Ch 232 - The Benefits of Getting a Big Head

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Followers: 80,114,903

Favorites 21,008,286

VIP Points 110,928,192

My views had taken an enormous jump, and my favorites had doubled. My VIP points had continued its steady climb, but as interesting as watching me get a sponsor clearly was, it didn’t generate the same level of VIP interest as my death battles. Even more interesting was my jump in the top-10 rankings.

“Earth Top-10 Leader Board”

1. Elizabeth Maberly

Team: Pride & Prejudice

Class: Kingpin Diva

Level: 59

2. Tony Waldau

Team: Avengers

Class: Penthouse Foundry Sensei

Level: 70

3. Lucas Altan

Team: Jumanji

Class: Mystic Reaver

Level: 44

4. Steve McDonough

Team: Jumanji

Class: Storm Legion Foreman

Level: 66

5. Jane Gardner

Team: XMen

Class: Think-tank Mentalist

Level: 66

6. Tomas Walker

Team: Fast & Furious

Class: Pawn Shop Tinkerer

Level: 65

7. Ruby Lopez

Team: Jumanji

Class: Forensic Apothecary

Level: 64

8. Sally Rogers

Team: Avengers

Class: River Toggle Wrangler

Level: 61

9. Evan Burrows

Team: Lord of the Rings

Class: Potato Salad Shaman

Level: 59

10. Andy Hobbs

Team: Fast & Furious

Class: Maverick Forge Raider

Level: 59

I’d jumped all the way up to 3rd, right after Elizabeth and Tony. That seemed to confirm sponsorship was the most important factor in determining top-1o rankings. Not sure what came second, though. All of us were sponsored, but I was tier-1. That didn’t seem to make a difference. Nor did straight class levels, or Tony would have jumped to the top spot.

Even more interesting was seeing all of my team on the list. Even Andy from Tomas’s team had clawed his way up to the final spot, bumping off Sam, Paul, and Jerry Alexander. Sam’s levels were still climbing steadily, but the sheer number of high-leveled monsters my team had taken out in the past day had catapulted them all well ahead of the curve.

Paul’s leveling had slowed since he got booted from his position as mayor, but I was pretty sure Jerry had joined Tony’s attack on the warehouse. He must be close to level 59 too.

Who knew what benefits anyone received from getting onto the list, but to me it was a sign that our hard work was paying off. We needed to get stronger, and my team was doing so. We just needed to figure out how to get more people to join us.

The other great benefit of so much interest in my sponsorship was that my number of Followers had jumped over 80 million, giving me a total of 8 followers to my Undying Loyalty Token. That pushed the total to 18, and each of those followers boosted my Constitution, Strength, and Agility through my Alpha title and my orc general bone necklace. With my Efficiencies so high, the final totals were insanely high. All that meant, I was getting more and more prepared to face the real fights with Queen Marisara and Marshal Thalorian.

I hadn’t expected to win a sponsor, but the prizes were beyond fantastic. The new weapons, in particular, should help in my upcoming hunt. It was late afternoon, but by midnight, I had to be out in the northwest part of Ruin to hunt the Briggs.

I checked in on my team when we returned to town. Jane was helping Tomas plan constructs he would build in his time-warped mind space. Ruby was taking a turn on wall guard with Lana, Andy had joined a hunt patrol planning to delve into Echo City, while Steve was busy doing something vague.

Steve: “I’ve got too much going on right now to chat, unless it’s critical. Sorry.”

Lucas: “Not important. Have fun.”

I couldn’t imagine running multiple clones at the same time and processing all their sensory input. It had be as overwhelming in its own way as when I cast Perception Pulse.

So I headed back to my castle, but paused to smile at the name engraved into the stones above the door. “Wooster Hollow”.

When Jeeves opened the door and proffered me a drink and a hot towel, I said, “Good work on the name.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The light crystals in the lovely chandelier hanging over the entryway now glowed with a mixture of colors that shifted slowly through soft shades. “And you got the light crystals set up.”

“Master Ricardo should be commended for excellent craftsmanship.”

“I’ll be sure to pass on the feedback. Jeeves, I’m going to take a nap before heading out to hunt again tonight. Can you buy the list of items I wrote on that note I just sent myself?”

“I will see it done, sir. Shall I awaken you after 4 hours?”

“That would be perfect.”

Nigel padded toward the dining room. “Is there any steak?”

“For you, master Nigel, always.”

Despite everything I should be thinking about or worrying about, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. An eyeblink later, Jeeves woke me up with a cheery, “Good evening, sir.”

Although it felt like I’d barely laid down, when I checked my stats, my Health Points and Mental Resistance glowed green and showed the 50% boost from my Night Mask of the Mauvari Catelaines. A small timer to one side was counting down the 8 hour boost duration.

Perfect. I might need every scrap of extra health before the night was done. I was going after not 1 but 2 members of Marisara’s court, after all.

While I munched on a chicken club sandwich, Jeeves reported, “The items you requested have been added to your inventory, sir.”

“Thanks, Jeeves. Good work.”

I scanned the list and nodded. I already had a ton of potions, scrolls, weapons, armor, and gear, but I wanted a couple items specifically for tonight’s hunt, including a really big bomb. Jeeves had got me 5, along with a few other items. It all looked good. I sent a message to my team.

Lucas: “I’m heading out on a solo hunt to track down a few clues. Stay sharp tonight everyone.”

Steve: “Lucas, I can free myself up to join you.”

Four of the others responded in variations of the same message, all offering to go. Nigel raced into my bedroom and leaped to my shoulder, rubbing his shaggy head against my cheek.

“I want to hunt with you tonight.”

Lucas: “Thanks, guys, but this one I have to do alone.”

Jane: “Meaning you plan to duel someone tough again.”

Ruby: “Be careful, Lucas! You don’t have to take on so much danger alone all the time.”

Lucas: “I’m always careful.”

I could hear Tomas’s snort from across Port Royale, and in my mind, I clearly saw Ruby’s raised eyebrow and Jane’s eye roll.

Steve: “Starting a hunt with a lie isn’t the best plan, boss.”

Lucas: “You know what I mean.”

Ruby: “Yes. You mean you’re going to dive into a boss battle with no backup because you prefer taking on all the risk instead of the chance that one of us might get hurt instead. Remember, Lucas, you’re not the only one who can endure pain.”

She wasn’t wrong. I’d nearly died so many times in the past 2 weeks, the thought of danger didn’t really phase me any more. I’d gotten broken, battered, melted, and more and still managed to recover from hits that would have splattered anyone else to jelly. I didn’t want to get hurt, but I could handle it better, so I’d take the risk.

Lucas: “I’ll keep you all posted, and if I can use the help, I’ll call.”

Then I scratched Nigel behind the ears. I hadn’t planned to take him, but he and I had hunted together more than anyone. Besides, I could will him out of danger using his Familiar Collar at any time. I couldn’t do that for anyone else.

“All right, bud. You can come, but if I tell you to run or to stay hidden, or even if I send you away, you have to trust me.”

“You won’t have to send me away if we kill them before they know we’re there.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

I headed out with Nigel on my shoulder. I felt no fear, only eagerness for the hunt and the likely duels. No one else could help in the duels, and I was really hankering for a bit of violence. The seething rage at Burns and his murders was still simmering in my heart, pushing me to smash some things and wreak some vengeance on Marisara and her court.

I summoned Switchblade, Nigel jumped into position, his tail swishing with eagerness, and we powered through the town gates and into the rainy evening. I pushed my hover bike hard, activating Shield Dome to deflect the driving rain. We still wore Shingle Pins, and my full-body mana shield was in place, but the rain was still annoying, and this way I could go faster with less interference.

It was still weird zooming through the heavy darkness, with the front of Shield Dome covered in a constant wave of deflecting water. It dramatically reduced visibility, even with Wolf Sight. I kept an eye out for any more Mist Lurkers. Harvesting a few more of their eyes to help enhance our sight through the rainy gloom would be welcome, but I saw nothing.

My mini map showed nothing either. No red dots of monsters or blue dots of other people anywhere. Few people ventured far to the northwest, but still, it seemed odd to see no one. Had every hunt party headed for Echo City?

We passed a dozen staircases and open wells all leading down to the sheltered underground city, but I ignored them all. We might find timefor that after the hunt.

After pushing about 3 miles northwest, I slowed in an intersection with a statue so decrepit, it was barely recognizable. It was as good a place as any for part one of my plan. After warning Nigel to keep watch again, I slipped one of the other items Jeeves had acquired for me onto my finger.

“Big Head Ring of the Mind. Rare. Double Perception and Mental Resistance for up to 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.”

I’d asked for something to help me deal with the mental strain of casting Perception Pulse, and Jeeves hit it out of the park. The ring seemed perfect, but I still lay down on the soaked cobblestones before triggering my ability. No sense falling over again.

The sensation of my mind painlessly exploding in every direction felt as weird as ever, but I embraced it and tried to ride the wave. Every sense radiated out, blanketing a huge area. This time the raindrops pounding down over Ruin tasted a bit sour, although I couldn’t tell why. The stones and bricks and mostly-rotted buildings marched away into the darkness, every inch of them as clear in my mind as if I was inspecting them from an inch away.

The scent of rain and mud melded with the sounds of a million raindrops, and the strain grew exponentially. This time I rode the insane train, although as the distance my senses covered grew, the strain kept growing until even my high stats and the enormous boost from my new ring barely kept up. Sweat beaded my brow and I gasped for breath as sensory overload threatened to pop a mental fuse.

Then the Pulse ended, having pushed out twice as far as I’d managed last time. With the ring, I’d barely managed to withstand the full range. I wanted to cheer while also suppressing a groan from the sheer amount of information pouring into my mind. It was impossible to grasp it all at once. All I could do was let it flow through and start settling deeper.

I kept in mind the things I sought, and they naturally bubbled up to the fore, grabbing my attention first. Only a few monsters moved or lurked in the area, including a pair of Mist Lurkers. Maybe we’d go pay them a visit later.

More importantly, I spotted my target. The Briggs were creeping along a narrow side street nearly blocked by fallen rubble. They weren’t cloaked or trying to hide their presence.

Good. It looked like my ruse with Countess Syvelis had worked. Either that, or she was baiting me. I studied the area around the traitors, but spotted no sign of any other monsters or spies. They might be concealed or invisible with spells beyond my ability to see through, but I’d take that chance.

The Briggs were heading for one of the stairways down to Echo City. Perfect.

I jumped to my feet, water flowing off my mana shield, leaving me totally dry. “Found them.”

Nigel bared his fangs. “Now we hunt.”