Chapter 123

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Merder Stadium, Atlanta - 5:40 PM

I opened my mouth to respond to her insane question before closing it again. As I processed what she said, my head tilted.

“I believe what the Warmonger means to ask is, huh?“ Howard translated. Then, he pointed towards the food. “Is this for now or after business?“

“Please, help yourself.“ Frastina waved her hand, and a menu for food popped up in front of me. I assumed Howard received one, too, because he started hitting the air in front of him. Food teleported from the platters onto his plate, and he started eating.

“Thank you, ma’am,“ he said before cutting into a good sized ribeye.

“As for what I mean, well, that’s fairly simple, isn’t it?“ she asked. “You would be the raid boss of the final match. You, standing alone against fifteen teams. One man vs forty two. In taking this offer, you’ll automatically be deemed the winner of the Chaos Cup and everyone else will be fighting for runner up. No one would bat an eye, I’m sure, because they know you will deserve it.“

There were several things that I could say against that, but I held my tongue. Not because I thought I could change Frastina’s mind, but because I knew she wouldn’t care if the other teams complained or not. It wasn’t up to her to fix things, nor would she take the blame. That would be Benedict Merder as the face of the Chaos Cup.

“I see,“ I said. “And what does your junior think of this?“

Frastina shook her head. “What does that matter? The only opinions on this topic that matter are mine, yours, and your manager’s. Benedict may put up a fuss, but if this is what we decide then he’ll have no choice but to go along.“

“I see,“ I said again. “And why would you want this?“

“As I said, it’s obvious that you’re going to win,“ she replied, excitement laced her voice. “The betting pool is in shambles even with all the restrictions you have in place every match. Because you want a challenge, right? It’s as if we found one of your black belt fighters and put him in the ring with a group of school children. You so thoroughly outmatch everyone that the whole tournament is moot aside from who will be the runner up.“

“Flattery aside, that can’t be it,“ I stated. “You wouldn’t want to cut everyone’s entertainment short just because I might be bored.“

“Believe me, I wouldn’t care in the slightest if it weren’t for one fact,“ Frastina said, pointing upwards.

I immediately knew what she was referring to. “You think that, because I’m powerful, my Patron is as well, whoever he or she may be,“ I deduced. “They are very secretive, so you’ll have to forgive me for not saying more.“

“Precisely, I’m so happy you understand,“ the administrator replied, grinning again. “Just like me, I’m sure they want to see you rise to a proper challenge. I do this favor for them, and they may decide to reciprocate.“

I crossed my arms and leaned back in the chair. We were getting into something that I had little experience with. The Patrons did provide to the administrators in one way or another, though I never got a clear answer on what that was exactly. I knew they did this when they were satisfied, but I wasn’t sure if Sara would be able to do the same thing. Or, if it were possible, if she’d be able to stay anonymous.

“What do you think?“ I asked, looking towards the ceiling. The answer came quickly.

[[Patron Message]]

It’s up to you. I have the ability to do what she’s fishing for, though I will tell you right now that I won’t.

I think this might be good for you, however. It’ll be a chance to let loose, like what you planned for the Uuska. There’s no doubt that whatever you do will be fed into it, but that’s what you were hoping for. As long as you don’t use Break Free in the match, you should be able to handle the monster after. But only if you’re confident.

That said, you should definitely ask for some unreasonable things. Like a Destiny Manifest, or a Skill Absorber. You could probably ask for a few Synthesis Pages or Blank Skill Books and get those, too.

Sincerely,

Sara

“They have some conditions,“ I said slowly as I read through the message again.

“I would expect nothing less,“ Frastina said, still smiling. She leaned forward again, staring at me in a way that made me feel like prey as she began to play with her long, thick white hair. “Please, state your Patron’s terms.“

“I just want to confirm that, win or lose, I’m still going to be considered the winner of the Chaos Cup?“ When Frastina nodded, I continued. “Then the first thing they told me I need is a Destiny Manifest.“

Frastina was momentarily taken aback, and I understood her confusion. The Destiny Manifest was a frankly broken single use item that, when activated, allowed me to alter whatever scenario I was in.

It was incredibly rare; even in my long lifetime, I had only managed to get my hands on one twice and only after lengthy, difficult quests. It couldn’t stop scenarios altogether, but any instances where power could be taken away from an administrator was a win in my book. They didn’t usually take kindly to such alterations, but that didn’t stop me using it when I needed to.

“Out of the question,“ Frastina stated firmly. “Your Patron asks for conditions that are too lofty.“

“Is it really that bad if I got my hands on one?“ I asked, trying to sound innocent.

“Yes, no player should have that kind of power, and only fools would hand one over,“ she replied, her voice sour.

“Very well, then the second item I was asked to request was a Skill Absorber.“

A frown passed over Frastina’s lips before she schooled her expression. The Skill Absorber was another powerful item, though it didn’t break scenarios like the Destiny Manifest. Instead, it was a pair of glasses that allowed the wearer to learn from skill books without consuming them in the process. They worked only once per day, but books with strong skills and passives could be passed around entire teams and sold when finished.

“Perhaps something not so blatantly game breaking, hmm?“ Frastina stated evenly, her fingers tapping on the table.

I glanced at Howard, who seemed to be paying more attention to his food than to us, before sighing dramatically. “Then, some skill books with protective skills and passives for my manager here,“ I said. “My Patron has been happy with the amount of points he has won with his bets so far, and wants to see him rewarded.“

The High Roller nearly choked on his food before glancing over at me. “You, uh, know how many points I’ve won?“

“Yes, and you’ve done an excellent job,“ I said, patting the man on the back.

“Oh, thank you,“ he said before returning his attention back to his plate. Despite how much he helped, Howard always downplayed how many points he actually made doing this. It was the danger of partnering with someone who thought of himself first, but I didn’t mind it. He always coughed up what I was owed in the end.

“That request can be arranged,“ Frastina said. “After the Chaos Cup. Until then, our protection is sufficient.“

“Speaking of betting, we're going to lose out on a lot of points due to the amount of games being cut short.“

“I believe we may be able to accommodate that,“ Frastina said as she rapped her nails on the table. “Modestly, of course.“

“Of course,“ I repeated with a nod. “And all I require is a set of Synthesis Pages and Blank Skill Books. But, and this is important, if I’m going into battle against literally everyone else then I’m going to need them before the final event.“

“That is… also reasonable,“ the administrator admitted with a nod.

For the first few scenarios, Synthesis Pages were only given out randomly during final scenario fights such as against Amlex. More started to appear the further into the system we went, but they were still fairly uncommon.

Blank Skill Books, on the other hand, could be found. They allowed you to remove a skill or passive from an item and bind it to the book. They were rare, but out there.

“I find these terms to be-“

“One more,“ I interrupted.

Frastina looked like she was ready to smite me where I sat, but instead pursed her lips into a dangerous smile. “What is your Patron’s last condition, little Warmonger?“

“This one isn’t theirs, but mine. After the fight, after I’ve had time to rest, I want to fight the Uuska you and Benedict have down below the stadium. One on one.“

The administrator’s eyes went wide, and she began to laugh. Howard looked at me, confused, and I waved at him to continue eating his food. “What’s an Uuska?“ he asked, disregarding me.

“It’s a monster, manager,“ Frastina answered. “I think I like this condition. I accept both your Patron’s terms and your own. The match will be tomorrow at noon, then, and I will have Benedict make an announcement shortly.“

“How did the other matches go, by the way?“ Howard asked before leaning towards me. “The Ailurcats went down before you guys finished, and I was watching the other two matches before we got summoned here.“

“It seems as though your bets were right on the money,,“ Frastina said. “You’ll receive your winnings once you are outside of this place.“

“Yes!“ he exclaimed, pumping his fist. Twisting in his seat, he put a hand up for me. “Excellent work, Warmonger.“

I reached up and gave him the bare minimum of what could have counted as a high five, which he seemed content with, before returning my gaze to Frastina. “Well, if you don’t mind, I have a place to be tonight.“

“Before that,“ Frastina said, leaning back in her chair again. “Where you a part of the group that managed to break into the tunnels down below?“

“I was,“ I confirmed, knowing it wouldn’t matter. There had been security cameras stationed in the room with the Uuska between the televisions. While the administrators couldn’t observe me without physically being there, watching me on a television screen was a whole different thing.

“And your Patron was the one who told you what it was,“ she guessed. The statement was wrong, but I wasn’t about to correct her. “Did he or she tell you how dangerous it is?“

I shrugged. “Sometimes you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do, you know?“

“I suppose I do,“ she said, chuckling. “Very well. Enjoy your time roaming my city, little Warmonger. After the paperwork is sorted, I’ll make sure your manager makes it back to his room safe and sound.“

“Do not do anything too-“ As I was warning Howard yet again, the lavish dining room had transformed into my hotel room.

The bed in front of me had several plates of food, as well as a stack of three leather bound tomes and three pieces of seemingly ordinary papers. There was no use worrying about Howard, so I didn’t.

Putting everything except one of the books into my inventory for later, I retrieved my Writhing Belt Whip and opened the one that remained.

[[Notice]]

You have acquired a Blank Skill Book.

Would you like to learn a passive from the Writhing Belt Whip?

Yes

No

I hit Yes, and selected Eldritch Regeneration when prompted. The skill book shut on its own as the leather cover started to shift to a mottled green. The picture of a person with tentacles coming out of obvious wounds appeared. When it opened, once again on its own, I was met with another notification.

[[Notice]]

You have acquired a skill book of Eldritch Regeneration.

Would you like to learn the skill Eldritch Regeneration?

Yes

No

I hit Yes again.

[[Passive]]

Eldritch Regeneration

This passive increases your recovery speed from 1% of your Constitution stat per minute to 50% of your Constitution stat per minute. You can also regrow missing limbs.

“I promise you that I’ll try not to use this as destructively as I had before,“ I told the ceiling. “So, even if I can heal faster, I won’t use my hit points as a resource that makes fights go a little bit quicker.“

[[Patron Message]]

Good, thank you. I was worried about that the moment I suggested them, but I know you’ll try your best.

I know there were a lot of things you could have asked for, too. You didn’t have to go with my suggestions.

Sincerely,

Sara

“I didn’t have to, but they were good, so I did,“ I said. “They’ll go a long way in the future, and I’ll be saving them for Pittsburgh. There’s a few things I wouldn’t normally buy at the auction house there, but that changes now that I have access to extra Blank Skill Books.“

Glancing out of the window, I took note of the time and sighed. “And I better get a head start on this ghost. Want to get back in time to have a nap.“ I started heading to the door, activating Broken Boundary before stepping through to the Angel Express.