THIRTEEN: The B-Ranks

THIRTEEN: The B-Ranks

When Alden stepped through the doors of the consulate, he was surprised to find the lobby wasnt empty.

Hed expected it to be abandoned since the only weekday classes were in the evening. But there was a man sitting in Gorgons favorite chair, taking advantage of the free WiFi to play an MMORPG on his laptop. And there was a rowdy trio of two college-aged guys and a girl taking pictures with Gorgon in the background.

They seemed to be trying to get some kind of humorous Eek! A demon! shot, judging by the faces they kept making and all the weird angles they were going for.

Gorgons expression was peaceful. In a human way. Which meant he was deliberatelyputting on a showso their pictures would be ruined.

Assholes, thought Alden.

He walked through the middle of the group and took a wide stance at the desk, so that the alien would be mostly hidden from view.

Hi, he said.

Arent you supposed to be in school? Gorgons tone was mild.

I heard you needed help, Alden whispered. So I ran right over to save you.

Gorgon tilted his head. His black eyes were focused on the tray full of ballpoint pens by Aldens arm.

Youre not serious?

Uhno? Alden was surprised. Hed thought it was obvious he was joking.

Ah. I thought not. But you havent brought food with you today, which is out of the norm, so I wasnt sure.

Right. No snacks.

This was the first time hed come to the consulate without any in ages.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

Sorry, he said. I was in a rush to get here because ofthat seventy percent probability thing. It happened.

He didnt want to say it out loud in front of the gamer dude and the college jerks.

I see. Gorgons eyes met Aldens briefly then slid away. Let me turn off the WiFi.

At Aldens confused expression, he added, Its the fastest way to clear the lobby.

Sure enough, five minutes later they were alone in the building.

So, said Alden, tapping one of the pens nervously against the top of the desk, what usually happens now? Do I justsay it? Are there forms to sign or something? Is confetti going to fall from the ceiling?

Ive asked for a confetti cannon, but its never in the budget.

Alden grinned at him.

To answer your question more seriously, what usually happens now is that the selectee or Avowed comes in with their family and friends. They reveal their status and declare their intent to lawfully register themselves as a superhuman. Gorgon paused. Sometimes, there are news crews in attendance. I congratulate the chosen individual and fill out the necessary paperwork with the United States government, or the Canadian one on occasion. If the selectee desires a class trade, they have to go through the trade process first.

So no registering until after affixation?

Correct, said Gorgon. Then he added, After the formalities are complete, I shake the Avoweds hand. And I give them a free ballpoint pen.

Well, Id rather not have my Aunt Connie around for this. Shell cry a lot, or cheer a lotIm not sure which, but itll be awkward since Im pretty mad at her right now. And Ive already stolen eight or nine of your pens. Plus, I need to do the trade.

Gorgon stood up from his chair and motioned for Alden to follow him. They headed for the elevators.

Im surprised, Gorgon said as the doors closed. This is sooner than I expected. Based oncertain insights I had upon drinking your blood, I assumed you would be chosen in six to eight months. But I am not flawless. Have you perhaps received a high ranking?

Alden shook his head. He was practically vibrating with energy. Not really. Its B. Cudgel Meister.

Cudgel? Gorgons voice was incredibly neutral now.

Smooth as a sheet of glass.

Alden assumed it was because they were in that dangerous territory where he had to avoid giving any useful information. That was fine. Alden felt like he could fill a canyon with his own thoughts, and now that they were alone, he could ramble to his hearts content.

Its the worst. For what I want to do anyway. Meister could have been good, but not with a close-combat weapon subtype. Theyre almost purely geared toward offense, and being a B-rank superhero who fights at close range isno. For my taste. Im not really into hitting things sort of hard and then dying to literally any villain that outranks me.

Being a B-rank who fought non-super crime would be way safer, but most countries had laws that prohibited the hiring of Avowed for military and police forces. Because of the potential for abuse, the UN and the Associated Heroes of Earth had more or less banned the practice where they could.

Anyway, Im going to trade it for something better. I hope Alden trailed off as he realized the elevator was not going up. It was going down.

Gorgon, does this building have a basement?

Yes.

Alden stared at the elevator panel. Wheres the button?

There isnt one. Its accessed through a System sigil. The lower levels are for official Artonan use only.

Im not Artonan.

As a selectee, you are now Artonan property. Its close enough.

Property? Well, technically. Maybe. But still.

Alden gave him a look. I dont think you have to put it quite that way. It sounds horrible.

I am merely stating a fact as clearly and succinctly as I am able to. I cant help how it sounds.

Right, said Alden. But, just as an FYI, most people prefer to think of it as being drafted. And getting magic powers in exchange.

Thatno, nevermind. The semantics are too fraught with human emotions for me to navigate. Let us just say that your status affords you new privileges and comes with proportional costs.

That sounds way better.

If you say so.

Alden was disappointed when the elevator opened onto a perfectly normal looking hallway, lined with perfectly normal looking doors. The floor was beige, the walls were beige, and as if to add a hint of interest, the doors were a slightly darker shade of beige.

And to Aldens shock, people were offering actual material wealth in addition to the classes they were trading. He hadnt thought that would be an option.

Gorgon, this is nuts. Someone in Beijing is literally paying half a million dollars for a C-rank Speedster Brute to C-rank Mind Healer trade!

Yes, thats been up for the full ninety days. The selectee obviously wants Healer of Mind badly, but even if one has been assigned in recent months, nobody is willing to trade it.

There arent any names, Alden noted. Just random ID numbers.

By default, trades are private. Though in the case of more unusual classes it soon becomes obvious who the involved parties were. In your case, I recommend not bothering to be overly secretive. You will note that there arent as many selectees trading at your level. You may hide your identity, but the personal touch can make the difference when it comes to final decisions.

Alden stared at the interface. He poked around until he had it sorted by rank. There were only a couple of dozen B-classes open to trading right now. How would I even give this the personal touch? The listings seem pretty basic.

Choose someone as if you intend to trade with them. Make sure they do not have autotrade selected.

Umwhat if they say yes?

You can still refuse as long as its not an autotrade. Also, you can trade as many times as you like prior to the end of your ninety days. He paused. Obviously you should not take something undesirable on a whim.

Alden searched through the IDs. A few did have the autotrade feature selected. Most of those had extremely specific and overpowered class types listed under their Wanted section. Alden assumed it was so that they wouldnt miss a perfect opportunity if it came along while they werent paying attention.

He scanned the listings until he found an interesting one.

[Available Pre-affixation Class Trades]

Rank B

[ID: B74 Location: Dakota Avowed Seclusion Zone, USA

Trading: Morph Brute

Wanted: Adjuster (All), Healer (All), Shaper of Life, Meister (Ranged Magic Weapons, Magic Tools, Uncommon Types), Rares

Notes: no more %8*$# Brutes or Sways. Leave me alone, you *&%^@!

Autotrade: NO]

Can I click on this Morph? Alden asked, gesturing at the listing. Its a really useful class. It seems like they probably dont want close combat, but Cudgel Meister could be considered an uncommon Meister type, couldnt it?

Alden, you do realize I cant see your System interface, dont you? Gorgon said. I only know youre referring to Selectee B74 because Ive read through the trade window myself recently.

Im an idiot. Sorry. Also, your memory is good.

That selectee is particularly easy to recollect. Theyve been trading in person for roughly sixteen hours each day for the past two months.

In person?

Autotrade is usually used when people are sleeping or otherwise engaged. B74 is rarely otherwise engaged. Introduce yourself to them. Youll see what I mean.

Gorgon stepped into the corner of the room while Alden figured out how to initiate a trade with B74.

He had to swipe through several screens to set up his own trading profile first. Finally, he was given the identity B13 and his own little place on the class trades list.

[ID: B13 Location: Artonan Consulate 4, USA

Trading: Meister of Cudgel

Wanted: Adjuster (All), Healer (All), Meister (Traps, Wands)

Notes: Become a master of the cudgel. Hit bad guys with sticks.

Autotrade: NO]

Alden looked over the listing and felt fairly satisfied with it. He would need to refresh his knowledge of some of the more obscure classes so that he could fill out his wanted section better. Hed almost listed rares, like B74, because the rare classes were all interesting just by virtue of being more mysterious. But the only ones he could think of off the top of his head were Rabbit, Tailor, and Mourner, and those were even worse for his needs than Cudgel Meister.

Now that he had a profile, B74s id had been highlighted like a clickable link.

He clicked.

[INITIATE LIVE TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH B74?]

YES/NO

Alden selected yes.

[B74 has accepted your invitation. B74 has been vouched for by an authorized witness. You have been vouched for by an authorized witness. Negotiations are approved.]

Keep one of your hands on the table, or the connection will be cut off, Gorgon warned him.

Alden scooted his chair closer to the glowing crystal table and pressed his right hand to it more firmly.

A second later, he almost leaped out of his seat as a boy appeared from thin air, sitting in another metal folding chair on the other side of the table.

Alden swore and leaned back in alarm.

It wasnt just the other guy. A collection of junk had appeared on the other half of the table at the same time. As if it had been horizontally bisected, the pristinely empty table Alden was sitting at suddenly ended, and an identical table covered in chip bags, energy drink bottles, napkin wads, notebooks, uncapped pens, and highlighters began.

Sitting at the filthy table, with a serious case of bedhead and a really dense five oclock shadow for a guy who must have been around Aldens age, B74 looked pissed.

He slapped the table and stood, glaring at Alden.

Listen up, you newbie dumbass, he snapped. Im only accepting your negotiation request so that you wont keep bothering me! Im not trading Morph for an overpowered baseball bat. In case its not obvious from my listing, I want good shit. Not weird shit. This is B-rank. A chance at a great trade could happen while Im dealing with losers like you. I have been pissing in bottles for the past two months so that I dont have to take bathroom breaks. I dont have time to be all buddy-buddy with you. Dont contact me again unless you manage to get something on my wanted list!

Before Alden could even apologize, B74 lifted both of his hands from the table, and he disappeared.

For a full minute, Alden just stared at the spot where the other boy had vanished. Then he took a deep breath.

Gorgon, people cant physically attack me through the magic table, can they?

No, Gorgon said. But that would add zest to my job.