Phoenix Phire

After a few hours, Alpha team took a break just inside the entrance of the Gemini Temple. They had learned several value bits of knowledge. The first was that they weren't ready for Oasis, even the garbage mobs in the temple managed to wipe them out will little effort. Nix's multiple deaths had resulted in him dropping 3 locked levels and left his armor at 50 percent.

Fajii was sitting next to him while they leaned back on the Gemini statue. She passed him her canteen, her tan face never seemed to lose its smile. "You did well Nix."

"Compared to Pon who died six times, I'd have to agree." Nix looked at the three items he had picked up. Although they couldn't beat anything in the temple, they did manage to open and steal just about every chest. There were a half dozen minor treasures and the three major ones.

/Alpha Team: Semmi: Link the two thief stones again Nix.

/Alpha Team: Nix: Sure, but there's nothing to them.

[Gemini Thief: 4th Tier]

Requirements: Possession of Gemini Stone.

/Alpha Team: Wind: It's already Tier 4. What's that mean?

/Alpha Team: Semmi: It could mean that it can be upgraded to Tier 5.

/Alpha Team: Nix: The lack of requirements is puzzling.

/Alpha Team: Semmi: I believe that it would normally take a full raid of Tier 4s to get these stones. We did it with five Tier 1s.

/Alpha Team: Nix: It's the camo-overlay. It's not a detectable skill or spell. We walked right in the middle of a dozen mobs that had true sight activated.

/Alpha Team: Semmi: I agree. No more making overlays for anyone outside of Inferno.

/Alpha Team: Nix: We have two scouts in this group. The stones are yours if you want them.

/Alpha Team: Semmi: Serious? Shit Nix... I don't know what to do.

/Alpha Team: Wind: I do, let me have it.

Nix handed the stone to Wind and he stepped away to activate it. A moment later he swore loudly.

/Alpha Team:Wind: No requirements, but you need to be level 100. Isn't that a f*cking requirement?

Nix handed the other to Semmi. "If you choose to use them, then do it after we unbank our levels. If you don't want it we'll sell them and split it between the five of us. "

/Alpha Team: Wind: I'm gonna use it for sure. Thanks, guys.

/Alpha team: Semmi: Me too. Thanks.

/Inferno: Nansu: Nix, the two people you were expecting a few days ago have arrived. I'm showing them around Glory and briefing them on everything I can think of.

/Inferno: Nix: Thanks Nan, could you bring them to the Officer meeting in Haven?

/Inferno: Nansu: I'll have to invite them into Inferno then. That's okay?

/Inferno: Nix: Yes. Take them to my ranch in Haven after you finish showing them around.

/Alpha Team: Pon: What about the other item? The Djinn?

/Alpha Team: Nix: It's a Fire-based pet, I don't need it. Roll if you want.

/Alpha Team: Pon: Same here, I got enough flames.

"Filthy creature that smells like sulfur, we don't want it." A cultured voice spoke from Fajii's shoulder. The small black fox stepped nimbly onto Nix and sat their quietly.

"You did a great job healing today Eron." Nix had gotten used to the finicky fox, there were only a handful of people it tolerated.

Eron's black tail swished against the side of Nix's face. "Very astute of you to notice, you're position in Inferno is well earned."

/Alpha Team: Semmi: I was worried since we don't have a healer, but Shadai and Eron will work well once we level up.

/Alpha Team: Semmi: Wind and I were already given something, that only leaves Fajii.

Fajii shook her head. "I don't want it."

/Alpha Team: Nix: Damn guys, it's a Fire Djinn! No one?

/Alpha Team: Semmi: I'll toss it in the Guild Treasury.

Nix stood up and the group joined hands. "I have a few things to do in the office. Don't forget the meeting at Haven." Nix activated Deep Blue and chose the Haven binding point.

**********************

Nix walked into the Parliament Guild Office a few minutes later.

/Create Private Channel [Alliance]

[Alliance Channel has been created]

Nix spend the next ten minutes inviting all the Upper-Tier Guild Leaders that were currently in Oasis.

/Alliance: Nix: Thanks for your patience while I invited everyone.

/Alliance: Gideon: Hey Nix.

/Alliance: Sinn: Nix, you bastard!

/Alliance: Benoi: I'm busy, make it fast.

/Alliance: Nix: I can do fast. You must have all seen the recent message concerning the territory of Loki.

/Alliance: Sinn: Bastard, that should have been our land!

/Alliance: Nix: Really? Even if you all had the two votes back, would you really have cooperated to give one of you the territory?

/Alliance: Sinn: F*ck you Nix, you tricked us!

[Sinn has been removed from the Alliance Channel]

/Alliance: Nix: Okay, my patience is thin also. Here's my proposal. The Guilds in Oasis will form an equal alliance. You guys draw it up, as long as it's fair, Inferno will go along with it. Two things you can forget about. First: You're never getting the votes back. Second: Loki will remain Inferno's Sovereign territory.

/Alliance: Benoi: What would be the advantage to joining then?

/Alliance: Gideon: I don't see an upside either. I'm interested in your angle.

/Alliance: Nix: Don't make us out to be the bad guys, we've been helping you all along.

/Alliance: Cyrus: And helping yourselves even more.

/Alliance: Nix: Right... When's the last time you did something for Inferno?

/Alliance: Gideon: Let's hear the pitch Nix.

/Alliance: Nix: Form an Alliance and we will let you build your Guildhall on Loki. The officers in Inferno feel that the one glaring weakness humans have in Oasis is our lack of cooperation. I'm giving you the chance to establish a Guildhall, with all the benefits that come with it.

***************

Half an hour later, Nix gated into Haven. Immediately he summoned Fey and started flying toward his ranch.

[Whisper: Del to Nix] You tricked me Guild Leader Nix.

[Whisper: Nix to Del] Did I? Wasn't it you that approached me for 12 votes? Where did I trick you?

[Whisper: Del to Nix] Fine... I'm not against you having... Loki was it?

[Whisper: Nix to Del] Yes. Was there some purpose for contacting me? Perhaps you can stop by the office.

[Whisper: Del to Nix] You are hardly ever there. I want to hire your Tailor services. Our own people have been attempting to duplicate the overlay with mixed success.

[Whisper: Nix to Del] By mixed, you mean none. I won't be doing any more overlays. I've contracted with Tura Rain to make 1000 of them for her elite troops. I signed a non-competition clause.

[Whisper: Del to Nix] Tura Raine? Why would you do that?

[Whisper: Nix to Del] I didn't. That was a joke. Gotta run.

Fey looked over her should at the laughing Nix. "Something funny?"

"Just messing with the dhassi, they are such easy targets." Nix inspected the leather armor he had made Fey weeks earlier. "Going up make a few changes to your gear Fey."

"Like what?" Fey already knew that Oasis was an extremely dangerous place for flying mounts.

"Give me a few days, we'll shore it up to the Tyrant level and give you a stealth that the sky predators won't be able to see."

Fey banked hard and breathed fire into the sky. "As it should be Nix, I'm too valuable to be relaxing in Haven."

Nix spotted several people sitting on the 2nd-floor balcony of his ranch house. He waved to them and had Fey land in front of the house. The balcony extended the entire front of the house, giving all the bedrooms on the 2nd-floor access to it. He went up the stairs two at a time and stepped out onto the balcony.

Nansu, Hyai and his family were sitting together at a round table. The officers of Inferno were all standing at the rail.

Nansu stood up, "please welcome Rhy and Bev to Inferno."

Nix accepted a hug for his sister, she squeezed him tight for several seconds before releasing him. "You should have gone with Frog Legs, Bev."

His dad waited patiently until Bev stepped away before hugging his son. "This is quite the place."

"Got a room for both of you. Mine is the big one with the double-doors, right next to the kitchen. Take any room but that one."

Hyai stood up, "hungry Nix?"

Nix nodded, "I could eat. I was going to stop by the Kindled Spirit after the meeting. You off today?"

"I took the week off since your family is visiting. I'll get started on supper." Hyai smiled and held the door for Bev and Rhy. "We feeding everyone hun?"

Nix frowned at the Inferno Officers. "I guess we'll feed the freeloaders. Thanks, Hyai." [Pronounced Hi-ya]

/Guild Officer: Wind: Your family seems very nice... What happened to you?

/Guild Officer: Pon: I was thinking the same thing.

/Guild Officer: Nix: Hilarious. Let's get started. First on the agenda is the Mere Mine. Duncan Craft and his workers come with the mine, so we don't have to look for help but they do get a portion of the profits.

/Guild Officer: Jun Li: From my understanding, the stone quality of our mine is higher than the Oasis Mines. We have no idea how to apply Mere stones.

/Guild Officer: Nix: We'll have to experiment a bit.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: I was going to research Mere stones in the library but we were busy dying horribly over and over.

/Guild Officer: Nix: I'm thinking we'll stick to thieving in our next raid and try to avoid fighting.

/Guild Officer: Pon: So we aren't going to try to attack mobs fifty levels higher than us? Smart play.

/Guild Officer: Nix: We're on the 8th floor in Mermaid City. What do you know about it Min?

/Guild Officer: Mina: The 8th, 9th, and 10th floors only have three stages each. There are no shortcuts here. These three won't be hard, it's the ones after that. The 11th and 12th.

/Guild Officer: Nix: The Cai'Song artifact on the 12th floor ends this mission. We should still continue our pursuit of mid-tier content however, I want five more volunteers to unbank their levels at that time. They will be crossing the Escalades Bridge and joining Alpha team.

/Guild Officer: Sharl: I'll unbank, that will give you a tank.

/Guild Officer: Mina: After the artifact is destroyed, I'm not sure what we'll do so I can't commit to anything yet.

/Guild Officer: Jun Li: I'll stay awhile longer in Colonial.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: We'll take Tess and leave Rose, Nez, Pinky, and Wylie. That should be more than enough heals for the mid-tier content.

/Guild Officer: Wind: We don't have enough yet, I'd say wait for the Scorched Earth Snipers to catch up and then take three of them.

Darsi's group from the Gladis hub all enjoyed the same enhanced stats that Nix possessed. They were improving quickly under the tutelage of Chael and Ronnie.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: I'll talk with Darsi and see who the best options are.

/Guild Officer: Nix: Next item. Crafting in Oasis, there are some similarities but also some differences. We should convert immediately. I've already done so. It's easy, if you attempt a crafting in Oasis, it will give you the option of switching.

/Guild Officer: Nansu: Our crafters are ready to convert to the Oasis system, just say the word.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: I agree, we should go ahead and convert.

/Guild Officer: Nix: Last item. Inferno has acquired the island of Loki. This is our territory, unlike Glory, we won't be isolating ourselves from the other guilds.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: There's actually a pretty complicated menu interface that came with the territory. We're going to need someone to manage it full-time.

/Guild Officer: Nix: I presented the Alliance idea to the Upper-Tiers, we should know in a few days what they think.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: Gideon already contacted me and agreed to take part. Also, Guild Leader Sinn offered an apology and asked if she could take part also.

/Guild Officer Fajii: I have an idea concerning the Guilds.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: Oh? Let's hear it.

/Guild Officer: Fajii: Three dozen guilds is too much, force them to combine.

/Guild Officer: Jun Li: Why?

/Guild Officer: Semmi: I get it. It's easier for a dozen guilds to work together than it is for 30 something.

/Guild Officer: Pon: It isn't a bad idea. Salamander has 25 members, even the small dhassi clans have more than that.

/Guild Officer: Nix: I'm going to come up with something. We'll save it for the next meeting. I'm going to take a week off to spend it with my family.

/Guild Officer: Semmi: Let's all do it. We've been working hard, time for a break.

/Guild Officer: Nix: That works too. Let's eat.