"Chance."
"So many things in the end come down to chance."
"As many people wonder."
"What if this happened?"
"What if a certain person was not born or didn't meet someone else?"
"But players in Dynasties Online, especially those based in the old Kingdom of Nathia and its surrounding nations, all ask one question."
"What if, while travelling around the world, Railius Aurellion did not meet Lady Ciradyl Erberos?"
Lee Smith, CEO of Emart and head of House Erendis
….
"You! You!"
The elven noble spluttered out, completely speechless at the audacity of the foreigner before him, as never before had he had to deal with such a disrespectful person who cared not for his looks or background.
Even visiting elven nobility and foreign delegates had to treat him with respect and give into his demands, let alone a bunch of nobodies like them!
"I am Darkath Vensalor the son of Count Ellisar Vensalor. Do you really think a filthy half-breed dwarf commoner like you can live after disrespecting me!"
Darkath shouted, making a few of the elves wince as not all of them thought of other races as lower than themselves. Darkath's coloured eyes were rimmed red with rage. He was the son of a powerful count and took delight in using his family's power and status to get whatever he desired.
"Whoever said that I was a commoner, Lord Vensalor?"
Railius replied calmly, but his voice was taking on an authoritative tone that was rare for someone his age, as if he was giving Darkath one last chance to back down before things began to get out of control.
And it would not be Railius himself who would lose out when that happened; that was to be sure.
Because as far as Railius was concerned, this noble was one of the idiot ones; otherwise, he would have realised by now that the young lord's manner of speaking and polite, careful actions scream of a noble upbringing or, at the very least, a noble background.
Unfortunately, the arrogant young master was not that bright.
Darkath was stunned for a second as he had never considered that he could be facing a noble, as that massively complicated things.
Commoners were easy to bully thanks to their status; if they insulted a noble house enough, punitive action could even be taken against them, but nobles were a different beast entirely. While many nobles would not fight against him and swallow insults so as not to face his house's potential wrath after all even amongst nobles there is a hierarchy and power structure because while a minor altercation may not lead to much if any legal action being taken against them there were still many ways for a powerful noble such as a count, marquis or duke to make life difficult for someone.
In the medieval world of Dynasties Online, almost all important government positions were held by either very talented commoners that were supported by either the crown or another power or were nobles themselves so if say a minor noble house with the average power it should have offended a powerful noble family such as House Vensalor then any ambitions they may have had would be reduced to ashes.
This is because House Vensalor can prevent their merits from being reported, or even frame them, or make them take the fall for something that was not their fault. It just goes to show that the world of nobles and their conflicts is far more complicated than people could possibly imagine.
And House Vensalor is not an average noble house either, being far more powerful than your regular count would be.
This is because they are part of one of two major factions within the Kingdom of Pelthas known as 'The Trueborn.'
One look at the name would tell you all that you need to know about this faction who want a return to what they call 'The Old Ways' where elven superiority and magic was at the centre of their nation a good example of where this ideology became a set of laws would be the Baernthas Principality as there not even Railius would dare to be disrespectful unless he either had Leon nearby or diplomatic immunity.
However, over the last 100 years or so, this faction has become increasingly less popular and influential, especially as the Elven Kingdom began to gain significant strength through the new reforms introduced by the new king, which even allowed non-elves to become nobles if they made substantial contributions to the kingdom.
With the help of the 'New Order' faction, alongside the hardcore royalists, King Galgerad Genfiel of Pelthas managed to repeal laws that discriminated against other races, allowing him to attract talent and have greater access to the technologies of the other races present in the world than other elven kingdoms without such reforms.
The elven king also now had the most populous kingdom, as the other elven kingdoms still only saw elves as citizens. At the same time, the armies of Pethas had long allowed other races to enter their armed forces, bolstering them tremendously to the point that their power could rival, if not exceed, that of the Baernthas Principality, despite the nation being bigger than Pelthas land-wise.
Unfortunately for Darkath, he was facing Railius Aurellion, a man who didn't care about his status one bit, as he would only be one more name on a very long list of enemies that House Aurellion would have to look out for.
And while it would be troublesome if his identity were revealed to the world prematurely it would not be the end of the world as it would take days, weeks if not months for a proper response to be sent after by which time he will be long gone and likely under a new fake identity if he kept to his plans that was.
The most that having to use his true identity to avoid punishment would be announcing to the world that any rumours of House Aurellion's death were an exaggeration, and maybe giving a place for the crown prince of Chavaria and his goons to look for him.
After all the Amulius Lunaris the Chavarian minster of war already knew of his survival and so at best would make a token attempt on him which would fail as with Aldorus able to use grandmaster level tactics and being close to the level of a grandmaster if not one himself anything less than an attack from an small army or multiple grandmasters would be destined to fail with him being protected by 500 of the best Pelican Guards a force equivalent to 1500 if not 2000 regular soldiers especially now that constant bandit, pirate and raider attacks on them had bloodied the new recruits into a much more hardened and experienced group of soldiers.
Though it would not be without casualties, and to be safe, they would have to send for Leon to be around for a bit, but apart from making things more inconvenient for him, there was little chance of Railius losing his life.
Especially when people began to link what happened to House Kale to him, which would ensure that no one but the most powerful or influential comes after him lest they suffer the same grisly fate as the noble house that unknowingly tried to end his life.
And if that was what happened to those who inadvertently threatened Railius, then what would happen to those who actively schemed against them?
Such an occurrence made even the boldest of men hesitate, as it was more than just their own lives on the line; if that were the case, it was also the lives of their families as well.
A chance few men would take.
Because if even a landed noble and his family would feel House Aurellion's unrelenting retribution….
Then no man was safe.
They could even be a king and not be guaranteed to live once House Aurellion went all out to get revenge.
Just when the tension had reached a boiling point and seven more men joined the elven noble, making his group now 15, a female voice broke them out of their confrontation.
"Darkarth Venselor, have you and your bigoted house really been brought so low that you are now arguing over a booth lurking in the shadows of a tavern?"
A female elf said, striding confidently forward in a dress that was far too practical for its own good. She looked dressed more like a young lad than a young noble lady.
At her side was a sheathed sword, one hand firmly clenched over its hilt. Her robe-like dress, flowing freely behind her, revealed two other females who were clearly warriors but appeared to be maids on the outside. They were each ready to spring into action at the command of their lady.
"Lady Ciradyl Erberos."
"Shouldn't you be somewhere sword fighting rather than scandalously spending time gallivanting around for your own pleasure?"
Darkarth sneered, not at all intimidated by the newcomer watching the two interact. It was clear to Railius that these two had a history.
And clearly, that history was not any good.
"Oh, and why is it that you boys can go to a brothel with no one batting an eye, yet when all I want to do is go out for some company and a few drinks or play with swords, then suddenly I am a pariah to be suppressed?"
"Just because the fucking 'old ways' says that is the way the world should work doesn't mean it is the best way forward."
Lady Cirdyl replied, her voice rising, angered now. Luckily, it seemed that she had a soldier-like temperament. However, anyone would also be able to see an intelligent gleam in her violet eyes, revealing that she was anything but ordinary.
"They are the way of our ancestors! What built the pinnacle of civilisation that we are today!"
"How dare you so casually disregard our people's traditions!"
"House Erberos is one of the oldest noble families and one of our 10 dukes. Your family should be supporting our great cause, not throwing your lot in with that foolish king who will only lead our nation to ruin!"
Darkath shouted. Unlike Cirdyl, he was not calm in the slightest, as he was not accustomed to being challenged so publicly.
"Yet that king has expanded the power of the kingdom more than any other one has for 500 years."
Cirdyl replied calmly as Darkath's body visibly shook as he tried to rein in his anger because no matter how powerful his father may be, he was nothing when compared to the power wielded by House Erberos, a hard-core Pelthas royalist who holds one of the strongest armies in the kingdom.
Duke Glorandal Erberos Cirdyl's father currently leads House Erberos and he is not a man to be trifled with as despite being loyal enough to follow whatever the king commands he is one of the most fervent supporters of the king and his reformist ideals as he has seen first-hand just how prosperous and powerful they have made the kingdom.
They also had the second most grandmasters in the kingdom having a almost unbelievable 5 grandmasters under their control only less than the Pelthas royal family who had 6 though of course only 3 were public knowledge as it would not do for everyone to know just how much power a noble family owns even if the bigger players may suspect or even know about all of them the smaller ones would not.
The only reason that 3 grandmasters, a power that even many kingdoms' royal families struggle to gather together and would be wary of, could even be accepted as normal to the broader world is because elves live lives that are 3 times longer than everyone else. As a result, they have far more time to become grandmasters and master skills that others cannot.
This has also helped them to maintain their race's power and its many nations across the world as when these many talented masters and grandmasters gather, they can express a large amount of power that would make even the most militarily inclined nations hesitate to go to war with them for fear of what these experts could do.
Darkath clenched his teeth, thinking about the power of House Erberos, as now there was no way he could continue to be troublesome or show off his power and status like he was used to, now that Lady Cirdyl was here, even if it were not for the young elven lady's own reputation.
Because unlike most noble ladies of the world, Cirdyl did not spend her time embroidering or amongst a gaggle of gossiping sycophants; instead, she spent her time in the training yard, mastering all kinds of weapons and military strategies. After all, her family's power was not based in the world of politics.
But based on the bloody battlefield, made over the corpses of tens of millions of people.
More than this, she is said to be more skilled than her older brothers were at her age in martial matters.
A formidable woman that only a fool would underestimate.
"And I don't think that our king would appreciate you undermining his policies with your outdated, bigoted ways."
Lady Cirdyl said coldly, her eyes narrowed, an unspoken threat carried in her icy, commanding voice that Darkath would be wise to heed.
Clenching his fists, Darkath pointed at Railius, going to the one person that his anger could be unleashed upon without any apparent consequences.
"Just you wait, you'll regret insulting me and my house!"
Darkath said, barely containing his rage and hatred, turning and walking away, his toadies following him as he stormed out of the tavern, nearly breaking the door off its hinges.
"I'm sure I will, young master. Have a pleasant day, young master."
Railius said in a sarcastically polite voice, enjoying the arrogant elven noble's anger far too much for his own good.
"Thank you for your help, my lady; otherwise, we may have had 15 moaning and groaning elves gracing our lovely oaken floor."
Railius said sincerely, as he didn't need to be dealing with the authorities at this moment and beating up a noble would have sparked an incident that may have required him to reveal more about himself than he was ready for.
"Confident are we?"
Cirdyl asked, interested in this mysterious man who seemed not to care whether he offended someone of high or low status.
"Against pompous pricks like him?"
"That goes without saying."
Railius replied with a wry smile, taking one more look at the beautiful elf before him, enchanted for a second by her long, fiery red hair, a trademark of her house and personality.
The young lord of House Aurellion then gestured to the chessboard on the table, which he was in the middle of resetting.
"Do you play, my lady?"
Railius asked, tapping his finger lightly on the table.
"As a matter of fact, I do."
Cirdyl said, sitting down as the first moves were made in one of what would be many chess games that night.
….
"This is bullshit that's 10 games you've won now!"
Cirdyl complained loudly, banging her fists on the table in anger as she was once again put into checkmate by her opponent, who only calmly continued to sip tea with a slightly amused smirk as if the current situation had nothing to do with him.
Never before had she been defeated so thoroughly by someone in a game of chess.
What was worse was that she quickly decided to change the game to Go, only to be beaten down once again by this mysterious mercenary 'acting captain.'
The man who had defeated her one of the kingdom's prodigies again and again was supposedly 'only a humble mercenary acting captain passing time in a fun way.'
As if Cirdyl would believe one word out of this young devil's mouth!
Because to her, it was clear that this 'Captain Delron' was not who he claimed to be, after all, not anybody can so expertly outmanoeuvre her at seemingly every step.
They had played 12 games of chess and 2 games of GO over the last 3 hours, and she had only won 2 games of chess out of the lot.
Just two!
And her opponent just sits there sipping his tea as if that was not a big deal!
As if her loss was to be expected!
It infuriated her as much as it intrigued her!
Even her two maids had been surprised that she had lost so thoroughly, especially to someone her own age or younger, as this seldom happens, especially to someone who, for all appearances, was nothing more than a low-born commoner.
"Now, now, my lady, every game has been fair. The world is vast with countless hidden powerhouses."
"Don't think that just because you don't know anyone around you who can match you, does not mean that there is no one in the world who can match you."
Railius said, chuckling slightly at his angered opponent, well aware of just how terrifying Dynasties Online can be, as it is a virtual world where your fortune can change in a single day.
Just like his own house, which went from one of the most powerful in the Chavarian Empire to criminals running for their lives with a single order from its emperor.
If it were not for House Aurellion's meticulous planning and hidden grandmaster, which even the emperor and legendary Chavarian minister of war didn't know about, then they would be like all those others accused of treason, with their line extinguished and nothing more than a footnote in history.
"You're not just a mercenary captain, are you?"
She asked, her eyes narrowing, not that she needed any confirmation from the man, as no mercenary captain would be able to beat her at two games renowned for requiring the use of one's intelligence.
Well, in certain ways anyway.
"Shouldn't that be obvious by now? Surely it is not uncommon for nobles, especially those with many enemies, to travel around incognito."
"After all, as entertaining as assassination attempts can be, they do get tedious after a while."
Railius replied with his scheming smirk still plastered on his face, the infuriating expression only disappearing whenever Cirdyl did something in a game that he did not expect and even then it swiftly returned, much to her frustration.
After all, she did win two chess games.
Even if it was just two of ten, she still won, which was a small comfort.
But his casual attitude and lack of respect grated on her, slowly chafing on her already limited patience.
She imagined his attitude grated on everybody, both friend and foe.
However, she did gain something from her time playing, apart from a rather enjoyable experience. While his attitude could at times be infuriating, it was refreshing to find someone who treated everyone the same, regardless of their status or gender, which was a rarity in Pelthas, as the kingdom, despite its reforms, is still seeped in tradition, for many of Cirdyl's hobbies would be considered unladylike by wider society.
This something was the fact that she had found a talented man from a noble house, though whether it was landed, landless or fallen, she could not be sure.
But what she can be sure of is that if he ever decides to use his talents to serve a nation, then he has the potential to become someone known and feared throughout the world.
"What's your name? Your real name, not Delron, which we both know is fake, even if you somehow managed to get a corrupt official to ensure this fake identity is legit."
Cirdyl said, seriously, making Railius only raise an eyebrow, looking at her as if she had just asked the stupidest question in the world.
"What do you think my name is?"
Railius replied nonchalantly, taking another large gulp of his glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, which also happened to be empty once he gently placed it back on the table.
BANG!
"HOW THE FUCK WOULD I KNOW?"
Cirdyl shouted, slamming a clenched fist into the table, making the mugs and glasses on the table visibly wobble as small parts of the remaining drink on the table sloshed out at her outburst.
'Did he really have to be this infuriating and guarded?'
Cirdyl thought, not knowing just how much trouble could happen if Delron's true identity as Railius Aurellion ever got out, ignoring the fact that he would not be able to go one night without someone trying to claim the enormous bounty that the Chavarians had put on his head.
The young lady also did not realise that her outburst had attracted the attention of everyone in the tavern who was curious about this mercenary captain that was willing to not only piss of Darkath the son of a powerful count but also Cirdyl the most precious and protected jewel in her families crown.
They also began to fear him slightly, as only someone with an extraordinary background or a madman would be able and willing to annoy and stand up to such powerful figures so blatantly.
Of course, they would not know that Railius is just the kind of eccentric madman who would be willing to do such things damning the consequences.
"Your shouting is drawing the attention of the whole tavern and disturbing other customers. Please try to keep your temper in check, my lady."
Railius said, trying his best to calm down the lady who was as fiery as her red hair while letting out a yawn.
It had been a long night, and Railius was getting tired as the needs of the game were just like the needs of humans in real life, with each player needing to eat, drink, sleep and partake in all the other bodily functions a person may need to.
This included sleep, which many players speculated was necessary to allow the brain and their consciousness to rest, given that they spent an extended period of time in-game.
After all, the game servers were only open from 8 in the morning till 8 at night, with players having to conform to this timeline or 'working day.' They didn't even get a time limit a day to use as they see fit.
This is according to the time in Great Britain, so for some it may be night, but that is irrelevant.
Of course, people could decide to spend as much or as little time in the game as they wanted, and it would not be announced why James Larant and the developers made the game work this way, but there was a reason.
As with all things to do with James Larant, there was always method in his madness.
Always.
And in this case, the reason was to prevent players from manipulating their game time to avoid their enemies.
To prevent them from using the limited game time to be online and fight when someone's playtime is up and they are not there, as in a persistent world, this could lead to catastrophic consequences for one side or the other.
So, to stop these schemes and make life easier, everyone has to conform to the set time, which helps to prevent such underhanded schemes and exploits, meaning that you cannot use someone's playtime as a means to avoid them in-game.
"Anyway, my lady, I have a long day tomorrow, and so I must bid you good night. It has been a most enjoyable evening and I thank you for that and your help with that arrogant asshole earlier."
Railius said as if he were a perfect gentleman, and if Cirdyl didn't know any better, then she would think that too.
Just as the young lady was about to ask once again for his actual name, she shook her head because if this Captain Delron did not want his identity to be known, then there was likely a good reason for it.
"Good night."
She said as he watched him head to the stairs and to what she assumed was his room, leaving quickly after, as his friends and what she assumed were his guards promptly followed after him like obedient dogs, only confirming her suspicions more and more.
'Interesting.'
Cirdyl thought as she headed back to her family's manse, which was only dwarfed by the royal palace in size and splendour, as it would not do for a vassal to have a more opulent house than their liege.
She made a vow there and then to uncover the true identity of the man who could become either an ally or an enemy in the future.
….
Railius yawned as he approached the door of his room and ensuring that it was only his men left on the floor of the tavern that he always made sure to rent out to ensure his own safety even if it cost him an arm and a leg each time it was worth it and he could afford it.
Later, when he had an information network that spanned the entire world, he would stay in taverns owned by his agents. However, until then, he had to deal with paying the 100+ gold every time he wanted to avoid sleeping in a tent.
Luckily, his noble house earns over 200,000 gold a month these days solely from their mercenary work. So even if he spends 30-40,000 gold on accommodation, he can afford it, not to mention the money his business generates, which can add up to hundreds of thousands of gold a month.
Even if he would never hear the end of Malwin's grumbling, such was the cost of running incognito around the world, and it's not like House Aurellion has not gained massively from his little escapade to see the world before he is bogged down fighting for Nathia and managing his territory.
The fact that he had made so much profit on his little trip visiting the world is just a bonus, but that was not his main problem right now.
No, his main problem was admittedly one of his own making, and he had a name.
Darkarth Venselor, the arrogant son of a count, a man who would not just let what he saw as humiliation slide.
No, if he were anything like the other prideful, arrogant, stupid nobles that Railius was so used to dealing with, then he would send someone to kill him or teach him a lesson.
And with his family's power, it would likely be a master level figure, as grandmasters could not move so freely without people taking notice due to how rare they were, even in an elven kingdom where they had more master and grandmaster-level figures than everyone else.
But even with all the protection that he had, and Aldorus, a master level figure, is not a power to be underestimated.
As all it would take is one knife in the throat before any of his men could react, for his character to die, and his dynasty to be eradicated.
So, he would be more careful and on guard tonight than he usually was.
His hand brushed against the cold, rounded metal doorknob. A quick turn to its left saw the lock click, and the wooden door opened to reveal a comfortable room with a cosy bed that was just begging him to fall into its warm embrace.
Behind him were two of his guards and Cedrick and Aldorus, his other friends, most of whom were drunk from the night's revelry and had already returned to their rooms.
"Aldorus."
Railius said to the first commander of the Pelican Guard, a position only lower than the Grand Commander in prestige amongst his men.
"My lord?"
The calm man asked as Railius looked over his shoulder at the man.
"Please be careful tonight, we might be hosting some unexpected guests. Please make sure to welcome them appropriately, as I don't see matters ending just because we have the favour of one noble lady."
"Even if that noble lady is the daughter of one of the most powerful noble houses in the kingdom."
Railius said before the door closed, and the young player began to sleep to rest his mind and in-game body before its next day.