Chapter 20

Chapter 20

They sat there for half a day, napping and dosing as they could. When Matt wasn't resting, he was tenaciously researching, displeased with the clear gap in knowledge between Liz and himself. The lacking LocalNet of this barren training planet was a hindrance, however. It only had a pittance of information compared to a normal CityNet.

Once Matt had finished filling the city's mana reserves with the promised amount, they proceeded to the guilds general store. Prices were absurd. Double or triple the cost, due to the lack of a supply chain other than rift loot. The portal that brought everyone here was deactivated for the next six months.

On the bright side, that scarcity hadnt affected any items Liz needed. Her standards, however, were another story entirely. They were sky high, and nothing available seemed to satisfy her.

The best options they had were picked at until they all seemed substandard. All of the gear displayed was small compared to her previous, state of the art equipment. They obviously had nothing of the sort on this training planet, and Matt was losing patience with Lizs indecision.

Hefinally had to say something ,Ok. You clearly don't think this stuff is good enough. Why not get a small spatial bag and the bare necessities, and we can get access to more stuff when we leave. Then you don't have to give yourself an aneurysm from nitpicking so hard. And if we get lucky, well find someone with an earth sense or mover skill while we're still here. We might still be able to get your old items back.

Liz was slightly taken aback at Matts mild tone of annoyance. I'm not that bad. Am I?

Matt ignored her, and grabbed the smallest spatial bag available. He understood her frustration, but what could they do? The small bag was only a quarter of the size of his, and cost ten times as much. This was basically highway robbery, but they needed the gear.

Liz finally settled on the small bag and begrudgingly gathered the other necessities that Matt didn't have already. The only thing he was surprised she purchased was a harvesting set and containers.

She insisted that her original set was superior in every way. The way she was hyping them up, Matt wondered if they made soup as well.

He figured they might. He hadnt pressed her on her parents Tier, but he figured around Tier 30. At that level, who knew what kind of connections her family had? The harvesting set might grill steaks and clean the dishes at that Tier. With that kind of power, the possibilities were endless.

Tier 30 was mind boggling high, so high he couldn't really fathom the kind of power Lizs parents were operating with. He had seen a few video duels of high Tiered individuals, and they were world shaking.

He had even looked up what he could have Phoenix's, to try and get a better sense of Lizs potential future. There was only one well known Phoenix, and she was The Queen of Beasts. An absolute monster at Tier 48, she had subjugated all other monsters, including the dragons who had fought her for the throne.

The fight had been recorded, albeit from a distance. Mara was the undisputed winner of the free for all.

She cut her way through beasts Tiers higher than her. In fact, she was the lowest Tiered royalty to ever ascend to the throne. Her ascension at Tier 39 had shocked the Empire, nearly a thousand years ago. Mara had taken her throne a few weeks earlier than when the current Emperor had ascended to power, allowing his father to ascend to the higher realms.

Mara was now at Tier 48, and was considered the second or third strongest royalty. First was the Emperor at Tier 50, then Mara the Phoenix, Queen of Monsters and Evolved Humans. Tied with her for second place was Leon The Storm. He was a Tier 48 storm mage. An incredibly challenging affinity to master, it was a combination of lightning, water, and wind magic with devastating power.

Fourth place was Rusty, a melee fist-fighter at a solid Tier 47. Matt had found a video of him at Tier 6, using his signature [Fist Blast] to break through layers of armor in a tournament championship bout. At his current Tier, he was said to be able to shatter planets with a blow from that same skill.

The fifth royalty was Tur'stal, from a tribe in what was once a backwater desert planet. She was named 'burden' in her native tongue, because she was the smaller, weaker twin. Unwanted and discarded, she was picked up by a wandering group of exiles, and given a second chance. Her Tier 1 Talent was legendarily vague; plants loved her. Useless to a desert world. Her Tier 3 was absolutely mind-blowing. Wherever she spent an extended period of time, the world around her warped into her ideal image.

She brought life to the desert, and slowly terraformed the entire planet. Matt couldn't find any combat footage about her, but she reportedly was deadly. The limited LocalNet had extremely limited literature regarding her fighting style. The only bit Matt could scrounge up was a small blurb of her having nature fight for her.

The sixth royalty, Harper, was a Tier 47 Mage who specialized in [Telekinesis]. It was their Tier 1 Talent, and they never bothered to get anything else. The one skill wrecking ball was a complete unknown. Gender, age, marital status, planet of origin, all complete mysteries. It all could only be speculated on, as they only talked through their AI and a speaker. On top of that, no one had ever seen Harper without the full coverings they always wore. From what Matt read on them, they were to be considered a contender for the second spot on the royalty list, once they broke through into Tier 48.

Matt was locked out of any more specific details, as his Tier was too low, and the LocalNets public information was much too limited.

He did make it a point to watch Mara in action, assuming Liz's mother would just be a watered down version. The same breed of monster should fight in similar ways, just with a difference in Tier and power. Besides, she was the sole royalty that had live battle footage, and a Tier 39 fighting against stronger monsters was nothing, if not good entertainment.

The footage was terrifying.

If Liz's mother had even the smallest fraction of Mara's power, Matt wanted to be absolutely sure that he was on her good side.

Mara had been cut in half, crushed, and completely obliterated several times during the video. Every time she reformed, it was at peak condition, and she was ruthless to those who had the gall to attack her.

She had won her throne by outlasting everyone else. By burning her opponents to the very ash she reformed from.

Matt, like everyone else in The Empire, speculated on who was stronger, Mara or Leon. Leon was almost a perfect counter to a fire user, but Matt couldn't find a video of the man fighting no matter what he searched up. He assumed that to be a King himself, Leon must be at least equally strong, but Matt had seen the Phoenix burna water monster half to death.

Matt looked at the redhead comparing two types of alchemy containers, and wondered if she would be like that someday.

He corrected himself. She'd be a blood Phenix. It was hard to imagine.

As the first generation daughter of a Phoenix, with a pure bloodline, Liz said she would be able to take a monster form once she reached Tier 15.

Apparently, her mother had beseeched Mara herself to check on Elizabeth when her Talent was discovered. They were told it would be fine, but Liz had confided in Matt that she was still nervous about it.

He couldn't believe that she had met a Queen in the flesh. When he asked her what it was like, Liz had shrugged, and said she seemed normal enough. Almost as if you could pass her on the street without knowing. Mara had a well-known soft spot for the young, and especially other Phoenix's, so she had answered Liz's mother's request.

At first he had refused to believe her, until he thought over his encounter with the Emperor. He had seemed more like a kind uncle than a walking disaster in human form.

Matt looked to Aster, who was mentally pushing him to open the ice cream container in the cart he was pushing. Would she be like Mara someday, ruling over all other monsters? He could easily picture Aster with the haughty airs of a queen, but that power seemed so far away.

Smiling down at the white fluff, he promised himself he would find out.

***

Matt was sitting on the couch, feet on the coffee table. Liz was sitting across from him with crossed legs, tapping at her newly purchased pad.

"I think we should try and be sellers on the skill exchange. It will force any who want our skill to figure out the logistics of getting both [Create Water] and [Mages Retreat]. We have the rarer skill, so we can get away with putting the burden on the buyer."

Matt had his eyes closed, slouched deep into the cushions. "Wouldn't that drive up the price, though?"

"Maybe. Ehhh. Probably, but it's an exchange, so it's hard to say, 'hey, I'd like credits as well. If you want that, you just submit it into the auction. We lose a little, but we avoid the potential of a bidding war. We don't have the cash reserves to fight it out with the Tier 5's of the rich and famous."

That made Matt grin, eyes still closed. "Does that make you regret joining The Path?"

"Nope! This is part of what makes it fun. We scrape and pinch every credit, but it forces adaption and creativity."

She stretched her hands in the air and flopped to the floor with a thud.

"Are you ready for the auction tonight?"

Matt groaned at her question. She had insisted they go to the auction in person. There was a feed they'd be able to watch from their AI's or pads, and Matt wouldve been content to just lounge around and watch from their room.

He simply didn't see a reason to leave their comfy suite. Liz burst his bubble, and insisted they go in person, saying, 'that was how it was done.' And higher Tiered auctions didn't allow remote viewing, so he should get used to it.

A part of him thought it was just an excuse to show off the clothes she had bought.

It wasn't all bad; Matt was excited to see the other items people put up for auction. And seeing Liz in her tight new body suit wouldnt hurt either. She had a fuller figure than Jasmine. He was still a man and could acknowledge the reality, but he didn't have any intention to act on it. He pushed that thought out of his mind. Team romance was a terrible idea, casual or otherwise.

He shifted focus back to the auction. If their own items were the average, he might luck into a Longsword with a ranged skill.

The first delves happened when the training planets accumulated essence was at its peak, and thus the first weeks auction had the best possible gear.

Still, all of that essence wasn't immediately used during the first delve. No, for the next few months, all kinds of exotic rewards would be plentiful. It was the reason the planet was only active for six months. Just enough time to squeeze the best rewards out of the rifts. But still, the rifts at the peak of their essence build up seemed to yield rewards that were ever so slightly better.

That small difference in quality was enough that nearly everyone came back after the initial rush. It was standard practice on a training planet to sell and barter with the first weeks items.

Matt and Liz had already walked through the blacksmith and alchemist areas to check their wares. They were possibly even more excited for tonight's auction than the delvers.

Those crafters who came to training planets did so to obtain as many high quality materials of their Tier as they could. They would spend fortunes to push their boundaries, and hopefully have a breakthrough.

The trade professions didn't just need essence to advance, but to also hone their skills. If they created a work greater than their Tier, they could advance on the spot. It was a rare occurrence, but it could be done when given the resources of a training world. Normally it was hard to obtain the materials needed to even have a chance, but not here.

On this planet there were thousands of people at various Tiers, eager to fight for and bring back those same materials. With the training planets Tier cap, this was the perfect chance for crafters to buy up the rare goods, and use them to craft a Tier advancing item.

The air of advancement was palpable throughout the city.

Even with groups losing members, or people walking around waiting for limbs to be regrown, Matt had mostly seen smiles.

What was an arm or a leg when you got a new skill?

Matt would take that trade.

As they arrived at the auction hall, Matt used his VIP status to bypass the lines and get a room on the third floor. They didn't immediately go to the room, but instead mingled and chatted with the others who were selling valuable items.

Matt was impressed with the ambience... Only the best items were auctioned here, and the clientele lived up to the prestige as well. The more common or mundane items just went to the digital auctions or in instant buyout stores, as did the more mundane delvers.

The Dual Stars were taking a five percent transaction fee for all purchases in their stores. It was interesting to hear the people complaining about such a small fee. Liz had said some places charged double that as a starting fee.

They avoided that problem with Matt's 'donation' of mana. This auction wasn't run by the guild, so they still had to eat the five percent handling fee, but it was the best way to get exposure for their items.

What shouldn't have surprised Matt, but did, was how at ease Elizabeth was in the crowds of affluent people. She mingled as if it was her Talent, and had small talk ready for everyone who visited their cocktail table.

She was in a simple back ensemble that looked more like a garment to wear under full armor than something formal, but she assured him that it was the style now. He was wearing a similarly stylized body suit, which he found somehow less comfortable than his usual under armor wear.

Most of the people who visited their table were young men of a certain mind. They had various methods of inviting her to their table, room, team, or as one particularly arrogant Tier 5 tried, a closet.

Matt had been astonished at the blatant arrogance and disrespect he had shown them. He was about to escort the man away, when he noticed a change in Lizs demeanor.

The welcoming aura she once had vanished, now replaced with vitriol and power that radiated off her like heat waves from a fire.

The man had tried to sputter something about his father, but the aura from Liz wilted him and, after a moment, he slunk away.

"What was that? He looked like you kicked his puppy."

Liz's smile was back on, and in between pleasantries explained.

"That little puppy was trying to use his bloodline to pressure me."

That almost brought Matt's eyebrows into his hair.

Liz continued, "Well, pressure me is the wrong idea. Kinda. Stronger bloodlines are attractive to people who think that matters. So he felt part of my bloodline, and thought he could wow me into his bed."

She laughed slightly at that. "I'm not sure what his lineage is, but it's weak in him at best. So weak he could barely sense my own bloodline, and probably thought that meant it was beneath his. Little did he know, he could barely sense it because mine is so far above his."

Matt took note of what she said as he fended off the people who couldn't talk to Liz. He tried to imitate her candor and disposition, but from the disgruntled looks and terse conversations, he wasn't nearly as good.

He had never dealt with this much attention. He was ignored at Benny's, and while on the PlayPen, people never tried to weasel agreements out of him during casual conversations. This was new territory, and he felt like he was dancing to a tunen that kept changing the moment he began to grasp it.

When he voiced his displeasure to Liz, she just laughed and said, "You'll get better the more we do this."

The wicked smile on her face told Matt that his suggestion of her handling the parties from now on wouldn't work.

Aster, on the other hand, had more than her fair share of admirers. And to Matt, she felt much more in control of her situation than he was. Being outdone by his fox felt like being kicked when he was down.

Finally, the auction started, and everyone headed to their rooms, or the general floor.

The Woods kid was indeed pissed. He was hanging off his balcony, and looked like he wanted to jump into theirs. "Bitch! I'll fucking kill you for that! I challenge you to a duel!"

Matt wasn't watching him, but instead the auctioneer, who was intently eyeing the now standing Liz.

"Oh, I welcome it, Puppy. What are the terms and prizes."

The puppy comment made him glow an even brighter shade of scarlet. "The spear is the prize if you win. If I win, you'll be spending the night in my bed, where a bitch like you belongs."

Matt thought Liz would get angry at the suggestion, but she pursed her lips and said, "I guess having to pretend to enjoy it is enough of a punishment if I lose."

Seeing the exchange was over, Susan said, "Well, now that that situation has been settled, please escort Mr. Woods out. You were warned."

She then turned to the crowd and said with a bright voice, "Now that the after party entertainment is taken care of, To the next item." She was able to carry the buzz to the next few items, earning final selling prices of multiple mana stones of higher Tiers, for each item.

Matt turned to the lounging Liz. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

She waved her hand. "I'm not worried. I got a good scan of him earlier. He's a new Tier 5 who hasn't settled his cores. And he's definitely taken ambient essence. His foundation has flaws he either hasn't bothered to get rid of, or can't."

She turned to him and smiled. It reminded him more of a cat who had caught a bird than a Phoenix. "Besides, he should remember the little lesson I gave him earlier. His bloodline will crumple like wet paper when I put pressure on it. He won't be able to stand, let alone fight."

Matt was reassured at her confidence, at least enough to turn back to the auction.

Their feather fall boots were up a few items later. The display started with a woman in near nudity standing on a high platform, wearing only the boots, and a few tiny pieces of sheer fabric.

She twisted her feet each way, showing off the look of the boots. Then, she jumped down from the platform, and slowly floated to the floor with a flourish.

Susan beamed at the display. "As you can see, this is a feather fall enchantment. It's also a rift item, at a women's size 8."

The bidding was fierce for the boots. Matt wasn't sure if everyone bidding had the right shoe size, or if they just were willing to take the chance with changing the item's size.

He didn't care, as long as they bought the item. Once they did, It was theirs to risk as they would.

The final price was a massive twenty two Tier 6 mana stones. He nearly fell to the floor in pleasure.

Their final item, the wand, was one of the last few items, a slot reserved for the truly rare or exotic items.

Matt was ecstatic to see an oiled man come out with just a loincloth, and a floppy gray hat.

He had a target as well, and cast several spells while flexing and posing.

Matt hoped every woman in the building was taken with the man enough to bid, and that every man wanted to buy the wand to be him.

"This is a wand of extraordinary rarity. This is a Tier 5 rift wand that will lower the mana cost of all skills that are ranged."

There were murmurs at her words, "Yes, any skill that doesn't require touch can be channeled through this wand for a twenty percent cost reduction. The starting bid is five Tier 6 mana stones."

Matt saw the man who was holding the wand smile before his face went neutral. He looked at Liz and asked, "Why is the assistant guy happy? Do you know?"

She didn't look away from the hall as it became a mess of people trying to shout over one another. "Yeah, the auctioneer gets fifteen percent of the hall's fee, and the assistants are getting another five percent. It gives them an incentive to get the best price. And when you look like that... Well, sex sells."

That certainly explained the clothing choices. At this point, he was hoping the man's loincloth would fall off, if it would increase the price.

When the bidding stopped at two Tier 7 and fourteen Tier 6 mana stones, Matt picked up the napping Aster and kissed her, before cackling with glee.

He hardly paid attention to the rest of the auction. He was counting his credits and all the things they would buy.

The second to last item was a rift Tier 6 Longsword that had both durability and sharpness enchantments, on top of the skill [Extend Blade]. Matt wanted the blade, but when he heard the starting price of two Tier 7 mana stones, he decided to sit the ensuing chaos out. He simply watched as the price climbed to a mind boggling forty nine Tier 7 mana stones. It was a rift item with excellent enchantments, sure, but that was absurd.

The final item was enough to even surprise Liz. This item wasn't used like the others. It was a rapier, brought out on a long, pristine, white pillow. The rapier had odd bits of purple energy where the blade was seeminling missing in parts of the sword.

"Here we have something truly rare. This is a Tier 4 void rapier, rift made of course." The auctioneer's voice turned sultry. "The blade of this weapon will change any elemental skill that uses a rapier or a blade into a void element skill, or enhance natural void spells." The crowds murmuring increased, and Susan let it build, until she dropped her final bomb.

"The starting price for this item is one Tier 15 mana stone."

There was a pause as the crowd was in disbelief, and an instant later, he saw Susan open her mouth, as Liz started mouthing expletives.

"Oh, and this is a growth item."

The crowd went mad. Bids were shouted so fast, that the screen that kept track turned into a blur. The bidding finally settled when the price hit an absurd three Tier 20 mana stones.

Matt looked to his finger, and wondered if he'd regret not selling the linked rings. That was enough for a few Tier 14 skills, or possibly even a Tier 20 skill. Though, most of those would have too high of a mana cost to be practical at Tier 4 or 5.

What's done is done. I'll just make sure that I. No, WE, make enough with these rings for them to be a better investment.

He looked to Liz, "why would they sell it?"

Liz hopped up, and pulled him and Aster out of the room. "Come on, let's go. I want to go get my new spear. And if I had to guess, they couldn't use the item, and could use a higher Tiered skill more. But who knows, maybe they already have one and don't feel the need to keep this one."

When they exited the building, the Woods kid was waiting, and shouted at them.

"Get over here! crawl if you want forgiveness."

Liz just walked up and looked around. A crowd was already gathered, but the man had brought a healer and a Dual Stars referee. They could tell because of the armband the man wore, denoting the position.

"Start the fight, ref."

The referee looked bored, and frankly, as sick of the kids shit as Matt was.

"This is a fight of honor between Damian Woods and..." he looked at Liz and repeated her name when she gave it. "Elizabeth Moore. The fight is to the opponents surrender, or if the healer or myself calls it. No intentional killing or crippling of the spirit. The prize is this spear or Miss Moore spending the evening with Mr. Woods."

At that, he looked at Liz and asked, "Do you agree with the stated terms?"

At the bubbly agreement from the challenged, he asked again, As sexual favors were one of the terms, I must confirm that you have not been pressured into the duel. If you have, the Dual Stars guild will deal with it. You just have to say the word, and I'll stop this.

That got Liz to look at the referee, and she gave him a genuine smile.

No force, and even if I lose, it won't be the first time I've been disappointed in bed.

The referee just shook his head and said, I'm activating the protective shield. On the count of zero, the fight starts.

When the count hit zero, Daimian reached out his hand for a shake and said, No hard feelings.

It was so obviously a trap, Matt couldn't believe it when Liz just stuck her hand out to shake. She was falling into it. No, jumping into it.

When she gripped his hand, he laughed and slapped a band around her wrist.

Hahaha! You arrogant bitch! You thought I would forget that your bloodline is stronger than mine? Ha! Now with that suppressor on, you won't be able to use even a tenth of your power! Now let's get you on your knees. That ass of yours will look excellent in my bed tonight.

There was a russling from his clothes, like he was in the center of a breeze.

Liz just turned her hand, looking at the band like it was a pretty bracelet.

Matt looked for worry or fear, but her face was cold.

So this was your plan. Huh, I guess I don't have to play nice then.

Daimian dropped to his knees, and then to his face, as his hands couldn't catch him in time.

Liz squatted down and looked at the prone figure as if he was a new rift creature she was dissecting. It was slightly unnerving observing her expressionless face. He never wanted to find out what it was like to receive that look.

Liz watched the struggling boy, and Matt looked on with a hint of fear, as blood started leaking from his eyes and nose.

She ran her hands through his hair, in an almost gentle and kind movement. It seemed so, at least until she gripped the back of his head and ripped it upwards to face her.

What was that about kneeling, doggie?

Daimian gurgled at her. Only blood came out where words would normally.

Liz waved the bracelet in front of his face as she said, Were you really counting on this? Traps only work when the trapped doesn't have overwhelming power. Ten percent of my bloodline is more than enough to break a weak little doggy like you. Even one percent is.

She ran her manacled hand over his face. Most probably saw it as a tactic to humiliate Woods further, but Matt saw the blood sticking to her hand.

What do good doggies do?

When Daimian didn't respond, she violently shook his head, bending his neck at a painful angle.

I asked a question. What do good little doggies do?

Blood started seeping from the kids pores. What was she doing to him? Was it her Talent, or bloodline?

Matt looked from her cold face to the crowd around them. The healer looked shocked, but the referee looked like he had been run through and gutted.

The rest of the crowd was silent. They had been expecting a fight. Not this one sided humiliation.

Doggie. Answer me.

Daimian finally succumbed to the humiliation and loss, and did what she wanted.

He barked.

Like a dog.

Liz smiled and said Good doggie.

Then she ran her thumb across his neck.

She dropped his head, with his throat cleanly sliced through. Matt saw the white of his spine as Liz walked away.

The healer was quickly on Daimian and tending to his wounds, hands glowing with a skill.

Liz walked to the shocked referee, and put out the arm with the shackle. With a bright smile said, Can you take this off? Oh, and where's my new spear?