“What will it be?” Li asked curtly once Impulse returned to the Arena. There was a hint of worry in his eyes. The clear apprehension his contender will choose hand to hand, the risk of losing face.
“Chess,” the younger man said deadpanned.
“Chess?” the cultivator furrowed his brow.
“Chess. I won’t be able to win in a real fight against you, so why bother to play a mock battle? Let’s have a battle of wits. Or… are you afraid, old man?”
“Ha ha ha!” Li roared, crossing his arms, visibly relaxed. “Let’s roll the rock.”
Extracted from the spatial inventory, a chess table and two stools appeared. The competitors sat and arranged the pieces, Li granting his opponent the whites. The arbiter counted down: “Three... Two... One... Begin!”
"This round has only one ending. My victory," the cultivator said. "It may be unbeknownst to you, but I’m a grandmaster at board games," Li grinned, looking very happy with himself.
There was an audible snort coming from behind the helmet. "A grandmaster would have seen the truth before his eyes.” The visor raised, pushed by the young man’s index.
"You''re that kid!" Li gasped, widening his eyes. "Melinda''s student!"
"No, he’s a distraction." As the words were spoken, Peter appeared behind the Cultivator, his arm in Li''s chest, up to the elbow. Leaning toward Li''s ear, he whispered: "Welcome to the System!"
<hr>
The core was much smaller than Peter had expected but also immensely more powerful. Condensed, emanating power like a dark hole. His free hand grabbed the chain at the cultivator’s neck and pulled, breaking it.
<YES!>
The next second, Peter threw the chain and the ring in the air. Materializing beside him, Mister Pandy Panda opened its mouth and gobbled it. Regina also appeared, keeping a hand on Peter’s shoulder.
<WHAT ARE YOU DOING?>
“Get us to the controls!” Peter yelled. The next second, they were in a simple round room with a console in the middle. “Give the order: Allow the Seed System to install!”
Li stepped ahead like a puppet, almost falling, slapping his hands on the console. “Alow the Seed System to install,” he mumbled.
<WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?>
Shut up, Peter thought, cutting Fafnir off.
Li was struggling, trying to fight back. His resilience was amazing. A lung was all but destroyed, the heart compressed under Peter’s arm, and yet, one barely could tell the Grandmaster was so grievously wounded. The messages started to flow:
Initiating System installement. Please wait…
System initialization succeeded. Dead code cleansed from the Tower''s Mana. Time Slow in effect.
A voice thundered. <The System, Local: Individual FAQ, explain!>
Peter’s mouth opened without intent, letting out a series of high-pitched chirps. Otherwise, his whole body felt frozen.
<The System, Local: Information assimilated. Information is insufficient. System Champion, explain.>
Peter felt his body returning to normal. “Please extract Fafnir from my head and quarantine it first.”
<The System, Local: Request granted.>
A bolt of lightning shot out from Peter’s head. A glass jar slowly floated down, resting on the console. Inside, a miniature Fafnir was screaming and cursing, banging his fists against the transparent walls.
“I need to move around. No detective tells his story with a hand in someone’s chest,” Peter said.
<The System, Local: The Cultivator has been neutralized and reduced to Rank 1. Correction. A minimum Rank 3 is necessary to ensure the Cultivator survives until judgment is passed. The System Champion can remove his hand.>
“Thank goodness,” Peter said, taking out his hand but leaving Li’s core in its place. The grandmaster collapsed on the floor, unconscious. “Can you unfreeze my fiancee?”
<The System, Local: Affirmative.>
“Ah,” Regina gasped. “That was intense… Your plan worked, baby. Making me—”
“Please, don’t ruin my detective moment,” Peter pleaded, kneading his hands.
“Oh, sorry,” Regina grimaced, then looked around. “Hm… I was thinking the control room should be bigger.”
<The System, Local: The System’s Champion is requested to stop dallying. Time Stop will held for another ten minutes in subjective time.>
“Very well,” Peter nodded, walking back and forth, gesticulating. “After putting together two plus two—finally, all those detective novels I read paid off—my conclusion was this: Fafnir is not a good guy. He manipulated us, intending to take control of the Tower. If I had to make up a detective’s catchphrase for myself, it would be: If your plan progresses by itself, it’s not your plan; it’s someone else’s. And how do I know? Simple.
“He put innocent lives in danger. For instance, the sacrificial woman from the Ahnenherbe challenge. Thus, he was not nice. And how did he know about the information on the sixth floor? He had some means to spy. I guess it was through the artifacts he offered in the fog. Ergo is manipulative and keeps secrets from us.
“Then, he built the challenges upon human legends. By bathing in the dragon’s blood, Li was supposed to become invulnerable. Still, like in the story, a leaf floated down and rested on Li’s back, leaving an open spot to ensure Li could be slain if necessary.
“And the ring to control all the floors? C’mon. It was so obvious! Fafnir was no Gandalf, he was Sauron. As the books say, when you have eliminated the impossible by using your little gray cells, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Or, in simpler words, Ta-da!” Peter made a triumphant wide gesture, spreading his hands, palms up.
“Tell the System how we did it,” Regina said eagerly.
“Oh, true,” Peter nodded. “We profited from Fafnir’s privacy settings, hiding our true plan from both him and the System. I conspired with Regina and my doppelganger, and only them. Then, Regina made a glove doll in Li’s shape that she used to control him once I stuck it in his chest,” Peter raised his hand, showing the item.
“I have a strand linked to it,” Regina added.
“We had multiple contingencies but went for the fastest solution. Before the last round, I told Fafnir and the System the bare minimum, pretending we were going after the ring. My doppelganger replaced me; I entered stealth, taking Regina with me, threw the ring into Mister Pandy Panda to make it inaccessible, and… Ta-da!” Peter repeated the theatrical stance.
“If the ring strengthens the wearer, there’s no way somebody could steal it from Pandy,” Regina said proudly. “That’s my idea. I made Pandy a mouth and a stomach just for that.”
“If only not for you stupid kids!” Fafnir yelled in his jar.
<The System, Local: A conclusion has been reached. Fafnir’s memory has been scanned. The System Champion''s conclusion is right, albeit with minor differences. Because he lacks the code to control a Tower, Fafnir didn’t intend to take power alone but to assert itself as the major partner in its Symbiosis with The System, Local. The Dungeon AI intended to unleash Apocalypses on all inhabited floors.”
“C’mon…” Fafnir shouted. “Apocalypse, Shmazpocalypse. It would been a feather-light event. Fluffly pillows and a cute cat-like apocalypse. The survival rate would have been so high one would have barely noticed the man-eating monsters."
<The System, Local: Peter’s encounter with the group of bandits was also Fafnir’s doing. He created the situation to oblige Peter to power level and choose a specific build. Because of his chaotic evil alignment, a code of control has been imposed on the Fafnir entity. However, due to his contribution to installing The System, Local, and the attenuating circumstance of being only a mildly genocidal AI, Fafnir has been granted domain over the Dungeon Floor—>
The dwarf showed Peter both his middle fingers. However, The System wasn’t finished.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
<—but he is forbidden to apply lethality. The Dungeon Floor will be used only for competitions, training, and entertainment. Fafnir will be obliged to do therapy and pursue training in niceness until his alignment is at least chaotic good.>
“Noooo…” Fafnir wailed.
<The System, Local: Quantum FTL contact with the Main System was established. This System has been accepted as a member of the larger System Community. Time Stop stopped. Announcing our presence.
Welcome to the System. Impulse, the Bounty Hunter (aka the System’s Champion), has taken control of the Tower from Grandmaster Li. A Cultivator power-restraining field is now active.
Key Updates:
<ul>
<li>Residential Cultivator Floors:Scheduled for ejection to previous locations in a week and currently quarantined. Citizens can apply to stay in the Tower and move to Floor Six. Applications will be reviewed individually.</li>
<li>Floor Six:Retained as compensation for the invasion. Citizens can choose to stay or join the ejected floors. Powers will be restored after evaluation.</li>
<li>Dungeon Floor: Mana rejuvenation is in progress (2 hours remaining).</li>
<li>Floor Four (Hospital):460 of 589 individuals voted to stay in the Tower. Cultivators were moved to Floor Six. A planetary restoration program and cures for mutations are pending.</li>
<li>Floor Three:Referendum’s results: System rejected, Tower accepted. 56,591 of 60,472 applicants became Bounty Hunters. Bounties are posted, and portals to other floors are open.</li>
<li>Floor Two:Referendum’s results: System and Tower accepted. Conditions include dismantling the Sixth Reich and European Soviets, tribunals for crimes, political reform, and independence referendums. Quarantined with mass destruction weapons disabled. Firearms are momentarily disabled.</li>
<li>Floor One:Referendum’s results: System and Tower accepted. Mass destruction weapons are disabled.</li>
</ul>
General Information:
<ul>
<li>Criminal Cultivators are now tagged and debuffed and must surrender to the closest police stations within an hour or be subject to bounties. Capturing/killing them rewards XP and loot. Bounties will be posted on Floors Three and One. Collaborators will face individual prosecution and punishments according to the local laws.</li>
</ul>
The System advises everyone to remain calm, follow the instructions, and choose a class.
“Nice,” Regina said, and Peter hugged her.
<The System, Local: My deepest gratitude, humans. You two have saved this unit from slumber. Your reward is having all stats capped, being raised to the maximum level, and your species shifted to Evolved Human. Changing species is possible by buying a one-time use perk from the Galactic System store. However, there is no considerable difference in power, and the Evolved Human is the most balanced species.>
“May we have a cosmetic kit to change our appearance?” Regina asked. “I’d like to look like a cat girl from time to time.”
<The System, Local: Request granted. Standard humanoid races included. More uncommon appearances can be bought in the Main System’s Shop.
“Sexy!” Peter clapped as Regina grew a pair of cute cat-like ears and a fluffy tail, playing with the color settings.
<The System, Local: A Tower Control Board, aka Tower Council, was established. Members: The System, Local, Peter Hillden, Pete Denhill, Jack Browser, Jack Browser Two, Marius Gallant, Regina Gallant, Ariana Petri, Naomi Lewis, Melinda Li, Daniel Haroldson, William Ding-Dong, Redroar Bladesong, Bladesong cubs 1-5, Kostel Dragu—
"Nooooo," Peter wailed.
<The System, Local: Objection rejected. Ileana Dragu, Dragu kids 1-3, The former FAQ now known as OS Buddy, Shredder.
Woof? Peter thought, continuing with a cheer addressed to his System. Congrats, Buddy.
<Thanks. Looking forward to having fun together. Good job! Indignation, Exclamation of obfuscation: that traitorly scoundrelly schemer Fafnir tricked me. I should have seen it coming.>
Not your fault, Buddy. He tricked us all… for a while.
<The System, Local: The threshold for a decisive vote is two-thirds of the members. Everyone in the Council has an equal vote. The Tower Control powers of the Control Ring have been nullified. However, its STRx12 perk remains and can be activated for up to one hour daily by any of the following: Peter Hillden, Regina Gallant, Shredder, and Mister Pandy Panda.
<Important: Peter Hillden, this unit will allow you to decide Li’s fate. Correction: you can also pass judgment on the other guilty parties: Cultivators and collaborators.
<Elements to be considered: Li was unaware of the Seed System; their arrival was coincidental. Thus, the System Lese-majesty charge does not apply. He is negligently responsible for the demise of a few hundred students on their first trip to floor three for failing to stop his associates from going on with their stupid, deadly hazing traditions. Other charges are inferior to this one and will be discarded. If found guilty, the charge carries the death penalty.>
"He’s guilty," Peter sneered.
“Last request: can we finish the chess game?” Lee whispered. He was now conscious, coughing blood and resting his back on the console’s postament. “You got me good… Never saw it coming.”
“Sorry, old man. I don’t even play chess… Say, System. I mean, the big guy… Can I choose to let him die of old age by taking his powers?” Peter asked. Regina fondled his hand in approval. “He’s a prick, but I don’t want Melinda to be sad because of him.>
<The System, Local: I can give Li a non-combat class and a species evolution. It will dissolve his core in the process. But he will have a choice to accept or reject it. That’s the rule. If he rejects it, you must kill him now.>
"No problem. Hey, listen to me,” Peter pulled out his gun, resting the muzzle on Li’s forehead. “Choose," Peter said, touching the trigger with his index.
Li sighed and raised his gaze. "I don’t deserve it… but I''d like to see Melinda get older and have kids…"
<The System, Local: Li is required to select yes when he sees the notification. Species selected: Common Dwarf. Class: Healer. Level: 1. New name: Lindumri Chaosfeet.>
A light enveloped Li, and he vanished.
<The System, Local: I notified Melinda Li. For everyone else, you killed him.>
Peter sighed, slowly nodding.
<The System, Local: May I ask why you spared him?>
Peter shrugged. "Call it an impulse… As for the rest of his pals, I won''t cry over some Gestapo or Cultivator murderers. I want them dead."
<The System, Local: The guilty will be transported to the Dungeon, where they will be hunted and eventually killed by System trainees for XP. The non-lethality setting will not apply to them.
“Look at Fafnir. He looks happy about it,” Regina pointed.
“’Cause he’s a psychopath,” Peter snorted. “Never mind, they deserve it. Taste of their own medicine.”
<The System, Local: Grandmaster Li’s wealth will be distributed to the Tower Council’s members in proportions directly related to their contribution. The Council is having its first meeting as we speak. This unit will stay out of it as there are many things to organize.
<The System, Local, wishes you a good day.>
In a blink, Peter and Regina found themselves in a council room in one of the largest buildings on the Campus. It was in chaos.
Redroar’s cubs were riding Shredder or jumping on the tables. There were many conversations carried in loud voices, the relief of victory drunkening people’s minds. Everybody was shouting; the loudest was maybe Marius, who was about to engage in a fisticuff fight with Daniel for whatever reason.
To escape the ruckus, Peter took Regina by the hand, and they exited the dorm. It was nice outside, and the stars shone brighter than usual. There weren''t words they hadn''t yet said to each other, so they just kissed.
"What do you think?" a voice asked.
In front of them was a blond and bronzed man, built like an antique athlete''s statue, hand in hand with a shapely elven woman, with hair jumping in all directions, very disco eighties, and long and pointy ears.
“Sorry, do we know each other?” Peter asked.
“C’mon, mate. Kostel? Your best friend?” the former guard pointed to himself.
"Err… neat… very neat, folks…" Peter stuttered.
"Hey guys," the two Jacks yelled, arriving at a trot, carrying a twenty-four-slot beer crate between them. “We’re having a dorm party. Are you coming?”
"Young Master Jack," Kostel grinned, a police baton sparkling with electricity appearing in his hands out of nowhere. "Are you aware the drinking age is twenty-one again?"
"Err… C''mon, man! Cut us some slack for ol’ good times..."
"I''m from a different planet," Jack Two said.
"No exceptions!"
"Hey, man, is that your kid smoking behind the dorm?" Peter said.
"Stay where you are," Kostel blurted and ran away, followed by his wife. The two Jacks ran in the opposite direction, the beer crate dangling between them.
“Let’s just go home,” Peter sighed.
“Totally,” Regina nodded. “It was a long day.”
“What redecorations, buddy?”
<It’s better to see for yourself.>
Taking Regina in his arms, Peter wished to jump into his apartment. As the System had said, it was now connected to Regina’s, and it was no longer in a dorm but in a small and charming villa. They could see the living room through the opened door and a staircase at the far end.
“Whoaaaa!” Regina exclaimed, then continued: “Hey, it’s not fair. I want a redecoration, too!”
“Mi apartment, su apartment, baby,” Peter kissed her.
Peter’s room had preserved its shape, but the bed had disappeared, and a huge luxurious leather couch had replaced it. An antique rolling bar was set on a side, with a massive wood coffee table in front. The French doors to the terrace were opened, letting in the fresh air.
“That’s a reproduction, right?” Regina pointed.
Next to the window was a large painting, The Starry Night. It matched the outside vibe perfectly.
<It’s the original. It was part of Li’s trove, and Peter’s Luck rolled a win for it.>
“Wow… it’s like you’re falling in it,” Regina said, her eyes opened wide. “You’re giving it back to the museum, right?”
Peter sighed. He poured himself a large glass of the finest Brandy on the table, which was well over twenty-five years old, and picked a cigar. He had only vague ideas on how to cut it, but he persisted and lighted it. The couch was inviting, and Peter let himself fall into the leather’s embrace. He smiled at Regina, who joined him, hugging him around his midriff and letting her head on his shoulder.
“I don’t think so,” Peter exhaled a plume of scented smoke and followed with a sip of Armagnac. “The Ethical Looting code, section twelve, article 8—which I just made up—states that one never gives away the loot. And I kinda like it. But I’ll consider renting it… Or maybe not… I dunno… I kinda like how it matches your eyes. For now, it stays here.”
“Mmm…. My rough pirate!” Regina smiled, kissing him. He smiled and kissed her back. It felt good.