Interlude I

　　The Four Twists of Fate

　　The Chosen Champion for the World`s Seventh Iteration Has Died.

　　A message that was not entirely shocking appeared for all to read. Anyone that was fully awakened past their first tier and not inside a current battle for a node would see the message.

　　Seeing the notification, the four sisters contemplated for a moment, then finally one of the four spoke.

　　"So our services here are no longer needed?"

　　"It would seem so."

　　"This is good, as I still feel drained over the last one we gave blessings to not too long ago."

　　"What ever happened to that one?"

　　"That world reset, and thus the blessings had to have been wiped clean of the body. Unless that strange child found a way to exist for a week outside of their mortal shell while the restart happened."

　　It was at that part of the conversation that the three twins, and youngest of the four turned to the eldest of the Fates, the sister that had been around since the beginning of the whole process. The one who had been chosen as an independent observer for these fringe planets. Planets that had no real chance of success, but were always granted the seven chances to prove themselves.

　　"Grand sister, what should we do, now that our purpose has been fulfilled?" The youngest and most impetuous of the triplets asked. While they were all born on the same date, by the same parents and were all blessed by the same natural phenomena, she was the one to appear last. This often made her seem to be the most impetuous of the three, almost as if she were trying to make up for lost time.

　　The eldest sister just stared for a moment, then shaking herself she said. "You three can go if you wish. Know that we will likely be called for a new culling here shortly, but you all have until this planet officially falls before you will be forced into another contract."

　　"You mean it?"

　　"We are free?"

　　"Where should we go?"

　　"What should we do?"

　　The three triplets all seemed excited at first, but then a slow feeling of confusion filled their faces. Finally, the youngest triplet asked, "Grand Sister, will you not come with us?"

　　Shaking her head, the Grand Sister just answered, "no, as the eldest it is my duty to stay and watch the fires of hope slowly fade away."

　　"Grand Sister, now that the Chosen Champion of this world has died for a seventh and final time, are you not free to offer your blessing to whomever so wishes?"

　　With that the Grand Sister just smiled, "yes, that is a provisional clause, that should my blessing never be claimed in any of the seven iterations, that I can provide it to a candidate of my choice. Provided of course that person can meet me just as the Chosen Champion was supposed to."

　　"So why bother staying then?" The youngest triplet asked.

　　"Yeah, it is not like many of these humans have come. In fact, even with that random trespasser we only saw two others come to visit. Though, you only made us give blessings to that last one." The second triplet asked.

　　"You even made us tear apart the souls of those who dared to come before the Chosen Champion, which was why I was shocked when you let this last one live." The first triplet spoke.

　　Hearing that, the Grand Sister just nodded, as her cosmic eyes glowed brightly as she realized there was a lot of truth in the words the triplets of fate now spoke. Hearing the rebuke the Grand Sister could only feel that she had been too harsh previously, while her actions were fully acceptable at the time, she now realized that by striking down those who dared to come, she progressed the destruction of this planet faster. By killing those who had found them, and then promptly slaying them, they had not protected the integrity of the blessings as she had hoped, but rather she had hindered the growth of an entire iteration. Now the planet was down to its last and final trial and the Grand Sister could only feel that she had been a part in why this planet was down to its last and final chance. Granted, her actions might seem like a small ripple, but the effects of destroying a soul entirely are felt through multiple lifetimes. Those warriors who she had removed in such a way were shells of their former selves in their next lives, often giving way to melancholy and remorse far quicker than they had in their first times through. That was why the Grand Sister had changed this time, these humans were far more impressionable than she had first realized. Their souls could somehow retain knowledge of the past, even after a restart, meaning they felt the damage and would be able to grow. That was why the Grand Sister had forced her three little sisters to bestow their blessings upon the creature, so that their blessings would leave an imprint on her soul that she would remember.

　　That was the reason why even now, she tracked that one little soul`s progress, watching as she used her blessings and continued to fight despite having everything taken from her multiple times over. That was also why she decided to stay here until the end, to see if she could bestow her blessing on her, or on another adventurous soul one time. Now that all clauses and by laws were met, it was now up to the Grand Sister`s own discretion if she would grant her blessing, and to whom she would grant her blessing.

　　With that in mind, she dismissed the three triplets, letting them know she would find them when next they were needed to arbitrate a planet`s integration. Then she sat down in a meditative pose and waited, letting her mind relax as she became one with the cosmos.

　　***

　　Grand Arbiter`s Office

　　"Should we reset it one last time?" A head scheduler asked.

　　Hearing the question the Grand Arbiter just shook his head angrily, "are you kidding. The Chosen Champion has died. There is no way we can reset it now, without heavy protests from the conquering tribes that have all paid premium rates to be here."

　　"But they are likely the ones who killed our own arbitration team. You know those free loving pacifists will see this as a direct sign that people are aiding the conquerors. I mean, the facts seem fairly straight forward, there is a disruption right at the start of the integration, then within the hour the Chosen Champion, who was a mere four kilometers away died. Even the humans could move that fast, there is no way this will not get noticed and flagged." The head scheduler stated.

　　"So what should we do? If we restart, then the Integrationist faction will protest. Now, you are saying that if we do nothing, then the Pacifist faction will also protest." The Head Arbiter stated.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　"Perhaps I could offer a suggestion." A languid feminine voice called out, as a purple skinned being with brightly glowing purple eyes strode forward. This was Genora, the head representative for the Pacifist faction. Directly next to her was a monster whose skin was so dark-red that it appeared almost black, this was Sadina, the head representative of the Integrationist faction.

　　Seeing both come together so smoothly meant that the two had apparently come to some form of backroom deal beforehand. The way the two walked side by side each other showed that they were at least aware of what the other was thinking at this given moment. For the head Arbiter this was perfect, as it meant he didn`t have to try to come up with any means of action that would please both sides, as they had done so themselves.

　　"I am all ears."

　　"Simple, all we ask is that you increase the time dilation effect for humans that conquer each major node point. Keep the time dilation the same for monsters, one minute per month, but make it so that humans who do the same will get rewarded even more." Genora stated.

　　"And just how much of an extra dilation boon should we offer these humans, while they are reaping the rewards of such nodes?" Sadina asked, a note of venom filling his words.

　　"I say we make it a tenfold increase."

　　"Tenfold, you want each minute to be the equivalent of ten months for humans to train in?" Sadina snarled.

　　Hearing this, the Head Arbiter felt a headache coming along, as apparently his first impression of the two was completely off, as they clearly had not already come up with a solution that both were okay with.

　　"Yes, this is only fitting, as someone has managed to sneak in while killing not one but two Arbiters, and then by coincidence the Chosen Champion happens to trip and get pinned to the ground, while being attacked by not one, but two hell beasts?" Genora rebutted.

　　"We don`t know for certain, technically any human could have made the attack that killed the two inept Arbiters, as it was a low-level spirit attack." Sadina retorted.

　　"Yes, because these humans have shown such proclivity towards Spirit Magic in the past. Also, wouldn`t it be noted that if a human did in fact kill an Arbiter they would be granted a title stating that among other things that they killed a God?" Genora asked.

　　"Well yes," Sadina stated, and looked like he wanted to say more, but was quickly cut off.

　　"And isn`t it true that no human has such a title?" Genora asked, a mildly curious tone to her speech.

　　At that Sadina could only turn to the head Arbiter. Realizing this was his cue, the Head Arbiter pulled up the screen of people with active titles, showing just thirteen names, none of which were in the immediate area around the location where the Chosen Champion had been slain.

　　"While I will give it to you, that theoretically there could have been an exceptional genius born with the knowledge and ability to not only cast Spirit magic, but to do so with such proficiency as to take down not one but two arbiters. Assuming that they had the mental acuity to do this right at the very start of integration, and even going so far as to kill off every monster that was beginning to form within the starters hospital, a place that has traditionally been a kill zone for monsters. Wouldn`t it be more likely that a higher-level Spirit User snuck through the initial screenings, then at the start of integration was found, and subsequently killed the two Arbiters who heroically died during the course of their duties. Then when the high-level external entered, they found themselves swarmed by lower level monsters that were drawn to him due to his unnaturally high power rating, thus forcing them to destroy all monsters in their vicinity, before going out to slaughter the Chosen Champion?" Genora asked, with her glowing purple eyes shining brightly, as they seemed to illuminate everything.

　　Her words were directed towards the Head Arbiter, and after a second he realized what she wanted. Then with a second, he spoke up, following this line of thought. "She does a good point. With no evidence to the contrary, not even a human with one title denoting that they had killed a God, we have to assume that an external force is at play here. This will of course cause the danger pay bonus for the contract to kick in, meaning not only those that died, but those that continue to remain will be rewarded with at least a 20% increase in pay."

　　"What? You cannot do this! Can`t you see, that is what this witch wants, to bleed us dry. At this rate, we will barely break even in our investment." Sadina spat.

　　"Well then you should not have made it so apparent your want to disregard the safety and regulations of not the Arbiters, but also the whole Arbitration process. If you would like, we could just call this off and declare a mistrial, letting the planet integrate as full controllers of their own resources." Genora said, a slight smile forming on her lips.

　　At that Sadina`s eyes flashed red with anger, but he quickly calmed himself. He knew that Genora was baiting him into a reaction. The sad part was, that her actions were working. Realizing this, he decided to breathe out, then finally came to the conclusion. "Fine, we concede to the danger pay bonus."

　　"And&" Genora pressed.

　　"And?"

　　"And the concession to the time dilation increase for the native humans and their nodes?" Genora pressed.

　　Mentally Sadina calculated the potential losses. There was a cost increase in the nodes and their usage, but at ten to one only for the humans he realized that this was not too big of a price to concede. Especially considering most humans never conquered nodes, and those that did, only did so well after the first-year mark. Meaning that the integration and its resources that were being fed into this planet would not have any immediate impact. Realizing this, Sadina finally nodded to himself as he accepted the reality of the situation, they were all in.

　　"Fine. A ten to one ratio of time for humans who conquer the main nodes of a given network." Sadina stated.

　　Chime.

　　"Agreed." Genora stated, a devilish smile filling her red lips in a smile that seemed to indicate that she had gotten the better of him.

　　Seeing the smile on the damnable pacifist`s face made Sadina burn with anger. "I don`t see why you are so happy. Even with this concession, this planet is destined for conquest."

　　At that Genora just smiled brightly, "perhaps these humans just needed to know just how truly desperate their situation was, before we started to see their best."

　　ALERT!

　　BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

　　At that, an alert began blaring off in the area. Instantly everyone paused as they looked up to the giant console of screens. Even the Head Arbitrator was confused at first, as he did not know what to expect. Then a quick inspection showed him something he had not prepared for. Even after seeing it, the Head Arbitrator could not fully wrap his mind around what he was seeing, it was as if his mind was clouded by a thick foggy blanket.

　　"What is it?" Sadina barked.

　　His words caused the Head Arbitrator to flinch, as he did not want to be the one to state what was happening. Fortunately, the head scheduler was the first to recover and speak, "we have our first confirmed Major Node conquered."

　　"What? How could?" Sadina spat, but then violently turned as he turned toward Genora who just smiled brightly at the angered Integrator. "You! You did this?"

　　"I? How could I possibly, I have been here all along with you. Now unless you want to admit to others that you were conspiring against your fellow Integrators, I think you will have a hard time coming up with a believable excuse." Genora stated mockingly, as she sauntered her way out of the Head Arbitrator`s office.

　　As soon as she left, Sadina turned to the Head Arbitrator who now desperately wished that he had turned down the promotion to oversee this event.

　　"You, what can you do about this?" Sadina more demanded than asked.

　　"Me? I am just an Arbitrator. How could I do anything."

　　"You will do something&"

　　"Sir, even if I was inclined to do something, which I am not." The Head Arbitrator said, glancing his many sets of eyes towards the door, before turning back to face Sadina. "Wouldn`t it look odd that a plan to fix this problem just so happened to occur after the head of the Pacifist`s faction left?"

　　GRRRRAHHHHH!!

　　Power Stomp!

　　At that Sadina grew violently angry and slammed his foot into the ground, causing a dent to appear in the floor, while the shockwave had a direct impact on the delicate instruments that were strung around the room, causing cracks and sparks to form in many of the now shattered crystalline computers.

　　Hahahaha.

　　A mockingly beautiful laugh could be heard echoing from down the hallway, just hearing the melodious nature of the sound, Sadina knew it was Genora who had not gone far from the door. Apparently, the Head Arbitrator had been right to doubt, and to cast his words so loudly.

　　Hearing the laughter, Sadina paused and then gathered himself before staring at the now fully intimidated Head Arbitrator, seeing this, Sadina paused. "My apologies."

　　Then with a crisp bow, Sadina stormed out of the room, only to see a slowly sauntering Genora gracefully walking down the exact opposite hallway. She had known this, somehow the great witch of prophecy had seen this all happening and had let everything go according to a particular plan, until now.

　　Up until a few moments ago, Sadina had thought the two friends, or at least thought this waif of a Seer was not interested in saving this planet as the others had. Yet, only now did Sadina realize that Genora had not just been playing him, but she had been playing the long game. Subtle shifts, a few lenient actions in the past, even letting certain bygones and discretions be overlooked in the past, only to call them all in now. But why? Even with a minor change, the fate of humanity had been sealed. Humans were by their very natures weak, and prone to turn on one another at the slightest sense of value. Why now? What had changed? What did this mean for the future?

　　Clearly the witch and her tribe were planning something, the fact that he had sent back minimal reports up until now would show a lack of competence on his part. He could easily call for more resources, for more help in understanding what was happening, but that would not only make him look weak, but it would show he was never right for this position to begin with. No, for now, he would grant the witch her victory, but it would mean little. The Chosen Champion was already dead, the planet was down to their last chance at survival. Everything was going according to plan, in fact, he could even spin this after the victory as proof that they gave humanity every chance possible to succeed.

　　Yet, despite all the facts being to the contrary, Sadina couldn`t help but feel that there was a slight niggling doubt that was beginning to bloom within his mind. A doubt that said he was missing something, or worse someone, but who?

　　Then his mind spun, and he realized the confusion. Turning quickly on his heels, he spun around to see that the control room was broken, by his own outrage. Still, there were some systems that were up, moving over to the Head Arbitrator he asked the question, "who conquered the dungeon?"

　　At that the Head Arbitrator just shook his head, and pointed to a side screen, the same screen that hosted the initial alert. A screen that was now cracked and shattered into a thousand different components. Seeing it, Sadina realized that right now, the only reason he could not find the one possible threat to this whole operation was caused because of him, because of his own rage.

　　Then he remembered the mocking laugh of Genora, the harpy, and let flames come to his eyes.

　　Seeing his shift, "I am sorry. We will have a replacement come in, but it will take some time."

　　"How much?"

　　"A few hours max."

　　"Hours?" Sadina asked, but then realized hours was a fair solution. He was about to pay, but then a stingier side of him realized that everyone here just got a 20% bonus due to hazard pay. So the idea of them fixing broken equipment was nothing too major.

　　"Yes, we will inform you immediately once we are back up." The Head Arbitrator stated.

　　With that, Sadina just nodded and left, as he had many things to ponder. He was still in a good position, but should he call in support? For now no, he decided not to, as there would be other ways to find this first node conqueror. Once news of the conqueror`s exploits were known, head hunters would take care of his one and only concern at the moment.