Chapter 301

Dublin, Ireland - 3:22 PM

Moving around the city with Flight was draining and I refilled my medallion with Mental Points so Efficient Conduit could do its work. It was slightly annoying not being able to use my Heelies, but it was a consequence I took in stride. In the end, there had been plenty of time and silence to think over what had just happened.

I stood by my decision even a couple of hours later when I was fully feeling the consequences of my actions.

Coe Valen was not allowed to die. The old man did too much for this world.

I remembered Louise, the Red Oracle from Sedona and Coyote’s previous Avatar. She had offered to read my future before I left, and I let her so I could get a glimpse of what was to come. She had burnt herself out from seeing things she shouldn’t have. I was told that she was safe and well taken care of, but I still felt a little bad for the whole thing.

Her vision hadn’t been much in the grand scheme of things. She had warned me about Jamestown and the monstrosity that lurked in the depths, the Writhing Nautilus. Other than a heads-up that something was amiss, there wasn’t much that she could offer me.

What had really burned Louise out, however, was seeing two Hidden World Bosses when she wasn’t supposed to. She had likened them to gods when I knew they were—and I hated to think this about my wife—just two of the strongest monsters the system had to offer. The Red Oracle had been basically right in terms of power, though.

I shivered thinking back to the pulse of holy aura I had felt emanating from Sara when she released it to transform Esaraphelscion’s Love into her Vow. The ring was on my left hand so I couldn’t feel it, but I was very aware of it along with the warning not to use the skill it contained. 

The words I couldn’t help but remember from the visions weren’t those ones, though. It was what Louise had said just before going unconscious that couldn’t help but come to the forefront of my mind.

“She gives so much, but all he does is take.”

I had been wary because of her warning but, like pretty much all prophecies, I couldn’t know its meaning until now. Sara was ready to give me the world in order to make sure I would succeed.

Aaron was willing to condemn it.

Coe’s death would have hit me hard even with the way this run was going, and Aaron had clearly orchestrated the whole thing to ensure that either the Rubberbuilt or Jamie would die. The Fallen Angel couldn’t hurt me due to his rules. Not effectively, anyway. What he could try to do was break me.

Or make me break myself, which was ultimately what I did.

Then, there were his other prospects. Klaske Bos, Darnell Montiago, Jason Wills. Probably Geraldine McCoy, since she was the only other survivor from my very first run though I was quick to pick the Ouroboros Tattoo option back then.

Jamie and Mercury were on the list, but I didn't have to worry about them. She still had the Memory Orb that Aaron had thrown even though she had no intention of using it. I had told her in Guild Chat early on that Sara could decipher the memories and let her know if the Weapon Master was that curious, and she was still mulling it over.

Even with Coe taking up several second place wins on his own, those names couldn’t have been the only ones. Every one of the players who made it to the endgame were juggernauts in their own rights though the spectrum of competency was wide. If they were all twisted against me by some petty asshole with access to their memories, then it was a troubling development.

The fact that Aaron had been able to tell me about them at all was proof that they hadn’t been turned into Angels. So far, anyway; that could change at any moment given his line about quantity over quality. Especially if he wanted to get serious about killing me eventually. They would need something like Break Free in order to keep up with me.

Then again, Louise said that Aaron “desperately wanted to humble me,” so maybe killing was off the table? That didn’t feel right.

Maybe it was because of my relationship with his sister, whom he had a bond with where they shared restrictions? Aaron had quoted things I had spoken with Sara about in the Hall of the End back in the Golden Dream, but that seemed to have been a different version of himself.

Wanting to humble me, going out of his way to explicitly hurt me, and then taking everything he could was really all I had on him. His motivation still completely eluded me. Was he evil just because he was the system’s version of Lucifer? Or did he have some kind of actual grievance towards me, like how he’s apparently been on this journey with me the whole time and he just wants it to end?

Maybe what he really wanted was to hurt Sara and I was the easiest avenue in which to do so. That thought pissed me off the most. 

I ran my fingers through my hair as I grumbled. Even now, after actually meeting the bastard, I had so many burning questions floating around in my mind. The worst part was that I just knew that I wouldn’t be meeting him again unless I could somehow slip into his space, but that would mean missing out on Sara in the Hall of the End.

Forcing the issue out of my mind, I landed at the base of the Spire of Dublin, the almost 400 foot tall monument that towered over the city. It was one of the easiest landmarks to see from the rooftops so it was the best choice to gather at.

Jamie and Tony were already here. She was already approaching me from her vigil while he had to stand up from where he was eating. The Lightning Pugilist gently placed his sandwich in his inventory before coming to greet me.

“Hey! Heard you weren’t doing all that great,” he said.

“Dunno where you heard that from, I’ve never been better,” I happily replied.

“Oh, yeah?” Tony asked, confused. “Alright then, I guess. Hé-no says we’re all set. Only thing left is for you to kill me. Gotta say, I’m not looking forward to it.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll barely feel a thing,” I said, Constructing a blade behind him. He didn't notice. “It won’t bother you for long. Thanks again for all your help.”

The man laughed nervously. “Just like that, huh? I guess I should consider myself luc—”

My blade entered his neck at the base of the spine and traveled upwards into his brain with brutal speed and precision. Tony barely had time for his eyes to widen before he disappeared from sight completely.

<<<>>>

[[Notice]]

You have knocked Avatar [Tony Felder], Lightning Pugilist, out of the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion. You have gained 175 Defense Points.

Defensive Option: Shock Sticks has been unlocked at all obelisks.

Pennsylvania’s obelisk will now be marked.

<<<>>>

“Nice,” Jamie said. “Never really liked him, if I’m being honest.”

“He takes some getting used to,” I agreed before smirking. I nodded upwards towards her. “But, then again, you were the same way.”

“Please, we’re not even in the same league,” she protested, wrinkling her nose. “You can’t compare a nobody like him to a solid ten like me. I’ve got everything. Combat expertise, overwhelming power, obscene wealth, easy on the eyes.”

“Yes, you are very Draconic. We’ve all noticed. It does look good on you,” I teased, reaching up to tousle her hair. The glare she gave me could melt steel, but when it became clear I was still going to go through with the gesture, she knocked my hand away at the wrist. I snickered. “You ready to end this?”

“Of course,” she said, leaning over to pick up the skill book Tony had dropped.

“Oh, that’s actually new!” I exclaimed. “Normally it’s Mercury here. What is it for?”

Jamie arched an eyebrow at me. “Just coming out and saying those kinds of things now?”

“The conversation I had with Coe spilled some beans,” I admitted sheepishly with a shrug. “Only the Patrons know for sure what all we’ve said, and that knowledge isn’t getting back to the administrators any time soon thanks to Aaron’s own machinations.”

“That Black-out thing, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah. There was a fear that it was going to run out at some point, but now I don’t think it’s going to.”

“Kind of a weak thing to put your hopes in,” Jamie said, crossing her arms.

“Maybe, but I think he wants to have a hand in killing me himself. It wouldn’t be fun or satisfying for him if I get offed by some random administrator,” I replied with a shrug. It wasn’t a very strong feeling and I wasn’t about to stop being vigilant, but it wouldn’t hurt to put that juju out there into the universe. “Anyway, what’s the skill book?”

The Weapon Master eyed me suspiciously for a moment before shaking her head. “Tony dropped a skill book for Shocking Strike,” she answered.

“That’s a fun one,” I said, nodding appreciatively. “There’s basically a one in five shot that an attack with a melee weapon will randomly electrocute your foes to deal extra damage with a much smaller chance to give them the Numb debuff. That should probably go to Mercury given he’s the fastest striker we have in the guild.”

“Or, I could take it,” Jamie offered.

“You could,” I agreed. “But right now your most used melee weapon is a hammer and the harpoon that it transforms into. One of those can be fast, but you’re not going to keep up with the ninja when it comes to strikes per second, attack speed, or whatever metric you want to use. Since it’s got a random activation chance based on how many attacks land—”

“It’s better in Mercury’s hands,” she grumbled, interrupting me.

“Sorry, Summers,” I said with a thin smile.

“I’ll keep it safe until we meet up with him,” she sighed before tossing it into her inventory. Crossing her arms, she returned her attention to me. “What’s the plan from here? Am I coming down to meet you?”

“No?” I asked more than said, confused. “We’re going to head towards New York. By the time we get there, the Emperor’s Ascent should be close to finishing. You'll get there first but I won't be far behind.”

Jamie scoffed again, gesturing towards my left side. “You think I’m going to leave you alone when you’re like this? Please, Jeff likes to tell stories and I know all about what happened back in Etson. It sounds like that Tommy guy would be ready to jump you the moment you step foot back there. You really don’t think your administrator didn’t rile them up or something?”

I opened my mouth to rebuke her, but nothing came out. When I spoke to Seraphim in the administrator’s layer, I was able to make him agree not to trap me in Etson. It was just natural for me to assume that I would be able to get myself out without any trouble at all.

Thomas Brown had the Citizen’s Justicar class this time around. So long as the people in his community willed it, then he could use their support to accumulate enough buffs on himself to rival or even surpass Break Free. We had fought once back when I was pretending to be a villain, but he would have gained a lot of experience since then.

The worst part is that Thomas also had a reason to hold a grudge against me. Back when I left, he made it abundantly clear that he blamed me for Gloria’s death. He had been devastated after realizing he lost his sister. I had been the one who pushed for the community to take the fight to the Vespae hive to destroy Amlex, the queen of the wasps, but everyone knew what they were getting into. 

“I can handle Thomas,” I said. It must not have been very convincing, however, because Jamie gave me a look. “What? I can!”

“Yeah, because you’re in perfect shape,” she snorted before shaking her head. “At least meet me outside of Etson. Where Kayla and Jeff came from isn’t too far, right? Stanley?”

“You’re being awfully insistent about this,” I stated with a frown.

Jamie gave me a flat look. “It’s not good practice to leave your friends behind when they’re in trouble.”

My frown changed in an instant. “Oh? Friends?” I asked, nudging her arm with my elbow. “Are we back to being friends, then?”

“Ugh, just kill me now,” she said, pushing me away. “It’s a quest from Athena, okay? Apparently, you’ve made some friends in high places today, and soldiers don’t leave their comrades behind.”

“I appreciate it either way,” I replied before looking at the sky. “And thank you, too, Athena. I’m glad to have you with us.”

“Whatever,” Jamie sighed. “I’ll meet you in Stanley. Since I have a much longer trip than you do, I’m going to head straight to Etson if you’re not there. Got it?”

“Got it,” I said, a warm smile on my face.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she huffed.

“Can’t help it. We’re friends,” I told her. “You’ve finally accepted it, and it’s a good day.”

“Whatever,” she repeated, then elbowed me in the arm harder than she had to. I winced at the pain, but chuckled nonetheless. “No use putting it off. Go ahead and send me back to Atlanta, you d—”

A second Constructed dagger appeared behind her while she was talking, and I dispatched her almost as quickly as I had Tony. Her Constitution kept her alive for a second longer before she disappeared, dropping a book on the ground.

<<<>>>

[[Notice]]

You have knocked Avatar [Jamie Summers], Weapon Master, out of the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion.

All American MVPs have been eliminated. You are the sole survivor. Congratulations!

The score is being tallied.

<<<>>>

“Friend,” I finished for her, looking up at the sky. “She was about to say ‘you friend.’ You all heard it.”

I chuckled to myself as I leaned down and picked up Jamie’s skill book. It had changed from what she normally dropped back when she remained human, but it was consistent with the runs where she had become a Half-Dragon.

“Golden Scales,” I said aloud, patting the book on one hand. “Jamie doesn’t have this evolution yet. It’ll cause some trouble, but she’ll be mad if anyone other than her gets it.”

Sending it into my inventory, I flew to a bench and sat down, deactivating Flight. It was good to take a load off, and all there was left to do was wait, anyway. Not that it would take long.

Our places were confirmed by the Patrons, and I was definitely getting third. It was the only result that received prizes but didn’t also have a mandatory meeting with the administrators afterwards. I could have gotten first or second, but this was better because it was handled by the system, not some asshole with an ego the size of the planet.

Jamie was really going to hate that as the first place winner.

But it also meant I could get away with asking for things that they would immediately shoot down. The only reason the second place winner got a meeting was because of petty arguments, but no one cared about third.  I had no doubt that Seraphim would want to drag me into his office again this time, but the die had already been cast.

<<<>>>

[[Star Spangled Shadow Invasion: Complete!]]

Congratulations! You have successfully placed within the top 3 of this event. The winners are as follows:

1st Place: Jamie Summers

2nd Place: Tony Felder

3rd Place: Anthony Franklin

As a winner of the biggest, most popular event in the world, you are allowed to ask for four boons. If you already know what you want, then speak their names. Alternatively, you may tell the system what you want in general terms and it will do its best to meet your demands.

Some items are off limits at the discretion of the system. Once you have selected your prizes, they will be deposited into your inventory and you will be returned to your initial starting point.

What four items would you like as your prize?

<<<>>>

“At the discretion of the system,” I read aloud. “It’s too bad that most of the items I want are fairly tame.”

All except one, I thought to myself with a grin. Everything was looking up.