Wait! Gray-hair called out to soone behind .
I looked back, just in ti to watch Sae disappear back through the entrance to the trial. I clenched my fist in frustration for just a mont, then released it. How long had it been? Gray-hair held a hand up and snapped his fingers, pointing to the doorway. A slim man in a tightly fitting suit stepped around Nick, who still held Jinny in his arms.
He squinted at the doorway, reaching up to adjust his horn-rimd glasses. Already collapsed. She must have squeezed through at the last mont.
So shes dead now, too? I asked blandly. A seething hatred roiled within .
Gray-hair studied , then placed his hands in his pockets. It occurred to that he was mirroring my body-language intentionally. No one knows what happens if youre in one of these things when they collapse. Hasnt happened to us yet.
It makes no difference to . I glanced down at Jinnys body, then back to the trial with disdain. Nick and I go back a ways. Only t the rest of them a few days ago.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nick twitch.
Ah. Gray-haired studied . Daphne said you were reasonable, but I'm not certain I buy it. No one would bla you for being upset by whats happened here.
Not really my thing.
Perhaps. I
Cut the shit. None of us have ti for it. I interjected. I didnt like gray-hair. He had the tempo of soone who was used to negotiating, dominated it. It was dangerous to let soone like that control the flow of dialogue. The transposition event is imminent. Unless Im totally off the mark, Im guessing you have the sa amount of information about that as us, which is approximately fuck-all.
Gray-hair gave nothing away, but the uncomfortable shifting of the minions behind him told all I needed to know. Thats not what were talking about right now. He said, in the sa tone a teacher might use to correct a student for going off-topic.
Maybe. But context is important. You obviously want Nick, considering what I just saw in the trial thats not exactly surprising. Its a powerful class, and capable of gifting User status to an NPC on top of all that. Thanks to dipshit over there, I pointed to the bowman, youve got an incredibly angry knight whos only going to get more angry over ti.
He considered that, then opened his mouth. What are you proposing?
Get him under contract. I said imdiately. Have him sign an exclusivity clause with your rchant, like the rest of the recruiters. Hell have to work with you to so extent then, even if he hates you.
Gray-hairs mouth quirked. And he stays with you for whatever the transposition event is.
Giving us enough ti to figure out our next move.
It would earn a bit of good will back from this clusterfuck, yes. Hes upset right now, but honestly, they were dating for less than a week. Hell get over it. Im assuming, whatever you need him for, it would be easier if he did it voluntarily. And Im happy to give up the Page class after the event.
Gray-hair smiled, and I realized Id miscalculated. They didnt care about the Page class. Whatever they were after, it was sothing else.
Horn-rimd cleared his throat. It would be far easier to integrate him with the rest of the court if
The responding blow ca faster than I could track. One mont, Gray-hair was standing there, hands at his side, the next mont Horn-rimd was prone on the ground, coughing up a lung.
A chill prickled gooseflesh on my arm. Gray-hair was in another league, playing an entirely different ga. He smiled at coolly. Good help is so hard to find these days, dont you think?
Go fuck yourself.
Gray-hair turned to Nick. Well, Ceaseless Knight? Your friends been speaking for you, but Im much more interested in what you have to say. Well let him keep his class, let you stay with him for the transposition event, all by way of an apology. All you have to do is sign a piece of paper.
I reached out to Nick with
I know its hard. Just play along. Please.
Nick laid Jinny down, gently, as if she was made of glass. Tears were still streaming down his face. His mouth was tight, his expression blank. He wiped his eyes. Weve been closer, recently, but I knew Jinny for almost a decade. She helped adjust to, uh, being a cripple. Never judged . Always supported .
Fuck. I closed my eyes.
Nick raised himself to his full height, a head taller than , and an inch taller than gray-hair. Jinny was a good person. Far better than . His voice suffused with rage. And if you motherfuckers think for a god-damn second Im going to lift a finger to help you after what you did? Youve got another thing coming.
Nick leapt toward gray-hair, sword held over his head, his armor glowing much darker than before, closer to the tint of brass than gold.
It was over before it even started. A white loop of magic tightened around Nicks neck, followed by a half dozen other loops that caught him effortlessly and forced him back down to his knees.
Monts later, the sa loops of magic proliferated around my body, forcing down.
Pity, Gray-hair said. He crouched down in front of . In truth, I would have much rather done this your way. Now I have to decide what to do with you. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers again. Check them both. And see if the girl dropped a core.
Horn-rimd approached Nick nervously, Daphne flanking him. Definitely the class. Nothing particularly of note in his inventory he rattled off the various items Nick had in storage, jotting it down on a notepad.
Daphne leaned over towards while Horn-rimd worked. Sorry, Matt. They only put on this today. If Id known it was you She trailed off.
I shrugged indifferently. Not like you owe anything, Daph.
Daphne winced, glanced back towards Gray-hair, then took a step away.
No core. Unfortunate. Horn-rimd shambled over to , finishing up his notes from the others. Page, as expected. Low level. Nothing particularly problematic here. Quick Crossbow of The Frost Leech, Broken Legacy, Chaos Spiders Venom, Blade of Woe
Blade of Woe? Daphne asked, her expression puzzled.
Gains additional utility when used from behind. Horn-rimd rattled off the description.
Didnt Dorian have one? Daphne asked. He never shut up about it. Its just weird, because with how many items there are, its the first ti Ive seen the sa one twice.
I tensed.
Horn-rimd looked over his glasses at her. Its uncommon rarity. Does it really matter?
Daphne looked about to follow up, then glanced at with a thoughtful look. I guess not. She turned back to gray-hair. No legendaries, no artifacts.
Gray-hair waved her off, then studied . Im tempted to kill you. It would be easier that way. Cleaner. Yet, despite your friends foolishness, Id really like to avoid aggravating him further. Moreover, Daphne did vouch for you. He grabbed my hair and pulled my head up. In an eerily monotone manner, he listed my full na, address, and the nas of my mother and siblings. All-in-all, far more information than I expected them to have.
If you interfere in any way? Well. Just use your imagination. Gray-hair finished.
I wont interfere, I lied.
He turned around, removing his hands from his pockets and summoning several of the Users waiting, indicating the two of us with a backward swing of his arm. Use an instance to clean up the body. Take the knight. Put the page to sleep.
I watched in silent anger as Nick was hauled away.
Sothing touched the back of my neck, and I lost consciousness.
/////
When I ca to, both Jinny and Talias bodies were gone.
The ascending atonal wail of storm sirens filled the distance, accenting the profound sense of loss that radiated in my gut.
How long was I out?
I imdiately pulled up the tir for the Transposition event.
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