Path of the Slayer B3 7. Intimacy & Modeling

“This is a powdered keg ready to blow,” Merlin grumbled, leaning back into the cushioned seat of our private booth. “All the freaking representatives of the four major camps are here! Dragon Supremacy and Path of the Dragon. First Elven Family and Path of the Monk. Forever Crusaders and Path of the Crusader. And Gigantomachy and Path of the Giant.”

Merlin sighed. “And what we have has them champing at the bit.”

“Elder Merlin was such a badass when he held his own against the Dragon Supremacy and the First Elves.” While coiled on the seat next to him, Syleth grabbed a pitcher of water and poured it into Merlin’s cup.

Sitting on the other side of Merlin, the Cleric Kroker nodded. “Indeed, it is true what dear Syleth says. Surely, the elder was filled with the power of our God-Dragoness. Against those who demanded answers that are not theirs to learn, he spoke with wisdom and strength.”

“Thanks, Syleth,” Merlin muttered before drinking from the glass of water. He waved off the half-kobold’s words. “I’m pretty sure I was filled with the power of academy-fueled trauma and not wanting to be the weak link, Kroker. Besides … Syleth’s really good at distracting nobles when I get flustered.”

He refixed his spectacles on his face. “And we’re honestly lucky they have no idea what’s really going on between us and the Dragon Princess. She’s not responding to the inquiries of her Dragon Supremacy reps, apparently.”

“The Gigantomachy reps have no idea who I am,” Thumper said plainly from his side of the private booth. “They’re locked in on getting at what we have, especially since we’re linked with the Dragon Princess.”

“Same for the Crusaders,” I said.

“Perhaps our squad is destined for greatness no matter what.” The Charmer giggled while pouring water in all our cups around the table. “If the Dragon Princess isn’t interjecting, and all the camp reps are clueless, we’re primed to take advantage here.”

The others nodded at Syleth’s words while around the booth table. Scattered on its surface, there were snacks, drinks, pamphlets of various services and items on direct sale, and more informational guides.

All us were nestled together in the cozy booth since it wasn’t free and I would have to pay it off our tab before we left the Auction House. That was no problem with anybody. The juniors were tighter with the elders of their individual teams now.

Though not all was fine.

Noodles kept glancing sourly in Merlin and Syleth’s direction.

I was thinking I might have to address that until Thumper flicked his hand around and revealed a throwing knife suddenly. He flicked it into a lazy up and down arc over Noodles’ head.

The neko’s ears twitched. She reached out and caught the blade between two fingers before flicking it back over Thumper’s head.

Thumper grabbed it and flicked it back, leading to a continuous game where the Perfect Rogue distracted the Tormentor by flicking a knife at each other from nearly point blank.

On the other side of Thumper, Velira tried pretending to be platonic next to Weaver, the drider sitting with all eight legs folded under him.

Then there was my team.

“I’m gonna be resistant to Doomie and give her all the hugs, yeah!” Grimmy shrieked while acting like a spoiled brat on my lap, arms and legs swinging about.

To my left, Redfang looked with jealousy at Grimmy’s position.

To my right, Marnarka took up so much space she was trying her best not to knock her elbow into my head. That led to something softer and rounder pushing into half of my face, which I dutifully ignored.

Brug was leaning on an elbow in Marnarka’s lap just to look over at me. The lost nomad was awake beside Brug, but mostly despondent.

Yeah, it was a tight fit, but we weren’t yet flush with enough credits to demand for a bigger space. It didn’t help that I had to concentrate more to hold back the doom avatar’s power.

She was squished against my back.

After I chewed on a few snacks, I thought about my next question. “Thumper, was the one you seeking with the Gigantomachy reps?”

“Yes,” Thumper said.

“I sense murderous intent.” Noodles giggled as she flicked the knife at Thumper’s head. “Oh. Can I help? Can I be useful, nya?”

Thumper caught and flicked the knife back as he regarded Noodles.

“Dude, that’s dark,” Merlin pointed out.

“That’s perfect,” Thumper said suavely, affecting half the room. Noodles grinned madly with big eyes set on the Perfect Rogue now.

“Do you have a plan?” I asked, staying on course.

“Yes.” Thumper turned toward me, though his face remained hidden behind a black waterfall of hair. “But it all depends on how much we can jack up our auction. I’m going to need … a donation.”

“If I can push it as far as I hope, then we’ll have more than just donation money,” I declared. “But I’m curious about something. Why are so many of these forerunner representatives gathered here?”

“They’re everywhere, Arden,” Merlin explained. “This is just one tiny focal point for them. You must understand the breadth of their reach is huge. The Dragon Princess Base Camp? That was merely a fraction of her power. Chances are, all the forerunners are preparing at their base camps at some of the best Challenge Realms. While they do that, their reps go where they could serve their camp the most before heading to…”

Merlin trailed off. We hadn’t discussed our plans this much around the juniors except for Grimmy having a peek.

“The Grand Generational Passing,” Weaver said, filling in the blank. “There is no need to hide it. We can surmise much.”

“What’s the Grand Generational Passing?” Brug asked.

Weaver sighed melodramatically. “Well, some of us can surmise much. Nonetheless, it would make sense that such ambitious elders will head in a direction like that. It also means after the Royal Quest, we shall be splitting ways.”

An uncomfortable silence followed afterward.

I didn’t let it linger for long. “That’s fair. Before that comes, your elders will do our best to share what we can with you.”

“If I can come out of this alive, with more Levels, and trillions richer, then you’ve done more than enough for me,” Weaver said gracefully. “Hence why I’m here to follow your lead, even if it’s to my last breath. The promise of glory is worth the risk, and I don’t wish to earn the scorn of the Dragon Princess.”

“Agreed,” Velira said. “I’ll probably depart as well if I survive our Royal Quest. I don’t wish to be part of the Grand Generational Passing. It’ll be too much for the likes of me.”

The mood dimmed a little further.

Then Redfang let out an excited cackle. “I’ll go! I’m not very strong! And I’m not very smart! But I’ll go!”

“Same,” Brug grunted. “I won’t turn away from a challenge!”

“I’ll, uh, think about it,” Marnarka mumbled.

“I won’t deny any of you,” I said. “Show me what you have. And if you wish to stay with us, then you can.” I directed that toward everyone.

I could tell some juniors were considering it.

This squad of ours wasn’t a traditional one. Nothing bound a majority of us other than the Royal Quest I’d forced them into.

Besides, other than Merlin and Thumper, I didn’t want anyone bound to me any further. Unless they truly wanted to stay at my side.

I caught Grimmy’s gaze, and I could see she was ready to follow me anywhere despite the limited time we had together. There was a desperation to the half-goblin girl that reminded me of myself, which was a problem.

She’d been through a lot, hadn’t she?

Someone outside knocked on the door. Zez’s voice carried through. “It’s time, sir.”

“I’ll be back,” I said before realizing I would have to climb over Marnarka to get out of the private booth.

There was a smarter choice, but I scrambled over anyway. Grimmy squawked, getting turned over and lost in the shuffle. Marnarka let out a big bashful bellow. Brug and the lost nomad leaned back to let me through.

“Bye, sir, bye, Doomie!” Grimmy cried out.

“Her name’s not Doomie,” I muttered, and once more, they ignored me.

System, why? Were they okay with braving my wrath just for that stupid name?

Once I was out of the booth, I shut the door and left the intensely intimate tension behind me.

“I’d never taken you for an instructor, sir.” Zez flicked his top hat back with a finger and smiled up at me. “Maybe one day you can rest on your laurels and do my job.”

I chuckled. “I had enough time to learn many trades while stuck as an adventurer. Don’t tempt me to take your livelihood.”

“As long as you can slip me a good enough finder’s fee, I’ll turn the other cheek!”

I shook my head at him. “I hadn’t heard a complaint from you in a while. You’re that excited for your wife to join us?”

“Well, it’s always nice having her around for a death-daring adventure. I’ve concluded that if I’m going to meet a horrid fate, I’ll like to face it with a smile, a proper set of clothes, and a beautiful wife who I love very much and has a habit of letting me sleep between her knockers.”

Zez laughed.

I didn’t.

The smile on my face shrank a little, but not by much. Despite the nightmarish danger, there was no turning back for us. We could only move forward.

Either we achieved a glorious victory or suffer a terrible defeat.

The ratkin Veteran pointed his cane to the far corner. There were a dozen heavyset guards standing on either side of a particular hallway, the way to my destination.

Between me and that hallway were nobles congregating for the next auction. There were more than in the past hours.

The lights were flashier. The drinks were flowing heavier. The music had turned up in volume.

I still couldn’t understand the song selections even after Merlin and Thumper described it to me. It was part of a genre of music called ‘Rap,’ but the words seemed a little overt.

I did like the drum beats, though. They had what Thumper and Merlin would call a ‘vibe.’ I naturally bobbed my head along to the beats and the vibes.

The nobles in between me and the special hallway didn’t look like they knew how to vibe to the beats. It was obvious they were more focused on positioning themselves to get a word in with me.

They were growing more fervent, more desperate, making whatever I had more valuable, regardless of the standard rate.

“Time to put on a show.” I stripped down casually.

First, the vest. Then the shirt and undershirt. I kicked off my shoes and dropped the pants. All of my useless jewelry went next, tossed aside as if they were cheap trinkets.

A part of me cried in alarm at the credits being dropped like Common trash, but I stayed focused on my objective. The Icy Storage Ring and Cavernous Storage Ring remained, as well as my underwear.

Hooker Slaughterhouse fell with a heavy rattle and waited at my feet.

Some embarrassment crept through me and made my neck heat up.

For this one, I let Warrior Nomad Mentality blunt the edge.

I was pretty sure standing in my underwear front of a crowd was a nightmare for many people. Worse yet, these were influential and powerful nobles, far from the usual crowd of people.

The next five seconds until my Bonded Treasure appeared were some of the longest I’d ever suffered. The nobles had a riot.

“Holy System, look at the muscles on this nomad!”

“Is he up for bidding? Even if it’s just for a night?”

“A strip tease before the event? What is the dog of the Dragon Princess trying to achieve?”

There were many more comments that flowed in from men and women of various folks. But the ones questioning my socially suicidal maneuver were sharper than the rest.

Then my Railcannon Warrior Armor finally appeared.

The feel and weight of being clad properly wiped away any embarrassment. Still, I kept refreshing Warrior Nomad Mentality just in case. Manipulative magics were in use, after all.

After I readjusted my helmet and ensured my dreadlocks had flowed competently out the back, I activated Path Magnetism, Path Lightning, and Striving Elementalist Grandmastery.

Magnetic lights shone from my flesh. A high electrical whine rang out from my armor. The room’s flashing lights and loud music paled compared to me, who became a brighter globe of attention.

Next, I returned my greatsword from storage and placed it on my back. It was a warped, chipped, and damaged thing at this point. It was time to upgrade it, but that was for later.

After Hooker lunged up from the floor and wrapped around my torso, I strode forward, my gait strong and simple.

I stopped being a mere show for the nobles and the aristocracy. I became something other, and I leaned into that by letting Doomie – no, the doom avatar – expand herself a little. She fanned her dark wings behind me as ripples of doom passed over the crowd.

Fear was a powerful emotion.

I had a theory that nobles could be the most afraid. They couldn’t imagine not having something. And to not have something gave them the fear of missing out.

The more I stroked this fear, the more fervent they became with hunger, greed, and lust.

I needed them to have these powerful emotions and to dwell on them. That was why I didn’t move quickly through them.

I didn’t fan too much of Doomie – the doom avatar’s – power, either

I didn’t want to scare them away entirely. I only wanted to feed into their deepest insecurities.

Then I took it all away and left them in my wake, dumbfounded by the experience. Each individual remained stuck in the crowd who were also affected, as if they were all nothing to me.

After reaching the entrance to the heavily guarded hallway, I stopped and turned.

“I’m only auctioning one thing. It has been created specifically by me and my Path of the Artificer Warrior. The Dragon Princess herself wanted me under her because of this. But as you may have heard … I do what I want.”

The representatives of the four camps would not like this. But it should be mentioned once again that I didn’t care.

They enjoyed playing with the lives of those beneath them. They could have a taste of their own medicine.

“Wait, no, surely we can come to an agreement!” one half-dragon man shouted desperately.

“Be reasonable, sir! Don’t you want your own people backing you?” shouted a human man dressed in armor and robes that carried the insignia of the Crusaders.

“Let us look at this creation and verify its authenticity!” roared a beefy dwarf woman who was a representative of the Dragon Supremacy.

A half-giant woman spoke over the crowd with a voluminous and alluring voice. “The comrades of the Gigantomachy will welcome you with wide open arms if you can give us more of your time.”

A deluge of other offers flowed forth.

It was funny seeing it from this vantage point. It was like being a vendor with a unique item at the market square and stirring up a crowd of desperate buyers.

Even with all the ludicrous money being tossed around, the nobles acted the same as the people beneath them. Granted, they could be worse.

These people could affect the lives of many far, far easier.

With nothing else to say, I turned and went down the hallway. The heavyset guards let me through without asking for identification or anything.