremlins.
New routes. New chances. New futures.
"Dawnforged," he said quietly.
The room stilled.
Hayes repeated it, testing the weight. "Dawnforged."
Hayley's smile spread. "Forged by what we went through here."
Mira's eyes lit up. "And 'forged' as in craft. I approve."
Kalyani spun her egg gently. "Dawnforged sounds… cool as hell."
Rezion looked down, throat tight. "It makes us sound like we belong here."
Jonathan nodded slowly. "And… like we could belong somewhere after this, too."
Aria opened her mouth.
Everyone looked at her.
"Okay, yes, fine," she sighed. "It's better than 'Eggsecutive Decisions.'"
Dot patted her gratefully.
Kipp raised a hand from the floor. "I move the motion that our official full title be 'Dawnforged' and our unofficial internal chat name be 'Eggsecutive Decisions.'"
"Seconded," Kalyani said instantly.
Riley laughed, the tension in his shoulders easing.
"Alright," he said.
"Dawnforged it is."