She Rules the Dungeon

HQ meeting was exactly like what Otta expected - full of time-wasting arguments and irrelevant trivia. Despite the chaos, they managed to get some work done, courtesy of Cameron. Richard finally understood the plan after an hour and some unhealthy lunch. Neuf and the tech team insisted on pizza no matter what so with the majority agreeing on it, they ordered six pizzas and three salads.

"I understand now," Richard nodded. It took an extremely long time in a very uncomfortable space but somehow everyone found their spots in Otta's overly cramped apartment. They didn't have enough chairs so the men took the floor while the ladies in skirts took the chairs. Grace and Otta were the only girls seated on the floor with the men because they didn't wear skirts. Still, it was ridiculously compact.

"Cameron, do you have the drafted contract? I would like to take a look at some of the terms. Clarkson Inc can be rather despicable so I wanted to cover all grounds just in case."

As Richard was reading through the draft, Otta couldn't help but wonder if Brandon had always been like this. According to Jeffer, the old man became worse when he lost his legs. The government didn't allow him to work and things went downhill from there. Brandon channelled all his discontent into research, hoping to find a way to walk again to take back his rightful place on the throne. Richard was supposed to aid him in his quest but due to a conflict of morals, he left. Otta wondered if Brandon would return to the father that Richard knew when he was younger if he got his legs back. No matter what, she couldn't bear to see a family fall apart. Richard and Brandon might not be connected by blood but some bonds go deeper than blood ties.

During the time Richard took to analyse the contract, Neuf filled her in on the progress of their plan. At the same time, Cameron reported about the situation with PJP after discussion with Adrian about their intentions. So far so good but without Richard's affirmation, Otta wouldn't proceed.

Twenty minutes later, Richard sighed. It was a lot to take in and he must admit that Cameron was good. There was nothing lacking and Otta's plan was brilliant. All they had to do was lure Brandon in.

"I think we should proceed as planned," he told Otta. "However, I think we should dramatise it a little more. Brandon isn't a fool. If we left FLS at the same time, there would be an uproar. We should schedule the dates of handing in the resignation letter according to the least important people to the most important people. There should be a trial period of three to six months for the employees under a new management. We should take this opportunity to clear out the office."

Otta nodded. It made sense not to alarm Brandon by having everyone throw their resignation letters at once. However, she couldn't help but worry about what would happen after.

"Don't worry Otta, Workstation is still in use. We'll lie low for a while after FLS disbands. Even if we do not make a comeback, we can always remain friends," Venus smiled at the red-head's worried expression. Truthfully, she felt like it is a good time to take a break. With FLS's continuous march towards advancing technology, the stress hadn't been easy to manage. The same could be said about everyone else on the team. There was nobody who looked less haggard than when they first joined the company.

Richard agreed. He didn't quite know how long they had until FLS disbanded but suddenly, Workstation was a lot more important to them. He felt slightly apologetic towards Dr Whitestone who had always been their silent supporter. It was also sad to know that the number of people in this room would decrease after today in an event of another HQ meeting. However, it was for the best.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it has been quite the adventure with you. TThis might very well be the last lap for FLS but please continue to give it your all. This may be the last time we meet under such circumstances but goodbye is not the end. Cheers to happiness!" Venus smiled.

Her charisma lightened the sombre mood and soon everyone was toasting juices, soda and coffee.

"To success!"

"To freedom!"

"To early retirement!"

"To going back to becoming jobless!"

"To finally finding my wife!"

"To no longer putting up with fools!"

Otta blinked at Molly.

"What?" she glared back. Nobody retorted and began to chatter about other topics much to Khan's amusement.

"I'll be unemployed soon," the adventurer told Grace. "Will Black Penguin hire me?"

Grace almost spit out the mouthful of juice. One of the greatest adventurers was worried about being jobless? That was ridiculous. Khan was originally a soloist... what changed his mind? Then again, Grace wasn't one to look for a gift in the horse's mouth. She'd gladly take whatever she could.

"Sure! I'll put in a word for you. What kind of position are you looking at?"

Khan thought for a while. "I want to be a strategist. I can run raids or set dungeon records for soloists. Also, do you require crafters?"

Grace grinned. With the number of new members in their guild, they were always shorthanded when it came to supply management. "That would be a great help!"

At the other end of the room, Kalissa was asking Moona and Mark if she could apprentice under them full-time. While Mark didn't disagree, Moona was fretting over the cost of setting up a business.

"I can help with the business side," Mina offered and the four set a date to meet up for further discussion.

"What are you going to do?" Venus asked Cameron who was sipping on some espresso beside her.

The man shrugged. He had half the mind to restart his business to get back at his back-stabbing brother but the other half of him simply wanted to wash his hands off everything.

"Depends on where the wind takes me I suppose."

Jeffer sighed. While everyone was making plans for the future, he didn't know what he wanted to do. For him, Otta was a great employer. However, he wasn't too sure if Brandon would appreciate such a talent. He didn't want to go back to becoming a private investigator. In fact, all Jeffer wanted to do was find a place to settle down.

"Hey," Neuf approached the flashy man. Jeffer was surprised that the quiet hacker would take the initiative to approach anyone.

"Want to form a team with me? The tech guys and I have talked it out. After this, we're going to concentrate on collecting and selling information as a part-time job. However, there is only so much we can do with a keyboard. Will you help us with your skills?"

The ex-investigator raised an eyebrow. "What kind of information are you guys going to find? It sounds dangerous and I don't know if I want any part in it."

Neuf grinned. "We want to create a virtual idol with AI that rivals Jenny. However, none of us can talk to girls like you do."

Jeffer blinked and then laughed. "Sounds interesting. Will you pay me?"

Neuf looked uncomfortable at that. "Depends on how successful you can make Nemu-Nemu."

Jeffer was impressed. "You've already decided a name?!"

Neuf shrugged. "Otta like Neru-Neru so we thought a female AI idol would be equally popular."

The ex-investigator grinned. "I'm in."

As conversations took place everywhere in Otta's apartment, only two people chose to remain silent. Otta and Richard exchanged glances but not words. After all, who else could understand the complicated feelings of disbanding FLS other than the founders?

***

For the first week after meeting with Brandon, everything ran as per normal on the surface. New dungeon themes were released, testing proceeded smoothly and there was no word from PJP's side. However, Richard knew better. There were more attacks on his system and Roomscape has been limiting his progress. The government started tightening laws about the new dungeons causing trouble for them. However, under the resourceful tech team's efforts, they survived.

The second week rolled by and FLS's official partners were starting to feel the pressure of what Clarkson Inc could do. Investors were pulling out again with stories of threats and blackmail. Many apologised for bailing and there was absolutely nothing Adrian could do to stop them. Black Penguin was facing sanctions from other dungeon owners, limiting their growth and source of income Many adventurers who were frustrated at not getting their pay left. Grace was devastated but they held on.

By the end of the third week, FLS could not progress. Research and development were on hiatus from lack of funding from PJP. Their servers were frozen and Brandon's lackeys were increasingly persistent. They'd threatened Otta's landlady to tear down the building if she did not evict Otta. When the good lady came over to give Otta the eviction notice, that became their last straw.

Brandon was pleased to see his son and Otta in his home office. He had to give them credit for persisting for so long. He thought he'll have them crawling into his office within a week but they toughed it out even after the government's restriction. It took everything in Boris' book to force them out of hiding but eventually, the effort paid off. Brandon looked smug as Richard came in with a stormy expression.

"What a surprise!" Brandon mocked. "How can I help the two young founders of FLS? I heard that your company is in quite a pinch lately, is everything alright?"

Richard was close to snapping but Otta held him back.

"Mr Clarkson, I believe you've done enough. My employees and business partners are innocent and should not be collateral damage in your quest to acquire my company."

Brandon smiled pleasantly. "Why would you say that? I believe I've done nothing wrong. If you'd agreed to my request for a partnership I believe they would be doing very well by now."

Otta nodded. "I concede. However, I still have no wish to agree to a partnership with you. As such, here is my proposal. You will get to own all of FLS on the condition that you will take care of my employees and not mistreat my business partners. They are the only reason why it took us three weeks to see you again."

Brandon stilled. Otta was scheming something again. It was too good to be true. Selling FLS? That's insane. What business owner would willingly sell a golden goose in exchange for the safety of their employees? No matter how eccentric one was, it was simply too difficult to believe that something this good is true.

Boris passed the envelope over and Brandon took his time to read through the fifty-page long document, taking care to read every line at least three times to ensure it wasn't a plot to ruin him. The proposal was done well and the contact behind was flawless. They must have spent a long time preparing for it. Although Brandon found some terms to be puzzling like how it mentioned Richard should be removed from the Clarkson family register, the man wasn't against it.

"I can agree to all the terms. What do you want in return? You can't be selling me FLS for just the safety of your employees, can you?"

Richard smirked. Of course, his old man would be cautious. If it were him, he'd be cautious too.

"Naturally. I want to have rights to own a chicken farm."

The eyes from Brandon's sockets nearly fell out. All these for a chicken farm? Is she insane?

"A chicken farm."

Otta nodded solemnly. "Not any chicken farm. I want one with only the best breeds and the tastiest meat."

Brandon looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. Then again, he wasn't far from it. Boris was looking at her in a similar fashion and Richard couldn't help but wonder if Brandon would reject it out of cautiousness. Thankfully, he was wrong.

Brandon laughed so hard that tears started falling from his eyes as he wheezed for air. He hadn't laughed this much in years but the ludicrousness of the situation took the cake. All his worries were washed away by this unfathomable lady's demands. All that plotting and blackmailing and threatening for nothing! If he knew all it took to have FLS was a chicken farm, he would've spared all that trouble of hiring professionals from the underworld. He felt like a fool for trying so hard and looked at Otta with contempt.

"Deal. You can have your chicken farm, I will not interfere with what you do about those fouls. In return, I want complete control of FLS when I buy it. I trust that your employees are not against a change in management?"

Otta smirked. "Of course not. However, as stated in the contract, they should be given a period of three to six months trial to decide if they wish to continue working for the new management. Clarkson Inc reserves all the rights to fire them or replace them at any time within that trial period if they are not performing up to standards. It's quite fair in my opinion."

Brandon flipped to the page and re-read it. It was true and it sounded completely fair. Even if everyone pulled out, FLS will continue to prosper under his leadership with their technology and documents.

"I assume all relevant documents pertaining to the research you've done will be handed over as well?"

Richard gritted his teeth but Otta stopped him from lashing out in anger.

"Most certainly. Any documents about our research that we have will be handed over. Our accounts, our partnership agreement, staff employment details and operation guides will be included. However, whatever ideas I had in mind that hasn't been disclosed in official meetings will not be included. I hope that you can understand the difference between what's official and what's not. Of course, the privacy of our employees is important. You can check all official mails from our business mail servers but not their phones because that's unprofessional."

Brandon rolled his eyes. What did this lady take him for? A kid? Naturally, he understood what was acceptable and what wasn't. As long as he had official documents, they'd be able to fill in the gaps. Who needed to know the gossips of employees in their chats?

"Naturally. Is there anything else you would like to add?"

Otta glanced at Richard and held his hand. "There is one last thing that I want you to agree to. I want Richard to become part of my family. Hence, I wish you can remove him from your family register."

Brandon was stunned. "I guess the rumours are true then. It's a little early but congratulations on your engagement, Richard."

The programmer was speechless. How did that happen? However, he didn't protest. If it convinced Brandon to agree, anything was acceptable at this point. Secretly, he glanced over to observe Otta's reaction to it. The red-head still had that impressive poker face but the programmer wasn't fooled. Through their connected hands, he felt her nervousness and awkwardness.

"Thank you," Richard spoke up and Otta smiled stiffly. The red-head had discussed with her parents about adopting Richard as her brother officially but didn't expect such a reaction. How would the public react to the rumours of their engagement? Otta didn't really want to think about it. Grace and Michelle had been teasing her about it ever since and if the media caught wind of this, it would be one hell of a nightmare.

Having said that, she was still glad. As Brandon signed the document, Otta wondered if it was wrong to feel relieved at last. Beside her, Richard wondered the same.