Conviction, page 16
Ellayina Walsh was annoyed after Kevin Hansen had called her into a meeting suddenly first thing on Monday morning. While she was expecting his answer on the starting worlds idea she had, this felt like it was a fair bit more than that, as he could have simply scheduled one for the afternoon without much difference. Still, with the recent legislation that had been passed in the United States, it would likely cause ripples in other countries around the world. So, as she entered the room and took her chair across from him, she held in her desire to give him a hard time and waited for him to reveal his intentions. Which, as he started to speak, seemed to not be the first thing on his list to do.
“Thank you for joining me on such short notice, Ellayina. Tell me before we get started, is there anything that you feel I should be aware of in recent events.”
“Kevin, I know better than to assume you don’t know anything,” replied Ellayina. “I would be surprised if you were unaware of even the quiet meetings I still have with Xeal from time to time.”
“Did you aid the legislation that just got passed last Friday?”
“No, but I expected it with Kate being who she is and FAE being in the crosshairs. Honestly, I wish I knew what the idiots at Abysses End were thinking by bringing the issues into reality.”
“Alright, so tell me, have you done anything that would confer an unfair advantage to Xeal or FAE, say like giving him an item that would let him duplicate any weapon?”
“Kevin, you already knew about that and you also know that he paid a very high price for it.”
“I know. My question is have you done anything else that could be seen as giving FAE an advantage?”
“Not unless you consider listening to their ideas and running a few simulations to see if they would help extend the life of Eternal Dominion.”
“I take it that included the starting worlds that you want me to approve?”
“Yes, those were a suggestion that they made, but the numbers back it up and they only know that it is under consideration.”
“Alright, let’s say that you are officially in FAE’s corner and I am in Abysses End’s corner when it comes to things. What will happen in Eternal Dominion if things progress as they are?”
“That would likely lead to the two of us struggling for power, while the other shareholders band together and pick one of us to support moving forward. I am no fool, just as I know that if you thought they would side with you in such a hypothetical situation, you would happily let it play out. Rather, it is the fact that you know that if you were painted as being pro Abysses End at the current moment, it would destroy your ability to run this company.”
“That is neither here nor there, Ellayina. You don’t have the skills to ensure Eternal Dominion Inc. realizes its full potential and maintains its market dominance for as long as possible.”
“You’re right, yet I don’t care about that. We already have captured enough of the market that our challengers know better than to even try and compete. At least until they figure out how we solved the time dilation issues and can do so themselves. Which is the bargaining chip that we both hold and why neither of us can risk completely removing the other.”
“Oh, you would actually ruin the future of Eternal Dominion as well as your own by revealing trade secrets? Those patents are owned by-”
“Me. Kevin, as you will note, I only leased them to the company and maintain the rights to lease them to another if I no longer own over 15% of Eternal Dominion Inc. Just as I am sure you have a file all prepped to be sent out the moment before you are no longer the president of Eternal Dominion Inc. and have already secured a buyer who is happy with a sublease. Let’s face it, we both have ourselves set up to ensure no other can push us out. So, how about we take and fix that? I will sell my patents to the company and you transfer enough of your shares that we are on equal footing and no sales of anything can be done without joint approval.”
“So, you really do wish to try and take over. Tell me, what is it about me that makes you wish to see me removed when my actions have led to our success?”
“Your drive for complete control of the market and sole focus optimizing and securing profits now.”
“Ellayina, we are a for-profit company. We have a duty to our shareholders to maximize their returns. Without my backing and their investments, you would have never been able to build the infrastructure needed to create Eternal Dominion. Just because you see it as your baby, doesn’t make it your role to control how it is run.”
“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean that I will just sit by as you plan for its eventual replacement, that would require the very infrastructure that was built for it. Tell me, has Abysses End already asked that you consider options that would see the resources dedicated to Eternal Dominion split between two games that we own?”
“Diversifying is a natural part of any business. It ensures-”
“That our operating costs double, if not triple and our income plummets, at least for a bit. Especially as any player who abandons Eternal Dominion sells off everything they have and the market there never recovers. Heck, players haven’t even started to reach the peak of what they are capable of in that world yet.”
“Really? Tell me any player will ever reach the same heights in power that Xeal has. You aren’t the only one who can run simulations and he is already more powerful than any non-deity class was ever meant to reach.”
“He is deity class. From the start there were 1,000 paths to reaching deity class and he just happened to find two and helped others find a few of their own. It is why the system has made obtaining a second fruit of life without someone selling it to them, impossible for FAE.”
“I thought deity paths were supposed to be near impossible to succeed at and most would only make it so that the player was slightly stronger overall.”
“That is how they start. Were it just the primal energy path that he found he would only have his lightning form and that isn’t what makes Xeal powerful. It is using that in conjunction with his titles and the boosted stats from his dragon god path. It is why the deities of Eternal Dominion have their eyes on him already and why him reaching tier-8 will almost certainly trigger an end game event that will fix the balance issues posed by him, one way or another.”
“Oh, and does he know that?”
“No, but I think he knows that something is going to happen. He just doesn’t know what yet.”
“Fine, I will trust that you have that issue well in hand and I am going to join you in approving the starting world idea. So get that rolling as I plan to announce it in just over three weeks.”
“Are you still going to back Abysses End and the other super guilds like you have been?”
“No, their credit lines will be restricted to only when their main countries are under threat and Abysses End will be warned that if they push their luck, they will lose it.”
“Fine, but my statement still stands on the patents-”
“No, I don’t think it does, as I don’t surrender leverage and I know that I have more of it than you, at least until that lease ends in about 95 more years.”
Ellayina frowned as she knew that Kevin had read her right, though she did have one play left.
“Fine, but if you make any move to develop a new game without my approval and involvement, I am selling my shares and I think I might be able to get my next game funded rather easily.”
With that Ellayina left Kevin’s office without giving him a chance to respond as win or lose, Kevin knew she would follow through as it would no longer be her baby. Plus, she knew that the patent she had was only part of the puzzle for solving the time dilation issues. The other side wasn’t patented and even if Kevin defected, it would take years to figure out from the code. After all, sometimes things had to be kept close to the chest and filing the legal protections that were needed only served to expose them to danger.
When Xeal returned to ED on day 199, he left the force in the subterranean realm behind, as he started to have meetings with those he intended to elevate to solidify as senior vice guild leaders. The first of these meetings was also one that he knew needed to be handled for other reasons, as it was with Takeshi. Other than the normal exchanges involved with reporting on the situation on the battlefield, Xeal and Takeshi still hadn’t had a real conversation since the argument that saw Xeal pull him away from the front lines. So, as Takeshi entered Xeal’s office, the atmosphere felt off as they exchanged greetings, though Xeal was thankful that Takeshi used san when addressing him. Still, Xeal didn’t hide from the elephant in the room as he opened the meeting.
“First, let me be clear, this meeting isn’t about our last exchange. Though I feel as if we need to address it and move past it, before we can get to the reason I asked you to meet with me today.”
“Xeal-san, it is fine. I know now that I allowed my desire to rise to the top to cloud my path there. I am not meant to face down endless waves of enemies like you do. I am meant to face their generals when the time comes.”
“Not exactly, but I can accept that, so long as you don’t let yourself be worn down to reach the general. This isn’t a work of fiction where the hero rises from an almost sure defeat and overcomes the odds. This is a reality where having the best hand at the start wins four out of five times and the only fights you should accept are ones where either you have the advantage, or they have no advantage on you.”
“Some fights must be fought regardless of advantages, do they not?”
“Yes, and it can be hard to know where the advantage lies until after the fight has begun. Still, recklessness is what leads to deaths. I should know. After all, that was what did myself and Eira in when we were operating in Ivraba.”
“I think we have discussed the unpleasantness of our last encounter and past mistakes enough.”
“Right, straight to it. Takeshi-san, I am well aware that you basically already are, but I still haven’t made it completely official yet, so, do you still wish to become one of FAE’s senior vice guild leaders?”
“Yes, Xeal-san, I do. Though, I still have my concerns with what this will mean should I die in ED.”
“Just make sure you have a good second in command who will be able to keep things together for a few months if that occurs. Oh, and I will still expect you to remain an active part of the workshop in reality if you do die.”
“I believe that is something I can agree to, so long as I am still able to maintain the livelihood that I have come to expect.”
“Takeshi-san, you would make a quarter of what you were as a senior vice guild leader. I am sorry, but until another game that you were willing to play came along, your responsibility would be reduced to only managing the property that you resided in and training recruits. That said, you would have plenty of opportunities to shift into another role. However, just as Harrison had to prove himself as a reliable administrator, so would you in whatever role you wished to pursue. My only promise is to open such a path for you when you were ready to take it.”
“I see. That is understandable and acceptable, Xeal-san.”
“Good, now…”
The rest of the meeting between Xeal and Takeshi focused on the finer points of what the updated contract would look like, as Kate joined them to go over the numbers. This included things like yearly raises and other performance-focused goals, as they came to an understanding and a number that was acceptable to both sides. What Xeal didn’t tell Takeshi was he had just set the price and contract for every other senior vice guild leader, other than a bit of an adjustment based upon where they were living and if the guild was housing them. Though Xeal could see a few of those who were going to be called in being annoyed when he told them that there would be no salary negotiation as they accepted the pay rate, or stayed in their current role.
The only other snag was for those who were also crafters, as there needed to be a consideration for their level of skill at their craft and their production rates. Especially as their time focused on guild work could be costly to their production of equipment, or other goods. Thankfully, with Taya being Xeal’s second meeting, that could be addressed before it came up with another. Particularly as she was well aware of the economics of the guild and was well aware of the time frame of each level of crafting for mithril and below. While there were a few orichalcum-ranked crafters already, they were so few that a baseline couldn’t be established yet. Still, Xeal had a fair idea and so after what turned into a three-hour meeting that had Kate and Taya analyzing the numbers far more than he had ever wished for, a contract was signed. Just like that it was time to move onto the next of the four others Xeal had in mind.
Which once more wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, especially as Geitir was a partial owner and had been made aware of everything beforehand. While Geitir had been mostly quiet on the battlefront, he had continued to focus on the development of lower-leveled players. This had included ensuring that all of the dungeons, which offered unique materials, had teams constantly delving into them while they developed their skills. While not as flashy as those Xeal had sent to command the front lines of the war, it was actually far more crucial to FAE’s success than ending the war quickly was. Especially with the possibility of soon seeing a major drop in the number of new players in the main ED world and needing to identify teams who were willing to remain at the proper levels long term. With the level 100 to 194 dungeons suffering from a lack of players to delve into them, their unique resources would become even more valuable.
This would create the first real opportunity for players who didn’t have the skills needed to reach tier-6 or tier-7, to make a decent amount of side income long term. Though for FAE the focus was to have part of the crafting administration teams be tasked with this role long-term, meaning that it would be Taya who would be left in charge of them as Geitir shifted focus. Currently Xeal wasn’t worried about that, as he knew that Geitir could handle most aspects of upper guild management and his subordinates would likely be more varied than most of the others. Still, Xeal knew that they needed to talk about that and more, as the two of them sat across from each other in his office.
“I must say that you have come a long way since being that kid selling a secret to get a title, that I met what feels like forever ago,” commented Geitir after they had exchanged greetings.
“Ha, I was still figuring out what my plan to rise to the top was then. Honestly, the credits you gave me then were what allowed me to really get my start. While I know that I would have still founded FAE, my start would have been a bit slower and well, momentum can mean everything in this industry.”
“I can certainly agree with that, after having seen the pitiful state my old guild is in after trying for the safe approach to things. Honestly, if they didn’t have the funds from running their businesses in reality, I doubt that they would still be holding on.”
“Do you want to change that?” asked Xeal, catching the bitterness in Geitir’s voice.
“Not at all. I am quite happy to see them slowly fall apart, as it ensures they lose more in the long run. If we put them out of their misery now, while it would ensure they never rose in the future, it would honestly save them credits in the long run.”
“Alright. Well, unlike the others who I need to speak with, you know why you’re here today. As planned, I had Takeshi set the base rate for senior vice guild leaders and it is at 4,000,000 credits a year. As for the subsidy to those who are also crafters, after working with Taya, we have agreed that platinum ranked and up should receive them. The rates are 250,000 credits for platinum-ranked, 1,000,000 credits for mithril ranked and 2,500,000 credits for orichalcum-ranked.”
“That seems like an awful lot. Will they really lose that much in personal income each year?”
“No, that is a bit more than they would expect to lose, but we have to account for how their duties as vice guild leaders will affect things as well. After all, I would likely be a mithril smith right now if I had the time to actually do more than performing the maintenance on my own equipment. So, by having a talented crafter serve in guild leadership, we may very well cause them to fail to reach the rank they could have if left to focus on their craft.”
“Then why even consider those we see as being our top talents in crafting for guild leadership?”
“Geitir, how would you like it if you were a crafter and only those who were halfhearted crafters were in guild leadership and there was something you didn’t like?”
“Ah, they need to feel as if there is someone at the top who understands and at least has a talent level similar to their own. However, I would think that would mean you would do whatever you could to ensure that whoever you picked reached adamantium-ranked.”
“Oh, I will be, short of actually giving them more premium materials than the top pure crafters. In fact, they will be given less to work with, but by doing so, they will be able to prove that they deserve the respect of the other crafters. That is why Lily is being selected in this round and I will be placing her over all of FAE’s crafting operations, as no other player has her level of talent and respect from the crafters.”
“I take it that means Catriona failed to impress you.”
“No, she has been doing great. It is just that other crafters don’t see architects as the same as them, as they work as teams from the start. So, they don’t see any building that she headed the construction of as her work and she just has too little leadership outside of her building teams.”
