Name your price, Johnson had said.

Well, turned out my price was my ten million dollar bounty—converted into one million Tower gold—a hundred competent soldiers to train on clearing the First Floor—with another thousand to follow within the week—and in exchange, I’d agreed to a meet-and-greet with the President and to do a press conference with the Governor after I’d received my second batch of soldiers.

I’d also agreed to stand by the Governor and raise his political clout at these events. It seemed simple enough—just shake some hands and tell the truth. The Governor had provided much needed assistance by providing soldiers to aid in rescuing those trapped in the Tower.

The only problem was, I hated kissing ass and hated politicians even more. But I’d do it, if it meant saving lives.

We’d left Michelle and the Governor after the negotiations were settled and she’d passed along a cell phone with her number. Apparently, they were still sort of working, but got screwy inside the Personal Spaces and were totally useless in the Staging Area and Tower.

Which didn’t surprise me—those spaces were probably not even in the same solar system.

As Athena, Lacy, and I left the Capitol, we took a slight detour.

I’d remembered what the Sergeant at the first checkpoint had said about refugees and the three of us agreed to take a look. I wanted to see for myself what kind of conditions the survivors of the initial imp wave were enduring. And if needed, I’d leverage Johnson to provide some aid.

It was easy enough to find. About five blocks out, there were signs directing us toward the camp and two blocks out, we could see signs of foot traffic and soldiers. The sounds hit us a minute later—the distant murmur of people going about their day, hawking items in trade, and even minor disputes signaled by raised voices.

When we came into sight, it was obvious that the refugee camp was a hastily constructed affair. Plywood, debris, and burnt out cars formed a rough perimeter around an outdoor shopping mall parking lot. Two dozen soldiers manned the entrance while another dozen were visible patrolling the perimeter. Piles of imps were spread evenly outside the camp, their tough skin clearly shredded by bullets.

A few dozen people ranged about outside the camp, mostly collecting brass casings of spent bullets for some reason. But judging by the sounds, I guessed there were probably a thousand people camped here.

It was both an astonishing number and yet, shockingly low for a city that had numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Had most people found safe zones and entered the Tower? Maybe they were hunkered down in their Personal Spaces, waiting out this storm futilely?

It made me wonder, though, why were these people here rather than in a safe zone? Had they come out for food and become stranded? Had they even attempted a trek to a safe zone?

Either way, I wanted to find out more.

We approached the camp entrance and the soldiers let us past, though they eyed us suspiciously. It was true, we stood out from the crowd. For one, we were much cleaner than most of the people we saw—and that was saying something, because I was dirty as hell from clearing the First Floor earlier.

But I had to remind myself, the Apocalypse was only a day and a half old. People would just be getting their bearings or consumed looking for loved ones and too busy for basic hygiene.

And I couldn’t forget the blood-red cape billowing in the wind behind me—that marked me out no matter where I went.

Still, it was difficult to ignore the stares as the three of us passed the soldiers into the camp.

“Why are they all staring?” Athena asked softly.

“We don’t look like refugees,” Lacy replied. “We’re clean—well, clean-ish. And we’re confident. We strolled past the soldiers without even a glance. We’re not staring at the ground like people who’ve lost everything—” She glanced down at Athena with a sympathetic look. “—even if we have.”

The girl nodded, taking Lacy’s comment in stride. She studied the nearby refugees, watching them pick through garbage and barter family heirlooms for food or clothes. Some were sitting or laying down with distant gazes, the shock of the Apocalypse sapping their will. A kid no older than Athena huddled alone against a trash barrel, wrapped in a torn blanket.

She turned to me, her eyes sharp and full of fire.

“We have to help them.”

I sucked my teeth, not saying anything. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help them—just the opposite, in fact. Seeing these poor souls scrounging for scraps and hiding behind makeshift walls reminded me what I was fighting for.

At first, I’d embraced the Apocalypse for selfish reasons. I was bored, lonely, unfulfilled and without a purpose. Getting stronger for strength’s sake had been enough. A simple and direct goal—my favorite.

But that had changed. I didn’t fight just for me anymore. My party, Athena, Nikki, Lex—even the strangers trapped in the Tower—they all pushed me to get stronger, powerful enough to fight the aliens and see us through this Integration.

Still, people were complicated and sometimes they made it hard to want to fight for them—people like Governor Johnson, for example. But this camp brought into sharp focus just how badly this Integration had shaken humanity. There were thousands of kids like Athena missing their parents, and just as many parents missing their Athenas. They were worth protecting, worth risking my life for to get stronger.

This was my new why and I couldn’t let myself forget that.

“Yes,” I said simply.

Athena nodded and walked over to the boy that had caught her eye. She pulled some food from her Inventory and handed it to him. He flinched as her hand entered his line of sight, then looked up to see the girl’s friendly—if dirty—face.

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“Th-thank you,” the boy whispered.

Athena grunted once then turned back to me.

“Can we bring him with us?”

No, I almost said. But then I had to wonder, why not? Why not bring everyone to the safe zones? With my infusion of cash from the Governor, I could at least scrounge up enough food and aid to hold them over for a few days until they got on their feet. I had intended to use the gold to buy some cultivation aids, but I had to admit, this was a better cause.

Lacy started to speak before I could respond.

“We can’t, sweetie. We—”

“One sec, Lace. Yes, bring him. In fact.” I eyed the refugees all around me. “Bring everyone.”

***

It took only a few minutes to gather hundreds of people to the center of the camp. Not everyone followed, but most were intrigued enough to spare a few minutes.

When a dense crowd was formed around the three of us, I leaped on top of a nearby car and surveyed the people.

Weary and distrustful gazes looked back at me—some even angry for the disturbance. But every now and then, I spotted a hopeful look and it was enough to give me the courage to address the crowd.

My raw Charisma was 62 since I’d added 40 points already and had some additional points from my traits. In addition, I’d received plus 25 percent effectiveness from my Somebody Stop ME! trait when I’d killed Astrid and another plus 5 percent from reaching Peak Nascent. All in all, with my reduction from my Mantle, I was at 80 percent efficacy for a effective total of 49, which seemed to be enough not to be instantly booed off the car.

All the same, they weren’t exactly a rapt audience.

“Whatchu want?” a voice cried out.

“Thinks he’s Superman with that dumb ass cape!”

My skin flushed and I felt the back of my neck heat up. I opened my mouth to speak when a wave of…something, washed over my body.

It felt like a soothing ointment rubbed into my skin and my mind, settling my nerves and thoughts. Tiger balm for the brain.

A soft pressure on my foot made me look down.

Lacy’s hand was there and her eyes bore into mine. She gave me a single nod and I realized that I was feeling her [Fortify] ability’s effect.

My confidence flared and I returned her nod before surveying the crowd—who had begun to get restless. A few milling about in the back had even peeled off, determining this was a waste of time.

“My name is Dirk Damascus and I’m the—”

A booming voice called out.

“What a silly ass name!”

Laughs echoed through the crowd, but I didn’t feel my anger or embarrassment rise. Instead, I nodded along. I knew Lacy’s power was anchoring my thoughts and I rode that wave.

“You wouldn’t know this, but I’m the number one ranked Climber in the entire Tower.” Pausing, I watched the crowd, waiting for the heckler’s to take the opportunity. To my surprise, no one shouted out. I accepted the opening and pointed off into the distance. “I’ve fought the imps that rampaged across our world. Killed them by the hundreds! Even before I received my powers from the Tower. I know the fear and loss you’ve felt—”

“Bullshit!”

The crowd broke into murmurs and shouts of disbelief. Some pointed in anger, while others turned to their neighbors and whispered animatedly. At the back of the crowd, a group of five soldiers slowed, examining the commotion.

I held my hands up, begging for patience and quiet. When that didn’t work, I turned to Lacy.

“Can you amplify my voice?”

She nodded once and closed her eyes.

I turned back and said, “Please—” My voice rang out over the crowd, loud as a metal concert. People quieted in open shock and fear. “Please,” I said more quietly. “Hear me out and then I’ll be on my way.” No one shouted or threw rocks, so I continued. “I’m telling you the truth when I say, the imps are the least of our problems.” The whispers began once more, but my amplified voice crashed over the crowd. “They’re the appetizer to the main course. In the Tower mentioned in those messages we all got, there are two alien races stronger and faster than anything you could dream of. And to them, we are the appetizers. Our only chance—our only hope—is to grow stronger. And the only way to do that, is to enter that Tower.”

Someone near the front row of the crowd raised their hand and I did a double take. I hadn’t exactly expected to field questions, but years of conditioning made me almost automatically point at the person.

“Mr. Damascus, if the Tower is as dangerous as you say, why would we go in?” the person asked.

Someone in the back yelled, “Speak up!”

I repeated back the question and then added, “It’s a good question. It’s true, you could kill the remaining imps using strategy and traps in order to farm levels. But the best rewards are in the Tower. Eventually, you’ll be left behind, forced to rely upon the good nature of the Climbers. And we’ll be too busy inside the Tower to truly protect you.”

“What about the army?” the same person asked.

The soldiers watching from the back had started moving, cutting through the crowd with rough shoves and curt orders.

“Lacy, little help?” I whispered.

She followed my gaze and waved her hand. The soldiers pushing through the crowd suddenly veered hard left, then cut back on their own path, away from us. They reached the back of the crowd, then did another 180 and started toward us again. Their faces slowly grew more and more confused as they cut circles through the crowd, so I hurried up.

“The army will have the same problem. Most of them will never crack level 10.” I paused for effect. “I’m level 75 and strong enough to tank bullets without a scratch.”

The excited noises began to build again among the crowd, but I spoke over them.

“Anyone that wants to command their own destiny, follow me. I’ll lead you to the nearest safe zones and protect you from imps. Hell, even if you don’t want to enter the Tower, the safe zones at least provide you a Personal Space where you can sleep in an actual bed and have running water.”

“There’s thousands of those demons out there!” someone shouted with a panicked tone.

They were right, of course. But I was confident that what I was offering was the best they’d get—agency and safety. However, I didn’t let them see any doubt on my face.

“I will protect you. I promise…”

A memory flashed in my mind. The horror and hopelessness of arriving at the First Floor cliffs, only to watch as the bastards at the top rained boulders down on those stuck on the ropes. That thought that had rang across my mind like the tolling of a cathedral bell.

I will save you all…

For the first time, I knew it was actually possible. And I could feel it, the crowd was beginning to believe. It was now or never.

“Anyone that doesn’t want to be imp food or a slave to some power-hungry Climber, follow me. Everyone else…I’m sorry I couldn’t convince you.”

And with that, I jumped down from the car and began making my way through the crowd. I boosted my mass in case anyone tried to test me.

Thankfully for them, they parted before me in equal measures fear and awe.

In my mind, Lex sent images of the bandit camp on fire, the captured women safely escorted to the nearest safe zone. I sent him a pleased response and asked him to bring the crew to our position.

Despite my earlier bluster, protecting a group of hundreds would be a full-team affair. Lacy could probably hide us with her illusions, but I wasn’t positive if her range could extend that far. With the entire crew present, we could each cover an angle.

I strolled past the angry soldiers as they continued on their looped path. They were casting panicked expressions all around now and one of them had even dropped to the ground with his hands over his eyes.

“He gonna be alright?” I asked Lacy quietly.

She shrugged. “I’m not doing a Freddie Kruger impression or nothing. Just a little optical illusion—barely worse than a bad trip.”

I nodded and picked up the pace. We had a lot of people to get to the safe zones and they’d have to either wait their turn or head to the next available zone to gain entry. We didn’t want to be doing this all night.

Unlike the suburbs, though, it appeared that the safe zones had a much higher density this close to the city center.

“The others are gonna meet up with us.” I scanned the milling crowd as they turned to follow. “This is gonna take a fuckin’ minute.”