The Third Way

Most players in any MMORPG didn't care about their games' lore.

Though there were always players who did appreciate this element, they were in the minority.

One of the unique aspects of Horus was the way its players were so eager to follow and assimilate the game's lore in order to progress. Since NPCs had human emotions, learning more knowledge of Horus's lore allowed them to access a greater number of high-value quests by gaining the confidence of the cultures of the game world.

Of course, given the current situation with all the Federation NPCs rapturously watching the Battle of Cronos I, there weren't many quests in Federation space to do. Players and NPCs sat side by side across the Federation, watching the lifelike holograms depicting the battle.

It was so astounding to see! The scene of thousands of ships clashing over a planet of billions of people was so majestic that even those who weren't fans of science fiction or space opera were still entranced. Such were the possibilities waiting in the Horus universe! For many players, this was the first time they realized that their imaginations were the only limit to what was possible in this game.

Once it became clear that the Federation had lost to the Titan Regnier, the forums resounded with numerous shocked conversations. Many of these players had felt intimidated by Azerof, being too scared to challenge the Federation, but what were they to do now?

The Federation had seemed to be the most powerful force around, but that vast nation, even being supported by allies at the time, had just lost to the Orcs. Some players wished to leave Federation space altogether, but how were they supposed to get an acceptable passport?

***

On Cronos I, the space battle looked as though it would soon give way to a land battle. Over 10,000,000 Federation soldiers had already fortified the planet in its major urban centers, since this eventuality had seemed likely, and many Geoils had been conscripted into the ranks in addition to these.

Of course, this was an outcome the Federation dreaded, since they knew the brutal power of the Orcs in land-based warfare.

It took some time for the land battle to begin, due to many of the forces in space still needing to exit hyperspace before they could land on the planet itself. This gave a good amount of time for the Federation to organize their defenses on Cronos I, but would it be enough?

At the same moment, all players received the same two alerts.

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╟─╼ [Raid Quest] Call to Defend Cronos I

╟─╼[Summary] The Federation has lost the Battle of Cronos I, and the planet itself will soon be invaded by the Orc Empire! The Federation is calling all to volunteer and defend freedom! Join the nearest recruiting station to take part!

╟─╼[Objective] Find the nearest recruiting station to join the Federation forces.

╟─╼[Basic Reward] Gain full Federation citizenship + basic Federation military equipment + 100 GC for each Orc soldier killed.

╟─╼[Victory Reward] Your [ Genocidal ] trait will be replaced with the [ Rehabilitated ] trait + bonus rewards according to individual combat results.

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╔══════════════╕

╟─╼ [Raid Quest] Liberation of Cronos I

╟─╼[Summary] The Orc Empire has won the Battle of Cronos I, and will soon fight to free the planet from Federation rule! The Orc Empire is offering all volunteers the opportunity to join its ranks.

╟─╼[Objective] Travel to any Orc-controlled system and find a war office to join the Orc forces.

╟─╼[Basic Reward] Gain full Orc Empire citizenship + basic Orc military equipment + possibility of earning land on Cronos I.

╟─╼[Victory Reward] Gain the Passive Skill [ Fighter ] + bonus rewards according to individual combat results.

╚═══════════════╛

The forums lit up with excitement as everyone debated which side to choose! It was obvious that victory would be decided by the intervention of players, so there was a lot of debate whether everyone should simply choose the same side.

Of course, some players simply trolled the others with their suggestions, but other players actually latched onto an interesting and original idea: why fight for someone else when the Eternals, at that point, numbered about 500,000,000? They could easily take over the Cronos system for themselves, not just Cronos I!

There was the problem of most players being poor and not owning ships, of course. However, it was also obvious that the Federation—and the Orcs, to some degree—had lost a huge percentage of their ships.

That is, the Eternals were now far more powerful than they once were, and both sides demanding their help were much weaker than they had been only a day before. Almost half of all players were Rank D, which made them far more powerful than any standard Orc or Federation soldier.

And, of course, nearly 10% of players were Rank C, which was of an even greater level of power! To make things even more one-sided, most soldiers in the battle would be unaccustomed to fighting on land, as most combat happened in space. They would still be skilled warriors, certainly, but their specialty would surely not be on the ground. Meanwhile, the players had been fighting on the ground for months.

This player-centric strategy quickly became popular, and more and more players began to plan an invasion of Cronos I.