Jones walked into the high-rise building dressed in a navy blue suit with a briefcase in hand. Walking through the spacious lobby, he approached the reception desk and placed his palm on top before clearing his throat.

"Ahem."

A beautiful brunette looked up from the computer screen "How can I help you?"

"My name is Jones Hail, I have an appointment with Mr. Carter." Jones replied calmly.

"Oh, Mr. Hail." The woman nodded before searching her desk and retrieving a badge "Here is your visitor's badge. The elevators are over there, take one to the fifteenth floor and speak with the secretary."

Jones nodded, grabbing the badge and putting it around his neck before heading for the elevator. He pressed the call button before waiting patiently until the doors opened. Stepping inside, he pressed the button labeled 15.

The moment the doors shut he turned toward the mirrors on the wall and began adjusting his tie nervously. He had been hard at work these last few months trying to build connections and find supporters for their faction. There were multiple hoops he had to jump through to secure the few meetings he had this week, two of which were today. This one, in particular, was the most promising.

Bennacon Incorporated. One of the top companies focused on producing high-quality, reliable wilderness tools and devices. Watches, gps, rangefinders, radios, knives, tents. If it pertained to the outdoors and you could think of it, they likely produced it.

Shortly after the appearance of the 'Gates', they had begun showing an interest in the new world. When the first champions returned with stories of a vast wilderness and strong creatures, Bennacon's interest rose greatly and they began making moves in the shadows. Only recently publicizing that they were seeking working relationships with Champions and their teams.

*DING*

Quickly dropping his arms, Jones turned to the elevator door and walked out and up to the desk directly ahead. Smiling brightly, he spoke to the secretary.

"Miss Holly, how are you today?"

The woman looked up and returned his smile "I'm well, thank you. You're right on time." She stood while gesturing to the hall on her left "Follow me."

She led him around the corner and down the hall to a door that led to a room with glass on both sides and a large wooden table surrounded by rolling chairs.

"Have a seat while I notify Mr. Carter." She said politely as she pulled out one of the chairs on the end closest to the door.

Jones nodded as he sat down "Okay, Thank you."

He watched her shut the door behind her before placing his briefcase on the table and opening it. Inside was a laptop and a few cables, along with a stack of papers and a cell phone. He grabbed the Laptop and opened it before connecting to the projector hanging from the ceiling wirelessly. Then, he navigated to the files he would need and glanced over them.

Once finished, he leaned back in the chair and prepared for the coming meeting while waiting.

Nearly thirty minutes later, people began entering in groups. Five minutes later all of the seats had been filled except one as Chuck Bennason entered and took the far seat.

"Ahem." A man that appeared to be in his mid-fifties with salt and pepper hair, wearing an expensive navy suit began the meeting "Mr. Hail, we've all gathered to discuss cooperation with your team. Would you like to begin?"

Jones nodded as he stood up and adjusted his suit jacket "Ladies and gentleman, my name is Jones Hail. I am the second in command and head administrator for the faction FwD, short for 'Flirting with Disaster'." he slowly walked around the table toward the opposite end "We are a small faction, composed on a single team at this moment. However, don't let our size deter you from cooperating with us."

As he reached the end, he grabbed a string and pulled down the extendable projector screen before returning back to his seat.

"Our leader, Kade King, is a Champion that participated in the first wave. Unfortunate circumstances occurred early which resulted in him adventuring alone on Detrius. He survived on Detrius, alone, for four months! Not only that, he thrived! By the time he returned he had slain fifteen beasts and explored a significant portion of the wilderness."

Clicking the arrow key on his laptop keyboard, he changed to the next slide. The slide showed pictures of the valuables that Kade had brought back from Detrius, including; beast cores, claws, horns, fur, bones, rocks, and flora. After allowing them to view it for almost a minute, he swapped to the next slide.

"This is the information he provided. I compiled it into a uniform document for ease of viewing. It contains great detail about the creatures he encountered, the terrain, plant life, minerals, and other unexplained phenomena."

He straightened his back with a confident smile before continuing "Four months ago he began his second solo trip. The day after, The three other members of FwD also concluded their introductory training, formed a team with their classmates, and ventured out to Detrius as well. They are set to return within the month."

"Wait, let me stop you." A woman on the right sat up and stared at him "What circumstance caused your leader to adventure alone during the first wave? Furthermore, why did he decide to do so again rather than joining with the others in your faction?"

"Good question. Initially, he had joined a team and adventured with them for two weeks. However, upon returning, they kicked him from the team and refused to give him his share of the profits. Realizing that it would be difficult to find a new team given the fact that the number of people allowed and capable of adventuring had likely already formed teams, he decided to go it alone with the knowledge and skills he had from four years in the military and two weeks experience as a champion."

He continued explaining the reason for Kades decision on his second trip before taking a short pause in case the woman had any related questions.

"Alright, I'll sum up the advantages of cooperating with us." He said as he clicked to the next slide "First, our leader has four years of experience in the military that have, and will, prove to be useful when adventuring on Detrius. Second, our knowledge of Detrius will be superior to the vast majority of teams at the moment and for the immediate future."

"Finally," Smiling, he finished "We are a small faction, team, and family that are well-coordinated, determined, and organized. I believe there are very few teams that can provide these qualities and even fewer that haven't already begun cooperating with other entities."

Taking a seat, he interlocked his fingers and rested his palms on the table before looking to Mr. Carter who was sitting a few seats from Mr. Bennason.

"Allow me to go first." The man opposite of Mr. Carter sat up and looked at Jones "Mr. Hail, I've spent the past week looking into your faction. Your faction is five months old, officially, and you can't verify any of your accomplishments short of your leader's participation in the first wave and his military background. Now, let's look at what can be verified."

The man flipped open a folder and focused on it "Kade King, leader of 'Flirting with Disaster', was dishonorably discharged from the Marines for 'Redacted', only avoiding imprisonment due to his accomplishments in battle." He shot Jones a sidelong glance before continuing "He registered with a team comprised of other military personnel named 'Moonlight Squad' and was removed from their roster after two weeks citing 'Disagreements with team' and labeling him; difficult, unsociable, and cowardly."

Letting the folder drop to the table, he focused his attention back on Jones. "What do you have to say about this?"

Jones was surprised about the dishonorable discharge but didn't let it show. "I would ask that you dig a bit deeper. Instead of requesting public reports, you could speak to those that interacted with him, went to battle with him, and commanded him."

"As for the Moonlight Squads report, you have already heard our side and it's up to you to decide who you believe. However, I will point out a major discrepancy with their report." This was the first time that his cordial tone changed, now containing a hint of anger "How could an NCO decorated in battle with multiple accolades be a coward?"

Taking a breath he scanned the room "I'm sure that you've all done some research on Kade, right? One of the first things that should have shown up on your google search was the report of him leading a rescue. He ran through enemy fire without hesitation and saved a squad from sure death against all odds. Coward? By what definition?"

"Indeed." The woman from before chimed in once again "I found the same report of his dishonorable discharge, seeing as how it's a hot topic right now. Within the article, it referenced that news article you are speaking of, and while I can't speak on your leader's character, I am confident that he isn't a coward. Especially considering other information."

The man spoke up again "Okay. I see your point and I will admit that the facts do discredit their reasoning slightly, that doesn't refute the fact that he was removed from the team. My point here is that your team doesn't have much going for it here. The most impressive aspects are unverifiable or wrapped in controversy. This is the opportunity of a lifetime for teams like yours, and you just don't meet the standards from where I'm sitting."

"Now, wait." Mr. Carter sat up "Their team has seen success, and they aren't bound to any other entities yet. Besides, our goals aren't tied-" He abruptly shut his mouth when Mr. Bennason raised his hand in his direction.

"Enough." Mr. Bennason finally joined the conversation "I think the decision is clear. While I won't speak on the rumors or controversy surrounding Mr. King, there are other factors that raise the risk factor pertaining to our cooperation. Primarily the lack of cohesion and verifiable history of the faction FwD. Let's put it to vote."

The people around the room nodded one by one.

"Who is for our cooperation?"

Four of the ten people voting, including Mr. Carter and the woman who spoke before, raised their hands.

"Any those against?"

The remaining six raised their hands.

Mr. Bennason nodded and looked at Jones "There you have it. Perhaps we will give you an opportunity to work with us in the future, but as it stands, it is simply too risky to trust your team."

Jones opened his mouth to reply, but Mr. Bennason suddenly cut him off

"And don't tell us how much we will regret turning you away in a bid to make us change our minds. We've heard that enough from small teams like yours already, and our decision has always remained the same."

Jones raised his brows before shaking his head and chuckling softly "Actually, I agree with your reasoning."

Mr. Bennason raised a brow in surprise and confusion, while the others had their own method for expressing their emotions.

"It's true that Kade is the only one that has produced results, and he didn't parade them around for attention like many other teams so you wouldn't have known about them anyway. As far as you can confirm, we are just a small no-name team trying to weasel our way in."

He shut the laptop and placed it in the briefcase before shutting it too and standing up. "As for how you all feel in the future, we don't care about that. We will continue our path with or without you. If you come to regret that in the future, well, it won't affect us at all."

Mr. Bennason nodded his head with a smile "Well said. Return and ensure that your team publicizes your accomplishments on Detrius, then sometime in the future we might cooperate."

Jones chuckled again "I will definitely remedy our mistake in not showing off, but I think you're misunderstanding something. We won't cooperate with Bennacon, not now, not in the future."

"Do you think that worries us?" The man that had spoken before stood up "We are one of the top companies in the industry and nation, we don't need to rely on a small team like yours to prosper. Your small team, however, won't ever receive a better opportunity than cooperating with us. So, retract your words and let us part amicably rather than burning this bridge for momentary satisfaction."

Jones grinned widely "As I said before, we don't care how you feel, and I'm not burning the bridge for satisfaction, I'm doing so to conserve our principles."

"Pfft, what principles would cause you to destroy your future opportunities like this?" The man replied while rolling his eyes and shaking his head

"That right there." Jones replied as his eyes narrowed "Your belief that you are doing us a favor by working with us. You aren't. Bennacon was just the option that required the least work that Kade might have stomached cooperating with. In fact, Bennacon is nothing when compared to a god faction."

He got lost in his thoughts for a moment as he remembered the day Kade left. A red woman came to them asking all kinds of questions, but it was what she said that left him shook. Somehow, Kade had grabbed the interest of a faction leader.

"Ah." He mumbled out as he came to his senses "Anyway. I don't feel that I need to explain further." turning, he walked to the door, opened it, and closed it on his way out.

He ran his free hand through his hair with a sigh. 'Dealing with them was so exhausting. I hope the other two are a bit easier to talk to.'

"Wait!"

Jones stopped and glanced behind to see Mr. Carter approaching. "What is it?"

The man caught up before gesturing that they should continue walking "I wanted to walk you out and take that time to apologize for Mr. Conley."

"Conley? As in the 'con' in Bennacon?" Jones asked with a raised brow

Mr. Carter nodded "Yes. That was Frank Conley's son."

"Huh, I wouldn't have guessed." Jones said while pursing his lips "Don't worry about it. That's just one of the results of living with a silver spoon in your mouth."

Carter laughed "Isn't that the truth." He pressed the button to call the elevator before sighing "It's unfortunate that we couldn't make this cooperation happen. I was really hoping that we could pull your team over while you were still growing."

Jones raised a brow "I figured you would share your colleagues' opinion on this matter, even I understand their hesitation. What makes you think differently?"

"I have my reasons. Besides, I think the more relevant question is why you burned this bridge if you agree with them, right?"

Jones grinned and shrugged "I have my reasons."

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine." Carter replied with a grin as they entered the elevator.

Jones shrugged again "It wasn't their reasoning, it was the attitude about our cooperation. Bennacon might be a large company, and we might be a small team, but I didn't come seeking a job. I came for cooperation."

"Is their attitude really important considering what you stood to gain? I mean, it's not like you couldn't change things in the future."

Jones shot a sidelong glance at Carter "It's always been important. People used to kill each other based on attitude, and King's executed people for the same reason."

"But times have changed. Humanity has grown more civilized." Carter replied.

"Have we?" Jones narrowed his eyes "Or were we just deterred?"

Carter frowned "What are you implying?"

"Isn't it obvious? Humanity hasn't become more civilized at all, we just grew stronger and imposed consequences. Now, the balance has tipped and people are gaining the power to ignore those consequences. It's already begun."

"You're referring to the incidents in New York and Tokyo?" Carter asked

"It's not just happening there. It's happening everywhere, even the border towns that have good security. People are fighting, robbing, destroying, and even killing over seemingly minor issues."

Carter was unable to speak as his frown deepened.

"Hey, I told you mine, now you tell me yours."

"Huh?" Carter asked as he shook his head rapidly

"Your reasons for wanting to pull my team in?" Jones clarified.

"Oh. It's mainly because of that article you mentioned." Carter said as a smile slowly began to grow on his face "We were having dinner while watching the news the night that the story aired. Do you remember how it showed one of the pinned soldiers' cell phone footage of Kade leading his team through the gunfire to help? The sun was going down casting a background of orange and black. The bullets caused the dirt at their feet to fly through the air, but they never hesitated."

His smile fully blossomed as he continued "My son was seventeen when we watched. He saw it all, and at the end, you know what he said to us? he said 'That's the man I want to be.'. He joined the Marines less than a year later."

"So, your reason is that your son idolizes our leader?" Jones asked skeptically.

"My daughter too, and if I'm honest, I do as well. But no." Carter said with a laugh "It's because Kade's actions that day showed his character, and he gave my children something to look up to and aspire for. My son was set to turn out like that prick Conley, but now he is a changed man and far more respectable."

Stepping out of the elevator, they continued toward the door.

"What about the news of his dishonorable discharge? That didn't cause your admiration to waver?" Jones asked curiously

Carter shook his head "No, how could it when the more important part was redacted? Besides, I don't expect Kade to be perfect. At the end of the day, he is still human."

Jones laughed "You should meet him sometime, you might respect him even more."

"Can I?" Carter asked with a bit of anticipation

Jones raised a brow for a moment before shrugging "Sure, I'll give you a call when he returns. Anyway, I've got to get to my second appointment."

"Ah, okay. I won't keep you any longer. Good luck!" Carter replied sincerely while holding out his hand.

Jones shook his hand before exiting the building.