"I'm fine. A little rattled, of course, but I'm fine."
He shook his head. "I'll kill them for this."
His mother raised both hands, cupping his cheeks and smiling up at Pete. "Concentrate on surviving and on winning this thing, Pete. Don't let them distract you by using me to get you upset. Just focus on surviving."
"Hi, Mrs. Harrison," Ollie called out, waving from behind the pair.
Pete's mother smiled and raised a hand. "Hello, Ollie. Are you taking care of yourself?"
"Best that I can," he responded with a wry smile.
She turned back to Pete and drew him in close once more, her voice quivering as she continued. "Sally and I have been watching you on the feeds while we're working. They won't let us watch you the whole time, of course, but I watch whenever I can. At first, it was terrifying. I kept thinking you were going to die, but then you kept going and going and getting better and better."
She smiled up at him. "And that's what you're going to do now. You're going to just keep pushing. Stay alive and win this terrible contest."
Pete nodded. "I'll do my best, Ma."
"And I'll be watching, Pete. Sal and I will be cheering you on. And I'm sure a lot of other people are doing the same."
>> ALLOTTED PRINCESS TIME EXHAUSTED
Glowing green light surrounded Pete's mother, and he felt himself gently pushed away from her. The light grew, covering her body as Pete stepped backward.
"Keep fighting, sweetie!" she urged a moment before she vanished from sight.
Pete stood for a few seconds, staring at the place where his mother had stood moments earlier.
[Nero] Fret not, Pete. I can confirm that your mother has returned to her domicile, and that she is well. In addition, it seems that she has been granted some extra rations and recreational time as a reward.
Pete nodded. "Yeah, but the relatives of those other two players weren't so lucky."
[Nero] True. But it might be healthier to focus on the positives of the situation and the fact that you have prevailed once more, under very trying circumstances. In my experience, it is best to celebrate such victories when they come, as the Dominion Ultrimax Competition can be quite grueling.
"Yeah, no shit."
Pete took a long breath and turned to his friends. They were all standing opposite Ollie, looking at the tall man with undisguised suspicion. All but Coop, that was. The little ferret was looking up at Ollie, chatting with him contentedly as Pete approached.
"What do you mean, zombies?" Coop asked.
"The walking undead. A whole bunch of them," Ollie replied. "Goblins and hobgoblins mainly. Thousands of the fuckers. There's some mad scientist guy who made them all, or engineered some kind of virus that spawns more and more zombies as the game continues. Apparently, it's a whole subplot of the Dominion Ultrimax and, whether I like it or not, I'm smack bang right in the middle of it."
[Nero] Master Fleshsmith Ignius Hollowgrave. As you say, Ollie, he has devised a means not only of bringing back the dead to take part in the contest once they have expired, but also has a way of controlling the creatures, to some extent at least. Typically, the fleshsmith's activities go largely unnoticed in the grand scheme of the contest, but it appears that this might not be the case in this iteration of the game.
Sam scowled, arms crossed. "Okay, bozo. So tell us plainly then. Are you a ReaVer or not?"
Pete walked up alongside her, turning to face Ollie as the lanky Australian replied.
"A Reaver? Nah. Not technically. I did kill a couple of humans though, but I didn't have a choice."
Sam shook her head, chains forming around her body, studded with ghostly skulls that breathed purple mist. Wolfy appeared in front of her, growling as he looked up at Ollie.
He held his hands out to the side, grinning. "They were dead. I didn't kill a bunch of normal humans; they were zombies. That's why I said I'm technically not a Reaver."
[Nero] He is correct. Under the current terms of the Dominion Ultrimax charter, a player who kills fellow players who are undead can choose whether to take the Reaver path or not. To fully take that path, however, Ollie would have to kill a living player. It is something of a gray area and little explored, I'm afraid. But I can confirm that Ollie is not, in fact, a Reaver.
The chains circling Sam's body dropped away and she shook her head in frustration.
"Then why the hell didn't you tell us that before?" she asked. "When we saw him on the mini-map surrounded by dead players, you could have mentioned this then."
[Nero] I am sorry, but there are certain details I am not permitted to divulge at certain times. While you were separated from Ollie, I was unable to specifically relay details about his—
"I get the picture," Sam said, still scowling. "You're basically useless unless there's something right in front of you."
[Nero] Well, I wouldn't go that far, but there are certain limits to my ability to—
"Forget it!" Sam snapped.
Her mood soured even further as Ollie crouched down in front of her pet and started scratching behind the hellhound's ears. More infuriating still, Wolfy seemed to respond to the attention with genuine joy. His tail wagged happily, and he began licking Ollie's hands.
Ollie looked up at Sam.
"Is he yours? Some kind of conjured minion?"
"A summoned pet," she hissed between her teeth, still a long way from convinced that Ollie wasn't a threat.
"Well, he's a good boy," Ollie continued. "Aren't you, boy?"
The hellhound barked, tail wagging furiously, tongue lashing at his hands as Ollie looked up at Sam.
"What was that shit with the chains and the skulls?"
She shrugged. "Chains of Agony. It's a debuff spell with my Woe Binder class."
Ollie grinned, nodding. "Sweet."
Sam's expression softened a little as the tall man stood to his feet. He walked over to Pete and looked the other man up and down.
"Jesus, dude, you look stacked. More than usual, I mean."
Pete returned the other man's smile. "And you look like you've been killing zombies."
Ollie looked down at his clothes and the dried blood and ichor covering them. "Yeah, that's kind of been my thing since this all started. Good way to pick up coin though, that's sure as shit." He looked around at the others. "So, you gonna introduce me to everyone?"
Pete made introductions to the other members of his party, and they each greeted Ollie in kind. The lanky Australian laughed when Pete got to Coop.
"So that's really you in there, huh? The old lady who lived opposite Pete's apartment?"
"I sure as hell didn't ask for it, but it beats sitting on my ass tapping away at a computer terminal for fourteen hours a day."
Ollie nodded. "Fair point. I guess it's not the weirdest thing that's happened in the past few days."
The sound of metal screeching drew their attention to the far side of the arena, where the wall of crushed vehicles opened up, two large sections splitting apart like a pair of rusty gates. A holographic sight appeared on top of the new opening with the words NOVICE ARENA written in block letters and illuminated by a series of brightly colored lights that blinked on and off.
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>> NOVICE ARENA OPENED
Congratulations, players! Whether by luck or skill, you have survived the Dominion Ultrimax Competition and made your way to the Novice Arena in one piece. You may now enter the arena foyer, where a range of supplies and services can be purchased, including food and drink, leisure activities, survival equipment, and more. Once in the arena foyer, you will be required to hand over your weapons as you will be required to choose a soulbound weapon on entering the Arena grounds.
Details of this year's Novice Arena are available in the foyer, along with individual feed profiles for each member of your party.
[Nero] Before progressing, I would suggest that you all take some time to assign your attribute points and heal if necessary. Some of you are still wounded, though your passive life regeneration will eventually take care of that. You also have a legendary level boss chest to unlock.
Pete turned to face the golden holographic box that was hovering above the ground where the construct had been.
"Go for it, boss," Ollie said, slapping him good-naturedly on the back. "Has to be something good in there."
"Yeah, but if I take it, whatever is in there will drop 90% of its value the moment I touch it." Pete turned to face the other man, drawing a curious look from Ollie.
"Long story. It's a class restriction, but it also gives me some crazy benefits later on, and I think it will get better if I can survive to mid and late game."
Ollie shrugged. "No sweat. I'll take it then. I picked up a couple of legendary keys from those human zombies I took out, so we're covered."
He sauntered up to the box and pulled out a legendary loot box key from his inventory, then used a loot lure to draw the box into his inventory. The loot lure lashed out but didn't seem to connect with the box. Ollie tried a second time, but once more it failed to snag the box.
[Nero] It appears that, even though Ollie dealt the killing blow, the System has allocated the loot box to you, Pete. This is perhaps because you dealt the most damage to the construct. I should also point out that your Red Ledger is dangerously hungry. If it is not fed soon, you may incur penalties.
Pete quickly navigated to his Red Ledger menu and saw that the AI tutor was correct. The Ledger glowed with an angry crimson color, and he sensed something that was almost a growl coming from the item as it sat in his inventory.
"Well, shit!" Pete hissed. "Guess I don't have a choice then."
He pulled his own loot lure from his inventory and snatched up the box, dragging it into his inventory with a deft slash of the lure. He then summoned the box, and it hovered above his left hand as he turned to Ollie.
"Can I borrow one of those legendary keys?"
Ollie tossed the key to Pete, grinning. As Pete slipped the key into the hole in the side of the box, it opened up to the accompanying sound of a fanfare, revealing a single golden ring that floated above his palm, its surface scarred with several crosshatched marks.
>> NEW ITEM: Signet of Collective Yield
TYPE: Ring
RARITY: Legendary / Novice
>> DESCRIPTION:
A heavy gold ring cut with the tally marks of a dozen successful and unsuccessful campaigns, the ring has passed from player to player upon death or successful transition to the professional league. The ring whispers guidance to its bearer, but its voice is soft and unassuming, its wisdom reserved for those with the humility to hear.
EFFECTS: All allies within 30 feet gain +5% damage and +5% stamina regeneration. Stacks with additional leadership items.
FORMER VALUE: 12,900 Belch Bucks
CURRENT EXCHANGE VALUE: 1,290 Belch Bucks
"Holy shit!" Ollie said, bending down to get a better look at the ring.
"A fine object," Craig said, standing on Pete's other side. "And it will benefit the entire party."
Pete pulled the other ring he'd gained from his inventory and placed it next to the Signet of Collective Yield.
"Okay, so that's +1% to critical strike chance, evasion, life regen, and haste, as well as 5% to stamina and damage."
[Nero] A considerable boost, especially considering that there are other members of the party who possess skills that benefit the group.
Pete slipped the larger of the two rings on the middle finger of his right hand, then put the smaller ring on his index finger. The metal felt strange on his hand. He flexed his fingers, noting that the Red Ledger had calmed considerably and was now in a well-fed status.
"I've never really been a ring guy," he said, flexing his fingers once more. "But I guess I am now."
Ollie chuckled. "Yeah, I never figured myself for a Treasure Paladín zombie slayer, but that's just the way shit goes. You get what you get, and you don't get upset."
Sam took Pete's hand, leaning in to examine the two rings.
"Some good bonuses, but I wish we hadn't lost twelve grand."
Pete shook his head. "Yeah, but it's not really lost, though, is it? I mean, it's only lost if we wanted to actually sell the ring, but it makes much more sense to keep it right now. So, we didn't really lose anything. We gained some nice buffs for the party, and I got myself some sweet new bling."
She let go of his hand. "Fair point. But maybe next time you could let one of us have a go at killing the boss. Then at least we can decide whether we want to sell the loot or not."
"I tried," Pete said in mock complaint. "But you all got yourselves frozen, and Craig was too busy trying to protect everyone."
The little goblin chuckled as Sam shot Pete a dark scowl. She punched him in the shoulder, but not hard, then turned her attention back to Ollie.
"So, you can heal, yeah?"
He nodded. "Yep. There's a base amount, which gets higher the more damage anyone in my party does to an enemy. I can drop it in a certain area or send it out to everyone in the party if you're all close enough."
Sam frowned at that. "But you're not in our party yet, are you?"
[Nero] Actually, he is. I took the liberty of adding him to the party roster as soon as he was in range. Unfortunately, most of you were frozen, and Pete was quite preoccupied, so no one noticed. I did inform Craig of the fact, however.
The little goblin shrugged as Sam turned to face him.
"I was busy dying, so it didn't really seem like vital information."
Ollie stepped forward, standing a little too close to Sam but smiling pleasantly.
"That's not gonna be a problem, is it? My joining your party?"
She locked eyes on him, wearing a smile of her own. "Not at all. As long as you were telling the truth about not being a Reaver. As long as you don't try to stab us in the back or kill us in our sleep."
He stared right back at her, unflinching. "Great."
"Fantastic," she retorted.
"Jesus," Coop said, "will you two either get a room or dial the heat down a little? We've got enough shit to worry about without you swinging your peckers around."
Sam spun around, eyes wide. "I don't have a pecker!"
"Well, stop acting like you do and let's get moving. I've already spent my attribute points while you two were sniffing each other's behinds, so why don't you do the same and we can move into the damned arena? I'm getting hungry, and that announcement said something about food up ahead."
Whatever reply Sam was about to launch into was interrupted as the ground split open behind them all and Jackpot rose up from below. It was riddled with holes, badly scratched, and looked like it would struggle to roll down a hill, but Pete found himself glad to see the vehicle.
"Jackpot!" Sam shouted, running to the vehicle with her arms outstretched, Wolfy padding behind her. "God, you look like you've been through hell."
She started looking the RV over, frowning as she poked and prodded at the vehicle, clicking her tongue and shaking her head. Craig walked up alongside Pete, clearly puzzled by the behavior.
"I don't understand. It looks the same as it did before we fought that avatar."
"I haven't had time to check it over closely," Sam shouted from the other side of the RV. "This is the first chance I've had to really get a good look."
Ollie sidled up on Pete's other side, scratching his head.
"She's got a thing for cars, huh?"
Pete nodded. "Oh yeah. She's a hell of a driver too, and a mechanic. She kept that thing running while we were being shot at, boarded by goblins, and everything else you can imagine."
"We'll need to do some serious work on the steering assembly!" Sam called out, her head poking down beneath the vehicle. "And we've got some bad leaking coming from the engine."
"It's fine," Pete called back, opening up his player profile. "I've got a voucher that we can use to fix it up."
Ollie frowned. "You sure you wouldn't wanna just snag another car? There are literally millions of them just lying around on the roads out there."
"We're keeping Jackpot!" Sam insisted, before Pete could reply. "And that's final."
They all began walking to the RV, and Pete examined his existing attributes.
"Hey, Nero. If I don't put any points into Intelligence, what kind of debuff might that cause?"
[Nero] You mean, except for dumbness?
Pete frowned while Ollie chuckled.
[Nero] Apologies. Of late, I've been trying my hand at a little humor to create a more conversational manner with players.
"I get enough of that shit from Sam and Coop," Pete said with a grin.
[Nero] In answer to your question, a very low level of Intelligence will not necessarily mean a direct debuff. It will, however, put you at a significant disadvantage if you are ever called upon to perform sorcery that relies on Intelligence as a primary attribute. Certain magical weapons, such as wands and staves, require a minimal level of Intelligence in order to be effectively wielded. Some can even curse the wielder if they attempt to use the weapon without the requisite attributes and experience. Provided you are not required to wield traditional magic, you should not suffer any ill effects. However, I would recommend having at least a few points in Intelligence, as you never know what the future may hold.
"Especially because the System is listening to everything we're saying," Sam said, pushing herself to her feet, "and it's probably going to stick us in a situation where you need a bunch of Intelligence now."
[Nero] Quite so.
Pete sighed. "Damn it."
He assigned his free attribute points, spreading them evenly but weighting heavily toward Agility, Strength, and Luck. He also placed two points into his Intelligence attribute to cover all his bases.
>> DOMINION ULTRIMAX PLAYER PROFILE
NAME: Pete – Vault Breaker, Dice Doomsayer
CLASS: Penny Pincher
LEVEL: Novice [124 Attribute Points]
>> CORE ATTRIBUTES:
Credit Rating [Constitution]: 7
Asset Leverage [Strength]: 14
Liquidity [Agility]: 64
- Evasion: 16
Market Insight [Intelligence]: 2
Capital Stability [Wisdom]: 4
Investor Confidence [Charisma]: 4
Speculative Yield [Luck]: 13
"Nero," Pete said, closing down his profile. "Are we gonna be able to drive Jackpot into the Novice Arena? I remember you saying that the arenas are usually pretty big."
[Nero] You will certainly be able to drive the vehicle into the foyer and, yes, it is likely that you will also be able to take it into the arena, though the actual nature of the arena is unknown to me at this point.
"Unknown?" Sam asked. "Or just another one of those handy things that you're keeping from us?"
[Nero] Unknown, I'm afraid. The System keeps that information locked down until the Novice Arena is officially opened.
They moved up to the RV, and Pete motioned for Ollie to step inside.
"After you, dude."
The other man grimaced, looking left and right at the bullet holes that studded the exterior of the vehicle like Swiss cheese.
"Yeah, thanks."