“The Taskmaster?” Taiwo exclaims, practically yelling. It’s the most animated I’ve ever seen him and he’s leaped up out of his chair. “Nobody fucks with the Taskmaster! If he gives you Task to travel from one end of the Universe to the other a million times to locate a treasure that doesn’t exist, that’s what you’ll be doing for eternity.”
I’m pretty sure based on what happened with The Taskmaster that I could eventually unravel the Task’s hold on me, but I decide not to debate it and hold my tongue while Taiwo finishes his rant.
“Tenebris needs to hear about this! There aren’t too many people who can give us problems, but The Taskmaster is definitely one of them. What the hell were you doing there?”
It’s a mark of just how flustered and worried Taiwo is that he’s forgotten it wasn’t me who initiated the contact.
“I don’t know,” I remind him. “He brought me to him and said he likes to meet all the KCT winners, then it went a bit weird and I left.”
Taiwo shakes his head and paces for a few seconds then collapses back down in his chair. He seems energized and exasperated all at the same time and I’m just watching the show. I can’t put my finger on anything I’ve done wrong or would have done differently, other than maybe I should have tried harder to avoid being brought to The Taskmaster in the first place. Probably in general a good rule. Don’t let them take you to the second location, right?
“That Dreadflame Inquisitor Lirathel’s a real bitch, by the way,” I add, partly to see what Taiwo says about it. He looks confused.
“She’s a total wildcard,” Taiwo agrees, “but very powerful. What does she have to do with any of this?”
I fill Taiwo in on the way Lirathel showed up and what happened. By the end he’s up out of his chair again pacing around.
“You’ve proven yourself on Earth, but this is a different arena. Ascended Classers, even your Galactic ‘allies’, will not simply charge at you. They will plot, provoke, adapt, and strike where you least expect it. I’m not sure either of us are prepared for that. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few Ascended, usually powerful combat Classers, who have a more direct approach. But now you’re playing a different game and I’m not sure they’ll leave you alone.”
“I think it’s time I took you up on your offer,” I say to Taiwo, changing the subject.
“What offer?” he says with curiosity. I can see by the glint in his eyes that he's got an inkling of what this might be about. I lean back in my chair and take a deep pull from my bubbly blue drink and lock eyes with him for a few seconds. To his credit, Taiwo simply waits rather than taking my bait.
“I think it’s time I finally found out about being a SSA High Enforcer.”
The interest in his expression is clear, but he lets me finish. By now he must know it’s pretty tough to push me to do something I’m not into.
“Look Taiwo, you’ve known me for a while now and we’ve been through some shit. I’m never going to be a master manipulator or politician. Let’s face it, I’m probably going to be one of the ones with a more direct approach, and to back it up I need Levels, resources, and Galactic friends. I’ve also come to the conclusion that humanity needs to be spread out on more planets to ensure our long term survival, and I’m ready to do something about it now that things on Earth are under control. If there’s a chance I can kill both of those birds with one stone, I think I should take it, and that means spending some time figuring out what it actually means.”
Taiwo is doing his equivalent of nodding in agreement and he listens intently.
“You’ve suggested this in the past. Do you want to come with me now?” I ask.
“Of course,” he says. “I just need a couple of days to put some things into place.” He hesitates for a bit. “I do have to warn you, I know quite a bit about the theory of SSA High Enforcers, but not a lot about the reality. In my experience the two are often quite different when it comes to things like this.”
“You know more than me, and it would be good to have you along.”
“Like I said, you’ve convinced me to come out of retirement. Maybe even to strive for Ascended Class myself, though we’ll see about that,” he says with a literal twinkle in his eye. “Who else will we add to our Party?”
I look at him and consider. The sting of Alana’s rejection isn’t fresh anymore but it is a reminder of the risks I put anyone in if I bring them along.
“Are you worried about what might happen to you if you’re hanging around with me?” I ask him. It’s a serious question and I’m hoping for an honest answer.
“If we do this, I’m bringing my best equipment and more items than you could fit in your Inventory,” he says with a laugh. “You can’t even imagine the variety of things I’ve collected over a very, very long time. Not Tenebris level, but still…”
I nod slowly and consider his question. Is there anyone else I should ask to come? A bunch of faces flash through my mind, I can’t help it. People who are dead or I lost touch with. I don’t exactly have a litany of names that I can recite… if I did, it would be long and the names that would be in the top section are something I’d rather not dwell on.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Jeff,” I say. “If he’ll come. Nobody else. You?”
Taiwo gestures in agreement at the mention of Jeff. They haven’t spent a lot of time together, but I’ve talked about him often enough and Taiwo knows that Jeff has a Unique Legendary Class, so can take care of himself. Though if we start running into Ascended Class trouble, that assumption might not be right.
“Maybe,” he says. “Let me think about it and maybe chat with someone over the next couple of days. It might depend on whether Jeff comes or not.”
“Should I ask him now?”
“If you can,” Taiwo replies. “Can you? Can your Portals work even from the Shop? That would put you in a very, very select group as to the power of your Affinity and Skills.”
Rather than answer I trigger Omnipresent and support the function of it strongly with my Affinity. As always within the Shop, things are weird and twisted in my mind’s eye compared to normal because we’re kind of in a place that’s not really a place, it’s between places. It helps, I think, that I’m so familiar with Earth and with Jeff. It makes it easier to find him amongst all the trillions upon trillions of dots in the Universe.
I form the Portal with significant effort. The space around me wavers and ripples as some kind of defence mechanism tries to disrupt it and Taiwo cries out as the dimensional energy starts to tear him apart. Like I did with The Taskmaster, I weave my Affinities together and lock down the area all around us so that I have complete control over the dimensional forces I’m trying to control and the flow of Mana within the sphere. It’s a strain, but bearable, and I manifest the Portal to Jeff. Taiwo’s not badly hurt, more surprised because of how quickly I adjusted.
I can see Jeff on the other side and fortunately he’s not in his bedroom again, but he’s in the middle of a pitched battle with some of his other Knights against skeletal creatures dressed in druidic robes wielding staves and daggers. They exude corruption; even through the Portal I can recognize that kind of energy. Spells and Skills fly from them, but the Knights deflect the energy with their shields and surge forward to take them on with their blades.
I take a step toward the Portal, then realize I don’t know what will happen to Taiwo if I step through.
“Come on,” I tell him, and he gets it immediately even though he still looks a bit put off by the dimensional fluctuations. By the time he zips through my Portal, he’s already dressed in power armor. I can both feel with my Mana and see him activate an extensive array of defensive Skills and spells, and we’re not even expecting any real trouble. With the level of control I have inside the sphere I can feel them form with my Mana Affinity and know instinctively that I could unravel them or stop them from forming if I chose to. I flash through the Portal immediately after Taiwo, now wrapped in my Dimensional Forge armor and with my Swords in hand.
The skeletons look just as threatening in real life, but I’m not getting vibes from my Danger Sense so I hold my attacks and I can see that Taiwo has restrained himself too.
Hollowed Druid (Level 41)
Health: 520/780
Mana: 310/1010
Conditions: Blight Aura, Pestilent Spores, Withering Touch
It’s bloody refreshing to encounter something like this, and it’s clear that the Knights have this under control and are in no danger. Jeff sees me immediately.
“Kill stealer!” Jeff yells at the top of his lungs, and all the Knights not immediately engaged with the Hollowed Druids turn to me and Taiwo with disgusted looks on their faces and hands on their weapons. I shake my head and laugh despite the necrotic energy floating around and the pitched battle where, admittedly, the only screaming is coming from the Monsters.
“You always do this to me,” I accuse Jeff, shouting across the forest clearing we’ve appeared in.
“Stop stealing kills then, Bronwic!”
Taiwo looks at me in surprise and I sigh in suffering as Jeff breaks off from the fight and the rest of the Knights return their attention to shattering the group of Hollowed Druids, whose Skills and spells splash and smash into Taiwo, Jeff, and I without effect. We stand together ignoring them as Jeff puts a massive arm around each of us and brings us in tight.
“I knew you’d be back Bronwic! And good to see you again Taiwo,” he says with enthusiasm. I’m not sure how Taiwo feels about a group hug with Jeff, but I glance at him once Jeff’s released us and he seems to take it in stride. Jeff tends to have that effect on all of us.
“I’m not back, but I am forming up a team to try to find us a new world and figure out what it means to be a SSA High Enforcer,” I say as the last of the Hollowed Druids is defeated and the Knights move through the forest to Loot them. I sneak a quick look at Jeff’s Status to see if I really should be asking him to come along. Even though it’s not what I want, maye all I should do is give him an update and go.
Jeff Budai, Savior of Drumheller, Chosen One, Founder of the Knights of Round, Slayer of Raptors, Scorpions, Ninki Nanka, more… (Level 9 Knight of the Round) (Unique Legendary)
[Human] [Drumheller Demons] [Knights of the Round]
Health: 6990/6990
Mana: 2770/2770
Conditions: Tough as Nails, Aura of Detection, Adaptive Reactions, Health Boost, Glutton for Punishment, Survival of the Fittest, Knight’s Honor, Major Inviolation, more…
I see he’s lost the ‘Sentinel’ association; our group really has splintered now that the desperation of fighting for Earth has receded to the background. It’s a bit of a sad thing to see him without it, even though the reason it’s not there anymore is a good one. I size up Jeff and think about him coming with us. He’s definitely powerful, but still only Level 9 in his Legendary Class and not yet even able to use his Tier 2 Legendary Skills.
A part of me wrenches in regret and sadness as I make a call.
“I wanted to let you know I might not be back for a while, but I’ll keep an eye on Earth and you and a few others with Foresight, just in case.”
He nods and gives us a big grin.
“Thanks for stopping by and letting me know in person, Bronwic. We’ve got this. You go do what only you can do. And try to enjoy it a bit, you grumpy fuck!”
I laugh at that and even Taiwo has a chuckle in agreement after glancing at me.
“See you soon, mate,” I tell him sincerely and open a Portal to the Queenstown MIS Hub. Taiwo follows me through in silence. Once the Portal has closed he looks at me with considering eyes.
“Must have been tough to do that. I pulled his Status, though. It was the right thing.”
I nod in agreement and try to put it aside.
“Didn’t want to try to get back to your Shop the hard way,” I say and point to the yellow Shop orb. Nobody’s around, but I’m betting that will change very soon as the Academy finishes the setup phase and Galactics flood in.
Taiwo touches the orb and I follow him after glancing around, lots of memories pushing at me for attention, including ones of Jeff. For now, I leave them behind.
