Eternal Dominion book 5: Interference, page 15
“I do not have any info on that. However, my brother has been in a good mood so I would say things are going well,” Enye said, clearly done with the topic.
“We also have the release of the four rebels, who you took care of in my father’s territory, happening in four days,” added Dyllis, to shift the topic.
Xeal held in his laugh as he could tell Enye didn’t care for the whole situation with Ceclie, and Dyllis was doing her best to divert away from the topic.
“Oh, did they all find a country to take them?” asked Xeal with curiosity.
“All but the one. We are actually still deciding where to send him,” answered Dyllis.
“Why not force him into the dark elf lands?” quipped Gale.
“Gale, that would be beyond cruel and unusual. The dark elves would eat him alive in the most sadistic way possible,” Aalin said, while holding back a laugh at the thought.
“You’re right, it would be too good for him,” Gale said with a smile.
“Hey, we shouldn’t hold to much of a grudge against him. He did give us an opportunity to stand out and attract more players,” joked Xeal.
“Yes, but that also led to all the other headaches we have been dealing with, especially the three back home and the fear of more trying to join,” grumbled Gale.
“Ah, yah, still, we need to do something with him as if he just restarts, he will be able to hide in the shadows,” commented Aalin.
“Exactly. If only there was a way to infect our other enemies with his stupidity,” commented Xeal.
“Hmm, I could see if my brother has any ideas,” suggested Enye.
“That would be for the best as any involvement by us would just be counterproductive. Still, it looks like Abysses End really does have a long reach,” sighed Xeal.
“Now onto the heaviest of the topics. When are you going to take action on your grievance against Rising Oblivion? Also, what is your plan?” inquired Enye.
Xeal started to explain the actions he was about to take, as well as what he hoped to achieve, with the ladies for the next half hour. After they had finished with that subject, they moved on to lighter topics, enjoying their time together. As it came time to leave, Xeal made sure to give each lady a kiss before heading on his way to set things in motion. Enye was a bit overly enthusiastic when it was her turn for the kiss, but Xeal just smiled at her and let her enjoy herself. Finally, Xeal left to make his first true move now that the board had been set and all the players had arrived. To do so he teleported to the outpost of Eaglefeather where Rising Oblivion had started out of and had a guild outpost. When he arrived, he was met by a dozen level 20 to 40 guards who would be in charge of observing Xeal’s actions, as he had sent a message before the tea time with the ladies, that he would be making a move in the outpost, to the local baron. With the dozen guards in tow, Xeal made his way to Rising Oblivion’s guild outpost to ransack it solo. As a level 71 player, Xeal knew he could handle the few dozen players between level 15 and 25 that should be in this outpost on a normal day and that is what Xeal acted like he expected to find as he charged in. So, when he found a few dozen level 40 and up players, it was no surprise to see him turn around and run. The members of Rising Oblivion on the other hand wanted to ensure Xeal didn’t escape and gave chase. It was then that hundreds of players streamed out from the surrounding area to join the chase. In all, Xeal had close to a thousand players, ranging from level 40 to 55, chasing after him, all of whom seemed excited at the prospect of killing him. In their excitement of Xeal falling into their trap, they failed to see the smile on his face as he led them out of the outpost and into the wilderness that surrounded it. He led them by the nose into a cave system, meant for players between levels 10 and 40, that went underground for miles as it acted like a maze. Xeal could only laugh to himself as every player failed to ask why they were able to keep up with a level 70 plus player as he fled from them into what should be a dead end that posed no threat to them. Around 30 minutes after Xeal had arrived in Eaglefeather, every member of Rising Oblivion in the outpost, minus a few hundred left to guard against him using a return scroll, was in the caves chasing him. It was only after he had gone deep enough in the caves that it would be difficult for the players to find their way out quickly that Xeal lost them, hid, and used his advanced return scroll to escape and meet up with Takeshi and the rest to continue their grinding. The main difference today was he wouldn’t be going to the royal forge while recovering between fights today.
Meanwhile, all of Rising Oblivion had been mobilized to Eaglefeather as they believed they had Xeal trapped and feared the rest of FAE showing up to rescue him. Even Templar Fall and Red Crushers had mobilized most of their elite players covertly to play support as they believed that today was the day that Xeal would suffer his first of many death penalties. The forums were filled with Rising Oblivion’s members boasting about how they were going to kill FAE’s guild leader and send a message that they weren’t easy to mess with. Many of FAE’s members wanted to act, but guild leadership forbade it, insisting that Xeal knew what he was doing and to trust in him. At first this was met with complaints and discontentment, but as the hours passed and Rising Oblivion had yet to find Xeal, the mood started to shift and Rising Oblivion’s members were the ones growing frustrated as FAE’s members realized that their guild leader was leading all of Rising Oblivion and their supporters on a wild goose chase. None were more confused about the state of things than Hugo, Tyelk and Drezar, as they had solid intelligence that the item that Xeal had used to jump around so frequently when he hunted the players targeting his lower-leveled members was no longer in his possession. They couldn’t understand how he had escaped, other than by using a return scroll. They even started to believe that there was an unknown exit to the cave system that only Xeal had known about, or found. Finally, after over 20 hours had passed, Xeal had taken the time to travel to Autumndale for rest as no players but FAE members could visit the city, and very few did as only those above level 60 had any business there regularly. This meant that while Xeal stood out, no enemy players would pass on his location and he could relax as he read the results of his little prank to start the game. From what he was reading, the leading theory was that he had logged off and was waiting for things to calm down before returning. This had led to Rising Oblivion having 500 level 40 and up members setting up to blockade the cave system until he showed up, even if it took weeks. This was met with mixed results on the forums as many laughed at Xeal for being trapped, while others laughed at Rising Oblivion for failing to catch Xeal and allowing him to tie up so many first rate players. Xeal simply laughed as he started his rest before logging out for the day.
Morning October 28, 2266.
Alex, Sam and Nicole enjoyed a lazy morning on Sunday as with their new training routine, Sundays were a stretch at home day meant for recovery. As Alex checked over his messages, he found one that had come in the last night from Background Inc., about the Jingong acquisitions he had initiated and what he found astounded him. He had expected to get three, maybe four properties, in different countries, allowing him to set up satellite locations in each to attract local players into his workshop. Background Inc. had completely exceeded his expectations by securing a deal, just waiting on his approval to acquire 15 locations around the world. As Alex looked over the details, he found that all but the one Bold Soul was based out of in southern China that housed 10,000 players, and one in Japan that housed 5,000 players, they were all small locations that housed between 100 and 1,000 players in countries that didn’t have a large VR gaming industry. Where most workshops would have overlooked these locations thinking that they were not worth their time, Alex was ecstatic to have the opportunity to acquire the locations. They represented a vast untapped resource of players, many of whom would become experts in their own right once they were introduced into ED. Due to satellite internet being a mainstay for most of the less developed world starting in the 21st century, many developing countries had developed without laying down ground cables except in the cities. All 13 of the other locations were in areas like this where it would be years before the general population could play ED, and over a decade before most of them were. The main issue before Alex was figuring out how to best utilize these locations, as the way the Jingong workshop had was as pipelines to find players to send to their other locations. Alex didn’t have the facilities to develop that many raw talents at this point, or anyone he trusted that could manage these locations. If he went ahead with the transaction, it would balloon his overhead costs and his quick estimates told him it would take most of the extra income the guild was currently generating to pay Background Inc. to handle each of these locations. Alex had to smile at how well they had tracked his finances as they knew exactly what he could afford and not stagnate completely as they positioned themselves to maximize their profits.
Alex discussed the opportunity with Sam and Nicole as he worked through the pros and cons himself, ensuring that they knew that financially it was feasible, but it would make things a bit tight in the short term. They talked about what it would mean for the players currently using the properties as a home that wouldn’t be allowed to stay there any longer. Both were kind of put off about the whole thing when they realized that by FAE taking over, more than 20,000 people would find themselves evicted within the next few months as Background Inc handled the legal requirements in each country to prepare the locations to be ready for the January 1st launch date when FAE would announce its workshop’s creation to the world. They also agreed that having over a dozen locations up and running around the world would elevate the reputation and public perception of the workshop. Really, the only issue was the eviction of the current residents and how that was going to be handled. Alex wanted to say everything would go fine, but he doubted that as people were unpredictable, and if anything could be counted on, it was a few causing major headaches for years to come over a perceived injustice. Still, as long as Background Inc. handled it, FAE would be able to distance itself slightly. After a good bit of discussion, Alex came to the decision to add in a 10,000,000 credit fund to help relocate each of the displaced people. That was only 500 credits per person, but it was the limit of what he could afford as things currently stood without setting his workshop’s financials back drastically, or dipping too deeply into his own. Also, in most of the areas that he was working with, 500 credits was enough to live off of for a few months at the very least.
With the decision made, Alex replied to Background Inc. with his acceptance and sent a message out in the guild leadership group explaining the situation and what it meant. After a bit of activity in the group addressing several of their concerns, Alex returned to enjoying his time alone with Nicole and Sam as they watched a web series while stretching before eating. By the time 6:00 AM rolled around, Alex had received a reply from Background Inc. letting him know that they were moving forward as directed and that all 15 properties would be ready to open by January 1st. Alex smiled as he returned to ED to execute the next step in his plan.
ED year 1, day 311.
Xeal awoke in an inn in Autumndale, ready to carry out the necessary actions of the day. It started with his party returning to the plains to continue grinding sharp cows, fury bulls and the occasional crazed wolf pack. That went as usual as the six of them worked to perfect their skills. Even Aalin and Gale had shown vast improvements since they started this grinding slog. Xeal could see flashes of potential in both of them, which excited him as it meant that there was hope for them and the rest of his friends to reach the skill level of elite players in this life. At the same time, Xeal felt guilty over saddling the rest with city expedition quests and other guild business while he leveled almost single mindedly, having replaced forging with his actions against Rising Oblivion for the time being. Speaking of which, once his party reached its first rest period, Xeal used an advanced return scroll to return to Autumndale before teleporting to Eaglehorn city where Rising Oblivion’s only guild hall was located. Once there, while wearing a hooded cloak to hide his appearance from anyone without a decent identification skill, all of which were extremely rare before tier 5, Xeal made to the local viscount’s keep. Xeal then used the prince’s mark to get an audience with Viscount Lennox, the local ruler of the city. Xeal also knew that the viscount was a member of the Mercer house’s faction and would not be inclined to be helpful for what Xeal was about to do. Still, either way, he knew his plan and how to move forward. Xeal only needed to wait a few minutes before an old man with a hunched back and a bald head that contrasted with the well-groomed white beard on his face walked in. Xeal knew this was Viscount Lennox and it was time to see if all the points he had been putting into charisma would pay off as Xeal removed his hood.
“Ah, Viscount Bluefire, what do I owe the pleasure of your presence to?” Viscount Lennox said while trying to hide his obvious displeasure.
“Viscount Lennox, you and I both know you are anything but happy to see me. Now, let’s be honest here, obviously my movements in Eaglefeather were leaked well beforehand, leading to me needing to evade the members of Rising Oblivion that were waiting there for me. I dare not accuse you or another noble of interfering with my actions, as I have no proof to disprove that I don’t have a leak on my end. However, I can tell you that if I suffer a repeat today, I will have proof it is you as you are the only person that knows I am here right now and about to make a move. Not even my vice guild leaders know what I am about to do. So now I would like a single guard to escort me to the Rising Oblivion guild hall to observe as I take action.”
“Viscount Bluefire, I do not appreciate what you are insinuating. As a noble of the kingdom, I would never take action against one of the kingdom’s orders without just cause.”
“Nor did I say you would Viscount Lennox. I am simply frustrated that my prior actions cost me a single use item and wasted my time and energy. I am simply letting you know that I don’t care if the Mercer house is pressuring you, it would be a mistake to act against me today. You can even tell them that I know and warn them that if they continue to hold a grudge against me over Lady Vanessa, it will only bring them losses”
“You truly do know this game too well, Viscount Bluefire. It really is a shame. If you had simply gone along with their wishes, you could have had such an easy life. I will not interfere as you are right, it would be suicide and I quite like my neck attached to my shoulders. That being said, you shouldn’t expect an easy time until you accept the Mercer house’s offer.”
“I am well aware of the consequences of my actions Viscount Lennox. If I wished for the easy road I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
“Still, I would advise you that you are making a mistake, Viscount Bluefire.”
After spending a few minutes just staring at one another, Viscount Lennox sighed before calling for his guard captain to go with Xeal. Xeal handed the captain a cloak to hide his presence as they moved through the city.
Xeal arrived in front of Rising Oblivion’s guild hall and found that it was only sparsely populated, as most of their members were still blockading the cave system Xeal was supposed to be hiding in, waiting for him to give up. The forums were full of players calling him a chicken for not showing himself in over a day in ED time, while other players were making fun of Rising Oblivion for wasting so much manpower just holding down a single player. Xeal knew it was only a matter of time before no player would be willing to keep an insignificant cave on lockdown indefinitely. Xeal also knew he needed to act then while Rising Oblivion still had most of their elite players distracted. Then a window opened and Xeal simply walked up to the side where it opened and slipped inside like nothing was weird. Once inside, Xeal found himself alone as he closed the window before moving along a hallway to a specific room that no guild should ever leave unguarded. Inside was a token that normally would be housed at a guild’s headquarters inside a vault-like room once they had one. However, as Rising Oblivion, like every other guild other than FAE, had yet to obtain a real guild headquarters and was still using an economical guild hall as their de facto headquarters, Xeal’s task was easy. Especially since no alarm was raised that would have activated the barrier that most guilds had to rely on early on to secure the guild’s authority token.
The guild’s authority token was an item that every guild had and it was one that no member of the guild could hold onto as it would drop from any bag after one hour. The only sure-fire way to protect the token was for the guild leader to perform a safe logoff as it would remove the token with them. This was to ensure no guild fell while the guild leader was unable to make a final stand as they had the most to lose if their guild fell. It was also normally a crime to take another guild’s authority token as in doing so, you essentially subjugated the whole guild and created a subordinate guild until terms were reached. For the members of the subordinate guild, they had two choices, leave and be barred from joining any guild for a full year in ED due to gaining the deserter status, or wait it out until terms were reached with the conquering guild. If terms failed to be reached within 90 days, the conquered guild would be disbanded and all assets transferred to the conquering guild. This included the guild leader who would be forced to join their conquerors by force unless an arbitrator who wasn’t always neutral deemed the conqueror’s demands to be unreasonable. That said, simply taking the token was not enough to conquer a guild. Xeal would need to hold onto it for at least a full week before anything other than the member withdrawal clause would kick in. Still, it would flip the nature of this fight and very few players would even see it coming. As Xeal looted the token, a system announcement went out to all members of Rising Oblivion.
(Warning, your guild’s authority token has been taken by Xeal of FAE! Your guild has one week to recover the token or become subservient to FAE! All members who withdraw will be labeled as deserters and be barred from joining any guild for one year!)
