The usual vein stuck out on my forehead.
There wasnt nearly enough information to draw from here. Apparently, region 14 had a high vulnerability, but there was literally no explanation as to what that ant, what the underlying reasons were, or how to fix it. I hypothesized that Flauros Bind and Incursion Chance were probably correlated sohow. If we had a strong connection to the Flauros realm, that likely ant that dungeons and trials would be much more common in this regionthus monsters were more likely to break free and attack.
No clue what luminaries were, apart from the vague hunch that they were most likely individuals. Core and the significance of ranking was also lost on . Sothing about the number of regions was bothering , now that I saw the total of twenty, but I made a ntal note to return to that when I wasnt in a ti crunch.
I reached out and blindly pressed several more buttons on the elevator, slowing our descent.
What, again? Kinsley squawked. Why didnt we just make them wait before we got in the elevator?
Excuse for expecting this interface to be intuitive, I muttered, scanning more text.
While the region having no patron deity was good for , it was probably bad for everyone else and the region in general. I had no idea how one went about getting a deific patron, but even if I knew, the Allfather of Chaos was out. It would be too obvious of a giveaway, and the last ti Id spoken to him, hed made it clear he was weakened and dying. Limited use. Nychta was a better choice, but only relatively. I knew nothing about her, which made even considering the option dangerous.
Better to leave that for now.
Quests assigned in the region beco far more common and rewarding. However, the ti limits are reduced, and penalties for failures grow significantly more severe.
Increases: Flauros Bond, Vulnerability, Potential Core Developnt.
Decreases: Security.
Restricts Settlent Policy to Proportional.
I furrowed my brow and reread the description. In a perfect world, this would have been the imdiate pick regardless of the other options. Quests were by and large the best way to rack up experience, and having more of them ant faster growth. Anything that put us that far ahead was worth a look.
However, the penalty aspect severely tainted it. I knew from personal experience that quests werent always fair. Or achievable, for that matter. The only reason I hadnt failed most of mine was thanks to extended or unspecified ti limits. If those ti limits beca more severe, and we werent perfectly organized to handle it, people would start failing more questsor rush in unprepared and die trying to complete them, costing us a User and a penalty. Itd be all too easy to spiral.
The region flourishes. Materials rare in other regions beco bountiful, along with rare monsters and items. A random ungifted is uplifted to the Dark Lord class. All benefits remain if the Dark Lord is vanquished.
Increases: Affluence, Flauros Bond, Security, Potential Core Developnt, Luminary Propagation.
Decreases: Alignnt, Vulnerability, Incursion Chance.
Everything about the option set off alarm bells. When it ca to increases and decreases, there was practically no downside save alignnt, which was obscure in contrast to the clearly defined gains. All we had to do was allow a dangerous User into our midst, with the implication that we could face no consequences if we dealt with them early on.
Nick scared the hell out of , and in terms of ranking, he was only a knight. I would rather not see what a Dark Lord was capable of.
It was an almost automatic no.
A precious resource is discovered to be bountiful within the region. Acquiring and processing it will take considerable effort, but the rewards for doing so are exponential. So much so that other regions may take notice.
Increases: Affluence (Significant), Vulnerability, Flauros Bind, Incursion Chance, Potential Core Developnt.
Decreases: Security, Luminary Propagation.
Another legitimate option I didnt trust. Mainly because it was leaving a lot of shit out. The implied downside was that wed be so wealthy it would cause trouble from other regions. But what it was actually invoking was a phenonon known as the Resource Curse, which had far more downsides than the option inferred. There are countless examples of this. Just off the top of my head, Nigeria and Angola both rank incredibly high on the list of oil producing countries, yet their currency value and GDP per capita are astronomically low.
With Selve being a universal currency, the currency deflation issue wouldnt necessarily apply to us. But developntal slow and industrial pigeonholing would, along with external region interference, once they discovered what we had. It was hard to say if the pros outweighed the cons.
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
Jesus fuck, Im not an economist, give a break here.
First day and youre already scaring the tenants. Kinsley comnted in amusent.
The elevator had opened on a lower floor. An old man with a cane waited outside the doors, staring back at .
Theres plenty of room, I offered absent-mindedly, still ntally running through the region options.
The man shook his head, wispy white-hairs from a barely there combover floating before they settled back down. No, no. Ill get the next one, son. Youre him, right? Tentatively, he reached in his pocket.
I imdiately reached down to my back and partially withdrew my crossbow, prepared to activate
The old man withdrew a golden oblong object with trembling hands, gave an obvious backswing and tossed it to . Adrenaline washed through and I nearly threw myself from the wheelchair to dodge it, before interfered.
Hes obviously not a threat.
I caught the object at the last second. It was sowhat shaped like a UFO, so reflective I could see the deep bags under my eyes.
Craft Level: Masterwork
Description: The result of the purest inspiration and deft technique. This small piece of unknown tal allows the user to roll back a single feat and refunding their expended points. Once the process is complete, the charm will disintegrate.
Item Class: Rare
By the ti I looked up from the description, the doors were already closing. Wait
The doors closed, leaving with the image of the old man waving with a twinkle in his eye. Annoyed by the abruptness with which the exchange had ended, I leaned back in my chair. The red ring around Kinsleys eye faded, and her mouth dropped open.
Thats
Incredibly valuable. I finished.
Ive seen crafted items before. But never a masterwork. Kinsley mused. I passed the item to her, and she studied it. This is pristine. Crafted items almost always look shoddier than system created counterparts. Maybe thats because most vocational Users are still getting started.
The system seems slow in general to assign vocations unless you start with them, I agreed. I was supposed to get a vocation with my chain quest for helping you.
You were?
Yup. Still hasnt happened. Look him up later?
Already on it. Kinsley nodded. No way Im passing up any crafters at this point, let alone one that can make sothing like this. If hes not already attached to a guild, Ill snag him.
Still split between the region options, I rattled them off to Kinsley. I was tempted to screw with the wording of to poison the well and push them away from it, but Tyler would be present. Working around his truth ability was difficult enough without sprinkling in more lies.
Kinsley transcribed the Region Options into a ssage to be sent to anyone present.
Before we get in there, do you have a preference? I asked.
With a sigh, Kinsley skimd the text again. Im leaning towards Split between that and You?
Narrowed it down to the sa two, but leaning towards the opposite. Anything else?
She let out a long grumbling noise. Im worried the others may push for The other two options create short-term problems and hurdles with big payoffs if we can stick the landing. Organization and production. Descent offers a lot of short-term gain with a long-term concern. If you dont have any experience with them, its impossible to know how dangerous these special, classes are. Were familiar with that issue, but they may not be. And we cant exactly explain why.
Right.
The elevator doors opened on the first floor. The lobby was covered in dark marble, flooring and pillars, and scattered with multiple couches and tables for impromptu discussions and get togethers. I wheeled myself out, Kinsley walking slightly ahead. It was eerily silent.
When I surveyed the atrium, I realized why. Everyone was looking in our direction. Great, I groused quietly, You really are famous.
Maybe check again before you bla it all on , Kinsley half-skipped, moving ahead. Sure enough, the assortnt of eyes didnt follow her. They werent watching Kinsley.
They were watching .
A few people approached to voice appreciation. Others followed with gifts, a handful of potions and Selve. I found myself on the receiving end of multiple handshakes.
Weird. This is really weird. I whispered to Kinsley.
Ive never seen you so uncomfortable before, Kinsley snickered.
Allow , a male voice said from behind . Soone took the handles off my wheelchair and began to push in the direction Kinsley was walking. Like the old man, they probably didnt an any harm. But I still felt my anxiety climbing to a peak. It didnt stop until Kinsley, reading sothing Id let slip through, thanked the man pushing the wheelchair and took over, maneuvering towards one of several conference rooms.
That wasnt just discomfort, Kinsley said, the levity in her voice gone.
Im fine.
You werent fine. Ask for help if you need it, idiot.
Never been good at asking for help.
Kinsley opened the door and revealed the conference room. It looked more at ho in a corporate office than an apartnt. A long brown table with rounded edges was surrounded by rolling office chairs. The far end of the room was crowned by a projector screen, the projector itself hung in the center ceiling and powered down.
Sara and Tyler stood as we entered, all smiles. Tyler was dressed in business attirea simple suit that looked off the shelf but fitted. Sara was wearing armor that looked more fantastical in nature, but the hint of regalia in the silver chain accents on the flowing garnt still gave it a dressed-up air.
There he is, Tyler bood, The conquering hero.
Saras smile was genuine, but more reserved. Glad were finally eting in better circumstances.
My heart jumped into my throat for just a mont before I realized she was referring to the eting at the region barrier and before that, the open-forum. Sorry were late.
Tyler shook his head. Considering the circumstances, you have nothing to apologize for. And you arent even the last to arrive.
As if on cue, the door behind us swung open. A man entered with a leather folio under his arm. The Rolex on his wrist glinted in the soft office light, accenting his light blue suit and tie. The suit was so high-end I didnt recognize it. Maybe because I was too fixated on his face.
A strong jawline that jutted outward. A Hundred dollar haircut. Stubble maintained at the perfect length. Eyes that saw everything and considered it beneath him.
Itd been almost five years and aside from the gray streaks in his sideburns, he hadnt aged a day.
Aaron Verner. Daphnes asshole father. Probably a suit. And worst of all, the man who played a key role in my mothers indictnt. Matthias? He said, in a perfect simulation of surprise.
Whatwhat are you doing here? I asked, dumbstruck.
Im the region representative. Aaron grinned, and held out a hand.
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