AN: So, we now begin the next exciting volume of Origin ARS proper. We are nearing the end of the second season. (It ends at the end of Volume 8. This is Volume 7) We are already setting up for the third Season to come afterward.

Currently. I plan to have roughly 4 seasons for this story, so something in the neighborhood of 15 or 16 volumes. So, we are almost halfway through now. Enjoy!

Chapter 87: Apocalypse Sometime

Time passed quickly while Scott waited in line. Many interesting tidbits were learned regarding the world and its customs. Each race possessed a legend of some powerful member of their racial group achieving divinity. The more Scott thought about it, the more it began to make sense. A second tier race was considerably stronger in some areas compared to a base race. Lunarians, statistically at least, were better than humans. The Hyperion was an upgrade to a third tier.

Orcs had their warlords and The Scarred Ones, a race of godlike orc warriors. The same was true of the blood trackers. They had werewolves and the Lunar Varg. One main similarity between all of the races was that no one knew of anyone who actually was a third tier race.

The line shortened while Scott considered the ramifications. He nearly missed it when Greelak mentioned the true reason that he opened his shop. He did so in a bid to raise the funds and acquire the contacts necessary to become a warlord after reincarnation.

Level one hundred reincarnation was a thing in this world, but no one seemed to be able to directly reincarnate into a third-tier race. Even second-tier reincarnation required most people to undertake several important life quests.

Somehow, Scott did not believe the system would simply allow him to just take the Hyperion route without those quests. The ability to be a second-tier, or advanced race, simply because of his champion status was already pushing things a bit.

The third-tier, or elite racial tier, might not even be enough for what he would face. Still, he would have no hope of success if he did not achieve it. There was much to study after this event.

He reached the tent then entered. Inside, he discovered a single table with an enforced sitting behind it. "Step forward, put your hand on the crystal, and choose your contribution rewards," said the enforcer. Typical for their kind, he was encased head-to-toe in jet black armor.

Scott stepped to the table, and followed instructions. A brief series of images detailed his contributions to the city. A number appeared, followed by a list of things that he could purchase.

"One hundred eighty-seven contribution..." said Scott slowly. There was not a great deal that he could purchase for that amount. One hundred contribution came from delivering Jimothy's body, and the rest occurred due to his clean-up efforts, and the few monsters he slew during the invasion.

The list of acceptable rewards was small, but he saw something that he was lacking in his training regimen. Scott splurged one hundred fifty points of contribution to purchase a pair of enchanted boomerangs. Their only enchantments were for sharpness and to return to the one who threw them.

He would have purchased a firearm, but the only one on the list was a single shot rifle that demanded high accuracy and firearm skill to use properly. He knew Earth firearms well, but a fantasy rifle that had a variable output depending upon his visibly trained skills was a different sort of thing.

"Right, here's your sigil crest. It'll keep track of your contribution for Valkovia," said the enforcer. He made a gesture and a bright light flared from the back of Scott's hand. When that light faded a symbol was emblazoned across his flesh. It was a circle with the letter V inside of it, the tip of the letter stopped at the circle line, but the lines of the V stuck out beyond the edge of the circle.

"Once you arrive on site, you will be placed into a battle group. After the initial phase of combat ends, you will be granted a base one hundred points of contribution," said the enforced in a tone of voice that bespoke constant repetition.

"Further, if you wish to know your current contribution after that point you may touch the crest and speak the words, 'Contribution Status' to learn how much your contribution to the nation is worth in the form of points."

Scott nodded his head and then answered in agreement when the enforcer asked if he understood. He left the tent after receiving his boomerangs. They were glossy black items, each roughly the length of his forearm. His new weapons were a serious downgrade compared to the ones that he'd had in the casual server, but they would still prove useful for training his boomerang skill.

He joined up with the group beyond the contribution tent, and settled in for a short wait. As it turned out, the wait was even shorter than he expected.

"Alright, the transports are arriving now. If you are here now, you're in Battle Group two. Upon arrival at the operation site, you will take over perimeter patrol," said an enforced, this one had the customary black armor, but he also had a gold colored shield emblazoned on the left side of his chest armor.

"Battlegroup One is currently engaging the enemy within the confines of the city. You will guard the walls and gates. Your task is to hold back the enemy there so that they cannot reinforce the enemy already in the interior," continued the enforcer.

"Upon arrival, Battlegroup Three and the Local Militia will relieve you. At that point, you will enter the city and help Battlegroup One eliminate any stragglers from the enemy forces. Understood?"

Everyone signaled that they understood. It now made sense to Scott as well in regards to something that nagged at him. Explanation by the Lunarian paladin aside, there were too few people here for the sort of task at hand. The reason was now clear. The first battle group was already on site.

The promised transport arrived a short time later. Flying ships shaped like a cross between a toaster and a swan descended to the ground. The one hundred members of battlegroup two were separated into five separate groups of twenty and assigned to a vessel.

Soon, the battle for the reclamation of the Trinity Highcrowne region would begin.

***

While Scott and the other brave souls of Valkovia were being sorted, an entirely different battle was waged within the mind and heart of a beautiful young goddess. The battlefield was the board room. Her enemies were armed a stupid duck faced selfie and the unwitting aid of her even less intelligent subordinates.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked one divinity, a god who held the appearance of a balding middle-aged man. He wore a business suit one size too small for his portly frame, and a tie that could only be called ridiculous.

Origin gazed coolly at her foe. She could not admit that it was all an accident. Her bargaining power, would be drastically reduced. In fact, a quick glance above her head would show that her bargaining power was already quite low. She stood at twenty points, whereas the board held thirty-five points. Their bargaining power bar was nearly twice her own!

She nodded her head slowly. "Gentlemen of the board... Why have you convened this meeting? Was it simply to ask about our new marketing strategy?"

"Your new strategy? Surely, you recall that all marketing has to be approved by the board, Ms. Ardent?" asked another god. This divinity was slender and wore an immaculate suit. However, his face had the look of a crooked politician. He was the epitome of a smug faced villain.

"Oh? I was under the impression that marketing strategies were already approved for the quarter," said Origin, before casually lifting up a cup of tea and drinking from it.

Smug face quirked an eyebrow then leaned back. "So, it is your contention that we approved this?"

"Did you not?" asked Origin. She acquired a mildly confused look. "I'm certain that there is paperwork to that effect."

"Oh, no doubt there will be paperwork..." said the fat balding board member.

The board was separated into senior and junior members. Only the four senior members were involved in this question and answer session. The sole female member of the senior board spoke up then, "Let's cut to the chase, Origin."

A black haired goddess with Mediterranean features, this week at least, the female member of the board held a special relationship with the Ardent family. "Daughter, we know that there was no paperwork signed allowing for this scenario."

"That would be news to me," said Origin Coolly. "Also, please refrain from calling me daughter. You did divorce my father once you achieved your position in this company."

"Now, now... There is no need for such talk. By the way, how is my little Shara doing?"

"I find it curious that you take interest with her now," said Origin without hesitation.

The fourth board member, the leader of the four, spoke up. "These pleasantries aside, we simply cannot condone this sort of marketing strategy."

The board leader, Chairman Kreuz, was an older deity who wore the visage of a white haired German male. "It is unseemly."

Origin steepled her fingers together then placed two fingers under her chin. For a moment she did not speak. When she did, she rotated her fingers forward and said, "What you mean to say is that it will interfere with your plans to wipe the servers."

"Come now, Origin..." began Chairman Kreuz.

"Don't deny your intentions, chairman. Further, do not forget your place in this company," replied the blue haired goddess.

"Is this an attempt to pull rank, my dear?" the chairman leaned back then unleashed an amused smile. "Even your mother knew better than to be that foolish."

"I assure you, chairman..." Origin smiled beautifully. "You have no idea just how foolish I can be."

"Threats? Is that what you are reduced to?" asked Denzel, the smug faced villain.

"Oh, have I made a threat?" asked Origin. "I merely point out that I am quite different from my mother."

"We are already aware of that fact," said the chairman. "Your mother would never have made such a significant blunder as to release that particular marketing strategy."

Before Origin could respond, the chairman continued, "Currently it is increasing the player base, but what happens when the newness of it wears off? The world itself is not fundamentally changed. There have been no major updates in nearly thirty years."

Origin gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment, then offered the chairman a warm smile. "Ah, you caught me."

"Caught you, my dear?" asked the chairman.

"Yes, we are planning a few major innovations. However, the system is being obstinate. It will take at least ten years to fix the problems, but after the continent expansion pack, the new changes will revolutionize the game," said Origin.

The board members glanced to each other, then snorted simultaneously. Chairman Kreuz said, "You are grasping at straws with that tactic. Who would be foolish enough to believe it?"

He shook his head then continued, "No, Origin. The codebase is ancient. We both know that you'll have to give up ownership of that world within the next century or so. Other than fleshing out the rest of the planet, and populating it, there is not much left to do."

Instead of acting as though she were cornered, Origin merely smiled once more. "True, the current world servers are near capacity for their type and nature."

"You admit your lie then—" began the chairman, surprised.

"No, I admit that your assessment is correct. Unfortunately, what you fail to take into account is the prospect of new intellectual property rights," said Origin.

"What?" asked the chairman, quickly. "What do you mean?"

Origin laughed coldly. "You leeches are attached to the world of ARS like deranged parasites. Any hint of a fluctuation in the flow of profits will cause you to try to kill off most of the planetary population."

"There's no need to be insulting... The only way to drastically change the codebase is to remove the souls in play," said Kreuz.

"The alternative is a brand new system, outside of the ARS franchise," said Origin casually.

Her casual words caused the board members to jump up from their seats and begin to shout. No one looked smug anymore. What Origin just told them was tantamount to firing the entire board. It was impossible to do while the ARS servers were up and running, but they only had power in regards to those servers. An outside system, wholly owned and operated by the Ardent family, would not need the current board members.

The Ardent family did have a few smaller properties directly under their brand name. None were as popular as ARS. The bombshell that Origin dropped on the board was one that none of them saw coming.

It took a moment for the chairman to collect himself, but upon doing so, he said, "Nice attempt, child. You know that you don't have the power base for developing an entirely new universal codex. Even now, most of the properties run by the smaller powers in this city use the OEC public license."

"Not if I try to maintain the current universal codex servers," admitted Origin freely.

"You..." the chairman made a hacking sound then slapped his hand to his mouth. He drew his hand away a moment later then glared hatefully at it. Her words caused him to vomit blood. The little Ardent girl was getting the best of him and his body rejected the very concept.

He took in a few short breaths then said, "You wouldn't be able to use the current company name! You wouldn't be able to use ARS branding, or..."

"Well, none of that matters," said Origin casually. "We already plan to rebrand under the name Ardent Entertainment. Check the city business records and you'll see that it is already accepted."

The board members immediately checked her story out via their command consoles. It did not take long to verify the truth.

"Y-you can't," said Denzel. "That would bankrupt you."

"Sure, we would be downgraded from an empire to a barely functioning indie studio for a few centuries, but it is entirely doable," said Origin. "I mean, my family built this company in the first place? You board members offered capital. But you really don't do much otherwise beyond making demands and signing off on marketing and the social media end of things."

"I'll sue you into the poor house," said Kreuz. "Your willful destruction of this company violates our contractual obligations toward each other."

"Go ahead, none of this can happen unless you unleash the end game bosses on the world," said Origin.

Kreuz glared at her briefly then slowly nodded his head. "It's legal to do that. You do realize that this gambit of yours is doomed to fail, correct?"

"We often lament that we do not get enough time to play other games. We might just decide to live off of our assets for a while," said Origin.

"You..." Kreuz growled low under his breath. He underestimated this girl. However, her gambit was dangerous for her. He would now tell her why. "Have made a grave error, child."

"Do tell," answered Origin.

"Allowing us to know your plans beforehand means that we are legally allowed to end the game for the sake of salvaging its contents," said Kreuz, a dark smile upon his lips.

"You'll lose a lot of money if you do that immediately," said Origin without a hint of concern.

Kreuz frowned for a moment, but then his eyes widened in sudden realization. He understood her objective now. "Two years."

"Forty years is much better. We can reach the conclusion of the current expansion materials and receive as much profit as possible before the inevitable decline," countered Origin.

"Pfeh! That's far too long, and you know it. If we wait that long, the statute of limitations on our lawsuit will run out," said Kreuz. He then counter-offered, "Seven years."

"If not forty years, then surely thirty..." said Origin.

"Ten years, or I convene an emergency meeting and we begin the end of the world today!" snapped Kreuz.

Origin nodded her head twice and seemed to consider the offer carefully. After a moment, she sighed then nodded. "Very well. The official start time for the apocalypse will be in ten years."

"Damn right," said Denzel.

"You brought this on yourself. Remember that, child," said Kreuz.

"Fair enough," said Origin without any pretense of concern. "You know the rules, though. You can't interfere with the world at all during the countdown to Judgment Day."

"I'm awa—" began Kreuz. He stopped mid-sentence then frowned. "The way that you said that..."

"What? You think that just because you intend to destroy the world, that I won't make plans to stop its destruction?" asked Origin with a bright smile.

Kreuz laughed darkly. She won this round. The other members of the board did not realize it, but they were played quite successfully. "Very well, but let's hope that supposed champion of yours is worth the effort. He only has ten years to reach the power and influence necessary to try to stop us."

"That should be plenty of time," said Origin.

"We'll see. Won't we?" asked Kreuz.

The meeting dissolved not long after those fateful words were spoken. Origin made her way back to her room, and then collapsed onto her bed. The meeting was over. Somehow she managed to forestall the apocalypse for ten years.

Upon returning from ARS, she learned the terrible truth of what she did. The selfie shot used in the marketing campaign was technically a violation of the marketing bylaws of the company. The board authorized a campaign, but not the type of campaign she inadvertently caused.

They could have seen it as an opportunity to end the current ARS as soon as the player retention rates drop by one percent. It would be hard to prove, but they could cite the false advertising of the marketing campaign as a reason for the loss of players.

By forcing the issue, she was able to gain a decade. The apocalypse was already going to happen, but the former hope was that it would be forestalled for several years. Now the time was set, but still workable. Plans would need to be made.

Despite the focus on levels and skills, the way to stop the apocalypse was not really tied to direct combat. High power levels were useful and would allow for the world to survive the direct combat portion. Origin had plans to make, but they would have to wait until she finished the current portion of her city tour. Afterward, she would split into two separate versions of herself. One would do the tour, and the other would be with Scott.

There would be a minor public outcry at first, once it was discovered. The social media sites would have a field day. However, the appearance of her goodwill and dedication to her fans was not quite as important anymore. In ten years, they would stop the apocalypse, or not. No amount of fandom love or hate would change that.