"Not as much improvement as I like at all, but you have come quite far in a small space of time. You know what to do to improve yourself. I am going to have a break now, Do not come back to see me for oh, two years. By then I hope to see some improvements. Do work well my boy. Oh before I get, here." He touched his finger to my forehead and there was a ding.
Rewards given for progress so far
New area awarded within the academy and your quarters attached for the purpose of gathering together your new faction. Open access now revoked to Kekemozz quarters, but main meeting room can still be accessed for due to the teaching aspects between you and Kekemozz.
Private information passed by Kekemozz.
Assets given by Kekemozz.
300 demi reward for setting up a faction.
Rules concerning faction and Academy
While you have set up a faction, It hidden status will mean that people will identify you as a group, even with heightened information gathering skills. This will change after you have finished the academy.
There are additional rewards that will be allocated if your faction manages to survive graduating the academy. You have these rewards, but they wont show until then.
Faction wars are not tolerated at the academy or the city of the demigods.
Huh. Well that was interesting then. I went to contact Kusog and suggested we meet in our new headquarters. He agreed and I headed there. I stepped through the portal room to an identical portal room. I went through the door to find myself in a big meeting room and Kusog standing there. He nodded to me and pointed to two doors that had our name on them. "Our quarters. There is also this on the table here." It was a tablet. I examined it and found it to be a sort of upgrade/control tablet for the headquarters. I looked at the options and created another tablet for Kusog that would show him everything as well and told him to look through it. There was a lot of information there and it took us a while to read through. Eventually we both finshed and began to speak. Within a few minutes we had filled each other in on all that we knew about factions and the headquarters here. We then agreed that there wasn't really any point in us getting any upgrades, before we recruited. Thus we decided, it was time to start the recruitment drive.
We headed to the portal and went to the Markets. While we wanted a combat team and Kusog had some ideas on that, we needed to fill out some more niche roles within our organisation. At the moment, I was overall in charge, and Kusog would be in charge of the combat teams plus combat supports. We probably wouldnt really fill out the combat support roles in the five years we had left, except if we found a good fit purely by accident. On the other side of things we needed someone who would deal with the gathering side of things, someone for crafting which I could fill in for while we were at the academy but we would probably need someone by the time we established a new home. I also had some other ideas as did Kusog. We had managed to merge some of those ideas. it would prove interesting. Kusog had no contacts in the markets. It did not interest him. I however, did. I went straight to Hepht
"Ah, Mr Tinkerson. So lovely to see you. Started a group I see. I have heard of Mr Kusog, I look forward to what your partnership may bring about. May I ask what you need with me?" Hepht greeted me and Kusog in an easy way. It did not surprise me that Hepht knew the basics. A man who made his living scanning materials and equipment, would have a very good identifying skill and would know how to find out what he wanted to know.
"Mr Hepht. I find myself in a bit of a quandary and wondered if you can help me."
"I most likely can. But it gonna cost you. Help doesn't come for free round here." I well knew this. However, I was fairly confident on what he would ask for a price, and it was one that would be easily paid in my eyes. Kusog had needed a bit of explaining on this, but once I laid it out, was fine with it.
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"As you know, I am a fair hand at merchanting and such. Mr Kusog has been hired for the combat side of things. I can also do some basic crafting, enough to get us by for now. However, once we get past the guild hall doors, I know we can do missions. Which means we need an expert for gathering, to help us identify where we can overlap and combine missions in an area. I was wondering if there was anyone you could point us to?" Hepht stopped the chopping he was doing. He looked at me and Kusog and appeared to be thinking.
"You two have a bit of a rep. Tinkerson, you are rising fast. Kusog, you could have rose fast but you didn't. Yet I sense it wasn't because you didn't have the skills. This make you non conformists, pair of ya. Simply put, you both would suck working in large groups and factions and pantheons. In fact, I can't picture any of you in a pantheon, full stop." Hepht smiled at this point. "I been training a guy who like you. He gets plenty of offers from people who see I am training him but turns them down. I have asked him why, but he says they aren't qutie right. He quite frankly knows all I got to teach and is wasted here. Come back here in a day, and I introduce the pair of you." We nodded and walked off.
"Well, if we can recruit him, looks like we got a handle there. Now we need to find somebody or bodies who can fill our other needs." There were a few needs. We needed a front person. Someone who could handle the contract details and gladhandle the people who would need finesse. I might be able to bring them to the table. I need someone to convince them to stay at the table. Again, I was using another person I had met, this time in the rows. Henare. We found her in her shop and explaned what we needed. She heard us out and then spoke.
"You most definitely need a public relations person. However, I can also see you need someone who going to be able to collate everything together and sort it. While you do a fine job of the basics for that Tinkerson, you need someone more in depth for the paperwork as it were." I shrugged. I had planned to handle that myself for now, but if we could find someone and agree terms, I wasn't adverse to it. Henare thought for a while. "There someone over in the arena who will probably do for your front man. He actually doing a line in betting there and networking among the epic teams there. He seems to be a right character but it hides a lot of depth. You might even find other uses for him in your group. Can you guess who I mean Kusog?"
"Charses. In thinking about it, He would actually be good at the job. I was a bit worried about his trustworthiness shall we say?" Henare shrugged.
"That where the hidden depths come into play. I would recommend you visit him. As for the admin person, I understand you been to the Knowledge store down the way Tinkerson?" I nodded. go and talk with old man Kitsun. I think he might be able to help you more. It gonna cos you tho." I had a sinking feeling that this was going to be the case. We then walked to the bookstore. Might as well get this bit out of the way. The old man, Kitsun was sitting exactly where I had seen him last time, still in shadow.
"Hello young fellas. I hear you have come to maybe make a deal. It will cost you. But I be willing to sweeten the pot." Just like last time, the old man seemed to know everything. He seriously unerved me. However, I had gotten a good deal with this place, that had enabled me to move far ahead. "In regards to the person you are looking for, I can get her to meet you at the portals when you go back. She has learned a lot from me, her father and a lot from her mother as well. This along with the information I wish to give you both is valued at 100 demis. This deal is all or nothing. My daughter and information, or no deal." Me and Kusog retreated to talk outside the shop.
"Do you think this will be worth it?" Asked Kusog. I looked at him directly and replied,
"Normally I would say no. However, Henare recommended the person which commends her in my eyes. Plus the information that Kitsun gave me last time? I would have paid 100 demis for that, knowing what I know now." I saw this affected Kusog. He had been amazed at my progress so far. One of the reasons he was willing to defer to me. In the end he signalled his agreement to make the deal. We went back inside and Kitsun smiled at us.
"Excellent. I'm sure your faction will be a sucessful one." How?..... "Oh I guessed on that one, please to see I was right. you both need to work on that if you wish to be leaders. Now the 100 demis please?" I handed it over, feeling pain in my heart. True, it had been part of an unexpected windfall but it still hurt to see it go. "My daughter will meet you at the portals and speak to you there. As to what else I have to offer." First he brought out four books. Three were open, one was bound with a lock. " This first book, an upgraded headquarters at the academy. These two books, one is for Kusog and one is for Tinkerson. They will impart skills and learnings towards your positons in a faction. I would not read these til you have a month spare gentlemen. Now to this last book." He moved out of the shadows and we saw his eyes. Fox eyes. I was reminded of some old myths from my world. "This book is bound and you won't be able to access it until you have walked over the threshold to the guild hall. After that, all members of your faction should read this. Not all will get the same gist from it. It will work to up to 12 people. Once you have reach that limit, it will just disappear. I promise however, that it will be worth it." I looked at Kusog. He appeared deep in thought. Finally he nodded his thanks to Kitsun to which I belatedly added mine too. We then started walking back to the portals. There we met a woman who had the same eyes as Kitsun. We conversed and found out her name was Misun. We invited her to the faction and stepped back through the portal. I entered the book to the tablet, where it then told there was an ungrade available.
"Once we have gotten the two other people we need, we trigger the upgrade then." I said allowed and the others nodded. There was now a third door with Misun name on it. We all ate and made pleasant conversation for a while discovering that Misun had some high level information gathering and sorting skills. I could think of other advantageous to skills like that, once we rose in power. Much happier, I bid the rest goodnight and then went to sleep.