Home is a two-storey log house set at the turn-off on the Klondike Highway between Carcross and Teslin.  A former restaurant and grocery store, the Carcross Cutoff had clear fields of fire up to 50 meters away around its gravel parking lot and System cleared trees.  In the past few weeks, John had paid to add reinforced System walls, windows and doors to the building to increase its security along with a simple Command Centre that provided him with a System enabled sentient tracking system along with System comptabile utilities.  It made the once abandoned building quite livable, if lonely.

I had a house in Whitehorse proper - okay, in Riverdale but that’s a 15-minute walk to downtown for a slow walker - but being out here, a good thirty minutes away by bike, has been peaceful.  I might return one day, but for now, my ex-party are staying at my house, taking care of the upkeep and ensuring monsters don’t move in.  Whitehorse has still not reached the threshold it requires to become a safe zone which stabilises the mana flows around the city and stops monster evolution within the city limits.  Last I heard, they still had about 30% of the buildings in the city to be purchased.  I can’t even imagine the time it’d take to get a place like New York completely stabilised.

As I pull up on Sabre, I stand up and groan, stretching.  I can’t help but think about the hot shower that waits for me which is why I don’t even see the giant, armored hand that appears and hauls me up into the air before it’s too late to stop it.  Reflexes honed through hours of battle kick in though and I’m jabbing forward with my hand, calling forth my sword.  My hand is grabbed and locked to my side in an iron grip.  I don’t stand a chance of breaking out of it so I don’t even try, curling my body up around the arm that is holding me and kicking at the body with everything that I’ve got.  The impact is enough to rip me away from the arm, my body rolling and coming up by reflex even as my brain finally catches up.

“Stop!” the command is shouted and I freeze as my brain points out the many, many guns pointed at me.  I’m surrounded by armored attackers that are slowly shimmering into reality, cloaking deactivating.  All of them are large, tusked and fully armored in black and green futuristic combat armor. 

Hakarta Lieutenant (Level 33*)

HP: 4890/4890

“Gremlin’s Balls!  It’s a full Elite platoon John.  This isn’t even the right line-up!” Ali almost screams that out as he pulls the information up, displaying data above each of my attackers in quick succession.  Lieutenant, a pair of Sargent’s, four Privates and a Major.  The lowest level come from the Privates and they are Level 17 Advanced Classes.

I’ve never heard Ali sound panicked before, not even when I was taunting and kiting a Salamander across kilometers of forested terrain but I can feel the cold pit of dread open in my stomach.  Oh god, I am so out-leveled, it’s not funny.  The Cutoff is a System designated Fort which means that it has certain importance in terms of location and placement.  When I first drove past it, I had been shot at by these guys - the Hakarta.  Space mercenaries, most closely resembling our version of an Orc but with space armor, tactics and laser weapons.  Not to say that they aren’t armed with a series of nasty looking melee weapons either. 

“Are you the owner of this Fort,” the Major speaks, making me turn slightly to look over at him.  I keep an eye on my original attacker, noticing how he is leaning forwards, hands opening and closing.  Trouble is going to come from there.  The Major’s voice is low, a growl more than a phrase but it is tinged with an upper-class British accent that reminds of my popular Victorian TV shows.  The idiosyncrasies of learning a language from the System can be particularly amusing.

“Yes,” I reply, my hands twitching slightly by my side as one of the Hakarta picks up the sword I dropped when I was blocked.  As a private comes up to grab my pistol I tense up and I watch as the rifles twitch, following even that slightest of motion.  Arse.  They don’t bother touching Sabre, probably realising that it won’t work for them without significant hacking.  They do take my energy rifle from its holster on her though.

“What happened to my men?” the Major says.

“Uhh…” As I hesistate, the Lieutenant steps forward and throws a punch at me.  I see it coming, in time perhaps to dodge it but under their guns I just take the punch.  It slams into my stomach, forcing me to bow slightly in pain and exhale.

“Remove your helmet.  And do not hesitate again at answering my questions,” the Major says once more and I comply, removing the helmet.

“Ali, glitter ball special on my command,” I think to him while answering.  “They are dead.”

“You are their killer?” the Major asks again and I can’t for the life of me read him.  It’s not just the alien body language or the armor that covers his body, it’s that he isn’t giving away anything.  I consider very briefly and very quickly lying but considering the Yerick and Roxley both had ways of telling if someone lied, I was willing to bet so did he.

“Yes.  They attacked me first,” I answer, ready to let Ali know and trigger my QSM.  The last time I fought these guys, they had quantum grenades that ripped through me even while I was in that state, but any chance is better than none.

The Major looks at me for a time and then nods to the Lieutenant who steps back, away from me. “Explain the incident to me.  In detail.”

I cough, rubbing at my neck and as the Lieutenant begins to move to hit me again, I start explaining.  I detail how I was looking for survivors after the System came into place, how I was attacked while driving here, my tactics and finally, how I finished the matter.  When I am done, the silence lingers for a time before the Major reaches up and makes his helmet disappear too, an act that is followed by all his men.  “They hid in the command room?”

I nod slowly, fear slowly replaced with burning anger.  I flex my hand, letting my gaze wander once more as I try to think of a survivable way of fighting back.  I come up with nothing even as the Major’s face twists and he spits on the ground.  A few moments later, the other Hakarta around me follow his example.  Interesting fact - Hakarta spit is green in colour.

“I am Labashi Ruka, Major of the Sixty Third Division.  It is a pleasure to meet you, warrior,” the Champion answers.  As he introduces, the Lieutenant twitches again, purple eyes narrowing.

I stare at the Lieutenant for a moment before turning to Labashi.  First, they attack me, then they beat me and then they introduce themselves?  You know what, this is insane but that’s been my life for the last few months.  So, fine, insane it is.  “John Lee.  This mean you decided not to kill me?”

“No, but I have decided not to do it yet,” the Major answers.  “Your actions have cost the Sixty Third Division a decent supplementary bonus.”

I can feel my grin widening as he so casually mentions my death.  Well, okay then.  I keep my voice level as I buy time with another question, furiously trying to figure a way out.  “Supplementary bonus?”

“Information about the city of Whitehorse was requested.  As the information was not part of the original contract, the bonus is supplementary.  It was, however, substantial,” Labashi continues and just stands there, staring at me.

“Right…” I stare at him and then flick my glance to Ali.  “Ali, is he hinting I should give him that information?”

“YES!” Ali bounces up and down, shaking his head.  “If you aren’t, I will!”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Well, perhaps I can help with that,” my smile widens, becoming all teeth.  Alright, let’s see how this dance goes.  “What did you need to know?”

Labashi returns my smile, all toothy grin and all and then flicks his gaze over to the Lieutenant.  The Lieutenant makes a slight motion and a blue screen appears in front of me, detailing the information they wish.  Current owner, political situation, individuals in power, notable parties, defenses…  I shake my head, looking the list over. “I know some of this, but I’ve not really been plugged in for the last few weeks.”

“Plugged in?” Labashi snorts slightly, large green nose flaring around his tusks.

“Uhh… been in touch.  I moved out here a few weeks ago and not been talking to people as much,” I explain and Labashi nods.

“That is acceptable.  Tell us what you know,” Labashi says.

“Right, let’s see.  Lord Roxley is the current landowner.  There’s a Human City Council that was put together that sort of but not really works with him about running the house.  Some Yerick arrived a few months ago and moved in too.  No one truly notable beyond Lord Roxley and the Yerick First Fist, everyone else are humans with low-levels compared to you guys.  The city still doesn’t have a stable mana flow so safe zones are rather nasty, human population is just above two thousand if I recall correctly.”  As Labashi continues to nod, I continue to speak, digging through my brain for the information he wants.  “Security includes gate guards, a stone wall and I believe technological shielding on the walls though I’ve not seen them in play.  Guards are of course Lord Roxley’s men and some human guards.”

“Good.  Tell me of these Lord Roxley’s men,” Labashi says and I grimace but settle in, detailing who I recall seeing.  The only thing I leave out are Levels.  No reason for him to know that I can read them and I ain’t offering that information up.  For what seems like hours, the questioning continues.  Once they realise I’m willing to talk, the guards relax slightly and we end up on my porch, drinking and snacking.  I introduce the Major to chocolate which he seems highly appreciative of and he introduces me to a fruit drink from his home world.  It’s a very friendly interrogation, but it’s an interrogation nonetheless and he pulls a ton of information from me.  Outside of my own abilities, I don’t bother hiding anything if he asks though I try not to be too helpful either.  All the while, the Lieutenant stands directly behind me and if looks could kill, I’d be a laser riddled corpse.

Along the way, I do learn why it took them so long to come check on the fort.  It seems their employer was a bit of a cheapskate and since each confirmed death of one of the Hakarta had a blood price, so long as the Hakarta were marked as ‘missing’, he would not need to make final payment.  This little journey was actually off-the-books and completely on Labashi’s time.

“I do like these Belgian chocolates best,” Labashi pops one last piece into his mouth before he stands.  “However, I must return to my Division.  Would you prefer the blade or the beam?”

I stand too, offering my hand once again.  When my brain catches up I freeze, staring at the hulking brute before me.  Shit…

“John?” Labashi asks again, his voice calm while in my peripheral vision, I see the Lieutenant has already drawn his blade.

I shake my head, then slowly speak.  “Why?”

“Blood must pay in blood,” Labashi answers simply and I gulp.

“Bullshit!” Ali pops into existence, glaring at him.  He’s been quiet, invisible the whole time and working furiously on his own screens while we talked.

“Ah, the Spirit makes his appearance,” Labashi’s lips pull apart again, widening into what could charitably be called a grin.  “And why would I shit with a bull?”

“Bugger that, you’re just angling for something again with boy-o here.  Why don’t you just say it,” Ali states, tapping his foot.  “You boys aren’t that bloodthirsty and the fight was fair so there’s no blood debt.”

Labashi continues to grin, staring at Ali before he laughs and then nods, “Very well Spirit.  I shall stop pulling the leg of the Adventurer.  We stand to gain additional Credits for continued information about this White Horse.  I desire John to provide that information.”

I grunt.  Now that my heart isn’t thundering, that makes a lot of sense.  In fact, I was pretty sure he was going to ask me to do this from the way he was speaking during our interrogation, not threaten me.  Then again, I guess this is what they call blackmail.  The word, the thought sets off that slow kindling flame of anger in me again, the one that’s been trying to get out since I got attacked in my own home.  I really, really don’t like getting pushed around.  “Can do.”

Labashi grins again, clapping me on the shoulder and gesturing for his people to get together.  “We will provide you a list of what is required.”

I just nod and wait till they’re gathered and walking away a bit before I call out, “So, what am I getting paid?”

They turn as a group and even Ali spins to stare at me.  Labashi opens his mouth and I continue, “Don’t bother with threats.  If you kill me, you get nothing so that doesn’t work out for you.  Of course, I’d be dead but it still doesn’t help you.”

The Lieutenant shifts, taking a step towards me and I shake my head.  “Last warning, don’t try it.” 

“Kyroc,” Labashi just says his name and the Lieutenant steps back.  Good discipline.  “Do you believe you can beat us?”

“No, but I’m really good at running.  I just need a little head start,” I smile slightly, gesturing to where they are, letting just a little of the anger reach my eyes.  “That’s about enough.”

“I see…. And what do you desire?” Labashi answers, sharp teeth beginning to show again as he looks at me.

“Payment of course.  You want me to be a spy, well, spies get paid.” I shrug.  “We’ll call it oh… 20% of the System price.  And a guarantee we don’t ever have this conversation again.”

“Impossible! 20% is too high,” Labashi states immediately and I glance at Ali who doesn’t make a move.

“What’s your number?”

“10%”

“25.”

“… that is not how you negotiate,” Labashi replies, eyes narrowing. 

“It is when you give a too low number to begin with,” This is stupid, but that’s okay.  I’m about 50% sure I can get away from there before they can kill me.  And if not… well, fuck it.  I was dead as of 4 months ago anyway.  “Shall we try for higher?”

“25.” Labashi answers, nodding.

“And a guarantee of immunity from prosecution from the Hakarta,” I add.

“I can only guarantee for my division,” Labashi says. 

“That’ll do.”

 “Then the deal is done.”

“One thing - I don’t guarantee I’ll be able to get all the information you want,” I add.

“Then the deal will be voided if you do not treat fairly with us and attempt to learn the requested information,” Labashi adds and then his grin widens.  “And I will find you and show you how we feel about deal breakers.”

“Fair enough,” I smile back at him, the pit of anger still burning away.

“Then deal is done,” Labashi repeats again and the way he says makes me think it is ritual so I repeat it myself. 

Contract Initiated and Agreed Upon by Labashi Ruka and John Lee.

Further Details? (Y/N)

I blink and eyes narrow slightly, looking at the Orc.  He just flashes me another toothy grin, pulling on his helmet as the group turn and walk away.  I watch them leave, waiting for them to move a distance away before I retrieve my weapons and dismiss my sword.  I have a feeling I somehow got played…

“Well, that was fun,” I mutter and slump down next to the door, letting out a long exhalation when I finally decide that they really are gone.

“What the hell, John!” Ali mutters, shaking his head.  “You had to challenge him?”

“Didn’t like being pushed around.”

“Fuck!  And he got you into a contract.  You sure you up to this boy-o?” Ali answers and I chuckle.

“Why not? Aren’t you the one who is always saying everything has a price on the System?  If they really wanted to know, they could just buy it.  Might as well get paid,” I answer and shake my head.  “Anyway, I never said I wasn’t going to tell the others about this.”

“Playing both sides?” Ali says and I shrug. 

“No idea, we’ll play it by ear,” I rub my temple before I tilt my head to Ali.  “I wonder who their employer is.”

“You could find out,” Ali points out and I consider it for a moment before shake my head.  I really am not that interested in wasting good credit.  I look down at my hands, seeing that they’ve stopped shaking and I nod slowly.  God, that was close.

“Could I have escaped?” I wonder aloud.

“No idea.  Probably not,” Ali adds, shaking his head.  “You don’t become a Major without at least a few tricks up your sleeve.”

“Yeah…” I shut my eyes, shaking my head.  “So, care to explain contracts?”

“It’s a Skill,” Ali explains and frowns, shaking his head.  “I guess it’s not surprising Mercenaries have it but fuck, sorry.  I should have warned you - I just didn’t realise it.  The Skill binds the user and other parties into the deal they agreed upon.  If you fail to live up to your side, it not only notifies him, the System will also impose a penalty upon you.  Mostly a mana tax and the ability for the user to track you.  Which can be transferred.”

I nod slowly, grimacing.  Great.  And the deal’s open-ended…  The only advantage is that like any permanent alteration in the System, the Major’s got to be paying for the contract through his mana so it’s not something he’d want to keep forever.

“Alright boy-o.  Up and at them, you need a bath,” Ali says after I’ve been sitting there for a bit.

“I…” I frown, and then shake my head.  “No.  Let’s head in.  I think, I think I need some company,” I slowly stand up, looking back at the fort.  Company, safety, perhaps just a place to put my head down.  They aren’t likely to come back, not really, but… tonight I’ll sleep in my house in Whitehorse.