By the time Blake got back to the streets, absolute chaos had broken out.
Suddenly, the restaurants weren’t able to cook, nobody could access fresh water through their residences, and thousands upon thousands of people had taken to the streets to make their complaints known to the Atlas Security Force, who had no idea what to do.
Blake walked through the angry crowds, happy to see that no one was even paying attention to him anymore.
The Atlas Security Force was doing its best to control the huge numbers of protesters, but it was clear they were struggling.
Blake headed toward Atlas Tower, which just so happened to also be the hot-spot of protesting. Masses were heading in the same direction. Blake was pleased to count that angry people outnumbered Atlas Security Force at least five to one.
For the first time, they were facing a real challenge to their authority, and going by their worried expressions they weren’t sure how to handle it.
One of the security force men wearing a full face mask lifted a megaphone to his lips. “This is just a temporary interruption to the water supply of the city. Please return to your homes and places of business, and this will be rectified as soon as possible. A maintenance crew has been dispatched to the water treatment place to attend to this emergency. Thank you! Return to your homes and places of business!”
If the soldiers knew the strength of the resistance that awaited them down in the New Meridia water treatment plant, they would have probably abandoned their posts and sought refuge elsewhere. They had no idea the force that waited beneath the streets.
Blake saw one of the New Meridian citizens play a power card in the crowd. Their fists ignited with burning flames, and the crowd parted around them. The newly empowered Challenger rushed across the street and started punching a shopfront.
The glass shattered and the empowered challenger jumped through the windows. Once inside they disengaged the power and started gathering up as much of the shop’s stock as possible.
Blake frowned at the looting, but any chaos right now would be for the greater good of the people of New Meridia down the line. Eventually this would work out better for them in the long run, once they removed Clay Atlas from Power.
This moment of flux would hopefully be temporary.
More and more people in the crowd began to take notice of the brazen act of looting, their eyes widening with a mix of shock and, for some, an inkling of desire to seize the opportunity for themselves.
The atmosphere in the crowd began to shift. Tension and anger transformed into something more volatile and unpredictable.
Some onlookers seemed to consider joining the looter, while others cried out in outrage at the blatant theft. The security force, already stretched thin by the sheer number of protesters, scrambled to respond to this new threat.
Blake watched as more people in the crowd summoned their own power cards, a kaleidoscope of lights and dazzling flashes erupting from their hands. The air crackled with energy as various powers were unleashed, from flames to earth powers.
The situation was escalating rapidly, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to discern who was there to protest and who was there to exploit the chaos for personal gain.
As the mayhem intensified, the security force struggled to regain control. Blake knew that if he didn’t intervene, the situation could spiral further out of control, endangering both the resistance’s cause and the innocent citizens caught in the crossfire.
If Blake summoned any of his monsters, they would make short work of basically any other Challenger empowering themselves with power cards. The majority of these people were just Rank 1 Challengers who had a single power card, and they were more afraid than malicious.
But they were dangerous. People in large, panicked groups always are.
When one person escalated things, others followed, the behavior becoming normalized and acceptable. The only thing that would stop this situation would be when Blake finally challenged Clay Atlas to a formal duel and defeated him.
At the beginning, it seemed the Atlas security force had the situation handled. But as the wave of panic rushed through the crowd and people activated their power cards, the tide of battle began to turn.
The security force began backing away from the hostile throng of people. They retreated, fighting through the crowd when they had to.
Blake’s ire was roused when he saw the soldiers pushing innocent people out of the way using their own power cards.
As much as Blake couldn’t act rashly, as much as he wanted to summon one of his monsters and make the Atlas security force pay for what they were doing, he needed to play this smart.
Blake had no idea whether Clay would have to accept his challenge or not, and he couldn’t go into this thinking that his plan would work without deviation.
The System only enforced a duel if the challenge was between two people of a similar power level. Mostly to stop super powerful Challengers from challenging lower level duelists to steal their cards. If Clay was a much higher level than Blake, The System might just dismiss the duel request out of hand, and Blake would need to attack him the old fashioned way.
Blake made his way through the crowd, trying to keep pace with the Atlas security force as they retreated toward Atlas Tower.
When Blake neared Atlas Tower he escaped the throng of people by ducking down an alleyway. He had his signature trench coat hidden away in his backpack, and hoped that once he put it on, it would let him pass through the crowd more easily.
It would also ensure that the security force would recognize him, which increased the chances of his plan working. Donning his signature trench coat, Blake felt like Clark Kent opening his button up shirt to reveal the S symbol that was synonymous with the comic book hero Superman.
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The moment Blake returned into the streets, people recognized him.
All it took was a gentle word, a nudge, and an assurance that he was here to help, to get the panicked citizens to move out of his way. Crowds parted and shouting quieted.
When he approached the base of Atlas Tower, the soldiers gathered looked at him with a mixture of worry and gratitude. Some of them were glad that Blake Thornwood, the Monster Maestro had shown up, but others were anxious of the power that lay within his deck of cards.
“You have nothing to fear,” Blake assured them. “It looks like you guys have got this mostly handled, but I want you to tell Clay Atlas that I’m here to help keep the peace if he needs me to. From the chaos I just walked through to get here, I have a feeling that he might need a hand.”
Two of the guards looked uncertainly at each other. One of them went to talk, but their mouths just opened and closed like goldfish.
One managed to speak. “What my friend here is trying to say is that we’ve got the entire tower on lockdown. No one in, no one out. Not until this issue has been rectified.”
“That’s not just anyone,” another soldier said, pointing at Blake. “That’s the Monster Maestro! They say he’s the most powerful challenger in the city. He hasn’t been beaten in the arena yet!”
“I am telling you right now that you need to let either Chelsea Otto or Clay Atlas know that I am here at the tower, offering my services. If you don’t do this, and things go bad, things will not go well for you. If I really wanted to get into the tower myself, I would just summon my dragon and fly to the top. You have the opportunity to bring the good news to Clay Atlas yourself,” Blake said.
One of the guards remained suspicious, but the other one took the opportunity with both hands and ran inside with it, presumably to send word to Clay that Blake had arrived.
A few minutes later, Chelsea Otto appeared in the atrium on the ground floor of Atlas Tower. She locked eyes with him and beckoned him forward.
The guards parted for him, and Blake headed into the tower.
Chelsea was in full on interrogation mode from the very first moment she got within the range of Blake.
“Do you have something to do with this?” She asked.
“Anything to do with what? I don’t even know what’s going on, except the people are rioting over something going on with the water supply? Do you need help keeping the peace? That’s why I came here.”
“We are more than capable of keeping this under control ourselves,” Chelsea said, but Blake saw through her. There was a flicker of terror in her eyes.
Behind Blake, something exploded on the street.
“Okay, maybe we do need a little bit of help. Are you sure there’s absolutely nothing that you know about what’s happening at the water treatment plant?”
“Water treatment plant?” Blake asked, putting on his best I-know-nothing tone. “Well, it’s probably not related, but I got a quest from the city hub a few days ago to find a lost expedition which was supposed to be down at the water treatment plant to the south. I found them and they said they were going to bring the parts back here to help fix whatever City Lord didn’t fix. Maybe the parts didn’t work properly?”
“It appears more sinister than that, like intentional sabotage,” Chelsea said, but didn’t elaborate further. “I’m taking you up to see Clay. I’m sure he’ll have some orders for you.”
They headed into the elevators that headed up to the City Lord’s penthouse, and Blake waited until then to ask Chelsea a question.
“Is he going to try to kill me again?” Blake asked.
“I’m sorry, what?” Chelsea blurted, genuinely shocked. “What are you talking about?”
“Clay sent assassins out into the Wilds to kill me a few days ago. They didn’t succeed, as I’m sure you can tell.”
“I-I don’t know anything about that.” Chelsea suddenly stopped talking but her eyes moved rapidly as though she was thinking about something. “Are you sure it wasn’t just a test? Clay tests his most powerful Challengers to their limits.”
Blake shrugged. “The one assassin I let live was pretty certain it wasn’t a test. His dead friends didn’t get that opportunity to argue with him.”
“Then why are you here? Do you really want to help?”
Blake sighed. “I’m not here for Clay Atlas. I’m here for the people rioting in the streets below us. He sits up here looking down on everyone, giving them orders like they are little worker ants in a colony, while sitting up here like some kind of King. But that’s neither here nor there – just how bad is the situation at the water treatment plant?” Blake asked.
“We have no idea how it happened, but there's an invading force within the city. They’ve holed up in the treatment plant beneath the streets and they’re holding fast. The soldiers tasked with keeping the peace here in the city are all our lowest level Challengers. We’ve sent all the most powerful ones underground to deal with the threat, but so far, they haven’t been able to drive them out.”
Blake felt the ghost of a smile want to rise on his face, but he choked it back.
“Like I said, I’m happy to help where I can,” Blake said.
“Then you’ll have the opportunity in a few moments. Clay wanted to see you anyway,” Chelsea said.
The pit dropped out of Blake’s stomach. If the City Lord wanted to see him then something else was at play here. Blake wondered whether he was walking straight into a trap. He had his hand in his coat pocket, resting on the Radiant Colossus card.
They arrived at the penthouse and the elevator came to a stop. Clay Atlas stood in the center of absolute opulence.
He was dressed impeccably, wearing a tailored black suit that hugged his powerful frame perfectly. The suit was made of the finest materials, and the sharp lines of the jacket and trousers accentuated his strong physique. A crisp white dress shirt was tucked neatly into the waistband of his trousers, and a black silk tie hung snugly around his collar. His polished black dress shoes reflected the light from the world outside that filtered through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Miss Otto, Mister Thornwood. Thank you both for joining me. It is an inevitability that any great city will undergo teething problems, and when you introduce so many fail points, it’s only natural that the citizens may become restless. Given that they have also been empowered by the system, they have the means to vent their frustrations. But we cannot let the foundations of this city be shaken by a handful of terrorists. Miss Otto, do you have any information about who these people are, and what they want?”
Chelsea shook her head. “No, you haven’t been able to open a dialogue with them at all. Any attempts at discussion are met with aggression on their part.”
“So, they are powerful,” Clay asked.
“Yes, that is without a doubt.”
“Clay Atlas,” Blake called out, his voice firm. “This ends now.”
Clay Atlas turned his face slowly toward Blake, his piercing blue eyes narrowing with a mix of surprise and annoyance. “I would hope so. That’s why you’re here, is it not? To put a stop to this incursion?”
Blake took a step forward, his gaze fixed on Clay Atlas. “No. I came here for you. I challenge you to a duel!” Blake declared, his voice ringing with conviction.
The System displayed a notification showing that it had received the formal duel request.
“It’s time for a change in New Meridia.”
Atlas studied Blake for a moment, as if weighing the sincerity of his words. Finally, a cruel smile spread across his face.
“Very well,” he agreed, his voice dripping with arrogance. “I accept your challenge, though I doubt you’ll be much of a match for me.”
To Blake’s surprise, the duel request was accepted. The system allowed it, which meant Blake had a chance!
Within the luxurious confines of the penthouse, Blake Thornwood and Clay Atlas stood facing each other.
Suddenly, the floor opened and swallowed the couch and the coffee table. Then, the floor began to rise, and the ceiling opened to reveal the blue sky above.
A wolfish grin spread across Clay Atlas’s face. “So, you want New Meridia for yourself, do you?”
“I don’t want it for me. I want it for the people. I want them out from under your thumb!” Blake said as the floor rose even higher.
“Very well.”
A notification appeared showing that Clay Atlas had put the City Lord status up as collateral as a result of this duel.
Blake’s eyes grew wide. “And what do you want in return?”
If Clay was willing to put the city up as collateral, what on earth would he want from Blake?
“I want your power, Blake Thornwood. If I win, I own you, and your power. Do you accept these terms, or do you forfeit?” Clay asked.
The fire inside Blake burned even brighter. “I accept.”