Logan let the scene play out like before, knowing that deviating too far would make Pied suspicious. He was over level 1000, which meant that by now, he must have come across others with skills like [Foresight]. For all Logan knew, he might even have his own! But while he talked, Logan’s mind was racing from possibility to possibility, considering and discarding options.
Logan knew that Pied wanted Logan to agree, perhaps needed him to agree. He’d invested in Logan—letting him kill his own rat army, letting him kill fifty of his own contract workers. He had no idea about scale… to Pied, it might be a pittance, but he was hoping that it meant something. For all his talk of killing Logan, he didn’t want to do it. Don’t get him wrong, he knew that if he had to, he would. But Pied had said it himself. Logan could ask for a lot. Logan had power here.
“Fine,” said Logan, glancing from Lara behind the glass back to Pied.
Pied paused, one of his ears twitching. “Fine?” he questioned. “Fine what?”
“Fine, I’ll fight for you. You can be my sponsor.”
Pied clapped his hands, grinning.
“But I’m not going to do it for free.”
“It’s hardly for free. You do it, you get your sister and the little ones. That’s a fine reward, no?”
Logan smiled, knowing that it didn’t reach his eyes. “You like to talk about your Kingdom; you’ve shown me that you have resources. If what those assholes said was true, each of those skill rings must be worth a fortune. For a man who can hand out sessions with his rat army like handing out candy, letting my sister and my nieces go is hardly a reward.” Logan snorted. “Do you think that just because the System gave me the name ‘Idiot,’ that I’ll let you take advantage of me? I’ll fight for you, sure. But make it worth my while.”
“Yes,” chanted Ernie, his voice tense. “Take him for everything. Take him for all he’s worth.”
Pied licked his lips. “Well,” he drawled. “Perhaps I underestimated you, Logan. So, you want something beyond the safety of your sister? I’m assuming that’s still part of the deal, yes?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Of course. That’s the default reward. Now I want the bonus. Make me an offer, Pied.”
Pied’s eyes grew dark. “Greedy, greedy little human. All right. You like my army, I see. You get one hour with them to grind. I’ll keep them confined to the lower floor and restrain the four-headed rats. It’ll be a production line, my dear. One monster after another, just for you to farm and take down. How does that sound?”
“That sounds like crap. It’s hardly a reward. If I need to, I can just find a monster swarm of my own. Besides, your contract workers told me that you give that out as a reward every day.” Logan hardened his voice. “You’re still trying to play me, trying to take advantage of me.”
Pied’s mouth thinned. “Or I could just kill you, ever think of that, human?”
Logan’s smile was brittle. This fucker wasn’t killing him. “Yeah? Then go ahead. Seems like a waste though, considering what you already invested. I guess you’ll have to go back to the drawing board and find someone else as high ranked as me.”
Pied’s incisors flashed, and then he snorted, suddenly all smiles. “You think you’re my only prospect? You’re not that special, Idiot.”
Logan held back his triumph, his excitement surging. Already, he’d learned something that he hadn’t before—that Pied might be approaching others and offering them the same sponsorship.
Fuck, he might have approached the Man in Black! If that were true, Logan needed every advantage that he could get. He wasn’t going to free Lara and the kids and then enter a tournament that would result in his death, leaving them to fend for themselves. Without Logan, there would be no one left to finish the Save Humanity Quest, and there was no way that Lara and the kids would make it into the one percent in less than six days. Lara was already worryingly lower leveled.
[Lara Hart. Level 12. A human being.]
[Highest stat: Intelligence. Characteristics: Tenacious, exacting. Hidden name: The Negotiator.]
Damn. Logan was floored. He had a hard time juxtaposing Lara’s level with the woman he’d seen in the warped future who was fighting in an army against the Silverdagger Clan, her face worn, her expression battle-weary.
She was an expert archer, taking up the hobby in her free time. Someone who specialized in archery should have an advantage over everyone else. But then again, if she had sheltered in place with the kids, keeping them away from everyone, never venturing outside, it was difficult to believe that she’d managed to level up at all.
Plus, she’d thrown her attributes into intelligence rather than agility or dexterity, which wouldn’t help with her archery skills. But then again, maybe Lara had decided to go for a different build.
Even though she was a lawyer, it had been amazing that she’d managed to review Pied’s contract in less than one minute and come up with suggestions on the fly. Lara was good, but she wasn’t a miracle worker. She must have a skill, something that related to her hidden name. He wouldn’t put it past her to receive a contract negotiating skill right off the bat just for being Lara.
But level 12 was nothing, and Logan didn’t know what level you needed to advance into the one percent, but one thing he did know was that there was no way she’d advance that much before Logan had to leave for the Integration Tournament.
“If I’m not that special,” said Logan, crossing his arms. “I guess that means you might as well waste your time with your other prospects.”
Pied raised an incredulous eyebrow. “You sound like you’re asking me to kill you!” He laughed. “All right, all right,” he mused, running a hand over his snout. “What would a shit stirrer like you want. Hmm, maybe it’s not what you want, but what you need, yes? You care about your sister, you want her to survive, so why don’t I help with that? I can’t do anything about her level, and don’t get me wrong, she will die in the purge, but I can help you keep her safe until then, can’t I? I’ll give you an array.”
Logan paused, thrown. “A what?”
“You’ll learn more about them once you have access to the System Market, but the one I’ll give you will be better than anything you can buy. It’s a defensive array, a barrier that you can set up around a building that won’t let anyone pass who’s lower leveled than the array. And the array, my dear, is A Grade.”
Logan felt a trickling sensation that was very like elation. An array? Something that would protect Lara and the kids? He hadn’t thought that was possible. It sounded too good to be true. But if Pied would give him that, why not more?
“Not enough,” said Ernie. “You know what to ask for, Logan. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your promise. Don’t think I’ve forgotten about revenge.”
Aw, shit. Ernie was right. How the hell was he going to accept a deal with Pied and then walk away from this complex and leave the octopuses enslaved? If he abandoned them, each one would soon make their way into the skill ring production floor. Ernie would never forgive him.
“That’s a good opening offer.”
Pied scoffed. “Opening offer?”
“Yeah, it’s a good start. But man, you’re asking for a lot here. You want to become my sponsor, but I have no idea what kind of ruler you are! For all I know, it’ll put a target on my back.”
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“That’s rich. You already had a target when you pissed off Agata Silverdagger. My sponsoring you will make your situation better, not worse.”
Logan tried to make his expression blank, but yet again, he’d just obtained intel. He’d known that the Silverdagger Clan had been the one to assign the bounty—it said it right in the System message—but that didn’t mean he’d known who in the Clan had initiated it.
It had been Asthea’s mother. Logan felt a surge of discomfort and what he suspected was guilt. Asthea had tried so hard to impress her mother, and Logan had taken her life before she’d found out if her efforts had paid off.
“And you expect me to just take your word for it? No, it’s not enough.”
“You’re starting to try my patience. Speak plainly.”
“Free Lara and the kids today, give me an hour with your rat army, provide that array, free my bonded companion’s friends and everyone in these cells. Then I’ll agree. Gladly.”
There was a pause while Pied blinked, his mouth gaping. With a chuckle, he glanced from Logan to Shoot, who was standing straight up, panting, her green tongue hanging out of her mouth. “Why don’t I give you my Kingdom while I’m at it. You’re delusional if you think I’ll give you all of that!”
Aw, fuck. But Logan knew the key to negotiation was to ask for good shit, unreasonable shit, and then work your way down. He wanted all those things, but he could make it seem like Pied had won without giving up on the most important ones.
“What do you need with all those octopuses? You have enough skill rings, you’re rich enough.”
Pied tapped his foot, his fluffy tail standing straight up like he’d put it in an electrical socket. “You have all my skill rings. You stole them! And notice that I didn’t even ask for them back?”
Er, right. “You said that you were once a bonded companion, and that you know how wrong it is to turn sentient animals into skill rings. You understand it. So why not free them?”
“I said I understood how you felt, not that I agreed.” Pied clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “In a few hundred years, your bonded companion will get over it. Emotions are raw when you’re young, but it’s how the world works. Skill rings are the solution to the System’s skill limit, and nothing will change it. You must have the same analogy on your world. Something that everyone knows is wrong, but you keep doing it all the same. Sometimes, you have to tolerate a lesser evil for the greater good.”
Oh hell no. A lesser evil? That was rich.
“Never,” said Ernie in his mental voice, shifting inside of his pouch and scoffing. “Never, never! I could live a thousand years, and I would never feel the same. He is an evil, evil furry man.”
“I won’t let you down, buddy,” responded Logan and then he pinned Pied with a look. “Freeing the octopuses is non-negotiable.”
“Oh?” Pied twisted his mouth and rolled his eyes. “You’re so idealistic. If I free them, I’ll just get more the next day.”
“Kill him, kill him, kill him,” Ernie chanted.
“I don’t care. They’re mine.”
“Fine!” Pied snapped, his expression mulish. “But that’s all you get.”
The fact that he’d already agreed to free the octopuses meant that Logan could get more. It was just a matter of how much.
“I’m not an unreasonable man,” said Logan. “I can make compromises. I’ll take back the hour with your rat army, you save that for your contract workers. I want Lara and the kids, the array, the people in these cells, and the octopuses.”
“No,” Pied spat.
Logan had to hiss in a breath, his heart racing. Pied had reined in his aura throughout this conversation, but now, it was back worse than ever. It was crushing, a presence that made it seem as if he’d transformed into a towering monster. The air thickened as if Logan were breathing in smog, his ears full of cotton, his head growing foggy, making it difficult to think.
Come on, just a little more.
“O-okay,” Logan gasped, hardly able to speak. It was as if his mouth no longer worked, his airways tightening. “I get it. T-that’s too much! You can keep the people!”
Just like that, the pressure dropped, the air clearing as Pied pulled back on his aura, that killing intent disappearing and his humor returning.
Pied smirked, his eyes sparkling. “Now isn’t that better. E Grade users should know their place.”
But Logan wasn’t done. “I won’t ask for the people. There are thousands here. It must have taken a lot of work to round them up, I get it. But… I hate to ask. I know I already asked for a ton. But there’s a small group in cell 32 that I know.” Pied’s expression darkened. “Only around fifty! Fifty out of thousands. I’d feel horrible if I left them. It’d make it awfully difficult to compete in that tournament to the best of my abilities.”
Pied stared, a vein on his neck bulging.
Ernie scrambled out of his pouch, crawling down Logan’s shoulder, his horns jumping up and down. “Of course he’ll say yes!” he exclaimed, his eyes playful. “For he is mighty, a mighty immortal. What need does he have for an extra fifty, when he already has so many?”
Pied gave Ernie a playful glance, suddenly all humor. “You’re right, spicy thing! What need do I have for fifty worthless humans? I can be generous since you asked so nicely.”
Logan paused, his nerves on fire. Did that mean that he’d agreed? That it was as easy as that?
“To confirm,” said Logan, his voice tense. “You free Lara and my nieces, the octopuses and the group in cell 32 today, and you provide that array. You do all of that, and I’ll agree to the sponsorship. Do we have a deal?”
Pied’s tail swayed from side-to-side. “We have a deal.”
Logan couldn’t believe it. It was that feeling you had right after receiving a deal that was too good to be true. So good that you wanted to run before it was taken back. His adrenaline was sizzling, his limbs twitching. He wanted to do nothing more than fist pump the air in victory. But first, he’d have to deal with the contract.
“Just one more thing…”
***
Fuck. He’d done it, he’d really done it. As Lara punched him in the shoulder one more time, Logan blinked, still not believing that he’d gotten everything he’d asked for and more. He’d unlocked [Liche Devourer], he’d signed a contract that was as fair as Lara could make it, and he’d still managed to find a way to free Ernie’s brethren and Brooke and Chase’s group. Not to mention the mysterious array that should let him protect Lara and the kids.
“Come this way,” said Pied, his tone abrupt. “Take the people in the cell as agreed, transport the octopuses, but do it now. I don’t want to see you back here, trying to rescue anyone else. If you do, it won’t go well for you. Your focus is to get strong, level up and work on your skills as much as you can before the Tournament. Remember, you only have six days.”
Logan nodded, trying to look as if he were taking his advice, but if anything, Logan was going to protect Lara and the kids.
Pied narrowed his eyes. “You will do this. If you die in the first day, I won’t be happy.”
Logan snorted. “Neither will I.”
Lara watched them with careful eyes as they walked down the corridor, darting her gaze from Pied to Shoot. Ernie had scurried back into his pouch, but she’d seen him as well. Logan didn’t know what she was thinking, but it had to be similar to Logan’s thought process throughout the System Integration. Wizard-shit, indeed.
Pied paused in front of cell 32.
Brooke and Chase came to the front of the cell, their eyes cautious, while the others started milling around them. The glass wall was still up, so Logan couldn’t hear what they were saying, but that would end soon.
Pied raised his arm and pressed something on his bracelet. Just like that, the glass wall disappeared, letting in the reek of sweaty bodies and stale food. Unlike Lara, Brooke and Chase’s group hadn’t been here long, so the smell wasn’t as bad. “They’re all yours. Remember what I said. Take them now and get out. Don’t come back here, Logan. Be good, and I’ll see you in six days.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked down the corridor, whistling.
Logan and the others waited until he’d walked away, looking from Pied’s disappearing back to the open cell. Holy shit, he’d opened the whole cell! And there wasn’t just Brooke and Chase’s group inside—he’d let everyone out.
“Uncle Logan,” said Sawyer, tugging on his hand, her eyes wide and full of yearning. “Does this mean that we can go home? I miss Frank.”
Frank was her stuffed penguin. Oh hell, he hadn’t heard her mention Frank in ages, assuming she’d grown out of it. That wasn’t good. If Sawyer had regressed to stuffed animals, that meant she was uncertain and scared. On top of that, there was no way they could go back to the house. There was nothing…
Hold on.
He’d cleared out Lara’s house, throwing everything inside of his spatial collar.
Logan mentally rummaged through the contents, and then grinned. “You missed Frank? Well what do you know!” With a blink, Logan willed out the stuffed animal, grasping the purple, worn stuffed penguin by the neck.
Sawyer gasped and then snatched it out of his hand, snuggling her face into the toy, her eyes growing damp.
“How did you…?” asked Lara.
“I’ll tell you everything,” said Logan. “But first I need to get you out of here.” Just because Pied had agreed to let them go didn’t mean that they were safe.
“What’s going on?” asked Brooke, her eyes hard. Her sleeve was ripped, a long scratch trailing down her forearm. “I thought you left us. To become rat fodder.”
“Nope,” said Logan, grinning. “This is a jailbreak.”
Chase narrowed his eyes, looking from Logan to down the corridor where Pied had disappeared. “They’re just letting us go? After everything they did to capture us?”
Lara jabbed Logan with an elbow. “My little brother is too modest. He negotiated for your release.”
“I’m so tired,” said one of the others. “Now we have to travel all the way back to the city?”
Logan raised an eyebrow, incredulous. What, did they want to stay here?
Chase lowered his voice into an undertone. “Moving from place to place, constantly worried about XP gangs and about the rats was trying on them. Especially the kids. Being in a cell isn’t ideal, but at least they knew they had a bed here and that they weren’t in danger of being killed. People latch onto the strangest things when forced to deal with life and death situations.” Chase cleared his throat. “But if you really went out of your way to help us, to save us. You have my gratitude. And my loyalty.”
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the skill [Lodestone Creationist]!]