Chapter 99

Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta - 12:45 PM

I returned through the Broken Boundary I had left behind in Building A and marked it again before heading straight for Artist Alley. While there had been crowds of people loitering around when I came through this morning, it wasn’t nearly as packed before.

Though more people were awake and active, the mood hadn’t gotten any better. It had worsened, if anything, as the people left their cramped sleeping spaces to go to now cramped communal spaces. Especially as those who had points to spend had to shove past window shoppers. At least this was the busiest it was going to be during Chaos Cup matches; after these people heard how great the battle royale was, they would slowly but surely start coming to see the event.

The beginning of Artist Alley was made up of the kiosks of the Player’s Market, a menu where you could throw items in and let the people figure out if it’s worth the price you set. This process took a percentage of the points you were paid, but it was completely automated. I stopped by the Player’s Market to purchase a sewing kit for 5 points and a set of five Air Crystals for 100 points before moving on.

The stalls further in were more like what you would see in an artist alley if you went to an actual convention. I muscled my way through the crowd with purpose, and only a few people protested. My appearance was one which didn’t scream that I was someone to bully. Even discounting my mask, my clothes were in tatters now thanks to the small Filbins clambering over me. Despite the obvious battle, I had no wounds thanks to Eldritch Regeneration.

That didn’t stop some people from attempting to shove me back, but my high Constitution bolstered by the Anchored passive made it seem like they were simply leaning against me. No one tried more than that, and I was able to enjoy the sights.

Where the kiosks were dull, drab, and without personality, the artist’s tables were the opposite. Many were covered in eye-catching colors to make sure people actually stopped and looked at their wares.

At a regular convention, artists would have their artwork hanging from photo backdrops, but none of the people here were prepared for such a thing. Instead, chicken wire and clothespins held up a lot of lightweight items, giving some extra space to show their wares.

More than once I saw shady individuals with their heads down and covered with hats or hoods attempt to take items off of the table only to receive electric shocks. This was an almost universal power of

Merchant classes, which the majority of these booth owners belonged to, that prevented theft of their tabled merchandise. It was pretty handy.

I didn’t stop at any of the booths as I walked through the horde of people. Some of these tables did have good stuff, even great stuff, but they didn’t have what I was looking for.

When I made it to the Monstersmith’s area all the way in the back, it was like there was an invisible wall kept all of the regular people out. One moment I was stuck in a crowd that was as packed as a can of sardine, and the next I was shunted out into an open space. This had been set up by Benedict Merder to make sure that his little worker bee had plenty of room and few distractions.

Not that she needed plenty of room or there weren’t plenty of distractions. Her “booth,” though you could barely call it that, was an unadorned folding table with a large, green tent behind it. Ashley didn’t even do her crafting out here, and only came out whenever she had a customer.

The people behind me were watching the Monstersmith’s booth with interest, knowing what she could do and daydreaming about being able to use her services. Not to mention, a local celebrity team was already here.

“-know you’ve been in the tunnels under the stadium, Ashley!” their leader said heatedly though he was keeping his voice down so the crowd wouldn’t hear. “We just need you to get us in there and-“

The leader in pearlescent blue scale armor stopped talking as the man next to him tapped him in the side. Manny turned around, looked straight at me, and sighed. The guy who made him aware of my presence looked like an older version of him, though he wore gray cloth robes and carried a large, gnarled stick made out of driftwood. That was Tito, the mage of Manny’s team. His specialty was battlefield control spells, which was something that became very annoying very fast when they focused on you.

Their third member was a thin, blue haired woman decked out in black leather armor with daggers lining her belt despite the distinct lack of holsters. She rocked on her feet as an alternative to standing still, and seemed to be staring off into space. This was Johanna, and she was their rogue. A Syndicate Shade, to be exact. With Tito’s spell of darkness, she could disappear completely and become a big headache to anyone who couldn't see in the dark.

They had a good team composition with Manny on frontline duty, and were strong contenders for first place if I weren’t here.

“We’re in the middle of something here,” Manny said. “Come back later.”

I laughed and shook my head. “No, no, go ahead and ask about those dark tunnels on your own time. I’ve got things to do, and an event to prepare for.”

Manny squinted at me. “You know about the tunnels?”

“Yes, and they’re no place for someone like you,” I told him honestly. “Unless you want to lose your life and those of your teammates, that is. If you’ll excuse me, this will only take a moment.”

Walking around the group, I found the Monstersmith. Ashley Reilly was a woman in thick, comfortable clothing and a leather apron covering her front. Her pale skin was smudged as if she had actually been working a forge, and her normally curly red hair was matted down. She glared at Manny’s team before looking at me.

“You here to ask about the fuckin’ tunnels, too?” she spat, her voice thick with a Boston accent. “Or do you actually have an order to place, eh?”

“There’s something down there, Ashley!” Manny announced, finally raising his voice. “People are disappearing on a daily basis. Not just from the stadium, but anywhere there’s access!”

“And I told you to leave it, goddamn!” she replied. “Stop asking about it and get out of here before I call the boss. Again.”

Manny hissed as he sucked in a breath of air. His fists tightened and he shook, but it only took him a few seconds before turning and walking away. Tito followed immediately, but it took Joanna a couple of seconds to realize they were leaving her behind.

Joanna looked at them, and then to Ashley and I before grinning. “I like your mask,” she said.

“Thank you,” I said as I offered her my hand. “I am the Warmonger. We’re going to be fighting soon.”

“Joanna,” she replied, shaking my hand. “Funny name. I’m looking forward to seeing you again, though you might not see me.”

“Joanna!” Tito called from the crowd.

“Coming!” Joanna called, dropping my hand and walking away. “See you later, dude.”

“You got in, so you must be one of them competitors. There’s a line for service, so, what do you want?” she asked brusquely before my competitor even had a chance to leave her area. I reached into my inventory and pulled out my MVP Token and tossed it to her. Ashley didn’t grab it, instead watching it fall onto the table. Scowling, she shook her head. “Great, a big shot. Front of the line with you, then. First one’s free and then you’ve gotta pay for it.”

I lifted my mask so that it was on top of my head, revealing my face. I knew that the people behind me would try to get a good look, but based on the angle and how the area was setup they wouldn’t get a chance. Ashley raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything.

“You’re being held hostage here,” I said. Her eyes went wide, and I raised a hand. “Don’t answer me. Thanks to my Patron, I’m a glitch in the system. Benedict Merder can’t see me unless he’s physically here, but he can still hear you. I know that you’re a hostage, and I know you want to go home. I can help. If you’re interested, pick up the third item I put down and tell me what you can do with it.” Reaching into my inventory, I started putting down the monster parts I had taken from my various foes.

“You sure like the sound of your own voice,” she stated cautiously.

“I can’t say you’re wrong about that,” I chuckled.

I started by pulling out the two Tuskgutter Ghost tusks. She furrowed her brow as she looked from one to the other, I knew she had a skill that could tell her which one was special, but she didn’t touch either. Next, I pulled out the core of the Metal Conglomerate and set it on the table. She immediately picked it up and started running her fingers along it.

“This is interesting,” she said, though her eyes were scrutinizing me just as much as the orb. “And it has a lot of uses. I can enhance any armor or clothes you want it on. It’ll give a big boost to damage reduction while remaining flexible since it’s just a coating of the stuff. Alternatively, I can make edged weapons sharper. Won’t do anything for blunt weapons or that whip you have sticking out of your pocket.”

“That’s good, thank you,” I said, nodding as I pulled out the scythes I had cut off of Jickree, the Ghost Mantis Wasp. “I’m interested in acquiring your services in exchange for getting you out of here.”

“That’s-“ Ashley started, but put the core back down on the table. “Do you know what you have here?”

I could hear the strain in her voice, and I nodded as I set down the scythes. “My friends and I have a train that we can use to travel. We came all the way here from Etson, down in Florida. I know that you’re missing home, and we can take you back to Boston. We have to make a stop in Pittsburgh for about a week or so, where I hope that you can assist us, but we can take you home right after. If you understand, cross the scythes.”

Ashley pursed her lips and blew out some air as she thought about it. Reaching down, she fiddled with the scythes, moving them this way and that. “These are big enough to make some longswords out of. They would be meant to be used together, provide bonuses and whatnot. That’s a damn pain, though, so I could shave one of them down to be something shorter. At least as short as a dagger, though that’s wasting a lot of material. It would be up to you.”

Instead of answering, I watched her. It was obvious that she wanted to speak plainly. Ashley wasn’t the type to beat around the bush, more the type to curse and be crass, but her circumstances were far from ideal. She was the most powerful creator in Atlanta, possibly the state, and her ignorance of the fact made it easy for Benedict Merder to snatch her up with a deal that was heavily in his favor.

Eventually, she slid the scythes so that they were crossing each other before pulling her hand back. “You know I can only do one for you today, right?” she asked.

“I’m aware,” I said as I looked down at the five items on the table.

Realizing I had another item, I reached into my inventory one more time to pull out Mathias Gray’s noose. Her eyes widened as she looked at the grisly artifact. It was made of what looked like regular hemp rope, but it was hot to the touch and blackened around the loop. What really seemed to throw her off, though, were the pieces of my flesh that were still attached to it from when I had wrapped it around my arm to prevent the ghost’s escape.

“Now this is actually interesting,” Ashley exclaimed, snatching the rope out of my hands. She pointed at the flesh. “This yours or whatever monster you took it off of?”

I raised an eyebrow at her question. “That’s mine, and the rope itself came off of a ghost.”

“I see, I see,” she muttered. The Monstersmith crossed her arms and put on a look that made her seem angry, though I recognized it as her thinking face.

“I know I’m just some guy who came here out of the blue, and there’s no way you’ll believe me just like that,” I told her. She nodded, but didn’t stop staring at the rope. “Watch the Chaos Cup, and I’ll be back to discuss things with you more. Until then, keep an eye on me. I’m going to be a tad bit insufferable, but I promise you won’t have to deal with my Warmonger persona once we’re out of Atlanta. I’ll also be able to answer questions later.”

“The Warmonger, huh?” Ashley asked even though she had heard me introduce myself to Joanna earlier. “I can do something special with the core and the noose. That’s what my class is telling me. That’s the best option I can offer you. The scythes can make some good swords and the tusks have their own things going on, but the core of a Metal Conglomerate and the noose of a ghost that has been soaked in your gore will do the best for you, specifically.”

I was momentarily taken aback. In the past, I hadn’t come to see the Monstersmith after taking out Mathias Gray’s ghost, so the combination was new to me. I felt that feeling surge, though, the thrill of the unknown. Not wanting my emotions on display, I pulled the Kingtin’s Foil back down just as she looked up at me.

“I think that would be lovely, thanks,” I replied.

“You sound pretty confident,” she said slowly, as if chewing on the words. “I think I’ll bet on you. At first, at least; we’ll see how you do from there, Warmonger.”

“Thank you, thank you, of course madam Ashley,” I said with a small bow.

“Don’t thank me, you’re the one making all the promises here,” she snorted. “Give me fifteen minutes. This’ll be done quickly.”

“As you wish,” I said before she took the core and the noose and began walking into her tent. I looked around as I returned the tusks and the scythes into my inventory. While I hadn’t expected Benedict Merder to show up at the mention of my name since he would be busy with the battle royale, it was good to see that my expectations were still right.

For how long, though, was the question. While pondering it, I stood and waited while I heard the Monstersmith begin working in her tent.