MM - Chapter 104 - ROBBED AND CHEATED

Before Talerra or Damian recovered from their reactions to DoberMan’s betrayal, Arya clapped her hands loudly. All eyes swiveled in her direction, and her voice carried to their ears, “The patriarch has decreed this will be the end of the first round of your competition.”

Talerra’s heart sank to her feet, feeling like she was about to fall into the stone floor. Meanwhile, Damian’s smiling face lit up with expectation that was shattered as Arya continued, “Talerra has been announced as the victor. However, she will only receive two points instead of ten.”

“What?!” Damian blurted. He leaned toward Arya, knuckles popping from how hard he gripped the seat’s backrest in front of him.

Huh? No! I was going to squeeze Talerra for everything she’s worth!

“Silence!” Arya cut any dissent short with a wave of her hand and a dangerous glint in her eyes, “Unless you’re that desperate to wait for Talerra to hire Alaric for the final round…”

Chance!

Raine spoke quickly, sensing he only had a narrow window of opportunity to convince Damian, “I’ll give you a great chance! You and all of your disciples at once. I’ll put fifty thousand pieces of gear and twenty thousand gold on the line!”

“Rot and die, conman! How stupid do you think I am?”

I shouldn’t have shown them my level. I overestimated this coward.

Raine clicked his tongue, loudly grinding his boot into the floor as he glared at Arya for daring to ruin his plans. She rolled her eyes, pointing at Damian, “It is good to know when to withdraw. Additionally, you displayed great personal strength and shrewdness in the last two bouts, both valued traits in a successor of the phoenix.” Her compliments hung in the air before she brought down the hammer, “If not for that, you would have received a full negative ten points!”

Damian fell back as if struck, both hurt and confusion marring his features. Arya dug into him with a vengeance, not giving the young scion an ounce of face, “The cruelty you displayed has the capacity to cause great strife for our family. Your continual insults of the patriarch’s late daughter are direct insubordination against his will after he personally condoned her union into his family. Worst of all, you’ve shown complete ineptitude in choosing who not to offend.”

Damian almost looked thoughtful until the end. His upper lip pulled back as he shook his head swiftly, completely baffled. Arya sighed dramatically, pressing on, “If you thought for even three seconds, you would realize that Alaric is a peak class five martial under the age of thirty. How you could alienate a potentially valuable commodity rather than bend over backward to befriend him hurts my brain. You have demonstrated you are unfit for diplomatic relations of any kind, which is a serious detriment for a future leader. Reflect on your numerous mistakes before the next round of the competition. If you fail to show significant progress in rectifying your behavior, you will be disqualified.”

Damian ground his teeth. His face was a blazing mask of heat, but he didn’t dare refute her words, at least not where she could hear. Conversely, Raine couldn’t have cared less about the compliments. It was a struggle to keep his killing intent from leaking through his skin as he glared at Arya.

There was no way the older woman missed his attention, but she ignored it, “Talerra. Your demerits and achievements are in direct opposition to your cousin. Your martial prowess is lacking; you failed to detect a traitor within your midst and did not take advantage of Hammer being rejected from the core disciples. He could have made a fine ally, yet you let him go without a second glance due to your hurt feelings. That said, bringing Alaric and his disciples here showcased excellent judgement.”

Talerra was just as stunned by her criticism as Damian. Her grandfather had gone from branding Alaric as a mark to be killed to praising him. This could easily be a ploy to ascertain his identity. If she didn’t quickly figure out which way the pendulum was swinging and play her part, it would come back to bite her.

Arya’s following words didn’t clarify the truth, “Alaric, the patriarch would like to meet you at your earliest convenience.”

Not one person knew how to react when Raine burst into heaving guffaws, his head thrown back and his hands on his belly. Several seconds passed, Arya growing more furious with each one before he calmed enough to speak. His voice was like iron, scraping the inside of Talerra’s ears, “He wants to take more of my time after ruining my chance to squeeze Talerra for a few thousand gold? Not a chance.”

Talerra panicked, hissing and pulling his sleeve insistently, “Have you lost your senses? Even President McCarty wouldn’t dare turn down an invitation from grandfather!”

Raine flicked her hand away, “Basic manners are the cornerstone of any relationship. How should I expect to be treated in the future after being robbed of an opportunity and brought to grovel before his feet? He has plenty of capable puppets. There’s no need for me to clean and stretch my neck for such a gilded collar.”

Whatever. Sooner I get going, the sooner I can start my guild.

Raine experienced a rush of heady anticipation that instantly banished his frustration. Meanwhile, his rejection of Tannis Tafell—easily the most influential individual on the continent—was met by shocked silence.

Arya’s fingers pressed against her temple, and she nodded before clearing her throat, “The patriarch has expressed his amusement. He wishes you safe travels until the inevitable day you come face to face.”

There was no need to respond to the provocation, so Raine accessed his interface to leave the arena. Before he did, he sent Talerra a private message, “Your guild owes me a favor. Meet me at the west gate in an hour with four of your most capable… and trusted people. They must be no lower than level fifteen.”

She nodded, responding aloud with breathless disbelief at his audacity, “O-okay. I can do that.”

Talerra Tafell

Still stunned, Talerra watched as Alaric and his disciples vanished inside beams of light. There had been so many surprises in the last hour that her thoughts were a complete mess. The most recent shock was the biggest of all.

What just happened? I didn’t know it was possible to deny grandfather anything. Such a thing has never even crossed my mind. How did he get away with it? Could I—

Arya’s voice snapped her from the dangerous consideration, “You two remain. Everyone else, leave immediately.” Seconds later, Arya continued when only Talerra and Damian stayed behind, “I have an announcement from the patriarch. Now that the first round of your competition is over, you’re to report to the Western sector for integration training.”

Damian couldn’t keep the petulance and humiliation burning in his chest from leaking into his tone, “What are you talking about?”

Arya grinned, pleased beyond measure for a reason Talerra couldn’t understand, “The western sector is undergoing preparations to enter ZionLine.”

“The whole sector?!” Talerra blurted, unable to wrap her mind around the earth-shattering implications.

“That’s right. For the second phase of the competition, you’ll each be in charge of a territory. Likewise, each of the elders is taking one as well.” Arya flicked them both a file with an overview of their upcoming responsibilities.

Talerra’s eyes bulged, seeing the number right at the top, “I have to manage ten million citizens?!”

Arya nodded, preening at being responsible for the drastic shift in The Phoenix Clan’s future plans, “This is only the beginning. We don’t have enough headsets to go around, so you’ll have to make do with this few for now.”

Even Damian was stunned, his voice cracking, “Few?”

“The next round of your competition will be held a month from now. You will be eligible for the next round only when your guilds have completely secured your prospective zones. That is all.”

Despite their unstable emotional states, Damian and Talerra fell back on years of training, snapping a salute and shouting, “Understood!”

Raine KongRu

Raine and the girls appeared in the coliseum’s outer hallway on the ground floor. He immediately sent a message to Richtor’s group, instructing them to meet him at the west gate. Rhino and Fizgore detached from where they were leaning against a nearby wall. Their steps held a fluid grace that hadn’t been there before. Seeing it, Raine nodded with pride.

Good. They didn’t simply challenge the tower but actually learned from it. As expected of future powerhouses.

“How high?” His question caused shame to flicker across each of their faces.

“Floor four, wave ten,” Fizgore pulled at his ear, not meeting Raine’s gaze.

“Same,” Rhino mumbled.

Raine stopped himself from mentioning how long he’d been stuck on the same floor in the past, “That’s not a bad result. You’ve grown from the attempt, too.”

“If I could go again—”

“No time. Take a short break to eat, then meet at the west gate. We’ll kick off the raid an hour from now, ZL time.”

Realizing they only had twenty minutes to eat and care for their bodily needs, the four quickly vanished. Needing to hurry to meet them in time, Raine quickly hailed a cart to take him to the noble’s district. While his ride rapidly rumbled down the streets, he fingered the five rings on his right hand. Each contained incredible powers he had been dying to test in the arena. Being denied the opportunity stung, but it was for the best. Showcasing to the entirety of the Phoenix Clan what he was capable of would have been foolish.

Talerra and her people could be controlled via contracts. So his chance to put the Heart of Plutus through its paces would come the moment they entered the raid. Weeks of anticipation had built to a boiling point. When the tall inner walls of the nobles’ district came into view, Raine was vibrating with impatience.

He flashed his noble’s badge, provided free of charge by Mrs. Stonewhall, and the high-level guards waved him through. Each district had separate administrative facilities, and Raine directed his runner to the correct building.

The streets were no longer packed dirt, but cobblestones fit so smoothly they didn’t deliver the slightest bump through the wooden wheels of the cart. Likewise, the buildings were uniform, two and three-story affairs with off-white plaster that duly reflected the setting sun’s brilliance. Windows with actual glass were open, letting in fresh air, a stark contrast to the putrid aroma of the Commoner’s District with its lack of plumbing.

Most of the Vaaterrans crowding the streets were servants on errands. They kept their heads down, hustling with quick steps. The few who walked casually observed Raine with curiosity. They were either wealthy offspring out shopping or members of the royal army on leave. If Raine had been slower, working hours would be over, and the streets would become packed, slowing his progress.

They arrived before a pillared mansion with sweeping arches that dominated an entire city block. Atop its marbled front steps, matching majestic golems glared down at any who dared approach with ill intent.

[Greater Sentry (Hierarch) Level 135 (HP ????/????)]

The reason for the powerful guardians wouldn’t become evident until the cross-server teleportation nodes became active. Since the teleportation hall was directly across the street, the guardians were in a prime position to stop invaders from other realms, empires, and kingdoms, which would eventually become commonplace.

Raine bounded up the steps as quickly as he could get away with. He flashed his badge again to the guards on either side of the wide-open double doors, then hustled inside. Down a few decadent hallways, he entered a pristinely kept office space. Several attractive young men and women waited inside, lined against a wall. 

Upon seeing Raine, the nearest rushed forward and bowed, “Noble, sir. If it pleases you, this one will serve you today.”

“Very well. I need to register for a Travelers guild and a plot of land to construct my guild hall.”

The young man’s eyes lit up at the prospect of his coming commission. He bowed deeper, “Your wish is my command, noble sir. Please, come this way, and I will see to your permits with all haste.”

Raine was led into a room with two comfortable couches separated by a low table. The servant waved his hand, causing several documents to appear. Gripping his impatience in hands of iron willpower, Raine examined the documents in detail.

The first was much as he expected; an agreement between himself and the crown, listing his responsibility to protect the queen’s assets in times of war. In return, his guild would be granted rights to quests issued by commoners, lesser nobles, and merchants.

It was these very quests that made an official guild in ZionLine so important. An independent group in their twenties could earn a gold a week if they were efficient, knowledgeable, and managed not to die. Meanwhile, running guild quests could earn the same in a day, with additional rewards to boot.

Familiar with the terms and not seeing anything unexpected, Raine signed and moved on. His first surprise came when he scanned the document detailing the annual fees to the crown. His initial payment was cheaper than expected, and his first yearly dues were cut in half. He raised an eyebrow to the servant. 

The young man adopted an uneasy smile, “Well, you see, noble sir. There is a slight, most minor issue in the Alabast Lowlands. The fees have been reduced in accordance with the difficulty of this endeavor. The crown informed us in no uncertain terms that Travelers were barred from official guild creation until this evil was extinguished.”

Considering this will save me a hundred thousand gold in taxes, it shouldn’t be as simple as it sounds. I was planning to run the raid on Nightmare Difficulty anyway. Hopefully, that’s all it is.

Raine nodded, signing the document and handing over the halved five thousand gold registration fee. The servant bowed deeply, and a flashing notification populated in Raine’s interface.

[Unique Quest: An Ancient Evil accepted]

[Venture with your allies to the Caves of Quindimire within the Alabast Lowlands. Investigate the authenticity of the locals’ reports regarding demonic activity. (5 days remaining)]

[Rewards: Unlock guild creation for all Travelers within the Celendine Dynasty. Celendine Dynasty Guild Reputation. Additional merits based on performance]

[Warning: Failure to complete this quest on time will have dire consequences. Quest may not be abandoned]

Re-reading the quest, Raine was once more reminded that the path of the forerunners was never meant to be a smooth one.

What are the Caves of Quindimire? Don’t tell me it’s... Shit