~~~(POV: Justin Xander)~~~
~~~(Location: Restaurant Café, Los Angeles, California)~~~
~~~(Day, Date, Time: Monday, April 15th, 10:07 AM PST)~~~
~~~(Current Age: 19 Years)~~~
We all have our orders put in, and the menus are taken from us. Blake and Lil's wouldn't collude a meet up like this unless it were important. I can only guess what it is, but I feel I'm about to find out.
Blake closes his hands together like some mastermind villain. He adopts an expression of contemplation as he looks between Lil's and me.
"As you're aware, Justin. Lillian has a bad contract with her guild, and the buyout is extremely high. She's asked for my help getting out of the contract, and I know I can't do it without you. That's why I've asked you here."
I watch my sister's embarrassed expression instantly form as she aggressively whispers to Blake about keeping this a secret from the rest of the family. All I can do is look at her smugly with a cocky smile on my face.
Her cheeks flush with anger at my reaction to this news. As the only daughter, Lil's is prideful to a fault. Only asks for help if it means the end of her. Which tells me this is a serious matter. I lose the goading expression and fold my arms.
"If you're bringing the idea that all three of us work together to get her out of her contract, it means she's already tried every option possible. Tell me, how much is the buyout on your contract?"
My eyes shift to Lil's as the question leaves my lips. She breaks eye contact and looks at the table. We're a semi-wealthy family. I have more than enough money to live the life I have, and the rest of my family should be able to say the same.
"It's 11 million dollars... If I want to get out of the contract, I need to pay the balance they're supposed to pay me over the next four years. But I don't have 11 million lying around."
All I can do is shake my head a bit with slightly widened eyes. That's a lot of money to pay to get out of a contract. I don't have 11 million dollars. I'm a multi-millionaire, but I haven't broken the 10s yet.
"I'm more curious about how you convinced these idiots your services are worth 11 million dollars. I'm sorry, but I don't have that kind of cash on me. If we pool all our money together, then we'll have it. But each of us will have nearly nothing left."
At least, not enough to support the monetary demands of gaming pods. To use such high-tech equipment, you need a lot of money. We have the best ones on the market, and I'm not downgrading my gear to bail my sister out of something she got herself into.
Blake closes his eyes as I also state what's going through his head. Lil's is my sister, and I love her. But I'm not spending millions to get her out of a jam.
"I know, I know. You don't have to say it out loud. I know I'm a failure."
She lifts her eyes and looks directly at me. All of us have dark black hair, but we all have the same blue eyes from Mom. It's hard to say no to someone you can see is your blood. I don't like it when I have to.
"I only asked for help because there are no other options."
An angry expression pops up on her face. It's not scary when your sister shows such an emotion. Not when you've seen it most of your life. To anyone else, it'd be scary.
"They have me lugging around scrubs all day long! I can't even break level 10 cause they suck so much ass!! I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY STUCK THESE IDIOTS WITH ME!!!"
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She slams her fists into the table and finally expresses her boiling and bubbling anger. Silence takes over the cafe, and people turn their heads to look at us. Normally, people would be embarrassed, but Blake and I are used to it.
Lil's is the far more expressive and emotional of the three of us. It's not because she's a girl; it's because she compensates for our lack of reactions. It's something she's done since we were kids. It makes her more special, though.
"That's what happens when you don't properly vet a guild before signing a contract, but it seems you've learned your lesson, little sister. Despite that, I brought all of us here today to figure out a solution outside the box."
My brother brings up one of the stupidest things Lil's has done, which was not vetting the guild before she signed the dotted line. My sister isn't an idiot, but she is impulsive. She saw millions in the contract and was only focused on that.
If we discuss ideas for getting her out of the contract, I assume all of them pertain to AG. It's the best source of quick cash we have on hand.
"Now, I can't use any funds procured for the guild, but I can use our guild's information resources. I've gotten word that an Epic grade item is up for grabs in a tournament. Held in the capital city of Plateo. The center of the Taleso Kingdom."
A small scoff leaves my lips as I hear this. Figures the large guilds information circuit is already churning out important details. If Blake's guild has already built an information structure, I can imagine what the top 20 guilds have built.
It's safe to say if Blake's guild knows about this, then the rest of the top 20 guilds know about this.
"I get where you're going with this. We enter the tournament, get our hands on the Epic grade item, and then sell it. I can use the profits to buy out my contract."
With money to spare, but that's not really a concern for Lil's right now. I can tell by the desperation in her voice that she just wants out of the guild she's in. The smile on her lips returns for the first time since I walked into the cafe.
The smile is quickly washed away as Blake shakes his head, meaning she didn't get it right. I, for one, know there are holes in that approach.
"I can't participate in the tournament. If I did, the guild would know I used information procured for its top players and achieved personal gain with it."
Ahh, that's the catch. Blake isn't able to help with this since he'll get in trouble with his guild. That is another reason why I don't have a guild. It's such a lock-up on freedom. That's when Blake's eyes turn from Lil's to me.
As this happens, Lil's eyes do the same. They're telling me I'm the one who'll have to do most of the heavy lifting. Well, not those exact words since Lil's will be helping. But I am a better fighter than Lil's.
I fold my arms across my chest and close my eyes, really thinking about it. Even if I wanted to, I know nothing about the tournament as of now.
"Tell me more about the tournament; I want to make an informed decision."
I know nothing about the Taleso Kingdom or its capital city, Plateo. I've never even heard of them, and I'm supposed to go there and win a tournament where powerful tier 1 through tier 3 NPCs will likely participate for the Epic grade item.
I'm assuming the tournament isn't locking out NPCs. There isn't a reason to, in my mind, but I could be wrong. Blake takes a moment to gather his thoughts and then starts speaking.
"The tournament is starting on May 20th, and it's supposed to end by May 30th. From the information gathered, players and NPCs will be allowed to participate. No power restrictions apply."
That immediately disinterests me in the idea. There is no way I can fight a tier 2 or 3 NPC. They're just too strong for me right now. Maybe if I can reach level 100 and tier 1 by the tournament, I can stand a chance, but that's just out of the question.
I can see from the look on Lil's that she's of the same mindset, especially if she's having to take care of scrubs in the meantime. There is no chance she can get strong enough for the tournament.
"You realize it's going to be impossible for either of us to win, right? Even if I grinded daily without breaks, I wouldn't be strong enough to beat the best NPCs there."
It's a simple truth. I'm a wielder of a Mythical grade class, and it's powerful. But I can't jump two tiers in power. That's like a super-ant trying to fight an aardvark. No matter how strong of a tier 1 super-ant I am, I can't kill an aardvark.
As I finish my rebuttal to Blake's idea, a sly grin slowly forms on his face. I know my brother, and that smirk tells me he has an entirely different plan in mind.
"I never said either of you had to participate in the tournament. There are other ways to use a tournament where many powerful and rich NPCs will gather. Remember, outside the box."
He lightly taps the side of his temple with his index finger. What he's referring to is something we did in a past VRMMORPG. A festival was being held in one of the wealthiest Kingdoms around, and the three of us took that grand opportunity.
And robbed many rich NPCs blind. All are distracted or preoccupied with the festival. It's an old Xander family trick to get rich in VRMMORPGs. Our parents did it, and their parents did it. Taking from the unsuspecting rich and giving to ourselves.