Welcome to the Koldaavi Combat Trials - Round 1!

Competitor baselining complete.

Trial baselining complete.

A total of 78 competitors across the Universe are engaged in this Trial.

You have been transported to your Trial location, Orvorax.

Your Trial liaison has been notified - Zarithrax Vulkaainan.

All competitors now have 10000 Universal Time Units (UTUs) to prepare.

No hostile activity is permitted until your UTU counter reaches zero.

Your task is to drive the Qillathe Syndicate from Orvorax.

Success criteria:

* Over 90% of the oppressed population must survive

* Over 50% of the Velcrynite production facilities must remain functional

* No Qillathe Syndicate member ranked over Thaloryn remains on Orvorax

Round 2 of the KCT will commence in 3 million UTUs.

Surviving competitors will be transported irrespective of Round 1 result.

Best of luck, High Enforcer Cadimus.

This notification window cannot be shared and will be deleted in 20 UTUs.

A few seconds later the notification disappears and, as expected, I can’t call it up again. The success criteria and information are fresh in my mind so I create another notification window in case I need to refer back to them.

Just over an hour and a half before I can act, reserved as time to prepare to take back a captured and repressed moon. Just over 3 weeks to accomplish it. I wonder how many competitors have experience completing a mission like this. It’s not the same, but what I went through with Oblivion Shroud has at least provided me with a potential path forward. Can I replicate what I did there and more, now that I have even more Skills and power at my disposal? Is this totally different? In a way I’m looking forward to finding out, not just to help right a wrong but also to see what I’m capable of now.

Barren reddish land of sand and rock surround me in all directions as far as my Perception can detect, much further than my minimap stretches. It’s how I imagine Mars looks, or at least did before the Mana Influx. It occurs to me that if Earth has been saturated with Mana there’s a very high chance the other planets in our solar system have been too. What kinds of Teleports have arrived or Monsters have formed there? For a moment I worry about interplanetary danger to Earth, but I dismiss it quickly as Zarithrax appears, flying toward me.

I’m struck again how much he reminds me of Tenebris as his dark, powerful frame descends from the sky, leathery wings spread to slow his momentum and glowing amber eyes fixed on me. He’s gained a Level I hope is from defeating Monsters on Earth, and I see he’s no longer part of a Strike Force, now part of the Tenebris Special Forces instead, as he lands with a thump and a cloud of dust. He looms over me from a height perspective so I look up into his draconic features and wait to hear what he has to say

Zarithrax Vulkaainan, Draconic Warlord, Elemental Mage, War Leader, Destroyer of the Yiiltin, Underworld Combat Champion, more… (Level 29 Battle Tyrant) (L)

[Tenebris Special Forces] [Laniakea Supercluster]

“So, not totally useless then…” he allows with a slight sneer.

“Not totally,” I agree.

Something about the way he’s standing and his posture makes me think he wants to test himself against me for a few moments, then it passes and he continues.

“This is your Trial, and there are no real restrictions on how you accomplish it, which allows all Classes to leverage their strengths. I have been stationed here for the last few weeks trying to understand the situation and how it can be rectified before it was selected as a KCT location. A fortuitous assignment for me, indeed.”

“Are you saying that the odds here have been tilted in my favor?” I ask, unsure if I should be concerned or not. “That there is some gamesmanship going on? Risking disqualification due to outside help or influence is not something I signed up for.”

Zarithrax growls in what I interpret as amusement.

“Hardly favorable odds. All Trials like this take advantage of circumstances to help to explain what’s happened without tying it directly back to the KCT. In this case, a recent insurrection and takeover by the Qillathe Syndicate is more than enough reason for me to be here on behalf of Tenebris. And of course, those who engage the SSA for a Trial in exchange for Credits or favors have a vested interest in what happens so many Trials have people like me stationed at the location in advance.”

The imposing Dragonkin pauses for a moment and I wait, aware of his presence but not bothered by it.

“No Bronwic, things here are not in your favor just as they weren’t with Hvitserkur. I have been part of three Trials and this one is perhaps the most unfair in the other direction. You will be lucky to accomplish this Trial in the allotted time frame, before the public KCT rounds begin.”

“You will help me?” I ask, curious. Not much about his demeanor is making me think Zarithrax is going to give me a leg up in this Trial.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Tenebris is my Liege, and I owe him everything. I will do everything I can to free the people who have been displaced and reclaim this moon, or die trying. Even if you are killed or your Trial time frame elapses, I will continue to fight,” he rumbles while his massive clawed right hand tightens into an iron fist.

That seems pretty clear to me. I take him at face value and look around, keen to find out what I need to do and begin.

“Can you give me an overview of the situation here?” I ask.

“The population here was operating under one of the resource companies of Tenebris and slowly becoming prosperous, but now it is under heavy duress. There are hostages, Contracts, extortion, and practices that border on violating SSA Protocols. I suspect those are just the ones I can see and there is much worse under the surface. My understanding is your Trial is to fix the situation.”

“When do we begin?”

“Now,” he says. “We will travel to our forces and join the Merchant, who is our cover story to explain why you are on this moon. Then you will either follow the plan we have laid out or devise another one. I will not support a plan that’s doomed to fail, but we accept you are here to lead us for a reason and I need to make this right.”

“Where is the Merchant?” I ask, curious to try out Omnipresent if I can.

“Some distance from here. It will take us some time to get there.”

“She is powerful?”

“High Level dual Mythic Class,” he agrees. “Very rare.”

I wonder briefly why anyone on the verge of obtaining Legendary Skills would start again with a Basic Class, but put it behind me quickly. I’m too worked up to use my Skill in a new way to dwell on it.

I trigger Omnipresent and open myself up to everything on the moon. Using my newly enhanced Skill in conjunction with my Affinity, I filter through all the possibilities, everything I can find that feels like a cloud of dots lit up in my mind. Some of them are connected to each other like nodes. The brightness and color of the dots in the cloud that surrounds the planet helps me to find what I need, so I concentrate and filter down to only powerful Merchants. There are a dozen on the planet of sufficient Levels to meet the description, but only one is female and allied to Tenebris. I wonder if that’s something only my Skill can sense or if she is openly allied with what is no doubt the losing side of a planetary insurrection.

“Found her,” I say and Zarithrax huffs through his nostrils in doubt.

I form a Portal and he shifts his weight in surprise as he sees the female Goblin on the other side. I push with my will and my Affinity into Omnipresent and adjust the way I’m preparing to manifest the Portal with a thrill, understanding at an instinctive level that I can now create one that allows Zarithrax to pass through it if I need to.

“Maybe when I manifest the Portal you should go through?” I suggest. “Just in case she has defensive measures in place?”

“We are her defensive measures,” he replies.

Still, I manifest the Portal in a position that faces Zarithrax and motion him to go first. He does, and by the time I’m in position to follow him it’s clear that his sudden entrance has caused some commotion on the other side. I smile to myself and step through the Portal. We might have a few weeks to finish this Trial but it’s still a race against time and I’m keen to get started.

No defensive measures hit me as I enter the room and close my Portal behind me. I release some of the tension I’m carrying out of habit because I’ve entered enough rooms with people I don’t know through a Portal to expect that 95% of the time somebody reacts immediately, and who can blame them really? I do the same.

There are a few Mythic combat Classers here who close around the Merchant protectively, I assume the core part of the bodyguards on a normal day. No weapons are drawn which means they’ll all probably survive this encounter. All of them are totally overshadowed by the power of Zarithrax, who feels more like a tiger prowling amongst some kittens. I turn my attention to the Goblin Merchant and pull her top level Status.

Kretchna Plinvarxorith, Peacekeeper, Appraisal Guild Mistress, Explorer, Treasure Hunter, more… (Level 28 Element Merchant, Level 25 Negotiator) (M)

[Tagoniin Mercantile Guild] [Laniakea Supercluster]

She has the Mark of Tenebris, but it’s hidden and so I’m guessing whoever we’re going to see in the Qillathe Syndicate doesn’t know we’re all associated with Tenebris. Of course, assuming anyone is ignorant ignores the options for collecting warnings and intelligence which far outstrip anything I’ve personally experienced.

“Greetings, High Enforcer Cadimus,” she says. Her voice is surprisingly light for a Goblin and her Charisma is obviously high, though probably nowhere near where my still-repressed Charisma sits now. I wonder briefly if I should try to find a way to hide my High Enforcer Title, it seems to be the one people outside of Earth gravitate to and I’m still not sure what it means.

“Greetings, Kretchna,” I reply with a grin. “I understand we have some work to do together. Is it appropriate for us to speak in private?”

At that her bodyguards bristle, a mixture of Goblins and much more powerful, hobgoblin-like Bauchan Warriors. They don’t call any weapons to hand though, and Zarithrax surveys them critically, completely relaxed, as if daring any of them to try something. It’s a bit arrogant and jerky, but I kind of like it.

“Guards, give us 1000 UTUs please,” she says to the bodyguards. They don’t look particularly pleased but don’t say a word against it and exit the room which looks a lot like an old style eating hall with huge wooden tables combined with a furniture store.

I take a closer look at Kretchna while they exit. Her sharp features are unusually symmetrical for a Goblin with high cheekbones, a pointed chin, slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes, and long black hair that flows like ink rather than a birds’ nest. She’s dressed in layers of mismatched fabrics that somehow blend into something appealing that makes sense and all of her movements look deliberate, calculated to hold my attention or disarm any suspicions. I can see why Zarithrax called her Class combination very rare, and very powerful.

“So… Zarithrax mentioned there’s the bones of a plan?” I ask once the three of us are alone and gesture to some of the furniture. The mismatched styles and sizes are actually totally appropriate since the size difference between Kretchna and Zarithrax is enormous, with me somewhere in the middle.

“The Qillathe Syndicate’s seat of power is about 10 kilometers from here, in the largest extraction and manufacturing facility on the moon. However, there are many other facilities of a similar size and dozens more research and military facilities. Bringing in an army would likely result in the population being slaughtered, the facilities being destroyed, and the Syndicate pulling back to one of their strongholds. My legitimate mission here is to approach them and try to recover the moon by buying it back, essentially paying a ransom. This is an activity I have done many times before, including two successful transactions with the Qillathe. They are reprehensible, but usually open to negotiation. However, in this case we have reliable information that they will certainly refuse because of the economic potential of the resources here, combined with the powerful position they have over the population, which is very skilled, ” she says. Zarithrax sneers and shifts forward in his seat like he’s going to surge out of it and knock some heads together.

“And… we, or maybe just I, are rogue elements that you can dissociate yourself with during the negotiations and plausibly claim I am acting in my capacity as a High Enforcer rather than a bodyguard?” I ask.

“Precisely,” she agrees. “I have hired you due to your results in the KCC and you are exploring the Universe, escaping the latest Mana Influx.”

“That doesn’t sound like me,” I comment.

“They don’t know that,” says Kretchna, and I can see she’s right. “You will accompany me into their headquarters and disappear when you deem it appropriate. Security there is very tight, it is only my reputation that will get us in.”

I scratch my chin in thought.

“I appreciate your plan, I really do. And the fact you are willing to put your life and reputation on the line to reclaim Orvorax and help with my Trial.”

Kretchna tilts her head in acknowledgement.

“But?” interjects Zarithrax.

“But… there might be another way,” I suggest.