"Go offline and tell your father I want to negotiate your surrender", she picked him up with one hand.
All Jeremy could do was nod his head before Kyatha dropped him to the ground, Julian's assault was going to cost them so much he couldn't see a future beyond today.
Logging off and removing his rig Jeremy raced to his father's work room where he found his entire family looking grim and sending baleful glances in his direction.
"Dad you have to log in right now", skidding to a stop in front of the desk, his uncle standing to his left and his mother on the right.
"I have to log in do I?", his words were quiet but filled with power, "what have you done now Jeremy", rumbling in suppressed rage "dueling with your charges", heart pounded in his chest, "killing your brother's charge", the waves of anger crushed into despair, "what have you done now?" seeing his father's eyes sparkle when he was fighting back tears, "weren't we good enough for you?" gripping his mother's hand.
Blurting "It was Julian" before realising how it sounded
"ENOUGH WITH YOUR LIES", Constantine shouted, "you wanted to be treated as an adult?" anger lacing every word, "and you go and do something like this?", looks of anger met his eyes from everyone except his mother's heartbroken tears, "we will pay for your mistakes", after a pause, "but I don't want to ever see you again", then thinking, "you have two hours to pack up and leave this house".
Tears stinging his eyes Jeremy fealt his legs tremble before he saw Julian's mischievious smile that stiffened his spine in anger, "fine", wiping his eyes, "but I will pay back the guild every debt incurred from today's mistakes", glaring straight into his brother's eyes until julian's smile changed to discomfort, "all debts", repeating before he left the conference room.
"When do I meet your father to settle this?" Were the first words he heard even before completing his incarnation.
Opening his eyes to a very close up look of her face, "he isn't coming"
Pushing him away she stormed toward the dragon, "I will burn them to the ground"
"Wait", calling her to stop, "they blame me for all of it"
Turning back, "I don't care", looking at something on her display, "you are all going to pay for this"
"They kicked me out", begging her, "my father will pay the despawn price" wishing she just listen to reason, "he is a good person and won't let something like this fall between chairs" her eyes narrowed, "I dont want my family to starve in the streets so please dont kill them"
"My sister is a good person", her voice accusing him, "she is a defender of the free guilds", he drew back, "but now she has to reincarnate in a noob city with nothing", raising her hand, she can't even join our guild for two weeks because of the terms and services", dropping her hand to her side, "you have no idea what it means for all of us"
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"One defender cant change the tides of war", trying to diffuse her argument.
"Are you stupid?", walking back to him, "she was Orella", the name ringed an obscure memory, "leader of the seaspring alliance", his heart sank, "she was coordinating our entire shore line defenses"
Disbelieving the ridiculous statement "what would someone like that do in a newbie dungeon in the middle of nowhere".
"That's none of your business", saying as she read something on her display.
"I have to go offline" turning to the dragon, "I dont know when you have to log off but call you guardian of light and pay whatever it takes to protect us until I return"
Remembering his offline trouble, "I have to go too" Jeremy said.
"Do whatever you want"came her cold reply, "you are not my problem anymore", sitting down she logged off.
"Oh man what a mess" he said to no one in particular, "don't even know where I'll sleep tonight"
"Why not sleep here with us then?" The dragon's rambling voice stopping his heart.
"I meant in the real world", not sure how to tell someone with that avatar what it meant to be homeless, "my family kicked me out and I dont have enough money for one night in a coffin motel"
"How much money is that?" Obvious cash didnt mean anything to someone like that.
"Maybe twenty five gold for a week rent", thinking back prices from his seldom solo vacations maybe seven if I rent by the night"
"What happened to your treasure?" The leaves rustled even when the dragon was speaking casualy.
Understanding the strangely worded question, "never had any", then added, "its all gone to the guild or for training materials mostly spell books"
"Ahh" the creature sighed, "taxes", then it added "I can give you a loan"
"Don't want your charity man", though he could definitely use some free cash.
"You can pay me back instead of paying taxes to the guild" it made sense in a way, "I will only take a small charge for my trouble", RedFox21 squinted, "how about two percent interest?"
It was a lot cheaper than the guild tax if he didn't tske too much initially, "how much do you have on hand", remembering too late the stories about looted ships he really didnt want to know that number.
"Maybe seven" sighing with relief Jeremy thought seven thousand wasn't too much, he could handle it.
"Can you loan me half of it now?" He didn't want to beggar the man helping him and thirty five hundred was a sum that could carry him for a while.
"I will give you one percent" what a cheap bastard, holding him on loans for a monthly rent and some change.
"Ten percent" trying his luck to get a little further ahead in the game.
Squinting, the dragon was obviously calculating the silver bits, "one and a half percent" it finally said.
"Two" Jeremy had to try.
"Fine" the dragon sighed and created a contract stating the details of their deal, 'two percent of his current
When the sum was added to his account he fainted, dropping offline when the life support system pushed sedatives directly to his cranial implant and spine, coming to with a start Jeremy just stared at the wall of his room, not his room any more, two percent? how was he going to pay more than fourteen thousand gold each month? He couldn't use more than the absolute minimum for living if he wanted to pay it back in time, the coffin motel was still his only option.