The Conspirator
Luke and Leo had a lot to think about once they exchanged ideas about why there was a lower than expected worker turnout today.
They lived in a weird time where being part of an organisation was stressful, however, not being part of one felt even more stressful as you never knew if you were missing out on a once in a lifetime opportunity, or were dodging a bullet.
The fact that the uprising had access to quality knowledge that seemed legit and well researched was the point that bothered Luke the most, while their decisiveness and ruthlessness is what bothered Leo.
If there existed an organisation whose only purpose of existence was self service, then it was almost impossible for such an organisation to see anything beyond self benefits.
For such a group, there was nothing that was too immoral, nothing that they would not do for their own gain, as they feared no law and were answerable to no one.
If questioned about their actions by a third party with a moral high ground they could always use the organisation and their poor economic conditions as the perfect cover for their crimes as Leo could already imagine the uprising players defending their dirty actions and blaming it all on the filth of sector E and how they did what they did to survive.
With only two days left till the first evaluation, Luke and Leo worked extra hard at their jobs and secured both lunch and dinner for having completed their task with perfect efficiency for the day.
After laundry, the brothers logged back into the game with more motivation than ever to improve on an individual level because of the uncertain market conditions outside.
( Meanwhile Cassian )
Leo was not the only player in Terra Nova Online who was awarded a special class during the evaluation.
A selected few other players also received special classes and unique destinies, with Cassian being one of them.
Cassian, who used the gaming name ‘ChaosBringer’ within Terra Nova Online, was entrusted with the Unique class called ‘Conspirator’.
This class was not just a title but a mission within Terra Nova Online, designed with the sole purpose of disrupting the social fabric of the game.
As ‘The Conspirator’, Cassian’s tasks involved manipulating other players into undertaking actions that would be considered illegal and immoral by the laws of the empire that they lived in, which if went unpunished would point out the weakness of the current law establishment and the flaws of the justice system, encouraging more players to disregard the law, turning the society lawless.
This role played into the larger narrative of Terra Nova Online, where moral choices and their consequences on the game’s society were pivotal elements.
The ultimate end goal that he was given by the system was ambitious and revolutionary as the Conspirator was supposed to build an organisation powerful enough to challenge and eventually dismantle the prevailing empire within the game, toppling the emperor and becoming the new ruler.
This was a daunting task, considering the empire’s strength and influence across the virtual landscape. However, Cassian’s initial steps were more modest and grounded as he knew very well that toppling the empire was not a one day job and that he needed immaculate planning and patient execution to achieve that goal.
For now, he took the first steps towards his goal by rallying the marginalised and overlooked individuals of sector E, as he riled up the emotions of those who felt wronged by the system or were simply struggling to find their place.
His goal was to mould these individuals into a cohesive and formidable group, albeit one that operated on the fringes of legality and morality and it was through these efforts that Cassian hoped to lay the groundwork for his broader revolutionary ambitions.
Cassian’s ability to persuade and manipulate was significantly enhanced by his unique skill, ‘Glib Tongue’.
This ability was a game-changer, enabling him to sway opinions, fabricate believable lies, and recruit followers with an astonishing success rate.
The skill essentially allowed him to speak untruths with such persuasive force and authenticity that even the most sceptical listeners might find themselves convinced.
This skill with its broken 90% effectiveness rate in convincing others meant that Cassian could almost guarantee that any falsehood he spoke would be accepted as fact by the listener and it was with the use of this ability that Cassian had recruited the core members of his Uprising team with them working tirelessly to rope in more members.
Since Cassian knew that the best lies were the ones that were partially true, he collected important pieces of news that were true about the game but not public knowledge and mixed them with some believable lies to create a packet of information that he offered to all newbies when they joined his group.
By giving them a sense of special treatment in having access to information that the common masses did not, Cassian made them feel special and loyal towards his cause as although the value of the information he shared with them was not much, the illusion of exclusivity that he created made everyone forget about its authenticity as they cherished Cassian’s manual as the gospel of truth.
In his information pack for all new joinees, Cassian promoted murder of players and NPC to improve one’s levels, knowing full well that once a player murdered an NPC, they would ruin their future forever.
If branded as a criminal by the government, as soon as a player entered a city or any government building, they would be apprehended and punished for their sins, however, with the common player not aware of the consequences of their actions, they believed the salvation that Cassian was offering and became criminals.
To them, it was the way out of sector E, the route to ensure their promotion out of this filth. However, little did they know that by trusting the Conspirator they were only jumping from mud into quicksand.