Regu sat at his desk in the home office of his penthouse apartment on Luminous Prime, capital of the Integrated Universe. He felt a small amount of guilt for leaving Earth, but he hadn’t seen Jeremiah since just after the ambush in Zone 5 ten days before. The young man blamed Regu for the faulty intelligence that had resulted in multiple deaths.
The blue man blamed himself too.
He looked down at the Tournament of Kings announcement that had come out just a handful of days after the ambush.
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> Tournament of Kings
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> With the ascension of the Premier Elite to Level 50, the time has come to crown six champions. Tournaments will be held in six categories, each crowning a champion who will be rewarded with the treasures of a king.
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> Tournaments will be held in the following general disciplines:
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> * Archer / Ranger
> * Battle Mage
> * Dark Mage
> * Rogue / Assassin
> * Sword Master
> * Warrior
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> Registration will open in one week’s time and remain open until the start of the tournaments in one month’s time. Competitors can register at the Integration Office in any Integration Center.
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> The tournaments are open to all who wish to enter. No outside weapons or magical items will be allowed into the individual tournaments.
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It was still three weeks until the tournaments started, so there was time for Regu to reconcile with his client and get the quest back on track to make Jeremiah King of the World .
Not that it was really off track now. While he hadn’t had face-to-face contact with the Premiere Elite, Regu had been able to keep tabs on him through Philanthar, Sabrina’s Elite Trainer.
Jeremiah and Sabrina had been inseparable since the ambush and had clearly bonded over mutual suffering. And they had taken their anger out on countless monsters. Both had racked up an impressive number of levels in a short time.
Regu and his team hadn’t been idle either. If anything, they had been working even harder as they rooted out deceit and treachery.
He shook his head as he read over a report detailing the recent Integration related transactions of the Meffei Conglomerate, who were clearly supporting Mido Khalil. “So, who can we trust?”
“The same people we always trust,” Malinda, his four-armed assistant, answered. “You can beat yourself up all you want, but this was something we couldn’t have predicted. There had never been a true breach of Integration Council security before.”
“At least not one that we know of,” Regu countered. As far as the rest of the universe knew, the council security was still impenetrable. Ty’Reesha’s security team had dumped the body of the perpetrator along with partial remains of a second man near the Integration Council Headquarters for the authorities to find. Both were presumed to have had some shady dealings, but there was no evidence of a security breach. Including himself and Malinda, only six people were aware of the breach, and Regu only knew one of the other four—Ty’Reesha. The only other person who knew that something was truly amiss was the man whose partial remains were found. He was presumed to be dead but was, in fact, being held by Ty’Reesha and her people beneath the Fractal Rift Orbital Lounge. The man would stay there until the Integration concluded with the crowning of a new King of Earth. At the earliest.
There were still a lot of details that Regu didn’t know. Ty’Reesha had personally been involved in uncovering the leak, and out of professional courtesy, Regu hadn’t pushed her for every detail. He was satisfied knowing that she had handled the situation and had passed on all pertinent information.
“We cannot dwell on things we had no way of knowing,” Malinda pointed out.
“But it’s our job to know everything!”
Malinda nodded her head, and her hands went to work. Four virtual screens popped up in front of her, and she started swiping, scrolling, and tapping. A moment later, she put a finger on one of her screens and flung the holographic display toward Regu. “Then let’s start discussing what we know about the competitors for the Tournament of Kings.”
The screen that Malinda had flipped toward Regu stopped in front of him, and the Elite Trainer studied the information displayed.
> Name: Mido Khalil
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> Level: 51
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> Profession: Elite (Dark Mage)
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> Health: 2163 (max)
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> Mana: 2652 (max)
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> Stamina: 2158 (max)
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> Agility: 57
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> Charisma: 40
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> Durability: 50
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> Intelligence: 65
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> Strength: 50
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> Vitality: 51
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> Wisdom: 42
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> Titles Earned:
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> * Founding Elite. The title of Elite signifies a person is not only unique in their ability to fight monsters but also able to lead the way for others. To acknowledge their rapid advancement, the first ten people to achieve this status earn the title Founding Elite.
> * Monster Tamer. Everyone fights monsters. Not everyone wins. And even fewer defeat monsters more powerful than themselves. A Monster Tamer has battled and defeated a monster at least ten levels above their own level.
> * Judas Prime. Since the beginning of time, people have reached for power and influence over their peers. Some work hard and earn everything they reap. Others take from those that have what they desire. Some will abandon any concept of truth or fairness and will betray any friend or ally to increase their own power and wealth. A precious few will take betrayal to new heights and earn the title of Judas Prime in the process.
> * Dungeon Explorer. Many people have explored a dungeon. Some of them even survived. All who enter a dungeon earn the title of Dungeon Explorer . . . even if they get killed.
> * Dungeon Master. Clearing a dungeon and facing down the Dungeon Lord take courage, talent, and luck. That’s an endeavor worth recognizing. Everyone who clears a dungeon will forever be known as a Dungeon Master.
> * Land Baron. A growing civilization needs cities. Lots and lots of cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least five settlements earn the title of Land Baron.
> * A growing civilization needs cities. Lots and lots of cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least three Counties earn the title of Governor.
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> The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
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> Pillars of Power:
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> * Agility
> * Magic
> * Death Magic (secondary pillar)
> * Fire Magic (secondary pillar)
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> Skills:
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> * Basic Magic: Master
> * Bladed Weapons: Master
> * Combat Magic: Master
> * Camouflage: Novice
> * Curses: Master
> * Dagger: Master
> * Death Magic: Master
> * Dungeon Mapping: Master
> * Fire Magic: Master
> * Hand-to-hand Combat: Master
> * Mind Control: Master
> * Resurrection: Master
> * Self-defense: Master
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Mido Khalil and his Elite Trainer, Asteria, were easily their biggest threat. The system had classified him as a Dark Mage, and looking at the man’s skills, it was easy to see why. Curses, Death Magic, and Resurrection were squarely in the category of dark magic. In addition to those Master Level skills, every other skill the man possessed was at Master Level with the exception of Camouflage, which was still at Basic Level. It was likely a skill granted at the beginning of the Integration based on the man’s prior life skills.
The Elite Dark Mage was clearly a driven man, not to mention focused. Taking every skill learned to Master Level showed a clear purpose as well as a deep desire to achieve goals.
“This little psychopath is making himself into quite the villain.”
“He’s only the villain if we beat him,” Malinda said. “Otherwise, he will be called King.”
Regu shook his head, knowing the truth of that statement. “History is written by the victor.”
Malinda nodded then continued her update on Mido. “There is still very little information available on the man. He hasn’t signed any broadcast contracts and has done almost nothing that has been recorded. Most of what we think we know is speculation.”
“With his skill set, it’s not hard to know what kind of spells and weapons he will have. The Tournament of Kings will be the best chance we have to gather some information.”
“Agreed.”
“Have we figured out how they got their mutant hybrid monsters over here? I doubt that Casper had the ability to create such monstrosities.”
“It’s highly unlikely the former Mayor of Twin Falls created the monsters, but he almost certainly was involved in bringing them over. The most likely scenario is that they came down from Canada, and that probably means they have a portal located somewhere beyond Jeremiah’s controlled territory.”
Regu frowned. “We might have to build a wall.”
“That’s not practical,” his assistant said. “Besides, it’s not needed. All of Jeremiah’s settlements have significant defenses, and reinforcements are only a portal jump away.”
Malinda flipped another screen toward the Elite Trainer. “Besides, Mido isn’t our only competition.”
Regu swiped Mido’s file away and looked at the new screen.
> Name: Takeda Kenshin
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> Level: 50
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> Profession: Elite (Blademaster)
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> Health: 2263 (max)
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> Mana: 1879 (max)
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> Stamina: 2149 (max)
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> Agility: 62
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> Charisma: 44
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> Durability: 53
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> Intelligence: 46
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> Strength: 58
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> Vitality: 52
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> Wisdom: 50
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> Titles Earned:
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> * Founding Elite. The title of Elite signifies a person is not only unique in their ability to fight monsters but also able to lead the way for others. To acknowledge their rapid advancement, the first ten people to achieve this status earn the title Founding Elite.
> * Monster Tamer. Everyone fights monsters. Not everyone wins. And even fewer defeat monsters more powerful than themselves. A Monster Tamer has battled and defeated a monster at least ten levels above their own level.
> * Giant Slayer. Very few people are skilled enough to defeat high-level monsters. Even fewer can survive when drastically outclassed. A Giant Slayer is one such person, having defeated a monster at least twenty-five levels above their own level. The only question is whether this makes them very brave or very stupid.
> * Dungeon Explorer. Many people have explored a dungeon. Some of them even survived. All who enter a dungeon earn the title of Dungeon Explorer . . . even if they get killed.
> * Dungeon Master. Clearing a dungeon and facing down the Dungeon Lord take courage, talent, and luck. That’s an endeavor worth recognizing. Everyone who clears a dungeon will forever be known as a Dungeon Master.
> * Premier Lord. Establishing settlements on a newly Integrated planet is critical for the growth and re-establishment of civilization. There can be only one first settlement and establishing that settlement bestows the title of Premier Lord.
> * Land Baron. A growing civilization needs cities. Lots and lots of cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least five settlements earn the title of Land Baron.
> * A growing civilization needs cities. Lots and lots of cities. Those that strive to advance civilization by establishing at least three Counties earn the title of Governor.
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> Pillars of Power:
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> * Divinity
> * Finesse
> * Might
> * Melee (secondary pillar)
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> Skills:
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> * Bladed Weapons: Master
> * Basic Magic: Master
> * Blades of Fury: Master
> * Camouflage: Novice
> * Divine Retribution: Novice
> * Double Blade: Master
> * Dungeon Mapping: Master
> * Hand-to-hand Combat: Master
> * Life Magic: Master
> * Self-defense: Master
> * Shortsword: Master
> * Settlement Growth: Master
> * Settlement Building: Master
> * Resource Allocation: Master
> * Way of the Sword: Master
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He raised an eyebrow when he saw the Elite Blademaster’s skill list. The skills were obviously impressive, as one would expect from a Level 50 Elite, but there was one that Regu hadn’t expected.
Divine Retribution was a powerful skill that was usually possessed by people with a religious background. It was especially powerful when used against monsters—or people—that the wielder honestly considered evil. It was particularly effective against demons and the undead, which were almost universally considered evil.
The problem with the skill was that a person had to have true faith in something before Divine Retribution worked. A person couldn’t simply dislike someone or something. They truly needed to believe their enemy was evil. That was why it was usually used by high-level Clerics and occasionally Knights of a religious order.
Malinda guessed what Regu was thinking. “Divine Retribution appears to be a newly learned skill. Assuming he has the proper convictions, it is a skill that is potentially very useful against someone who uses dark magic.”
Regu frowned. “I thought they were allies.”
“They are, sort of,” Malinda said. “Mido and Takeda have a formal nonaggression treaty, which has severe consequences for whoever breaks it.”
The Elite Trainer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe the Blademaster is questioning his alliance with the Dark Mage.”
The four-armed woman shrugged her upper shoulders. “That is a problem for another day.”
Regu nodded. “Speaking of problems for another day, have we confirmed the status of Miss McIntyre?”
“Yes, we have, but I’m not sure if it is truly a problem for another day,” Malinda said, pursing her lips. “She is a high-level advisor for him.”
Regu blew out a breath. “Clearly a problem we will have to deal with.”
“Are you going to tell Jeremiah?”
“When the time is right. He’s definitely not in the right frame of mind right now to hear that his sister is working for the enemy.”
“He needs to know,” Malinda insisted.
“And he will,” Regu said. “As soon as I’m sure he won’t try swimming across the ocean to get to her.”
Malinda chuckled. “That would be quite a swim.”
“That’s one good thing about not having a global portal network yet. It has kept Jeremiah from transporting to Egypt and going after Mido and his Trainer before he’s truly ready.”
“I guess so, but you will need to start expanding that portal network beyond the continent you are already on soon.”
Regu nodded his agreement. “I have a plan for that, and I will get Jeremiah started as soon as I feel like he’s ready. If we can do a little expanding before the Tournament of Kings, great, but if not, that will be a top priority after the tournament.”
“He needs to win one of those tournaments, so don’t do anything that will jeopardize that.”
The Elite Trainer gave his assistant a look that said, Do you really think I would do that?
Malinda raised all four hands in the air. “Hey, it’s my job to make sure you think of everything.”
“I know,” Regu replied. “Now, let’s get back to reviewing Jeremiah’s potential challengers in the tournament.”