Vince sat at a round table with Shill and Tommy on either side of him. They were surrounded by sponsors, game analysts, marketing agents and god knows what other experts Gateway employed. The implant company was their biggest backer. More than 70% of their income, Tommy had said.

“Since everyone is present, we can begin,” the president of Gateway spoke. He was an elderly bald man with a severe lack of facial hair. Raisin, Vince liked to call him. Certainly looked like one.

A data analyst in her twenties stood as if on cue and brought up the projection of a graph. Vince cringed inwardly. Truth be told, he already knew why they had been called in. Raisin had been looking for an excuse to halt the guild’s PvP activity for months, and this new announcement was just what he needed.

“As you can see on the graph, the percentage of viewers tuning in to watch PvP has been decreasing steadily as new areas appear. The scene has been stale for quite some time and…”

The analyst rambled on and on about numbers and lines. Vince leaned back and tapped his fingers on the table. There was no reason to take out his anger on the poor gal. She was just an employee after all. He just sat there, brooding, as the experts talked one after the other. Their babble mixed together until he cared little for what they said and remembered even less of it.

"That concludes the presentation." Finally, after nearly two hours the experts had finished their little show.

"Very well done. Thank you." Raisin got up and nodded at them, full of smiles. "So, as you can see, the daily Dusk and Dawn battles are an excellent window to advance westward uncontested. PvP on the other hand no longer fits our business model in any way."

"So?" Vince raised an eyebrow.

"So the guild is gonna stop participating and dedicate that time to exploration."

Vince sighed and rubbed his temples. "Honestly, I don't give a fuck about any business model." The conference room froze at that. Highly unprofessional, sure, but necessary.

"What are you doing?" Shill kicked him under the table and muttered under his breath.

Vince chose to ignore him. The presentation was a giant farce, orchestrated so that Raisin would have his way. He could agree to many conditions, but this pushed his limits. If he yielded here, who knew what Raisin would ask for next? "I'm the one to decide what is best for Glimmering Shield. We will continue operating as normal, and I'll ask you to stop meddling in my guild's affairs."

Raisin wrinkled up even more. "It's best that you heed my advice, boy. We're contractually free to withdraw from this partnership at any time."

"You're threatening me?" Vince exaggerated a laugh. Now it had turned into a challenge and he hated it, but he had to call that bluff. "Tommy, how many sponsorship deals did we reject last month?"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Forty three," Tommy replied after some swift typing.

Vin would have to work overtime to make the amount Gateway offered, but damned was the money that came at the price of freedom.

"I can take my 'business' elsewhere," Vin said in mockery. "But you'll be hard-pressed to find a guild of our capability. Perhaps some in the double digits of the rankings will have looser contracts. Please understand that it's not my wish for this partnership to end, but I won't hesitate to do it. If there's one thing I hate, it's being undermined."

Raisin pulled a face like he had swallowed a dead bug. Perhaps Vince had pushed it too far by embarrassing him in front of all his staff. "Indeed, terminating now would be… unprofitable." He exhaled loudly. Never one to hide his anger, no matter how much he tried. "We will continue to sponsor Twilight in all their PvE activity in return for exclusivity. Meeting concluded." He waved his hand and set off back to whatever rat hole he crawled out from. The experts mumbled amongst themselves after he left, sometimes sneaking glances at Vince.

"One day your stubbornness will come back to bite you." Shill sighed and gathered up his notes.

"You were paying attention?" Vince feigned surprise. "Astonishing."

"Someone has to." Shill reached under the table and turned the projector program off. The room returned to its white blandness and the three of them were alone again. Meeting rooms were often made that way. It helped with the quality of the projections.

"You agree with me though, right?" Vince checked his phone. Cecilia was waiting for him.

"I agree with the notion," Shill said, "but your method could use some… finesse."

"It went smoother than expected. Strange that old Raisin didn't put up much of a fight."

Shill shrugged. "Perhaps he grew tired of your antics and gave up."

“Works for me!” Vince smiled. “Let’s hope it stays that way for a good while.”

“When did you get so stubborn?” Shill asked with a hint of anger. “You’re not playing alone, and the guild is not just part of a game anymore. It is, in part, a business.”

Vince felt the heat gathering in his head again. “I guess I’ll have to explain it to you too, huh? You don’t get to decide what my guild is.”

“I never said otherwise,” Shill replied coldly. “I just ask that you see the big picture and consider all variables when making a decision. Sucking up to sponsors a little isn’t the end of the world.”

“No, but it’s how you end up owned and collared. Trust me, you don’t want to be on the beck and call of a man like that. It’s demeaning.”

Shill took a deep breath and tilted his head as he stood. “Listen here–”

Tommy stood up sharply, face glued onto his phone's screen. “I'm going home. I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was a lull as he walked out the meeting room.

“Forget it,” Shill said. “I won’t argue with my guild leader any more. What’s done is done.”

“It’s for the best, trust me.” Vince stood and stretched his back. "It's getting late. I'll be going as well.”

“Take care,” Shill bid him farewell.

Vince nodded and walked out, climbing the short stairs down to the city streets. Today had not been a good day. His defeat at the hands of Asire gnawed at him constantly, and the meeting had been nerve-racking. Not to mention Shill…

He felt a tiredness that only Cecilia's warmth and snuggles could cure. The cold touch of a raindrop found his hair instead, and he looked up. The sky was growing murky, clouds thickening and shrouding the sun, a prelude to the storm that would soon come. He hastened on his way.