Chapter 125

The Warmonger Suites, Champion’s Rest, Atlanta - 11:00 AM

I awoke to the sound of knocking on the door, and glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Jamie,“ I muttered to myself when I noticed the time. Stretching, I slipped off of the bed, put my mask on, and slid into my shoes before opening the door.

To my surprise, it wasn’t just Jamie on my doorstep. The Dunbar Runners were here with Kayla and Jeff. I noted in satisfaction that the Double Agent was wearing the gloves I had given her. Nearly everyone looked awkward except the Weapon Master, who was standing ramrod straight.

“You have guests, so I won’t keep you long,“ Jamie stated, all business. “Is your offer still on the table?“

“It is,“ I confirmed, crossing my arms and leaning against the door frame. “After the event today I’ll be fighting a psychic monster called an Uuska. I’ll be leaving almost immediately after that.“

“And where are you going?“ she asked.

“Pittsburgh.“

“What for?“

“I’ve been told there’s an undead problem,“ I answered honestly. “Most of the city’s been swallowed up, creating a dungeon underneath, and there’s something apocalyptic down there that my Patron would be mighty glad to have cleared up.“

“What kind of undead?“

“All types, but zombies are the most prevalent.“

Jamie thought about this for a moment before nodding. “Hazard pay?“

I snorted. “Everything’s hazardous, but I’ll pay you two grand in points a week. You’ll also have access to various resources you won’t have here, such as craft workers, potion makers, guild resources, and VIP seating at the auction house. Not all of them immediately, however; some of those I’ll have to work for, but they’ll come if you stick around long enough. Plus, information from my Patron about quests, items, and more.“

Once again, Jamie thought about it. Her face remained stern, but I already knew how she would answer. “Two grand’s a bit low, don’t you think? Branson’s offered me more than that. Make it four.“

“Three. And he’s barely going to deliver what you’ve been promised,“ I countered. “I’m very confident that the perks coming with the job will make everything well worth your while. Plus, after the scenario concludes, if you still want to stick around, you can. I won’t pay after that, but you may just want to stay based on the benefits.“

This time, Jamie snorted. “We’ll see. I’ll consider your offer. When do you need an answer by?“

“If you see me fighting the Uuska, your time is pretty much up,“ I answered. Holding up a finger to have her wait a moment, I walked back into the room and quickly wrote an address on a notepad. I returned and gave it to her. “My vehicle is parked here. I have a way to get there very quickly, and I’ll wait for about an hour or so. If you’re serious, come here after my fight.“

Taking it from me, Jamie gave it a quick read before placing it into her inventory. “Got it. Then, good luck today,“ she said, holding her hand out. I shook it. “I won’t be taking it easy on you.“

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.“ I grinned, not that she could see it, and I watched her turn and walk away. Jamie didn’t even bother looking at the others as she passed. The moment she entered the elevator and the doors closed, I was bombarded with questions.

“You’re hiring Jamie?“

“What was that all about?“

“I thought you said we weren’t going to fight that weird thing?“

“It’s nice to see all of you, too,“ I said cheerfully before waving to Joanna specifically. “Glad you’ve gotten better.“

“Oh, yeah, thanks,“ she said, nodding and giving me a thumbs up. “Back in peak condition. What was that about you fighting the Uuska?“

Stepping back, I gestured them inside. “Come on, let’s not discuss this in the hallway.“

“And I’ve got something important to say,“ Ramona announced before breaking from the group and entering the room.

Everyone else filed in, taking a seat where they could. While Ramona might have been as spirited as ever, I could tell that the rest of the Runners were still awkward about being here.

That made sense. The entire event that made our relationship was about to end in a huge fight with me as the enemy. I was sure they had conflicted feelings about interacting with me before the match.

“How are you feeling?“ I asked, tilting my head at Manny.

He opened his mouth to answer, but Ramona spoke first. “He’s doing much better. Less snappy, though he’s droopier than before. He’ll bounce back.“

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thanks, Emmanuel,“ I said. “That’s really helpful coming from your mouth in your own words.“

“Yes, you were a big help,“ Ramona said, talking over her brother again. “So we really wanted to thank you for that, Anthony.“

The Runners all turned to look at Ramona while Kayla and Jeff looked at each other. They both shook their heads at before giving me sidelong glances. I couldn’t help but start laughing.

Dramatically, I reached up to my mask. Everyone’s attention snapped towards me, but I kept my gaze fixated on Ramona’s smug face, and I removed the Kingtin’s Foil.

“You’re really Anthony,“ Manny muttered, prompting Tito and Joanna to glance at him in surprise. They had seen me from a distance before, but hadn’t interacted with us back in the park. “I thought you said you had a class that was all about logistics and information gathering.“

“My Patron is very secretive, and I’m not supposed to advertise how I know things,“ I answered plainly with a shrug. “Though I’m curious how Ramona figured it out.“

Ramona jerked her thumb in Jeff’s direction. “You can thank this guy.“

“What?“ Jeff asked, looking from Ramona, to me, and then his wife. “I didn’t say anything.“

“It wasn’t what you said, it was what you did,“ she answered enthusiastically. “When we took that portal thing before, you went through before Queen Kayla did.“

“Please, stop,“ Kayla requested with a sigh.

“Never,“ Ramona retorted before pointing a finger at me. “Jeff was overprotective of just me when I went to be his substitute manager, what do you think he’d do for his wife? Huh? He left her there with you all alone, and didn’t even look worried about it when she didn’t come out immediately. The Jeff I knew would fret, or more likely, go last. So, you must have been Anthony. And, of course, I was right.“ The manager raised her hand like she was holding a microphone and let it go.

Silence filled the room for a few seconds before Tito spoke. “You got all that from Jeff leaving Kayla with Warmo- with Anthony for just a few seconds?“ he asked, bemused.

“Hey, I’m your manager for a reason, Uncle Tito,“ she responded roughly, crossing her arms. “This is just the kind of thing that makes me well suited for a position of authority over everyone else.“

“Well, it doesn’t much matter now, anyway,“ I said, waving a hand with a smile. “Good work, Ramona.“

“What I don’t know is why you decided to change your identity,“ Ramona responded. “Care to share?“

“Mix of things, really,“ I replied. “I’m a glitch, which means the administrators only see me when I’m physically with them or, like, on television or something. I don’t want them to know my face, and I don’t want them to be curious about Kayla and Jeff, people who arrived with me, when I became prominent. If I was just another person, they wouldn’t care and neither would I, but I’m the Warmonger. So, gotta protect them.“

I scratched the back of my head and continued. “Plus, I’m kind of in the middle of pissing off this mobster wannabe loan shark and only having to take care of Howard made things easier,“ I admitted. “His name’s Jacob Branson, and he’s the manager for Jamie’s team and has a few of his lackeys running other teams. Their whole thing was that they were going to fix the Chaos Cup, and they’re pretty dangerous. But, soon they’ll be broke, fading away to obscurity until somebody else puts them in their place.“

“So you just waltz in, pick a fight with the biggest dude in town, grab the attention of the administrators, and waltz right out without explanation after kicking everyone’s ass?“ Joanna asked.

“That’s pretty much it,“ I said, nodding.

“Respect.“

“Joanna,“ Tito chastised.

“What?“ she asked, turning to look at him. “I’ve said the Warmonger’s pretty classy from the moment I saw him in front of the Monstersmith’s place. Then he threw me off a mountain, but he was still pretty classy even then.“

Tito sighed as Manny shook his head. “Alright, so revelations aside, we actually did come here for a reason,“ he said, looking everyone on his team in the eyes before returning to me. “What’s going on with the thing down below?“

“We’ve been wondering that, too, Ant,“ Kayla spoke. She had reached over and taken her husband’s hand, and was now leaning against him.

I nodded, gathering my thoughts for a few moments before answering. “So, Frastina approached Howard and I after some of Branson’s men tried to stop us from entering our manager’s suite,“ I said.

“You mean the announcement lady?“ Ramona asked. “From before the Chaos Cup started, I mean. The one who did all the afternoon announcements.“

“Yes. She invited us to dinner after last night's event, and there we discussed the change in the games.“

“I bet Benedict was pissed,“ Manny said.

“He probably is, but he also wasn’t there,“ I informed with a shrug. “Frastina’s leagues above Benedict Merder, so he doesn’t really have a choice but to go along with what she wants. And what she wants is for me to fight all of you. Probably so the Uuska can get more data.“

“And you want that because…?“ Jeff asked.

“Because, aside from the CDC quest, the Uuska is my entire reason for being here,“ I answered. “Sure, the Chaos Cup is lucrative, but the Uuska is very dangerous and it will cause a lot of death and collateral damage before it’s taken out. I can do it.“

Manny opened his mouth, no doubt to retort something about my fighting prowess, but closed it with a scowl. “So you got yourself a fight with all of us and a fight with that thing?“

“It was one of my conditions for becoming their raid boss,“ I confirmed with a nod. “Win or lose against all of you, I’m considered the winner, and after a resting period I’ll be fighting the Uuska one on one.“

“Define resting period,“ Tito requested.

“I can’t. Probably about five to ten seconds, knowing the administrators.“

“Okay. You said that thing watches us and learns,“ Joanna said, sitting up straighter. “Do you have the power to take that down?“

“Don’t tell me you’ve been holding back this whole time,“ Manny sighed.

I grinned sheepishly. “I’ve still got a few tricks up my sleeve,” I admitted. “But it has only watched a few matches from the Chaos Cup and two half-tournaments from the Safe Arm Arena, so it’s still young. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

“We’ll take it easy on-“

“Don’t you dare,“ I said quickly and sternly. “You guys are the runners up for this whole thing. It doesn’t matter who lasts the longest, but how well you do. I expect each of you to come at me as hard as you can. I want to see you guys get second place and move on to the next event, whenever that is in the future. Don’t muck it up just because you’re sentimental.“

“Done,“ Ramona said as the others hesitated. “Don’t worry, Anthony, I’ll make sure they’re in tip top shape.“

“Thanks, Ramona,“ I told her honestly. “You’re the second best manager in the safe zone, I know you’ll knock some sense into them.“

Ramona made a strangled noise. “Second best? Who do you possibly think could be better than me?“ she asked, seriously affronted. Jeff raised his hand high and pointed down to his wife the same time I did. “Well, that’s just about our cue to leave, isn’t it? Or are we just going to take this?“

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her outrage. She really did think highly of herself. “I’ve got to make it to Howard, anyway. We've got a few things to discuss before the event.“ I paused. “Though, Kayla and Jeff, if I could get you guys to stay behind?“

“Sure thing,“ Jeff said immediately.

Manny stood up, and his other team members did so seconds after. He seemed to struggle with himself for a moment as Ramona pushed towards the door, but ended up turning to face the Mills. “I understand why you’d want to keep Anthony’s secret,“ he said. “So if you two want to come and hang out with Ramona for the last event, feel free. You’ve both been a good influence on her.“

“Hey!“ Ramona shouted from the hallway. “I heard that!“

“Good, you brat,“ Manny replied swiftly.

“We will,“ Kayla said with a laugh. “You guys should go on ahead, though, and we’ll meet you there.“

After a few unhurried goodbyes, I shut the door so that the Mills and I were alone. The first thing Jeff did was grab me in a giant bear hug, and I reciprocated.

“It’s good to see you, too,“ I said with a chuckle.

“You’ve been doing great out there,“ Jeff said as he put me down. “Are you sure you’re going to be good?“

“It’ll end well enough,“ I reassured him. “I’m feeling really good today. Skipped a few things to make sure I was well rested, but I’m satisfied with my condition and state of mind.“

“You haven’t seemed to be going battle crazy lately,“ Kayla noted. “Is that calming down?“

“A little bit,“ I said, waving my hand back and forth in a wishy washy gesture. “It’ll probably flare up in this match, if I’m being honest. One against forty two is big odds, even for me. Not everyone is worth worrying about, but there’s something to be said about numbers. Then there’s Jamie, Manny, that damn cannon. A lot could go wrong.“

“But you’re confident,“ Jeff stated.

“Gotta be, when you’re me,“ I answered. I walked away from the two so that I could write a letter on the notepad. “How about you guys?“

“Kind of disappointed I'm going to be forfeiting from the tournament since we're leaving soon,“ Jeff said with a sigh. “But we're committed to the cause.“

“Yeah, if the Chaos Cup is going to be cut down, then we couldn't possibly ask you to stay until we're done,“ Kayla agreed.

“We'll just have to join forces when the Warmonger gets called back to action, if you'll have me,“ I said with a chuckle.

“That sounds great. I was hesitant at first, but your tournament looks a lot more fun than mine,“ Jeff said. “But what are you writing?“

“I have a very important request. Two, actually.“

“Just name it, boss.“

“We’re taking Ashley, the Monstersmith, with us when we leave,“ I said, speaking as I wrote. “She’s from Boston, but she’s stuck here and wants to go home. I offered her a ride with us on the caveat that we’re going to spend some time in Pittsburgh before we drop her off. She hasn’t agreed yet because I haven’t spoken to her since that first time, but she took care of Manny on my request and I know she’ll come.“

“You also invited Jamie along,“ Kayla stated, and I noted the disapproving tone in her voice. “Going to pay her, as well. Is that supposed to happen?“

“Yes. I have you two, but I’ve almost always headed to Pittsburgh with Jamie in tow,“ I answered. “She’ll warm up to everyone eventually, and she’ll teach you how to fight with daggers when we’ve got down time.“

“I’d rather learn from you,“ she said quietly.

“I understand, but I’m going to be busy,“ I replied apologetically. “We’ve got a lot of work there. I fully expect to fight the Uuska, like, immediately after the match. That’s the kind of attitude the administrators have. It means we’ll have more time than usual in Pittsburgh, but that time can be filled with stuff I wouldn’t normally be able to do. Like becoming the first guild to open.“

“Guilds?“ Jeff asked, perking up.

“Yeah, I’ll explain it on the way,“ I said as I finished writing the note. Turning around, I handed it to Kayla and snapped open my menu. “Don’t mention my name, just let her read the note. She’ll probably want to go with you, but you can still hang with Ramona. She’ll have questions but I’m sure you can handle them.“

Kayla read through the note quickly before nodding to herself and putting it in her inventory. “You’ve got it, psychic boy.“

“I appreciate it,“ I said, still navigating through my menu. “The second thing that I need you to do is buy me a camera. Anything that can produce instant photos will do, but it’ll have to come with everything.“

Finishing with the menu screen, I saw Kayla’s eyebrow raise as I sent her 2,000 points. “I think that might be overkill,“ she stated, but accepted. “Something important, I’m guessing?“

“Absolutely vital,“ I confirmed. I pulled them both into a hug. “Now, I’ve got to go find Howard and talk with him. You two be safe, and I’ll see you later.“

“You, too, boss,“ Jeff replied.

“Extra safe, psychic boy,“ Kayla said.

With a smile, I let them go and ushered them to the elevator. As I replaced the Kingtin’s Foil, I started heading towards the room Howard had claimed when a screen popped up.

[[Patron Message]]

He’s not in the hotel. I took a look around while you were talking, and it seems like he’s already in the manager’s suite. It’s hard to see him, though, as if the whole room is blurry. I think the administrators might have done something.

I’m worried, so be very cautious. Very.

Sincerely,

Sara

Stopping, I turned around and waited for the elevator so that I could leave for Merder Stadium. “Thanks, Sara, I appreciate the head’s up.“

Once I walked through the lobby, ignoring the other contenders, and stepped outside I was greeted by a large crowd. They immediately started chanting at the sight of me. “Embrace! Chaos!“ they repeated over and over again. I raised my arms and chanted with them, hamming it up for show.

It was slow going, but I kept moving. The crowd parted for me, but everyone wanted something. Whether it was a wave, or a meow, or even signing an autograph, I obliged. There were some hecklers who were upset that the Chaos Cup was ending early, but they were few and far between. The people were wrapped up in the mysterious Warmonger, and it felt good to get all this positive attention.

By the time I had made it to the stadium doors, I had spent several minutes placating the people. A few of them opened the doors for me, and I walked through into relative peace. There were still a lot of people here, but I was able to swiftly wheel through to the stairs and ascend to the right floor.

As I walked into the manager’s suite, Howard was there just as Sara said he would be. He was standing in front of the window, hands on his hips, and looking down at the arena. I joined him.

Down below was a massive stone structure not unlike a Mayan pyramid. Three of the sides had staircases bisecting the large steps that made up the rest of the structure. At the top was a large room dominated by a throne on top of a silver disc. That looked like where I was going to spawn, and I noticed that the other fifteen discs were divided evenly in front of the stairs. My opponents would have a climb to reach me, but that wouldn’t be a problem for anyone but Bill.

I frowned at that. This setup would make the Glass Cannon all but useless unless they bought him a lot of time. He might try to collapse the roof on me, but I wasn’t sure if it could be angled that high up. Something to think about later, for sure.

“You doing okay?“ Howard asked, though he didn’t look at me.

“I’m doing just fine,“ I answered. “How about you? Did Frastina drill you down last night?“

“Man, I wish,“ he said with a nervous chuckle. “Wait, you mean, like interrogation, didn’t you? No, it was a… pleasant evening.“

“Well, I’m glad someone had fun,“ I said with a snort.

“Yeah, it seemed like you weren’t very happy, but she gave you what you wanted,“ he replied. “I mean, aside from the stupid stuff you asked for.“

“Stupid?“ I asked, turning to look at him.

“The overpowered stuff, I mean,“ he said quickly. “She mentioned that your Patron had to know you wouldn’t get them. She was kind of miffed, actually.“

“Good,“ I said slowly, though I didn’t take my eyes off of Howard. He turned away, and I reached over and grabbed him on the shoulder to turn him towards me. My manager wouldn’t meet my eyes. “What happened?“

“Nothing happened. I don’t know what you’re-“

“You know we don’t have time for this,“ I said loudly, causing him to flinch. “What happened?“

“I was distracted, and I wasn’t fully paying attention, and-“ Howard took a breath. “I may have signed some bad paperwork…“

“Howard,“ I said through gritted teeth. “What. Did. You. Do?“

“Well, you know how raid bosses, are, well, raid bosses?“ I stared at him, not giving him an answer, and he took a step back. “Well, you see, apparently, um, when you get down to it, you’re going to have more health and defense and reduced cooldowns, but, see… You’re not… protected.“

“In what way?“ I asked, taking a step towards him.

“She distracted me, okay!“ he yelled, putting his hands in the air. “You know that’s my weakness! Frastina’s tall, and sophisticated-“

“Howard.“

“-and, like, the voice! It’s all really hot. She kept leaning over and- my eyes, they wander, and-“

“Howard!“

“-I just want you to know it’s not my fault!“ he shouted. “I’m a victim here, just like you! She used me! If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s yours for leaving me there alone!“

I reached out, and he flinched away from me. Not caring about that, I grabbed his shoulder and got a firm grasp on him. “Tell me,“ I said, my patience gone. “What are you talking about?“

“Raid bosses aren’t protected from death like the players are,“ he spat out, not out of anger but because he couldn’t help but spew words. “It was a part of the paperwork and she distracted me and I didn’t see it and I signed it and now you could die down there and-“

Releasing his shoulder, I slapped him gently across the face. He stopped, staring at me, uninjured but unsure what to make of my gesture. “Howard,“ I started, trying to keep my voice as even as I possibly could. It was hard, but I managed. “You just signed away my life.“

“Well, you should have been there!“ he shouted again. “All I’m supposed to do is place bets and-“

“Speaking of,“ I interrupted, and he immediately stopped. “The points, everything you made, hand them over.“

“… What?“ he asked, sounding like he couldn’t believe his ears.

“All of the points you won,“ I repeated before pointing upwards. “And don’t stiff me, because I’ll know.“

“But you could die out there and lose everything!“ he shouted.

I snapped my fingers, and he cringed but immediately got to work. After every thing that happened, I had to hold in a sigh. I knew that there was a possibility of him betraying me, he was too self-serving and cowardly for anything else, but I also thought I was safe in this run. That I had given him enough that he would at least play along until the end of the Chaos Cup.

Allowing myself that sigh, I shook my head to try to clear it. This wasn’t the same kind of betrayal that I knew before. This was all Frastina’s doing, not Branson’s. I couldn’t expect much from him against an administrator if I couldn’t expect him to hold himself up against a player with just a little bit more power. It didn’t stop me from being pissed off, though.

Already knowing what I would find, I walked to the door and tried to open it. It was locked, so I attempted to kick it down. The door didn’t even rattle.

“Can you send messages?“ I whispered into the air, but Sara didn’t respond. Frastina or Benedict had to have locked the place down.

“I’m going to assume your name is this weird one that makes my eyes hurt,“ Howard said.

[[Points Transfer]]

Player [Howard Cooper] wants to send you 46,571 points. Do you accept?

Yes

No

“You were right,“ I answered. The number was close to what I expected, even if he tried to hide some from me. If the Chaos Cup had been allowed to go on, it would have gotten exponentially higher, but that was before Frastina threw wrenches into my plans. I hit Yes, and sent him a request back for 6,571 points.

“You’re still paying me?“ he asked incredulously. “Even though you could die?“

“A deal is a deal. Just consider yourself lucky I believe that you didn’t do this on purpose,“ I said. “Now take it, sit down, and shut up.“

Howard nodded meekly before accepting the points and walking to the chair. I turned to face the window, hands behind my back. Benedict Merder’s voice rang through the stadium, but I felt a million miles away.