After sending that email, the messages stopped and Eden called for Ezra on the status of the scout. "The scout returned to report that there was nothing in those coordinates. The place burned and there was no sign of Menki's survival" said Ezra as she handed Eden the report. After looking things over, she noticed no traces of troop deaths. It didn't have the remnants of a battle taking place. Eden can only think of one thing, suicide. But would he be able to return home was her next thought. With a heavy heart she wrote another alliance mail.
" Greetings,
It is believed that Menki found a way back from this world. There was no trace of his castle. I have attached the report to his last known location. For those that wish to leave the alliance please request privately to avoid fees. Everyone else, please await the announcement of your new R4.
Best Regards"
There were three requests to leave. One of them had third in line for power in their alliance. Eden decided to message them directly to understand why they want to leave. From her investigation, Menki didn't have a group of people who he was confined in. He barely spoke to his leadership board. After speaking to the member, it was obvious it was a jump ship move. He saw Menki's decision to leave as if the alliance was not going to survive. It was there that Eden decided a new name would suit them best.
Eden sent mail to a few individuals that stood out; Maur, Corruption, Ron, Notme, Onibat and Weeblow. These would be her new Alliance Generals. She had set up a meeting room to gather them for a formal introduction.
"Thank you all for coming, I wanted to set up some alliance rules so that it runs smoothly and so that we don't become someone else's food. I noticed that we have a ruler now who stated that the ranking of an alliance determines whether they have peace or not. We are currently 6th place. The peace rank begins at 5th place. I did the math and if we all increase our power by 20% , then we can knock them out of the rank."
Everyone was still silent around the table, then Eden cleared her throat, "I apologize, I have a bad habit of just getting down to business. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Without your support I don't see this alliance surviving."
"Are there more appointed Generals?" asked Maur
"I could do that, but I think a small group could do it for now until we expand" said Eden
"What roles would we play," added Corruption
"For now, my second in command is Corruption. She has an observant eye and makes wise decisions. Maur, my politician who speaks with carefully thought responses. Onibat would take the warlord position with Ron and Notme as aids. Weeblow is the lesion for recruitment." Eden took a pause, "after speaking with everyone individually, these were the responsibilities I thought would best suit your character. Please feel free to speak to me privately if you don't agree."
"I think that is wise, how will you get the rest of the alliance to fall in line?" asked Corruption.
"With an iron fist of course," Eden laughed as their faces darken except Corruption's who had an idea of Eden's humor. Weeblow who was quiet until then said, "That's no way to rule. You are dealing with people."
Eden said lazily "We are in a war zone, there is no sweet way of putting it. If everyone stays oblivious to war, then we are just sitting ducks. Besides, I lead by example. If there's an attack, I will respond, but in return I expect those I'm protecting to get stronger. There's no point in me sending my army and taking damage if the people I'm protecting don't show they are worth protecting. Big or small they all have their uses. They don't need to be as strong as I am, but get smart about not being open for an attack."
"How do you plan on getting them to where you want them to be?" asked Maur as he took a sip of his wine and leaned back.
"I'll use the Alliance mail to send out tips on how to avoid an attack and best ways to counter. Kinda like a newsletter." replied Eden as she dropped her first draft on her newsletter. They all reviewed it.
Onibat frowned a little before speaking, "You're going to teach them? Shouldn't they know a few of these things by now?"
"You're right, they should know, but not everyone learns the same way. We all have a learning curve."
"I will do anything to help, I'm not very good at this game either," said Ron earnestly.
"You and Notme are more of the muscle. With your knowledge in war, I can pick your brain what is the best way to attack," Eden raised her glass and took a gulp before announcing her reason, "Ron and Notme are veterans. They know military tactics in the real world. Though this is a game and rules are different, it's important to remember these are human minds we deal with."
"Yes, which is why you can't rule with an iron fist!" said Weeblow.
"She was joking, If I know Eden, she wouldn't be that unfair. Why would she bring us to decide on the alliance rule together? The past leaders never did that." said Corruption with a soft voice.
"It's okay Corruption, I should have been more observant and joked lightly. Thank you for clarifying that for me. This is why you are my voice of reason." Eden smiled and pulled out another scroll for everyone. "I've outlined the rules of being in this alliance. In addition, I don't like that Menki placed me in this position without my consent or those of the previous leadership board members. Here are my terms to stay leader. If I ever go silent for unforeseen events, My second in command takes charge of the alliance. If for some reason anyone feels that I am not adequate for this role, anyone sitting at this table can petition to remove me off my seat, but to succeed, there must be a vote. Majority wins. Does everyone agree?" said Eden as she handed everyone a quill to sign the agreement. "This includes any future R4 / Generals." added Eden as she was the first to sign.
"Are you that confident in your abilities to gamble your position?" asked Maur.
"I am not, that is why I am ready to step down if there is anyone among us who can do better. My alliance needs come first before my own needs."
With that, Maur signed as well as the rest followed except Corruption. Eden looked at her surprised. Then Corruption said, "I don't believe you will need to step down, but I will sign in support of your decisions."
The next morning the Generals packed to leave and sat in the dining hall. They had just finished eating when Eden got up and made one last announcement.
"Thank you again for your support. In the honor of our new agreement and collaboration I wanted us to start with a new identity. One that will be remembered and recognized. We will be known as Excalibur, EXC." The banners changed showing the new coat of arms and its crest. "I wanted something that has a meaning behind it. I hope you all like it."
Everyone awed looking at the banners and the change in clothing. Their robes now have gold and silver on them.Smiles on everyone's faces. "We should have a round table just like the story," said Corruption as she looked at her new robes.
Corruption was the last one to leave because Eden had asked her to stay behind for a talk. They were walking around the castle gardens when Eden let out a sigh. "I'm afraid that Weeblow and I will have disagreements in the future. My joke alone was enough to show me I need to really consider a more humane approach." Corruption pressed her lips a little and thought for a few minutes. "You can try to be more appealing, but it's like you said. War is not sugar coated. She will come around once she sees it for herself. Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"No, I wanted to talk about Boss raids. I know not everyone is capable of sending strong troops to support. That means I have to rely on the strongest to help take the beating during these events. I didn't want for us to fall behind and be able to take bosses like the other strong alliances. However, this also means you would take the most damage."
"I understand what you mean. We can have everyone send what they can. Besides, you also would take a lot of damage as well."
"Yeah, but that's my role"
"Did you forget your own speech? We are in this together"
"You know you really know how to slap someone in the face without lifting a finger"
They both laughed and headed to the battle room to discuss numbers and which bosses they needed to go for.
Eden was on the scoreboard as 15th place in power. She had unlocked her dragon which gave her a boost. Her and Corruption would lead the boss raids as the two power houses of the alliance. There were attacks on their smaller allies but Eden was not always awake during the attacks. It made her ponder on how they knew when she or Corruption would be sleeping. They would be alerted and by the time they arrived, their allies had already been drained of their resources.
"You think there's a spy in the alliance?" asked Maur as they sat down in the office.
"I have a hunch that someone is acting as a decoy, I don't know how they're doing it but it became clear to me after looking at the report times. Also, some of these people were on my communication list under friendly, but attacked once I went to sleep."
"It did seem strange that when you said goodnight to everyone yesterday, an attack happened 5 minutes after."
"They have become bold, making it more obvious or sloppy"
"What do you think of doing?"
"Clear my friendly communication list and sign peace agreements with the surrounding alliances"
"That sounds good and all, will they agree?"
"Well, if they don't, then I'll launch a full-on attack on their alliance until they comply. I doubt most of them will want a constant pressure of war from me."
"You are devious, but I like your style hahaha"
"How are the new recruits doing? I sent them resources"
"They seem to be settling in nicely, though they still have fear in their eyes when your name is mentioned"
"Hmm I know my style of recruiting is ruthless, but the survival of the alliance is a priority. Once I get the majority of the alliances to sign a peace agreement I'll stop"
"But we won't get to see the wrath of Eden anymore"
"Hahaha you'll see it, It will be reserved for others. With that said, I need your help"
"What can I help you with?"
"I know you are very good at deducting information and getting all the juicy secrets, I want to see if any one in the alliance has a similar style of speaking as someone else. And if they are active at the same time in our alliance chat or alternatively. I know it's a lot of work, but you are discrete. We can go over the list together to select which seems odd."
"A secret mission?"
"Corruption is aware of my suspicions"
"Of course, your second in command would know"
"I really hate to believe anyone here is willing to sell us out, but there's people who take joy in such schemes."
Maur nodded and began to cross off the list of people that are not suspects. Eden took the second list and did the same. After narrowing down the list they had more than a handful of suspects. "These hardly ever show communication with others and these haven't grown in strength," pointed Maur at the ones who weren't crossed off. "These haven't responded to my messages that I sent privately and I agree with the ones who aren't growing in strength. They must be hoarding the rewards of the alliance," responded Eden and then her eyes lit up.
"Let's throw a ball of some sort. Invite everyone and take attendance. For the ones who don't attend, we send out scouts to see if they are even home," said Eden.
"But how will we bait them into making the trip?" asked Maur with a small hint of doubt.
"Rewards. We set a goal for power increase and their stats improved. Have everyone send a report and then we distribute rewards. I have a couple of things in my arsenal."
They agreed and invitations were sent out. Eden received a private message from Weeblow. "Why are we forcing everyone to increase power? Power isn't everything. Some can't put in the time and energy as the power houses. They have other matters to attend to." Eden took a deep breath. She took a moment to think about how to reply when Onibat sent his message. "They should get strong on their own without you rewarding them. You and Corruption already take the short end of that stick. But I understand you are trying to encourage them. I'll be there as a guard." A smile appeared on Eden. A third message arrived, "I'll put in for some of the rewards, you can't bear the cost alone." wrote Corruption. Eden awed at their replies, but still didn't know how to respond to Weeblow without her opinion on the matter. She had been supporting the lower ranked alliance members, but she wasn't always involved in the decisions of the alliance. Then Eden decided not to explain everything to her and responded, "It's an optional participation."
The ball went well, everyone was enjoying themselves. Eden snuck away to check on the progress of the plan behind the scenes. It turned out that five of the members were unresponsive and were not home.
That night Eden made an announcement that she would like to hear from everyone and make it a mandatory check in so that events like the ball can be joyful. Her propaganda to make the alliance more lively was also meant to snuff out the five that weren't home. After a few days, Eden gave the order to Corruption and Maur to kick out the ones who weren't participating in alliance rules. There were no complaints from the five. They had joined a new alliance before the end of the day. After seeing that, Maur walked into Eden's office. "Did you notice how they joined another alliance right away?" Eden nodded, She handed Maur her notes. "I cross reference out attack logs, those that are gone, went to the alliance that attacked them in the past." Maur curved her lips up giving a big grin. "So they were spies. Do we have more?"
"Not that I can think of. But we should be cautious on who we let in going forward. I doubt they will make the same mistake again," said Eden as she took a deep breath. "Is there something on your mind?" asked Maur while tilting his head with his eyes furrowed.
"Just that it's time to demonstrate our strength. I have these peace agreements here, but they are only a fraction of what we need. The larger alliances are still the threat. They need to see us worthy of signing a contract."
"Well, you haven't steered us wrong and we have grown to rank 5 on your leadership. We're close to rank 4."
"We will have to get better at war, I think it's time to make everyone else a stone cold killer," said Eden as she looked at the map.