As we stepped into the clearing where the cannibal pigs had their camp, I lobbed a flame egg into their cook pot. It exploded, splattering the pigs with boiling who knows what and knocking them all back. I'd set their nearest huts on fire. They ran about squealing and charging through the sudden clouds of smoke to try to find us. Sage whooped and lassoed one of the larger boars.

The surviving pigs picked themselves up and charged through the flaming wreckage of their camp at us. I took careful aim and shot. Meanwhile, I looked up the contact information that the patriarch of the progenitor cult had given me and composed a message for Kvaltash. I have spoken with the ghost in the machine. If you want to hear what I know, reply back fast. I want a bargain. Then I sent a message to the Grignarians. Do you want to give some of these galactic assholes a black eye? Let me know if you're in. I resumed paying attention as Grandpa directed us.

I got a reply back from Patriarch Kvaltash. What is it you want?

We need to have our sponsor upgraded so she can back us into Phase Three.

Not possible. Tvedra's license is for Phase Two. Besides you do not have the financial backing for Phase Three. I can offer to buy out your combat team and place them on my own church's bid if you wish to participate in Phase Three.

Not good enough, I shot back. I was risking a lot here based on some conjectures.

I assure you the deal will be most profitable for you and your team. You will come away as very, very wealthy individuals.

That's not what I'm after and it's not what you're after either. You need an Earth human team in Phase Three, don't you? You need us. I'm willing to make an alliance even to ask Veda to sell you a share in the operation but I'm going in with my coalition or I'm not going in at all.

I turned my attention back to taking out the cannibal pigs. They were twice as powerful as usual, and they kept respawning as we slaughtered them. The booster flags Vortali was using were powerful artifacts. I was eager to get my hands on a few. Though we had been able to steal Vortali's flags, they had to be refreshed every 4 hours or the buff and ability to direct creep would disappear.

The Patriarch replied back. Perhaps my church can buy out your whole outpost and guild. Would that satisfy you?

Nope. I trust Veda a lot more than I trust you. I was surprised to find that I trusted Veda quite a bit actually. We had been through a lot together at this point. I want her to be able to tell me if something here is screwed up.

You don't know how much of an investment you're asking, the Patriarch replied. In order to upgrade her license, we would have to sacrifice our own or pay off someone else.

Then do it, I said. In exchange, I'll tell you what the reality engine has told me. You don't care about this particular reality engine, do you? You want to learn the secrets that make them tick. Well, I care about this one because it's ours. I know my people aren't going to come away with much more than scraps, but I want a chance at those scraps. Upgrade Veda's license and I'll get you all the information I possibly can.

If you're worth it, Kvaltash shot back at once. Phase Three is like nothing you've done before. You won't be able to get along on tricks and just barely scraping by.

We weren't supposed to make it into Phase Two either.

You have a point, and I like your style. I’ll give you a chance. Claim one of the alpha nodes on your atoll. If you can do that, then I'll back your bid. Now. I am going to be busy for some time. Talk to me when you’re finished.

Sage whooped as she converted the Vortali flags to ours. "Go, my minions!" she shouted, casting Cowgirl Cheer on the next group of creep that spawned. They moved off northward to join the wave attacking Existalis. "Two down, one to go!"

I quickly shot Grandpa a message. We have to take one of the alpha nodes. If we do, we're in for Phase Three.

Are you nuts? The kind of firepower they can command is way more than what we can overcome.

That's why we're going to need some help. I sent another message to the Grignarians. What will it take to get you involved? I want to destroy the chances of Existalis or Vortali. I don't care which. If you have a preference, tell me and we'll team up.

Finally, they sent a reply. Thief. We don't trust you.

You don't have to trust me. Just help me give someone else a black eye for a change.

You helped the orcs destroy our party. We did not make it to the second part of the event. Our hope of achieving Phase Three is gone.

Sorry about that, I said. Maybe if we take out one of their nodes, you can scavenge enough to get through?

No. There was a pause. We will make you a bargain. If you succeed in reaching Phase Three, you will hire us as mercenaries.

Why? I was immediately suspicious. What’s that get you?

Access to the reality engine. The chance to ask questions. To learn the things the others already know, just because they were born to the right stars.

I shot Grandpa a quick message, telling him what was going on.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Sounds risky, he said.

I think we need them. I also think we kind of screwed them over without knowing what was going on.

You’re getting soft on me, boy. It’s up to you, but we don’t know the Phase Three rules. What if this means some of our team gets sidelined? What if they’re able to turn on us?

He had a point. I told the Grignarians, We’re willing, as long as you agree to a contract our Notary witnesses. We’ll hire you as mercenaries, but you’ll take orders from us.

Tell your Notary to send the contract. We’ll consider it.

I added Juana to the group chat with Grandpa. Time’s short here. We need a quick contract, no loopholes for them to exploit.

The shorter it is, the more situations might come up, Juana warned. Longer contracts are actually safer, you can go over contingencies.

Yeah, but right now we need them on board. The deal is: we hire them as mercenaries during Phase Three and allow them access to the reality engine. They follow our orders, they do not take any actions against us or give intelligence to our enemies, and they don’t betray us.

I can think of a bunch of loopholes right now, Juana said. I could hear the doubt even in her typed replies.

Then add what you can think of and get it to them quick.

Right.

I considered making Existalis an offer. They’d have the firepower we needed. But they’d refused to answer any of our overtures so far, and I didn’t trust them.

Juana sent us a message. Sent the contract. I’ve got Veda's supplies. What do you want me to do with them?

Hang on. I sent a message to Veda asking her what her recommendation was. Then, while I waited for a reply, I checked my map.

We had taken all three of the spawn points on our own island. Right now, three streams of creep was marching toward Existalis. As soon as I got the capture flags from Juana, we would change that.

The Grignarians replied to my contract offer. Agreed. But betray us, and we will see that you and your people suffer for a thousand cycles, just as we have done. We cannot take vengeance against everyone who has wronged us, but your people are weak. You have no allies. No one will fight for you.

Understood. I did not like the idea of working with the Grignarians, but there was no way we could take on an alpha node alone.

"Let's all regroup back at the outpost,” Grandpa suggested. He sent a message to the rest of our team and recalled any of the crafters who were still wandering around the jungle.

I sent a message to the Grignarians. We'll be ready to move out in 20 minutes.

I stood over the row of supplies Veda had sent us. There were a dozen bundles of spawn point capture flags, enough to convert all of the points on this island and have a couple to spare. She had also sent nine tactical vests. They were large, dark grey in color, and covered in pockets.

I picked one up. It was heavy. I draped it over myself and it adjusted and conformed to my body. There were pouches and pockets all over it. I Inspected it and a system menu popped up.

[NPC spawn directive vest. This vest allows the user to enhance and direct nearby spawned NPC minions.

Choose between the following minion buffs: Enhance speed, enhance accuracy, enhance damage.

Choose between several damage type buffs: Damage - fire, damage - ice, damage- electricity.

Choose between several miscellaneous enhancements: Shield, stim, slow heal.]

Most of those options had further text available to inspect but I got the gist by looking at it. They also contained a couple of specific use abilities for the wearer. [EMP: temporarily shut down nearby defense structures. Cast fireball. Summon walking mines]

“Okay,” I said. “I’m starting to get the idea.” I checked. Still no message from Veda. I sent again, asking her if she had more instructions.

Our crafters were clustering around the node gateway itself, preparing to leave. “Anything else for us?” Dwight asked.

“You and half a dozen of the best stay here,” Grandpa said. “Everyone else can go back and rest up, get a bite to eat. You did good work today.”

“Let me make sure I understand this. You’re going to take on an alpha node?” Juana asked skeptically. “You remember how much better the beta node gear was than the stuff Veda could afford for us? How it’s meant you guys get to gallivant around, taking out rare mobs, instead of being on defense the whole time?”

“Yeah,” I agreed warily, seeing where she was going. “I know. Their gear will be even better. But we don’t have a choice.”

“Of course we do. We sit tight, hold what we’ve got.”

“We can’t. If we want to make it into Phase Three we have to take that node out.”

“But do we?” Dwight asked. “Look, Phase Two has been great for us. We’ve made so much money, we might actually buy out our contracts. But Phase Three? We don’t know anything about it. What if death is real again? I don’t want any part of that.”

“We’ll worry about that once we know the ruleset,” Grandpa said firmly. “Shad’s right. We take the alpha node, now.”

Juana sighed. She pointed to our supply hut, where we kept the emergency supplies, backup turrets, and unused gear. “Then you’d better take the Portable Hole Puncher.”

She was referring to the battering ram device the Firebrand orcs had tried to use on us when they’d attacked our outpost. “I thought you sold that.”

“Couldn’t find a taker.”

I went over and checked. It wouldn’t fit in my inventory. “Anyone able to pick this up?”

“We’ll bring it along after we finish capping spawn points,” Smith promised.

“I knew you grunts were good for something,” Grandpa said. “All right, let’s finish up here.”

Juana looked up from her battle map. “I’ve been trying to send a message to my mother for the last 15 minutes,” she said. “Mama went back to get started on dinner and she was supposed to send some through for me. I was wondering why she hadn't. She hasn't replied.”

Worry started to gnaw at me. I sent a message to one of our crafters who had just stepped through, Leanne. She didn't reply.

I tried to send a message on the Coalition General channel. Is this thing on? My message appeared there and I got a response from Smith. We see you. Nothing from anyone outside. I noticed it had been some time since there'd been much traffic on this channel.

I swore. “I think we're cut off!” I looked over to the gateway and raised my voice. “Hey, Emmett.”

The crafter who had been about to step through paused, looking at me. “Yeah?”

“As soon as you're through, send me back a message letting me know that everything's okay there.”

“We expect a problem?”

“Not really,” I said.

Emmett looked doubtful, but stepped through. I waited. We didn't get a message.

“Alright, I'm going to assume that we've been cut off from communication, not that Threshold is gone,” I said grimly. “Seems like anything that could destroy the hub and Threshold both without us knowing would take out a big chunk of this reality engine and shut the simulation down.”

There were some problems with that theory, but I wasn't going to voice them. Not with everyone else here.

“So we're on our own. That's alright. We know what we need to do. Mongoose is almost back,” Grandpa said as he picked up one of the vests and put it on. “Then it’s time to move out.”

“It's time to decapitate them,” Sage said. She grabbed a vest, her eyes shining, and put it on. “I’ve been preparing for this for weeks now, watching eSports matches from back on Earth. Everything I could find that's a MOBA.”

“You didn't offer to help me out,” Juana said, sounding mildly hurt.

Sage laughed. “I don't care about this defense stuff. Figured if it ever got bad, Shad and I would just clean up all the mobs for you. No, this is the point where we turn the tide, isn't it, Shad? We're going on the attack. We're the creep now.”

I grinned. “Actually,” I said, “we're the champions.”