The group looked onwards with various levels of irritation as the ambassador of the Kearudown faction sat silently.
YTyeop: There is definitely a healer in the palace, you can't stay silent for the whole meeting because of a sore throat.
Quickly he played the /no emote causing his character to shake his head.
CakeKin: Let's just ask the question everybody wants to ask!
"LET'S NOT!"
YTyeop: That's right, the Kearudown faction owns the entire continent, do you plan to expand further?
"WHAT DO I DO!?"
HaremHarry: Now, now, let's not be too hasty!
"HOW DO I TROLL THE PERSON I KILLED!?"
Tickidy: True, Arlepia is very close to Kearudown, to put it simply we hope to avoid a virtual world-war.
"Wait... would that count as trolling? Did I do it?"
No reply came.
Tickidy: Do you plan to invade us, that's all we're asking!
A while of silence dragged on as XPhaxX sat there contemplating just logging out.
Tickidy: Bulars? Are you lagging?
XPhaxX's eyes darted to the message, he realised he was ignoring them this whole time, "They're asking me if I'm lagging, sure that's a decent excuse!"
He played the /nod emote.
Tickidy: ...you are being serious...
"Oh come on, you're the one who suggested lag as an excuse!"
He played the /nod emote.
HaremHarry: And the others?
"How am I supposed to know if others are lagging?!"
He played the /shrug emote.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
YTyeop: I see how it is... so there is no logic behind it?
"Nope."
He played the /no emote.
HaremHarry: Don't you see anything wrong with that?!
"They're questioning my stance on whether the lag is good or not!?"
He played the /rude emote to show how much he hated it before adding a /laugh to calm everyone down.
YTyeop: ...
HaremHarry: ...
Tickidy: ...
CakeKin: ...
Nobody said anything, the room went so silent the only sound audible was the sound of Kevin eating something in the vents.
CakeKin: Kearudown makes up roughly 20% of my income, though I think I may need to pull out before things get ugly.
"Kearudown? that's snowy shi#*ole? Good for him I guess..."
He played the /thumbs up emote.
Tickidy: I think I don't have to say we will cancel all our trade deals with Kearudown.
XPhaxX shrugged. "Why should I care? Why are these guys so upset about the snowy place?!"
YTyeop: How much more do you want? The whole map? What then?
"Wait... when did me wanting something come into the conversation?"
"This is bad... how do I even reply?!"
He scrolled up in the chat-log seeing the rest of the conversation, realising what he has just done.
"Thank god this is just some roleplay!"
Amidst the silence, XPhaxX sent a private message to Kevin.
XPhaxX: I think I screwed up the trolling...
Kevin: You were meant to troll the ambassador of Kearudown, right?
XPhaxX: Yeah...
Kevin: We killed him earlier, remember?
XPhaxX: Oh yeah! We got him!
A while of silence no occurred both in the room and in the private chat.
XPhaxX: You mean the roleplayer pretending to be the ambassador, right?
Kevin: No, I've been keeping up with the in-game politics, that was him.
XPhaxX: So all these other people...
Kevin: Are real faction leaders, yes.
XPhaxX: ...
Kevin: And you just declared war on the rest of the world.
XPhaxX: ...
Kevin: I have recorded it all.
What that XPhaxX stood up and ran towards the door, Kevin kicked the vent over and ran out after him.
XPhaxX: I DID A BIG OOF!
Kevin: I dunno, I don't think I could have done it better myself.
XPhaxX: I WAS MEANT TO TROLL A ROLEPLAYER, NOT START A WAR!
Kevin: Potato, potato
XPhaxX: IT'S POTATOE POTATO!
As they ran a dozen or so armoured guards stood in their way, so Kevin made the rational decision to grab XPhaxX and jump out one of the fancy windows and into the surrounding moat.
After swimming to a nearby beach they both fell onto the sand, their stamina bars nearly empty from the swimming, their characters gasping for air since they tried to stay underwater so as not to be noticed.
Kevin: I told you it was a scam!
XPhaxX: ...
XPhaxX: I quit.
Kevin: Quit what?
XPhaxX: The business is a failure! I'm a terrible troll and the one person that did want my help wanted me to be an assassin!
Kevin: Don't give up! You didn't "troll" the ambassador!
XPhaxX let out a sigh.
XPhaxX: ...guess you're right...
Kevin: You started a war! You "trolled" thousands of innocent NPCs that will be caught in the cross-fire.
XPhaxX: ...
XPhaxX: ...you're an as#*ole, you know that?
Kevin: I do my best. he replied with a chuckle.
They looked out into the distance, seeing the waves in the sea and the setting sun in what would have been a pretty epic scene if not for the bludgeoned, naked body of the ambassador floating in the distance.
XPhaxX turned to Kevin.
XPhaxX: Is that...?
Kevin: Yep.
He turned back to see the body floating into the distance.
XPhaxX: I wonder where it'll go.
Kevin: Maybe home.
[https://i.imgur.com/w3yMvGI.png]