Chapter 154 - Elera

Devin whipped back and forth across the testing room with the grappling hooks.

He was better at using them than both Jack and Hannah were, at least on initial testing. The grappling feature was nice, and after some more testing, they learned that the reach was somewhere around a hundred yards before piercing power fell off hard. The added mobility they would provide would be nice, especially in conjunction with his Zephyr Stride Bangles. Provided he could find something to latch onto with them, he was about to become very annoying to fight. That wasn’t what attracted him to the bracers, though.

The fact that he could tether himself to his opponents was going to be a nice little game changer. No more running away, provided he could land a direct hit. Rodeo used to make him do these fights where he chained his hand to his opponents. Jack was always especially good at those.

Jack looked around at the group, realizing someone was missing.

“Oh shit. Where is Nutt?” he asked Hannah and Karlisle.

They both gave him blank stares, realizing that the goblin was missing. As was Hopscotch.

They found him with a small cauldron stuck on his head, running into display cases and banging his head against the ground, trying and failing to pull his head free.

I’m afraid that cauldron is quite durable. While I would say wearing it as a helmet is a very unique way to use the cauldron, you can at least take solace in the fact that your head will be safe from harm.

Nutt found a wall and started slamming his cauldron-covered head against it over and over again while muffled screams for help rang out from beneath its rim.

Jack gave the cauldron an inspection.

Duped Cauldron

Type: Alchemist Cauldron

Tier: Epic

Enchantment Slots: 8/8

[Duper’s Delight - Natural Enchant]

Has a small chance to duplicate anything made inside the cauldron.

[Major Enhancement – 4 Slots]

Enhances all cauldron products by 25%

[Major Reduction – 4 Slots]

Reduces ingredient requirements by 25%

*****

A gentle rub, a mid-brew swivel, an "accidental" drop... every alchemist swears by their ritual to coax a double dose from Duper’s Delight. Have you tried bribery? I heard the cauldron likes shiny things.

Jack sighed. “Nutt, I swear to God, if you break that thing, we’re going to have to sell you into slavery to cover the costs.”

Fear not, sir, the gentle goblin has already paid for this product.

Jack stared blankly at Hopscotch. “With what?”

With Achievement Points, sir, the spider said.

Jack looked from Hopscotch, back to Nutt banging his head against the wall, then back to Hopscotch once more.

“How much was the pot?” Jack asked.

“Don’t tell him!” Nutt’s muffled voice screamed.

Oh, this is awkward. I never know what to do in these situations. I believe I heard Sir Devin requesting my aid. Hopscotch began nervously skittering back and forth across the ground, then he disappeared.

Jack, Hannah, and Karlisle all flanked the goblin.

“How much money do you have, Nutt?” Jack asked.

“Now? Not very much at all,” he said innocently.

Jack felt a vein beginning to bulge in his forehead.

“How much did that cauldron set you back? And don’t lie to me, or I’m going to let Hannah use you for target practice.”

“It’s my money! What does it matter?” he complained.

“It matters because you’ve been bleeding me dry for money the entire time we’ve been traveling together. Now tell me.”

“Three hundred and seventy-five…” came a muffled whisper from beneath his cauldron helmet.

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Three hundred and seventy-five what?”

“Three hundred and seventy-five million! Excuse me for being a frugal goblin and saving my points! The returns on this cauldron alone will make us millions! No! Trillions!” he corrected.

“I’m starting to think Nutt is smarter than we’ve been giving him credit for.” Hannah was leaning against the wall, giving the goblin an evaluating gaze.

“What? Because he’s been scamming us the entire time? He’s only been getting away with it because he looks like a puppy. He even got Karlisle, too! Made the vampire pay for his entry fee,” Jack protested, glancing at the elf, who wore an amused smile on his face. “What are you smiling about?”

“Have you never worked with goblins before? It’s in their nature. They very literally can’t help themselves.” Karlisle shrugged.

“Exactly! It’s in my nature!” Nutt squeaked.

“Shut up. I’m locking you in a closet, and you’re making potions until your debt to me is paid off,” Jack complained, turning to Hannah. “I’m ready to tab out. What’re you getting?”

Jack overheard Nutt asking Karlisle if he thought Hopscotch could carve eye holes into the cauldron, and he put the goblin out of his mind with an eye roll.

“Nothing for me. I don’t think Devin is picking up anything, either. Opting to see what’s at the auction first,” she said.

Ahh, yes, the Millenium Auction, a wise choice. The Legendary items are sure to fetch quite the price. If you do strike out, though, please be certain to come back. My wares are always available to you.

Devin joined them, handing the bracers back to Jack with a grin. “If you ever want to get rid of these, let me know.”

Jack nodded, slipping the bracers back onto his arms. “Alright, Hopscotch, I’ll use the free coupon for these and fifty million for the bug food, right?”

Exactly. If you approve the charges, I can go ahead and remove the AP now.

“Approved,” Jack sighed, watching his AP drain further. “By the way? Do you know anything about the Millenium Auction?” he asked, drawing everyone’s attention. Jack was fine spending money because he didn’t plan on attending. Auction house jobs were always the worst. The organizers always hired insane security, and the auction house usually played a game of three-card monte with whatever the item was, so you were never one hundred percent sure if you were wasting your time chasing after a decoy or not. Still, though, Jack had every intention of robbing the thing blind. Hannah just had to figure out how first.

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I do, Hopscotch said agreeably. In a word, it’s going to be a bloodbath.

Jack raised his eyebrows at that, glancing back at Hannah, who wore a curious expression.

“That’s actually a good thing. Care to elaborate?” he asked.

Certainly. The auction will be a straightforward silent auction; however, instead of the usual anonymity that a silent auction provides, the highest bidder will always be made public to everyone inside. In addition, all items are on separate timers and spread haphazardly throughout the auction house. Finding an item you want to bid on is half the battle. Then you must make the choice of searching for a better item or protecting your bid.

“So, it’s going to be pretty chaotic inside, with everyone fighting for the item they want.” Hannah nodded along, her face deep in thought.

Chaotic, yes, Hopscotch agreed. But fighting inside is strictly prohibited. If you get caught, you will be unceremoniously banished from the auction house.

Jack raised an eyebrow at that. He said caught. “Okay. So no getting ‘caught’ fighting. Doesn’t sound like a bloodbath yet.”

Ah, yes, Hopscotch said solemnly. The bloodbath begins the second you leave. The auction house makes no assurances for your safety upon leaving. Most people will bring powerful teams with them to handle matters outside the auction house. But, waiting outside for your target is also a gamble. Outside, you won’t know who has what, or if they even won anything at all. I’ve been informed that past strategy is to send scouts inside to keep an eye on who is getting what, so you can know who to attack. However, all the most well-laid plans ultimately end up at the same place, a chaotic massacre taking place on the steps of the auction house. It actually has a much older name from times before the Tower: The Festival of Greed.

“That sounds very Tower-coded,” Devin assented with a grunt. “Ensuring as much violence as possible.”

Jack looked at Hannah, who was still lost in her thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the door moving, and his daggers flashed in his hands.

Elera, the summer elf scion, stopped in her tracks, staring at Jack with a curious grin.

“I was hoping it would be you.”

Jack flashed forward in an explosion of speed at Elera but stopped before even raising his daggers. At his eye-level was nigh-invisible razor wire that could have separated his brain from his body. His gaze moved around, revealing hundreds of invisible threats surrounding him like a spider’s web.

Violence is strictly prohibited inside the store; please handle any matters of violence outside. Hopscotch’s voice was filled with chastisement, and his little spider eyes looked angry.

“I’m excited to see you, too, Mr. Atlas, but please do try to control yourself,” Elera said with a smile. She turned to address the spider. “Thank you, Hopscotch. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll have my conversation inside here, if you would be so kind as to remove your threads.” Her words were cordial, but there was an unspoken threat in her eyes that seemed to say she was weighing the pros and cons of burning the place down.

The threads disappeared, leaving faint traces of gray mist in their wake.

“I understand your concerns about attacking me. I placed a bounty on your head, after all.” Elera shrugged. “Do remember, though, I requested they bring you to me alive. Come, sit with me,” she commanded, paying no mind to the fact she was completely surrounded by Jack’s entire team.

Elera sauntered over to the lounging area, taking a seat on the couch. Hopscotch appeared next to her with what looked like a glass of sangria. She fixed Jack with another smile, beckoning him with a finger.

“Well, this should be interesting,” Jack muttered, walking towards her. He honest to God wasn’t sure where he stood with the summer elf scion, but attacking her had at least felt right in the moment. Hannah appeared beside him a moment later, and Elera gave her a curious inspection.

“Your lover?” she asked as Jack fell into a seat across from her.

Hannah just snorted, not saying anything at all.

“Ah, sister. My apologies,” Elera corrected with a smile.

Jack stared at her for a moment. Sitting before him now and not in the middle of a life or death battle it was hard to get past her beauty. She wore a white summer dress that stood out in stark contrast against her dark tan skin and black, natural curls that cascaded well past her shoulders. She was adorned with golden bands and rings and necklaces. The strangest thing about her was that she was barefoot. That didn’t seem sanitary in the Tower. You needed a good pair of boots for smashing in heads.

“Jack, you’re being creepy.” Hannah snapped in his face.

Jack glanced at her; she took a seat next to him in the other plush chair opposite the couch Elera was lounging on. Hannah sat relaxed, but her eyes were sharp. Jack looked over at Devin, who was leaning against a display case, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Elera took stock of the room, her brows furrowing. “Where is that cute little goblin? I had outfits commissioned for him.”

Nutt stumbled forward between them all, the cauldron still very stuck on his head. “Did someone say my name? Get this thing off me, damn it!” he protested.

Elera covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

“Ah, it’s good to laugh,” she said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Then her face went serious as she turned back to Jack. “I’m glad you’re not dead. I feared that little foray into danger level six might’ve been the end of you.”

“I’m glad I’m not dead also,” Jack said. “I’m not sure why you care, though.”

“I’ve been following your progress.” She smiled. “You held your own against me. Have killed hundreds of arbiters. Taken two sectors of the city. Survived multiple assassination attempts from the Black Centipede. Survived danger level six. Made it here to Sector Two, alive and well. Knowing you’ve done all this without a core…” she said, her eyes narrowing at Jack’s center. “If I didn’t know what to look for, I wouldn’t believe it myself. You’re a rather impressive specimen, you realize that, no?” She gave Jack a look of picture-perfect sincerity… although, he wasn’t sure he liked being referred to as a specimen.

“How did you find out about my core?” Jack asked.

“The Black Centipede has a rather impressive dossier on you.” She smirked.

They sat there in silence for a short moment, Jack’s mind racing. She was doing an impressive job at saying a whole lot of nothing.

“So, what do you want?” Hannah asked, breaking the silence.

“Right. Business.” She straightened. “I would like to hire you to assassinate the Twilight Lord.”

Jack laughed a little. “This guy isn’t very popular, is he?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, tilting her head.

“I mean, someone’s already hired me to do just that,” Jack admitted.

“Jack! Shut up,” Hannah complained.

“Oh. Perfect,” Elera said with a clap. “That makes things considerably easier for me.”

“Hold on. We haven’t agreed to accept the other job yet. Let’s hear your offer. Why do you want him dead?” Hannah said.

“I may have gotten blinded by greed and made some promises I have no intentions of keeping.”

“Promises?” Jack asked.

“Listen, I may have sworn some oaths to that perverted bastard that I would marry him if he secured some items in the auction house for me.”

“Oof. The classic getting trapped in a soul oath. Been there.”

“I know.” She frowned. “I’m embarrassed, too.”

“So… won’t you be breaking your oath if you try to have him killed?” Devin asked, stepping up to the group.

Elera fixed him with an inspecting gaze and a coy smile. “You’re handsome,” she commented with a grin. “But no. He wouldn’t dare to insult me with a soul oath so binding that I can’t even try to have him killed. Thus, the game within the game begins, and the heart of all my troubles.”

“What game?” Jack asked.

“The Twilight Lord knows I dislike him, and he also knows I’m going to try to have him killed. The problem is that he has the most lucrative bargaining chip in existence.”

“The auction house?” Hannah asked.

“Smart. I like you,” Elera said with a nod to Hannah. “I’ve already hired seven different assassins. Each one turned on me, though, when the Twilight Lord, Cassius, offered them safety and an opportunity to bid at the auction. It’s really becoming a problem for me. Which is why I now find myself in need of your services.”

Jack looked at Hannah. “Maybe we should ask the Twilight Lord to cut a deal. Might make things easier for us.”

Hannah nodded in agreement.

“Don’t be boring.” Elera frowned.

“So, what’s your offer, then?” Jack asked.

“Why, me, of course.” She said it with such confidence that Jack was sure he must have misunderstood something.

Jack furrowed his brow. “You? Like… a marriage?”

“Ew. No. As in a teammate. I’m the scion of the summer elves. Incredibly powerful. Incredibly talented. Incredibly smart. Incredibly beautiful. I’m a powerful ally to have, and trust me, you will need a team to climb this Tower. I see you’ve already realized as much, with the warriors you’ve gathered…” she said, trailing off as she inspected Jack and his team. She stopped though when her eyes fell on Karlisle, who had been curiously quiet up until this point.

She went pale, standing up slowly to approach him. “How can this be…? A solar elf… My lord!” She fell to her knee and took Karlisle’s hand, pressing her lips to one of his rings.

Karlisle gave Jack a shit-eating smirk that seemed to be saying, “I told you I’m important.”

“Honored ancestor,” Elera continued, still clutching Karlisle’s hand. “Please, come with me back to my encampment. You look so pale. We have several solar farms set up where you can recover and regain your vitality under the warm glow of our suns.” She was inspecting his arm, her eyes wide in shock.

“Thank you, but I’m afraid I will have to refuse. That would be very dangerous for you.”

Elera squinted at him for another long moment. “How are you here?”

“It’s a long story,” Jack interrupted. “You mind returning to our conversation?”

Elera gave Jack an annoyed glare. “Show some respect in front of my ancestors.” Then she stopped herself, staring back and forth between Jack and Karlisle. “Wait, are you this human’s companion?”

“Of sorts.” Karlisle shrugged. “Our goals are mutually aligned at this moment in time.”

Elera reluctantly pulled herself away from Karlisle and returned to her seat on the couch, although sitting straight up this time, even tapping nervously on her thigh as she chewed her lip in thought.

“I’ll add somehow securing my long-dead ancestors, the solar elves, as your companions to the list of things that make you very interesting,” she finally said, regaining her composure. “Tell me, you said someone has already hired you to kill the Twilight Lord. Would you tell me who?”

“Who else but the mayor himself?” Jack grinned.