I follow Ursula into a fairly large meeting room with random posters cluttering up the parts of the walls that aren’t filled with giant TV screens. Most of them are playing footage from random places I don’t recognize; jungles, street corners, snowy mountains, and everything in between. But a few of them are obviously from around the resort. Beachside, in the main lobby, along some paths… it’s like a security room, but nobody’s here to watch the cameras.
“Well here we are. The brains of this place.” Ursula gestures one arm at the room as the wall closes in behind us. “Oh, and don’t worry about the cameras. Someone else is watching them somewhere else; they’re just here as background ambiance. Here, I’ll change it.”
She snaps her fingers at the wall of screens. They all flicker off, then back on as parts of a much bigger picture–some kind of reality show that’s set in a destroyed part of some city that got hit really hard with the apocalypse. It’s hard to tell where it is, since the apocalypse mutated almost everything it touched for the first few years, but the architecture is vaguely asian.
“There. Background ambiance that you won’t feel the need to watch.” Ursula pulls out a chair and gestures for me to take the one on her left. “We’ll be here for more than a few hours, so we might as well get the supper orders out of the way now. Do you have a preference?”
I shrug and take the chair she offered. Something about all the others just feels… wrong, somehow. “Chinese or Indian if you’ve got it.”
“Alright.” Ursula leans down under the table for a moment, then comes up with two laminated menus. “We’ve got pretty much everything here except for Japanese and Mexican. Noland’s been looking for people to fill those voids, but it’s been a real pain in the ass. He’s almost desperate enough to bring people with no connection to classes at all just for the food.”
“Hey, I get it.” I say as I accept the menus. “Good food is worth its weight in gold.”
One of the menus is a treat for the senses; made up to the high heavens with pictures of food and lavish descriptions that make my mouth water. The other is a simple yellow thing with the food listed in a simple black font, pressed as closely together as possible to cram everything into the menu and prices right next to the food. I look between the both of them as images of delicious food dance over my eyes, and eventually settle on the non-option.
“Get me whatever the best thing at this place is,” I point my finger at the Indian menu, “and whatever the best thing at the other place is. I can afford the extra calories after two weeks of suffering through a meal replacement potion as my only real food.”
Ursula shudders in sympathy and drags the menus away from me. “I get it. I’ll put the order through. So… how do you like the room so far? Big enough for you?”
I shrug and summon my knife. “I didn’t really take a look around. It’s got a bed, a bathroom with a shower, and a kitchen, though, so it’s all good with me.”
“You… didn’t take a look around?” Ursula narrows her eyes at me. “How can you go to sleep somewhere without scoping out your surroundings? What if we set up an ambush in your room? Or sent someone to kill you in your sleep? Or even something as simple as a listening device. There’s so many ways you could’ve gone wrong.”
“If you wanted to kill me, you would’ve killed me already.” I curl my hand into the shape of a gun and press my fingers to my head. “There’s no point in going through all this effort if this ends with a bullet. Whatever you need from me involves me being alive, willing, and not mind controlled.”
“Yeah. Us. Me and Noland and the other worths.” Ursula motions at her chest, then at me. “We need you, but the rest of this place doesn’t. Someone could’ve decided to test your power, or got jealous of all the preferential treatment you’re getting. How can’t you be at least a little worried?”
I run my finger down the edge of my knife and raise an eyebrow. “Of course I’m worried. What I’m not is scared. As long as you need me, I’m safe. I’m worried about what you need me to do.”
Ursula leans back in her chair and exhales hard. “That’s fair, I guess. And yeah, you should probably be a little worried. We’ve got some jobs to do, and the safest one involves overseeing a million dollar transaction. I won’t put you on that kind of demeaning shit right away, but since you’re a Worth, we’re going to be putting you through the ringer.”
That just flat out doesn’t make sense. I’ve been here for less than a day, and apparently, I’m being trusted more than people who’ve been here for… who knows how long. I shoot Ursula a look that I hope carries the doubt in my heart. Somehow, she sends back one of understanding.
“I get it. You don’t understand how I do, but I understand. When we’re done here, I'll introduce you to some non-Worths. It won’t give you the full explanation you’re looking for, but it’ll give you a foundation. Now… where the hell is Noland? We have to get started to be able to finish.”
“What about the Architect?” I ask as Ursula spins her chair to look at the door and pulls out her phone. “Isn’t she running late too?”
She taps out a quick message, then reaches back and sets the phone on the table. “She is, but she’s got different rules than the rest of us. She’ll be here for supper, after all the important shit is said and done, and if we’re lucky she’ll be in a talking mood.”
The phone buzzes once. Before it can buzz again, Ursula snatches it and holds it up to her ear. “Noland, where the hell are you? If you couldn’t wait one night to get drunk, I’m going to kick your ass all the way to next Sunday. …What? Oh, you’re shitting me. Alright, fine. If you’re not lying to cover your ass, you’re forgiven. …Yeah. See you in five.”
“Five minutes?” I ask.
Ursula shakes her head as the wall splits open. “Seconds. Hey, Banker. Architect.”
Architect? Well, what the hell was the point of telling me she wouldn’t be here if Noland’s just going to bring her in? I swivel my chair around and find myself less than an inch away from a woman with wide eyes, bright makeup, and hair dyed the brightest bubblegum pink I’ve ever seen. Her septum and one of her nostrils are pierced, along with three studs on her left eyebrow and both of her earlobes.
“Hey.” I state nonchalantly as her eyes search my own. “I guess I’m the Gambler. Good to meet you.”
She tilts her head to the side like an owl, her wide-open eyes giving her a look that’s somehow both prey-like and unsettling. Her body language is about as closed-off as a human can manage while also standing; hands clenched together, elbows and shoulders turned inwards, and her spine bent in a way that screams ‘scoliosis’. Her eyes are almost too wide for her face, which is only accentuated by a small mouth painted in glossy bubblegum pink that matches her hair.
But the strangest part is that she isn’t scrawny. She’s got lean muscle on her one bare arm, her muscular legs bulge against her leggings, and her hoodie only hangs over her stomach. Everywhere else is pressed tight with muscle. And she still hasn’t backed away after a good thirty seconds of silence.
I smile without teeth and cross my legs. “So what’s going on? Are you trying to read my mind?”
Her head tilts the other way this time, and she slowly reaches one hand upwards to point at her own head. “You have a shell.”
My smile loses all mirth as I narrow my eyes, but the Architect doesn’t seem to notice. “I do.”
She takes a step back and nods ever so slightly. “I’m Marchesa. You can call me March when you don’t have to call me Architect. Can I call you Shelby when I don’t have to call you Gambler?”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Uh… sure?”
A small, shy smile creeps up her lips. “Thank you. You look cool, Shelby.”
“Thanks?”
“No problem.” She says and walks over to the chair two further down from Ursula. “Are we getting pizza?”
Noland turns to Ursula with a twinkle in his eye. “I like pizza.”
Ursula sighs and raises an eyebrow at me in question. I shrug.
“Yeah, we’ll get pizza.” She says and tucks the menus back under the table. “Later. But since you’re here, March, do you need any snacks? Are you running low on calories?”
March shakes her head. “Nope. No projects on the go right now. Just cream soda and chocolate covered almonds for me.”
“Milk chocolate, right?” Ursula asks as she taps a message on her phone. March nods a small nod. “Alright. Shelby, Noland, either of you want anything? Because I’m getting some pretzels and a milkshake.”
“Coffee and donuts. A dozen different ones.” Noland chimes in before I can get a word out. “And make sure the dozen isn’t just a normal yeast donut with different glazes or sprinkles. I want a real variety pack.”
Ursula rolls her eyes, but notes down Noland’s request anyway. “Shelby? We’re gonna be here for a while, so you might as well get something.”
“Water. And… sour candy. Not hard candy, though.” I say with a nod. “And a big bag of jalapeno cheddar kettle chips, please.”
“Sounds good.” Ursula says as she makes a show of pressing ‘send’. “The staff will have it here in half an hour. Which gives us just enough time to jump Shelby into our little exclusive club. Noland; you sat down last, so you get to go first.”
He sighs theatrically and spreads his hands. “Nothing I can do about that. Shelby, how many times has your Worth skill evolved so far?”
“Once, I think.”
“Okay, so the first evolution is safe to talk about. Tell me if the system starts censoring my words. So; Worth skills. They’re exactly what they sound like; skills that can directly affect your Worth. If you use them for yourself, you can play with the system’s money, but if you use them on someone else, they have to pay the price. First example; mine.”
With a snap of his fingers, the screens behind him flash to a simple description.
Compounding Interests
Your liquid Worth increases by 1% every week.
“That’s what it looked like the moment I got it.” He continues. “It rounds up to the closest whole Worth, but the harsh truth is that the payout is literal garbage in the short term. Just like everyone else here, I had to survive two weeks. Which would get me a whole two point something percent extra Worth. I found my first evolution eight days in, and it didn’t really change much.”
The text on the screen shifts up slightly to make room for another few lines.
Compounding Interests
Your liquid Worth increases by 1% every week.
You can create ‘accounts’ for other Class-bearers, applying this skill’s effects to the Worth in that account.
‘Impressive’ isn’t a word I’d use to describe that ability. It seems like a much worse version of my own, since I can double every single Worth I get the moment I get it. There’s definitely one major advantage to Noland’s skill, though; he can generate Worth out of thin air even when we’re not in the other world. At least… I think he can.
“Does your skill work on Earth?”
A wide smile reveals all the teeth in Noland’s mouth. He gives me an enthusiastic thumbs-up in confirmation, then gestures once more at the screens. The only thing that changes is the percentage for the liquid Worth increase–from one to one point five.
“It doesn’t just work on Earth; I can make new accounts on Earth, too. Here comes the really important bit: the amount someone can put into an account I make is based on whoever’s clearance is lower–mine or theirs. And the system forces me to make them compensate me for the services. Either with Worth, or with something else that has Worth. Say, for example, another Worth skill.”
Another Worth skill. Like, say, everyone else here. I look around the room, and see way more eyes on me than I expected. Everyone–March included–seems to be waiting for my reaction. I tap Pearl’s shell to try and wake her up before I say anything. She tiredly mumbles into my brain, but confirms that she’s listening nonetheless.
“So instead of directly paying you, I could let you use my Worth skill instead. How’s that any different than just paying each other?”
Noland snaps his fingers and summons a single iron five between them. “It’s a lot simpler than you think; if we pay each other, it ends up as a net zero. Nobody gains anything from it. But if we trade services, something else happens. You already met Gil, so you’ve already experienced it firsthand. Just how much we can stretch what we charge for our skills.”
Sure, I remember Gil selling me stuff for way under what it was actually worth. But I thought that was just because he owned his own store–not because he had a Worth skill. Guess I was wrong.
“Why couldn’t we just stretch that cost normally? Like, I get why it wouldn’t work with non-Worth classes–they don’t have a service they can provide–so why do we have to do a skill for a skill? Wouldn’t it be better to get paid sometimes? Especially me, since I’m so much lower level than all of you.”
“...You know what, it’ll be a lot easier to show you what I mean. How much Worth do you have to invest?”
I pull out my Class Card to check what I’ve got left. I’ve spent almost a hundred Worth since I got back to Earth, which isn’t that bad considering everything. Still, I don’t want to give everything over, even if it does have a good interest rate.
“Five hundred is the most I can spare.” I decide. “Is that fine?”
“It’s perfect, actually. In more ways than one–it lets me explain another aspect of this. Remember how I said the system uses the clearance of whoever’s weaker? Well, in almost every case, that ends up being a hundred Worth times your clearance level. For more expensive skills–like March’s–it’s a little more, but mine, Ursula’s, and Gil’s were all a hundred per clearance level.”
He slides the iron five over to me, then twists his palm upwards as liquid gold begins to drip through his fingers. Magic trails off of it in jagged ethereal crystals, each of which feels as secure as a vault and as huge as a mountain. And they just keep coming. One by one until a grand total of ninety-one golden crystal vaults hover around him like strange-looking moons.
“Each of these is a different account.” He gently reaches up and pulls some liquid gold from his hand, trailing it upwards as it solidifies until he snaps it free with a soft crack. “And this one is yours, if you’re willing to trust me. There’s two ways to pay for it–a deposit fee on everything you put in or I take a percentage of your interest. They’re both worth it for you in the long run, but I’m going to offer you a third option: a skill for a skill.”
Golden light filters through the crystal as all the others disappear into thin air. Noland reaches in front of Ursula and gently offers me the crystal vault, which rests in my hands like a piece of delicate glassware. Not like all the other indestructible crystals he had hovering around him. I stare at it for a few seconds, waiting for Pearl to pipe up if she feels anything wrong with it, but she doesn’t say anything.
“Alright. You have yourself a deal. But if you screw me over, I’m leaving.” I pull out my Class Card and press the fragile golden vault against it. “So how do we do the whole ‘trade’ thing? Does the system do it for us, or do we have to initiate it?”
Contract Initiation: Banker.
You gain: use of skill ‘Compounding Interests’.
You offer: use of skill ‘High Stakes’.
If the contract is broken, the breaker will be put in Debt to the other party.
Confirm contract?
“Nevermind.” I swipe to confirm the contract, then feel a little somethin settle inside of my interface. Something… not quite mine. I swipe over to my skills tab, and starting me right in the face is a new subsection; Contract Skills. “I actually get access to your skill? How’s that possible?”
“It’s not complete access.” Ursula cuts in. “It’s more like seeing how much of it you have left thanks to your contract. Press on it and deposit some Worth; you’ll see what I mean.”
Noland sighs and leans down on one elbow. “Yeah. That. March, do you have anything to add?”
March cocks her head to the side. “Just because we’ll have a contract, it doesn’t mean we can be jerks to each other. Don’t force Noland to do something he doesn’t want to, and he shouldn’t force you to do anything either.”
“Good point. It’s a contract, yeah, but don’t go being a dick trying to enforce it.” Ursula agrees. “We won’t force you to come use your skill when you don’t want to, and in return, we ask that you don’t do the same.”
My Class Card vibrates as I press on Noland’s skill, which brings up a small window with two options; deposit and withdraw. There’s nothing in it to start with, so I tick the number all the way up to five hundred and hit ‘deposit’.