Eternal Dominion Book 2: Traction Read online

  Eternal Dominion Book 2

  Traction

  Bern Dean

  Copyright © 2022 Bern L Dean

  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

  ED, year 1, day 61.

  Morning, August 6, 2266.

  ED, year 1, day 62.

  Evening, August 6, 2266.

  ED, year 1, day 63.

  Morning, August 7, 2266.

  August 8-14, 2266, and ED, year 1, days 66-86.

  ED, year 1, day 87-88.

  Morning, August 15, 2266.

  ED, year 1 day 89.

  Evening August 15, 2266.

  ED, year 1, day 90-91.

  Morning, August 16, 2266.

  ED, year 1, day 92.

  August 16-29 ,2266 & ED, year 1, days 93-131.

  ED, year 1, day 132.

  ED, year 1, day 133.

  Preview

  Thanks!

  Afterword

  ED, year 1, day 61.

  Xeal opened his eyes after Anna’s birthday dinner. The system update had completed. This meant no time had passed in game while he had been logged off. He was still in the room inside the arena where he had been led to. It was just after noon and 60 days had passed in Eternal Dominion time since the start. His guild FAE was growing well, although its member numbers had stagnated slightly around 7,000 members. They had still made it to guild level 20, allowing them to accept over 10,000 members. Now that Xeal had made level 20, he could utilize the teleportation gates between outposts and cities. While they cost coins to use, it was only a single silver to go between a city and its associated outposts. Xeal’s guild was currently using Dragon’s Eye as its main base and it would be a while before others would be able to reach the cities. That said, he himself had sold some information that, in retrospect, cost him a huge chunk of his lead. The guild Eternal Valhalla knew the secret to obtain the Behemoth Slayer title he had discovered. They had used it to add several members to their ranks who could go toe to toe with higher level monsters. Some of them had only been a single level behind Xeal when he was at level 18. Right now Xeal needed to set up three more guild posts to grow his guild and make a move towards securing the area around Dragon’s Heart city, the kingdom of Nium’s southernmost city. Its three outposts, other than Dragon’s Eye, were Dragon’s Claw, Dragon’s Wing and Dragon’s Tail. He would need to find players who could be trusted in the areas to act as vice guild leaders and give them the task of finding new members to join FAE. The easiest way to accomplish this was to just find some small guilds and get them to merge into his guild. The main issue with that was often times the guild leaders would insist on gaining a certain amount of ownership of the guild, and while Xeal knew a few players that he would be willing to recruit in such a way, he refused to use it on any but those few. That left him with option two, find an unassociated player that was trustworthy and able to become a vice guild leader and recruit in the area. Luckily Xeal knew a few players he would be happy to recruit that had based themselves out of each of those outposts at the start of the game.

  Xeal made his way out of the room, but as he did so he was stopped by the guard outside the room and informed that Baron Ulric had requested his presence once he awoke. Following the guard, he made his way into the main building of the villa. Xeal followed the guard down a hallway and up a flight of stairs until they came to a door with two guards stationed outside of it. The guard who had guided Xeal here informed the other guards that Baron Ulric had requested his presence, to which they knocked on the door and a reply was heard from within.

  “Yes, what is it?”

  “Baron Ulric, Sir Xeal is here to see you.”

  “Oh, let him in.”

  One of the guards opened the door allowing Xeal to see the study within. The walls were lined with bookshelves that, besides the numerous books, also displayed various artifacts, several of which looked magical in nature. The Baron sat behind a large wooden desk that looked exquisite with intricate carvings throughout its sides. As Xeal took in the room the door closed and he knew proper etiquette required him to speak and show his respect by lowering his head.

  “Sir Xeal Bluefire is here, responding to your summons Baron Ulric.”

  “Thank you, Sir Xeal, for answering my summons. Now let’s get to the reason you have been summoned here, but first, please take a seat.”

  Xeal raised his head and sat in the chair to which Baron Ulric gestured to. Once he was seated the Baron continued to talk.

  “That was quite the show you put on for us in the arena. Do you know what the typical knight’s results are in that test?”

  “I do not, Baron Ulric.”

  “Typically, a candidate for knighthood would arrive at level 19 and face off against a level 20 foe in single combat. Most only face the first foe and even then, they often barely achieve that. I have never seen or heard of a challenger taking the path you did and not only succeeding but, pushing far past what I would have thought possible. Now what I would like to know is, are all of the new adventurers who have arrived in our lands as powerful as this?”

  “I would not think so Baron Ulric. While I do believe many of us have the ability to become such, few would be able to replicate what I did in the arena. That said, most will prove to have far more potential than almost all guards and most knights. It is why I believe having guilds like mine to call on in the future will be crucial for the Kingdom of Nium before long.”

  “Indeed. With that in mind, I do not know if you are familiar with the guest I brought to view the start of your test, but that was the crown prince of Nium, Prince Victor Vidfamne. He was quite impressed as well and asked me to pass this to you.”

  Baron Ulric passed Xeal a piece of fabric bearing a seal he recognized as the prince’s. After analyzing it for a bit he quickly stored it in his inventory.

  “He has asked that, when you visit the capital, for you to present that to a guard at the palace and ask that the prince be informed that you have come as per his summons.”

  “I understand. Although it might be a while before I make my way to the capital, I will definitely make it one of my first stops, Baron Ulric.”

  “Don’t put it off for too long. I would suggest you travel there before you reach level 41. I myself will be reporting the results of your test to the prince in the next few days.”

  “Thank you, Baron Ulric.”

  With that, the meeting came to an end with Baron Ulric excusing him. Xeal was grateful for the invite and the warning. It looked like he would need to make his way to the capital as soon as he reached level 40 and the gate to the capital was opened. While he could now hop around the outposts surrounding Dragon’s Heart city, there were still three more teleportation restrictions he needed to overcome. First, a player had to reach level 40 before they could jump between cities in a country. Next, level 60 was needed to travel across the current continent you were on to other countries. And lastly, you needed to reach level 80 before traveling to other continents by teleportation. The first and second could be ignored by traveling by foot and the last could be bypassed through naval travel, but that was far less convenient, and while Xeal knew he would need to expand his guild past the borders of Nium, he didn’t plan to establish himself anywhere
else on this continent until after Nium ruled the whole of it. Beyond just travel between continents, many areas were only reachable by naval means, making development of a guild navy important.

  As Xeal made his way to the teleportation gate, he sent a message to his friends letting them know that he had completed his class quest and would be making a trip to the other outposts to begin recruiting more members. Along the way he stopped by the guild post and withdrew 3,000 of the 4,000 gold from the guild fund to purchase three more guild posts. He was happy to see that the guild members had started to buy up guild points. Now he just had to ensure they could supply them with opportunities to use those points. After which, he made his way to Dragon’s Eye’s HQ where the gate was located, and after paying the single silver piece he teleported to Dragon’s Heart city. Upon arrival he was greeted to a system notification.

  (Welcome to Dragon’s Heart city, congratulations on being the first player to enter a city awarding 10,000 renown.)

  Xeal smirked at the announcement. 10,000 renown was nice, but his guild needed over 1,000,000 to rank up again so it wasn’t that significant. Wasting little time, he turned around and teleported once more. This time it was to Dragon’s Claw. Once more the scene shifted around him and he found himself at Dragon’s Claw’s HQ and he quickly made his way over to an attendant at the counter to purchase a guild post for 1,000 gold. With that complete it was time for Xeal to find the player he was looking for, Casmir Drakos, or Henry in real life. He was a warrior who would become a magus and in Xeal’s last life he had been one of the most reliable friends he had made in ED. Xeal hoped nothing had changed and he would be able to find him somewhere in this outpost and that he could convince him to join FAE. Casmir had always been a leader and had joined along with several of his friends who, like Xeal’s friends, didn’t make it as professional players but had still played recreationally. The main reason Casmir hadn’t joined any guilds until later had been his refusal to start at the bottom. Xeal had to work for months with guild leadership and Casmir to get them to offer a team leader position to him and for him to accept it. The guild had realized Casmir’s talent for leadership quickly and within a year had promoted him to a vice guild leader position.

  As Xeal entered the street, players started to notice him and his level, with many stopping in the middle of the road to stare at him. While this was a great way to advertise his guild, it could also cause issues. As he listened to players murmur around him, he resolved to pick up a cloak that would let him hide his level after this trip. Most of the players on the street were level 15 and under, with a few who had reached level 16. For many it would still be a few months before they even looked at challenging a class quest. This was another thing he had to remember. The first players didn’t start making it to the cities until over a month had passed in real life in his last life, but now he had done it in under three weeks. Right now, he had a massive lead that he had to make sure he didn’t squander. As he thought about this, a group of players approached him.

  “Excuse me.”

  Before Xeal stood a group of six players. All of them were level 16 and in the front was a female player who looked like she was a dexterity-based build with several throwing weapons and a rapier hung from her belt. She had short purple twin tails and stood at five foot five. Xeal was shocked to see her here. Amser Sojourner had been famous in his last life as the crazy ring blade berserker. She had always led a small group of friends on adventure after adventure, never joining a guild, but still being a force to reckon with in the arena. While many had tried to recruit her, she always insisted that she was too free to be pinned down by a guild.

  “Yes, how can I help you?”

  “I was just wondering, how are you already at level 20? Oh, my name’s Amser. And you are?”

  “I would be Xeal, the guild leader of FAE, and as for how I am already at level 20, it is from constantly challenging foes who are five or more levels above myself.”

  “Wait, how are you able to maintain that? I’m a dex build, but I can barely kite most monsters two or three levels up.”

  “I’m sorry, but that is a guild secret. That said, my business here is to recruit a few promising teams. You look like you all can handle yourselves. Are you interested?”

  Amser giggled before replying, “Sorry, but not really into the whole guild thing, too many rules.”

  “Are you sure? What makes a guild legit to you, and why don’t you want to join one?”

  “Credits. Any guild that can pay its members, even if it’s only a small group of them. However, they always seem to get tied up with rules laid down by those who fund it. I want to play when and how I like. I can earn some spare credits here or there with mercenary work, or selling some gear, but really, it’s the arena I’m after. Once it opens, I plan to enjoy giving all of those guild players a run for their money.”

  “Ah, you don’t want to be controlled. Got it. What if all you had to do was inform us of what you find while you play and outside of that we leave you alone while giving you another avenue to sell your surplus loot?”

  “What are you talking about? First off, your FAE is in no way legit. You may have established it before any other guild out there, but you have no record. It won’t be long before you fall into decline and disappear like so many other guilds. Look, you might be an excellent player but trust me, this isn’t my first time around. Even if you do manage to survive, you will always be in the shadow of the major gaming corporations that most of the top players already belong to.”

  “You would be right 999 out of 1,000 times with your assessment, but I will say this, FAE will be a top guild, it’s only a matter of time.”

  “Sure it will be. Anyhow, seeing as this conversation is going nowhere I’ll bid you farewell. I wish your guild luck, but I expect in a month’s time a guild like Abysses End will have absorbed you.”

  “Abysses End can go eat a turd; I would sooner stop playing ED than allow them to get their hands on my guild!”

  Amser stopped at Xeal’s words and looked back.

  “Wow, over reaction much? What has Abysses End done to you, or is that just any other guild in general?”

  “No, while my beef with them is too personal to get into right now, all I’ll say is take a second to think about my guild’s name.”

  She paused for a second, then started laughing.

  “Well, shoot. I guess I’ll join you for this ride after all, on two conditions. First, I and any who are associated directly with me, are free to leave if you ever ally with Abysses End, and second, you ensure that my arena winnings are 100 percent mine.”

  “Hmm, the first one is fine, however, as I intend to invest in you for the arena if you are as good as you claim, I have to ask you give the guild 15 percent, and that you partake in guild mock battles to help our other competitors improve as well. That said, if you make our arena team, you would be guaranteed a salary of at least 240,000 credits a year.”

  “So, you’re saying that you would bar me from the arena if I don’t make the team?”

  “Nope. I am saying if you don’t make the official team, you won’t get the salary and we won’t take the 15 percent.”

  “Give me a few minutes to talk with my friends. You will be taking all of us, right?”

  “Of course. They are your team after all.”

  With that, Amser and her friends huddled to quietly discuss his offer. After several minutes of back-and-forth, Amser turned around.

  “Ok, Xeal, you have yourself a frontier team, on one more condition. We will send info back to guild leadership about what we find, but we want first dibs on the loot found there.”

  “Are you talking about what you yourself find, or what the guild finds as a whole?”

  “Both.”

  “No, if it was just what your team finds, you can keep what you want, but the moment a guild force is mobilized, all loot distribution will be decided by bidding using guild coins.”

  “So as long as w
e have enough guild coins, we could still have it?”

  “Only if you are in the guild force that finds it.”

  Xeal went on to explain how the guild coin system within FAE was set up, and after a bit more back and forth, Amser and her team relented on any loot they were not present for and agreed to join FAE for the time being. They parted after adding each other as friends so they could continue communications when needed. Xeal returned to looking for Casmir by asking other players if they knew him. Most didn’t, and the few that did weren’t much help. After spending a few hours at this, Xeal got a message from Aalin. They had made contact with Anna’s character Nanami Kaida, and that she was in Quickwind, and they had given her some gold and found a small party to recruit with her and they were setting off to level up. Finally, after four hours of recruiting, Xeal found a player who was on Casmir’s friend list and had gotten him to join the guild. A message later and he found out that Casmir was currently grinding about two hours away from Dragon’s Claw and wouldn’t be returning for at least 19 more hours. Through that, Xeal was able to set up a meeting with Casmir for right after Xeal would log back in, which was 31 hours away in ED time. All told, Xeal was able to pick up 50 new members by that point. With that out of the way, Xeal returned to Dragon’s Heart city before moving on to Dragon’s Tail outpost, to set up a guild post and find his next target who had been a major help with administrative tasks in the guild. As a crafting player who focused on tailoring, Taya Moire, Tara in real life, had never really been that big of a help in combat, or raids, but she had been an excellent tailor and great at managing guild members.

  Once again Xeal acquired a guild post before moving on to find Taya. This time he didn’t have to look too hard and was able to quickly find her at one of the local tailor shops, where she was working as an apprentice. She was only level 13, with plain gear on. Standing five foot three, she had long dark hair tied up in a ponytail and a pair of round rim glasses on, which Xeal new was an item that helped crafting players with detail work. Like most crafting players at this stage, she was utilizing the fastest way to level up their rank without spending a small fortune, but it was a dreadfully slow and repetitive process. Players would work in NPC shops assisting the NPCs in their work. This was a cost-effective way to reach iron rank, but after that it was just way too slow and inefficient. Xeal had given much thought on how he was going to recruit Taya without arousing too much suspicion from her as to why she caught his eye. In the end, no good plan had come to him, so he was just going to use the excuse of looking for crafting players for his guild and hope it worked out.