Chapter 96

Merder Stadium, Atlanta - 11:21 AM

As a masked individual with a confident gait, the people in my path generally moved out of my way as I headed towards Milly’s. My stomach rumbled. While the food there wasn’t the best it would do for now.

The walk wasn’t long, and I made it to the small restaurant in no time. The grill stand formerly known as Molly B’s had an open floor plan and the field could easily be seen from any of the seats here. Milly’s wasn’t very popular just yet, so seating was abundant. I gave an upwards nod to the Orc standing behind the counter with her arms crossed, a menacing look on her face, and she returned it.

To most of the people inhabiting the Merder Stadium safe zone, the sight of the Orc woman - all muscle-bound, scarred, and green - was a major red flag. They would soon learn that they were just being racist, however. Milly was a very nice woman, she was just incredibly intense about food and beer.

It was easy to see with just a glance that neither of the Mills were here. The only ones hanging around were those who saw that Milly had alcohol and ordered before realizing that the number next to the item wasn’t the price, but the Constitution score needed to not get drunk immediately. Based on the fact that the few people here were knocked out next to half drunk glasses of beer, the evidence was concrete.

Seating myself nearest the field, I absently ordered a cheeseburger from the food menu for 3 points instead of opting to order from Milly directly. My food materialized in front of me, and I used both of my hands to bend my mask out of shape so that my mouth was free. The voice changer wouldn’t work like this, but that was fine. I wasn’t planning on talking to anyone while I was eating.

Pulling out more paper from my inventory, I retrieved the pen and started filling out instructions for Kayla and Jeff about both the CDC and betting on the battle royale. While I didn’t want them to get involved with the Warmonger persona, I still needed them to have direction. I was leaving a very crucial task up to them, after all. Kayla would likely remember the mask from the Safari Resort despite some of the changes I made, so it would be down to getting the information to her.

As I wrote, I cast my eyes over the center of the stadium. The large field was currently covered in sand, the goalposts removed and nothing of note to be seen. Anyone who had been here before would notice that the whole building looked bigger from the inside, which was saying something as it was already huge. Per the administrator’s request, the system had expanded the designated arena so that the teams would have ample opportunity to move around during the Chaos Cup.

Glancing up, I looked at the series of windows that filled a giant circle above the field. The dome of Merder Stadium was really cool, if I were being honest. It was separated into eight different pieces, each attached to a different motor that allowed them to peel open like a blooming flower. It was a really fun design, and would be perfect for making sure we had plenty of room for upward mobility for the first event.

Although there were plenty of opportunities for team fights in the Chaos Cup, that wasn’t what the events focused on. The very first one involved climbing a spire that shot out of the open dome. “Killing” all the other participants and knocking them out of the game until they respawned was one way to do it, but the crowd generally frowned upon that.

The sands were starting to move in waves as I looked back down at the field, like the wind was starting to push it away. A deep voice echoed through the stadium, seemingly coming from every direction at once.

The arena will now begin converting for the battle royale.

I scowled before I could stop myself. “Benedict Merder,” I growled. Meeting with him earlier had put a bad taste in my mouth, one that the cheeseburger wasn’t helping remove. I hated interacting with 99% of the administrators, and this was no different. He was another who cared about his own position in all this and that was that. The Chaos Cup was just how he went about it.

I finished my cheeseburger and my writing at the same time, so I molded the Kingtin’s Foil back into place and waited, watching the arena as I remained seated. The sand that covered the ground had changed from sweeping waves to violent shaking as it raised upwards into the sky. They stopped when they reached about 12 feet tall, and much of the sand fell back down to the ground.

What remained was a labyrinth of hallways leading to rooms ranging from the size of broom closets on the outskirts to the size of a school gymnasium in the center. More rooms than felt possible, but that was because of dimensional shenanigans from the system. The hallways and rooms began to change color as the sand finally started to settle down.

The battle royale wasn’t against each other, though killing other teams did net you some of their points, but against monsters. Just like how it worked outside of the arena, each enemy was worth a different amount of points. Teams who received the most points before time was up would be entered into the Chaos Cup, where they would have a few hours before the tournament started in earnest.

There was no indication of the monsters that would be present in each of the rooms or the hallways, but smart teams would take this time to map out the arena to the best of their abilities. You could always tell who planned things out in the half an hour before things started because teams who had no clue would flounder in the gate, often backtrack aimlessly, and overall score less points.

I was knocked free of my reverie as I saw Kayla walking through the crowds and heading this way. The crowd parted in a strange way, but I was ready to move on so I didn’t look into it. Without waiting I stood up, not bothering to push my chair back in, and started heading towards the exit. My hands worked quickly, folding up the paper into something a little more discreet to pass off.

To her credit, she noticed me stalking towards her immediately. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses, which I noticed weren’t the same as her red-framed pair she had in Etson, as our gazes met. She looked me over once, and then tilted her head in that way she did when she was trying to figure something out. Raising my hand, I Lifted the tightly folded piece of paper off of my glove and Spun it once before letting it fall back down.

Kayla’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t change her approach. While she didn’t understand why I was in disguise, she was smart enough to realize there was probably a reason for it. She’d get an answer eventually, anyway. I held out the paper, ready to give it to her, when I suddenly found myself sailing through the air.

There was a flash of red and blue flannel with high visibility yellow and then I was staring straight up at the ceiling. While surprised, I managed to twist my legs. Instead of landing on my back, the wind knocked out of me, I landed on my feet. That still left me horizontal, however, with my wrist gripped tight by a man I only just now could focus on.

Jeff, who hadn’t previously been there, had thrown me. A part of me was very proud of him. Another part of me regretted giving him that Fae Flannel.

“This Hide In Plain Sight skill is useful,” he chuckled, looking at his wife. “Are you okay, my queen? This masked man didn’t pickpocket you, did he?”

Kayla looked down at me and smirked. “No, hon, he didn’t get a chance to pickpocket me,” she said, amused by the position I was in. “And stop calling me that.”

I wasn’t idle as Jeff was checking in on his wife. While I was still parallel to the ground, I tested his grip. He had clamped down hard, and if I didn’t have such a large Constitution stat I would be worried about bruising. Then I realized he had thrown me despite my stats, and I took notice of his attire.

Jeff still wore his half of the Twinned Rings, the Duelist’s Trousers and Goggles of the Trojan Prince from the Etson safe room, and he was wearing the Fae Flannel that Watermelon Walter had dropped. They must have just got back from shopping, because I saw a few new items on him.

The high visibility vest that covered his flannel shirt made it a wonder that I didn’t spot him coming, but that was the power of Hide in Plain Sight. There were a few magical items like the vest here in Atlanta, and most of them looked the exact same. Without talking to him about it I could only speculate, but they generally increased both Strength and Constitution and had varied effects. I guessed it was something opposite to the flannel so that he could take aggro away from his wife, but that was just speculation.

His wrists and thumbs were wrapped with a black cloth that I did recognize immediately: Wrist Wraps of Powerful Throws. They offered a big boost to Strength, a decent boost to Dexterity, and gave the wearer three different throw skills that were assisted by the system. They each lowered the opponent’s Constitution stat in regards to forced movement resistance, which explained how he was so easily able to toss me. As a duelist who kept one hand free, having a skill like that for his off hand was fantastic.

What really caught my eye, however, was his belt. I had never seen its like before, but I had an inkling of where it came from. It was the same purple as the cord Pustibule had put inside Amlex. It now looked like a thin piece of purple leather with a black buckle on it. Aside from the color, it wasn’t eye-catching by any means; it looked like any other leather belt. It caused my mind to race, however. It meant they had already visited the Monstersmith, Ashley Reilly.

Under normal circumstances, Ash had to take time to make items. This could range from a few hours to days depending on the complexity of the item. With the power of Benedict Merder and his safe zone on her side, what took ages now took anywhere between minutes to hours. Her services were currently only open to those who had entered into the tournaments with MVPs cutting to the front of the line for their first item, which Jeff had clearly taken advantage of.

I thought back to the gauntlet the corrupted queen had dropped.

[[Item]]

Gauntlet of the Corrupted Queen

(Demonic item; +15 Strength, +10 Constitution, Stinger Shot skill acquired, Sword Catcher passive acquired)

While I didn’t imagine the belt was a demonic item, perhaps demonic adjacent but not a flat-out demonic item, it likely gave similar boosts. A +25 total was massive, but it was possible for the Monstersmith. I couldn’t help but wonder if it gave a boost to all three physical stats, or if it imparted some of its indestructibility onto the wearer, or if it-

I shook my head to physically clear my thoughts. “She’s wrong, I did manage to pick her pocket,” I lied, flicking the folded paper from my captured hand to my free one. “But I wasn’t expecting you, big guy. I have to say, I’ll only let you put me on my back if you buy me dinner first.”

A dangerous look flashed in Jeff’s eyes as he held out his hand, his grip on my wrist getting tighter. I knew his grappling skill wouldn’t be over until he let go. “Hand it over.”

“And miss this chance to tussle?” I laughed. “Your grip’s pretty tight. What’s your Strength? High thirties? Low forties?”

“I’m not going to ask again, dude,” Jeff said evenly.

I shifted with the intent to get up, and I was violently thrown again. Jeff lifted me off of the ground in order to slam me back down, but I was ready this time. I grabbed his arm, careful not to drop the paper, and twisted so that I was upright. A shock went up my spine as I landed, but I was standing again.

My pulse was beating fast as I thought about how much Jeff had grown in the past week, and my body moved on its own. I grabbed my captured fist with my other hand and yanked hard while pivoting. His Strength was much higher than my measly 20 since I wasn’t about to pull out the Writhing Belt Whip here, but I managed. I continued to pivot, spinning as I lashed out with a wide kick.

Instead of dodging, Jeff reached up and grabbed my ankle with that same vice grip as he had before. His movements were exactly what I expected from the Wrist Wraps of Powerful Grabs, and he captured my leg under his arm. I twisted again so that he was holding me up and kicked his knee with my free leg. He fell, nearly dropping me, and I grabbed his arm.

He still had my leg, but I managed to lock his arm. If we were anything but two super powered individuals, one or both of us could have been seriously injured during the exchange with broken bones or snapped tendons, but our bodies were made powerful by the Constitution stat and we sat there, staring each other down until Kayla clapped her hands once.

“Alright, Jeff, let the thief go,” she said.

“He stole from you, Kay,” he stated, not taking his eyes off of me.

“And he’s going to give it back instead of causing a scene,” she said, looking down at me. “Isn’t that right, masked stranger?”

I opened my mouth, about to retort, but stopped. My eyes left Jeff’s as I scanned the crowd. Certainly, my plan of being discreet in my dealings with Kayla had been derailed. The Queen’s Knight had turned the whole thing into a spectacle, and my enthusiasm for fighting and seeing something new had gotten the better of me the moment I had been surprised.

“Sure, I’m a mostly reasonable guy,” I said, releasing Jeff from the arm lock and holding up my hands. I offered her the paper. “Here ya go, promise I’ll never steal from this woman in particular ever again unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“It’s never going to be necessary,” Jeff said. He looked up at Kayla, who gave him a flat look, before sighing and letting me go. We both stood up, and he jammed his finger at my face. “Stop stealing shit that doesn’t belong to you.”

“I’ve seen the error of my ways,” I said dramatically, raising a hand to my forehead. “Clearly, this overprotective man, with his ugly belt and flood pants, has shown me, the Warmonger, that there’s another way to live my life! Thank you, errant lumberjack, I’ll take your words to heart and-“

“Didn’t I say something about not causing a scene?” Kayla asked dryly.

“Wow. You cut me off while I was monologuing,” I said, not bothering to mask my exasperation. Throwing my hands in the air, I started walking away. “No sense of the dramatics. This place has no sense of style, none at all.”

Stopping, I turned around and started walking back towards Kayla and Jeff. He went stiff as he watched me approach, and she had already started to unfold the paper. “Don’t mind me, just got a little turned around,” I claimed as I walked past them towards the exit. “Someone decided the punishment for a little light theft was to turn the world upside down.”

“Who the fuck does this guy think he is?” I heard Jeff ask as I walked away.

“I have a feeling we’ll figure that out a little later, hon,” Kayla replied, a little louder than necessary. “For now, he’s just some guy. Let’s eat. We’ll wait for Ant and, if he doesn’t show up, we’ll join Manny.”

“I’m down for that. I could really go for some-“

I smiled as I walked out of earshot. While it may not have been the interaction I had originally planned, it was always good to see my friends.

But now, it was time to visit some Filbins.