Rocko grumbled but spent the 40 Advantage points on the Power Astral Anchor. James was hoping it would unlock some other powers, but nothing appeared. With the location in West Grove anchored, James made his way into the city and into the Merchant Quarter. It was before midnight, and James could see the light in the Baron's study. Approaching the door, James didn't get a chance to knock before Arnold opened the door.

"May I help you?" he asked.

James smiled, "Is the Baron available?"

Arnold stepped aside, "Please come in, and I will enquire."

James stepped in and was shown into a small parlour, "Please wait here."

James nodded and took a seat. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before Arnold returned, "He will see you now."

When James entered the room, the Baron looked up at his desk, "Have a seat, Master James. I will be with you in a moment."

When the Baron was done, he lay down his quill and looked up at James, "How can I help you?"

James explained to him the events of the previous night. How he was ambushed, Sasha was killed and the decision to change the arrangement between the four parties.

"I am not seeing how this helps me. I am now responsible for collecting ten thousand gold worth of Enchanted items a week instead of just giving you the money," the Baron commented.

"Less, actually. It is only seven thousand gold in Enchanted items, which is a Rare item and a few Uncommon items a week. And then two thousand in gold to Ferdinand Del Torro. I understand you were paying ninety-eight hundred a week before. This saves you eight hundred gold a week." James explained.

"Yes, but there is extra effort on my part," the Baron countered.

"For a great merchant like yourself. Acquiring a Rare Enchanted item a week should not be a concern," James protested.

"Fine, " the Baron agreed, "But you will need to provide me with some blood tomorrow."

"I can do that. You want Vampire Blood or Elf Blood?" James asked.

"Six of each of the Vampire Blood, if you please," the Baron requested.

"No problem. I can drop it off first thing tomorrow night. Then I can drop them off weekly after that," James suggested.

The Baron nodded, "I am good with that. No one else, however. I don't want people I don't know traipsing through my home."

James nodded. The Baron stood up and led James to the sofa. James got the impression that things were moving to a more informal standing.

Once they were comfortable, the Baron asked, "What is next for you?"

James cocked his head, "What do you mean?"

"Just what I asked. What is next on your plate? I assume you have already climbed out of the bottom 100 hundred. What's next?" the Baron asked.

"I don't think he is aware of the changes the gods made to the Challenge," Rocko explained.

James nodded in agreement, "The rules have changed. Regarding the Challenge, I mean. They increased the threshold from bottom one hundred to bottom five hundred."

The eyes on the Baron expanded with surprise, "Ouch. That's going to hurt. I was going to add that I heard that the gods announced to everyone that there would be a bounty on Champions. That's going to make things more difficult."

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"You heard? Why would you have not got the announcement yourself?" James asked.

"Due to my level, I suspect. At the start of the Challenge, I got a different announcement that I was not permitted to cause harm to a Champion. It was apparent on the ramifications of breaking that rule," the Baron explained.

James frowned, "That seems rather one-sided."

The Baron shrugged, "There is little that you or one of your kind could do that would hurt me, let alone kill me. But the rules don't say anything about interacting with one."

James smiled, "That's good. It is nice to have someone to talk to from back home."

The Baron returned the smile, "Agreed. I miss my home. I miss my friends and family. Strangely, I even miss the annoying little things."

The silence stretched for a few moments, "I am planning on going into a few Dungeons that I know about. They have already been delved, but I can still get some good experience from completing them and perhaps some Rare Enchanted items."

The Baron stood up and walked to the liquor cabinet. Opening it up, he poured James and himself a drink. Fortunately for James, they were from two different bottles. "I remember doing Dungeons. I am sure not much has changed since the last time I did one. That was probably more than a century ago. I never found a Dungeons that went over level 30."

"The Dungeons don't appear in the same location, do they?" James asked hopefully.

The Baron chuckled, "That would be convenient, right? But no, the Dungeons appear in seemingly random locations each Challenge."

James sighed, "That makes sense."

"What about the other Champions? Have you encountered any of them?" the Baron asked.

"Once. That I know of, as soon as I discovered he was a Champion, I high-tailed it out of there," James explained.

The Baron brought the two drinks and placed one in front of James, "Why?"

James looked over at Rocko, who was watching him intently, "I am not ready to kill people over a game."

The Baron thought about the answer and shook his head, "What are the stakes? You mentioned that it changed from the bottom one hundred to the bottom five hundred. What else changed?"

"From what I understand, the bottom five hundred lose one tier in the god hierarchy. Those that are lesser gods become demigods, which will make them mortal. Which will result in a lot of them dying," James explained.

The Baron nodded, "So, not much with it being a game. This is survival."

James nodded, "And if one of them attacks me, I will defend myself with deadly force. But that doesn't mean I have to go hunt them down."

The Baron shrugged, "What is your rank? If you don't mind me asking."

James looked at his Status Screen, "Six hundred and eighty-four."

"Still a lot of room to improve. Killing one Champion will improve your standing by one. But there is also the Experience gained. You may also gain their equipment, cash and other Enchanted items. It is not entirely bad prospect if you win," the Baron suggested.

"I don't disagree that it will help, but I don't want to be the aggressor," James explained.

The Baron nodded, "I understand. It is not easy to transition to this world. To adopt their ways."

Rocko grumbled.

James looked back to the Baron, "Did you have a hard time adjusting?"

The Baron took a sip of his wine and contemplated the answer, "At first. Everything was different. The concept of magic was foreign to me. The whole idea of having Attributes and Skills and whatnot boiled down to a number was completely alien. But humans are adaptable, and I learned to change. Survival does that to a person. The hardest transition was when I was turned into a Vampire. That turned my already fragile psyche and crushed it."

"That doesn't sound good."

The Baron gave a weak smile, "It was anything but good. Not all Awakenings are the same, but mine was more brutal than most. I lived like an animal for a while—a rabid, hungry, violent animal. I killed, slept and ate for years. I was allowed to live like this by my Master, who wanted me broken before he recreated me. When I was finally stabilized, I would say that I was still far from sane. I think that is why I have difficulty remembering my life on Earth." The Baron looked at James and nodded, "Our talks have helped me recover some of those memories. So, thank you."

James returned the Baron's nod, "You're welcome." It was impossible to contemplate what the Baron had gone through, but James had an idea. The Ghouls he fought in the first Dungeon sounded like what the Baron described.

"You still seem torn by measuring this world with the same yardstick from our world," the Baron mused.

James shrugged, "Maybe. But morals are hard to change overnight. I don't feel I need to hunt or kill Champions to win this fight. At least not yet."

"Then don't. You may have to fight them sooner or later, but there is no need to go borrowing trouble."

"That is why I am thinking," James agreed. "If they come for me, I will meet them with deadly force. But to go hunt them seems wrong."

The Baron stared at his wine as he swirled it in his glass, "You are in a Battle Royale, James. Eventually, you are going to be in a situation of Kill or Be Killed. Whether you want to or not, you are going to have to fight. Do you have to go and hunt them down now? No. Are you going to have to eventually? I think so. Because if you don't, they will come after you. And if they come after you, they will have the advantage. And if they have the advantage, you will die."

"How did you cope with all this?" James asked.

"Who says I have?" the Baron retorted.