The Pilot of Wrath

Chapter 57 – Place your bets

Theil strolled into his office, a nice cup of freshly made tea in his hands. The day had finally come when he could start reviewing accounts for this batch of initiates. They were always given a week before the first system event to get ready for all that would follow it. They would naturally have losses along with the gains and there would be a shuffling of accounts as the initiates got to return to the exchange for a brief window of time.

Sitting down and pulling up the information on his monitor, Theil navigated to his account management screen and opened the tab for his latest charges. He took a sip of his tea, appreciating the fragrant vapors wafting from it as he sorted the columns to his preference. With a few clicks, the list of names sorted themselves and the values for the columns populated. He scrolled down the list, noting that he had relatively high casualties and that had quite the negative impact to his balance sheet.

It was around the halfway mark on his list of names that he would find the deviation from the average initiate. He saw the name and instantly remembered the odd circumstances that led to the last-minute entry into his books. When he glanced to the right, he nearly dropped his cup from shock.

Theil initially thought there must be a mistake or that he was reading something wrong, so he refreshed the list before scrolling back down. The numbers hadn’t changed, so he opened Matt’s profile and read the details. His level was exceptional, and the speed of his climb was beyond impressive, but that only told half the story.

When he looked down to the detailed section of enemy kills, he was stunned to find not only the high number of evolved beasts but also rare variants. Then there were the achievements that were credited to him with personally securing 4 resource points and solo killing 2 guardians and a corrupted dungeon boss. Theil was so focused on his reading that he didn’t even hear the knocks on his door.

Knock. Knock…. Knock, knock, knock. “By the System, I will just let myself in then.” Edmond said as he opened the door. “Theil, I hope… you… Theil, what’s wrong?” The Veiled lawyer had decided to enter on his own and then saw the stunned expression on the face of the elf staring at the screen. “Don’t tell me they died!”

Theil finally snapped out of his daze at the shouted words. “Huh? What? Oh no, but not for lack of trying it seems.” He swiveled the display around for his guest. “Matt is… well, there probably isn’t a word for it besides insane.”

“I see that.” Edmond said as he reviewed the fight logs. “But he hasn’t really had any issues. I see his achievements are just as numerous and impressive as his kill record.” He pointed to a line in the achievement section. “He formed a domain just before killing a guardian class and securing a resource point. Not even our race’s most promising youths would dare attempt to form an aura domain in E grade. She will be very impressed when they meet.”

Looking up to Edmond, Theil narrowed his eyes. “Who is meeting who?”

“Ah, well, about that.” Edmond drawled. “I brought you a gift to celebrate!” He said and produced a small wooden box with several bottles in it. “I thought you would like to sample our replications of the drinks we had with Tobias.”

“It’s a little early to be drinking, isn’t it?”

Edmond shrugged. “I am not one to judge.”

Theil pressed again. “Who did you say would be meeting who?”

The veiled man grinned in that manic way his race was known for. “Well, after the first event, when you have the initiates coming in, you will be helping to arrange a little 3-way meeting.” Edmond paused, glancing to the door to make sure it was secured. “Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting any of the divine beings in person?”

“No but I have a feeling that will be changing soon.” Theil dead panned.

“Yes, well, you will be hosting Lyerinthea, The Veiled Queen, and also Victoria, The Eternal Warden.” Edmond said in a lowered voice.

Theil looked shocked and the color drained from his face. “W… why is The Eternal Warden meeting with Matt and the Veiled Queen?” he fumbled over the first word but eventually found his voice.

Edmond nodded toward the screen and touched a spot in Matt’s profile. The exact spot that was reserved for blessings. Theil read the box. He then read it again very slowly and carefully. “A Prime disciple? But… Ho…” Then the words failed completely.

Heaving a great sigh, Edmond plucked a few bottles and a glass from the crate before mixing the ‘aged rum’ with something called club soda. The rum was relatively sweet, but the carbonated soda really opened up the flavors in Edmonds opinion. He then slid the concoction over the desk and into the elf’s hand, lifting it a little to get the message across.

Theil took a very large, loud slurping sip without taking his eyes off the screen. He continued reading, scrolling through the profile and occasionally taking another pull from his glass. Finally, after several minutes, he spoke.

“Edmond?”

“Yes?”

“This is delicious.”

Edmond laughed. “Is that all?”

“No but I don’t know if there is anything else I can do about the other things.”

“Fair enough.” The veiled man said. “To be fair, I came here with the express purpose of giving you a heads up. I know both of their auras will be suppressed by the exchange, but you still know who they are.”

Theil shuddered before taking one last, long pull from his glass. “Yeah. Thanks, I guess.“ He looked back to Edmond. “So, what now?”

“Now we take a look at our dear friend Tobias and see how he is doing before making some plans for how to handle post event business.” Edmond said as he slid back into one of the chairs on his side of the desk.

*****

Tori was beside herself. Well, she was actually beside one particular demon that would not stop talking. Rather, her indecision was on if she should be annoyed. On the one hand, she found that Weltgan could and would use any situation to make a joke or play on words. On the other hand, his attitude was infectious, and Tori found herself laughing along more often than not.

“…so then I said ‘do you want to try my hammer.” Weltgan wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way. “Ha! You should have seen his face. He went as red as one of those Dawn strawberries they grow in the Algeir Consortium.” Weltgan delivered his punchline with perfect timing and Tori was forced to chuckle along.

“So then what happened?” Herman, The Wasteless Concoctor asked, leaning in like a coconspirator to some nefarious plot.

“Oh, he started swinging that mallet around trying to flatten me. The entire time he chased me around that planet he was sputtering about how he would never touch my hammer.” Weltgan shook his head in mock sadness. “And I was hoping that we could have been friends.”

Tori noticed they had arrived in the main lobby of the exchange, the floating platform smoothly gliding up to its dock and letting them disembark. “We have a lot to do but where should we start?” She asked, trying to get the opinion of the others. She was also taking a few moments to look around since she hadn’t been to the exchange in person for a few thousand years. Nothing much had changed other than some of the minor décor in the causeways and lounge areas.

The ‘main lobby’ was more than just a lobby for the exchange. It was partly the intersection for all the major divergent branches of the exchange and had massive halls leading away to those areas that would allow even the largest of constructs to walk upright through them. There were also the terraces that ringed the main floor which lead to private offices and meeting rooms for hundreds of floors.

At the very center of the ceiling, thousands of meters above, was a bright point of light. The light was all encompassing with its warm, golden glow but didn’t hurt to look at no matter how sensitive the persons eyes. At the center of the impossibly dense ball of light, was the core. Not just any core but the primary system core in this part of the multiverse. It was through this core that the System could exert its will on this plane of the multiverse.

“Hello, old friend.” Tori said softly as she smiled up at the miniature star. She felt a warmth descend and envelop her, reciprocating the greeting. She had spoken with the system directly via avatar on multiple occasions, but the cores always had more substance. Tori would describe the avatars as lacking despite their immense power and presence.

“What is on your list?” Herman said as he pulled out a rather thick notebook and flipped through the pages. “I want to meet with my representative and discuss my investments but don’t have much else besides checking the markets for ingredients that excite me.”

Weltgan summoned his own list along with a pair of stylish eyeglasses that he had absolutely no need of. “I wanted to check out the betting halls. I have some credits that I want to spend, and this seems like the best way to get a decent ROI.”

“That is not how you get a return on investment.” The 4th member of the group said suddenly. Ralzin had been walking behind Tori, barely saying a word as they navigated the pathways to the exchange.

“No, but it’s the fun way.”

Tori smirked as Raz sighed heavily. Once Weltgan settled down, she voiced her plans. “Can you put some bets down for me? I will be headed to the slave markets.”

“Rescuing some more poor souls?” Herman asked.

Ignoring the curious look from Weltgan, Tori confirmed his suspicion. “As is my nature. Anyway, Weltgan, I want to bet it all on Matt. Here is…” She pulled up her account balance and deciding to take it easy. “…50 billion. I am sure you can see to that for me?”

Weltgan nodded as he accepted the transfer. “What are you doing after that you cant place your own wagers?”

“I have to meet with a certain queen and have a discussion about her people’s experiments.” Tori said, her voice as cold as the ice forming in the air around her.

*****

All around the planet that Matt called home, cities were making their preparations for the upcoming events. The challenges varied from city defense from beasts to outright war with a neighboring city, but they all had one thing in common. Every event was oriented on combat of some sort.

The leaders of these cities all pushed their people to get any last-minute levels, gather supplies and, in general, prepare for the days to come. These people had little knowledge of what was happening around the world, let alone on other planets or in the exchange. Yet, wagers were still placed on almost every possible thing by the beings that could freely travel to the multiversal market.

The list of things people could bet on was… extensive. Weltgan read through the categories and debated what to look into first. Hmm the over under categories are always easy. He thought while opening the list of categories. Each one could be broken out into multiple different segments based on how you wanted to bet. He saw the typical options such as monsters killed, lives lost, potions used and so on. He also noted there was a blinking category that caught his attention.

This one was one he had seen before but never actually bet in since it so rarely paid out and the odds were incredibly low. Still, feeling lucky and wanting to strike while the iron was hot, (Pun intended) Weltgan opened the menu for best ranking. It was a category that was an all or nothing. There was no spread, no qualifiers, no pay outs for partials. It also only went down to the city level since that was the focus of the event.

“Let’s see where we stand now.” Weltgan muttered as he scrolled down to the city of Vil’ Krad. He pulled up the listing and winced. The System had made an adjustment for the difficulty, which was public, and the adjusted rating was not great. Vil’ Krad was listed with the highest difficulty rating but that meant the odds were putting it as a total loss let alone top marks.

Weltgan pulled the options and saw he could pick from top 10, top 5, top 3 and best overall. He decided to hedge and put his money on the city being in the top 10 over all while he put half the funds Tori gave him on it being 1st overall. With the payouts, even if she lost, he could help offset with his winnings, not that it mattered to Tori and her ridiculous wealth.

He then scrolled into other sections and spread his money out. He was guaranteed to win something and come out ahead but how much was yet to be determined. He had put all his on the city doing well but not best in class. For Tori, he put the other half of her money in several categories for average level gained, break throughs and one known as ‘morale’ that was surprisingly complicated to calculate. Every bet he placed, he put the city as the number one spot just like she asked.

About to leave the betting hall, Weltgan suddenly felt he was being watched. He slowly turned, looking like he was scanning the other boards and listings. He could sense the attention, but not where it was coming from. It must have been a very skilled observer to leave the intent out of their observation, thus obscuring them, yet leaking just enough to let him know he was being watched. After turning to pretend scan the other boards, he saw them and began making his way over.

“Well, hello again.” Weltgan said after he walked over the quiet side hall near the entrance. “It has been some time.” He leaned against a wall and spoke softly, knowing full well that the lithe woman could hear everything he said over the general noise around them.

“Well met, Anvil.” The small woman said. “I didn’t expect you to be here, let alone with some new associates.” Her voice was soft, barely a whisper but carried clearly into the demon’s ears.

“Good to see you too, Spirit.” Weltgan replied, putting emphasis into the woman’s code name as well. “Are you still all alone?” He asked, genuinely concerned for his friend’s wellbeing.

“As are the wills of fate.” Spirit replied. “Why pledge when you are unwanted.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Weltgan allowed a frown to form on his normally smirking mouth. “Are you still hunted?”

“No, they have all passed on. I made them ghosts of their own.”

“I might have a proposition. Can I look into doing you a favor, for old times sake?”

Spirit went silent, knowing exactly what he was asking. “I will trust you.” She said, fading into the slight shadow cast by an awning. A final whisper found its way into Weltgan’s mind as she departed. “For old times sake.”

Weltgan held still, looking off into the distance at where a band was playing. He knew not to watch her leave or look at where she went. After a few moments, he pushed back through the betting hall and into the main walkway of the terrace.

*****

“Right this way, your grace.” Attendant Gareth said. He held his arm in the door, making sure it would remain open for the queen.

“Thank you, Gareth.” Said Lyerinthea. “Is everything in order for the event?” She stepped into the rather lavish front room. She wanted desperately to get out of her traveling gown and into her normal attire. For all the title of queen gave her, Lyerinthea hated the dress code the most. Traveling in the pale green and white ensemble was beyond annoying for her since it always had to look presentable and limited the ways she could move or sit.

Gareth nodded as he followed the veiled queen into the suite. “Yes, your grace. We have a private booth in the viewing area for Matt’s city.” He paused and Lyerinthea stopped, sensing his hesitation. “There is something you should know.”

“Please, speak candidly Gareth. You should know by now that I don’t shoot the messenger.” Lyerinthea said, glancing to her other attendant who nodded encouragingly at the proper use of the phrase.

Spurred on by his monarch, Gareth broke the news. “There was some competition from some powerful individuals. Besides the obvious and several of her pantheon and one demon that I believe recently joined it by our intelligence reports. The other factions include the beast empire, specifically the draconic congress and one of the cult organizations. The cult is likely just observing the others and looking for in roads for their schemes.”

Lyerinthea mulled over the information for a few moments, taking the time to try and puzzle out who the other parties would be attending for. “What stake do the dragons have in this? They cant possibly have any fledglings in that city.”

Gareth was about to reply when there was a single sharp knock at the door. Lyerinthea and her attendants all looked toward the door, but she knew instantly who was on the other side. “Better let The Eternal Warden in.” She said with a heavy sigh. She had wanted to delay this meeting for another day so she could get settled but it was not to be.

An attendant opened the door and bowed, not daring to raise his blackened eyes to the goddess that walked in. “If it isn’t little Thea.” Tori said, the temperature of the room already plummeting to the point a D grade would struggle to survive.

Lyerinthea stood and bowed deeply, plastering her gaze to the floor. “Eternal Warden, you honor me with your attention.” She said, meaning every word. To her, the goddess was an idol, a living legend representing strength and perseverance.

Tori snorted. “Cut the shit. You don’t need to be a fan girl anymore. It’s been how many millennia since you ascended past S grade? I am sure you have your own achievements that are worthy of respect.” She reeled in her aura and appraised the veiled that still bowed before her. “Well, stand up and let’s get a look at you before we have a talk about your little ‘experiments’, one of whom became my prime.”