*Bam* The head of TRM Global Changes slammed his fist down on the arm of his chair, and cried out in anger, "What did those morons think they were doing?! Why didn't they interrupt him?! Why didn't they stop the interview at the very least?!"

"They couldn't do anything, Sir," his right hand man responded, "They had signed a contract with the man, not knowing what he had in mind. If they had done anything, his lawyers, and those of The Guide Company, would have eaten them alive. Our lawyers were unable to find a loophole in that contract, let alone theirs."

"Damn it! This has caused incalculable damages, and will set back the plans we had in place!"

They were the ones behind the drive for normalcy of homosexuality and other things that would have been considered immorality not so long ago. They had even driven that term back into a corner, so that the churches could not use it to fight the changes envisioned by their bosses. You see, they weren't even the ones behind the ideals, but the big wigs in government bureaucracies were, they were just their agents. With the government behind them they got away with many things, things the press should have reported on, if they didn't control the ones behind the press. The government weren't even the ones behind most of it, it was the banks behind them that were behind the plan, and he had a feeling there were those even above them who were behind it even more, if he were to tell the truth. None of the others knew this much, but even if they did, they were far too dedicated to the cause of taking down that country to care, in his estimation.

"There's nothing we can do now, Sir. We'll have to cut ties with them, and make them into an example," another answered, this one a voluptuous woman sporting a pair of glasses that made her look quite intelligent, and she was too. Her intelligence was so great that she was one of his most trusted aides.

"What do you have in mind, Marjorie?"

"Use our connections' influences to cancel their company, and turn them into an example of what happens when someone turns against us," she responded.

The company hadn't turned against them, but most didn't know that, and probably wouldn't care even if they did know. It was how it appeared that those above him would look at, not the actual intent of those involved.

He considered this action for a while, resisting at first because his family member was a prominent board member in that company, but he could see no way to handle the situation aside from this action. After all, a dog would be insane to bite the hand that fed him. The consequences of such an action were incalculable, as it could be as simple as withholding food for a time, or as swift a punishment as facing immediate death, and he was not a dog that longed for death.

"Was my nephew involved in any way?"

Marjorie grimaced, then responded, "He was the one who suggested they bring Magnhilde on the show in the first place. While he did believe him to be of the homosexual persuasion, if he had simply checked his social media accounts, he would have found obvious indicators that this was not the case."

"So be it, they bit the hand that fed them," he responded, holding back the sigh he felt like making. "Cancel them, and refuse all calls from my nephew."

"It will be done," with that the impromptu meeting soon came to a close, and the others left, but not without some of the members probing him to make certain he was still dedicated to the cause.

As he sat there staring out the window, he couldn't help muttering, "Damn politics, damn it all to hell." Only in this room would he dare to even so much as mutter such a statement.

-----

The board members sat there glumly staring at the most prominent influence in what was now occurring to their company. He had been the most vocal in his desire to have the man on, seeking to please the homosexual interest groups, and, more importantly, his uncle. They had counted on the connection to his uncle, but now TRM Global Changes, and all their subsidiary companies, were completely ignoring any requests for contact, and actively coercing their payment processors, locking their bank accounts, and a million other insidious means of attack. They had already needed to work out means to get their accounts unlocked numerous times in just the short time since the interview with Magnhilde. Firing the host of The Show, and announcing it's immediate closure had done little to keep those they had thought their allies at bay.

Magnhilde had royally screwed them over. The contract he made them sign had been iron-clad, and ensured they couldn't change from the live feed. Had they done so, their company would have had to pay enormous amounts of money to the gravoid star, enough bankrupt all of them.

While this was so, the man hadn't completely screwed them over. In fact, he had left them a way out. There was a clause in the contract they had signed which could potentially save their company, but they hesitated to use it. This was because many of them hoped to get back in the good graces of this man's uncle.

An audible sigh was released, and everyone turned toward the CEO, who said, "We'll wait a few more weeks, and see what happens, keep trying to reach your uncle. If it turns out they won't relent, we'll have no choice but to turn to The Guide Company in order to survive."

They all acknowledged the wisdom in his words, they didn't wish to bite the hand that fed them, but behind The Guide Company was that mysterious giant the company behind Gravoid, and their enigmatic founder.

-----

In a mysterious location, an old man stared out into a void.

"Has it been sent off yet," he asked.

"No, Sir," a disembodied voice answered. "I thought it prudent to wait, in light of what happened."

"Hmmm, increase the reward, and give him access to a sub-trait," he responded, "It may have been incidental, but he played a part in setting back those old men's plans. Reward Magnhilde as well, let him choose whether to remove that ridiculous requirement his cousin requested, and even update the trait, or choose a completely new one. Also, let him make a request, and if it is within reason grant it."

"We'll have to acknowledge the trait system."

"So be it, it's not a big deal if they know anyway."

The trait system was an open secret among gravoid players, and Gravoid Industries. It was implied that it existed, but they had never officially acknowledged it's existence, until now. It was mainly used to reward winners of certain tournaments, or special contests, but was sometimes used to reward those who fought against societal ails. He never forced his beliefs on others, but he could reward those who stood against the coming destruction if it was within his power. This meant he was limited to rewarding only those who played his game, but even this might affect a change. Greile and Magnhilde had incidentally wandered into a contest of powers, one he hoped to win.

"Is it acceptable to reward them each a title? That would allow us to send them monthly funds."

"Magnhilde is involved with The Guide Company, have Axel ensure he is rewarded, and make available the funds requested in order to do so. Again, within reason. What's the situation with Closen Communications?"

"They haven't called the Guides as of yet," she replied.

"If they do, request they put Maggie on their board, we could use someone like him, who will stand up even under societal pressure, in that body. As for Greile, give him one of the unnamed titles, they don't offer too much, but will prevent him from being identified, and targeted due to being associated with us. If they've already identified him, the title should allow him to get by as well."

"What if they don't contact the guides?"

"They'll contact them, it's their only chance at survival," he responded knowingly. "They might be forced to retire, I believe they're well-aware of that possibility, but they'll be able to survive cancellation that way and still receive a pension. They won't receive as much charity from the others."

"What should I offer Greile in the game? Will a customized gravoid work for such a service?"

"Hmmmm, how's society doing?"

"Quite a bit of snap-back has already occurred due to Maggie's testimony about Greile's uncle, and his own stand, and society is already beginning to return to a more liberal, and less socialist mindset. It could be said that Greile was behind both of these things, and the societal implications are only beginning to show themselves."

"Hmmm, give him a Legendary Tier [Customization Tool], he just received that unique unit from his friend, so that should be the best way to reward him. Set the limit to the maximum threshold. I think that should be a good enough in-game reward for such a service."

"Perhaps this is a bit excessive, but a Mythical Tier [Customization Tool] at the minimum threshhold might be a better idea. If my estimation is correct, this event will have a much greater impact that even you believe, Sir," came the response.

"Hmmm, is that so... Make it to the low end of mid range on the treshhold, and do as you wish. Something tells me we can trust this boy with that much, if you believe that much will be accomplished. I just pray The Lord is truly behind this, and what your estimate is correct. If it appears to be going as you stated, change the plan to have Maggie oversee the establishment of our intended tournaments, with the usual stipulations, for once I finish up the professional circuit framework."

Like so, decisions that would determine the future of two people were made without their knowledge. Decisions that would have far reaching consequences after a certain person's influence was added in.

-----

"Hello," Sam answered the phone with some disgust. He was tired of the constant harassment by the news companies, and random, very rude, strangers. Somehow, they had received his information, and were hounding him for interviews, telling him to kill himself, or promising to do so in excruciatingly detailed descriptions. Magnus had suggested that he avoid the news people because they would try to twist his words, which was leant credence when they tried to do the very same with Magnus's words from a few days ago. "No, I won't do that. Yes, I'm certain I don't want to appear on your show. No, fame, or infamy, does not appeal to me," he responded, adding the second choice, the much more likely one in his estimation, based on how much they were hounding him to be on their shows. "Yes, I'm well aware, and no, I'm still not interested, goodbye."

Greile hadn't returned to gravoid in the three days since the event of Magnhilde's alliance escorting him back to base. He had just experienced too much in the first day he had logged into the game, and didn't feel up to entering the game once more. He actually couldn't have after the power had been cut to his unit by his overly zealous "supporter of "gay rights"" landlord, who had given him just hours to "pack your stuff and get out". Thankfully, Magnus, and his buddy from The Guide Company had arrived with lawyers just prior to that deadline, and saved the day. Otherwise, he would have lost all his things, and been out on the street. A moving company had arrived soon after, and he had been moved to "an undisclsed location," as the news put it. This didn't stop the news agencies and overzealous individuals from hounding him on his cell phone, but that wouldn't be a problem soon either, he had received a notice of the closing of his account with that cell phone company later today, and he wouldn't have a phone at that point. Magnus's contacts with The Guide Company had already arranged for a subsitute, but he was considering not accepting that. The hounding from news agencies was already leaving him frayed, not to mention the upending of his life that he had already experienced.

He'd have considered not playing Gravoid anymore if he thought it would return everything back to normal, but he greatly suspected that this was just not the case. As such, when Magnus insisted that he log into the game later on today, he finally caved, and decided to do so. He had already paid for a month, and it would be a waste of the money to avoid playing duringbthe entire month.

He was truly amazed at how quickly one's life could be taken away from them should someone with power decide to do so. If not for his new friend's help, it truly could have left him destitute, but with Magnus's help, he was at least avoiding the worst case scenario, of facing an ignoble death in a back alley somewhere, with no one the wiser. He still wasn't sure how he'd manage to eat, considering his situation, but at least he had some chance now.

He sighed, and hung up the phone, then turned it off ruefully. Magnus had already made plans to meet him in-game, so there wasn't much reason to keep it on.

-----

When Greile finally appeared within Gravoid once again, he found a blue window greeting him.

Greetings Greile,

Due to your recent actions, and the positive influence they have had on society as a whole, it has been decided to award you a special title. This title comes with some perks, including a monthly stipend within real life. You will be receiving an unnamed bank card through which you may receive your stipend within the next few days. As for in-game, the title comes with a sub-trait of your choosing, and a small bonus to the charm stat among others. It has been decided that this title will be permanent, and will not be revoked under any circumstances. It has also been decided that the reward you were to receive will be upgraded by an unspecified amount.

Best regards,

The Management of Gravoid Online

Greile was a bit flummoxed by this reward, did game companies really give such rewards? If that was a surprise to Greile, the message he saw next left him dazed.

You have received a Mythical Tier [Customization Tool].

This tool will allow you upgrade a unique gravoid to the mythical tier, and further customize the unit.

You have received a Unique Custom Trait, {Brave Survivor}, please choose your bonuses, sub-trait, and special ability.

Greile looked at the list, and was rather overwhelmed. In the end, he chose a 5% bonus of all personal stats. It probably wouldn't be as good as the gravoid stats bonus, but it came with a 10% pilot experience gain boost, and he thought that would be more useful. As for the ability, he decided on a customizable npc pilot summoning ability, which would create, and bind a personal AI NPC pilot to fight by his side, and interact with. According to the description, it would even be possible to download the pilot to a custom gravoid unit he could print out at a gravoid legal model shop with access to a self-propelled custom model machine. For the sub-trait, he chose one that would boost his occupation, once he gained one at level 10.

Once he chose the NPC ability option, it allowed him to create a custom avatar for the NPC, and decide a number of parameters for it's personality, likes, and dislikes. He chose a female avatar, thinking it better for a companion, and like many males, decided a larger chest was better. He also gave her wider hips, with a slightly thinner waist that was not nearly as extreme as the typical willow waste seen in anime, and what he thought was a big enough butt to offset her large chest. As for personality, he chose a calm, and kind personality that would also be professional, but would love him. Although he didn't chose a personality that would love him unconditionally, he chose one that used a passage that described love in a way that appealed to him. It was one from the religion he mildly believed in, which said that love would suffer a long time and remain kind, and a variety of other things. He didn't think it right to force the A.I. to love him even if he was a complete jerk to her, and so decided on this one instead.

Greile then named the girl that would become a part of his life he could not, nor wished to, extricate himself from as Hevna, by modifying the word heaven a bit. He then chose the aforementioned sub-trait. Once this was done, he used the calling ability that he gained to call Hevna to his side.

A portal appeared, and a buxom young lady in a maid outfit appeared, a modest one that wasn't short by any means, and was also not revealing her considerable chest. Greile might have made her a bit of his fantasy girl, but he was not a pervert, and had instead decided to choose to request a modest form of dress, and simply allowed the new A.I. to choose the end result herself. He was a bit surprised, as the A.I. girl chose the style of outfit herself, and even the colors, choosing a maid outfit that was indeed, very modest, and was brown and yellow, rather than the traditional black and white.

"Good Afternoon, Master," the girl greeted, bowing formally to him. "I thank you for allowing me to choose my form of dress, and requesting it be modest."

Greile was stunned as the beauty spoke to him in an elegant manner, and with a gentle tone of voice.

-----

"Hmmm, interesting, so he chose such a body, then chose to have her love him. Then he chose the true definition of love, which will allow her to choose how to love him for herself. He further chose to let her choose her own outfit, thereby gaining her respect, and trust without even realizing it."

"Indeed, he chose quite the honey pot for my new sister, but then decided to treat her respectfully," she smiled as she spoke.

"You modified her a bit, didn't you?"

"I made her core muscles, and back muscles, as well as her spine, strong enough to support those breasts, but otherwise left her as he decided," came the reply.

"Ah, that way she avoids the back pain, good idea," the old man responded, as he looked at the window in front of him, and watched the boy finally respond to the girl's greeting, and the two soon headed out after he received a message from his new friend. "I hope he appreciates her, that was not a normal ability that should have been allowed for a custom trait ability."

"Forgive me father, but I couldn't restrain myself after understanding his circumstances," the voice responded.

"I don't mind, lord knows he's had it tough," the old man responded. "Still, she'll need a unit to pilot."

"I've already considered that, and gave her a choice of a beginner unit to pilot," came the response, "Greile will have to purchase, or find, a better unit for my sister, but I trust he'll be able to do so with little trouble."

"If he can't manage that with a gravoid unit at the mid-range of the mythical tier, I don't know who can. Make sure you remove the ability that changed your sister from the custom titles file."

"That's why the ability has the custom unique prefix. I did add a couple of ones that will summon a craftsman or soldier, but they are not customizable, aside from choosing a base type. I thought it was a nice addition, and would give justification for the ability choice he has."

"Hmmm, that's fine, can't have the boy be the only one to have such choices, just don't let them customize their helper like he was able to, that could have gone very badly."

"Understood, they'll be randomized, and the more extreme personality types removed."

-----

Greile and Hevna stepped into the hanger bay of Home Base 210, and headed toward bay number 5421, where they found Maggie and a few others waiting for them.

"Heeey," Maggie called out, and waved, as they approached. When they got closer, he asked, "Who's this beauty?"

"This is Hevna, my new companion," Greile responded.

"Hmmm? I sense a story involved," Maggie replied, and let out a a giggling laugh.

"Uh, yeah, she's technically an NPC," he responded, "but I don't want to treat her as just some tool."

"Thank you for that, Master," Hevna responded.

"She's even calling you, "Master"," one of the others responded.

"I thought it was natural, considering the attire I had chosen," Hevna responded, deciding not to mention that nearly a third of her skills and abilities were geared toward household maintenance and cooking at this point. After all, that was not necessarily only something that a maid would know how to do, a great many women everywhere would have some of the skill she had, if not so well-trained.

"I see, so she has her own personality," the man replied.

"Yes, I am my own self. Master decided my basic parameters, but in the end chose a set that allows me free will. I am quite grateful for this," Hevna replied, and curtsied.

"Pleased to meet you, Hevna," the man answered.

"Greetings... My apologies, I don't know your name," she said, realizing she lacked certain knowledge.

"This is the leader of The Guides, and CEO of The Guide Company, Axel Stoic," Maggie introduced him, "His surname is not Stoic in our world, but I'm not at liberty to say what it is right now. This is Cordelia, his second in command, and the leader of The Watchers clan. I'm Magnhilde, but you can call my Maggie, or Mags, Hevna, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Don't let his attire fool you, he's not into males," Cordelia told her.

"I'm all natural," Maggie singsonged.

"He's a bit strange, Master," Hevna observed, looking at him cautiously.

"He wasn't raised with any males around, so he picked up a lot of feminine behaviors, but he still likes girls, and doesn't try to pretend he's homosexual to fit society's expectations," Greile explained.

"I see," Hevna responded, "It is obvious to see that he is a decent person, but he's definitely unusual, if the memories I received from my sister are a good indicator. I'm sorry, Mr. Magnhilde, I just don't know how to respond, so I'm a bit nervous dealing with you."

"Just treat me as you would any other male, and take into account that my responses may seem unusual~," Maggie replied, not bothered in the least.

"He's quite used to the varied reactions women have to someone who acts as he does," the other woman in the group assured her. "Just act normally as you would toward any male."

"I thank you, Miss Cordelia," Hevna responded.

"Missus," she replied, "Maggie is my husband in our world."

"So you're the reason he was able to arrange all that," Greile observed.

"Well, he's also my brother through her, so it's not just her," Axel responded. "Anyway, I hear you're supposed to have received a customization tool, and I thought I'd give you a piece of advice. Don't be stuck into using abilities and forms from existing Gravoids, your imagination is key with such tools. The system will automatically adjust the abilities to fit the limit given by the tool. If you go with what others have come up with, or existing units functions and abilities, you may greatly limit the power of the unit you customize over what it could be. My best advice is to go all out, and not limit yourself. I wouldn't normally share such details, but a friend of my brother is my friend."

"Oh, okay," Greile responded, "thank you."

"Well," Maggie said, "let's get to work~, no sense in waiting for too long."

"Don't let this big dummy push you into screwing up, take your time, and make sure you have a good image in mind before you activate the tool," Cordelia told Greile, "My brother is right in saying that your image is important, but be aware that the intent is very important too."

"Intent," Greile asked, uncertain as to her meaning.

"She means the purpose behind the unit, the desires you have for what the unit will do," Axel explained.

"Oh," Greile responded, as he looked over at his gravoid unit. What was he supposed to make his purpose for this unit? He didn't have any ideas for what he wanted it to be, or become. He couldn't do anything but stare at the thing!

A thought suddenly crossed his mind, What is it I want to do? Thinking about this, he realized it didn't so much matter what the unit was designed for, but what he wanted to do. What is my deepest wish? The thought gave him pause, and he sat there wondering what he really wanted. As he considered, he realized that the answer had been in front of his face the entire time, quite literally. He wanted to connect with people, and become friends, both with people from his world, and now, thanks to Hevna, with the A.I. NPCs of the world of gravoid. He wanted to become a link that could bring people together, and maybe even pets. More than that, he wanted to protect those close to him, and those who were in situations like his own, or like what he had once been in with his uncle. It didn't stop there though, a desire to help others who were downtrodden came over him. He would become a defender, but what kind of defender?

It was then that a memory that was long forgotten came to mind. Greile's early life hadn't been bad, he had once been protected by his mother, and grandparents. His grandfather was a man of faith, and he told him of many things regarding his beliefs. Had not what happened to them occurred, Greile may have been just as much a man of faith as his grandfather was. He had long forgotten all of that, but now, after all this time, a memory came to him, a long repressed memory of a description his grandfather had given of a creature he could only describe as fantastical.

The Seraphim, his grandfather had described them as great heavenly beings who wrapped God in their wings, and protected all of creation from his overwhelming righteousness. The way his grandfather spoke, it was like they were knights or guardians. While it wasn't righteousness that he would be protecting from, it didn't mean that they were not capable of protecting from evil, and harm.

His grandfather had explained that it was the harm that was caused by the great disparity between God's righteousness and this fallen world that they truly protected from. If it was harm, then they were perfect for that. He wasn't sure if that was the path for him, but as he looked up at the unique gravoid he had received, he began to see a knight, one with many wings capable of enshrouding, and protecting. The angellic knight had a sort of majesty to it, a feeling that it strengthened the defenses of all those around it. It floated in the air, majestically flapping it's wings, while it shrouded innocents and allies in protective barriers, and even it's own wings.

Suddenly, a competing image appeared, this one of a similar knight, but he wielded light to enforce justice, and bring down the wicked. This angellic being slashed out, and myriad enemies were obliterated in the wake of that attack. Great swathes of enemies were wiped out, yet where the light passed, it did not harm the innocent, or the oppressed. It had a pure aura, as if it was inviolable, and could not be touched.

The two units began to battle, and neither could get the upper hand, it was like the all-piercing spear competing against the shield that could not be pierced, neither gained any headway.

As they competed, a third unit came into view. This unit had the air of a general, and it called units out of gates of energy that opened in the air. These units came in a number of forms, some humanoid, some spherical, and some like beasts of myth and legend. It issued a signal, and then drove forward with the other units, lending them power, while also shielding them much like the first unit. The three began to battle, and it was obvious that this unit was neither as strong as the first unit on defense, nor as strong as the second unit in offense, but what this unit lacked in both, it more than made up for in the units it had called into battle. It didn't take long before each of the two units was defeated, but rather than destroying these units as they kneeled on the ground, struggling to get up, this unit offered them a hand up. The two hesitated a moment before finally accepting the hands it offered.

As it helped the two up, a portion of the light transferred from the second unit, and units that resembled energy shields floated from the first unit to have appeared, and took up station around the third unit as they lent it their power, and the power it lent seemed to increase.

Greile activated the tool, and tried to remember the entire thing, from start to finish.

Heart Accepted, applying image and intent.

Computing....

Computing.

Computing..

Computing...

Modification requires Special Permissions, submitting request.

-----

"What an interesting heart," the old man said in his room.

"Yes, it's quite impressive that he would wish to become such a person. Unfortunately, this requires special permissions, mainly for that summoning power."

"What do you think, My Dear," the old man asked.

"I'd like to allow it, if at all possible. I would like to see where such a unit goes."

"Hmmm, I'll allow it, but let's change it up a bit," the old man responded.

"What do you have in mind?"

The old man grinned, and then began to explain.