Ah! Hello! Hi! Hello… Mmmh. Are we going? We’re going..? Yes? Oh good!” The violet-eyed man straightened in the broadcast and spread his arms. Painstakingly the scene came into focus around him, as if the person taking down this scene wasn’t ready for him to encompass the rest of the room so quickly because he had been dragging his feet with concerns of whether the recording was working or not.

Elias Thompkins thrummed his fingers against his chair arm. One hand supported his chin as he leaned lazily back, a leg casually crossed across his lap. Despite the utter calm that he was displaying outwardly, anyone could see by the way he was tapping the one foot on the floor rhythmically that he was thinking hard about something while he watched.

It wasn’t a direct communication with MKC Online. This was a competitor broadcast of a recording that had been issued two hours ago. About an hour after the AA Finals erupted in violence and left a gaping golden split running through the middle of the main theatre this recording had been released in several of the main areas and shared with other chroniclers. It had been a short matter of minutes after that in which OWL Studios had picked up exclusive rights(somehow -- Elias was still exasperated at the nerve of the studio for trying to claim exclusivity to something that had been released in the open).

The man on the screen continued.

“As many of you know, not so long ago our Empress was rudely taken from us at the start of the AA Finals. Already the voices rise up with power!” The black-haired man on-screen lifted a fist in the air, and inflected his voice to give it dramatic flair. “We should all ride forth for glory, and rewards, and … stuff and things!” He paused slightly and had the good grace to look offscreen as a very audible snort sounded out from the side.

Abhijita Thompkins, his wife stood near him to the side and stifled a snort of her own. Say what you would about this ‘Mordred’ but his antics captured you in the first few seconds. There was nothing really that inspired you to think he was anything other than a clown. This was Abhy’s first time seeing the video, having come back from a casual meeting with some of their sponsors some minutes ago. Elias did not give her a good-humored side-smile, causing her to cough roughly to stifle her laughter. He didn’t blame her, he had smiled himself the first time he’d watched it. There was just no presence to the young voice in front of them. If not for the rather dramatic number of places this video had shown up in AA Online itself Elias doubted anyone would have paid this young man enough attention to even let him get to the important part of his speech, or rather, his declaration.

“Is he going to get to the point?” Abhy also seemed to think this was taking too long. It was like the beginning of a story without a hook and no semblance of a plot revealed yet.

“Unfortunately he rambles for another moment,” Elias admitted, then he shook his head and closed his eyes. “Just wait.”

“You’re the boss…” Abhy looked around the office, noticing that everyone was paying particular attention to them watching the video in the control room. The grim faces were all waiting for her reaction. It was like watching a room full of monkeys who had been wronged waiting for the newest monkey to find the trick in the room. Like they guessed what her reaction would be and honestly couldn’t wait to see it.

“...I don’t know what the AA Finals committee is going to do about this. I don’t think they can simply move that portal, tear, or entrance. Whatever. Maybe it’s a black hole? Maybe Empress Amelia got sucked out into space?” He puffed out his cheeks in an exaggerated manner and mimed floating away.

“That’s not how black holes work, Mordred…” Someone offscreen muttered.

“Oh? You know how black holes work? Speak up. Enlighten us.”

“Black holes are places in space that exhibit gravitational acceleration strong enough to--”

“Shut up! Everyone knows what black holes do, it was rhetorical!” Mordred raised his hands and then openly made shooing gestures. There was just a long suffering sigh

“Yes, my liege…” came the sarcastic reply.

“I think as far as comedy goes this could be good for OWL Studios,” Abhy said thoughtfully. There was such sincerity in her voice that Elias closed his eyes and shook his head. She had actually managed to startle a half-smile across what he vaguely considered his bossly brooding face.

“...anyway! I lied. I suspect that in an hour or two the AA Finals committee will announce a delay. Probably a month. The novelty of the quest for the damsel Empress is probably being weighed pretty heavily. Moving that thing that definitely probably isn’t a black hole seems like it won’t be a thing that happens either, a safe bet considering that the administration of CHoldings has taken a hands off approach to game matters and it seems like the AI doesn’t give a crap.”

Mordred stopped for a moment and looked to the right, and he seemed to be staring off into the distance.

“I imagine they won’t want to try and urge those two lunatics fighting in front of the portal to move without some sort of official response. Hey,” Mordred paused and turned to the other side again. “...let’s get some food carts over there and set up stands to watch Forsythe and Raven try to beat each other to death learning simple profound stuff. Just let them fight before we do anything...” He muttered before returning his attention forward.

The brief interruption had changed his expression. He looked like a completely different person with his sharp violet gaze. A brief blink as if he remembered that there were people watching. Mordred’s expression dissolved into a lazy smile, as if he were remembering to feign nonchalance..

“...simple profound stuff?” Abhy asked questioningly.

Elias once again just shook his head, unwilling to spoil it.

“Ahem. I’m getting some gestures from my support staff that I need to wrap this up with the main point pretty soon since we’ve got things to do.” Mordred steepled his fingers in front of him and adopted a faintly casual smile. “I represent a coalition of people who are unsatisfied with how current things are going in the game. Game ending quest! Game ending quest!” He spread his hands. “Don’t we want that? I, and many like myself were practically lured into this game with that carrot. The idea that we would be a part of something so grand and preposterous! Not just people like myself who have joined in the last two years, don’t some of you who actually lived the legendary tales miss that tension?”

“Not really,” Abhy muttered, eyes narrowing.

“The spells slinging around the fields! The explosions! The world going black and flickering back on like a dying light!” Mordred still had his arms out and tilted his chin, doing a quick spin before righting himself with a smile. The smile faded dully. “Two years… c’mon... I mean, I know I can’t wish for a calamity that could ruin this game, or anything… maybe just a small… I don’t know, catastrophe?” He kicked an invisible rock glumly.

“Hurry up Mordred,” a different voice from the one who was explaining black holes. Female probably?

Elias listened carefully this time, trying to get a feel for the person. It wasn’t anyone he recognized. In fact, no one on the stream was recognizable to him. It might sound like hubris, but Elias was pretty certain he could have identified many, if not all, of the voices of rankers in the AA Hall of Fame since its conception. The price of being a media mogul who lived and breathed trending talent.

“There are several thousand of us. People you’ve never heard of and some you have! You might be surprised that our numbers are comprised from all different groups, communities, and guilds. Friends, allies, and yes -- to some of you -- enemies. But there’s always room for expansion!” He lifted a single finger as if lecturing. “United under the idea that we want that feeling! For some of us, that feeling again! The feeling of being involved in something huge, and ridiculous, and preposterous.”

Mordred coughed into his hand lightly, holding up a hand to forestall the obvious complaint from his offscreen supporters, nodding several times to show he was trying to hurry it up at this point. He cleared his throat.

“The current state of the world is divided into racial kingdoms and zones dominated by Residents. That’s fine! We love Residents and certainly don’t want to involve them in our petty Transient squabbles. Let’s leave out the world-ending theme. Let’s leave out the fear of losing our fine little furred and not-so-furred Resident neighbors. Let’s… start a Rebellion. THE Rebellion.”

Abhy finally laughed and continued to laugh even though no one else in the control room joined in. “What?”

Mordred cupped his hand to his ear and turned toward it toward the screen. “EHHH? What? What’s this joker saying?” Mordred laughed loudly with his hands on his hips, almost perfectly miming Abhy, amazingly enough.

Abhy had the good sense to look startled and flush, scowling at the monitor like this was a live broadcast instead of a recording.

“First! Participants will be divided into two factions. The Empress Faction and the Rebellion. I want to call them the Imperial scum and the Rebels but I feel like that’s too on point. You should be getting the notice to choose soon. It will ask you to join a faction. I urge you to pick one because the option will only display once! People logging on later will be queried immediately! They’ll get that really annoying ‘are you sure?’ text several times in a row so make sure you’re very, very sure before you accept or abstain. This does a few things, but for now let’s just say you are immediately fair game to the opposing faction in any city. The Imperials, I’m really sorry we need to find a better faction name for you insidious bastards, will have slight bonuses in town and are supporting Empress Amelia as the candidate for the throne. While Empress Amelia is at her seat of power, Blutonsi, on her throne, they will receive better benefits…” Mordred smiled slyly.

“So he is tying Amelia to the throne of Blutonsi?” Abhy frowned.

“Abhy, I know you don’t know the full scope of the quest yet, but Amelia is not even on Aspiria…”

“The Rebellion will receive additional stats for being outnumbered at any point in any engagement and additional ‘benefits’ every second that Empress Amelia is not available to sit at her seat of power and quell the upstanding and virtuous youth who only want to see the end of nepotism.” Mordred grinned.

“Secondly! This is a lot to take in and is the first time we’re doing this, so bear with me, but the end of the rebellion, or I suppose some of you Imperial fascists will call it the ‘insurrection’ or something equally pompous, will occur at the end of a month long period. The system will use a contribution and merits system. Individual rewards will be meted out for faction contribution. I don’t even know all the rewards but they range from weapons to land to fame to blah blah blah get to the good part, Mordred!” Mordred laughed. “If the Imperials win then we all pat ourselves on the back for the good we did and the fun we had. The rewards we shared and the experience we earned. The friendships and valuable enmity’s made. The Rebellion feature can’t be repeated for another year. Then we can do it all again, I suppose if anyone has the energy. If the Rebellion wins…” Mordred smiled. “...we immediately hold a run-off election, using contribution and merit points earned in the war to vote for candidates within the Rebellion. The candidate will become the new Emperor, Empress, or … I don’t know… whatever neutral or horrific title you can think of…”

“WHAT?!” Abhy was now bug-eyed staring at the monitor. It was only a few seconds until she turned to Elias and gave him the ‘that kid had better be bullshitting’ look.

“...Tyrannical Magnificence, or Their Most Magnanimous, The Kindest of Rulers, Brazen Slimboy…”

“The option showed up,” Elias said simply, wilting under her gaze somewhat. “While no one knows how they did it or how the system works entirely yet, Aspiria is at war with itself…”

“...you could even force people to call you other more mundane titles,” Mordred seemed to be continuing on the monitor. “Imagine having everyone call you ‘My Dude’ because you are the seated powerhouse in Elysium…”