Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure, page 66
Alexander’s wings flapped, pulling him into the air, darting at her with great speed. Though made of ice, his wings moved dexterously, like real ones. Then again, Vivi’s were made of fire, and they worked just fine.
The whip struck out, its tip carving shiny blue lines in the sky. Alexander’s swords danced impossibly fast as he blocked and redirected the strikes, showcasing extreme skill. Using swords against a whip wasn’t easy, but he made it work.
Their wings flapped as they embarked on an aerial battle. Vivi was darting around and Alexander chased her, defending all the while. Their speed made the arena seem small again.
Unfortunately, space was limited. Alexander caught up. His swords shone with cold light. Every swing froze the air, and his wings left ice where they passed. Vivi’s whip was less effective at this range. It melted and formed into large talons that covered her forearms and extended a foot beyond her fingers. She met Alexander in a frontal collision.
Both used twin weapons. Every clash sent sparks flying, and the air came alive with ice and blue flames. Small explosions sounded out of nowhere from the wide and rapid temperature shifts.
Vivi was forced to retreat. Her Dao was slightly weaker, she was less optimized for close combat, and she was less proficient with her weapons than Alexander was with his. She could hold her own, but not for long. She reached the ground.
Jack sensed the conclusion looming closer. He didn’t dare blink. Everything was happening so fast that most people only saw flashes of light.
Alexander lunged into an attack, and Vivi’s entire body flared. The hyper-condensed flames erupted with their full power for a single moment. She opened her mouth, and all that heat was condensed into a single, sun-like point between her teeth. Orange flames poured out of her throat, merging with singularity, and shot out of her mouth with the full force of a raging river. Her entire body shook from the pushback.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Alexander resumed his attack despite her flames coalescing, stabbing one of his swords deep into her side and leaving it there before flying back at top speed. Seeing the torrent of flames coming at his face, he crossed his wings before himself like a shield.
Vivi’s dragon breath fell on Alexander at full force. His wings sizzled, burning away. A scream filled the air as he struggled to repair them, hoping he could endure the onslaught. He was like a rock splitting a river, and an orange glow came from where his wings met the flames.
Vivi ran out of steam first. Her dragon breath lessened, then dried up, and she was left panting and weak. Her wings and armor had disappeared as all the flames she could muster had gone into the breath attack. The sword at her side had evaporated, but the grisly wound was still there, and she was bleeding profusely. It’d struck a lung.
Opposite her, Alexander still stood. His once-majestic wings now only a skeleton, and their membranes were paper-thin and transparent, but he’d pulled through. Though his exposed back had received deep burns from the sheer temperature, and his tail had evaporated into a small stump, these weren’t enough to stop him.
Vivi took in the sight of her opponent still standing. Heavy disappointment clouded her eyes, then she opened her mouth to resign… and only incoherent sounds came out.
After all, one of her lungs had been pierced!
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
COLD MURDER
Vivi had lost, but she couldn’t resign!
Through his pain, Alexander took that in with grim pleasure. He’d attacked her lung on purpose.
His tail reformed and snapped out like a lance, aiming to penetrate her head and kill her on the spot. He was sluggish, exhausted, and injured, but still moving faster than any pre-System human.
Vivi barely managed to veer out of the way. Completely out of mana, she tilted her head to the side and fell on her back. The tail carved a deep wound on her left cheek, exposing the mouth and bone underneath. It then reared back for another strike. Vivi was on the ground now. She couldn’t dodge, and she couldn’t resign.
She gritted her teeth. An explosion went off inside her head. Her eyes lost all light as she slumped, losing consciousness. She’d fried random things inside her head hoping the healers could save her, because she had no other choice.
Since she lost consciousness, the battle was over.
However, Alexander’s tail pierced at her head again. He didn’t care about the Tournament. His goal was to murder her. The judges and healers were too far away to react in time.
Nobody could save her.
A man-shaped meteor tore through the protective energy wall and crashed into the stage, shattering Alexander’s tail just before it pierced through Vivi’s eye. Jack Rust stood there, tall and proud. The air around him fluctuated with palpable violence. His eyes shone like fire as he glared Alexander down right in front of his face.
“She lost consciousness. Fuck off,” he said with barely restrained fury.
“Hmph. I didn’t notice. What do you care, American?”
“I told you to fuck off.”
Not only had they slept together, Vivi was Jack’s friend and a close ally. He would be damned if he just stood by and watched her get murdered like this.
In fact, he’d already been flying over before Vivi lost consciousness. It was only the brief delay brought by her action that allowed him to reach in time. Three healers arrived just after him and were already pouring their power on Vivi.
Alexander snorted again but did not move back. His cold eyes met Jack’s.
It was the first time Jack saw Alexander from up-close. He was a stout man, big and stocky. His clean-shaven face was wide with heavy features, and as his ice disappeared, it revealed a loose shirt underneath. He reminded Jack a bit of Hugo, the Slavic man who’d been keeping watch on his mother. The first person he’d ever killed.
However, Alexander’s most striking feature were his eyes. They were a cold, icy blue, and they stared in a way Jack had never witnessed before. He was staring down a machine—a cold-blooded, highly-trained killer. These eyes chilled him to the bone.
Of course, Jack had never lost a stare-off since the System arrived. His glare punched through Alexander’s brain, promising violence. Jack, too, was a highly-skilled killer. Maybe he wasn’t cold-blooded, but in this case, that made him even more dangerous.
“Stop!” a commanding voice came from above as the head judge swooped in between them. A gust of wind pushed them both back, forcing them to look at her. “The fight is over. Retreat.”
“He interfered. That is against the rules,” Alexander said. “He should be disqualified.”
“He tried to kill a downed opponent. That is against the rules,” Jack echoed. “He should be disqualified.”
“That was an accident. We cannot demand that our fighters have perfect awareness in every possible scenario. There is a margin of error,” the head judge said, turning to Alexander. “Jack Rust intervened after the battle was over. That is also punishable, but not by disqualification. You get one strike. However!” She rounded on Jack. “Since you already have more strikes from the first phase of the Tournament, I have to—”
“I say we let him stay,” another voice came from the top of the stands. It was Rufus Emberheart. Everyone turned their gazes on him. “He did invade the arena, but since his actions led to better adherence of the rules, I would argue that it is excusable. I believe nobody disagrees.”
Jack frowned before realizing what was happening. Rufus wanted to fight and destroy him publicly in the Tournament. He wanted to truly cement his position as number one, and if Jack got disqualified now, some wouldn’t be convinced of Rufus’s supremacy.
The head judge looked around, and indeed, nobody questioned Rufus’s judgment. Why would they? It was to everyone’s benefit.
“Very well,” she agreed. “Jack Rust, you are let off with a warning. Alexander Petrovic, you too. Please return to your seats.”
Jack met Rufus’s stare. He only found arrogance there. Certainty of victory.
“Also, Jack Rust,” the head judge said, drawing his attention, “why is it that every time something happens, it is always you?”
Her exasperation seemed genuine, but Jack didn’t care much. He disliked her already.
“Guess I’m a troublemaker, chief,” he responded, shrugging. He jumped back to his seat. Sadaka and the other members of Flame River thanked him profusely, their words filled with guilt. When he faced Alexander, they’d been ready to jump into the arena if the Ice Peak joined, but that hadn’t come to pass.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said. “As I said, I’m just a troublemaker.”
His attention wasn’t on them. He was eagerly watching Vivi. The healers kept pumping magic into her. Only when her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes opened did his shoulders un-bunch. She had a hushed conversation with the head healer, probably asking if she was okay, then the healer nodded and let her go.
Vivi wobbled to the stairs. She reached the others between a crowd that parted to let her pass. She might have lost, but her resolve at the end had garnered everyone’s respect.
The people of Flame River fell on her the moment she arrived. A few moments later, she pushed past them to collapse in her seat.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked. After all, who knew what brain injuries were treatable by magic.
“Physically? Yes,” she replied tiredly. “Mentally? Not at all. I lost, Jack. Flame River lost.”
“Nothing is over yet.”
“I know. But it fucking hurts.”
“Yeah… I know it’s hard, but you’re strong. I believe you can recover.”
She clenched her fists. Jack could understand what she was going through, more or less. It sucked, but in the end, it was her battle to fight. She would either pull through or wouldn’t. He couldn’t help.
The Sage and Dorman didn’t offer any words of comfort either, besides the polite ones. Surprisingly, neither did Edgar.
“What are you guys planning to do now?” Jack asked. “The fights are over.”
“I think I’ll relax a bit,” Edgar replied, leaning back in his seat. He seemed over his defeat already, and his eyes were already twinkling with new ideas. “Now that I don’t have to fight anymore, I don’t have to train all the time… Not to mention that my master is off-limits, like my house. Oh, I have to pack up, too. Where are you staying?” he asked Sadaka.
“The Jade Skin hotel,” the man replied. “We can get you a room.”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“I will relax as well,” the Sage said. “Maybe go watch the waves until nightfall… Yes, that would be nice.”
“You would watch the waves for hours?” Edgar raised a brow. “They’re just waves.”
“They hide very interesting patterns, young wizard. Predicting them is difficult. Perhaps you would benefit from the practice, too.”
“Ah no. As I said, no training today.”
“Same for me,” Vivi added, letting out a sigh. “I must find a way to deal with the public relations mess of my defeat.”
“It’s not that bad, Vivi,” Sadaka told her. “Everyone saw how hard you fought and how strong you are. Maybe you lost, but you honored the Flame River’s reputation.”
“Hmm, true,” she replied, already deep in thought. “Maybe we could twist this into us being the underdogs? Everyone loves the underdogs.”
“That’s the spirit!”
Jack raised a brow at her scheming, then glanced at Dorman, who was staring right back at him. They were two of the four remaining finalists. They had a one in three chance of fighting tomorrow.
“I’ll go train,” Jack said. “You should do the same, Dorman. I don’t want to kick your ass too easily.”
“You wouldn’t even be able to touch me,” the Asian teen shot back.
“Heh. We’ll see about that. If you get matched against Rufus, I really won’t have the opportunity to touch you.”
“I will win the Tournament. It doesn’t matter who my opponent is.”
Jack smiled as he stood. “Anyway, see you guys. I have to go now.”
“Oh, really?” Vivi said, raising a brow. She was clearly still distraught, but she kept it for herself. “Do you have a date?”
Jack laughed. “Well, technically, yes.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Jack walked down the streets of Integration City. On his right was Brock. On his left, Karvahul. The streets were mostly empty since the fights had just finished, so if they kept their voices low, nobody would overhear.
“It isn’t looking good, Jack,” the djinn said, shaking his head. “You spent everything we had at the auction. I want to bet, but our funds are just minuscule now. So are our profits.”
“Mhm.”
“Plus, the fights are easier to predict now. There are no black horses anymore. I can’t earn much each fight, at least not without risking big.”
“I see. But we got the hundred thousand from Edgar’s victory, right?”
Karvahul nodded. “That helped,” he admitted.
Every fighter got a hundred thousand credits for every victory in the final phase of the Tournament. The only exceptions were Jack and Rufus, whose monetary earnings were confiscated by the Hand of God.
Edgar had entrusted Jack with his wealth, who in turn, entrusted everything to Karvahul.
Jack stopped and took an earnest look at his manager. “Give it to me straight, Karvahul. How much do we have?”
The djinn took a deep breath. “Two hundred fifty thousand, give or take.”
“Okay.”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
Jack considered the issue. “I have something in mind… but it requires I ask you a favor.”
“Me?” Karvahul was surprised. “Listen, Jack, if it’s about borrowing, I can only—”
“Not that,” Jack cut him off. “I plan to send some credits to my faction. They might need it to protect themselves, but I don’t have a way to send it over a large distance.”
“Oh. Okay. I could send some to Ar’Tazul, who’s still in your town, but then we’d get taxed.”
“Taxed?”
“Yeah. The Animal Kingdom levies heavy tax on all transactions in the constellation. You are still protected by the one-year grace period, but we aren’t. If I send money to Tazul, 50 percent will be taken away.”
“Fifty percent!” Jack almost jumped. Even Brock protested, though he didn’t know the numbers.
“I know,” Karvahul replied bitterly. “It’s the maximum tax allowed by the Star Pact. They’re bleeding us poor merchants dry…”
“Well, fuck the Animal Kingdom. Isn’t there a way to cheat them?”
“Of course. If we send the money through a native, it should fall under the grace period term… But we’d need someone we can trust. Someone who can reach that place in a reasonable period of time. It’s half an ocean away! Any ideas?”
“I might have one… The Flame River doesn’t have a jet, unfortunately, but I know someone with a starship. Does that count?”
“Only if they can ride it. It’s not easy.”
“I suspect my person can ride it just fine,” Jack replied enigmatically. “And he’s trustworthy, I think. Problem is, I already owe him multiple favors… but this is important. I guess one more won’t hurt.”
“Lots of people have jets here,” Karvahul suggested. “You could ask one of them. With your status, I don’t think anyone would refuse.”
Of the people who’d arrived after the Tournament started, most had come in private jets. There were landing strips at the back of Integration City, and Jack had even seen a US airplane carrier docked in the distance.
“I don’t want to owe favors to strangers,” he said, shaking his head. “And I want to keep this a secret. People might be out for my faction.”
“Okay, then. I suppose the person you’re talking about is the Sage?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll contact him discreetly on your behalf.”
“Thank you, Karvahul.”
“No problem. How much should I give him?”
“All of it.”
“All of it?” Karvahul almost embraced the Dao of Heart Attack.
Jack nodded seriously. “I’m afraid for the safety of my people, Karvahul… I have friends and relatives there. I want them to be as protected as possible, and there are many defensive mechanisms that credits can buy. With two hundred and fifty thousand and their own strength, they should be safe against anything short of a scion.”
“Are you sure, Jack? With this kind of money, you—”
“I’m sure.”
The djinn struggled, then squeaked, “But what will I bet?”
“You have your own money, right? Use that.”
Karvahul’s feet dragged against the ground. His eyes alternated between gold and sadness. Since he was short, too, he reminded Jack of a disappointed child.
“It’s all those scions’ fault…” he muttered. “Damn the System and its stupid blind spots!”
Jack raised a brow in interest. “Blind spots? Does it really have those?”
“Of course it does. When the Ancients created it, they neglected many things, and now the immortals lack the skills to patch it up—so the legends say.” Karvahul turned to him. “The System may seem like a god to you now, but in truth, it’s neither omnipotent nor omniscient. It’s just a very complex, gigantic machine, and it has many limitations.”
“Really?”
Karvahul shook his head. They’d reached the edge of the participant district, but being an alien, he couldn’t enter, not even as a guest. Therefore, he leaned against the fence and motioned for Jack to do the same. Nobody else was nearby.
“Listen, Jack,” he began, taking a deep breath. “The System operates based on the Dao, but its functions consume energy voraciously. For that reason, they are limited. It barely keeps tabs on the classless, for example, and it stops tracking them when they exit System space. They just aren’t worth it.”
The whip struck out, its tip carving shiny blue lines in the sky. Alexander’s swords danced impossibly fast as he blocked and redirected the strikes, showcasing extreme skill. Using swords against a whip wasn’t easy, but he made it work.
Their wings flapped as they embarked on an aerial battle. Vivi was darting around and Alexander chased her, defending all the while. Their speed made the arena seem small again.
Unfortunately, space was limited. Alexander caught up. His swords shone with cold light. Every swing froze the air, and his wings left ice where they passed. Vivi’s whip was less effective at this range. It melted and formed into large talons that covered her forearms and extended a foot beyond her fingers. She met Alexander in a frontal collision.
Both used twin weapons. Every clash sent sparks flying, and the air came alive with ice and blue flames. Small explosions sounded out of nowhere from the wide and rapid temperature shifts.
Vivi was forced to retreat. Her Dao was slightly weaker, she was less optimized for close combat, and she was less proficient with her weapons than Alexander was with his. She could hold her own, but not for long. She reached the ground.
Jack sensed the conclusion looming closer. He didn’t dare blink. Everything was happening so fast that most people only saw flashes of light.
Alexander lunged into an attack, and Vivi’s entire body flared. The hyper-condensed flames erupted with their full power for a single moment. She opened her mouth, and all that heat was condensed into a single, sun-like point between her teeth. Orange flames poured out of her throat, merging with singularity, and shot out of her mouth with the full force of a raging river. Her entire body shook from the pushback.
It all happened in the blink of an eye. Alexander resumed his attack despite her flames coalescing, stabbing one of his swords deep into her side and leaving it there before flying back at top speed. Seeing the torrent of flames coming at his face, he crossed his wings before himself like a shield.
Vivi’s dragon breath fell on Alexander at full force. His wings sizzled, burning away. A scream filled the air as he struggled to repair them, hoping he could endure the onslaught. He was like a rock splitting a river, and an orange glow came from where his wings met the flames.
Vivi ran out of steam first. Her dragon breath lessened, then dried up, and she was left panting and weak. Her wings and armor had disappeared as all the flames she could muster had gone into the breath attack. The sword at her side had evaporated, but the grisly wound was still there, and she was bleeding profusely. It’d struck a lung.
Opposite her, Alexander still stood. His once-majestic wings now only a skeleton, and their membranes were paper-thin and transparent, but he’d pulled through. Though his exposed back had received deep burns from the sheer temperature, and his tail had evaporated into a small stump, these weren’t enough to stop him.
Vivi took in the sight of her opponent still standing. Heavy disappointment clouded her eyes, then she opened her mouth to resign… and only incoherent sounds came out.
After all, one of her lungs had been pierced!
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
COLD MURDER
Vivi had lost, but she couldn’t resign!
Through his pain, Alexander took that in with grim pleasure. He’d attacked her lung on purpose.
His tail reformed and snapped out like a lance, aiming to penetrate her head and kill her on the spot. He was sluggish, exhausted, and injured, but still moving faster than any pre-System human.
Vivi barely managed to veer out of the way. Completely out of mana, she tilted her head to the side and fell on her back. The tail carved a deep wound on her left cheek, exposing the mouth and bone underneath. It then reared back for another strike. Vivi was on the ground now. She couldn’t dodge, and she couldn’t resign.
She gritted her teeth. An explosion went off inside her head. Her eyes lost all light as she slumped, losing consciousness. She’d fried random things inside her head hoping the healers could save her, because she had no other choice.
Since she lost consciousness, the battle was over.
However, Alexander’s tail pierced at her head again. He didn’t care about the Tournament. His goal was to murder her. The judges and healers were too far away to react in time.
Nobody could save her.
A man-shaped meteor tore through the protective energy wall and crashed into the stage, shattering Alexander’s tail just before it pierced through Vivi’s eye. Jack Rust stood there, tall and proud. The air around him fluctuated with palpable violence. His eyes shone like fire as he glared Alexander down right in front of his face.
“She lost consciousness. Fuck off,” he said with barely restrained fury.
“Hmph. I didn’t notice. What do you care, American?”
“I told you to fuck off.”
Not only had they slept together, Vivi was Jack’s friend and a close ally. He would be damned if he just stood by and watched her get murdered like this.
In fact, he’d already been flying over before Vivi lost consciousness. It was only the brief delay brought by her action that allowed him to reach in time. Three healers arrived just after him and were already pouring their power on Vivi.
Alexander snorted again but did not move back. His cold eyes met Jack’s.
It was the first time Jack saw Alexander from up-close. He was a stout man, big and stocky. His clean-shaven face was wide with heavy features, and as his ice disappeared, it revealed a loose shirt underneath. He reminded Jack a bit of Hugo, the Slavic man who’d been keeping watch on his mother. The first person he’d ever killed.
However, Alexander’s most striking feature were his eyes. They were a cold, icy blue, and they stared in a way Jack had never witnessed before. He was staring down a machine—a cold-blooded, highly-trained killer. These eyes chilled him to the bone.
Of course, Jack had never lost a stare-off since the System arrived. His glare punched through Alexander’s brain, promising violence. Jack, too, was a highly-skilled killer. Maybe he wasn’t cold-blooded, but in this case, that made him even more dangerous.
“Stop!” a commanding voice came from above as the head judge swooped in between them. A gust of wind pushed them both back, forcing them to look at her. “The fight is over. Retreat.”
“He interfered. That is against the rules,” Alexander said. “He should be disqualified.”
“He tried to kill a downed opponent. That is against the rules,” Jack echoed. “He should be disqualified.”
“That was an accident. We cannot demand that our fighters have perfect awareness in every possible scenario. There is a margin of error,” the head judge said, turning to Alexander. “Jack Rust intervened after the battle was over. That is also punishable, but not by disqualification. You get one strike. However!” She rounded on Jack. “Since you already have more strikes from the first phase of the Tournament, I have to—”
“I say we let him stay,” another voice came from the top of the stands. It was Rufus Emberheart. Everyone turned their gazes on him. “He did invade the arena, but since his actions led to better adherence of the rules, I would argue that it is excusable. I believe nobody disagrees.”
Jack frowned before realizing what was happening. Rufus wanted to fight and destroy him publicly in the Tournament. He wanted to truly cement his position as number one, and if Jack got disqualified now, some wouldn’t be convinced of Rufus’s supremacy.
The head judge looked around, and indeed, nobody questioned Rufus’s judgment. Why would they? It was to everyone’s benefit.
“Very well,” she agreed. “Jack Rust, you are let off with a warning. Alexander Petrovic, you too. Please return to your seats.”
Jack met Rufus’s stare. He only found arrogance there. Certainty of victory.
“Also, Jack Rust,” the head judge said, drawing his attention, “why is it that every time something happens, it is always you?”
Her exasperation seemed genuine, but Jack didn’t care much. He disliked her already.
“Guess I’m a troublemaker, chief,” he responded, shrugging. He jumped back to his seat. Sadaka and the other members of Flame River thanked him profusely, their words filled with guilt. When he faced Alexander, they’d been ready to jump into the arena if the Ice Peak joined, but that hadn’t come to pass.
“Don’t worry about it,” Jack said. “As I said, I’m just a troublemaker.”
His attention wasn’t on them. He was eagerly watching Vivi. The healers kept pumping magic into her. Only when her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes opened did his shoulders un-bunch. She had a hushed conversation with the head healer, probably asking if she was okay, then the healer nodded and let her go.
Vivi wobbled to the stairs. She reached the others between a crowd that parted to let her pass. She might have lost, but her resolve at the end had garnered everyone’s respect.
The people of Flame River fell on her the moment she arrived. A few moments later, she pushed past them to collapse in her seat.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked. After all, who knew what brain injuries were treatable by magic.
“Physically? Yes,” she replied tiredly. “Mentally? Not at all. I lost, Jack. Flame River lost.”
“Nothing is over yet.”
“I know. But it fucking hurts.”
“Yeah… I know it’s hard, but you’re strong. I believe you can recover.”
She clenched her fists. Jack could understand what she was going through, more or less. It sucked, but in the end, it was her battle to fight. She would either pull through or wouldn’t. He couldn’t help.
The Sage and Dorman didn’t offer any words of comfort either, besides the polite ones. Surprisingly, neither did Edgar.
“What are you guys planning to do now?” Jack asked. “The fights are over.”
“I think I’ll relax a bit,” Edgar replied, leaning back in his seat. He seemed over his defeat already, and his eyes were already twinkling with new ideas. “Now that I don’t have to fight anymore, I don’t have to train all the time… Not to mention that my master is off-limits, like my house. Oh, I have to pack up, too. Where are you staying?” he asked Sadaka.
“The Jade Skin hotel,” the man replied. “We can get you a room.”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“I will relax as well,” the Sage said. “Maybe go watch the waves until nightfall… Yes, that would be nice.”
“You would watch the waves for hours?” Edgar raised a brow. “They’re just waves.”
“They hide very interesting patterns, young wizard. Predicting them is difficult. Perhaps you would benefit from the practice, too.”
“Ah no. As I said, no training today.”
“Same for me,” Vivi added, letting out a sigh. “I must find a way to deal with the public relations mess of my defeat.”
“It’s not that bad, Vivi,” Sadaka told her. “Everyone saw how hard you fought and how strong you are. Maybe you lost, but you honored the Flame River’s reputation.”
“Hmm, true,” she replied, already deep in thought. “Maybe we could twist this into us being the underdogs? Everyone loves the underdogs.”
“That’s the spirit!”
Jack raised a brow at her scheming, then glanced at Dorman, who was staring right back at him. They were two of the four remaining finalists. They had a one in three chance of fighting tomorrow.
“I’ll go train,” Jack said. “You should do the same, Dorman. I don’t want to kick your ass too easily.”
“You wouldn’t even be able to touch me,” the Asian teen shot back.
“Heh. We’ll see about that. If you get matched against Rufus, I really won’t have the opportunity to touch you.”
“I will win the Tournament. It doesn’t matter who my opponent is.”
Jack smiled as he stood. “Anyway, see you guys. I have to go now.”
“Oh, really?” Vivi said, raising a brow. She was clearly still distraught, but she kept it for herself. “Do you have a date?”
Jack laughed. “Well, technically, yes.”
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
A PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Jack walked down the streets of Integration City. On his right was Brock. On his left, Karvahul. The streets were mostly empty since the fights had just finished, so if they kept their voices low, nobody would overhear.
“It isn’t looking good, Jack,” the djinn said, shaking his head. “You spent everything we had at the auction. I want to bet, but our funds are just minuscule now. So are our profits.”
“Mhm.”
“Plus, the fights are easier to predict now. There are no black horses anymore. I can’t earn much each fight, at least not without risking big.”
“I see. But we got the hundred thousand from Edgar’s victory, right?”
Karvahul nodded. “That helped,” he admitted.
Every fighter got a hundred thousand credits for every victory in the final phase of the Tournament. The only exceptions were Jack and Rufus, whose monetary earnings were confiscated by the Hand of God.
Edgar had entrusted Jack with his wealth, who in turn, entrusted everything to Karvahul.
Jack stopped and took an earnest look at his manager. “Give it to me straight, Karvahul. How much do we have?”
The djinn took a deep breath. “Two hundred fifty thousand, give or take.”
“Okay.”
“What are you planning to do with it?”
Jack considered the issue. “I have something in mind… but it requires I ask you a favor.”
“Me?” Karvahul was surprised. “Listen, Jack, if it’s about borrowing, I can only—”
“Not that,” Jack cut him off. “I plan to send some credits to my faction. They might need it to protect themselves, but I don’t have a way to send it over a large distance.”
“Oh. Okay. I could send some to Ar’Tazul, who’s still in your town, but then we’d get taxed.”
“Taxed?”
“Yeah. The Animal Kingdom levies heavy tax on all transactions in the constellation. You are still protected by the one-year grace period, but we aren’t. If I send money to Tazul, 50 percent will be taken away.”
“Fifty percent!” Jack almost jumped. Even Brock protested, though he didn’t know the numbers.
“I know,” Karvahul replied bitterly. “It’s the maximum tax allowed by the Star Pact. They’re bleeding us poor merchants dry…”
“Well, fuck the Animal Kingdom. Isn’t there a way to cheat them?”
“Of course. If we send the money through a native, it should fall under the grace period term… But we’d need someone we can trust. Someone who can reach that place in a reasonable period of time. It’s half an ocean away! Any ideas?”
“I might have one… The Flame River doesn’t have a jet, unfortunately, but I know someone with a starship. Does that count?”
“Only if they can ride it. It’s not easy.”
“I suspect my person can ride it just fine,” Jack replied enigmatically. “And he’s trustworthy, I think. Problem is, I already owe him multiple favors… but this is important. I guess one more won’t hurt.”
“Lots of people have jets here,” Karvahul suggested. “You could ask one of them. With your status, I don’t think anyone would refuse.”
Of the people who’d arrived after the Tournament started, most had come in private jets. There were landing strips at the back of Integration City, and Jack had even seen a US airplane carrier docked in the distance.
“I don’t want to owe favors to strangers,” he said, shaking his head. “And I want to keep this a secret. People might be out for my faction.”
“Okay, then. I suppose the person you’re talking about is the Sage?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll contact him discreetly on your behalf.”
“Thank you, Karvahul.”
“No problem. How much should I give him?”
“All of it.”
“All of it?” Karvahul almost embraced the Dao of Heart Attack.
Jack nodded seriously. “I’m afraid for the safety of my people, Karvahul… I have friends and relatives there. I want them to be as protected as possible, and there are many defensive mechanisms that credits can buy. With two hundred and fifty thousand and their own strength, they should be safe against anything short of a scion.”
“Are you sure, Jack? With this kind of money, you—”
“I’m sure.”
The djinn struggled, then squeaked, “But what will I bet?”
“You have your own money, right? Use that.”
Karvahul’s feet dragged against the ground. His eyes alternated between gold and sadness. Since he was short, too, he reminded Jack of a disappointed child.
“It’s all those scions’ fault…” he muttered. “Damn the System and its stupid blind spots!”
Jack raised a brow in interest. “Blind spots? Does it really have those?”
“Of course it does. When the Ancients created it, they neglected many things, and now the immortals lack the skills to patch it up—so the legends say.” Karvahul turned to him. “The System may seem like a god to you now, but in truth, it’s neither omnipotent nor omniscient. It’s just a very complex, gigantic machine, and it has many limitations.”
“Really?”
Karvahul shook his head. They’d reached the edge of the participant district, but being an alien, he couldn’t enter, not even as a guest. Therefore, he leaned against the fence and motioned for Jack to do the same. Nobody else was nearby.
“Listen, Jack,” he began, taking a deep breath. “The System operates based on the Dao, but its functions consume energy voraciously. For that reason, they are limited. It barely keeps tabs on the classless, for example, and it stops tracking them when they exit System space. They just aren’t worth it.”
