FB: Chapter 118 – Bitter Breakup

I signed my name on the dotted line and then the two copies of the agreement. They were countersigned by a representative of the US Government. They were taking full control of the Fanged Fox Guild to be operated as a department under the Executive Branch of the US Government.

With the full weight of the US Government behind the negotiations they went quite quickly. I didn’t want to create a drawn-out fight, and they wanted to resolve things quickly as well.

The corporation and the guild would be split. The corporation would still be publicly traded and focus on setting up large capsule complexes. The land lease would still go forward for the next 99 years at a very low rate compared to the current market value of being next to a QAI node. The stock price took a large hit, but didn’t completely collapse due to physical assets the corporation held and the consulting contracts it had in place. The stock dip wasn’t due to poor fundamentals, but a perception of losing the Guild aspect of the corporation that had been nationalized.

Things were still in flux and a board meeting was being called to determine new management. Faisal Bin Hamad Al Saud would be flying out to NYC along with the other board members to have the meeting in person and interview management candidates. He also wanted the information I had promised him, ensuring his physical presence. I didn’t mind being pushed out, everything was already in place.

The government swept up the entire Fanged Fox Guild. Arrangements were made for me to swap towns with another noble. That was handled through the Administration Union. Half the Champions and Quant Z left with me to my new town of Goldenbrook to form an elite mercenary Guild. The Fanged Fox Guild would owe me 50,000 platinum for the trade of management rights to be paid out over 5 years and other issues I resolved.

Everything else was a clean split, with the vast majority of players choosing to stay through inertia and how well the Fanged Fox Guild had been set up initially to streamline things for players. With the loss of Champions and myself, the reputation of the Guild had taken a massive hit in game. While it wasn’t hemorrhaging players, it would be a struggle to keep things stable. I refused to be kept on as a mascot.

I kept all the merchandise rights of course, I wasn’t about to give up that much passive income. It was a clean split. The US Government got the large guild they wanted to help support all their other guilds. While I warned them about the issues with growing beyond one million members, I didn’t warn them about their plan for cross guild support.

My kindness only extended so far and if they wanted my services, they could pay along with everyone else. My new Guild was going to be kept below 20,000 members. Each Champion was allowed to have a team of up to 20 people, including themselves and there would be an administration team to help keep things organized.

Quant Z was designing Goldenbrook as a mercenary enclave for elite fighters, catering to their tastes. There would be a small administration team that handled quest research, contracts, and general intelligence that all Guild members would have access to. Anyone could leave with two weeks’ notice and there were no long-term contracts put in place.

Leadership would be determined by a vote from each Champion every three months. While I was declared the honorary first Guild Leader, setting it up at the start, I declined to run in the first election. Hammer Crusher won after a short campaign with a plan to take up high-paying, short term contracts, in order to generate revenue.

The Guild was more of a club. If a contract was arranged, then each Champion would decide to participate based on the offered rate, with Champions giving their desired rates and acceptable range to management beforehand for negotiation purposes. Standardized rates for each Champion based on their combat rank in the arena and combat history in large battles that would be internally tracked. While a champion’s arena rank might not be directly comparable to large scale battles, there was a correlation. If one was good at combat, that would carry over. Also, the ranking system used in Exponential was clear and public and a source of competition.

“Anthony,” I greeted the man when he showed up to my office. As a former Guild Leader, I had been given the title of Elder in the new Guild and a small office.

“Foxy, congratulations for landing on your feet,” Anthony said.

“I appreciate the kind words. But you made out quite well yourself,” I said.

“Retiring suits me just fine. Do you have any future plans?” he asked me.

“I would like you to accompany me the morning when the board chooses to convene to officially replace me. I know we talked about it before. We will be departing quite early together,” I said. There was a final in person meeting to handle certain procedural matters as well as me stepping down. I also had a promise to fulfill.

“May I ask why?” Anthony asked me.

“I have a small event planned and would like you to be present. Nothing bad, and you are welcome to bring your people. But I think it will be enlightening,” I said.

“Very well. So have you people figured out a name?” Anthony asked and I let out a sigh at that question.

“Mercenary Guild won. Simple and direct. If you need mercenaries, get the Mercenary Guild with the Foxy Blight guarantee and stamp of approval,” I said. That was the marketing plan Quant Z had come up with. Most of my former officers hadn’t come over. Quant Z was wearing a lot of hats. I shuddered at the thought of the power that man had in this new Guild. But no one wanted to handle ‘boring paperwork shit’ as they called it. I felt the same way after the drama at the Fanged Fox Guild. I would rather focus on improving my character.

“Well, I am sure you will have fun with Quant Z,” Anthony said with a smile.

“You are lucky, I like you. Otherwise, I would toss you out a window for that,” I said half-jokingly.

“Still, it is the end of an era. We made a lot of money togeather,” Anthony said while giving me a look.

“Interested in joining this mad house?” I asked him and he shook his head.

“No, I prefer the real world. While this place has its appeal, I don’t particularly care for it. As for our mutual friends-“

“They know who to listen to,” I cut Anthony off. The Illuminati were still reporting in to me. I had also arranged for some of their members to enter the Fanged Fox Guild before I left. While the US Government had completely steamrolled me, I had left an insurance policy behind.

The waters of Exponential ran deep, far deeper than most people realized. While the conspiracy theorists were thinking that the Fanged Fox Guild was connected to the Illuminati with no one taking them seriously, I had a deep connection with their leader. While any terrorist organization had various cells and extreme personalities, as long as the relationship was beneficial then I would be able to make use of this connection.

All the crazy people wanted to cause chaos in Exponential. Some wanted to try and break QAI, some wanted to make others miserable, and others just wanted to tear things down instead of building them up. Regardless, the toxicity was real, and it wasn’t from poison skills.

“If you say so. I won’t be getting involved once I retire,” Anthony said.

“Retire, you? You would get bored in no time,” I said.

“Perhaps. But there is a lot of real estate opening up as more and more people go into capsules. I plan to take advantage of this and begin accumulating land and setting up various manufacturing and agricultural facilities. Automation is going to become more prevalent than ever,” he explained. I might have heard something about this but hadn’t concerned myself over such news the last time around.

My memory was quite good, but it wasn’t perfect. I knew a lot more about Exponential and news related to the game, than about the real world. And even that knowledge was running low. While my experience and base knowledge was good enough to match any experienced player, most of my advantage of future knowledge was lost.

It was better to retire than on top, than be dragged down trying to hold on. I wasn’t about to quit, but it was time to leave the high stress behind and enjoy Exponential as the top player, not as the top guild leader. While the difference might not seem big to a lot of people, I knew there was a big difference between the two.

The Mercenary Guild was something completely different as well. It had never been created previously. There had been attempts, but there had never been enough backing to make the concept take off. Now that I was part of the Mercenary Guild along with a number of Champion level combatants, we had become the premier fighting force.

While we wouldn’t have numbers, I had shown that large numbers of troops were a liability in battles if not used properly. Once the lead was gained by an elite force, it would be difficult to take it back. I had several more strategies to whip out in large scale conflicts if necessary. That was one area where the well of knowledge was still quite deep and untapped.

“Well, I am glad you are landing on your feet and giving a young woman like me a chance. I appreciate it Anthony,” I said.

“I appreciate the kind words. It is rare in my line of business to part with someone as friends. Normally there would be hard feelings, but you have made me quite rich and opened up several opportunities,” he said.

I shrugged at that statement. “After a certain point, money is just a number.”

“What about you? Going to stick around as part of this Mercenary Guild?” he asked me.

“Yes. It is a good place to rest for a while as everyone tries to catch up with me. I had dreams about going toe to toe with the super guilds and the governments behind them. But in the end it is nice to be rid of the stress,” I said.

“Most people would have regrets,” he replied.

“Perhaps. But escalating against the US Government is like hitting your head against a brick wall. The wall doesn’t care, and you just hurt yourself. Better to go around. The Fanged Fox Guild has been etched into history itself. Now is the time to focus on the more exhausting aspects of my build without having to worry about betrayals or backstabbing,” I said.

“You clearly aren’t a politician,” he said.

“Thank you for the compliment. I prefer to be able to kill my enemies if possible. It makes relationships much easier and clear cut,” I said while thinking about one enemy that wouldn’t escape my grasp. It had taken far too much money, but I had no regrets about what I had done. No one crossed me like that and got away with it. No one. I was never going to subject myself to such humiliation of having to listen to others if I didn’t want to. Being Foxy Blight, was more than a build, it was a state of mind.

I charted my own course. With the money I had, I could afford to be a bit reckless. My security detail wasn’t going away even if I had left my Guild and would soon be leaving my corporation. Foxy Blight might have taken a step back, but it was just to take several steps forward in the future.