295 Concerning Developments
“So, what are you going to do?” Mikari asked as Noslin lay down on the grass next to him. A warm breeze washed over them from over the lake as Mikari struggled to hide his curiosity. It wouldn’t be right for him to influence her decision, but he knew what he was hoping for her to choose. His gaze wandered to her slender figure as a slight frown appeared on her face.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.” Noslin sighed as she stared into Mikari’s eyes. “The sponsors and team’s owners are really pushing for us to break up the alliance. I’ve heard several other teams are in the same boat.”
“They’re worried my brother is dominating this area of the game too much?” Mikari asked as he lay down beside her.
“That’s part of it.” Noslin nodded. “The other is that he’s using the other Pantheons to make himself and Ragnarok look better. Have you seen the ratings for your team yet?”
“I can’t say that I have.” Mikari chuckled. He had a rough idea of how many views their team’s streams were getting though, due to his paycheck. However, that also let him know that their views had been rapidly increasing lately.
“Well, you need to. It’ll probably have a high impact on negotiations going forward with other leaders.”
“I know it’s bad for you, but how bad is it, really?”
Noslin let out a long sigh. “They’re threatening to terminate contracts. That’s not all. The sponsors are saying they won’t permit the hiring of anyone who has had their contract terminated by another team for this reason.”
Mikari sucked in a deep breath as he considered the situation. I guess I would need to find out what Rebel Energy’s position is on this matter. If they’re going to do the same, we wouldn’t be able to offer her a contract without the risk of losing our sponsor.’
It was a bitter pill to swallow. Mikari thought it was odd these companies would be this aggressive over what was still a new game. However, when he considered it further, he realised that maybe it wasn’t that odd after all.
Pantheon Online was the perfect breeding ground to find elite players and undiscovered talents. These companies and teams probably had their eyes set on players who could become the foundation of their teams moving forward into the games after this one. ‘The further you go in this game, the higher your prospects will be for the future.’ Mikari frowned as he considered it from their angle. “Hm, it’s your decision to make, Noslin. We won’t have any grievances towards you if you act to protect your career. Sometimes we have to do things we’re not happy with just to survive. You know?” Noslin smiled as she glanced at him. “Thanks for understanding. That’s a weight off my mind. But I still don’t know what I’ll choose to do. It feels wrong to challenge Ragnarok’s position after everything we’ve been through. I’m sure there are other captains who feel the same way.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. No matter what your decision is.” Mikari said as he leaned in and kissed Noslin passionately.
Meanwhile, a handsome cloaked man carried a basket of food for a pregnant woman in a small village. The woman smiled at the travelling stranger for his kindness in helping her as she invited him into her home.
The man looked around the living area with a content face as he sat at her small table while she prepared a bowl of stew and sliced some bread. The man thanked her as she sat them down in front of him.
“So, how far along are you? You must be due to give birth any day now.” He asked as he studied her swollen belly with interest.
“No, no. I should still be several months away. But the midwife says he’s growing at an extraordinary speed.” The woman’s face turned red as she wrung her hands nervously.
“Hm? Is there something to be worried about for the child’s health?”
“No, nothing of the sort. It’s just that the others have shunned me because of the child’s father. I suspect that’s the reason for their growth.”
“I see. Who is the father, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Ah, I really shouldn’t say.” The woman clammed up on the subject as the man slowly ate the food.
They spoke about what life was like for her in the village and other menial subjects until the man finished his meal. He burped contentedly as he studied the woman carefully.
“Things could become difficult for you if you remain in this village. They’ll likely be worse once your child is born. It seems the villagers here fear the child, but are more afraid of what will happen if they bring you harm.”
“I believe you’re right.” The woman sighed. “But I have nowhere else to go. Everything I own is in this house, and I’m not fit to travel.”
“Hm, some friends of mine will be travelling through the village soon with their trade caravan.” The man took a silver coin from inside his cloak and set it on the table. “Show them this coin, and they’ll provide passage to Eraldsfen. Once there, you should show this to someone at the temple. They’ll make sure your life is comfortable. Thank you for the food, and may the gods bless you.”
The man abruptly stood up and showed himself outside, leaving the woman to puzzle over the strangeness of the conversation. ‘What is this?’ She wondered as she reached across the table to take the coin. However, she gasped in shock as she turned the coin over in her hand.
One side of the coin was emblazoned with the emblem of the Ragnarok Pantheon of gods. The other held the marking of Exile! King of the gods of that Pantheon! The woman trembled as she placed the coin on the table, staring at it as though it would bite her.
She wondered about the identity of the man, being a devout follower of the Ragnarok gods herself. However, considering who the father of her child was, she came to the most likely conclusion. Even if the man didn’t appear as a god to her eyes.
‘How could I have made Exile carry my food!’ She squealed slightly. ‘I even served him such terrible food!’
Exile stood in place for a few minutes outside the woman’s door. An unpleasant expression appeared on his face as he studied the horrified and disgusted looks the woman’s neighbours were giving him.
‘Hm, this is bad. Jealously and fear are rife in the air. There’s a real danger to our unborn demigods.’ Exile wiggled his fingers as he placed a divine rune of protection on the house. He pretended to stretch before walking away from the house, following a random road to leave the village. ‘The rumours were right. The demigods are coming to term faster than normal babies. This is a concerning development.’
He had decided to check up on the mothers before heading to search for the inheritance due to these rumours. He was glad that he did, considering they turned out to be true. However, that left him with a more serious question.
‘Once they’re born, it’s possible they may continue to mature quickly.’ Exile frowned as he left the gazes of the villagers far behind. ‘That was confirmed in the information I bought from Jarxos. But I had to see it for myself to be certain. What are the developers playing at?’
Exile could sort of understand the reasoning, but he felt it was counterproductive to the mental health of sentient NPCs. Unless the developers had coded them with a coping mechanism so it seems normal since gods are involved.
However, he still felt there would be plenty of players who would abuse this system. Potentially creating baby farms out of the NPCs to increase the number of demigods at their disposal. ‘This is a question of ethics. We can’t become like that. It would look horrible for our public image.’
He felt the pressure mounting to secure the safety of these mothers and to formalise Pantheon laws over the creation of demigods. There had to be a suitable form of punishment if one of his players abused their status in the game like this. He could forgive it for now since it was an error on his part for not laying down something earlier.
So the players couldn’t be blamed for enjoying the game the way they thought it should be played. However, the consequences of a growing population of demigods could throw the NPCs’ world out of order.
Exile sighed as he considered his own position. He knew he should have a demigod child of his own. While he would be happy to spend more time with Ania, her curse prevented her from having a demigod anytime soon.
He briefly considered having a secret demigod with someone else. However, he felt like that would be a betrayal. ‘I need to find a respectable loophole to exploit. A way to create a demigod without doing the deed.’ Exile hummed as one possible solution came to mind.
‘Bargrux managed it, didn’t he? I wonder if I could use that method.’ But that was where he hit a brick wall in his reasoning. He had forgotten Bargrux had stolen divinity from an existing demigod to make the process work!
‘I guess not then.’ He sighed with a shake of his head. ‘I suppose I’ll need to get creative.’
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