The following in-game days saw the Skardian joint offensive force the Sommerdan army back to their foothold in that land. Clay had led the offensive following Parthus while the others launched devastating attacks throughout Skardia.
Beans succeeded in her mission to raid their supply ships before the Sommerdan army could regroup, and several of Ragnarok’s players had taken their first step into Tier 1. Although all these plans had gone well, Colt could not shake the dark cloud hanging over his head.
“Colt?” Jay coughed to get his attention.
That was when Colt remembered where he was. His gaze became focused as he picked up the pen and signed the contract with Rebel Energy. He had been busy outside of Pantheon Online as well. Colt finally had a lawyer look over the contract, and she gave it the green light.
After that, Colt registered Ragnarok as a gaming team with shares. He was unsure how he would divide those shares for now. So he kept them all in his name and would give them out as rewards to the players invested in the team.
“Well, that’s just fantastic!” Jay beamed as Colt slid the contract across the table. “We already have advertising material ready for the products. So we’d like to announce our partnership to the public in the next few days.”
Colt nodded as he stared at the rain slamming against the window. He had wasted no effort in his attempts to locate Bjorn. Thovok had failed to save the hero during the battle, and now his fate was unknown to them. Colt sighed as Jay cocked an eyebrow at him.
“I think you’ll be glad to know the company is willing to deepen our relationship.” Jay grinned as Colt’s gaze landed on him. “The higher-ups have agreed to your request to help fund a team base. They are quite happy with your performance so far. So they’re willing to do this in exchange for 10% of Ragnarok’s shares. Of course, you won’t only get the building and training areas, but you will receive 5% of Rebel Energy’s shares. What do you say?”
Colt drummed his fingers on the table for a few seconds as he mulled over the offer. ‘We need the building so we can gather our players in one spot. Their share offer is quite tempting too. Rebel Energy makes a lot of money, so even 5% of that is good.’
Colt frowned for a moment before his eyes lit up. ‘That 5% will allow us to pay salaries for the first year. Plus, we should make a decent amount from the sponsorship contract.’ Each player would sign their own deal with Rebel for anything they created that used their in-game names. So Colt could not see a downside to the offer. Who knew when they would have the funds to set up a proper team HQ if he did not accept this deal?
“You have a deal, Jay.” Colt nodded as Jay hurried to sign another contract he took from his briefcase.
‘He came prepared.’ Colt chuckled as Jay passed the papers to him. A quick glance through them revealed there was nothing complicated about the contract. It stated that Rebel Energy would provide the building for Ragnarok’s HQ along with its furnishings. Which included dormitories, a gym, a conference room, kitchens, bathrooms, and gaming capsules. Rebel Energy would also take care of the running costs for the first year!
‘Well, that’s a surprise.’ Colt grinned when he saw that Rebel Energy would pay the salaries for the first year as well to the players. That part alone would allow him to create a solid foundation for the team over the next twelve months. Since that technically meant the team had no expenditures to worry over.
Colt saw no reason not to sign since the terms were clear enough for him to understand without involving a lawyer. He had a feeling the contract had been written up in that way so he could be sure that Rebel Energy did not want to trick him.
Jay beamed once again when the papers were signed. He nodded as he told Colt about the media events that Rebel Energy had already set up. There were several interviews and such, as well as the launch of the energy drinks and nutrients for the gaming capsules. Colt saw no problems with them either and gave his approval.
Once Rebel Energy filed the contracts with Pantheon Online, they would gain access to the players’ contact details. So Colt only had to warn them about that beforehand. However, he did not imagine any of them turning down the chance to earn by playing games.
Events were moving quickly, and the day set for the final battle with the Sommerdan invaders was quickly approaching. However, Colt still had a small matter to deal with before he could focus on that.
As he arrived home, he headed straight for the holo-computer on his desk and turned it on. He navigated through his contacts and clicked on the video call function. A few seconds of unnerving silence filled the room as Colt stared at the screen.
Eventually, the call was answered. Mike Anderson’s face appeared on the screen while wearing a surprised expression.
“Colt!” Mike chuckled. “To what do I owe the pleasure? You know, I don’t think you’ve called me since that New Years you were arrested. You know, when you passed out drunk in the street with your jeans around your ankles?”
Colt grimaced at the memory. It was a dark time for him. He had let the fame and the money go to his head. Which led him to make a lot of bad choices in the early days of his career.
“I remember.” Colt sighed as he glared at his brother. “But that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh?” Mike’s curious gaze studied his brother for a while before he let out a sigh of his own. “Let me guess. You’ve signed a contract. Your team is going to be making money soon. Enough to pay people. Let’s see… You know Crest is going downhill, and with it, my career will too. Let’s not forget that you’re in over your head with a lot of things in Pantheon Online… So that can only mean one thing…”
Colt remained silent as Mike revealed a knowing smile.
“You want to take me out to dinner to celebrate my retirement!”
BANG!
Colt almost fell out of his chair when he heard that. He had forgotten his brother liked to make inappropriate jokes during serious conversations. But he guessed that was the reason a lot of people found him likeable.
“No!” Colt complained as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You know exactly why I’m calling!” .
“True… But I want to hear you say it.” Mike teased as he watched his Colt’s expression turn ugly.
Mike knew that Colt hated asking for help. More specifically he hated asking him for help. It had been that way ever since they were kids. Mike guessed it was because Colt was the older brother. So he felt like he had to be the one there to support everyone else.
Colt swallowed a lump of saliva as he opened his mouth a few times. A deep sigh escaped his throat as he mustered the willpower to say what he needed to say. However, as soon as his expression became determined, Mike beat him to the punch.
“Ok, I’m in.” Mike chuckled as Colt’s face turned scarlet.
“Bloody hell! Why’d you put me through that if you were going to accept before I could even get the words out!” Colt screamed as he banged his fist on his desk.
“To watch you sweat. Besides, I wanted to see how serious you were. The fact that you were actually going to ask was enough to clear my doubts.” Mike shrugged as he sipped coffee from his mug. “You know, we haven’t played a game together since before you got signed. You sure you can handle being second best in the family again?”
“That was one game! One game that you were better than me at!” Colt rolled his eyes as a tinge of regret appeared in his mind. ‘Do I really need him that badly?’ Colt thought as he studied his younger brother. But the answer he received only made him sigh. ‘He can be an insufferable prick, but there’s nobody else I’d rather have on my side.’
The two brothers exchanged a few memories and curses for a while as Colt brought Mike up to date. Colt told him what race to choose so he could join Ragnarok and gave him some information so he could track them down in the game.
“You know,” Mike pursed his lips as he seemed to stare at some random spot behind Colt. “You really do have terrible taste in decoration. You’re kind of similar to a ninety-year-old granny in that respect. Anyway, see ya!”
Mike chuckled and waved as he ended the call while Colt threw a fit over the barb he had hit him with. ‘Granny my pale ass! When I get a hold of you!’
The computer let out a chiming noise, which alerted Colt he had a new message. His eyes widened when he saw it was through Pantheon Online! A frown appeared on his face as he navigated to his inbox and opened the message. His eyes narrowed as he read it.
[We should talk before the battle. Meet me between our armies when you arrive. No fighting will occur until we settle our talks. Bring my hero, and I’ll bring yours. -Parthus]