Date: 2022-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

Eternal Dominion Book 8

Crossroads

Bern Dean

Bern's Books LLC

Copyright © 2022 Bern's Books LLC

All rights reserved

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Cover design by: ebooklaunch.com

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Morning December 10, 2266.

ED year 2 days 75-76.

Evening December 10, 2266.

ED year 2 days 76-77.

Morning December 11 to Morning December 12, 2266, & ED year 2 days 78-82.

Evening December 12, 2266.

Morning December 13, 2266, & ED year 2 days 82-83.

ED year 2 days 84-85.

Evening December 13 to Evening December 16, 2266, & ED year 2 days 85-95.

Morning December 17 to Evening December 17, 2266, & ED year 2 days 96-98.

Morning December 18 to Evening December 18, 2266, & ED year 2 days 99-101.

Morning December 19 to Evening December 19, 2266, & ED year 2 days 102-104.

Morning December 20 to Evening December 23, 2266, & ED year 2 days 105-116.

Morning December 24, 2266.

ED year 2 days 117-118.

Evening December 24, 2266.

ED year 2 days 118-119.

December 25, 2266.

ED year 2 days 121-122.

Morning December 26 to Evening December 26, 2266 & ED year 2 days 123-125.

Morning December 27 to Morning December 30, 2266 & ED year 2 days 126-136.

Evening December 30 to Morning December 31, 2266 & ED year 2 days 136-137.

Thanks!

Preview.

Afterword

Morning December 10, 2266.

Alex awoke ready for another morning at the aikido dojo with Sensei Kikuchi. Rolling over, he found a smiling Nicole looking at him. Alex smiled back as he embraced her lovingly, before giving her a good morning kiss while enjoying the glow she had to her. As they lay there, they caught the sound of Sam dealing with another bout of morning sickness and Nicole frowned as Alex got out of bed. He made his way to the bathroom where Sam was still propped over the toilet looking ready for round two as Alex started rubbing her back. Sam gave him a smile and assured him she was fine and would be out shortly as she shooed him away. Alex gave her a kiss on her cheek before getting ready to head out and five minutes later, Sam was done and looking more or less fine and they were ready to go. When they arrived for their morning lesson at 6:20, Sensei Kikuchi asked if he could speak with Alex while Kent led the rest. Once they made sure everyone was good, Sensei Kikuchi led Alex back to his office and started the discussion.

“Alex, why do you choose to live in the virtual world when you have so much going for you here in reality?”

Alex paused before answering as he hadn’t asked himself that question since he woke up in his 18-year-old self’s body. He had just gone full speed ahead like he didn’t have any other path forward. Life had come fast over the almost four months that had passed. At first, he was just going with the flow without thinking of the consequences of his actions. Then he had had a few eye-opening experiences that were both good and bad as he realized that even if he knew everything about playing ED, he still couldn’t predict everything.

“Sensei Kikuchi, it is not that I chose one world over the other per se, it is more like how a fish lives in the water. The moment I entered Eternal Dominion, it just clicked and I haven’t looked back since. I am aware that I have been blessed in both worlds and know that I need to strike a better balance, especially as I will be a father this summer.”

“I see. Now, about my students that have begun working for you in teaching the basics of aikido to your new recruits. I have noticed a few of them seem to be rethinking only playing while they sleep and it concerns me that they may become as you are.”

Alex frowned as he thought about how to respond to Sensei Kikuchi. On the one hand, he would welcome them being online more. The few lessons they had been giving while they worked on leveling up had been welcomed by the new recruits that were just starting out like them. It had actually helped increase the number of players willing to join since his guild had reached level 36 and 73,956 slots had opened up that needed to be filled. Around 20,000 had been taken by more experienced players, but most were brand new to ED.

“I will not lie and say that I don’t welcome them doing so as it is a benefit for me, but I understand your concerns and wish you would see what it is about Eternal Dominion that draws us in. I promise that it would be an enlightening experience for you, though I can respect not wanting to try something that you would only deny yourself later. Ignorance can be bliss, as once you know what you are missing, it may be too much of a temptation for some.”

The look Sensei Kikuchi gave Alex could have made a grown man run, but Alex simply smiled confidently back.

“Are you saying that, if I were to experience the virtual world, I would not wish to return to this one?”

“No, I am saying that if you experienced Eternal Dominion, you may understand why it has such a draw to so many. The ability to enjoy a full day of recreation in the span of eight hours, when you would normally be asleep, alone is enough for many who work every moment of their waking hours to never look back.”

Sensei Kikuchi looked long and hard at Alex as if he was searching for any uncertainty in his words, before he responded.

“It is a shame. Were you to pick a martial art and hone it, you could easily become a great master one day.”

“Is that what you were really hoping for? If so, I am sorry to say that while I intend to use the martial arts I learn in Eternal Dominion, I have no plans to hone them to perfection in reality. My motivations are completely aligned differently.”

“I can see that and no, I am not after you as a disciple. I am simply concerned about my students. My comment was more of observing your resolve and confidence matched with the skill and growth I have seen from you since you joined us here. It is a shame that you only have three more lessons before you and most of your group moves away.”

“Just because I am moving away doesn’t mean that I will stop learning aikido, or anything else. It only means my instructors will change and I will receive a greater variety of instruction, and variety is good for us. Now, if you do decide to see what Eternal Dominion is all about, please let me know and I will be happy to show you around and even offer you 100,000 credits a month if you become a full-time instructor for my guild.”

Alex could see the surprise that crossed Sensei Kikuchi’s face before he responded.

“That is far more than you have offered my students.”

“They are good for teaching a few new members and giving everyone a good base, but you are a master and would be able to improve even my best players’ combat standard. That pay also assumes that you will be playing 16 hours a day, so only 50,000 if you only are online for eight hours a day.”

“I see.”

Alex just smiled and the two of them returned to the rest of the group as they simply stretched in the time that was remaining before the end of the lesson.

(*****)

ED year 2 days 75-76.

As Xeal returned to Eternal Dominion at 6:00 in the morning, he quickly got ready for his 6:30 meeting with Prince Victor. As he walked to the palace, he thought over the complications that the fox girls Daisy and Violet staying in Nium indefinitely would create. He also found himself wondering how the raids and the rest of the fallout from the sudden actions by the crown would be taken. For Victor, his actions now would set precedent for his rule once he officially was crowned king by his father. By punishing Xeal lightly while using it as a means to show mercy to those that had fallen into the trap he laid out, it indicated how he would act in the future. It was clear that Prince Victor intended to make changes that would be drastic departures from the current norm, and would use any means he could to do so. However, by not throwing Xeal away, or completely ruining the nobles he caught, he sent the message that he would be reasonable to those who needed convincing, so long as they fell in line after. This method would lead to minor issues as nobles attempted to avoid being caught during the early phases of new laws. At the same time, it would drastically reduce the amount of major issues caused from a noble feeling backed into a corner if they were at odds with him. There would likely still be a few nobles who would attempt to cause issues for Prince Victor over the changes, but without enough backing, they would have no way to affect things. In the current situation, this meant effectively censoring the nobles that were the most involved in the trade of beast-men criminal slaves. With simply being in Nium no longer being a crime once an agreement was reached with a beast-man tribe, Prince Victor planned to pardon all of the current beast-men serving a sentence in Nium. This also meant that every one of the beast-men who had ended up as servants in noble estates needed to be looked over as well. Many had chosen it over manual labor, while others had been forced into it for less savory reasons. This was where most of the complications of the current situation lay. Some were likely to have been treated terribly and others would              likely have developed complicated feelings. Xeal knew Stockholm syndrome was a real thing and expected it to be rather common for those who were shown kindness from their captors. It was with these thoughts that Xeal arrived at Prince Victor’s door and knocked.

“Enter.”

Xeal entered, and after taking the time to go through the obligatory niceties, he found himself sitting across from Prince Victor, chatting casually.

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me despite everything that must be going on right now.”

“Xeal, you are nearly as busy as I am and are just as crucial to my plans moving forward as my own actions are. Now, your message said that the two fox girls are refusing to be taken home and wish to develop in Nium until they can make it home on their own. I take it that is still the situation?”

“Yes, and while I understand their point, I still feel it could cause issues on our end.”

“Indeed. Still, forcing them could cause the same issues. Perhaps there would be a few of their own kind who would be able to assist them among those set to be freed.”

“Perhaps, but let’s not rely upon assumptions.”

“Alright, so you are looking for my ruling on if they can stay, or if they have to return. Hmm, how would you have them grow before returning to their people if they stay?”

“I would likely have them join Enye and Dyllis in their training, which would likely have them reaching tier 5 just before next founding day. Though that is only if they are able to find a way to attempt the trials for their race inside the kingdom without causing any issues.”

“Fair point. I am unaware what will be required for their race to rise in tiers. I am sure if we had some of their kind working with us there wouldn’t be any issues though. The issue is how to achieve such a thing. Do you have any ideas?”

Xeal paused for a moment as he did have a solution, but it was a drastic step. He was unsure if the kingdom would be ready for it. Still, if it worked out, it would just add to Nium’s draw for independent players, so he decided to voice it.

“Victor, I do have one idea. It would be difficult to achieve and likely to create friction in the short term, but it could be the best answer by far in the long term.”

“Go on.”

“You could offer to any beast-man race that works with us the ability to establish a single noble house of viscount each. All of them under a single earl household. You would need to place requirements, like the founder of the house needed to be at least a tier 6 beast-man and the like. Once you have enough of them onboard, you begin construction of a border town where they will act as the local officials. This would actually solve the issues of what to do with the beast-men born in Nium, and they could become advisers to the new houses.”

“I see. You are right that it would ruffle many of the nobles in Nium. However, it would open the door to a full unification of their lands with ours if it’s successful. Very well, I have my answer. Daisy and Violet are to go with you when you escort Eira home. If you run into one of their own kind who you feel is trustworthy, you are to hand them over to them. If not, then they can stay here for the time being. As for building a city and raising several beast-men to nobility, I must speak with my father before making such a decision. If there is nothing else, you are free to go and I hope to see positive results soon from your journey.”

“I will let them know and set out shortly to take them home.”

Xeal and Victor discussed a few more minor things before Xeal left his study and returned to his mansion. When he arrived, he found his party for the trip awaiting him as all seven of them looked ready to go as Clara went through the mission checklist. Every member of this party had achieved at least a B-rank result in the tier-5 nightmare trial and had recently received new contracts that made them official members of FAE in both ED and reality. Each of them had upgraded their equipment as well, something that Xeal had been neglecting of late. Clara’s blonde hair came out in two braids from her steel helm, that was decorated with a pair of wings where her ears would be. A removable white fur cape hung from her shoulders and when she turned to face Xeal, he could see her breastplate displayed a boar’s head. Xeal also knew she had received a Blessing of Freya from Gale, giving her a five percent boost to all her attributes. Ignis simply looked like he got a fancier red robe to go with his fire orange hair as he laughed with Amet, whose short reddish-brown hair was covered under the helm of his scale mail. Leaena stood with the same confidence she always did, wearing studded leather armor that focused on maneuverability like Xeal preferred. Asa was dressed in light leather armor, with her long black hair done up in a high ponytail and had a half dozen or so tools on her belt that Xeal knew acted as quick-draw slots for her. Ryū wore karuta-style armor that he had clearly picked up while in the Muthia empire and Lux stood in white robes marked with the sun symbol of Apollo.

As Xeal took in the group, he caught sight of Eira, Daisy and Violet as they arrived with Bula and Midnight, wearing the plain leather armor that he had provided each of them for the trip. He could tell that as they caught sight of him, Daisy was already chomping at the bit to find out Prince Victor’s answer. As they made their way to Xeal, it also drew the rest of the group’s attention to him and as a mass they made their way over, with Daisy being the first to speak.

“So, did your prince approve our request to stay here?”

“Not exactly. You are to come with us and if we come across one of your kin, we are to release you to their care. If not, then you can return.”

Xeal could see that Daisy was about to retort when Violet cut her off.

“Thank you for asking, Xeal. I look forward to returning after this journey.”

Daisy looked upset at the younger of the pair cutting her off, but before she could say anything, Clara launched into the status report and the plan of movement. As the plan currently stood, they would be doing split 18s, where they would log in and have three hours before the start of each day of travel and return nine hours before the end of each session, with the last six being their offline time. This would allow Xeal to take care of having regular reports and ensure he could see to his other obligations as well. With this schedule and the additions of the three beast-women, it was expected that the trip would take nine days, or six sessions. With the plan laid out, the 12 of them, 13 if you included Midnight, sat down to eat the breakfast that Xeal had had his chef prepare for them. Once that was done, they took up formation as all three beast-women put on cloaks as they moved to the garrison that had been told to expect them, and used their portal to teleport to the fort near the border. From there they made their way into the beast-men lands a few hours later and Asa started to move ahead, guiding the group around most of the monsters. However, with only one scout and such a large group, avoiding every monster was never going to happen when even Xeal travelling by himself couldn’t do so. It wasn’t long before the party found itself facing off against a level 90 ground bear. The ground bear was a physical predator that used its hide that was made up of rock to blend into the environment, while also acting as natural armor. For Xeal, the ground bear was a simple annoyance and with a party behind him it was dead within minutes. The rest of the first session continued like this, with the group occasionally running into groups of monsters that needed to be dealt with. Ryū, Clara, Amet and Leaena all rotated between acting as shields for Eira, Daisy and Violet and being the second tank for the group in each fight. So far, by the end of the first session, nothing beyond their capabilities came up and several of them leveled up, including all three beast-women who had been acting as range damage, with both Daisy and Violet casting minor spells and Eira making use of javelins as her weapon of choice. Xeal also reached level 85 as he finished off the last of a group of three level 92 nature elementals that had ambushed the group.

They made it to a safe zone when it was time to bring an end to their travels for the day. By this point both Daisy and Violet were out of stamina and needed to be carried by Ryū and Amet to keep pace. Once they were safely inside the cave that was marked by the system as a monster-free zone, all 12 of them activated advanced return scrolls and found themselves back at the garrison and used its portal to return to the capital, where they all went their separate ways for the last eight and a half hours or so of their sessions. Xeal likewise made his way with Bula, who had Daisy on her back, and Eira and Violet, who was on his own back, to his mansion to rest before logging off.

(*****)

Evening December 10, 2266.

When Alex awoke Monday night, he smiled as he looked over to find that Nicole was already getting ready for their date. Due to both of them being busy in ED, they had agreed that it would be best to have this week’s date in reality. Ten minutes, a quick meal and more than a few kisses later, they had bid Sam goodbye for the night as they drove to a local orchestra concert. The concert was set to start at 6:25 and was scheduled to end at 7:55 that night and Alex had paid for a box for them to enjoy it from. Alex could see Nicole was excited as while she had never been that good at it, she had been in band through middle school and had a few friends from band that had kept at it. She had stopped playing when she entered high school and her parents wanted her to focus on her studies, and all of the advanced placement classes they pushed her into. While they didn’t have time to stay after and congratulate them, a few of her friends were taking part in tonight’s concert.

Alex and Nicole arrived at 6:18 and Alex handed the keys over to the valet, letting him know there was a 200-credit tip if he found it waiting for them at 7:59. After that, they showed their ticket at the VIP entrance and an escort was provided to show them to their seats. They managed to be seated in their private box to hear the conductor finish welcoming the orchestra and introducing the first piece. A few of the members of the orchestra noticed them enter and looked up and Nicole caught the eye of one of her friends and waved, as they blinked in surprise and nudged the musician next to them and pointed up. Alex recognized them both vaguely from seeing them in the halls in high school when they would say hi to Nicole when he was around, but for him that was it. He had no hope of remembering any names due to just how long it had been for him, even if for this body it had only been six months since high school ended. Alex was sure that as they hadn’t been flaunting their wealth to all of their old friends, that seeing Nicole and him in a box that cost over 5,000 credits was a bit of a shock for them, as by the time the conductor had turned around, all five of the musicians that Nicole knew had noticed them.

The first half of the performance lasted for 45 minutes and ended with a 15-minute intermission. Alex could tell that Nicole was ecstatic when all five of her friends snuck up to the box for five minutes of the intermission. Alex just sat back and let them chat as they caught up on recent events, briefly. They were surprised to hear that Nicole was playing ED professionally, knowing her parents. Nicole just smiled without getting into the nitty gritty of recent events, though when she let them know she was moving out of state in about three weeks, they got sad. When they found out that she and Alex had to get back to ED right after the concert, they made her promise to meet up with them Wednesday when they had a day off from this concert for dinner. After giving Alex a knowing look, she said sure, but added that Alex and Sam would be coming as well. With a promise to message about details later, the five of them hurried off to get back to their positions for the second act of the concert.

“That was nice.”

“I’m glad things worked out and you got to see them.”

“Yah, but now I get to figure out how to tell them about what my life has become.”

“Oh, are you worried?”

“No, it’s just these past few months the six of us have practically lived in a bubble. I haven’t seen any of them since high school and well, you know.”

“That I do. Still, it should be fine. They don’t seem to be the judgmental kind.”

“No, they aren’t. They are just themselves. I guess I used to envy them a bit. Now though I get to spend my days being Aalin and this world and its rules seem less important.”

Alex leaned over and gave Nicole a deep kiss just as the orchestra resumed their positions and the conductor began talking. The rest of the concert went by quickly as Nicole held Alex’s hand contently until it came to an end and they made their way out, beating the crowd as they found their car waiting for them. Alex handed the valet 200 credits as he got in, laughing at the fact that they were still using the car that Amanda’s neighbor had sold the girls on the cheap. Yet they had just enjoyed a concert in a box seat that cost almost a quarter as much as it did. They made it home at 8:15 and both quickly got ready to log back in after one more kiss, as they both had places to be and things to do in ED.

(*****)

ED year 2 days 76-77.

Xeal opened his eyes around 7:00 on the night of day 76 and got out of bed, making his way to the dining room. There he found Eira, Bula, Daisy, Violet and Midnight enjoying a meal, as a servant quickly disappeared to the kitchen below upon seeing him. Xeal took a seat next to Eira and across from the fox-girls. Before he could even speak, a plate of food had been placed in front of him and he smiled as Eira spoke.

“You are going to make it hard to return to living in my tribe with how I am treated here.”

“Oh, so you are saying I should have my servants bring in live prey for you to hunt and kill before it is cooked?”

“Cooked over an open fire with salt as the only seasoning to be precise, but no, I much prefer playing like I have been and having food brought to me at my leisure.”

“You sound like a house cat,” interjected Daisy with a smirk.

“Oh, and yet I’m not the one begging to stay.”

“Hey, I am not begging. It is more like it makes sense with our situation.”

“I see, if that is what you have to tell yourself. Still, while I will miss this, I know that it is not meant for me. By the time you are strong enough to make it back home on your own, you’ll probably just decide that you like it here better and try and find a way to stay.”

“Projecting much!?”

“Alright, you two, knock it off! What did I miss since I have been gone?”

Both Eira and Daisy grew quiet and it was Violet who spoke up.

“It’s just how we are in our lands. Tribes typically don’t work with one another unless it is across the river and while we ignored it before, now that we have been back, well…”

Violet just shrugged as she gave Xeal a look that said what can you do. Xeal gave each of them a look as he thought back to what he knew in his last life. He could remember different beast-men having friction between them when it came to the day to day, but they had united together to rule their lands once the wars had run their course.

“Look, I don’t care about your tribes’ differences. Right now, you are on the same team. Daisy, Eira, you are arguing over nothing. If either of you have an actual issue, feel free to voice it. If not, then get ready as we leave in two hours.”

Xeal could see both girls pout slightly before Daisy spoke up.

“Okay, but are we really going to travel like this? I feel like I am going to pass out on this constant shifting of schedules.”

“You get used to it,” interjected Bula. “Xeal and his kind live on an unusual schedule due to the nature of how their world interacts with ours.”

“I still find that weird,” responded Daisy.

“It is just how things are. It is also why most of my kind only are around one of every three days.”

The conversation shifted to Xeal’s world as the four NPCs pumped him for details of what life in reality was like, once more. Before long, it was time to head to the garden where they would meet up with the rest of the party. Once 9:00 rolled around, everyone was present and they all pulled out their advanced return scrolls and used it to return to their journey. After they returned, Amet and Ignis seemed to decide to gang up on Xeal, with Ignis taking the lead.

“Xeal, we haven’t adventured together since we unlocked Autumndale together and now you are acting all serious on us.”

“Yah, man, it’s no fun. We all know you can wipe the floor with everything around here, so what is with all of this tiptoeing around?” added Amet.

“Guys, there is plenty here that could overwhelm me and get to the three beast-women we need to guard.”

“Right. Hey, Big Monsters, Come On Out!” shouted Ignis. “See, nothing. Come on, let’s have some fun while we walk.”

Amet started to sing a song meant for marches about tiny bubbles in various drinks as Ignis joined in as the rest of the group just looked at them. Clara full-on face palmed while Xeal just chuckled, knowing that it would only get worse if he resisted. So, when they finished that one, he broke in with a different one and they ate it up. After that one, he was able to steer the entertainment away from marching songs and onto other topics. Clara even joined in when it came time for Ignis and Xeal to give Amet a hard time about a few things. Though she also kept them in check on a few topics as well, and it wasn’t long before the rest of the group started to open up a bit. Eira, Daisy and Violet all couldn’t help but give them all dazed looks, as Bula chuckled softly as it reminded her a bit of how brazen her own kind could be. It was an hour and several minor fights later while Ryū was talking to Xeal about swordsmanship, when it happened. Xeal was the first to notice it as he cut off Ryū, shouting, “Get in formation, now!”

The group reacted quickly as they knew something was up. Xeal hadn’t reacted like this to their other fights of the night and they knew something big was on its way. Xeal knew Asa was scouting ahead of them and this was coming in from the right, so he figured she should still be fine. As it came into view, Xeal smiled bitterly while Clara stepped next to him as the free guard for this fight and Amet, Ryū, and Leaena surrounded the three beast-women. The rest of the party took up ready positions as the deformed figures of the three level 100 wendigos approached at full speed, with blood dripping from their mouths. The scream that came from Daisy drew their attention and Xeal knew this was a second from turning bad. Xeal didn’t hesitate as he let loose an unrestrained roar and unleashed his dragon’s breath in a sweeping motion, returning their attention to him as he charged all three of them. At the same time, he shouted his orders to the rest.

“Clara, if one breaks away, engage. Until then, stay back. Lux, full power. Don’t worry about hitting me, just do what you have to. Bula, keep me alive. Ignis, add a flame wall for defense. Everyone else, keep our charges alive!”

The response was instant as Xeal weaved in and out of the three monstrosities that had once been beast-men. He felt the damage from Lux’s first spell as it hit all four of them and smiled as Bula’s heal landed directly after, restoring three quarters of the damage he just took. Out of everything that could have arrived in these woods, wendigos were among the worst as they bred by killing in ED and even players could find their old corpse used by the evil spirits. Xeal feared that if there were three here, then there would be more nearby and he had his hands full just keeping them at bay. Luckily, fire was a great tool and between Ignis, his elemental blades and Lux using divine fire spells, they were making great progress when two more charged in, ignoring Xeal completely. Clara took one while the other seemed poised to break through, when Asa returned and was able to engage and kite it. Both ladies had strained looks while they fought the two newcomers as they had both clearly been children when they had died.

Xeal could tell that both Clara and Asa were fighting a losing battle as neither had the massive stat boost he did, nor was there support to spare to prolong their ability to fight. At the pace things were going, he knew that more were sure to come as well and he needed to act fast as he summoned Midnight. Midnight looked annoyed at being disturbed from what Xeal could tell had been a catnap, but he was also quick to act. While Midnight was worthless as far as damage went, the matagot quickly drew the wendigos’ attention due to his aura.

“Midnight, keep the two over there off us while I deal with these three.”

Xeal knew that Midnight could understand and was happy to see him quickly jump around the other two as he made them look slow as molasses. Xeal felt relieved as he returned his full focus on his fight while Asa and Clara recovered. Xeal didn’t hold back at all and a few minutes later, he stood there at a quarter health and a bleeding throat, but his three opponents were ashes. The next second, he charged the remaining two with everything he had as Midnight slipped away, taking perch on Asa’s shoulder, forcing her to give him attention. Xeal couldn’t help but smile as he caught sight of an awkward Asa petting Midnight, looking like she didn’t understand what was going on. Finally, the fight ended and Xeal could focus on his recovery as Lux, Clara and Bula all went to work on him.

“What the hell was with those things?” inquired Asa.

“Those were wendigos, and they are basically cannibalistic evil spirits that have taken root in the heart of one victim before spreading. Judging by the fact that we just dealt with five, it should be safe to say more should still be around as once they eat every organ but the heart, their prey rises as one of them.”

Xeal left out how they were lucky that they were still in a lower-leveled map that the system was keeping around level 100, as once a wendigo hit tier 6, it would no longer be bound to the ground like these ones were.

“Okay. Also, are you going to take your pet back anytime soon?”

Xeal smiled as he watched Midnight milk Asa for all the attention he could, before responding.

“Nah, I think you have it handled for now. Besides, he has earned a bit of spoiling. You’re just who he has decided needs to give it to him this time. Besides, Midnight isn’t a pet, he is a partner.”

Before Asa could respond, Clara joined into the spoiling of Midnight before adding in a comment of her own.

“You know, with how much this guy loves to get attention from the ladies, I think he matches his partner perfectly.”

The smiles that popped on Amet’s and Ignis’s faces, as well as a few others in the group, preceded several more good-natured jokes. Xeal just chuckled as they gave him a hard time for picking up Mari and Lingxin on his last trip out of the kingdom, while the rest of the group inspected the loot. They only found a few gems and pieces of bone that could be used in enchanting work, before resuming their journey. Amet and Ignis were both still teasing Xeal as they set off.

“You know, I am surprised that we are out here at all. I would have thought that you would have just added these lovely ladies to your harem,” jested Ignis.

“Hey man, even Xeal has his limits, even if his ladies don’t seem to care,” quipped Amet.

“Not funny. I am already feeling stretched thin. I honestly wish I could have redirected one or the other towards Victor, or perhaps one of you.”

“Nope, Clara is all I need, any more and well…” Amet looked like he really didn’t want to think about it and Xeal could tell Clara had already made things clear with him. Xeal held in his chuckle as he remembered how a similar dynamic had formed in his last life between the pair.

“Ah well, there is always Ignis.”

“Don’t be ruining my life to make yourself feel better. While it will still be a while before we actually start dating for real, Nanami (Anna) and I are doing well.”

“How the hell can you all be joking like this after that?!” interjected Daisy, looking like she wanted to hit someone.

“Daisy, you have to understand two things about adventurers like us. One, we are not of this world and so our own death is never truly on the table. Two, this is how we live. Day in and day out, we are fighting monsters like those. Sometimes a laugh is what is needed,” explained Xeal.

“But those were once our people, before a monster turned them into what they were. There were even two children who never got a real chance at life!”

“Every skeleton, zombie and ghoul that I have killed, to name just a few examples, were once people as well. The undead are everywhere and many of them will find themselves trapped in an endless cycle of torment until they are purified the way Lux just did so for these souls. Does it suck? Yes, but all we can do is accept it and drive on, or let the weight of it hinder our actions.”

Xeal could tell that Daisy was biting her tongue as she walked away and he stood as it was time to resume their march once more. Only this time, the marching songs were left out as Xeal was sure that at least a few more wendigos were in the area and he would rather not face more before his status completely recovered. The rest of that day’s march was uneventful as they only encountered a moderate amount of monsters, none of which were wendigos, thankfully. When they returned to rest at Xeal’s mansion, Daisy was still upset about seeing the wendigos and Xeal could tell that Eira and Violet were feeling similarly. Xeal felt like he was missing something so he asked Eira if he could talk to her for a bit and she reluctantly agreed and once Daisy and Violet had left, he started.

“Alright, I feel like I have missed something important.”

“Look, it is just a difference in how we see things. You just saw those wendigos as monsters to kill, like a ground bear. For us, they are members of our tribes that will never have a proper burial, or truly be at rest. We get that what you did was for the best and the fact that Lux cleansed them helps a bit, but you all let the mood shift too quickly.”

“And my explanation of why just further exacerbated things.”

“No, it helps us understand. We have each been sheltered. Look, the three of us will get over it. We get that this is not your world and our ways are not yours.”

Xeal sat for a moment in thought before thanking Eira for sharing. Eira left to get some rest, which Xeal did as well until his logout time arrived.

(*****)

Morning December 11 to Morning December 12, 2266, & ED year 2 days 78-82.

Tuesday morning’s swing dance lesson, and Wednesday morning’s kendo practice, both passed by with little fanfare, other than short conversations with Samuel and Sensei Sano. They discussed how things would proceed when all but Anna, Lauren, Jessica, his parents and Officer Chen, left for Colorado. Both were sorry to hear that the move was already set in stone, but agreed to continue lessons every morning at 6:20 for those that stayed, so long as Alex was willing to pay the bill. Both times Alex resisted making a joke about how they only loved him for his money. Tuesday evening was a relaxed one with Nicole telling Sam about seeing her friends at the concert and about meeting up for dinner the following night. It had been decided that they would meet up at 5:35 for dinner at a local diner that was popular with broke college students. Alex had smiled as he could remember more than a few dates with Nicole in his last life that had taken place there. Sam seemed interested, but at the same time she held some reservations as they were Nicole’s friends more than hers and she wasn’t sure how they would handle some of the news that was sure to be shared. Both Alex and Nicole assured her that it would be fine and in the worst case they would just leave.

When Xeal returned to ED the morning of day 78, he stretched as he made his way to breakfast and was happy to see that all three beast-women were smiling again. Still, they were a bit quieter than usual at breakfast and were quick to take advantage of the few hours that they had before it was time to leave for the day’s travel. When they did leave, they each kept a serious look on their face and Xeal had Amet and Ignis tone down the antics slightly. Still, they made sure to make the most of their time as they killed the occasional group of monsters into the early morning when they returned for the day, giving Xeal about six hours to sleep before he was set to host the next tea party.

As Xeal awoke just after 9:00 in the morning of day 79, he quickly got ready and made his way out to the garden, finding his staff was once again hard at work to make sure everything was in place for when the ladies showed up. Xeal was happy to see Aalin and Gale had already arrived as they made their way over with smiles plastered on their faces, with Luna and Selene in tow. Today was also the day that Xeal intended to introduce the pair to Enye and Dyllis and he could see that they both had been fully equipped with the best gear his guild had for their level. All four ladies gave Xeal a hug, with Aalin and Gale getting a kiss as well, and it was Luna that spoke first.

“So, we get to meet your NPC ladies today.”

“Are you sure you want them meeting us?”

“Yeah, if they decide that they like us, how will you ever escape us?”

“Or is that what you are hoping for?”

Xeal just gave them a hard look as he tried to express his disinterest in their teasing as they just smiled back, until Aalin broke in.

“I mean, if you want to go through all the etiquette lessons Gale and I did under Princess Enye’s tutelage, I won’t stop you.”

“Oh, yah, I remember those days. I still can’t hold a tea cup the same since her instruction.”

Xeal just smiled at the look of intrigue mixed with worry that crossed the twins’ faces at the looks Gale and Aalin were giving them.

“Luna, Selene, regardless of anything else, you two will have to experience a fair bit of what Aalin and Gale went through. After all, you are going to be spending the next eight months or so acting as three princesses’ and a noble lady’s personal guards regularly.”

“Hold on, I thought we were only going to be with them when they were grinding?”

“Yeah, you’re acting like every waking moment will be spent with them.”

“Oh, but you will be. I have already been designing a plan to accelerate yours and their growth, as much as is safe. Once we arrive in Colorado, we will all be going onto a six and two schedule after all.”

“Hold on, what?” interrupted Aalin.

Aalin wasn’t the only one looking at Xeal with confusion and he realized he hadn’t told them about the fact that they all would be upgrading to VR cabins when they moved. So, he explained that once they did so, the plan was for them to shift to a new schedule where they matched a relatively normal day in ED. This would have them taking two breaks to log out six hours apart and sleeping the third one. In essence, if looked at in terms of reality’s time flow, they would play six hours and take a two-hour break, with one of those breaks having them sleeping in ED itself. It had been a popular schedule for those with VR cabins in Xeal’s last life due to it allowing players to always be around during the daytime in ED. As Xeal finished giving the basic explanation, Enye, Dyllis, Mari, Lingxin and Queen Eleanor arrived. Xeal was surprised to see Queen Eleanor with them, but as he, Aalin, Gale and the twins greeted them with more or less the proper etiquette, he understood that she would want to meet Luna and Selene. As they took their seats, Queen Eleanor was the first to speak.

“Xeal, thank you for hosting us. I must say it is refreshing to get out of the palace, even if it is only just a little bit.”

“It is my pleasure, my queen.”

“Enough of the formalities. You know that I see you as family and I must thank you for the gifts you have given us recently. Though I would have preferred if you had waited to stir up the latest trouble until after you were an earl.”

“Ah, yah, well doing it now was important. Besides, it will just make those who wish to find a way to ensure I fail pursue a dead end in their attempts to hinder me. Besides, had I been an earl, Prince Victor would have had to be a bit harsher on me and when I rise to earl now, it will show that there is still hope for those implicated.”

“Still, you would have likely made the jump soon with your success in the Muthia and Huáng empires. Now I will have to worry a bit longer.”

“Mother, brother is well aware of the situation and I am sure that he will ensure Xeal is an earl by my wedding day, even if it is his first act as king. Now let us turn to happier topics. After all, you came here mainly to see who Xeal intends to entrust my protection to.”

“Yes, though I must say, if Victor had not insisted that they show promise, I would have issue with how weak they currently are.”

“Lady Eleanor, Lingxin and I will be there as well, not to mention Xeal has promised to provide us with an experienced cleric,” Mari stated calmly.

“Mari, you and Lingxin have to wait until the twins reach tier 4 to join due to the particulars of my kind.”

“Wait, then what are we supposed to do in the meantime?” responded Lingxin.

“It should only be for a few months, but these should be able to help you hone your skills. Just ensure that you have a guard standing by to act as a safety when you use them.”

Xeal placed ten of the shadow warrior mirror shards on the table, eliciting a confused look for everyone but Enye, who was the first to respond.

“Xeal, you don’t plan to only allow Lingxin and Mari to benefit from those, right?”

“Enye, you and Dyllis should focus on reaching level 39 for now. Once you and the twins reach that, I will secure some from the supply my guild has at our battle arena, temporarily for you all to train with.”

“Alright, I will bite, what are these?” inquired Mari.

Xeal went on to explain what they were and how they worked to everyone present. When he was done, the confused look that had been on Mari’s face had turned to excitement as she stared at the shards. She was not alone as even Luna and Selene were looking at the shards with fascination and it was Luna who spoke first.

“Wait, you have such a godly training tool and you didn’t share it with us before now?”

“Xeal, just imagine how much better we could have done on our tier 3 test.”

“Luna, Selene, you two would have wasted too much time and likely pushed your limits a bit too far had you had unfettered access to them. I needed you to get to this point. Besides, you will be able to waste a few days straight playing with them once you reach level 39.”

Both Luna and Selene were still giving Xeal looks that said not good enough, so he continued.

“Look, these aren’t exactly an unlimited resource as we only have so many and only those who are working to reach tier 5 in FAE even have access to them right now. The fact that you will get to use them before you reach tier 4 is already going to cause issues for me due to favoring you too much.”

“Fine,” conceded Luna.

“Just promise that we will have access to them as much as we want once we reach level 39,” finished Selene.

“Until Enye and Dyllis reach level 40.”

Xeal just smiled at the pouty faces Luna and Selene were giving him as Queen Eleanor started to laugh gently.

“I must say, they certainly are driven to grow stronger. However, it will take a bit more to gain my consent. Now tell me about…”

Queen Eleanor took her time questioning both Luna and Selene, with an occasional question for Xeal mixed in. While she did so, Maxwell served tea and snacks for everyone to enjoy as they watched the show play out. Finally, Queen Eleanor arrived at her final question that she directed to Xeal.

“Xeal, I accept that you wish for my daughter and all of your brides to be able to take care of themselves, but why are you so insistent that no royal guards accompany them past the mine entrance?”

“A tree cannot grow to its full potential in the shade of others and a sheltered flower cannot stand up to the wind. Enye and Dyllis must experience what it is to fight life and death battles. Even with the protection I have placed on them, I doubt either wishes to test it. If I allowed royal guards to accompany them, it would remove half the purpose of the training. Instead, they will move as a team of six until they reach tier 4 and Lingxin and Mari join them. Arnhylde and Lucida should be waiting for us to arrive after tea.”

“Wait, really, you went with Arnhylde? You know she has very much embraced all of what being a cleric of Freya entails, right?” cut in Gale.

“I am well aware, but she is one of the few clerics who fits the bill and she has agreed to behave herself.”

“Xeal, yah, she is a battle junky. Honestly, she acts more like a champion than cleric. Are you sure she will work out?”

“Gale, I promise you that I have taken all of that into consideration. It is why Lucida was chosen to balance her out.”

Xeal knew that Arnhylde Frisk was a unique cleric, to put it nicely. However, in his last life, she and Lucida Brevil had both grown to be top-tier players despite being late bloomers. When Xeal had seen their names show up in the recent recruitment reports, he had been ecstatic. It had taken a bit of finagling, but he had been able to pull it off, as he had managed to designate them for accelerated development. He had used the fact that Aalin and Gale were unable to waste time babysitting Enye and Dyllis to justify it as the party needed a cleric and magic caster.

“Alright, should I give her a bit of help as well?” asked Gale.

“No, it would only stunt her own growth right now.”

“Alright, I believe we have waited long enough. Let us be on our way to the mines so that I can meet my new friends,” interjected Enye excitedly.

“Enye, I know that you are excited to get started, but you need to remember that they aren’t expecting you until 11:00 and it is just after 10:00. They are likely still getting ready, but if you are that set on heading over, I am sure that Darefret would enjoy meeting you.”

“Alright, let’s go. Mother, I am sorry as I know that you aren’t able to accompany us there, but I will be sure to keep you updated.”

“It is fine, dear. Besides, Gwynn and I have plans tonight that I should prepare for. Be sure to give Wayland my greetings.

Xeal almost flinched at hearing that his mother and the queen were getting along so well, but he bit his tongue before smiling as he said his farewell to the queen. The rest of the group made their way to the garrison portal where they transferred to the new fort that had been set up just outside Darefret’s forge. It was Xeal’s first time being back since the fort had been constructed and he had to smile at how it was set up to completely block the entrance to the forging area. When they stepped out, they were met by a pair of tier 7 guards who instantly recognized Xeal and most of his party. The portal had been set up such that it was near the front gate where tier 6 guards were busy checking the credentials of those wishing to enter the mine, or forge. These players had to present their system generated player card as well as their guild cards which FAE issued and had marked, showing that they were approved to enter. Any player who arrived by the garrison portal like Xeal did had to do much the same, as to leave the area you had to pass right by them as well. The tier 7 guards that were currently greeting Xeal and his group had been placed here today due to knowing that Princess Enye would be arriving. The pair had been assigned to ensure that no issues occurred while she was out of the mine and were the only tier 7 guards currently assigned to the fort. As they left the portal area, Xeal got a good look at the fort that consisted of a 20-foot-tall half circle wall that stood 100 feet in front of the entrance, with eight 30-foot towers spaced around 25 feet apart, with two towering over the main gate. At the entrance to the mine there was another gate and two 40-foot towers that flanked the entrance on both sides. Xeal knew from the reports that a small town had started to grow in front of the fort where around 100 NPCs had set up shop permanently. These NPCs had beaten FAE in building an inn and several other basic services due to their focus on the border fort town and as such were making a good living already. Xeal had no intention of establishing competitors to these as the profits that his guild could earn would be minimal and FAE could use the funds on far more profitable ventures.

As the nine of them stepped through the gate into the tunnel where Darefret’s forge resided, the sound of the over 1,500 smiths working hit them. Needless to say that it was loud, but not overly so as part of the design of the forge included the use of various materials that worked to counteract the sound of hammers pounding on metal. Still, with Xeal’s enhanced senses, he would be happy to leave sooner rather than later. For once Darefret was not absorbed into his current project when Xeal arrived. Instead, he was training four new smiths. Xeal smiled as he looked at the four players as they learned how to smelt iron, reminding him of his first lesson. It didn’t take long for Darefret to spot Xeal accompanied by the eight ladies and smile as he turned to look at him.

“Well look who it be. Did ye decide it was time to check up on me once again?”

“Ha, right. I am well aware you have been having fun, especially as the expansion of your forge continues. You have been just as lost in your work as I have been mine of late.”

“Ye be right about that, and it is good ta see that ye have been putten in some work on yer smithing since I last seen ye. Now, who are all these ladies?”

“This would be Princesses Enye, Lingxin, Mari, Ladies Dyllis, Aalin, Gale and Dames Luna and Selene. All but the last two are currently courting me and all of them, except Aalin and Gale, will be spending a significant amount of time fighting kobolds in the near future.”

Xeal just smiled at the blank face that Darefret had adopted as the dwarf worked to process what Xeal had just said.

“Hold yer horses. Ye’re courting three princesses and three more ladies on top of that. No wonder ye not had time to smith as much as ye should be. That said, what’s this ye saying about sending them to my mine?”

Xeal launched into the reason and plan for them to spend the next several months here as they strove to reach tier 5. He explained that the mine was chosen due to the level of control FAE and the kingdom had over who could enter it, making it the securest location that was appropriate for them. Darefret was still giving Xeal a hard look as the girls all held in chuckles, when Arnhylde and Lucida arrived and joined the group. Arnhylde was dressed in scale mail with no helm as she carried a staff that had a steel cat head on top and Nordic symbols carved in it. Lucida was dressed in a stereotypical witch’s outfit, only it was completely white. The pair looked odd together yet Xeal knew their coordination was almost on par with the twins, in his last life. Now he was bringing them together to grow as one for the foreseeable future and he couldn’t help but wonder how it would turn out. With their arrival, Xeal bid all but Aalin and Gale farewell as they moved to the side to speak and plan how they would tackle the mine together. Lingxin and Mari joined them as they would be joining once they reached tier 4 and getting to know one another now was for the best. Seeing the eight of them get along, Xeal smiled before spending the time he had to spare before his logout chatting with Darefret, as Aalin and Gale had fun teasing him a bit whenever Darefret created an opening.

When Xeal returned for his next session, it was time for his next date with Enye. For this date she had decided that she wanted to have Xeal tag along with the group for the first few hours as they descended to an appropriate level for them to train at. Xeal accompanied them as they passed by several new recruits who were just getting their boots wet as they faced off against the lower-leveled kobolds. Along the way, Xeal watched as Enye took part in her first actual fight against a level 12 kobold, while Dyllis used her bardic performance to provide a boost that made the fight go by quickly. When it was time for Xeal to leave and rejoin the team working to return Eira, Daisy and Violet to their tribes, he pulled Enye in for a kiss, gave Dyllis a quick kiss and bid Luna, Selene, Arnhylde and Lucida farewell. He then pulled out his advanced return scroll and used it to transfer directly to the last safe point his party had used.

When Xeal arrived, he found everyone else already present and ready to go as they set out in the dark of the night, with caution. Since their run-in with the wendigos, Xeal had instituted a rule of no horseplay during the night. Amet and Ignis had only put up a small fuss before agreeing and making sure to enjoy the daylight hours when they came. They made it through the rest of the login that ended at midnight on day 80 and returned once they all logged back on in the morning of day 81. As they walked that day, Xeal was enjoying the looks on Daisy’s and Violet’s faces as he knew they were less than ten miles from the area where their tribe was situated. Both girls were trying to stay calm and act like nothing out of the ordinary was going on, but Xeal could see the anxious movements they made at every sound. It was just after they started to leave the area that four tier-6 fox-men, who each had three tails, dropped down to confront the group. In the front of the other three was an elderly-looking fox-man who had a stern expression as he stood ready with his staff as he spoke with authority.

“Would you be so kind as to release our young tribe members and explain your purpose here?”

(Do you wish to accept the quest, convince fox-men to aid Nium? Rewards, improved relations with Prince Victor and unknown. Warning, failing the quest will have negative repercussions on your account. Yes or No)

Xeal smiled as he accepted the quest and stepped forward, putting himself directly between the elderly fox-man and the rest of his party, before replying just as confidently.

“Returning them to their tribe is our purpose for being here. Daisy, Violet, do you recognize any of them?”

Daisy almost growled her reply.

“You knew you were close to our tribe, didn’t you?”

When Xeal remained quiet, Daisy sighed and continued.

“Uncle Yahisa, could you forget you saw us and let us play a bit longer?”

“Hinagiku, you and Sumire have had us worried. How could I ignore you, especially when surrounded by so many humans and a tiger-woman?”

Xeal watched in surprise as Daisy, who apparently was really Hinagiku, stomped over to the elderly fox-man and started to have a whispered conversation. Xeal made sure to keep the fact that his hearing could easily pick up every word from showing on his face as he looked over at Violet, or Sumire, as he knew was her true name. He wondered why they had used fake names and which of them made that decision as he studied her face while listening into part of the exchange between Hinagiku and Yahisa.

“Uncle, the world is changing and it would be a loss to not watch it occur.”

“Why must it be you two?”

“Fate put us on this path.”

“As it put me on this one.”

The two continued back and forth like this as Hinagiku devolved into sounding like a spoiled child and Yahisa started to sound like an unmoving mountain. With no end in sight and the whispering long since having turned into something closer to one shouting while the other simply calmly replied, Xeal felt it was time for him to step in.

“Daisy, or should I call you Hinagiku, that is enough. As promised, now that we have made contact with your tribe, it is time to bid you farewell. You are welcome to visit in the future and I do hope you will share what you have learned with your tribe.”

“You, just shut it. I don’t know how, but you knew that we were close and did this deliberately, despite knowing that we wanted to stay!”

It was Sumire who spoke next.

“Sister, Xeal has held up his end of the deal. If he wishes to send us away, we should simply be thankful for the time we had.”

“See, Hinagiku, Sumire knows the correct path to walk.”

Xeal had not missed the hurt look that Sumire had given him as she spoke like it was directed at him, not her sister. Sighing, Xeal asked a simple question of the pair of fox-girls.

“Do you two wish to be Hinagiku and Sumire, or Daisy and Violet?”

The four fox-men looked at Xeal in confusion as a look of surprise crossed over both fox-girls’ faces as it took them a moment to realize what Xeal meant. Once they did, with a quick look and nod between them, they replied at the same time.

“Violet!” “Daisy!”

Sighing, Xeal looked closely at them with a serious expression as he asked his next question.

“To what end?”

To Xeal’s surprise it was Violet who answered him without wavering.

“The simple chance to glimpse the mysteries of the true Kitsune.”

At Violet’s words, all four fox-men raised their eyebrows and looked directly at Xeal as he felt a headache coming. The true Kitsune was one of the primordial beasts that was currently trapped in the lost court and was the ancestor of the fox-men. To Xeal’s knowledge, five tails was the max that any fox-man could achieve as they would gain their second tail when they reached tier 5, and their fifth at tier 8. The abilities that each tail granted varied from one fox-man to another, but each one added a hundred years of youth to their life. Meaning, that while Violet and Daisy were definitely still young ladies, their uncle Yahisa was likely over 250 years old. That 250-year-old was looking at Xeal with an intense glare as he wanted to kick himself for his casual comment as he responded.

“Violet, just because I believe that the true Kitsune is real doesn’t mean that I have any way to prove it, or help you reach it.”

“I am aware, but with you we will grow in ways that would not be possible among our own kind. With you I feel like I could obtain at least my fourth tail within the decade, whereas I would be lucky to see my third if I return home in that time.”

“Sumire, you are speaking nonsense. You and Hinagiku belong in our village, not with the humans.”

“Uncle Yahisa, I choose to be Violet and abandon the name of Sumire and all that is attached to it.”

The look of shock on all four fox-men was intense before it started to morph into rage that was directed at Xeal, when Daisy spoke next.

“Any of you move and I will do the same.”

Like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on them, all four fox-men froze and Yahisa spoke cautiously.

“Hinagiku, you mustn’t. If you both renounce your names it…”

“I am aware of our status and what losing both of us would mean to the tribe. It is the only reason that I haven’t done so, yet. Still, these past few weeks have opened my eyes and if it was not for fate leading me to safety, we would have likely been lost to the tribe for at least a century, if not forever.”

“Nonsense. The portents never lie. The proof is standing before me now.”

“So there should be nothing to fear of us not returning home for another 20 or so years.”

Yahisa looked at a loss on how to move forward and he ended up joining the other three fox-men in glaring at Xeal, while he rubbed his temples. Sighing, Xeal looked at Violet and Daisy before speaking.

“You are both fools. Violet, you just used a hammer to kill an ant and all you have accomplished is making the situation worse. Daisy, if you abandon your name, I will abandon you to your fate as your own tribe would. Now, Yahisa, is there perhaps a way I could speak with you, or one of your tribe’s leaders, to discuss the world and the changes it has been seeing? I believe it has a fair deal to do with why they are both acting up so much.”

Yahisa looked Xeal up and down for a long moment with an expression that clearly said he was torn on how to respond. Xeal just waited for him to make up his mind on how to respond, yet it was Daisy who spoke first.

“Xeal, you really don’t want to do that as they will likely not be willing to listen to anything you say and just detain Violet and I.”

“Hinagiku, you and your sister belong in our tribe, not with some human whose motives are suspicious, at best. As for your request, it may be possible to arrange so long as you abide by our chief’s decision on these two.”

“Violet is her name, uncle. You should get used to using it!”

“Daisy, calm yourself. Yahisa, I have no issue with listening to someone with authority’s decision. I just fear that Daisy and Violet may run away if they don’t agree and end up in danger.”

“You needn’t worry. They lack the ability to outrun us and we can ensure they stay put.”

Xeal just shook his head as he looked at Yahisa before responding.

“You misunderstand. I don’t make a habit of saving someone from one form of slavery just to deliver them into another. Violet and Daisy are their own people and are free to make whichever decision they wish as far as I am concerned.”

“You insult our tribe with your words.”

“I simply call it as I see it. You can either get someone with actual authority here, or accept that they have made their choice.”

“Ha, it is only due to the fact that you seemed to be friendly with the young ladies that we didn’t kill you on sight. You all have no chance to survive if we decide to become forceful.”

“Ha, ha, hahaha, you have no idea just how foolish that would be.”

Yahisa took a step back at the cold look Xeal gave him after laughing at his response as he continued.

“I am here representing Crown Prince Victor on a diplomatic mission to return all three of my charges to their tribes. I am also an undying adventurer who will rise three days after I die, ready to continue my path to the top. If you attack us, you will not only face the kingdom’s wrath, but you will likely have a few angry tiger-men coming after you as well. Also, if you think that the illusions your tribe uses will be enough to avoid my kind indefinitely, you will be sorely mistaken.”

“Arrogant-”

“Choose your next words carefully or you may find that you have only brought about your own destruction.”

“You are a mere tier 5 human, yet you act as though you have the power to oppose me!”

“Not today, but as one who is unkillable, the day will come where our roles are reversed.”

Seeing Yahisa take a fighting pose Xeal sighed and he called out.

“Evac scenario 3.”

Instantly Daisy and Violet smiled as they rejoined Eira and Bula as they each pulled out advanced return scrolls. Clara evoked her holy shield skill, creating a bubble around everyone who had retreated into a circle formation, as Lux cast a shining dome spell that erected a barrier of bright light that obscured the inside from the outside, but still allowed them to see out. Xeal knew that with this they would all start to activate advanced return scrolls while holding off on saying the last line until Xeal gave the order. The four fox-men were stunned at the speed of the group’s movement and Yahisa started to move forward to stop it, but Xeal let out a dragon’s breath attack just in front of his feet, causing him to stop and jump back. This allowed the rest of the party to execute their preparations as the other fox-men shifted to surrounding Xeal, as he smiled fearlessly.

“For claiming immortality, you sure do seem to worry about the rest of your party dying. I take it they are all just a single word from escaping and if we move towards them, they will abandon you here.”

“More or less. So, what is your move?”

“I will believe you that you can’t die permanently, but can you escape if captured?”

“Ha, Hahahaha…”

Xeal once again found himself unable to stop laughing as it was truly funny to think that a beast-man thought holding him indefinitely was a good idea. All it would take to find him was Bula using one of her oracle skills that let her locate the direction of someone and follow it. The fact that she was familiar with Xeal meant the skill would instantly succeed as long as he didn’t wish not to be found. He knew Victor would likely have the royal knights extract him in a matter of days. Xeal finally stopped laughing and while out of breath replied.

“Oh, that is good. You have no idea what you would be bringing down on your tribe if you tried that. Now, are you going to take a step back, or is this really going to get complicated?”

Yahisa relaxed his stance and the other three fox-men followed suit and backed away as he spoke.

“Very well, I will fetch the council. Perhaps they will be able to talk some sense into my nieces.”

Yahisa nodded to two of the fox-men who took off, leaving just Yahisa and one other fox-man across from Xeal as they waited. Shortly after the other fox-men left, Clara’s shield and Lux’s light barrier dropped, exposing all 11 of them with advanced return scrolls still out and ready to say the last line. The fact that they were still ready to leave at a moment’s notice clearly annoyed Yahisa as he grumbled to himself. Xeal just kept his smile at the old fox-man’s displeasure as he had already decided that he didn’t care for him. They stayed like this for a good half hour when finally, the two fox-men who left returned with three four-tailed fox-men and two four-tailed fox-women. When Xeal looked at the two fox-women, he noticed how one shared similar facial features to Daisy and the other did so with Violet. After giving Yahisa a quick glance, a man who looked like a younger version of him spoke.

“Hinagiku, Sumire, what are you doing over there? Cease this foolishness now. Your mothers and I have been worried.”

“Unfortunately, they won’t answer at this time.”

“You! What have you done to my daughters?”

“Apparently more than I realized, but that is not why they won’t speak. You should ask Yahisa over there if you wish for answers.”

“Brother, explain!” the fox-man practically growled.

“Elder brother…”

Yahisa explained in detail how everything had ended up in the current situation, from his point of view. This included information Xeal didn’t have, like how he had spotted them just outside the danger boundary of their village. When he commented that it seemed both girls were happy traveling with Xeal, a flash could be seen in the fox-man’s eyes. Still, it was just for a moment. It wasn’t until Yahisa got to the point where Violet renounced her name that he completely let his anger show in a roar as he gave Xeal a death glare. Had it not been for the fox-woman who looked like Violet placing a hand on him while looking solemnly at Xeal while she did so, Xeal was unsure if he would have attacked or not. After that short outburst, Yahisa finished and Xeal waited for the fox-man’s response.

“Xeal, was it? What are your intentions regarding my daughters?”

“First, may I have your name?”

“Taro. Now speak before you become nothing but something to vent my rage on.”

“Very well. My intentions were always to return them to your tribe as a gesture of goodwill. I had not expected them to refuse when the opportunity presented itself. This leads me to believe that they were not simply captured while outside of your village on a hunt, or the like.”

“If your intentions are to return them, then return them. What does it matter how they were taken from us?”

“It matters because they are in my care. I don’t intend to hand them over to be a prisoner to another.”

“Prisoner, is that what you think they will be if they return home, a prisoner? How dare you!?”

“All I have to go off is their reactions. Now, can you explain why they would be reluctant in returning to your tribe?”

Xeal watched as Taro’s fists clenched into tight balls before he responded through gritted teeth.

“There should be no reason they would wish to stay away from their family.”

Xeal simply looked to the fox-woman who looked like Violet and spoke to her.

“I take it you would be Violet’s mother. Do you have any idea as to why she would take such drastic action?”

“Do not-”

As Taro began to reprimand Xeal, he was silenced by a look from the woman.

“I am Sumire’s mother, Asagao. As for why she would be running, I am unsure, but perhaps she is dissatisfied with her and her sister’s role.”

“And that would be?”

“To marry the next chief of the tribe like my sister and those that came before us in our lines, have done.”

“Please explain.”

Asagao went on to explain how she and Daisy’s mother, Himawari, were half-sisters as well and how their house had always married the next village chief. This was due to their lines having the power to supplement the growth of their partners. This ability was always passed onto their first-born daughters and as such they were raised knowing that they would essentially pick the one to become the next chief. This obviously led to pressure for them inside the village. Exactly how this manifested Xeal was unsure about, but it seemed the pair had left on their own before being captured. After giving the matter some thought, Xeal responded.

“So, two questions. One, what changed recently, and two, if they are so important, why the hell did you not pursue?”

Asagao fidgeted a bit before responding.

“Both Sumire and Hinagiku are of age now, so it was time for them to come together and decide who their mate would be. As to why we did not follow them, the portents ensured that they would return to our village.”

Xeal just looked at all three of Daisy’s and Violet’s parents as he shook his head and bit his tongue at what he thought about them. Instead, he went with a bit more of a cynical approach to help vent his anger, hoping that his high charisma would pay off here.

“Well, the portents were right. There they are and with another word, they could be gone again. I wonder what the portents would say this time?”

“They wouldn’t dare!”

“Taro, or I guess it would be Chief Taro, Violet already surrendered her name, essentially banishing herself already. What makes you think that if I guaranteed them shelter, that they wouldn’t take it?”

Xeal watched as Asagao and Himawari both exchanged worried looks, as Taro ground his teeth, yet it was one of the two four-tailed fox-men that had almost been forgotten that spoke next.

“Enough of this farce. We should end this now. Kill this fool and drag them back, Taro, or are you not capable to remain chief?”

“Silence. If I kill him and they truly are a word away-”

“Bula!”

With Xeal’s shout Bula finished her last line and she simply disappeared from the formation. This action made Taro freeze for a second before turning his glare towards the council member who had just spoken up.

“Fool, the moment we move it will likely be the last we see of my daughters, something I am sure you and your son don’t wish for!”

“Now that we have established that they really are a single word away from vanishing, how would you like to proceed?”

“First off, if they vanish, you will die today. Let’s be clear about that. Now, what is it you hope to achieve?”

Xeal sighed as he thought about how the longer this dragged on, the harder it would be for his group to maintain their ready stance and how long his explanation would take.

“Chief Taro, unfortunately due to the current situation, I do not have time to mince words and give you a detailed explanation. So, to be blunt, the kingdom of Nium is working to build relations with the beast-men tribes due to the changes that have rocked the world over the past year or so. These changes center around my kind’s arrival, which is slowly throwing the world out of balance, bringing war to the horizon. Now, if you want to continue this discussion, I need you and the rest of the council to sign this, or I will have no choice but to have my team, including your daughters, withdraw.”

Xeal handed over a simple contract that simply stated all signees would ensure that hostile actions would not be taken during the discussion and that they would guarantee that attempts to detain either side wouldn’t be allowed. The wording specifically mentioned Violet and Daisy by both of their names in areas that Xeal had hastily added. Taro gave the contract one look, before asking a question.

“If I sign this, will Sumire and Hinagiku talk to me?”

“If they wish to do so, though I would expect them to.”

“Alright, everyone sign, or get lost.”

Taro wasted no time in signing the contract and handing it to Asagao, who followed suit. One by one, each of the members of the council signed, though the other two fox-men hesitated, before Taro gave them a warning glance. Once the contract returned to Xeal, he signed it as well and placed it back into his inventory.

“Alright, you can drop formation. Ignis, go let Bula know everything is fine, please.”

With a sigh, everyone but Ignis, who vanished, dropped their guard as they came closer, with Daisy and Violet standing behind Xeal. There was a long pause as the family shared looks that were full of complex expressions and feelings. Until finally, Asagao and Himawari had enough and stepped past Xeal and embraced their daughters, sharing another long moment that came to an end when Taro cleared his throat and spoke in a stern tone.

“Alright, young ladies, you have some explaining to do.”

Violet and Daisy exchanged a look as their mothers reluctantly released them, before turning to their father and launching into their story. Apparently, they had had it with being raised as nothing more than a prize to be won and didn’t want to end up like their mothers. So, they had slipped out of the main village with plans to make their way to one of the small outskirt villages where only 20 or so fox-men lived. After planning a route and securing enough monster repellent to make it, they set out, only to be captured by humans. Xeal had taken note of the hostility directed at him at this point. After that, they went into finding themselves up for auction and how Eira had let them know everything was going to be fine. After they got past that point, they launched into a version of Xeal’s “the world has changed” speech, supplementing it with their own experiences. Finally, after answering several questions, some of which they turned to Xeal for additional information, they had given a decent recounting of everything. Taro put his hand on his chin as he contemplated everything while Asagao and Himawari looked to him for guidance. Meanwhile, Xeal could tell that the other two fox-men were not happy to simply take Violet’s and Daisy’s word on the matter as they stood with clenched jaws. Still, it was clear that until Taro spoke, they would remain silent on the matter.

“So, you dare not step foot in the village as it would cause the scrolls that you use to reset to it for where you return to?” asked Taro.

“Yes, Father. Our village is over 500 strong and has permanent structures. If we went to one of the smaller villages that is only a few tents and wards, we would be fine,” replied Daisy.

“Sumire-” started Taro.

“It’s Violet, I have made my choice and we all know that there is no taking it back.”

“Daughter, why must you insist on walking such a troubled path?” whimpered Asagao.

“Mother, the world has changed. It is time for our land to as well. If my actions can help that to happen, so be it.”

“Enough of the nonsense. I refuse to accept your declaration, as chief. Your banishment brings nothing but harm to our tribe. Both you and Hinagiku are not permitted to renounce your heritage due to the role you each have to play.”

“We both refuse to play that role!” declared Daisy. “You know that your refusal to accept it changes nothing about it. If Violet returned to the tribe, she would be looked down on for her whole life. Instead of the blessing that each tail is seen as, it would be nothing but a curse for her.”

“You two really know how to make my job hard,” sighed Xeal. “Chief Taro, perhaps you and I could speak in private for a moment, before these two dig a deeper hole.”

After looking at Xeal for a moment, Taro agreed while Violet and Daisy gave Xeal a worried look, to which he just smiled at them. As he walked away, Xeal caught a glimpse of Amet heading over to chat with one of the three-tailed fox-men who had first stopped them and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What do you find funny about my daughters’ rebellion?”

“No, I was just thinking about how no matter the situation, some of us never change who we are. As for your daughters, they are young and free spirited. It is the time in their lives where you as their parent are never right. All that you will accomplish by holding on is causing them to run away faster.”

“Hmph, what would you know. You look to be the same age as them.”

“Precisely. If you look at my group, most of us are around that age. Look, I have a suggestion, if you will hear me out.”

“Very well, you at the very least seem to act with confidence.”

“As I have said, Prince Victor is working to mend the divide between beast-men and humans. This may include building a city meant to be ruled mostly by beast-men.”

“What interest would we have in such a place? Your human cities are simply a cage of your own design.”

“I am well aware that most beast-men prefer lives here in the wilderness. However, the same cannot be said for those who have been raised in human lands.”

“Excuse me?”

“Over the years, many of your tribe and others, have found themselves taken into the kingdom like your daughters were. Most of them never return and many end up stuck on one noble or another’s land as labor, where they end up having a family. With the lifting of the ban on beast-men in the kingdom, many will choose to leave their current home that has been like a prison for them.”

“Your point being?”

“The point is that this is an opportunity for you to allow your daughters time to grow outside like they wish, while also keeping somewhat of an eye on them.”

“You would have me send them to this city?”

“No, I would have your tribe maintain a presence there and require your daughters to make regular reports through them.”

“What is it that you hope to gain from such an arrangement? If it is my daughters’ hands in companionship, you can forget it.”

“Heavens no, I have enough on my plate without adding two more ladies to it. Even if you insisted, I would rather not.”

“Hold on, two more? How many brides could one as weak as you possibly attract?”

“I can already tell you did not listen closely to all that your daughters shared.”

“Yeah, yeah you are a foreigner to our world who can never truly die here and you are among the strongest of your kind. You are still only a weak tier 5 knight. The fact that I am even talking to you is simply due to your cunning. If not for the fact that I do not wish to kill my daughters, do you think that your trick could have prevented my hand?”

“Not at all. I am well aware that all it would take is a single move and you could kill us all before we could escape. I am also well aware that the moment your daughters fled, any of us who would have been left behind would have died. Make no mistake, I am well aware of the gap that currently exists between our strength. However, by the same token, can you stand as a mountain a decade from now when millions of my kind have strength on the same level as you?”

“Millions? You jest. Only one in a thousand or so can reach my height.”

“That is true for your kind. For mine, it is closer to one in 100 as we do not fear death and can attempt to pass the trial as many times as we wish. Every day more of my kind arrive in this world. Should half of us arrive in total, that would cause us to outnumber all those native to this world. It would not be a stretch to have over 7,500,000 of my kind reach tier 7 on this continent alone, let alone the other 12 continents.”

Xeal watched Taro process this, as he thought how his numbers were rather conservative and assumed an even distribution of players who reached tier 7 across all 100 starting countries. It also was based off 10,000,000,000, not the roughly 15,000,000,000 who had been playing in Xeal’s last life. This thought also made Xeal grateful that this world was also roughly three times the size of Earth, with around a quarter of its population as far as humans and humanoids went. Add in the pocket dimensions like the lost court and other areas designed for players above level 100, and thankfully ED managed to keep players from feeling that the world was overcrowded. As Xeal was pondering these things, Taro finally came to a decision.

“You said that your prince may be willing to build a city to act as an area for beast-men of all kinds to interact with humans, but it is still an unknown, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then here is the deal I am willing to make. I will attend talks about this plan so long as they are held in the next six months. However, should he decide to not build this city, or talks do not take place in the next six months, then Sumire and Hinagiku return home at that time.”

“So long as you agree to attend personally and put your full support behind the city and allow both of them to return when they’re ready, whether that is tomorrow or in a hundred years.”

Xeal could see Taro swallow hard at his counter, but finally nodded and shook Xeal’s hand before they returned to the group. They explained to Violet and Daisy the deal that they had reached. Both of them were a bit apprehensive to sign the contract that Xeal made up, but with his assurance that things would work out either way, they did so. With that complete, Xeal handed Taro two letters, one with his and Prince Victor’s seal on it, and one with only his seal on it. The first letter would allow the bearer to enter Nium as an emissary for their tribe until the conference was held and so long as they went to the indicated fort, they would be transported to the capital. Once there, they would be attended to until a meeting with Prince Victor could be arranged. The letter with both seals contained the details of the conference that would be hosted by Xeal. Xeal had been given a few dozen of these letters to hand out to any tribes he could make contact with while he was in these lands. So far, only Taro had received one as they were the only tribe that he had run into. Still, Xeal’s plan was basically to get Eira home and then run around to as many beast-men villages as he could remember. If he could get a dozen or so to agree to attend, he believed he could convince Prince Victor and the tribes to accept a border city and perhaps a fort near the river to act as a transfer point for adventurers. Taro quickly handed the letter with only Xeal’s seal to Yahisa and ordered him to act as an emissary until the scheduled meeting. Yahisa bowed and graciously accepted this role and he and the three fox-men that had arrived with him all set out for the border. As they no longer had any reason to stay here, Xeal turned to Violet and Daisy and spoke.

“Well, now that it is clear the two of you will be staying with me for at least a little while, there is no need for you to continue traveling with us. Please return and let Ignis and Bula know it is time for them to return.”

Ten minutes later they were once again on their way to the tiger-men’s breeding grounds, only now only two of the four guards stayed back to ensure Eira’s safety when they entered combat. Xeal had to smile at how losing Daisy and Violet had allowed them to increase their pace significantly, before they came to the end of that session in the early morning of day 82.

(*****)

Evening December 12, 2266.

Alex, Sam and Nicole walked into the diner at 5:30, after logging out a bit early to accommodate having time for Nicole to spend with her friends, who were already waiting for them. They were sitting at the largest booth in the far corner that was just large enough to fit eight. On the way over, Alex had asked Nicole to refresh him and Sam on who was who, and she did so. So, Alex knew that the thin one with glasses, who looked smug as he chatted with the others, was Leo. The guy next to him, with short curly black hair and an infectious smile, was Aaron. The last guy was Bruce and he looked like he was allergic to a haircut, with his long ponytail of light-brown hair. Molly and Lindsey were the two ladies at the booth. Lindsey had long straight dirty blond hair and looked like she needed to get a bit more sunlight, not that Alex could say much these days. While Molly was the shortest of the group and didn’t look like she was out of middle school, much less high school.

Before they could even let the waitress, who was playing double duty as a hostess, know that they were part of the group already seated, Aaron had stood up and called them over. This made Nicole smile slightly as the waitress rolled her eyes at this, as obviously those five were regulars here. Giving the waitress a quick look and nod, Alex, Sam and Nicole joined the others, who all piled out to give Nicole hugs, as Alex and Sam shook a few hands slightly awkwardly. As they exchanged greetings, Alex let his thoughts work back to what he could remember from his last life about these five. He could recall that by the time he and Nicole had split in his last life, each of them had gone off in their own directions. Most of them had moved out of state, or closer to one of the major population centers, where it was difficult to keep in touch with them as they pursued their music careers, with mixed results. Finally, they found themselves seated such that two people were on each side of the table, with Sam next to the booth’s exit on the left side of where the waitress would stand and Alex next to her, followed by Nicole, Molly, Lindsey, Leo, Bruce and Aaron, who sat next to the booth’s exit as well.

Nicole was quickly drawn into chatting with the others as Sam and Alex started to stare at the cheap laminated menus that looked like they could use a quick wipe down. About a minute later, Aaron broke up the conversation as he made a declaration.

“Alright, everyone, it’s great to see Nicole again, but come on, while we know Sam and Alex in passing, what do we really know about them?”

“Yah, I don’t think we have had a real conversation yet,” added Leo.

“Are you two already planning to start that?” asked Molly, looking like she was reluctant to join in.

“Oh, come on, Molly, you know you had fun the last time,” responded Leo, looking smug.

“What are you guys going on about?” questioned Nicole.

“That’s right. You haven’t been around since the boys came up with it,” broke in Lindsey.

“Nicole, you’ll love it and it will help break the ice with Alex and Sam, though I am surprised that the other three of your group aren’t here. How are they doing?” added Leo.

“Fred, Dan and Amanda are doing fine. They are in our guild with us in Eternal Dominion and are likely about to log out shortly. I was actually on an expedition in game with them before I logged out to make it here,” cut in Alex with a smile.

“Oh, great. So, the game we are talking about is called creative poker and basically, it’s played just like poker, except you have to argue why your hand is the best and everyone votes for whoever’s hand they like best, other than their own,” explained Leo.

“Yep, so say you have a pair of queens. You could say something like, my hand is the best because it has a pair of hot chicks in it,” added Aaron, while ignoring the looks Molly and Lindsey gave him.

“You can also use cards like a five and two to make 52 and say, it’s the number of natural note keys on a piano, or the like,” added Lindsey.

“Yah, yah what matters is what the group decides is the best hand. So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?” proposed Aaron just as the waitress arrived.

“I take it you all will be doing a bunch of appetizers like always, but what about these three?” asked the waitress, pen in hand.

Alex, Sam and Nicole looked at each other before Alex smiled, knowing that both girls would likely be picky tonight, before responding.

“Finger foods sound good. I think we will start with one of every appetizer you have on the menu to decide which one we like best first.”

“That’s a lot of food. You sure the three of you will be able to finish all of that?” questioned Molly.

“Oh, no, I was planning on sharing with everyone while we chatted. I figured I could cover the bill tonight.”

Alex’s statement made the waitress reexamine him as she was used to having to split any check five ways when this group came in. At the same time, the other five looked at him as Molly followed up.

“So, I take it you weren’t in that booth by chance the other night then?”

“No, I bought those tickets for us as they were the only ones available at the time that would allow us to have a bit of privacy.”

“Seriously, how the hell? Nicole, has he always been this loaded?” interjected Bruce.

“Let’s finish ordering before we get into anything else,” chimed in Sam as she caught the waitress looking like she wanted to know just how loaded Alex was as well.

“Ah, um, are you good for a few specialty drinks as well?” asked Bruce.

Alex had to hold back a chuckle as he responded, “Just don’t go too crazy and order half a dozen of them for yourself.”

With that, everyone ordered a drink to go with the buffet of appetizers that would soon be headed their way and the waitress left to put the order in. With that taken care of, Bruce pulled out a case of poker chips and cards, before handing out chips that were worth around 700 points the way he broke it down, with white being one, red being five and so on. There were still some chips in the case as Aaron finished shuffling the deck of cards and dealing five to each of them while he spoke.

“Now, since there are eight of us, we will be playing five-card stud, as there aren’t enough cards left to let us exchange any. Alright, as Nicole, Sam and Alex are new, we will set Leo as dealer, making Bruce small blind and me big blind. Let’s up the blinds every time we go around the table, by two. Anyone have an issue with this?”

After waiting a second, Aaron nodded before tossing in two white chips, followed by Bruce putting one in and everyone picked up their hands. As Alex looked at his cards, he found himself looking at a pair of twos, a four, seven and the Jack of clubs. He watched as Bruce added one white chip while Leo and Lindsey folded as Molly called. Nicole, Sam and Alex all folded and it came back to Aaron.

“Well, since all three of you bowed out, I see no reason to be gentle. I’ll raise to four points for this hand.”

Both Bruce and Molly sighed as they both tossed in two more white chips and Aaron laid his hand down for everyone to see. Showing the jack of hearts and spades, with the queen of diamonds and a three and five.

“Alright, we have a rich lady and her escorts here.”

“Really? Come on, at least wait a few hands,” commented Lindsey.

Bruce smiled as he laid down his hand of a pair of aces, a two, three and five.

“I give you the start of a Fibonacci Sequence.”

“At least we only have one gutter-minded hand this round,” quipped Leo.

“Oh, you know it is just getting started,” returned Bruce.

“Alright, my turn. I give you a dad joke,” responded Molly.

She laid down a king, then a six, seven, eight and nine. Alex couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at the three hands and how they each framed them so differently, as it came time to vote. Molly won with four votes, with Bruce getting three and Aaron getting one.

“Man, if it was just us, I would have easily won that round,” complained Bruce in a joking manner.

“Well, apparently Nicole, Sam and Alex like dad jokes,” commented Molly, before sticking out her tongue playfully.

“Alright, let’s move to the next hand before the food starts showing up.”

They made it through three more hands before the first few appetizers started to arrive. There were a few more interesting hands popping up, like one that added up to 42 and a pair of sixes and nines, but Alex had yet to actually bet anything yet as he focused on reading the table. Still, both Sam and Nicole had made an attempt already, and while they both fell flat, they were still looking like they were having fun.

When the next hand was dealt, Alex smiled as he had the dealer chip, meaning it was the last hand before he had to play. He found himself looking at a hand of a pair of twos and three fours. As he worked out how he could play them, Nicole called from the small blind position. Just as Alex was about to fold once more, he got an idea and called.

“Oh, you are finally trying a hand out,” laughed Aaron.

“I have to give it a shot eventually.”

Aaron just smiled as Sam folded and he called by the time it got back to Molly, who was the big blind. She smiled at Alex as she raised to ten points. Nicole gave Molly a look before folding and Alex called as did Aaron, leaving just the three of them in.

“Alright, I have two questions. Just kidding.” Molly laughed as she laid down a two, two queens, a jack and a king in that order.

Alex smiled as he down his hands and said, “I have so many perfect squares. First my hand adds up to 16 which is four squared. Four is just two squared, 64 is eight squared which is just four times two squared. I can go on, but I think you get the point.”

“Math, must say I didn’t see that one coming. Now, however, can it beat this?” Aaron laid down four aces and sang, “Aaaahh.”

The whole table laughed and Aaron took the round.

The next hand passed with Alex folding from the small blind and Sam actually winning with laying her hand face down in a W and saying, “W for the win.” As no one at the table had a decent hand to counter with, she took the hand and the game continued with a few more hands, until Alex found himself looking at a pair of aces and queens with a king. At this point it was already just after 7:00. The three of them would need to leave in the next half hour or so. So, he ended up calling Leo’s bet of 100 points. Which was called by Lindsey as well, leaving just the three of them to show their hands and Leo laid down his hand first, showing only a suited ace and seven.

“I have A dominant 7th.”

Lindsey laughed as she laid down her hand showing an ace, three, five and seven.

“I also have A dominant 7th.”

Alex felt like he was missing something, but judging from the table, it was a decent music reference as only Sam seemed to be lost like he was. Still, he smiled as the table turned to him for him to lay down his hand. Alex gave both Sam and Nicole a look expressing that there would be a bit more to this hand than just some casual fun. He started by laying down the king of spades. Next, he placed the queen of spades and hearts down such that they each covered a bottom corner of the king, hiding half the card. Next, he placed the ace of hearts over the bottom half of the queen of hearts and the ace of spades the same way, over the queen of spades. Once he had placed everything down like this, Alex simply said, “My life.”

Molly, Lindsey, Leo, Bruce and Aaron all looked confused while both Sam and Nicole went red as they gave Alex a look of annoyance mixed with embarrassment. While everyone else was lost, they knew that Alex was referring to how he was with both of them and they were both expecting. Still, this was not how they thought the topic would be broached tonight, though they forgave him as it had been hard to find the right way to even break the ice on the subject so far. After a second, Molly noticed both Sam and Nicole looking red and had a look of understanding cross her face, but before she could speak, another broke the silence.

“Um, what?” asked a confused Bruce.

“Yes, Alex, care to elaborate a bit?” prodded Molly looking like she was happy to simply confirm things before reacting. However, it was Nicole who spoke up at Molly’s prodding.

“Alex is dating both Sam and I.”

“Wait, what!?” exclaimed Bruce as the other four shifted their gazes between the three of them and Alex’s hand. Alex, Sam and Nicole let the five of them have a moment to collect themselves. Molly was the first of them to recover as she turned to Alex and spoke.

“Well, aren’t you just the player. Just how did you manage to go from the guy who was always around Nicole, to dating her and her best friend? Especially without them seeming to have an issue with it?”

“Your guess is as good as mine,” quipped Alex, earning him a couple quick glares from Sam and Nicole, before they both sighed.

“We kind of forced his hand,” offered Sam.

“To be fair, there were unique circumstances and his little sister knocked over the first domino,” added Nicole.

“Wait, you two targeted him, not the other way around?” an indignant Lindsey asked.

Alex could tell that if things continued the way they were, the situation could deteriorate and Nicole could possibly lose a few friends. So, he took over the conversation.

“Lindsey, who targeted who is irrelevant. The fact of the matter is, I am lucky enough to have two of the best women any man could ask for as my girlfriends. Regardless of what others think, so long as they will have me, I intend to do what I can to keep them happy. I agree that things between us have moved faster than I would have expected, and I understand if this causes you to have mixed feelings, as we have already been through the ringer with our parents.”

“Wait, your parents know and they haven’t locked you away?” interjected Leo.

“Hmph, Alex made sure that they didn’t have an opportunity to do more than cause a few scenes. I haven’t lived at home since the start of August, and that was before we were a thing, for the record,” responded Nicole.

“Alright,” cut in Aaron. “Before we get into this mess any further, let’s circle back to the fact that Alex here seems to be loaded with credits. How did that happen, first off? While we don’t know you that well, we never heard about you being from rich parents.”

Alex just shook his head as he spent the next five minutes explaining how he had found success in ED, as well as how his relationship started with Nicole and Sam. After that, he spent another ten minutes being cross examined by Lindsey and Leo, who seemed to want to paint him into a corner. Seemingly having enough of this, Molly was actually the one who broke the flow by asking another question.

“So, I get that you are the king and they are the queens, but what are the deals with the aces…wait. No way! You two aren’t?”

Both Sam and Nicole blushed deeper as another round of silence and confusion washed over the group, with Lindsey being the next to see it.

“Nicole, you and Sam aren’t pregnant, right?”

“Hold up what!” shot Aaron. “Alex, don’t tell me you got them both pregnant.”

“Alright, I won’t tell you.”

“I believe it is time for us to leave. We need to make it back to our responsibilities in ED,” supplied Nicole.

“Nicole, don’t run away,” retorted Lindsey.

“I’m not. Look at the time. I told you all that we would be on a tight schedule. Besides, if we stay any longer, I can tell you all will not be ready to really talk about my choices calmly.”

“Hey, we aren’t all piling on. Only Leo and Lindsey seem to have an issue,” supplied Molly.

“I do not have an issue as much as a morbid curiosity in just how it happened and how it works. If they are all happy and consenting, what place do I have in saying that it’s wrong,” responded Leo.

“Really, I am the only one who feels there is something wrong with this?” asked Lindsey.

“Don’t look at everyone like you are shocked, Lindsey. I may tease Nicole a bit, but I can tell she is happy. Had it been some random girl that was involved with Alex other than Sam I might have an issue, but come on, we all know that Sam has basically been her life line since she was in pre-school,” countered Molly.

“Thank you for understanding, Molly, and yes, we both are pregnant. No, it wasn’t planned, but we are happy about it. Lindsey, thank you for caring enough to be upset for me, but let me be happy or outraged for myself. It is my life after all.”

“Fine, though I expect to talk more on this later, Nicole. I need to figure out what is going on in that head of yours before I will be able to drop this,” huffed Lindsey.

After a few more words exchanging when each was free to talk, Alex paid the bill, leaving a generous tip as an apology for the noise that had clearly been caused by them all night. Not to mention the fact that they had held a booth for over two hours already and he was sure that the others would be staying a bit longer to digest everything that had just gone down. As he drove home, he couldn’t help but laugh when he remembered that they had never learned if his hand beat the two “A dominant 7th" hands. When the girls heard him laughing, Sam asked him what was so funny, so he told them. Both just gave him a look before joining in the laughter, easing the stress that was clearly felt from how the night had ended.

(*****)

Morning December 13, 2266, & ED year 2 days 82-83.

When Xeal logged back into ED in the evening of Day 82, it was time for him to accompany Lingxin for another courtship date, before returning to his journey in the beast-man tribes’ lands. For this date, Xeal walked with Lingxin down the streets of Dragon’s Heart city as she wished to see the areas that Xeal had frequented during his time here. The pair ended up having dinner at the same restaurant that Xeal had used to meet with Geitir several times. While enjoying their time together, Xeal smiled as he thought about the ongoing communications he had been having with Geitir, about his and his team’s future. Things were still in flux, but Xeal felt confident that at the very least they were going to be able to successfully separate from Eternal Valhalla smoothly.

Once the date came to an end, Xeal rejoined his team before bidding Daisy and Violet farewell, as they both declared that they would be meeting their uncle at the border. Xeal had naturally given Prince Victor forewarning that he should expect him and he had agreed to send a royal knight to act as an escort for Violet and Daisy as they awaited him. With peace of mind that they would be fine, Xeal set off. Working with his party, he was able to arrive at the river that divided the level 80 to 100 maps from the level 200 and up maps across the two-mile expanse. When they called it a day, Xeal knew they were only an hour or so from the massive rock that he had met the otter-man at. It was also the landmark that he would use to locate the tiger-men breeding grounds again.

Thursday morning at aikido was uneventful as the group went through their normal routines. With it being the last aikido lesson before Abysses End arrived on Monday, they all were just enjoying the peace while it lasted. Kent and the other senpais who were currently employed part time by Alex in ED, took the opportunity to check in and give Alex a status update on where they were. Most of them had taken to playing for a full ten hours a day instead of just the eight that was required at this point. A few were even playing 12 hours at this point, which Alex just smiled at as he reminded them that they couldn’t forget the needs of their bodies in the real world. Sensei Kikuchi smiled when he witnessed this exchange, as while he did not approve of the path his students were walking, he did appreciate that at the very least Alex would not take advantage of them.

When they made it back home and Alex checked his messages, he found one from Nantan awaiting him. In it was a carefully worded request for an explanation about Ava and Mia leaving Abysses End and joining FAE. The way it was worded, Alex could tell that it had gone through several revisions to ensure that it was entirely professional, yet still displayed slight condemnation for his actions. Alex simply smiled to himself as he knew Ava and Mia had been ignoring the several calls and messages from Abysses End that they were getting each day. With them restarting in ED, they knew that they were in Nium, but with the fact that the few remaining Abysses End players that remained in country needed to keep a low profile, they couldn’t act in ED. Ignoring this part of the email, Alex continued to read, finding the list of the members who would be arriving on Monday and his face cramped. All four were women and he even recognized one of them from his last life, Natalina Farese. She was one of Abysses End’s international spokesmen who participated in large-scale recruitment efforts. Unlike Saki, who was focused on recruiting high-potential players, Natalina was focused on subsidiary members. These players made up the lower ranks of Abysses End and often times would end up as members of associated powers as well. While almost none of these players would ever reach tier 7, and some would fail to reach even tier 6, they still played a major role in collecting resources. The key was none of these players were paid for their services in any traditional sense. Instead, they would be working for points to exchange for a meet and greet, or other events that Abysses End put on, both in and out of ED. Natalina had been one of the most popular draws they developed, only she didn’t emerge in Alex’s last life for a few more years. Seeing her name on the list, he attempted to place the other three, but failed to do so. He figured that all four of them were stunningly beautiful young women who were being developed for that role. Abysses End was clearly plotting something and Alex didn’t like it. Still, he simply responded that he would speak about Ava and Mia when Nantan arrived.

With that message sent, Alex called Ava and Mia to come down really quick as it was a decent time to have a quick recon meeting. A few minutes later, all five of them were seated in the living room as they all looked up any information that they could gain about the four women that were coming in a few days. Unfortunately, Ava and Mia didn’t know anything about the four of them and their names showed too many results, which made determining if they were looking at a random person, or their target, impossible to know. Alex knew that despite being an official member of Abysses End, spokesmen like Natalina’s real job was simply to be a pretty face who was willing to smile for the camera. They often times would do this dressed in different outfits that could best be described as suggestive fantasy. With their time before they needed to return to ED running out quickly, Alex decided to call it a wash and thanked Ava and Mia for coming over to help, before hugging them as they left. He, Sam and Nicole grabbed a quick shower before they logged in for the day at 8:05 AM.

(*****)

ED year 2 days 84-85.

When Xeal returned to ED in the morning of day 84, he stretched before making his way out of bed and quickly dressed. As he was sure that he would be making contact today with the tiger-men tribe, he had requested a meeting with Prince Victor before he had logged out from his last session. Now it was time to see how the negotiations had gone on Prince Victor’s end and find out just what he was working with in negotiations today. Xeal had made more than a few assumptions when he dealt with Taro and the fox-men tribe due to the situation at hand. However, he still felt things would turn out fine either way, as it was simply a tactic to buy time and let Daisy and Violet maintain their freedom for a bit longer.

At about 6:40, Xeal found himself seated across from Prince Victor, after having just finished delivering his report of the last few days, even though he had sent them in writing beforehand. Prince Victor had a pensive look on his face, before sighing and speaking for the first time.

“Xeal, in all honesty, I wish we were attempting this a year from now as I would be king and have far more leeway to work with. As things stand right now, while the ending of tension and freeing of all beast-men imprisoned for trespassing in the kingdom is doable, raising them to nobility is a bit beyond what the nobles’ palates can handle at this time.”

“I see, though that does not necessarily ruin the possibility of creating a city.”

“Oh, and just who would I place as their lord?”

“It would need to be an adventurer who has risen to nobility. Unfortunately, I am the only one who has currently reached high enough to be considered. Hmmm, it would take at least a few months to have anything that could be considered the start of a settlement, so you could easily find an adventurer who fits the bill and fast track them as you did with me.”

“Why do you insist on making it difficult on me when I could simply appoint the area to you? Before you even retort, they would need to become a hereditary house, which my father will not hand out lightly.”

“With the current farce, it would seem negligent to have me be the lord who rules over them.”

“On the contrary, it is perfect. The way things have played out, it is well known that while you were disciplined for your actions, that you played a willing sacrifice. While it is still hard to know exactly how things currently stand, it is fair to say that none doubt your desire to do what is best for the kingdom. You are seen as absolutely loyal to my sister and I, while being neutral to all else, from your actions. Of course, the layer of skin I lost when my mother learned of our plot, followed by her speaking with all the influential ladies of court about it over tea, hasn’t hurt your image either.”

“Please tell me she hasn’t been going too overboard in her portrayal of events.”

“Oh, not at all. She just makes you out to be someone ready and willing to fall on one sword after another to ensure the safety of Enye and the kingdom. In that order of course. Honestly, ever since Enye met your mother, my mother has seemingly redoubled her efforts to make it known just how wonderful you are. Then we pull our stunt and she quietly rebukes me for allowing you to partake in the plan in a way that ensures it will be known in all of the important circles in court. Following that, she has been nonstop with her praise for your willingness to play the role you did. Honestly, I think you are her favorite son at this point and you haven’t even officially married Enye yet.”

Xeal just laughed awkwardly at the look Prince Victor was giving him and at hearing how Queen Eleanor was talking about him. Victor obviously knew that Enye must have shared Xeal letting her know that he had fallen in love with her with her mother, from the timing. Still, he felt like her actions were just creating another headache for him to deal with once his reputation was distorted to the point where the Mercer house’s historic person faction, that wanted to add wives from every noble house to his life, would gain too much ground. Once that happened, he may have the nobles start to clamor for him to fall on the sword and sow his seeds wide for the future benefit of the kingdom.

“Alright, I get it. No matter what I do, Queen Eleanor will not let my image be anything except Princess Enye’s knight in shining armor. So, just what do I have to work with currently?”

Prince Victor went on to explain the current stance on the future of beast-man and human relations. Several nobles were pushing that if those who were currently working on their lands did not wish to leave, then they should be allowed to stay. They were resistant to all of them being brought together before presenting the option of resettlement to them. There was also great resistance to any sort of aid being given to help them start a new life elsewhere. From what Xeal could tell from what Victor was saying, there were definitely more beast-men currently living as serfs than either of them had realized when they started this project. Apparently, several races of beast-men had become quite integral to how several things operated currently for a few noble houses’ personal industries. Xeal wondered if this had been part of the snag that had prevented full integration in Nium during his last life. Especially since many races had been imported from other continents and bred specifically for these roles. Unfortunately, with the building of a city there was no appetite for funding its creation, if it was decreed to be allowed. However, there was full support for a fort next to the river and a road leading to it being funded completely by the kingdom. That was so long as the beast-men tribe’s lands were officially incorporated into the kingdom. Xeal wanted to shake his head after hearing all of this, before he realized something and smiled, before laughing. Prince Victor looked at Xeal like something was wrong with him before speaking.

“Is my almost complete failure that funny to you?”

“My apologies. I just realized just how perfect the setup is.”

“Oh, do share.”

“Well, they refuse to fund a city that would be for the beast-men, so just have my guild build it and use that as justification for raising my status all the way to Marquess once it is complete. Next, grant me all of the beast-men tribe’s lands as my domain. This will rob them of any gains from the land grab they are expecting while preserving the lands as they are for the time being. As for the refusal to pulling all beast-men serfs off their lands to determine if they wish to return to their old masters or not, simply require both noble and serf to sign contracts with my guild. The contract should state that there is no coercion present and pay each beast-man back wages for the past five years. As for any industries that rely on beast-men labor, all I can say is that I hope that the beast-men are willing to continue doing the job.”

“You would need to reach earl before I could make you a Marquess, but other than that, it seems to be a fair compromise. If I apply a bit of pressure, something close to that should be doable, aside from leaving all the land directly to you. But how are you going to fund building a city? It will not be as cheap as the town your guild is currently building at the border fort.”

“You let me worry about that. Just make sure you get approval for the valley that connects the two regions where the conference is set to be held, and 50 miles into the kingdom lands is included in the planned region.”

“That will not be easy to achieve, as you will be taking lands from other nobles in the area.”

“That is just the land that is needed for the city and a decent buffer zone to be established. Anything less and I won’t be able to make something work, even if the kingdom was funding it.”

After taking some time to think it over, Prince Victor nodded and the pair worked out a few more details before Xeal returned to his mansion around 8:00. As he made his way to his dining area, he found a bored-looking Eira petting Midnight, who was purring happily as if he was a real cat. Xeal took a seat and a servant quickly brought him a breakfast of eggs and sausage. Xeal tossed an expectant Midnight one of the sausages before starting to eat.

“I suppose today will be the last time I am here.”

Xeal gave Eira a look before swallowing and responding.

“For someone who was so eager to leave when they arrived, you seem far too reluctant to leave.”

“I can’t help that the life of a house cat has started to grow on me. Besides, even if I did become your house cat, I know that I would still grow to be a fierce warrior under your care.”

“I’m not sure that I like how you are using the term house cat.”

“Oh, really. Are you saying that you wouldn’t be willing to spoil me if I decided that I wanted to stay with you for the rest of my life?”

“Again, I am not liking this subject as the way you are talking is easy to misunderstand.”

Eira smiled like the predator she was as she looked directly at Xeal, walking around to him and sitting next to him, before she spoke next.

“Are you saying that if I offered myself to you, and I do mean all of me the same as those princesses, you would turn me down?”

Xeal sighed as he shook his head as he turned to look at Eira as she watched him for his response.

“Eira, yes, I would turn you down as things currently stand, just like I am debating turning down Mari and Lingxin, even if it is a futile effort. The only four I have no intentions of escaping right now are Aalin, Gale, Lady Dyllis and Princess Enye.”

“Oh, yet you admit it is futile. So, all I need to do is put you into the same situation and I can become your house cat?”

“Please don’t.”

“Hmph, perhaps you are more interested in having a pair of vixens. I am sure Violet and Daisy would be happy to join you here forever.”

“No, I would prefer to be allowed to simply enjoy the joy that I already have without others trying to add themselves to it.”

“Tsk, you’re no fun. At the very least you could have called my bluff.”

“Eira, I can’t afford to take the chance you’re not bluffing.”

Eira went quiet and took on a pouty look as she looked at Xeal while he finished his breakfast quickly before standing up, reminding her to be ready to depart shortly. As he made his way out of the room, a complicated look came over Eira as she sighed hopelessly as she gave Midnight a few more pats before speaking to him.

“At least you want me to stay, even if your master seems to be set on being free of me.”

With that she left the room and followed after Xeal, catching up with him outside his mansion as he strode to the meeting point just behind FAE’s headquarters. When they made it to the meeting point, they found everyone else already present, so as a group they activated their scrolls and transported back to the beast-men tribes’ lands.

An hour later, Xeal was once more looking up at the towering rock formation that he had climbed before, while his team took a moment to rest after the last fight that they had just finished to reach here. As he stood there, a splash was heard and Xeal turned to see an otter-man standing on the shore in nothing but what looked like a loincloth made of grasses that grew underwater and a small waterproof bag made out of some kind of fur. Like all beast-men he looked mostly human, with a few defining features that gave away his heritage. For this otter-man his ears, whiskers and sleek fur that covered everything but his face gave away his heritage. Xeal also noticed that the otter-man was a level 240 tier 7 NPC and was looking at him with a malicious smile.

“You came back. That means you want to play fun game for me.”

(Do you wish to accept the quest, convince otter-man to aid Nium? Rewards, improved relations with Prince Victor and unknown. Warning, failing the quest will have negative repercussions on your account. Yes or No)

Xeal accepted the quest, but before Xeal could respond, Eira rebutted the otter-man.

“Otterfresse, we are not here for your games. Leave us be or I’ll let my mother know you have been harassing me.”

“Ah, the little tigress has returned, though you are severely lacking in guards to stop me if I decide to play with you. Mommy would never know who killed you if I act. All I see are humans around and we both know who she would blame. Now back to you who made me lose a fish. Play, or not?”

Xeal knew that this would not be a game he would enjoy, but he also knew that if he refused to play and the otter-man attacked, it would likely only take him half a minute to kill them all.

“Fine, what kind of game do you have in mind?”

“Good, good, it is a simple thing. I will place a few things out and you have to eat one of them.”

“Xeal, don’t. No one who plays Otterfresse’s game ever has a good time,” warned Eira.

“You be quiet, I always have a good time. Besides, it is just him and I playing. The rest of you are free to go today.”

“Eira, relax, I will be fine, even if he kills me. Now, what are the rewards for me if I win and how do I win?”

“Reward? Ha, your life is not enough?”

“I will keep that regardless due to what I am, so what fun is there if nothing is at stake?”

“What do you mean? What are you other than human?”

Xeal gave an abridged version of his “the world has changed” speech that lasted for about five minutes, after which Otterfresse sat in contemplation for a good while before responding.

“Very well, what do you propose?”

“Simple. You assist in scouting for any ships that don’t belong in the river.”

“How exactly?”

Xeal explained what he was hoping for and after a moment Otterfresse accepted the conditions and gestured to a flat rock, before walking over to it. Once he and Xeal were there, Otterfresse pulled out five bottles and placed them down in no particular order. Each bottle contained small pellets that were dark in color.

“You must pick one bottle and eat what is inside. One will kill you and you lose. One will cause you to fart every five minutes for the next week and you lose. Another will make you tell me anything for the next hour or so, and once again you lose. Now to be fair, the last two I will call you winning as one will make you grow a beard and the other will simply make you hear something any time you notice something interesting, for a day or so.”

“Oh, what will I hear?”

“Don’t know. It is different for everyone. That’s what makes it fun. Now pick and let’s see if your luck is good!”

Xeal pursed his lips and he tried to decide which one would be the best option, between having a sudden beard, or a voice in his head. Though he had to admit that both were better than a week of farting, or spilling all his secrets, as he could tell that Otterfresse would happily ask him about embarrassing or inappropriate topics. This man was just looking for a laugh and the excitement of watching a high-stakes game to decide in what form it would come. Xeal picked up the first bottle and uncorked it, before giving it a whiff and recoiling from the smell. Xeal was unsure just what was in it, but he was sure that all that would come from eating that one was not good. After corking it once more, he moved to the next one and gave it a whiff as well, smelling something sweet with an underlining bitterness. Alarm bells rang in his head that he didn’t know he had and he knew this was the one that would kill him. He quickly corked that one and tossed it back to Otterfresse, who smiled before returning it to his pack. The next three bottles each had their own unique smell as well, with one smelling like lilacs, another smelling like a Christmas tree and the last smelled like Worcestershire sauce. Xeal sat and pondered his options as he was sure that the first was the fart pill, but the rest were hard to be sure from his knowledge. It was obvious that Otterfresse was also an alchemist, or knew one who was willing to make such pointless products.

“What is taking you so long? Pick one, or I’ll make you pick two.”

“Very well, I suppose I will just have to take a chance between these two. I am fairly sure that one of them will make me hear a voice, while the other will make me spill my secrets. The other two will either make me grow a beard, or fart constantly for a full week.”

“Ha, you are good. You knew which one would kill you instantly and I suspect that if you could get away with just growing a beard you would, but the risk of the other is not worth it. So, you are willing to tell me what I want to know, or listen to a voice for a while. Now pick.”

Xeal picked up the bottle that smelled like a Christmas tree and watched as Otterfresse smiled gleefully so he set it down and picked up the other. He didn’t miss the slight twitch that Otterfresse’s eye made at the switch and he quickly opened the bottle and removed one of the pellets, before tossing it in his mouth. Otterfresse smiled brightly as he spoke next.

“So have you managed to mount that little tigress yet?”

The color drained from Xeal’s face as he noticed a bird flying by and a high-pitched “hey listen” resounded in his head, and he winced before smiling.

“Seems I picked right.”

“You’re no fun. I had a ton of questions ready to ask you had you picked the other. Now I will never know what she sounds like when you give it to her.”

“You wouldn’t have known either way as I have no idea what she would sound like, nor do I intend to find out.”

“Pity, so what do you hear?”

“Once I tell you, you will hold up your end of the deal?”

“Yes, yes I will let the tigers know if I see any ship coming.”

Just before Xeal could respond a fish jumped out of the river and once more “hey listen” resounded in his head.

“I am hearing a high-pitch voice shout ‘hey listen’ to me.”

“Hahahahaha, great! I can tell that you are going to have a ton of fun from just watching you wince the last bit. Now are you sure you don’t want to add a beard as well?”

“I’m good.”

“Fine, fine, though I do hope that the next time you want something from me you will come back and take the truth pill. I have so much I would love to hear from you.”

Xeal held back a shudder at the smile on Otterfresse as he bid him farewell as another “hey listen” cried out as a system notification came in.

(Quest, convince otter-man to aid Nium complete. Calculating completion rate… 98% completion, rank S. Rewards: improved relations with Prince Victor, 2,000,000,000 XP, 2,000 renown points, 100 gold and improved acceptance by kingdom of Nium nobility…current acceptance rate 61%)

Xeal smiled at seeing that his acceptance rate hadn’t fallen without his knowledge since the treaty was reached with the orcs. He hoped that he would continue to see it rise with each tribe he convinced to work with Nium as he walked away from the rock formation. The journey to the tiger-men’s breeding grounds was exceptionally painful for Xeal as he was noticing something every few seconds. He had covered his ears when he realized that noticing a sound would set it off as well. He was just happy that it would only last for the rest of this session before ending. Still, getting through his meeting with the tiger-woman that he had met with last time might actually go better if they put a bag over his head again. After chuckling to himself at this thought, Xeal pushed through the annoyance of the voices and carried on. When they reached the same area where the tiger-men had confronted them before, Xeal smiled as a group of tiger-men, led by a familiar face, once again stopped them. However, this time there wasn’t a spear in anyone’s face.

“Well, it looks like you actually returned with Eira in tow. For a human you aren’t so bad, though I must ask why you have brought so many with you this time?”

“That is simple. She isn’t strong enough to handle any enemies one on one yet, so I brought a full team to ensure she wouldn’t be overwhelmed mid battle while I was unable to assist her.”

“You required a full extra seven people to handle that role?”

“Once you start to move past three members it becomes difficult to avoid detection while moving. We also started with two young fox-women who were weaker than Eira who needed the support.”

“Where are these fox-women now?”

“They should be returning to my home with their uncle for further talks, soon.”

“Hmph, you expect me to believe they led you to their village?”

“No, I just had a general idea of where it might be and they stopped us, much like you are now.”

Xeal just smiled as the tiger-man who had yet to share his name looked him over as a few “hey listens” resounded in his head, causing him to flinch slightly each time.

“Why are you flinching like that?”

“Huh, on the way here…”

Xeal recounted their encounter with Otterfresse as all of the tiger-men present started to laugh at his misfortune. When Xeal had finished his retelling, the lead tiger-man took a full minute before he could speak again.

“Oh, that is good, though it is impressive that you got him to agree to act as a scout. Though I warn you that if he demands we play his game when he warns us, we will take it out on you. Now would you like to be bagged again, or do you think you can stand the noise in your head while you speak with Noriko.”

“I take it Noriko is who I met with last time?”

“Yes.”

“Xeal, please wear the bag. Trust me, it will be for the best,” said Eira in almost a pleading manner.

Xeal took a second to give her a hard look before turning back to the tiger-man to answer when another “hey listen” resounded in his head, announcing the arrival of another. Like a whirlwind a white tiger-woman with wild long white hair, wearing nothing but a short skirt and bindings over her chest, passed through everyone and wrapped Eira up in a hug.

“You’re back! I was ready to rip everything apart when I learned you had been taken while I was across the river.”

“Mom…”

“Oh, let me get a look at you. What are you wearing?”

“It’s called armor. Xeal provided it to help ensure that I was safe on the journey back.”

“I know what it is, but since when does a daughter of mine wear such things?”

“Mom, I am not you and I wasn’t going to strut across our lands dressed like you are now.”

“And what is wrong with how I am dressed?”

“Mom, come on. Look at how you are dressed compared to the others present, or heck, look at our own sisters and see how they dress.”

“We are white tiger-women. We live by different standards.”

“Mom, that doesn’t mean I have to dress such that every man’s eyes are drawn to me. After what I have been through, that is the last thing I want!”

“Who dared touch you! Tell me so that I might hunt them down and end their life!”

“Mom, no one touched me. Xeal got to me in time to avoid that happening and has been taking good care of me until he could return me here.”

At these words, Noriko began looking around until she caught sight of Xeal. While she had never seen his face, from the gear and build she could clearly tell this was the man she had met with. However, she was trying to understand why his eyes were closed as she was unaware that since she had arrived until he closed his eyes, he had been bombarded by hey listens nonstop in rapid succession. Noriko walked over and stood before Xeal, looking at him hard before speaking in a hard tone.

“Why are your eyes closed? Does the sight of me not please you?”

Xeal sighed before he spoke.

“It has nothing to do with the view of you being pleasing or displeasing. I am simply coping with playing a game with Otterfresse. If I open my eyes I will be bombarded with a voice in my head every time I take notice of something.”

“Ha, that is good. Now answer me, were your eyes closed before my arrival?”

“No.”

Xeal could only shake his head as he admitted that her arrival had forced him to cope while she let out a satisfied laugh.

“Good, good, then I will not hold you refusing to look at me against you today. Now we should move somewhere a bit more private to discuss exactly what will be expected of each party moving forward. I must say, not killing you that day was definitely the right choice.”

Before Xeal could respond, he felt himself be lifted up and the wind was whistling by his head as Noriko had scooped him up and taken off. He had barely even caught Eira yelling “Mom” in outrage as he was whisked away, when they came to a stop a few minutes later. Xeal could feel something flat and soft as he was tossed down onto it. Worry about just what this woman intended to do infiltrated Xeal’s head for a moment before he calmed himself.

“If I may ask, where have you taken me?”

“We are in my loft. No one but perhaps Eira will disturb us here. Now let’s work out exactly what cooperation between us will look like.”

Xeal did not like the situation he was currently in, or the obvious teasing that was in Noriko’s voice as she talked with him. Still, he kept his calm as he responded back.

“First, there is much that I need to understand before I make a proposal.”

“Oh, so forward.”

“Please stop teasing me.”

“Oh, but it is so much fun. Besides, who says it is all teasing?”

“Please.”

“Fine, I am one of the breeding ground’s guardians. I spend at least half my time here before switching out with another every few months as we take turns honing ourselves across the river.”

“I see and just how much pull do you have? For instance, will the other guardian agree to uphold any agreement between us?”

“Hmph they can die for all I care. They didn’t even rescue my only daughter that shares my heritage.”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“No, when they return, I intend to kill them to send a message.”

“Oh, and how will that affect you?”

“It doesn’t matter much. My strength is already the highest of any others in my tribe thanks to my heritage. Though not reaching the peak of this world will always be a sore spot for me, I can always use the time to find a few worthy males and have another child or two. Who knows, perhaps one of them will receive my heritage as well.”

“I take it you speak of the blood of Byakko, one of the primordials.”

“Oh, you do know your stuff. Hmm, I wonder what a child from you would be like.”

“You can wonder that for the rest of your life as I am already overly spoken for.”

“What, has my daughter already made a move on you?”

“Let’s not worry if she has, or hasn’t. I just have six other ladies currently courting me.”

“I am not speaking of anything so complicated as your human courtship, though you are still a bit weak to actually catch my eye. Perhaps once you reach tier 6 we can revisit this, as I am sure if you already have six chasing you they won’t mind me having a turn before returning you.”

Xeal shook his head, both happy that it was clear that she was only teasing him for now, and worried for what would happen once he grew stronger.

“Noriko, before you make such assumptions, you should understand how we humans view partners, especially among nobility.”

“Oh, do tell?”

“If you were to have my child, whether you were simply my servant, or the queen of another country, it would be expected that you would become exclusive with me. Any other arrangement would cause a major scandal and bring disgrace to my house.”

“Hmph, why would I care about what your human nobles think about my actions? I will mate with who I wish when I wish.”

“It is just how our worlds differ, and that is fine so long as you do not wish to mate with a human noble.”

“I see. Perhaps it would be best if Eira hasn’t actually set her sights on you then. I am unsure if a joining between you and one of my heritage could actually allow for its continuance.”

Just as Xeal was about to respond, Watcher decided to share his insights.

“Hmph, this tiger doesn’t realize that due to my mark, it's more likely her heritage will be both passed on and enhanced..”

Xeal wanted to curse out the damn perverted dragon as he wasn’t helping and the hey listen that came with his message was annoying. He was just happy that it was only audible in his own head.

“That would be for the best. Now, as for how we can work with one another, there are a few possibilities…”

Xeal and Noriko went into the different options, to include simply sticking to scouting and avoiding interaction with the kingdom, but Xeal advised against this. He explained how it was a poor long-term plan, and even went into how Prince Victor was hoping to have Xeal host a conference with as many beast-man tribes as possible, to formalize relations. When asked what he saw as the future of the lands, Xeal gave Noriko three versions of the future based on what he had remembered from how different countries had dealt with this kind of issue in his last life. The first ended with the land being developed like every other part of the kingdom currently was and the beast-men integrating one way or another. The second was the two lands worked together militarily, but kept separate in all ways, outside a few outposts. Finally, the last was what Xeal was aiming for currently, and he let Noriko know his stance before he even started to describe it. If done right, there would be several areas where the two lands mixed, but no cities would be constructed inside of the beast-man tribes’ lands. The lands would maintain their wild nature and a few forts designed to be relay points for adventurers would be all that was added. This plan would also have humans move into beast-men villages and beast-men move into human lands. Once Xeal had finished his explanation, Noriko was silent for a long time before she finally responded.

“What would become of the order that currently exists in these lands if you have your way?”

“Regardless of the outcome, the order that exists today doesn’t have long left. In the first plan, every scrap of land will be cut up and given to nobles. The second plan would see the beast-man tribes forced into cooperation to avoid the kingdom slowly taking over. The last plan would require the same as the second, with a few human voices mixed in as well.”

“The plan you wish for would place a noble over our lands, making us his subjects and subjects of the kingdom. How can you expect those like I who will have none above us, to accept this?”

“By ensuring that you are part of the process. The intent will be such that you and the others who are unwilling to be bound are able to be so, except when you step into forts, where it will be likely that just enough power is there that you should feel danger from it.”

“So, outside the areas set up for your kind to use as relays, we would be free from kingdom laws.”

“No, the kingdom will simply ignore your actions until it can’t anymore. If you start attacking adventurers, or others, the kingdom, which will most likely be my guild, will look into things. I will not guarantee that we will be perfect in determining fault, but we will do what we can.”

“Why would it be you?”

“Because if the third plan plays out anytime soon, I am the only current adventurer who holds a hereditary title in the kingdom. Any other noble house would be likely unable to govern effectively due to the history between both lands.”

“I see. So, if I support your desired outcome, I would need to call you, my lord?”

“No, I would govern far too loose for such things to matter.”

“Ah, but I would still be able to, right?”

“Please stop teasing me.”

“I will do as I please. Besides, it’s fun to see you sweat. Now, what would you expect from me if I were to support your governance.”

“Nothing other than the scouting that you have already agreed to.”

“And how do you plan to make contact with the other tribes without being killed?”

“I’m two for two so far, and both are two of the tribes more likely to kill me.”

“Ha, you have no idea what you are talking about. The only reason you lived last time was your willingness to find Eira for me. Any other day and I would have killed you before you could have even spoke, without a second thought. You are far too weak to simply set out to stumble your way around until you run into one tribe after another.”

Xeal held in his smile as he knew Noriko was correct under normal circumstances, but Xeal had faith that the system would not leave him without a path forward for a questline. At the same time, he took note of Noriko’s actions as they could be that very path the system was providing.

“I see, and what would you suggest?”

“Simple, I will carry you to each tribe over the next ten or so days.”

“No.”

“What? Why not?”

“No matter how you carry me, it will turn out poorly.”

“Really? How so?”

“Let’s see. I do not wish to be treated like a sack of potatoes like I was when you brought me here. If I were to ride on your back, or shoulders, it would make others believe you have lowered yourself to being a common pack animal, thereby creating resistance to my words. Not to mention the blow that you would suffer to your own pride would likely keep you from even considering it.”

“You are right, both of those options are no good, which is why I intend to hold you in front of me.”

“That would be worse than being treated like a sack of potatoes!”

“Oh, how so?”

Xeal had about had it with Noriko’s teasing. How could she not see the issue with him being princess carried from one tribe to the next? Ignoring the fact that his head would be placed against her ample chest, just the image it would present would make it impossible for him to take himself seriously, let alone the other tribes.

“Noriko, how would you have received me if Eira had arrived with me in her arms like that?”

Xeal could hear her holding back a snicker as she responded.

“You would have found yourself sandwiched between us when I hugged her. I don’t see why you would not want that?”

“Noriko, enough. I will not be carried. If you wish to journey with and act as both a guide and protector I will welcome you, teasing and all. However, unless it becomes absolutely necessary, you will not carry me at any point on the journey.”

“Fine, fine. Still, I could have taken you to meet with the other major tribes in around three days. Now that will take at least ten.”

“It will likely be longer than that. Still, it will be fine so long as I can convince them to come to the conference where I hope to bring everyone to a single consensus.”

“Ha, you are too naive if you think you can get all the tribes to show up, let alone agree on anything other than defending our lands.”

“I am well aware that I have my work cut out for me, but I believe I can get enough support that the others who show will fall in line. As for the ones who ignore the conference altogether, they can be convinced over time. Besides, there are only five major tribes that need to be convinced and I already made contact with two of them.”

“Ha, while the fox-men are centralized, we tiger-men have no true leaders, only respect for power. So even if I come and agree to your proposals, I would not be able to speak for the individuals. Do you intend to invite every tiger-man to your conference?”

“No, though a few more than just you would likely be best.”

“You think that others will do as we say?”

“You underestimate your own pull. You are a white tiger-woman, as is your daughter. Do others not look to you for answers already?”

“Ha, that is that and this is this.”

“Not at all. If you and a few other truly strong and independent tiger-men agree, others will accept it as well.”

“Fine, I will attend your little conference, but I am still undecided if it will work. Now let’s return to the others.”

“Wait, before that, do you agree to assist the kingdom in scouting regardless of how the conference turns out?”

“Of course. You rescued my daughter and doing so will help protect my home at the same time. Just promise me that Eira will always be welcomed in your house if she ever needs a place to flee to.”

“Of course.”

(Quest, convince tiger-men to aid Nium complete. Calculating completion rate… 97% completion, rank S. Rewards: improved relations with Prince Victor, 2,000,000,000 XP, 2,000 renown points, 100 gold and improved acceptance by kingdom of Nium nobility…current acceptance rate 62%)

With the system notification’s arrival, Xeal smiled despite the hey listen that accompanied it. Now that he had that complete, he simply wanted to get through the rest of this session so he could move about without hearing “hey listen” every ten seconds or so when his eyes were open. Still, exactly how this was going to play out was an unknown for Xeal.

“I think it is best that we set out soon to reach the other tribes. I have a few dozen letters which can be used to gain access to the conference. Besides the eagle-men, snake-men, and wolf-men, what other tribes would make sense to reach out to?”

“Hmph, you will need one of those letters for each tiger-man you wish to attend, so after you give me my letter, exactly how many will you have left?”

“22.”

“Hmm, so if you have three of us attend, you will have 20 left. Like us, the snake-men and eagle-men don’t live in large groups. At most they come together for mating and raising their young for a few years at a time. So, you should expect to need to use six on those two, leaving you with 14. One will be enough for the wolf-men, so long as you can get their alpha to agree. So, with 13 left, you would be best served ignoring the tribes and their fake leaders and targeting the real powerhouses.”

“Explain.”

“You met Otterfresse right?”

“Yes.”

“He is the kind I am talking about, though you should ignore him, as he would likely make your prince play the same game he made you play, without a second thought.”

“You want me to search out the outcasts who are scattered throughout the area? That could take months, if not years.”

“No, I can reach 13 good ones after you secure a promise from the other tribes, rather easily.”

“But can they speak for their tribes?”

“Hmph, if Otterfresse wasn’t around the otter-men would live in constant fear, as while he is secluded from them, he is near enough that if something happened to his tribe, he could react. I don’t believe there is another otter-man who has ever come back from the other side of the river. While he has fun with all those below tier 7 who he sees approach the river, more than once he is actually the only reason most of us feel safe crossing the river around here when we do.”

“He acts as a scout and water combatant for you all.”

“Exactly, and in return, we don’t cause trouble for his tribe.”

“I take it other tribes have individuals who cross the river to support you, or the other major tribes, and these are the ones you believe should attend.”

“Precisely. Even if they are not the official leaders of their tribes, their tribes will fall in line with their decisions, while the inverse is not true.”

Xeal just smiled as he was sure there was a bit of nuance being left out, but Noriko’s proposal was sound. So, after giving it some thought, he agreed, though he made it clear that each would need to reach out to their tribe to inform them of the conference. Xeal also said it would be best if they set up a member of their tribe to act as an ambassador to the kingdom once the conference was over. After Xeal explained that an ambassador only needed to have the trust of the tribe to act in its best interest, not power, she smiled before speaking.

“So, you’re saying that I could leave Eira in your care and the kingdom would ensure she was taken care of?”

“If she was your ambassador and Prince Victor recognizes her as such, any who act against her would be acting against Prince Victor. Still, there could be those who don’t wish for beast-men to have a seat at the table, so to speak, who would target her simply because she is your ambassador.”

“Hmm, I see. It will be something to think on. For now, it is best we prepare to travel. I will need to make a few arrangements and I know you need time to allow the effects of that pill to wear off. So, when would you like to set off?”

“I will be ready to leave tomorrow evening, after I check in with Prince Victor one more time.”

“Good. Have Eira rest at your home as well. I do not wish for her to be here while I am not, after what happened last time.”

Noriko’s last words held clear distrust in them, making Xeal believe there was more to what had happened than what could be seen on the surface. With that taken care of, Noriko returned Xeal to the ground and he quickly met up with the rest of his team, explaining that the expedition was over, and from here it would be Noriko taking him from tribe to tribe to attempt to persuade them to come to the conference. Xeal could hear Eira talking to her mom like any teenager who was ready to get out from under their parents’ rule would. Xeal found this funny after his first encounter with Eira where she was using her mom as a threat. Leaving the mother-daughter pair to catch up, Xeal used his advanced return scroll and returned to Nium.

Once back in the capital, Xeal made his way to the palace and was able to meet with Prince Victor quickly. After giving Prince Victor an extensive update, Xeal spent the rest of the session secluded in his office at the guild’s headquarters working on catching up on documentation. Even here he had to deal with hearing “hey listen” every time something caught his eye, but here he didn’t have to worry about it costing him mid battle. Xeal smiled at the current lead FAE had on tier 5 players, as going by what he knew from his last life and his current intelligence reports, he currently had over 100 days in ED before tier 5 was commonplace enough for him to need to worry about the major workshops’ next move. This also meant that he needed to have the foundations of Nium built in the next 100 days. If he could succeed with the beast-men, all that would be left was to bring the high and wood elves into cooperation with the kingdom and he would have all border areas secured.

(*****)

Evening December 13 to Evening December 16, 2266, & ED year 2 days 85-95.

The rest of the days leading up to the arrival of Nantan and the other members of Abysses End were spent getting ready for Christmas. This included Alex, Sam and Nicole partaking in the tradition of killing a tree and placing it in their apartment. The three of them went with a tree that was only three feet tall and bought a folding table that reached about the height of the window in their living room. For decorations, they simply draped the tree in plastic garland, a few cheap ornaments that came in a set, and a string of lights. Alex also went gift shopping with Sam on the 13th, and Nicole on the 16th, as a date for each of them. Sam and Nicole had also snuck out on the 14th without Alex and he had done the same on the 16th, only he had been roped into driving Anna around that night as well. By the time all of their in-person shopping was done, Alex was grateful for online stores that had allowed him to knock out a whole list of people his mom and dad had insisted that he should send something. Most of the list was made up of those who had made it out for Thanksgiving, as well as a few others who hadn’t been able to make it. While Alex was slightly annoyed at it, he had simply spent 100 credits on each of them, getting them a variation of the same type of gift baskets, depending on their ages. With that out of the way, he had also made sure to set up small bonuses for every member of the FAE workshop that had reached tier 5, or was a silver-level crafter. While it was only a small amount per person and varied according to a variety of factors, it still ended up costing over 2,000 gold, in game. Alex was looking forward to next year when he would be able to give out far more generous and widespread bonuses.

In ED, Xeal found himself spending every moment that wasn’t taken up by his courtship dates, or sleep, traveling with Noriko as she brought him to the other beast-men to deliver the invitation letters. Noriko first brought Xeal to the wolf-men tribe and he received another quest notification. There he was able to get a meeting with the current alpha, Adolphus, who looked like he was more interested in fighting Noriko than anything Xeal had to say. After a few rounds of them going at each other while laughing with neither of them having a clear advantage, Adolphus was satisfied. Finally willing to listen, Xeal explained why he was here and Adolphus simply called over a level 100 wolf-man. Smiling like he was about to get to see a good show, he declared that if Xeal could defeat his son Randolph, he would attend the conference. Xeal looked over the wolf-man and after confirming that this was his opponent and the rules which included no weapons, putting Xeal at a major disadvantage due to the lack of claws, he accepted the fight. Every wolf-man was shocked as they could clearly see the level gap between them. Even Noriko seemed confused as while Eira had expressed that Xeal was powerful, she didn’t believe it would be enough to overcome 15 levels. Even her Byakko heritage only let her close the gap of around five levels, but before she could stop him, she caught the look of confidence he wore and decided to wait and see.

The fight started quickly, with Xeal quickly learning that Randolph focused on dexterity, much like himself, having a slight advantage and the few blows he redirected made it clear that Randolph took the power category easily. Still, Xeal just smiled as they danced around, adding in subtle taunts to throw his opponent off slightly as he waited for his moment. Both he and Randolph were landing glancing blows, but nothing decisive. The quick looks that Xeal was able to get of the wolf-men and Noriko told him that they were all surprised by what they saw. Finally, Randolph over committed to an attack and with a quick dodge, Xeal was able to get behind him and he unleashed his dragon’s breath attack. With a scream the battle was all but over as Xeal closed the distance and continually struck at the burnt area on Randolph’s back. After a few hits, Adolphus stepped between the pair as it was obvious that Xeal had achieved an absolute advantage due to the breath attack.

After experiencing a tense moment where Xeal could feel all the eyes of the wolf-men on him just waiting for Adolphus’s word, Adolphus sighed and shook his head. Noriko broke the silence by clapping while grinning widely. She looked to Adolphus and after ensuring that he had no intention of holding the result against Xeal, she just smiled and told Xeal to hand him the letter. Xeal pulled out the letter and Noriko told him it was time to go, and with that they left. Once they were an hour away, Noriko burst out laughing while looking at Xeal. When she finally stopped, she spoke with intrigue apparent in her voice.

“I must say you surprised me back there. Where the hell did that kind of performance come from?”

Xeal just looked at Noriko as he debated just what to tell her, before sighing and responding.

“When I claim to be among the strongest of my kind, it is no boast, but a warning. While my stats are closer to those far above my level, I will not share the source as it touches upon my foundations.”

“Fine. Still, you really made Adolphus eat his words back there. His intent was to refuse you by placing a challenge he thought was beyond your ability, but not impossible, before you. You should actually be thankful that you used a trick like you did as it saved him and his son face as it was clearly an ability that was beyond everyone’s expectations.”

“So, he can simply say how was he or his son to know I had such a skill at my disposal and claim that before I used it, I was stuck on the defensive.”

“Precisely. I must say that being around you is not boring. Now let’s push on.”

After setting off from the wolf-men tribe, Noriko brought Xeal to meet a few other tiger-men, both of whom apparently had a mixed history with her. Xeal was surprised to find out the first of them was actually Eira’s father, Eli. He and Noriko seemed to be tense around one another as it was clear that they no longer had that kind of relationship. From what Xeal could pick up, when Eira had been born with clear markings of the Byakko heritage, she had tried to tie him down and get another child out of him. He had refused and ever since kept his guard up around her, pushing himself to always grow stronger to ensure he was strong enough to escape from Noriko. Had Xeal been strong enough to play a support role for Noriko, Eli would have bolted to avoid Noriko as it was clear that she had not given up on having another child with him, despite the fact she had four younger than Eira still at the breeding grounds. Xeal had unconsciously taken a step back at learning this as it was clear that Noriko didn’t like going more than four years between children. It also made Xeal wonder just how much she had been teasing him when he had returned with Eira. Still, Eli accepted the invitation after learning that Xeal had brought Eira home after she had been taken, something he had been unaware of. While Xeal could tell like most tiger-men he was an absentee father, he still did care about her. He just didn’t want to be tied down by Noriko, so he kept his distance, for the most part. The next couple of tiger-men they met had no interest in attending the conference and it wasn’t until they met with one who was a fair bit older and had more than a few scars from life, that they were able to find a third tiger-man attendee. Rhys was also among the higher-level tiger men at level 275 and he had clearly seen a fair bit in his life. Once they had left him, Noriko let Xeal know that she had looked for another as Rhys was known to give her Byakko heritage a bit too much reverence. However, she also said he was among the most respected as well.

Once they had the tiger-men out of the way, Noriko advised to reach out to the eagle -men next as they and the snake-men were on bad terms and it might not be possible to have both attend. After giving it some thought, he decided to trust Noriko and they headed off to one of her friends. When they arrived, Xeal found himself stopped by a spear at his feet and when he looked up, he found a level 260 eagle-woman looking down, as the sun kept Xeal from getting a good look at her. She was giving Noriko a disapproving look as the latter smiled wryly back.

“Noriko, you know better than to arrive out of the blue, especially with a human in tow. Had I not noticed you at the last moment, I wouldn’t have been able to shift my aim slightly.”

“Oh, it’s good for him to feel the threat of death. It will keep him honest.”

“Still, what are you doing with one of his kind?”

Noriko smiled as she told her friend, who was named Sceca, to calm down and join them on the ground. However, Sceca refused to join them on the ground, keeping it so that the sun was directly behind her as she talked to them. Sighing, Noriko launched into a version of Xeal’s “the world has changed” spiel, adding the reason they were here in the first place. Xeal simply kept his eyes peeled in case anything else decided to make itself known while Noriko talked. It was during this time that Xeal first caught sight of another eagle-woman, although she was more of a young girl that appeared to be no older than ten, if even that. When Xeal caught sight of this girl looking down at them in a mix of curiosity and fear, Xeal couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness of it. Still, he had a pretty good idea of what the situation was, so he decided to interrupt Noriko.

“Pardon the interruption, but perhaps you would like to know that your daughter is watching from over there.”

Xeal pointed at the young girl and he watched as Sceca leaped over to her, instantly putting herself between her and them. It was then that Xeal got his first good look at Sceca, with her golden brown hair and wings fluttering in the wind. Once she had reached the girl, she put up her guard for a second before relaxing it with a sigh, looking at Xeal for a hard second before she spoke.

“Alright, human, you just want me to attend this conference, right?”

“No, I want you to come with the intent to work with other tribes to come to an agreement that will work for everyone. That includes the snake-men if they agree to come.”

“You would include those scoundrels?”

“So long as they behave themselves at the conference, I see no reason not to. After all, they are one of the main five powers in these lands.”

“Hmph, if my kin were to actually come together, no other tribe could withstand our might.”

“Oh really, you sure about that?” challenged Noriko.

“Noriko, you may be my friend, but the simple advantage of flight makes the other tribes unable to challenge us.”

“You have to come down to attack eventually. When you do, we would see just who has the advantage.”

“Noriko, Sceca, I am not here to debate which tribe is the greatest. I am here to bring these lands and the kingdom together in some form. Now, will you agree to attend even if snake-men come as well?”

Xeal watched as Sceca looked at Xeal sternly before looking at her daughter, who was acting like everything was fine and laughing while hugging her mom despite the slight tension.

“Would this new vision you have allow for my daughter to grow without the worries of the monsters that exist here in these lands?”

“Easily, either by allowing you to nest in the kingdom’s lands, or in the city I hope to construct with the needs and preferences of each tribe in mind.”

“I will not promise my support before the conference, but Scicie and I will come.”

With those words Xeal pulled out a letter and Sceca swooped down and took it before flying back up and away.

“See you there!” called out Noriko as Sceca disappeared from view.

“So that’s why I haven’t seen her the last decade. She went and had a kid and now she is tied down until they can fend for themselves.”

“Do they not have breeding grounds like your tribe does?”

“Oh they do, but Sceca’s line is a bit special and others of her tribe would be happy to take advantage of her during this time if she let them.”

“How so?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just be ready to give her a safe place to leave her daughter when she arrives at the conference.”

“Fine, be that way. Now let’s move on.”

By the time they had found two more tier 7 eagle-men to attend, it was already day 90 and Xeal only had another two sessions to find three snake-men who would be willing to attend. From the fights along the way, which Noriko had been annoyed at his insistence to fight them when she could have finished them quickly, he had been able to reach level 86. Bringing his charisma ability points to 104, and once his bonuses were accounted for, he had 134 total. Xeal knew this was playing a major role in his success as most players would only have around 75 after bonuses, as they would choose gear that focused elsewhere. Still, he knew that he was borrowing Noriko’s status to avoid performing a fetch quest, or the like, for each and every one of them as his stats were only enough for them to listen to him once he had their attention. The system had assisted him with both Noriko and Taro, then it had given him Noriko to close the gap that was still present.

As they moved about in the area Noriko expected to find a few promising snake-men, Xeal was on guard as he knew snake-men were the kind to attack first and ask questions later. They were also the type to strike before you knew they were there. Xeal’s only comfort was that to any below late tier 7, Noriko would be enough to ensure they behaved and to those who could go toe to toe with her, they would rather not. After they had been walking for a good hour or so, Noriko let out a shout.

“Ianira! Show yourself! I know you are here!”

A moment passed as they waited before seemingly out of nowhere a tall woman with slim proportions and long dark hair came sauntering over. Xeal looked at her, taking note of her golden vertical-slitted eyes that seemed to be focused on him as she approached. As she stopped ten feet from them, she smiled before speaking, showing off her forked tongue as she did so.

“Sso, what bringss you here, Noriko, and who iss thiss little human who sshowss no fear at my gaze?”

“Hmph, you never do change, Ianira. He is why I am here, though I doubt you care much about that. Now, why did I have to force you out? Are we no longer friends?”

“Jusst becausse we crosss the river together doessn’t make uss friendss.”

Xeal could tell that if anything, Ianira was annoyed to have Noriko search her out and he couldn’t help giving her a quick look, before looking back to Ianira as Noriko responded.

“I don’t know what a friend is if it is not someone who you trust your life with over there.”

“I trusst that damn otter-man to enssure that I can crosss the river, but I would never invite him over, or call him friend, would you?”

Xeal had to hold in his laugh as Noriko’s face cramped at Ianira’s words and he decided that now was as good as any time to cut in.

“Noriko, she has a point as Otterfresse isn’t someone you would invite to eat with you unless you wanted to deal with being poisoned for his entertainment.”

“Hmph, I don’t like to be compared to that fool,” muttered Noriko.

“Yet you come here, without my invitation, and act like we are anything more than acquaintancess,” chided Ianira.

“It’s not like I am here for a courtesy call. I am here to get you to listen to Xeal here.”

“That iss Xeal, I take it. Why would I want to hear what he hass to ssay?”

“Because whether or not you want to listen to me, you will be affected by the reason I am here.”

Ianira looked at Xeal, but instead of answering, she sauntered over to him with a dangerous look in her eyes. When she arrived next to him, she brought out one of her hands and trailed it along his shoulder as she walked around him, before bringing it to his chin and holding his head such that he was looking directly in her eyes.

“I musst ssay I’m impresssed. Not a hint of fear from being so helplesss. All it would take is a ssingle moment and you would be dead. Yet even ass I say that, you do not waver in the sslightesst. Sso what iss it about you that makess you so fearlesss?”

“Even if you kill me, I will not die due to what I am.”

For what felt like the thousandth time, Xeal launched into his “the world has changed” speech, to include what he was doing here. Though for her part, Ianira just listened as she looked directly into Xeal’s eyes intensely, like she could see the truth of his words in them. When he finished talking, she let go of his chin and took a step back before looking at Noriko and turning back to Xeal.

“Give me the invitationss that you intend to hand to my kind. All that Noriko will get you if sshe takess you further iss killed. Even if you can’t die, I am ssure it will not be a pleassant experience. You have caught my attention, human. For that I will at leasst enssure my tribe iss repressented at this conference.”

Xeal handed Ianira the three invitations, which she took, before giving him one last look and disappearing. After she was out of sight, Noriko motioned for them to leave while scoffing. Xeal didn’t need to be told twice as he turned his back and left, while a pair of golden eyes watched him leave. When they were a fair bit away, Noriko turned to Xeal and frowned before she spoke.

“You are lucky that you saved my daughter, or I would kill you for agreeing with that woman comparing me to Otterfresse.”

“I never said I agreed with you being the same. I simply agreed that she had an okay counter to your argument. Trust me, I would much rather have you over than that otter-man. As for Ianira, she seemed to have something else on her mind while she was with us and if I had to guess, she was not the only one present when we just met with her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think she is the kind to go out of her way to help us deliver the invitations?”

“You’re right, that was out of character for her.”

“In all likelihood, two more tier 7 snake-men were present.”

“Damn snakes and their stealth techniques. Still, had they attacked it would have been their mistake.”

Xeal looked at the smile on Noriko’s face and could only shake his head as while he knew that she would have clearly been able to react in time to avoid the first sneak attacks, she would still have issues after that. Needless to say, that his fruit of life would have been lost without question and at best, Noriko would be able to use a few of the Byakko skills he knew she held in reserve to escape after he died. Still, he kept quiet about it as he changed the subject.

“Either way, my role here has come to an end. Are you sure you can reach the 13 others you have in mind and ensure they attend?”

“Hmph, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Am I truly as unbearable to be around as Otterfresse?”

Xeal wanted to groan as he knew that Noriko was playing a game with him that he couldn’t win.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, it is just us out here and we have a few days available. Perhaps we could find out what kind of child you would give me after all.”

“Be serious. We both know that is not happening as I have already said.”

“Hmph, am I not attractive enough, or perhaps you feel that I am too old? After all, I am a grandmother. Were it not for my blood line I would not be able to still be fertile. That must be it. You can’t get over the fact that I am so old, or perhaps you are thinking about Ianira. I must admit she is a fair bit younger.”

“Can you drop it? Though on that note, if you are so old why aren’t you beyond them level-wise?”

“Hmph, what would you know of my struggles. Unlike them who will only have a few children in their life and can focus on growing stronger, I am expected to take a break half the time to bear and raise another child.”

“Wait, you’re actually being serious about wanting to breed with me, aren’t you.”

“Of course. Even if you are a bit lacking in strength, your potential is wonderful. If you wanted me to back off you shouldn’t have handled Randolph so easily.”

“Noriko, it is not happening. Ever! I have made it clear that my status and your temperament makes it impossible. Besides, I don’t love you. If I gave you a child, it would cause far too many issues.”

“Oh, and just how do you intend to resist if I decide to take what I want?”

“I would kill myself.”

Noriko paused at Xeal’s words as she could see no hint of a bluff in them and she looked disappointed as she responded.

“If I became yours, would your answer change?”

“You couldn’t become mine even if you actually wanted to. You have too many responsibilities here that it would be impossible.”

“It’s frustrating. If you were a young tiger-man it would be so simple to simply corner you and get what I want.”

“Please drop this topic, or I will take my chances alone.”

“Fine, but if Eira wants to join your wives, you will not deny her.”

“Noriko-”

“Xeal, accept, or I will call your bluff.”

“If she wishes to, I’ll explore finding out if we can share what I call love with her and if it works out, I will accept her.”

“Good enough. Now get lost before I change my mind. I have letters to deliver.”

“Farewell. I will stay near the designated location for the conference until it is time for it, if you need something from me.”

“I said get lost. Go have fun with my daughter. I expect to hear about how you have been treating her when I arrive.”

With that, Noriko dashed off, leaving Xeal alone as he activated a regular return scroll and returned to the capital. Once there, he sent out messages to everyone who would be involved in preparing the site for the conference, before heading out that way himself. When Xeal arrived at the valley that acted as the main path between the two lands, he quickly made his way to the edge where they met. With him was Bula and Midnight. He had also sent for Eira to join him, along with Violet and Daisy, who had both passed their tier 4 challenge under the care of their uncle while he was away. A few hours later, they were all present, along with Yahisa and a few members of the advance party of FAE members. Xeal spent the rest of that session and the next with them while they all fought monsters. Yahisa simply played the role of safety by stepping in to ensure the safety of the three ladies in case any monsters got past the FAE members. Xeal watched as both Violet and Daisy used fox fire techniques to attack from a distance while Eira focused on using javelins to keep out of range. Xeal knew that this was how the tribes always worked when it came to training their younger generation. Sparring from a young age, which would actually provide enough benefits that they could reach level 40 from it. Then it would become their job to hunt with the tribe in a support role, only attacking from range and doing all of the grunt work with those who were not yet tier 6. Once they reached tier 6, they would reach the most dangerous phase if they wished to grow stronger as they would once again become the grunt, only this time it would be across the river. Xeal knew that monsters across that river were all over level 200 and the few other options were heavily guarded by the ones who occupied them. In this case, these locations were what separated the five major tribes from the rest.

(*****)

Morning December 17 to Evening December 17, 2266, & ED year 2 days 96-98.

When Alex arrived at aikido Monday morning with Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia in tow, he was greeted by Nantan and four beauties. Alex held in his groan at what he expected to be a long week as Nantan played his hand with the four tall young women. Each of them were around six feet tall, with long legs and a buxom figure. The only one of the four Alex recognized was the brunette who was clearly Natalina, while the other three tugged at his thoughts as he tried to place them. Still, he could not say for sure if he had, or hadn’t, seen them anywhere in his last life. Nantan didn’t waste any time greeting Alex.

“Alex, it is good to see you, though we do have a bit of business to discuss in the near future. However, before that, allow me to introduce you to each of these lovely ladies.”

The first of the two blonds was Elin, and the second was Irene. Both of them smiled as they shook Alex’s hand, laughing slightly. Next came Polina, who had long straight dark hair, and finally came Natalina, with her wavy black hair paired with her olive skin. Alex was grateful to retreat as Sam and Nicole stepped in under the guise of greeting them as well, when they were really just giving Alex a chance to exit. As he did so, he found Ava and Mia facing off with Nantan in a quiet staring contest. Noticing Alex, the three of them called it off and Nantan shifted his focus to Alex.

“Alex, I see that you have already extracted yourself from them. Perhaps now would be the best time to discuss things with you.”

“Certainly. Ava, Mia, I will see you both inside in a bit. I don’t expect this to take too long.”

Alex ignored the look of annoyance that crossed Nantan’s face at his words and it wasn’t long before Sam and Nicole pulled the four other women into the dojo with them to get ready. When it was just the pair of them left outside, Nantan started.

“So, do you really not see the issue with you poaching our members?”

“If you are talking about Ava and Mia, they seem to have been under the impression that you were about to make life difficult for them.”

“That is beside the point-”

“It is the very point. Had you simply kept them happy, I would have not even offered them the option to jump ship. As for poaching members from Abysses End, or any other workshop, I will only even attempt it if the individual is being screwed over by said workshop. Especially if they are on friendly terms with me. Whatever else may be said about Ava and Mia, they have become my friends since they have arrived here.”

“I see, and this is your stance on the subject. So, if we found one of your disgruntled members, paid out their contract and poached them, you would have no complaints?”

“Just because I don’t see anything wrong with it doesn’t mean I would have no complaints.”

“So, you do understand why we are upset over this issue.”

“Of course. Ava and Mia were supposed to seduce me and pull me into Abysses End, not be pulled into Free Art Expo. That said, I want an explanation for why you brought four models with you instead of players this time.”

“Ah, well, I thought it would be a good idea to introduce you to another side of this industry. After all, my sources have told me that you are getting ready for a major expansion in the new year.”

“And what side would that be?”

“Mass recruitment. I actually planned to leave one or two of these ladies with you as a gesture of cooperation before you poached Ava and Mia. Now I’m not too sure if I should, as you might try and poach them as well if I do.”

“Please, don’t leave one behind. Besides, I will not be ready for mass recruitment for at least another year. If I were to do so now, my developing leaders would soon find themselves overwhelmed.”

“Are you sure? A year from now many of the fringe players may already be attached to one force, or another. Your guild is set up to be the largest of all of us and you have so many crafting players to supply, especially as time goes on. If you don’t have an army of players who are trading their goods for other non-monetary benefits, you will start to run up quite the bill developing them all.”

“Nantan, I am well aware of that issue and have my own plans to address it that should be only slightly less profitable and less predatory.”

“I see. Still, I think it will be good for you to see what this aspect of the business is about. Who knows, you may change your mind before the week is over.”

“We will see. Now we should head in, or we may be too late to join in.”

When Alex made it out on to the mats, he found that all four of the visiting ladies had joined the stretching-only group and were currently making small talk with Nicole, Sam and his mom. Anna was giving him a look of disbelief and disapproval that he simply just shook his head at. By the end of the lesson, Alex was sure that it was going to be a long week as he left to go home. Ava and Mia had asked what was said when Nantan pulled him aside and Alex shared it before they split to log back into ED for the day.

Alex logged out of ED that evening after another day of grinding mixed with prep for the upcoming summit that required a massive amount of planning, as well as foundational work to be done. For what he had planned, it would require over 20 days in ED time by his guild, but it should be worth it. Still, his focus was on the night’s activity and Nantan had arranged for them to go to a local photographer and have an abbreviated photo shoot. Nantan had been insistent that everyone, to include Anna and her friends, should attend this week’s events as it would be a great opportunity for them to see another world. Alex had been hesitant to agree as it brought up a few concerns he had, but when he had extended the invitation that morning without checking with Alex first, he didn’t have a good way to refuse.

When Alex, Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia arrived together, they were quickly separated and Alex found himself in an open dressing room with Fred, Dan and his dad. All three of them were looking awkwardly at the different outfits that were being offered to them. The theme was clearly a fantasy roleplay that ranged from fake armor that would make one of them look like a knight, to some leather and fur that would make whoever wore them look like a barbarian. When one of the assistants came up and tried to convince Alex to give the barbarian garb a chance, Alex shut it down instantly and sent a message to Sam and Nicole to refuse anything that was too revealing outright, with a picture of the get-up attached. Both girls teased him a bit, but agreed and when they all came out to the area that would act as the set for the shoot, Alex was in some light leather armor with a pair of prop swords on his waist, while Dan had gone for a swashbuckling look with Fred matching him. Mr. Bell was wearing monk robes and walking with a staff. To complete the look, the studio’s team had added a bald cap and done make-up to make it look real. They had also added a few effects to Alex, Fred and Dan to complete their transformations.

When the ladies came out, they were dressed in a wide range of outfits, from Sam and Nicole who had gone full witch, pointy hat and all, to Jessica looking like a princess, or the twins wearing a pair of dresses that would look at home in a renaissance faire. The rest of the group was a smattering of different styles that looked fun but casual, until Elin, Irene, Polina and Natalina walked out from a separate area, looking like they were right off of a movie set as Nantan appeared with them. Each of the ladies were wearing armor done in various ways to highlight their figure and stoke the imagination of others. This included areas that looked naturally worn and bits of makeup done to look like they had just come off a battlefield for Elin and Irene, who both looked like Valkyries. Polina wore leather armor mixed with fur and looked like a barbarian queen, with blue face paint to match. Then there was Natalina, who looked like she didn’t belong anywhere near a battlefield, in a metal breastplate with an elaborate design on it that only just covered her chest, and a studded leather skirt that barely covered her assets below. Provocative was the word that came to mind for all four of the ladies and Alex consciously looked elsewhere due to how bad it was. He was about to say something when Nantan beat him to it.

“You all look like you are having fun, though I notice that none of the men took the challenge and went full barbarian. Though as I think of it, none of you have the hair that you would need to pull it off. Now as I am sure you can all see, there is a major difference between how you all look and how these fine ladies look. This is simply due to the fact that they have been here for three more hours than you all getting ready. This is one of the major differences between the casual event and a full production, though I am sure you are aware. Now let’s have some fun and get some pictures of everyone.”

Alex just kept quiet as he made sure that he was always posing with his friends in frame with him. Alex could tell that all four of the Abysses End ladies were trying to get a few pictures of just them and him, but he was able to avoid it by not giving them a chance to get him alone. By the time 7:40 rolled around, it was time to change out of the costumes so they could all get back to playing ED for the night. Alex could tell that his avoidance of the four ladies was vexing them as they had likely never been ignored so fully by a young man. Even Fred and Dan couldn’t help but looking a bit too long occasionally and Alex had to laugh to himself at how his father had essentially made sure he was looking at his mom all night, like he was afraid to look anywhere else. It was with these thoughts that Alex logged in for another session of grinding and prep work, after taking Enye out for a date.

(*****)

As Alex and his group left the photography studio, the four ladies and Nantan thanked the owner for hosting them and they got into the van he had rented for this trip. In the back, all four ladies sat in luxury as they drove back to the house they were staying at for the week. Nantan was thinking over the sequence of events of the night and adjusting his approach for the rest of the week when Polina spoke.

“Nantan, why are you so adamant that we lure that guy into a compromising situation again?”

“His name is Alex and he has something Abysses End wants to obtain,” responded Irene coquettishly.

“I was asking Nantan,” huffed Polina.

“Irene is correct,” replied Nantan.

Irene stuck out her tongue at Polina as she laughed.

“Why don’t you just buy him?” continued Polina, ignoring Irene.

“He would if he could,” chimed in Elin. “The fact that we are here means that he isn’t after money and the game can’t be played in the shadows.”

“Why do the two of you not want me to talk to Nantan?” complained Polina.

“Because it is sad that you think being friendly with him will help you rise in this world,” commented Natalina coldly. “Just like how teasing each other is pointless. Honestly, it’s pointless to even keep trying if that is how you hope to succeed.”

“Oh, and the miss better than everyone act will work? Ha! Honestly, I don’t get why you are so cold to everyone once it’s just us,” grumbled Elin.

“None of that, or this, matters. All that matters is how many pathetic men we attract by smiling at them. As for Alex, we all should just give up unless you are ready to give up on this life,” stated Natalina matter-of-factly.

“Oh, and what do you mean by that, my dear?” questioned Nantan with intrigue.

“It’s simple. He has no time or interest in anything, or anyone, who is not invested 100% in their actions. Your mistake with the twins was expecting them to be somewhat loyal and Alex not to buy out their contracts. Their job was to let Alex indulge in them within reason, before luring him into Abysses End, with him thinking it was his idea. You thought that his two soon-to-be mothers would be unable to handle the situation, yet they seemed to have adapted quite well. Now, not only hasn’t Alex partaken in Ava and Mia, but instead a real friendship has begun to sprout. If you expect any of us to succeed, we will have to go to such lengths that it would ruin our image to the point that we will never recover professionally. I can go on if you like,” supplied Natalina nonchalantly.

“Oh, so if you were going to achieve the objective how would you do so?” posed Nantan.

“I would find a way to get him alone and do everything I could to try and get a child of my own out of him. Only then would I have the needed leverage to even have a chance to sway him, but even then, it would only be around a 50-50 shot. Honestly, threatening him with rape charges would likely be the best way forward if one of us actually manages to get him to go a round in the sheets with us.”

“Natalina, that is just horrible. I like it, except the getting pregnant part,” laughed Irene.

“Are any of you actually willing to go that far?” asked Nantan ambiguously.

“I’m not willing to bite that bullet, or have a hand in setting it up, as if it went wrong, I would rather not go to jail,” coolly responded Natalina.

“Hmph, get a teenager alone and let him have his way with you before running to the police with a sob story. How could that go wrong?” pressed Irene like she didn’t see any way it would fail.

“Did Alex even give any of us a second glance?” retorted Natalina.

The three other ladies went quiet as they stared daggers at Natalina over her saying this. All of them had been annoyed at this fact as it was clear Alex hadn’t even given them a second thought when he met them, yet those two girls who couldn’t compare to them were almost all his eyes could see. They had all been used to every guy bending over backwards for a simple smile from them. Alex’s indifference had annoyed them, but they could ignore it until Natalina brought it up just now.

“Unless he is hiding his interest extremely well, any of us who attempted it would likely need to rape him and unless you were blind this morning, it is quite obvious that he knows how to handle an assailant. It would take a team effort to trap him and when it was done, he would have the injuries to cry rape. Honestly, kidnapping him would be less troublesome.”

With Natalina’s words the mood in the van grew tense as each of them had no rebuttal to her words. Nantan himself was resisting the urge to curse as he went over the options he had to work with, and slowly he came up with his own plan that he thought was at least worth a try. Still, he was annoyed at the fact that Natalina had so easily diagnosed the issues that his plan had. If he had his way, it would be her who ended up taking the fall if they did overreach and something went wrong.

(*****)

Morning December 18 to Evening December 18, 2266, & ED year 2 days 99-101.

Tuesday morning saw them at swing dancing, with Mr. Fredholm looking flustered at the four beauties that were joining the lesson. For some reason, Nantan was insistent that Alex dance with Natalina to the point where he said that if he accepted spending the first 20 minutes of the lesson with her, he wouldn’t push for Alex to dance with the other three. What confused Alex even further is the clear surprise that Natalina had shown at this move as well, though with her talents he would be unsurprised to learn that she was acting. No matter how Alex thought about it, he couldn’t help but feel this was a trap of some sort, yet he didn’t have a good way to turn it down as Sam and Nicole had taken to doing light activity as the spins aggravated the slight morning sickness they were both dealing with. So, with reluctance, Alex accepted the offer and found himself paired with an aloof Natalina. As they danced, Alex took note of the fact that she was clearly at a higher skill level than he was and smiled as he broke the tension.

“So, what dirt does Nantan have on you four for you to descend to the level of us normal folks.”

Natalina looked at Alex like he had two heads, before responding.

“The worst of dirt. A contract with no buyout clause and exclusivity for the next seven years.”

“Ah, so if they say jump, you jump. Must be annoying being a puppet on their strings.”

“Ha, we are all on someone’s strings. Even you are dancing to a tune other than your own.”

“True, but that is simply to be able to dance to my own tune later. You, on the other hand, will have a major opportunity dangled before you, only for them to require you to sign away your life once more to seize it.”

“Ha, you believe that you will be able to free yourself from the fate of dancing to others’ tunes while still holding what others want. You will only know true freedom once you have nothing another covets.”

“How did Abysses End trap someone like you into such an ironclad contract? You seem far too smart to sign away your life like that, especially for what they are likely paying you at this stage of your career.”

“We are not all born where we have the ability to choose from many different paths. Some of us have to take whatever opportunity will allow us to escape where we are. Ask Ava and Mia about just how far they would go to never return to where they came from.”

“I see, the world is really full of those who are dealt crap hands.”

“What do you care. You have one of the best hands out there. If you tried you could easily have your way with all four of us.”

“You’re not mindless objects, regardless of how much Abysses End treats you as such.”

“Is that why you don’t look at us? You pity us and the path we choose?”

“Pity is not the right word. The four of you hope to become the wet dreams of millions of men. Many of which will trade their wealth for a simple chance to hold your hand for a second. Disgust would be closer to my feelings when I think about what you are all trying to become.”

Alex’s words caused Natalina to freeze up as she looked back at him in shock as he just looked at her coldly. She couldn’t stand him judging her for how she found a way to escape her hell, so she narrowed her gaze and ignoring the fact that the room had taken note of the pause the pair had taken, she responded.

“Disgust, is it? How is what we are doing dirty in any way?”

“You misunderstand. The disgust comes for the individuals who will waste vast sums simply to get your attention and will never enter into your mind. All you will care about is the credits that you collect in commission for your services.”

“It’s not like we will be holding a gun to their head.”

“No, at least then I would understand why they would waste credits. Tell me honestly, will you look a man who you have no feelings for, or intentions of being with, in the eye and tell him that he is special just to get him to empty his bank account for you?”

Alex smiled as he took notice of the awkward atmosphere of the room, to include the four pairs of eyes that were staring at him like they hoped he would catch fire. The best part was the fact that Natalina refused to answer Alex and the 20 minutes were up and he simply walked over to Ava and Mia to dance with them. After a few more moments and Mr. Fredholm insisting that they resume the lesson, the room returned to dancing. Ava and Mia smiled warmly as they danced with Alex, and the rest of the lesson finished without issue.

After another uneventful day in ED, Alex awoke ready for the night’s activity, which from Nantan’s message was going to be an abridged simulation of a commercial’s dry run. It seemed that Nantan was set on pushing forward with the week’s plan, regardless of what Alex thought about the four ladies he brought with him. Once again, it was an all hands on deck scenario, that included inviting his parents and Anna’s friends.

When Alex arrived with Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia, they were instantly handed scripts to look over that were all of two pages. There were apparently four different groups, one for each lady, and Alex found himself with Lauren and Jessica in an annoyed Natalina’s group. Once more, Alex found himself unable to understand Nantan’s plan as it should have been clear that he and Natalina had friction from the morning. He also caught the look Jessica gave him that clearly said something had gone down before he had arrived. It was actually Lauren who broke the tension so they could get started.

“Alright already, we get it. Cats and dogs don’t get along. Get over it and let’s try and have fun with this.”

“Lauren’s right. Just because you and I would like to go at it doesn’t mean we should ruin their fun,” conceded Alex.

“Ha, oh this is fun, is it? You have no idea just how much work goes into simply getting to this point in a real production,” shot Natalina.

“Come on, get over it. This is as close as the rest of us will be experiencing this. Let’s just work on this so when we all present tomorrow night, it is decent at least,” pleaded Lauren.

“Fine, I am clearly the lead female and Alex is clearly the only male character,” responded Natalina.

With that, the four of them got to work looking over the material. Alex had to cringe at the corniness of the script. It was a basic 60-second scene where Alex would play a man boasting to Lauren’s and Jessica’s characters, only for Natalina’s character to arrive and call his boasts out. By the end, Alex’s character looked the fool and Natalina’s was the heroine. By the time the night had come to an end, the four of them had run through it a few times. It was easy for Alex, Lauren and Jessica as they each only had a few lines, while Natalina had a full dozen lines. Alex was happy to leave and when he chatted with Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia on the way home, he learned what the other three groups were up to. Apparently, they had all had more fun than his group had, thanks to the fact that they didn’t have half the group wanting to get into a shouting match.

That night’s session in ED started with Xeal accompanying Lingxin on a date, as they looked over the current state the preparations for the conference were in, as she was curious about them. It didn’t take Lingxin long to pick up that something was off and ask Xeal about it.

“Xeal, you normally have a certain passion to your words, yet right now it is missing. Do you not believe in this current work, or is something else going on?”

“You really do hang on my every word a bit too much.”

“Of course, you brought so much wonder into my world. Listening to your tales and thoughts is my favored thing to do. Now tell me, what has you so bothered?”

“Huh you see…”

Xeal went into the current drama he was dealing with from the latest visit from Abysses End. He talked about how they were clearly up to something to make his life difficult, he just didn’t know what. By the time he was done, Lingxin had a contemplative look on her face as she thought about his situation.

“If the situation is so wearisome, why do you perpetuate it?”

“The same reason that I am currently involved with you and Mari. Sometimes the situation dictates my actions for me.”

“I still don’t see why you need them to act like they are playing nice with you as you do the same when it is clear that you are both irreconcilable enemies.”

“That is only clear on my end. It is likely that they believe I am simply annoyed at them and can wear me down over time by throwing beautiful women at me.”

“Ha, they have certainly misjudged you. With your status it would not be hard to have a flower for every day of the year if you tried.”

“I know, woe is me.”

“Yes indeed. Now I believe that you need to address this issue at the root of the problem. The longer you allow them to manipulate you, the worse it will become. All you need to do is look at my own home to see what I am speaking of. Over time, my family allowed the bureaucrats to handle more and more at their urging. Now my brother lives such that he knows he has no choice but to leave almost all decisions to them that do not touch on the few secrets our house has kept.”

Xeal gave Lingxin’s words some thought as he took a fresh look on his current situation. He already planned to end all pretense with Abysses End after this visit, so what difference did it make if he did it now, or in two weeks. Still, he planned to run it by everyone before he made his move. With a new perspective that he couldn’t believe he had been ignoring, Xeal continued his date with Lingxin with a smile, before returning to his prep work and grinding for the rest of that session.

(*****)

Morning December 19 to Evening December 19, 2266, & ED year 2 days 102-104.

As Alex entered the kendo dojo on Wednesday morning, Lauren approached under the guise of asking him to spar with her that session. In reality she handed him a note from Jessica that he quickly read while he was changing into his sparring gear before the lesson. The frown that crossed his face quickly became a smile as he saw the potential in what was written on it. Still, Nantan was really pushing his luck and Alex would be happy to let him hang himself, so after sending a quick message, he made his way out to the floor for the lesson. The lesson itself was uneventful as all four of the Abysses End ladies simply observed from the sidelines, like they did in aikido on Monday. Honestly, Alex didn’t even know why they were bothering to show up to these lessons if they didn’t intend to even partake slightly. Still, he put it out of his mind as he switched between sparring with Lauren, Officer Chen and Fred that morning. When they were done for the morning, Nantan took the time to confirm with Alex that he was good for the evening’s activity, before leaving.

After another session in ED, during which he had reached level 87, Alex stretched as he got into the car. On the way there, Alex shared a bit of the information that the note had on it, making the mood in the car chill completely. The rest of the drive was filled with everyone working to vent their feelings and get most of it out of their system as they worked to make it seem like everything was normal when they arrived. Once there, they were quickly greeted by Nantan, who ushered them in as he looked like he had something else on his mind.

(*****)

Officer Chen had seen the message from Alex that she had gotten just before kendo that morning. It had simply told her to be next to a local theater and wait quietly while in uniform, as he had a tip that something was going to go down. When she had seen Nantan and the four women that he had brought with him arrive thirty minutes after she had gotten there, she grew concerned about what was going on. From what she had seen, she hadn’t liked Nantan from the way he acted like he was above everything. She stayed in the shadow of the alley next to the theater, her squad car parked a few blocks away as Alex had advised. Next, she saw Alex and his friends start to arrive, with Jessica being the last one to make it, which was out of place as she normally arrived with Alex’s mom. When she arrived, she stopped just outside the alley, giving Officer Chen a clear view of her. The next thing Officer Chen saw, Nantan walked up to her looking like a weight had been taken off his chest as he started to talk.

“I was worried you had gotten cold feet on me.”

“I don’t want to go along with your plan. Getting Alex to fall for me was one thing, but this is simply ruining his life.”

Nantan’s face cramped as he looked around before continuing.

“Let’s talk about this a bit over here.”

With a gesture he led Jessica into the alley to the point that Officer Chen was worried they would walk up on her, before Jessica stopped.

“This is far enough. I don’t want to go too far down this alley alone with you.”

“What, do you think I would be dumb enough to do anything to you? Jessica, tell me why do you think that I want to hurt you, or Alex? Yes, I wish to gain some leverage on him and at the same time get you what you want as well. All you need to do is do what I say and not dodge Alex when he reaches out. The only witnesses will be your friend Lauren, Natalina and the camera that will be rolling. Once I switch out the scripts with the ones that don’t include his grab and your dodge, even if Lauren takes his side there will still be enough to hit him with sexual assault on a minor. Which I have no intent to ever pursue, unless he decides to ignore my kind offer.”

“No, I don’t want to ruin his life.”

“Either you do this, or I will expose the fact that you have been conspiring with me to everyone. You turn 18 in a week. Once you do, your value drops significantly, so either you follow through today, or I expose you and leave you out to dry.”

Officer Chen couldn’t believe what she was watching. Obviously, Alex had long since known that Jessica was being manipulated by Nantan. While she definitely knew there was more going on that would need to be dredged up after this, she couldn’t stand by and watch the scene in front of her play out any longer, as it had already gone too far, so she decided to act and stepped out of the shadows.

“Put your hands up where I can see them!”

Nantan almost jumped out of his skin as he saw Officer Chen step out of the shadows with her taser held at the ready. After taking a split second to process what was going on, his face distorted in fury as he looked at a stunned Jessica. Before he could act, Officer Chen spoke again.

“I said put your hands up! Do so or I will fire!”

“You don’t want-”

“Now!”

Nantan’s hands went up in the air as he continued to speak.

“Officer, I do not understand why you are detaining me.”

“You are under arrest for suspicion of conspiracy to commit a felony, as well as a few other crimes. Now on your knees.”

“Officer-”

“Knees, now. You also have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law, and yes, my body camera has been on. Now, are you going to cooperate, or do I need to subdue you with force?”

While Nantan was slowly getting down on to his knees, Jessica had stepped back to create some distance between her and Nantan. Once Nantan was on his knees, Officer Chen side stepped around him, ensuring that her taser was at the ready the entire time until she was behind him. Once there, she ordered him to lie face down on the ground and place his hands in the small of his back. Finally, she put him in handcuffs and called the situation in while requesting backup and a team to secure the theater and his rental van.

While all of this was taking place, Alex and friends had returned to their groups to work on their short skits, except for Alex’s group which was missing Jessica. Natalina didn’t seem to mind the fact that Jessica was missing as it just gave her an excuse to ignore Alex, and Lauren seemed to be fine with waiting as well. It wasn’t until she was 15 minutes late and the police came in to secure the area that Natalina seemed to even care about anything. An hour later, the police had gotten statements from everyone, with Captain Ward looking at Alex with a raised eye when he had personally asked him questions. Alex had been blunt and honest with everything, including the fact that he had been on guard against Nantan and Abysses End since they first reached out to him in the real world. Jessica had handed over her phone that included every message that she had received from Nantan since his first visit. These messages were dubious as evidence of a conspiracy as they never did anything on his end but encourage Jessica to not give up on dating Alex, but with the footage of Nantan confronting Jessica, it was gold. While Alex knew that Nantan would be out on bail in a matter of hours once he was booked, and any charges would take years to play out with the lawyers that would be involved, it was still a win for him. After discussing it with Captain Ward and Officer Chen, they agreed that a restraining order for all representatives of Abysses End would be a good idea. While it would be limited in scope, it would establish that any member of Abysses End who wished to meet with him would need to file a written request and a bunch of other stipulations that Alex would have to approve of. He had already sent a message to Background Inc. to get a lawyer to do the legwork for him.

As for the four ladies that had come with Nantan, they were currently in the care of a few officers once it was discovered that none of them had any of their documents and each were not citizens. That single fact had already caused another investigation to be opened as there was concern about exploitative practices. All of this was music to Alex’s ears as while he knew that Abysses End was compartmentalized to avoid any real issues, that this would still give them a major headache. It was as Alex was making his way to his car that Natalina called out to him from where she and the other ladies were being held to the side by a few officers.

“You think this was a good move. You probably are thinking you did us a favor. Ha, now what group will want to hire us to work for them. In a few months we will be back in the holes we came from, and it is all your fault!”

Alex paused and turned to face each of the women as they glared at him, sighing he walked up to them.

“You’re right. If you do nothing you are all likely to end up back home with the contracts you signed being found predatory and illegal. Abysses End will likely not attempt to reach out to you as it would set off red flags if they did so, yet you are now free. You have all of the work that Abysses End did to get you into the country and if you were to try and do something for yourself instead of expecting everything to be done for you, you might find a new job before you are forced home. If you want to hate me, then hate me, but it’s not my fault that Abysses End played the game the way they did.”

With one last look at the four of them, Alex turned and made his way back to Sam and Nicole before leaving. Once they were back in the apartment, the three of them sat back and just took a moment to themselves before returning to ED for the night.

Xeal and Gale enjoyed a short date to start the session, before Xeal returned to grinding with the beast-women once more, as he took time to oversee the preparations that were underway at the site of the conference, and stayed in the area in case any beast-men tribes’ representatives arrived early.

(*****)

Morning December 20 to Evening December 23, 2266, & ED year 2 days 105-116.

The rest of the week that was meant for Abysses End to be visiting was uneventful, other than the extra time that they suddenly had to spend with friends and family. They used this time to spend an extra night at both Alex’s parents’ place on the 20th and Sam’s parents’ place on the 21st, as well as take everyone out to dinner on the 23rd. The 22nd was used by Alex and Nicole for a real-world date night to avoid disrupting either of their ongoing tasks. They also had their last lessons with Mr. Fredholm, Sensei Sano and Sensei Kikuchi, at which Alex left each with a parting gift as thanks for the time they had spent together. Each gift was a simple coin that Alex had made up, of the same symbol that had been used to apply the pseudo-marks to Enye and the others. Except instead of ice in the center space, Alex had placed the letters FAE, as he had had Background Inc. copyright it as the workshop’s official logo on launch. On the back of the coins was simply written “Free Art Expo” in bold letters. Each of them had appreciated the gesture, as well as the bonus check Alex had included that was the same as the next week’s lessons would have been. Each had invited Alex and his friends to visit if they ever were in the area. The morning of Sunday the 23rd was a nice break from everything as they recharged before Christmas was on them for real, as they all knew the next few days were going to be busy.

In ED, Xeal continued to go about his routine that he had gotten into the past few sessions. When he first logged in, he made his way over to check in with the architectural crafters his guild was nurturing to check on the current progress. With them was the NPC Issac Calder, that Taya had managed to secure as FAE’s head architect through some difficulty, at Xeal’s request. Issac Calder was a platinum-ranked architect and had worked on several projects for the royal family in his career. Architects were one of the hardest crafting groups to develop due to the limited opportunities to build new buildings. Independent players had almost no way to advance the class beyond silver, as to reach gold a player would need to be the lead architect on a medium-size project. This meant that they would need to have over 1,000 gold at a minimum invested in them for a single project that was likely to fail on the first attempt. In Xeal’s last life, it had been common for guilds to have thousands of its regular members pick up the architect crafting class so they could act as a skilled labor force for the four or five architects they actually invested in. Reaching mithril rank was the highest all but a few architect players had reached, as Xeal could count on his hands the number that had reached orichalcum, and he knew of no adamantium-ranked architects. As he watched Issac issue orders to his 50 dedicated architect players who had been pulled for this task, he wondered just how high they would reach. Unlike the guilds of the past, Xeal had decided that until level 200 was common and FAE was building guild cities in the wild land maps, that he would not develop a major work force beneath dedicated architects. He wished to see if he could find a diamond in the rough and perhaps develop them to be his guild’s head architect. For this purpose, Xeal had been more than happy to take on the construction of the fort town and hoped that this city would be approved, even at his guild’s expense and the kingdom’s profit. The challenges to build structures that met all the requirements of the different beast-men tribes would prove to be a great opportunity to grow. Currently, the focus was around what would become the heart of the new city should Xeal officially become its lord.

The center would consist of three rings, with his lord’s residence laid out such that from its center it was three quarters of a mile to the wall that separated it from the next ring. This was around 1,100 acres and would allow Xeal to have a massive area in which his family could reside. Yet it still kept it smaller than what the royal estate in the capital contained. The second ring was to be split in five sections, to recognize the five major tribes and ensure that they would feel valued should they agree. Each would hold around 680 acres of land before another three quarters of a mile passed and the third ring was reached, where a tentative 13 residences were being designed, but the exact amount was still flexible, from anything from 10 to 20 ideally. This would make each estate there range between around 280 to 560 acres, before another three quarters of a mile ended this ring as well. Outside these rings, Xeal’s intent was to have his guild’s architects design several different sections of what would be a massive sprawling city, with only the market area that was just outside the city center being compact in nature. Beast-men were known for the need of space they had between one another, and while the ones who had been raised in Nium may not be that way, the rest would refuse anything they felt was cramped. Even the idea of having a large number of them in the 1,250 square miles Xeal had planned could be a hard sell. In his last life, only a few of such cities were ever actually created, despite how advantageous they proved to be for all those involved. These advantages had included the influx of players who wished to convert to one of the available beast-men races as it was far easier once a city for them was established. It was this in particular that Xeal was hoping for. As while no race was better than any other overall, each had a few areas that they were absolutely advantageous over others. Humans could be seen as the jack of all trades and master of none in this regard, while beast-men races typically had advantages to physical classes, or maritime classes in the case of semi-aquatic beast-men. There were beast-men who could be seen as having an advantage in magic, like the fox-men as well, but they were more of an exception to the rule. However, with these advantages came disadvantages as well. Where Xeal’s elder dragon mark boosted all his stats, the advantages each race had could be viewed as an equation that must equal zero. So, if a race had a one percent bonus to strength, it would come at a one percent loss to another stat, and from what Xeal knew, the most any race would affect a stat was a ten percent shift. That meant that if a player put every single ability point they had into a single stat that was boosted, it would only give them an extra 200 points. As Xeal thought about this, he could only wryly smile at just how overpowered his elder dragon mark was as it had already given him over 100 extra points permanently.

With all of these thoughts on his mind, Xeal arrived at the area that could be his new home should his efforts prove successful. There were markings laid out to represent where everything would be, allowing any who looked at them to get an idea of what could be. Currently sitting in the center of what would be the grand hall of the estate was a table big enough for 14 in preparation for the teatime that would be held there tomorrow. Seeing that everything was coming along according to plan, Xeal made his way off to where Bula and the beast-women were currently waiting near the edge of where the third ring would be and he spent the rest of the day grinding experience before turning in for the night to be rested for the morning’s events.

When Xeal awoke on day 106, he instantly used his advanced return scroll to return to the planned city site to find a group of NPC servants already at work, with Aalin and Gale having already arrived. Xeal smiled at seeing them both as it had become difficult to do so in ED ever since they had gone off to find the next phoenix. Both were in high spirits due to a recent lead that had finally given them a likely location of one of them. The issue was it was located deep in a level 10 to 100 dungeon that was currently occupied by a developing power and it was only a matter of time before they discovered it. To make matters worse, it was a slime dungeon, which included slimes that would dissolve various materials, to include metals. It was a magic class’s dream area to grind in while front-line fighters were best served using cheap wooden shields and weapons meant to simply hold the slimes back as the back lines attacked. Xeal had already authorized a full raid team of tier-5 players to be assembled with the intent of forcing their way in. This team would also need to have several candidates to receive the phoenix’s mark, meaning there would need to be several female magic caster players who used different elements to be assembled for best results. The tricky part is they needed to be trustworthy and loyal to the guild before the raid started, and this was an area FAE was lacking. With all of that going on, the raid was currently scheduled to happen in about three weeks ED time. In the meantime, Gale and Aalin were looking into another of the phoenixes’ locations.

“Well, I must say it is good to see you both like this again.”

“Oh, hush. You act like we don’t see each other every time we are offline,” teased Gale.

“Our time in reality has been such a whirlwind of late.”

“And it’s not like that is anything new with you,” countered Gale.

“Gale, be nice to Xeal. It’s not his fault that your last date was cut short due to the late login after that drama,” quipped Aalin.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I intend to let him forget before he pampers me next time.”

“You’re lucky I love you.”

“I know. Besides, spoiling your pregnant lover is a privilege, isn’t it?”

“Oh, of course.” Xeal laughed. “Especially when I have two beautiful pregnant lovers.”

As Xeal spoke, he closed the distance between him and both ladies, pulling both of them into his arms before deeply kissing Gale then Aalin.

“Ah, much better. Now if only we had enough time to actually enjoy the moment,” lamented Gale as she motioned to the caravan that had just arrived.

Xeal turned and watched as a few dozen royal knights opened the door to the two carriages and they watched as Queen Eleanor, Prince Victor, Violet, Daisy, and Eira exited from the front one. Next, Enye, Dyllis, Lingxin, Mari, Luna and Selene exited from the second carriage. The three beast-women had ridden out with the queen and prince as Prince Victor had asked them to chat about their thoughts on the trip out. With this, all of the expected attendees for the tea time were present and accounted for and it was time for Xeal to enter into host mode. So, he quickly made his way over to greet them, bowing before Queen Eleanor and Prince Victor as he did so.

“Queen Eleanor, Prince Victor, it is an honor to have you make your way out here to see this.”

“Viscount Bluefire, it is our pleasure to come see what you have planned before the upcoming conference. Please drop the formalities with me. You are all but a son to me after all.”

“As you wish. Now as you can see, only the very preliminary work has been done and there is still much to do, but everything is going smoothly.”

“Indeed. From the looks of things on the way in, you have a decent base for the center set down, but you haven’t even started on the city itself,” offered Prince Victor.

“That is by design. This is not a city meant for humans to be the main residents. There will not be a fourth wall as the residences will be far too spread out for it to be practical to have a normal city makeup.”

“What will happen in case of a siege then?” inquired Queen Eleanor.

“The third ring will become the fallback point for those who cannot simply escape into the surrounding woods. If necessary, we will hold out as best we can from there as we wait for reinforcements to arrive.”

“Xeal, do you even intend to take the time to greet us properly? Honestly, I am hurt you have four beautiful ladies here to see you and you don’t even welcome us,” teased Enye as she arrived with the rest of the group.

“My apologies. I was simply speaking with your mother and brother about their observations on the way in. I would never forget all of you, to include our other guests who have graciously joined us.”

As Xeal spoke, he made his way over to Enye and took her offered hand and kissed it, before repeating the gesture with Dyllis, Lingxin and Mari. Once he was done with that, he turned to the remaining five and gave each of them a handshake, though Luna and Selene turned their handshakes into hugs. Once that was out of the way, Xeal led the group on an hour-long walk as they observed the current work and layout in greater detail. Along the way, Xeal answered any questions that were posed, like which tribes he hoped to settle in the city and how he expected to maintain order over such a spread-out area. Xeal did his best to answer all of their concerns, though his claim that it would be better for order if each resident had more space to call their own, wasn’t accepted. Prince Victor insisted that the sheer size of what Xeal was attempting to construct would make governing it a nightmare for any lord who ruled over it. Xeal was also reminded that it was not yet set in stone that if he were to succeed in getting the beast-men tribes to agree to establishing a presence in the city, he would be the lord. When they eventually made it back to the table and took their seats as tea and snacks were served, it was Mari who asked the first question.

“Xeal, what point is there in doing all of this now before you even meet with all of the beast-man tribes?”

“By having a layout done it will let me show them what I intend, while also allowing them to push for any changes they want. I expect them to want to shift things around from my current layout and I will accommodate what is feasible, thereby making them feel invested in the project.”

“So, what happens when they want something you can’t accommodate?” continued Mari.

“Hopefully a compromise can be made and I do my best to find a solution for the desire, or concern, that works for everyone. This way, even if I fail to do so, it will show sincerity in working with them.”

“So, you intend to use the kingdom’s bottom line as why you can accommodate their request when the time comes. In essence, you will be making yourself into the keystone to hold up the agreement between the kingdom and the beast-man tribes,” commented Daisy.

“No, I will do the ground work, but it will be adventurers as a whole who become the keystone. Any plan that relies on a single person’s involvement in perpetuity is doomed to fail eventually.”

“But won’t it be all on you at the start?” questioned Eira.

“No, it will be on FAE to start as Xeal intends to showcase the benefits that comes from working with adventurers as a whole through them,” supplied Aalin.

“Interesting, and you are sure you will be successful?” inquired Queen Eleanor.

“Not in the slightest. I believe I will be able to secure the approval of the fox-men and the tiger-men who arrive, and I am 90% sure they will be able to get their tribes as a whole onboard. The wolf-men are a 50-50 chance, but I believe they can be swayed, depending on how the other tribes choose. The issue with the major clans will be the snake-men and eagle-men as they are in constant conflict with one another.”

“So why not choose one and remove the other?” asked Lingxin as if it was the most obvious answer.

At the same time Eira’s, Daisy’s and Violet’s eyes all narrowed at her and Aalin and Gale sighed, before Gale spoke up.

“Lingxin, how has that worked in the Huáng empire?”

“We have very little dissent and our court is united.”

“Making it so that even if there is anyone who foresees the doom of the empire like your brother, no one is willing to voice it. If any minister disagree with something they stay quiet out of fear. This includes your brother as he knows should he go against something that is seen as the established order, he would find himself in a grave rather quickly. It is why he sees the fall of the empire as a foregone conclusion, even with the aid I have rendered. In all honesty, I agree,” explained Xeal.

“Oh, um, I see,” Lingxin stammered.

“Lingxin, you are not completely wrong in your thought process. It may come down to choosing one to work with and forcing the other into a passive state. Still, it would never escalate to the point that the tribe as a whole was removed,” consoled Xeal.

“Good. Now, let us move onto more pressing matters. Xeal, when do you expect the representatives of the tribes to start to arrive?” asked Prince Victor.

“I suspect some have already done so, but are simply observing things to decide on how they wish to approach the conference, or if they even wish to partake.”

“Then when do you expect them to show themselves so that you can begin your work on persuading them before the conference?” questioned Prince Victor.

“Brother, are you really blind to the work Xeal is already doing to achieve just that?” cut in Enye.

“Oh, and what do you see, dear sister?”

“The constant work on the city shows he is confident that they will agree and his continual honing of himself in the surrounding area shows that he is driven and demonstrates his ability at the same time. While it could be seen as an amateur demonstrating his skill in front of an expert, to those of higher tiers, from what I have heard from Captain Bexley, the potential that is shown is far beyond what is normal. Did I miss anything, Xeal?”

“Not at all, though I dare say I worry at times just what my demonstrations will bring down upon me should I find myself at odds with them.”

“What do you mean?” interjected Luna.

“Yes, shouldn’t them seeing your potential make them wish to align themselves with you?” added Selene.

“There is also taking the approach of killing a threat in its cradle. While they will pause due to the difficulties of such actions when I am technically immortal, there are still ways that they could work against me while acting like nothing is amiss on the surface.”

“Let’s not worry about what ifs that will likely never materialize and focus on what can and can’t be promised, as well as what is needed on the kingdom’s end of things,” redirected Prince Victor.

With that, the remainder of the tea time was spent going over various potential ways the kingdom could entice the beast-man tribes. Xeal was pleased to have Eira, Daisy and Violet freely giving input, for the most part. While they were each still young and naive of how the strongest of their kind thought, they did provide great insight into things that would normally be played closer to the chest by beast-men. As the tea party was coming to a close and everyone had said their farewells, Dyllis approached Xeal.

“Xeal, our date in three days. Could we possibly move it to the morning around the same time we started today’s tea time?”

“Certainly, though may I ask why?”

“Um, well, what I have in mind requires daylight and there is always so little of it when we go out in the evenings.”

“I see. Very well, I look forward to the surprise.”

“Oh, umm, yes, I do hope you will enjoy it.”

With that, Dyllis joined Enye, Luna and Selene as they pulled out advanced return scrolls to return to the kobold mines where they were leveling up at a steady pace, with each of them now above level 30 and making steady progress. Luna and Selene had both seemed to be getting along with them as well and Xeal wondered how Arnhylde and Lucida were handling things.

When Xeal next logged in during the evening of day 106, he took Mari out to dinner, where he talked about the progress report they had each received a few hours ago from the Muthia empire. Mari’s was from her mother and Xeal’s was from the players he had working there to develop a few of the guilds that had started to rise from the void left in Jingong’s absence. If Xeal let history repeat itself, these guilds would have been able to work together to keep most major workshops out. The few that did enter the empire did so in a limited fashion as they needed to keep their focus on their own main base. This had left the empire weak when war came to them as there was no force that had the resources, or methods, to develop these guilds’ main forces into elite players. Xeal’s report let him know that the guilds who had signed onto the empire’s development program were slightly ahead of projections and that soon they would be ready for phase two of the program. On Mari’s side, her mother had all but said that if she liked Xeal, she needed to work to ensure that he was willing to marry her, regardless of whether he succeeded in securing the empire’s future. There was also more than a bit of a push included for her to secure a place in his heart, regardless of how it was achieved. After reading the empress’s report, Xeal was shocked that Mari had been willing to let him read it.

“Well, what are your thoughts on my mother’s request?” prodded Mari, who was clearly tired of waiting for Xeal to collect his thoughts.

“Do you intend to do as she asks?”

“Ha, if I did, it would only have the opposite effect. No, I am quite enjoying things the way they are going. All that forcing it would achieve is to deny the chance you have given me to truly know if you have my heart.”

“I don’t know. That sounds like something you would say if you were going along with her wishes.”

“It does, doesn’t it? Hmm, well I suppose you will just have to judge for yourself if my actions are genuine, or fabricated. Either way, it will be you who makes the decision to ask for my hand, if we do indeed marry.”

After a bit more of a back and forth, Xeal and Mari shifted to the details of the adventurers’ progress and what could be expected of them in the future. Xeal couldn’t help taking notice of how Mari seemed to light up while going over the projections and different scenarios that they could see playing out. These ranged from the worst case, where even though the current progress showed excellent, it stalled out due to outside interference, or high percentages of the participants hitting a wall at tier 6 or tier 7, to smashing past the original goal and having a force that could go on the offensive, instead of a simple defense force. Xeal doubted that they would reach the point where they could overwhelm another country, but perhaps they could carry out small-scale operations across borders. Even so, the fact that things were looking good back home had made Mari smile in ways that Xeal had not seen before. It had him wondering if she really did intend to play games with his heart, or if she was genuinely interested.

After dinner, Xeal returned to the area around where the proposed city was and returned to fighting monsters, with Bula and the beast-women acting as support. Xeal continued his routine for the remainder of that session and the next, until in the late night on day 108, just before Xeal intended to turn in for the night so that he could get some rest, five figures came out of the darkness. Each of them had a pair of feathered wings on their back, but also carried a few feline features. In particular, their eyes and ears made Xeal think of lion-men. Xeal went through all of the different beast-men tribes he was familiar with, but he couldn’t place them. Before he could finish his thoughts of trying to place them, the one he was the most wary of spoke.

“Are you the one called Xeal?”

Xeal looked at this level 270 tier 7 man, who had a mane with how his hair met his beard. Behind him stood three females, two of which matched the man’s age, and another that was much younger. The last remaining was a young adult male who only had the start of his own mane coming in. After taking this in, Xeal spoke.

“I am. I take it Noriko reached out to you.”

“Indeed, she did. I must say that it is surprising for her to use the favor this one owes her to get me to appear here.”

“May I get your name at least, and possibly what tribe you hail from? I must apologize, I am having issues placing your race.”

“First, I wish to confirm that you are indeed the warrior that Noriko claims you are.”

“I supposed the show you have been watching before making yourself known is not enough.”

“No. Though it is clear you have power, fighting a beast that relies completely on instincts is far different from fighting a man.”

“Fair. Are you wishing to test me yourself, or is junior back there my opponent?”

Xeal kept a smile from creeping onto his face as the young woman next to the young man giggled. This caused the young man to frown and narrow his eyes at Xeal, before stepping forward and speaking.

“I would watch your tongue, before you discover what it means to face your better.”

“To verify, you are the one I am intended to fight, right?”

“Yes, my father would never lower himself to fight one as weak as you. Even what I am about to do to you could be considered bullying you. Father, can I please just get this over with so that we can leave?”

“Huh, fine, just don’t kill him. Anything else and your mothers should be able to patch him up.”

“Good, now let’s get this over with.”

In the next moment the young man launched himself into the air as the other four fell back, creating some distance. Xeal just shook his head as he was almost sure that Noriko was sitting back with the rest of the group she was bringing, enjoying the show. Xeal just wanted to know what this poor fool had done to upset her that led to this. Still, Xeal wasn’t about to decline a good chance to test his skills. Just from how the young man moved in the air and the look in his eyes, Xeal could tell he was going to be a harder opponent than Randolph was, and it didn’t help that he was airborne. This alone wouldn’t have made Xeal feel the need to thoroughly humble his opponent, but the constant taunting he was spewing forth made Xeal frown.

“Ha, what’s wrong? Do you not know what to do when you can’t reach your opponent? That’s fine, I will simply attack you from here.”

Xeal watched as the young beast-man brought in air, much like how Xeal would before letting loose a quick dragon’s breath attack. This made Xeal smile as he had already taken in his needed breath and the smug fool wasn’t even placing Xeal in his eyes. So right before he could let loose whatever skill he was using, Xeal let out a roar and a bluish-white light launched itself at the young man, reaching him just as he opened his own mouth. The next moment, it was like a bomb went off as the skills met and exploded right in the young man’s face. Whether it was from shock, or the resulting damage, Xeal watched as the young man started to tumble from the sky. Not wishing to miss this opportunity, Xeal closed the distance and struck out with his elemental blades charged with lightning, paired with a double upward slash. Xeal smiled as his attack landed and the young man screamed out, before recovering and putting some distance between them and returning to the air. Xeal shook his head as he lamented that he had managed to escape again. Still, he had to smile at seeing the young man struggling from the damage Xeal just inflicted on his right wing.

“You coward, launching a sneak attack like that,” shouted that young beast-man indignantly.

“Hmph, in battle, winning is all that matters. One’s methods to achieve victory matter not, as they survived and his foe did not. Your own arrogance is to blame for that last exchange. Now stop being a child and treat me with the respect you give a wild animal, at the least.”

Xeal just smiled at the frown that crossed the young man’s face as he looked down on Xeal. The stalemate persisted until Xeal’s dragon’s breath’s cooldown was over. At that point Xeal went into action, moving such that he was working to shift into the blind spots of the young man as he circled above. Before the last exchange, Xeal doubted that he would have been able to pull it off, but with a damaged wing the young man was finding it difficult to adjust to Xeal’s rapid movements. Finally, Xeal let loose another breath attack, forcing the man to dive to avoid it and Xeal used a piercing thrust to close the distance quickly and get another hit on the right wing in. Once again, the young man retreated, only this time as he did so, he let out a breath attack of his own, aimed right at Xeal such that dodging was not an option. However, seeing the flames approaching, Xeal met them with a double downward slash charged with a water elemental blade enhancement. The result was a cloud of mist that Xeal used to hide his movements from the young man’s follow-up diving attack and score another hit of his own. After the exchange, Xeal smiled as the young man stared daggers at him and again came in for a dive attack, while breathing in once more. Xeal readied another elemental blade to counter the attack, until he saw water, not fire, being unleashed from the young man’s mouth. Xeal was able to just barely dodge the brunt of the attack, taking a glancing blow that unfortunately also left him open for the follow-up attack. Which to Xeal’s surprise, saw him being lifted into the air from under his armpits. Without a second of hesitation, Xeal pulled out a frost grenade and slipped it into the young man’s pants pocket. The next moment, Xeal felt one of the arms that was holding him reflexively release him as he reached into the pocket to remove the grenade, dropping it to the ground before it went off. Still, this caused the young man to lose his balance, which Xeal used to maneuver his way onto the young man’s back and pin his wings down. The next thing the young man knew, he had crashed into the ground on top of the grenade as it went off, blasting him and Xeal with intense ice magic and causing major damage to both. As they landed, Xeal was able to get to his feet first as he had been mostly shielded from the blast by the young man’s body. As Xeal looked over, he could see the young man already had one of the older females standing over him, rendering care to him as the older man looked at Xeal with a serious expression.

“I can see that your skills have not been overly inflated, but was it necessary to end it in such a vicious manner?”

“It was either react, or end up helpless in the sky a few moments later. I did not have the luxury of being courteous.”

Xeal knew that it was likely that like most airborne races, the young man had penalties to his constitution, making him unable to take hits as well as ground-bound races. From the looks of things, while the young man was in no danger of dying, he was definitely unable to fly as his wings were both bent at odd angles and had ice covering them.

“Fair enough. He is in no real danger anyways. I am Aziz and my son over there is Nozar. Those are my wives, Azadeh and Aida currently fixing him up and the one trying not to laugh is my daughter, Niloofar.”

“Good to officially meet you, Aziz. Is it safe to assume that you will be staying for the upcoming conference?”

“Indeed, we will be, as well as the rest of those who are currently sitting back and enjoying the show.”

Aziz looked a bit miffed as he called out those who were still hiding as they watched the show. Xeal could only chuckle as he watched a few dozen more figures emerge from the shadows, with Noriko at the front smiling like she was the cat that got the canary.

“Aziz, don’t sound like we bullied you, or anything. You were the one who was adamant that if he couldn’t hold his own with your son after my boasting, you would leave. All I did was call you out and force you into action,” chuckled Noriko.

“I figured you were there watching the show. Now, was it up to your standard?” quipped Xeal.

“Of course, though you could have taken him down a few more pegs before you went and got him to take you seriously.”

“Not my style. When he had lost his head from my opening taunt, I had already made my point to Aziz. As for Nozar, while he needs to check his attitude, he is not an enemy and if I can teach him a lesson without him holding a grudge, it is for the best. Now what am I supposed to do with you until the conference? I was counting on you keeping to the shadows as you watched me for another few days, at least.”

Xeal looked at all the beast-men that were with Noriko and other than Aziz and his family, most had come in pairs from the looks of it. Xeal could see a few more avian races, an ape-man pair, some rabbit-men, a few reptilian beast-men were mixed in as well, and even a deer-man couple. Xeal knew he needed to take care of them before he could turn in for the night, but before he could act, Noriko spoke.

“We are not here yet. If they were to officially arrive before at least four of the major tribes do so, it would cause issues. For now, we will continue to hang around the area, but until another tiger, the fox-men, the wolf-men and either the snake-men, or the eagle-men arrive, we are not here. I just wanted you to know that I came through like I promised.”

“I see. Well then, I will wait to welcome you all officially. Until then, though, I will unofficially thank you all for coming to hear what I have to say.”

With Xeal’s words, all but Aziz and his family left and before Xeal could ask why, Aziz gave him his answer.

“We are the entirety of our clan that exists on this continent. Our status is a bit special among the tribes and as such, there is no issue with us having already arrived. Now, I assume you have somewhere prepared for us to rest?”

“I do. Though I would not call it luxurious by any means, it will work for the duration of this conference. While here, feel free to look around and ask me any questions you may have when you see me…”

Xeal and Aziz talked as Xeal led him and his family to one of the areas where a medium-size tent had been pitched. Inside were five cots with soft bedding that could be pushed together, if one wished for it. There were also a few creature comforts for them to enjoy during their stay. After a short tour and introducing Aziz to a servant who would be assigned to his family for their stay, Xeal slipped away to return to the capital for a quick rest before it was time to meet Dyllis for their date.

The following morning, Xeal made his way to his garden as Dyllis had said she would meet him shortly. She had specifically asked him to meet her near the single large tree that stood off to the side and provided nice shade during all times of the day. As Xeal waited, he found himself enjoying the moment of peace that just enjoying the time in the shade brought him. Around ten minutes after Xeal had arrived, he saw Dyllis approaching with a blanket in hand and dressed in plain and comfortable clothing. Xeal didn’t have long to think about what her plan was until she was before him and spoke.

“Thank you for coming, Xeal. Today, I just want to enjoy some time relaxing and talking with you while outside and simply enjoying it.”

“I see. I take it being in the mine all the time is taking a toll on you.”

“A bit, yes. Don’t get me wrong, I understand and agree with why it is where we are developing ourselves as it checks every box for what we need. It is secure from those who would plot against us, it teaches us to face foes who are wielding weapons like a human assailant would be and it will allow us to grow beyond the minimum point you wish for us to reach. I just miss the sky, the feel of the breeze and the sounds of nature like a bird’s song. So today I am just hoping to enjoy those things with you.”

“That sounds perfect. I could use a moment of calm myself.”

“Wonderful!”

Dyllis went about laying down the blanket in the shade of the tree and asked Xeal to lie down with his head in the center of the blanket. Once he did so, she lay such that her body was on the opposite side of the blanket, but her head was next to Xeal’s head. They lay like that, simply enjoying the break, exchanging a few soft words here or there for a good hour, before Dyllis started to hum a soft relaxing tune. At this, Xeal just let himself lose himself to her music as it shifted to a soft and calming song that helped him feel refreshed as they enjoyed the moment. When the song ended, Xeal turned his head and leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips as he smiled at her.

“That was beautiful.”

“Thank you. I just felt like singing something to complement the birds’ songs.”

“Well, it was wonderful. I wish that life could simply be moments like this sometimes.”

“That would be nice. Sadly, such a life would not survive the winter, though it is nice to think about.”

“Would you sing another song for me?”

“Xeal, I would sing for you all day if you wanted me to.”

“How did I get so lucky?”

“Oh, how so?”

“When I first met you and your father pushed us together, I figured we would be able to get along and even enjoy a moment here or there, together. I didn’t think I would actually look forward to being able to call you my wife one day. Now, though, I am looking forward to seeing you singing to our children one day.”

“Oh, that does sound nice. I want three by the way, one boy and two girls. I always did want a sister after all.”

“Oh, what about what I want?”

“You want me to be happy and that will make me happy, so that is what you want as well.”

Xeal watched as Dyllis struggled to keep from laughing as she looked at Xeal after delivering that line. He could tell that she had been talking with Luna and Selene as that sounded like something they would say to get him to react. After a second, Xeal simply leaned in and kissed her deeply on the lips, before responding.

“I love you and you’re right, making you happy makes me happy, at least in part. As for kids, let’s just take them one at a time when the time comes for that.”

It took Dyllis a moment to process his words and when she did, she was unable to respond coherently for a good second as she smiled brightly and tears threatened to fall. Xeal could see this, so he simply shifted his body such that it was aside hers and pulled her into an embrace as he kissed her deeply. He already knew she loved him as she had said so. Still, he had been hesitant to say that he felt the same before. He was dealing with so many emotions of late it was hard to know for sure, but when he thought about Dyllis’ singing and her tenderness to him, mixed with the thought of her singing to their children, it just felt right. How he could hold these feelings for so many still confused him. He had failed to understand these feelings in his last life, leading him to fail to prioritize them like he should have. Something that he only grew to regret when it was too late, helping him accept his feelings in this life, despite the complexity of his situation. As he released her, Dyllis finally recovered enough to respond to his feelings.

“Xeal, you know I love you as well. I have ever since the banquet that you rose to being a baron at. I know why you kept your guard up for so long and I just love you more for it and now I am afraid that I will start rambling if I keep talking. What I am trying to say is, I am so happy right now and I don’t want this moment to end.”

Xeal just smiled as he cuddled with her on the blanket as she nuzzled her head against his chest and started humming another melody that made Xeal picture them walking through a rose garden. The two of them remained like that for another hour, when it was time to part once more. As Xeal bid her farewell, he could see her hesitate to leave, like once she did the dream would be over.

“Dyllis, I am not going to disappear once I am out of your sight. Today was not a dream. Even if it was dreamlike for us.”

“I know. I just want to enjoy this moment, even if only for a few seconds longer.”

“We have many more moments to get to. We still need to figure out all of the little details before we can enjoy a long life together and I mean a long life, with as many children as you want.”

“Don’t forget about our children’s children as we grow old.”

“If I have my way, we will be enjoying playing with our children’s, children’s children one day.”

With a smile and one last kiss, Dyllis finally stepped away as she left with a bit of a skip in her step that had not been there before.

The following four sessions were uneventful, other than the various questions Aziz and his family asked every time Xeal returned to the city site. Through these interactions, Xeal learned that they were a rare race known as anzu-men and that they were long lived, but only ever lived in small family groups. This had caused the few other families who used to be on the continent to die out over the past decades after one expedition across the river went particularly poorly. Xeal knew that the reason each of the tribes were constantly crossing the river and engaging the monsters on the other side was for two main reasons. First, if they left the monsters be, it was common for the stronger ones to push the weaker ones next to the river into it, causing them to cross the river and rampage about until they were subdued. This could be a disaster if they came upon an area like the tiger-men’s breeding grounds, as it would be a massacre if a guardian was unable to engage the monster in a timely manner. The next reason was to ensure they did not fall too far behind the kingdom in strength. While they knew they would fail if they attacked Nium due to tribal divisions, they had confidence in making any attack costly for the aggressor due to how it would unite them in a single purpose. Once more, Xeal thought about how players like himself ruined this balance. Aziz also let Xeal know that all but the snake-men had been seen heading to the meeting by the group he had arrived with, and should arrive the day before the date on the invitation. Xeal had to use the moon cycles when writing the invitation as the tribes each tracked time slightly differently. He also said it was likely that the snake-men were just holding to the shadows and would make themselves known, once they realized that ignoring the conference was a bad idea. Xeal could only smile wryly at this as he knew just how bad it would be if it failed and he wouldn’t mind avoiding the conflict between the eagle-men and snake-men, if possible.

When Xeal logged in on day 115, he was greeted by a smiling Enye, accompanied by Luna and Selene in front of his mansion. While there were still several royal knights in disguise who would be watching them from the shadows, it was clear that the twins were acting as her personal guards for the evening. The smiles on their faces as Xeal looked at them told him that they were enjoying the fact that they would get to observe this date.

“Ah, Xeal, it is good to see you. I trust that everything is ready for the upcoming conference.”

“As much as it can be. If my source is correct, I should see most of the attendees arrive tomorrow. That is as long as they don’t decide to refuse to attend after discussing it among themselves.”

“Do you see that happening?”

“No, though it is possible. Now, what did you have in mind for tonight?”

“Oh, nothing special. Just a nice dinner while we talk. After all, I don’t wish to upstage Dyllis so soon after her triumph. Her songs have truly been wonderful the last week. It’s like there is sunshine underground when she really lets loose.”

Xeal saw the bright smile Enye had as she mentioned Xeal admitting he had fallen for the bard. He also caught the smiles worn by both Luna and Selene widening. Shaking his head, he took Enye’s arm as they moved towards the carriage that would take them to dinner.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t see it as you showing her up.”

“Ha, either way, what I am really after is your version of events.”

“Enye, you know I prefer to focus on the lady who I am with when I take her out. Tonight is your one night every 18 days you get my undivided attention. Are you sure you wish to spend it with me speaking of another woman?”

“Oh, Xeal, if it was Mari, or Lingxin, I would have an issue as I am still distant with them, but Dyllis has become almost like a sister to me. Gale and Aalin have each other and Dyllis and I have each other. Whether or not you like it, your ladies are solidifying into teams. I would not be surprised if Lingxin and Mari are doing the same, though I am unsure as I still have yet to bond with them sufficiently.”

“They should be joining your group in about a month when you reach tier 4. If Aalin and Gale had been able to join you all as well, it would have brought you all together. My hope was that you all would bond to help avoid any opposing factions growing inside my own house.”

Enye paused to think as Xeal helped her into the carriage, before following her in as Luna and Selene entered as well. Once they were seated, Enye continued to talk.

“Indeed, yet I know that what Aalin and Gale are up to is important and see them as dear friends. With your intent to have us all grow and reach tier 5 together, there will be hope for Mari and Lingxin to grow close with Dyllis and I. Though with the timeline you have shared with us, it could be difficult as we would only reach tier 5 around a few weeks before our wedding.”

“True, now let’s shift back to us and drop the others for the night.”

“Not until you tell me about how Dyllis finally won a place in your heart.”

Xeal sighed as he gave in and gave a watered-down version of events, which Enye wasn’t entirely satisfied with, but when Xeal asked her if he should share what had made him fall for her in full detail with Dyllis, she got slightly red and relented. After a nice dinner, they separated to return to their tasks, as Xeal thought about how both Luna and Selene had been quiet all night. He felt like they were up to something.

With the night concluded, Xeal made his way to the planned city’s area and continued his routine into the early morning, reaching level 88 as he did so. Xeal knew this would be the last level he got before the conference, so he put every free attribute point he earned into charisma. This brought his total to a base of 113 points, and 144 points with all the bonuses from gear and the elder dragon mark. It was just after the sun rose that the first group arrived. Taro and the four other fox-men elders stood before Xeal and he smiled as he spoke.

“Chief Taro, it is good to see that you made it. I had begun to worry about what was holding you up.”

“Xeal, I am not foolish enough to miss this as I doubt my daughters would ever return if I did so.”

“Fair, though you would have likely come regardless.”

“That would depend on if you would have been able to move the other tribes without my participation already guaranteed. I’ll have you know that I have had to deal with far more contact from them than I care for.”

“Oh, did they find your hidden village?”

“No, they simply tracked down some of my people and made it clear that they wished to speak with me.”

“Ah, so they threatened to actually search for it, breaking the handshake agreement you have with them by doing so.”

Xeal could see the slight irritation that crossed Taro’s face at his words, though he kept calm as he replied.

“Precisely. Now I assume you have made preparations for our arrival.”

“Of course…”

Xeal guided the five fox-men to an area with a few tents set up in the center of one of the five plots in the middle ring, before introducing them to the servants that had been arranged for them during the conference. Once they were settled in, Xeal returned, only to be stopped when Adolphus and his son arrived, accompanied by three more wolf-men, and he showed them another set of large tents in the center of one of the middle ring plots and introduced them to their servants. Xeal had arranged for servants to be hired to serve each of the groups attending the conference, all of whom were from the households of those who had been made an example of after the auction. This had included his own household having to make do with only Maxwell for the duration of this conference.

For the rest of that day, Xeal would return to find another group waiting, with it being Noriko, Eli and Rhys the next time, and Sceca and Scicie with the other two eagle-men with them giving her an appraising eye. At this point, Noriko had attached herself to Xeal once more, giving him the excuse of him needing protection. However, she quickly shifted next to Sceca and Scicie, engaging her friend in conversation and inviting her over to talk once Xeal had shown them to three separate elevated platforms with tents that had been set up for them in advance. For the eagle-men, tiger-men and snake-men, three separate smaller camps had been set up in anticipation of them wishing for their space. Finally, the other twelve groups arrived and he had just finished the last of them as the sun was setting when three snake-men approached, with Ianira in the middle of them.

“I ssee that we are the lasst to arrive.”

“Ah, Ianira, I am glad you came, and yes, unless we have a surprise group arrive, you should be the last to arrive. Still, last does not mean least by any means. After all, the conference could not be truly effective without your presence.”

“True. Now if you would pleasse lead uss to our accommodationss.”

“Very well. This way, please.”

After he had shown the three of them to their tents and introduced their attendants, Xeal sighed as he saw it was time for him to turn in for the night as the conference would begin in the morning when he next logged in. Until then, he needed to hope that they played nice as he knew he was sitting on a possible powder keg, if provoked.

(*****)

Morning December 24, 2266.

Alex awoke on Christmas Eve next to Sam and smiled, and she looked back at him with a smile as she pulled him in for a kiss. They didn’t linger for long as they got out of the bed and found Nicole in the kitchen with apple pancakes already going. Alex smiled as he knew that she had only gotten this recipe from his mom a few nights ago when they went over to visit and came home with too many cookies, prompting them to share them with Ava and Mia. The recipe included brown sugar and cinnamon, along with freshly shredded apples, making the pancakes sweet enough to enjoy without adding anything to them and had been a mainstay of his childhood. Seeing Nicole working to have them ready for when he woke up made him smile as he made his way over to her, pulling her into a deep kiss just as she took the first few off the pan. Just as he released her, a knock came at the door and Sam opened the door, letting Ava and Mia in. Nicole just gave Alex a smile as she nudged him with her hip playfully.

“Alex, let me finish cooking so we can all eat.”

“Ah, fine, but only because I know you are cooking this for me.”

“Aww, how cute,” cooed Mia.

“I know, it’s such a shame he is taken,” sighed Ava playfully.

“I think you mean doubly taken,” corrected Mia.

“You don’t think he wants to be double doubly taken, do you?” quipped Ava.

“Ha, ha. Enough joking. Let’s break out a quick game while we wait,” interjected Sam.

“Who said it’s a joke?” posed Ava with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, while we have backed off, who says we have given up?” added Mia with a wink at Alex.

“You two seem to be in a good mood. Was it that much fun to watch me go on a date with Enye?”

“Alex, it was wonderful,” started Mia.

“Yes, we are having so much fun getting to know both Enye and Dyllis,” continued Ava.

“You should hear how they gush about you.”

“Yes, we really must thank you for letting us get so close with them.”

“I’m glad you are getting along with them. That said, just how many ideas have you been giving them?”

“Oh, none really,” chuckled Mia.

“Yeah, we are just reassuring them when they have a worry.”

“Like poor Dyllis thinking you wouldn’t enjoy a lazy date.”

“Exactly. That was all her idea and it was just perfect, wasn’t it?”

Alex raised an eyebrow at them, but what they said made sense as it had felt natural with Dyllis, like it was really what she wanted and not something she had been told to do. So, after giving it some thought, he just smiled as he responded.

“I suppose I should be thanking you for that one. Anyhow, let’s play a quick game.”

A little over an hour and a half later, just before the twins had to leave, Mia spoke up after the last round of games was over.

“Alex, is it really okay for us to join you and your family tonight?”

“Of course. No one should be alone on Christmas Eve. Besides, my mom actually enjoys giving you two a hard time.”

“Alex, we will be fine. It’s not like we grew up having a big family get-together every holiday,” argued Ava.

“Ava, Mia, you two are coming, and that is the end of it. If you two want to skip out on Christmas Day, we won’t push it, but tonight is a must,” stated Nicole in a tone that left no room for argument.

Neither Ava or Mia tried to argue as they both smiled, before saying good bye for the morning, leaving Alex, Sam and Nicole to return to ED for another session.

(*****)

ED year 2 days 117-118.

When Xeal returned to ED, it was the first day of the conference, which was set to start in three hours, with the first of five general assemblies that were planned for it. Today was about stating the kingdom’s base offer and what Xeal hoped to accomplish after getting to know each of the attendees a bit. For this session, Xeal expected a bit of chaos as he established how everything would operate. After a bit of preparation, he made his way to the meeting location, which was the same spot as the tea time the other day, only the table had been replaced with one set up in a long U-shape that could fit 51, if necessary. After getting a head count from the five main tribes, some of the seating had been established beforehand, with the wolf-men and fox-men each needing five seats. These would be to each side of the three tiger-men who would be in the center of the U-shape. The three snake-men were set to be next to the wolf-men on the left of the tiger-men and the three eagle-men would be next to the fox-men on the right. This took up 19 seats in the prime location, with the other tribes welcome to sit as they like in the remaining 32 seats, of which only 27 would be filled. Xeal would be in the center area as he spoke to the group and would likely not have an opportunity to sit today, if at all in the future. As Xeal looked over the tribes that were present, he had to laugh at how eclectic it was as it included the following 18 tribes: Tiger-man, Wolf-man, Fox-man, Eagle-man, Snake-man, Anzu-man, Otter-man, Owl-man, Ape-man, Monkey-man, Deer-man, Rabbit-man, Tortoise-man, Chameleon-man, Salamander-man, Raven-man, Bat-man and Selkie. Xeal was confident that these groups had never sat at the same table since they were driven past the valley they were now meeting in. Once the pursuit ended and there was no longer a need to unite as one for survival, they had each gone their separate ways.

It was an hour later when the tribes all started arriving, led by the attendants that had been assigned to them. The five main tribes were shown to their seats, while the rest were held back until they had been seated. Xeal could see the slight tension that existed between the groups as the 13 minor tribes were allowed to sit, with the anzu-men sitting next to the eagle-men, before two seats were left open past them and two seats were left open after the snake-men, with the chameleon-men sitting just past that gap. When everyone was sitting, Xeal started his introduction speech as he went around the table, introducing himself to each of the representatives present once more and getting their names as well. Making sure that they each clearly stated their name, tribe and something they liked. The last one had earned him some strange looks, but when Noriko, Eli and Rhys all shared without hesitation, it went relatively smoothly. The last bit had been for a quick personality and openness check and would be recorded like everything else that was said here by the scribes that were currently hard at work. Xeal knew these papers would be read by Prince Victor and several other nobles and would be used to make the decision on the kingdom’s side of things. The only reason Xeal did not fear one of these scribes falsifying something was the fact that there was so many of them and the reports had to be checked by the king’s chief scribe before they would be distributed. Once he had finished going around to everyone at the table, Xeal launched into his opening speech.

“Now that I have made sure you all know who each other are, it is time for me to play my role and ensure you all know me. As you all likely know at this point, I am Viscount Xeal Bluefire of the kingdom of Nium. I am also an adventurer who hails from another world than your own. My kind has now been in your world for well over a year. We are quickly destabilizing the world as you have known it and if you do nothing, you will find yourselves caught in the crossfire of the wars that will ravage this continent. Even by taking action you will still feel the pain that these changes will bring. My goal is to work with all of you to find a way to minimize that pain.”

As Xeal took a breath, the only male snake-man representative, Iso, spoke up.

“If your kind iss sso much of a danger, why not kill you all until you leave? Even if you are immortal ass you claim, I doubt you would enjoy the experience of dying painfully again and again.”

Xeal took in the mixed reaction to Iso’s words as he could clearly see that there were several beast-men who seemed to think it was a fair point. Once Xeal had a general idea of the group’s feelings, he responded while looking directly at Iso.

“Iso, what you say would indeed solve the issue for about five years. The country would be liberated of my kind and could go on about its day until the country that didn’t drive us out comes knocking. What do you think will happen when a force that has an undying army faces a force without one? Or do you think those of us here today have the power to get every single nation in this world to sign on to killing all of my kind?”

Iso’s face went dark as Xeal caught both of the male eagle-men smiling. Still, Iso responded.

“You make a fair point, though I sstill ssay that if you are the sstrongest of your kind, then your kind iss sso weak that you will make little difference.”

“Iso, you are right. Right now, my kind is weak, but every day that changes. Tell me, how long did it take you to reach tier 5?

“I reached it on my 17th sseason cycle.”

Xeal could see the pride that Iso had in his accomplishment and he was right to have it. For the inhabitants of this world, few would reach tier 5 in 20 years as most didn’t start leveling up in earnest until they were 14 or older. Still, Xeal knew what reality was and it was time to remind them all what they were up against.

“17, and you started to push yourself at what age?”

“13.”

“So, four years. I see. It took me just over a year to reach the same mark and it has been less than 100 days and I am now at level 88. My kind will likely start to reach tier 6 in around another year and a half, or so. Ten years from now, there will be at least ten of my kind for every one of this world’s inhabitants who are approaching tier 8 like those of you here. If any of you that are approaching tier 7 have reached where you are before the age of 40, please let me know now.”

Xeal paused, but none of them raised their hand as he looked around. He knew that it was possible and that there were always a few masters, but typically reaching tier 7 was already rare in this world and sitting at this table was likely at least ten percent of all the tier 7 beast-men on this continent.

“Now that I believe you all should have an idea of what it is that my kind represents to your futures and the dangers we present, let me move onto the good. Yes, there is good news for your kind, especially if you embrace the offer that I have to make today. Now before I begin, I ask you all to only listen today and after I am done, I will leave all of you until tomorrow morning to discuss amongst yourselves. At that time, I will hear what you all have to say and we will move on to trying to find a path forward.”

Xeal took a moment to ensure that he hadn’t forgotten anything and the group was ready to listen before he started his true pitch.

“Alright, so as I have mentioned, my kind are a disruptive force in this world. We have come in and started to overturn the order that has existed for decades, or even centuries. In some cases, we could be talking about millennia. That includes the relationships between the races. As some of you already know, my kind can easily transition our race, so long as it is done before tier 6. It has requirements, the hardest of which is to find a member of a race who can and will accept them. This means that should you choose to accept my kind into your tribes, your own numbers could permanently swell as well. As you all already know, I have brought you here to discuss possible integration with the kingdom of Nium for a brighter future. Part of the proposal I have would be a city built on this very spot, using the area as they are currently marked to establish estates for all of your tribes to have a presence in. Through these estates I hope to also facilitate my kind’s ability to join your tribes, if you find them acceptable.

“Now I know that living in close proximity of one another is not what your kind prefers…”

Xeal spoke for around 30 minutes, hitting on points like how the city could provide greater safety for the youths of their kind as they grew. Xeal also recognized that it would likely be the next generation that could move past the shared history of the beast-man tribes and Nium, but it would happen. He didn’t hide that he was aware of the challenges that they would face, taking time to highlight the divisions between their tribes that would also need to be addressed. Finally, Xeal was ready to close his presentation for the day and he was pleased to see that they had not interrupted him and he still had most of their attention.

“That is what I have to say for today. Please take until tomorrow morning to seek one another’s guidance and counsel. I thank you all for listening and ask that you return tomorrow morning at the same time, ready to present your first counter to what I have offered today for our next meeting.”

As Xeal finished, he watched as all the beast-men slowly took their leave, several of them speaking with others from different tribes. Not even Noriko remained as she left while talking with Sceca once more. The only ones who had not left were Aziz and his family. Xeal could tell that Aziz had something weighing on him that he wished to discuss.

“Aziz, what can I do for you today?”

“Xeal, you speak casually about having your kind join our tribes without taking into account the history of our races and what it means to be a member of our tribe. I feel as if you are missing a key issue with what you hope to accomplish.”

“Aziz, you are correct, and for some tribes it can be taken that lightly as they carry little in the way of attachment to their history. From your statement I can take it that you are not among that group. That is why it is important that you ensure that any you accept knows what it means before you allow them to join your tribe. I will never expect you to accept adventurers into your tribe without them meeting your expectations. I simply warn you to not set an impossible bar, or none of my kind may pass it and I can think of two very good reasons why you would want at least a few of my kind to join your tribe.”

Xeal nodded to Nozar and Niloofar as he finished his response.

“I see, you do have a fair point. I will have to give this much consideration. Thank you for hearing me out. I will go consult with the others now.”

Finished with the first session, Xeal returned to his daily routine as he passed the time before he needed to rest and return the next morning to speak once more before his session ended.

The next morning, with about three hours before his forced logout would occur, Xeal found himself standing before the beast-men representatives once more. As he expected, they had many concerns that they wished to have addressed, like how those who had been raised in Nium would be expected to be treated, as while they agreed that they were beast-men, they didn’t know if they would fit in any of the tribes now. Xeal knew that part of being a member of a tribe was being raised in it and respecting its rules. Xeal was happy that it seemed his words with Aziz had made the rounds as it meant that the majority of the concerns regarding it had already been addressed. Xeal also took note of how all of the concerns were coming from the five major tribes and feared that this was them suppressing the other 13. Xeal also took note that Iso was quiet and Ianira was taking the lead. The wolf-men and fox-men were also letting the alpha and chief be a spokesperson, while the tiger-men and eagle-men were all speaking. By the time when Xeal called the meeting to a close with thirty minutes to spare before he needed to be in his bed to safely log out, he was exhausted. There had not been a single point that didn’t receive pushback of some sort and he knew that they expected him to return with the kingdom’s response for further negotiation in four days when the next session would be held. This was to give Xeal time to meet with Prince Victor and get things moving, as well as to account for him being offline for Christmas. During this break, Xeal encouraged them all to speak with the members of FAE who were still working on laying the foundations of the city, if they agreed. Xeal did this for two reasons, as it would let them discover what other adventurers were like and give them a chance to hear the architect players’ ideas on the layout and design of the city, and vice versa.

With all of that taken care of, Xeal made his way back to the capital with the reports from the scribes, which he handed off to Maxwell to deliver and request for a meeting the following morning, before turning in for the day.

(*****)

Evening December 24, 2266.

Alex pulled onto the road with Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia in the car as he made his way over to his parents’ house. He had received a message that everything was good to go and he just hoped the night went well. Christmas in his house growing up had always been a small event that consisted of the reading of a pop-up book of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore. The book had been handed down from his mom’s mom’s mom, or something. All Alex really knew was it was over 100 years old and he couldn’t understand how it was still intact after being read so many times over the years to young kids. Either way, that was the main tradition his family had. Sam’s family had always been the type to open a single present on Christmas Eve and Nicole’s family wouldn’t even leave cookies out. From the conversation in the back, Sam had mentioned to the twins that it was Nicole who first told Sam Santa Claus wasn’t real. Both Ava and Mia teased Nicole with fake outrage as they asked if she was going to be the same way with her child. Nicole just smiled before alluding to being unsure, forcing Alex to butt in.

“Nicole, don’t tell me that you will spoil my fun before they are even five years old. After all, if there is no Santa, how am I going to give them coal?”

“Alex! You are not going to give our kids coal,” Nicole shot back.

“What? It builds character. You should have seen Anna the year I slipped a black rock into the bottom of her stocking without my parents catching it.”

“Alex, that is terrible!” exclaimed Ava.

“Yeah, how could you do that!” added Mia.

“I was seven, but you should have seen how she acted the next year whenever I brought it up. She would stop bugging me whenever I brought it up until my parents caught on and found out.”

“Hold on, how did they miss it the morning of?” questioned Ava.

“He was the one who pointed it out to her, saying that it was a warning since it was so small, but not to let their parents know, or they might take away her presents for almost getting on the naughty list,” chimed in Sam. “Honestly, our man here could be a mean one growing up.”

“Hey, all I ever used it for was to get her to stop trying to take my toys. Still, even I know it was a bit messed up, but hey, I was seven.”

“My, my, it seems Alex was always a plotter.” Mia laughed.

Alex just shook his head as they pulled up to his parents’ house and made their way inside. When they entered, they were met by Alex’s mom who pulled them each into a hug, giving Alex, Sam and Nicole each a kiss on the cheek as well. Next, they stepped into the living room where Alex’s dad was sitting and talking to an older woman with white hair. As Ava and Mia came around the corner, they froze for a second as they processed what they were seeing, as the elderly lady turned to look at them with a pair of green eyes that were the same as the twins.

“Nana!” called out Ava and Mia together as they hurried over to the woman and started to hug her.

“Nana, what are you doing here?” questioned Mia.

“Yeah, and why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” added Ava.

“Someone wanted to keep it quiet. Something about a Christmas surprise. Anyhow, I’m glad to see you both are doing well.”

“Oh, Nana, you worry too much.”

“Mia and I know how to take care of ourselves.”

“Even if we may like to play with fire now and then.”

“We have yet to really get burnt.”

“You two are going to be the death of me, you know that, right?”

“Nana,” complained Ava and Mia together.

“Don’t Nana me. First you go off and sign up with that group that shipped you off to Dallas. Then the next thing I know, you’re in California talking about some boy they want you to lure in. I know I didn’t raise you two to make trouble for others, so why did you ignore me when I told you it was a bad idea?”

“Nana, things turned out fine, didn’t they?” responded Mia.

“Yeah, we got a promotion out of it, if you ask me,” added Ava.

“Oh, and what would you have done if Alex had been some piece of trash who wanted to use you and throw you away after?”

“Nana, it’s Christmas. Can we save the lecture for later?” pleaded Mia.

“Only if you promise me you have learned your lesson and the next time you go after a man, he won’t already be in a relationship, or whatever you call what Alex has with those two. That’s right, I have been having a few interesting conversations with his parents for the last few hours about what you two have been up to.”

Alex watched as both Ava and Mia put on mischievous smiles, before responding.

“Oh, Nana, I don’t know,” started Mia.

“We haven’t really given up completely on Alex you see,” continued Ava.

“We are just giving him some space right now.”

“Yeah, we are hoping that his next two kids are ours.”

Alex face palmed as the twins finished what he hoped was a joke from their expression, though he also felt like he was trying to convince himself that it was just a joke a bit too much. What worried him was the lack of reaction from Sam and Nicole at those words, while his mom had a stern expression on and his dad was looking at Alex with a troubled expression. The twins’ grandmother on the other hand had a deep frown on her face as she looked from the twins to Alex, then at Sam and Nicole as she spoke.

“And what do the two who are currently carrying his kids think about this?”

“Honestly, they have been respectful considering everything and why they were brought here. I doubt they will succeed anytime soon as Alex seems adamant about focusing on us right now as we are carrying his children, but they have my approval to try, as long as they do it aboveboard as they have been,” stated Nicole.

“And you?”

“Ha, I got on this ride expecting it to last a few weeks at most, but now how can I get mad at them for wanting what I have? Yah, they need to keep it aboveboard and not attempt to push Nicole, or I, out, but I kind of expected it when we first made the deal we did with them. So yah, not going to say I would love to have them join us, but if they can convince Alex, I wouldn’t be overly upset about it.”

Alex wanted to turn around and walk out. He had thought bringing in the twins’ grandmother who raised them would get them to take another step back, not a step forward and double down. The confused look their grandma had taken spoke to her own surprise at how this had turned out as well. Alex had Background Inc. track her down and establish contact with her after Thanksgiving, with the intent of being a nice present for them, as well as a way to push the twins further away from pursuing a relationship with him. It was Mrs. Bell who broke the silence with a complex expression on her face.

“Ava, Mia, you two are adorable and I would be lying if I said I didn’t like you, but please, find your own happiness. You’re just asking for your hearts to be broken, along with Sam’s and Nicole’s, if you keep pushing like this. I get it, Alex is great. I’m his mom so you don’t need to convince me and, in a way, seeing all of you chasing him like this just makes me think that I did a good job raising him after all. I have accepted Sam and Nicole after being upset about the whole thing at first, mainly because Alex explained how he knew they loved him, not his money and he wasn’t sure if he could find that ever again. Can you two honestly say the same?”

The room turned to the twins as they responded with no hesitation.

“We can,” opened Mia.

“It may have started due to money.”

“But now he could offer us all of his money to leave.”

“And we would choose to stay.”

“Or lose all of his money.”

“And we would still want him.”

As the twins finished, they crossed their arms and looked right at Alex before sticking out their tongues at him. Now all eyes were on him as he spoke in response.

“I believe you, but I refuse to even think about it until after I welcome my children into the world. Now let’s drop the subject and enjoy a night together as we celebrate Christmas.”

“Really,” Anna, who had stopped at the top of the stairs to listen, cut in. “Alex, if you don’t shut them down hard here and now, you might as well take them upstairs now and seal the deal. Honestly, you can’t keep leaving the door open, or one day they will find a way in and that will be it.”

“Anna-”

“Alex, I don’t want to hear it as I know it is already too late as they will know your heart isn’t in it now, but you need to stop being such a pushover when a pretty girl you are on good terms with bats her eyes at you!”

Anna stood looking at Alex with her hands on her hips, before turning to Sam and Nicole.

“Sam, Nicole, if you let another girl join you beyond those two, I am never going to be quiet about it. Yah, I get it, this is all my fault for stirring the pot that day, but I don’t care. You need to be selfish, or you won’t just have to deal with him having half a dozen brides in ED. Before you know it, he will only have a few minutes to spend with you each day. Sheesh, you two would have let Jessica in if Alex hadn’t actually found a way out of that one. There. I said my piece. Now we can drop it!”

Anna’s breath was out of order after her rant and both Sam and Nicole actually looked sheepish after the Jessica comment. Finally, after a long second, Sam spoke up.

“You’re not wrong, Anna. Nicole and I have been giant softies when it comes to not wanting to be hypocrites. It doesn’t help that we actually enjoy spending time with Alex’s other ladies. That said, it’s actually why I am hoping that Alex gets over the fact that Nicole and I are pregnant and gives Ava and Mia a chance. There I said it.”

Nicole just shook her head as she added on her bit.

“Sam, really now, we talked about this. Alex, we aren’t going to force you to accept Ava and Mia, as that is not how this should work, though we might let them push a bit. However, we don’t see this ending any other way as they can play the role of hypocrites that Sam and I fail at. Anna, don’t hate us for seeing the positives of your brother having a few more ladies on his arm. Yes, there needs to be a limit and yes, they need to get along with us, but if those two conditions are met, it becomes more of a permanent sleepover than a nightmare.”

Alex felt like the hole he was in was just getting deeper as Sam and Nicole opened up to everyone. The smiles on Ava’s and Mia’s faces didn’t help his willpower as they were gentle and the tears that were forming made him feel their joy. Luckily, the glare he was getting from his mom and Anna and the look the twins were getting from their grandmother killed the moment shortly after it started. After a few more hushed words were exchanged between the twins and their grandmother, it was over and they moved onto the rest of the plan for the night, despite the awkwardness that lingered. This started with eating a few freshly baked cookies and listening to a few Christmas songs, before Mrs. Bell pulled out the book which was held together by a fair bit of tape at places and began reading.

“’Twas the night before Christmas…”

Once the reading was over, there were still 45 minutes before it was time to return to ED and Sam, Nicole and Alex slipped out to head over to the Carters’ house to spend 20 or so minutes with them, before calling it a night. Mrs. Bell promised to take Ava and Mia home after they spent a bit more time with their grandmother, as they left.

Once they were in the car, Sam and Nicole both gave Alex looks that said they were sorry, but he just shook his head as he spoke.

“Sam, Nicole, I love you. If you two wanted me to quit FAE and sell the guild bonus to the highest bidder, I would. You know that, right?”

“Yes, Alex, we do,” answered Nicole.

“Do you two really want Ava and Mia joining you?”

“Alex, we don’t want it per se, but we feel it is inevitable and the longer you wait, the more likely it is that another woman finds her way in,” supplied Sam.

“So, you want me to date two more girls to avoid me dating three more girls?”

“Alex, we don’t have a good answer for you.”

“Yah, Nicole and I are just as confused as you are right now, Alex, so you just do what you want, but keep us in the loop. This is not a license to play around as much as you like and we still expect it to be after we move and get settled in at least before you make any moves on them, or give in to their advances.”

With those words they arrived at the Carters and got out of the car, before making their way inside. Sam’s parents were happy to see them as Mrs. Carter went about fussing over Sam and Nicole, asking for any update regarding their pregnancies. After telling her everything was still the same as before three times, they finally shifted to hot cocoa and opening gifts. For tonight, it was only small token gifts that were under 40 credits, like the bun in the oven shirt Sam opened, or the eating for two one that Nicole did. Alex got a book that was basically a user manual for babies, and the girls had picked out a grandma and grandpa themed shirt for Sam’s parents. After exchanging gifts, the three of them needed to be on their way and bid the Carters farewell and returned home to log back in to ED. As they did, Alex couldn’t help but wondering what he had gotten himself into when he had decided to play nice with Abysses End the day Nantan’s letter had arrived. He wondered if he had a third go at this life, would he do anything differently, or would he still choose to have Ava and Mia in his life. After all, it had let him make Abysses End make a fool of themselves as the news of Nantan’s arrest had started to make its way around the industry upper levels, causing a certain distance to begin to grow publicly. Still, he knew that behind the scenes nothing had changed, as they all expected it to cause a little bit of a storm before becoming irrelevant. Even so, Alex thought of it as Abysses End’s Christmas present from him for the time being.

(*****)

ED year 2 days 118-119.

When Xeal awoke in ED, he quickly got ready for his date with Lingxin and he found her awaiting him when he stepped outside. She smiled when he came into view as she made her way over to him and he met her halfway and took her arm in his as they made their way to the carriage. Once inside, they began sharing what the last 18 days had been like for them both. Lingxin talked about how she was now able to beat her shadow warrior three out of four times without her guards feeling the need to intervene. She chatted about how her and Mari had taken on each other’s shadow warriors as well, but due to the level gap, Mari had found it easy while Lingxin had to have her guard step in almost immediately. Still, they had started to do two-on-two fights and work on their coordination as both were warrior types. Mari used a wide variety of weapons, while Lingxin’s style was based around her umbrella, which hid a sword and was actually an orichalcum-level artifact. The umbrella had been given to her by her brother as a gift when she turned 12 and she had been using it ever since. For Xeal, he was amazed after looking at the umbrella as it was an experience item that could be leveled up by Lingxin sacrificing her own experience, much like the twins’ bracelets were. Lingxin had already raised it to level 40 and Xeal told her that she should raise its level until Enye and Dyllis caught up to her as doing so would yield the best results. One of the issues with experience items was you needed to set them to receive the experience before the experience was earned and if the item exceeded your level, you would be unable to use it. This was why it had been normal in Xeal’s last life to only pick up such items once you hit a wall at your current tier as they were simply too costly to be worthwhile before then, nine out of ten times. However, a level 199 tier-6 adventurer fully equipped with level 199 experience gear was a force that could easily overwhelm a level 210 tier-7 adventurer with normal equipment. Acquiring such equipment was extremely difficult and had actually been one of the ways adventurers overcame their walls to reach the next tier, even if it doubled, or more, the time needed to reach each tier. Part of the issue was that all levels the gear earned were user locked as a method to prevent the abuse of such items. Still, the umbrella was a beautiful example of what a collaboration between a top-level enchanter and blacksmith could produce when they had unlimited resources to work with.

“Lingxin.”

“Yes, Xeal?”

“Would you be willing to let a friend of mine look at your umbrella?”

“Certainly, though may I ask why?”

“He is a mithril-rank smith and I promised to help him reach orichalcum rank one day and he may be able to gain a fair bit of insight from it.”

“I see, very well. Now let’s move on from talks about items and return to us.”

“I apologize. I just have a lot on my mind right now and talking about simple things like your training, or your umbrella, is relaxing for me.”

“I see. Very well, I can understand that, though I wish that talking about us would relax you instead.”

“Lingxin, it is the thought about how complicated my relationships are that has my mind full of questions.”

“Oh, how so? Please share with me.”

Xeal gave Lingxin a look as he knew the carriage would soon be arriving at the location that had been prepared by Prince Victor as a favor to Xeal. It was an estate on the edge of the city that butted right up to the wall and actually had a tower that looked over the wall with a great view, perfect for a romantic dinner. The owners treated it as a part-time residence and had happily consented to Prince Victor’s request to use it as a private restaurant of a sort.

“We can discuss it over dinner as we are almost there and I would like to gather my thoughts.”

“Very well, I look forward to helping ease your mind.”

20 minutes later, they were both seated across from each other and Xeal had shared what had happened in reality just before this date with Lingxin. She had listened to all of his thoughts and concerns, to include how he was worried about the lack of closeness between the different pairs. Finally, after being silent in thought for five minutes, Lingxin smiled as she responded.

“Xeal, what makes you love Aalin, Gale, Enye and Dyllis?”

“That is hard to pinpoint as it just kind of happened over time.”

“Exactly. Xeal, I have been under no illusion that you wouldn’t have more brides than you, or I, would like since I first met you. From what I have learned from Enye and Dyllis, they knew as well and have actually been surprised that you have less than ten right now. Xeal, you have put up walls that any woman who wishes to be with you must either break through, or have a way to bypass them, like myself and Mari. I will not say you should accept the two who are serving as Enye’s guards, but I will say that I admire them for trying to break through to your heart the hard way.”

“Why is it all of my women want me to have more women?”

“We don’t. We just want your happiness. You are the man we see as our hero, some of us more than others. Were you some noble’s son who only had the name your family built to rely on, I doubt any of us, other than Dyllis, would allow you even a mistress. However, you are founding a house and it is likely to become one that in 100 years overshadow all but the royal family in this country, if not being where the true power actually resides. If you have less than 25 sons there will be issues, as you will need them to develop your branch houses, and even that many may not be enough. So, we smile and accept the others as sisters instead of as rivals as we know that our children will not be left out in the inheritance. At the very least, this is how your noble women should see it. I will not speak to how Aalin and Gale see it as I am still working to understand them myself.”

Xeal just shook his head as he thought over Lingxin’s view, before putting on a grin and responding to her.

“25 sons hmmm, would that mean I would have around 25 daughters as well? So just how many children are you intending to give me?”

“How many will you let me have?”

Xeal just laughed at the innocent look Lingxin was giving him and she joined in as they shifted to lighter topics for the remainder of the date. After the date, Xeal went ahead and spent the rest of the night sleeping as he knew the following day was going to be a long one.

When Xeal awoke on the morning of day 119, he quickly made his way to the palace to have breakfast with Prince Victor. This would be only the first of several meetings he would have today with him, as after breakfast they would part ways as a council was called for all earls and up, of the kingdom. This was where they would discuss things and decide what response to send to the beast-men’s proposals. There would be a break for lunch and everything should be over by dinner. Xeal would be meeting with Prince Victor at both meals to go over things and between each, he would be working on his smithing. After arriving and performing the song and dance of Xeal being formal and the prince telling him to drop the formalities that had almost become a comedy skit to them, Prince Victor spoke.

“Now, how firm do you believe the tribes are on these points?”

“Honestly, it’s hard to know as it seems they pushed as much as they could on as many things as they could. They know I will return to them with the results and they will have a chance to push one more time, after which it will be accept, or go back to the drawing board. So, I would say that so long as the kingdom shows sincerity to them and leaves room for them to push a bit more, everything should be fine.”

“I see, so they are seeing just how far we will bend. That is good and should make today easier, but it will also make the next round far more difficult should they not budge on their end.”

“True. I would be ready for that to be the case on a few of these points, but I hope that they will show the same goodwill the kingdom does. That said, if the kingdom hardlines, they will most certainly do the same.”

“Alright. Now on to the matter of who will rule over their lands, on paper at least. Xeal, do you believe that if the nobles push for it, that the beast-men will accept one of the established earl, or marquess houses, occupying the city and branch houses of other noble houses popping up across their lands?”

“Victor, we have been over this. If you push that on them, they will take their chances with the war to come and may even be open to dealing with our enemies. Could a noble occupying the city work out? Yes, though it will cause friction at first and if something goes wrong before trust was built, you would be looking at a disaster. Ask yourself, are there nobles who would be happy to cause that to happen?”

“Ha, even if there are none in Nium, I would be a fool to believe Habia, or Paidhia, would let them be. The issue is that you are seen as the link to the orcs already and with this you will be seen as the link to the beast-man tribes as well. The power that you will hold over the kingdom at that point will be too much for many nobles to accept.”

“Victor, I will sign a contract that I have no intent of wielding my influence over the beast-men, or the orcs, in any way that will harm your interests. To be clear, I will only make that promise about your interests and not the kingdom’s, as the two may not align one day, at which point I will be choosing you.”

“Oh, and what if I become a tyrant that needs to be removed?”

“I won’t need the orcs, or beast-men, to accomplish that.”

Prince Victor gave Xeal a serious look before responding.

“You would betray me?”

“No, I would stop you from betraying yourself. You are my friend, or at least I like to think of you as such. I do not wish to see you as what you are not. Should you ever become a ruler who would bring ruin upon the kingdom, I would do what you would want me to do right now.”

“And what is that?”

“Beat you to within an inch of your life and if you still didn’t see the errors of your ways, lock you in a room until you did.”

“You wouldn’t kill me?”

“Only if there was no other way, which if it got that bad it would likely be my last act in this world as well.”

Victor gave Xeal a long hard look before sighing.

“Xeal, I still don’t understand you. You amass power far too quickly for the comfort of the established order of things, yet you are fully willing to place yourself under my rule. The orcs and beast-men aren’t even where a tenth of your potential power lies. The adventurers and crafters that you are developing have the potential to rule without opposition once they mature. Also, if you were to walk into today’s meeting and say you are looking for more brides, you would likely walk out with a few dozen proposals. Xeal, why is it you fear power so much, and don’t say ruling would be a pain as it would be no worse than what you have before you now.”

“Victor, I do not wish to become what I hate. By the same token, I must be strong enough to defeat what I hate. It is why I will be a check on you the same way you are a check on me. Only by limiting ourselves can we avoid becoming consumed by our power. It’s why I have been pushing Nora towards you, as she will become your check and your place of comfort when the world is dark. You are right that ruling would be a simple act for me as I would simply delegate it to Enye, and it’s true that my guild will likely hold more strength than your nation one day. However, my guild doesn’t wish for endless war. We want adventure and I see no need to rule what I don’t want.”

“What do you want?”

“To settle a few accounts and raise a family without worrying about finances.”

“Is that really it?”

“Not adding any more brides would be nice.”

Prince Victor couldn’t help but let out a chuckle before responding.

“Well, I pity those who you intend to settle accounts with, as I doubt they will enjoy it. Now, let’s return to business…”

The two of them spent the next 30 minutes going over each item, making sure that they both understood what was meant by the beast-man tribes on each. Once they were done, Xeal left and rented a royal forging room until it was time to have lunch. During this time, he enjoyed simply making something as it let him slow down and not worry about anything but the items he was crafting. He also was closing in on reaching gold rank in smithing. As the morning passed by, he lamented his lack of time to work like this. While he would admit that it was less exciting than adventuring, it was a nice calming activity that made a good break from adventuring.

When Xeal met with Prince Victor over lunch, they discussed the general flow of the negotiations, to include where he felt things were headed. While it was still yet to be decided, it seemed that a reasonable second offer would be ready to be presented on the morning of day 122. After their discussion, they both once more went their separate ways and Xeal returned to smithing. When dinner rolled around, Prince Victor handed Xeal an outline of what was agreed upon, with a promise that a finalized version would be delivered to his home by the night of day 121, after which Xeal looked over the proposal. He was troubled over a few points, but could sigh as he knew that they would likely be countered successfully. Xeal was just grateful that the outline had Prince Victor’s notes on why these points were sticking, giving him something to work with to counter them. It was just a question of how to plant the counter so that it didn’t come from him. As he returned home, he was greeted by Eira who was still staying with him until the end of negotiations and had taken to staying in the capital since the conference opened at Noriko’s request.

“Eira, can you call Violet and Daisy to the dining room? I have something that I would like to discuss with each of you.”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“I have a job for you all over the next few days.”

“Okay.”

Five minutes later, Xeal was seated across the table from the three beast-women as he handed them the outline and spoke.

“This is the general terms of what will be in the second deal. I need you three to visit your families and slip them a copy of these. It is vital that the copies are destroyed after they read them as it could be seen as me tampering if it gets out that I sent you to do this. That said, the reasoning behind each point is what is important as it is what needs to be addressed, if they wish to gain real ground on them. What your families need to do is start winning over the others to ideas that could work as a counter, while giving the kingdom some ground from where they were before.”

“Xeal, some of these are just way far off and the reasoning behind them is insulting. Do you really think it is a good idea to share this?” questioned Daisy.

“No, but if we don’t, negotiations will fail. I realize that it highlights the issue of acceptance that needs to be addressed, but it’s not like any of them should be under any illusions about that. It is why Prince Victor can’t make an appearance as to do so he would need a full complement of guards and that would cause the tribes to fear reprisal if they decline.”

“Alright, I will get Father to listen, but we need an excuse to be there, or there will be suspicion as I am sure we are being watched,” cautioned Daisy,

“Daisy, you worry too much. Xeal will be resting for almost two days. We simply say that only Violet needs to stay behind to watch him and have your uncle take us there. I am sure he would love to stretch his legs for a bit, as well. After all, he has been dealing with the nobles since he got here,” retorted Eira.

“He would likely jump at the opportunity, though it is likely we will still be seen through,” replied Daisy.

“Wait, why am I the one staying behind?” questioned Violet, sounding a bit annoyed.

“You’re the one who abandoned your name in front of all your elders. Needless to say, they may not take advice from you so well right now,” stated Eira while rolling her eyes.

Violet frowned, but stayed quiet at Eira’s remark and Xeal stepped in.

“Violet, while she could have been softer with her words, Eira has a point. Still, I trust you all can get this done. Now I need to retire for the night. I will see you all when I return in a few days.”

(*****)

December 25, 2266.

As Alex awoke next to Nicole and smiled, they exchanged a quick kiss before joining Sam in the living room, next to their small tree. Under it were six gifts that they had each gotten for one another and each was smaller than a basketball, with Nicole’s gift to Alex being the largest of the lot.

“So, who should go first?” asked Sam.

“I think you and Sam should open up yours to each other first, then I will open yours to me and I would like you both to open mine to you together,” responded Alex.

“Oh, did you get us something that can be used together?” asked Sam.

“Sam, we will know in a few minutes, so calm yourself,” sighed Nicole.

“Alright, here is mine to you,” stated Sam as she handed Nicole a small box.

“And here is mine to you,” returned Nicole.

As they both opened their gifts, Alex smiled as he pictured what this would be like in a year when they had two little ones to watch tear into the cheap paper, as Sam revealed a cookbook for beginners and Nicole opened a set of expensive green teas.

“Really, a cookbook?”

“What? You need to learn, or do you want our kids only knowing my cooking? And thank you for the tea. I will be sure to enjoy it with you.”

“When will we even have time to cook?”

“Sam, I don’t expect you, or Nicole, to be as active in game as you are now in six months when our kids are born and as they grow older, I expect us all to be cutting back a fair bit,” chimed in Alex.

“Eight hours a day, in two four-hour blocks. That is what Nicole and I have agreed to. That includes you, mister guild leader.”

“So, what? We never see each other except in game and even then, one of us is always offline?” asked Alex.

“Hey, that is just for the first year, or so. After that, we can change things up.”

“Sam, you and Nicole are trying to plan like it will just be the three of us.”

“Alex, they are our kids. One of us should always be available to be with them,” countered Nicole.

“I get where you are coming from and I will agree to two three-to-four-hour breaks from ED each day, but we will take them together, like we do now. So, what, for 16 to 18 hours a day, our kids are being watched by others?” shot back Nicole.

“Nicole, if their grandparents, or great-grandparents, are others to you, then yes. I have already reached out to Mom’s parents and they are happy to come out and help us and my mom with our kid. Sam, you know your parents are going to move out to Colorado, so I figured we could ask her to stay with us for a while before they find a place of their own.”

“Alex, aren’t your grandparents a bit old to be handling babies on their own?” asked Sam, looking concerned.

“They will just be there for peace of mind as I intend to hire caretakers to help out. Yours and my parents will split the times when no caretakers are available with us so that one of our logouts is not just watching the kids. Make no mistake, nine out of ten times it will turn into that still, but I want to be able to take you two out once in a while.”

“Alex, we need to discuss this more at another time. For now, open up your presents,” closed Nicole, looking thoughtful.

“Alright, now let’s see here.”

Alex pulled Sam’s gift over as it was the smaller of the two, looking like it was simply folded wrapping paper. When he opened it, he found six handwritten pieces of paper that had the words “Sam coupon” written on the top.

“Umm?”

“Look, I couldn’t think of anything you would want, so I figured I would give you six coupons for me to do something you like in the bedroom,” responded Sam while turning red.

Alex just smiled as he pulled her in for a kiss, and whispered into her ear, “You might regret this,” in a teasing manner.

“Oh, shut it and open Nicole’s.”

Alex laughed as he pulled over the box and went about unwrapping it. Once it was open, he found a glass cube with a 3D rendering of him, Sam and Nicole on a roller-coaster ride from when they were in high school. Alex vaguely remembered the day as it had been so long ago for him, but he did remember Nicole buying the picture. He was just surprised to see it here.

“It’s beautiful,” chimed in Sam. “Damn, we need to talk next year. You are so much better at this than I am.”

“Sam, stop it. Your gift was good as well. I was thinking I might do that for his birthday.”

“I love both of your gifts. They are very much you and Nicole. This, just wow. It makes me realize we need to take the time to get some good photos of all three of us.”

“Thank you,” said a blushing Nicole.

“Alright, now it’s time for you to open mine to both of you.”

Sam and Nicole exchanged looks as they picked up the identical boxes that were around the size of a tennis ball. The moment the wrapping paper was off, they both paused as it was obviously jewelry of some kind. When they pulled out the presentation box and opened them, they both froze as they looked at the contents. Inside both were wedding-set style rings, done in a half heart swirl pattern with a pear cut gem as the center piece and accent gems along one side. Nicole’s was done with blue sapphires and Sam’s was done with emeralds, to match the set of jewelry Alex had gotten them each on their first date.

“Sam, Nicole, I know we can’t legally get married, but I still want you two to know that I see you both as my wives, regardless of what the world says. Will you both commit to not only be the mothers of my children, but my partners in everything, whether it is good or bad times?”

“Alex…” started Nicole before Sam almost tackled him with kisses. When she finally paused, Nicole just smiled and laughed as she spoke. “Sam, that’s not fair. I need to get a turn as well. After all, it’s not just your moment.”

“Sorry, just kind of reacted,” said Sam with a contented smile on her face.

“Are you going to hand him over, or do I need to pry you off?”

“You can have his lips, but I’m not letting him go just yet.”

Alex let out a short laugh before he spoke. “I take it you both accept.”

“Of course, you idiot. Now shut up and let us show you how we feel,” responded Sam as she shifted to his left side as Nicole took his right, pulling him into a deep kiss as she did so. When the kiss ended, both girls put on the engagement-style rings of the set before closing the display boxes and handing them to Alex.

“When you are ready to get dressed up with us and profess your love for all to see, you can complete the sets on our fingers,” stated Nicole lovingly.

“Yep, don’t think you are going to get out of us wanting to get all pretty and have a giant cake with a bunch of people we hardly know watching the show,” added Sam playfully.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The three of them enjoyed being like that for another ten minutes, at which point a knock came at their door. When Alex opened it, he found himself instantly wrapped into another double-sided embrace as Ava and Mia latched onto him.

“Merry Christmas to you two as well. Now, can I please be allowed to breathe?”

“Nope,” responded Mia.

“We are not letting you go,” added Ava.

“Can I at least close the door?”

In response Ava and Mia just pushed Alex forward and used their feet to close the door, as they continued to hold tightly to him.

“Alright, you two, that is enough, or do you want Nicole and I to retract what we said last night?”

“Sam, just a little bit longer.” Mia pouted.

“Yeah, we know that we are being a bit forceful right now, but after last night, we just need a few minutes to show Alex how we feel,” added Ava.

“We promise to keep it to just hugging him, but it will take longer to show our feeling that way.”

“So, please let us have this.”

“Fine, two minutes, but only hugging him,” relented Sam as Nicole let out a soft laugh.

Alex just helplessly laid his arms across the twins’ shoulders as they snuggled into him while they stood there, until Sam cleared her throat and they both reluctantly let go, as they stepped back while smiling sheepishly.

“We’re sorry,” sighed Mia.

“Last night was just too great and you left before we could process it all.”

“That and we think Anna might have attacked if we did that last night.”

“Yeah, we love her and she is right, you need to learn to slam the door on girls.”

“Oh, should I practice on you two?” quipped Alex.

“Alex, you could slam it and build a brick wall behind it and we would still not take no for an answer at this point,” shot back Ava.

“Yeah, we would need to do something so bad that we slammed the door on ourselves to accept it at this point,” added Mia.

“What am I going to do with you two?”

“Hopefully, a lot of stuff.” Mia giggled.

“A lot of stuff behind a closed door that is,” stated Ava in a husky voice.

“Alright, already. We get it, you two are thirsty. Now drop it. Alex has already said that he isn’t going to do anything with you two before our kids are born. That is at least six months from now and more likely a year from now,” chided Sam.

“That’s so far away,” complained Mia.

“Yeah, why such a long wait?” questioned Ava.

“Ava, Mia, you both have to remember we have known each other since middle school. I agree that you both need to wait a bit longer before I will be okay with Alex letting you in. While we all have become fast friends after a rocky start, Alex still needs time to make sure that he can handle you two and us in reality, as well as the umpteen girls he will end up with in ED,” responded Nicole.

“Hey, I am trying to keep from getting involved with any more ladies.”

All four girls looked at Alex, before laughing.

“Alex, we love you, but do you honestly believe you can keep it to just the four you are currently tied to?” asked Sam.

“I am only tied to two. The other two are still not completely set in stone.”

“Oh, and just how would you get them to leave without causing major issues?” quipped Sam.

Alex didn’t have a good answer so he just looked at Sam and sighed helplessly, as he pondered his hopeless existence when it came to women.

“Anna is definitely right to say that I need to learn how to shut down women. That is to include NPCs.”

The four ladies enjoyed giving Alex a hard time for a bit longer until Ava noticed the rings on Sam’s and Nicole’s left ring fingers.

“What are those?”

“Oh, um, these were what Alex got us for our Christmas present,” replied Sam while blushing happily.

“Ooh, let us see!” exclaimed Mia.

With that the four girls were absorbed into looking at the rings and hearing the story, while paying no mind to Alex at all. Ava and Mia smiled when they heard how the rings matched a present from their first date in reality. After a good ten minutes of them oohing and aahing, the twins turned their gaze to Alex and smiled brightly at him.

“Alex,” opened Mia.

“You did good,” finished Ava.

“Um, okay,” responded Alex awkwardly.

The twins just kept smiling as they bid the three of them farewell as they left to go pick up their grandmother, using Alex’s dad’s car that they were borrowing for the day, to spend Christmas with her. As they left, Alex took note of the time and after spending a few more minutes enjoying his time with Sam and Nicole, they left and made their way to Nicole’s parents’ house. Once there, they knocked on the door and Jhon answered it, pulling Nicole into a hug as he did so and shook Alex’s hand. Inside was the rest of Nicole’s family who had waited for them before opening presents. It didn’t take long before Nicole’s parents noticed the rings they had on, but they didn’t make a big deal about them, only making a few comments like, “about time,” before moving on to breakfast. After breakfast and getting some clothes from the Juns, Alex and the girls gave them all their gifts, with the big one being plane tickets to Colorado for the month of June when the girls were due. This included ones for all of the family to come out and be there for the birth as it would be over summer vacation, as long as Nicole wasn’t early. After a bit of an emotional display between Nicole and her mom, they were able to extract themselves to make an appearance at Sam’s parents’ house.

As they walked in to the Carters’ house, it took Sam’s mom all of five seconds to notice the rings and start to fawn over both girls. Once she had had her fill of questioning all three of them about them, she finally calmed down and they could move on. They exchanged a few more gifts, with Alex also giving the Carters plane tickets to come out to Colorado in early March. Mr. Carter would return to sell their house at that point as they shifted to looking for one near Alex’s new house. Alex just smiled as he worried about what they would be able to find near his new home in their price range. Quietly he just accepted that they would be staying with them for at least a year while they looked and played with their grandchild. By the time Alex, Sam and Nicole had left, it was already the early afternoon and they had enjoyed a nice lunch with the Carters. Alex was already feeling like he was eating too much as he had gotten used to only two meals a day. When he looked at Sam and Nicole who seemed fine and asked them about it, he found out that they had been taking five-minute breaks every six or so hours in ED to grab a snack, or a meal bar, ever since they read the pamphlets from the OBGYN’s office. Alex just smiled knowing that both were making sure they took care of themselves and the little ones on the way.

With a few hours before it was time to head over to his parents’ house, they had a meetup back at their place planned with Amanda, Fred and Dan, to get to. After a quick message to them that they had just left Sam’s parents’ house, they made their way back to the apartment. 30 minutes later and after Amanda had had her fill of looking at Sam’s and Nicole’s rings, all six of them were sitting back enjoying a nice relaxing conversation. They had all decided to not exchange gifts this year as they were all getting ready to move and it would just be one more thing to pack. As far as any of them were concerned, Alex had already given them the best gift from the fact that they were successfully playing ED professionally, and getting him anything would be pointless. As they relaxed, the topic shifted to what their new place would be like.

“Alex, come on, at least give us a hint. I know you don’t have all six of us in a three bed, two bath like you were originally planning,” prodded Dan.

“Obviously. Could you imagine life once Sam and Nicole give birth?” added Fred.

“Not telling you guys anything. All I will say is it has been handled and all of us have somewhere to sleep. Now if you two are set to share a one-bedroom apartment with a broken heater and leaky pipes and don’t like it, you can always find your own place,” retorted Alex while smiling at Fred and Dan.

“You wouldn’t do that to us, man,” returned Dan.

“He wouldn’t do that to Sam and Nicole, and they wouldn’t let him do that to me. You two, well I don’t know,” teased Amanda.

“Fred’s your boyfriend, you wouldn’t leave him like that,” pushed Dan, who was actually looking worried.

“Boyfriend is not husband. He would just need to come over to my place, though with a busted heater you might need him for body heat more than I would. Besides, we all know Alex got his place before things got so serious with Sam and Nicole. A crappy apartment might have been the best he could do for you,” stated Amanda like it was the most logical thing in the world.

“Alex, she’s wrong, right?”

“Sorry, Dan. She is right that I had to reallocate areas of the house where you guys would have been staying. What with Sam’s and my parents needing somewhere to stay while house hunting and us needing help watching the newborns,” stated Alex while deadpanning.

“Alex, stop teasing him. He might actually start to believe you,” chimed in Sam.

“So, you know where we will be living then?” asked Dan sounding hopeful.

“Nope, he won’t even tell Nicole and I, not that we really have been trying to find out.”

“Dan, just drop it, or Alex might actually get you and Fred a crappy apartment and make you stay there a few nights as a joke. Just trust that he has a plan, and let him enjoy surprising us,” offered Nicole.

Dan still looked a bit worried as Alex made an act of stroking his chin like he was in thought, as they pulled out a quick card game to play while they passed the time into the late afternoon. When they all left, it was time for Alex, Sam and Nicole to make their way over to Alex’s parents’ house, where they would open presents before eating dinner and calling it a night. When they arrived, they found his mom, Anna and Jessica in the kitchen working on the finishing touches for dinner and they could already smell the prime rib roast that was in the oven. When they noticed Alex, they called out to his father who was enjoying the game and they all gathered in the living room.

“So, girls, how are your families?” asked Mrs. Bell.

“They’re good. My mom was a bit emotional and she is still trying to accept things the way they are and my father is still a bit quiet about it all, but progress is being made, if slowly,” replied Nicole.

“You know my parents. My dad just smiles as my mom is turning into Grandmazilla more and more every day,” added Sam.

“Oh, well, at least she will be more than happy to help,” responded Mr. Bell.

“I’m just worried she will start asking when the next one is due once I give birth,” quipped Sam.

They chatted about the future and current events, both in and out of ED for a bit, before they once more shifted to presents, and then dinner was served. Jessica had stayed quiet for the most part, though she had smiled when Mrs. Bell complimented the side of stuffed mushrooms she had prepared. Once they had finished with dinner, Alex, Sam and Nicole returned to their apartment and after a few kisses with Nicole, Alex and Sam made their way to her bedroom.

(*****)

ED year 2 days 121-122.

When Xeal arrived in ED after being absent for almost a full two days, he found himself greeted by Bula and the three beast-women, as they played with Midnight while eating dinner. After receiving their report on delivering the information and how they believed they had done so unnoticed, Maxwell announced Gale’s arrival. Xeal knew that Gale only had a few hours or so to spare before Aalin expected her back to working on finding the locations of the phoenixes. So, he quickly bid the table farewell and made his way to the entrance hall of his mansion, where Gale awaited him for their date. To keep things simple, the pair was staying in the mansion tonight and Xeal took her arm before leading her to the private balcony attached to the master bedroom. After they were seated with a bottle of champagne to share that had been opened by Maxwell just before they arrived, Gale spoke.

“You know, there are so many things that we can experience in here that would be impossible, or illegal, in reality. Take this glass of champagne. Neither of us are old enough to drink, yet we can do so in this world and it feels so real. Yet for all of that, is it anything more than an elaborate shared dream?”

“Sam, no, the champagne is not real. It probably doesn’t even taste like the real stuff as our brains have no frame of reference. Yet, I do not believe that makes this world, or what happens here, any less real. Yes, everything that occurs in here is simply data if you are a cynic about it, but can you say that Enye, or Dyllis, are any less complex than you, or Nicole, are in reality?”

“Complex doesn’t equal real.”

“Alright, Sam, what do you have on your mind?”

“Today was just the first time since the launch of ED that I spent a day offline. It was a great day and I am just wondering what is the point of all of this. Alex, you have enough credits that we could live for the rest of our lives as we raise our kids without a care in the world. Yet, I feel like you are going to be a ghost in reality as you’re focused in here. I am just wondering if I will regret not asking you to step away from ED now, as by March it will be too late as once you marry Enye and give her a child, you will never walk away.”

“Sam, it is already too late, as you are right, I can’t step away from this world. I am too invested emotionally to do that. I could still remove myself from the guild and scale back my time here, but that is it. Will I be a ghost to our children at times? That is most likely. It is why I warned you and Nicole when you both decided that I was going to date you.”

Gale smiled at the memory, before responding.

“You looked so lost when we teamed up on you that night. It was so cute to watch you try and wrap your head around the situation. Make no mistake, I was expecting us to have an awkward date followed by awkward sex, leading to all sorts of issues. Instead, I found that you actually had a bit of confidence and were able to take the lead, making it a wonderful experience. Alex, please promise me that you will not be a ghost of a parent and I’ll drop the subject of leaving this world behind.”

“Sam, I will not be any more absent in any of our children’s lives than my dad was.”

“That’s not fair. He was only ever around for you on the weekends and at dinner.”

“Sam, I will share with you that one of the surprises waiting for us in Colorado are VR pods that will allow us to have longer sessions.”

“Oh, so now you will only log out once a day? How is that an improvement?”

“Sam, I intend to log out two out of three nights in game. So long as I get one full night’s rest in game per day in reality, I should be fine. My hope is that you and Nicole join me on that schedule, and we are offline together every morning and late afternoon into early evening.”

“Wait, what?”

“I intend to have one 11-to-13-hour login and one six-to-seven-hour login, depending on what is going on in game at the time. There will also be days where I forgo the short login and even shorten the long one to be there for our family. By the time our kids are five, I will likely only need to be in ED to spend time with my family here and deal with any issues that pop up.”

“I thought you said that this world would be in a state of constant war once players reach tier 7?”

“The world will be, Nium will not be. Everything I am doing right now is all just to ensure that Nium has the power to defeat both Habia and Paidhia at the same time, if necessary. Once that is done, there will be no reason for war on this continent, unless another continent comes knocking.”

“Alright, promise me that in five years you will remove yourself from the power struggles of this world then.”

“Sam, I promise you that so long as the struggle is not a threat to my family here, I will not involve myself in them after our child’s sixth birthday.”

“Hey.”

“Sam, I need a buffer as I wish to ensure that I give myself some leeway to work with.”

“Alright, I will give you that, but I expect you to make the shift in four years if you are where you can afford to.”

“I can agree to that.”

“Good.”

Gale and Xeal shifted to lighter topics as they finished the champagne, before spending some time embracing one another.

Once Gale had left, Xeal spent the rest of that night resting and the following morning he found himself standing before the beast-men representatives. Having just finished officially presenting the kingdom’s second offer to them, he waited for them to respond. The first to speak was Violet’s and Daisy’s father Taro, as he stood to give a speech.

“Xeal, I thank you for being honest and forthcoming with us all. There are many issues to be addressed with this latest offer and I am sure I speak for most here when I say that creative solutions may be needed. I will ask you this one question. Is there any path forward where the nobility doesn’t divide our lands into new holdings for them to reign over as they establish new branch houses to manage them?”

“Chief Taro, unfortunately, even with my counsel that doing so would be foolish, they refused to listen. As of now, they are willing to accept that each new lord will have an adviser from the tribes that call their new holding home. This adviser will have the right to petition the lord above them is the compromise they are willing to make. This may mean that an adviser for a lower noble may have to petition another noble and so on, before they will reach myself, if I become the lord of your lands.”

“And they refuse to guarantee that you will be the lord here as well.”

“That is the current state of things. The only promise I have is that when I deliver the final proposal, a lord will have been chosen. I believe they have narrowed it down to three individuals, to include myself.”

“I see, thank you. Now, my fellow beast-men, I have but a few words that I would like to share before we spend the rest of the day discussing this and send Xeal here back to report tomorrow morning. First, Xeal has been honest with us and I agree that our distrust of the humans and theirs of us will not disappear with us, or their current rulers. No, if we agree, we need to ensure that the generation that comes next can move past the issues. It is for this reason that I wish to push that any noble house who wishes to rule our lands must take one of our own as a spouse and their children must be the ones to inherit the lands, that is to include Xeal here, should he become lord of this city.”

Xeal wanted to scream out as Taro continued to speak as he caught the grin on Noriko’s face that told him he had trapped himself.

“It is only by mixing our lines that we will be able to be seen as equals in the eyes of the kingdom. I know that this is not something we should agree to lightly, but unless another one of you can find a path forward, we must either accept it, or refuse to integrate with the kingdom.”

Before Taro could sit, Ianira had shot up and started to speak.

“Taro, you foxess are alwayss plotting. You would have uss believe that your offer is fair, when you intend to have him take your daughterss as bridess. You want to rule all of uss when it iss all ssaid and done.”

“Ianira, I have no intent to do that at all. It is why my intention is for Noriko’s daughter Eira to be the one who marries him.”

“Hold it right there,” interrupted Xeal, unable to stay on the sidelines any longer. “Regardless of whether I take any more brides-to-be, I will not be having it decided by others without mine, or the ladies’, consent. Furthermore, there is a major flaw in your plan as I am engaged to Princess Enye and our first-born son will inherit my house. Anything else would be shut down by the kingdom completely. That said, I would be fine if he was courted by your children’s daughters when the day comes for him to find a bride of his own.”

“And how are we to feel assured should your son refuse to marry one of ours, as you are?” returned Taro.

“Chief Taro, I never said I wouldn’t take a beast-woman bride. I merely stated that if I do, they will not be forced upon me. My promise will be that my children will grow up with your children, and when the time comes for them to marry, I expect many of them to choose mates from among your kin. Now, please drop the topic of adding to my already-crowded bedroom.”

Xeal could tell that he had derailed Taro’s plans with his refusal and several of the beast-men representatives were looking at Xeal with disapproval, when Noriko stood and clapped before speaking.

“I say, good. I don’t want my daughter to capture him with the help of others. Which one of us would be happy to be forced to marry, even if we liked the other party? I know I would hate it, and here we are ready to adopt the humans’ way to ensure they hold onto power. I say we tell the kingdom that they can have nobles lay claim to our lands when they can capture one of our hearts. What does it matter if it takes a year, or 100 years, for it to come to fruition? As for Xeal here, even if he doesn’t marry one of our daughters, I have no fear of his rule.”

Xeal watched as Noriko’s words affected the representatives. While it did not clear all of the disapproving looks directed at Xeal, it did soften them. As Noriko sat down, Xeal knew it was time to close the meeting and let them work out what they would put forth as a counter proposal. Xeal thanked them all for their continued work and left the area, meeting up with Bula and returning to grinding for the rest of the session.

(*****)

Morning December 26 to Evening December 26, 2266 & ED year 2 days 123-125.

The day after Christmas was uneventful for Alex, as he woke up next to Sam in the morning as they enjoyed the fact that they didn’t need to be anywhere, or do anything. When they finally joined Nicole in the living room for breakfast, she had a knowing look on her face. The rest of the morning passed uneventfully as they enjoyed watching a web series, before logging back in. The only thing of note that took place that evening was the three of them sending Jessica a quick happy birthday message. Sam and Nicole were happy that Alex was not going to pursue a relationship with her and that she had seemed to grow past it over the last few months. Still, they felt a bit of guilt for how everything had played out and worried for just how things would go on the date Alex had promised her on the 30th, just before they flew out the next morning.

When Xeal awoke on day 123, he knew that today would be a long one. An hour later, he stood before the beast-men representatives as they presented their counter to the kingdom’s offer. There were still a few sticking points, but ground had been given on most issues. There were still several points that Xeal saw being an issue. First, the fact that they were holding to that any noble who wished to establish a holding in their lands must take one of their own as the head wife, or husband for the rare titled noble woman. Second, there were the limits of development of the land as they did not wish for broad roads to cross their lands. They had agreed to maintain a few trails that would help with navigating the area to a certain extent, but that was it, outside a single road to the fort that adventurers would use as a staging point in the future. Third, they were adamant that Xeal become the lord of the city and all nobles that were allowed to claim lands must earn his consent. Fourth, the kingdom must participate in the culling across the river in equal, or greater numbers, to them once the fort is established. Finally, the last point that Xeal felt would cause a headache on the kingdom’s end, was the exemption of taxes of all holdings until the heir of both bloodlines was named, and then it would be a sliding scale until their 25th birthday, when they would inherit. Basically, they wanted time to adjust and figured that adding four percent of the normal tax each year would allow them to adjust. They also refused to pay anything before sincerity was shown.

“Xeal, do you believe the kingdom can accept these points, or do you believe they will insult us with the final offer?” asked Taro once everything had been said.

“Chief Taro and beast-men representatives, I do not have confidence that there will be no pushback on your counter offer. My hope is that I will be able to persuade Prince Victor to support them as they all do show good faith on your end. I have my concerns as taxes are how they will intend to develop their new holdings and roads are the life blood of the small settlements that they wish to dot your lands with. Luckily, adventurers like myself will likely be fine accepting quests to deliver goods, though it will come at a cost. I will do my best, but if they refuse to grant me the city and decide another noble will oversee your lands, at least meet with them before rejecting them. You may find you prefer their vision over the one I have shown you as I am the only one who wishes to build a city for our kinds to intermingle.”

At Xeal’s last words, he was surprised when Sceca stood to address him and he could tell he was not alone as the eagle-woman was receiving many surprised looks from the table.

“Xeal, if they will not promise to provide neutral ground where we can feel comfortable raising our young as you are, they will not have enough support to succeed. Very few of us speak of the difficulties faced to just get our children to adulthood due to how we must live. I know we believe it is weeding out those not fit to survive, but let us be honest, luck is what it really comes down to most of the time.”

As Sceca paused, Xeal could see the looks on most of the women present were pained, including Noriko’s. Xeal thought of the wendigos that they had encountered that had clearly once been children and wondered just how bad the issues mothers faced were, as Sceca continued.

“Xeal, I do not know you, but Noriko has spoken for you, and as annoying of a friend as she may be, she has never once lied, or plotted, for her own gain. It is by no accident that we were all fine with her taking the center seat that joins us all as she is one of the few who can cross our borders without issue. She has said you stand by your word and will deliver what you promise, so long as it is within your ability to do so. This is why we will refuse any but you as they need to earn our trust before they seek to rule us, not the other way around.”

Sceca ended her impromptu speech and returned to her seat, but her gaze was firmly placed on Xeal, awaiting his response. Xeal took his time ensuring that he thought over the possible different ways he could approach her statement, before he spoke.

“Sceca, I thank you for your candid words. They certainly ring true. While I wish that I could say that I can ensure that they will allow me to rule, I cannot. I will do what I can and ensure that they know where you all stand. Unfortunately, the status quo may be more appealing to many than my continued rise in power.”

Xeal wished he could inspire more confidence with his words, but he knew that while much of the court would gladly tie themselves to him, they also feared him. He was rising too fast for their liking and they feared that he would overshadow them in all things if left unchecked. Still, Sceca gave his words a nod, and with that the meeting came to an end and Xeal returned to the capital to meet with Prince Victor. When he arrived, Prince Victor was already ready to get to work on seeing what could be done, and over the next hour they had addressed everything and Prince Victor was in agreement that the five points could cause an impasse among the nobles.

“Xeal, if I overrule them and force these through, can you guarantee me that it won’t expose us to enough scrutiny to cause issues with me becoming king?”

“The issue is that it will take far longer than a year to see positive results and the negative will all be felt up front.”

“So, you always have a plan. What is it this time?”

“If you force through me as the lord over the lands, I can address the transportation issues caused by the lack of roads by subsidizing the quests. The culling across the river needed to be tied to the number of lords that are in place. If the intent is to have 100 new holdings created and only 20 have lords in place, then for every five beast-men, you will send one of the kingdom’s knights. Obviously, you would need to look in to it a bit deeper, but you truly only need to stall for five or six years, and my kind will solve the issue and more. As for the tax issue, state that no tax is due to a local lord until there is one, but have them still owe a tax to my city and hand responsibility for ensuring new lords are taken care of to me. I still am trying to figure out where you are going to find enough lords who wish to move out to a monster-infested land that will take over a decade to develop to a point where they will feel safe.”

“Ha, you are underestimating what it is like to be the third son and lower in a noble’s household. The first is raised as heir and the second is treated as the spare who will normally be given an honorary title and manage a part of the house’s estate. The rest are almost chased out of the house if they are not an exceptional talent. It is where most of the officers in our military and bureaucrats come from.”

“Alright, I get it, being born too late, or to the wrong wife, can suck. I will have to keep that in mind for when I start to have children. Now, do you think you can get them on board, or will you need to force it to succeed?”

“It could go either way, though if you agreed to marry Vanessa, the Mercer house would flip and it would be easy.”

“No, doing so would be disastrous. Vanessa is happy where she is and the Mercer house needs to accept that she is stuck.”

“That will not happen. I only bring it up as Marquess Mercer has been doing all that he can to put pressure on my father and I to return her after we stated that we would consider it. Once she is back under his control, it is obvious that you are his target for her hand. As much as we would like to use what you told us to block it, the best we can do is delay it until after your wedding with Enye.”

“I have no intention of accepting her regardless of his maneuvers, and once Enye and I are married, I will be able to refuse him easily if I am put over the beast-men lands. Ah, I see. Just how many are willing to flip from opposing me to supporting me as the city lord if I married a lady of their house?”

“Finally realized it, did you? Honestly, most of the ones in opposition, but not all.”

“That just cements it. Under no circumstances can I accept a single new bride from the nobles of the kingdom. Doing so would only cause me to have to accept more and more until I won’t even be able to remember all of their names.”

Prince Victor just smiled as he watched Xeal sweat at the thought of having to handle so many noble ladies. Finally, after a moment of thought, Prince Victor spoke in a joking tone.

“I can work around the issue, if you promise to have at least 100 children.”

“Ha, ha, very funny. That would be 25 each as I doubt Gale or Aalin will want to have any children in this world.”

“From where I am looking, it will be more like 14, assuming your ladies who hail from your world do not wish to have a few as well.”

“I have no idea what you are talking about. Enye, Dyllis, Mari and Lingxin are the only ladies that I am courting.”

“Sure, and I believe my sources said Violet, Daisy and Eira were all ready to get as far away from you as possible. They haven’t been going out of their way to be around you whenever you are home. Xeal, you can only live in denial so long. Trust me, I should know after you helped Nora move past my barriers.”

“Victor, they are nice girls, but for now, that is all they are. I expect Eira to make a move and she may succeed, but right now I would rather she didn’t.”

“I am aware. Now it is time for me to go to work. I take it you will be holed up in a forging room once more?”

“That is my intent, unless you are sure that you will not need me to appear.”

“No, I am almost certain that you will be needed before tomorrow afternoon.”

“Alright, I will await your summons.”

Xeal left the palace and would spend the remainder of the day, and into the late night, switching between three level 80 designs that were meant for silver-ranked smiths who were tier 5 like himself, or gold-rank smiths who were still tier 4. It was just before midnight, when Xeal had finished a sword, that he received a system notification alerting him that he had reached gold-rank in smithing. Xeal smiled as he had officially reached the level of smithing where most crafting NPCs would be considered a master. At the same time, he thought about the fact that he would need to create an item that didn’t exist in ED in order to advance to platinum-rank. He knew of a few items that smiths from his last life had come up with, but knowing what the finished product was and taking the time and resources to discover how to create it was two different things. Technically speaking, now was the easiest time to advance as no players had created anything yet, leaving all of the options out there still to be discovered. This had been a debate in Xeal’s last life as to how many variations of the same item the system would allow. Most smiths had simply taken an item of appropriate quality and altered a few facets of it so the system would see it as a new item. This had also led to many smiths receiving a notification that they had discovered a design for an already-existing item which was created by player such and such. As time went on, such occurrences increased in frequency and it was common to discover two, or three, of such items before reaching platinum-rank. It was with these thoughts that Xeal returned to his mansion, to find Eira waiting up for him, petting Midnight.

“Welcome home, Xeal.”

“Eira, what are you doing up at this hour?”

“I let Maxwell go to bed and stayed up to let you know you are expected to appear in the morning for questioning regarding the conference.”

“I see. Thank you.”

“Xeal?”

“Yes.”

“Do you even see me as a woman?”

Xeal paused at her words. He could see the trepidation she had on her face as she awaited his answer. Sighing, he looked her in the eye and spoke.

“Eira, you are a woman, if still a bit young. If you are asking if I see you in a romantic sense, no, I have purposely refused to entertain the idea, if for no other reason than how we met.”

“I see, thank you for your honesty and care. I get it. When you first brought me here, I believed that you were only luring me into a false sense of security. I kept expecting you to come home one day and make a move to turn me into your plaything. When you actually kept your word, I was beyond shocked, and what surprised me was that instead of joy, I felt regret. It took until after you let Daisy and Violet stay for me to realize that I actually wanted what I had feared. I know it’s messed up, but it’s how I felt and it has been frustrating to see you not even notice me as I present openings to you.”

“Eira, please stop. I understand what you are saying, and others have been pointing it out to me as well, but it is not what I want right now.”

Xeal could see the tears that Eira was holding back and knew she had worked up to confessing this to him and he needed to acknowledge her, or it would be too late later.

“I will not say the day will not come that I open my eyes and see you as you wish for me to see you, all I am saying is that day is not today. Give me time to adjust to the relationships that I am already overwhelmed by, and at the same time, allow me to hold to my principles. You are aware that the representatives attempted to force us together and I rejected them, right?”

“I was aware that it was going to be put forth, but as you had been quiet, I was unsure how it went down.”

“I refused and your mother clapped, declaring that you didn’t need their help to capture me. Were I to make a move on you, you would truly become my house cat, not the predator you are meant to be. If you wish to hunt me, I will not stop you, but do not ask me to capture you again as that is not the you who could secure a part of my heart.”

As Xeal finished talking, he watched as while the tears started to fall, a smile crossed Eira’s face as she stood up straighter, and laughed before speaking.

“Very well, you are now my prey and I will hold nothing back to capture you. All I ask is that you allow me to stay by your side like Bula.”

“I will not send you away, but if that is what you wish, then you need to pull your own weight. Are you prepared to step into tier 5?”

“Ha, if you think I have been idle here all day, every day since I reached level 79, you are mistaken. Lingxin and Mari have both been wonderful enough to come by often, though I feel it is out of boredom and a hope of receiving updates on you. Still, they have been so kind as to share the mirror shards you lent them and I can currently handle two at once. I have only been looking for a way to ask you for what you have given to Lingxin and Mari to ensure their safety, as I wish to walk the nightmare as you have.”

“You will have to wait as I am currently out of supplies for it.”

“I am aware, but Gale and Aalin have already located another source. I won’t ask to come with you as I would likely just get in the way, but I ask to be one of the four you guard with it.”

“Eira, huh, fine, I will include you, so long as you accept that by doing so, whether or not you are able to capture part of my heart, that you will owe me a debt of service.”

“Wait, what?”

“The four who received it last time are all ladies who are meant to become my brides. Those who receive it this time will be those who are sworn to my service, like Bula. The requirements are such that I will not freely bestow the gift for nothing.”

“I see, and how long must I serve you?”

“Until you have died in the line of duty and thereby used my gift, or 15 years, whichever comes first.”

“Fine, I will give myself to you for 15 years, during which time I will have eyes only for you and if I am still unable to capture part of your heart by then, I will still have time to seek out a mate.”

“Was making that declaration really necessary?”

“Yes.”

Eira left the room, leaving just him and Midnight in the room and Xeal watched as Midnight looked sad to watch Eira walking away.

“I blame you for all of the women that have been chasing me lately.”

Midnight just tilted his head and looked at Xeal as if to say really, before hopping down and following after Eira. With a shake of his head, Xeal went to bed and got some rest before awaking and dressing in formal wear. Once he was dressed and had enjoyed a small breakfast and was about to leave, Bula spoke in a distant tone, which Xeal could tell was due to her limited oracle powers being enacted.

“Hold your ground, or you will find yourself without any ground to stand on.”

“Thank you.”

An hour later, after waiting for them to summon him, Xeal stood in a room filled with mostly old men, with a few younger ones like Cosmo Musgrave, who had recently been raised to Marquess. After following the proper decorum, to include bowing to King Vincent, Xeal was able to observe the room. Not all eyes that were on him were friendly, though none were currently showing open hostility either. Earl Beckett, who was the elder brother of the airship captain Rupert Beckett, had been selected as the main spokesperson to question Xeal. Prince Victor had informed Xeal when he arrived that it had been a struggle to find a neutral party to take up the role due to how strong positions were. With balding white hair and a bit of a portly stature, the man gave off an air of indifference as he looked over his notes before beginning.

“Viscount Bluefire, first we must thank you for your efforts these past months to present us with the opportunity before us. I will state that we find it remarkable that you have been able to bring the beast-man tribes to the negotiation table. With that said, we are concerned that the negotiations are doomed to fail after looking over their counter proposal. As Prince Victor has told us, you are aware of the five points we speak of and have a solution that you are ready to suggest should we allow you to govern the lands, essentially ensuring your rise to marquess. Is this accurate?”

“Earl Beckett, what you say has some truth behind it. However, I feel the wording is meant to corner me and accuse me of seeking power for power’s sake. Governing the beast-man tribes’ lands is a task I would honestly rather avoid as it will require more of my time than I would prefer. It is why I would hand the management of the day to day over to Princess Enye upon our marriage, at which point my rank will become irrelevant as I will be a duke through marriage. As for my proposals, Prince Victor should have already shared them with you and I believe that they should be acceptable, if you can accept me becoming the lord over the area.”

“Indeed, your suggestions are reasonable, save for your point of all lords needing to take one of them as a head wife, or husband. Such unions will only cause issues to our foundations, so we have two options for you to choose from to offer them. We are ready to accept you becoming the lord of the lands if you can agree to one of them. Your first option is to take a bride from each of the eight marquess houses and your children from those unions will marry beast-men and found houses across the beast-man tribes’ lands. The second option is for you to promise that you will marry a daughter and a son to each of the eight marquess houses, all for a total of 16 matches.”

Xeal just shook his head as he thought over the implications of either option. Either way, he would become tied to all eight houses and be overwhelmed by their influences. It was just a question of now, or in 20 or so years. It was honestly not a bad deal to promise to marry his children to the 8 great houses, but Bula’s advice kept him from even considering it. Sighing, Xeal responded.

“If that is what this council’s bottom line is, then I will have to refuse and accept that no path forward can be found. I have already decided that I will not accept another bride from the noble ladies of Nium as it would simply open myself to your houses pushing more upon me. Furthermore, to ask me to determine 16 of my children’s fate when I do not even know if I will have 16 children is simply ridiculous. Put simply, my children will be raised not as a game piece to be used for my house’s gain, but as individuals who will stand upon their own feet. Should one of them wish to marry someone from any of your houses I will not stand in their way, but they will do so for themselves, not for my house.”

Upon finishing his words, Xeal took in the room’s reaction as Earl Beckett prepared to respond. It was obvious that most of the nobles disapproved of his answer, but the smile on King Vincent’s face told him all he needed to know. Before Earl Beckett could respond, King Vincent stood and spoke.

“Well said. My son and daughter seem to have chosen well when they decided to trust you. Viscount Bluefire, you will accept a council of eight, with each marquess selecting one of the members. This council will be of those who have young sons who will search for brides among the beast-man tribes for wives, once they are of age. You will also accept playing host to any unwed nobleman who wishes to try and find a bride and with it, claim a holding of his own.”

“As you wish, my king. I ask only that I am able to remove any noblemen who causes an issue through their actions.”

“I can agree to that, so long as you present the reason to the royal court when you do so. Now this matter is closed. You all will not be getting your pound of flesh that easily today.”

The last part of King Vincent’s words was directed at the nobles in the room as Earl Beckett finally recovered and returned to acting as the spokesperson. The next hour was spent as Xeal explained how and why each of his solutions should work, until he had addressed every issue that was brought up about them and the room went silent and he was dismissed. On his way out, Prince Victor promised to host him and Mari that night to go over the results. Xeal felt bad about turning one of his dates into a business meeting, but he knew that it was necessary as he would need to present the offer the following morning.

When Xeal’s next session started in the evening of day 124, he quickly got ready and made his way out front where Mari was awaiting him. They were due in the palace shortly and Xeal knew that the main reason Mari had come to him rather than simply waiting in the palace, was likely due to wanting at least a bit of time where it was just them. Smiling, Xeal made his way to her as he greeted her.

“It is a pleasure to see you, Mari. I trust that you have been alright the past few weeks?”

“Indeed, everything was going well before I was told that our date had been turned into a meeting.”

“Ah, I must apologize for that. I only knew myself this morning. I trust the message I sent reached you then?”

“Yes, though I would have rather you had come yourself, but I understand that you are busy.”

“It is what it is. Let us just make the best of things and I will have to ensure our next date is extra special. Now, shall we at least enjoy a short walk before we are interrupted?”

Xeal held out his arm to Mari, who took it and they walked at a casual pace as they made their way to Prince Victor’s study. Once there, they paid him the proper respects before joining him at the table and opening the finalized offer. As Xeal looked it over, Prince Victor began speaking.

“Xeal, as you can see, you will become the lord officially and raised to earl once they sign the treaty and it is accepted by the masses. From what you have told me, this will likely take a while for most as it has to be propagated across their lands.”

From what Xeal knew, the fox-men and wolf-men would be easy as they had centralized leadership. For the rest, however, it would be months before they could safely say that the treaty would become active and there was always a chance that it was rejected by several groups, especially any that weren’t represented at the conference. Thankfully for Xeal, the representatives had the job of gaining their tribes’ approval and the fact that two of the major tribes would be conforming to it already should bring the smaller tribes into line. It was only the tiger-men, eagle-men and snake-men that Xeal worried about, as each of them were highly independent on an individual level.

“Yes, there will likely be a bit of pushback, but I do not foresee any issues after a few months.”

“Very good, now let’s look over the rest…”

The rest of dinner was spent going over various aspects, such as how Xeal had two years to have the city in an operational state. At which point, the council appointed by the eight marquess houses would arrive alongside the first batch of nobles looking to secure a holding. Mari for her part joined the discussion whenever it reached the more casual areas. By the time dinner was over, Xeal was about 80% sure the proposal would work and he and Mari bid Prince Victor farewell as they finished their night with a walk in the royal gardens, during which they shared some light conversation before going their separate ways.

The following morning saw Xeal speaking before the beast-men one last time as he delivered his final pitch.

“As each of you can see on the copy before you, the kingdom has tried its best to find a solution that both sides can be happy with. I will be installed as the lord of this city and have the responsibility of overseeing your lands in a broad form. It will also be my responsibility to facilitate the unions between your people and the nobles who come seeking to establish holdings in your lands. I ask that you act in good faith in accepting them as if there is no progress made on finding lords, it will likely cause the deal to fail before it can truly take hold…”

Xeal continued to explain how the forces to assist in culling of monsters across the river would work and the adventurers would be subsidized in delivering supplies to remote regions. Lastly, Xeal explained how their taxes would be split in half, with one half being brought to the city before being redistributed to the smaller settlements that needed funds. This was the opposite of how it would normally work as normally each holding collected taxes and paid part of them to their lord directly and would only receive funds from them in emergency situations. The other half would only take effect once there was a lord over an area and it would take effect in stages, though not quite as they would have preferred. Instead, it would start at half of a normal rate and increase the rest of the way over 25 years. When he was finished, Xeal waited as the representatives spent the next few hours discussing various points with one another, asking him for clarifications occasionally, until the table went silent and Taro stood.

“We the fox-men will support this deal. As such, I call those of you here who will join us in support to stand and be known.”

“I will join in supporting this deal,” announced Noriko as she stood.

“As will I,” declared Sceca.

“The wolf-men will join as well,” stated Adolphus.

One after another the table stood declaring their support until only the snake-men, chameleon-men and tortoise-men were still sitting and Ianira spoke.

“We never thought thiss would get thiss far. I take it if we don’t agree now it will be our end.”

“Ianira, I will not support eradicating any tribes. That said, you would likely find yourselves pushed into smaller and smaller areas as time went on. How that would turn out I will not speculate, but you would lose the seat of power for your kind with your refusal today.”

“I ssee. Very well, I will ssupport the deal.”

Xeal could see the unwillingness in her eyes yet he knew that she was making the best choice and with her approval, the rest of the table stood as well. One notification after another went off as each of the quests for gaining the support of the different tribes completed. With a decent boost to his gold and experience, as well as his acceptance rate reaching 69%, Xeal smiled as he brought the conference to a close and each of the representatives went about to make their preparations to leave. Only Noriko and Sceca stayed behind to speak with Xeal.

“What can I do for you two?”

“Xeal, the next few months will be rather chaotic and demanding for us as the ones who need to get the rest of our kin on board. As such, Sceca has a favor to ask.”

“Noriko, I can speak for myself, thank you. Now, Xeal, as Noriko stated, there is something I would like to request of you.”

“Sceca, as long as it is within my means, I will do what I can.”

“It is my daughter, Scicie. I do not wish to have her return to our lands and wish for you to shelter her at your home until I am able to return for her.”

Xeal paused for a moment as he thought about what would be needed to ensure that she was cared for, before responding.

“Sceca, so long as you are fine knowing it will be my staff who will be watching her.”

“That is fine. Your staff has been great with her the past week. It is only thanks to them already being familiar with one another that I feel comfortable with this arrangement.”

“Very well, I will arrange for her to travel with them as they return to my home tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

With that Sceca took off towards her tent as Noriko lingered a bit longer.

“Yes, Noriko?”

“Nothing. I am just wondering how long it will be before we all lose our fierceness and become docile like most humans are.”

“There will be those that do become that way, but there will always be those of your kind who embrace the ferocity of your blood. You have to remember there is no such thing as a half beast-man. Your genes are born from primordial beasts who used a human to host their spirit at one point. Some of you just display more of your roots than others.”

“True, Eira and I are perfect examples. Scicie shows signs of it as well, though it seems to grow rarer each generation.”

“Their influence has shifted to my kind as they explore how they can escape the prison the gods have them in.”

“Oh, was it them who brought your kind here?”

Xeal paused as he thought back to the lore of Eternal Dominion. He knew that the world was created and shaped by artificial intelligence acting as the gods to optimize it for players. That said, the history of this world to its inhabitants was as real as could be. From its creation to now had all really happened to them. It was only that the time dilation was closer to 1,000,000 ED days for every day in reality during this process. As far as how adventurers had arrived, that had been a mystery that had never become public knowledge in his last life, but several theories had been widespread.

“Who knows. It could be them, or the gods. Perhaps even a power outside the two sides of that eternal conflict altogether.”

“Well, whoever it was, I wish to thank them as if nothing else, my boredom has been alleviated thanks to you.”

With those words Noriko set off for her own tent and Xeal made his way back to his guild headquarters where Aalin and Gale had assembled 300 players who had all passed the nightmare trial. This would be the team that would be setting off with them at the start of the next session to tackle reaching the next phoenix. If all went to plan, it would take them the four sessions to reach the phoenix as they needed to fight their way through the slimes that infested the dungeon that appeared to be her prison. Among those gathered were many players that Xeal recognized, but he currently only had time to care about three of them. Lily Iglis, Pillan Deseronto and Taya Moire. These three were the ones who were possible candidates for this phoenix mark. All three had only just completed their trials and Taya would be preferred as she was a vice guild leader. However, depending on which phoenix it was, it could push Lily further than she went in Xeal’s last life, making her a true peak crafter and witch. Pillan had been with FAE since its start and Xeal remembered her from the first group that entered the kobold mine, with a focus on lightning magic. If they came across the lightning phoenix, she would be a great fit. Even so, Xeal wished he had more candidates as it would be a waste if they came across a phoenix that was not a fit for any of them. After giving Aalin a nod, she pulled all three of them to the side to meet with him and soon the five of them were in a side room and Xeal was speaking.

“Taya, Lily and Pillan, you three are in consideration to reap a great harvest, depending on what we find on this expedition. Before I can go into exactly what it is, I need you each to sign this contract that binds you all to total secrecy. This is not a topic that can be casually talked about, even offline. If you are not willing to sign, I apologize, but you will need to leave.”

All three ladies read over the contract and exchanged a look before Taya signed, followed by Lily. However, Pillan hesitated.

“Guild leader, it says that should I receive the boon, I would be tied to FAE until further notice. Does that mean I would see a pay increase to a more comfortable rate?”

“No, though if you don’t waste the boon, you will easily climb the ladder as it will be that beneficial.”

“I see. I’m sorry, I don’t think it is for me.”

Xeal sighed, but did not force the issue.

“Very well, if you would please leave and rejoin the others.”

“Thank you, guild leader, for the opportunity and understanding why I turned it down.”

Once Pillan left, Xeal turned to Taya and Lily and briefed them on the phoenixes and how they were hoping to locate one of them and make a deal with them. They had asked a few questions each that Xeal had done his best to answer. He did this while leaving his own connection to Watcher a secret and Aalin added some information at a few points. After they were satisfied, the four of them rejoined the rest of the players present. After a quick brief on the dungeon and guild that was currently monopolizing it given by Aalin and Gale, Xeal took the stage. Xeal’s job was simple as Aalin and Gale had laid the foundation of what needed to be done, and after a short speech that included the items that they all needed to pick up from the guild warehouse, the meeting was over and they all knew where to be at the start of the next session. Xeal for his part spent the rest of the session going over guild reports before taking Dyllis out a night early as he would be unavailable for their normal date night due to the raid. After the date, Xeal took the time to get some rest in before logging out.

(*****)

Morning December 27 to Morning December 30, 2266 & ED year 2 days 126-136.

The next few days were full of packing and getting ready to leave on the morning of the 31st for Alex, Sam and Nicole. Ava and Mia had stopped by a few times to help them work through their food supply as well, leaving them with just enough food for a quick breakfast before they flew out. Sam and Nicole had plans to go out for food on the 30th with Nicole’s friends from the orchestra, while Alex was out with Jessica on her closure date. Alex had a company that would come in after they left to pack up the stuff that they would be keeping while his dad supervised. Alex could feel the mix of emotions that Sam and Nicole had at leaving their home town and moving to the unknown. Still, he simply enjoyed the time the three of them had together.

Xeal stood at the head of the 300 players whom he had led to the kingdom of Ethax. It was one of the countries that bordered the Muthia empire. Once there, they had made their way in a roundabout way to their destination, which was several hours out of the nearest city. As they approached, a group of around 50 players made to head them off while looking apprehensive once they took note of the number and level of their group. Xeal stopped his team as the group drew just outside the range of most spells and waited to see how they would approach. After initially hesitating, a single tier-4 player stepped forward, stopping at the midway point between the two groups. Xeal smiled as he broke away and made his way to the player. As he did so, he took in as much detail as he could about her. She was level 78 and as far as size went, she couldn’t have been over five feet tall, if she even reached that height, with long straight hair that was split down the middle, with red on the right and green on the left. The closer Xeal got, the more her outfit and style cried Christmas to him as she had clearly spent money to obtain one of ED’s holiday skins for all of her gear. These skins did absolutely nothing for any of her gear’s stats and were only an aesthetic thing and limited time designs were always being released throughout the year. Still, only players with more credits than they knew what to do with would spend the on-average 20 gold it cost on one at this stage of the game. This was also one of the ways the developers worked to remove gold from circulation as its devaluation could cause problems if left unchecked. Their multi-level efforts had managed to stabilize gold at around 25 credits in Xeal’s last life and had drastically slowed its drop so that it took a full five years in reality to drop to that point. As Xeal thought about this, he reached the point where she was about ten feet away and she called out to him.

“That is close enough. Now, who are you and why are you intruding on Festive Spirit’s exclusive grinding zone?”

Xeal stopped and smiled at the girl as she put up a brave front that did not fit the cute and helpless image the skin gave her character, before responding.

“Why I am here is my own business. Needless to say, I intend to intrude on your guild to accomplish my goal, if needed. I have no intent to embarrass any of you if you are reasonable, nor do we intend to take over this location. We simply have a task that requires us to enter the dungeon. As for who we are, that would be FAE from the kingdom of Nium and I would be their guild leader, Xeal. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?”

Xeal could see the gears turning in the girl’s head as she took in what he had said and worked to place Xeal and his guild. The moment that the light went off was almost comical to him as she responded.

“Wait, you’re the lady killer Xeal, enemy of women with a harem both inside and outside of ED, founder of the first guild and bane of the super workshops?”

“Is that really what has been spread about me on the forums these days?”

“What, do you not have like five women in reality, and another seven or eight in ED?”

“No, it’s not quite that bad. Oh man, not going to take the time to get into this now as I am sure part of your job is to stall for your reinforcements to arrive. Now what is your name?”

“Um, Holly Ciderplum.”

Xeal blinked a few times as he realized she wasn’t just wearing the skin as a holiday thing. She was likely a Christmas fanatic.

“Ah, okay, now the question you have to ask is, do you accept my offer of 300 gold for access. This would include a contract that anyone from my guild can return at any point and have free rein in the dungeon for one gold so long as your guild holds it, or do I have to force my way in and all your guild will gain is several death penalties as you try to stop us?”

“Wait, you’re actually willing to pay for us to let you in? Umm, does that mean I won’t get a day off after all?”

“Wait, you were hoping that I would kill you?”

“Umm, not exactly, but I had convinced myself that taking a day off would be nice when I noticed your levels and stepped forward.”

“I guess that is fair. Now do you accept, or do I need to signal my force to attack?”

“Umm, I’m not sure I can make that call.”

“There should be a vice guild leader here at the very least as I can tell you do not have a guardian NPC. If that is not you and they are standing in that crowd, I will make them sign before killing them out of principle.”

“Wait, what? Umm, I am the vice guild leader here, but why would you kill them if I wasn’t?”

“Leaders don’t send their people out to negotiate while hiding.”

“Okay, so how would this deal of yours work then as I don’t know if my guild leader will approve it even if I sign it.”

“That is easy. You will sign it and we will pass by today. If he refuses to honor it, you will return the 300 gold to us and we will simply come to force our way in once again the next time we need to enter.”

“So, you expect to need to come back regularly?”

“No, though I expect it to be an occasional need.”

“What is it that has you so interested in this dungeon?”

“That is a secret, one which you will eventually learn if my information is accurate and you should keep quiet about. While I will be taking the main benefit away today, there should still be long-term benefits for your guild if you can keep other workshops from learning about it.”

“So, what you are saying is that you will be taking the most valuable thing here and expect us to just let you, while also not telling the other guilds about you taking advantage of us!”

The indignation in Holly’s response made Xeal frown as he responded.

“Holly, I am giving you the chance to not be humiliated. Yes, you could easily use this situation to spread how arrogant my guild is, but what good would that do? The major workshops would simply force their way in here to learn what could get me to bring a team all the way out here and cause your guild to suffer more. If you think they would be as kind as I am, by all means let them know I was here. It will only cause you problems as time goes on. Now we have said enough. Do you accept my offer, or not?”

“Fine, not like I really have much of a choice, but you have to take me with you. If this is such a big deal then I want to make sure it isn’t found by a regular member who can’t keep their mouth shut.”

“I can agree to that. Just don’t get yourself killed and blame it on me.”

“Ha, do you even know how to deal with these slimes?”

“We will soon find out, won’t we?”

Xeal smiled knowingly as he handed the contract to Holly as she looked it over and signed it before handing it back.

“I would love to see how you handle the lower floors without prior experience. It should be fun to see you struggle.”

With that out of the way, Xeal gave the order to press forward as Holly told her guild to let them through. Once they entered into the dungeon, Xeal was relieved to learn that Holly used a VR pod and didn’t need to log off before their first break. Though Xeal still had her sign a non-aggression pact that would prevent her from doing anything, or allowing her guild members to do anything to them when they used the safe zones to log out. The rest of that session and the one that followed was simply spent passing by the groups of players who were grinding on the upper levels, with an occasional minor skirmish here, or there. It wasn’t until the third session that started on day 129 that they reached an area that had very few of Festive Spirit’s guild members around and Xeal gave the order for the expedition team to enter the formation they had been taught before departing. All 100 melee players other than Xeal pulled out wooden shields that looked like flat boards with handles from the back, but looked like a K with the top and bottom filled in from the sides. Each of these shields were also coated in a waxy substance that would prolong their life significantly and could be reapplied regularly. For the first time since they had entered, Holly lost her almost-taunting attitude about how they had no idea what they were getting into as she looked at the shields.

“What the heck are those?”

“Those would be my answer to how to deal with slimes en masse, as I am sure we are about to run into swarms of them now that we are past where your guild regularly operates out of.”

“They are so bulky. How are they going to work in narrow corridors?”

“You let me worry about all of that. Just take some notes as we go,” stated Xeal, sounding annoyed and dismissive.

“How did you end up with a harem, acting like that?”

Gale and Aalin who were right behind Xeal and Holly couldn’t help but laugh at those words. The pair had dealt with Holly’s constant probing for the past few days on how they could stand to share a man, to which they had just smiled and made a show of giving Xeal affection. This had slightly annoyed Xeal as he could see the frustration building in Holly as they teased her so. Still, he wasn’t about to not take advantage of getting to spend so much time with them, even if his own guild members were giving them strange looks as well. It was Gale who responded to Holly after she had stopped laughing.

“Holly, Xeal is purposely frustrating you and trying to get you to dislike him, as he is trying to learn how to make women not be interested in him without going full lecher. Honestly, it’s cute in a way.”

“Wait, what?” questioned Holly. “Why?”

“Xeal has had too many women try and attach themselves to him, so he is trying to be less pleasant to be around,” explained Nicole.

“Eww, gross. I have no desire to join in any polyamorous relationships. Nothing against you two, but just no.”

“We know, and Xeal is aware as well. He is just seeing if he can keep this front up for the whole time you are with us,” responded Nicole.

“You know when you give away the game it defeats the purpose, right?” interjected Xeal.

“Yah, but we were over it as well, as it was putting a downer on our mood to see you act like that as well,” shot back Gale.

“You three are just weird,” said Holly, while looking at them cockeyed.

Xeal, Aalin and Gale simply had a laugh as they continued on. It wasn’t long after they stopped talking that the first significant wave of slimes approached and Xeal went about directing the fight. Around 50 slimes that were about the size of an exercise ball that could act as a chair, were headed straight at the front. Quickly a sturdy line formed up and melee classes were placing their shields down to form a wall. Each of these players were strength-based builds who had to have over 140 adjusted ability points in order to have been selected for this mission. Each of them needed that much strength for what came next as the slimes became a logjam in the corridor that was only wide enough for ten shields to be set up. As the first group of slimes crashed against the shield wall, spells flew overhead and landed amongst the slimes that were stuck behind, dealing massive damage. Still, it was obvious that as more slimes pushed forward, their gelatinous forms would overflow the shield wall. When it was time, Xeal started to call out to set the rhythm.

“Alright, it’s time to push on my mark…and push….and push…”

As one the shield wall pushed just as a slime was about to crest over the wall and the slant of the shield mixed with the wax coating caused the slimes to fall back like a cresting wave. This caused them to fall into the second line of slimes and send ripples back through the whole group, countering some of their forward momentum. This continued for 20 minutes until only the front line of slimes, that were ironically safe behind the shield wall, remained. On Xeal’s order, the shield wall gave these slimes one last push before pulling back as fast as they could. By the time the slimes had recovered and made to follow, they were bombarded by spells as well as Xeal using his breath weapon. When the smoke cleared, all that remained were the drops that were purely made up of various gel-like substances that could be used in mainly alchemy, but had a few uses in other crafts as well. As the FAE players collected the drops and did quick maintenance on the shields, Holly wandered over to Xeal.

“How the hell did you come up with this strategy? Is there a slime dungeon in Nium?”

“I am sure there is as they are not that uncommon, but I am not sure.”

“Hold on. Are you saying that your guild came up with those shields without facing a slime horde before?”

“I’m not saying anything.” Xeal laughed.

“Fine, be that way. I will still happily steal your strategy.”

“Do as you like.”

Xeal just smiled as everyone was ready to push on and for the rest of that session they continued forward as they rotated players through acting as the shield wall. Still, between the slimes and the fact that they were unfamiliar with the layout of the dungeon, their progress was slow, at best. Still, they had been only a few floors from where they expected to find the phoenix when they reached the area beyond where the members of Festive Spirit frequented. As they reached the safe point for their daily rest and logouts, Xeal bugged Watcher.

“Watcher, I know you have been annoyed ever since I got you to give us a list of the continents with the phoenixes on them, but I could use a bit of a hint for this one now that we are so close.”

After five minutes Watcher responded, starting with a sigh.

“Your ladies are more determined than is good for them. Are you sure you want to find the phoenixes? All it will do is increase your headaches as they do not coexist well with one another and Bīng is the most reasonable of them.”

“Watcher, I have no intent on sticking them all into a room together. Now I know I am close to one of them. Care to save me some time and possibly tell me which one?”

“Huh, fine, you are near Crystal and if you go…”

After using the remainder of his magic to get a few directions that should save time the following session, Xeal called it a day. As he got his own rest, he started thinking of who would be better suited to receive the phoenix’s mark between Lily and Taya. He knew that Crystal would have powers related to everything related to the ground as it was just the pure form to represent all minerals.

The following day saw them make slow progress once more. However, with the directions that Watcher had given him, Xeal felt confident. It was 15 hours after they set out, when they were facing what felt like an endless swarm of slimes in a tunnel that was only large enough to fit two across, that Watcher spoke to him next.

“You are almost there. These slimes have been feeding off the dregs of her power for far too long. It is why there are so many of them.”

Xeal smiled bitterly as he thought of what it must have been like to spend an eternity down here with nothing but slimes to keep you company. Still, knowing that his goal was within reach, Xeal held nothing back as he took to the front lines himself.

“Alright, it is time for a swinging door!”

At Xeal’s word, the two players at the front nodded before their next push, only they sidestepped, opening a roughly diamond-shaped opening that was at about waist level, just big enough for a slime to fit through. However, it was also perfect for a dragon’s breath attack from Xeal as he unleashed a roar, sending a beam of bluish-white light through the gap and into the slimes beyond, as smoke rose from their bodies. As the beam faded, the two shield-bearing players closed the hole once more, until Xeal called for them to repeat the process. An hour later and next to no MP left, Xeal smiled as he had actually reached level 89 with that fight. He also could tell where the phoenix was and he motioned for Amet, Clara, Gale, Aalin, Taya, Lily and Holly to join him as he walked into the side room as the rest of the party recovered. Xeal and Amet carried shields to rebuff any slimes they met along this tunnel that was barely big enough to fit one of the shields in it, forcing them to walk single file. A half hour and a few slimes later, they found themselves looking at a crystal dome covered in slimes who seemed to be happily clinging to it. Xeal just shook his head as he motioned for everyone to ready themselves.

“Holly, this is where it is. Now, you can either sign this, or Amet will escort you back a ways while we conclude our business here.”

“Wait, what? You think you can just send me away at this point?” shot back Holly.

“Holly, I can always give you a death penalty. If you stay you will learn a bit too many things that I consider guild secrets. Now pick. Sign this, or leave.”

“What am I supposed to tell my guild leader?”

“That is covered in this. You just need to have them sign the same deal and you can let them know everything. They just can’t share it past the two of you. Now you have ten seconds before I choose for you.”

Holly was miffed as she grabbed the contract and gave it a quick once over to ensure she wasn’t signing away her life, one way or another. When she looked at it, she was confused as it was only a few lines which stated that anything that happened, or that she learned, in the current chamber, could not be shared with anyone save her current guild leader. It also said that before sharing, her guild leader needed to sign a contract with the same terms, except replace guild leader with Holly Ciderplum. The penalty for breaking the contract was a two-year ban from logging in to ED. This made Holly consider just leaving as she didn’t think the risk was worth it. Yet her curiosity at what could be so important made her grit her teeth and sign the contract. Two years would suck, but it wasn’t a lifetime ban. Besides, she knew that Xeal could release her from the contract if she broke it and she was confident that she could pay him enough credits to convince him to do so if needed.

“There, now let’s do this,” huffed Holly as she handed the contract back to Xeal.

“Alright. Also, don’t think paying me credits will get you out of this if you screw up.”

Xeal watched her wince at his words and start to say something before stopping herself and grumbling under her breath, such that she didn’t think anyone would hear it. However, both he and Aalin caught what she had said thanks to their heightened senses and Aalin responded.

“You better be careful, or I might encourage him to take that route.”

“Wait, what?” stammered Holly.

“And you have just learned your first bit of taboo information. Don’t think we can’t hear something just because a normal player wouldn’t be able to,” chided Xeal. “And for the record, not interested as I have said, I have enough on my plate already.”

Holly just blinked at Xeal’s words as she blushed and just wanted to hide, but Xeal launched the opening volley of the battle at that point and she joined in with her own spells. The slimes quickly detached themselves from the crystal dome and made to swarm the group and it took them an hour to finally kill the last of them as there were so few players present. Still, Aalin had unveiled her ice manipulation skill that had been held in reserve before now, to funnel the slimes into smaller areas and limit how many could attack at once, making the task far easier. As they caught their breath, a hole the size and shape of a doorway opened in the dome and standing there was a fair-skinned woman wearing a dress made of gems, with long translucent hair that made one think of a frosted window when they looked at it. As her eyes scanned the surroundings, they lingered on Xeal and Aalin for a moment, before she spoke.

“I see that the idiot has finally started to care about us after all of these years. Now tell me, girl, just how did you get my sister to mark you?”

Xeal held up his hand to stop Aalin from speaking due to her having a low charisma stat as he walked forward.

“If you wish to speak to her like that, then we can just leave you as you are now. You ask how she obtained your sister’s mark. It was simple. She just made us promise to search for all of you. We never promised to actually help any of you once we found you, though. Now, before we go on, is there a name you would like to go by, or should we just call you crystal phoenix?”

“I can see he didn’t find a coward, at the very least. You can call me Jewel as that is what I am and will always be.”

“Good to meet you, Jewel. I’m Xeal and that’s Aalin. Your sister is going by Bīng now and I call him Watcher owing to the fact that is about all he can do right now.”

“Ha, now tell me, am I the second one you have found?”

“That would be correct.”

“And you just expect me to let whoever you choose receive my mark?”

“No, I expect you to be a fair bit pickier than that, though sadly I don’t have many good options lined up yet.”

“Oh, and what are you using to determine who is a good option?”

“They have to be a woman who show potential to reach tier 7 without your mark and I am focusing on magic classes.”

“I see, and so you will let me pick from the ladies present then?”

“That is my intention, though I also hope to acquire your feathers and some drops of blood.”

“You are a greedy one, aren’t you? Fine, but the one I choose has to spend a week each year here with me while bringing me gifts to enjoy. Perhaps she could also bring you along and I could make Watcher watch as you and I get to know each other.”

“No thanks to that last part, but really, are all of you phoenixes going to try and get me to embrace you?”

“Wait, Bīng actually made a pass at you? Ha, that is golden. She must really be feeling it if she let something like that out, but yeah, we likely will. You have to remember, we were used to Watcher visiting us every decade, or so, for around a year. Though some of us couldn’t wait for our turn and would seek him out. Now, are you sure you don’t want to make him jealous and take care of a woman’s needs?”

“Completely, now let’s drop the subject.”

“Fine, I pick her.”

Xeal looked at where Jewel was pointing and saw Holly looking shocked as Lily and Taya looked confused.

“My apologies, but she is meant to only be an observer today and the two over there were the ones I brought for you to choose from.”

“I don’t care. If you want ten feathers and four drops of blood, then she is who I pick. That one will be great for nature and she will be perfect for poison, but neither of them fit me. She needs a bit of work, but I can tell she is more suited for my mark.”

“She is not part of my guild and she will not be under my protection so I will not be able to ensure her growth. Make no mistake, I am not saying she doesn’t have the potential, but her current guild could be said to be in a precarious position should they be targeted.”

“Hey, what gives you the right to say my guild is weak? It’s not like your guild existed before ED launched either,” interjected Holly.

Xeal shook his head as he replied. “Holly, your guild’s only exclusive grinding location is this dungeon. You have no connection to a noble house as a safeguard. It is likely that the only reason your guild is still around, is due to the personal finances of the leadership being able to float payroll for the few dozen seasoned experts you attracted. My guild has cemented itself as part of Nium completely and only the fall of the kingdom could shake our foundations. So, yes, your guild is weak.”

Xeal ignored the muttering that Holly was making as he turned back to Jewel, who was smiling as she spoke.

“I must say, Watcher didn’t pick a slouch at all, and the solution is easy, she just needs to join your guild. That way she can be nurtured correctly and all of your issues disappear.”

“I am a vice guild leader of my guild! I can’t just quit and join another guild!”

“Do you know what you are being offered? Look, I can tell you enjoy the finer things in life. It is why I am picking you. However, if you won’t see reality and insist on being stubborn, I will have to choose one of those two, as he is right, picking you as you are, is too much of a risk for me.”

“Hold it. Who said I wish for her to join my guild?”

“Unless you want to do some work in the oldest profession to earn my feathers and blood, you will just smile and nod at any deal I strike.”

Xeal blinked for a second as he registered her meaning, before sighing and shaking his head. “Fine, I’ll give in.”

“Good. Now, come here and let me tell you what you will be getting if you accept.”

Holly approached Jewel who started to whisper to her. Aalin and Xeal could still hear due to the boost to their senses their marks gave them, but he was sure the rest couldn’t. All Jewel was telling her were the basics of her mark, which included earth manipulation and the ability to sense gemstones. Xeal knew that the last one would allow his guild to profit greatly, especially once his crafters were handed the gems to work with. When Jewel was done speaking, Holly stepped back as she looked torn over how to answer.

“Alright, I’ll join FAE, but I want them to make me a vice guild leader and they need to establish a branch here.”

“Do you even know what you are asking for?” asked Xeal. “I am a noble of Nium. Any branch I place in another kingdom will be extremely limited.”

“Look, I can’t go to Nium yet and I have a bunch of players under contract that I will be bringing with me. Heck, my guild leader might have to follow as this will likely rob a quarter of our strength. I’m not about to leave my friends out to dry.”

“Xeal, I have an idea that might work,” offered Gale. “We could have her shift to Muthia and if her whole guild wants to come, just make them an associated power like major workshops do all the time. If her guild doesn’t come along, then we just have her and her team join the training we have the other guilds going through. I am sure Empress Jingū would be happy to accept them.”

After a bit more of a back and forth, it was decided that Holly would become a trial vice guild leader, should her whole guild not follow her. If they did, FAE would work to establish them in Muthia at an accelerated rate, while also receiving 51% of the guild shares, tying them to his workshop completely. Holly had wanted to protest until she saw all of the things FAE would provide for the 51% share that money could not buy. At the top of the list was a guarantee that he would connect them with the Empress of Muthia in a way that would allow them preferential treatment in the Muthia empire. The only issue was the fact that the dungeon was in a neighboring nation and would be difficult to hold onto once they shifted nations. Still, Xeal had a workable solution for that by simply loaning a few dozen top-tier players to help them hold it down until their members caught up. With a deal in hand, the rest went quickly as Xeal pocketed the ten crystal feathers and four drops of phoenix blood, before bidding Jewel farewell and handing Holly an advanced return scroll. When he rejoined his expedition force, he had a team of 50 break off to meet up with Holly as she got everything in order and informed her guild leader of her withdrawal. With that taken care of, the rest of FAE’s players returned to Nium as Xeal wrote a letter to be sent to Empress Jingū about the situation and request a meeting. Xeal spent the rest of that session going over guild paperwork and a variety of issues that needed to be handled.

Xeal spent the following session working in the forge as he was brought updates on various situations that were playing out. He hadn’t known whether he should be happy, or annoyed, when Holly ended up basically performing a hostile takeover of her guild when her guild leader had been uncooperative. She had basically turned two out of the other three vice guild leaders to her side before talking with him. When he had refused and was about to throw her out of the guild, she had the other two vice guild leaders stand by her and threaten to leave as well. In the end, he had stepped down and became a vice guild leader while Holly took over the guild and would be hanging out with Jewel for the next week on Xeal’s payroll. The 50 players would be working with her to grind in the slime dungeon to ensure she didn’t fall too far behind while she stayed there. So, it would be day 140 at the earliest that she would be able to meet with Empress Jingū.

When Xeal awoke on the morning of day 133 ready for a quick tea time before logging out, he saw that his guild had finally reached level 37, opening up over 96,000 slots, and he smiled at the message he received, before sending a reply. 20 minutes later, he was sitting in his office with Geitir sitting across from him. His workshop having all but cut ties with him when they failed to honor the trade agreement, he had signed with Xeal. While Xeal had let Geitir out of paying him an astronomical amount of gold, he had held fast to never letting him join any guild that the head of their workshop was connected to. With how everything had played out, his guild in Nium had stagnated to around 80,000 members, with only a few thousand of them being under contract directly with Geitir.

“Well, Xeal, everything is in place. Are you sure you can handle absorbing all of us?”

“Yes, I should actually be thanking you as finding players who aren’t brand new has been getting difficult. With this merger, it will infuse my guild with a much needed boost to its base.”

“Now, are you still interested in that ten-year loan?”

“Of course. It is actually a great time for me to get the infusion of credits as it will let me secure FAE’s foundations over the next few years.”

“Now, the deal is still I get 5% of the workshop and another 40% is held as collateral until you pay me back double in ten years, right?”

“Yep, though are you sure you feel comfortable with the risk? After all, that is the funds from selling your businesses and liquidating most of your assets.”

“Ha, you have promised me that I can call the location that I will oversee my own, even handing me the title as part of the deal. While this will tie up 80% of my funds, the other 20% is enough to enjoy my life for a long time without caring about money.”

“Very well, I will have Background Inc. draw up the documents and make you an official vice guild leader and our first co-owner of the FAE workshop.”

“Excellent. Now, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you need four billion credits for?”

“Ah, hmm, promise not to laugh, tell anyone, or pull out of the deal if I tell you?”

“Now I am wondering if I want to know, but yes, I will trust that you will deliver and if you don’t, FAE will be worth enough in ten years that if I sell off my shares, I will make my investment back at least.”

“Well…”

Xeal explained his vision to Geitir as he walked out front where the setup for the tea time was almost complete. When Geitir heard the basics of the plan, he just looked at Xeal and laughed.

“You never think small, that’s for sure. Well, at the very least, this should be entertaining to watch.”

With that taken care of, Xeal bid Geitir farewell and made his way over to the ladies who had already arrived, before enjoying a relaxing tea time. Xeal took note of how Enye and Dyllis had taken to doting on Scicie, who had been staying at Xeal’s mansion under the care of one of his maids who was currently serving tea. The young eagle-girl was shy, but smiled as they talked with her. Xeal also told Mari of the situation with Holly and her guild, to which she requested to go with Xeal when he spoke to her mother. After the tea party was over, Xeal retired to his bed before logging off. Other than a date with Enye and placing a pseudo mark on Bula and Eira that had an image of a crystal in its center instead of ice, the next two sessions were uneventful. They just saw Xeal doing more guild work that had been piling up and working in the royal forging room as reports kept coming in on the integration of Geitir’s guild, Eternal Valhalla, into FAE. Eira had also been absent as she had gone to undertake her tier-5 trial. Xeal had taken note of Midnight looking lonely since she left as well.

(*****)

Evening December 30 to Morning December 31, 2266 & ED year 2 days 136-137.

Alex drove the car while Jessica sat in the passenger seat looking troubled and nervous, after having just been picked up. Alex had told her to wear something that she could move around in, yet was nice. So, she had chosen one of the few nice yet functional dresses she had, and done up her makeup a bit. Alex would be lying if he said she didn’t look pretty. Other than a quick hello and a “you look nice,” not much had been said up to this point, and the awkwardness of the situation was getting to be more than Alex could stand, so he broke the silence about five minutes into the drive.

“You know, I’m not going to begrudge you a bit of conversation, right?”

“Oh, umm, yah, I just don’t know what to say. My feelings are just all over the place right now.”

“So, pick one, or something. You have me for the next few hours. It would be a shame to feel like you didn’t use them to their fullest.”

“Ha, you say that, but we both know how this ends. You will give me a hug and wish me well as you disappear into the horizon. Meanwhile, I will go back to just being Jessica. Now that Nantan is dealing with legal issues and Abysses End should have gotten the message that you are not playing along anymore, I don’t even have that excuse to be near you.”

“It sounds like you feel that after tonight I will want you as far away from me as possible.”

“Oh, is that not the case?”

“Jessica, while I want you to give up on me romantically, I don’t want you to disappear. You are important to Anna, even if she has been hard on you lately.”

“Oh, yah, she has been getting better, and I don’t blame her for holding my actions against me. Still, she and your parents have been great at giving me the support I need while I figure myself out. Especially the last couple of weeks with all of the Nantan stuff that went down.”

Alex pursed his lips as he thought about how everything had gone post arrest for Nantan. After the initial night where all of their statements were taken and an initial investigation had been launched, Nantan was out on bail. He may have been prohibited from being in the area, but he was also not allowed to stray too far. From what Alex knew, he was staying at Abysses End’s LA branch for the duration of the proceedings, which looked like they would be drawn out into a matter of years, unless a quiet settlement was reached beforehand. Either way, unless Abysses End decided that they were going to abandon him to save their image, he would get a year at most for his role in everything. His probation may last up to a decade, but that would only be a minor inconvenience for him. Still, it would keep him out of Alex’s hair.

“Let’s talk about something other than Abysses End. How about what you have been up to in ED instead.”

“Alright. Last night…”

The remainder of the car ride passed as they chatted about how Jessica had taken on a quest to find a lost cat, only to find out the cat was really a lion. It had been a weird quest, but she and Lauren had enjoyed it all the same.

When they arrived at their destination, Alex smiled as Jessica realized what he had planned for the night. They were at a dance hall that was doing a swing dance night and she lit up before putting on a troubled face and turning to Alex.

“Alex, are you sure that this is the best idea? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am happy to dance the night away with you, it’s just well, you know.”

“It’s just that you will be in contact with me all night. Jessica, tonight is about closure. At the same time, I intend to make sure you have fun. Besides, we won’t be doing anything we haven’t done a few times in our morning lessons. Now let’s just enjoy the next hour and work up an appetite while we are at it.”

“Alright.”

For about an hour, Alex and Jessica danced on a floor with about 30 other couples who had come out for the night. The smile on Jessica’s face was infectious as she happily danced with Alex while holding nothing in reserve. By the time they left to go get some food, Jessica was all giggles that turned to sighs on the drive. For dinner, Alex had decided to go with a casual place as everything else was busy the Sunday night before New Year's Eve. Still, the place he had chosen had a nice walking area nearby, that after eating a hamburger and some fries each, they got some soft serve ice cream to enjoy while they walked together to end the night. Alex could tell Jessica was trying to extend every moment as the end drew closer, so he decided it was time to bring things to a close.

“Jessica, tonight was fun.”

“But now it’s over and my few hours of pretending that I had you is over. Huh, it hurts, but I am happy to have felt this before you left. Now, at least, I have something to get over.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, Dr. Blythe is actually going to hold a special appointment with me tomorrow to work through everything I am feeling after this. Honestly, for a moment I had hoped that you were feeling what I am right now and that this wouldn’t end, but simply pause, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think we would ever work out as a couple. It would turn into a situation where I would be too busy to be there in your moments of need. Some guy is going to be lucky when they find you and I am sure that you will feel stronger once they do than you do now.”

“Yah, alright, let’s get this over with. Just please wait until you drop me off at your parents’ house before slamming the door.”

“I see Anna has been ranting about me.”

“Yah, she is convinced that Ava and Mia will be pregnant before June.”

“Honestly, I’m scared that she is right. I wish I could find a nice guy to set them up with. Who knows, maybe I will find one in Colorado.”

Jessica let out a small laugh as she put on a smile as they got into the car. It was just after eight when they arrived at Alex’s parents’ house. They got out and he started to walk her to the door and about half way there, he stopped and pulled her into a gentle hug, before speaking.

“Jessica, tonight was great, but I just don’t feel the way you do. Somewhere out there, a guy who is perfect for you is waiting. If I let you in, you would always be the other woman and you deserve better than that.”

Jessica was holding back tears as she responded to Alex.

“Alex, I know you’re right and that this is for the best and I will work to get over you and be ready for when that guy arrives, but this still hurts. I know it’s terrible of me to say this, but I would have been happy to be your other woman because it would still mean I am your woman. Still, thank you for being there for me, even after I was such an idiot.”

By the time Jessica finished speaking, she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore and Alex was lost on what to do when she surprised him with a quick kiss on the lips that was little more than a quick peck. With a sigh, Jessica broke the hug and took a step back, before leaving Alex with a few last parting words.

“Sorry, but I really wanted to have at least one kiss to remember you by.”

With that, she turned and walked away while working to dry her tears and Alex just watched, knowing that doing anything else at this point would just complicate things moving forward. When Alex made it back to the apartment at about 20 after 8:00, Sam and Nicole had both already logged in for the night and Alex followed suit.

(*****)

That session started with taking Lingxin out on a date, which he found to be awkward after the evening with Jessica. Still, like she knew exactly what he needed, all Lingxin did was smile as she coaxed Xeal to talk about it and comforted him in the process. When Xeal had apologized for ruining their date, she just smiled as she responded to him.

“Xeal, you may feel like this has ruined our date, but for me it just makes me feel needed to you. You know I have my heart set on you and I know I am not alone, so for me I often worry about if you need me. So, when you share your troubles and let me in to help, it makes me feel like I have a place to be needed in your life. If my few hours alone with you every 18 days is spent just feeling needed by you, it is enough for me.”

“I don’t deserve you, let alone the rest of the ladies in my life.”

“That may be how you feel, but I am sure we feel the same about you at times. Now, let’s just enjoy the moment.”

Xeal allowed himself to smile as he just enjoyed sitting and talking with Lingxin for a few more hours before bidding her farewell for the night. After the date, he moved his focus to making sure everything would be fine for his guild with most of the vice guild leaders and himself taking the whole day off to move tomorrow.

(*****)

Alex awoke on the morning of the 31st and wasted no time in getting ready and placing the last few items into his suitcase. As he, Sam and Nicole walked out of the apartment for the last time, Ava and Mia joined them as they stepped out to the parking lot. His parents were standing by the car that they had been using for the past few months and Alex went up to them, giving them hugs as he said his goodbyes, while handing over the keys to them for both the apartment and the car. As he stepped back, all four girls moved forward to do much the same as he had, just as a shuttle bus arrived with everyone else already in it and ready to go to the airport, where a charter plane that Alex had Background Inc. set up was waiting for them. Today would be the start of the next chapter of his life this time around and he was excited to start it.

Thanks!

Thank you to all of my patrons on Patreon, especially my knight-tier patrons Ottojanius, Jim Hall, Benjamin Griner, Rowan, Carl Benge, Clayton Flores, Nathan Ross, Timelesschief, Christof Köberlein, Benjamin Grey, Casey, Daniel Sifrit, Fiedems, Michael Jackson, Tim Bartlett, Jeffrey Iverson, Jacob Shaw, David Peers, Kyle J Smith, Roman Smith, Derek Morgan, William J Dinwiddie II, wayne lyons, Rick White, Ryan Harrington, Lokii, Andrew Stueve, Michael Mitchell, Stefan Zimmermann, Grantland Case, Francisco Brito, Peter Barton, Scyfe, Kore Rahl, Joel Stapleton, Lazai, Richard Schlak, Bret Haggar, Rodger Maynard, Shard73, Bodybags87, Blackpan2, Strange Loop Sleuth, Thomas Watret Adamantine and Daniel Washburn.

Preview.

December 31, 2266.

Alex stood next to Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia as the shuttle bus carrying Fred, Dan and Amanda pulled into the parking lot. This was it. In a moment they would be on their way to a whole new way of life in Colorado. Alex’s parents had just received the keys to the car he had been using and both his and the twins’ apartments. They would also be handling the movers who would be showing up in a few weeks to pack up the few things that everyone had left behind. As the shuttle stopped and opened its doors, Mrs. Bell pulled Alex in for another hug.

“You better keep us in the loop and take care of yourselves out there. or I’ll have to come out there early,” warned Mrs. Bell, while holding back a few tears.

“Mom, we will be fine, but you are welcome to come out after your next OB-GYN appointment. I will just worry about how Dad and Anna will eat once you’re gone.”

“Son, your sister and I know how to cook,” quipped Mr. Bell.

“Yah, but would you take the time to, or would you live off take-out?” shot back Alex.

“You’re one to talk. From what I know, you three have been doing a lot of that yourself.”

“Enough, you two! Alex, your dad and Anna would be fine. If anything, Jessica would start cooking for them if I came up early. Now let’s just enjoy the last bit we have before Alex and the girls are gone,” interjected Mrs. Bell.

Mr. Bell pulled Mrs. Bell to his side and put his arm around her as they both said another round of goodbyes, before the five of them got onto the shuttle. It had 12 luxury seats divided by a small offset aisle, with two seats on one side and one on the other for a total of four rows of seats. The other three had already taken the first row, with Amanda and Fred on one side and Dan across from them. After some greetings and jokes, Alex sat behind Dan as Nicole and Sam took the other side from him with the twins behind them. With one last look at his parents, Alex watched as they drove away from the town he grew up in. He found that his feelings this time were much different from the last time as he wasn’t bitter and worn down by life anymore and he wasn’t leaving to live somewhere simply so he could survive off his meager earnings. No, he was moving to truly establish himself and his guild and build a brighter future.

“So, is anyone else looking forward to seeing our new place?” asked Dan.

“What are you talking about? The twins took your room. You’re either going to be on the couch, or in some box of an apartment that still uses physical screens to watch everything,” quipped Fred.

“You would be right there with me if they did.”

“Nah, I would let him beg his way into my room,” teased Amanda.

“Is that what you call it? Interesting, we just call it sex,” interjected Sam. “Besides, Alex probably got separate places for all of us. After all, do you all really want to live with two newborns?”

“Sam, yours and Nicole’s newborns, absolutely. Anyone else’s might be a different story. I mean, you won’t kick me out if I decide to have a baby, right?” responded Amanda.

“You girls are crazy. Hey Alex, a crappy apartment is starting to sound better than living in baby fever hotel,” retorted Dan. “I mean, if you put Fred and Amanda under the same roof it’s bound to happen.”

“Shut it. Unlike someone, I actually wrap it,” shot back Fred while looking nervous.

“Aww,” cut in Mia.

“Is Fred afraid of becoming a daddy?” teased Ava.

“Nope, not listening, lalalala…” Fred put his fingers in his ears as he kept saying lalalala.

“Look what you made him do.” Mia laughed.

“Honestly, you would think that someone was telling him a horror story,” retorted Ava.

“Oh, to him you are. I might have feelings and even want kids with him at some point, but even I know he’s not ready,” sighed Amanda.

“Fred, you can stop,” called Nicole as she waved her hand in front of his face.

“Are they done?” asked Fred cautiously.

“Yes, Ava and Mia are done talking about how we all can’t wait to see you and Amanda settle down and give Sam’s and my child a friend to grow up with,” supplied Nicole with a grin.

Fred was about to put his fingers back in his ears when Amanda stopped him.

“Fred, have I done anything that makes you think I actually want a kid right now?”

“Um, no.”

“Then stop worrying. After all, when I want one you will give me one, won’t you?”

Alex saved Fred from answering as he laughed and looked at Fred, before adding his opinion to the mix.

“Fred, just smile and nod, and accept that by this time next year, you will probably know how I feel right now, at least in part.”

“Yep, a crappy apartment sounds great right about now,” quipped Dan.

“Oh, hush it. You’re talking with my sister about seriously dating once she turns 18 in a few years. If you think you’re not going to be getting this, but way worse if you two get serious, you are in denial,” returned Alex. “Besides, I set up a room especially for you. I think Anna will love it when she visits this summer.”

Dan could be heard taking an audible gulp as he looked at Alex, and Fred broke out laughing. It wasn’t long before the conversation turned to other topics surrounding the move as they made their way to the airport. When they arrived at the airport, the shuttle drove them directly to the tarmac where the private jet was awaiting them. As the eight of them stepped out of the shuttle, they were greeted by the pilot and three flight attendants, who would be taking care of their inflight needs.

“Greetings. I am Captain Margaret Brewys and I will be your pilot today. This is my husband Nathan, who will be the head steward and emergency pilot, and our daughters, Rose and Elizabeth. The four of us will be taking care of you today and thank you for booking with Brewys Air.”

Alex smiled at the middle-aged couple and their two teenage daughters who looked like they belonged in high school, or college. Both had their mother’s auburn hair instead of their father’s blond and they looked surprised to see that all eight of their passengers were around their age.

“Captain Brewys, it’s good to meet you. I am Alex and these are my friends…”

After quick introductions were over, Rose and Elizabeth guided them on board while Nathan loaded the luggage. When they entered, they found the main cabin had 20 luxury seats and just past it were four private rooms that were set up for sleeping if the passengers so wished. Past those rooms was a crew-only area that Alex suspected was their personal rooms that they lived in while working.

“So, Alex, are you really the one who booked us?” asked Elizabeth.

“No, I used a middle man, but I am the one paying if that is what you are asking.”

“Seriously, you and your friends don’t seem the type who normally books us, let alone all of the flights your group has lined up over the next month,” responded Rose.

“That’s because we are not,” interjected Mia.

“Yeah, Alex here is still getting used to running his workshop,” added Ava.

“Wait, you aren’t talking about a gaming workshop for Eternal Dominion, are you?” asked Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth, you know the rules. We don’t ask customers how they earn a living,” chided Rose.

“Sorry, I am a bit curious about you all as usually when we fly a bunch of people around our age, they are well…”

“Stuck up and look at you like you are dirt,” supplied Alex.

“Um, I didn’t say that, but let’s just say that they wouldn’t have taken the time to actually introduce themselves like you did.”

“Elizabeth, you’re tiptoeing close to the line. We don’t want Alex or his friends to think we speak ill of our customers.”

Alex just chuckled softly at the sisters’ banter, as everyone except Ava and Mia, who were staying next to Alex, found seats. Sam and Nicole left a spot for him between them along the right side of the plane.

“Well, anyways, make sure you are all buckled and facing forward when we take off. It should be about two and a half hours once we are airborne,” informed Elizabeth.

“We will be around to serve you once we reach altitude, until it is time for descent,” added Rose.

As the pair walked away, Ava and Mia smiled while they turned to take their seats as Alex joined Sam and Nicole. 30 minutes later, they were just about to take off as Alex took note of the roar of the engines when they came to life as the plane shot down the runway and took off into the sky. He couldn’t help but smile at the feeling of a fuel-injected engine. The plane was the only place most people ever experienced the sound and feeling of an engine roaring as only a rich collector would own anything that still ran on a liquid fuel. Several attempts to change that had been made, but in the end, jets still needed jet fuel as every alternative proved to have a major flaw that could not be overcome. Several had shown promise over the years, but when dealing with something 10,000 feet or more in the air, even minor setbacks, from reliability and safety issues, would almost kill those projects. There were still those working to overcome the issue and perhaps one day a battery light enough that could be mass produced at a reasonable price would be invented. As Alex was thinking about this, they had taken off and while they were still ascending, their backs were no longer stuck to their seats.

Afterword

Well, another month has come and gone and I am once again here to say thank you for reading my story. I hope you all enjoyed the last book before Alex and crew move to Colorado and the surprises that come with said move. As I write this, book 7 has been out for just under a week and I am happy to see that it is being received well, for the most part. Yes, I know that I keep adding to Alex’s plate with one lady after another and that it is not realistic and I don’t intend for it to be entirely so. I will say that there is a limit to what I have intended for poor Alex/Xeal and no, it is not 19, nor has he reached it quite yet. That is all I will say on that point and I hope that this novel has laid to rest the notion that Jessica was ever going to find her way in to Alex’s life intimately. Also, I hope you all enjoyed the end of Nantan and Alex acting like they were anything but sworn enemies.

In other news, my audio books are being recorded and well on their way to being out for all of you to enjoy. I am excited myself to discover what they sound like, though at the same time it is honestly nerve-racking and weird to know that something I wrote will be turned into an audio book. I know that the team at Soundbooth Theater are awesome and will be putting out an amazing product. I honestly feel amazed that I get to work with them and hope that the first eight do well enough that they want to keep working on the next eight, as this is the last book that is under contract with them currently. Honestly, I think that it will be fine either way as when I first put these out, I never dreamed of putting them on audio. Finally, I just want to thank the lead narrator, Zachary Johnson, and Annie Ellicott, who is handling all the ladies in my story, for all of their work. So, thank you. I couldn’t ask for a better duo to have working to bring my story to life.

As always, if you feel I have forgotten something, feel free to reach out to me on Facebook through my page, or join my group. I am only one person and sending a message to my Facebook author page is the fastest way to get me to see it as I don’t get alerts on my personal page when non-friends message me for the first time. That said, I will not answer personal questions, like where I live, even in a general fashion. Please keep it to my story, or my writing process.

If you would like a weekly extra that focuses on looking at the supporting cast and is not plot necessary but is canon, I publish shorts on my Patreon. The first several of which are currently available to my $1 patrons, who will get another one every four weeks, while my $5 patrons get one each week. If you want to see what these are like, I have put a few up on my Facebook group as well now. I also now have a $5.50 tier for those who want to read the first 5 to 7 thousand words of the next book a week or so early, as that is when I have it back from the copy editor. Some may ask why the extra 50 cents and to that I give two reasons.  I have had some patrons tell me that they don’t want the extended preview and it lets them ignore it, Also it allows me to see just how much demand there is for extended previews.

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Thank you again for reading my story and I hope you return for the next installment of Alex’s tale. If you enjoy LitRPG and GameLit books, check out the following Facebook groups. Both are great and have helped me get my stories out to you!

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