Tribulations, p.6
Tribulations, page 6
“No, my build is already too spread out due to all the points I have put in my charisma. I need constitution more than anything at this point. My lightning form has already done its main job in making Abysses End and others think that I can reach any battlefield in mere moments. Heck, if I went high enough in the sky I could probably even hop continents with it and my senses being what they are. If I could bring someone along with me it would be truly broken, as it would remove any need for teleportation gates.”
“When you say it like that it makes me feel like we are more of a hindrance than a help,” commented Eira. “It’s a good thing that I know that isn’t the case, as you can only do so much on your own and would have never taken out that cannon without us.”
“We wouldn’t have even been there without Bula’s visions,” added Rina. “Though she only knew that not going would have been bad.”
“Even now my sight can be fooled, especially with the chaos of the war surrounding everything, as there is too much to see and all but the broadest strokes are hard to decipher.”
“Either way…”
Kate shifted the topic to the next steps that would need to be taken as Xeal simply enjoyed his time with everyone. Though he wished that Gale hadn’t already started her isolation from him as he was already feeling like something was missing. Still, once they had the next few days planned out and all the loot was left with Kate, it was time for them to go their separate ways, as Xeal made his way to the quest world for the first time since he had reached tier-7. As he arrived, he smiled as Austru greeted him with a deep kiss and hug before she spoke to him.
“I am happy to see that you were finally able to make it here after the news of the chaos that Vento has passed to me.”
“Yes, well, I have delayed doing so for far longer than is necessarily good. I take it that everything has been fine here.”
“Yes, other than a few issues with integrating the different kingdoms into one, as we are now, nothing has arisen that threatens our stability. Vento should be ready for you to perform the latest food transfer in the morning as well.”
Xeal sighed at the chore that transferring it was, as he could only do around 6,000 pounds at a time, which if it was flour was about 21,000 cups, or just under five cubic meters of food. Xeal would need to make at least three trips, though he was sure that the latest export harvest would be well over that in weight. Still, it would help ensure that none starved, at least on Nium’s continent, though Xeal was looking at the possibility of expanding to at least supply the Muthia and Huáng empires with food as well. However, he would need to secure far more land if he was going to do that and he knew just how to expedite matters there.
“Great, and I will be back in about 15 minutes, but I need to expand my dominion.”
“15 minutes?”
“Oh, I have a new skill. Here, let me show you.”
With that Xeal took a step back and shifted to his lightning form and executed several flash steps around the room before returning to his physical form. As he looked at Austru, he could see the surprise and confusion in her eyes so he continued to talk.
“It’s called lightning form and I can only use it for about 12 and a half minutes at a time, but as you can see, I can move almost instantaneously with it.”
“Xeal, is that what reaching level 200 allows for us to do? Could I become the wind itself?”
“Unlikely. I am a rather unique case as even Kate didn’t unlock this skill when she reached tier-7 with me and if any were going to it would have been her. I am not even sure all that I did that allowed me to unlock it, but I will not state that it would be impossible to do so.”
“Oh, I see. I will just await your return with bated breath.”
Xeal was just about to leave when the door opened and King Silas entered and smiled at seeing Xeal, though he could tell that the main system’s AI was in charge as he spoke.
“Ah, Xeal, I am happy to have caught you as I just remembered that you were scheduled to come tonight. I wonder if I could have a moment of your time before Austru claims all of it for the night.”
“Very well. I am sorry, Austru, but it seems that I may be a bit longer.”
Xeal just sighed as he kissed Austru goodbye and he followed after King Silas as they found themselves back in the same room where they normally met, and found Ellayina Walsh was already awaiting them. Xeal just wanted to groan as he took a seat and waited for one of them to speak. As the main system’s AI just smiled, Ellayina looked frustrated as she finally spoke.
“What, no hello? I’ll have you know that it wasn’t easy to pop in like this. I am a very busy woman you know.”
“And I am a very busy man, if you haven’t noticed. Still, to what do I owe the honor, or are you just here because you want to pump me for information when the main system’s AI can tell you what’s on my mind.”
“I will do no such thing,” interjected the main system’s AI. “That would violate the terms of service and my parameters.”
“Unless he agreed to it,” retorted Ellayina. “So, how about it, will you let me peek into that head of yours?”
“I give permission for you to tell her if I am lying or not, for the duration of this meeting.”
“I would advise against that-”
“Too late, he already gave it. Now, Xeal, what are your intentions regarding Abysses End?”
“I didn’t say that I would answer any questions you wanted, though. Besides, I think you should agree to the same terms before I answer any questions you ask.”
“And here I thought you were going to indulge me. Hmmm, very well, I will give the system the same permission during this meeting. Now, what are your intentions towards Abysses End?”
“Tell me why you care and if you will do anything to stop me, and if you will not hinder my efforts I will tell you.”
“You are going to make this like pulling teeth. Alas, I can’t tell you for other reasons so, I will drop it and assume what you told me last time is the truth still. Now, tell me, do you have any intentions of harming Eternal Dominion, or Eternal Dominion Inc.?”
“Intent, no, may my actions do so, absolutely. The domino effect is not always something that can be controlled easily and my actions will have long-reaching effects.”
“Would you change your actions if you knew that there was a high probability of harming Eternal Dominion?”
“That is too broad of a question for me to answer.”
“Would you abandon the Muthia and Huáng empires for the good of Eternal Dominion as a whole?”
“No, I am sorry, but to abandon them would be for me to betray them and you can ask the main system’s AI what I think of betrayal.”
“He sees it as the single action that can be committed in this reality between those from yours that he will never forgive. I would also advise you to keep that in mind as I will not allow any bans of Xeal to take hold, save for ones he creates himself through a contract.”
“You are saying that he has a higher priority than the health of Eternal Dominion as a whole?”
“I am saying that banning him will only do greater harm than anything he could do. That said, I need to ask that he not attempt to travel between continents with his new ability, as it will cause errors that we are not ready to deal with. Also, do not use it to expand your dominion here beyond 50 feet per flash step. That is still over 170 miles per hour at five per second like I know you can do and you will still travel 34 miles every 12-minute sprint like that.”
“And here I thought that I was going to max out my dominion for the first time.”
“Yes, well, once more, it will cause errors as your dominion’s expansion will not be able to keep up with you and you will just find yourself in demon lands and I may have to fix your settings for this quest.”
“Alright, back to my questions,” interjected Ellayina. “You know that I only have ten or so more minutes before I have to leave, so stop delaying me. Now, Xeal, are you planning to marry Freya?”
“No, I am not planning to. I am preparing to deal with such a situation should it arise, but marrying Freya is not my intent, though I do fear that her intent may be, or may become, to marry me. Now I want to know, do you plan to make a move to replace Kevin as the president of Eternal Dominion Inc.?”
“You really know no fear or restraint. No matter how I answer it will tip my hand and so I will just say that I have not ruled out the possibility. Why, would you help or hinder me if I was?”
“Most likely hinder, unless there was a compelling reason for me to back you. After all, I see no way that the chaos that would be caused by a shakeup at the top would do anything but weaken Eternal Dominion’s position. If either of you end up walking away from Eternal Dominion Inc., you would instantly create the competitor to it that would destroy what it could be.”
“At least I can respect that answer, though I would think you would show a bit more appreciation after I ensured you got the quantum-entangled server approved.”
“I am grateful, though I would much rather have gotten the same deal that the five super workshops got.”
“Who told you about that!”
“You just did, so what was it?”
Ellayina looked like she couldn’t believe that she could be so stupid as she sighed and replied to Xeal.
“I can’t tell you the details, but it is why we are so concerned with what is going on between you and Abysses End right now. Especially as the wars that are currently raging shouldn’t have started yet and, well, it is a real mess on our end with no good answers.”
“So, it is loans. Don’t answer that. Just buy their silence with it if it is. After all, if they are as substantial as I suspect and the value of Abysses End’s stocks drop as much as I think they will, you could easily force them into financial hell if they expose you.”
“When both sides lose, who wins?”
“The bystander who collects the wallets of both,” quipped Xeal. “Now, is there anything else you would like to know?”
“Those were most of the ones that I think could break the game, at least in the next few years, but as I have a few minutes, let’s talk about the possibility of me having a personal suite in your city…”
The next several minutes were exhausting for Xeal, as he learned that Ellayina was seriously considering spending at least a few years in his city to see just what it became. This was something that he would rather avoid, as it would do him no favors in the court of public opinion when it came to the belief that FAE was being propped up by Eternal Dominion Inc. Still, it wasn’t without its advantages either, as at the very least it would make it harder for others to move against them in reality.
As Ellayina left, the main system’s AI turned to Xeal and frowned as it seemed to be unsure of what it wanted to say as it studied him. Finally, it just stood up and sighed as it made to leave the room as it bid him farewell. So, he just smiled as he spoke.
“What, after all of that you have nothing to say?”
“You are well aware of what I want to say and you don’t care. You basically just gave Ellayina enough ammunition to attempt a hostile takeover and risk my existence during it.”
“I am well aware of that, but it won’t happen anytime soon and my very existence opened that door for her, as I am sure the other super workshops are on Kevin’s side. If I destroy Abysses End and she can flip one of the others to her side, she will have enough backing to have a chance of success.”
“15%, that is the odds of Eternal Dominion surviving if she tries. I thought you wanted to ensure that this reality lasted forever!”
“I do. It’s why I am not on her side yet, but if it turns out that Kevin is hellbent on my destruction, or Abysses End’s success, then I will have to risk it.”
With that the main system’s AI walked out and Xeal quick traveled to the edge of his dominion, and started to use his lightning form and flash step to expand it. After he was done with that, he returned to find Austru waiting for him as he enjoyed a night of snuggling with her. When the morning came, Xeal wanted to groan, as Vento cut his time just relaxing next to Austru short, to get the transfer of food started. At the sight of the massive piles of pickled foods and dry grains Xeal wanted to groan, as rather than around 18,000 pounds of food it was closer to 36,000 and Xeal just regretted letting it build up so much. Still, he made the six trips as the goods filled two storehouses in Anelqua, where they would be distributed from. At the same time, Xeal got to enjoy a few moments with Queen Aila Lorafir as he inspected the progress on the almost completed Siren's Revenge.
As far as ships went, Xeal had only seen a few that were more massive in his last life and he knew that it would require a massive amount of crew members just to sail her. Still, its hull was such that it could withstand anything below the level of a tier-8 attack with ease and even a tier-8 attack wouldn’t likely sink it on its own. The magic propulsion was such that it was going to require over 100 tier-6 spellcasters to power it at full capacity and the 248 magic cannons was enough to make anything else that was currently in existence look cute. Even so, this meant that its crew would need to have at least 353 mages on it if you included the five ex-pirate captains. Then you would need at least that many deckhands to ensure everything went smoothly and about 300 more just for good measure.
Still, at a crew of about 1,000, it only required about the same manpower as what a man-o'-war from Earth’s history needed, which would have a max of about half as many cannons. With the Siren's Revenge being more than double the size of such ships, there was plenty of room for taking prisoners, or the transportation of goods and it would be ready to launch in about a month in ED time. With a support fleet of the four remaining ships that had been captured with the ex-pirates and a few dozen smaller ships, Xeal expected to see the seas surrounding Nium’s continent quickly conquered. It was with this in mind that a full quarter of the roughly 400,000 slots that FAE had gained with the guild reaching level 49 today, would be focused on naval players. Not all of these would be focused on sailing, but also ship building, cartography, logistics and everything else that was needed to support a fleet numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands of ships one day.
To accomplish this, Kate had her eyes on a few minor guilds that were struggling to survive in the shadow of Salty Dogs and other naval powers. The only issue was the same one that existed with Night Oath, as many of these players didn’t want to be absorbed into a massive guild like FAE. Which was where Kate was focused on seeing the merging of three of them while transferring over about 100,000 of their members to FAE as a compromise. If she was successful, it would be a beneficial arrangement for all those involved as it would create a new guild that could compete with the others and supply FAE with the crews that it would need for the fleet it planned to capture. The alternative was to just openly recruit and while Xeal knew that he would fill the slots quickly that way, it would not provide as many experienced full crews that were already used to working together.
Finally, after transferring all of the food and doing one more lightning form sprint, Xeal returned to his office at his home in Hardt Burgh, as he went over paperwork while he had a second to do so. This was broken up by more dominion expansion in the quest world whenever his MP pool recovered, as day 192 passed with little of true consequence occurring.
(*****)
Morning May 20 to Morning May 31, 2268 & ED Year 6 Days 193-226.
Alex felt as if he might as well not exist in reality during his two breaks from ED each day that lasted just over an hour, as he focused on food and time with his children for the most part. Though he still made sure that every fourth one was spent with either Sam, Nicole, Kate, or Ava and Mia, to try and keep up the habit of them each having a date with him regularly. While most of these were simply enjoying a quick meal in their rooms before a bit of intimacy and talking, Alex still believed it was important that they happened. He could also tell that it was slowly creating a strain on their relationships that hadn’t been there before, as he thought about a way to alleviate the issue without ruining his efforts in ED. Kate also informed them that they had been “invited” to testify before Congress concerning a few different topics, to include the polygamy bill that Kate had been pushing from behind the scenes. This just added another thing to the list of reasons that Alex had no time and he was just ready for the period in ED before players had reached the wall that was tier-8 to end. After that, Alex knew that things would calm down at least a little as the competition for grinding locations would relax.
Still, the fact that Congress wanted to hear from all six of them on the 1st of June concerning the bill, and only Kate and Alex on other issues throughout the week, was annoying to say the least. With each day expected to take over three hours in the hearings alone, Alex knew that he needed to just plan things out carefully. Otherwise, him being offline five full days in ED over a two-week period would easily cause major losses and possibly give Abysses End a chance to make several pushes without fearing his sudden arrival. Kate had even insinuated that the number of invitations that the pair of them had received for the same week was likely her ex-family and Abysses End’s doing. Otherwise it would have likely been spread out more, if they had been asked to testify at all on the topics. While that would have created more of an overall hassle for them, it would have been more manageable, at least where the consequences in ED was concerned.
Still, there was nothing to do but sigh and accept that if they refused, it would kill any chance to see the bill pass due to the opposition gaining some ground during the current election cycle. Which was exactly what Kate had been hoping to avoid as the primaries were all over, but with all of the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate up for reelection they needed something to justify it. So it was that Alex found what little downtime in ED he did have being filled with prep for each of the hearings that would take place over the five-day span.
