"Democracy don't rule the world, You'd better get that in your head; This world is ruled by violence, But I guess that's better left unsaid."

-Bob Dylan

****

Helcait had to stop himself from giggling in glee. There was a tingling in his stomach, the kind you get when a childhood fantasy comes true. He felt like he was in a spy movie! He had been invited here by 'secret' message serendipitously passed to him during a 'coincidental' run in at a local bar. It was after midnight, and the only light came from a pair of lanterns. There was no window in a hidden room such as this, so it was only two doors and four stone walls, giving the place an asphyxiating feeling. The only items of furniture were two chairs and a sofa with a table in between where the lanterns stood. Thankfully Helcait was not claustrophobic. He had been led to this room by the councilmen who had written the message.

"Please have a seat," Queineas, the councilman who had invited him, said as he closed the door behind the player. He was an older gentleman and was dressed in the high-quality silk of the council's official robes. If Helcait wasn't mistaken, the man was very influential and held a rank of Marquess. He was also a major player in the 'Imperial' faction. "I feel it goes without saying that anything we say here is of the utmost importance. Discretion is paramount."

Helcait once more held in the urge to giggle as they sat down on the couch. This wasn't the time nor the place. This wasn't the real world where he was a socially awkward shut-in. This was Gods' Nature. Here he was Helcait, leader of the third largest guild, The Four Winds. He needed to act the part.

"Of course," he responded with as much gravitas as he could manage. "Though I would like to know what this is about? Your letter was quite vague."

"A necessary precaution you'll find," Queineas said as he took his seat on one of the individual chairs. "We cannot be too careful with this. It could very well change the world as we know it."

Helcait sat a bit straighter in his seat. While this had always smelled like a quest, it sounded like this might even be one of rank B or higher. If so, the opportunities it could present would be enormous. One only needed to look at The Bank. They had completed the only know B rank quest, and in return, they had gotten an entire city. If Four Winds managed to finish a similar achievement, they would surpass Foundation easily and possibly The Bank.

"Go on."

"As you know, the Rupture destroyed numerous cities and countries. Even today we are still feeling the after effects." The Councilman explained. "Perhaps the most significant impact is the shutdown of the Gates. Without them, we are cut off from most of the world. It was only when you Outlanders arrived that we managed to get in contact with Sarra and Minas Cassu but the rest of the world remains closed off to us. The distance between us, however, is too vast for any sort of reliable trade routes. We need to change that. Thankfully a solution-"

Though the player was engrossed in the 'backstory' of the quest, as it might provide clues for later, he didn't fail to notice the door behind the councilman open quietly. The look on his face must have betrayed him as Queineas stopped talking and looked behind him. Two men entered and closed the door behind them. The first one Helcait didn't recognize. He was likely a mage of some sort based on the robes. They were covered in intricate lettering that softly glowed in the dim light of the room. The guild master recognized them as runes, a way to imbue items with magic, but what exactly they did he did not know.

The second man who entered was much more familiar to Helcait. He was another councilman in Selwe, one famous for providing monthly quests for hunting bandits. His name was Fabricio if Helcait remembered correctly. He was younger than Queineas by a fair amount, and the robes of the council looked much better on him than they did on his aged compatriot. Fabricio was also famous for being a hardliner of the 'Isolationist' faction on the council, the bitter rivals of the 'Imperials.'

"Greetings councilman," Helcait greeted the man politely but warily. The pair had met a few times, both for quests and at formal events but the guild master was more curious what the man was doing in this hidden room at the moment.

"Helcait," Fabricio nodded his head in return as he took the vacant seat next to Queineas. The other man remained standing behind the pair of councilmen. "I trust you have been well?"

"I have, and you?"

"The same."

"Now that we have the pleasantries aside," Queineas said, drawing attention back to him. "I was just explaining to our companion the details of his mission. I hope you understand how important this task is if both of us are willing to work together to see it accomplished."

"Of course," Helcait said, more and more curious about a quest that could bring such bitter enemies together. "Please continue."

"As I was saying, we have found a way to shorten the distance between the cities. We have recently uncovered a way to reopen the Gates." It was only the experience as a guild master he had accumulated over the last decade that kept Helcait from showing his surprise. "It requires an item called a Lodestone. We have records of four that have been found throughout history, and we have good reason to believe we know where one of them can be found."

"The catch?" Helcait needed to ask, it was okay to have ambitions, but they need to be achievable.

"The catch is," Fabricio spoke up. "The only location that we know holds one is very very far away."

"How far are we talking?"

The younger councilman pulled a rolled up piece of parchment from his robes and laid it on the table between them. It was old and decaying, likely drawn before the Rupture. Helcait recognized it was a map of Gods' Nature, he had seen a few before and there were some posted online.

"This is us, Selwe," Fabricio said while pointing to the south-east coast on the vast continent that dominated the map. "This is Minas Cassu," here he pointed a bit to the south, also on the coast. "Sarra Keep." He dragged his fingers across the continent to the west coast and slightly to the north, just below where the equator would be. "Here is where you need to go." Fabricio dragged his finger north, up and up it went until it stopped on a little dot nestled between the two massive mountain ranges. "Hayheath."

Helcait let out a breath in disappointment. The distance between Sarra and Hayheath was slightly less than between Sarra and Selwe, but the guild master was well aware that it might as well have been three times as long for all it mattered.

"I'm afraid what you are asking is impossible," Helcait explained. "The distance is too great, one bad encounter and the entire expedition would be sent back here. Outlanders like us are just not strong enough yet to make it that far. I'm sure you've heard of the Calm Belt? The furthest north we have managed before being wiped out is Vilcasu and the Darkmoore River. Not even a third of the way there."

"What if you could bring holy grounds with you?" Queineas asked, having expected this response. The question brought Helcait up short before his eyes widened in surprise.

"One of the Saints?" He asked excitedly. Those who could create sacred grounds were generally called Saints, though they weren't necessarily part of a religion. Unfortunately, after a few moments of thought, he had to let go of his excitement. "If one of them was available it might be possible, though it would depend. Even then, you are talking about a journey that would take years and would probably cost everybody dozens of deaths. I'm going to have to decline."

"Not one of the saints," Queineas said. "This has to be as covert as possible for as long as possible. All known saints are carefully watched by all parties so their movements or disappearance would be noticed right away. Instead, we have come by a rare opportunity with the arrival of our friend here." The councilman gestured to the man in robes behind him who had remained standing. "This is Homer, he is an Outlander like yourself. Though his level is only in the late hundreds, he can create temporary holy lands. They take about a day to set up and can last for two weeks."

This time Helcait was unable to keep the surprise from his face. All known 'Saints' were at least level three hundred and NPCs to boot. Homer, by himself, could provide the means of players to break out of the calm belt, especially if the skill or spell could be taught.

"That would still require an enormous investment in time and materials," Helcait said hesitantly, frowning because the opportunity to surpass The Bank and Foundation was tempting but he was unsure if it would be worth the risk.

"This is what the plan would be, should you accept," Fabricio said, once more pointing to the map. "I would recommend a group of one thousand to five thousand Outlanders. Large enough to deal with any significant problems but not too big so you can live off the land. Just your elites. You Outlanders can go days without sleep and require less food which will speed things up considerably. Your first stop will be Valiskali, you should be able to get there in half a year."

"We'll have people there to help you with supplies and any requirements you would need," explained Queineas.

"From there you just need to head north to the Darkmoor river, which you are familiar with. If you keep heading north from there, you will eventually reach the Mistfen river. You would follow it through the Ishval jungle."

"According to our records that is where the jungle is thinnest, so it should only take a few weeks to cross."

"Once on the other side, you will be at the Stepp." Fabricio continued, unmindful of his older companion's explanations. "From our histories, this is a plains area, there will be a few rivers and lakes, but other than that will be just grasslands. Supposedly the monsters there should be between level 200 and 300, baring the occasional mutant. This would be a good place for your expedition to hunt for levels as you make your way through."

"This is where things get a bit tricky," Queineas picked up. "The shortest distance would be for you to head North-Northwest. Unfortunately, that will bring you near the Mountains of Madness, you would not get very far if you were even the slightest bit unlucky. So we recommend you head due west until you reach the Rune river. It flows north to south, and by following it north, and then a bit further, you'll reach where the Mountains of Madness and the Khuramunz highlands meet. There is a pass between them, possibly the safest way to cross. Once on the other side of the pass Hayheath is only a little bit east of there."

"All this information comes from before the Rupture, thus we haven't mentioned any of the cities that were along the path as we are unaware of whether they have survived the test of time. All this is subject to change at a moment's notice so you will have to be careful and make decisions as you go. We estimate a period of five to ten years, depending on the amount of opposition you face."

"In return," Queineas said as he stared into Helcait's eyes as if to emphasize the importance of what he was going to say next. "Should you return with the Lodestone, you will receive a position of nobility. The minimum you can expect is Viscount, but it is also possible you will be awarded the title of Marquess. What do you say?"

**Pioneer of the Gates

You have been requested to travel halfway across the world to find a Lodestone, the key to once more opening the gates and ushering in an age of prosperity. It is a long and arduous task, but the payout might be worth it.

Rank; B+

Rewards: Title of nobility in Selwe (Viscount minimum)**

The quest popup that appeared in front of Helcait drew him into contemplation. He was excited at the idea of the expedition, the adventurous spirit of gamer begging him to accept, but he had to think of Four Winds. This could make or break them. The councilmen allowed the player to think on the offer, and Homer remained quietly behind them.

The reward was undoubtedly attractive. To the people of the modern age, a title of nobility might not be very desirable but in the Middle Ages, or Gods' Nature, which had very little social mobility it was an enormous difference. The first was land, Gods' Nature had more land than people due to the Rupture so a Viscount would receive a piece of land the size of roughly 150 000km, though most of it would be undeveloped. An earl would get a more substantial holding and Marquess, of which there was only a handful in the entirety of Selwe, would govern a genuinely enormous tract of land. From which they could levy taxes, develop into cities or sell rent to others. Since Selwe was the starting city of Gods' Nature its land prices were enormous and Four Winds would make millions, if not billions of dollars should they govern a March.

The other aspect of the rewards would be the fame and prestige of the expedition. Should Four Winds record it and make it into a documentary, or TV series, their glory would rise, and that would be another source of revenue even should the quest fail. Players would pay good money for information beyond the Calm Belt.

The downsides were also great though. This was an enormous undertaking, one that would essentially paralyze the guild until it was complete. The lower leveled players would be left behind to complete smaller quests, unable to do anything significant until their elites returned. It might take a decade which would be long enough for many other smaller guilds to overtake them and for The Bank and Foundation to do who knows what.

In the end, it was the rank of the quest that convinced Helcait. The Bank had completed a B rank quest and gotten a city situated right along the major world trade route of the world. Helcait did not think Four Winds was inferior to The Bank and by completing a slightly more difficult quest, they would get even greater rewards. Besides, wasn't it a gamer's dream to go on adventures such as this.

"Very well, I'll accept." There were smiles from all four men in that hidden room as they shook on the agreement. One thing was sure, this quest would change the world. Just not in the way anybody expected.

****

"The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye."

Jimi Hendrix