MMORPG : Rise of the Interstellar God

December 2100

Dome of Protection "Rome"—Renovatio Imperii Headquarters—Tenth Floor: Player Room

Enzo woke up in a vast room over a square kilometer in size. It was like a huge conference floor mixed with a warehouse, an area filled with Renovatio Imperii's gaming booths.

All SuperGuilds had rooms like these, enough space for their entire roster to play at once, as well as a whole infrastructure system in place to ensure the basic needs of all players were met over the course of many hours. With such rigid management practices and facilities in place, this was simply yet another way the SuperGuilds had a massive advantage over everyone else.

Enzo climbed out of his gaming booth, ignoring the hundreds of still-playing guild members who surrounded him, and ran on shaky legs to the elevator which serviced the Player Room. He didn't want to waste a single second to catch his breath.

The elevator seemed to crawl along at a snail's pace, even though it was one of the most expensive models in the world. Along the way, Enzo felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He thought about all the bizarre events that had transpired since he and his companions had left Era, the starting zone of this game that had demanded all the world's attention for months.

Where would all this end? Would Horus eventually become as outdated as WoW II had been, or would it reign forever as the ultimate game? Would the SuperGuilds gain more of a grip on the whole world with every passing day, so that nobody could ever withstand their influence again?

And if that came to pass, how much could it be said that he had enabled that to happen?

Once Enzo finally reached the top floor, he scanned his badge and selected the office of the CEO of Renovatio Imperii… Edward Filius, alias Augustus.

Enzo hadn't set foot in this office for at least ten years, not since the incident at the Dark Portal. Whenever he'd been forced to meet with Edward, the meetings had been either over video or in the guild's meeting room. Especially since Enzo lived primarily in the Martian Dome of Protection, he rarely spent time in Renovatio Imperii's Rome-based headquarters.

The office door opened.

Enzo stepped in. As best as he could tell, not a single detail of the office had changed in the last ten years. Not except for the growing fatigue on the faces of Enzo and Edward.

As usual, the CEO was sitting at his desk in front of his computer, working hard on something. By the bored expression on his face, nobody might guess that he'd recently sent an order to his minions in the game to betray the Eclipse guild.

Enzo angrily approached him and slammed both hands on the expensive hardwood desk. "Why?! Why? Why did you order us to betray Eclipse? What the hell kind of idea did you have to betray members of the coalition that Lucifer and I worked so hard to build?!"

Edward typed for several more seconds, seeming to ignore Enzo. Finally, he paused and looked up. When he spoke, his voice was as calm as ever. "I'm having the strangest sensation of déjà vu right now. How curious." He paused for another few seconds, making it clear that his intention was completely ironic… almost mocking. There was just a tinge of impatience in his voice when he spoke again.

"Enzo, this was a decision made by the board of shareholders after a meeting with the other SuperGuilds. The Coalition of the Eternals has completed the purpose for which we created it two months ago. We've earned billions of credits through our work in Horus, but there are certain risks to our bottom line which must be dealt with quickly. Our former partners who helped us conquer the planet demand reparations for what your friend Apophis did to Cronos I."

Once more, Edward let the words linger in the air for a moment. His emphasis on the word "friend" was spat out like an accusation. Just when it seemed that Enzo was about to respond, Edward continued speaking.

"You see, Enzo, we have quite a problem on our hands. Either we pay out all those damages from our own pockets, or we take more extreme measures that allow us to protect our own interests. No matter what you or I might want to do for reasons like honor or even convenience, do you imagine for even a single second that the shareholders care about that sort of thing instead of about money?"

Enzo felt fury and desperation growing with every moment. "Edward! Are you aware of the absolutely catastrophic situation on Terra?! We won't last a week without strong allies in this game! We've already over ten thousand of our members because a psychopathic NPC maliciously reduced their levels to zero! Who ever heard of a game like that before?! The shareholders simply have no idea what they're dealing with!

"We must treat this like a desperate war for survival, Edward! In a war, who would ever think it was smart to kill his allies to rob them when the enemy is at least as powerful as both of you put together?! The shareholders are demanding our lives! It's a suicide mission, all so they can line their pockets for a few more moments before everything collapses around their idiotic heads!"

Edward, devilishly calm, ignored these words. Instead, he replied, "As you probably expected, I've been writing up letters of dismissal for those whose levels were drained to zero. The shareholders knew enough about the game to demand that course of action, at the very least."

Enzo, astonished, replied, "I can't believe it! Many of those people have been our loyal members since the time of WoW II! They obviously have the skill and mindset to still be useful to us. They just need time to gain more levels and take some guild gear!"

Edward said, "Listen and understand one essential thing, Enzo! World of Warcraft II, Horus, or any other VRMMORPG is just a business. According to current calculations, it's almost impossible to be relevant in Horus with a new character at this point. Anyone whose character has been reset is completely useless to us.

"Moreover, bitter people and sulky complainers have no place in our company. We only have space for the best of the best! Our main business is PvE boosting, as well as selling rare items and merchandise. Every player who lost their PvE progress and gear was a huge loss for our guild which cannot be tolerated."

Enzo replied, "All the big guilds have main rosters, with members paid several thousand credits a month. I'm not sure that my companions and myself are the most profitable for your business model, yet you never questioned my contract, nor anyone in my chosen squad's!"

Edward rose from his seat and turned to look out the office window. "You're still so naive, Enzo. In truth, you're nothing but a billboard. When a player sees that 'Ceasar' was the first to clear this or that dungeon, the sales of all our products explode. Everyone wants the items you looted from the boss, and everyone wants to be on the side of a winner. Your reputation has always been more important than your individual contributions."

Enzo felt himself shaking with humiliation and fury. "If we're just a mercantile enterprise, why would we betray Eclipse and the rest of the regular members of the Coalition? I'm telling you, peace is more beneficial for us! Almost all the NPCs in this game have been hostile and very powerful… and we have no way of knowing what higher tiers of danger are lurking out there in space!"

Edward turned back to face him, smiling slightly. "The problem with Eclipse and many other top guilds is that they play simply to play. Where some top guilds fail because they lack resources, Eclipse and Apophis have succeeded, conquering planets, dungeons, and raids in a way that makes no sense according to our calculations. We can't have a minor guild humiliating us like that, and that's all there is to it. We've tolerated their presence as long as it was in our best interest, but now they're taking up too much space and threatening our business plan. We must eliminate them."

Enzo didn't know how to respond. The reason sounded so… petty. Renovatio Imperii seemed not to value any other strong group as an ally. It was as though they truly believed they could be self-sufficient until the end of time, no matter how many allies or members they lost. Even where Enzo was concerned, they only saw him as a tool to fatten a large trade group.

Edward sat back down in his chair and began typing on his computer again. "Well, if you're done whining about your wounded conscience, I must prepare for the auction of our land on Cronos I. Step down if you feel like. We can promote someone else to do your job just as well. The name 'Ceasar' is legally the property of our guild, after all…"

Enzo turned and left without a word.

He longed to leave Renovatio Imperii behind forever and simply retire to his house on Mars.

A strange memory returned to him: the day he and his best friend had chatted over drinks, discussing how Azazel was about to retire to Mars himself. The memory shifted, and Enzo remembered staring down into his friend's eyes as he betrayed him in World of Warcraft II.

I hope you're happy, Azazel had said, right before Ceasar had permanently destroyed his friend's character with the very hammer which Azazel had given him.

Enzo hadn't been happy. Of course not. He'd managed to convince himself that he was making a noble sacrifice for his family and his guild, but there hadn't been a single thread of happiness alongside it.

And now Enzo felt like everything had been meaningless all this time. Even the Roman persona of Renovatio Imperii had likely been conjured up by the guild's marketing department, despite the fact that they taught all the guild members that their guild was truly the last remnant of ancient Roman honor and glory.

Enzo entered the elevator and stared at the buttons which would take him wherever he chose to go. He had two choices: go to the first floor and take the first shuttle to Mars, where he could spend some quality time with his neglected family while ignoring the umpteenth betrayal of his guild leader…

…Or he could go back to the tenth floor, back to the Player Room, and do what he hadn't been able to bring himself to do ten years ago.

Enzo steeled his resolve and pressed the button.

The elevator began to move.