Chapter 128: A Path

Jaxir didn’t answer Nick right away, and instead planted both palms against the roof behind his head before kicking his legs upward and driving his hips after them.

His body rolled through the familiar motion until his feet hit beneath him, and a laugh slipped out as he straightened because he couldn’t remember the last time he had bothered doing that.

Jahbri used to roll her eyes every time he did it and call him a show-off, which made him wonder how long it would take before his real body could manage something that simple again.

"Let’s head back and ask some questions, and I’ll decide after that."

Jaxir turned just in time to see Niri plant her hands behind her head and throw her legs upward with absolute confidence that copying the first half meant she had learned the second, forcing him to lunge forward and catch her before the back of her skull met the roof.

She hung upside down in his arms for a moment before he set her back on her feet, her pout deepening while Jaxir laughed hard enough that even Nick started grinning.

... ℯℯ𝘭.

By the time Jaxir pushed open the door to the private room again, most of the people inside had settled into the uncomfortable silence left behind by his departure, and several heads snapped toward him at once.

Elara stiffened where she sat while one of her teammates scrambled for the communication terminal and called the Commander and Lue back before either man could get too far.

Their images returned within seconds, both looking prepared to ask what had gone wrong now, until the man beside the terminal hurried out, "Jaxir came back."

Jaxir ignored the attention gathering on him and walked back to his seat, with Niri following close enough behind that she almost stepped on his heel.

Nick entered after them and leaned against the wall rather than sitting, while Jaxir looked past Elara and the rest of her team toward the two men on the screen.

"I have one question to ask, and how you answer it will decide whether I keep asking questions or whether this is the end of our cooperation."

The Commander studied him for a moment before his posture straightened, whatever relief he might have felt at Jaxir returning hidden behind a more careful expression.

Lue didn’t say anything either, though Jaxir caught the slight narrowing of his eyes and knew his friend had already guessed this wasn’t going to be about equipment, money or whatever benefits they had prepared.

"Go ahead," the Commander answered.

"Will my situation with the Chance Corporation impact Sylix?"

Jaxir watched the Commander blink, then saw confusion pass across his face as the man worked through why that name had suddenly entered the conversation. Jaxir didn’t help him along.

The government was still his clearest path toward protecting himself from the Chance Corporation, and Jaxir understood that better now than when this meeting had started. His uncle controlled too much money, too much infrastructure and too many people for Jaxir to fight all of it alone, while a government faction was one of the few organizations large enough to make Chance think twice before simply crushing him beneath lawyers and influence.

But none of that mattered if standing beside them placed Jahbri’s father in the line of fire, because Jaxir would walk away from the best shield he had found without a second thought if keeping it meant making her life harder.

Understanding finally settled across the Commander’s face, and his expression grew much more serious as he realized Jaxir wasn’t asking about some player named Sylix. Sylix was the first name of Jahbri’s father, but out of respect most people called him by his title and last name, which was why it took so long for it to click.

"That will depend on what your situation with the Chance Corporation actually is. My understanding is that your shares were bought out and you no longer have any direct affiliation with the company. If that’s still the current situation, then there shouldn’t be any issues."

"Good, then we can work together." Jaxir leaned back into his chair as though they hadn’t just skipped over almost every negotiation the Commander had apparently prepared for, and the man’s eyebrows climbed before he looked toward Lue for confirmation that this was actually happening.

"Are you sure you don’t have more questions, because the benefits we can offer aren’t very good compared to—"

Lue burst out laughing and cut him off by slapping a heavy hand against the Commander’s shoulder, rocking the larger man enough to draw an irritated look.

"All this guy needed to hear was that Divinity’s number one beauty was involved. He’s what you might call a complete simp, so feel free to order him to do whatever you want now. He’ll clean toilets for you if you tell him she’s somewhere in the building."

Jaxir chuckled without bothering to defend himself. Something else mattered far more than Lue having entirely too much fun at his expense. Lue had known from the beginning that Jahbri worked with these people and had still refused to mention her even though he had to know Jaxir would have agreed almost immediately if he did.

As far as Jaxir was concerned, that was exactly what a real friend was supposed to do, but it also meant every warning Lue had given him about the danger surrounding this faction had been serious.

But if Jahbri was standing in the middle of that same danger, Jaxir couldn’t pretend none of it concerned him just because keeping his distance made everything simpler.

He might not be ready to stand in front of her yet, and he might still have no idea what Elara meant when she accused him of ruining Jahbri’s life, but neither changed what he would do if she needed help.

"What do you need me to do?"

The Commander drew in a breath, then glanced toward Elara with enough weight behind the look that his daughter flinched in her seat. Her fingers tightened together before she lowered her head and forced the words out in a rush, "I’m sorry."

Jaxir didn’t so much as look toward her, keeping his eyes on the Commander while Elara’s face went red enough that even Nick decided not to comment.

"There is a Nightmare Dungeon that several guilds in the area are angling for, and thanks to what you’ve already accomplished, we believe you have the materials needed to trigger a special instance inside it." The Commander paused long enough to make sure Jaxir was following before continuing, while Nick’s relaxed expression began to disappear beside the wall. "That instance contains an item we need."

"Oh hell nah!" Nick pushed away from the wall at once, staring at the Commander as though the man had reached through the screen and stolen money from his pocket. "Those gains were supposed to be for me and Jaxir, and I’ve already suffered enough carrying this bastard through all his terrible life decisions."

Jaxir turned his head and gave him a look, which lasted just long enough for Nick to throw both hands into the air.

"Fine, fine, I guess bros before—" Nick stopped himself halfway through and slowly closed his mouth when Jaxir’s eyes cooled another degree, then hung his head with a sigh. "Got it, got it, no jokes about the princess."

"What do you need the item for?" Jaxir returned his attention to the screen while Nick muttered something behind him about unreasonable working conditions. The Commander didn’t smile this time, and the weight that entered his expression made Jaxir sit a little straighter before the answer came.

"We want to establish a guild."

Nick’s complaints stopped so abruptly that Jaxir glanced toward him, finding the man’s eyes widened as he stared at the Commander.

Whatever limitations the government suffered inside Divinity, they weren’t so powerless that forming an ordinary guild should require this much secrecy, a Nightmare Dungeon and some special-instance item.

That meant the Commander wasn’t talking about one of the lower guild ranks that amounted to little more than a glorified party with a shared banner.

Nick didn’t know much about the upper reaches of the guild system, but even he knew that guilds weren’t all created equal, and the quality established at their foundation could shape everything that came afterward.

Territory, advancement, member limits and opportunities could all change depending on the grade of the guild itself, with the highest levels reaching into systems ordinary players might never touch.

Most importantly, there were guild foundations powerful enough to open a path toward something far beyond ordinary progression.

A path to birth a Demi-God.