PVP Mode Engaged

6/3

“And that’s why I say we should just promote him to beta tester. Think of him as a kind of final boss.”

“Silas, do we even have the authority to do that?”

“My dear Auriel, as with all things in our line of work the answer is technically yes! If we can justify it, and I notice that after I explained my logic you’re asking if we can, not if we should.” He seemed a bit smug about that.

Ghostwalker looked over the logs. Silas was right that making Nefarian a player would neatly tie him up and put proper walls around what he could and couldn’t do. The tier tens were trying to bypass their own limitations by using a proxy. Technically the really easy approach would be to temporarily set Nefarian’s tier to ten, but that wouldn’t provide much data.

The hooded man spoke up. “I’ll admit this is a better plan than your last idea. If he’d gotten full access Erich’s mission log I’m pretty sure he’d have cheesed his own bounty. Five capture tickets and a regional upgrade for deciding to move is a bit much. Speaking of, Auriel, have you done any work on fixing the regional missions? I still think defeat is a little vague. It could confuse some players.”

“I’m working on it, but we are kinda in crisis mode here! Ok Silas, so how about this. We go Dark Souls on it.”

The gnome smiled. “Oh? Go on.” Figures that would get his attention. He never shut up about his stint in Drangleic.

“He’s going to follow PvP rules like a red phantom. He’s not really intended to win, just be a challenge. A final boss, to use your comparison.”

Eye roll. “Sure, sure. Your dear little munchkin can stay overpowered. I just want to make him sweat. The chance of failure has to be there or it won’t have the same effect.”

The blue angel held up one finger. “And, he will be well compensated for the trouble. Winner take all rules, total elimination as the threshold. It’ll make the stakes feel higher than they really are.”

“Auriel, for once I like the way you think. Tell him that if he fucks this up all his girls will be happily transferred to some neurotic prick? Sure. It’s not like he’ll still be around for it either way.”

Ghostwalker chuckled. “We are shutting down the server and repurposing all souls present within a day or two of his death. Nefarian had better enjoy the party if he does win. Won’t last long.”

••••••••••

Minor MissionSomeone call for the docta?Hire M’kaloc, a Smoulderthorn Witch Doctor in upper Blackrock Spire, to create a magic item for you.Reward: Full Restore, mission ticket

Moderate missionCapture Graw Cornerstone, a dwarven blacksmith in the Searing Gorge. Bonus if you explain what you are doing while capturing him.Rewards: 1 credit, hammer fighting skill chipBonus: Power Swap: Fel Stalker

Nefarian examined the missions. So few? And with such paltry rewards? This was an insult. However… he had also been offered a very interesting incentive. He had been granted a beautiful gemstone that resembled an eye, enchanted to bewitch and beguile the weak minded, which also provided him a direct line to the strange observer beings that were the source of Netorarian’s power. He had been granted far more than that, as well.

He could now imbue gemstones with an entrancing magic. Any gemstone, so long as it was at least the size of a whelp’s foretalon, could be enchanted to slowly entrance those who gazed upon it, showing them visions of whatever they most desired. The last and, perhaps, most intriguing of his gifts lay in a box on his work table. Five syringes which would allow powerful, near instant physical or mental shifts.

Nefarian had an itching thought in the back of his mind. Netorarian was almost certainly aware of him, and if he wasn’t a complete dullard he would see Nefarian as his greatest adversary. In a straight confrontation, Netorarian would have the upper hand. His necklaces were in a far more advanced state than Nefarian’s prototypes, for now. That meant fallback positions.

The dragon examined his map of the world. The dragon isles and Pandaria were both inaccessible. Northrend… no. Netorarian was starting to extend his tendrils up that way. Perhaps Gilneas? Or Kul’tiras. Even Zuldazar, if he wished to aim high. Somewhere remote, but with centralized power. Beguiling mortals was easy enough with or without these prototypes; the old “fake identity trying to marry into the royal family” trick had worked well enough for both father and his dear sister. A plan was forming in his head. He needed twenty credits to make it happen.

••••••••••

6/3 evening

So. Somehow Nefarian was a player now? How the fuck did that happen? Has he always been a player? Is there some otaku in Blackwing Lair having nightly orgies with half the kidnapped population of Silvermoon City? If so, how have I not noticed until now? Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve slept with a lot of very high profile women at this point, and not a single one of them have given any indication that they were already involved with a mind controlling dragon sex fiend.

So either he’s the most unambitious beta tester ever, or this is something new. Either way, he just jumped way up on my to do list. Let’s take a look at the rules for PvP, shall we?

Absolute defeat- for victory, the winner must ensure that the loser is killed or permanently incapacitated (petrification, personality death, sealed away) and remains in that state for 3 days.

No holds barred: defenses are suspended in relation to retinue on retinue conflict, with the exception of the eventual recovery clause causing lasting damage to always heal eventually. The primary contestants retain their defenses at the resistance level, but not immunities.

That’s my girl: though they do not have company sponsored immunity to mind control (for example, mind defense), an already captured individual can not be captured again. A captured individual’s loyalty, friendship, and romantic/sexual interest in their owner may be challenged, tested, or worked around, but can not be removed by any means. They will never knowingly and willingly betray their owner. In the event that this is bypassed, the result will be a conflicted individual unable to act against the interests of either party, who will either excuse themselves or have a mental breakdown.

Winner takes all: Upon defeat, the loser will be removed from the beta test. All captured members of their retinue will be instantly captured by the victor, who will also receive their highest value applicable upgrade and 10% of the total value of their company assets in credits.

Oh hell no. If it’s him or me, and he’s uniquely suited to fucking me over, I can’t really sleep on this one. I didn’t care if he was the canon Nefarian or someone from the Make a Wish foundation. He was going down. I don’t really have that many legitimate threats left that could do more than inconvenience and delay me.

I had what I needed to probably survive shadowflame, in the form of black dragon hybrids. I had a small army already assembled. It had gone well so far. Unfortunately, my retinue needed a day to manage their affairs and recover, and I couldn’t leave the Molten Core unattended. I set a date to storm Blackwing Lair. 6/5. I’d have Zaetar, Malfurion, and Keristrasza by then, and should hopefully have a better lay of the land.

Until then, I needed to focus on finishing up the scepter and gathering information on Nefarian. I needed time to work, which meant going to the Caverns of Time for the bronze piece and getting my hands on a lot of arcanite for the blue. If I can’t get the scepter assembled, I’m going to need to push to take down a hive.

I tried to get in contact with Vaelastrasz, but the jackass never put on his amulet. Keryn and Valeera were going to need to sneak in. Maybe Melisara too. I need agents watching Nefarian, and I need them monitored at all times. If he’s a player, he has a binding, and Abby is an excellent example of how far a binding can go without officially capturing someone.

••••••••••

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