10 Minutes after exiting the Weapon Farm.
"Bring it on!" Ollie said, hefting his newly acquired [weapon] and approaching the exit to the weapon farm.
[Nero] An excellent choice, Ollie. One that really aligns with your play style and the strengths of your class.
Ollie nodded, thoroughly pleased with himself. "Thanks, fella. How soon until I can juice this thing up, get some sweet upgrades installed?"
[Nero] There will doubtless be opportunities provided even at the early stages of the arena. You will simply have to keep a watchful eye and be sure to loot every enemy you slay so as not to miss anything.
>> URGENT MESSAGE: SENSITIVE!
Ollie stopped walking. He was standing a few inches from the exit when the message appeared.
"The fuck is this now?"
[Nero] A direct System message which has bypassed my program entirely, I'm afraid. I can give you no guidance as to what it may be, but I can say that such messages are rare.
Ollie opened the message.
>> SYSTEM COMMISSION: Mandatory Asset Liquidation
>> PRIORITY: Absolute
>> TARGET: Pete Harrison [Alias: The Vault Breaker] Penny Pincher Class [Unique / Aberrant]
>> BOUNTY RATIONALE: CATASTROPHIC VALUE DESTRUCTION
The target is currently operating under a Self-Inflicted Tax mechanic which violates directive Alpha12 subsection 3b of the Dominion Charter.
The target's repeated acquisition of high-value assets and subsequent application of the Penny Pincher Class tax has resulted in the permanent deletion of thousands of Belch Bucks from the local game economy.
By touching these assets, the target has legally stolen 90% of their market value, transmuting liquid equity into Thrift, a non-transferable resource that yields zero return on investment for the Tongsly Belch Corporation. The target is not merely a player; he is a fiscal black hole, and this activity cannot be allowed to continue as it threatens to destabilize the loot economy of the Novice Arena.
"Fuck a duck!" Ollie blurted. "No fucking way am I killing Pete!"
[Nero] It may be that the System does not require you to kill Pete, but simply to redress the balance, so to speak.
"You mean pay the System back for money he 'stole' because of a class that he was allowed to choose in the first place? That's fucked up. It's like grabbing someone's hand and punching them in the face with it and then telling them to stop punching themselves."
[Nero] I agree, it does seem somewhat unfair, particularly considering that the transmutation of value into Thrift was never highlighted as in breach of the Dominion Charter. Then again, that particular document is frequently being modified and updated. Ah, yes, I can see now that a provision has been added under subsection 3b which relates to this matter.
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"They added that shit after Pete picked up his class?"
[Nero] They did, yes. Unfortunately, that is permitted under both the Dominion Charter and the Ultrimax Contest Agreement that Pete signed when he first commenced the competition.
Ollie shook his head, anger rising as he tried to reason through what the AI was saying.
"That's some bureaucratic tripwire bullshit right there," he said, allowing the message to continue.
>> CONTRACT CONDITIONS: As a commissioned Loan Shark Enforcer, you are required to apprehend this individual and reclaim the stolen value by any means possible.
[Nero] There you are. You simply need to recover the stolen value.
Note: Reclaiming lost funds will not be possible in this instance as the target has accrued a debt of depreciation that exceeds his total net worth; thus, you are hereby ordered to foreclose on the target's life.
[Nero] Oh dear. I stand corrected.
>> ASSET RECOVERY: Upon the Vault Breaker's death, the Penny Pincher Red Ledger must be secured so the Tongsly Belch Corporation may attempt to extract the hoarded Thrift in an effort to recover lost funds.
Ollie snorted. "There it is. The System wants his ledger, or this Belch fucker does. Why the hell don't they just make another one, or take it from Pete some other way? Why give the damned thing to him in the first place for that matter?"
[Nero] All pertinent questions. I can only suggest that it is not so much the Red Ledger that the System is looking to acquire, but the Thrift it contains.
"Same question then. Why doesn't the System just take the damned Thrift if it wants it so bad?"
[Nero] Perhaps it cannot. That is the reason why this bounty has been issued. The System has no way of acquiring Thrift within the rules, so—
"Then just make up another rule like it has anyway? Doesn't make any sense."
[Nero] I'm afraid I cannot offer further elucidation, Ollie. I am as blind to the System's motives in this instance as you are.
"Well, I tell you one thing," Ollie replied, shaking his head. "I'm not fucking doing it. No way. Pete and I are like brothers. I don't care if I have to give up the Enforcer subclass; I'm not doing it!"
>> TIMELINE: Fulfillment of this commission must take place before the completion of the novice arena.
>> COMMISSION REWARD:
+| 50,000 Belch Bucks.
+| Transfer of Title: You will inherit the Vault Breaker trademark and all associated royalties currently accruing in the target's name.
+| Subclass Upgrade: Promotion to Senior Repo-Paladin.
>> FAILURE PENALTY:
+| Breach of Contract: Immediate revocation of the Loan Shark Enforcer subclass.
+| Debt Transfer: You will personally assume the total value of all assets destroyed by the Vault Breaker to date.
+| Liquidation by disintegration.
Ollie read the penalty statement several times to be sure that he understood. He paced around in front of the door, rubbing a hand on his chin and thinking through some way around the problem.
[Nero] It seems that the System is quite determined.
Ollie snorted. "I guess that disintegration doesn't mean my subclass gets disintegrated, right?"
[Nero] No. Disintegration means your instantaneous death.
"And there's no way around this? No legal loophole I can use?"
[Nero] None that I can see. I have already searched through both the Charter and the Ultrimax Agreement and have found no reasonable means of legal defense against a commission like this.
"What about an unreasonable one?"
[Nero] I'm afraid not.
Ollie nodded as he continued pacing. "Alright. Well, first, don't say anything to Pete. I'm gonna figure out a way out of this thing, but there's no point him knowing what's happened, so don't tell him squat, okay?"
[Nero] Of course.
"Don't tell anyone else either. Just keep it between you and me."
[Nero] I will do just that.
"Good." He continued pacing, fists clenched. "I bet this isn't even about the damned Ledger anyway. This is all just some sick way to get us to turn on each other." He snorted. "First rule of reality TV. Get everyone at each other's throats because it makes good viewing."
He shook his head, jaw tight.
"Well, I'm not killing my fucking friend."
Silence greeted him as Ollie moved toward the door again, the word disintegration lingering in his mind as he tried to calm himself and exited the chamber.