Anton moved from one Councilor to another. He had not lowered any of his innate magic resistance, allowing him to bypass every magical shield and protection they had. The fact that one of his strikes inflicted 21,358 points of damage, which was tripled because each of his strikes was considered a critical hit, ensured that each time he struck, a councilor died. Notifications began filling his vision, which he immediately minimized as he moved from councilor to councilor and then onto the mages, who had finally reacted and tried to cast spells at him.
The councilors and mages were all dead and assimilated as before the end of the first turn. When he’d finished, Anton moved to stand directly in front of the Lead Councilor Assistant as the final Notification pushed through the filter he’d put in place.
Congratulations! You have reached Level 2,993
Congratulations! You have destroyed the Council of Haven. Would you like to claim ownership of the City of Haven, Yes or No?
Anton chose “Yes.”
Anton smiled as a new SYSTEM Message appeared in his vision.
SYSTEM Message: The Council of Haven has fallen.
Anton has claimed the City of Haven.
“What have you done!” The Lead Council Assistant exclaimed as he fell to his knees and reached toward the heavens.
Anton ignored him, moved back to the Head Councilor's seat, and touched the orb mounted to the desk. It wasn’t an Artifact; it was the City Node. As Anton concentrated on it, multiple menus with multiple questions popped up. He was asked repeatedly if he would like to make this or that change. Anton confirmed all the current settings as he heard booted steps rush into the Council chamber. With his high perception, he heard bowstrings get drawn and rifles locked and loaded as guards prepared the fire.
Before Anton even considered what to do about the guards, the Lead Council Assistant spoke up, “Hold your fire! Hold your fire! If you attack our new City Owner, you will die. He made this very clear to the previous Councilors and soldiers who were guarding them. He did so multiple times. He then wiped out the councilors and the four mages in this room within 10 seconds. Within 10 seconds, they ceased to exist, So HOLD YOUR DAMN FIRE!”
Anton focused his attention on the Lead Council Assistant, gave him a thumbs-up gesture with his right hand, and then said, “You're Hired! Keep doing what you're doing while I access the City Node for the next few minutes. I’ll be done momentarily.”
Anton quickly accepts all previous settings as he keeps an eye on the City Guards, especially the two rogues making their way along the wall. They had Stealth active, but Anton could see through It with no problem. Which skills utilize magic? If they did, why did skills affect him? Their stealth didn’t, but he was pretty sure that was due to his high perception and intelligence, which allowed him to see through their skills easily. An errant thought crossed his mind: If skills utilized magic, even basic spheres to which he was immune, then they shouldn’t be able to affect him unless something else was mimicking those effects. Maybe it’s a SYSTEM Thing. It must be a SYSTEM thing. It was weird that the information wasn’t listed anywhere in his ability.
Anton focused on the City Node until he found what he was looking for. There was a functionality that would allow him to change or modify the Level 3 City Center he was currently sitting in. The functionality existed, but did he really want to create a temple here? Probably not. Still, he pulled up the City Hall map and took note of all the rooms, passages, and secret doors that were hidden throughout City Hall.
Anton pulled his awareness from the City Node and noted that the two rogues, or assassins, that were sneaking up on him were now within five feet and about to strike. The Lead Council Assistant had his back to Anton, but there was one City Guard who was watching Anton and the two rogues.
Before the rogues could attack, Anton moved to stand directly in front of the leader of the City Guard, “You were going to say something?”
“What?” The man said.
“The oldies are truly the best,” Anton said with a hint of a smile.
“What?”
“Especially when you play into them,” Anton stated with a smug look on his face.
“I don’t understand,” The guard said confusedly.
“Understand this. This City needs Guards, The City needs you, and the two rogues that think they’re being sneaky as they tried to move into striking range. There’s just one problem, You can’t hurt me, you can’t kill me, and if you piss me off, I’ll just turn you into my next meal, literally. So, take your soldiers and go fuck off while I’ll talk to…By the way, what is your name?” Anton asked, directing the question to the Lead Council Assistant.
“My name? My name is Liam, Councilor.”
“I’m not a Councilor, nor am I a master or any other such nonsense. If you must address me with a title, then use the honorific Mayor. Mayor, Mayor Anton, or Anton is fine.”
“As you like, Mayor Anton,” Liam said.
Anton looked to see the two rogues still trying to sneak up on him.
“What the fuck is up with you people,” Anton said with a hint of exasperation as he created Spectral Hands and moved one near each rogue. Next, he directed the hands to touch each piece of clothing and weapon on the rouges and activated Assimilate them. Anton looked directly at them as their clothing and weapons were assimilated, which left them completely naked.
The Captain of the Guard stopped moving as his eyes went wide. The reaction of the two rogues was a little more hilarious. The male rouge stood completely still while he equipped more clothing from his inventory while he remained stealthed. The woman, on the other hand, lost her concentration and appeared naked in front of everyone. Gasps of surprise suddenly surrounded Anton as they noticed and ogled her.
As both rogues continued to equip clothing that Anton immediately assimilated, their frustration grew increasingly apparent. Granted, he wasn’t getting more than two points of psychic energy per article of clothing, but he had to admit the look of embarrassment and horror on the woman’s face was priceless.
While everyone in the room looked on with shock, the woman continued to put on clothes that then disappeared. Anton used the distraction to return to the Chief Councilor's seat and sat down. As he continued to use his Spectral Hands to Assimilate any clothing the rogue equipped, he started laughing loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. When he was sure he had all of their attention, he said, “Play stupid games, Win stupid prizes.”
The rogues turned and looked at him as he held each of their gazes. Not that he actually cared that either of them were naked. Still, he made sure that the female rogue understood that he was thoroughly enjoying the view as he said, “Yes, I can see both of you. You’re both very fit, and I must admit, Miss Female Rogue or Assassin, whatever you are, you are quite stunning. So here’s what I’m going to do. You two and the rest of the City Guard are going to go to the door and leave. At least four of you will remain outside of the doorway… Wait, hold on a second.”
Anton touched the City Node and used the city coffers to replace the doors. Everyone watched as the doors suddenly reappeared as the SYSTEM replaced them in the closed position. That done, Anton turned back to the city Guard and noticed that the female had been able to get a slip-on. He assimilated it.
“Okay, now that the doors are back, all of you, besides Liam, are to wait outside the door while I speak with Liam privately. Leave a contingent of four guards. Liam will be along later to let you all know what’s going on. Dismissed.”
The Captain of the Guard was about to say something when Anton saw Liam shake his head ever so slightly. The Captain looked from Liam to Anton and then stood to attention as he said, “As you command,” before he turned and led the rest of the guards out, including the rogues.
Once the doors closed, Liam looked at Anton and asked, “May I speak freely, or should I walk on eggshells when speaking with you?”
“When we’re alone, you can speak as you like so long as you do not attack or initiate an attack against me,” Anton said.
Liam nodded and then continued, “Understood. My question is this: did you have to humiliate the city guard?”
“That is your question? Very well. Yes, I had to humiliate the rogues. Why? Because the Captain was watching them as they tried to sneak up on me. He could see them, which meant that he was about to order an attack, which would have forced me to kill everyone in the room besides you unless you would have also tried to attack. I would rather not deprive this city of its dedicated guards if I don’t have to, especially since I don’t expect to stay for very long. That said, I also wanted to show the Captain that I could disarm every single soldier under his command without moving a muscle and do it in such a way as to leave them utterly helpless if he continued to test me.”
“I see,” Liam said thoughtfully.
“Maybe you do, maybe you don’t, but the one thing I hope I’ve made abundantly clear to you is that I am a man of my word. If I say I’m going to do something, I will. Those that attacked me died. Those that attack me in the future will die. It’s not a complex concept to understand, and I’m sure some monsters work on the same principle.”
Liam nodded, “May I ask what your plans are for the city of Haven?”
“That depends, but first, let's retire to the meeting room behind these seats where we can both sit down. There is no need for you to stand there because, please understand, I have questions, many questions,” Anton said before he stood and walked to the door into the meeting room behind the Council Chamber. Liam walks to the side of the seat, up the stairs there, and then follows him into the meeting room.
Once they were both seated, Liam asked, “May I summon refreshments?”
“Of course.”
Liam pushes one of the buttons on the armrest of his chair, which Anton noticed was also on his chair. A moment later, a young female elf rushed in and paused when she saw Liam and Anton sitting at the table. She recovered quickly and moved to Liam’s side, “What can I get you, Sir?”
A minute later, the attendant left with Liam’s order and Anton's request for a glass of water. While they waited, Anton asked, “Liam, are you from Haven, or did you arrive like I did?”
“I was born here.”
“You’re only 20 years old? You look a bit older than that?”
“Haven, as it is now, did not exist when I was born. Some 20 years ago, the expansion of Haven started. It was just a small village before that.”
“Am I correct in assuming that the area outside of the City’s Influence consists of creatures and monsters of level 400 or greater.?
“the inner city consists of an area for housing and industry that is approximately 10 miles in diameter, centered around the City Hall. Then out to 25 miles in all directions there is farmland for various crops and livestock which feeds the people within the city.”
“And outside that 25 miles radius?”
“Outside that radius the rest of the planet is as the SYSTEM intended, Wild. There are other smaller villages and castles owned by very powerful individuals but Haven is the one place on the planet that is protected, or was protected, by the Council and the Gods.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“When you say protected by the Gods, what do you mean exactly? Do the Gods personally protect the land, or are their Angels or Demons protecting the city.?”
“The Conviction of our faith is used to fuel a barrier that keeps all monsters out of this area,” Liam explained.
“So, what you're saying is that the Temple district in this city serves the fundamental purpose of protecting everyone here. If that is so, why do you have a City Guard?”
“The barrier maintained by our faith only keeps monsters outside the city. Individuals who are transported into the city or who travel here must be kept in check should they cause issues.”
“I take it most of your visitors are in the 400-level range?”
“They are,” Liam confirmed.
“Okay then, so now, if I were to release control of the city, what would happen?”
“Most likely, the strongest people in the city would vie for control.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?” Anton asked.
“The priests would want control; then there’s the merchants guild. Also, the Adventurers Guild would want it.
“What about the Captain of the Guard?”
“I’m sure he would also like to become a Councilor if such a position became available again,” Liam answered.
“Very well. You mentioned merchants. Is there also a Mages guild or someplace that teaches or sells magical spells as well?”
“But you said you're immune to magic,” Liam said confusedly.
“Oh, I am, but I have some questions for someone knowledgeable in the arcane arts.”
Before Liam could respond, the Attendant returned with their drinks and snacks. Without hesitation, Anton picked up the cup of water and took a long drink. When he was done, he placed the glass on the desk before him as the Attendant watched him closely.
Anton casually looked at the notifications populating his vision as he keep his attention on the attendant.
Warning! You have been Poisoned.
Poison Level: 499.
Poison Type: Consumed.
Poison Lethality Rating if Consumed: Epic
Poison Lethality Rating if touched: Below Common
The manufactured poison, Sweet Dreams, has poisoned you. This toxic poison is colorless and has no odor. If touched, the poison is absorbed through the pores of the skin and will instantly inflict 249 points of damage.
If ingested, the potion will do 499 points of damage per turn for six turns.
Anton closed the Notification window and smiled as he looked at the Attendant. Liam looked at Anton with interest as Anton stared into the attendant's eyes. After the full six turns had passed and Anton had taken the entire 11,976 points of damage, each turn had been considered a critical hit which adjusted the damage by a four times class multiplier. Damn, the Assassin that made that poison must have an Advanced Class.
“Interesting Poison, it really has no taste,” Anton commented.
“Poison!” Liam exclaimed.
The attendant's face paled, “Pu Pu Poison? He didn’t say anything about a poison; he just said to give you the water and watch you to see if you wanted anything else.”
“Who is he?”
“Baltar, the Assistant Chef,” The attendant sobbed as she fell to her knees.
“Baltar, I know him, a bald halfling with a silver goatee. Unique among his kind because almost all halflings have hair,” Liam said.
Anton looked at the Attendant. Either she was a phenomenal liar, or she’d been duped. He activated Analyze
Name: Leonore Davern
Race: Human
Age: 17
Class: None
Level: 0
HP: 2
So a dupe, probably. Anton looked at Liam, “You have individuals working in the City Hall that haven’t even attained a class yet?”
“Of course. Until today, this was the safest place in the city.”
“Well, both of you wait here, I have a halfling to go catch.”
You’ll never find him if he doesn’t want to be found,” Liam said.
Anton deactivated Manifest and shot off toward the kitchen. And then, utilizing his knowledge of City Hall from the SYSTEM map he’d pulled up when he took control, he quickly checked each exit that was close to the kitchen. There was no sign of the halfling which was as Anton had expected. He slipped through a wall into a secret passage that ran across the length of City Hall and shot toward the opposite side of the building, where he found the halfling walking as fast as his little legs could carry him toward a secret exit along the wall behind some bushes. Before he reached the door, Anton activated Spectral Hand and then Assimilate on the Dwarf, except this time, he didn’t take the last step to reduce his body to energy and instead activated Animate, one of the new Psychic Skills he’d obtained right before he was sent here.
Animate
You may now animate creatures that you assimilate instead of breaking them down within a range equal to your skill level in Animate in feet. The animated creatures are treated as natural extensions of your body. You see through their eyes, hear through their ears, and feel what they touch.
Animating a corpse that is assimilated requires you to spend 100 Psychic Energy to do so. You may choose to manually initiate the animation process or automate it as you like.
Animated Corpses become extensions of your body and may be controlled out to 100 feet + 10 feet per skill level of Animate from your body.
You may control a number of animated corpses equal to your skill level in Animate.
Animated corpses have 10 hit points and use your resource pools for all other expenditures. Damage done to an animated corpse is subtracted from the corpse's hit points, not yours.
Should an Animated Corpse be flooded with 201 Psychic Energy, it will explode, doing 6 points of damage out to one foot, 3 points of damage to two feet, 2 points of damage to 4 feet, and 1 point of damage out to 8 feet.
Anton felt his point of view shift to two locations. He could control his Spectral form and the body of the halfling while not manifested. Oh, the possibilities. Now, he wished he’d taken over the Council; that would have made this easy. He also wondered what would happen if he went outside the range of his skill. Would the corpse of the halfling fall to the ground or stand there waiting for him? He couldn’t give it orders because he didn’t talk to the Animated corpse; it, indeed, was an extension of himself. Also, there was no adjustment. Suddenly, he completely controlled both his Spectral Form and the body simultaneously.
Anton activated Detect Magic. The skill worked from both his Spectral Form and his halfling body. He quickly removed all of the magical equipment and clothing he could see on the halfling's body. Two rings, the shoes he wore, which were more like sandals, and a dagger he was carrying. He would analyze them later. Anton Manifested in the hallway and walked back to the Council Chamber.
As he walked back into the meeting room, he noticed that Liam was attempting to calm the attendant just as he looked up and met Anton’s eyes. His halfling eyes, but they were his eyes now.
“Baltar?” Liam asks as he notices that something is not quite right with Baltar.
“The spirit of Baltar is no longer with us,” Anton stated from his manifested body before he continued from Baltar’s Body, “But this body is now mine to control.”
The attendant gasped and then fell to her knees, sobbing.
“What are you?” Liam asks.
“I’m a man with some unique skills, and now, here is what I would like you to do. First, I need directions to the Merchant quarter. I need to go shopping. Second, I need you to invite the groups you mentioned, as well as anyone else who is powerful enough, to either rule this city or serve on a council that will govern this city. Tell them if they wish for that opportunity, they will need to be here by midday tomorrow.”
“As you wish.”
“Also, Liam, you are now the Administrator for the City of Haven. I don’t know what the current rank structure within the city is, but I’m going to adjust the Administrator position so that you’d have just as many powers as an assistant to the Councilors. In this case, you’ll be second to the Mayor. If something happens to me, you’ll be in charge.”
“But I can’t possibly hold that position if something happens to you,” Liam states neutrally.
“You really need to stop worrying about anything happening to me. It’s not going to. Well, I guess it could if a God were to take direct action against me, but as long as the SYSTEM is forcing the Gods to play by its rules, those rules protect me. So, don’t you worry your little head about it,” Anton said. As he had Baltar’s body walk back into the Council Chamber and touch the City Node, a SYSTEM message was generated.
SYSTEM Message!
Liam Hearthfire has been named the Administrator of Haven by the City Owner, Anton.
“You do realize that this puts a target on my head,” Liam stated with a look of worry in his eyes.
“Then use the funds of the city to purchase what you believe you need to protect yourself and have the Captain of the Guard assign some guards to you. As for me, I’m going to head to the Merchant’s quarter.
“How are you going to get there? Everyone who sees you will challenge you,” Liam said.
Anton dismisses his manifested body as Baltar’s body walked back into the room, “That won’t be a problem. I assume everyone knows Baltar?”
“They do,” Liam answers.
“Good, then I’m going to head out. I would suggest that you bring the Captain in and get those guards. I’ll be back later,” Anton said before he walked Baltar’s body out of the Council Chamber, followed by his Spectral body. One thing Anton did notice as he walked out of City Hall was that there was a maintenance cost of one Psychic Energy every turn to maintain the animation of the body he was controlling. Also, his Skill Level of 50 meant that he could take over up to 50 bodies, which he could easily control with his Psychic Energy Regeneration of 1,710 per turn.
Another thing he noticed was Baltar’s animated body wasn’t deteriorating while he maintained it. Sure, he looked a little pale, but all he needed to do was buy a few hooded cloaks to take care of that problem in the future. Also, he moved his spectral form below ground and floated underneath Baltar’s body as he headed toward the Merchant’s quarter.
It ended up being a bit of a long walk. Unlike his regular body, Baltar’s was quite a bit slower. Still, it was a lovely day for a walk, and he was able to take in the atmosphere of the people as they went about their day. Two guards followed Anton, but they stayed about fifty feet behind him as he made his way north.
After he’d walked an hour, he came to the end of the road. It ended at a drop-off to another part of the city that was at least 100 feet below him. Also, if he didn’t know better, it looked a lot like the overhead view of Mos Eisley in the Star Wars movies. The buildings weren’t made of Adobe or clay. Instead, they looked to be made of concrete in most places, and there was an area that looked to have landing pads toward the center of the depressed area.
Anton looked around and noticed a way down to the lower ground level. To his west, there was a ramp that allowed both vehicle and foot traffic to make their way up and down simultaneously. There was also one to the east, but it was much further away. Just then, he heard the sound of multiple jet or rocket engines as a ship slid out of nothing in front of him and went to land.
Anton moved his Spectral form forward until it was out of the sheer cliff of the ground he was floating through and looked up to where the ship had appeared from. His Spectral body saw a cloud-filled sky, and the sky above the city that Baltar was looking at was clear. There was a portal there. He couldn’t see it from Baltar’s body because of the angle, but he should have been able to once he started heading down the ramp. From where Baltar was standing, it would look like the ship appeared out of nowhere. The fact that there was a ship was also interesting.
Anton returned his spectral body to follow along underneath Baltar’s body as he made his way to the ramp and down into the Merchant’s Quarter. It descends along the outer wall until it makes a 90-degree right turn toward the center of the depression the Merchant’s Quarter sat in. The City Guards follow Baltar down to the bottom of the ramp, where he came to a four-way intersection.
The Merchant’s main lane was actually a road that circled the landing pads. As they reached the end of the ramp to the upper area of the city, Anton came to a stop at a four-way intersection. He has to cross the Merchant’s Lane to get to the inside ring where all the businesses and warehouses were. It looked like there was an inner road that also circled the center, which allowed one business to sit on this outer lane and two businesses to sit on the inner lane, one on the outer and inner side of that inner lane, respectively.
The vehicles in the area ranged from horse-drawn carts to cars to hovercraft. Some were magically driven, while others showed the telltale signs of being technological constructs. The first business he saw was a shop that had a sign that said “John’s Trade Shop.” On the opposite side of the street was a place called “Tom’s Roadhouse.” Anton could smell the food from where he stood, and it smelled delicious. He might not have to eat food anymore, but he could appreciate it.
Anton made his way across the road, which had a working crosswalk, complete with a walk and stop sign for pedestrians and lights for vehicles. Anton noted that the lights were only followed by vehicles on the road. Flying vehicles and individuals ignored the lights. The lights followed the standard Earth design.
Anton crossed the street and made his way into John’s Trade shop. As he entered the building, a large man behind the counter looked up and pointed at Baltar, “We don’t allow undead…wait, you're not undead.”
“This body is not,” Anton said.
“Then what are you?” the man asked.
“Anton slid up out of the floor and activated Manifest.
Instead of being surprised, the giant man simply said, “Neat Trick.”
“It is. The body you were originally talking to is now an extension of myself. I’m Anton, the new City Owner. John, I presume,” Anton said as he stuck out his hand.
John clasped Anton’s wrist and let go, “Nice to meet you, Anton. I am John, and this is my establishment. What can I do for you today.”
“I’d like to see what you have and also access the SYSTEM Shop if possible.”
John smiled, “I can definitely tell you what we have, but I don’t know what a SYSTEM Shop is?”
“It’s like a City Node, except it gives everyone access to goods and services if they can afford them. All goods and services.”
“Oh, the way the Merchant Classes used to work. I’m sorry to tell you, friend, that more than 20 years ago, the SYSTEM changed how it handles merchants. There isn’t a SYSTEM Shop anymore.”
“So how do Merchants get their goods?” Anton asked.
“The old-fashioned way, we trade with people and sell the stock we get for a profit. However, we merchants do have access to a dimensional hub where we have access to almost anything you can think of. Of course, you have to be a good merchant to get access to the Hub, and let me tell you, I am one of those well-established merchants.”
“Can you accept credits and coins from the system bank, or do we need to pay you using what we have on hand?” Anton asked.
“I have a SYSTEM Bank account; any self-respecting Merchant or Vendor has one,” John said as he pulled out a thin metal plate, “Just put your hand on this so I can check your credit.”
“Do you mind if I check something?” Anton asks
“If it involves me making more credits, sure,” John states happily.
“Anton walked Baltar’s body over to John and placed his halfling hand on the metal plate, “What does your plate tell you?”
“You have 131 million credits. No other coins are listed on this account.”
Anton smiled as he spoke through Baltar’s body, “Well then, it sounds like I need to do some trading, doesn’t it?”