It took a few minutes to get everyone up to speed on Charlie’s discovery with Camila twitching with impatience the whole time. Once that was done Carl weighed in.
“Ya’ll realize this ain’t over for me? Right? Don’t suppose I could trouble you to consider maybe throwing one of those rewards my way. I figure Mike and his boys will be looking to pay me a visit to settle matters, and I could use an edge.”
David nodded, then realized that Carl probably didn’t see anything beyond his own drama.
“I don’t know if you saw our side of things, but they had goons with guns to stop us intervening. I don’t know if the plan was the same as with you but rather than you pointing a gun at them, they had us dead to rights.”
Sarah spoke darkly “I think the only thing that prevented bloodshed was the fact that Mike Jr. was the one on the floor with Carl’s gun aimed at his head…”
David spoke softly “I’m not so sure. It’s a big thing to use a gun on another person. I’m not sure that group covering us would have fired. The leader for sure, most of them if we did something aggressive…”
Carl spoke softly. “We have to be ready next time. I wouldn’t put it past them to keep right on rounding up every weapon they can find and starting to actually plan for a takeover.”
Katie spoke up next. “I think you are reading too much into this. There are over a thousand people with multiple different social connections. Especially when the new people wake up I don’t see anyone taking over. I think things just got out of hand because people are scared.”
“This is like one of those douche HOA’s you hear about. I mean dude wants to create rules for this space. It’s not like the safe zone can go anywhere so what the people living here get to kick the rest of us out?”
“No Charlie. I think your point about an HOA is fair. I think the core of this is the folks who actually live around here, who feel their space is getting invaded and are being good old fashioned NIMBYs. You see their type all over, especially in government.” Carl’s response had the others nodding along.
“None of this changes anything. We don’t know what they are going to do next. IF they are going to do anything next. I’m also fairly sure that fear isn’t motivating them given the way that the safe zone seems to sooth people.”
David quickly continued seeing the others getting ready to argue the point.
“I’m not saying people aren’t afraid and I don’t think, given Phil’s reaction that this is the whole of their council. That Micky guy though. I think he wants to be in charge. Feels he should be in charge and he is using this neighborhood watch as the basis for building a militia loyal to him. Not to the council or the idea of saving people to him.”
David sucked in a deep breath.
“That mean’s he either goes all out almost immediately to grab power or he is going to slowly consolidate his control by recruiting the right people into his inner circle.”
David, kept thinking as he focused on developing his thoughts about what Micky might do. Camila, clearly impatient with the talking butted in before he could run the idea to ground.
“Look, figuring all this out is very nice but Micky and his little pandilla are figuring out how to make sure next time they end up in charge. Anyone who objects will end up dead.”
Charlie nodded. “This goes beyond getting the higher tier rewards for us. We also need to start building aggressively for PvP.”
It said something that even Mark didn’t object to the game terms.
Camila didn’t object but again was driven by practicality. “Look, fancy words are great but what does that actually mean.”
“It means that next time there is a gun fight we need to have built to win it. Dammit, dude you were right.” Charlie was looking at David now.
“I can’t go into this being a glass cannon, because that’s exactly what guns make everyone. We need skills like Katie’s that let us take a bullet and survive. Or better mean that we don’t need to take one at all.”
David cut to the chase. “We take those rewards now before anyone figures out they exist. We also figure out other ways to counter guns and fight people. The only question is who gets an immediate boost. I agree with Carl. He has a target painted on his back. You too Camila…”
Charlie butted in before he could continue “dude, you have the biggest target painted on your back after you nixed their little powerplay to stop helping people.”
David countered “only if the whole of this Leadership group are in on it. Micky had already left by then so I’m less sure it’s all of them.”
Surprisingly it was Billy who broke the deadlock.
“David, you have to be considered. Of all of us you Camila and Carl are the ones most visible. That makes you most vulnerable.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
David spoke firmly. “Two scenarios. First, this is something settlement related that won’t help personal power. We pick the people who are most involved in running the safe zone. Second, this is a boost that helps fighting. We pick the people most likely to be targeted by Micky and his cronies.”
Seeing another round of nods he continued. “So, we give the reward to someone where the lists overlap first then the other two go based on need before greed.”
Not hearing any objections David was about to continue when a notification appeared in front of his eyes.
[CONGRATULATIONS YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE QUEST SAVE YOUR PEOPLE 2.]
[REWARDS REQUIRE CONTACT WITH THE OBELISK TO COLLECT]
David whirled on Charlie “What did you do?”
“Dude, your argument was sound and you are on the list either way. So, what did you get?”
David looked at the others, who were all nodding along with Charlie even if Carl looked irritated by the immediate action from the young man.
“I have to go and touch the Obelisk to receive the reward”
Inevitably Camila had the last word.
“Well, lets go! I don’t want to hear from Charlie that the little perra figured this out while we sat debating.”
David touched the Obelisk, his friends standing around him.
Immediately a message appeared in front of his eyes.
[REWARDS AVAILABLE: SAVE YOUR PEOPLE 2.]
[COLLECT Y/N?]
David reached out mentally and selected yes. Immediately, information scrolled in front of his eyes.
[ANALYZING]
[CALCULATING. ERROR, BLOODLINE DETECTED.]
[OPTIMAL CLASS PARAMETERS RECALCULATED.]
[ERROR. PATRONAGE INTERFACE CORRUPTED.]
[PARAMETERS NOT AVAILABLE]
[RECALCULATING. EXCEPTION PROTOCOL FOUND, DEFAULT REWARDS RECALCULATED]
[OPTION 1: HALF-STEP EVOLUTION; CLASS. NOT AVAILABLE. ALTERNATIVE REWARD; CONTACT WITH LOCAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR BLOODLINE EVALUATION AND TAILORED REWARD.]
[OPTION 2: HALF-STEP EVOLUTION; SYSTEM INITIATE.]
[OPTION 3: SAFE ZONE INFUSION.]
David pulled back from the messages and spoke quickly with the others.
“It’s like a bigger version of the first reward. We can boost the safe zone, or we get what it refers to as a half-step evolution either Class or System Initiate variants.”
David hadn’t even finished speaking when Charlie touched the Obelisk and with unfocused eyes spoke softly to the group.
“Oh hell, this is a big one. I didn’t even know to ask this but apparently this is a short cut of sorts. Oh, come on! Whoever wrote the tutorial has a weird outlook, this is really important but without the right term I get literally nothing.”
Charlie sucked in a deep breath and muttered as his eyes flicked over information.
“This is ridiculous. It’s almost as though the information aspect of this system is an afterthought or the person writing this assumed it was all common knowledge.”
Then his eyes snapped into focus. David doubted he could have wrangled the Obelisk that fast, Charlie was rapidly becoming the go to guy for these interactions leaving everyone else, even David, behind.
David, however, had some context he lacked.
“Hmm, you’re right about this being an afterthought. We were meant to have access to the Patronage system from the get-go. The precise terms used are half-step evolution; class and half-step evolution; System Initiate.”
“Right, now I have an actual terms to query the stupid Obelisk I’ve got it. Apparently, each is an early award of half of what happens when we hit level 11, which is a big deal. Let me just see. Huh…”
He paused organizing his thoughts.
“We didn’t pay much attention to level, I think some of us have picked some up because we start focusing XP on it if we max something out without a backup picked.
It’s a weird one. It mostly does some sort of general scaling in the background on everything. There are apparently tiers of I guess more control than power but same difference.
Right now we are Tier one. We can’t level anything above level ten without Patronage UNTIL we get our overall level to eleven and move into tier two.
Now that causes a big change, and it’s wicked expensive. We get two big benefits. A group of our EXISTING skills get a massive boost and get rolled up into a class and our system initiate title – so basically our resources and attributes get set and massively upgraded as well.”
“Dude, I’m talking like serious power directed by our choices right now. This feels like something we should have been told up front. All I got was ‘guidance is provided by patrons, seek one out.’ This is total BS. We can’t even access Patrons…”
David felt a flush of guilt, he had context but hadn’t shared it. He spoke before Charlie could continue his rant.
“I actually have some context here. This initiation is going badly for people and I guess by extension the system. It’s trying to save as many people as possible. As a result the whole system is underpowered because it’s trying to do too much and the Herald, who I think is the local system administrator, cut the link to the Patrons to get more juice to create safe zones…”
Camila interrupted both of them before they could speculate and get off topic.
“Right, we established this is definitely combat useful. We can’t afford the option for the zone if we might get shot. So, David, Carl and who else?”
Charlie looked at her and answered seriously. “You, of course.”
Before anyone could object Charlie closed his eyes and it was done.
David spoke softly. “We keep this quiet and try to assign the rewards to the rest of you after the next rescue.”
Nobody spoke so David continued.
“I get a custom option that involves speaking with the Herald on account of my bloodline making everything complicated. Do you think I should take that or the title boost?”
“Hang on. You have the chance to speak to the Herald again? Like the system admin. An actual person, well wingy thing, that can answer questions? What the hell Dude! That is probably way more valuable than anything else. I’m guessing this is more like the stupid patrons where you can actually make informed choices.”
Charlie was all over him with this revelation. Somehow David hadn’t thought about the fact that access to the Herald was a big deal. It wasn’t as though…
So yeah, maybe it is a big deal that I could get customized rewards and extra information.
Carl interrupted them. “Hang on folks, this could be messy.”
Then David heard a clear bell like ringing noise, causing him to whirl around afraid that there was some sort of zone announcement that they had claimed the rewards. The Obelisk wasn’t exactly private and while people hadn’t come up and bothered them, they had garnered some notice.
It was only when the sound didn’t elicit any reaction from the others that David realized that it was registering on his spiritual, not physical hearing.
A moment later a second ringing tone from Camila’s direction joined it.
Charlie spoke to him urgently. “We are attracting attention and I’m guessing you will be more obvious and slower than the others. So get on with it. Make sure to ask the Herald what search terms to use at the Obelisk to get the best information on the skill/class relationship and what skills to get to counter firearms early.”
David nodded, then touched the Obelisk and selected Option one, hoping the Herald would be helpful.
