Deep within the lower levels below the casino, he sensed it. A spot of pure darkness and immense density. It was otherworldly, and as Aaron sensed the incredible object, a chill ran down his spine.

  But the strangeness of whatever it was only scratched the surface of his growing concern. But the odd energy was somewhat familiar, like he had felt it before. It was a dark, dense, and consuming energy. It seemed to drag energy around it, fueling it further. And it was deep within the Bellagio.

  Ah, fuck. This isn’t good, is it?

  He didn’t know what this dense source of energy was supposed to be, or why it made him feel so cold and uncomfortable, but it had to be linked to Julius. Not just because it was in the casino, but because through his [ Soul Vortex ] Skill, he sensed the man all over the room it was held within.

  Better go check this thing out.

  With a thought, he glided down, passing through the floors as he sank down toward the secret vault beneath the casino.

  It was handy being a spirit, and he effortlessly passed straight through impossibly thick steel that the casino used to guard its hidden treasures.

  He landed in the vault and saw his goal at the far end of it. A dense, all-consuming darkness that sucked in both light and energy. Even his shadow began to flicker as he stepped toward it, and he halted, unsure if it could harm him.

  But it was more than even that. He could feel the darkness pulling at him. Beckoning him toward it, even in his spirit form, it reached out to him.

  “Who goes there?” A deep and guttural voice came from the void. “You, you are not Julius… Intriguing. Come, step closer. Speak with me, mortal. Show your face. Reveal yourself.”

  The voice was commanding, worming its way into him, and trying to dig its way into his mind. Aaron had felt something like this before. This was some kind of mind power, and an incredibly powerful one at that. After all, the fact that it was even trying to press its will upon a bodiless spirit was remarkable.

  However, he doubted it could succeed. Either way, it was intimidating that it even tried, and Aaron backstepped.

  And as he focused his senses on it, he realized he knew what it was. This energy was the void. He had felt it during his trial with Oozagh. It was undeniable.

  He was limited in what he could do as a spirit, and flicking gave him cause for concern. Now wasn’t the time to confront this thing, and he doubted he’d get straight answers from it. Not only that, but it worried him that it could sense him in his spirit form, meaning it could be dangerous, and he had little to defend himself with.

  Having found what he was looking for, he decided to back out of the room and head back.

  There was still a problem, though. He didn’t know exactly why void energy with some kind of being within it was below the casino. It was definitely ominous and very much alive and aware. It was hard to imagine that it was anything good, but still, he knew he was going to have to confront Julius about it.

  He had a very bad feeling about what he had found, but he didn’t yet know enough to condemn Julius.

  Aaron made his way back to camp and got ready for the evening. Zero hadn’t been invited, but he decided to bring his companion along anyway. He didn’t know what would happen when he confronted Julius, and figured he might as well bring along some insurance, since he had it anyway.

  After all, it was one thing to attack him alone, and another entirely to attack both of them. And while he doubted he’d have any trouble besting Julius, he had no idea how many of his people would be around, and what tricks they might have up their sleeves.

  After seeing both Marko and the beaver make use of trap Skills, it made him wonder what other kinds of Skills might exist out there, and he didn’t want to take the possibilities lightly.

  But as they neared the casino entrance, Aaron’s brow rose. The guards standing outside were dressed in tuxedos, a far cry from what they had been wearing earlier in the day.

  “Nice suits.”

  “Yes, they are,” one of the guards nodded. “Julius wanted to show you just what we’re capable of. We’ve got fine tailors among us and much more.”

  “Hear that, Zero? We can get ourselves a tux.”

  Zero howled.

  “Right this way, sir,” the guard continued, beckoning Aaron inside. “Julius is waiting for you in a private lounge.”

  The guards led him back through the foyer and to the private lounge. It wasn’t just the guards that were dressed up, either. The regular folk who had been milling about earlier had been cleared out, and it seemed only Julius’ direct reports were around, and they were all dressed for the occasion.

  The women, including servers, were dressed in sparkling, revealing dresses, and all the men in tuxedos. There was no attempt at equality here, although it was an impressive display. Tailors could no doubt be used for more important things, like crafting gear, so having them work on pretty clothing to impress a guest sure was a power move, Aaron thought.

  Passing through into the private room, he was settled down at a massive oval table with Julius and a few of his senior people, one of whom was Carlos. Zero had been led to an adjoining room and was enjoying a massive bone.

  Aaron was fine with this. It was only one room over, and he had really only brought the wolf as a backup plan, and doubted he would actually need any support anyway.

  “I’m glad you came,” Julius smiled. “Carlos has told me all about your mission. Dangerous stuff from the sounds of it. And it seems I owe you for saving one of my crews. You will be paid in System Credits for this, mark my word. Keeping this place safe would have been made far more difficult without them. So, you have my eternal gratitude for that.”

  “No worries, mate. Happy to do so.”

  Julius smiled.

  “Well, let’s get to business then.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  Aaron wanted to start yapping about the void energy he had seen, but he restrained himself. He decided it might be best to hear Julius’ proposal before he started to press the man for answers.

  “Look,” Julius said, strumming the table with his thick fingers and sighing. “You and Talia are no doubt powerful. Likely the two most powerful people in this entire camp. High in the rankings, too. It’s incredible, really. We could be a true powerhouse with the likes of you two backing us up. But that isn’t what this is about, is it? It’s about leadership. And that’s why I ask. Why do you need leadership? Why make Talia the leader? It seems so… irrational.”

  Aaron nodded to the side. Julius had a point, but obviously, there was more to the decision.

  “I know, I know. But think about it. I have a Leader Class and a management Profession. I even have a special Skill that allows me to form a Guild. All of my people are in this Guild, and I can empower them, and their achievements help me get stronger. It’s a mutually beneficial agreement.

  “I might not be a combatant that can go toe-to-toe with either you or Talia, but I’m growing more powerful by the day as the leader of this Guild, and every single one of my abilities is geared toward raising a group. My Skills are becoming more refined, and I’m growing more and more into this role, allowing me to make everyone else stronger, too. This isn’t just a power play. I’m the perfect person for this role. And if you, Talia, and her people were to join, then I would grow even stronger through my Guild, and in turn, the entire settlement would be stronger. And in doing so, we as a collective would grow stronger.

  “If I weren’t in that role, though, the whole settlement would lose that. I’m really not trying to blackmail anyone or threaten, but it’s just an objective fact. My Skills only affect those who view me as their leader, and even if I have a leadership position under you or Talia, it will be drastically weaker than if I were in charge of the settlement myself.”

  Aaron nodded. What he said made sense. If Julius was trustworthy, then he was undoubtedly the perfect candidate. He had seen what a proper Leader Class could do in the Viewing Room. He himself didn’t really want to rely on it for his own path, but for a settlement of people with no ambitions of godhood, full of people who just wanted to live peacefully, a powerful Leader Class would make them much safer than anything else.

  However, his skills weren’t really what Aaron was caught up on. He didn’t need to be convinced that a Leader Class would be good at leading a settlement. What he needed to be convinced of was that Julius wouldn’t lead them somewhere they didn’t want to go. And to know that, he would need to figure out what that thing in the basement was.

  “That is interesting,” Aaron said. “I can’t deny that having a Leader as the leader makes sense.”

  “Good, I’m glad we can agree on at least that much.”

  The doors swung open, and servers rushed in with steaks, appetizers, and wines, bending low in their revealing clothing as they placed the food down before them.

  There were several women, and one very buff, Mr. Universe-looking guy amongst them, all with a lot of skin revealed.

  Aaron coughed and reddened a little as the server leaned too far over him to serve his food.

  “Do you like them?” Julius bounced his brows. “You can have yourself a servant, if you like. I can make many things happen around here.”

  “No, I’m fine,” Aaron said. “No need for servants. I’m good.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, just let me know.”

  “I’m good. Anyway,” Aaron said, but paused and waited for the servers to leave, but the big, shiny man's glistening oiled muscles stopped and gave him a wink before leaving.

  “Oh, is it Andreas that takes your fancy? You can have him too, if you like.”

  “No! Andreas definitely doesn’t appeal. That’s not my thing. And I don’t need any servants, men or women. I’m good. I swear.”

  “Hmm, fine. I won’t push the matter.”

  “Anyway,” Aaron cleared his throat. “As I was saying. There’s a matter,” he stopped and glanced across at Carlos and the other two before continuing.

  “Anything you can say to me can be said in front of them,” Julius said, giving him the all clear to speak.

  “If you say so. You see, the thing is, I found something. Something below the building. Something kind of odd. And dark.”

  Aaron’s eyes caught Julius’, and a sudden rush of realization, the man’s eyes widened.

  “Carlos, Rachel, and Lars, please, see yourselves out. I wish to speak with Aaron privately.”

  The three of them nodded and took their leave.

  Waiting until they were in complete privacy, Julius continued, face hardening. “What exactly did you see, Aaron Dober?”

  “That’s the thing, I don’t exactly know what I saw. But I know that dense energy. It’s incredibly powerful. I’ve felt it before. Void energy. Very strange to find such a thing under the casino, stranger still that it spoke to me. So yeah, that makes me curious.”

  “I see. So, you snuck down into my private quarters and intruded without my permission?’

  “Pretty much,” Aaron shrugged. He wasn’t about to apologize, considering the circumstances of their situation. If Julius wanted them to join him, he was going to need to start being honest.

  “Fine,” Julius sighed and collected himself. “I suppose I can’t hide it from you any longer. Come, walk with me. You must understand what is going on. Why I do what I do.”

  “Wait,” Aaron raised a hand. “This is really between you and Talia. She needs to come too. This is important. I can mediate, but I can’t make decisions on her behalf. And I won’t keep something like this from her.”

  It wasn’t just about diplomacy, though. He might be the stronger of the two, but Talia was no pushover. And going down into that lair with the void energy alone seemed rather reckless. And Julius was probably more likely to let him bring Talia, rather than Zero, who had no reason to be down there.

  Julius nodded, a look of defeat in his eyes. He didn’t appear to have sinister intentions, but he also clearly didn’t want it to come to this.

  “Fine. I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it now. You may gather Talia. I will be waiting for your return.”

  Aaron quickly gathered Talia and shared his last two servings of Heavenly Bog Infused Bánh mì with her. He had felt the intrusive nature of the thing below them and knew they needed to increase their mental defenses before heading down there.

  Returning with Talia in tow, Julius led them down to an elevator that took them to a secret floor, where the vault was. They passed through several impossibly thick steel blast doors before finally reaching the vault proper.

  “This world… this multiverse we find ourselves in. It is so full of danger, you understand that, right?”

  “Better than most,” Aaron said.

  “Yeah, we’re both aware,” Talia said.

  “Good. So, you can understand that measures must be taken to survive it all. After all, what we are experiencing now is but our first baby step. So much more is to come, and soon Earth will find itself against foes of incredible power. Foes we can’t hope to beat, not even you.”

  Aaron had heard this spiel before. It sounded exactly like something Lenriel would say. And it wasn’t wrong. How on earth could anyone on their world stand up to a god, or even somebody close to godhood?

  Such a feat would be impossible. At least for a very long time, and they didn’t have a very long time.

  However, this was different. Whatever it was that Aaron had seen down in the vault, it wasn’t a god. Or at least he didn’t think it was. The void was powerful, from his understanding, but it wasn’t divine.

  “And so, sometimes we make deals. Deals meant to help us through these difficult and uncertain times.”

  “It troubles me that you make deals alone,” Talia admitted.

  Aaron just nodded, waiting for him to get to the point. But he just rambled until they walked up to the dense darkness filling the far end of the vault.

  “Ahh… What is it that you have brought me, Julius? I know this one. This is the one I sensed earlier, is it not? And the other one… is she for me?”

  “What is this thing?’ Talia hissed.

  Julius glanced over at Aaron, ignoring Talia.

  “Yeah, I suppose I am," Aaron said, confirming Maverick's suspicion that it had been him to enter the room in spirit form.

  “Welcome then. Let me introduce myself properly. I am Maverick. God of Shadows. Has Julius filled you in on our little agreement?”

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