Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance: A litRPG Adventure (The Viridian Gate Archives Book 2)

by James Hunter

  “It was a big win for you, and a bold play all around,” he continued. “Very impressive. Naturally, the wikis are exploding and no one wants to talk about anything other than Grim Jack and the Crimson Alliance. How you managed to invade and capture the most well-fortified Imperial city in the South in a matter of hours. Everyone is in an absolute tizzy, as you might expect. The real talking point, though, is what you did to Carrera. Not only did you steal his city, you seemed to kill him. Now, we both know that’s not true—the Hexblade is powerful but not that powerful—but the existence of the Hexblades are still only half-whispered rumors on the forums. Very few people know the truth. Now, with all of that out of the way, maybe we can get down to business?”

  “What do you want?” I hedged.

  “I already told you, Jack. I want to set the record straight. I get the sense that you think I’m some sort of evil monster. A would-be tin-pot dictator, hellbent on global domination.”

  “Aren’t you?” I replied, jaw clenched in anger.

  He frowned at me and cocked a don’t-be-childish eyebrow. “Not at all, Jack. I’m an innovator, an entrepreneur, and a businessman at heart. Besides, you make me out to be a tyrant in your head, but don’t forget you owe me your life. Everyone in V.G.O. does. All of this”—he swept a hand around—“only exists because I made it. Because I had the fortitude and the determination to accomplish the impossible and create something the world had never seen the likes of before. You survived an extinction-level cataclysm because of my hard work, Jack. This is my world, funded and built with my money. Why shouldn’t I rule it?”

  “The inventor of penicillin saved a lot of lives, too,” I shot back, “but he didn’t demand to be crowned king of the world. Besides, you’ve sold everyone out to thugs like Carrera.”

  He grimaced. “You think I like working with people like him?” He shook his head. “No. But here’s the truth, people like him also played a very significant role in saving your life. The bigwigs—the political movers and shakers, the other titans of industry—they’re not here in V.G.O., Jack. They wouldn’t risk the possibility of dying during the transition process. Those people are nice and safe inside luxury fallout shelters, riding out the end of the world in style and pizzazz. They didn’t care about saving regular people, they were concerned only with themselves and their own political power.

  “But I cared, Jack. I cared enough to do something about it. But in order to get this operation off the ground and functional, I needed help: money, resources, manpower. So, I turned to the people that could give me what I needed. People like Carrera. I did what I had to do, nothing more and nothing less. And what I said in my Universal Alert is true. Right now, we need strong leadership more than ever. We’re weathering a crisis unlike anything anyone has ever seen, and I intend to see all of us into prosperity.”

  “Maybe that’s true,” I replied, “but you can’t just declare yourself emperor over the world. It isn’t right—”

  “Oh,” he interjected, “and what exactly would you replace it with. Democracy? A constitutional republic?”

  “Maybe,” I said, unsure and feeling supremely out of my depth.

  He snorted, laughed, shook his head.

  “We have people from all over the world. You may not realize this, but Osmark Technologies set up free digitization stations in seventy-six different countries. Three point two million people made the transition, Jack. Most of our players are from America and Europe, but we also have players from Saudi Arabia, from the UAE, a significant number from China. Those places have never had democracy; players from countries like that wouldn’t know what to do with it. Many wouldn’t want Western democracy even if you offered it to them on a silver platter. And there are other factors to consider: do you honestly think a nearly invincible, level two hundred warrior is going to listen to the opinion of a level ten miner? Not likely.

  “Besides, in the end, it’s all the same. One big con game. That’s what you, and the rest of the plebs out there, don’t understand. Politics is a shell game, played on an epic scale. This—what you’re witnessing in V.G.O.?—is exactly what it’s like out there. Or, at least, what it was like before the asteroid. You’ve just had a chance to peek into the factory and seen how the sausage is made, but trust me, multimillionaires and billionaires, they run your country. They run the whole world. They offer the illusion of choice and freedom, but when you distill it all down, an illusion is all it is. We’re just stripping away the façade.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t a political scientist or an intellectual scholar. “So what is this, some sort of sales pitch?” I finally asked. “Some sort of peace offering?”

  “Yes and no,” he said, unfolding his hands and picking at an imaginary piece of lint on his slacks. “It is a sales pitch, but not a peace offering. You see, I don’t want you to join the empire, but I have no desire to see you killed or your faction destroyed. In fact, just the opposite. I’ve even arranged for a few of the remaining Faction Seals to find their way into other Rebel-aligned hands. Not too many, of course—I want to keep the upper hand—but a few.”

  I squinted at him and rubbed at my jaw. What he was saying didn’t make any sense. None at all. “But in your Universal Message, you expressly said anyone who joined the Rebellion would be punished. So why would you want me to succeed?”

  A ghost of a smile flickered across his lips. “Because war is good for humanity and it’s good for internal stability. I’ll freely admit that I don’t have a very elevated view of humanity as a whole. We are petty, contentious, and always looking to grab more power. Humans do not thrive in Utopian paradise—our nature won’t allow for it. We need enemies to fight, and when there isn’t an external enemy, we turn into cannibals and attack ourselves.

  “I’ve had to surround myself with more than a few unsavory people, and without a threat to focus on, those people will begin to scheme, and they’ll turn their sights on me. Moreover, if there’s a visible, oppositional movement, then all the dissidents and malcontents in Eldgard will leave my ranks in peace and join you. You’ll draw them off like dross, and I won’t constantly need to police my people. It’s a win, win. Besides, the game won’t allow for anything else. I assume you’ve met Sophia?”

  I nodded.

  “I figured. She and Enyo are ying and yang, order and chaos, Imperial and Rebel. They will fight to maintain the balance—which is why they recruited us in the first place—so I’m simply giving them what they want.” He shrugged, wiggled his nose, then absently reached up and readjusted his glasses. “It’s easier for everyone that way.”

  “Wait, so let me see if I have this all straight,” I said slowly, tasting the words as though I couldn’t quite believe what I was saying. “Since Sophia and Enyo require a Rebellion to exist, you want to use it as a rallying point, to keep all of the bloodthirsty people you recruited in check.”

  “Got it in one,” he replied, pointing at me with a finger gun. “Taking over Rowanheath was genius work, and all of my backstabbing allies will be so worried about what you might do next that it will force them to work together, which is good for everyone. Unity is always best, when possible. So, I’ll rattle my saber, make some threats, maybe even send a few token forces to harass you and yours, but mostly, I’ll leave you alone. You can be the looming threat, while I work to bring order to the chaos.”

  There was a certain cold, clinical logic to what he was proposing, but it was also sort of appalling. “Maybe your intentions are good,” I said after a time, “but I’m still going to stop you. I am grateful for what you’ve done, but that doesn’t give you the right to take away people’s freedoms. If I have to live here forever, I’m not going to let you turn it into a nightmare.”

  “I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he said with a solemn nod. “But a word of caution before you pursue any irrational course of action. I am only interested in a perceived threat, not an actual one. The second you cross that line, I will use all of my p
ower to end you, and then I’ll find a new puppet to install. One who will be more pliable. I don’t say that with malice—you’re competent and creative, both traits I admire—but I will do what I must. Just think on it,” he said, before raising his hand and waving me a brief goodbye.

  The floor promptly dropped out from beneath me, and I found myself tumbling back through the dark, down into my body for respawn.

  Books, Mailing List, and Reviews

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  About the Author

  Hey all, my name is James Hunter and I’m a writer, among other things. So just a little about me: I’m a former Marine Corps Sergeant, combat veteran, and pirate hunter (seriously). I’m also a member of The Royal Order of the Shellback—’cause that’s a real thing. I’ve also been a missionary and international aid worker in Bangkok, Thailand. And, a space-ship captain, can’t forget that.

  Okay … the last one is only in my imagination.

  Currently, I’m a stay at home Dad—taking care of my two kids—while also writing full time, making up absurd stories that I hope people will continue to buy. When I’m not working, writing, or spending time with family, I occasionally eat and sleep.

  Dedication

  For my kids, Lou-Bear and Sam-Boy: your goofy, smiling faces keep me going, day in and day out. I love you kiddos with my whole heart.

  Special Thanks

  I’d like to thank my wife, Jeanette, daughter, Lucy, and son, Samuel. A special thanks to my parents, Greg and Lori. A quick shout out to my brother Aron and his whole brood—Eve, Brook, Grace, and Collin. Brit, probably you’ll never read this, but I love you too. Here’s to the folks of Team Hunter, my awesome Alpha and Beta readers who helped make this book both possible and good:

  Dan Goodale, , eden Hudson, Heather Copeman, Megan Meyers, Amber McKee, Noah Sturdevant, Mark Robbins, and Bob “Gunslinger” Singer. They read the messy, early drafts so that no one else had to; thanks guys and gals. Another big thanks goes to my ironically-hipster writing buddies, Amanda Robinson, Kelsi Martin, Brian Howard, and Meagan—the best sounding board on the planet. And I can’t possibly forget all of the fantastic readers and writers hanging out at all the various litRPG groups out there. And of course a big thanks to my editor, Tamara Blain who, as always, rocked this book (if you need editing, go to her, she’s seriously awesome: www.acloserlookediting.com/).

  —James A. Hunter, February 2017

  Copyright

  Viridian Gate Online: Crimson Alliance is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by James A. Hunter and Shadow Alley Press, Inc.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, subject line “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address below.

  JamesAHunter@outlook.com