EFate: An MMO Story

As the others stampeded towards the map, elbowing their way through the throng in order to get a good look at the myriad of dots that marked the goblin positions. Eric instead made his way towards the door at the far end of the hall. Slipping inside, Eric closed the door, shutting out the sounds of excited militia as he turned to face Alistair.

"Take a seat," Alistair said, motioning towards the chair across from the desk.

Sitting down, Eric looked at the old militia captain. Now that he was closer, it was evident that Alistair was tired. His face was drawn, with large bags under his eyes. His uniform was still fresh, but it was looking slightly less sharp than usual, as if he hadn't taken the time he normally did to make it perfect. Despite all this however, Alistair's eyes were still sharp as ever, piercing Eric with an intense gaze.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation," Alistair began. "Two days ago, I made you a knight of Crowsea. However, as an otherworlder I realize that you have no idea what being a knight means in Novanalba. Nor has anyone explained to you any of what it entails, the perks, or the responsibilities. I plan to do this now"

Nodding at this, Eric waited for Alistair to continue. Regarding Eric heavily, Alistair appeared to struggle for a moment before coming to a decision.

"What do you know about knights in Novanalba?"

Caught off-guard, Eric went quiet. Now that Alistair had mentioned it, he really didn't have any idea what being a knight meant. He'd accepted the promotion blindly thinking that it would be just like in other games, an easy path to greater reputation and better loot. The idea that becoming a knight may be detrimental to him had never even crossed his mind. Struck with sudden nervousness, Eric wracked his brain, trying to remember if he'd ever learned anything about knights in Novanalba.

"Knights are part of a special order. Their duty is to enact justice throughout the kingdom as they see fit. They're mainly based in the cities, right?" Eric answered, vaguely recalling the information from a speech they'd received on tutorial island.

Alistair nodded, "Right. So you don't know anything about them then."

Hearing this, Eric slumped down in his seat. While he'd gotten used to Alistair's blunt and dismissive attitude by now, it still wasn't what he wanted to hear from the man who'd praised and knighted him only two days before.

"That's fine, we'll start from the beginning," Alistair continued, ignoring Eric's look of defeat. "As you said, knights in Novanalba are all a part of various orders. Each order focuses on its own ideals and has their own views on justice. The Flameshield Knights see themselves as the shield of justice, dedicating themselves to protecting the weak wherever they go. On the other hand, the Whiteblade Knights choose to seek out evil, venturing across the kingdom to seek out and exterminate evil. These are just two of the many orders of knights, both big and small who exist in Novanalba."

Pausing, Alistair gave Eric a careful stare. "However, the one constant between each order is their dedication to the protection of Novanalba and her people. This is the most sacred rule amongst Novanalban Knights, also known as the Knight's Vow. As a knight of Novanalba, you must uphold this vow at all times, lest you be stripped of your status and exiled permanently from these lands."

Seeing that Alistair was waiting for an answer, Eric hastily nodded his head.

"Of course. I would have done that anyways."

"Good. Now then, the majority of the various orders represent noble houses, with the majority of that group representing the house of Whitemane, the royal family. As a knight of Crowsea, you are in the minority."

"How many other knights of Crowsea are there?" Eric asked curiously.

"None."

"None?" Eric asked incredulously. Alistair nodded awkwardly.

"The last knight of Crowsea passed away over twenty years ago while defending the Lord of Crowsea," Alistair explained, a pained look flashing through his eyes. "And the last time someone was knighted into the service of Crowsea was twenty years before that. You are the first in nearly half a century to become a knight of Crowsea."

"Why me?"

"Sorry?"

"Why me?" Eric reiterated. "Don't get me wrong, I'm honoured that I would get to be the first new knight of Crowsea in nearly fifty years. But why me? Surely there must have been better choices. If it's talent, then Jun and even Hydrus are both better than me."

Going silent for a moment, Alistair considered the half-elf in front of him.

"Have faith in yourself," he said at last. "I chose you for a reason."

"Alright..." Eric said unconvincingly.

Letting out a slight cough, Alistair continued. "Now then, I don't have much time right now. But I would like for you to come here for lessons on chivalry and knighthood with me once a week. I know that you already study under Mage Morningstar, so I've asked her to allow me to borrow you at my convenience. Is that acceptable for you?"

Eric nodded, "Of course. I'd be honoured."

"Good. I'm still preparing your knighting gifts. But I will do my best to present them to you at the soonest possible occasion. Normally, you'd have undergone these lessons as a squire over the course of several years, but this is an unusual situation for an unusual time. Now then, unfortunately I do not have any more time for a lesson right now. But I do have a recommendation for you."

"What is it, sir?"

"Form your own party for Operation Northhome. I know that you generally travel and adventure with Jun Shinzir, Nelo Noire, and the others. But I heavily recommend forming a party apart from them for the purpose of this operation. With you as the leader of course," Alistair added.

"May I ask why, sir?"

"You've fought alongside your companions for years now, correct?"

"Yes, but how do you-"

"You don't get to be a commander for as long as me without picking up on a few things," Alistair chuckled before growing serious once more. "As a knight, it is your responsibility to take command on the battlefield. Just as you did in the Battle of Lichfrost. While battling alongside your friends allows for you to bring out more of your group's power due to the synergy you've built up with each other over time, it also makes it difficult to grow as a leader when you're only used to working alongside those you've been with for years. I'm making this request because I want you to gain experience as a leader, not just as a soldier."

"But who do you want me to party with then? Do you just want me to select a few random members each time?" Eric asked with a confused expression.

Alistair shook his head, "No. I want you to carefully select members for your new team. You need a solid core that you can rely on before you start adding other members. Ideally, your team will then take the lead as we clear more and more of the dens, leaving only the largest dens standing. These dens will be attacked by platoons just like we did in the Battle of Lichfrost. My goal here is for you to take command of one of those platoons."

A light went off behind Eric's eyes. "You want me to build a reputation for myself. Not just as a fighter, but as a leader."

"Exactly. Can you do that?"

Eric nodded, "I'll do my best, sir."

"That's all I ask. I do have one other request though, assuming you're willing to listen."

"Just say the word, sir."

"I have a member I'd like you to take on. Although you're nowhere near being an actual knight in terms of either skill or knowledge, you're still a full-fledged knight in the eyes of the law. As such, you are permitted to have a squire. There's a young fighter here in Tonbura who's been pestering me to join the militia for years now. Until recently, I was able to deny her request because she was too young. However, she became an a.d.u.l.t recently, and although she wasn't experienced enough to join in on a largescale expedition like the one to Lichfrost, I can't really deny her any longer. She's quite skilled, so I'm sure she would be a boon to your team should you decide to take her on."

"Is she a Novanalban, sir? Or an otherworlder?" Eric asked carefully.

"A Novanalban. Which means you will need to be careful, while any otherworlders you recruit can come back should your party fall. She would not."

Eric went quiet. Taking on a fighter who was personally recommended by Alistair was one thing. But the risks of partying up with a Novanalban were large. If you counted the fight against Hydrus, Eric had died twice since he came to Novanalba, and that was already an exceptionally low number of deaths. Most players had already died five or more times by now. Ryan himself had already visited Elysium more than ten times, and Gio was hot on his heels. While strong fighters were nice, Eric had no confidence in his ability to prevent his party from ever dying. Fate was a game after all, and death was a natural part of gaming. Weighing the risks, Eric frowned. Gaining a strong party member and doing a favour for Alistair would help with accomplishing all of his current goals, but the risks that came with this particular favour were a little high for his liking.

As if sensing Eric's hesitation, Alistair met the half-elf's gaze, "I understand if you don't want to make a rash decision. But I do ask that you meet her first before making your choice. I would not recommend her if I was not confident in her skills after all."

"How strong is she?" Eric asked frankly.

A ghost of a smile flickered across Alistair's face at this, "If you were to fight her with just your sword, you would lose."

Eric's eyebrows shot up at this. While his swordsmanship wasn't the greatest, he was still the one who'd taken down the hobgoblin Lord, Grimarok. Did Alistair really think he wouldn't be able to defeat a girl who until recently had been too young to even join the militia.

"If you don't believe me, go see for yourself. As long as you don't use magic, you will lose against her," Alistair asserted once more.

"Alright," Eric snapped. "But if she can't beat me, there's no way I'll let her accompany me."

"That's fine," Alistair replied demurely, ignoring Eric's hostile tone. "She lives near Tom's smithy. Ask Tom or Tarn for Lark and they'll be able to direct you to her house. Now then, if you have no other questions, you're dismissed. I'll let Lucy inform you when I'm prepared for our first lesson."

Snapping a quick salute, Eric left Alistair's office with far more questions than he'd entered with. Deliberating on the best course of action to take, Eric considered the captain's suggestions as he walked back over towards his friends, crowded around the map alongside what seemed to be half the militia in Tonbura.

~

As Eric left the office, Alistair busied himself looking down at a letter upon his desk. Only once Eric was gone did he look up once more, a conflicted look visible on his face. Once again, he was struck by the enormity of his actions. The young half-elf was quick on the uptake and m.a.t.u.r.e beyond his years, but in the end he was still just a pup. His nervousness and inexperience shone through when confronted with new situations. Fortunately, this worked to Alistair's advantage when convincing the boy, a simple jab at his pride had caused him to agree to Alistair's plans. As long as Lark could beat him, Alistair would have fulfilled his promise to Donal and also provided the boy with a promising party member, a win-win situation all around.

Still, the way he'd convinced the boy didn't quite sit right with him. Alistair had never been the type to mince words, and this sort of verbal confrontation was decidedly not his strong point.

"You can continue with your plans, Alistair. But if I find out that you've been hiding secrets from us, or exploiting my student, I will make you pay," Lucy's voice echoed in his head, her parting words clearly showing her misgivings towards Alistair's plans. He'd promised not to force Eric to do anything against his will, which was part of the reason he'd been so willing to explain his reasoning to the young knight. While he'd already planned to be open with the boy, Lucy Morningstar was not someone he needed to cross right now.

With a weary sigh, Alistair leaned back, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. He'd spoken more today than he did in most weeks, possibly even months. The price of duty was a steep one indeed, especially for one of his years. Still, now was not the time to be wallowing in self-pity. Sitting straight, he grabbed a quill. His duties as militia captain would not cease merely because he'd assumed the responsibility of protecting the North alone. There was work to be done, and Alistair was never the type to shirk his duties.

Touching the quill to ink, he resumed his work as chaos raged on just outside his door.