Chapter 293

Point Village, Dublin, Ireland - 10:23 AM

Point Village, Dublin, Ireland - 10:23 AM

“So let me see if I have this right.”

“Go for it.”

“You were expecting your ninja pal to get in, but I swooped in and took it from him.”

“That’s right.”

“And that’s after you went through all the trouble of taking him around, dealing with a bunch of different scenarios specifically so he could get in.”

“Went through so much trouble, though I wasn’t as involved as I would have liked. Had my own side quest.”

“Right. And this is my fault, how?”

“That’s my next line of questioning, right there.”

The building we were standing on the edge of rocked, but neither Tony nor I stumbled much. We looked down to see a green, spectral oxen pull itself free from the destruction it had wrought. It didn’t last long as two pistol shots rang out, and the monster disappeared.

Across the street, Jamie and Jerry were still locked in combat. The large man had clearly taken the worst of it so far. His flannel shirt had been torn in several places, he only had use of one of his arms, and there was blood everywhere.

The Weapon Master was better off, but I could tell through our Mental Link that she was starting to flag. This fight was going on much longer than she had anticipated. Even though Jerry fought like the brute he had become, he still did so intelligently. He had superior range when she wasn’t using a gun, and he made sure she had to work to get those hits in. This was the kind of combat experience that Grant, as a Heavy Bruiser, lacked.

“Should we help?” Tony asked again, just like he had when we first walked over to watch the fight.

“Nah, she’s having fun,” I answered, putting my hands on my hips. “He’s just taking a bit more time to take down than she anticipated.”

“Alright, if you say so,” he replied, sounding unsure.

Tony kept glancing at me. Lightning crackled over his fingers, and I could tell from his aura that he was unsure on whether or not he should attack me again or not. Try to catch me off guard. It was an opportunistic mindset, but he seemed at least willing to hear me out for the time being.

And if he decided to be more bold despite seeing the gap between us, then I wouldn’t mind finding another patsy.

I put my hands around my mouth. “He’s going to run!” I shouted to my companion.

Jerry took a step backwards, glaring up at me. The fact that he was having trouble with Jamie coupled with me and Tony no longer fighting was a big red flag. Not only was he smarter than the average MVP, which was how he got this far, but he knew when to call it quits. I could tell from his aura that he was going to flee and try his luck somewhere else. All he had to do was survive, then he could heal up and try again far away from the two of us.

He turned his back to Jamie and began running away. The Weapon Master, having already prepared thanks to my warning, jumped into the air. She activated her jet pack, the Cuirass of Mankind’s Flight, that had been assimilated into her armor. The twin flames pushed her higher while also overtaking the lumberjack. She inhaled deeply.

A cone of blue fire flecked with gold sparks erupted from her mouth. Jerry turned back, likely at the prompting of his Patron, and held his large axe between them in an attempt to block the attack. He disappeared into the flames. Tony took a step back from the almost solid wall of heat that washed over us. The longer she breathed, the hotter it got. The jet pack only worked for thirty seconds at a time, but I could use Flight on her thanks to my Boots of the Warmongering Mystic and kept her airborne.

<<<>>>

[[Ability Augment]]

Shared Flight

You may use Flight on one willing ally within your field of vision. Using this ability in this manner costs twice as many Mental Points as using it on yourself.

<<<>>>

Unlike my own dragon’s breath, which was based on my Mental Points, hers was actually based on lung capacity. Jamie was panting slightly by the time she had to stop, which went on for over forty seconds, and looked down at the destruction she had caused.

The road was melted in a rather large circle. Heat waves roiled off of it, causing the entire area to become hazy to look at. The only thing that kept Jerry’s skill book from becoming a pile of ash was the system itself, and I Lifted it off of the ground because that protection wouldn’t last forever.

Sheathing her scimitar and holstering her pistol, Jamie took the book out of the air, read it, and absorbed the passive inside. She looked down at the ground before glaring at me. “Stop carrying me,” she demanded.

“Damn. Yes, ma’am,” I replied before flying her over towards us.

She landed on the roof with care and looked Tony over. “You get the information on why he’s here instead of Mercury?”

“Not yet. Figured I’d wait for you,” I answered. “Did Jerry drop Cutting Edge?”

Nodding, Jamie tapped on the air in front of her. I saw the Lightning Pugilist’s gaze shift to a text box in front of him and assumed she shared it with the both of us.

<<<>>>

[[Passive]]

Cutting Edge

Slashing weapons you wield become sharper in your hands than in others. They deal 15% more damage and gain 30% more cutting power.

<<<>>>

“Perfect for you,” I said with a nod.

“Sure is,” Jamie said as she pulled a bottle of tea out of her inventory. The moment she started drinking it, her wounds began to heal. By the time she was done, she was fully healthy again. She tossed it back into her inventory and turned to Tony, arms crossed. “I remember you.”

“Only good things, I hope,” he replied.

“No. You were a major pain in the ass,” she said dryly. He frowned. “You kept showing up, but always had something sarcastic to say or thought you knew better. I’d say you’re clearly more skilled than I thought considering you’re here, but this guy barely looks scorched and you still have some bits of roof in your hair so I doubt you gave him much trouble.”

“Ouch, Summers,” I laughed. “Can’t you tone things down a bit? He might be a potential ally.”

Jamie gave me a scathing look. “No.”

“Fair,” I replied, shrugging, before turning to look at Tony. He was angry, and his hands were balled into tight fists. “But, yeah. I know where everyone is. I know what they drop, just like I had with Jerry Moore, there. Believe me, the verbal abuse that Jamie can put out is well worth it for the prizes to be won. Second place in all of America.”

That seemed to placate him a little bit, and the pugilist loosened up. “Why second place instead of third?”

“Because I’m going to get third place,” I told him.

Tony arched an eyebrow at me. “Why?”

“Because I’ve seen it,” I answered, tapping the side of my head. The implication that I knew because I was psychic made him frown, but he nodded. “It’s nothing but a win for you, so are you in?”

I watched as Tony seemed to war with himself. On one hand, it hurt his pride that we would essentially be giving him a victory like this. On the other, his self confidence was already demolished by the fact that both of us were much stronger than he was, and he knew it. At this point, it was indisputable no matter how much his ego wanted to argue against it.

“Fine,” he sighed. “Since it seems like that’s the only good option, I’ll throw in with you two.”

“Smart,” Jamie stated.

“Welcome to the team, friend,” I said, patting him on the back. “Now, how did you end up getting so many MVPs that you ended up here instead of Mercury?”

Tony shrugged. “I went out and I got them.”

I frowned. “Yes, obviously. But what pushed you to do that?”

The Lightning Pugilist worked his jaw before answering. “Not long after you killed Greg and his guild scattered, Shakespeare At The Frick fell apart. We had worked our way back up the Pittsburgh leaderboard with a chance to go to number one without the jagoff’s pet cult getting in the way, and then the fighting started. It was all petty shit, too. Nothing substantial, but we were all at each other’s throats.”

“Why?” I asked.

Tony sighed. “Unknown Patron, man,” he answered. I shared a glance with Jamie, which didn’t go unnoticed. “Do you know who it was?”

“Possibly,” I said before gesturing for him to keep going.

“This was before I found Hé-no—or he found me, I guess—but we were all ready to get a Patron, and they knew a lot about the Pitt,” Tony continued, crossing his arms. “Things were pretty good at the time until we started getting into fights.”

“About the little things.”

“Yeah. Real petty shit, like I said,” he confirmed with a nod. “Nobody said it out loud, but I know I received messages from the Unknown Patron that kind of needled me and pushed me away from my friends. Like they were the ones getting ready to backstab me, you know?”

“They sought to sow discord in your guild,” I stated.

“That’s what I’ve realized, yeah. It took a couple of weeks, but we all went our separate ways until it was just me left,” he said before lowering his head. “We weren’t the biggest guild with only nine people, but I still can’t believe we let ourselves be played like that. Especially since the asshole kept messaging me afterwards.”

“What did he say?” I asked.

“He?” Tony asked in return. “So you do know who it is?”

“Yes. I can’t tell you more because there’s a lot going on, but I need to know what happened next,” I told him firmly.

He swallowed, but nodded. “He told me that I didn’t need the guild. That I’d be better off without them. And then, he told me I was the top contender for being his avatar. I was in a dark place at the time, mostly thanks to him, so I asked him what he needed me to do.”

“Gather MVP Tokens,” Jamie said.

“That’s right,” Tony replied. “The jagoff led me out of Pittsburgh to a bunch of struggling and empty towns and cities that needed help. It felt good, winning all those scenarios. Saving people. Being recognized. I felt better than I did back in Pittsburgh, at least. Back when I was surrounded by people who would leave just because there was a chance for a little more power.”

I nodded. Helping others should have been its own reward, but I wasn’t about to proselytize now. Especially not when one of my long time companions was a literal mercenary at the start of the system and said companion was standing right there.

Remembering back to what Baltastasia had said, I nodded to the Lightning Pugilist. “What happened after you hit 13 accolades?” I asked.

“You know I— No, of course you know all this shit,” Tony said, barking a laugh. “After that, the Unknown Patron completely disappeared. No more messages, no more quests, no more guidance. Hé-no found me after that, took… pity on me, I guess, and he’s been a great help ever since.”

Nodding, I mulled over what he had said. It wasn’t clear why Aaron had stopped after Tony had gotten 13 MVPs, but it was more than Mercury ever got before going to the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion. Perhaps he thought it was a safe enough number, or maybe he had been spying and thought it was high enough before we entered the Emperor’s Ascent.

It was clear that this was something Aaron had done on purpose, though. He was actively trying to sabotage me, even if he couldn’t do it directly. Tony didn’t seem to have any extra information, such as an order to kill me on sight. It would have been hard to do, though, considering the Fallen had the same restrictions as Sara in regards to talking about other Angels.

“Anything else that strikes you as odd in hindsight?” I asked, wanting to cover all the bases.

Tony thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. “He had a mean streak to him, but nothing really comes to mind.”

Sensing no deception in his aura or his tone, I looked up towards the sky.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Quest Complete!]]

I’ve already questioned Hé-no, and they’re claiming they found Tony on a whim. They weren’t manipulated or directed towards him, and this is the first time he’s heard most of the information his avatar is telling you. It’s hard to tell given we’re communicating through text, but I don’t think the Patron is lying.

You’ve figured it out and managed to get someone on your side, just in case things go south. Still, be careful; we both can tell just how far Tony’s loyalty will go.

Reward: 15,000 points.

<<<>>>

“Thanks, Sara,” I said aloud.

“Your Patron’s name is Sara?” Tony asked, arching an eyebrow.

“We’ve all asked that,” Jamie sighed.

“And the answer has always been yes,” I said before retrieving a large, golden ring from my inventory. “Alright, game plan. Summers, take Tony up towards Maine and take over all of the obelisks you see. Who gets them should alternate between the two of you. I only have a handful taken over, so that pace should put him over my count.”

“Sounds easy enough,” she replied with a nod. “What should we do after that?”

“Cut west for the Great Lakes region and snap those up. Everything east of Indiana should be clear if the intel I have is still right. Snake north and south after that, looking for new obelisks,” I finished. “Any questions?”

“What should I do if this guy—” She gestured towards Tony with a tilt of her head. “—Decides he doesn’t want to play nice anymore.”

“What comes natural, I suppose,” I answered before he could respond.

With a predatory grin, Jamie showed off her teeth. I hadn’t really cared to notice before, but they were slightly pointed now, looking more befitting of a Half-Dragon. “Sounds good to me, Franklin,” she said, accepting his fate. “Come along, Tony. We’ve got work to do.”

Taking a step backwards, she fell off of the side of the building, landing unharmed on the ground. He gave me a look, and I shrugged before gesturing to him that he really should follow. Sighing, Tony also jumped down to follow her. I waited until the Mental Link broke of its own accord, an act that didn’t cause any discomfort, before looking at the halo in my hand.

<<<>>>

[[Patron Message]]

What’s the plan, Ant?

<<<>>>

“Since all you can do is tell me where not to go, I figured I’d get myself someone who could probably sniff them out,” I said before snapping away the message.

Closing my eyes, I held the halo up high. It disappeared as its owner was summoned. A beam of light fell from the sky right in front of me. The Angel in question, a Power with only two wings, flew down it, ready for battle.

Glaraphel, an inquisitor, landed on the ground in front of me. He wore white and gold plate armor and wielded a flaming short sword. Normally, he knelt whenever he was summoned, spouting out his name, title, and accolades in the Heavenly army, but now I only sensed fury.

“Fallen,” Glaraphel snarled with all the righteous fury in the world, barely paying me any mind at all. Flexing his wings, he took off with enough force to break the ground underneath him.

“Huh,” I said. With raised eyebrows, I stared after him before shrugging. “Looks like he’s already got the scent.”

I had expected quick results, but this kind of efficiency was nice. With a running leap, I flew after him. Now that we were on the right track for me to get the results I wanted out of the Star Spangled Shadow Invasion, it was time to kick the shit out of whoever Aaron thought was enough to challenge me.