Chapter 70: Lord Logan

Author’s note: I realized that it didn’t make a lot of sense for Logan to leave Jack’s cabin without crafting a lodestone there first. I’ll be revising that chapter slightly. Not writing a new scene… only mentioning that Logan crafted a lodestone there and that he asked Lara to spread the word about his quest to the others before he leaves for Australia.

Logan’s excitement originated from one place.

Two weeks ago, the System had invaded and transformed Logan’s world. Due to the influence of the glitchy AI minion, he’d never gotten the chance to pick his own hidden name like everyone else. No, instead, the minion had labeled him an ‘Idiot,’ turning every System message into something that might as well have come from a satire.

With the addition of the Gem of Subterfuge, he could change that. Mask his hidden name, and the threat of violence from the Silverdagger Clan bounty would all but cease. Not to mention that if he dropped his listed level, people might be more inclined to trust him. In this shitty world, high rankers had become notorious as XP harvesters, and although Logan didn’t fit that mold, there was no way to prove that to others.

There were positives all around.

Logan examined the necklace. It was a long and silver chain, a garish looking thing that would drop to his stomach if he wore it like a regular necklace, but Logan was betting that the chain wasn’t what triggered the gem. Collapsing his talons, gloves, and the armour around his torso and chest, Logan pinched the gem between his thumb and index finger and then held it up so he could examine the links between the gem and the necklace.

Just as he suspected.

There was a thin strip of silver, a loop inlaid in the gem attached to the end of the chain. Scrunching his nose in concentration, Logan held the gem in one hand and then delicately pried the loop away from the necklace. At first, the metal warped, but then the connection broke which allowed him to sever it from the chain.

Logan willed the necklace into his spatial collar and then peered down the empty street. He’d used [Threshold Shift] to move three blocks away from the complex, but he was still too close. Someone could observe him. He didn’t want anyone else witnessing this process.

So far, Logan had encountered spatial storage devices that were connected to bracelets, and the pouches that looked like a magician’s bag, but he’d yet to encounter anyone else who had a… well, a cat collar. There was no reason to give out intel. Half the reason he’d never had any issues with his collar was due to no one expecting that a frigging cat collar could be an S grade spatial storage device.

To make double sure, Logan deployed [Life Fabricator] and scanned for anyone who could be staring at him through one of the buildings.

He was in the clear.

Logan reached for the latch on the back of his collar, unclasping it, and then examined his spatial collar with [Idiot’s Inspect]:

[A spatial storage cat collar. Quality: S Grade. This is for a cat. And yet not.]

Once he finished the Build an Empire Quest, he could return to his Tree Fridge and clear out the contents. He was convinced that things like the paperclip had to be worth their weight in gold.

Logan rubbed the pad of his thumb against the tag, staring down at the IDIOT label on the front, and the text on the back: A large male human.

But more importantly, it was a cat collar, which meant there was a pretty solid loop which would allow him to attach the gem. Fixing the broken clasp on the loop was child’s play, but Logan was concerned that by loosening the clasp, he might have made it prone to breaking. There was nothing worse than finding a System sourced item and then losing it by pure carelessness.

Logan thought he had a solution for that.

If he could use [Lodestone Creationist] and [Mimicry Armour] to craft a lodestone, that meant he should be able to manipulate metal.

Holding back a smile, Logan concentrated on the small clasp and then took out a handful of metal from his spatial collar. Using [Mimicry Armour], he forced a shard of steel to hover in the air, furrowing his brow as he warped it, twisted it, like melting it over a smithy, but unlike in a smithy, he was doing it with his mind.

Concentrating on that flexible steel, he let it drift to the clasp, forcing the metal to wrap around it, making it solid, a clasp that would take serious force to break.

Logan bit his lip.

He wanted more than serious force. He wanted this thing to be unbreakable.

Willing out the black chains that he’d grabbed from the strength trial, Logan used his spatial storage to cut a link, a piece of metal the size of his fingernail, and then willed the rest of the chain back into his collar.

The metal was black, small, barely anything, but it radiated with an aura that was System sourced. Redeploying [Mimicry Armour] once again, Logan raised the metal into the air, and then slammed it against the steel link, wrapping it around it like wrapping wire around rope. The steel wouldn’t change, but the wrapped System metal would make it unbreakable.

Holding up his spatial collar, Logan examined it. The IDIOT tag was still there, but he’d positioned the red gem underneath it. Underneath it so that the bare gem would rest against his skin.

That way, he’d hide both the spatial collar and the gem at the same time.

Putting the collar back on and clasping it at the back of his neck, Logan felt his excitement surge as he tucked the tag and the gem underneath the collar of his shirt so that it pressed directly against his chest.

Ding!

[Gem of Subterfuge detected! Would you like to activate the Gem of Subterfuge?]

[Yes.]

[No.]

Logan mentally hovered over ‘yes’ and confirmed his selection.

[Please select:

[The user’s level: ___.]

[The user’s characteristics: ______________________.]

[The user’s hidden name: ____________.]

There were a couple of ways that he could approach this. Already, he knew an aura and a presence was something that you couldn’t always get around. Even though Damsel had screwed with his mind, Logan was sure that at times, he’d picked up on the fact that she’d seemed… off. It was like trying to tell a person that a cat was a dog. There was a limit to what you could disguise.

So, he couldn’t go too low leveled. And for that matter, he wasn’t sure that was a wise decision. If he appeared too low leveled, others might think he was easy XP pickings and try to steal his lodestones or who knew what.

Logan mentally hovered over the level option and then inputted level 75.

As for his characteristics, he had no idea what they said right now, since there was no way to see your own stats via [Identify] or [Idiot’s Inspect], but one thing was for sure, he didn’t want to sound like a pushover. Make people wary, but not to the point where they would have to be on alert around him.

Or he could approach it in a different way. He still had seven other lodestones to craft around the world, and if he encountered people, he wanted to encourage them to buy items.

Logan ran his fingers over his chin, staring into space in consideration, and then finally decided on the following:

Profit is the way to this user’s heart. Hand him money, and he’ll deal fairly with you.

Logan was worried that it might sound too complicated, but then again, when had he ever read someone’s description and wondered if it were manufactured? Only when he’d thought someone had a stealth class, but that suspicion had nothing to do with the person’s description and everything to deal with other factors. And in the worse case scenario where his new description did the opposite of what he wanted, he could change it. That was the beauty of the Gem of Subterfuge.

Now for his hidden name.

At this point, Logan would consider any name other than ‘Idiot’ a miracle, but he could have fun here. He’d seen many people who’d chosen to go with their regular name instead but changing his hidden name to just ‘Logan’ seemed like a waste of an opportunity. For a second, Logan considered calling himself ‘Lucille,’ the baseball bat from the Walking Dead, but for those not in the know, it would come across as an… odd name. To say the least.

No, nothing too absurd.

Badass?

Kickass?

…I’ll fuck your shit up?

Logan snorted. Well, just like with his characteristics, if he chose a name that didn’t work, he could always change it. There was a name he was considering, but was it too conceited? Logan was vulnerable to teasing just like any man, and he’d hate to see what Lara would say when she saw it.

But…

Hadn’t he wanted to Build an Empire? And according to his quest, he’d received a distinct reward once he completed it:

[Reward for completing the Quest: Lord status. Lord status will allow you to declare yourself the lord of your community, receive pledges of loyalty, and Karma tax.]

That did it. With a grin, Logan entered LORD LOGAN into the options.

Ding!

[Choices confirmed! Until toggled off or changed, the user’s [Identify] screen will appear as follows:]

[Level: 75.]

[Characteristics: Profit is the way to this user’s heart. Hand him money, and he’ll deal fairly with you.]

[Hidden name: Lord Logan.]

All right! That’s what he was talking about! Beaming, Logan deployed [Mimicry Armour] to reform his Logan exoskeleton around his torso and chest, and then he hesitated. If all went well, he’d be visiting cities for monetary reasons and not to fight, so using [Threshold Shift] to travel to a place with his talons fully deployed and his facemask up might not be the best look. Not if he wanted to appear normal.

But… Looking down at his armour-covered legs and chest, Logan hesitated again. By now, his armour felt like a second skin, and going anywhere without it felt beyond odd. An uncomfortable sensation sloshed through his stomach, as if he were about to enter a restaurant without any clothes. The Lord Logan with no clothes.

Huffing, Logan decided to hell with it, and then crafted his faceplate and mask. Rather than travelling without his armour, he’d activate the mimicry effect, turning himself invisible. That way, he could scope out the area first and then if it were safe, collapse his armour and approach civilians with his regular clothes instead.

There was only one problem.

Where to go. Although it felt like an age since he’d arrived in Australia, in reality, it had only been a few hours. Back home, it was night, early night. That meant that either he continued crafting lodestones in this part of the world, or he’d have to wait until morning.

But then again, did he need to?

He’d already sold the items he’d needed to satisfy the quest, so advertisement wasn’t a problem. Advertisement would be good if he wanted to sell a ton of items, but wouldn’t that occur naturally through word of mouth? There was no reason that he couldn’t return to Canada or the US, and craft lodestones in the dead of night.

And if he took that approach, he’d finish the quest in minutes, not hours.

Feeling like his insides were vibrating with excitement, Logan fixed an image in his mind. Of muggy weather, the salty scent of the ocean, of glinting skyscrapers that surrounded the streets on either side. But most importantly, he fixed a distinct sign in his mind.

Burrard Station.

One of the Vancouver Skytrain entrances.

Concentrating on that image in his mind, Logan deployed [Threshold Shift].

***

With a crack, he materialized on the street, a blast of cold surging through his body before the sensation faded as if he’d stepped in and out of a walk-in freezer. Peering around, he grinned in satisfaction. Although it was dark, the sky in Vancouver wasn’t full of smog and smoke, letting the light of the moon illuminate the area.

He could have shifted to many areas in Vancouver, from the hockey arena to Grandville Market; hell, even to Stanley Park, but if he wanted to find an area with a ton of foot traffic, the Skytrain in downtown Vancouver had to be his best bet. The city was home to over 700,000 people, and unless Pied had invaded the area, that was a ton of potential customers for his private market.

On first glance, Logan couldn’t see anyone around, but [Life Fabricator] told him the area was brimming with people hiding in buildings, along with… were those birds?

He was tempted to check it out, but he’d already spent too much time in Australia as it was. He knew Vancouver; second only to Hope’s End, it was home, but at the same time, it wasn’t his city.

Logan needed to craft his lodestone and then get out.

***

Logan had brought Vicious and the octopuses to Vancouver Island for a reason. He knew the area, and when he’d wanted to try out [Threshold Shift] to send himself over a long distance, it had seemed the safest bet. But Vancouver Island had also been a place he’d visited as a child. His grandfather had taken Lara and Logan to Victoria Pier, showing them the historical buildings that looked like ancient castles or Victorian buildings.

The population wasn’t as big as Vancouver, but if he wanted to give the people an advantage by giving them access to his private market, he couldn’t go wrong with Victoria.

Logan fixed on an image of the ocean gleaming out in the harbour, of the recreational boats and seaplanes attached to the docks, of the boardwalk and the shrubs and trees that were sculpted to look like killer whales; the Empress hotel that reminded him of Victorian England; the squawk of seagulls. Logan could picture it so clearly that he could already taste the clear, ocean air.

With a crack and a feeling of vertigo, Logan deployed [Threshold Shift] and sent himself across the ocean.

He lurched, swaying as he got his feet underneath him and then opened his eyes to darkness. He could hear the waves cresting against the pier and the shore, but unlike in the mainland, Victoria was covered in cloud cover, blocking the light of the moon.

After his eyes adjusted, there was just enough light to tell that he’d arrived where he wanted. The pier, the long, wide sidewalk that covered the edge of the harbour on one side, the docks and…

Huh.

Of course. Logan had forgotten that the System had purged the motorized boats and planes. Instead of a normal, bustling recreational harbour full of seaplanes and speedboats, only a few sailboats remained.

Logan scanned the area with [Life Fabricator] and searched for life. Bright spots of life swarmed his senses, but they were coming from the ocean. On land, he could sense birds who’d tucked in for the night, of insects and animals who were observing Logan, but…

What the hell?

Why couldn’t he sense any people?

Feeling a trickling of unease, Logan shifted his stance. Although there weren’t any signs of struggle, an empty city reminded him of what had happened at Hope’s End.

Logan hesitated.

He could investigate it, but at this point, he was on a mission. Craft his lodestone, set up his private market in each area, and then go on to the next.

***

Logan loved his country, and although he wanted to travel to other big cities within North America, his priorities had to be Canada first. With [Threshold Shift], he could go to the opposite side of the country with a snap of his fingers, taking him to the most populated city in Canada.

Toronto.

Although he’d never been there personally, like anyone, he could picture the CN Tower in his mind, that supertall structure that towered over the downtown sky. Toronto was home to over 2 million people, and although they weren’t concentrated in one area, just like in Vancouver, downtown had to be a place that would attract numerous customers for his lodestone.

Concentrating on that image of the tower in his mind, Logan pictured it like he would a photo. Although other towers existed in the world, he layered onto the picture, adding on the hint of Rogers Centre, the gleam of Lake Ontario as the sun hit the water.

With a flash, Logan deployed [Threshold Shift] and was gone.

***

Logan glanced from his newly crafted lodestone at the base of the CN Tower to his updated quest status.

[Build an Empire! Craft ten lodestone access points and sell 100 items within 48 hours.]

[Quest Progress: 80% complete. 20.3 hours remaining.]

Logan gazed at it in satisfaction, cracking his neck as he grinned from ear-to-ear.

Six down, four to go!

But he needed to move his ass. The time difference was a real thing. Back in Vancouver, it was still late at night, but in Toronto, it was three hours ahead. Already, the faint haze of the coming dawn was drifting up on the horizon, illuminating what had been a pitch-black city with light. Whatever had happened here, couldn’t be good. There were signs of struggle all around CN Tower; fresh blood stains on the street, followed by stains that looked a week old.

Off in the distance, he could see people stumbling down the street, their limbs jerky, their eyes glazed. Talk about Apocalyptic.

So, wait for them to arrive so he could spread word about his System market? Or go on to the next?

Logan looked up.

Up above, CN tower loomed over him; the building so high that Logan had to crane his neck. Even with that, he still couldn’t see the top. There was a creaking noise above him; not the creak of a high, slender building swaying from side-to-side in the wind. No, this was something else. And as dawn illuminated the tower, rays of sun creeping up the sides, Logan saw webs.

Spider webs. Massive ones.

Oh, hell no.

With a blink, Logan envisioned his next destination and deployed [Threshold Shift] to send himself on his way.

<----Go to chapter 71.