Merciless, p.22
Merciless, page 22
All of this meant one thing to Xeal and that was it was time to start culling the herd, as the thousands of guilds seeking to be seen as independent entities seeking to rise to the top were simply naïve. While there would always be tens of thousands of guilds, most would simply be casual affairs moving forward, as a group of 100 friends made a guild to hang out in. Most of these guilds would never reach level 20 and while some of these were worth absorbing, most weren’t even worth acknowledging their existence. Even if Nium was seeing an explosion in the number of such guilds that were being formed within it, as the open dungeon policy was very appealing to them. Still, the portion of the reports Xeal was looking at concerning them was anything but enjoyable for him to look through, due to the sheer number of them. What was worse is that all of the reports were just about the ones that were worth absorbing, for one reason or another and Xeal knew that was only one percent of the total number of them.
It was while he was in the middle of looking over one of these guilds, that was a bunch of investment bankers who would make a good addition to the admin team, that Gale and Aalin arrived. With them was his and Gale’s son, Ove, who would be a year old on day 273, and the little rascal was already fighting to escape his mother’s arms and explore his father’s office. That was one sure thing about Xeal’s latest group of children. They all were quick learners and were almost instinctually driven to explore and scare their mothers to death. It had only been a few days ago that Ove and Xavi had been found hiding in the top cupboards where the staff kept the sugar, as the pair ate it straight. Seeing the energy that Ove was displaying as Gale spoke, was enough to make Xeal chuckle about how the world wasn’t ready for him.
“I am happy to see you wearing a smile, as Kate told us that you would need a break by now. Something about you wanting to get a week’s worth of paperwork done in a single day.”
“Well, yah, tomorrow is Xavi’s birthday and we are planning to celebrate Ove’s a day early the day after. So I want to be enjoying it and not think about how we are going to be offline for two or three ED days after that.”
“Don’t remind me,” retorted Gale, as she handed Ove to Xeal. “I am not sure how I am going to handle being away from Ove that long.”
“I don’t get how you can handle having young kids in and out of ED at the same time,” stated Aalin. “I mean I know how you split your time, but still, I miss adventuring with you. Though, I could say that about all of you as I rarely get away from the south pole now.”
“Sorry about that. I didn’t think I would be opening another front to the conflict when I discovered the region.”
As Xeal said that, he pulled out a ring the size of his wrist with a bunch of large beads on it that Ove started to play with.
“It’s fine. I can deal with it and it’s not like I am upset about the opportunity to really experiment in an area perfectly tailored to my abilities. Really, I think that the experience will be invaluable to reaching tier-8 and I can’t wait for us to be ready to make that push.”
“Speaking of, when are you going to let our members who are ahead of us in levels, know what you already know about reaching tier-8?” asked Gale.
“After our core members have made their first attempts to reach tier-8,” replied Xeal. “Even then, I expect that it will result in decreasing the time before other guilds have tier-8 players by years, compared to my last life. It took years after players reached level 279 before anyone succeeded and for a while most thought it wasn’t possible.”
“Right, so do you think that there will only be around a thousand tier-8s like in your last life?” asked Gale.
“I have no clue, though I expect that there will be more this time around, even if it is only 2,000 or so. I just hope that it isn’t in the tens of thousands as I don’t think the countries here could handle that many without pure chaos taking over all of ED.”
“What if we are among those who trip on the finish line?” posed Aalin.
“Then we are unable to achieve everything that I hope for and we adjust accordingly. Even if we only manage to have five of our members reach tier-8, FAE will be able to survive.”
“Five, that is what you have as the minimum?” asked Gale, with a tone that made it clear she doubted that he was serious. “Really, I think that you would be laughed out of your position if that few of us made it. Sorry, but right now if any that are marked failed, I think Aila would have their heads and after that there is Takeshi, Amser, the rest of her party, Friva, Luna, Selene and a whole bunch more that are expected to pass for sure. I would say if a few fail it will be fine, but if FAE has anything less than 20 tier-8s after the first group tries for it, we are going to be in trouble.”
“We will be fine-”
“I don’t think we will,” interrupted Aalin. “There are too many who are waiting for us to show weakness and they would jump at the opportunity to see us overwhelmed. Even if we are able to still dismantle Abysses End, others would have us in their sights and the moment an opportunity arrived, we would be in for the fight of our lives.”
“Things won’t be that bad. We might find ourselves stuck in Nium completely and reduced to a shadow of what we currently are, but we would still be stable. At least if Kate and I have done our job right and secured our base of power here properly. A few nobles might enjoy seeing my fall from power and attempt to rub salt in the wound, but even Marquess Mercer knows that the complete collapse of a national hero isn’t good for the country. At least not until that hero can be turned into a villain in the populace’s eyes.”
“Alright, so we are set to move, the ceasefire in the Huáng empire is set to end and our truce with Abysses End is set to end, all in the next few months in ED. What comes after that?” asked Gale.
“I thought you two were supposed to get me to stop thinking about work. Isn’t that why you brought Ove with you?”
“No, we were sent to get you to stop thinking about recruitment,” corrected Aalin. “Kate is worried that you are too focused on the immediate issues, that you are forgetting about the bigger ones that are coming up and we agree.”
“Our actions in the Huáng empire should delay the war there until Abysses End can join in. So when things start moving there, they are going to move fast and well, it will likely be a brutal conflict. While players have gotten used to the results of two tier-7 player armies annihilating themselves, I am expecting that this conflict will be on a whole other level. Especially as I am expecting the dark elves to go full force as well. Really, we are counting on it if I am honest.”
“That is how Takeshi will gain the room to make the real push he is setting up for, right?” checked Gale.
“No, it will open me to make an actual move finally,” replied Xeal. “Aalin too, as we will be making a major push at the south pole again. Though I will need to apologize to both of you as it will be on our anniversary in game and that will play into the deception of it.”
“You could have just said that the plan after the war in the Huáng empire resumes, is to create more chaos than has ever been seen in ED before,” commented Aalin. “Though I thought that you were trying to avoid that?”
“I need to confirm something that has been bugging me and only have a short window to do so. The chaos that this will create will be the perfect chance to do so and yes, I am aware that it is a risk, but it is one that we have to take while we still can.”
“So, what happens after that?” pressed Gale.
“Before or after we try and reach tier-8?”
“Yes.”
“Lots of family stuff. Plenty of kisses for both of you as well as my other wives and a few annoying headaches that have to be dealt with before too long. Finally, after we reach tier-8, a danger that has to be overcome before I can sit back and relax, as everything settles down and we enjoy living safely for once.”
“And when do you see us living safely in reality?” asked Aalin. “Or are the constant guards going to be how our lives have to be forever?”
“Sorry, but guards are a must for us, no matter if we think that things are safe. It is just a price we pay for having more credits than a normal person could spend if they tried.”
“Yet you have found many ways to spend them,” retorted Gale. “Sorry, but I think you would find a way to spend infinite credits and make double back if given the chance at this point.”
“The city hasn’t even started to pay for itself yet and that has eaten up all of the credits that normally would have been used to thoroughly expand into other countries in ED by other guilds. Really, that would have been a much safer way to use them too, but not nearly as rewarding if things line up like they should with the city. After all, there is enough room that we could surpass a million residents in another decade if things go right.”
“Is that what you want?” asked Aalin with a frown. “I thought that getting to 250,000 would be the most you would be open to. City life isn’t what I would call desirable.”
“It is going to feel like a city whether it is 10,000, or 1,000,000 people living there, due to the layout and design of it,” commented Gale. “My main concern is if it falls into disrepair like many cities have.”
“Unlikely as it will actually be built to be walkable and owned by a single entity,” replied Xeal. “Though, I can’t say that there won’t be some issues, as there won’t be a wall surrounding it to keep visitors out. Just points where no cars are allowed any farther and they have to get out and walk. Which will essentially be everywhere within a mile of our home, as only authorized vehicles will be allowed through and even then, we are talking about school buses and delivery trucks for the most part. I think Kate has an airport shuttle-type program planned for those wanting to get a ride to a few points within that area, but that is it.”
“Sounds annoying to live in,” stated Aalin. “Yet we will have private vehicles that we can drive in that area?”
“No, we will have private vehicles stored in a garage just outside of that one-mile radius. One of the shuttles will be used to get us there, as a private vehicle would stand out too much and everyone would know who’s inside if we had them.”
As Xeal said that, Ove lost interest in the toy he was playing with as he tossed it and Gale caught it before it could hit anything. This caused Ove to clap and laugh, as they could all tell that he was looking for something else to throw and Xeal handed him back to Gale as he continued to talk.
“I am going to just finish up by skimming over a few more of the guilds that we are planning to target for absorption, before I call it a day and log out for dinner.”
“Yah, best that we don’t miss that as we might find ourselves on Sofie’s bad side if we miss our own farewell dinner,” stated Gale. “I am still not happy to be losing her.”
“Perhaps I will finally get you to learn to do more than boil water,” quipped Aalin. “Though I expect that Kate has already found another talented chef to cook our meals after we move.”
“Yes, but they won’t start for a few weeks,” commented Xeal. “My mom and Julie are planning to handle things until then. Though I know they would welcome any help you wanted to give. Now, I really need to get through this and time is going to be tight regardless of anything else.”
With that, Aalin and Gale extracted a few kisses from Xeal, as Ove struggled once more to escape and explore the office. After they left, Xeal just sighed as he shifted to just skimming things and trusting his teams to do their job, as they dug deeper into each group far more than he ever could at this point. Few of the groups were even recognizable to Xeal, as none of them had existed in his last life and besides a few names standing out here and there, nothing stood out to him. Finally his alarm went off, reminding him to get a nap in before logging off and he just sighed as he left the office behind.
(*****)
Evening February 13, 2270 & ED Year 11, Days 271-272.
Alex smiled as the smell of dinner reached his nose the moment he was out of his family’s personal area, that had never been fully utilized like had originally been planned. That thought carried a bit of emotion that he couldn’t quite place, as he processed that he would be leaving the entire area closed off after leaving. While Jacob would make sure that everything was cared for and in working order for when they visited, the rooms that he had envisioned his kids growing up in once upon a time, would rarely be used moving forward. Then there were the four rooms that his wives had upstairs, that would sit with the furniture that they picked out, just waiting for them to return and use them once more. At least the upstairs kitchen would likely see some use when Sofie took a day off, or someone else felt like cooking for a change.
All of these thoughts played on Alex’s mind as he headed down to the nursery, where all his wives were as they gathered the children for dinner. Once more he was hit with a moment of emotion as he realized that only Carlie, Tana and Sofie’s son Neal would be left in the room that was home to 12 kids, from almost three years to around nine months old. Alex couldn’t help but notice that Ahsa and Moyra in particular knew that something was up, as they seemed to be giving Sam and Nicole problems as they tried to keep playing. He knew that they had been told that they were moving and that so were most of the other little ones, but they were babbling about not leaving as they clung to a foam ramp that they loved jumping off of. This had more than spread to Ava and Mia’s four as they struggled to escape their moms’ arms and join their siblings on the mats. Only Kate holding Alex Jr., who looked confused at everything, wasn’t having issues among Alex’s wives.
So it was that at the sight of him Kate came over to him, kissed him, smiled as she handed Alex Jr. to him and headed over to where Ahsa and Moyra were struggling. At seeing Kate, the two seemed to only harden their stances as she whispered a few words to Sam and Nicole, who both frowned before heading over to Alex and getting their good morning kisses. As they did this, Ahsa and Moyra calmed down for a moment and Kate was able to talk without them interrupting.
“This isn’t the last time you two get to play here, you know.”
“But Mama Sam said we leaving for good in morning,” replied Ahsa, looking skeptical of Kate.
“We are leaving for our new home in the morning, but you two will still have time to play here before we leave.”
“We don’t want go new home,” shot back Moyra, sounding hurt. “This our home. We love here and love all who are here.”
“Who are you worried about not seeing anymore?”
“Andy,”
“Evelyn,”
“Aniya…”
Alex just listened as Ahsa and Moyra traded off saying one name after another, like he would expect Ava and Mia to. As this list grew, not only him, but all the adults in the room were amazed at how they were able to name everyone they regularly played with. This included many that Alex only knew from the few parties that had been held at his home, that included the friends with kids that the residents of the mansion had made. Even Kate looked taken aback at how extensive their list was when they finally stopped and Alex could tell that even she didn’t have a good response to them. So, he walked over and crouched down while still holding Alex Jr. and spoke.
“Would you miss all your mamas if they were gone, because I know that they will miss you and so will I if you don’t come with us.”
“No fair, Daddy,” replied Ahsa.
“None of you leave without us!” shot back Moyra.
“Daddy and Mama Kate have to go no matter what and the rest of your mamas want to be with Daddy. I know it is scary and I will make sure to invite everyone that you want to see for a visit really soon, but I can’t promise they will come.”
“Why have to leave?” asked Moyra.
“Daddy has become a really important person and that comes with some problems that make us have to leave,” answered Kate. “You remember me telling you about the city that Daddy was building?”
“Uh-huh,” came Moyra’s reply.
“Well, it is ready for people to start living in and we are all going to be the first ones there. We also made sure that there will be plenty of kids your age to play with and plenty of places for you to play with them in.”
“Why not everyone coming then?” counted Moyra.
“You know how Mama Sam and Nicole’s friends come visit every now and then?” asked Kate.
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, they can’t live near them anymore either, as sometimes life just isn’t fair. However, I will tell you what. We can try and make sure that you get to come here to visit at least once a year and we invite them all up for a visit for your birthday. They won’t all make it, but I am sure some will come and see us each year.”
“Will there be Sofie cake?” asked Ahsa, catching Kate off balance and Alex replied.
“I think we are going to have to have Sofie and Neal visit around all our birthdays, so we can enjoy her cake. In fact, I expect that she has a cake waiting for us right now, to let us know how much she is going to miss all of us.”
““Yay!”” came both Ahsa and Moyra’s reply as they stopped holding the ramp and ran to the door.
Alex held in a chuckle as he saw more than one look of exasperation on everyone’s faces, at the simple promise of Sofie’s cake being enough to get the pair to surrender and head to dinner. With the pair cooperating, Sam and Nicole each grabbed one of Ava and Mia’s four, as they all headed upstairs to the bounty that had been prepared. Sofie had really outdone herself as dinner was a perfect highlight of her best dishes turned into buffet-style dishes, and Alex was happy to see a veggie and spicy sausage mix and Korean BBQ beef ribs. For the kids there was homemade mac and cheese, a chicken nugget lookalike that was at least 50% veggie and their favorite meal that Sofie made, handmade pizza. Once more Alex knew that the dough was anything but typical pizza dough, as it used several ingredients that added more vegetables and protein to it, without the kids seeing anything green. Especially as Andy had started to declare that anything green was “yucky,” while refusing to even try it, even if it was candy.
