Chapter 11
Nia sat in utter shock. She looked over his status. She sat back and then sat up. Wes thought she looked uncomfortable. She leaned over like she was looking past something. “Would you be willing to tell me about your traits? The description of them as well.”
“You can’t see them?” Wes asked.
Nia shook her head. “When you share a status, you can only see the face values. All descriptive layers or the names of your traits are not visible. No one else can click on your status. I can only see it.”
Wes went and explained his traits word for word. Nia would stop him on every word to make sure she heard his words right. They ran through the order in which he unlocked his traits and through how many placeholders they had before he completed his quest. He did not remember the second. But he had counted the first one over and over, so he knew that one at 10. The last one only had 3, so that was easy to remember, but he did not remember how much the second placeholder reward was.
He brought up his traits to take them in himself as he walked Nia through them.
Reward: BECOME ONE IN A CENTILLION SENTIENTS. IMPOSSIBLE NOW ONLY IMPROBABLE.
(Health, Stamina, Mana, Strength, Dexterity will be replaced by EXPERIENCE.)
Health, Mana, Stamina will be drawn from EXP
Morality is evershifting. Bear the weight of your deeds.
Nothing is Free, that which cannot be bought shall be paid.
A level wagered is a power earned.
Reward: A DEGENERATE’S FATE IS CHANCE
Salvation lies only a wager away.
Reward: SAVE OR DIE
Save that which was earned.
Achievement(s): Bloody Soul, Pragmatic Savant
Nia had Wes walk her through his status for what felt like the hundredth time. She brought a writing instrument out of thin air as she moved over to Wes. “You see your first trait. How is it ten words long?”
Wes nodded.
“Now you see how the last reward is 3 words long?”
Wes nodded again.
“Well, since you can’t remember how much the second had. With you telling me that it definitely had less than the first but more than the third. I am saying that this one is the second reward you received. And it has five words.”
“Okay, so what are you getting at?” Wes asked.
Wes saw Nia's face twist in thought. “I think that Argyros' 100 levels are your last reward. You would have originally been given two rewards.”
“Okay.” Wes nodded along.
“I don’t think you understand. If he gave a single level, you would have had a single placeholder. If he wagered 10 levels, you would have had 2 placeholders. You see what I am getting at?” Nia asked.
Wes stood up in disbelief. “Are you saying that my first reward is seven placeholders stronger?”
Nia nodded along this time. “That is not all I am saying, though. A level 1 wager is not the same as a level 9 wager. When anyone wagers a level, it is directly proportional to where they are on the path. Those last 100 levels took Argy over a billion years to get. So wagering a hundred levels while in the thousands is stronger than wagering those same levels in the hundreds.”
Wes sat back down in shock. He whispered to himself. “A billion years.”
Nia gave him a few minutes to take in what she had just enlightened him to. She lit the paper and pen in her hand on fire.
When the smoke fully dissipated, Wes asked. “What happens when people find out?”
“I do not know. I will help you in any way I can. I don’t know what Argy saw that made him wager those 100 levels, but he must have seen something. As much as I would not like it to be so. I have to tell you that is not the most concerning thing about your status that I see.” Nia looked at Wes with desire and pity.
Dejected, Wes looked up from the ground and took in Nia. “Then what is?”
“The way you level up is unlike anything I have ever seen. There have been those before you who knew the exact amount of experience they would need to level up. I have seen different variations of that very thing. Some people have to read a certain amount. Others have had to help a certain number of people. Others it was to kill a certain amount. In all my years, though, I have never come across anyone or heard of anyone that acquires their experience while doing nothing. That means when you get up as high as I have that you will continue to level up just by existing. You could go and sit off in some quiet corner of the universe and hide. Eventually, you would rise to my level and higher. The way that your ‘Level 1 per sec’ is worded indicates that it will grow with every level as well. How it scales, I couldn’t say.”
Wes took in the weight of Nia’s words while bringing up his status.
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Name: Wesley of 29744C
Race: Human
Age: 27
Unique abilities: Imperial over Metric, Back in My Day
Abilities: Deposit, Eternal Spark
Skills: N/A
Achievement(s): Bloody Soul, Pragmatic Savant
Trait(s): 3
Current Status: Blessed(Suppressed)
Level 1
Savings: 2,483,047.64
Next Level: 207.36
Level 1 Exp Per Sec: .0024
Current Exp: 16.98
Wes had a thought, “hey, do you know what a second is?”
Nia laughed, “yes, of course I do.”
“I had never heard of it until the quest, where does it come from?” Wes asked.
“It comes from where we all come from. But I can’t say more. You must discover the path for yourself. Sorry.”
“Fine, what is the path?” he asked.
“Oh no, that is up to your teachers to explain. Argy will return in a few months. Until he does, you will be my guest here. You will be barred from going outside since you have not made it here yourself. But you are free to roam around the estate indoors. Under no circumstances are you to violate my rule. Do you understand?” Nia asked.
“I’m a prisoner then?”
“More like a guest that is enjoying everything we have to offer here while waiting for their taxi to arrive.” Nia raised her eyebrows, offering intrigue.
“What is a taxi?” Wes asked.
“We must educate you rather soon I see.” Nia got up and held out her hand.
—
Although Wes was skeptical about being imprisoned here for the rest of his life, he chose to trust Nia. As he contemplated, Coren showed him where he would be staying. Along the way he saw that every wall held a portrait of someone that looked a lot like those to the right or left. No matter where he turned his vision to along the way he saw an homage to someone. From paintings to stone and bronze statues. A couple of plaques describing great battles would dot the entrances to doors.
After Wes had stopped for the umpteenth time Coren said. “If you stop for each thing we will not make it to your room until you are a hundred. How about you let me show you your room and you can come back to anything you see along the way.”
Wes nodded, “you are right, sorry. It's just I have not seen or read anything like this place.”
Coren chose not to answer; instead, they kept walking. After 15 minutes of walking in silence, Wes asked. “Are we close yet?”
“No, about halfway.”
“Just how big is this place?” Wes asked.
“You will find out soon enough.”
The rest of the walk toward his room was seemed to take double what Coren had said. When Coren finally turned on an intersection in the corridor they had been walking, Wes saw another impossibly long hallway. It was so long that he could not see the end, no matter how much he squinted. He stepped back into the corridor in which they came and looked down where he came from. All he could see was what he thought to be a wall in the distance. Fuh this place is huge.
Jogging back to Coren, he asked, “how am I supposed to know where to go for things? I understand that we have mostly been walking straight. But I'm guessing that not everything will be a turn or two away.”
Coren ignored him and kept walking in silence.
Wes had been half paying attention, so he missed when the portraits along the wall turned into pictures depicting great battles. You could not make out any of the people based on the style of the drawing. Always faceless blotches fighting other faceless blotches. But they were often holding strange tools or fighting instruments.
When Coren announced, “we’re here.” Wes nearly ran into his back.
Coren placed his hand on the door, and he heard a loud click followed by a loud thud. The door opened, revealing a huge room with a glass bubble ceiling that spanned the 100 feet across. Outside, he could see stars and a large planet or moon. Based on his first viewing he could not tell based on this initial perspective. It was either a super close moon or he was on a moon and that was a planet. Coren stepped into the Large room and looked back.
“If you wouldn’t mind.” Coren waved for him to step in.
Wes’ mouth still open, he did as instructed while taking in the rest of the room's extravagance. Chairs and long chairs lined the room. Cushions were arranged in a healthy-sized square in the middle. He suspected it was so people could lie down and look out into the stars. A lot of empty frames littered the walls. Along the wall to his right were a bunch of doors. Spaced about 20 feet apart. Directly ahead on the far wall was one grand double door that stretched all the way to the ceiling. And to his left was a grand opening that went out into a large body of water. He could only see the corner furthest from his vantage point and saw another glass ceiling in that room.
Coren offered him a smile, “It must be a lot to take in, but going forward, this will be yours. No other will be allowed in here unless you so desire. Those who wish to do harm to you will incur the wrath of our family as long as you take up residence here.”
“And what if it is another family member who wishes me harm?” Wes asked.
“Then that person would find themselves dying every second for the next thousand years or until our great Matriarch bored.” Coren was stern in his words. His reverence for Nia showed through.
He continued. “Since this has happened for you so quickly, we did not have a chance to prepare your servants. They are being gathered and ushered to us as we speak. The heads of each department will be arriving within the hour, followed by their families and or friends.”
“Servants?”
Coren nodded, “Yes, this is not your estate for the foreseeable future, and you will require servants to handle your day-to-day. Those gathered will be among the best we have to offer. But if you do not find any of them to your satisfaction, a replacement can and will be brought to rectify your dissatisfaction.”
“What do I need servants for?” Wes asked.
“For anything your heart desires. You have seen how long the walk is to the main house. Since you do not have any movement skills yet, they will be quite valuable when it comes to saving you time.” Coren replied.
“And if I do not want them?”
“Then they will be taken to the frontier and put to work in the name of our house,” Coren said.
That’s the same as condemning them to a life worse than how I grew up.
“Well, I best be getting along with these people.”
