That meeting went even better than planned. The poor fool kept insisting that the alliance can't remain under the protection of the US government forever.
"To be strong enough on our own, we need to conquer bastions and expand."
I hadn't even fed him that line, he came up with it on his own. How delightful it had been, watching my husband dig his own grave.
But now, on to the next step of the plan.
The former executive, now a mere assistant to her husband, thought, as she walked toward the current coordinator of the big tech alliance.
Her eyes were wet as Kelly spoke.
"I don't recognize him anymore, and he scares me. The arrival of the system changed him, and the position of power he has been granted in this alliance has made things worse. He has become a ruthless megalomaniac, advocating violence and expansion in every single meeting."
Simon nodded, but his response was not to Kelly's liking.
"I have noticed the change in Matthew myself, but given his groundbreaking work in AI, he's well respected in the community. It is unfortunate, what you are going through, but just because he's changed, we can't fire him. If that's what you are asking."
Kelly scoffed internally while keeping up her look of devastation.
The fad that was Matthew's AI chatbot might have impressed the nerds, but it was never going to succeed in the bigger market. Unfortunately, the integration occurred a month before the chatbot's launch, and she never got to see her husband's dejected face after his entire life's worth of work turned into nothing.
That scorn for absent in Kelly's voice when she replied.
"You don't understand. I don't know how to put it. His transformation has not just been in public life. He's become very rough at home and treats me like an object. Things have gotten so bad recently that I can't get out of my house before taking healing potions. Without technology, I don't know how to gather evidence of this."
The arrival of this apocalypse resulted in a new wave of depravity in the world. In true capitalist fashion, sin centers had emerged in every major city in America. News of what went behind those doors was spreading fast, and as Kelly had hoped, her ploy worked.
Now deeply disturbed, the former billionaire CEO spoke seriously.
"If what you say is true, I may be able to take some action, even without evidence. But the most I can do is get him transferred to another location. My power is limited and I'm only the first among equals in this alliance. And that too, for only a week, before the position is rotated to someone else."
Happy to see Simon's thoughts moving in the right direction, Kelly kept nudging.
"But he will know that I instigated this action. What if he does something to me, in retribution? I've been worried sick for the last week and have used the grinding spots to get to level 29, but I still don't feel safe. The kind of muscle someone in his position can buy..."
She left her words hanging, and Simon came up short.
"I don't have any other solution. I can't get him fired or imprisoned without evidence."
Kelly helped him along.
"What if, instead of transferring him, you transfer me? Just make it seem like a routine change of personnel. Maybe call it a conflict of interest. Just make sure he doesn't suspect me."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
At this point, the representative of the big tech alliance, the man with the authority to send her to the tiered dungeon, was dancing to her tunes.
"That may be a good idea, and I could enact some policy saying that directors in this alliance can't have their relatives as assistants, but it'll take time."
Kelly spoke, tears now flowing freely from her eyes.
"I don't think I can bear with this any longer. I don't know what he'll do to me. Every night I wonder if I'll wake up the next morning."
Her eyes turned pleading.
"Is there any other way I could get sent far away without tipping off my husband?"
And finally, Simon spoke the words she had been waiting for.
"There is something, but it may be even more dangerous than staying here with your husband."
----------------------------------------
As she sat in the world congress, Kelly went through her plan one last time.
She started with the personnel.
Combat Personnel - 15.
All are at level 24.
Class and Path Count Melee - Tank 2 Melee - Rogue 2 Melee - Spearman 8 Ranged - Archer 2 Mage - Healer 1
Non Combat Personnel - 15.
All are level 25+.
Class and Specialization Count Gatherer - Prospector 1 Gatherer - Miner 2 Crafter - Blacksmith 2 Crafter - Weaponsmith 1 Enchanter - Runescribe 1 Enchanter - Spellscribe 2 Trader - Merchant 2 Scholar - Technocrat 2 Administrator - Dungeon Master 2
Kelly had guilted Simon into provisioning enough funds to send a party of 30 individuals with her, in addition to all the family members that were being sent. With a lot of deliberation and persuasion, she had managed to handpick 15 fighters and 15 non-combat specialists to accompany her to the Bastion. The fighters were in on the plan, and their loyalty had been purchased with benefits for their families and a promise of unparalleled growth. Their class distribution was lopsided to better align with Kelly's hidden ace. The reason for keeping them all on level 24 was of course the tiered dungeon.
The non-combat personnel, on the other hand, were simply being paid to do their job and knew nothing about the planned betrayal. Kelly had kept redundancies for the most crucial of specializations, in case some of them had moral issues with what she was doing.
All the pieces are in place. For the next step, I'll ingratiate myself with the group, take advantage of the dungeon to level my troops up, and then stage an uprising once the waves are overcome.
Of course, there was a high risk that the future waves may be too much for her to overcome. Even though Kelly hoped the dungeon would provide a decisive advantage, she was prepared to repeatedly surrender and throw in her lot with whoever came out on top in every wave.
Before she left, the gullible representative with a savior complex approached her.
"This is being labeled a friendly wave, as our steward had predicted it would be. But remember, some hostiles may still join it. The threat of punishment by the stewards is likely just hollow posturing, and any caught in an ambush would have to fend for themselves."
You bet your ass it's hollow posturing. I'm counting on it.
Kelly thought and suppressed a smile as she thanked Simon for his advice.