by Tao Wong
As we walk, Harry appears from the crowd of bystanders, joining our little procession.
“And where were you?” I say.
“Right here.”
I blink, then memory comes flashing back. He’s right—the damn reporter was right there. As he was not directly involved, his Skill made him disappear from my perception. “Of course. I forgot. Useful Skill.”
“It sure is.”
As Mikito falls in and Oi’s team flanks us, I can’t help but wonder what the Captain could use help with. Certainly not something easy.
Chapter 6
Meeting rooms. Why is it always meeting rooms? Seriously, I get stuck in them more often than I’d like. Even after I’ve given up my position as a settlement owner, I seem fated to end up in these rooms. And while it might be a Galactic meeting room, beyond a table and chairs that morph to fit their users, it’s no different from any other meeting room. In other words, stifling and boring.
“So are you going to tell me off?” I say, cocking an eyebrow and playing dumb.
“Consider yourself told off,” Oi says with a world-weary tone, waving as if dismissing the topic. I’m a little surprised, at least until he continues. “Just try not to start any more fights.”
“Me? Never. But I do have some trouble-making friends,” I say.
“Hey!” Mikito crosses her arms and glares at me. “I don’t start fights.”
“Just end them,” I say, recalling the poor Naga. “Thanks for the assist, by the way.”
“Of course. It’s my duty.” A smile twitches Mikito’s lips. “Also, I can’t let you have all the fun.”
“Why don’t you just kick John off the station?” Harry asks with a frown.
“I would if I could,” Oi says, “but he did nothing wrong. We might be pirates, but there are rules. If we break them to favor anyone, our reputation will go down. And in something like this, even if most people will think it’s justifiable…”
“You know he’s going to cause even more trouble. And he’s just a Paladin,” Harry says, pushing.
“That’s why it’s even more important,” Oi says. “Everyone here is an outcast for one reason or another. Some are real Pirates. But others are those who don’t want to play by the Galactic Council’s rules. Or who have angered someone in power. We’re all unwanted in the greater society. Spaks was built on the foundation that everyone—everyone—is accepted here until they break our rules. And you’ve yet to break any rule that would have you banned.”
I blink, sitting back and staring at Oi and the rest of their team. It’s… weird. But I can see their point. The Galactic Council, the System, it’s broken. In so many ways. The society that’s been created because of it, with the powers that make entire worlds nothing more than playthings, resources to be exploited, is intrinsically corrupt. Those with Credits, those born into powerful families or organizations have a leg up over everyone else. They get more chances to Level up, fight more monsters, buy more Skills. Corporations might be limited to some extent, but they find ways around it, forming Guilds and taking over empires on the backend. Debt-slavery is common, gaeas and serfdom an easy way to build one’s power base. There are opportunities, but most of them involve throwing yourself into the middle of a Dungeon World and hoping to come out ahead.
No surprise that some people—outcasts and rebels—stand against it. But…
“Sounds a bit idealistic,” I say.
“It’s also practical. Spaks might be the largest of such stations, but we’re only so because of our reputation. With Skills and the hyperspace routes, it wouldn’t take much for other stations to overtake us,” I Shao chimes in. Instead of sitting, the crystal being stands, apparently unable to bend in that manner. “Our reputation for fairness and accepting everyone is also our shield against the Council. Our supporters in the Council, those who still feel that it can be changed from within, will protect the station so long as we are ‘idealistic’ if you will.”
I wave, deciding to dismiss the topic. Whatever the reason, it’s good enough for me that they aren’t going to toss us out immediately. The rest of it is politics, and that can be dealt with by others.
“With all that said. How do I get you off my station faster?” Oi says.
That question makes me pause. Normally we would never be in a station for long—get the ship fixed, get the details of our latest target from Katherine, do some preliminary research, then we’re off. Harry would pull together more information from the Shop and his contacts, getting us the background we needed to ask the right questions. Staying still, staying in a fixed location, was dangerous. On the other hand, staying in transit, bouncing from random point to random point in hyperspace, made it hard for others to find us.
Now… well, now I had no target. No plan for the future. I’d had one before—or at least, if not a plan, a question. Then the Galactics and their damn games happened and I found myself forced into this new role. Forced to play Galactic boogeyman. Strange how life changes on you. How, for all your plans and beliefs, all your good intentions, you often ended up taking random diversions. For weeks, months, sometimes years. If you were lucky though, you ended up back on the main thoroughfare of your life, back to doing what you intended to.
“Can’t say we’ll be getting off Spaks,” Ali says, cutting in when the silence drags on. “But we do need passage into the third ring.”
“The third ring?” I Shao scoffs. “You might as well ask for the moon. We can barely go that deep on official business.”
“But you can get us into the next ring,” Ali says.
“We’d have to raise your reputation with a few Quests,” Oi says.
“What in the thousand hells? Why’d we want to go deeper?”
In reply, Ali dumps a notification.
Land of the Forbidden
Headquarters of the “Forbidden Questors,” the Land of the Forbidden contains the archives and meeting points for this heretical branch of Questors. While their theories and conjectures are outlandish and stress previously disproved hypotheses, their research on the System Quest has been known to allow stalled Questors to improve their completion rates. As such, their continued existence and research branch is—reluctantly—approved by most Questors.
Location: Third ring of the pirate station Spaks
“The System Quest? I thought you hated that damned thing,” I send to Ali.
“I do. But I’m beginning to crave some quiet research time,” Ali replies. “You might be used to all this killing, but a few weeks of not getting banished would be nice.”
My eyebrows draw down in a frown, but I can’t dispute the idea that quiet time might be nice. And the idea of a bunch of heretical Questors is intriguing.
“Looks like we’re grinding rep,” I say to Oi.
“I find it strange that a Paladin would want to raise his reputation with us Pirates,” Oi says.
“Firstly, not your usual Paladin,” I say. “Secondly, as you said, not all of you are Pirates. And frankly, it seems like you guys have worked out some way of getting along. Mostly. I’d prefer it if you didn’t do the entire pirating thing, but so long as you don’t try it on me or anyone I know, it ain’t any skin off my back.”
“Not your usual Paladin?” I Shao says. Crystalline eyebrows twitch in a way that I can only relate as a smirk. “Sounds exactly like a Paladin of Erethra to me. They never care unless it affects their people.”
I tilt my head in consideration as I recall my mentor. Somehow, the image I Shao paints and the Paladin I knew don’t line up. But really, what do I say? That she’s wrong? That her view on things is incorrect? Just because I have first-hand experience, I’m not entirely sure it invalidates her own knowledge. Not as if I’ve ever really dealt with the other Paladins.
“What? You think the great and mighty Paladins are bastions of morality? They’re just like the rest of us, caring only about themselves. But they get to trumpet being on the side of right,” I Shao says.
; “Moving on,” Mikito says to Oi. “Do you have a quest for us?”
“I might have a job that needs completing. Two in fact. There’s a ship leaving soon that needs another Master Class on it,” Oi says.
“Needs?”
“For the insurance payout, of course.”
“No.”
Oi smirks, as if he knew that was the answer. “The other job pays better in reputation but is a lot more dangerous.”
“Go on,” I say.
Oi leans in, dropping his voice to a whisper. “We’re going to assault the fourth ring.”
“Pardon?” I cock my head, not sure I heard properly.
Ali smirks, arms crossing, obviously having known about this. It must be why he set up all this. Question is how he learnt of it, but the Spirit is surprisingly resourceful at times.
“There are two ways to enter a deeper ring as an administrator,” Oi says, raising his fingers. “Firstly, make your own station so successful, you’re making more than an inner station. Doing so means you’ll automatically be promoted to the station you overtook. You’ll also be able to bring a large number of your people and the captain—or captains—who helped improve your finances with you.
“Secondly, you launch an assault and take a station. Of course, if you fail…” Oi makes a gill ripping out gesture with his hands before smacking his hands together, which I’m assuming is his version of throat-slitting. “No one wants a failed rebellious captain in play.”
“And those who join them?” I say.
“Well, it depends. For direct subordinates”—Oi gestures to his party—“they’ll be put to death too. Those hired are generally spared, because mercenaries are mercenaries. Everyone knows not to trust them. Though…” Oi eyes us and smiles. “Well, that’s not always the case.”
“Like, say, a Paladin?” I snort. Joy. So he wants us to help him attempt a rebellion that may, or may not, work. I could grind reputation some other way. The gods know how long that’d take though—what with no one actually wanting to talk to us. “What do we get out of this?”
Oi smiles, leaning forward. “Well, let’s talk.”
Details about the fourth station they’re targeting are easy enough to get. Living in such close quarters means information security is pretty much nonexistent. Everything from basic security measures to force numbers and distribution is all laid out. The biggest problem is the single Master Class on the fourth station we’re targeting. I’m a little surprised there’s only one, but it seems the real powers sit in the third layer and beyond. The fifth and fourth layers are left for Advanced Classers to play around in.
“I’ve never heard of this Class before,” I say, frowning at the jumble of words that have appeared before me. It’s the closest thing to a translation the System can offer, but it’s a phonetic translation. With a waggle of his fingers, Ali makes it change and my jaw drops. “Dragon Lord?”
“It’s the Master Class advancement for a Dragon Knight,” Oi says. “Technically the kingdom has requested we call it a Dark Dragon Lord, but the Class is the same. Just that he’s been ejected from the planet and their ranks.”
“Why?” I ask.
“Don’t know. Don’t care,” Oi says. “But ever since he was exiled, he’s hired on as a bodyguard all across the Galaxy. Latest job is, well, here. Your job is to stall him until we finish dealing with the station master. Once his contract is over, he’ll be neutralized.”
“That might not be true.” I can’t help being slightly amused by the idea of a Dragon Lord playing bodyguard while the Erethran Paladin plays the attacker. Isn’t it meant to be the other way around? “What’s his Level?”
“Thirty-eight.”
“Good,” I say.
In fact, it’s not. I was hoping for a much lower Level. Unlike many other Classes, the Dragon Knight Class is a direct combat Class, one meant to be on the frontlines. I assume the Dragon Lord Class might be less punchy, but still powerful. I’m going to be outclassed in terms of raw power.
“Ali, got any details on the Master Class?”
“A little from earlier research. The good news is the Dragon Lord is the most common Master Class upgrade, so the advantages they have are slightly lower than yours. Also, it doesn’t sound like he’s gone down the tamer route.”
I almost choke at the idea of a dragon tamed by a Master Class but manage to keep my face neutral.
“Bad news,” Ali says. “The Dragon Knight has a Penetration Skill similar to yours, though less powerful. Starts at around 25% and increases by number of points. So your defenses will take a hammering. He’s got a lot of active Skills that will boost his damage output as well and, like you, a couple of regenerative abilities to his health. Flight might or might not come into play.
“Dragon Lords are meant to work with Dragon Knights, so they’ve got a few group buffs and the Dragon Fear Aura. Lots of direct stat bonuses too, along with active Skill increases. Dragon Armor is a passive damage reducer, so your Penetration Skill will be less useful. In fact, it’s a reinforced damage reducer, so your bonus will be reduced further. There are a few big attack moves, but he doesn’t have access to the Lord’s big finisher—Ancestor’s Wrath.”
“How were you going to deal with him if I wasn’t around?” I ask Oi, cocking my head.
“You just fought them,” Oi says. “I have a feeling they intended to test themselves a little with you. And obviously failed.”
My jaw shifts as I clench and unclench my teeth, shooting Ali a death glare even as the Spirit tries to look all too innocent. I grunt, though a part of me is appalled by the idea that they intended to use that group to fight the Dragon Lord. Using a group of Advanced Classers to neutralize a Master Class isn’t a bad idea. It’s a time-tested tactic. But you generally wanted to double your numbers when you dealt with a prestige Class.
In addition, that group’s tactics were decent, but most prestige Classes have a larger number of attribute points compared to common Classes. In our fight, they did everything right, but they couldn’t take my health and Mana down fast enough before I controlled the pace of the fight. A Dragon Lord would have the same advantages. It’s only when you throw enough people at the problem that these advantages slow down or stop.
I consider everything said. What we’ll need to do and the fact that we’d be reliant on Oi and his team to fulfill their side of the assault. I consider how it’s quite possible this entire assault is already scuppered. If Ali, in a few hours, can figure out what’s happening, it’d be really dumb for the other station master to miss this. I think about all that, and I realize that it’s probably a bad idea. We don’t have to rush. We can take our time.
But…
There’s a Dragon Lord. And I have to admit, ever since I turned down the option of becoming one, I’ve always wondered. Did I make the right choice? I’ve had to compromise, make promises to the Erethrans, work with people to shore up weaknesses in my Skill. If I had chosen otherwise, could I have done better? Been better?
I might never have another chance to find out. The idea of pitting myself against him excites me in ways assassinating fat bankers does not. If I am on vacation, I’m allowed to indulge, right?
“All right, I’ll take the deal if my team will work with me,” I say, my mouth moving before my brain catches up.
***
Hours later, we’re making our way back to the ship. One thing that worries me about this whole thing is Dornalor’s reaction. Us joining this fight might mess with his reputation. And since he’s a merc and not technically part of the crew, it might end up bad.
Dornalor is waiting for us in the mess hall, sipping on a greenish liquid that releases a little bubble of foul-smelling gas as we walk in.
“We’re going to be moving into the fourth ring,” I say.
“Oh?” Dornalor asks, raising an eyebrow.
“We just need to run a little task…” At his growing frown, I can’t help but smile. “And stall a Master Class.”
“Not the Dragon Lord, right?”
“Yes, him. And why would you guess it was him?” I say.
“Because I thought of the worst-possible scenario.” Dornalor lets out a long sigh then rubs a spot just below his neck. “You people are ridiculous. You had to pick a fight with the one Master Class in the fourth ring you shouldn’t anger.”
“Oh, come on, he’s not that bad,” I say.
“He’s the Scourge of the Thirty-Ninth Ward! A thrice-titled Monster Exterminator,” Dornalor says exasperatedly. “The Locus of Destruction. Even among the Dragon Lords, he’s infamous. And you want to stall him.”
“We’re no pushovers,” I say, pointing at Mikito and myself.
“Hey!”
“Oh fine, Ali’s sort of useful too.”
“Not better.”
“She’s barely a Master Class. And you’ve skipped over an entire Class worth of attributes,” Dornalor says, shaking his head. “You say stall, but can you beat him? Because if you start the fight, you sure as hell better be able to beat him.”
The man is right. We’re going into this with the expectation that we only need to hold the Dragon Lord for a few minutes. If we’re wrong, we have to kill him. And with that thought, a thread of fear finally makes its way into my heart. I’ve fought Master Classers before, and no fight has ever gone the way I planned. They always have a trick or two, a contingency plan. From the very first Master Class Psychic, who nearly brought us all down, to the latest non-Combat Classers, it’s only by playing smart that we’ve ever won.
“Thank you,” I say, my face smoothing out.
“For what?”
“Reminding me. That this world isn’t fair,” I say softly. “And that there’s always a price.” I turn, heading to the exit. “Harry.”
