Healer Book 4 -- Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When both Rachel and Corinna started laughing at the same time, some of the tension left him, though he still wasn’t sure if it was a good sign or not.  When they finally settled down, the Guildmaster wiped tears from her eyes as she looked at him.  With a chuckle, she shook her head as in disbelief and said, “That’s a good one.  Haven’t heard that one before.”  Clearing her throat as she arranged herself again on the chair, she placed her hands in her lap and looked at him seriously.  “Now, what was it that you really wanted to propose?”

When he sat there without saying anything, as he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say, he was hoping that Sadia would come to his rescue, but she was uncharacteristically quiet.  It turned out that it was for a reason, however, as Corrina eventually broke the silence.  “Uh, boss, I think he’s serious.”

Thaden nodded.

“Really?  Why?” Rachel asked, skeptical but seemingly leaning toward curiosity.  “What good would that do us?  If for some reason you didn’t notice before now, we can dig into your Class through the Ranking system now, and with your drawbacks—”

“I’m well aware of those drawbacks,” he said quickly, holding up his hand to stop her.  He’d heard it all before, after all.  “However, what looking at my Class doesn’t do is take my Achievements into account; more precisely, it doesn’t take my World First bonuses into account.”

That certainly got her attention as she leaned forward even further, her leg slightly shaking in anticipation.  “What do you mean?  What Achievements are you talking about?  What World First bonuses do you have?  I’m trying to put together a comprehensive list of all Achievements that can be earned, and discovering at least a few World First bonuses would be like the cherry on top.”

Before he answered, he slowly smirked at her.  “Oh?  Are you saying that this kind of information would be worth something to you?”

“Ha!  He got you there, boss!  Showed your hand too early, didn’t you?”

Rachel looked at the Lieutenant with an irritated expression before turning back to Thaden appearing completely composed.  “Perhaps.  That is, if the information is good and evidence can back it up.”

Hmm.  That probably isn’t going to happen, given that I can’t share anything from my Character Report or notifications with them. 

Knowing that he couldn’t technically prove anything he told her, he let her off the hook.  “Look, I was just kidding about being paid for that kind of information; I will give at least some of the knowledge about these Achievements to you for free – if you simply listen to what I’m proposing.  And, unfortunately, you’ll have to take my word for it, as I can’t share any evidence that could prove it.”

“You won’t share your screens?  I’m not sure I can simply trust anything you tell me, then.”

He put his hands up in helplessness.  “It’s not a matter of won’t; it’s a matter of can’t.”

The two women looked at each other in confusion.  “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Try to share something with me.  Anything; it doesn’t matter what it is,” he said to the Guildmaster after a few seconds of thought.  He wasn’t sure if he was on the right track, but it made sense in his mind that if he couldn’t send anything to anyone else, then it there was a good chance that the opposite was true.

“What the hell?” Rachel said.  “What is this?”

Thaden shrugged and shook his head.  “I have no idea.  What does it say?”

“It doesn’t say anything,” she said, clearly frustrated.  “I just attempt to connect to you in order to share a screen and it shuts down like you’re not even there.”

“Ah.  So that’s how it looks from the other side,” he mused to himself.  Seeing that she was still trying to send something to him, he held his hand out for her to stop.  “It won’t work, because I’m… glitched, for wont of a better word.  I don’t really want to get into it all right now, but suffice it to say that I’m a bit different from every other Contender here, and the Assimilation System has some difficulty dealing with my unique nature sometimes.  Plus, I tend to break things inadvertently, which has led to some interesting developments—but I’m fine, really,” he hastened to assure them.  “Other Contenders should be safe around me, so there isn’t anything to worry about.”

“Should be?  What exactly does that mean?” Corinna asked suspiciously.

“It means exactly what I said.  No one can guarantee the safety of anyone else here on this world, but I’m going to do my absolute best that no one dies within my care.”

Both of them were silent for a few seconds before Rachel cleared her throat.  “Fine.  I’m not completely convinced of whatever you’re trying to say, but I can’t deny that you’re different from any other Contender I’ve heard of.  The fact that you were able to complete those SPECIAL Quests all those months ago is proof enough that you’re unique, but I’m waiting to hear how that would benefit us.”

“Alright, so again, you’re going to have to take my word for this, but I swear to you that it’s accurate,” he prefaced what he was about to tell them.  At their nods, he continued.  “First, like I said, I’m well aware that any PICK rewards for my party members are reduced by 90%, as I’m primarily a solo-based Class – as the name of it should make obvious.  But I also have not just one, but two World First Achievements that increase the amount of PICK I receive – and by the wording, I’m fairly certain it will apply to any Party I’m in, as well.”

“That’s not an Achievement reward that I’ve ever heard of, other than when Developmental Phase 2 was initiated for our Region,” Corinna said.  “And that was only temporary.”

“Well these, aren’t temporary, I assure you.”

Rachel asked, “How did you get those Achievements, and what are they called?”

“The first one is called Unkillable I, which doubles the amount of PICK received, and I got it by killing a Monster 90 Levels above my own,” he explained, which made both of them sit back in surprise.  “The second is called Army of One I and it triples the amount of PICK received in an Intermediate dungeon… which I just received it for soloing an Intermediate dungeon on Minimal difficulty.”

Corinna was the first one to speak after the silence that filled the room after that revelation.  “Wait, wait, wait—you completed a Raid dungeon by yourself?!  How is that even possible?”

“I’m, uh, quite strong,” he said by way of explanation.

“Even if I believe you, which I’m not saying that I think you’re lying,” Rachel said slowly, still visibly recovering from her shock, “but even if you what you say is true, how will that help us make money?”

He held up a hand to indicate that he was going to answer that question, but not quite yet.  “I also have another World First Achievement bonus that again triples the amount of PICK received whenever a monster is slain, but only if they are 20 Levels or higher than my own.”

“Alright, that sounds incredible, but that still doesn’t—”

“I’m getting to that,” he told the Guildmaster before she could ask again.  “The Achievement that I just mentioned, which is called Unkillable II and was from killing a monster 180 or more Levels above my own, also applies to loot bonuses.  In addition, Army of One I also triples the currency and other items received inside an Intermediate dungeon, as well as Quest and Achievement rewards.  Lastly, the cooldown related to reentering an Intermediate dungeon that has been completed is reduced by 75%. 

“So, not only will whatever party joins me on these Intermediate dungeon runs receive at least 60% of the PICK they normally would, jumping up to potentially 180% if the right conditions are met, but they’ll also receive triple the normal rewards from monster loot and potentially more if the monsters are strong enough, as well as triple the currency and item rewards from Quests and Achievements.”

The two women sat back in their chairs, stunned.  But Thaden wasn’t done.

“In addition, we’ll be able to reenter a completed Intermediate dungeon far sooner than they would normally be able to, and we can face stronger dungeons than they would normally attempt.  For a bit of reference, how long does it take a Raid Party to complete a dungeon that is recommended for Levels 140 to 150?” he asked.

As if her mind was on autopilot, Rachel responded mechanically.  “Approximately 8 hours; sometimes it can take less if the Raid Party has more higher-Level members than normal.”

He nodded, as it was about what he expected.  “For my solo run, I completed it in less than an hour – and I’d say that a third of that time was because I extracted loot from the corpses while another third was simply waiting in between the Assault Waves.  Is they common, by the way?  I’ve only been in a single Intermediate dungeon.”

“An hour?  That’s not possible,” Corinna declared, shaking her head in disbelief.  Thaden just shrugged; it wasn’t like he could technically prove that it happened.

When he looked at Rachel, it appeared as though she had blasted through disbelief because there was a calculated look in her eyes.  “Yes, they’re common in about a third of the Intermediate dungeons we have information on,” she replied automatically in response to his question.  “There are two other what we call ‘Challenges’ inside Intermediate dungeons that are similar to the Assault Waves.”  She was silent for a moment and Corinna appeared ready to continue her protestations of disbelief, but the Guildmaster slashed her hand towards her Lieutenant.  When she looked at Thaden in his eyes, he could see that he had convinced her – at least somewhat.

“What is it exactly that you’re proposing?  If I allow you to set up an internal subsidiary of Guilded Glory, what kind of deal are you looking for?”

He took his time answering.  “I don’t necessarily need extra wealth, though I’m not willing to give up my automatically divided fair share.  As for the rest of the currency and items that the members of the Raid Party will accumulate, I’m open to suggestions on how you want that split up.  I’m aware enough of your business knowledge to be convinced that you’ll know how it would benefit not only those I bring with me but your entire Guild.”

She seemed to be considering it when Corinna interrupted.  “Why?  Why are you doing this, if you could keep it all yourself?”

Rachel tsked and shook her head in disappointment at her Lieutenant.  “It’s obvious, Cor.  He’s stuck at 189 and needs a Raid Party to complete his Evolution Assignment.  The question isn’t why he’s doing this; it’s what assurances can he give that he won’t simply evolve his Class and then ditch us while he goes off and Levels-up by soloing Intermediate dungeons?”

That was a good point, as it would’ve been exactly what he’d have done only a few days ago; but that had changed after Sadia arrived.  “I will admit, getting my Evolution Assignment completed is my main motivation, but it isn’t the only one.  Some recent events have convinced me that I can’t necessarily do everything myself, as it’s not only mentally unhealthy, but also socially unacceptable.  While it’s not my first choice, ostensibly tying myself to a Guild is the only solution that fulfills all my needs, as much as I didn’t want to hear it.”

“What was it that caused this supposed change of heart?” Corinna asked, seemingly genuinely curious.

He chuckled.  “Let’s just say that I’m ‘under new management’, and a new friend convinced me that this was the best choice for me right now.”  He looked the Guildmaster in the eyes as he grew serious.  “Fair warning, though; while I’m interested in working with your Guild right now, that may not always be the case.  We can negotiate terms on how long I will be required to participate in these dungeon runs after I receive what I’m looking for, but after that, I will likely relinquish my position as head of this, what did you call it?  Subsidiary?  I will relinquish my leadership position of this subsidiary so that I have the freedom to do what I want to do.  In truth, I have no desire to lead any Guilds either now or in the future, so it will be a relief to do so.”

“Then why do you want to lead up a subsidiary right now?” Rachel asked.

“Because I need to have the authority to order people around,” he said simply.  The way I complete a dungeon is very specific, and if they don’t listen to me, they could die.  I can always Resurrect them, of course, but that’s a waste of time; and if I remember a saying from back home, time is money, isn’t it?”

“Now you’re talking my language,” Rachel said with a grin.  “So, what exactly do you need to get this done?  A standard Raid Party composition?  100 people?  200?  More?  What Levels would be best?”

“You’re really considering this?” the Lieutenant asked skeptically. 

“It’s worth a trial run, at the least.  If it doesn’t work, we won’t be set back too far.”

Corinna crossed her arms over her chest.  “Fine.  Then I’m joining this subsidiary to make sure we’re not getting screwed over.”

“That’s your choice, I suppose, but what about…?” the Guildmaster asked, leaving the last of her question unspoken, as if it was a secret – which Thaden supposed it probably was.

“Charlie can take over for me.  This is more important… if it works like he claims.”

Rachel nodded and looked back at Thaden; he realized she wanted an answer to her questions.  “Honestly, it’s up to you who you want to provide,” he told her.  “Ideally, I need people who can do large amounts of damage, as if there are sections like the Assault Waves that have small areas to work within, it’ll be dangerous to use my normal methods.  In that case, I’ll have to rely on my Raid Party to kill the monsters, while I keep them alive.”  He thought about it for a few seconds.  “I don’t need any Support Classes, and while Control Classes might be useful, they aren’t required.”

“No… Support?  And no Control?  How the hell would that work?”

“I can handle both roles, so it isn’t an issue,” he said confidently.  He wasn’t exactly sure if that was the absolute truth, as he’d never worked with huge Raid Party before, but he was fairly certain it would be fine.

The Lieutenant shook her head, but she didn’t say anything to refute his claim. 

“Okay, I think that could work,” the Guildmaster said, even as she pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of her Inventory and started taking notes.  “We have a surplus of DPS that we have to frequently rotate out of Raid Parties because there aren’t enough of the other Classes to form additional Parties, so this could solve two problems in one.”  Her hand flew over the paper, and he could see her putting down names in a list.  “We should easily be able to field up to 300 of them so that we can cover as many Raid dungeons as possible, and with how fast they can get through them, there shouldn’t be any issues with rotating them in and out.  And there are no Level requirements you need?” she asked, looking up at him while she continued to write.

“Not necessarily.  They’ll be, uh, boosted in their stats and Perceived Level when they join my party, anyway.”

“Huh?  What’s that?”

Thaden had discovered soon after receiving the Visible Charisma Advancement from his Emboldened Leadership Competency that he could suppress the Perceived Level effect on those around him if he willed it to happen; it only worked on other people not in his party and not on monsters, but that was all he needed it for.  Because of this suppression, it helped to cut down on the number of people wondering why they had something called a Perceived Level.  Now, though, he let it go, and the effect was immediate.

“Whoa.  You’re glowing!”

“Yeah, it’s, uh, an effect of my Emboldened Leadership Advancement.”  Their Perceived Level was now visible, though neither of them had the actual benefits of the higher Level.  “Are either of you in a Party right now?”

Both of them shook their heads, and he sent them both a Party invite.  They hesitated a few seconds before they accepted, and he saw them twitch in shock as their Physicality, Celerity, and Mentality was suddenly increased.

“What?  How?  That just gave me 160 points in three of my stats!” Corinna exclaimed.

Hmm… that was more than it used to be, but I guess I have increased the Competency a bit.  Or perhaps it’s based on their Level?  More experimentation is needed, I suppose.

“How did you get this Competency?” Rachel asked, her eyes wide in shock – and no small amount of greed.  It was a healthy greed, though, as she likely wanted it for all her Raid Party leaders.

While he didn’t spill all of his secrets, Thaden began to recount how he’d acquired the Competency, and also described a portion of his other World First Advancements.  That quickly led into negotiations for his subsidiary internal Guild, the breakdown of the members he would be getting to lead through dungeons, and a number of other details.  Hours later, when his voice was starting to go hoarse from all the talking, they finally wrapped up – leaving everyone satisfied on both sides. 

Leaving the Guilded Glory headquarters, he was walking to the nearest Coalition building to find somewhere to sleep for the night when he finally heard from Sadia.

“Nice job, Thaden.  I think you got exactly what you wanted—and needed.”

Slightly startled by her voice, as she had been quiet through the whole negotiation, he said, “Thank you.  I appreciate you pushing me into this and getting me started on it, but why didn’t you add anything while I was talking to them for real?”

“There was no need, because you handled yourself just fine.  Which was the secondary purpose of all this, as I already told you.  I wasn’t going to hold your hand through it; you needed to be able to handle it on your own.  If you had thoroughly messed up and put your foot in your mouth, I would’ve stepped in, but you did an excellent job.”

He nodded, knowing she was right.  It wouldn’t have been the same if he had been coached through the entire conversation with the Guildmaster and her Lieutenant; she had contributed at first to get him more comfortable with the situation, but she let him do his own thing after that – which he realized he greatly appreciated. 

“Thanks, Sadia,” he said with feeling.  After a moment, he frowned.  “Do you think I should’ve told them about you?  I’ll likely want you out when we go to an Intermediate dungeon with a Raid Party, after all.”

“No, it’ll be a lot more fun to have a giant squirrel show up at your side and help you obliterate hundreds of monsters than to warn them beforehand.”

He could hear the amusement in her voice, and he couldn’t help but agree as he sprinted down the street, laughing like a madman.