Date: 2022-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Eternal Dominion Book 7

Ententes

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

In review.

Evening November 18, 2266.

ED year 2 days 22-23.

Morning November 23, 2266.

ED year 2 days 24-25.

Evening November 23, 2266.

ED year 2 days 25-26.

Morning November 24 to Evening November 25, 2266 & ED year 2 days 27-32.

Morning November 26, 2266.

ED year 2 days 33-34.

Evening November 26 to Morning November 28, 2266 & ED year 2 days 34-38.

ED year 2 days 39-40.

Evening November 28, 2266.

ED year 2 days 40-41.

Morning November 29, 2266.

Evening November 29, 2266 & ED year 2 days 42-46.

Morning November 30 to Morning December 1, 2266 & ED year 2 days 46-49.

Evening December 1, 2266.

ED year 2 days 49-52.

Evening December 2 to Morning December 3, 2266 & ED year 2 days 52-55.

Evening December 3, 2266.

Morning December 4 to Morning December 8, 2266 & ED year 2 days 55-70.

Evening December 8, 2266.

Morning December 9, 2266 & ED year 2 days 70-73.

Evening December 9, 2266.

ED year 2 days 73-74.

Thanks!

Preview.

Afterword

In review.

The following is simply meant to help refresh readers on some of the key points from the previous books in the series. Many important details will be left out and to get them you should read the full story. I like to do this every time three books can be added, so 4, 7, 10 and so on.

Book 1: Restart

Alex/Xeal finds himself waking up 20 years in the past after logging into Eternal Dominion (ED) to delete his character. As he looks at his 18-year-old self just hours from the launch of Eternal Dominion in his new life, he decided to make sure things are different this time around.

He is joined by his friends in Eternal Dominion as they fight to earn their place in a world that will represent much of the world’s economy in the near future. His friends are as follows:

Dan, Ignis in Eternal Dominion, a mage who wants nothing more than to enjoy throwing fireballs;

Fred, Amet in Eternal Dominion, a warrior that wants to be in the thick of things;

Amanda, Clara in Eternal Dominion, a holy champion who refuses to just sit back and heal;

Samantha, Gale in Eternal Dominion, a cleric who is just looking to have fun;

Nicole, Aalin in Eternal Dominion, an arcane caster who prefers a good mix of offense and defense and is just happy to be with her friends.

The six of them work together as Alex/Xeal uses his knowledge from his last life to ensure that they have the best start possible. This included acquiring the “first guild” bonus for his guild Free Art Expo (FAE) that is coveted by many as it gives his guild 1.5 times the normal member cap at each level.

Book 2: Traction

After reaching tier 3, Alex/Xeal continues to build up the foundations that will ensure his guild’s long-term success as complications come into play. Through the meddling of his younger sister, Alex ends up in a complicated relationship with Sam and Nicole, who have been best friends since early childhood, as they attempt to share him rather than fight over him, or wait for him to decide between them.

In Eternal Dominion, the Abysses End guild, who were the top dogs from Alex’s/Xeal’s last life, have decided to take action to seize the first guild bonus from FAE by force. FAE is faced with a battle on four fronts at once and must resolve each at the same time, or risk a prolonged engagement that could see his guild’s growth stagnate. Outnumbered but with the level advantage, FAE weathers the storm as they remove the roots of the issue while sending a message to Abysses End and every other major workshop that FAE will not go down without a fight.

Book 3: Concessions:

With the storm caused by Abysses End weathered, a quiet few weeks in ED has passed and Alex/Xeal is ready to challenge his tier 4 challenge and reach the capital of Nium. There he has a meeting with Prince Victor. However, somehow along the way Xeal found himself unofficially courting two noble ladies, Lady Dyllis, the daughter of the local viscount of the city Xeal took his tier 4 challenge in, and Prince Victor’s younger sister, Princess Enye. Sam/Gale and Nicole/Aalin are accepting of it due to the political nature of the situation so long as they are not pushed to the side and a budding friendship is formed between the four of them.

In reality, Alex finds himself dealing with a surprise visit from Abysses End (Nantan) and decided to play up the philanderer angle that having two girlfriends naturally causes. His hope is to manipulate how Abysses End targets him assuming that Sam and Nicole will keep the worst at bay while he buys time with the act. This of course leads to the plan almost completely backfiring when one of his sister’s best friends, Jessica, ambushes him at Nantan’s encouragement. Alex finds himself torn on how to handle the situation and in the end decides to have her seek out help from a psychologist. The catch is he has to promise her a date if she still wants one after she completes her last year of school in June. Alex hopes that with help she can move past him as he tries to flip her to help him work against Abysses End. Even so, Alex knows his plan has failed as neither Nicole or Sam could play the hypocrite he needed for it and with a visit from Abysses End’s junior members upcoming, he knows he needs a new plan yesterday.

Book 4: Assertions:

Book 4 opens with Alex and Sam on a date in a nice car that ends with him accepting his feelings for her and fully embracing the fact that there is no turning back. This is followed by Alex officially moving in with Sam and Nicole as Amanda moves out to avoid another Jessica (who is now in therapy) from happening. Alex’s father officially retires from his job to pursue a life in ED as a crafter. Meanwhile in ED, Xeal completes the first quest that Prince Victor had given him and with it officially becomes a noble as his courtship of Dyllis becomes official at a party held by Prince Victor. At the same time it seems that his unofficial courtship of Princess Enye has been deduced by the single house that she wishes to avoid, the Mercer House. Xeal dances with one lady after another as he works to avoid adding any more ladies to his arm. Xeal finds himself having to turn one rather pushy lady away and another gives him a quest.

After dealing with the nobles at the party, it is time to deal with the guild leaders of the other guilds in Nium as he hosts a gathering for them as they reach tier-4. There friendships and rivalries begin to form as various lines are drawn. Once the party is done, it is time for a major guild expedition to unlock the city of Autumndale to be undertaken. Along the way it is time to face off with a few boss-level monsters while Abysses End comes knocking for a supposedly friendly visit. With them come Ava and Mia Quinn, with their red hair and forward approach as they work to add themselves to his love life. Alex calls Nantan out over it as Sam and Nicole make a deal with them. As things close, the city is unlocked and a pair of flirtatious identical twins decides to stay behind.

Book 5: Interference:

After an awkward run where Alex had to explain why Ava and Mia are still there, he gets them settled in a hotel for the time being. However, when he goes to pick them up from said hotel, he finds them being harassed by four men. Things happen and Alex restrains one of the four men when they attack him as police arrive. Meanwhile in ED, Xeal is focused on completing the second task that Prince Victor has set for him, but is called away when his guild’s weaker members find themselves being targeted. Seeing these attacks for what they are, Xeal decides to turn an assault into a chance to do some recruitment. After cleaning up that mess, Xeal completes the second task, picking up a dark elf follower along the way before returning to dealing with the other guilds who wish to cause his to stagnate. They hoped to cause FAE to end up isolated and alone. To do this they are targeting any guild that is on friendly terms with them. This includes Rising Oblivion and their guild leader, Friva Doomcutter, who knows that she has no path forward and decides to deal the other Red Crushers and Templar Fall a major blow on her way out.

Meanwhile, FAE completes their guild’s headquarters in ED and Xeal is made a viscount while Aalin and Gale become baronesses and their relations with Xeal are allowed to be public once more. While in reality an attack on the group while exercising prompts Alex to shift their morning routine to indoor activities. They take up kendo, aikido and swing dancing while the police move forward with their investigation. Back in ED, Xeal toys with his opponents as he leads them by the nose and they find themselves trapped. All of them but Hugo Mercer see the writing on the wall as he forces them to proceed. In the end, a deal is struck and Hugo Mercer takes the fall as Red Crushers and Templar Fall swallow a bitter lesson. Sam and Nicole learn that they are indeed pregnant.

Book 6: Resolve:

After Hugo Mercer’s fate is sealed at a trial where his own father refused to defend him, it is time to handle the rest of the aftermath of the plan Xeal and Friva came up with as she joins FAE. With that taken care of, it is time for Xeal to return to completing the tasks that Prince Victor has for him as he continues to focus on increasing his leveling pace as he races for tier-5. Along the way, his courtship with Princess Enye becomes official and it is announced that Prince Victor will assume the throne in a year’s time.

In reality, the trial for the four idiots who tried to assault Alex takes place and he attempts to end things with the twins, but only partially succeeds as they agree to take a step back upon learning that Sam and Nicole are pregnant.

Back in ED, Xeal travels to an orc village where he finds himself forced to prove himself before having to confront his own past in its entirety, stirring up feelings he had been suppressing. After meeting with the orc seer and the chief, he finds himself with another follower who is both the chief’s daughter, and the apprentice to the seer Bula. After mediating a summit between the Chief Xuk and Prince Victor successfully, Xeal undertook and completed his tier-5 trial.

Closing on Alex, Sam and Nicole informing their families that both girls are pregnant, only for Alex’s mom to have a bit of news of her own.

Evening November 18, 2266.

“Oh, um yes, it’s just that, so am I.”

Alex tried to process what his mom had just said, but it just didn’t compute, so in a daze he spoke.

“Mom, so you are what?”

“Alex, um, well, you’re going to have another sibling.”

“Um, okay, wow, so yah.”

All that Alex could muster as a response was a bunch of filler words. He had been prepared for anything, from excitement to being told off for being so irresponsible. Not this, and as he scanned the room, he could tell he wasn’t alone. Mrs. Carter looked shocked with her hand over her mouth while the look on Mr. Carter looked like he was afraid it was contagious. Both Mr. & Mrs. Jun had shifted from what Alex had expected would become a tirade to looks of disbelief, while Alex’s dad just looked sheepish in front of the looks he was getting. It was Sam and Nicole who broke everyone out of their frozen states when they both moved in and hugged Mrs. Bell.

“Oh, my goodness, our little ones are going to have an aunt or uncle to play with growing up,” gushed Sam.

“Yep, you are going to move to Colorado before your due date, right?” confirmed Nicole.

“Girls, there is a lot to figure out. Besides, I feel like I just stole your stage, sorry.”

“Mom, you don’t mind me calling you that right?”

“Sam, you and Nicole are carrying my grandkids. As far as I am concerned that makes you my daughters.”

Alex watched as all of this went down and finally just smiled and pulled his mom into a hug.

“Thanks, Mom, and congrats.”

“Thanks, Alex, but don’t think you’ve avoided talking about getting them both pregnant. Even if I am looking forward to the babies, you still have some explaining to do.”

“I know.”

“Good, now go give Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Jun hugs.”

With that Alex, Sam and Nicole approached Mrs. Carter and were instantly pulled into hugs.

“I knew it, I’m going to be a grandma. Now, Nicole, know that I am going to treat yours the same as Sam’s. As far as I care they are both my grandkids and you can call me Mom too if you want. I am so excited! I can’t wait to take you both shopping for baby clothes. This is going to be so much fun!”

Sam looked like she wanted to run away as her mom gushed over becoming a grandma, like Christmas had come early. Nicole looked a little overwhelmed at the outpouring of affection coming from Mrs. Carter. Meanwhile, Alex could see the complicated emotions that the Juns were experiencing while they waited for Mrs. Carter to finish as they knew that they were next. Alex’s dad and Mr. Carter came over to him and congratulated him awkwardly as both didn’t know what to say as the situation had caught them completely off guard. Finally, Mrs. Carter settled down and turned both Sam and Nicole towards Mrs. Jun who looked like she was on the verge of tears as Alex, Nicole and Sam approached.

“Is this why you wanted us here tonight, Nicole?”

“Mom, as much as you and I are at odds right now and I felt like not telling you until after you were already a grandma, I felt that I needed to try and include you. Make no mistake, I am my own person. The girl who did as she is told and never breaks the rules is gone. The only one who runs my life is me and maybe Alex on occasion.”

“I see, um, well, I don’t know what to say… Alex, if you hurt her, I am going to make your life a living hell. You took my daughter from me, now you have to take responsibility.”

Nicole smiled as she could tell that took a lot of self-control from her mom and Alex knew just how vicious Mrs. Jun could get from his last life. The fact that she was staying civil was a good sign for the time being. Still, the lack of a hug told Alex that she wasn’t ready to be happy about it. Going by his experience, he would say Mrs. Jun was somewhere between wanting to launch into a lecture on how irresponsible they were and simply denigrate Alex without any concern for reality. The bright spot for Alex was the fact that she wasn’t doing either meant there was still hope. As things started to turn extremely awkward as both sides were just standing there, Alex’s mom came to the rescue.

“Alright, we need to get back to work. I know everyone has a lot to process and once everyone out there is fed, we can dive back into this, but for now, let’s just get through dinner.”

With that everyone went back to work, though it was a much different atmosphere than when Alex had come in. Where it had been a room full of hustle and bustle before, now the room was a mix of tentative excitement and lingering concerns. Still, Alex was just happy that the Juns had stayed measured in their response as he knew that they didn’t care about causing a scene at his expense during his last life.

As Alex, Sam and Nicole returned to the banquet hall, he quickly found the room as lively as when he had left. As he looked around, he had to hold back a laugh as he noticed his cousin, Jack, who was the same age as Anna, trying to chat up an annoyed Ava and Mia. He found Jessica with Anna as they chatted with another of their cousins and Nicole’s 14-year-old sister Alyssa. As he took in everyone in the room, Alex smiled, as while he knew his mom might have gone a bit far with everyone she invited on Alex’s tab, it was still nice to see everyone like this. Especially, as to him, it had been over a decade since he had seen most of them.

While Alex was lost in the emotions and memories that seeing so many faces that he had all but forgotten in his last life brought to him, the feast started making its way out of the kitchen. His parents, all six of them as he thought about it, were pushing carts containing enough food to feed a small army of people. When it was all laid out on the serving tables off to the sides of the room, Alex could only smile at the four turkeys, eight ducks and four hams that had been cut up, sitting next to the mountain of mashed potatoes, with turkey gravy and butter set right next to it. Then you had the half dozen choices for vegetables, from green beans cooked with bacon, to collard greens, or salad with all the fixings. Add the various sides, from cranberry sauce to the rolls, and you had one amazing spread that had been split evenly between the two sides of the room so four lines could be formed to get food. Alex could tell that all three families had contributed to the menu as he knew duck was the normal fare at the Juns’ for Thanksgiving and he could see sides that he had enjoyed from both his and Nicole’s families laid out, as well as ones which he hadn’t seen at either, which he assumed were from Sam’s family. As the adults in the room kept the kids and teenagers from rushing the tables, Mr. & Mrs. Bell made their way to the front center where Mr. Bell got everyone’s attention before speaking.

“Well, we managed to not burn the turkey or anything else. As you all know, today is about being thankful and being with family. As you all also know, my son Alex wanted to have a joint event for all three of our families due to his plans of moving away after next month. Now before we all dig into this food that he has paid for and the six of us worked to prepare, I feel it only right that I put him on the spot and make him say something to everyone.”

Alex wanted to punch his father as he worked to keep his emotions in check as the spotlight shifted to him. Taking a second to compose himself, Alex walked with Sam and Nicole to where his parents waited for him. After exchanging a glance with Sam and Nicole, Alex knew what he wanted to say even if it would cause a few issues.

“Well, I can honestly say that I have been put on the spot. As most of you know, I have been absorbed into Eternal Dominion over the past few months. I have been far luckier than any other since its launch. I have built myself a future with that luck and managed to secure two of the most wonderful women in the world who stand next to me now. For better or for worse, I now consider Nicole’s and Samantha’s families my own. I know it is a bit unconventional and some of you may disagree with it, but it is a bit late for us to turn back now. As I stand here thinking of the things that I am thankful for, family sits at the very top, to include my two babies that are on their way!”

Alex watched as silence over took the room, save for the kids who took advantage of the distraction to make their way to the food. As Alex’s words processed in everyone’s minds, Sam and Nicole looked at him with a pair of looks that said, well, here it comes. Alex caught a glimpse of Anna with a look of utter shock on her face before he lost her in the sea of people headed his way. It was Alex’s Grandma Evans that was the first to move as she shuffled up to Alex, Sam and Nicole, pulling them each into a hug as she cooed over the girls, instantly ignoring any personal space by rubbing each of their bellies. Once everyone watched this, it was like a dam bursting as the room exploded with chatter as more family started to approach, led by all three of their grandparents. All of Alex’s grandparents congratulated them, though they did give him a bit of grief over rushing into things, in a gentle way. Sam’s grandparents were much the same, with her mom’s mom giddy over becoming a great-grandma. The common feel Alex got from them was disbelief as they hadn’t thought Sam was the type to want kids. When Nicole’s grandparents came forward, they were much more measured in their response. They did hug and congratulate them, but Alex could feel a fair bit of judgment being sent his way. The smile Alex returned confidently was enough to keep any comments at bay, for the time being at least.

The banquet had turned into a mix of people congratulating Alex, Sam and Nicole, and getting food before sitting down to eat. The room was full of chatter as the crowd finally cleared from around Alex, and his mom and dad came up to him.

“Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag. Really though, do you think it was a good idea to tell them all like that?”

“Dad, it will be fine. Now they can all talk about it and we can avoid the worse topics like sports and politics. Besides, this way they know that I am not hiding it and am not afraid to face them even if they disagree.”

“I take it you’re speaking about a few individuals in particular?”

“Mr. Bell, my family can be a bit intense beyond just my parents.”

“Nicole, it’s Dad, or Father, for you and Sam now. As Alex said, it’s a bit too late to turn back now as you have decided that you want to have our grandkid, and don’t worry, we all have a few intense members of our families. My sister is going to have a field day with me after tonight, especially once she finds out you two aren’t the only ones expecting.”

Alex just shook his head as he thought about what having another sibling would mean for him, especially one the same age as his own kids. Still, he couldn’t help but smile at the situation as he spoke his next words.

“Mom, how are you handling everything?”

“I’ll be just fine. I am more worried about Sam and Nicole moving out of state and having a kid so quickly. It’s just going to be the six of you out there. I’m concerned about the isolation you all might feel.”

“Mom, there will be a few other FAE members who will be making the move as well. Even if we haven’t met them in real life yet, they are friends.”

The five of them continued to discuss things for a bit longer before they made their way to one of the serving tables to dish themselves some food. At which point they were separated from Alex’s parents, as Nicole’s Grandma Kye came and insisted that the three of them join her and Nicole’s Grandma Jun at their table. Alex prepared for what he knew would be an interrogation disguised as a pair of concerned grandmothers. When Alex found Mrs. Jun at the table that was all the way off in a corner as well, he prepared for what could be a do or die moment. With a reassuring smile, Alex sat between Sam and Nicole on one side of the table as the other three took the opposite side of the round table set for eight. This left an empty seat between Sam and Nicole and each of Nicole’s grandmas. It was Grandma Jun who opened the dialog.

“Sam, it is good to see you. I hope that you have been well. So please tell me how this came to be.”

Sam took a moment before answering, taking comfort in the hand that Alex was currently holding, before going into the story. She went over how both her and Nicole had taken notice of Alex and at first, they were both waiting to see if he would notice one or the other, before Anna tried to play matchmaker. She left out the complications in ED and emphasized that they had figured it would last a week at most before one or all of them couldn’t handle the situation, but it had just been easy for them. Then things just kind of happened and now they were where they were. Both grandmas asked a few probing questions in a casual manner during Sam’s story, extracting more details. When they were done with her, they moved onto Nicole and asked the same question, but from her perspective, and received a similar story. Then the pair turned their attention to Alex. This time Grandma Kye took the lead.

“Now, Alex, I am well aware that whether we approve of you or not, our granddaughter is set on having your child. With that said, I don’t approve of the order of how this went down, though my daughter and her husband are partially to blame as their actions pushed her out of the house. Now my one question to you is do we need to have any concerns about your ability to ensure Nicole is taken care of and your children are raised appropriately?”

Alex smiled and ensured his posture reflected the confidence he felt as he responded.

“Grandma Kye, you and Grandma Jun have nothing to worry about when it comes to the love and care I will have for Nicole and Sam, as well as the love our children will have. If you are asking if we will raise them the same way Nicole was raised, the answer is no. I am sure Nicole will incorporate aspects of her upbringing that she feels have value, but so will Sam and I. Between the three of us we will likely have to have many discussions in the moment to determine how to proceed in raising our kids. We are well aware that we have a lot of work and growing up to do in the next 7-8 months. I also am well aware that the timing and order of things is bad, but that is life and I choose to embrace the pair of happy little accidents instead of run.”

“Good. Karen, do you have anything to say before we let Alex, Sam and Nicole go back to enjoying themselves?”

Mrs. Jun took a moment before she spoke for the first time since they had sat at the table.

“Nicole, know that I love you and will try to learn to accept this, though it might be a while. Alex, I don’t like you. No amount of money will ever change that, but I suppose it could be worse. Sam, I feel like I should have never let Nicole ever start playing with you. I can’t stop myself from blaming you for this. With all that said, know that I intend to move past my own feelings. All I ask is for time.”

Alex, Nicole and Sam accepted Mrs. Jun’s words for what they were worth, and after finishing the last bits of their food, they all exchanged hugs before leaving the table. When Alex looked around, he had found that almost everyone had finished their food and it had moved into the post dinner break where everyone was playing one of the various party games that had been brought. Alex found Anna off to the side and decided to check in with her before they joined in the fun.

“Anna, are you alright?”

“Ha, yah, I’m going to be an aunt. What could be wrong?”

“Ah, I see our grandparents have already gotten to you.”

“Yep, and they are way too happy about this if you ask me.”

“Yah, they are just excited to get great-grandkids, though you should go talk to Mom and Dad about all of this.”

“Why? So they can tell me that I should just be happy for you?”

“Just trust me, sis, and know as much crap as I give you, I am grateful for you being the brat you were that morning.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me…”

Alex kept talking with Anna for a bit and was able to cheer her up slightly before sending her off to bug Mom and Dad. Alex smiled as the three of them joined Ava and Mia who were playing in a group made up of those between 18 and 23 years old. There were ten of them in this group altogether and they were playing a silly game where you had to play a slogan that went with a picture as they took turns judging them. Two hours and a few pieces of pumpkin pie later, Alex, Sam, Nicole, Ava and Mia were ready to leave. It may have taken them another half hour to cross the room as they were stopped multiple times as they received another round of at times awkward congratulations before they were able to make it out and to the car. Once they were safely seated and Alex pulled out of the parking lot, Ava and Mia couldn’t stop laughing as they chatted about the night. Alex could tell that they had never known much of their family growing up and for them holidays had likely been just them and their grandma. With this thought Alex smiled as he made a decision and reminded Ava and Mia to be ready for him to show up in the capital of the Nuya Empire after they logged in. They were at the top of his list followed by meeting with the leader of Eternal Valhalla in the kingdom of Stisea.

ED year 2 days 22-23.

The first thing that Xeal noticed as he opened his eyes was how much more detail he could pick up in his room. The only light source was from the moon streaming in from the window, yet he could see more than he had been able to when the room was illuminated before. The next moment Xeal registered the scents of the house were far more pronounced as well. As he lay there processing the changes he was experiencing, he found all of his senses had become drastically sharper. Xeal smiled a complicated smile as at the rate things were going, they could be both a blessing and a curse if he couldn’t find a way to modulate them when he needed to. As Xeal looked at the changes breaking the seal on the elder dragon mark had brought about he smiled, as while there were some negatives, overall, they would help him maintain his advantage in Eternal Dominion.

(Elder dragon mark: you have been marked by an elder dragon and your body has begun to integrate with the mark, increasing its sturdiness. Natural armor trait gained: it takes more to wound you now. You still take damage as normal, but debuffs from injury are reduced by 25%. 5% boost to all stats and heightened senses. 2 extra attribute points in MP and 1 extra free attribute point per level. Access to dragonoid skills through class skill points. All levels take 1.5 XP to reach. Lost upon death. Cannot safely log out while marked. As you increase your tiers, you will unlock more benefits. Two seals broken.)

Xeal didn’t like that he had lost half the boost to his attributes, but as he did the math, he found that it was better in the long run. He would be a bit stronger this way when he went for his tier 6 trial, with the extra attribute point he was gaining over having the extra five percent to all his attributes. That was to say nothing about past that point where it would hold the clear advantage in increasing his combat power. The fact that it was a free point was a major boost as it let him tailor his build and possibly even catch up to where he wanted to be. With it he would only be losing one of his normal points each level to charisma to keep it matched to his MP stat. The next thing Xeal did was use 150 of his available 157 class skill points to upgrade dual wielding, elemental blades, double upward and downward slashes, all to level 3 skills. Xeal also picked up a new skill that had only just appeared called dragon guidance that cost 50 class skill points and 2000 MP to activate, but allowed him to ask a simple question and receive a short answer from the dragon who marked him. The skill warned him that the dragon could refuse to respond, but with Durz’s comment about the dragon having a vested interest in Xeal and the time in the mist he felt it would be worth the loss of points to gain it. The fact that the dragon could reach out to him for half the MP cost was also a major plus. Once Xeal finished allocating his free attribute points he decided to try the skill out.

To activate the skill, Xeal had to think of the skill and then ask his question in his mind. If the dragon chose to respond it would do so directly into his mind as well.

“What should I call you?”

Xeal waited for a moment and just as he thought it had failed, he received his answer.

“My name is best left forgotten. You may refer to me as Father if you wish as in this world, I am the closest thing your current form has to one.”

Xeal felt conflicted over an entity that he had barely interacted with telling him to refer to it as father. Xeal could see where it was coming from, but it still felt wrong.

“How about I call you Watcher. Father feels a bit too familiar as we currently are. Perhaps one day, but not now.”

“I see. Very well, I will allow it, young Xeal.”

Xeal exhaled as Watcher accepted his request, as he thought over what two more questions he would ask before he had to let his MP recover.

“Watcher, are you always watching?”

“No, I am always aware of you and can tell when you are in peril, but I am usually only looking in on you a few minutes a day.”

“Watcher, why me?”

At first all Xeal got in response was deep laughter but then Xeal saw another 1000 MP disappear leaving him with less than 1,000 left and he received his response.

“Xeal, fate brought you to me. I simply chose to empower you as my vessel in that world. As you grow my ability to see through you increases. Perhaps one day you will be able to free me to roam the skies once more.”

With that the conversation was over and Xeal had much to think about. Watcher had referred to him as a vessel which made Xeal think that a part of Watcher was within him. As he looked at the elder dragon mark on his chest he noticed that it had changed. It now looked like a dragon’s arm and claw that went from just below his sternum to over his heart. The silvery scales that made up the mark felt smooth and cool to his touch and Xeal wondered just what further changes would occur to it over time. After spending a few minutes looking over the mark, Xeal knew he needed to get going and take care of several things before he met with Prince Victor in the morning. First on that list was to check in at guild headquarters and see how everything had been going.

On Xeal’s way out, Maxwell informed him that Princess Enye and Lady Dyllis would be by for breakfast in the morning to check up on him as they had been worried. He also reminded Xeal that the captain of the royal knights wished to meet with him as he handed Xeal a boxed meal and Xeal noticed Midnight and Bula. Smiling, Xeal knelt and offered Midnight some affection as a system notification popped up.

(Do you wish to bind Midnight the matagot as your companion? Warning, once bound, matagots will only allow you to unbind them once you are close to your natural death. For better or worse you will be stuck with them as they cannot die. You have only one chance to bind Midnight to you. If declined it will be lost forever. Yes or No?)

Xeal took a second to think over the choice he had just been given. He had intended to do a bit more research before binding Midnight to him, but Midnight had decided otherwise. It didn’t take long for Xeal to select yes as Midnight jumped onto his shoulders like they were his new perch. Both Maxwell and Bula gave him a surprised look as he stood back up.

“Well, it looks like Midnight wants to come with me for a while. Maxwell, be sure to still care for him when I am unable to. Bula, you should get some rest as I will be just checking in with my guild and going over reports for a while.”

“It is fine. I still wish to come with you to hear the account of your trial from you before I sleep tonight.”

“Very well.”

Xeal made the short trip to his guild headquarters as Midnight jumped down to walk beside him and Bula followed after him. When he arrived, he was met by Gale, Aalin, Taya and surprisingly, Takeshi. As Xeal took in Takeshi he smiled as he could tell that he had completed his trial as well just from his stance.

“Xeal-san, I must congratulate you. From what I hear, you beat me by just under an hour.”

“Ha, Takeshi-san, how many trapped souls did you free?”

“Ah, you mean those humanoid shadows. I freed the three from my last two sessions after I learned the trick to completely destroying them. How many did you free, Xeal-san?”

“30.”

“30!? Xeal-san, were our trials that different?”

“Not likely. The human tier 5 trial should always be a path. All that should vary is the final hurdle and the difficulty of the foes you face, depending on your class and the difficulty you select. No, Takeshi-san, it is due to me using my dragon’s breath as my finisher on them. Each session one more than the last kept showing up. The last group almost did me in. Still, three is likely more than any of our other members managed, so don’t be too hard on yourself, Takeshi-san.”

“Ha, Xeal-san, all this does is confirm why I was right to join you that day. You have exceeded my expectations since the start.”

“Thank you, Takeshi-san. Now let’s move to a conference room to share our experience in more depth.”

With that Xeal turned to Gale and Aalin, greeting them both with a hug and kiss before they made their way to a free conference room where Gale stole the initiative.

“Alright, before we get started, I have to get one thing off my chest. Xeal, Enye and Dyllis have been bugging Aalin and I for updates on you the past few days. They were worried that something would go wrong during your trial so you better make sure they know you are okay and that you passed your trial first thing in the morning.”

“Gale, they will be over for breakfast. Don’t worry, I am aware that they need a bit of reassuring. Now let’s move on to the debrief.”

“Good. Aalin, the floor is all yours.”

“Thanks, Gale. Alright, before we get your accounts, let’s go over the current situation. Of the 100 members that have now entered the trial, 40 have already failed and are working to recover the lost level before attempting the trial once more. Though, as per your guidance, they will have to go pass a test of facing off against mirror shard shadow warriors and win before they can attempt nightmare again as they only have one more chance. Of the remaining 60 members, ten have made it out successfully. Only you and Takeshi achieved an S or above rank while six managed an A rank and the last two got B rank. We are expecting that the remaining ones who pass will do so with a lower average rank, though we will only know once they finish.”

“Good. Who are the A ranks?”

Aalin went into the details of who had passed and failed so far and Xeal was surprised to find out that none of the players who had passed, or failed, were currently in guild leadership outside Friva, who got an A-rank result. Both Saima and Caleb had gotten A-rank results as well. Xeal smiled as it meant that both would soon be on FAE’s payroll as leaders in the main force. He had been clear that any player who took the nightmare trial and got an S-rank result would be paid like a vice guild leader. An A-rank result would mean you were going to be installed as a leader in FAE’s main force and paid enough that you wouldn’t have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck. B-rank results would earn an almost-permanent position in the main force at a decent wage. All C and below passes would be offered spots in the main force, but they would need to work harder to hold onto them.

Xeal was happy to hear that things had been quiet while he was taking his trial and the next 200 players were ready to go once the current group was done. Xeal and Takeshi both shared their experiences in the trial, including their final hurdle. Everyone had been surprised at Xeal’s vague explanation of facing his older self who targeted all of his doubts. Takeshi shared his final trial that tested his integrity by offering him five skill points for each trapped soul he had if he abandoned them. While it felt simple when Xeal or any other heard it, he knew that many would have taken the deal without batting an eye. Once the brief was done, Xeal moved to an office to continue going over more reports of what had been going on for the last few days until he had a fair idea of the state of everything.

Xeal left his guild headquarters in the cover of a cloak as he made his way to the teleportation hall, quietly transferring to the Nuya empire’s capital where Ava’s and Mia’s characters, Selene and Luna Heartbreaker, were awaiting him. When Xeal exited the teleportation hall in Nuya he took in the scene before him and its differences from Nium. Where Nium existed in a temperate area of Eternal Dominion, Nuya was a desert empire that relied on a single major winding river to support its cities. The rest of its vast lands were reliant on the many small oases that dotted the land and deep wells that had been dug. As a whole the nation was much larger than Nium land-wise, but most of that land was untenable and considered wild lands by players. Population-wise it had around the same as Nium, but far more of it was concentrated in the cities, turning them into flourishing markets for the sale of goods. Even this late at night Xeal could see players and NPCs buying and selling goods and he thought about how he needed to set up a branch in the area to secure the region’s unique goods and unload some of Nium’s unique goods at the same time. Still, that was for another time. Right now, Xeal needed to make his way to the meeting location where Selene and Luna would be waiting for him.

The meeting point was a simple non-descript alley inside the city. Along its sides were a few taverns and other establishments before it transitioned into the slums of the city. Still, Xeal’s stop was only the second tavern in on the right side of the alley, which was like the rest of the city, built out of mud and plaster that was reinforced with wood and stone where needed. The interior of the tavern consisted of a bar and tables made using the same mud and stone as a base, with wood being used only for the eating surface and even then it was thin. Xeal knew that wood was a high-value trade item in this empire and would have loved to sell a few logs if it wasn’t for the fact that they were not storable by players without a caravan or boat. Even if a team of players were to try and carry one through a teleportation gate it would fail as it would be left behind and no gates for a wagon existed. Players and NPCs alike had to take the long way around when transporting furniture larger than a side table, or building materials in any significant amount. Even then quantities that could be brought were too small to be profitable once the cost of teleportation was accounted for. This trip alone would cost Xeal 20 gold by the time he returned to Nium and a whole log of good wood was only worth ten gold on the market here. As Xeal was lost in remembering the solutions to these issues that had brought great profits to several guilds in his last life, he was approached by a pair of twin swordswomen.

“I take it that’s you, Xeal?”

“I didn’t know you had a cat. Where do we get one?”

“Ah, Luna and Selene, I take it. As for Midnight here, he is a bit of a special case.”

“Yep, I’m Luna and she’s Selene.”

“Together we are the Heartbreaker twins.”

“As for Midnight, we will just have to steal you away from Xeal.”

“Yep, you know you would rather be with us as we spoil you.”

Xeal just smiled as the pair took a flirtatious pose as they spoke and he could see that even now they were building the reputation they had had in Xeal’s last life. Were it not for the different-color headbands in their hair, Xeal would be unable to tell them apart by appearance and would have to rely on the minor differences in their voices to tell them apart. Both had short red hair cut in a bob that was longer in the front than the back. They were also both wearing plain clothes that Xeal could tell were all they had left after selling off their gear for gold.

“Okay, let’s go ahead and sit down and go over the details of the contract while we enjoy some refreshments.”

“Do we really need to sign a contract?” asked Luna while batting her eyes.

“Yeah, we both trust you not to screw us over. Can’t you do the same for us?” pushed Selene.

“Everyone in my guild, myself included, has signed a version of the contract that I will be handing you. The only details that are adjusted for any players are pay structure and restrictions on when a player may leave FAE”

The pair pouted a bit more as they read over the contract that Xeal handed them while giving Midnight attention. The contract basically just promised them that their basic living needs would be met and that they would need to pay a severance fee of 10 gold per level to leave FAE with no issues once they restarted. It also contained clauses like they would not spy or try and harm FAE in any fashion, or join an enemy guild once they left, which now included Red Crushers and Templar Fall, alongside Abysses End. When the pair were done, they both looked up and Luna asked the first question.

“You would really void all contracts with two months’ pay if you sold FAE, or it ever merged into another guild?”

“Wouldn’t that tank most of your guild’s value?”

“I am not in this to sell my guild, or hand control of it over one day. The only way FAE will ever leave my hands is violently. That clause is to ensure that the only one who is trapped if that happens is me. It also makes it a far less profitable endeavor for anyone looking to attack us.”

The three of them continued talking for a bit longer before both Luna and Selene signed the contracts. Then Xeal brought out the one for him guaranteeing them that he would return anything they left with him to their new characters, which they tore up and just smiled as they handed him the 1,286 gold that was all that they had. Xeal just smiled as he stored it for them.

“Well, any more questions before you restart?”

“Yeah, will that contract even hold once we restart?” asked Luna.

“It will for the most part, though I will have you both sign again once I meet up with you in a few days at the entrance to Geminate Cove.”

“Oh, are you not going to help us level?”

“Unfortunately, Selene, my schedule is full. I doubt I will even have time to sleep this session with all of the things I need to do before it’s over.”

“Ah, but I was looking forward to seeing you in action.”

“Sister, I am sure Xeal will see us once we reach level 9. I mean, he has to show us where the hidden class is after all.”

“Yep, I will see you in the session after next to take you where you need to go as long as you keep pace. I already have a player waiting to help you level and they will make sure you have the gear you need.”

“Anything we need to be ready for?”

“Yes, should we switch our weapon away from swords?”

“Nah, keep the swords, but change up your looks a bit and pick a new last name. The Heartbreaker twins were what you were in Abysses End. Now you need to decide who you will be in FAE.”

Xeal said the last line as he stood up, not waiting for their response before he and Midnight left. Luna and Selene smiled even though they had wanted to talk a bit more. They spent a few more minutes to finish their last drink as Luna and Selene Heartbreaker. When they remade their characters, they would be Luna and Selene Faefire.

Upon returning to Nium, Xeal made his way back to his guild’s headquarters, hoping that the pair he had requested had arrived. Tokori Outacite and Tharin Chronis were the two that had gotten a B-rank result on the nightmare path and Xeal hoped to turn them into the go-between for Eternal Valhalla if they held up their end of the deal. Xeal was curious to see how the pair had grown as his memory of them when they entered the Kobold mine as team leaders was that of serious hard workers who could be counted on. The fact that they achieved a B rank on their trial was enough to tell Xeal that tier 7 was almost a sure thing for them. When Xeal entered the conference room that they were told to go to, he smiled as he saw Taya chatting happily with the pair who looked like they were ready to do battle.

“Taya, thank you for getting them here for me.”

“Oh, Xeal, you’re back. Did everything go well?”

“Yes. Make sure Ivy knows to keep her eye out for them.”

“Will do. Now, as requested, Tokori and Tharin are here.”

“I can see that. Now, Tharin, Tokori, I hope you both are doing well and I would like to congratulate you on reaching tier 5. Both of you achieved a B-rank result which is a wonderful result. Now I would like to offer you each an updated contract that will officially put you on FAE’s payroll with benefits, once we get them in place.”

It took the pair a moment to register that they had just been offered an official fully paid position in FAE as it meant that Xeal would be officially making them workshop members, not just guild members. Though both of them had concerns, as they hadn’t heard of anyone outside top leadership being offered such spots, it was Tharin who spoke first.

“Guild leader, if I may, why us? We aren’t vice guild leaders or anything special.”

“Oh, that is simple. Any player who achieves a B rank and up on the tier 5 nightmare trial before Christmas will be extended this offer. In just over a month we will be opening locations across the globe. I am going to need to man those locations. Yes, that would mean my hope is that you will move into one of them if you sign. That said, if none of the locations work for you, I will still be signing you as you show enough promise to grow to be an elite player in the long run.”

“Wait, housing is included in this contract? Where do I sign!?”

Xeal had to hold back a laugh at the sudden enthusiasm that Tokori was showing at a place to live.

“Calm yourself. Yes, housing is included, but only for you. If you have any family, it isn’t the best deal. I hope to alleviate that over time, but for now, it is a bunk in a room with two to eight other players, depending on where you end up and where you rank compared to the others. You both are getting in on almost the ground floor, so you are more likely to have a two-man room.”

“I see, but still, that gets me out of my parents’ house, and I will finally have real credits in my back pocket. No offence to how you have been paying us up until now as it made sense and works for those of us with no bills, but it would take eight of us to afford an apartment off it.”

Xeal couldn’t hold back his laugh as he heard Tokori’s response while Tharin just shook his head.

“I’m happy you appreciate the opportunity. Now let’s go over the details as there is much more to make sure you are fine with.”

Xeal pulled out two contracts that he had put together with the assistance of Background Inc. and explained that they would be signing the same contract in reality as well. He went on to explain that they shouldn’t sign them until they had looked through them thoroughly as not everything in them was in their favor. Once Xeal had gotten both of their contact details for reality, he let them know to expect a visit from Background Inc. to finalize everything. Xeal then shifted to the issue with Eternal Valhalla and how he was hoping that the pair of them could handle going to meet their leader for him. Once he had given them a copy of the deal that Geitir had signed and informed them not to expect a warm welcome, he sent them off as he received a report from Taya letting him know the twins were officially in Geminate Cove and in contact with Ivy. Xeal had to shake his head at the last name the twins had chosen as he smiled and looked forward to seeing them in action after he was done. More reports of players passing and failing the nightmare trial kept coming in as Amser achieved the third S rank and two more A-rankers finished. There were also ten more failures, five B-rank results and 12 C-rank completions. That left 20 more yet to finish and FAE had already gotten 30 tier 5 players with far better results than were normal in his last life. Both Clara and Amet were in this group and were the pair of A ranks, leaving just Casmir and Ignis to finish, of guild leadership. With an hour to kill before breakfast was scheduled, Xeal decided he had a good question for Watcher.

“Watcher, do you know where I can find something to guard Enye’s and Dyllis’ lives while I push them to become stronger?”

It was a good ten minutes before Xeal received an answer and he had thought that Watcher was ignoring him and was about to leave when it came.

“Xeal, wishing to guard your mates shows you already have some of my kind’s tendencies. How far are you willing to go to protect their lives?”

“As far as I have to. I already intend to track down as much water from the fountain of youth as I can for them. All I don’t know how to solve is if they are killed suddenly.”

“Good. Would you mark them similarly to the way I have marked you?”

“So long as they were fine with it and it didn’t change who they were, I don’t see a reason not to.”

“Very well, I will assist you….”

Xeal watched his magic pool dry up as Watcher passed him information on what he had in mind and Xeal had to appreciate the idea. Though pulling it off would be tricky and required Prince Victor’s approval as it could cause an international incident. Still, Xeal was set on the idea and ready to see it through as he made his way to breakfast. When he arrived, Midnight made his way to his normal spot as he waited for the first bite of the meal as Maxwell worked to set everything up in the garden. A few minutes after Xeal arrived, Dyllis and Enye arrived wearing smiles as they took in a good look of Xeal. Xeal stood and bowed to the pair as they approached.

“My ladies, I must apologize for worrying you these past few days.”

“Apology not accepted. You still need to make up the date you missed.”

“With pleasure, Dyllis. Once I get through speaking with Prince Victor and the captain of the royal knights, I am yours for the rest of the day, if you wish. Do to me what you will, though I do hope you will let me get a bit more work done during that time.”

“Oh, perhaps you should miss our date in a few days as well,” quipped Enye.

Xeal just smiled at them as he welcomed them and gave each of them a hug and a kiss in greeting. Breakfast turned into Xeal retelling his story of getting through his trial and watching both ladies react to it. The three of them continued to catch up while eating breakfast until it was time for Xeal to head to meet with Prince Victor. Xeal was not ready to share the information that Watcher had given him with them yet as there was still too much uncertainty to it. With these thoughts and more on his mind, Xeal walked with Enye and Dyllis as he made his way to Prince Victor’s study, where he bid them farewell. Inside the study was just Xeal and Prince Victor as both knew that there would be subjects spoken that were best kept between them, and after exchanging pleasantries, they got right into it.

“So Xeal, now that you have risen to tier 5, quite dramatically if the report I received from one Sir Tristan Lennon of the royal knights is to be believed, what are you planning?”

“Victor, as you are aware, it was not just myself who reached tier 5 as the reports that you should have received from Taya show.”

“Yes, it is honestly worrying to see so many walk the nightmare path and survive it. Though a 25% pass rate is not the 99% you promised me for my sister and Lady Dyllis.”

“No, it is not, but with the lengths I plan to go, so long as they embrace their training, less than a year from now they both will achieve the same result. The lengths I plan to go for them is something that few others would even be able to think of.”

Xeal let Victor in on the plan he had come up with from talking with Watcher, even going as far as to let Victor know of his new skill. Victor was obviously wary as he saw how it could go badly and it would require either a massive diplomatic effort, or Xeal to undertake a covert mission that was all but doomed to fail.

“You are aware that the Huáng empire is a very closed nation that has dreams of ruling the entirety of the world one day, right?”

Xeal was well aware of this and he also knew how they were one of the first nations to fall when tier 7 became common among pro players. Their stance of isolation mixed with their ambition had caused the other five nations on their continent to focus on removing them before they turned on one another. Still, Xeal had a plan that just might work and still bring benefits to Nium.

“I am well aware of the issues and I have a plan. However, it will require your approval and assistance to make it happen. If I am able to pull it off, the benefits will extend past just Enye and Dyllis as it will ensure that we have a few hidden cards to play when the time comes.”

Xeal then went into the full details of his plan as the pair continued to go over it and after two hours, they finally were in agreement on how to proceed.

“Three weeks is a bit of a short timetable to work with, and you are sure that you can get the other party to agree?”

“So long as they act in their own best interest on the matter, and even if they don’t, I can still make something work after the three weeks. It just won’t be as beneficial to all those involved.”

“Very well, I will start things moving on my end, though I must ask that you don’t neglect the remaining nine tasks that I have set for you.”

“Worry not. I believe I will tackle one of the three to the north once I have resolved this situation.”

“Very good. Now go meet with Sir Bexley.”

“Wait, a Bexley is the captain of the royal knights?’

“Yes, he is Marquess Bexley’s cousin. The royal knights are full of the Bexleys and sons of their branch houses. They take great pride in being our nation’s shield and sword. Honestly, I wish that the other seven great houses were as diligent in their service.”

“So, should we start planning your wedding with Nora to coincide with mine and Enye’s?”

“Xeal-”

“Victor, she is the right match for you, and you need to accept it or you will regret it later.”

While Xeal didn’t remember what had happened to Nora in his last life, he knew that the Bexley house fell due to the massive losses they suffered in the wars waged to unite the continent. By the end of it only a few adult members of the house remained when the last struggles were happening. They fell at the hands of players on a quest issued by either Habia or Paidhia, or so it was believed. The few nobles of those nations with any wealth left had known that the war was lost and their days were numbered. Instead of simply accepting their fate, they decided to remove the Bexley house from the root and the result was such an atrocity that Victor had lost any mercy he might have had. The fate of the remaining nobles of Habia and Paidhia were sealed at that point. Victor had gone on to marry a few women from the branch families of the remaining great houses, but he never had a queen by his side in Xeal’s last life. While he had not known it in his last life, Xeal knew that the war had changed Victor greatly, if he was the same man he knew now, before it.

“Xeal, if I accept a bride before I am seated on the throne, I will have to accept far more than I would care for. You should understand this from your own situation.”

“Victor, next you will wish to wait until after the war is won or lost as you do not wish to give your enemies a target so close to your heart. Then the war will be over and the world may be unrecognizable to you. If you think that it is a given that anyone has a tomorrow, you will find that life is cruel. It is why I plan to do everything within my power to ensure that those I hold dear survive. If you are worried about the other houses learning of the courtship, then use her visiting with Enye as a smokescreen. I am sure Marquess Bexley would understand and Nora would accept it.”

“Ah, I see what is going on. You worry about Enye pushing you to accept Nora if Marquess Bexley accepts that I am not interested in her and switches his target to you.”

“Victor, you can believe what you like, and you are right that Enye would love to have her as a sister, though I know it would be better as your queen than my wife.”

“You’re lucky that I see you as a brother and a friend or I would take issue with your persistence on this issue. Xeal, I ask that you drop it as I have no intent on marrying any lady from the main houses of the eight great houses as doing so would affect the balance of power far too much.”

“Victor, this will be my last word for today and I hope you take it in the right way, but I will say to you on this matter you are being a fool. You have already said the Bexley house is the shield of our nation. The sacrifice they will pay in the war will be far higher than any other houses. They may even be pushed to the brink of crumbling, or worse, before it’s over!”

“I see. I understand your point, though I will not change my mind today. I will give this matter further thought.”

“Thank you.”

With a nod to Victor who had sat down at the intensity of Xeal’s words while looking like he had imagined something horrible, Xeal left. Xeal made his way out of the palace and to the royal knights’ headquarters, all while trying to tune out the overload he was dealing with from his increased senses. He knew that once he adjusted to them they would be a great benefit, but so far all they had done was give him a headache and the sunlight wasn’t helping. When Xeal made it to the royal knights’ headquarters, he was met by Sir Tristan, who instantly recognized Xeal, and quickly led him to meet with Captain Royce Bexley. He had just finished leading the daily training in the drill yard for several potential recruits that hoped to officially join the royal knights one day. Xeal could see the young men panting as they tried to recover from the training. He could see each of them were covered in minor wounds and their training weapons lay scattered and broken all around the yard. Xeal knew that each of these men were working to be strong enough to survive the hard mode trial and a few would challenge the nightmare like he did. Anything less than an A-rank result on the hard trial and they would fail out and be shipped off to other portions of the kingdom’s military. As Xeal took in the scene, Sir Bexley noticed him and greeted him.

“Ah, Sir Bluefire, it is good of you to join us here. I was just giving these recruits a lesson on perseverance. As you can see, none of them have managed to stay standing. By chance would you perhaps like to show them what it takes to walk through the nightmare?”

The smile on the old face of Sir Bexley, who was clearly in his later years, told Xeal that it was not so much a request as a demand. Xeal took in Sir Bexley before responding. The look in his brown eyes and the scar that ran through his short white hair spoke of the experiences that the man had been through. Despite his advanced age, it was clear that the man didn’t allow his physique to suffer and Xeal could tell the man was a true knight.

“Very well, though I think it would be best if we let them recover enough to watch.”

“Ha, ha… very good. You all heard Sir Xeal. Move your butts, break time is over. I expect you all to be ready to observe in five minutes.”

Xeal watched as all of the 30 or so young men dragged themselves to the side, clearing the center as they pulled out waterskins and did whatever they could to recover as quickly as possible. Sure enough, five minutes later, Xeal stood across from Sir Bexley with a pair of metal training swords in his hands that would be top-tier weapons for his level if they weren’t made with blunted edges. On the sides of the yard Xeal could see the young men as they struggled to stay standing, some of them clearly only able to do so with the assistance of others. Still, Xeal could see the determination each of them had and the comradery they had developed in their training, and smiled.

“It’s good that you can smile as I am about to push you as far as you can go. I hope you can still smile after.”

“Ha, Sir Bexley, if you can wipe this smile off my face then I have no business facing what I still have in front of me.”

“Good, now brace yourself as I will not be as easy on you as I am on them.”

Xeal didn’t even have time to respond before he felt a killing aura so potent that it could easily kill a tier 3 player by itself. Still, he did not lose his smile as he watched Sir Bexley approach, one step at a time. With each step, Xeal could feel the force of the aura increase, yet instead of retreating, he stepped forward himself. He knew that he was about to be in a world of pain, but still he smiled in the face of what his instincts told him was a monster he had no hope of surviving. When they were only a few feet apart, Sir Bexley smiled back at Xeal as he launched his attack and Xeal pulled every bit of effort he could into crossing his swords at the impact point. As the blades met, Xeal still smiled as his hands went numb from the impact, but he had won. Sir Bexley’s blade had been redirected away from Xeal and if he was in the same tier as him, the opening created would be devastating for Sir Bexley. This feat had taken everything that Xeal had to accomplish. It had also given him a moment where his senses focused on only Sir Bexley. It was still a ways from the complete adaptation Xeal needed to achieve to avoid the headache he had, but it was a step in the right direction.

“Well done. I must say, you do not disappoint. Now let’s move to my office for the rest of this meeting.”

“Heh, yah, you held way back on everything but your blood lust skill.”

Sir Bexley just smiled before addressing the recruits who had been watching the exchange, ordering them to get cleaned up and to perform the rest of their daily duties. Once the recruits were moving, Sir Bexley led Xeal to his office where he removed his training gear before taking a seat behind his desk and motioning for Xeal to sit across from him.

“Now, Sir Bluefire, I must ask, are you or are you not a royal knight?”

“Ah, that is a complicated answer as I do serve the royal family directly, yet I am also a noble in my own right. Typically, a noble would be expected to renounce any claim to their inheritance when they become a recruit here. Yet here I am, having been given status after entering the prince’s service, but before I became a true knight.”

“Exactly. Were you a normal case, I would have already expelled you from the order. So, how should I deal with this issue?”

“You simply need to adapt to the times. The main issue you are worried about is the dissatisfaction other ex-nobles serving will have, right?”

“Yes.”

“You need to be particular about adventurers who hail from my world who become royal knights, and normal recruits. We will not come to you to find our place. No, we will be recruited directly by the one we serve, like Prince Victor did with me. Our paths are not normal and I still stand out, compared to most. The other option is to seek permission for titles of nobility to be allowed if the king grants them after a royal knight enters their service. Though if you go that route, it would be best to speak with King Vincent before announcing it.”

“And if I decided to avoid the headache and kick you from the order?”

“Well, as long as you are ready to deal with Prince Victor, I don’t mind. I will still be a knight. I just will have to give up on the perks of being a member of this order.”

“Does it truly mean so little to you?”

“Sir Bexley, would you ever let a normal newly minted knight speak to you as I am currently?”

“No, though normally they are not a viscount. I am just glad that you are not demanding to be addressed as such.”

“Ha, yah, no worries there. I prefer to keep things casual when possible, and inside these walls that is how I see it...”

Xeal and Sir Bexley continued to discuss the issues that Xeal’s unique situation posed and by the end of it, they had a plan and Xeal had another item on his to-do list as he left the royal knights’ headquarters. Upon returning to the palace, Xeal was greeted by an eager Dyllis and they spent the rest of the day together at Xeal’s mansion, starting with lunch in the garden. Midnight was quick to reappear once the first plate of food was brought out and all Xeal could think of was that the matagot didn’t like the palace for some reason. As the day went on, Xeal continued to receive reports of the remaining 20 players all completing or failing their trial. In the end, ten more passed and ten more failed. Ignis had managed to achieve a B rank on the trial, which was excellent for a mage as the loss of their magic point pools recharging was a major disadvantage, even if the trial did lower the strength of the enemies to compensate for it. With Casmir getting an A rank, Xeal could breathe easy as none of the guild’s vice guild leaders had failed. Now, however, Xeal had to prepare for both Aalin and Gale to start their trial after tea time at the end of the next session. Xeal was finally able to get some rest when Dyllis left around 8:00 at night and he took advantage of it to get a short rest in before logging out.

Morning November 23, 2266.

As Alex awoke next to Nicole, he smiled at how lucky he was as he watched her wake from her session. As it was the day after Thanksgiving, swing dance was canceled today as was kendo tomorrow. Things would start back up with aikido on Monday, but for the next three days they were free, except for the knock that he knew was coming before it ever did. Ten minutes later Alex opened the door to see Mr. Chun and a woman with long straight black hair, who couldn’t be over twenty, next to him. Alex wanted to slam the door at what he instantly felt was Jingong trying to honey trap him like Abysses End, but he resisted. It turned out that she was Mr. Chun’s granddaughter Lina, who he had asked to help him negotiate with Alex on behalf of Jingong. She was also a member though she was supposedly just an average player who earned her keep through admin work. Alex was still wary but he relented for the moment as he needed them to play ball now for his plan. Once they were seated, Nicole prepared some of the higher-class tea that Alex had had her stock up on knowing that Mr. Chun would be back in desperation.

“Alex, I really must thank you for allowing my grandfather and I in to try one more time to make something work. As time is extremely limited, I would ask that you allow us to transmit our conversation to the top leadership of the workshop. Only my grandfather will be able to hear them as he will need to translate much of their responses and it would be distracting. I know this is not optimal, but at least this way we can work to reach an agreement in real time.”

“Lina, I will hold my judgment for the end. As I am sure you know, I am busy and can only give you the next hour before we will have to stop until tonight if you wish to reach a deal. My original offer still stands, but as this is a negotiation and not a signing, it is safe to assume that they have no interest in that deal.”

“Unfortunately, we are not up to becoming a scattered power. We understand and accept that we will see our power decline, but if we are scattered on top of that we doubt we would survive.”

Alex took a moment to read both Lina and Mr. Chun before he responded. Both looked calm so far but as Alex took his time, he could see the sweat build on Mr. Chun’s forehead. He also caught Lina’s brown eyes flickering to the side a few times.

“I may have a solution that will work for both sides, but it will be tricky to pull off as it will require three different NPC nations to come to an agreement. Additionally, once the deal was complete, other than every player who is freed from the mines needing to sign a contract that all three nations approve, I will expect payment for my services.”

“I see and you believe you could secure us a new stronghold to grow in?”

“Yes, I’ll even have a few tier 5 players hang around while your guild gets its feet under it.”

“What kind of compensation are you looking for?”

Alex ignored the flirtatious tone that Lina had switched to as he responded.

“Make me an offer and I’ll either show you the door, or shake your hand. Now it is best if you take the day to decide what you are willing to pay should I succeed and what me simply attempting is worth. Mr. Chun, are the leaders onboard with stopping things here for now as they figure out what they will offer?”

“Yes, though they are wanting to know what you mean by only letting us make a single offer. They wish to negotiate a fair price and that takes some back and forth.”

“Mr. Chun, I am not interested in anything other than a clean deal at a price you are willing to pay to free and resettle the over 100,000 players that are currently imprisoned. Everything after my payment will be between you and the NPC nations involved.”

“I see, how soon could you pull this off and will we be able to earn enough to make payroll?”

“I can only promise before the first of next month. As for payroll, you might want to get your members to sign a contract that if I succeed, they will accept a delayed payment for this month, to be paid out in 12 portions over the following year. Besides, I believe you have access to enough creditors that you could easily secure funds needed to make a few months of payroll without issue once I set you all free.”

“Grandfather, accept things as they are. Alex is being generous simply by offering us what he is. I am sure that he has shown us enough goodwill for the day, though I do hope that he will rethink his stance on ending contact once the job is done.”

“Lina, you seem like a nice girl and you probably have a brain behind that smile as well, but I am not interested in anything beyond a non-aggression agreement that ensures Jingong leaves me alone in ED. Anything beyond that is worthless to me and would be the same as tying an anchor to my leg as I don’t believe Jingong will survive.”

“Then why help?”

“That’s easy. The longer you hold on the more I delay the sharks ready to feast on Jingong’s demise. Make no mistake, I will be setting Jingong up for success with the deal I plan to negotiate, I just doubt it will make a difference two years from now.”

“I see. Well, I will be on my way then. I do hope you are wrong though.”

With that Lina and Mr. Chun left, leaving Alex alone with Sam and Nicole to enjoy the last half hour before they returned to ED.

ED year 2 days 24-25.

As Xeal awoke in his mansion, he stretched as today he would finally work on remembering what it was like to be a tier 5 player while also continuing to get used to his increased senses. However, before that, he needed to see how things had gone for Tokori and Tharin as they were due in to report any time now. So, he made his way to the guild headquarters to get in some early morning work before breakfast. It was around 7:00 in the morning when Xeal was getting ready to head back for breakfast when the pair arrived, looking sheepish.

“Alright, which one of you wants to tell me what happened?”

Both looked at each other before Tharin spoke.

“Well, it’s safe to say that Eternal Valhalla has no intent to ever do business with us again. Tokori made sure of that.”

“Hey, all I did was say they were more like Eternal Niflheim than Valhalla.”

“Yeah, and if they were reluctant before, they shut right down at that point.”

Xeal couldn’t help but laugh as he heard the story. All in all, it went well as he had planned on them turning the deal down ever since Geitir had approached him to see if there was any way out of the deal. Now Xeal just needed to inform him that he had been abandoned by his workshop, which Xeal quickly did, sending him a message saying as much before returning his attention back to Tokori and Tharin.

“Well done, both of you. I had hoped that they might honor the deal, though it is only a minor loss due to how much they have become a doormat for any major workshop. The only real loss is the fact that we will need to set up new channels for goods that are unique to the areas they are set up in.”

“Wait, you’re not mad at me?”

“Tokori, I told you both before you left that I didn’t expect the deal to go through. Your role was only to fulfill our end of the agreement. Now the pair of you should take some time to get used to being tier 5 players. Grab some of the players who will be going in the next group and go grinding with them the rest of this session.”

The pair quickly accepted Xeal’s suggestion and were gone as he made his way back to his garden where Bula and Midnight awaited him alongside Maxwell with his breakfast. As Xeal sat down, he let Maxwell know that he was expecting a visitor soon as Geitir had responded and was available to talk. Xeal then dug into his food after giving Midnight the first bite. As Xeal chewed his food he once again noticed just how much more he could taste. This was both an enjoyment and a problem as while it made food like the meals his chef prepared better, it also made the high-salt foods like jerky most players used for rations in the field taste worse. As Xeal was halfway through his eggs benedict, Maxwell returned with Geitir in tow and announced his arrival as Xeal motioned for him to take the seat across from himself. As Xeal took in Geitir, he could see that he looked like he had seen better days, though his gear was still top notch.

“Geitir, I hope you are well, even given the current circumstances.”

“Ha, my workshop has all but screwed me over. They all think you are bluffing about the 100,000,000 gold. After all, you let Fire Oath off, why not me? Don’t even bother telling me why that is foolish as even if you let me off on the gold, I still wouldn’t be able to work with the main guild, or any guild our leadership ends up joining now. So, my question is, now what are you going to offer me?”

Xeal chuckled before he looked Geitir in the eye as he pulled out a contract and slid it over to Geitir. At first Geitir looked at the contract like it was a snake as he picked it up to read. As he did so, surprise replaced the trepidation that had been on his face. When he was done and looked to Xeal like he was about to speak, Xeal cut him off.

“Geitir, I truly hope to have you as a friend. Think of what transpired as a lesson moving forward as you grow.”

“You’re letting me off free and clear. I was sure you were about to force me to join FAE and take on one thankless task after another.”

“Ha, Geitir, make no mistake, I still hope that you agree to become a member of FAE before you leave this table. I just want you to choose to join of your own will as I would rather have you as a willing vice guild leader than a bitter player who becomes a cancer for my guild.”

“You want me as a vice guild leader?”

Xeal and Geitir spent the next hour talking over exactly what Xeal was offering as Geitir weighed his options. Xeal also thanked him for his assistance with Fire Oath and leaking the bet the way he did. By the time Geitir left, he and Xeal had discussed exactly what each could expect from a partnership and both had a laugh at how the developers had ended up patching the Behemoth Slayer title the day after it was shared with all the major guilds. Where Geitir and many other members of his guild and FAE had been able to get the title by relying on items, now single-use or limited-use items were prohibited if you wanted to earn the title. While this meant that both of their guilds could no longer get any members they wanted the Behemoth Slayer title like they had been doing, both had already made extensive use of the advantage, so they didn’t care too much about it. Xeal also learned that the other major workshops had forced Eternal Valhalla members to act as tanks everywhere outside Nium. This was causing the workshop massive headaches as one tank after another grew disgruntled with the lack of choice and compensation given for their roles. Most had actually quit and started over in another area over the issue as Eternal Valhalla refused to let them leave the guild and it was the only way to terminate their contracts with the workshop in reality. Xeal could only shake his head as he heard the story and was glad that his presence here had saved Geitir’s branch from the same fate for the most part. Xeal was also happy to learn that Geitir owned all the contracts of the players in Nium so if he did join FAE, they could come with him. That was where the conversation ended as Geitir promised to put it to a vote between joining FAE and forging their own path forward as a new independent entity from Eternal Valhalla.

With that taken care of, Xeal handed Maxwell a letter that he needed taken to Prince Victor and made his way with Bula to head out to grind. Xeal spent the rest of the day and into the night grinding while chatting with Bula as she used the limited healing skills an oracle had to keep him healthy. Unlike before, Xeal did not have Bula stay back to avoid the major penalty that working with any NPC above your tier would bring as now that they were in the same tier and within ten levels, no penalties would be applied. Bula asked many questions about why the humans’ trial was so different from an orc warrior’s trial. Xeal answered with the knowledge he had from his last life as the tier 5 trial was a very race-specific one and he knew a bit about each, as many players chose to convert race at that point. For most they would become stuck at tier 4, unless they took the easy or normal trial that would leave them at a disadvantage in the long run. So, they would look through their options and pick one that they felt they were more suited for. Many mages that would rise to the top would take advantage of it as there were a few races that required high magic pools to pass their trial. The most popular was the high elves as they focused almost exclusively on magic as they lived with the wood elves. The wood elves handled the more physical aspects as the two races shared a symbiotic relation with one another. While dark elves like Ceclie were built for either and their trials would reflect it. Through the conversation Xeal was able to gleam insights into just how isolated the different races of the world were at this point in Eternal Dominion. He had assumed as much in his last life, but it was enlightening to learn it directly in this life. He also knew that not every race was present on each continent. The one he was currently on only had three kinds of elves being wood, high and dark; as well as orcs, dwarves and several beast-men tribes, all of which currently lived in isolation from humans.

Xeal’s training that day focused on fine tuning himself to fight utilizing his enhanced senses. It was a mixed bag at first as he kept fighting the overload of inputs he was dealing with as the scents and sounds of the area overwhelmed him. He was just happy that as he had chosen a shaded area that he didn’t have to deal with bright light as much while he focused on sight and smell for the day. After Xeal was satisfied with his results for the day, he made his way close to Geminate Cove before he and Bula used a pair of advanced return scrolls and returned to his mansion. It was early in the morning before Xeal lay down to rest and when he awoke it was 30 minutes until the 9:30 teatime with his four ladies before his forced logout at 12:00 due to his new schedule. As he emerged into his garden, he found the staff busy in preparations and Aalin and Gale already seated as they chatted, so he joined them.

“Are you two ready for what you are about to face?”

“I’m as ready as I can be. I just hope I can get a B rank like Ignis.”

“Aalin, you have a far more versatile spell list than he does. He went for power while you did a good mix. Your shield spell should serve you well as it will allow you to push through without having to kill the enemies.”

“Yah, but I have to ration it as I can’t keep it up indefinitely. Even after upgrading it, I only have 20 minutes per cast. That means I would need to use it 90 times to make it to the end of each session. My magic points are only enough for 30 casts of it even after I focused my gear to maximize the boosts to my MP.”

“You will be fine. Just don’t stop moving and only use the shield when you need a break from dodging. You have built up your skills with a bo staff exactly for this purpose. So long as you can disengage and pull out your wand you will be fine.”

“Aalin, Xeal is right. We are as ready as we can be for this. All that is left to do is just do it. Besides, it is going to be nice to have him taking care of us the next few days or so.”

Xeal smiled as they chatted about the upcoming trial until Enye and Dyllis arrived and joined them at the table. Both ladies wore beautiful smiles as they sat next to Xeal as was the norm for tea times and engaged in the discussion for a bit before tea was served. Once tea was served, Enye changed the subject while giving Xeal a hard look.

“So, what is this my brother tells me about you wanting to strike a deal with the Huáng empire?”

“Ah, he told on me. If everything goes well, I will be setting out tomorrow morning and will be gone until I need to return for my date with Dyllis.”

“So not only will we be missing Aalin and Gale, but you also plan on disappearing on us as well and you are going to one of the most hostile nations out there. You are aware that the last time we sent an ambassador to them he was never allowed to leave?”

“I am, just like you are aware that was over 100 years ago. Enye, I have my reasons for making this trip.”

“Wait, is that the country you plan to dump Jingong in?” interjected Gale.

“Yes. It is also where I hope to acquire a few items that will be key to my plans. It is a necessary trip just for that reason, regardless of anything else.”

“You better come back.”

“Enye, don’t worry, I will. Now let’s move onto other topics.”

“Fine, I’ll end it with the message Victor gave me, to you. He told me to let you know everything is ready for your trip.”

“Thank you.”

The five of them shifted to lighter topics until 11:30 when the tea time came to an end. After which Gale and Xeal took care of the last thing on her list before she would be completely ready to challenge her trial before they logged out.

Evening November 23, 2266.

It wasn’t even 5 minutes after Alex opened his eyes before he heard the knock on the door and found Mr. Chun and his granddaughter Lina waiting at the door. Lina looked calm and collected and Mr. Chun had a smile on his face as they greeted Alex while Sam and Nicole prepped tea and dinner. Tonight, it would just be the three of them sitting down to talk. Everything moved forward at full speed, or everything came to a screeching halt. Their posture made Alex believe they were confident in the proposal they had to offer and Lina started the talks once they sat down.

“Alex, I must say that it is impressive to see what your guild has accomplished in Nium. Our reports indicate that you have already managed to get 40 of your members to tier 5. If that was not enough, they all did so through the nightmare trial. Everything we know about the nightmare trial indicates that it is not something to be taken lightly. Your words about not believing that your assistance would make a difference in the long run for our survival has weighed heavy on my thoughts as I have worked to understand where our major flaw lies. I keep coming back to the same answer and my grandfather agrees, we are lacking you, or a leader like you. We were so focused on holding onto the power that we built that we cut most of our young talent loose, while from our report, that is all you have to work with in Nium. Am I on the right track?”

“You have come close to hitting the nail on the head, but you have only identified the symptoms of the problem, not the source.”

“I see. Now as I am sure you do not wish to have your time wasted, I will share with you the three options that we are prepared to offer you for your assistance. One, we will transfer up to 10,000 of our veteran members to your workshop. Two, we will allow you to select any ten of our locations that are not major headquarters to be transferred over to FAE. Lastly, if you will accept it in monthly instalments, starting in February and lasting five years, 1,200,000,000 credits.”

“I see the first two will allow me to gain an instant benefit while decreasing Jingong’s overhead at the same time, while the third option is the cleanest, but will take time. It also runs the risk of me never getting paid if Jingong folds before the five years is up, keeping me inclined to lend further assistance in the future. It is really a pity that you cut your young players loose as they are who I would be after, not your veterans. Though at the very least I can see that the offers are sincere, if I take the third option what guaranties will I have?”

“You would be seen as the last creditor to be paid. Your guaranty would be that when the fire sale happened, that you would be paid before any golden parachutes happened.”

“We both know that is not how that works. Even if they fail to pay me, they will ensure they have a decent nest egg before they publicly fold.”

“Alright, then what would you suggest?”

“I don’t want to be paid in credits. I want to be paid in raw materials in ED. Right now, a gold is worth 200 credits so that would be 6,000,000 gold in materials over the next five years. Yet we know that the price of gold continues to drop each day. In five years, it would be surprising to see a gold still worth 50 credits. However, let’s say it will still be worth that, that would make 125 credits the average so let’s call it 9,600,000 gold worth of raw materials, or 96 gold per player, assuming 100,000 are freed. Paid out over four years starting in January, with each player on the hook for their portion at two gold per month per player, due on the first of the month. Of course, each player would be responsible for their own portion should Jingong not survive.”

“For someone who didn’t wish to negotiate, you sure are doing a lot of it.”

“Lina, you gave me the price. I am simply converting it into ED resources. It should be known that the contract that they will sign in game will follow them even if they restart with a new character. You also have to realize that I expect Jingong to be spending the credits that they would have given me to secure a fair amount of these goods. They will have to in order to avoid stagnation as that amount is easily two percent of what the guild should secure in any given month. Especially with the other debts they will be taking on just to hold on for the next few months.”

“Very well. Is what Alex is offering agreeable, grandfather?”

“Yes, it is. We will send over the paperwork first thing in the morning.”

“No, the only paperwork will be in ED, as the system contract will be enough as each and every player who is freed will have to sign the same document.”

“I see. I suppose that will have to work as no credits are being exchanged.”

“If that is all, we are done here. I expect you to have all of your players ready to log in at any time in the next week as I will be working to secure their release and it could come at any time.”

“I understand. We will ensure they are ready. I look forward to seeing your results.”

With that Alex showed the pair the door before joining Sam and Nicole in putting the finishing touches on dinner and enjoying their last normal night together for a bit.

ED year 2 days 25-26.

Xeal made his way to the meeting spot where he, Luna (Mia) and Selene (Ava) had arranged to meet at beforehand. It was already three hours into this session as he had taken Enye on a date directly after logging in. Xeal had had her over for dinner in his mansion before surprising her with a few musicians who played music for them while they danced in his banquet hall that he had yet to use. Now, however, he needed to assist the twins in securing a class that required twins to even qualify for it. When he looked at the twins, he smiled as they had kept the look from their original characters, but wore basic leather armor as rapiers hung from their waists. It didn’t take long for them to pick him and Bula out as Midnight skulked in the shadows. Luna was the first to speak as the pair hurried over to Xeal.

“Xeal, it is so good to see you.”

“Yes, now can we get going? I am itching to reach tier 2.”

“I know being back at tier 1 when you are used to tier 4 feels off, but don’t worry, we don’t have far to go.”

The pair fell in behind Xeal as they gave Bula an appraising look which Bula returned, yet both sides were content in their silence as they walked. Xeal led the group through the small sleeping village that was situated atop a cliff overlooking a river below, until they came to the cliff’s edge. Along its face was a narrow ledge that was barely wide enough for a heel of a foot, that slanted down. Worn into the cliff face three feet above the ledge was an indention that was just wide enough for Xeal’s fingers to slide inside of and ran parallel to the ledge the whole way.

“I give you your path.”

“What the hell!”

“How do they expect anyone to find this?”

“Had you two spent enough time in the town like a normal player would when they first start, you might have found a few clues if you were lucky. Still, the information is only worthwhile for twins and once it leaks, this village will see a massive increase in twins starting here.”

“Really, you still haven’t shared just what class we are getting.”

“Selene, the class is special as it is more of a alteration of any class, your class will simply add the word twin to the front of whatever class you choose. That is why I am here. Welcome to becoming my squires.”

“Wait, what?”

“I am a member of the royal knights of this kingdom. Since I reached tier 4, I have been able to have a few squires, I just haven’t.”

“Hold on, aren’t we supposed to have done a service to the kingdom first?”

“Luna, you two have agreed to become Princess Enye’s personal swords, haven’t you?”

“What, you want us to play bodyguard for your NPC fiancée?”

“No, I want you two to fight alongside her and Lady Dyllis as they go through my plan to ensure that they are able to take care of themselves.”

“Xeal, we are not babysitters.”

“We are adventurers who want to go out into the world and explore the unknown.”

“I am well aware, yet you both need to play catch-up first. Once Gale and Aalin are done with their tier 5 trial, you will be joining them, Enye and Dyllis to level. You two will be the front line for Enye and Dyllis while Gale makes sure you all stay alive and Aalin provides support.”

“Oh, okay.”

“That might work.”

Xeal didn’t like the smiles that Luna and Selene now wore as he started his shimmy along the cliff as the twins followed him with Bula taking up the rear. It was slow going and the twins weren’t going to pass up an opportunity to have Xeal almost to themselves without getting him to talk. So, they asked him more and more about FAE and ED in general, and now that they were both under contract, Xeal didn’t feel the need to hold back, so he shared what he knew with them. A good bit of the conversation revolved around what they were now calling a class enhancement and what it changed. Xeal explained that he didn’t know all the details as he had yet to meet anyone who had the class enhancement. He did tell them that from what he had gathered, it gave them access to skills that would allow them to use telepathy with each other and know where the other was at all times. However, he also warned that if one of them took massive damage, or died, the other would be heavily affected as well. Even in Xeal’s last life he had only known a few pairs of twins that had the enhancement and it had done different things for each, making it hard to predict just what the effects would be. Finally, they reached the bottom of the cliff where there was a bend in the river that created a calmer area with a small beachhead. That beach was where the village above got its namesake as it was Geminate Cove. The scenery was beautiful with a pair of waterfalls emptying in to the river as two small rivers emptied into the larger one below, framing the cave in the center of the bend.

“Bula, you and Midnight should stay out here as it is best if only the pair accepting the class, and the one giving it, move forward.”

“I understand.”

“Good. Now, once we enter the cave, there will be three paths to take. I will walk the center while the two of you will need to pick right or left. Expect a few tests along the way to make sure you two are truly in sync and a fit for the enhancement.”

“Wait, you never said anything about a test.”

“Yeah, what if we fail because we didn’t prep?”

“It’s not that kind of test. It will simply examine how you approach a few situations. So long as you both treat them the same way you will be fine.”

Luna and Selene both looked a bit worried but Xeal simply moved forward and quickly arrived at the end of his path as it was a simple straight shot to the end. Meanwhile, Luna and Selene arrived at their first test. It was a simple one where they were given the three primary and secondary colors to choose from and they needed to pick two. With the first one they needed to put a dot of it in the center of their forehead and the second needed to be smeared in a line on both cheeks. Next, they came to a room that had three cups, each with a drink of water and they were told to drink one and put on the necklaces in the bottom of the cup. As they looked in each cup it was impossible to get a clear idea of the design on each of the necklaces, so they each just picked one and moved on. The third and last test gave them both pause as all it said is choose one and in front of them was four charm bracelets with a single charm; a wand, a dagger, a shield and a bow. They both picked one and moved forward as they exited into an opening where they saw Xeal waiting.

Xeal watched as Luna and Selene both emerged at the exact same time from adjacent paths, such that they could see him but not each other until they stepped out. Xeal had to smile as he took them in. Both of them had a blue dot on their forehead and orange lines on their cheeks. Around their necks hung a crescent moon pendant and each had a bracelet with a dagger on it worn on their left wrists. Both had made the same selections, as Xeal had expected. There were multiple results from the test that could be achieved, yet it was taboo to talk about it as knowledge of any details about the tests beforehand could disqualify you from being accepted. Before Xeal could speak, a pair of doors opened behind him and a pair of silver-haired ladies stepped out into the room. The pair gave Xeal a short appraising look before turning to Luna and Selene and speaking in unison.

“The test has been undertaken and you have both shown to be synchronized with each other. Know that you are to never share the tests or the results with another. Doing so will result in their disqualification.”

Both Luna and Selene looked like they wished to ask a question but Xeal gave them a look that kept them quiet before the two ladies continued.

“Blue on the forehead shows that you are loyal to those who you call family. The orange on your cheeks show you are unfazed by the worries of the world. Choosing the center cup tells of your ability to compromise and come together as one. The dagger shows that you prefer to be close to your enemy, whether that means stabbing them in the back, or facing them head on. Now step forward and receive your marks signifying your choices.”

Selene and Luna stepped forward and quickly found themselves being turned around by the ladies, who each took out a blue and orange stick the size of a pencil and went to work at just below the base of each of Luna’s and Selene’s necks. Both screamed as smoke rose from where the sticks touched them, but neither could move as they were held in place by a spell. A minute later, the pair of ladies stepped back revealing an orange dagger in front of a blue crescent moon forming an X on each of them as the magic that had held them in place ended and they each caught themselves with their hands as they fell to the floor. As Luna and Selene both caught their breath, Xeal became the focus of the silver-haired twins, as they spoke in unison.

“You knew far more than an outsider should have known. We will ignore it this time as you shared nothing but where to find us and how to proceed. However, in return we expect a favor. Ensure they walk their path in complete synchronicity.”

“You needn’t have asked. I fully intend to nurture them to their fullest potential.”

“Good, and know that we will be connected to them through those marks and will know if they falter.”

The pair left just like that and Xeal could see the same mark at the base of their necks as the ones that they just made. The only thought he had as the doors shut was that was the celestial twins, one of three pairs of twins that could administer the marks, depending on the result of synchronicity, complementary or divergent. Even with that knowledge, Xeal was shocked to learn that of the 360 combinations that the twins could have chosen, they matched perfectly to the celestial twins exactly. Part of him believed that their marks shifted to match the twins they were marking each time, but the favor they asked for made him think otherwise. With that thought, he turned to Luna and Selene as he looked at them closely while imagining their path moving forward. One of the major differences for them would be that each of their tier ups would be undertaken together. As Xeal was lost in thought, both Luna and Selene recovered and turned to Xeal as they spoke in unison.

“You could have warned us that it would feel like our skin was going to peel off.”

“It seems that you are already feeling the differences, and no, I couldn’t. Doing anything more than showing you the paths would have made what you just did nothing more than painting your face and getting some new jewelry.”

It was only then that the pair realized the necklaces and bracelets they had been wearing were gone. Before they could speak, Xeal quieted them as he continued.

“You should both ensure your marks are kept covered and not speak of the details of what just happened, outside of leading another set of twins here. Unlike you who received both their class and mark at the same time, most who come will only receive their mark. This will always be less effective and will lead to slight issues as their tier ups will have not been synced as yours have been.”

“So, what now? Damn, if Gale found us finishing our thoughts weird, this is going to completely weird her out.”

“Yes, though that should fade if you let it. Right now, your minds have been synced. It is part of your skills. It will let you two coordinate perfectly. Still, you should soon get a nasty headache; ah, there it is.”

Luna and Selene both clutched their heads in pain just as Xeal brought up the backlash from their new skill.

“What you just experienced is the effects of the first skill that your new path has bestowed on you for free. You will need to spend skill points to get more like any other class would, though. Don’t worry, the headache will pass soon and the higher your level gets, the longer you will be able to hold it. You should also notice that your display screens have merged and you now share a skill and magic point pool equal to double what you would have alone. Now, any more questions?”

Luna was the first to speak as they both stood up after the headache passed.

“Just one.”

“How are we supposed to get to the area to work with your princess before level 40?”

“Ah, that is simple. FAE has access to the garrison portals. The moment you reach an outpost, simply show your guild badge to a guard and ask to use the portal to head to the border fort town. Once you are there, walk around for a few hours and ask to be sent to Dragon's Eye.”

Xeal and the twins made their way out of the cave still discussing the differences they were noticing after being marked. While it was still extremely weak, both could feel the other’s general position and it was both weird and comforting to them. When they exited the cave, Bula and Midnight were there waiting and they all used a return scroll to return to the top of the cliff. Xeal returned a quarter of Luna’s and Selene’s funds as neither of them wanted that much gold on them at this point. With the first banks not showing up until a player reached a city, a single death could see them lose a fair bit. It was one thing when Xeal had been running around with large sums of gold shortly after launch as he out leveled everyone, but now PKers were all around and new players were prime targets. As Xeal readied to leave, Ivy Cutefreeze, the player who was currently in charge of recruiting for FAE in this area, approached.

“Guild leader, it is nice to finally have a chance to talk to you, I trust everything went well with whatever you needed to do with Luna and Selene.”

Ivy was a level 30 player with dark-green hair that had ice-blue highlights at its tips and she was wearing a pleasant smile as she greeted Xeal.

“Ivy, yes, both completed the task perfectly. I must thank you for focusing on these two the last few sessions.”

“Oh, it’s no problem. Most of the new faces have all been teenagers on fall break who have extra time to play. So it’s been hard to identify good targets at the outpost the last week anyways. Besides, it was a nice break to do some light fighting. Though I am curious where you found these two as they are clearly above average skill-wise.”

“They are both restarts I recruited. Beyond that, just know that they are poached from a competitor.”

“Excellent. I do hope they will share some of their skills with me before they reach tier 3 and move on.”

“Ivy, I apologize, but they will be heading to Dragon's Eye, where I have connections, before then.”

“Oh, I see. Very well, I can see you have plans for them. I’ll just get ready to find the next promising group to recruit.”

Xeal could feel the awkwardness as Ivy tried to find a way to extend the conversation. She was one of Taya’s admin staff players who focused more on their crafting skills than combat. At this stage of the game, it meant that she was way behind on levels and from what Xeal could see, she was nervous about her position as she held one of the few paid slots that didn’t require top combat skills and recruitment was always slow. Most prospects just didn’t pan out and the longer anyone stayed in the starting areas, the more their level suffered.

“Ivy, relax. Just focus on your crafting and keeping an eye out for any decent talents.”

“Guild leader?”

Xeal smiled as he and Bula set off, making it to the nearest outpost and using it to return to the capital where Xeal went straight to bed before awaking early the next morning. Once awake, he headed straight to the palace to meet with Prince Victor before he left for the Huáng empire. Bula knew she would need to stay behind for this trip and Midnight would only join him through the summoning companion feature, which luckily didn’t have a limit on distance. Xeal bid Maxwell farewell as he left his mansion and it wasn’t long before he was seated across from Victor, as they discussed the finer points of the trip, and handed Xeal the needed items to prove he was a diplomat. On his way out, Dyllis and Enye cut him off to give him hugs before he could leave. He gave them each a kiss, promising to be back in ten days, if only for a short bit. When Xeal stepped out of the teleportation gate, he could tell that he had traveled a fair distance as it had been around 7:00 in the morning when Xeal had left, but it was clearly late at night now. This worked well for Xeal’s plan as he stepped right back into the gate and transferred to a smaller town in the empire and headed out while wearing a cloak, to a secluded safe point and used an advanced return scroll. Xeal would have preferred to set his escape point to somewhere in Nium, but the scrolls could not be used to cross a border. No, he would have to rely on his escape plan if things went south fast. Once he was back in the small town, Xeal went about investigating the current situation of how the NPCs and players were interacting with one another to verify that his approach would work. Xeal had based much of his plans off of what he had read on the forums about the situation in the Huáng empire, but seeing it with his own eyes was the best option. When the sun rose, Xeal made his way back to the capital and headed for the gates of the imperial palace, knowing that he only had until 4:00 in the afternoon to be done with the initial meeting that would happen today. When Xeal approached the palace guards to speak, he was quickly met with spears in his face as he smiled fearlessly.

“Turn back, your kind is not welcomed inside the imperial court.”

Xeal simply withdrew his first letter as he removed his cloak exposing his crest of knighthood as well as the royal crest of Nium that Victor had placed on his armor for this trip.

“I, Viscount Xeal Bluefire, have come as an envoy of the kingdom of Nium with a proposal for his imperial majesty.”

The guards looked at a loss for how to respond. They both could clearly tell he was a player, yet Xeal was clearly representing an NPC nation. They were saved from making a decision when a female voice was heard from behind the gate.

“Let him through. I am sure my brother will want to hear what he has to say.”

Xeal watched as both guards instantly tensed up at the sound of the voice. They nodded to each other before opening the gate. When Xeal got a look at the other side, he was greeted by a jade beauty that looked to be in her early 20’s, with long black hair in stark contrast to her pale skin, and green eyes. She was dressed in a light-blue Hanfu dress and holding a paper umbrella with a golden dragon and phoenix on it. Xeal didn’t waste any time as he approached and knelt when he was ten feet from her.

“Thank you, your highness, for welcoming me.”

“Viscount Bluefire of Nium, the first adventurer to come to our lands from another, future consort to Princess Enye of Nium. You may address me as Princess Lingxin. I dare say even we have heard of you. I must say I am quite interested in what made you decide to grace us with your presence.”

“Princess Lingxin, I have traveled here with a proposal and request which is best heard by his imperial majesty first.”

“Very good. You know how things work. Now please stand and walk with me for a bit. I will send a message, but it will be a few hours at least before my brother will be able to meet with you and I would love to hear your tale.”

“You are too kind, Princess Lingxin. I will do my best to answer what I am able to while I wait.”

Princess Lingxin smiled as Xeal stood and accepted her hand as the gates closed, and she motioned one of her guards to let her brother know of Xeal’s presence. She then led Xeal to a pavilion in the middle of a picturesque Chinese-style garden where they sat as servants appeared with tea. The next few hours were spent as Xeal told much of his story to Princess Lingxin as she seemed keen on hearing as much as she could. Xeal could tell that he was the first player she had any contact with from the things that she found fascinating. When a message arrived stating that his imperial majesty would see him, Xeal could see the sadness in Princess Lingxin’s eyes at the end of their conversation.

“Princess Lingxin, I must thank you for keeping me company while I awaited his imperial majesty’s summons. I do hope that my business with him goes well and you will be willing to pick up where we left off when I return several times over the next few weeks.”

“That would be welcome, though I have little hope of your talks going well. Do remember to temper your expectations as our nation is not known for being open to cooperation.”

“I am aware. I believe I have a chance, but if not, I will simply have to look for another way to achieve my goals.”

Princess Lingxin followed the messenger who was to act as Xeal’s guide while Xeal walked a few steps behind her to denote the difference in status. As they drew closer to the emperor’s throne room, Xeal watched the subtle shift in atmosphere take place. While Xeal had been surrounded by Princess Lingxin’s four tier 7 guards, they had given them space. By the time they stood outside the doors of the throne room, guards were everywhere Xeal looked. He had to laugh at any thought he had at escape if things went as bad as they could. Now it was time to see just what he was dealing with. Princess Lingxin gave Xeal one last worried look as the doors opened, though Xeal returned a fearless smile. As they entered, Princess Lingxin turned to the right before taking her place along the wall at about the halfway mark of the room. Xeal continued forward as he took in the room that had gold accents everywhere and was full of officials and guards. About a quarter of the 100 feet from the door to the veiled throne where the emperor sat, a guard stopped Xeal with an outstretched hand in which Xeal placed all his weapons, making a show of disarming himself. Once that was taken care of, Xeal continued to about the three quarters mark where a pair of guards stood at the ready on each side of a mat on the floor. Xeal knew that was where he needed to prostrate himself before the emperor. Only after Xeal showed that he understood just how far he was below the emperor would things begin for real. As Xeal knelt before leaning forward to press his head against the stone, his only thought was how he only had four hours before he would be forced out of ED.

“His imperial majesty, Emperor Huáng Jin, welcomes you to our kingdom, though he is unsure as to what you have to offer that he would care enough to listen to.”

Xeal knew that his next words would determine if he had a chance or not, so with his head still pressed to the floor, he spoke.

“Your imperial majesty, I come to bring the Huáng empire an opportunity to strengthen itself for the great wars that will engulf the world over the next century.”

“His imperial majesty finds it insulting that you feel his empire would need the assistance of an outsider to strengthen itself.”

“Your imperial majesty, I do not for a moment believe that your empire is incapable of strengthening itself greatly without my assistance. My only assumption is that you wish your empire to be as strong as it possibly can, as only through absolute might can victory be assured in what will come.”

The room was quiet far longer than Xeal would have liked as he kept his head pressed to the floor. He could feel himself begin to sweat. All Xeal could hear was a bit of shuffling and quiet chatter as the officials in the room whispered their thoughts to one another and the bits Xeal was able to pick up were mixed, at best, for him. Finally, the room quieted and the same speaker as before spoke.

“His imperial majesty wishes to know the details of how you will assist us and what is expected in return.”

Xeal wanted to jump for joy as he had survived the hardest part of this job as he spoke.

“Your imperial majesty, I have a letter from Crown Prince Victor Vidfamne of Nium containing the details as parts of it are best left unknown by all but those who must know.”

Xeal could hear the angry whispers in the room at his words as it was clear that the officials didn’t like the fact that they were being told his words were not for them. Once more Xeal waited for Emperor Huáng Jin’s decision in silence.

“His imperial majesty wishes you to approach slowly and place the letter in his hand for him to read.”

With a deep breath Xeal rose to his feet in a methodical manner and slowly pulled the letter out of his inventory before slowly walking while ensuring his head stayed bowed the whole time. When he reached the veiled throne, a single hand reached outside of it and he placed the letter in it before walking backwards and returning to his prior position.

“Everyone but Lingxin will remain here. Sister, escort our guest to my private study and prepare to attend to us.”

“As you wish, Brother.”

The room went so silent that two pairs of feet could be heard as Emperor Huáng Jin left through a door behind the veil of the throne as Princess Lingxin came to Xeal and commanded him to stand and follow her. The following walk was disorientating as Xeal was led through a maze of corridors clearly designed to confuse anyone who entered them. They finally arrived at a plain door that was indistinguishable from the dozens of others that they had passed along the way. Princess Lingxin had kept quiet the whole way as the two arrived without any guards or chaperones, which Xeal knew was likely one of the few times in her whole life she had been so exposed. As Xeal entered the room, it was clear at a glance that it was the emperor’s study as behind another veil the shadow of the emperor could be easily seen and Xeal went to kneel once more, but was stopped by the emperor’s words.

“Xeal, in here we will drop most of the formalities outside of how you address me.”

“Very well, your imperial majesty. I am at your service.”

“Good. Now, Sister, please prepare some tea for us as we speak.”

“Yes, Brother.”

Xeal took a seat at a table that Princess Lingxin directed him to before she stepped aside and went to work on brewing tea using an ornate tea set.

“Now, Xeal, I would normally kill someone simply for knowing what this letter shows you know. The headache your kind brings means that I can do nothing to ensure your silence. Plus, as your prince has made clear, any such action will ensure that the world as a whole will learn of the secret from his mouth. So, I have one question for you before we start negotiations. How did you learn of this secret?”

“Your imperial majesty, the method used is one that I doubt any other can replicate anytime soon as even an oracle was unable to help me before I used my method. As to the details of my method, it is much like the phoenix is for you, a secret that I would kill to ensure it stays as such.”

“Very well. Now what am I to do with you? The letter says you wish to have around 100,000 of your kind accommodated by my empire. You say that they will bring me great benefits, but from the reports we have, your kind just causes problems.”

“Your imperial majesty, you are correct that if not managed right my kind is far more trouble than we are worth, as a whole. We care not for what any nation wishes for and once we reach tier 5, we even lose the need to stay in any nation we grow disinterested in. This makes it so we can only be relied on when the rewards are large enough and can make us a dangerous element to have within your borders during a war. By the same notion, without us, in a few years no war will be winnable as an army that never dies can never be beaten without your own undying army. What I am offering is around 100,000 quality players who could be looked at as your empire’s version of what my guild is for Nium.”

Princess Lingxin finished brewing the tea and served a cup to her brother and Xeal before returning to the side. Xeal took a long sip as he savored the rich flavor with just a hint of sweetness contained within the tea. He could tell that this tea was likely something only the emperor could afford and Princess Lingxin had prepared it flawlessly as he enjoyed it.

“What if I wanted your guild and not them?”

“Your imperial majesty, that is not even an option.”

“Why not? I could even give you my sister like your prince has offered you his sister. Is she not beautiful enough to entice you?”

“Your imperial majesty, were I to even entertain such an action, my word would be worthless.”

“Oh, so she doesn’t entice you?”

“Your imperial majesty, I will not lie and say that she is anything other than beautiful and has been a delight to spend time with, but to even entertain such thoughts would be disastrous for me.”

“Such a pity. The fact that you are still conscious tells me that she believes you are worth listening to, or she simply likes you.”

Xeal paused to look at his tea before looking at Princess Lingxin, who was blushing slightly, and the emperor continued.

“When you rule a nation, you need to have those you can trust near you. For me that is my sister as she has always followed me, while still sharing her honest thoughts, since she could walk. At first, I was irritated that this little girl a decade my junior questioned my thoughts. Had she been anyone but my own blood, I would have simply had my father have her disappear as I did whenever something displeased me in my youth. Yet, as the years went on, I learned to appreciate how, unlike anyone else, she would challenge my thoughts when it was just us. She knew that she needed to only do so in private, or in subtle ways, like putting you to sleep and tossing you in a cell if she thought I was making a mistake speaking with you. Now, I can tell you do the same for your prince from how much he is willing to risk by allowing you to come here despite the words in his letter that tell me he is very much against it. My question to you is, will I find my own friend who can be trusted in such a way among the players you deliver to my lands?”

“Unlikely. The leaders of those who would be coming will only prioritize themselves, and much like how your empire dreams of ruling all, they too have the similar aspirations. Only my kind is the target they seek to rule over.”

“I see. That would make them easy to work with and if they can back it up, they may even solve much of the issues I am currently dealing with from your kind. Still, I will be missing something I need most if my aspirations are to be realized. Let us discuss exactly what a deal between us would look like.”

The next three hours were spent as Xeal and Emperor Huáng Jin discussed the various aspects of what a deal would look like before they called it a day as Xeal had under an hour before he would be forced to log out and needed to get to an inn before that time. However, Emperor Huáng Jin insisted that Xeal stay in a guest room while he waited for an answer. Xeal expressed his need to continue to strengthen himself by slaying monsters. They finally agreed that Xeal would stay in the palace and a pair of imperial guards would accompany him while grinding during his stay. Emperor Huáng Jin even told Xeal that he would allow him to slay monsters in one of the zones that they kept under imperial control. The location, as it was described to Xeal, was where they sent newly minted tier 5 soldiers and they had a teleportation gate set up in a fort next to it for easy access. With that taken care of, Princess Lingxin led Xeal to a room that was lavishly adorned with everything a resident of this world could ask for in terms of comfort. Once he stepped inside, she bid him farewell and asked if he would join her for an early breakfast before he left in the morning. After agreeing to meet her at 6:00 in the morning and her promising that a servant would guide him, Xeal was finally able to slip away about ten minutes before his forced logout.

Morning November 24 to Evening November 25, 2266 & ED year 2 days 27-32.

The 24th and 25th were two more relaxed days for Alex as he made sure to take care of Sam and Nicole during their logouts as both were starting to show the signs of mental fatigue that the trial took on players. He made sure that both of them took in a decent meal and other necessities during their 15 to 30 minutes of consciousness between each session. Both just smiled at him as he made sure that they didn’t miss a login time as they let him pamper them. Mr. Chun and Lina had come over to see if there was any update on the morning of the 25th, but Alex had simply said that things were moving and that they were not able to host anyone before the evening of the 28th. He promised them that everything was going better than expected and he was close to having the first two countries on board and would give them an update soon.

In ED, Xeal was spending his days having meals with Princess Lingxin as he continued to tell stories of his life in ED and mainly grinding. There were occasional meetings with Emperor Huáng Jin as he brought up new issues one after another, which Xeal had to address to alleviate his concerns. It was taking time but it was quite obvious that by the time day 29 came, a deal was close to being complete.

On day 30, Xeal found himself once more following Princess Lingxin to her brother’s study after returning from his latest grinding session where he had reached level 81. Xeal had dumped all his free attribute points in charisma to boost the negotiations he had in front of him. He had planned to sit with her for an early breakfast like had become the norm since he had arrived, but she had looked sad when he arrived. She informed Xeal that her brother had requested his presence as he had just come to a decision, assuming a few things could be agreed upon. So Xeal followed her and once more found himself in a room with just the three of them.

“Xeal, it is good that you are able to join me this morning. Lingxin should have let you know I believe I have a deal that will work for all involved.”

“It is as your imperial majesty says.”

“The issue has been about gold since the start as you have made it clear that the adventurers that will be migrating here will cost a fair bit to free. The kingdom that is holding them is likely earning a great profit from them and will be reluctant to release them for cheap. Yet you have assured me that you will be able to take care of the rest if I can secure 30,000,000 gold. You also are promising me that I can demand double whatever the final amount is so long as we give them 15 years to repay the debt. You are adamant that they need the time to undo the stagnation that they have been suffering since they have been imprisoned. You are also promising that your guild will send members over to ensure that their core members are caught up to other top adventurers by level 100, which will take around a year. Have I missed anything about what is needed to close this deal?”

“Yes, your imperial majesty, I need access to that place.”

“Yes, of course, your payment for acting as the middleman in all of this, how could I forget the main issue I have with this arrangement. However, I believe I have a solution. You intend to ask the phoenix to grant you a boon in the form of a few feathers that will ensure your fiancées are safe from death. You also intend to have them become stronger to ensure that they will be able to take care of themselves, correct?

“You have a fairly accurate understanding of the situation.”

“Good. Now here are my requirements. First, the first feather you retrieve belongs to me. Second, Lingxin will travel with you as my representative at the table in the Muthia empire. She will then follow you to Nium where she will be welcomed as a royal guest. There she will receive the same treatment you plan for your fiancées as far as training and protection goes.”

Xeal thought over Emperor Huáng Jin’s words and how they would affect his plans. While doing so, he caught the look of surprise that was on Princess Lingxin’s face. Clearly the conditions surrounding her had come as a surprise and before Xeal could respond, she spoke out of turn for the first time during these meetings.

“Brother, what do you mean by sending me away for such an extended amount of time?”

“Sister, the world has changed far too much for us to simply ignore relations with others as we have for so long. You are the only one I truly trust to be honest with me and it is clear that Nium would make a decent ally if needed due to Xeal and his guild’s presence. Besides, they know about the old hag. Regardless of whether she will cooperate with Xeal or not, just the fact that they know means we are better off with them as our friend than foe.”

“Brother, who will ensure you stay on your path while I am away?”

“I have decided to take a play out of Prince Victor’s book and find my Xeal. There must be at least one player in my lands who would work.”

Xeal worried about how things were developing, but had no valid reason to refuse any of the conditions as they were fair and understanding. Yet he needed to confirm one of them as he was sure there could be issues if he kept silent.

“Your imperial majesty, I do have one concern with the wording of your conditions. What I am going to retrieve from the phoenix is only the main component of how I am going to protect the lives of my fiancées. It will be used in a ritual of sorts and will require me to touch them directly over their hearts. I feel it is already pushing propriety doing that with my fiancées and I would feel remiss if I didn’t bring up this issue now.”

“I see no issue. Feel free to give me a niece, or nephew, if you like as well.”

“Brother?!”

“Sister, I am not blind. I am well aware of the smile that has been on your face every day since he arrived. Now, Xeal, do you have any further objections?”

Xeal wanted to curse as he didn’t want to add another lady to his list of betrothed and it was clear that was where things were being pushed.

“Your imperial majesty, I am not looking for another betrothed and while I truly believe any man who wins Princess Lingxin’s hand will be a very lucky man, but four women are enough for me.”

Emperor Huáng Jin burst into laughter at Xeal’s words and it took him a full 20 seconds to calm down.

“Xeal, it is cute that you feel your opinion in the matter matters. She is not your prize, you are hers, though I will accept that she must wait for your current princess before she can have you. The fact that you make her happy and obviously have the status all but secured to be a match for any princess is enough for me to push this move. Think of it as me cementing my intentions to form a lasting alliance with Nium through you instead of Prince Victor.”

With that Xeal accepted that for the time being he was tied to a bashful Princess Lingxin. The only outs would be diplomatic ones and it would depend on how Victor and Enye viewed the situation. As Princess Lingxin led Xeal back to the main areas of the palace, he decided to break the tension.

“Princess Lingxin, it appears that we will be around each other a fair bit more in the future.”

“Xeal, I want you to know that this is as much a surprise to me as it is to you. I didn’t expect my brother to send me away from the palace. Tell me, will his empire survive the chaos that is coming?”

“Princess Lingxin, I will not lie to you. It is unlikely as things currently stand. You are surrounded by five smaller nations who would all love to see the empire fall. While your military is able to keep them all at bay for now, once my kind reach tier 7 it will be faced with an army of undying soldiers. Unfortunately for you and your brother, this empire has not fostered the best relations with adventurers and not many will side with you when the time comes. The 100,000 I am bringing over will delay things, but against the over 1,000,000 that the other five are likely to assemble to attack, it won’t be enough.”

“I see, so he is saving me by making use of you. I apologize that I will be a burden for you in the future.”

“Lingxin, you are not a burden, nor will you be. I do not know if a marriage between us will actually happen as there are still many political considerations that need to be looked at between your brother and Prince Victor. So, for now, just smile. It is clear your brother loves you and who knows, perhaps all hope is not lost as he has time to fix things before it is too late.”

Princess Lingxin froze at Xeal using just her name, smiling at what it meant, before shifting to a frown and responding.

“Unlikely. While he is the emperor, his actual power is limited as he has to rely on others to administer his decrees. As you may have picked up on when you asserted that only he should be aware of that letter’s content, you made many enemies here as most of our bureaucrats take pride in spinning information. They have been extremely negative where it comes to adventurers and unless they can be awoken, and fast, I fear many adventurers will leave our borders for good.”

“Indeed, we are not like the normal citizens who are born here and grow to be loyal as we are raised. By our very nature we are a destabilizing force. Any shortsighted official would take a single look and instantly grow a disdain for us and do everything they could do to convince us to leave without even seeing how what they were doing would affect things in the long run.”

The pair continued to talk as Princess Lingxin brought Xeal to a table and a servant started serving breakfast. Once breakfast was over, Xeal returned to grinding before returning to rest and do the prep needed for his negotiation in the Muthia empire at the start of his next session. As Xeal lay there going over the events of the last few days, he worried about how his four ladies would take Lingxin being foisted upon him like she was. There was also how the Muthia empire would receive his request and what it was going to take for them to agree.

Morning November 26, 2266.

After taking care of Sam and Nicole, Alex made his way to his first aikido lesson since before he went through his tier-up challenge. When he arrived, he was greeted by Dan and Fred bugging him for updates on his trip to the Huáng empire in ED. He gave them updates as they made their way inside and got changed, before making their way to the mats to get started for the day. On the mats, Alex enjoyed the feeling of getting his body really moving for the first time in over a week. The lesson went well and then proceeded to their normal clean-up before leaving, when Kent approached Alex to talk.

“Alex, I just wanted to touch base with you really quick about mine and the others’ role in FAE.”

“Ah, Kent. I am glad that you accepted the position. How is the leveling going?”

“It’s taking forever. Are you really good paying us for over three months before we even start really working?”

“With you all only logging on for one session a day it’s a necessary cost. Think of it as me investing in you for the long term.”

“I see. Still, it’s weird…”

“Kent, are you guys having to deal with other players giving you a hard time due to being paid already?”

“Not exactly. It’s more of a general atmosphere of envy.”

“Ah, yah, that will happen. Still, you are being hired for a skill you have outside ED.”

“About that, just how big are you intending our role to be?”

“You, by yourself, not that big. You will have a few dozen players being taught by you at any given time. Martial arts trainers as a whole, on the other hand, will play a major role as I intend on every member of my guild getting some training, even if it is second or third hand.”

“I see, so we are just a drop in the bucket.”

“You are the start of what I hope becomes a very integral part of my workshop. Now, as much as I would like to keep talking, Sam and Nicole need me to make sure they stay on our current schedule as much as possible right now.”

“Oh, that’s where they are. I was wondering. Alright.”

“Let me know if you have any questions, or concerns.”

“Will do… oh, there was one that we were wondering about. If we play more, would our pay go up?”

“That would depend on if it increases the number of lessons you can teach.”

Alex left Kent with that as he got changed and headed home to eat, before he woke Sam and Nicole up from their naps. He got them to log back in after a few kisses as he did the same.

ED year 2 days 33-34.

As Xeal arrived back in ED, it was a few hours before midnight and he started to think of the task before him. The Muthia empire’s capital was four hours ahead of the Huáng empire, so when they left at 6:00, they would arrive at 10:00 in the morning, meaning that they would be headed directly to the Muthia’s capital’s palace when they arrived. Xeal was just about to sleep in preparation for what he knew would be a long day, when he heard the familiar voice of Emperor Huáng Jin.

“You are an odd one. It’s true then that you do not disappear from our world when you leave for your own. Either you do so because you have no choice, or you simply wish to show that you belong to our world as well, even if it is a lie.”

“Your imperial majesty, I must say, I am at a loss to find you here.”

“Xeal, you will make sure she is happy, right?”

“Your imperial majesty speaks as if you will never see her again.”

“Be honest with me. My empire will not live to see another decade, will it?”

“Over half of the nations in this world won’t see another decade. It is still too soon to assume all is lost, though you are in a particularly difficult position.”

“What would you do if you were me?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“You are surrounded by nations who would gladly join hands to destroy your empire before turning on one another. If you worked to remove the corruption that will cause my kind to flee, your own officials will see you dead and install one of your cousins, who would be more controllable. The only reason any of your officials are agreeing to the deal we are making is due to the long-term return on investment and the control that they will have. The best hope you have is simply to ensure that Jingong has the ability to thrive when they arrive.”

“Are there no actions that I should take to ensure that?”

“Just get out of their way. They know what they are doing and will quickly become the best chance your empire will have at turning the tide.”

“I see. This was a good conversation. Make sure you take care of my sister. I would like to hold one of her children before it’s over.”

“I will do my best to ensure that she will be able to handle herself without my assistance.”

The emperor didn’t respond to Xeal as he left and Xeal allowed sleep to take him.

When Xeal met up with Princess Lingxin in the morning, they wasted little time as the pair, followed by four guards all of which were above level 200, made their way to the teleportation gate. As they stepped through, they found themselves going from where the sun was just rising and the streets were quiet, to the bustle of the mid-morning as vendors worked to sell their goods. When the pair of guards that manned the teleportation gate on this end saw the six of them, they were at a loss on how to respond. Lucky for them, they did not raise their spears before speaking.

“Halt! Identify yourselves and state your purpose!”

“I am Viscount Xeal Bluefire of the kingdom of Nium and this is Princess Lingxin of the Huáng empire and her imperial guard. We are here to put forth a diplomatic agreement that will benefit all three nations.”

Xeal just watched patiently as the gate guards processed his words. He could see the confusion shift to disbelief, before he finally responded.

“Please provide proof you’re who you say.”

“Very well.”

Xeal removed the seal that Victor had given him and Lingxin pulled out a similar item, only with her own seal placed upon it. While Xeal was sure that the guards would be unable to tell whose seal they were holding, he knew that could recognize that they were real. The fact that they both carried seals that were obviously of high-ranking nobles was enough to get them an escort to the palace and through its first gate into a waiting area. They sat and enjoyed tea for about an hour before the guards returned with a middle-aged man who was dressed in fine silks.

“Good day to both of you. I am told that you are here seeking an audience with my empress. Please enlighten me as to the details of why.”

Xeal frowned at the man before responding.

“Sir, you have not given us any reason to believe that you represent her imperial majesty. As such, it would be foolish to share anything with you.”

“Very good. If you must know, I am one of her imperial majesty’s consorts, Arai Sadanobu. Her imperial majesty is extremely busy at the moment and only the most important of issues can be brought before her at this time.”

Xeal examined Arai Sadanobu as the man pulled out a badge that would have meant nothing to him before he had done his prep work for this journey. Now, however, he could now recognize that it was what one of the empress’s consorts would carry as proof. This still didn’t tell Xeal just where the man stood in importance, or whether he would be a help or a hindrance as not all of the empress’s consorts were in line with her. The amount of politics involved in how her consorts were chosen would make Victor happy he only had to deal with the eight great families.

“Consort Arai Sadanobu, I accept that you are indeed what you claim to be, but the details of why we are here will only be revealed directly to her imperial majesty. The fact that the right hand and future brother-in-law to Crown Prince Victor Vidfamne and the sister of the emperor of the Huáng empire have come together should be enough to show the importance of our proposal.”

“Viscount Bluefire, I can see that for one of your kind you know how our world works far better than I expected. Now, please follow me to a more appropriate reception room while I see when you will be able to be seen by her imperial majesty. Though I wouldn’t expect it to be today, so you will likely be needing rooms for the night at the very least.”

“If it is going to be an extensive wait, I would ask to be allowed to leave to do some leveling as we wait as I need to maintain my leveling progress.”

“I can see to that arrangement. It is good to see one as diligent as you, though you will be chaperoned by a guard while you are within our borders.”

“That is to be expected. I will thank you in advance for your accommodations.”

Sadanobu proceeded to lead them to a much nicer room where servants were already waiting with tea and refreshments. Xeal and Lingxin were left to wait as Sadanobu left to relay their information and hopefully return shortly with an answer as they enjoyed tea. Lingxin finally spoke once they had relaxed for a bit.

“Xeal, do you believe that we will be seen soon, or will we have to wait days before we can complete our mission?”

“Princess Lingxin, it is an unknown. I was extremely fortunate when you were near enough the gates to hear my request when I visited your brother. I doubt he would have seen me for days if it had not been for the message coming from you. It will depend on a few things, such as if Consort Arai Sadanobu likes us and if he is in good standing with her imperial majesty. It will also depend on how curious she is and how she wants to handle us. She could wish to have us observed for a few days before she makes herself known, or dive into who we are before engaging with us. There are far too many variables to consider for me to give you a straight answer. All I can say is that she will meet with us when she wants to.”

“I see. If it drags on, I will simply have to take pleasure in having you to myself between your training times.”

Lingxin had a smile on her face that told Xeal she expected him to spend several hours each day with her, regardless of what else he wanted to accomplish.

“Princess Lingxin, I will be happy to spend breakfast and dinner with you while we are guests here. However, do not get used to seeing me this much. When we arrive in Nium I will have far too many things that will pull me away and you will be staying with the royal family, not me. I expect that you will grow closer with Princess Enye and Lady Dyllis as they are both my brides to be as well. To be clear, while your brother may claim different and while I may be willing to accept you as a future bride, if you do not work with my other fiancées, I will call it off. Even Enye and Dyllis had to gain the approval of the pair who held my heart first before I was willing to fully open myself towards them.”

“I see, so there are only four brides-to-be that I must placate. I had feared that you would have already been drowning in fiancées being who you are. As for getting you to open your heart to me, thank you for letting me know what is needed as I have been struggling with that question for days now. I must say that I look forward to claiming my own part of it and having a say in who, and if, you will ever open your heart to another.”

Xeal couldn’t help but feel warm at the smile that was currently on Lingxin’s face as she talked about securing herself in his heart. Instead of cautioning her to temper her expectations, he shifted the conversation to lighter topics as they waited another few hours before Sadanobu returned. He informed them that the empress had been made aware of their presence, but had yet to determine when, or if, to meet with them. He then showed them to where their quarters would be for their stay. They arrived at what was a luxurious guest house next to the imperial gardens, that had four bedrooms and a dining room. There they were left with a pair of guards who were only barely tier 6 at level 130, one of which informed Xeal that she was to be his escort when he wished to leave. The lower level of guards made Xeal question the empress’ meaning by doing so. If they wished to escape, Lingxin’s guards would easily overpower them. Still, instead of worrying about it, Xeal simply bid Lingxin farewell as he asked the female guard to accompany him as he wished to make use of his time before settling in.

Xeal’s desire to depart immediately caught the guard by surprise, but she quickly recovered as Xeal wondered what she looked like under her armor. Imperial guards in the Muthia empire wore Karuta armor, similar to a samurai’s, that was more functional than for show. The helmet and mask were such that all Xeal could see clearly of her was her brown eyes as they measured him. After the momentary pause that had been brought on, the guard agreed and Xeal bid Lingxin farewell for the time being before departing. Xeal spent the rest of the session focused on grinding in an area that, like in the Huáng empire, was normally used for training soldiers. He focused much of his time further honing his senses before returning in time for breakfast with Lingxin and the exhausted guard. His guard obviously wanted to do nothing but sleep when she was relieved by another guard, before she slipped off to do just that. Xeal shared his experience fighting the local monsters with Lingxin before he lay down to rest as well and logged off.

Evening November 26 to Morning November 28, 2266 & ED year 2 days 34-38.

Alex continued his care of Sam and Nicole as they worked to complete their tier 5 trial. He was happy to get the small snippets of information they shared, before sleeping as much as they could. Both seemed to be doing well, all things considered, and he knew that they had to be close to reaching whatever their last hurdle would be. Sam’s information had Alex extremely intrigued as hers had taken a shape he had never heard of as she was walking in a field and no trapped souls had even approached her. The fights she had faced had all been one-on-one against foes she should have no chance against, yet after they faced her for a few exchanges, they would dissipate into smoke. In the sky she kept catching glimpses of something flying overhead that she swore were Valkyrie. Xeal felt like her trial was actually happening in Fólkvangr and Freya was dictating it. If that was true, he could only guess at what it would mean. Nicole’s was much like his own, only she had yet to face more than four trash enemies at once, and it had started at just one and slowly increased as she moved closer to her goal.

Swing dance without Sam and Nicole had been weird as Alex had found himself switching between Ava, Mia and Jessica, who were more than happy to dance with him. Alex had to smile at how much Jessica had improved since starting therapy. While there was still a fair bit of work to do, he could tell that she had lost a good deal of her insecurity. He could tell that she was still hoping that Alex would take her on that date when she graduated, but it felt more like a closure thing than a desperate hope for something more. Jessica also let Alex know that Dr. Blythe was hoping that Alex would attend the next session with Sam and Nicole, which he agreed to.

Kendo on Wednesday saw Alex working with a few of Sensei Sano’s pupils who normally came in early to get in their daily practice before heading off to work. Alex was focusing on improving his control while sparring, while the pupils were also working with everyone else who was ready to start sparring. They did this through using a rotation where everyone would get to spar once or twice each morning. Alex had to smile as he got to know the pupils, who were all in their late 20’s to early 40’s, and worked in a variety of fields, from accounting to construction. He did talk about ED with them a bit, but while they were intrigued by it, they had reservations about full-dive VR games in general. The common theme seemed to be that they worried about living half of two lives instead of a single full life.

In ED, Xeal spent his time split between spending time with Princess Lingxin and grinding with the same guard as before. Unlike his first day grinding where the guard had been almost completely quiet, she was now asking questions that were a bit probing, but mostly innocuous. This included things like how he had started to court Enye and what his guild’s goals were. Xeal had little issue with expressing his goals for his guild, but played it a bit coy as far as just how he had ended up courting a princess. Still, other questions that the guard asked told Xeal that she was asking many of these at another’s direction. These were things like what would he do if the empress refused to see him for weeks, or decided to hold him here indefinitely. Xeal had smiled at these questions as he made it clear that it would be a mistake on her part to do so while also making it clear that he had to make a short return to Nium to check in on the night of day 37. He didn’t let her know it was to keep his date with Dyllis. Instead, he played it like Prince Victor would assume something went wrong if he didn’t check in.

Xeal was just about to sit with Princess Lingxin for breakfast a few hours before logging out on day 37, when the guard that had been accompanying them arrived with a summons. He and Princess Lingxin were to have breakfast with the empress in her gardens. As the pair followed the guard, Xeal wondered what the play here was. He knew it would only be a short meeting due to his own time constraints, and a meal was a rather informal first meeting for an empress. As he considered this, they arrived in the garden where Empress Sakurai Jingū sat enjoying a cup of tea while she waited. Xeal knelt as Princess Lingxin curtsied to the woman who, while in her early 50’s, was clearly in good health. She had long flowing black hair that normally would have been done up, but was currently hanging free as her brown eyes appraised Xeal thoroughly. For Xeal’s part, he was astonished to see her looking so plain as she had clearly had yet to go through her daily routine and was in a simple silk dress that could easily be her sleepwear. When she addressed Xeal and Lingxin, it was with confidence and poise.

“I do apologize for being so informal for our first meeting, but with Viscount Xeal needing to check in with Prince Victor, or should I say Lady Dyllis when he wakes this afternoon, I thought it prudent. Now please rise and join me and I think I would like to use the same rules you have at your own table here, Xeal. So you may call me Lady Sakurai for this meeting as I can’t do away with all formalities in my position or some may think I am aiming to add another consort. Something that I am sure neither of you would be amenable to.”

“Thank you, Lady Sakurai. I appreciate your decorum and hospitality. Lingxin and I are more than grateful to finally make your acquaintance as formal or informal as it may be.”

“Xeal speaks true. While your hospitality has been wonderful, we do have important matters to discuss.”

“I understand, but first I would like to get to know you a bit better. My children have been reporting a few interesting things these past few days. Is it true that while you would like your guild to have wide networks of commerce across the world, you only wish to have a major presence in Nium, Xeal?”

“It is, Lady Sakurai. It is to ensure that I do not become what I fear.”

“And what is that?”

“A plague that consumes everything in front of it as it grows endlessly.”

“I see, and you believe that if you fully tied yourself to multiple countries, you would become that?”

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“Oh, am I corrupt?”

“I have no way of knowing, Lady Sakurai, as I have not dived into your empire and how it is run, past the surface level. For all I know you are a figurehead, or a puppet, for those with the true power, or you could be helpless against those who are in charge of the day to day. You also have to contend with the other nations on your borders who would love to take your lands as their own. That alone can act as a restraint on corruption.”

“My, my, I must say you do not show fear, Xeal. So what are your thoughts on just what you have seen?”

“You do not have absolute power, though you do rule your empire yourself as you are the puppet master, if any puppets are involved.”

“And you, Lingxin?”

“My brother would never allow himself to be seen as you are now, Lady Sakurai, and while he doesn’t have absolute power, he is much closer to it than you.”

“Does that make you see me as weak?”

“No, it means you have not yet separated yourself from the day to day of your empire as my family has, as can be seen by how hard it has been to get a moment of your time.”

“Alright, now, Kuni, please join us.”

Xeal watched as his guard removed her helm, revealing a face eerily similar to Empress Sakurai Jingū, except clearly much younger. With a wave of her hand, a few servants arrived and within a minute her armor was removed, leaving her in the plain clothing that she wore under her armor at all times. A moment later breakfast was brought in and Empress Sakurai Jingū ordered all servants and guards to clear the area. Lingxin’s guards hesitated until she dismissed them as well, leaving just the four of them at the table to speak.

“Now, Xeal, let me properly introduce you to my eldest daughter and second born, Kuni. She has had the task of observing you for me these past few days and she has made a few interesting observations. Combined with my own information networks, let me lay out why you two are here. I currently have a large group of adventurers who tried to act as the law inside my kingdom. So, I, like any ruler should, imprisoned them without mercy and now you wish for me to set them free. They came to you, Xeal, in your world to ask if you would intervene for them as you are the only one currently with any chance, however small. While I do not know what they have offered you, it had to be enough for you to take the risk, yet you do not want them in Nium. So, you picked the Huáng empire which has something you want, though what it is I haven’t a clue as nothing about it could be discovered, which just intrigues me further. However, that is neither here nor there. The point is that you sold them and now you are here to sell me on it as well. Did I miss anything?”

“Nothing that is pertinent to my purpose here beyond that my price was 96 gold per head freed, to be paid by them over the next 13 years.”

“I see. Thank you for your honesty on that matter. Anything you wish to add, Lingxin?”

“Only that my brother knows our empire is doomed regardless of this deal, and the real thing he is gaining from this is my safety and the continuation of our line.”

“I see. I take it Xeal here is the lucky man. By my count that will make five prospective wives for you, including two princesses. Kuni, what are your impressions of Xeal?”

“He is not a man who rests on his laurels, or neglects to push himself. He is also far fiercer of a warrior than any I have seen at his level. I dare say that before my last tier up I might have lost to him, even with the major discrepancy in levels. As for who he is when he is away from the battlefield, I see a man who can’t help but care about those who care about him.”

“Would he make a good match for you despite the others he is currently involved with?”

“No, he would not, Mother. If he was untethered by others he would be perfect, but I am tied here and he is tied to Nium completely. I see it causing issues for Lingxin as even though she has been released by her brother, it was done by force slightly and she will have to watch her home possibly fall from afar.”

“And you would rather burn with me than survive and continue my line?”

“Mother, Momo would be a better fit if you wish to send one of us away.”

Xeal had been listening to this exchange as it caused a headache to begin to grow in his head, finally he couldn’t let it continue or he would be saddled with an unknown woman as another bride.

“Hold it right there, Lady Sakurai. Please do not give me another bride without asking me. I already have enough of them without you adding more.”

“Xeal, I am a mother and like Lingxin’s brother, I know that my empire is likely doomed. You have already stated that your guild will be unable to help us. Even if I freed them, I could not use the adventurers currently imprisoned as anything without looking too weak to rule. So, I am left with the play to preserve my line and Kuni here is my favorite daughter and second in line for my throne, behind only her brother. I don’t care about the gold, though I will still have to take it to appease my ministers who don’t see our reality. All I want is a place where my children can run to in confidence when the walls crumble.”

“Lady Sakurai, if that is all you are after, then I am able to provide that without marriage.”

“No, you are not. Until you have given me a grandchild, my sons and daughters and their children will not be safe in Nium. You may be close to Prince Victor, but do not think for a moment he would risk the ire of those who triumph over us for such an easily severed bond. Or are you saying that you will rule Nium by that point?”

Xeal had a sour look on his face as he thought through his options. He knew that if he relented now, then he would add another woman to his life. The longer Xeal took to respond, the more assured Lady’s Sakurai’s smile grew and then it hit him.

“Lady Sakurai, you speak as if it is already assured that your nation will fall.”

“Yes, I have no way to avoid it. It may not be for five or so years, but it will come.”

“Lady Sakurai, I will do this. Your empire will fall only due to it being such a soft target due to the removal of Jingong. Over the next two years I will help establish a power here that will counter that issue and if I fail to instill confidence in your ability to survive, at that point I will take one of your daughters as a wife.”

“Hmm, you would need to work on giving me a grandchild immediately after the wedding and she would be joining you after you have wed the others. No, you will court one of my daughters while you work to resolve this issue. If you succeed before your wedding date with Princess Enye, I will call it off if that is what you still wish. Otherwise, you will be leaving your wedding with Princess Enye to be wed here, and I dare say you will then leave to be wed to Lingxin in the Huáng empire directly after. We can’t have any of your princesses getting too far in front of the others, after all.”

Xeal wanted to remove the smile that Lady Sakurai had on her face as she waited for his response, but he had nothing to counter her words as she was right. Once he married Enye, any further courtships of royalty would reflect poorly on the lady who was courting him. It would seem like they were a war prize more than a wife as it would be assumed that she was gained through hostile negotiations.

“Lady Sakurai, you are correct and I failed to think my counter through. It sounds like you still have things to figure out on your end and I will need to speak with Prince Victor and my other brides on this matter as I cannot simply accept it without doing so first. Also, while it is a fact that I have accepted that I will likely court and marry Lingxin, it will not be official until after I do the same regarding her.”

“I see. Very well, we will shelve this until tomorrow morning as I believe both of us will be otherwise occupied until then. I do hope we can come to an agreeable solution together at that time.”

With that Xeal returned to his room with far too much on his mind and without anyone to discuss this with before his next login.

Xeal walked down the road on his way to the palace to pick up Dyllis for their date; he knew he would also need to sit with Enye and Victor to discuss things. When he had told Dyllis that he needed to delay their date slightly for the chat, she had seemed disappointed, but at the same time she understood. When the four of them were seated in Victor’s study ten minutes later, Xeal launched into a full status update that lasted a full twenty minutes before he stopped for questions. Needless to say, there were plenty from Enye and Dyllis about the ladies before Victor cut in.

“Xeal, you say that both nations foresee their own falls in the wars that are to come?”

“No, only the emperor and empress, respectfully. I am not sure of if the nobles and officials of the Muthia empire see it yet, but it is safe to say that only the emperor does in the Huáng empire.”

“I see. Thank you, and you are marrying those princesses so long as they are not a major issue with your other wives. That said, I need to never let you go on another diplomatic assignment unless I want you to come home with another princess.”

“Ha, ha very funny. How about I have the empress send one of her daughters to be your bride instead?”

“There would need to be an alliance first and with them looking like a sinking ship, I would be a fool to do that as it could take us with them.”

“Brother, how can you simply agree to letting these other nations tie Xeal to them like this?”

“Enye, it is quite simple. If they truly do fall, Xeal will act as a magnet for the remnants of their strength. While there will be slight issues caused by this, when it comes to our own survival it will be of great help to our cause.”

“Brother, is all you can think of power?”

“Enye, Victor is right, though I would like to add that among those issues will be the ones trying to kill my wives and children disguised in those remnants. Then you will have the ones who wish to retake their homeland and place my wife, or child, on that throne, or worse, yours. Are you ready to deal with those issues, because I will not accept responsibility for my actions should any of those scenarios play out.”

“Noted. Now I believe you and Dyllis have a date to get to. I will continue to monitor the situation, but if I don’t see any major reason to refuse, you will be having three weddings in one day.”

Xeal was annoyed at just how easily Victor agreed to the proposals as he led Dyllis on a late evening stroll through the noble shopping district as they chatted about happier topics. To make up for the terrible start to their date, Xeal took her to one of the most expensive restaurants for dinner. When they were seated, Dyllis started asking Xeal questions about Lingxin as she wished to know as much as she could before she arrived. By the end of dinner, Xeal felt terrible about how much he had talked about another woman when Dyllis was meant to be the center of his attention. Even though Dyllis had a bright smile on her face, he still felt like it wasn’t fair to her as he walked her back to the palace before returning to the Muthia empire.

The following morning, Xeal once again found himself eating breakfast with Empress Sakurai Jingū, only this time it was not just Kuni that was seated with her. Three more young ladies had joined the table. Each of them looked to be in their late teens to early 20’s. They were introduced as the four of-age daughters of Empress Sakurai Jingū: Momo, Mari and Kuri. As Xeal looked at each of them, he could see that while they all shared the empress’ black hair and brown eyes, they each had different facial features, unlike Kuni, who Xeal was still taken aback by how much she looked like her mother. Momo was the second eldest and had the gentlest smile as she met Xeal. Next was Mari, who looked at Xeal with the most scrutiny as she kept her expression neutral. Then the youngest, Kuri, who must have just passed her 18th birthday recently and still had a bit of her baby fat on her cheeks, and just felt warm as she smiled. Xeal knew what was to come as the empress instated the same rules as last time, before clearing the area of anyone not involved as they chatted over breakfast.

“So, Xeal, which of my daughters catches your eye the most.”

“Lady Sakurai, I do not wish to judge them like one would a melon at the market. Yes, Prince Victor has given his tentative approval, but they are each their own person and if I were to try to decide simply by looks, not only would I be here all day, but I would miss their best parts.”

“See, what did I say, he is not only after arm candy. Now before I turn this into a bridal interview for real, there is a bit of business to take care of. Lingxin, you can inform your brother that I will agree so long as he pays the 30,000,000 and the prisoners sign a contract. The contract for us just needs to say that they will never step into any lands we have at any point from now, and moving forward, been controlled by the Muthia empire. I would also request that the contracts all be held by Xeal in trust, with him being the recipient of any unpaid funds should something happen to the Huáng empire.”

Xeal choked when he heard that last line as she had basically said that when the Huáng empire fell, he would see a massive increase in funds. Though at that point, those funds would be nothing compared to the 30,000,000 that was being paid today, in purchasing power. Inflation was a major issue in ED as guilds grew and gathered more and more gold each day.

“Lady Sakurai, I do believe my brother will be fine with that so long as Xeal does marry me, so that will need to be worked in as well.”

“That is fine. I do believe, unless something drastic happens, you have already secured him, regardless of any of this. Now, daughters, please take some time to get to know Xeal as Lingxin and I speak more off to the side.”

As Lingxin and Lady Sakurai left, Xeal felt like a piece of meat that had been placed before a pack of wolves as the four ladies looked at him. It was Kuri who spoke first, and it was like a dam broke after that as each of them asked him one thing after another. Kuri seemed to want to know what he did for fun outside adventuring. Mari wanted to know things related to how he planned to realize his plans and how he planned to ensure their safety. Momo took the passive approach, letting her younger sisters ask all the questions while stepping in whenever they asked a question she felt was inappropriate. As Kuni had watched him for days already and had already said she didn’t wish to leave the empire, she simply smiled as Xeal talked with her and her sisters. Xeal, for his own part, asked each of them their fair share of questions as well to ensure he knew about them as well. By the time Lingxin returned with Lady Sakurai to bring an end to the interrogation, Xeal had a fair idea at the surface level who each of the ladies were. Each was a warrior, as unlike most nations, the noble ladies of this empire were expected to fight and rule as much as the men were. Kuni was the leader of them while Momo was the empathetic one who always looked to find common ground. From what Mari showed, she was all about results and liked to over analyze everything, while Kuri simply enjoyed living and finding things that brought her joy.

Now he was being pushed to decide which one would fit with his other ladies the best. Age wise, Kuri made the most sense, but that would leave an age gap between Lingxin and his other brides to be as it was. Xeal felt like if she left the empire, she would lose her motivation to grow. Xeal felt Mari would cause some friction, but she would also ensure they didn’t lose sight of their goals. She was also directly between Enye and Lingxin in age. Taking Momo and leaving the younger two behind felt like it would cause issues in the family, especially with there being more siblings who were not present. However, Xeal felt like she would be a bad choice even though she was just slightly younger than Lingxin and would likely help her integrate with his other ladies. As for Kuni, she had been clear that she would hold him picking her against him for life if the Muthia empire fell.

“Well, Xeal, which of my daughters has caught your eye, or do you want to take them all?”

“Lady Sakurai, please, I would need to go into hiding if you did that to me. No, while each of them have caught my eye in one way or another, if I am going to pursue one it would need to be Mari.”

“Oh, my, you are full of surprises. Honestly, I must say that I am grateful that you didn’t take my Momo away as she tends to be the glue that holds us together. Still, what caught your eye about Mari?”

“Nope, that is something that she will learn from me over time as it is between her and I. For now, all I will say is she feels like the right one to choose.”

Xeal watched as Mari who had held a stern or neutral expression the whole time, couldn’t hide a blush as she brought her hand to her mouth and hid her expression. With that taken care of, Lady Sakurai promised to have everything ready on her end for when they returned with the gold and contracts.

Eight hours later, everything was ready and it was time for Xeal to sit down with the leaders of Jingong who were imprisoned to get them to sign the deal. Once they did, there would be a constant stream of players leaving as prisoners until they were teleported to the Huáng empire. Even though they were under leveled, they would be allowed to use the teleportation gate to leave, with the ten gold per player having been covered in the 30,000,000. Even at one player every second, it would still take over a day in game to complete the transportation. It was a good thing that the single cross-continent gate each country maintained was not being used by players at this point, as in a few years it would easily see 10,000 players each day and the congestion caused by them would easily make the transfer take weeks.

After a quick discussion with Mr. Chun’s and Lina’s characters, both of whom were being held in the Muthia empire, where they looked over the contract that had been agreed upon, everything was set. While they didn’t care for the amount of gold that they would owe in ED, it did give them ways to earn it, such as voluntarily working in the empire’s mines. The main issue that they had was the complete banishment from the Muthia empire and how Xeal was to receive the funds if the Huáng empire fell. Though when they noticed that it was all tied to Xeal marrying another two princesses, they about lost it in a fit of hysteria. In the end, with their agreement, they were officially the wards of the Huáng empire with the expectation that they would partially integrate into the empire’s armed forces. Xeal could only wince as he knew that between guild corruption and the corruption present in the officials of the Huáng empire, it could easily become a mess there. Still, Xeal let out a breath of relief as his part in this dance was over, beyond a dinner that Mr. Chun insisted Xeal join him for that evening in reality. He hoped that Aalin and Gale finished their challenges early the next day so they would be able to attend as well. Xeal didn’t want to be alone without them and didn’t think bringing the twins was a good idea right now.

ED year 2 days 39-40.

Aalin-

As Aalin returned to ED for the 10th session of her trial, she felt like she was at her wits’ end as she was now constantly having to avoid, or engage, five enemies at once. For her trial she had found herself in a dark area that only let her see a few feet at a time due to mist. Thankfully, she had learned how to pick up the general locations of enemies before she could see them from how they disturbed the mist. Still, with five coming at her at once, she was simply running and using her force shield to push them out of the way whenever she found herself surrounded with no way out. She had stopped even trying to kill them once three or more had started to show up as she was fighting a losing battle with only a bo staff to attack with, due to the need to preserve her magic point and skill point pools as much as possible. It had been about four hours since she had logged in and she could already tell that she was at her limit. She would run out of magic and skill points long before this session ended at the rate she was needing to use them. It was at this point that the mist cleared and like Xeal’s trial, a narrow bridge was there. She could see her exit on the other side and standing between her and it was Xeal and Gale. Aalin could feel her heart rate increase as she looked at them kissing like nothing else in the world existed until they took notice of her.

“Oh, Xeal, look it’s Miss ‘I can’t let you two just be happy’.”

“Ah, yah, she won’t even let you experiment a bit to see if you and I would like it after forcing her way in.”

Aalin did her best to ignore them as she kept repeating “it’s not real” over and over to herself. As she did so, Xeal and Gale shifted into herself.

“We can say this isn’t real all we like, but we know it is. We know that while it might all be in our head, it’s what we really believe. Sam made the move first and we couldn’t just be happy for her and Alex. No, we had to insert ourselves into their relationship. Now we are carrying his child at the same time as Sam is. Our family probably wants us to just get rid of it, but haven’t figured out how to say it yet…”

As Aalin heard everything the fake her was saying, she couldn’t keep herself from crying. Even knowing from Xeal’s experience what was going on, didn’t keep her from faltering as she fired one of her attack spells, ice shard, at her double. Only when it was right in front of the double, her spell hit a wall of some sort, revealing an intricate design that looked like part of a puzzle and didn’t fade.

“Look at us, we can’t handle the truth so we lash out…”

As her double kept spewing nonsense, Aalin made her way to the barrier before hitting it with her force shield spell as a rectangular pattern formed that was about as tall as her and extended just past the edge of the pathway. She didn’t need to defeat herself the way Xeal had; she needed to solve the barrier array in front of her while ignoring everything her double was saying, no matter how hateful it was. So, she got to work as she pulled all of the mental power she had left into figuring out the puzzle. However, just as she thought she knew how to solve it, five enemies stepped onto the bridge from where she had come from. Looking at her magic points, Aalin hoped it would be enough to hold out as she used one hand to put up a force shield to block them as she used her other to solve the puzzle. Two hours later and running on about empty in every sense of the word, the puzzle was solved and she stumbled forward into her other self.

“Ah, look at that, you did it. Too bad all I have to do is give you a little push and you will tumble off the edge and die. Don’t worry, I am sure you will do better next time, not.”

Aalin smiled as she activated one of her few non-magic skills that she had called side step just as her other half went to push her off the edge. She followed this with a shove of her own, causing her other self to go off the edge instead.

“I don’t need a next time!”

Her other self just laughed as she disappeared into the darkness below and Aalin hurried across the bridge with the five enemies chasing behind her. As she placed her hand on the transport array, she smiled as she disappeared from her trial.

Gale-

Gale was tired after what had felt like an endless walk, broken up by endless clashes between her and warriors she should have had no chance against. She must have faced a thousand or so of them since she entered this trial, each of them pulling their punches as they seemingly mocked her. Yet she didn’t care. All that mattered was moving forward and that was what she was going to do. She could feel it with each step something was coming and finally she came to the end of the path in this endless field. There stood the spitting image of herself dressed in a red dress, wearing the engagement gifts that Xeal had given her, while smiling.

“My, my, look at you, having walked all this way. It’s truly a shame that you won’t do what is necessary to pass this trial. You are too hung up on a single man. How can you show your devotion to your goddess that you might gain her blessings if you won’t even soothe the souls of her chosen?”

Gale’s other self had her hand on the green trilliant-style gem on her necklace, looking like she was about to pull it off with force.

“Ha, you’re right, I am stuck on Alex, and if Freya has an issue with it she can do as she likes to me, but no other shall have my body but him.”

“Yet he will not commit to you in the same way. How can you say he loves you?”

“I will admit that it is hard to accept that I have to share him, but if I was going to walk this path with anyone, I am glad it will be Nicole. Enye and Dyllis were a tough pill at first as I was still naive at just how real they and this world feel, but when he was willing to give up the opportunities they opened if I said no, I knew it would work out.”

“Yet you ignore Ava and Mia and your love has already found two more princesses on his latest journey. He has not even consulted with you about them and yet he is all but committed to marry them both. Can you really say that he is worth all of the pain and hurt that seeing him with all of them will bring you?”

“Ha, ha…”

Gale couldn’t stop laughing for a full five minutes after learning about Xeal picking up two more princesses. Finally, she was able to recover and speak, though she was still mostly out of breath.

“Oh, man, that’s good. He goes on a diplomatic mission and they can’t simply let him go, after it. Ha, that is just great. Looks like I have some new friends to make, or a message to send. Either way, it’s fine. I know that Nicole and I have the final say in everything right now. While that will change when another of his ladies bears him a child, for now only Nicole and I have that distinction. If Ava and Mia find their way in, so be it. I will simply have more sisters as we come together to ensure our man’s success.”

“You really have no issue with how everything is turning out?”

“Freya, I love him and know he loves me. What others think means nothing to me so long as he still takes the time to see me, and only me, when it matters.”

Gale watched as her other self shifted, as everything but her hair color changed and the absolute definition of beauty stood before her.

“So you figured it out. I must say, your definition of beauty is nice. I could get used to this body, over time.”

“Are you saying you appear according to what I think is beautiful?”

“Gale, I can appear as whoever I choose version of the most beautiful woman. It is good that you are not so vain as to see yourself that way. The vain never have a good ending, yet at the same moment I can see parts of you in this incarnation I’m in. However, my form is not why you are here. Gale, are you truly ready to fully embrace what it will mean to follow me?”

“No, I doubt I would pick you if I had a do over, but I intend to make the best of it and follow the Odr path.”

“Indeed, I did love my husband before he left and losing him was one of my truest regrets. Still you are far from what I would call ideal. Normally I would have made your last hurdle in this trial something that would have involved forcing you past that issue. Yet instead, I hijacked your trial and brought you here to Fólkvangr to speak directly with you. Do you have any idea why that is?”

“No, though I did find this trial odd compared to what I expected.”

“Yes, yes, I have to still put you through the spirit of the trial before we could talk. You passed, by the way, once you realized I wasn’t you. Yet you do not know just how lucky you and Xeal were when you chose me as your goddess. You know the mark that Xeal has always been vague about? Well, he has good reason to be. Beside a few other deities and I, the other gods would launch full crusades to remove it from that world, or worse. It is also why I am willing to overlook your failings if you can fulfill another duty.”

“And what duty would that be?”

“Simply bear my mark and become my vessel in that world.”

“You wish for me to hand over my body to you?”

“Not exactly. I would not be able to control you unless you wished me to, and even then, you would be able to take over at will. Furthermore, until your body has risen to its full potential, it would burn up too quickly from my power if I did more than look through your eyes whenever I feel like it.”

“Can’t you see everything I do already?”

“It is the difference between watching a video of something and being there in person. I can also only have a single vessel and it has been hundreds of years since I last had one. On that note, it is crucial that you keep my mark a secret from all but Xeal and your sisters, as you called them.”

“Hold on here. Who said I was going to accept you in my head like that?”

“Are you going to refuse and allow yourself to fall behind Aalin, or accept and gain all the benefits that come with it?”

“You still haven’t told me any of the details beyond you having a better view.”

“You have learned your lesson from choosing me without fully understanding what you were getting into. That is good, but this is not an offer you really have a choice in. I am simply asking you to accept it as a courtesy. If you must know the pros and the cons…”

Freya listed out several benefits, from how it would affect her stats and available skills, among other things. She also let her know that, like Xeal, she would lose the ability to safely log out like she currently did, and a few other drawbacks, like the increased experience needed to level like Xeal had to deal with. Finally, Gale felt like she could handle what this step meant and accepted the offer, and Freya smiled as she stepped into Gale. Before Gale could even process what had just happened, she fell to the ground as she screamed out in pure agony. It felt like her body was being ripped apart and stitched back together, all while lying in the middle of a bonfire. When it ended, she couldn’t tell if it had been a few minutes, or hours, but she could feel the differences as her eyes regained their focus. The sky that had been beautiful before now looked absolutely divine in her new sight. It was not that she could see more detail, but she could see the Valkyrie as they rode across the sky, as well as all the divine energy that swirled all around. As Freya had said, she could now see the influence of the gods as she looked at her stats. She smiled as she read her new status.

(Vessel of Freya: the goddess Freya has decided to put a significant part of her whole inside of you, marking you as her herald in the mortal realm. To fulfill your role, you have been gifted with enhanced beauty and battle prestige. You now have the hidden class of Divine Scion so long as you remain her vessel. All attributes increased by 5% and 1 additional attribute point will be added to strength, dexterity and charisma stats each level. All senses are now able to pick up divine influences that others would miss. Bonus skill blessing of Freya added. All levels require 1.5 more experience and status of Freya’s vessel lost upon death.)

Gale turned her attention to her blessing of Freya skill next.

(Blessing of Freya: gives a 5% boost to all attributes until blessing is canceled by the giver. Can only be given to clerics and champions of Freya and only one blessing can be active for every ten of the user’s level.)

Gale smiled as she stood up, though she felt a bit off as she adjusted to the feel of what was clearly a few new features that she hadn’t had before. She had to laugh and wondered just what the gift of beauty had entailed, as with her new divine senses she was able to see her exit array and made her way there, before placing her hand down and being enveloped in light.

Xeal-

Xeal followed Lingxin as they walked through the basement of the imperial palace in the Huáng empire. After the members of Jingong had started to arrive, her brother had consented to Xeal being shown the way to where Watcher had told him a solution to ensuring Enye and Dyllis survived no matter what when they began training, resided. Finally, after walking a good half hour through a maze of corridors, they arrived at an old stone door that looked like it hadn’t been moved in decades, at least.

“Here is the start of her path. It has been over two decades since anyone entered and over a century since she last agreed to share her power with my family. I must warn you that since the first one was denied, none have returned that were brave enough to enter here.”

“I see. They must have done something to truly displease her. I can only hope that one not of your blood will be treated differently.”

“I hope you are right, Xeal. I will wait here for your return for the next 16 hours. Any longer and I will assume you have died and I will await your revival in my quarters here.”

“I will be fine, I promise. Even if she doesn’t want to see me and tries to kill me, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

Before Lingxin could respond, Xeal pushed the door open and left the finished basement behind and entered what was clearly a natural cave system.

(Quest: Find the end of the cave maze and speak with the phoenix. Do you wish to accept this quest? Rewards unknown. Warning, failing the quest will have negative repercussions on your account. Yes or No)

In his hands were the instructions that Emperor Huáng Jin had given him to avoid getting lost, but he knew that it wouldn’t be that simple. He needed to traverse about five miles of caves, which would normally only take an hour or so, but he needed to take care of whatever infested the caves along the way. According to Lingxin, the imperial family used to clear out the caves every five years or so, but stopped after the phoenix had stopped providing feathers for their use after her last rebirth. From what Xeal knew, while she still retained all of her memories from her past lives, her personality shifted with each rebirth and that was what the imperial family blamed for the sudden change. When Xeal had asked Watcher about it, he had been adamant that while she might like cake more than pudding, or vice versa, the massive change the imperial family claimed was unlikely. It was far more likely that they did something that made her decide to never assist them again, which meant obtaining a feather for them might be a bad idea, depending on how things went. Watcher had dodged the question when Xeal had pressed for more information and the magic point restrictions on talking with Watcher made it hard to pressure him to divulge more.

It was about a mile in that Xeal approached the first issue he needed to navigate. It had been a straight shot to this point, but in the middle of what looked like a massive interchange of dozens of paths was an underground village of sorts. Flying around were hundreds of imps as they zoomed down a number of different tunnels. Most of these imps were below tier 3 foes, with a few reaching tier 4. The real issue was their numbers and the few larger demons Xeal could see moving about. Obviously, none of this had been recorded on the map and Xeal wondered how long this infestation had been growing. It was clear from the lack of tier 6 demons that it was still just a weak intrusion, that was allowing weak demons like imps in. Those imps would take decades to develop into larger demons, especially if they didn’t have a willing supply of humans to exploit. From the looks of things, the imps definitely had a source of humans, or other intelligent monsters, who they had dealings with. However, their dealings had to still be small or there would have been more evolution among their rank. Still, this was not a fight Xeal wished to undertake at this time, so he decided to keep to a wall and put on his cloak. Xeal was grateful for the opening being so large and full of activity as it allowed him to keep to the shadows and out of sight. Xeal made it a quarter of the way around the opening before he got to his path that was thankfully free of the imps that were moving back and forth.

As he continued forward, Xeal thought about how he could deal with the imps if he needed to, when he arrived at his next fork and found it unoccupied. This point was a four-way intersection and he took the path to the left as he continued on his way. As he delved deeper in the caves, the temperature started dropping steadily with each step. Along the way he made one turn after another, with caution, yet nothing was there as he quickly closed in on his destination. When Xeal came to the last intersection of the cave tunnels on his path, ice covered the entrance to it and more ice was creeping along the walls. As Xeal touched the ice blocking the way, he could feel himself instantly start taking minor damage, telling him that whatever he faced on the other side would require his full effort. Taking a deep breath, Xeal started to execute one piercing thrust after another as he worked to create a hole in the ice. After a half dozen attacks, Xeal had managed to create a small hole the size of his fist that was just right for a spell grenade to fit in. That was exactly what he did as he retreated around the corner, after pulling the pin. When it exploded, it created a hole in the ice wall just large enough for him to fit through.

As Xeal looked through the opening, he saw that the room was full of frozen corpses of both humans and monsters alike, and the other paths were sealed as well. Xeal didn’t like what he was seeing as it was clear that something had changed since the last reports the Huáng family had. Xeal knew his target was an ice phoenix, but she was sealed such that her power shouldn’t be able to leave her prison. Xeal went through every ice monster he knew from his last life as he tried to figure out what could cause this. While thinking, he readied more fire spell grenades to throw as he was not foolhardy enough to believe he had gone unnoticed. Using the Ice wall as a blast wall, Xeal tossed out a dozen grenades in every direction he could within the opening, shattering many of the frozen corpses by doing so. It was after the last explosion when Xeal paused that he heard and caught sight of it. It was a pale human man who wore tattered robes that denoted his status as a member of the Huáng family. His hair was long gone, his eyes were straight white, and in his chest where his heart should have been, a ball of ice resided. Xeal was unsure what he was looking at, but whatever it was it was certainly not alive, yet it wasn’t dead either.

“Ha, ha, ha has my family finally come to say hi after all of these years?... Don’t be afraid, I just want to give you a hug. Perhaps you could share some of your warmth with me.”

Xeal just shook his head as he made his plan. It was a ???-leveled monster called Huáng ancestor. Had he been a normal player, this would have been the point that he would have retreated to live another day, but normal was a long-forgotten state to Xeal at this point. So, after heaving in one more spell grenade and letting it go off, Xeal jumped in, feeling the cold start to set in as he charged the Huáng ancestor. His first move was a piercing thrust aimed directly at the ball of ice where the heart should have been. As his attack hit home, the Huáng ancestor let out a shriek and started to flail about, sending waves of cold energy everywhere. Xeal had no way to block these attacks and failed to dodge them as they were almost imperceptible and caught him by surprise. When the wave passed over him, he felt like he had fallen into snow and his dexterity took a one percent reduction. To make matters worse, it also sped up the accumulation of damage he was taking just being in the room.

“That was uncalled for, though I can tell you are not of my blood. Has my house fallen, or are you a thief who has wandered in here…? If you don’t wish to speak it is fine. I will still gladly accept your warmth as my own.”

With his arms open wide, the Huáng ancestor charged at Xeal and as Xeal dodged, he was hit with another wave of cold. To make matters worse, the Huáng ancestor had no health bar that had shown up after Xeal’s first attack. Xeal knew that the ball of ice was the key to winning, yet he had to get a clear shot to it if he wanted to have any effect. He had hoped to strike it from behind, but it was not exposed in the back and when Xeal had landed a hit where he thought it should be, the Huáng ancestor didn’t react. He had ended up landing a few more hits from the front, but it was clearly not enough. The stacking of dexterity debuffs was taking a major toll as well, and even the hole that he had entered through had already been sealed from the waves of cold. It was during these exchanges that Xeal made up his mind to do something crazy and let the Huáng ancestor catch him as he let out a point-blank dragon’s breath, right as his head was being pulled into the Huáng ancestor’s chest. The scream that followed as Xeal shot his hand into the Huáng ancestor’s chest and yanked out the ball of ice, was deafening. Xeal felt a pulse that shot out of the Huáng ancestor as he disintegrated into nothing. It took Xeal a long moment to recover from the backlash of letting out a dragon’s breath at point-blank range. Yet Xeal didn’t have the luxury of time to recover as the ball of ice was pulsing out one wave of cold after another, causing the walls of the opening to start to encroach with fresh ice. Xeal launched another dragon’s breath at it, causing it to fly across the opening, stopping right where his exit should have been. He quickly ran towards the ice ball with everything he still had in the tank as he let loose another dragon’s breath, and another, timing each with one of the pulses. His health dropped to one percent and his dexterity had finally stopped dropping when it had a single attribute point left. Xeal wanted to laugh as he inched forward until he put his hand on the ice ball and it increased its intensity of cold. Only he was unaffected thanks to his title “skin of your teeth” negating all status-type damage once he was at, or below, one percent health. The ball had no way to inflict any type of damage except for status damage, as Xeal started to bang it against the ice wall until it shattered, leaving behind a single ice-blue feather.

(Item: Ice phoenix feather. Taken from one of the birds of rebirth and reincarnation. This feather can be used to return the dead to life in healthy state if used immediately. If delayed, it can still bring them back, but as a shadow of themselves as the soul has long since been lost and the feather will not be consumed. NPCs need to use within 30 seconds of death. Players have up to 12 hours. Reduce all experience lost from death by 90%. Warning: will release a burst of the element of the phoenix when used.)

Xeal looked at the feather and thought of the few phoenix feathers he had seen in his last life. They had not been as rare as the fruit of life due to them having more sources. There were phoenixes for several elements and their feathers all had the same effect. This was the first time Xeal had actually seen what a botched use would cause and his question was, had the phoenix done it on purpose, or was there another reason for that abomination’s existence? Xeal was just grateful that it had been an ice phoenix feather as he doubted a fire or lightning feather would have only done status damage. Xeal stored the feather, which he intended to hand over to Emperor Huáng Jin to conclude his end of the deal, as the ice around him was already starting to melt. Xeal smiled as his health and dexterity were both slowly recovering as well, so he decided to take a break and touch base with Watcher while he was at it. Watcher had responded but had only given Xeal a few lines to say in case the phoenix decided it wanted to be uncooperative.

After over an hour, Xeal stood, with his status back to perfect health, and he broke through the thin layer of ice that was still present after his fight. At the rate it was melting, the room would be cleared of ice in another ten or so minutes. After walking the last 100 feet, Xeal came to an opening that, like the prior opening, was covered in ice, but in a very different way. All around was furniture made from ice, yet embellished with clearly human crafts, like blankets and cushions. Xeal could tell all of these items had seen better days as time had taken its toll on them and reduced what must have been fine works to ruins. It didn’t take long for Xeal to discover the ice phoenix, as she rose from the bed looking curious, in her human form as ice armor formed around her as she stood. What Xeal saw before him was a woman who looked timeless, with ice-blue hair and eyes, as she examined him closely.

“I must say, I did not expect that dragon to send his marked to see me after he abandoned me here all those millennia ago. Now tell me, what should I call you before I kill you?”

“Ah, Watcher failed to let me know that he had wronged you, fair phoenix. As for my name, it is Xeal Bluefire and I come to you on my own business, not Watcher’s.”

“Watcher? Ha, I suppose he has been reduced to that role now, though at least he can watch, while I and my sisters have been trapped for far longer than he and our children have.”

“Wait a moment, you were Watcher’s mate?”

“He really didn’t tell you anything. He must not want you to live, or perhaps he knew you wouldn’t dare come if you knew. Either way, he hasn’t changed. Yes, I and my phoenix sisters were his wives. Each of us bore him many children who were the elemental dragons.”

“Wait, Watcher is the primordial dragon from which all others came and he took all of the phoenixes for wives? Um, I take it you all have a bit of a bone to pick with him, and I know it’s not my place to even start to ask it, but is there any way you would be willing to ignore that and listen to my request?”

“He certainly didn’t pick a fool, or a coward to mark. Now how to proceed? I take it you are here for my blood to make a pseudo mark, if Watcher is the one who sent you. The question is, how many?”

“Um, for the moment, three, or four.”

“Only three or four? Well, you certainly do have his proclivities when it comes to wives, even if it is still such a small number.”

Xeal let out a nervous chuckle at her words as he thought about how it was really six and the few others who were working to join in as well.

“Oh, what is that laugh about? There are more than three or four? Go on, just how many wives have you attracted?”

“That’s a hard question to answer as I tend to do my best to limit their avenues of approach, but at least six.”

“Only six, though you are still young, so there will be more than enough time to add a few more. It should be doable. Alright, I have a deal I will make with you. If you agree, I promise to give you enough feathers and blood to ensure none of your wives will ever fear an early death as long as you keep up your end of the deal.”

“Why do I feel like this deal is going to be more trouble than it’s worth?”

The ice phoenix smiled predatorily at Xeal before she responded.

“Because it is. Now, it is really quite simple. I am stuck here and have been for longer than you can even imagine. It has been so long since I could take my true form without being completely cramped that I have forgotten what it feels like to feel the wind beneath my wings. I can’t die, which is more of a curse than you would think, and of my sisters, I am one of the lucky ones who was found by humans who made a deal which allowed me some contact, before they ruined it. I can only hope that my sisters were as lucky. Now I know freeing me is far beyond what you can do, but there is something that you can do for me and my sisters.”

“Hold it, I’m going to stop you right there. I am not going to track down each of your sisters as it would take years of dedicated work to simply uncover their locations. The only reason I was able to find you was because Watcher… crap.”

“That’s right, Watcher should know where each of us are, even if he didn’t rescue us like a good mate would. Once you find one of my sisters, you simply need to bring her a worthy female to mark, and like your Watcher, we could see the world beyond our cells.”

“Define worthy.”

“Hmm, it will differ for each of us as we each have our own preferences, but they should have potential. For myself, I would like someone who wields magic and wields authority over others, preferably one of your mates to ensure they have your ear when it comes to finding my sisters.”

Before Xeal could answer, Watcher’s voice resounded in his head.

“Careful, Xeal, the phoenix sisters are all wonderful until you bring them together, then they do nothing but fight.”

“Did Watcher just say something?”

Xeal wanted to sigh at just how quickly she picked up on that he had received advice.

“Yes, he was simply warning me that you and your sisters can be like oil and water at times.”

“Oh, well of course, we are all different aspects of the universe. Would you expect fire and ice to mix and no reaction to occur? Still, we love each other deeply and are not meant to be separated like this for so long.”

“Alright, so all I have to do is bring you one of my future wives to mark the same way Watcher marked me, and you will give me enough blood to mark all of my future wives with a pseudo mark.”

“That and give me your word to work to find my sisters and make sure we all can enjoy a comfortable life of luxury.”

“Is that where the Huáng family failed?”

“The Huáng family failed when they shifted their philosophy for hiding their true appearance from the masses. It used to be that they believed that they should be a faceless figure in the background, for the good of their people. Then they perverted it to, the masses were unworthy to look upon the imperial emperor, or his wives.”

“So, you killed their ancestor and turned him into a guard?”

“No, the fools demanded I return him to life and so I did as they asked. Speaking of which, how did you survive that? You should have died from the cold long before you could have destroyed him, yet you are not an ice sculpture.”

“You’re not wrong. All I will say is I am not someone to be underestimated.”

“Hmm, perhaps I should shift our deal? It might be nice to have another child.”

“Nope, I’m good. Not interested in that one bit. The other deal is fine. Now, is there any chance I can get two drops as a down payment?”

“Oh, you’re no fun. Are you saying that I am not beautiful enough to entice you in this form?”

“Nope, I just love my ladies and would rather not betray them.”

“So all I need to do is gain their approval?”

“Absolutely not. I am not adding you and your sisters to my life. Watcher can deal with you all once the gods are no more and the world returns to pandemonium in a few million years.”

“It’s fine, I was just having a bit of fun. It’s been so long since I had the opportunity to talk with someone. As for the down payment, two drops should be agreeable, but the next time you pay me a visit, I expect you to bring one of your wives with you.”

“Thank you, Phoenix of the Ice.”

“Just call me Bīng, as I am aware any of my ancient names said carelessly would draw the attention of the gods. As much as I would love to see them waste their power and weaken their hold on the lost court, freeing the other primordials, including my beloved children, I would rather not have it come at my expense.”

“Alright, Bīng it is. Now, I will return soon, but it may take me a moment as I will need to clean out some demons in the area first.”

Bīng simply smiled as she created two containers out of ice and pricked her finger with a needle made from ice, placing a single drop of blood in each container. When she held her hand up to what Xeal knew was the edge of her cage, from the lack of ice past that point, Xeal carefully reached out, feeling the instant cold that penetrated his hand as it crossed the barrier. Xeal knew from his research in his last life that he could easily step in and out of the barrier that held each of the phoenixes. The barriers were created to simply hold in the single element that they each were made of. This meant that the only way to break them was to hit them with more power of that single element than they could handle, as everything else would pass through as if it did not exist. It was truly ingenious, as it made it extremely hard for enough power to be directed at it to cause its destruction, as it was built to hold in the most powerful entity of that element by ignoring everything else, with the power of deities behind it. It also meant that stepping into the barrier would mean entering an environment that was filled with the element of the phoenix it contained. Considering that what Xeal’s hand was currently feeling made the cold from the ice ball earlier feel like a cool summer day, Xeal didn’t want to know what stepping inside the barrier would feel like. The moment he had the drops of blood out of the barrier, he had to change the containers they were in due to the ones of ice rapidly disintegrating into nothing. Luckily, he had been expecting this as only her blood, or a feather, could leave the barrier and retain its power. This was due to the fact that they were a physical manifestation of her, allowing them to recover the power that the barrier stripped from them. The very nature of any part of a phoenix was to restore life and enhance the power of their element and the universe sought to correct anything that altered this state. As Xeal stored the blood, he received two system notifications as he reached level 82.

(Quest, Find the end of the cave maze and speak with the phoenix: Complete. Calculating completion rate… 97% completion, rank A. Rewards: 20,000,000,000 XP, 1,000 guild renown points, two drops of phoenix blood.)

(Quest: Bring a worthy recipient for ice phoenix mark to the ice phoenix. Do you wish to accept this quest? Rewards, access to ice phoenix blood and feathers on a limited basis and unknown. Warning, failing the quest will have negative repercussions on your account. Yes or No)

“Well, I will see you soon.”

“Thank you, and I will ensure to choose carefully.”

Bīng simply smiled as she returned to the bed to sleep, which Xeal assumed was her only way to find some escape from the prison that she had spent ages in, quietly. With one last look, Xeal accepted the new quest before he turned and left, making his way back through the caves until he came back to the imp village. He took a few hours to just observe the village to see how they operated and make sure that there weren’t any major surprises that would keep him from being able to lead a raid on it. When he felt like he could return in confidence, Xeal turned and snuck back to the cave that had led him here and exited, startling Lingxin as he did so.

“Xeal, I must say it is good to see you made it back. Did you find the phoenix?”

“Yes. Though it is a bit more complicated than I would like, she will help, but before she is willing to do so completely, there is an infestation of imps and other demons that needs to be dealt with.”

“I see, I will tell my brother.”

“No, she will not deal with your family anymore. You or your brother’s involvement beyond this point would only have a negative impact on the deal I made with her.”

“Did you at least learn the reason why?”

Xeal shared what he had been told, while leaving out the situation with her ancestor who had become an ice monster, in the process. Xeal watched as she thought over what he said and he could tell that she held a bit of indignation at the notion that an emperor was hidden to avoid fame instead of to signify his superiority. Xeal had given her a hard look as he prodded her to look at it from the commoners’ viewpoint instead of hers, that had the superiority view ingrained since birth. He could tell it had not completely made it through to her, but using how Empress Sakurai Jingū didn’t hide, gave her some pause. The pair made their way to leave, reporting to her brother on the way out as Xeal received permission for a party made up of his guild’s leadership to clear out the imps, so long as they all signed a contract to keep the cave secret while the Huáng empire stood. With that taken care of, Xeal returned to Nium.

The first thing Xeal did when he returned was to ask Lingxin to wait in his mansion as Maxwell alerted Prince Victor that he had returned and wished for a meeting. With that taken care of, Xeal made his way to the guild to see how the 200 players who were part of the second round of players to attempt their tier 5 trial were doing. When he sat down, he was surprised to see a smiling Taya as she held out the reports, keeping them out of his reach while looking smug.

“Alright, Taya, what has you in such a good mood?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s just good to see that you are alive. I must say that it has been a hectic few weeks as our members complete their tier 5 trials, especially our nightmare challengers.”

“Are they all done?”

“Yep, the last ones came out 30 minutes ago.”

“Aalin and Gale, how are they?”

“Well, they both passed, but they told me that they will tell you all about it offline tonight. Now here are the rest.”

“That’s good. In that case, just give me the summary.”

“Alright, of the other 198 members who attempted nightmare, 91 passed with ranks of one S, five As, 28 Bs, 44 Cs and 12 Ds. Of the 2,000 members that took the medium and hard challenge, 1,524 have passed as well. Bringing our total tier 5 member count to over 1,600, and from the reports we have been receiving around ED, no other guild has any members above level 70 at this time, with a few exceptions. Even then, we are the only guild with any real intel on what to expect at this point and we should have another 10,000 players ready to attempt their tier up by the end of the week.”

“Good. Lift the restriction on how many are allowed to attempt everything but nightmare mode. For those who wish to walk through the nightmare, they need to still pass our screening, ensuring that they are ready for it.”

“Okay, but nightmare mode still has over a 55% failure rate, even with the screening. Wouldn’t it be better to simply have our members tier up as fast as possible?”

“Taya, that is fine if you are a crafter who just wants to put out good to great equipment down the line and don’t care about hitting tier 7, or 8. However, not giving it your all at this point, if you hope to reach tier 7 and have a chance to reach tier 8, could prove detrimental. Who knows, maybe I am blowing this out of proportion, but haven’t even the D-rank passers from nightmare received more rewards than the A ranks from hard?”

“Yes, they have, but a D rank from nightmare could probably get an S rank on hard.”

“If you don’t push yourself, you will never grow, and just doing so in training means nothing, as until there are real consequences for failure, you won’t know if you have what it takes. Heck, every player who has failed to complete their tier 5 nightmare trial have had the skills needed to pass, yet didn’t. Part of it is just bad luck, but more of it is simply they failed to execute when it mattered.”

“You really think it means that much?”

“Taya, the difference between an expert and a good player can be measured in the milliseconds. It all comes down to how fast you can adapt to the changing situation in the heat of battle. Right now, we have a major level advantage that will shrink as we approach tier 7, and if we stall out there, none of this will matter.”

“Alright, here are the rest of the reports.”

“You know, you need to start thinking about your own tier up trial. Are you going to attempt nightmare, or are you going to be the only vice guild leader to take the easy route?”

Taya just glared at Xeal as she shoved the reports into his hands as he smiled, and took a look at all the reports that he had missed while he was away. Other than a few worrying reports about the movements of Red Crushers and Templar Fall, nothing seemed out of place. The archery lessons that Nora was still giving were being well received, but she had been asking when he would attend one as well. The next one was scheduled for the following morning and Xeal had a thought that made him smile. It was already late and Xeal knew his meeting with Prince Victor would come in the morning after he got some rest. When he returned to his mansion, he was met by Enye, Dyllis, Lingxin and Mari, who must have arrived with her guard while Xeal was otherwise occupied. The four of them were seated at a table that Maxwell must have set up at their request in the middle of his main hall, which had yet to host any events since he had occupied the mansion.

“Ah, he is finally home. So Xeal, when were you going to take the time to introduce us?”

Xeal could tell from Enye’s tone he had messed up in his pursuit to catch up on guild business and now he was going to pay for it. When Dyllis cut him off before he could respond, he knew it was beyond him to salvage it.

“Enye, you mustn’t blame Xeal too much. He has had far too much on his mind these past several weeks. He was too focused on other things to remember that he had two princesses who needed to be accommodated in the palace. I mean, I am sure he didn’t intend for them to stay here for the night. That would cause too much of a scandal.”

“I apologize. You are both right, I have been gone far too much recently, and I failed to ensure you both were doing well before I went straight to my duties that could have waited an extra hour or so.”

“Well, come and join us. I must say, you must have a few stories to share from what Lingxin and Mari have shared.”

At Enye’s invitation, Xeal sat and spent the next hour with the four ladies as they asked him questions about his trip and his guild’s status. When they got to the point about Xeal setting up things to try and prevent the fall of the Muthia empire, all four ladies were very interested in just how he planned to accomplish that. Mari especially took time to question Xeal about the basics of his still-fluid plan, until Maxwell rescued him by telling the ladies that it was time for them to return to the palace if they didn’t want rumors to spread. As the four ladies got up to leave, Maxwell reminded Xeal that Prince Victor was expecting him at breakfast at 6:00 in the morning.

Xeal awoke with a half hour to make it to breakfast with Victor and quickly got ready and arrived with around five minutes to spare. At breakfast, Xeal gave Victor an update on the situation with Bīng, as well as how he planned to handle it, though it seemed he was more interested in what finding all of the phoenixes would mean. Xeal had to temper his expectation and remind him that all of them were stuck where they were, and at best, he could see about getting each of them to mark a single maiden. When they were done with that, the topic turned to the quest Xeal intended to undertake in the north that would involve him securing an area that was one of the alternate invasion paths. It was an area where the mountain ranges were low enough that crossing over with an army was possible. Unlike with the orcs, there was no real settlement to negotiate with as the area was controlled by several beast-men tribes. The quest required Xeal to set up an information network that would alert the kingdom to any armies that attempted to march through the forests, or travel upriver in ships. Both moves would show desperation from the invaders as they would need to navigate more than a few level 200 to 230 maps to use these routes. There were two points that Victor was concerned about and he only expected to have enough manpower to effectively guard one of the two points. The enemy could use either to cross into Nium and both were under 100 miles from the river. To make matters worse, the two points were about 200 miles apart and the garrison portals at each were too far for a quick response. If they guarded the first point and the enemy went to the second point, they would never arrive on time. So, the plan was to have them stationed near both, with a signal system in place to alert them the moment a landing was made, or if they passed the first disembarking area. This would give the forces time to unite and reorganize before the invaders arrived.

After breakfast was over, Xeal invited Victor to join him at his guild headquarters to congratulate the most recent group of adventurers to reach tier 5 by passing the nightmare trial. It took a bit of convincing, but Victor finally agreed that it would be good to see the players who were likely to play a critical role in any wars that were waged. So, the pair made their way to the training grounds next to the area where Nora would soon be teaching archery. Xeal had ordered Taya to have the 91 players who passed in the last group assemble there. Victor seemed to take the whole thing in stride when they arrived as the players locked up upon seeing Prince Victor, as few knew how to handle his sudden appearance without warning. Xeal just smiled as Victor talked to several stiff players who looked like they had been forced out of bed by Taya before they were completely recovered. It was then that the hundred or so tier 4 FAE members started arriving for Nora’s archery lesson, and a few minutes later Nora herself arrived. Victor had just noticed the increase in adventurers when Nora came over to give her greetings.

“Prince Victor, Viscount Xeal, it is good to see you both. What brings you out here this morning?”

“Ah, Nora, I simply invited Prince Victor out to congratulate my members who just made it through their tier 5 nightmare trial. However, seeing as I have yet to make it to one of your lessons, perhaps I should join it this morning.”

“You would be most welcome, as would Prince Victor, if he so desires.”

Xeal had to keep himself from laughing as he saw the conflicted look Victor was currently wearing as Nora waited for his response.

“Xeal and I will be there shortly, Nora. I just need to finish congratulating these adventurers before we head over.”

“Thank you, Prince Victor.”

As Nora turned and left, Victor turned to Xeal with a stern expression.

“Xeal, did you plan this?”

“Plan would be giving me too much credit. I simply knew she would be teaching this morning and figured I would see if you two bumped into each other, my prince.”

“This is one thing I did not miss about you being gone. Would you like me to solve the issue and push her towards you?”

“I would rather you didn’t. Besides, you know why I am supporting her as your queen, my prince.”

“I hate when you go formal on me. Now let’s get this over with.”

Once they bid the new tier 5 players farewell and joined Nora, Xeal smiled as Prince Victor was forced to just kind of awkwardly be there. Nora ended up asking him to help her demonstrate as he was by far the best archer present, other than her. By the time the lesson was over, it was less than an hour before Xeal needed to log off and he just smiled as Victor was trapped into having lunch with a smiling Nora.

Evening November 28, 2266.

Alex woke up to find Nicole smiling at him as she reached out for her wake-up kiss, which he gladly gave her before they got up. Alex wished that they didn’t have dinner with Mr. Chun and Lina as it was the first time in days that Nicole and Sam were functional. They both understood as they got ready while smiling, but it wasn’t until they were in the car that they spoke, letting Alex know that they both had achieved an S rank as they shared about their final hurdle. Alex didn’t know what to make of the encounter with Freya that Sam had had, let alone becoming her vessel. Alex had known of a few such cases in his last life and none had ended well, as once they were known, it almost became a holy war to kill the player back to level 0. It didn’t matter that they had lost the connection the first time they died, the other deities wanted to ensure that no adventurer would accept the burden in the future. Though as he thought about it, his mark put him in the same category and once he started collecting phoenix marks for FAE, it was likely that it would leak eventually.

While pondering the implications of everything, Alex noticed that Nicole seemed a bit left out and he let her know about Bīng and how he intended to have her receive the mark. This had led them to discuss everything that had happened, and Alex only had time to get up to when he met with Emperor Huáng Jin for the first time, when they pulled into the parking lot. Mr. Chun had selected a modest establishment in consideration of Jingong’s current financial situation and the three of them felt at home as they entered the quaint diner. Mr. Chun and Lina were already seated at a corner booth near the back and the hostess brought them to the table before leaving them to look over the menu.

“Ah, Alex, it is good of you to come meet us like this, especially with Sam and Nicole. I take it you both were successful in reaching tier 5?”

“Thank you for hosting me, and yes, all three of us are now tier 5, along with much of my guild, several of whom will be heading your way to hold up my end of the bargain with the Huáng empire.”

“Very good. I must say I am happy that it is looking like the Huáng empire will be a great fit, even if there have been a few hiccups so far. Honestly, we may have been better served if we had chosen it as our main base to start. Ah, but it is too late to worry about could haves, wouldn’t you agree, Lina?”

“Yes. While it is a shame that we failed to secure a lasting partnership, it is good that we achieved what we did, and who knows what the future holds.”

The conversation continued like this until they were served dinner and the five of them enjoyed a nice meal before turning to dessert. It was just after dessert arrived that Lina broached a serious topic once again.

“Alex, is there nothing that would entice you to possibly merge into our workshop? There is so much you could accomplish with your skills and our connections.”

“Lina, I am flattered that Jingong is interested, but it would end with both of our destruction if I did. My style requires fast independent action and planning. If I were part of Jingong, all that would happen is the council and I clashing as they refuse to follow my advice and send me to do what they think is important instead.”

“I see, and even if we promised you freedom of movement for your own actions, the lack of resources would be an issue. The council would not be inclined to invest in a lone wolf like you would become, denying you what you currently have.”

“Exactly. All that I would gain at this point by joining any major power would be a collar.”

“It is really too bad. If you ever change your mind, please let me know. Who knows, you might like wearing a collar.”

Alex let the last comment go as they finished their dessert and said their farewells, with Mr. Chun thanking Alex again before they got back in the car. Sam and Nicole wasted no time in having Alex return to telling them what he had been up to while they were completing their tier 5 trial. So, he continued until they stopped him when he told them about how Lingxin had been pushed onto him and Sam interjected with what Alex felt was mock indignation.

“Hold on, you had another princess latch onto you, yet this is the first time we are hearing about it?!”

“Sam, yes, and just to cut it off early, the Muthia empire is doing the same thing, only I have an out there I believe I can pull off. As for yours and Nicole’s approval, if you two say no, I will face the consequences of breaking it off.”

“Alex, Sam and I will not force you to ruin your account for our feelings over a couple of NPCs, so long as they are able to get along with us. Right, Sam?”

“Yah, but I still would like to know beforehand, so don’t think I am just going to let this go.”

“Sam, you can do what you like to me, and I will say that if you can’t accept them once you meet them, let me know and I will address any issues. Even if it does cause me issues in ED.”

Sam nodded in the affirmative which Alex picked up in his rear view mirror and he continued with the rest of the story. Both Sam and Nicole asked a few questions along the way and he was just able to finish giving the short version of things as they made it back to the apartment complex. The three of them spent the ten minutes they had before it was time to return to ED talking about Mari and Lingxin and Alex felt like he was getting the third degree from both Nicole and Sam. It was quite obvious, regardless of what they were saying, both of them were annoyed at the situation. Both of them agreed with Prince Victor about not letting him do any more diplomatic trips unless they wanted another sister. Alex’s last thoughts when he closed his eyes were of the mission he was going to begin when he returned to ED.

ED year 2 days 40-41.

When Xeal awoke he was busy as usual. After he had his date with Aalin when he first logged in, he used the garrison portals to reach the nearest garrison to his mission. From there, Xeal had to traverse 150 miles to reach where he expected to find a good contact to get him access to the beast-men tribes in the area. Xeal was just grateful that like the orc lands, this area was another one that if done right, could be incorporated into Nium as it wasn’t until you crossed the massive river he was heading to that he would have to deal with tier 7 maps. The 100 miles between the border and the river only contained level 80 to 100 maps and while Xeal didn’t think he could last long against level 100 foes, he had confidence in challenging level 90 and below with his stats. The main issue was the overgrown nature of the path that slowed his progress down and caused the journey to require much longer than he would have liked. Still, he was enjoying the fact that he had company in the form of Bula and Midnight as he went this time around. The trip was doing wonders for their coordination as Midnight danced around the battlefield, enraging foes as he avoided all of their attacks, taunting them as he did so. Xeal continued to hone his skills as he pushed himself in each battle as Bula supported him from the rear. Outside of battle, Bula was still as quiet as she always seemed when she was not with her family, only asking a question here or there when something that intrigued her came up. Still, the three of them were making steady progress and the whole trip would have only taken six days if Xeal had avoided more fights and didn’t have other obligations. Those obligations took the form of a date with Enye, Lingxin, Gale, Mari and a teatime with everyone, as well as the planning phase of the demon extermination that needed to take place before he had Aalin get marked by Bīng. Not to mention placing the pseudo-mark on Enye and Dyllis before having them start training in the Kobold mine under the care of Aalin and Gale.

It was the late afternoon of day 41 when Xeal gathered Victor, Aalin, Gale, Enye and Dyllis together in a room Victor had ensured was cleared and guarded where they could have ensured privacy. It was then that Xeal informed Enye and Dyllis that he wished to give them each the pseudo mark which would act as a single-time-use perfect revival and escape method. From what Watcher had told him, he needed to use his blood to place a mark on each of them near their hearts before dropping the phoenix blood in the center of it. Victor had gone about getting a metal stamp made for placing the mark and it had been decided that it would be Xeal’s house seal moving forward as cover. The mark was exquisitely done and was designed as a circle with a two-inch diameter. The circle was split by a yin and yang symbol as the background with a whirlpool in the center, blending the two sides together. A void point lay in the center where the drop of phoenix blood would be placed to activate the mark. The other thing Watcher had been clear about was that the blood from Xeal that would form the base of the mark needed to come from the mark on his chest. When all of this had been explained to the girls, they had all looked reluctant or shocked, especially when they learned that Xeal had set his bed as the escape point. He had done this by having the mark carved into the floor beneath it, only scaled up to a six-foot circle. This made Xeal grateful that he had inherited the massive bed frame that had been kept in place. To complete it, a single drop of their blood would need to be dropped in the center on the mark after they were marked. After a bit of discussion, both Enye and Dyllis agreed to get the mark, but only after Gale suggested doing it on their backs instead of their chests. A mopey Watcher confirmed that it would work that way as Xeal wanted to backhand him for suggesting the front in the first place as he had known it was going to cause issues with their sensibility. With that taken care of, Dyllis stepped forward to be marked first as Gale and Aalin helped her slide her dress down to expose her back, before helping her down onto a cot that had been set up. Xeal sat next to the cot as he removed his shirt, giving Victor, Enye, and Dyllis their first look at the elder dragon mark. He wasted no time bringing a plate that would act as the ink pad and a knife to the mark and cutting himself enough to draw a significant amount of blood, before Gale healed him. He placed the stamp carefully in the blood, ensuring that it was properly covered before placing it over Dyllis’ left shoulder blade where her heart should be. He then poured the drop of phoenix blood down a hole in the center of the stamp that ran to the void space and watched as ice formed around the stamp for a second before disappearing, Dyllis letting out a shriek in surprise from the sudden chill she felt. When Xeal removed the stamp, the right side was red and the left side was blue, with the dot on each side being the inverse. The swirl in the middle was still there, but at the center was a piece of ice. The same process repeated with Enye and when it was done, both handed over a single drop of their own blood. Xeal gave them all hugs and chatted a bit before saying his farewells and took their blood to his bedroom, where he activated the escape point for the ladies by adding their blood to it, falling asleep afterwards.

Morning November 29, 2266.

Alex, Sam and Nicole arrived for Thursday’s aikido lesson with smiles on their faces as Dan, Fred, Amanda and the rest of the group congratulated Sam and Nicole on reaching tier 5. With a quick nod to each other, Sam and Nicole went ahead and dropped their other news as well.

“Everyone, Nicole and I have something else to say.”

“Um, yah, Sam and I are.”

“Pregnant!”

As the pair said the last word together, Alex took in the mix of reactions, from Anna rolling her eyes, Ava and Mia just nodding, Alex’s parents averted gazes and the rest of the group’s frozen expressions. It was Amanda who recovered first as she made a beeline straight for Sam and Nicole, pulling them into a hug.

“Oh my goodness. Normally I would be kicking Alex right now, but you both just seem so happy about it. Was it planned?”

“Nope, it just kind of happened, but Nicole and I wouldn’t go back and change a thing.”

“Yep, we have a pair of happy little accidents inside us.”

“Alex, you moron, you’re lucky they are happy about this or I would have to teach you a lesson for getting both of my best friends pregnant on me. Now I feel left out.”

Alex watched Fred slowly start backing away at Amanda’s last words, sweat forming on his brow as Dan continued to gawk, before turning to Alex’s parents. He looked confused at their expression and before he thought better of it, was speaking.

“Um, not to throw my best bud under the bus, but shouldn’t his parents be a bit upset at their son for getting two girls pregnant?”

“Well, you see, it is kind of complicated…”

“What my husband is trying to say is that I am expecting as well.”

“Wait, what?!”

Dan’s exclamation was followed by the attention in the room turning his way as Anna added a gagging noise to Mr. and Mrs. Bell’s announcement. This time it was Ava and Mia who responded first.

“Wait, did you just say you are pregnant as well!?” exclaimed Ava.

“Don’t tell me you are as well, Amanda?” added Mia.

“Nope, I’m not, though I am starting to think I missed a memo.”

“Yah, Fred, when are you going to get with the program?” teased Sam.

“La la la, not listening,” cried Fred as he clapped his hands over his ears.

“Sam, I am sure Fred won’t make us wait too long. After all, how nice will it be to let all of our kids grow up together.” Nicole smiled as she looked at Fred.

Alex couldn’t hold in his laughter as he could see Fred start to really panic at the girls teasing him. The next few minutes were full of questions and teasing as everyone discussed the three little ones that were on the way. Officer Chen just looked like she didn’t know what to say, though she did smile and congratulate them. By the end of the morning, Alex had to step in to save Fred from Sam’s, Nicole’s and Amanda’s new favorite game. They had taken to asking, in as many ways as possible, when he was going to accept his fate and give Amanda a little one as well. Alex had found it comical as he knew it was mostly in jest, but he could tell Fred was having problems seeing it that way.

Evening November 29, 2266 & ED year 2 days 42-46.

When Xeal returned to ED, he spent his next session moving closer to his goal until he only had eight hours to rest left. His time in reality the evening of the 29th was just as uneventful as it was just a hangout night, with the twins coming over and all five of them enjoying playing boardgames and eating some finger foods together.

In the following session that started in the evening of day 43, it was time for Xeal to have his date with an anxious Enye. Victor had gone out of his way to let them go to the border fort town that FAE was still in the middle of building, though the gold that would soon be coming in from Jingong would go a long way in ensuring that they could complete it sooner rather than later. Xeal had Enye bring the adventuring gear that she had acquired at his request and they made their way to the recently completed battle arena. Xeal rented a private room where he brought out a few of his mirror shards and they spent the first half of their date fighting copies of Enye as she worked to improve her almost-laughable combat standard. Enye had been frustrated at first as Xeal kept having to step in to save her as she complained that there was no way she was capable of doing what her copy was. Xeal had assured her she was. She had just never tried and the copy was her if she was able to bring out 90% of her potential. When Enye kept pushing through her struggles and Xeal could tell she was improving, however slightly, he kept encouraging her. One copy was still too much for her a few hours later when they called it a day and moved to a restaurant that his guild was running. Once there, Xeal caught sight of his mom’s character, Gwynn Bluefire, in the kitchen and had to hold in a laugh. He had known that both his parents had used the same last name as him to lay claim to being his parents in game and his mom liked to jump from one restaurant to another, so running into her here was a surprise. Still, he thought he would take advantage of it to take care of something that was a bit overdue.

It didn’t take long after they were seated for Gwynn to notice them and Xeal told the waiter, who was an NPC his guild had hired, to tell her to stop by. Enye was confused as Gwynn approached and Xeal motioned for her to sit down. At level 35 and dressed in a chef uniform, Gwynn certainly wouldn’t impress most, especially with her light-brown hair hidden under her chef hat.

“Xeal, who is this?”

“Princess Enye, this would be my mother from my world.”

“Oh, this is Enye. I have heard a…”

“Mother, we are in public. Even I have to address her properly.”

“Oh sorry, Princess Enye.”

“It’s fine. I am sure it was an honest mistake at meeting your son’s betrothed for the first time. I know that it is certainly a surprise to meet you here like this, for me.”

“Oh, yes, Xeal, why is this the first time I have met her? You could have at least given me warning and your father is not even here, though he is excited now that the garrison portal will be active at the forge fort in a few more days.”

“Mom, neither of you have come to the capital yet and Princess Enye can only rarely leave the palace, let alone the capital. This was a special arrangement by her brother to allow her to get some training in at the guild’s battle arena before Aalin and Gale take her and Dyllis into the Kobold mine, once the teleportation gate is active.”

“Oh, so your father will get to meet them both first. What about me?”

Enye started to laugh as Gwynn pouted at not being introduced to Xeal’s ladies yet.

“You are right. A mother should meet those who wish to hold his heart, so how about you join us for tea in a bit over a week and meet the rest of us? I mean, there are six of us now after all.”

The look Xeal got from his mother made him want to run and hide, but laugh helplessly at the same time.

“What is this? Since when did it grow to six? Did that orc oracle and dark elf join now?”

“No, Mom, Lingxin and Mari are both princesses from the two empires I recently visited. Things are still very early with both of them. In fact, I haven’t even had an official courtship date with either of them yet.”

“I see, and when were….”

The meal turned into an interrogation from his mom as Enye simply enjoyed it as she added a tidbit of information here or there to add fuel to the discussion. By the time it was over, Enye was smiling brightly as they walked back to the teleportation point to return to Nium.

“I must say, that was quite enjoyable.”

“Ha, yah, it was nice to see you and my mom interact with each other.”

“She certainly is lively and her passion for cooking is something else. I dare say that I may have to have her give our future chefs a few lessons to ensure you have a few of your favorites. Perhaps I should learn a few of them so I can cook them for you and our kids.”

“Oh?”

“I am jealous of you and your mother. I can tell that the memories of eating her meals mean a lot to you. While I love my mother and she did spend time to show me love growing up, I don’t have anything so deep as you two do.”

Xeal stopped and pulled Enye close as he gave her a kiss as she looked at him in confusion.

“Enye, I love you.”

Enye just continued to look at Xeal in confusion for a moment before a smile and a few tears started to fall.

“I have known that I really do like you for quite a while, but hearing you talk about wanting the same type of memories with our kids as I have with my mom just moved me.”

“Xeal, thank you. I love you as well. I have for a long time. You may never know just how much you becoming my knight, so to speak, has meant for me.”

“I’ve known that you were holding it in. Thank you for waiting to express it until I was ready and I’m sorry for taking so long.”

“It’s alright. Now let’s get back before Victor starts to worry.”

Xeal smiled as Enye worked to collect herself and cleaned her tears as she smiled brighter than he could remember seeing her do so. It had been a good day and as Xeal lay down to rest, he smiled at how it had gone. When he awoke, he spent the rest of that session, and the next, once again working to reach his goal in the beast-men tribe’s lands.

Morning November 30 to Morning December 1, 2266 & ED year 2 days 46-49.

The 30th was uneventful as swing dance in the morning once again turned into an opportunity to tease Fred a bit before letting him off. The evening was just as uneventful as Alex, Sam and Nicole enjoyed time together as they continued watching a web series. The morning of the 1st was the first day that Fred escaped the direct teasing, though Sam, Nicole and Amanda had taken to whispering and giggling directly behind him. Needless to say, Fred was not enjoying this any more than he had being teased directly, as it felt like they were hatching a plot.

When Xeal logged in during the evening of day 46, he had his first date with Lingxin. Lingxin had a bright smile as Xeal escorted her around his gardens and his guild headquarters. She was full of questions along the way, which Xeal answered as well as he could, before they made their way on to the streets of the capital. Where they enjoyed a nice meal that quickly turned into more questions, this time, however, they were targeted on his current journey. Xeal shared a few stories of the monsters he had faced along the way before it was time for him to rest. Once he dropped Lingxin off at the palace, he made it back to his mansion and slept for eight hours before resuming his journey.

Xeal returned to his journey as he continued to draw closer to his goal. He was sure that he had caught the attention of at least a few beast-men along the way, but none had decided to make themselves known, so he pressed forward. Finally, Xeal reached where he was planning to make contact with a beast-man as it was around the first point that an invading army would use to disembark. As Xeal made his way along the river banks, fighting the occasional monster as he did so, he had yet to find one as afternoon approached, and he came to a tall rock formation that overlooked the river. He was just about to climb it to see if he could get a better look at the surrounding area, when a figure jumped off it while shouting something of which Xeal only caught “…ronimo,” as they did a full-on belly flop as they hit the river. Xeal felt the pain from that hit from where he was and he watched whoever it was sink beneath the water line. Xeal knew this was likely a beast-man NPC and was unsure if he should interact with them, but ended up saying screw it. The figure was floating belly up about 50 feet into the miles-wide river and with Xeal’s enhanced senses, he could see an otter-man struggling to hold onto a fish. Xeal was just happy he was finally able to make contact with a beast-man and it was even one that would be able to patrol the river easily. Now, he just needed to convince him to assist Nium and Xeal would be off to a great start. So, once it looked like the fish was secure, Xeal called out to the otter-man.

“Excuse me.”

At the sound of Xeal’s voice the otter-man looked around until his eyes landed on Xeal and he responded.

“If you want some fish, you can jump off yourself. This one is all mine. Now get lost before I drown you.”

“I have no desire for your fish. I simply wish to speak with you. Perhaps we could do so on the shore?”

“No. You go away, unless you want to play a game that is fun for me.”

Before Xeal could respond, he watched as the fish escaped with one last burst of strength and the otter-man dove in after it, shouting a stream of obscenities as he did so. Just like that he was gone and Xeal knew better than to try and chase down an otter-man in the water. So, he returned to climbing the rock formation in front of him as he resumed trying to find a beast-man to make contact with. Once he stood on top of the rock formation which stood above the trees that covered the land as far as the eye could see, Xeal could see the path the river cut through the trees as it split the land. As he stared at the water directly, he could see fish as they moved below in the shadow of the rock formation. Xeal realized that that must have been what the otter-man was doing up here and why he belly flopped like he did. Xeal didn’t dwell on that thought long as he started to look for signs of a village in the area and was happy when he noticed a plume of smoke several miles away that looked about right for a cooking fire. With a smile on his face, he relayed the information to Bula and had her get in position facing directly towards the smoke before climbing down and heading that way. They had been walking for about an hour when a spear landed directly in front of Xeal and he put up his hands. The next moment five beast-men appeared from the shadows and the tree tops, surrounding Xeal, Bula and Midnight. Xeal quickly identified them as tiger-men from their striped tails and he went over everything he could remember about them from his last life as the largest of the men stepped forward and spoke.

“Your kind is unwelcome here. Turn back before we decide to throw out our concerns of your kind’s retaliation.”

(Do you wish to accept the quest, convince tiger-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 accepted the quest and smiled at the tiger-man’s words as his memories about them clicked into place. They ruled the land in this area, but were few in number. They feared what a full incursion from humans would mean for them so they had maintained a position of not angering them and in return, Nium didn’t allow for groups of more than six to enter these jungles, and even then there was a hard limit of 10,000 players in these areas at a time. As Xeal thought, the tiger-man didn’t seem to enjoy being ignored and placed the head of his spear right in Xeal’s face.

“You can smile all you like, but you and that brute need to leave now.”

“You misunderstand my purpose here. I am here on the behalf of the ruler of the kingdom over the mountains. I am also not the same kind of human you are used to seeing and it is important you understand just how the world has changed before my kind starts flooding in.”

“The world may change, but our jungle does not. Now once again, leave or die.”

“If you are fine with simply accepting as tens of thousands of my kind flood these lands in the next year, I will leave now. I wish you the best with dealing with an undying horde of adventurers who see this as a perfect place to explore without restraint.”

Despite being a level 130 tier 6 warrior, Xeal could see the tiger-man falter so he drove his point home.

“To make things worse, war will come to the world as everything that has created stability for all these years is thrown out of balance. You and the other tribes that call this area home can either adapt and survive, or you can hope that whoever comes out on top allows your continued existence.”

By this point Xeal could tell that he had the ears of all the tiger-men and just smiled as the spear in his face was lowered slightly.

“Why should we trust your words?”

“You shouldn’t, but I am here ready to talk. I came in a way such that I am not a threat to you or your tribe, not with an army to subjugate you.”

It took a second before the tiger-man made a few gestures and the next thing Xeal knew, he had a bag over his head and was tossed over one of the tiger-man’s shoulders.

“We will bring you to speak with our leader. Your companions can stay here while you speak.”

Xeal just sighed as he knew this would be the best he was going to get as he dealt with being manhandled for a good 30 minutes. They were attempting to make him lose his sense of direction by taking a convoluted path to the village that he knew must have been less than five minutes away if they went straight there. Finally, they set Xeal down with the bag still over his head as he just sat and waited until he heard a female voice speak to him.

“I am told that you wish to speak about changes that have come to the world and that is why you have intruded on our mating grounds. Now, this better be good or I may decide to use you for some entertainment.”

“Ah, I do apologize. I did not realize that I was headed to a group of tiger-men, let alone your mating grounds when I chose this direction. Though it is probably fortunate that I did so as I think about it. Convincing you would probably turn out the best out of all the tribes I could have found. May I know to whom I am speaking with.”

“You do not need to know who, or what I am. Just get to the point.”

“Very well. I come at the behest of Prince Victor to make a mutually beneficial deal to secure these lands against a possible invasion that may come in the next ten years.”

“Ha, ten years, why not 100? Your prince wishes us to do his dirty work for him, like we answer to him.”

“Not at all. All we are looking for is for you to agree to warn us if ships use the river to disembark and head to the border of our lands. We will even warn you if, and when, the war broke out to increase your vigilance. Though we would hope that if they tried to launch the war through your lands, that you would still be able to warn us in time.”

“And what do we get from being your scouts?”

“That depends on what you want. I can agree to a fair bit without Prince Victor’s approval, but I may need his approval for difficult requests.”

“Hmm, first I wish to understand who you are and just what you meant by your kind not being the same humans that we are used to.”

“There isn’t any chance of losing this hood and getting some water is there? I feel like this is going to be a long conversation.”

“I’ll think about it. Now start talking.”

The next two hours were spent with Xeal explaining just how the world had changed and what it meant for the tribes that were still unaware of the change. He also responded to her questions and thankfully he was allowed to take a short break to drink. However, Xeal had to deal with her raising the hood to just below his eye level and holding it there as he drank, making him feel awkward. By the time he had finished talking, he was unsure of exactly what her thoughts were due to being unable to read her expression, but her next words were something he could work with.

“So, the question is whether it is in our best interest to get involved in the conflict that is to come, or do as we have always done and ignore the plight of those outside our lands?”

“If I may give you my view on both?”

“Very well, proceed.”

“If you do nothing, I will be forced to look for others who would be willing to work with Prince Victor. They would gain the benefits instead of you and your tribe. If war never comes to these lands, it will only have a minor effect. However, once war comes, these lands will never be separate from the rest of the continent again. You will have either the invaders who set up base camps that will turn into supply depots before becoming a town in its own right, or Nium, who will set up a fort that will do much the same. Either way, these lands will never be the same. You can either bet on Nium who is here asking you for your cooperation in advance, or hope the invaders will be agreeable. With Nium you will be able to take time to negotiate terms to your advantage, whereas the invaders will not be willing to give you many options. In all likelihood they will offer you the sword or collar the moment they arrive. You and I both know you are not seen as equals to humans in the eyes of most nations.”

“Yet, you sit here like it doesn’t matter one bit to you and you were travelling with an orc, which humans and other races typically have nothing to do with.”

“Just another sign that Prince Victor is serious about his push to forget the prejudice of the past and strive for survival.”

“Who’s to say that once the war is over, he won’t turn and collar us?”

“That is where my kind comes in, me in particular.”

“You would turn against him if he did that?”

“I will not serve a man who would throw away those who helped him reach his goals in such a manner. Yes, he will likely face difficulties and there will still be those who seek to collar you, but I can promise you that my guild will work to remove them wherever they are found.”

“I know my condition. If we are to believe that things are going to change after this war, then they need to change before the war. My wish is for beast-men to walk freely in the lands of Nium, to include the freeing of any that are currently imprisoned there.”

Xeal smiled under his hood, not because the request was an easy one, but because it was an ideal one in the long run.

“I can push Prince Victor to pass such a law, but there will be hang-ups along the way. Nobles may not wish to give up their ‘enslaved criminals.’ Some will refuse, others will hide what they can, and exposing them will cause other problems. As long as you can accept that a 90% or so reduction is all that will be possible before the war is over, I believe we can make something work.”

“Why would he allow nobles who ignored him to continue to exist?”

“Several reasons. Removing them could destabilize a region, or they make good bait for our enemies to be lured into a trap.”

“So, you’re saying the kingdom would play with our lives even after promising not to.”

“Unfortunately, it is part of what will be necessary to get to a 99% reduction after the war. Sometimes you need to be the monster to end its reign.”

“Fine, but you must rescue one in particular. She is one of our younger tribe members and she was taken just two weeks ago when she was separated from her group during a hunt. You will know her by her white and black tail as it is rare for our kind. Her name is Eira.”

“Do you have any clues as to who took her?”

“Only that they fled into the kingdom as we stopped following the tracks close to one of the crossings that passes through the mountains.”

(Do you wish to accept the quest, Save Eira? Rewards, improved relations with tiger-man tribe and unknown. Warning, failing the quest will have negative repercussions on your account. Yes or No)

Xeal accepted the quest before responding.

“I will do what I can. If Eira is still within Nium I will return her to you. However, I need something that will make her trust me.”

“Why would, or should, she trust you?”

“Alright, let’s say I manage to rescue her, only for her to flee from me and end up being captured again, or worse? Then there comes the issue of traveling back here with her as I doubt you wish for her to be alone as she is likely not quite ready to fend for herself out there as she is still young. Also, I don’t know if I will find her this week, or next year. I doubt you wish to stay near the border between our lands indefinitely. So, either you give me something to work with, or I will have to deliver her bound in chains still.”

Xeal could hear the tiger-woman across from him growl at his last comment and for a moment he thought he might have gone a bit far. Fortunately, she calmed down quickly and spoke almost reverently.

“Tell her to remember the crook of the moon.”

“I hope that is enough. I will do my best. Now, I take it that you can speak for the whole tribe on this manner?”

“Ha, none in our tribe can do so, but I can promise that enough will support you that scouting and warning you if an invasion of humans starts heading through our lands can be taken care of. The rest will not interfere as it will be a mutually beneficial relationship. That said, I would not plan on building anything permanent in our lands when war does come, as we will likely drive you out after.”

“What the future holds is beyond either of our control. That said, it is only a matter of who and when, not if, when it comes to a permanent town near here. Either Nium will set it up, or one of my kind will. It is just too good of a staging point to challenge the lands across the river.”

“You speak as if your kind seek death. Those lands are ones we rarely venture far into. Few, if any, survive that area for long.”

“It won’t be for another five or six years, but it will happen as my kind doesn’t fear death, as I have already told you.”

“It still makes no sense to me, but I will keep that in mind when the day comes.”

Xeal heard her whistle and a minute later he was back to being carried over one of the tiger-men’s shoulder for around 20 minutes before he was set down and the bag was ripped off his head. Bula was standing there petting Midnight in her arms, looking pissed but relieved to see Xeal. He knew it had been over three hours of waiting for her, but he had made progress. However, they weren’t given much time before they were told to get moving by the tiger-men and they made their way back to the rock formation, where Xeal filled her in on everything that had gone down, before they used advanced return scrolls to return to Nium.

Once they were back in Nium, Xeal went straight to the palace to discuss things with Prince Victor before it got too late. An hour later, when Prince Victor was able to free himself from his other engagements, he and Xeal sat in his study to go over the updates on the situation. When they were done, Prince Victor had a troubled look on his face about the beast-man slave trade that existed in Nium. While there were likely only around 10,000 criminal slaves across the entire kingdom, around 20% were beast-men and only the most influential houses, like the Mercers, had them. Most slaves in the kingdom were criminals who worked in the mines, but some were given the option of serving as a servant, or similar roles, by the local lords. It was also permissible to buy and sell them, letting lords with too many for their needs be shifted to lords who were understaffed. By law, slaves were not to be present in cities or other areas of high population, and had to be registered and cared for to a certain extent, but the system wasn’t perfect. The main issue with beast-men slaves was that simply being in Nium was a crime due to the bloody past from the founding wars where they were driven out. The issue of humans raiding their lands for slaves of a particular quality was well known and Victor worried what freeing them would cause in the long run. He was aware it would likely cause cries for justice for the wrongdoing of his lords and he couldn’t afford to let that happen before the war.

It was Xeal who came up with a plan, which was really him just suggesting what had worked in other kingdoms the best in his last life. Most of the slaves were men who came to rescue a daughter, sister, or lover, who had been grabbed to be sold as a mistress for a lord, or a child of said mistresses. It was why even solitary hunters like tiger-men came together to protect their young like they did, as it was the girls between 17 and 21 that were taken the most often. Out of the 2,000 or so beast-men slaves, under 200 were taken this way. Which was why the issue had been largely ignored in the past, with ten or less of the girls taken each year staying in Nium and how hard it was to prove that they were kidnapped. The plan Xeal presented was to free them in stages. First you declare that the kingdom was making peace with the beast-men. Then declare any beast-man who arrives through a checkpoint at the border can freely come in, thereby making simply being in the kingdom no longer a crime. As that is done, it needed to be declared that all criminal beast-men slaves’ sentences would be reassessed. During this period, it was crucial to isolate the worst cases of abuse and control the fallout that was coming. This would mean a few heads of noble houses would need to retire. The other side of the equation needed to include the beast-men letting the past go, understanding that it would take years before everything was settled.

The ten percent Xeal didn’t believe could be dealt with was around half of the mistresses who had accepted their lot in life, and the hidden part. This hidden part was where the other girls who were kidnapped went as they were smuggled onto trade ships destined for distant lands. Knowing what Xeal did about white tigers, it was likely that this was where Eira was headed and he needed to act fast to save her, or she would be beyond his reach soon. Thankfully, Prince Victor’s intelligence network did keep tabs on the ships that would most likely be conducting such business. The issue was that the most likely one to line up with Eira’s abduction would be leaving in a day, and if the kingdom acted rashly and she wasn’t on board, it would cause major issues. After getting the information from Prince Victor and asking for him to have men ready to move if he gave the signal, Xeal made his way alone to the port town. Xeal was just happy his guild had already unlocked it and most towns and minor cities in Nium thanks to the mobility that access to the garrison portals system had given them. It was late at night when he arrived as his talks with Prince Victor had been drawn out. Once there, Xeal had checked in with the garrison captain, handing him a letter from Prince Victor explaining what was needed before checking into an inn for the night to log out.

When Xeal logged back in, it was early morning and he made his way to the watch tower that overlooked the port and checked in with the guard who had been tasked with watching the ship in question. From the information it was clear that they had been loading through the whole night and would be setting off in the next six hours as scheduled. The guard was unsure whether or not a young tiger-woman had been loaded, but he confirmed that a few crates that looked to be holding living cargo had been loaded. That was enough for Xeal to continue with his plan as he made his way to the ship. As he drew closer, he got a good look at the ship that was over 200 feet long and 50 feet wide, with several decks and cannon ports lining its sides. Xeal could tell it had seen battle several times from the mismatched wood that was from obvious repairs that a ship like it had to make, often due to the occasional sea monster that decided to attack, or pirates. Any way you looked at it, ships like this and their crew that traveled between the 13 continents lived hard lives. To make up for this, they needed to ensure that they carried the most profitable cargo they could get their hands on. It also meant that there were tier 7 NPCs on any ship that wanted to survive for long. It was one of these that Xeal was being stopped by as he approached the ship.

“Halt, what business do you have here?”

Xeal could see the cargo still being loaded and knew the ship couldn’t leave for at least a few more hours as he responded.

“I am here to check for certain cargo that it is believed your vessel may be carrying, with the approval of Crown Prince Victor.”

“Any cargo on our ship is beyond the laws of any port we land at as per the treaties of the sea. Once it is loaded, and until it is unloaded, we cannot be forced into anything. Now leave before I remove you from our dock.”

“You are correct. I am not here to confiscate or force a deal that would be a loss to your vessel. I intend to strike a deal with your captain that we both can be happy about.”

“Our captain has no time for your games. We are on a tight schedule. Now leave.”

“Very well, though when your ship is placed on a list to not be allowed to load or unload anything without a kingdom representative inspecting everything in the future, you can explain it to your captain.”

Xeal had just turned around when the guard spoke once more.

“You go too far.”

“No, you fail to understand that when Crown Prince Victor acts, it is not something small enough to be ignored without paying a price.”

“What is it you are looking for?”

“That is between myself and your captain.”

Xeal could see the anger at being dismissed on the man’s face as to him Xeal was just a tier 5 ant that didn’t know his place. That was how most existences who weren’t tied to a country who reached that level viewed anyone below their tier. Yet the man knew that striking Xeal here could lead to a full seizure of the ship by the kingdom, and probably even thought that was their goal as there was millions of gold worth of cargo on board.

“Captain Astley!”

Xeal smiled knowing he had gotten past the first hurdle as a man wearing a large black hat, with a white feather the size of a short sword in it, looked over the side of the ship.

“What seems to be the issue?”

“We have a kingdom dog here seeking a meeting with you supposedly on behalf of Crown Prince Victor. Something about wanting to check our cargo for a particular piece of merchandise.”

Xeal waited a long moment as Captain Astley gave him a long appraising look before he yelled down to let him up. Xeal wasted no time and was on deck next to the captain a few minutes later, ready to make a deal if necessary. Now that he was closer, he could tell Captain Astley was a much older man than Xeal had expected, as most captains would have retired by his age, but as a level 279 NPC, Xeal knew better than to underestimate him. No, this needed to be solved diplomatically or royal knights would die as they took the ship and Xeal didn’t need that on his conscience. Xeal followed Captain Astley into a room below the helm that served as the captain’s quarters and took a seat after hanging his hat on a hook, revealing his white hair with a bald spot in the center.

“Now what are you looking for on my ship?”

Xeal paused for a moment before deciding how he was going to play this.

“It is not a what, but a who.”

“Ah, I see now. Are they crew, or a guest?”

“I believe you would see them as a guest, though I am not sure how nice their accommodations would be.”

“I see, and you would be hoping that I would simply surrender this guest to you after the fees have already been paid?”

“Not at all. Prince Victor and I will ensure that all fees would be reimbursed with an inconvenience charge added to it.”

“And this will not be a new normal, will it?”

“No, though I would suggest that you not deal with these guests for a few years as a few waves will be happening soon.”

“I see, thank you for the information. I take it that since the illustrious Viscount Bluefire is involved, that if I were to be unable to agree, that a single guest being taken would be the least of my worries.”

Xeal smiled at the fact that his identity was already known by the captain despite never introducing himself.

“I cannot say, other than that Prince Victor would prefer not to send that message if he doesn’t have to.”

Captain Astley gave Xeal a long hard look as he debated how to proceed on his end.

“And you are sure that your guest is on board my vessel?”

“No, but it is likely enough that I have to act.”

“I see. I don’t wish for you to disturb my guests to check and I doubt you can simply take my word for it if I say that they are not on board, so what would you propose?”

“A simple contract will do. You know as well as I do that it will be enforced fairly.”

“And what terms are you proposing?”

Xeal smiled as he pulled out a simple contract that stated that he would give a description to Captain Astley and he would verify whether anyone on board matched that description. It required Captain Astley to give his utmost effort and lock down the ship while he searched, just in case one of his crew was trying to covertly make a bit extra under the table. If the guest was found, Xeal would need to reimburse 125% of the fees, and if no guest was found, he would owe 100 gold as an inconvenience fee. The whole thing was straightforward and if Captain Astley lied, Xeal would own his ship.

“I see you are not playing around with these terms.”

“I don’t want to waste either of our time over a convoluted mess that can be twisted by either of us.”

“Fair enough, though 125% seems a bit low.”

“I feel it should be more than fair knowing what I know about the fees associated with this guest.”

“I see, and should I refuse to sign?”

“I will assume they are on board as you should already know who I am looking for with what has been said.”

“Ha, you are good. Well, I can’t kill you as your kind won’t stay dead. I can’t keep you captive as Prince Victor would hunt us down for it. So, what to do?”

“Cut your losses and smile that Prince Victor and I do not care about the details today.”

“Fair, but I wish to know why first.”

Xeal nodded as he added a line to the contract that said if the guest was onboard, Xeal would give him a truthful answer as to why.

“Sign and you will have an answer.”

“But not the full answer.”

“Loose lips sink ships sometimes.”

“That they do. Very well.”

Captain Astley signed the contract and Xeal followed suit.

“Now tell me, why would the prince be interested in a young white tiger-woman?”

“Once I have verified she is unharmed and on board, you will have your answer.”

“Very well, wait here.”

Xeal sat as he waited for around 20 minutes before Captain Astley returned carrying a burlap sack that was squirming slightly. As soon as the door was closed, he opened the sack, emptying it on the floor so that the young woman who fell out landed on her feet, before losing her balance and falling on her butt. She squirmed and let out a muffled shout into the gag that had been put in her mouth as she turned her head like she was trying to remove the blindfold that had been placed over her eyes, or the earmuffs that had been tied in place. Xeal didn’t like what he was seeing as it would be hard to verify with certainty that she was the right one, as while white tails were rare, there could still be a few of them.

“I do apologize for the state she is in, but she didn’t wish to cooperate so she had to be restrained earlier.”

“I need her able to hear and speak to verify she is who I am looking for.”

“How many white tiger-women do you think come through this port?”

“Two or three every ten years, but it is not uncommon for two to come through close together.”

“Fair. Alright, though I will warn you, despite her youth, she can be a handful, if you don’t wish to hurt her.”

“I will be fine.”

Xeal approached the young woman who had white hair like snow and watched as she quickly turned his direction just from feeling him stepping towards her. He had to admit her senses were sharp as Captain Astley left the cabin, leaving the pair alone in the room. Xeal could tell that despite being tied at her ankles and having her hands bound behind her back, then connected to the knots on her ankles, she was ready to launch herself at him when he moved within range. Xeal however was unconcerned as she was only level 50, and while she could definitely hurt him, it would be fine. Sure enough, when he was two feet away, she launched herself at him as he sidestepped and caught her. He then used her tied wrists to control her while he removed the earmuffs and blindfold, revealing a pair of black tiger ears that sat on top of her head, and ice-blue eyes that looked confused.

“I am about to remove the gag. Please wait until after I speak before you respond.”

Despite not getting a response in the affirmative, Xeal undid the gag and let it fall to the ground, as she instantly started talking.

“Let me go, now! When my mother comes, she will rip you apart like all of your kind deserves…”

Xeal just frowned as she continued to let out one insult after another as she called him every terrible thing that she could think of while he held her wrists for a solid five minutes. Finally, she stopped to take a decent breath and he spoke before she could continue.

“Remember the crook of the moon.”

Her reaction was instant as the next string of insults just died on her lips as her mouth just hung open.

“Good, you are Eira. Now, before you ask anything else, just know that I was asked by your tribe to return you to them and that is why I am here. Now, will you cooperate, or do I need to carry you kicking and screaming back to your tribe?”

“My mother would never send a human to come fetch me. What have you done to her?”

Xeal frowned as he saw fear creep into Eira’s face as she looked at him over her shoulder as he stood to the side and behind her.

“Eira, if I had to guess, she probably is just at her wits’ end as you are already far past her reach. In another six hours you would have been beyond mine as well. You really are lucky.”

“Ha, lucky you say. I have been tied up for weeks, force-fed garbage, and treated like a thing rather than a who. How is that lucky?”

“You are alive and headed home. Most young women that come through here never make it home.”

Xeal watched Eira’s ears droop at Xeal’s words and a worried look returned to her face.

“Now, unfortunately, I will have to put you back in the sack for a while as I carry you out of here, as I can’t be seen with a tiger-woman on the street due to the current laws. I do apologize, but it is necessary, and once we are out of the town, we should be fine.”

“You promise that you are really here on my mother’s behalf and you’re not tricking me?”

“If she was the one who told me to remember the crook of the moon, then yes, but I never saw her as I had a bag over my head the whole time.”

Eira looked at Xeal as if to determine if he could be trusted before she sighed and seemed to accept this was her best chance.

“Alright, I am going to behave. Go ahead and put me back in the sack and let’s get this over with.”

Xeal smiled as he thanked her for her cooperation and had her step into the sack as he opened the door and let Captain Astley back into the room. After Xeal confirmed the ledger, he handed over 1,250 gold to a disappointed Captain Astley, as in his eyes, she was worth a fair bit more, but his eyes widened a bit when Xeal revealed that the reason Prince Victor was interested in the girl was to help open diplomacy with the beast-men tribes. At that point he looked happy to have earned anything and eagerly saw Xeal, who was carrying the sack, off his ship. It was still the early morning and Xeal was relieved that he had been able to complete this task so quickly as he made his way, with a few of the royal knights that had been sent with him, back to the capital. Once there, Xeal made his way straight to his mansion as the royal knights went to report to Prince Victor of the success. Xeal was greeted by Maxwell and Midnight when he came through the door as he set Eira down and let her out of the sack. The first thing she did was look around before turning on Xeal like she was ready to defend herself.

“Monster! You lied to me! This isn’t outside the town. This must be your home! You just wanted me for yourself!”

Xeal sighed as he spoke.

“This is indeed my home, and you will be spending a bit of time here, but it is only to prep for taking you back.”

“Liar, you said you were going to take me straight back.”

“No, I simply said once we were out of the town you would be able to leave the sack and we are out of that town now.”

“Wait, how? Where are we?”

“We are in the capital of Nium, or as you may know it, the human lands. There is much that needs to be discussed over the next few days before I return you to your tribe. Had I not had such a time crunch to rescue you before you were beyond my reach, these talks would have taken place first. I do apologize, but for the next few days you will be a guest here. Maxwell will show you to a room and if you need anything, he, or another of my staff, will be happy to assist you. All I ask is that you please stay inside these walls unless Maxwell is accompanying you to the gardens for some fresh air.”

“Wait, you’re not going to force me to become your plaything?”

Xeal could see the look of fear that still held tight to her expression as she refused to allow herself to hope.

“Eira, I am very happy with my current relations and have no need, or desire, for a plaything of any kind. The next week or so will be about you resting and recovering while I figure out the logistics of taking you home and how the kingdom wishes to proceed. Now, Maxwell, I trust you to ensure that everything regarding Eira is handled. Now I need to head to my guild as I managed to make it in time to not delay the other plans I had for today.”

“Understood. I wish you well on your mission.”

“Mission, what mission? Why are you just dumping me here and leaving?”

“Eira, Maxwell will explain everything you want to know as well as much that has not reached your people yet. As for the other mission, it was what I had originally planned to do today before I had to rescue you. Unfortunately, I only have a short bit before it would need to be rescheduled and as such, I need to leave now.”

Before Eira could even respond, Xeal had turned and left, leaving her with Maxwell, who simply waited for her to address him as she struggled with what to do. Finally, she turned to him and asked him to explain, which he did once they were seated out of the entrance hall, as Midnight bugged her for attention. They would be like that for several hours before she finally let Maxwell show her to one of the guestrooms.

Elsewhere, Xeal, Gale, Aalin, Amet, Ignis, Clara, Takeshi, Casmir and Amser stood before the stone door that served as an entrance to the cave system where Bīng was imprisoned. It had taken some real coordination for Xeal to get them all together like this, and when he had to rescue Eira, he had thought it might have to be delayed for who knows how long. However, everything had worked out and now the nine of them were going to clear out the demon problem that had started to grow down here. Emperor Huáng Jin had been happy to meet more of FAE’s leadership and had wanted to have more time with them, but Xeal had been clear that they had a very tight window to work with already. Slightly disappointed, Emperor Huáng Jin had allowed Lingxin to guide them to the door once more. Now it was time to execute the plan and hope things went well.

Xeal took the lead as they made their way down the tunnel until they arrived at the intersection where the small village of imps and other minor demons lay. Everyone knew their roles and Xeal smiled as they took up their positions while he and Aalin snuck into the path that led to Bīng’s prison. Once they were safely in position, Xeal and Aalin both readied a spell grenade that was charged with ice magic. They both smiled as they threw them, before running into the tunnel, hearing them go off and the shrieks from the imps as they swarmed the tunnel. Xeal and Aalin both kept running at full speed until they reached the next intersection of the tunnel, where Xeal readied a tier 5 spell mine that had cost a full ten gold and was able to one shot most tier 3 and below foes. He laid it down as Aalin put up her force shield just as the first group of imps came into view. They both watched as it went off, sealing three imps into an ice block that filled the passage and had shattered Aalin’s shield. Even so, it had done its job in forcing all of the ice magic one way, sealing the passage. If things were going according to plan, Ignis and Amet had done the same on the far end while the rest of the party handled the remaining demons. Xeal looked to Aalin, and after giving her a nod, they made their way through the rest of the caves until they arrived at Bīng’s prison. Bīng wasted no time in greeting them with a smile on her face.

“You returned. I had started to worry you had forgotten about me. This must be one of your brides to be. I must say, she does look promising, and she is still fresh to being tier 5. Now leave us as I decide if she is sufficient for my needs before I mark her.”

Aalin gave Xeal a slightly worried look as he reassured her, before leaving to wait at the prior intersection. With Xeal gone, Bīng turned her attention completely on Aalin.

“Now why do you want my mark, and why should I give it to you?”

Aalin paused for a long moment as she thought about her answers as she had not been expecting to be questioned like this when Xeal brought her here. Though she could see why Bīng would want to know these answers from what Xeal had shared with her as it was a way for her to see the world, even if it was in a limited capacity.

“I want your mark so I can stand next to Xeal as he is just so far ahead of everyone. You should give me your mark because I will offer you the best view of his life in this world.”

“Interesting, and why do you think I am so interested in watching him? I could simply want to see the world in general, or perhaps I wish for my chosen to surpass him.”

“If there is anyone capable of surpassing him this world is in trouble. So to why you want to witness him, you know as I do that this world’s history will be shaped by his actions more than any others.”

“So, you seek me for power and you offer me a front-row seat to destruction?”

“No, I seek you out of love and I offer you a front-row seat to the rebirth of the world.”

“Interesting. Now how far will you go for him?...”

The two of them talked for over an hour as Bīng determined if Aalin would be a fit, before she finally made her decision.

“Aalin, I will mark you, thus empowering you, so long as you give me your word that you will make finding my sisters your top priority.”

“No, my top priority will remain Xeal. That said, finding your sisters has potential to aid him so it will not be ignored and likely a focus for me.”

“Good enough. Now bring your hands to mine.”

Bīng looked like she was struggling against something invisible as she put her hands straight in front of her. Aalin didn’t hesitate to place her own hands against hers and instantly she felt like her whole body had become ice. Cold, so cold that she thought the imps her and Xeal had frozen must feel warm in comparison. As fast as it came it was gone, as she felt it coalesce over her belly, before fading completely as Bīng fell back, looking weakened from the exchange. Aalin looked at her with concern, but she just smiled as she stood up after recovering a few moments later.

“While this barrier may be able to hold me in, I can still put stress on it and force it to open a small hole here or there. It just requires a fair bit of my power. Now I need to recover. Come see me when you reach tier 6 and I will push your mark to the next level. Remember, if you die, I will be unable to re-mark you, so make sure you always have a drop of my blood in your system. Preferably it would be done with that dragon’s pseudo mark for escape. Unfortunately, my mark makes that impossible, so drink this and I will hand you the rest of what I can give you for Xeal. Just know it is all that I can give for another two years, as far as blood goes, as I will need to recover the strength creating these costs and even then I will only be able to give one more drop and two feathers.”

Bīng forced Aalin to open her mouth just outside the barrier as she pushed a single vial with a drop of her blood in it into Aalin’s mouth. Once there, the ice dissolved instantly and the blood merged into her body instantly. She then pulled out two more ice vials with a drop each of blood and ten phoenix feathers, and passed them to Aalin, who quickly put the drops of blood in new vials. Aalin looked at the vials with a troubled look as she knew that it wouldn’t be enough for Xeal’s needs. There were at least three NPCs’ lives that Xeal needed to guard and she couldn’t help but smile wryly at how she doubted that number would stay that low. If each phoenix could only give five drops and one would go to their vessel, it should be enough if they could find five of them, but they had to find them first. She just hoped the phoenix feathers would be good enough in the meantime.

“Now I tire and I wish to rest. I look forward to your next visit, and tell the Huángs that they are still unwelcome in my presence.”

Bīng’s words brought Aalin out of her thoughts in a start and it took her a moment to register them, before she said her farewell and left to rejoin Xeal.

Xeal had smiled when the system had notified him that he had completed the quest of bringing a worthy recipient for the ice phoenix mark. It meant that Aalin had been accepted and he could return his focus on other matters. Such as the mess that was going to be a workable solution to the 2,000-plus incarcerated beast-men. He still had to figure out exactly how he was going to get Prince Victor to agree to his plan on more than principle. Xeal didn’t have long to let his thoughts wander as he heard Aalin enter the intersection and join him.

“So how does it feel?”

“Honestly I am still processing it.”

“Ah, so what does the mark do?”

“Umm.”

“Ha, you haven’t checked yet. Well, go ahead and give it a look.”

Xeal smiled as Aalin focused on her menu and started reading.

(Ice phoenix mark: you have been marked by the ice phoenix and your body has begun to integrate with the mark, increasing your control of ice magic. Ice manipulation added: you can make changes to the form of any ice you touch. 5% boost to all stats and heightened senses at all times. 2 extra attribute points in MP and 1 extra attribute point to dexterity per level. Access to ice phoenix skills through class skill points. Decrease to cost to acquire and use all ice-based skills and spells. All levels take 1.5 XP to reach. Lost upon death. Cannot safely log out while marked. As you increase your tiers, you may unlock more benefits)

“Not bad, it is definitely on par with mine. Can I see it?”

“Umm, sure.”

Aalin shifted to reveal her belly as she felt like it was there, and as she got her first look at the pair of ice-blue wings above her belly button, she smiled. She had been worried it would look like a claw, similar to Xeal’s, but the wings looked nice to her. After she had covered her belly back up, she handed the two drops of blood and the feathers over to Xeal and explained what had happened and what Bīng had said concerning it being two years before she could produce any more feathers, or drops of blood. Xeal was a bit annoyed, yet he knew he was already beyond lucky to get five drops of blood and 11 feathers, even if one had to be handed over to Emperor Huáng Jin as payment. Still, before that there was still the issue of the trapped imps and other demons in the tunnel. Ignis had messaged Xeal that they had finished the cleanup of the stragglers on their end, but the sealed tunnel that sat between Aalin and Xeal and the exit was still left. Xeal smiled as he told Ignis to have everyone just hold steady while he and Aalin got into position. Xeal let Aalin in on his idea and she looked a bit unsure, but was ready to give it a try.

A bit later, they were at the five-foot-thick piece of ice plugging the cave and Aalin stepped up to the ice as she put her hand on it. It took a few minutes, but then Aalin figured something out, and slowly but surely, the ice lurched forward once, then twice, and a third time. Aalin was experimenting with just what she could do with her new ability and now she was forcing it to push forward slowly. If she kept this up, soon there would be no room for the trapped demons to move in. Though Xeal was sure they would start pushing back soon enough, and sure enough, a few hundred feet later and panting, Aalin told Xeal she felt like something was blocking her. Xeal just smiled as he told her to wedge the ice in good and make a hole the size of a spell grenade running through it from about Xeal’s height to the base on the other side. When Xeal saw the ground on the other side, he tossed in a single ice spell grenade and told Aalin to close the hole, as he ducked. A small tremor later, the pair of them were moving once more, until another 50 feet later they were stopped once more. They repeated the same process several times until they were about three quarters of the way through the tunnel, when Xeal received a message from Ignis asking what they were doing. Apparently, while they had been bracing the ice plug on their end against the struggles of the imps, it had just started to push itself out harder than they could handle and they didn’t think it would last another five minutes.

“Alright, it’s time to make one last push. Add the spikes and make it so I can force it myself.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.”

“Just be ready to wedge it in again if I start getting pushed back.”

A few seconds later Xeal was running at full speed, pushing a block of ice that felt weightless due to the reduced friction from Aalin making the base melt slightly. It was when he was about 100 feet from the other side of the cave that it happened and he felt like he had slammed into a brick wall as he heard the screams from the imps as they fought to avoid being completely squashed. Xeal just smiled as he dropped another tier 5 ice mine down the hole as Aalin wedged the block of ice in again. Xeal could tell that they had just killed imps by the drove as he watched his experience bar visibly rise, even though the imps were almost worthless experience-wise. However, he also received a message saying that they had broken out on the other side from Ignis. With a single look Aalin had turned the ice block into a pile of ice cubes, revealing a bloody mess on the other side and the other end of the tunnel, where a few dozen imps were struggling to escape. By the time Xeal arrived, the last of the imps had fallen and he could see the hundreds of corpses that must have spilled out when the ice plug came out. Xeal laughed as he realized the blast from the spell mine had been what pushed out the plug and the few imps left were all but dead from the shock wave.

As Xeal inspected the intersection while everyone else went about harvesting the raw materials that dropped, he could see where Gale and Clara had sealed the small tear that had been allowing the imps and other demons in and sustaining them in the caves. So long as there wasn’t another tear in these caves, even if one of the demons escaped, it was unlikely to survive long enough to reach another one. The fact that demons and devils couldn’t survive without abyssal energy was the main reason that they were rare. In Xeal’s last life there had been an instance where a ruler of a country decided to try and take the world with them by opening massive tears as their nation fell. The amount of life lost in that incident had been insane and it was only thanks to the immortal nature of players and the direct intervention from a few deities that allowed the tears to be closed. The event had been the first time that almost every guild and player had come together as one to work to complete a quest. It had been known as the first world quest, but it had not been the last. Xeal remembered how the major guilds had started to dictate how others could help as they took the lead, and most of the rewards when the future world quests had been triggered, turning something that had united players into something that divided them.

As Xeal reminisced about his last life, the group finished looting and they made their way out of the caves, chatting about their exploits. Amet was having fun talking about an imp that Ignis had lit on fire as it flew around shrieking in its high-pitch voice. Then there was Clara talking about Amser being like a tornado as she tore through the demons with her ring blade. Casmir was laughing at Gale’s use of one of her new skills that she had unlocked that had caused the imps to enter a full frenzy where they didn’t recognize friend from foe. From the way he was retelling it, it was like twenty imps just started roaring in their squeaky voices as they ripped each other apart. Xeal could see Takeshi smiling slightly as he walked as the rear guard and he felt happy as his leadership showed that they had grown close in their time together. When they left the cave, they were greeted by Lingxin who looked relieved to see them all in one piece. Xeal bid the rest of the group farewell once they were out of the basement area that was like a maze, as he accompanied Lingxin to meet with her brother. When they entered the emperor’s private study, they found him already waiting there while working on various paperwork. After the necessary etiquette was followed and Lingxin gave him a hug, the three of them sat down together.

“So, Xeal, how is the old crow doing?”

“Your imperial majesty, must you insult her so freely?”

“It is habit due to not wishing to reveal too much. Now how is she?”

“She is bored, but fine, though she has made it clear that she has no intent on being cordial with your house, your imperial majesty.”

“I see. it is a shame. I had hoped you might soften her to us.”

“Brother, the fact that Xeal was able to even return was a surprise.”

“Indeed, now did you obtain what you were after?”

“I did and here is the feather as agreed upon, your imperial majesty.”

Xeal watched as Emperor Huáng Jin delicately took the feather before storing it away.

“I must thank you for this as our house had used its last feather before I was even born. Now I finally have the same protection my ancestors relied on to allow me to take bolder actions and place myself at risk. With this I can pursue tier 7 without fear of death when the time comes. I must thank you for this, Xeal.”

“Think nothing of it, your imperial majesty. It is a small price to pay for the same peace of mind that it will bring me to know my own loves will be similarly protected.”

“I see, and my sister will be included in that correct?”

“Yes, she will.”

“Good…”

It took Xeal another hour to extract himself from Emperor Huáng Jin’s study as the three of them talked on various topics. When Xeal did return to Nium, he escorted Lingxin back to the palace and made his way to his mansion to sleep as it was already late and it had been a long day for him. The following morning when Xeal awoke, he found an impatient Eira waiting for him at breakfast with Midnight.

“So, do I get to go home today?”

“No, today I meet with Prince Victor about you for the first time. It will likely be at least a week before we are off that way.”

“So, I’m a hostage to be exchanged for what you want.”

“No, regardless of what happens with the negotiations with the nobles, I will ensure you make it home. It is just too long of a trip to make without handling things here first.”

“I don’t believe you. All of this is just to lure me into a false sense of security.”

“That is good. I would be disappointed if you weren’t skeptical of me. Regardless, you are stuck here until I am ready to set out. So, you should just try and enjoy yourself in the meantime, and let me know if you need anything.”

Xeal could tell that Eira was biting her tongue as she gave Xeal a hard glare, challenging him to say something. He simply smiled as a maid brought breakfast in and he gave Midnight the first bite before enjoying the meal. By the end of the meal, Eira had lost some of her intensity but still looked at Xeal with mild contempt as he left to meet with Victor and the others.

As Xeal entered Prince Victor’s study, he smiled as Enye was there as well, looking happy to see him. The meeting between the three of them went well as Prince Victor agreed to explore the plan that Xeal had put forth after discussing it with his father. Still, the hard part would be the following weeks as Prince Victor met with influential nobles to shore up their support before he made his move. Xeal could tell that Prince Victor was not looking forward to dealing with the obvious demands some of those nobles would put forward to gain their support. Sadly, that was just how the game was played and Xeal had already assured that FAE would do what it could, so long as a marriage wasn’t required. Before Xeal left, he handed Prince Victor three feathers, informing him that they were for him and his parents. The look on Prince Victor’s face was priceless to Xeal when he realized what Xeal had handed him.

Once that meeting was concluded, Xeal and Enye walked together as they made their way to the same room that they had used for placing the pseudo mark on her and Dyllis. There, Aalin, Gale, Dyllis, Lingxin and Mari were waiting for them. Xeal smiled as he turned to Gale and spoke.

“Gale, did they sign a contract to keep what happens here secret from everyone outside this room?”

“They did.”

“And you have explained what is about to happen to them?”

“Dyllis did and she showed them her mark.”

“Alright. Lingxin, Mari, are you both okay with this? If either of you have an issue with it, I can hand you a phoenix feather instead.”

Lingxin and Mari both looked at each other before Mari spoke up.

“Why are you willing to waste this on me? I understand that you signed a contract that you would do this for Lingxin, but you barely know me.”

“Ah, that is fair. Put simply, your lives have been entrusted to me and I intend to have you strive to reach tier 6, or 7, even if I intend to avoid marrying you. The pseudo mark is simply insurance. If either of you die while in my care, it would cause major issues that I would rather not deal with.”

“Why do you not want to marry us?”

Xeal could see the hurt in Lingxin’s eyes as he responded to her.

“Lingxin, what I want has yet to be determined. I barely know either of you, and yes, I know for those of our station such arrangements are the norm. If you asked me if you both are attractive, both in who you are and how you look, that is an easy yes, but there is much more to all of this for me. First and foremost, I need to ensure you and Mari work with my other fiancées before I elevate you as such, even if not doing so would have lasting consequences. I would sooner wound your heart and my ambitions by breaking our courtship off than doom us all to live in an unhappy situation.”

Xeal could see both Mari and Lingxin were thinking on his words, yet Lingxin was still looking hurt and it was Enye who stepped in after giving Xeal a look that told him he was being an idiot again. She pulled Lingxin to the side and started having a muted conversation that Xeal purposely decided to ignore for his own good. Mari was still giving Xeal a hard look as she continued to contemplate his words. Xeal could see Gale shaking her head as Aalin just smiled and Dyllis had a troubled look on her face. The room stayed in that awkward silence for a few minutes before Enye and Lingxin finished talking. Lingxin still looked a bit hurt, but she wore a determined smile on her face as she told him she would accept the pseudo mark. With her acceptance, Mari nodded and said she would accept it as well and Xeal proceeded to mark them both on their backs. Xeal then spent the rest of his session handling his guild leader’s work that had been piling up.

Evening December 1, 2266.

Alex smiled as he welcomed in Mr. and Mrs. Carter when they arrived for dinner on Saturday. It wasn’t five seconds before Mrs. Carter was hugging the girls and asking for any updates she could get as she rubbed their bellies. Mr. Carter just gave Alex an apologetic smile as he brought in the food Mrs. Carter had made for them and set it on the counter.

“Mom, seriously, give us some room to breathe.”

“Oh, sorry, I just can’t help it. I am going to be a grandma. I can’t wait to know the gender so I can start picking out clothes. Wait, maybe you two will have one of each. Oh, that would be great! I can’t wait to see your new place in Colorado, especially the nursery that I am sure Alex has planned.”

“Mom!”

“Oh, fine, I’ll try and be good, but you know.”

“Mrs. Carter-”

“Nicole, I told you it’s mom for you as well. I know this isn’t a normal situation, but I don’t care anymore. I had given up on seeing any grandkids from Sam any time soon, if at all, a few years ago. Now I get two so soon! Oh, there I go again.”

Sam was giving her mom a hard glare again and Alex couldn’t help but laugh and he butted in.

“Sam, give your mom a break, and Mrs. Carter, give us some time to get used to calling you mom as it still feels weird. Not to mention confusing if we ever have more than one of you around at a time. How about we try out Grandma Carter?”

“Ooh, I like that. Okay, I’ll accept being called Grandma Carter. What do you think, Grandpa Carter?”

“I think it’s wonderful to see you so happy. Now we should enjoy the food before it gets cold.”

For the rest of the night, Alex had to hold back a laugh anytime someone called Mrs. Carter Grandma Carter and the smile it brought to her face. When the Carters left, Sam was exasperated at all of the questions that had been asked about things she felt like was months away from being relevant. Nicole for her part had a complicated smile on her face and Alex knew it was due to the mix of emotions she had to be experiencing. Alex made sure to give her a hug and remind her that he loved her and was here with her as he knew she was wishing her own mother was as open with her affection as Mrs. Carter was. However, after a few more minutes, it was time for them all to return to ED, so they all made their way to log in for the night.

ED year 2 days 49-52.

When Xeal logged back on, it was time for his next date with Gale, just after her parents had left in reality. This was their first date since Gale had slight changes to herself brought about due to becoming the vessel of Freya. It was also the first time he was seeing her out of her adventuring gear since that point and he couldn’t help but take in the changes.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just I haven’t had a real chance to notice the subtle changes in you.”

“Oh, do you like them?”

“I definitely don’t dislike them.”

Gale smiled as she teased Xeal and the pair enjoyed exploring the capital of the Muthia empire after receiving permission to move at will from the empress. It felt nice to be able to have a new place to go on dates with Aalin and Gale, although he knew he needed to still be cautious as they were not near his power base, here. Still, with it being four hours behind Nium, it was still the afternoon when they arrived and they enjoyed doing a bit of shopping before heading to a restaurant for an early dinner. They had also used the trip to drop in on the 100 players that they had stationed here to reach out to a few local powers in an effort to raise their combat standards. Xeal’s plan was simply to accelerate the rise of a few of the powers he had known in his last life that came out of the void left from Jingong’s fall. If everything went well, they would be able to hold the line and avoid Muthia’s fall by using a defensive strategy. Xeal was hopeful from the early reports, as with Empress Sakurai Jingū’s backing, he had been able to secure a few of the more promising guilds’ agreements. In exchange for training and intel on the tier 5 trial, their guilds would come to Muthia’s defense if invaded. After his date with Gale, Xeal spent the rest of that session grinding and resting.

In his next session he did the same, reaching level 83 as he did so, until it was time for the first tea time since Mari and Lingxin had joined them. Xeal also had his parents coming to meet all of his ladies for the first time.

As Xeal made his way to the garden, he looked at the new table that had replaced the one that had been in place, which was perfect for five or six to sit at. In its place sat an oval table that could easily fit ten, but if you squeezed in slightly, 14 could be accommodated comfortably. Today it was being set for ten as he had decided to let Eira join them as he felt it would be good for her, even if she would be out of place. Eira was looking slightly uncomfortable as she picked at the white dress that one of his maids had acquired and altered for her to wear today. She and Midnight were next to him as he watched the servants put the finishing touches on the setup as Aalin and Gale arrived with Wayland and Gwynn. Wayland was Xeal’s father’s character of course and he had short brown hair that wouldn’t get in the way when smithing. Xeal held in a laugh when he saw him as he looked awkward in fine clothes. Gwynn had traded in the chef clothes for a light-yellow dress and her brown hair had been styled in a bun. As Gwynn caught sight of Eira, she lit up and closed the distance before speaking.

“You didn’t tell me one of them was a beast-woman. Hmm, tiger woman, correct?”

“Mom, this is Eira, and no, she is not one of my fiancées, or possible fiancées. She is a temporary ward of mine. I simply thought it might be good for her to join us today as a way to break up the monotony of her day.”

“Oh, my mistake, but why is her day so monotonous?”

“Because your son has failed to let me go home yet and I can’t leave the property.”

“What is she talking about?”

“Hah, she is part of a few of my ongoing quests that involve politics, and until everything is ready, I could fail one by moving too quickly. So, for now, I am hosting her here until I can return her to her tribe.”

“But why is she stuck here? Surely she could have more fun around the city?”

“Mom, have you seen any beast-men since you started playing?”

“No…”

“That is due to the fact that peace was never formally made after the founding war due to the fractured nature of their tribes. I am currently working to alleviate that issue, and please just leave it at that for now.”

“Okay. Well, it is nice to meet you, Eira.”

“Um, sure.”

Eira looked confused at how to handle Xeal’s mother’s obvious disregard for the difference in race that defined many aspects of this world. Xeal couldn’t help but smile at her as they started chatting casually for a few minutes before the other four arrived, accompanied by their guards. Xeal paid close attention to each of their reactions at seeing Eira as none of them had known she would be joining them. Enye simply smiled, and Dyllis showed surprise, but nothing else. Lingxin was startled and clearly had a few thoughts that she wanted to voice, but stayed quiet. Mari didn’t even seem to register something was strange until Eira sat at the far end of the table from Xeal, with Aalin and Gale taking the seats next to her, with Enye and Dyllis taking the next two, followed by Xeal’s parents, and finally Lingxin was to Xeal’s right and Mari was on his left. As the maids brought snacks and started serving tea as Xeal gave Midnight the first bite, Lingxin couldn’t keep quiet any longer.

“Xeal, you didn’t pick up a beast-woman concubine by chance, did you?”

“Not at all. She is simply my ward until I return her to her tribe in a few weeks.”

Xeal noticed Lingxin and Mari both physically relax before he continued.

“Besides, I do not intend on having any concubines in my household. Any spouse I take will be a wife, regardless of race, or status, when I meet her.”

He watched as they both flinched at his words. Dyllis flinched slightly as well. Only Enye had no reaction to Xeal’s words among the four of them. It took a moment, but Lingxin recovered and continued the conversation.

“I see. I keep forgetting just how different your world must be from ours. I apologize for my reactions. I will need to work on this.”

“You and most of the world, though I believe the main issue is due to just how separated each race is. Give my kind another decade and it may be common to see each race living amongst one another.”

“Ha, why would we wish to live in the cesspools you humans call cities?”

“Eira, believe it or not, we don’t all live in cities and I can assure you that it won’t just be beast-men moving into human lands. No, humans and others will also move into your tribe’s lands. Now I expect this to be brought about by much bloodshed as the struggle for power that is on the horizon becomes a struggle for survival. The world will have no room to continue to care about what kind of ears the person next to them have, or how much pain each had inflicted on the other in the past. No, everyone will be far too worried about if there is a tomorrow for them at that point.”

Xeal could see Eira’s ears droop slightly at his words as Mari and Lingxin both looked at Xeal like they were seeing him for the first time, while the rest of the table let his words sink in. After a moment, it was Xeal’s mother who brought things back to a lighter mood.

“Alright, that is enough of that. Today is about me getting to meet the ladies who are after a piece of my son’s heart. Now, I have met Enye. I take it you must be Dyllis…”

The rest of the tea time was dominated by Gwynn getting to know each lady and Xeal could only smile as she plowed through their resistance, even forcing Eira to share some of her hobbies before she was satisfied. He could tell that Mari and Lingxin had been completely unprepared for it, while Dyllis seemed to have some idea. This made him sure that the four of them were not yet integrated seamlessly like they would need to be for him to feel comfortable with the situation. His mom’s interrogation had also given him a few insights into Mari and Lingxin he had yet to learn, like how Mari enjoyed spicy food and koi fishing. All four ladies had also gotten plenty of stories about Xeal as he grew up from reality, and had pestered his father to share a few of them as well. While the stories were mundane to Xeal compared to the fantasy world they lived in, they were just as interested in them as he would have been of some sort of epic tale. When there was only 15 minutes before the end of the session, Xeal called an end to the festivities and Enye was quick to invite Gwynn and Wayland to the palace to continue another day, and to meet her mother, and possibly father, if he was available.

Evening December 2 to Morning December 3, 2266 & ED year 2 days 52-55.

Sunday evening and Monday morning saw the group returning to their normal routine as the teasing of Fred had lost most of its fun. Alex was enjoying the silence while it lasted as he knew he would only have a few weeks of this before things hit full Christmas mode right as Abysses End returned for what he hoped would be the last time.

When Xeal returned in the evening of day 52, it was time for his first date with Mari and it would be the first time he would have time to simply focus on her. He wondered how it would go, but he thought his plan was a decent one. As he picked her up from the palace, he greeted her before escorting her to the teleportation hall where they transferred to one of the outposts around Angelbrook City. The outpost was one that allowed players to rent small rowboats and take them out on the river nearby. Mari had been quiet while they traveled, but when she saw the boats, she broke her silence.

“You don’t plan on taking me fishing, do you?”

“No, I am well aware of the differences between koi fishing and normal fishing. I simply thought a relaxing lantern-lit boat ride while we enjoy a picnic would be a good place for us to start our courtship.”

“Why do you care? You have no intention of actually marrying me. I have been reading the reports on your efforts in my homeland. I thank you for the thought, but I know you chose me as I was the least likely to grow attached to you.”

“I see that is what you think. Just humor me and I will tell you why I picked you and not any of your sisters.”

Mari looked at Xeal for a long moment before deciding to go along for the ride, following him to the dock where he rented a rowboat that was just wide enough for them to sit next to each other. Xeal sat across from her as he rowed them about 200 feet from the shore where the lanterns of the city started to almost look like clusters of stars, and dropped anchor.

“Alright, I am out here. Now why did you pick me?”

“Because you were the only one that wasn’t an open book.”

“What?”

“Kuni wants to live up to your mother, Momo is the peacemaker and Kuri is the free spirit without a care in the world. You are serious and result-focused, but you hide your own thoughts and feelings for some reason. I knew Kuni would never forgive me for taking her away from Muthia, Momo would mask any issues that existed between my wives until it was too late, and Kuri would require too much attention to be happy. So, I went with the unknown, hoping that you were a hidden gem that if I did marry, would shine brighter than anyone would have guessed.”

“So, you gambled.”

“No, I took the only option that might work out in the long run. Mari, I will not lie to you and say that I am infatuated with you, or that I want to make you my wife. However, I do intend to get to know you and ensure that you will be a fit before I marry you, if it comes to that.”

“You signed a contract. If my mother doesn’t believe you have set us up to survive the war, what choice do you or I have?”

“Oh, I always leave an out in a contract that would require me to take a wife. This one will be particularly demanding and painful for me, but if I believe that all that is in front of us is misery as a couple, I will use it.”

“Alright, so where do you see this going?”

“Right now, I have no clue. Regardless of whether your mother believes I have secured Muthia’s future, she will hope we marry. The question will be what we want at that point. Mari, regardless of what I want, if you want out, let me know and I will make sure you are freed.”

“You’re terrible, you know that.”

“I have been told. Yet I will just keep putting my foot in my mouth before I hide my honest thoughts. Now let’s enjoy our picnic.”

Xeal and Mari both sat and enjoyed their meal as they shifted to lighter topics as they worked to understand each other’s likes and dislikes better. When they had finished their meal, Xeal rowed them back to the dock and they made their way back to the capital. When Xeal made it back to his mansion to rest, he was ambushed by Eira as he walked in. She started to ask him questions about his world and how the whole invasion of adventurers worked. He could tell that the morning had been enlightening for her and she had been waiting for a chance to ask all her questions. So, Xeal ended up spending another hour and a half explaining things to her. By the end, while he was tired, he was also happy that she had started to open up a bit.

When Xeal awoke, he spent his time split between grinding and responding to messages forwarded to him from Prince Victor concerning the ongoing negotiations among the nobles. From what Xeal could see from the questions, the negotiations were headed in the right direction, if slowly. It looked like it would still be at least another week before he could set out to return Eira to her tribe, but that might be for the best. With any luck, she would open up a bit more before then and possibly help open a few other eyes along the way. Either way, when Xeal logged off early in the morning of day 55 to make it to Jessica’s therapy session and Sam and Nicole’s next OB-GYN appointment, he was hopeful.

Evening December 3, 2266.

Alex awoke around 2:30 and stretched as he turned and gave Nicole a good morning kiss as she blinked away the remnants from her session. She smiled and the pair enjoyed a long moment of cuddling before sighing and getting up to get ready for the appointments they had to get to. When they reached the common area, Sam was already there grabbing a quick bite of one of the fresh premade salads that were now being delivered every three or four days with the other groceries. Both Sam and Nicole had decided that they wanted easy and healthy meals to go to now that they were expecting, and Alex hadn’t had any issues paying the bit extra it took to make it happen. He had even gone the extra mile and paid Anna to handle it after she had officially gotten her license and his dad didn’t need his car all the time. So, every Monday and Thursday after school, she would stop by a grocery store and a restaurant that specialized in healthy meals that were as simple as heat and eat. Alex had given her the extra key so she could get in and when they woke up their refrigerator was restocked. Alex had been happy that after the initial attitude that Anna had given him over getting both Sam and Nicole pregnant, she had shut up, other than a glare here or there. As Nicole grabbed her own meal, Alex made sure to give Sam her own wakeup kiss and make sure she knew he loved her, before grabbing a quick meal bar for himself.

The car ride over to Dr. Blythe’s office was filled with casual chatter as the three of them caught up on current events. Both had nixed Alex’s plan of having them act as Enye’s and Dyllis’ support when they had their experience requirements increased and Nicole was now focused on tracking down the other phoenixes. Watcher had only been willing to give up the continents where the other nine phoenixes were. Which didn’t help much as they were each on different ones and it had only eliminated the other four continents. None of the phoenixes were on the continents Nium, or the Huáng empire were situated on, but one was on the Muthia empire’s continent. Nicole was telling Xeal about how she planned to use FAE’s presence there to look for clues with Sam and a few of the guild’s more promising players. Amser was already onboard when it came time to explore remote regions that required FAE’s top members to handle. Alex was glad that Nicole had taken the responsibility for finding the phoenixes as it freed him up to focus on other things. Still, that meant that until Ava and Mia were at level 20, Enye and Dyllis would need to wait before heading to the Kobold mine to train. In the meantime, Prince Victor had gotten a few royal knights to help put them, Lingxin, and Mari, through some training.

As they arrived outside Dr. Blythe’s office, they met up with Jessica, who looked a bit worried, for the appointment. Alex gave her a smile as they all went in and a few minutes later the four of them were sitting in the waiting room. Sam and Nicole chatted freely with Jessica about nothing in particular, which seemed to put her at ease, and after about ten minutes of waiting, they were called in to meet with Dr. Blythe. Dr. Blythe welcomed them in with a smile as Sam, Nicole and Alex took up a couch as Jessica sat on another. When they were all seated and comfortable, Dr. Blythe spoke.

“Now Jessica has told me that the three of you will be leaving the state after this month. I must say that it is disappointing that you won’t be able to join in these sessions any longer.”

“Yes, we had these plans in place before this whole situation even played out, though you could always meet with us in ED if you were to expand your practice there.”

Alex smiled as he laid the bait he had been waiting to use to attract Dr. Blythe into FAE.

“Oh dear, I don’t believe I have time to expand into the virtual realm. My practice requires far too much of my time.”

Alex was well aware that Dr. Blythe worked 12 hours a day, six days a week and had a tight schedule. However, Alex just smiled as he went into how working while sleeping worked, as well as extending the offer to help him establish himself in game in return for six hours of free therapy for FAE members in ED time, once every three days. Alex could tell that he had him hooked and just needed to reel him in and added that he could easily move back and forth between ED and reality right from his office.

“Hmm, I will have to think on that, but for now, we should focus on the reason I asked for you and the lovely Sam and Nicole to be here today. As you know, Jessica has been working to come to terms with her feelings and reality. However, she is hitting a road block when it comes to giving up on you completely. Jessica, if you would like to continue as they are your feelings.”

“Thank you. Alex, I know you are happy with Sam and Nicole and if anything, I am just a bother, but you still care about me. It may be more like a sister, but I feel, and Dr. Blythe agrees, that with you leaving I could start to build up the date you promised me as more than it should be. To avoid this, I would like you to take me out for the date on the 30th. I will be 18 and with you leaving the next day, it will help keep me from getting my hopes up for more. My hope is to use it for closure so that by the time I graduate, I am over all of this and ready to move on with my life as I become an adult.”

Alex took a moment to think before responding as he took a look at Sam and Nicole, only to see calm smiles on both of their faces as they looked back at him.

“Sam, Nicole, what are your thoughts?”

“I think it makes sense, and I am fine with it.”

“I agree with Sam, but will add that the date needs to be somewhere public.”

“Good point. I think we’re good with that.”

“Alright. Jessica, I will give you your date before I leave California, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up for more than dinner and a casual activity.”

“Thank you, and I know that this is simply you fulfilling a promise while helping me move on.”

“Good, now, Alex, I will be in touch about your offer to explore expansion in Eternal Dominion, but I believe that the rest of this session would be best if it was just Jessica.”

Alex, Sam and Nicole said their goodbyes before exiting the office as Alex’s mom was set to pick up Jessica after, due to them having to rush to the OB-GYN appointments. Now, however, they were out a bit earlier and had plenty of time to make it, and so they arrived and were able to relax as they waited to be seen by Dr. Beckett in the split room like last time. Not having to wait in a public area was nice as it gave them privacy as they relaxed for the full 30 minutes that they had to spare before Dr. Beckett joined them. She had her glasses on this time as she gave Alex a look like she remembered him, and not in a good way, before she turned to Sam and Nicole and began the exams.

“Alright, I take it both of you have been doing fine? No issues that we need to worry about over the last month, right?”

Both Sam and Nicole let her know they had been good and they talked about the pamphlets that they had gotten last time. Alex felt a bit guilty as he hadn’t taken the time like Sam and Nicole clearly had to go over them. They discussed diet as well as exercise, and if there was anything they could do to make sure that they started to provide stimulus to the babies as they developed. Dr. Beckett told them that until around week 20 they couldn’t hear, but at that point singing and talking to them regularly was recommended. After they were done with the question and answer portion, Dr. Beckett pulled out a fetal Doppler device to check and see if the heartbeat could be heard for either fetus. Nicole went first and Alex watched as she exposed her belly as Dr. Beckett rubbed a gel on before placing the device on her and searching for the heartbeat. It was a few seconds later when they heard it for the first time as Nicole smiled brightly while listening contently. Alex was lost for a second holding Nicole’s hand as he just let the sound penetrate him as it was once more driven home that he was going to be a dad. Dr. Beckett recorded the sound for a solid minute before saving the recording and letting Nicole know she would send her home with a copy, as she turned to Sam. Sam was quick to get ready and once more a heartbeat could be heard and all Alex could do was hold her hand as they all smiled like idiots. Once more Dr. Beckett recorded it for them to take home before speaking.

“It looks like you are both at least eight weeks along, more likely at around week ten.”

“Really? That would mean that…”

Sam paused as she looked at Alex, clearly having done the math to know that it would have been their first time, or just after, if she was at ten weeks. Nicole also caught on and blushed as she thought about it. Dr. Beckett just gave Alex another of her looks before moving into the well woman portion of the exam for both Sam and Nicole. Alex took the hint and moved back to the adjoining waiting room as they got checked out.

30 minutes later, even the judgmental look that Dr. Beckett had given Alex on the way out couldn’t wipe the grin from his face as he drove them to dinner. He felt like treating them to something special and they had a few hours to spare before they were due to log back in to ED. So, Alex took them to a nice Italian restaurant where they enjoyed a nice meal that started with caprese salad, before moving onto their mains. Alex enjoyed a lasagna, as Nicole ate her mushroom ravioli, and Sam enjoyed a chicken linguine. And for dessert they enjoyed gelato that was made in-house, fresh daily. By the time they left, they were full and content as they made their way back to the apartment before logging back in for the night.

Morning December 4 to Morning December 8, 2266 & ED year 2 days 55-70.

The next few days passed as Alex and his friends continued their morning training as they finally had sparring down in kendo and their tumbles in aikido were becoming more fluid with each lesson. Swing dance was becoming more of an exercise than learning a new skill as they had gotten the basics down already. Mr. Fredholm wanted them to work on them a bit longer before he started teaching the next level in the new year, to those that weren’t moving. For Alex, this meant things were on autopilot each morning as he just smiled as Fred continued to sweat from Amanda talking all things baby with Sam and Nicole. The recordings of the heartbeats didn’t help calm Fred about it, though it did cause Amanda to give him a knowing smile. Dan just looked like he wanted to disappear whenever Fred turned to him for help as Alex had just told him to accept his fate, while smiling. Mrs. Bell cooed over the recordings and complained that it was still too early for hers as she was about four weeks behind Sam and Nicole. Alex had actually gotten his mom into the same OB-GYN that he was using, with her first appointment being the day after Sam and Nicole’s last one. The story his mom had shared about when Dr. Beckett realized she was his mom had been priceless. Apparently, she didn’t have a problem giving his mom a piece of her mind about her son’s responsibility level. Needless to say, his mom had decimated Dr. Beckett by the end of the exchange, especially when it became clear that Alex was paying for the appointments, not them.

When Xeal returned to ED in the evening of day 55, he quickly made his way to the palace where he met Dyllis for their date that evening. Xeal could tell that she had something bothering her on her mind as they rode a carriage towards the venue Xeal had arranged for their evening.

“Dyllis, you look troubled.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just have a lot on my mind of late.”

“Like?”

“Do you really want to know, or do you want to have an enjoyable evening?”

“Dyllis, there is no way I will be able to enjoy tonight until I cheer you up.”

“Ha, it is nothing. Really, I am just being hard on myself again.”

“Dyllis, it is causing you to not share your beautiful smile with me so it is not nothing.”

Xeal could see Dyllis take a deep breath before she launched into her last 18 days since their last date. She talked about how she felt like the odd one out now that two more princesses had been added to his possible brides. She wasn’t doing as well as Enye in the training they were doing to get ready for leveling and she was back to worrying where she fit with Xeal. Telling Enye he loved her had apparently been difficult on Dyllis as well as she wished to share in her joy, but she just worried about her own instead. After taking a moment to let her calm down after sharing her feelings, Xeal responded the best he could.

“Dyllis, I understand where you are coming from and you are not wrong to feel the way you do, but do you see the necklace you are wearing?”

“Yes.”

“Do you see Lingxin, or Mari, with one yet?”

“No.”

“That should let you know that you have far more of a hold on me than they do. I see you, not your title or pedigree. As for me letting Enye know that I love her, it really just happened. It wasn’t planned or set up. It’s why I try to do so many different things with each of you. I never know when it will occur. If I am being honest, I was surprised myself when it happened. The moment just transpired and that was that. When that will take place with you is unknown, but I feel it will, or I wouldn’t still be trying.”

“I know.”

“Dyllis, I believe you will enjoy what I have planned for us tonight.”

“Oh, and what is it?”

“Something that we should have done sooner.”

Dyllis looked at Xeal as he smiled at her and couldn’t help but smile back at him as he was clearly going to wait until they arrived to clue her in. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long as the carriage came to a stop and they got out of the carriage at the theater.

“Xeal, there isn’t a show tonight, so why are we here?”

“My lady, you and I are the show, though our audience will only be one another and a few guards.”

Dyllis looked at Xeal like he had a screw loose as he led her into the theater, until they reached the stage where he guided her to the centermost seat of the front row before hopping up on stage. He then proceeded to spend the next ten minutes making a fool of himself by reciting poetry and singing to her. There was only one way to describe the performance, and that was bad, as Xeal had no talent in either department. However, Dyllis couldn’t help but smile as she accepted his invitation to switch with him and perform for him. The cheer in her voice was wonderful as she sang for him in a heavenly voice that he enjoyed fully. An hour later they were all smiles as they both sat on stage just enjoying the moment for what it was.

“Xeal, I don’t care if you are not there yet, but I love you and I don’t care who comes along. I am not going to let you escape.”

“I am glad to hear that. I don’t intend on letting you go either. So, I guess we will have to make sure we both hold on if someone does try to get between us.”

Dyllis smiled as Xeal played with her hair, then pulled him in for a passionate kiss before letting him go and smiling as she stood up.

“Alright, we better get back or Princess Enye might start to worry.”

“Oh?”

Dyllis simply smiled as she left the stage and Xeal followed her back to the carriage as she acted like she hadn’t just teased him, the whole ride back. When he bid her farewell at the palace, she had a beautiful smile on her face and it made Xeal’s heart soar to see it once more. As Xeal made to leave, Enye approached him with a note in her hand addressed to him from her brother. Xeal took it as he gave her hand a kiss before taking his leave and returning to his mansion for a rest. Once he was there, he read the note which gave him a list of names of nobles and the word network. Xeal knew what it meant and it told him where his focus needed to be for the next few weeks. The following morning saw Xeal in FAE’s headquarters setting things in motion on his end before heading out to start his grinding for the day. Xeal spent the rest of that session and the next one focused on raising his level and making sure his preparations were coming together.

When he returned on the evening of day 58, it was time for his date with Aalin. Xeal smiled when he met her at the teleportation hall and teleported to the Muthia empire with her. From there they moved to one of the starting cities that was in the mountains and was covered in snow currently. Xeal just smiled at Aalin as she smiled at the instant comfort that being surrounded by ice brought her. He didn’t linger long before pulling her along out of the city and into the surrounding area until they came to a frozen waterfall just a few miles outside the city, and he smiled.

“I thought you might enjoy simply exploring just what you can do with your new ability while having fun.”

“Oh, and just what did you have in mind?”

“Well, there is all this ice sitting here. I was thinking that we could have an ice sculpture contest as we try and make each other.”

“Really, you think you can make me?”

“We will just have to see. Who knows, I might have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

Xeal pulled out a tool box filled with chisels and hand saws, as well as a few other hand tools that he would need if he wanted to even make an attempt.

“Now if I could convince you to trim off two good blocks for us to work with, that would be perfect.”

Aalin smiled as she walked to the frozen waterfall and touched the ice, creating one large block from it and manipulating it to move until it was ten feet away. She then split it in two halves before turning back to Xeal.

“Alright, go ahead and show me what you’ve got.”

Xeal just smiled as he went to work while she just watched. He started with a saw and empowered it with elemental blades, adding a heat component, as he worked to cut away large sections until he had a vaguely human shape. The next hour saw him use one chisel after another to shape something that looked almost like a woman about the same height as Aalin.

“I must say, you did better than I expected. Now let me show you what I can do.”

Aalin walked up to the other block of ice and in 30 seconds a perfect replica of Xeal was standing there.

“Honestly, I am a bit insulted that you thought I hadn’t been making my own ice and doing stuff like this already.”

“Is that right? Did you still have fun watching me work?”

“Yes, although….”

Aalin walked to Xeal’s carving and touched it and a minute later she had made it look like her and fused it to the one she made of him, so that the two were embracing. Xeal smiled as he mirrored the new statue by bringing Aalin in close.

“Nicole.”

“Yes?”

“Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

“Alex, you know you didn’t need to ask.”

“I know, but I still should. So, is that a yes?”

“Of course. Now I think we should leave before anyone asks how to make such a detailed sculpture.”

“Fair point.”

Before Xeal let her go he gave her a deep passionate kiss that she returned happily.

The next eight days in game passed with Xeal focused on grinding, reaching level 84 on day 63. He did take breaks to rest and take Enye, Lingxin and Gale on dates, each of whom enjoyed their time with him, however short it was. He was also pleased with how everything was going in regard to the plan he had in place, and on the evening of day 73, FAE would be holding an exclusive auction. Xeal had to make sure everything went according to plan if it was going to be a success. In the meantime, in the morning of day 68, Luna and Selene had contacted him, letting him know that they were level 19 and ready to challenge the tier 3 test. Xeal smiled as the pair were right on schedule, so after sending a message to Prince Victor through Maxwell letting him know, he met up with them in Dragon's Eye. When they spotted him, both Luna and Selene came up to him and gave him a hug. They had been quiet outside of ED as he needed the space currently, but both were all smiles as they talked about how great the twin boost was. They had even figured out how to use the mind sync in a way that didn’t cause them to have a massive headache after. Xeal listened and gave them feedback as he made his way down the streets of the outpost that he had spent his early days in. When he arrived at the sheriff’s office, Xeal smiled at the thought of seeing Sheriff Sanford Colee again. However, when he walked in, he found a different familiar face sitting behind the desk wearing the badge. Aldway had become the sheriff and was now at level 45 as well, and he was buried in documents when Xeal walked in.

“I’ll be with you in a minute.”

“Is that so. Well, I guess that’s fine, but I wonder what happened to Sheriff Colee?”

Aldway looked up and froze at the sight of Xeal standing there smiling.

“Xeal, my word it’s been a while. Sheriff Colee is now Marshal Colee and he is working closely with Baron Ulric, currently.”

“I see, that’s good.”

“So, what brings you here?”

“I have two new candidates for knighthood that need to undertake the tests.”

Aldway took in the sight of the twins with a raised eyebrow before responding.

“Only one can go at a time. Which one wishes to go first?”

“They are a bit of a special case as they are already marked as one.”

Xeal motioned for Luna and Selene to show the marks at the base of their neck to Aldway.

“I see. Well now, this is out of the norm. I will handle this test myself given the circumstances. Xeal, you should stop in to see the marshal while I guide them tonight as he is in town for once.”

“Very well, I will leave them in your hands. Luna, Selene, remember these tests are meant to give you insight to what you lack and what you rely too much on. It is different for everyone who undertakes it and I am sure the two of you will have an interesting tale for me when you’re done.”

The pair smiled before speaking in unison.

“Oh, we know and you better let us tell you all about it and share your own results with us after.”

“I will listen to what you wish to share, but there are times when details of this test are best kept close.”

The pair gave Xeal a pouty look before Aldway had them follow him out of the office. With them gone, Xeal made his way to Baron Ulric’s estate to see if Sanford was in like Aldway had suggested. As he came to the gates, the guards stopped him and had him identify himself. Once he did, they both seemed at a loss for what to do before he told them he was just dropping in to say hi to the baron and marshal, if they were in. After that they let Xeal through with one of them acting as his guide, letting him know that both should be in the baron’s study as they walked. When they came to the door the guard knocked and Baron Ulric’s voice could be heard on the other side of the door.

“Who is it?”

“Just a stranger who made your lives interesting for a while before going his own way.”

Xeal listened as the door’s lock was undone and the face of Sanford came into view with Baron Ulric sitting at his desk.

“Finally came by to check in with us after all this time. What, did you miss us or something, Viscount Bluefire?”

“Ha, I don’t think I have had enough time to realize that I miss anyone with my schedule, though I can see you have been busy as well, Marshal.”

“I blame you. If you hadn’t shined a light on us, we could have continued to enjoy our lives. Instead, I have to make regular trips out to that mine your guild is using as a crafting area to ensure everything is fine, among other duties.”

Xeal smiled as he stepped inside and Sanford closed the door, before he greeted Baron Ulric.

“It is good to see you, Baron Ulric. I take it you have been in good health?”

“That I have, Viscount Bluefire.”

“Please, just call me Xeal. I am still not used to my title and would rather only use it in formal settings.”

“In that case, call me Timothy as you have more than earned the right to do so. Now, what do we owe the honor of your presence to?”

Xeal smiled as he went into how Luna and Selene were undergoing their test of knighthood with Aldway. After talking about them for a while, the conversation shifted to what they had all been up to over the last year. Xeal had to laugh at just how much work they were having to deal with due to the mine that was quickly becoming a small city. Sanford made sure to let Xeal know it was his fault that his work load had doubled and Timothy shared the complaint in a joking manner. Both took their turn at giving Xeal a hard time about courting Enye and Dyllis and he just smiled. Xeal enjoyed an hour of playing catchup before he let them know that he needed to be on his way, but would return to see how Luna and Selene did at the start of their final test. Both of them bid him farewell and told him not to be a stranger, to which he replied to them saying they could come see him as well.

It was halfway through his next session when Luna and Selene let him know that they had completed their second test. Now they just needed to take on the final portion, so Xeal finished his current fight against a level 90 living tree and he, Bula and Midnight returned to the capital. Xeal left them there as he transferred to Dragon’s Eye and met the twins at the sheriff’s office, where Aldway was once again hard at work on paperwork. Luna and Selene were quick to smile and launch into their experience in the first two tests. They described their walk through the first cave as a dream where they ended up holding each other’s hand to not be separated during it. When they awoke, they each had a bracelet on opposite wrists that could form a chain at will between them. They were also experience items that could be leveled by sacrificing their own experience to them. Xeal knew that they could grow exponentially and simply forming a chain between them was the least of its abilities. Next, they told him about how the second test had glued them together at a hand and foot before forcing them to navigate through increasingly difficult obstacles, like climbing a sheer cliff and getting through a hole that was just barely bigger than one of them. They had been proud to say that they reached the last completion point and received a strand of unicorn hair. It was an item that could be used in crafting, or as a single-use revival item like his fruit from the tree of life was, but it was of a much lower grade. It would only cut the experience loss by half, and unlike his fruit and the drops of phoenix blood, it would still count as dying by the system’s standard. That meant anything that dropped, or was lost by dying, like his mark, would still be lost. Xeal smiled as he congratulated them, thinking of how generous the system was to the first player to accomplish anything.

When Xeal arrived at Baron Ulric’s estate, the guards let him right through without an escort. Xeal led Luna and Selene to the baron’s study before knocking. A few moments later the door opened, revealing Baron Ulric.

“I take it these are the two you were speaking of yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I will go ahead and interview them. If you would wait here.”

Xeal stood outside the room for a good half hour before it opened and all three of them exited looking happy.

“I must say, you do have an eye for talent, even if they don’t quite match your own results.”

“My tests should never be used as a bar to judge others by.”

“True. If you would show them to the prep area, I will go about setting up everything on my end.”

“Thank you.”

With that Baron Ulric left them as Xeal walked with Luna and Selene toward the arena where their test would take place.

“So, the baron mentioned that you attempted the hell mode test.”

“And you made it through nine rounds in five days.”

“I did, though I have my Behemoth Slayer title to thank for much of my success.”

“Yeah, but you could have done it without it.”

“Tell us, how important is hell mode?”

“What are you planning on attempting, normal or hard?”

“Is the sky green?”

“Come on, Xeal, you wouldn’t want us if we were planning on anything but challenging ourselves as much as possible at every step.”

“No, and you should know that everything in this world builds upon itself. If you only get 90% of what you can get out of every experience, it will add up. Eventually, you will find yourself at a wall that you don’t have the skills to climb and your growth will all but halt.”

“Oh, and there is no way to fix the issue?”

“She means other than a restart.”

“A helping hand might get you past the first of these walls you run into, but nothing will get you past the next one without heaven-defying luck. Now we are here. Take advantage of the wait while everything is prepped and relax. I know you both have this. While this test is almost identical to what most warriors have to go through, there is a bit more importance on the first few rounds. Don’t hold back anything and go all out from the start.”

Xeal left them with those words as they arrived at the same room he had waited in and made his way to the arena stands to watch the first few rounds. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury to spend the next five days or so in ED just watching them. When he arrived, it was just before midnight and once again Prince Victor was seated in the seat of honor next to Baron Ulric. Xeal smiled as he took the seat to the other side of Victor, after going through the necessary etiquette.

“It is good to see you, your majesty.”

“Xeal, cut your majesty crap. If you want to act like any of that matters with you, just add prince to my name.”

“It’s good to see you’re in a good mood, Prince Victor.”

“Ha, I have been meeting one house after another to ensure that I don’t have an open revolt on my hands when your plan plays out.”

“I do apologize for that, but it is necessary, Prince Victor.”

“I am aware. If I didn’t see that, I wouldn’t be doing it. Now tell me about these two ladies who you wish to become Enye’s personal guards when you have her and Dyllis training in the Kobold mine that you have locked down for your guild’s use.”

“They are a pair of new recruits for my guild that show great promise…”

Xeal and Prince Victor discussed Luna and Selene for a few minutes until it was time for the event to begin. Xeal watched as Luna and Selene walked out onto the arena floor and took up a position in the center. The next moment, two lumps of clay came together to form a massive clay giant just like Xeal had faced, only doubled. Xeal simply smiled as Luna and Selene held their ground until the last moment, when they went into action. After side stepping the first round of attacks, they had managed to put both of the clay giants on one side of them. From there, Xeal just watched as they systematically destroyed both of the level 25 clay giants like it was child’s play, over the next half hour. Xeal smiled as he looked down at them while they smiled back before they selected to continue.

“I must say, they do show promise. I might want to steal them for myself.”

“Feel free to do so, Prince Victor. I would happily unleash them on you.”

Xeal gave Victor a smile that said enough to give him pause.

“Perhaps it would be best to let their talents be used to guard my sister after all.”

“Chicken.”

“Xeal, it is bad enough that Nora and my mother have been talking, I don’t need more complications.”

“Oh, so Nora is making inroads.”

Prince Victor just returned his focus to Luna and Selene, as Xeal chuckled, while they progressed through the next two rounds. It didn’t matter that they were facing twice the foes that Xeal had as they made it look easy, even when they had to take on eight level 23 ogres. Luna and Selene were laughing as they moved on to their fourth round, but it was time for Xeal and Prince Victor to leave.

“Baron Ulric.”

“Yes, my prince.”

“Make sure to keep their results secret, as well as their existence.”

“As you wish.”

“Xeal.”

“Yes, Prince Victor?”

“Ensure they are up for the job in all aspects. They will need to be ready for court events in the future, I suspect.”

“I understand.”

Once Prince Victor had left, Xeal followed suit after giving the twins one last look as they toyed with ten of the 16 foes this round would force them to overcome, and spent the rest of his session resting.

Evening December 8, 2266.

Alex, Sam and Nicole made their way over to Sam’s parents’ house for dinner, after logging out a bit early to make the 6:00 dinner time. Nicole’s mom had reached out and asked if it would be alright for the Juns to join them for dinner as well. Nicole had been hesitant, but felt that after how Thanksgiving had gone, it was time to see if things could work out long term. So, when they walked in at five ‘til six, they were met with warm hugs from Mr. and Mrs. Carter, and awkward hugs from Mr. and Mrs. Jun. Alex did the best to ignore all the issues he had with Mr. and Mrs. Jun from his last life, but he just couldn’t shut it out completely. Nicole shared a few words with her mother before they moved to the dining room and Mrs. Carter pulled out a casserole. Dinner was a quiet affair as everyone kept the conversation light as they enjoyed the food before moving to the living room to relax, and Sam spoke first.

“Alright, Mom, I know you have been waiting for updates, so Nicole and I each have a recording of the heartbeat to play from our last appointment.”

“Eeeeehhhh…”

Mrs. Carter just let out a squeal of joy before telling Sam to hurry up while Mrs. Jun turned to Nicole.

“Wait, you two are already that far along?”

“Yes, Mom, Sam and I are between nine and eleven weeks now, I guess.”

“You guess? Nicole!...never mind, I know you are excited and I need to accept that this is what you wanted.”

“Thank you, Mom.”

Alex could see the hurt on Mrs. Jun’s face as she held her comments back while Mr. Jun comforted her by rubbing her back. Sam had paused while the small scene played out before hitting play on the recording as the room went quiet as they listened for the full minute. When it was over, Mrs. Carter hugged Sam and kissed her cheek before rubbing her belly and saying things like “I can’t wait to meet you” while she did. After around ten minutes, the room had calmed down and Nicole played her recording. Mrs. Carter maintained her bright smile during the recording as Mr. and Mrs. Jun were clearly dealing with a mess of emotions all at once. By the end, Mr. Jun had a smile on, but it didn’t reach from cheek to cheek like Mr. Carter, and Mrs. Jun was smiling while tears spilled from her eyes unchecked. Mrs. Jun pulled Nicole into a hug as she just let herself cry which caused Nicole to cry as well. The room just let them have the moment as they both cried for a good few minutes before they both collected themselves. When everyone had their emotions under control, it was Mr. Jun who spoke first.

“Alex, forgive me for being a father as I know you have the financial side of things well in hand, but what are your intentions moving forward with Sam and Nicole?”

Alex could feel the mood in the room shift as he prepared to address one of the elephants in the room.

“It is fine. You are a father as I will be this summer, whether or not I am ready when the time comes. My intention is to treat them like my wives despite not legally being able to make it official. That said, I will be marrying them in Eternal Dominion before either of them give birth.”

“You think that marrying them in a game makes up for not doing so in real life?!”

“Mrs. Jun, I understand your anger and no, they are not the same thing, but the only other option if we want it to be legally recognized would be to leave the country and never come back. Sam and Nicole are my world and I intend to treat them how they wish to be treated. Will it be perfect? No, but it will be what we choose.”

While Alex had been speaking, both Sam and Nicole had moved to his sides to show their solidarity and Mr. Jun had once more moved to comfort his wife before speaking again.

“Thank you for being honest with us, Alex. We are still struggling to accept all of this, especially with you all moving at the end of the month.”

“I understand, and I know that the timing of all of this is way too fast, but it is what it is. I know none of you have picked up Eternal Dominion yet, but if you could please play it for the next few months so I can get my guild to help you reach level 20 in time for the wedding.”

Alex could have heard a pin drop from how quiet it got as he let the fact that both sets of parents would need to play ED in order to attend the wedding of their daughters. After it looked like it had sunk in, he continued.

“If you start soon, then we should have plenty of time, but if not, we will be cutting it close, but as you will be likely only playing when you would be asleep, we likely only have around a month of leeway to work with.”

The room turned from quiet to one question after another, such as what about other relatives and friends who wished to attend. By the time Alex, Sam and Nicole left, as they needed to get back to ED, a list of who needed to get an invite had started to take shape. There was a bit of complaining over the cousins and siblings who were under 16 that couldn’t play yet, but Alex explained that he could stream the event live and that seemed to calm them slightly. Still, Alex hadn’t expected the passion that had taken over Mrs. Jun at the mention of wedding planning. As they drove home, both Sam and Nicole both smiled as they chatted happily about how they wanted to do their wedding. They both agreed that they didn’t want to be a side note in Enye’s royal wedding, but they didn’t want to wait too long once it was over, either. Alex could feel the headache that March was quickly becoming. He just hoped that all of the issues that would come from the massive launch in January would be over by then.

Morning December 9, 2266 & ED year 2 days 70-73.

When Xeal returned to ED, he quickly met up with Mari for their second date. He was pleased to see that while she was still guarded, she was smiling more as they walked the royal gardens and talked about the little things. Once that was taken care of, Xeal made his way to his guild headquarters to go over the status of the upcoming auction. Once he had confirmed everything was going well, he returned to his mansion for a quick rest.

The next morning, he ate breakfast with Eira and invited her to come and watch him smith today as he needed to be available until the auction was over, but didn’t want to sit still as he waited. Eira agreed and after he fitted her in a cloak, he walked with her as he made his way to the royal forging room and spent the rest of that session smithing while explaining what he was doing to Eira. She even attempted a few pieces, but Xeal was lacking when it came to explaining the intricate details of smithing to her so her attempts were rather poor. Still, she seemed to actually enjoy it despite the difficulties she was having as it was something that they didn’t have in her tribe. The few smiths that did exist in their lands belonged to other beast-man tribes who traded with them for one thing, or another. Even then, there didn’t seem to be any smith that reached the gold rank who would trade outside their own tribe from what Xeal picked up from Eira.

Sunday morning was a nice break from everything as Alex, Sam and Nicole spent it doing some light stretching before cuddling up on the couch as they watched their web series together.

When Xeal returned to ED on the morning of day 72, he went right to smithing after checking in and verifying that all of the final details had been taken care of and that all of the designated nobles had responded in the affirmative for their attendance. For the rest of that day, Xeal smiled as Eira continued to play at smithing with a smile as they chatted. As the day went on, Xeal had been interrupted several times by Taya as she came in with one document after another for him to approve. It wasn’t until it was getting late and Xeal had signed the last of the documents that he had a serious conversation with Eira. By the end of the conversation, Eira had a cautious smile on her face as Xeal had told her that if things went as planned at the auction, she would be headed home a few days after it. Though he had also asked if she was willing to help with something during the auction that was worrying.

The morning of day 73, before the end of Xeal’s session, was spent with Dyllis as they enjoyed a stroll together before an early lunch. This was to make up for the date that they would have normally had that night if Xeal didn’t have other obligations. Xeal simply enjoyed the calm it provided before the storm that the night would bring.

Evening December 9, 2266.

Sunday evening, Alex, Nicole and Sam took the time to cook for the first time in over a week. Alex had to laugh at Sam and Nicole as the cravings had finally started to set in. To make matters worse, all that Sam wanted to eat was bacon and dill pickles while Nicole wanted salad and ice cream. So, Alex was making a bacon and chicken-topped salad with pickles served on the side, with chocolate ice cream for dessert. As they ate, Alex had to laugh as Nicole didn’t take any bacon while Sam piled it on and cut up her pickles, tossing them right into her salad before drowning it all in ranch dressing. Nicole had simply used extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, with a few herbs, in her own as Alex just made a basic salad with bacon and chicken on top, finishing it with a normal amount of ranch dressing on it. As they ate, he couldn’t help but smile as he felt the tension that had been building over the past few days drain away.

When they moved onto dessert while enjoying another episode of a web series, Sam once again showed just how bad the craving bug could be. She had added the leftover bacon from dinner to her ice cream before eating it with a smile. Nicole simply enjoyed her bowl that Alex had dished for her before taking his half-finished one away in the middle of him eating it, with a smile. Alex just smiled back as he went and dished himself another half bowl before returning to the couch to finish the episode.

ED year 2 days 73-74.

When Xeal awoke in ED, he quickly dressed in formal attire as it was time to put his plan into action. As he went downstairs, he found a cloaked Eira waiting for him, looking anxious while petting Midnight, who had claimed her arms. Bula stood next to them, with an indifferent expression on her face, before she spoke.

“My gift is still far too weak to be of much use for tonight, but even I can feel that many paths splinter from your actions tonight.”

“Thank you for the insight. Eira, are you sure you are up for this?”

“No, but I’m doing it anyways.”

“Alright, let’s go. Midnight, you need to stay home for now.”

Xeal did not tarry as he walked to the teleportation hall and transferred to Eaglehorn city. Once there, he did not tarry before heading to a side alley and putting on a Venetian-style Casanova mask. As he did this, Bula pulled on a full-body cloak, gloves and a Venetian-style mask that completely covered her face, thus completely covering her and hiding her skin color. Eira simply kept her cloak up and affixed a collar to her neck before they left the alley and headed to the venue for tonight’s auction. Xeal could see the nerves build in Eira with each step they took until they had reached the entrance, which was currently being manned by one of his guild members named Felicius Simplex. The moment Felicius caught sight of Xeal’s mask, he knew who it was and gave a distinctive knock and a door three buildings down opened. Xeal smiled as he entered the doorway that led down into an underground tunnel before it opened into a larger open area. Xeal smiled at the thought of what Viscount Lennox must have looked like when Friva had forced him to allow FAE to use this space tonight. Not only had FAE knowing about it been beyond his expectations, but he also believed it was a complete unknown outside him and the Mercer house when it came to nobility. He had to spend the days leading up to tonight moving the items that he had hidden in the space to another home, all while grumbling about the permanent loss due to the secret being out.

Inside the open area stood around 50 nobles that had been invited to participate tonight by FAE, all of whom were wearing their own masks. They ranged from simple knights to a certain pair of Marquesses who had an important role to play tonight. At the far side of the area was a stage that had been set up next to one of the other exits where the goods they would be selling were currently placed. Xeal left Bula to lurk around the edges of the room as Xeal took Eira to the back area before getting up onto the stage himself.

“Gentlemen, gentlemen, if you would please give me your attention, we are about to start the auction.”

It took a few moments for the nobles to turn their attention away from one another and the FAE players acting as servers that were distributing refreshments to them. Xeal watched as they finished up their conversations and turned to face him until he could see each masked face before he launched into his opening speech.

“Welcome to each of you. As you all know, your world has experienced great changes over the past year, or so. My kind has arrived and resources that used to be plentiful became scarce, while other resources that used to be rare started flooding the market. I am sure that each of you has felt this effect and know that at the root of the issue is too many consumers and not enough producers. I have gathered you all here tonight to give you a preview of the future, as while it is still early, FAE has successfully nurtured several Gold-rank crafters. While most of them have yet to reach the point of being able to produce level 100 equipment due to not reaching tier 5 yet, they do show promise. My hope is that tonight will demonstrate this to all of you and that you will all help support their ascension to Platinum rank, and beyond. We all are aware of just how rare it is to see crafters reach Mithril rank, but I promise you that even Adamantium rank is possible for us with your support.”

Xeal paused as he let the greed of what having an Adamantium-rank crafter owe you a favor could mean before he stuck the landing and continued.

“Now, I do hope that each of you will take this chance to invest in your own and Nium’s future tonight. Remember, while most of the items that will be sold tonight will be ordinary, I do have a few surprises that will be mixed in as we go.”

Xeal smiled as he stepped back and Eira came out, wearing a white skirt that stopped two inches above her knee, and a blue top that was a bit tighter than needed. Her tail was wrapped around her waist like a belt and the thin black collar on her neck completed the look as she bowed to Xeal before he left the stage. Next to her was Lily Iglis who had already begun to show her talents, both in battle and alchemy, since Xeal had poached her during the rogue player incident. She had been one of the ones to achieve an A-rank evaluation on the nightmare mode for tier 5 and started to grow into leadership. Her ice-blue hair was styled to her right side and a look from her ice-blue eyes could easily entrance someone as she played up her charm.

“Welcome. For our first item…”

Lily introduced one item after another as Eira moved back and forth after each item sold. As far as what was being sold, it was just some of the better items that had been crafted by FAE’s Gold-rank crafters. This included weapons of any kind, cosmetics, armor, robes, and a few enchanted items, though they were all Silver rank as they had yet to produce a Gold-rank enchanter. Xeal was pleased as they were clearly getting well over top dollar for each item. Now that he had level 80 players, these funds would go to acquiring the regional goods that the markets in Nium were lacking from around the world for FAE’s crafters. While each item was being auctioned, Xeal took note of which nobles seemed to be unable to not watch Eira as she walked back and forth as she retrieved each item. About an hour into the auction, the first of the special treasures came up for auction and Lily launched into her sales pitch.

“Alright, this next item is something that should really catch your eye as it is a 15-carat uncut piece of musgravite. If you are unfamiliar with musgravite, it is the same gem that has been all the rage in court. This is due to Princess Enye wearing her courting gift featuring it cut such that its violet colors were highlighted. This piece before you is from the same stone that was used to craft her gift and is considered to be of extraordinary size for this gem. We will start the bidding at 500 gold, though it is worth much more.”

“500!”

“550!”

“650!”

Xeal sighed, as if he had that same gem in reality, it would be worth over 2,000,000 credits, which translated into at least 10,000 gold in ED. He knew that here in ED, while it was still extremely valuable and he could easily get 10,000 gold for it if he went to the right buyer, but that buyer was not here. Still, he watched the bidding war play out as it rose to 5,150 gold before it was sold, so it wasn’t a complete loss. Once that item had sold, Lily announced that there would be a short break to finalize all transactions before they moved on to the second part of the night.  Lily announced that the phoenix feather that had drawn them all here would be up for auction as the night’s last item.

Xeal could feel the knot in his stomach over what he knew would open the next part of the auction, even if there were plants in the crowd to ensure that none of them were actually sold. Prince Victor had managed to intercept a pair of fox girls that had been in the process of being smuggled out of the country the last week. Neither of them knew that they had been saved and Eira had all but ripped Xeal’s head off when she found out about them. Still, he was able to calm her down when he assured her that while he didn’t like it either, neither of them would actually be sold, although they wouldn’t find that out until just before they were put up for auction. That was Eira’s job and it was one that Xeal knew she was performing right now. To any of the nobles it would look like a beast-woman who had accepted her fate comforting them and trying to calm them down before they were auctioned. Xeal knew that every noble here could afford the market price of either girl as things were currently in Nium. This was why so many of them were smuggled out and sold in lands that didn’t border beast-man lands as they would go for ten times as much in an empire like the Huáng empire.

When Lily took the stage once more, she smiled as though nothing was wrong and proceeded to move directly into the auction of the two girls. Xeal paid close attention to the bidding and sighed in relief when both girls were secured by Prince Victor’s plants. Next came several decorative items and pieces of jewelry that all sold well before the big finale came up for auction. Xeal knew who would win it before it had even been brought out as it had been how they had been able to get Marquess Bexley to sign onto the fiasco that was about to follow the auction. This was due to it being him who would take the blame for what came next from the assembled nobles. He would even have to implicate Xeal and FAE in the whole mess. Lily opened up the auctioning for the feather as Xeal’s thoughts were on the future, bringing his attention back to the present.

“Now it is sadly time to bring this auction to a close and we would like to thank each of you for coming out tonight. We hope to hold more of these events in the future as things permit, but for now, it is time to auction the item that you all have been waiting for. This is a rare ice phoenix feather. Simply ensure that it is touching your skin at all times and anyone who wishes for your death will have to kill you twice, regardless of the method they use. Should you die of an illness in your old age, the feather will still revive you in the healthiest state possible for you. Yes, that means any injury or lingering issues will be no more once you revive. Only a tier 8 cleric could hope to come close to the results of this feather. When it comes to items to ensure your own life, it is among the very best items available. For an item such as this, no price can be placed on it, but today we will start the bidding at 5,000 gold!”

“5,000!”

“5,500!”

“7,000!”

“9,000!”

Bids were coming in fast and crazy. Xeal could tell a few of the lower nobles wished that they could mortgage everything they had if it meant getting the feather. The price just continued to climb until only two voices could be heard going back and forth for the feather. One Xeal knew was Marquess Bexley, while the other was a portly man with long white hair that was wheezing at the effort to shout his bid. Xeal knew this was Marquess Musgrave who was older and out of shape. Clearly, he refused to believe that he couldn’t win the feather. Xeal thought about how deep Marquess Musgrave’s pockets were and realized that if this continued, he may end up with an irate marquess on his hand either way. So, he made his way behind Marquess Bexley and spoke quietly just after he called out a bid of 20,000 gold.

“Is the feather for you, or Nora?”

“21,000!”

“22,000! Nora.”

“You should let this feather go in that case.”

“23,000!”

“24,000! Why is that?”

“I am already intending to have Prince Victor give her one once he has accepted that she will be his queen.”

“25,000!”

“Is that so.”

Xeal smiled as Marquess Bexley looked at him questioningly and Xeal showed Marquess Bexley another two feathers that he had.

“Very well, though should Prince Victor not cooperate, I still expect my Nora to get one of those and for you to take responsibility for it.”

“Nope, she will get the feather, but not from me.”

Marquess Bexley looked at Xeal for a second before sighing, as Lily announced that the ice phoenix feather had sold. Xeal could see Marquess Musgrave celebrating his victory as the auction came to a close and the nobles turned their attention back to the servers as they slowly started to leave in small groups, with Marquess Bexley being the first to leave. Each of them knew that events like this, while not illegal, were frowned on due to how they tended to skirt kingdom commerce laws. It was why each of them wore masks and only gold coins were acceptable as payment, whereas in a normal auction house you could take out a loan on the spot. It was part of the reason that so many voices dropped out once the feather hit 12,000 gold, and had it not been for Marquess Bexley, it would have likely not gotten past 15,000 before Marquess Musgrave would have claimed victory.

It was two hours later when only a few nobles were still present when the room was flooded by royal knights, with Royce Bexley at their helm. The few nobles who were left looked ready to fight until they realized just who stood in front of them and quickly cowered off to the side. It took all of a minute for the room to be secured and one after another they were each dragged out still wearing their masks, but also covered in a cloak to further conceal their identities. When everyone but Xeal, Eira and Bula had been removed, Royce turned to him as the last royal knight present.

“You know that this whole situation is going to be a giant headache as no one is going to want this to get out.”

“I am relying on that. I mean, you would have a whole region of the kingdom with only half of its stewards left. That said, it will still be known under the surface of court politics, especially with the raids that should already be underway, if I am not mistaken.”

“That they are. Now let’s get the rest of this show over with.”

Xeal, Bula, and Eira put on cloaks as they were escorted out of the underground room and into the street in the dead of night. It was quiet until they reached the main thoroughfare, where even at this hour, players were as active as ever. When they arrived at the teleportation hall, they teleported to the capital and Bula took Eira to FAE’s headquarters to wait out the rest of the night. Royce continued to guide Xeal to the royal knights’ headquarters, which was full of activity on the inside, and Royce informed them that Xeal was the last of them. Xeal was then led to the courtyard that was normally used for training where a large tent had been erected. Inside Xeal found that all the nobles that had been present that night had been forced to sit in chairs while royal knights watched over them. Even an outraged Marquess Musgrave sat fuming as he shot death glares at the knights. There was a second as Xeal entered that his fury fell on him, only it faded the moment he too was forced into a seat and a royal knight took a position behind him. Confusion covered Marquess Musgrave’s face as he tried to understand where he was to direct his fury until Marquess Bexley strolled in like nothing was wrong. All at once every noble in the room looked at him with pure rage while he just shook his head, before Prince Victor strolled in behind him and took a position in the center of the room and addressed all those present.

“I must apologize for the rather rude way that I decided to get your attention tonight. Honestly, it was quite the hassle to orchestrate all of this and I know that a few fish have escaped my net tonight. First off, Xeal, I am sorry for setting you up and I will be sure to be somewhat lenient, but I have to treat you similarly to the rest here, so long as they cooperate.”

Xeal did his best to look like he was struggling to maintain a neutral expression while still letting a bit of anger through to sell the bit. The room as a whole was paying attention to Xeal as he responded to Prince Victor.

“Very well, your majesty. I will not say that I am unhurt as I have only been working for your benefit.”

“I am aware and it is why I am willing to offer those here with you a chance at a slap on the wrist. Hmm for your punishment, half of what was earned tonight will be confiscated by the crown.”

Xeal really did flinch at that as it was not a small amount as they had moved over 100,000 in gold, if you included the two fox girls who should currently be chatting with Eira in FAE’s guild headquarters. After taking a deep breath, Xeal responded to Prince Victor.

“I understand. Thank you, your majesty.”

With Xeal taken care of, Prince Victor turned his attention to the rest of the room, looking each and every noble in the eye, before continuing.

“As many of you may have guessed, you were set up and Marquess Bexley is playing the role of the informant and Marquess Musgrave, you will be playing the role of the ring leader. Yes, this will sow divisions between your houses that I expect to last for years, but I expect you to play along and announce your retirement with your son Cosmo taking over as head of your house.”

“Your majesty?”

“Marquess Musgrave, this is the light version of events. I am told that you acquired a rather valuable item in the auction. I could always confiscate it from you, or I could tell Cosmo that should he try and claim it for himself, I will take it from him. Is that clear?”

Marquess Musgrave shrunk back visibly under the prince’s gaze before swallowing and responding.

“Perfectly, my prince.”

“Now, for the rest of you, your houses are currently being raided by the crown. Worry not, we are only removing any beast-men who have been sentenced to slavery on your property. This will include any second-generation beast-men who have been living as serfs on your lands as they lack the ability to thrive in their own lands and are forbidden in the rest of the kingdom. I am well aware that you all have heard that all slaves whose only crime was entering our lands are having their sentences reevaluated. Each of you have been identified as not wishing to comply and so you will be the first to comply. Your punishment will differ according to your station and level of involvement. It will range from a fine like Viscount Xeal, or stepping down as the head of your house like Marquess Musgrave. Understand that the official story will be handed to each of you when you are released and any mumblings will see your punishment increase substantially. Now, Sir Bexley.”

“Yes, my prince.”

“I expect each of them separated and questioned to understand how involved they were in everything so that our official story reads as close to the truth as is good for the kingdom.”

“Of course, my prince.”

“Very good. Xeal, you will come with me and the rest of you should know just by the fact that you are in this room, that we have a decent idea of your involvement already. Do yourself a favor and just give us the full truth, as if we find out more after the fact, or we know you are lying, your punishment will extend far past the slap on the wrist you are getting.”

Xeal followed after Prince Victor, thinking that if 50,000 gold was a slap on the wrist, he didn’t want to know what a severe punishment would look like. As they walked through the empty halls of the palace, Xeal thought about his next moves as he needed to take Eira home as well as the pair of fox girls that had been rescued, as well. Then the only races left to bring into the fold of the kingdom that had a presence on the continent would be the elves to the south, and the dwarves that resided between the kingdoms of Habia and Paidhia. If Xeal was able to successfully bring both races to the table militarily, neither Habia or Paidhia would be even able to put up a fight without major player involvement, or joining forces right from the start. Xeal remembered from his last life the failed integration of orcs and beast-men that had taken place and how Nium had still been able to draw them in for military support once they had been invaded. He figured that whoever had been doing these quests in his last life had done a poor job, or was actively working to avoid complete integration. It had only ever been wood elves that had made minor integration into Nium’s lands and the rest simply allowed Nium to treat them as vassal states to avoid being removed completely. They arrived at Prince Victor’s study and took seats as Xeal dwelt on these thoughts.

“Well, Xeal, do you believe this will work?”

“Hard to tell. The official story is going to be that they were profiting from illegally sending criminal slaves outside the country. I am being hit with facilitating it by the sale of two girls that I had no right to even own due to having no holdings that would qualify for them to work at. We all get made an example of and have to be the first to end the practice with it being quietly known that I let myself be the fall guy to expose it.”

“More or less, with a strict gag order on all those involved. Now, are you really okay with this?”

“Are you ready to accept Nora?”

“No, and you’re a bastard, you know that.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. For some reason Marquess Bexley seems to believe I will be giving her a phoenix feather?”

“Well, once you accept your fate and embrace her, I will provide you one for her.”

“Really now, just how many of them do you have?”

“Enough that I can hand you one more and still just have enough for my needs, assuming none of the individuals that I need to protect with them die and use theirs.”

“Is that so, and if I decided that I will take that 50,000 gold in the form of two feathers?”

“Is one of them for Nora?”

“Ha, no, they are the ones you provided me for my parents. It seems I still owe you 25,000 for my own, though.”

“Now who is being a bastard. You know those were given as a way for me to express that you all are family to me now.”

“I do, but there is a certain propriety to be observed. By accepting your gift, an equal repayment needs to be made. Now I could push you through to earl, but I have a feeling that with tonight’s fallout, it would be unwise to do so for a few more months, at the very least.”

“That is fine by me. I still have to finish bringing the beast-men on board and then I think it will be time to reach out to the elves in the south. After that, we will see what can be done about the other seven quests you have for me.”

“Xeal, why are you so set on full integration between all of the races?”

“Victor, as you know, players like myself are not bound by the rules you and the other inhabitants are. While we all start as humans, there are ways to switch races so long as we do so before tier 6. It is easiest to do the earlier we do so. By fully integrating, it will unlock the possibility to shift our race earlier and increase the popularity of this kingdom to my kind. While I have no intent of shifting my own race, the benefits of being a wood elf for a ranger, or being an orc for a warrior, will draw many to make the change and FAE intends to capitalize on this.”

“So, it’s just about making your guild stronger.”

“No, the day will come when Nium is attacked by either Paidhia, or Habia, and we will need the average player to want us to win if we wish to come out on top. If we are fully integrated and they are not, it could bring many players to our side that would have normally not cared one way or another, and the reverse is true as well.”

“Why are you so sure we will be the one attacked? What if we were to attack Paidhia, or Habia?”

“If you wish to be the aggressor that is fine, so long as you are ready to put sympathy on their side.”

Xeal could see the frown on Prince Victor’s face at Xeal’s words and so he continued.

“I know that your goal is to unify the continent, but perception matters to my kind. If you need to goad them into acting, then do so. The waters might be murky at that point, but that is still better than Nium clearly being the aggressor.”

“Oh, I doubt that I will need to do much goading as all three of us hate each other.”

“I am aware.”

Xeal thought back to how things had played out in his last life and how Nium had been attacked by Habia and a day later Paidhia attacked Habia. Instead of Nium working with Paidhia, they struck out against each other as well. The war that followed lasted years in ED and saw Habia and Paidhia start crumbling under Nium’s assault. It had actually reached the point where they tried joining forces to push Nium out of their lands, but it had come too late and Nium was able to unite the continent.

“Good, now go get some rest. You have a busy day of preparing for your trip tomorrow.”

“Yes, especially with the two fox girls being added.”

Xeal left the palace and made his way to the room where Eira was with the pair of fox girls to retrieve them and let them know that they would be headed home the day after tomorrow. He paused at the sight of the three of them sitting awkwardly as the fox girls ate some food that had been prepared for them, while looking annoyed. Sighing, he made his presence known by clearing his throat, watching as both fox girls recoiled at his sight and Eira just shook her head. Xeal couldn’t blame them for their reactions given what they must have been through, but he needed them to move past their apprehension and fast.

“Eira, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I have just been talking to Daisy and Violet about how you will be taking us back to our lands.”

“I see, and what do Daisy and Violet have to say on the matter?”

“Don’t bother. Neither of them want to be anywhere near one of you humans. They will likely run off the moment we are out of human lands.”

Xeal sighed before he sat down across from the two girls who were both just tier 3 NPCs as he looked at the pair. They both had long auburn hair out of which poked a pair of furry ears that had white fur inside, and the backs of them shifted from auburn to black midway up. Xeal could see the fear that was in their pale freckled faces and golden eyes as he started to speak.

“I understand that you have had a rough time over the last few days and if you would rather stay in the kingdom until you calmed down a bit more, I will arrange for you two to be taken care of. However, if you wish to go home, I will need you two to work with me, as if you run the moment we are in the beast-lands, it will be likely that you will not survive, and once I do catch you, I will bring you back here to wait for someone to come and get you from your tribe.”

“You’re lying. You just want us to show you the way to our village!”

It was the slightly older one that Eira had designated as Daisy who responded to Xeal.

“Fair, you have no reason to trust me and your kind is known for your connection with the kitsune of legend.”

“It’s not a legend, it’s real!”

“Violet, be quiet.”

“Violet, I am well aware of the reality of the kitsune and how you are connected to them. I am also aware that you likely have a few four-tailed in your village, perhaps even a five-tailed, but that is not my concern.”

Xeal could see the concern on Daisy’s face and the surprise on Violet’s at his knowledge, and the fact that he believed her. But neither of them talked more on the subject, but both agreed to stay the night in Xeal’s mansion, before departing the next day. By the time Xeal lay down, it was the early morning hours and he knew that the next day would be a full one, so he let sleep overtake him.

The next morning, Xeal went about getting everything ready, to include ensuring that a few extra members of FAE would be on hand to ensure that his three charges were protected as they made their way through the borderlands to the various beast-men tribes. Both Aalin and Gale were busy within the Muthia empire tracking down leads on one of the phoenixes, so they were both unavailable. So Xeal had to work to find a full party to travel with, other than Bula who could play a support role. To fill the other needs, he called on Clara, Amet and Ignis for the trip. With them on board, he could have Clara and Amet act as two of the guards, as Ignis played DPS, but he still needed at least one more guard, a scout and a true cleric would be nice. So, he went through tier five players to see who was available among the top-tier players and he ended up with Asa Fumika for the scouting roll, Lux Lucet as the cleric, Leaena Asellio and Ryū Kenshi to act as guards, allowing a bit more flexibility in their roles. With that taken care of, Xeal made his way back to his mansion where he found Eira, Daisy and Violet in the midst of an argument, so he hung back to listen as Eira responded to whatever had been said before.

“You two need to get over it. Xeal and those like him are not the same humans we are used to dealing with!”

“Even if that is the case, he and those like him are still too weak. They can push for change all they want, but they don’t have the power to make it happen!”

“Daisy, I am for trusting him.”

“Violet, all you heard was that he believes in the kitsune of legends and you want to trust him.”

“No, it was like he knew everything already, like he had seen it from the way he talked.”

“You’re too naïve, Violet, and you are too easy to trust these invaders to our world. From what you have said, Xeal fully admits that they herald death and war!”

“You…”

“Eira, that is enough. I will take it from here. Daisy, I do not know the full story as I am just walking into this in the middle of it, but I feel you should hear my own words. Yes, my kind essentially is a plague on this world, but what can be done about us? If one kingdom suppresses us and a neighboring one embraces us…”

Xeal once again launched into his “the world has changed” speech that felt like it was becoming an overdone presentation. Daisy pushed back on several points while Violet seemed to be entranced by the whole thing and just listened for the whole exchange until it was over, and Daisy responded.

“Look, I will give you that you’re not like the humans from our stories, but I will still not allow you to come anywhere near our village.”

“Fine, I will bring you with me to Eira’s tribe and you can see about finding an escort from them.”

“That won’t work and you know it. If I let any non-fox come near the village, they would likely banish us for being so foolish.”

“So, what is your plan? Run from us and hope to avoid the monsters and outrun our pursuit? Daisy, Prince Victor has charged me with safely returning you to your tribe. That means, unless you have another plan, my guild will scour the whole area to find your people.”

Xeal left out that he already had a general idea of where the village was due to events in his last life and it would likely only take him a few days to find it once he put his guild on the task. Daisy just stood there as she tried to come up with an answer and failed, until finally a look of determination crossed her face.

“Violet and I will stay in human lands until we are strong enough to make it back home on our own!”

Xeal could feel the headache coming on. He had simply wanted to have them pick out armor and a few weapons from his guild storehouse for the journey. Now he either had to convince Daisy to change her mind or convince Prince Victor to let them stay, and judging from the smile on her face it looked like Violet agreed with Daisy’s decision, and would need to be swayed as well. Xeal could feel that this was going to be a long day, and instead of having an argument, he simply decided to take the middle road.

“I will have to get Prince Victor’s approval for that, but for now, come with me to get some gear for either the trip tomorrow, or the adventuring you will be undertaking to achieve your goal.”

Daisy gave Xeal a confused look as she had been clearly expecting him to refuse, before she nodded and followed after him, along with Eira and Violet who was practically skipping as she walked. An hour later, Xeal was working on a longsword in the royal forging room as he waited for the summons from Prince Victor to arrive. He had wanted to simply get the quest completed, but now he could feel the issues that having Daisy and Violet around would cause. Despite the changes Prince Victor was pushing through, there was still a bumpy road ahead. The only saving grace if they did stay was that they could become a good addition to Enye and Dyllis’ party once they embarked into the mine. That, however, was going to invite a whole new set of issues for some of his male guild members, as fox girls were one of the more popular among a certain group of players. He just hoped that when Daisy and Violet found out just how different some of his kind really were from the humans of this world, it wouldn’t cause a major issue.

It was starting to get late when Xeal first got a message from Luna and Selene that they had reached tier 3 and level 20 after completing the ninth stage, just like Xeal had, and a messenger from Prince Victor arrived to inform him that he would have a meeting with him first thing when Xeal next logged on. With this new information in hand, Xeal made his way back to his mansion for a quick nap before his forced logout hit, as he thought about all the things that the future held for him and those around him. With a smile, he lay down and let himself enjoy a few dreams.

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, Bettina  and Aqua Aquarious.

Preview.

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 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, that Prince Victor had 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, 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 and 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 on board, 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 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.”

Afterword

Here I am after another month, making it 7 for 7 as I work to keep my pace going for all of you and myself. I hope you all are enjoying the story and yes, I know, I added more women once more, shame on me… Still, we are starting to reach what I would call the max that can be handled and while there are still a few more planned that will, or have been, introduced over the next three books, that should be it. (At least, I hope. Sometimes a character just writes themselves and I find them thwarting my plans.)

I would like to thank my patrons on Patreon once more and ask that you all give them your thanks as well, as I will be honest, they are a major part of how I am able to succeed. Not due to the donations they give me, which are awesome, but due to the fact that they help to ensure that I have a group to which I am accountable. If I was not giving them weekly updates and knowing that if I am not making progress, that it is letting them down (even if that is only in my head), I do not know if I could have kept to my schedule during my last days of working in my old career.

Also, thank you to all of those who leave me reviews and ratings, as it is incredible to see a book that I didn’t even know if anyone would ever even read it, and calling its first incarnation rough would be generous, reach over 1,000 of them while still being at a 4.5/5 star rating. Becoming a full-time author with confidence in my future due to the support I received has been amazing and I look forward to sharing many more stories with you all.

If you are looking for a way to help that is free and low effort, please go to my other books and find a positive review that you find resonates with you and give it a helpful vote. Too often negative news is all anyone shares, pushing the good down so we have to dig to find it and too often when we do find it, we fail to share it with others. Now it is back to work as I focus on ensuring that book 8 and beyond reach you all on schedule!

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Thank you again for reading my story and I hope you return for the next instalment 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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