Chapter Forty-Two

Misaq stared calmly into the face of Darren, who looked very irate. His face was twisted into an ugly expression. His fists were clenched, and Ambrose could see the cords of the muscles in his forearms standing out. Ambrose had heard some men described as looking like bears, but Darren was the first one he thought truly fit the description. At this moment, it looked like someone had woken the grizzly from his long nap and then taken all of his stored food.

Ambrose Severen was a killer. Before the System, he had been a fixer, a trigger for hire. He had inflicted death and pain in nearly every way it could be inflicted on the human body. He had seen guts hanging out, chest cavities ripped open, large pools of steaming blood, and human depravity in spades.

He would even be worried if Darren had approached him the way he was doing to Misaq. Not because he would be threatened, because loud anger was the hallmark of an amateur to him, but because the look in Darren’s eyes was that of a predator fighting for more than just its life. It was wild and unleashed, and people ready to fight like that were dangerous. Period.

Misaq did not care in the least.

“What’s going on here?” Ambrose asked, stepping up.

Darren did not so much as glance at him.

“Oh, nothing. The father here is just offering me empty threats.” Misaq replied, his eyes shining with amusement.

Darren’s chest rumbled as his deep, chilling growl cut through the air.

Misaq’s lips curled at the corners.

“If you ever do that to Jenny again, I’ll rip out your throat.” Darren’s voice rumbled like shifting earth.

Misaq chuckled,

“Dear boy, you think it is I who did that? You misunderstand! That is the skill, or in other words, the System.”

Darren crossed his arms,

“But it’s your skill, devil.”

Misaq nodded,

“Indeed. Lest you forget, you entered into the deal with me. It is not my fault that you weren’t going to keep it, or instead, Ambrose wasn’t going to help you keep it. You agreed to the stipulation when you signed the contract.”

Darren shook his head,

“No, I didn’t. I read that contract thoroughly.”

Misaq's face split into a beaming smile and, with a practiced, elegant movement, produced a scroll, unfurling it to the grass below. On his other hand, a pair of small reading glasses appeared, and Misaq settled them onto his nose, clearing his throat simultaneously.

“Ahem. If any party should renege on this contract, all benefits herein shall be rendered null and void.”

Misaq looked up at Darren, removing his glasses.

“Right there in black and white, dear boy. You surely must see that it is the actions of Ambrose here that put your progeny in peril, not I.”

Darren flicked his eyes over to Ambrose, eyes hardening.

“It doesn’t matter. I have what the devil wants. Besides, look at your daughter, man.”

Darren turned and found Jenny eyeing the situation with a fearful expression. Darren rushed to her side.

“Hey? What’s wrong.”

Jenny sniffed,

“I don’t want to see you fight, Daddy. You could get hurt.”

Darren enfolded her in his arms, kissing her hair.

Ambrose turned his gaze away to regard the devil. He handed over the crystal that contained Lancelot.

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“Here. We’re done. Debt paid.”

Misaq lifted the crystal up, staring into its depths. He nodded once and the crystal vanished somewhere. He looked at Ambrose.

“As a matter of fact, we are not. You’re obligated to build a place in this world, Ambrose. A headquarters for you, and me. You also must retrieve the guilty. All of this is as per our agreement.”

His eyes flashed,

“We wouldn’t want to find out what happens when we don’t keep our agreements, do we?”

Ambrose crossed his arms, his lips tugging into a frown.

“Fine. Darren and co are meant to help me, yes?”

Misaq beamed, spreading his hands,

“Indeed.”

“Okay, and I planned on bringing guilty people to the island, anyway. Am I supposed to give them to you?”

Misaq shook his head,

“No need, just bring them here as you intended. Build your town here, if you like. I don’t care.”

His face went neutral as he stared intently into Ambrose’s eyes.

“But you will build it, Ambrose.”

His face brightened and he snapped his fingers.

“In fact, I know a man you could collect. You could even, let us say, give him a different sort of sentence than imprisonment.”

Ambrose arched an eyebrow.

“I can do that?”

Misaq chuckled,

“You are the Knight. What you write with your will on this island shall come to pass. Now then, this man holds the merchant profession. That gives you access to the System store. It’s a rare job to have and quite sought after. I suggest you go collect this man while your…”

He looked over at Darren and the others watching the exchange warily.

“Associates, get started planning your new town.”

Ambrose sighed,

“What did this man do? What’s his name? More importantly, where is he? You’re being rather sparse on the details, devil.”

Misaq shrugged,

“What do I look like, your servant? He’s in some place called Melbourne near here. I know that much. As for what he did? Well, you’ll need to put that together, won’t you? Ta-ta, for now, dear boy. I have things to be about.”

Before Ambrose could ask or say anything else, the devil was gone.

“Annoying prick,” he muttered to himself.

Ambrose turned to the others.

“Vivienne, your presence, please,” Ambrose called out.

A moment later, the lady of the Lake appeared in the middle, head bowed.

“Yes, Sir Knight?”

Jenny gasped,

“Ooh! Pretty!”

Vivienne’s mouth twitched.

Darren looked uncertain, if not a little startled. Andrea crossed her arms,

“I wonder how she gets her hair like that,” she murmured.

Thomas just smiled, his eyes roaming over Vivienne,

“I like my life some days.”

Andrea shot him a scowl,

“Quit being a perv. It makes you look like a cliche.”

Thomas shrugged, grinning.

“I’m old. I’m allowed to be a cliche.”

Ambrose ignored them,

“Would I be permitted to build a town here?”

Vivienne cocked her head as if she wasn’t quite sure what he was asking.

“Of course, Sir Knight. You will need a System Seed, of course.”

Ambrose raised an eyebrow. Vivienne merely stood.

I wish she’d pick up just a little bit on body language. Ambrose thought to himself before asking,

“What is that, Vivienne?”

“Ah. It is what you need if you wish to establish a System recognized settlement.”

Ambrose nodded,

“Okay…How do I get one?”

“Sadly, System Seeds are only offered to Forerunners. I’m afraid that isn’t you, Sir Knight.”

Ambrose closed his eye. That word. Eric called himself that.

Ambrose snapped his eye open, stepping closer to Vivienne.

“Tell me about these Forerunners. Everything you can. Now.”

Vivienne stepped back from him.

“It is nothing complicated, Knight. Before the System integrates the universe, it offers certain individuals a chance at early integration. A chance to level, gain a class, and skills, all before the System fully integrates the universe. It also gives them a Seed, a chance to build a settlement before the monster’s spawn.”

That’s what Eric meant. That’s why he called himself ‘special.’ Ambrose growled.

Jenny squeaked, and Darren glared at him. Ambrose paid them no attention.

“What if I killed one of these Forerunners? Could I take their Seed?”

Vivienne nodded,

“You could, yes.”

Ambrose crossed his arms.

“Find me a Forerunner then.”

Vivienne frowned,

“I could, but that would require some energy from the tree. It is still weak, it needs an evil soul.”

Ambrose blew out an explosive breath.

“It’s always something. Fine, how can I get to Melbourne from here? Do we have a boat?”

Darren spoke up then,

“I could help with that. There’s plenty of wood around.”

Ambrose looked at him.

“Let’s get started then.”