Over the next few minutes, Tantalus went over some of the logistical details with those present. They agreed to start a regular watch at all three Gates starting at noon the next day. The watches would be split into Afternoon (12:00 PM to 8:00 PM), Night (8:00 PM to 4:00 AM), and Morning (4:00 AM to 12:00 PM). They also agreed that an S-rank soldier should be present to defend the Gate at any one time. Tantalus, FullDan, and GatorKing were assigned to the West Gate. Ashcroft, Emile, and Mosaic were assigned to the North Gate. Mander, ScaryClock, and Trismegistus were assigned to the East Gate. Tantalus, Ashcroft, and Mander all agreed to take the Morning Watch so that they would be awake at the same time and could therefore communicate more effectively. Tantalus told everyone present that every watch should contain a full squad of ten Revenants, but he expressed concern that it could take a while to get ninety well-trained soldiers who were willing to take on a full-time job with no pay at such short notice.

“That’s it for logistics right now,” said Tantalus. “Naturally, we still have glaring issues with our supply lines, but there’s nothing we can do about that now. As soon as possible, we’re going to have to figure out where we’re getting our equipment, ammunition, food, and water. I’d rather not rely entirely upon the NPCs for supplies. Now, onto Ashcroft. Thank you all for being so patient.”

“Most of us are used to meetings like this,” said Ashcroft. “It’s just a bit strange to be doing one of these without Kingfisher.”

“Man, I wish he was here,” FullDan said wistfully.

“He’s got a wife and kids now,” Ashcroft said. “It’s probably for the best that he’s not in here with us.”

“You’re right,” FullDan said. “Sorry.”

“You don’t gotta be sorry to anyone, Dan,” Ashcroft said, patting him on the shoulder. “You’re an S-rank. In this world, that makes you a god.”

“Can we get back on topic, please?” Tantalus asked.

“Right,” said Ashcroft. “My first point of business: I move to remove the NPCs from the East and West Gates. The process doesn’t have to be violent, but the NPCs probably won’t give up the Gates without a fight.”

ConcreteBeats opened her mouth, but Mander spoke first. “Ashcroft,” he began. “What would we gain from taking this course of action?”

“Thank you for asking, Mander,” Ashcroft beamed. “The…”

Tantalus cut him off. “Since it seems we’re about to start a debate, and we’ve thus far been operating like the Strategy Council of the Scions, I think we should officially import the Scions’ rules. Ashcroft has made a motion, so he’ll present his motion, everyone will have a chance to speak on the bill, and then we’ll vote. I’ll be the Chairman of this committee, meaning I decide when we vote, and I only vote in the event that a single vote can change the outcome. Does this work for you?”

Everyone agreed, and Ashcroft began to speak. “Essentially, the NPCs have shown themselves to be completely useless when it comes to defending the Gates. The goblins have rifles that can easily penetrate their armor. Honestly, a force of about twenty Deluvians could probably take any of the Gates if not for help from the players. Basically, I’m saying that the negligible benefit we get from the NPCs is not worth the possibility that they’ll stab us in the back. I am much more concerned about enemies behind us than enemies in front of us. We delete a few pieces of code to save some lives. The choice seems simple to me.”

Mander and CB spoke in refutation of Ashcroft’s motion. Mander said that the sorcerers at the East Gate killed a few Deluvians using their magic. He also said that there could be unforeseen consequences of making enemies of the NPCs. ConcreteBeats made the argument that the NPCs were indistinguishable from human beings, so they should have the same rights as humans. Quickly glancing around at the Revenants present, Tantalus could tell that CB’s arguments didn’t convince anyone in the room.

When the vote was held, three people (Ashcroft, Emile, and ScaryClock) voted in favor of the motion, and three people (FullDan, Mander, and ConcreteBeats) voted against the motion.

Ashcroft laughed. “The first vote we hold… and it’s a tie,” he chuckled. “It’s up to you, Commander.”

Tantalus thought for a moment and said, “I just promised the General that I would do my best to prevent any further NPC deaths. The motion fails. Sorry, Ashcroft.”

Ashcroft smiled and said, “No skin off my back. Honestly, I was thinking of changing my vote when I heard Mander’s rebuttal.”

The committee then organized a time and place for the funeral. They decided that there would be a wake the next afternoon in the Osirian Central Park and an official funeral in four days. Tantalus said that he would get some people to set up the coffins and graves.

Once Ashcroft’s second point of business was done, Clock began to speak. “So, I logged into this game as soon as I could. Two hours had passed in-game when I received the message from GM. By this time, I was deep behind enemy lines. I must have gotten four or five miles out. I wasn’t able to get back until the Deluvian retreat from the North Gate gave me an opportunity to get back. Now, usually this wouldn’t be all that important, but I saw some crazy stuff that far out. I ran into a huge Deluvian camp that must have held a few hundred of ‘em. The camp had about a dozen pieces of field artillery, and they clearly followed some kind of military hierarchy. But here’s the thing,” Clock’s eyes lit up and her tone became excited, “their leaders had much more advanced firearms. I saw one with a high-capacity sidearm and a semi-automatic rifle.”

Everyone in the room lit up when they heard Clock’s words. “What kind of rifle was it?” Ashcroft asked, glee in his voice.

“An M1 Garand,” Clock answered with a smile.

“Oh, we need to get one,” Ashcroft said. “Put a Garand in my hands, and I’ll kill all of the Deluvians attacking this city myself.”

“I’m sure we can all agree that acquiring better firepower is one of our primary goals,” Tantalus said. “If we can figure out how to mass-produce a Garand, all the better. We’ll have to figure out some reward system for whomever can acquire a Garand or a high-capacity sidearm.”

Within a few minutes, the meeting had ended and the Revenants present began to go their separate ways. Ashcroft and Tantalus found themselves alone in the parking lot, Tantalus smoking his tenth cigarette of the day.

“That stuff’ll kill ya,” Ashcroft said.

“Ha,” Tantalus said.

“Why are you smoking?”

“I’ve been craving nicotine ever since I logged in,” Tantalus said.

“Weird.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey,” said Ashcroft. “Do you think I should release those NPCs my group captured?”

“Not yet,” Tantalus said, flicking ash off his cigarette. “Tomorrow, they’ll ask us to release the prisoners and we, as an act of friendship, will release them. Just make sure there still are prisoners tomorrow. Also, Ashcroft?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d appreciate it if you would lay off the NPCs for a few days,” Tantalus said. “The Duke and Osirian military won’t be going anywhere until the ‘Edict of Nonviolence’ is gone.”
“You got it, boss,” Ashcroft gave an over-the-top salute.

At that moment, Emile pulled up in a bright red sports car. “See you tomorrow,” Ashcroft said as he got in the passenger seat.

The sports car pulled off into the looming City of Osiris. The electric lamp posts all flicked on simultaneously, and Tantalus was suddenly struck by a chill. He flipped his collar up to the cold evening air.