EFate: An MMO Story

As the swirl of mana intensified, Lucy's fingers began to move, the mana surrounding her concentrating near her fist as she prepared to cast her spell. Seeing this, Alistair brought his sword back, the watery glow intensifying as he prepared to strike.

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YE!" a furious roar shook the room, the mana dissipating as Lucy and Alistair both turned to stare at the perpetator.

Slamming his fists on the table, Tom caused the house to shake slightly as he angrily stared down his two fellow council members.

"Can't ye see what yer doing to them?" Tom demanded, pointing to Maria and Craig.

Maria was lying on the floor and gasping for breath, her eyes wide as she gulped for air. Craig's situation was only slightly better, lying on the table with his mouth open wide, sweat rolling down his brow as he struggled to rise. Even Flen appeared distressed, the veins in his arm on full display as he struggled to remain seated.

Seeing that they had the decency to look ashamed, Tom continued in a more reasonable tone.

"Yer both being unreasonable. Lucy, I'm sure Alistair will explain himself, so sit yerself down and listen. He wouldn't take an action like this without good reason. And Alistair, yer supposed to be the wise leader here, so start acting like it. Both of ye need to smarten up."

"You're quite right, Tom. I apologize everyone. The reason I called this meeting today was because I plan to explain my actions in full. I do not intend to use any of you, nor do I intend to see us all hang," said Alistair, sheathing his sword and staring at Lucy.

With an ashamed look, Lucy looked away, refusing to meet Alistair's eye as she leaned down to help Maria back to her seat. Clearing his throat slightly, Alistair addressed the table.

"Contrary to what the populace believes, the Battle of Lichfrost did not end in our victory. Although many of the goblin bases were wiped out, there are several that still stand. We lost four militia captains, and hundreds of regular militia in the battle, and yet this was only an afterthought for the Ironfrost King. The doc.u.ments we managed to secure indicate that the Ironfrost King has plans to move his forces south, but so far the encyption spells have held strong, preventing us from deciphering his true intentions."

"We lost? I thought you managed to destroy the goblins bases?" Craig asked.

"We destroyed most of them, but a handful still remain. If the Ironfrost king had wanted a base to use as a rallying point for an invasion, he would have grouped his forces together and had them create a fortress. Instead, he commanded them to build dozens of smaller bases with the intention of allowing a few to survive even if we discovered them. The fact that we didn't manage to destroy them all means that the battle ended in our loss. After I learned that several platoons had failed to return, I asked once more for assistance from the army to sweep up the remaining bases, but I was refused."

"So you hatched a plan," Flen stated bluntly. Alistair nodded.

"After our loss at the Battle of Lichfrost, I made the decision to create a force with which to defend Novanalba's north from enemies. I did not make this decision lightly, but rather as a result of years of contemplation. It is something I should have done long ago, however, I hesitated. I wanted to believe that the king would support the people of Novanalba even if it meant making difficult choices. However, after the events of the last month which culminated in the Battle of Lichfrost, I realized that this was only a fool's wish. The naive belief of a child that those with strength would use that strength to protect the weak. And so, I have begun to form a faction of my own, using my position as a noble to gather forces so that I may protect the things that are dear to me."

"How is that treasonous though?" Maria asked, looking noticeably better than she had a few moments before. "Shouldn't the king be happy that you're doing his job for him? He's the one who's supposed to be responsible for the defence of the northern villages after all."

"An independent force isn't something that those in power look upon kindly, young miss," Tom responded. "Us mercenaries often had ta spend nights outside the city walls due ta the fear we could take the city if allowed inside. What Alistair is proposing is far beyond a mere mercenary troop. In order ta defend Novanalba from the Ironfrost Horde, he's going ta need ta build an army."

Alistair nodded.

"Exactly right, Tom. If the Lunbrengur region could be protected by the militia alone, I wouldn't need to rally people to my banner. I would simply continue with my work as a commander in the militia."

"I'm still confused, what does any of this have to do with making Lucy's apprentice a knight of Crowsea?" Craig asked.

"I can tell you that," Flen spoke up. "Seventy years ago, a group of nobles planned a coup. They amassed their forces, plotted with the Rohadil kingdom to cause a disturbance in the south, and then they attacked the capital. Fortunately, the king at the time, the current king's great-grandfather, survived and managed to escape. He spent a year in hiding before coming back at the head of a coalition of nobles who hadn't supported the coup. They waged a bloody civil war which lasted four years before finally suppressing the rebels."

"Alright, but what does that have to do with knights?"

"The rebellious nobles built their forces in plain sight by knighting soldiers in huge numbers. As a result, the knights supported the nobles who'd knighted them rather than the kingdom. After the war, there was a huge debate on whether or not to allow knights to serve the noble houses or not. In the end, it wasn't outlawed, but the remaining nobles made the decision to stop knighting personal knights. These days, it's no longer seen as an act of rebellion to knight someone into your house, but it's still viewed with suspicion unless the king has specifically given his blessing, and even then it's usually only reserved for second sons or other non-inheriting members of the family."

"So Alistair essentially just told the king he'd be creating his own faction? Why?" Craig asked with a confused look.

"For that very reason," Alistair spoke up. "The king is not the only one who's aware that I've begun to make moves. There are many in the kingdom who are dissatisfied with the current conditions and will willingly flock to the banners of anyone who challenges the status quo. But there's a deeper reason behind my choosing of Lucy's young apprentice."

"And what's that? Eh, Alistair? Because it had better not be to rope me into your crazy schemes," Lucy snapped.

"No, I did think of you when I chose Kystfyr over his companion, Jun Shinzir. But the reason was not because he was your apprentice, but rather because he'd managed to become your apprentice." "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"The biggest card we have is the otherworlders. They are the ultimate wild card. An enormous group of semi-immortals who serve no one but themselves. However, the kingdom has made no moves to recruit the otherworlders, in fact, there are many who agree with Lucy's views. The otherworlders are seen as a threat, here to steal jobs and positions from honest, hardworking Novanalbans. There are also many reports of otherworlders stealing from, assaulting, and even killing Novanalbans. Thus, it's obvious why they are not regarded as highly as many might like."

"The reason you chose my apprentice, Alistair. Now," Lucy uttered through gritted teeth.

"I was just getting to that," Alistair responded, taking a swig from the mug in front of him before continuing. "The otherworlders are not being properly utilized as a combat force. Yes they're weak right now, but that's swiftly changing. Since the kingdom is unwilling to use the otherworlders, I will. However, this is not something that can be done haphazardly. I need to both entice the otherworlders to gather under my banner, and also convince the native Novanalbans that the otherworlders they will be fighting alongside with are trustworthy. I needed someone they could trust. In that regard, I could think of no better candidate for this task than the man who'd convinced Lucy Morningstar to take him on as her student. Kystfyr proved himself in the Battle of Lichfrost. His actions directly saved many of the men from the 7th Scout Division, and he's someone that both Novanalbans and otherworlders alike respect. I chose him to act as the bridge between Novanalbans and otherworlders, whether he knows it or not."

The table went silent upon hearing this, as the council pondered Alistair's words. Even Lucy, who was usually so quick with a retort or a venomous remark, had a look of contemplation upon her face. At last, Flen looked up.

"Do you really think it will work? Is it really necessary to go through all of this just to recruit the otherworlders to your side? To risk angering the king, and potentially placing your head upon the executioners block?" he asked, staring deeply into the eyes of his old friend.

"Yes," Alistair said simply. "There is a great trial coming, not just for Novanalba, but for all of Nasvencia. The gods saw fit to send us the otherworlders for a reason, and yet they're still concerned over our fate. If the oncoming tribulation is of such difficulty that the result is uncertain even with an army of immortal fighters on our side, then what chance do we have without them? And even worse, what chance do we have if we turn that army into enemies?"

The table went silent once more. Where last time, the silence had been pensive, as the council had pondered Alistair's actions. This time, the silence was cloying, hanging heavily over them as they struggled to come to terms with the scenario Alistair had just outlined. It was Lucy who finally broke the silence, looking Alistair in the eye for the first time since they'd faced off a few minutes earlier.

"Do you really believe we have a chance, Alistair?" she asked. Gone was the anger and the fury from her voice, all that remained was an apprehensive look, as she stared towards the old militia captain. As if begging him to laugh and tell them all that it was just a joke, and that everything would be alright.

Hearing the sincerity in Lucy's voice, Alistair paused for a moment, searching for the best words to use.

"I believe we have a chance. Not necessarily a good one, but a chance. The Ironfrost Horde is coming, In order to succeed, we need to be ready. I won't say anything stupid or sentimental like, 'don't worry'. But I have laid far more plans in action than you think. Korin Wavesun and I have spent the better part of two days feverishly creating an outline of all that needs to be done in order to prepare. Your student's role in all this is actually fairly minimal, Morningstar. I am certainly not going to place all my eggs in one basket, especially one as unreliable as an otherworlder."

Flen sighed deeply, the wrinkles on his brow appearing more pronounced than they had only a short half hour ago.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Alistair."

Looking his friend in the eye, Alistair smiled.

"What's done is done. All that remains is to do it well and let come what may."