“Qi Message: Grandmaster Li has arrived.”
“Grandmaster,” Peter heard Melinda’s voice.
“Good morning, my child. I have news.”
"What news, fa… grandmaster?"
“The Tournament has been advanced. It will start next week’s Monday.”
“Please, Father, they are not ready!” Melinda said in a jiffy. There was a desperation in her voice that Peter had never heard before.
“Rest at ease, my child. I persuaded the Council to change the rules. No more random duels-to-the-death. It will be a televised sporting event. After all, we’re a modern cultivator sect.”
“Thank you!” Melinda blurted.
"Don’t thank me. It’s your work that has to be credited. You know, child… At first, I thought this school of yours was a whim… That you're too soft and inexperienced. Yet, you got the second place in the trials, and your students helped me to vanquish that dragon… I'm proud of you. Hey! Don’t cry! What would your students think of you?”
Peaking through the tent’s aperture, Peter was the cultivator patting his daughter’s head while tears flew freely on Melinda’s cheeks.
“Go home, child. Give them the weekend off to think about participating.”
“I’ll select the best.”
“Don’t bother. Let all the ones who want to fight, fight. Now… there were some interesting developments. Aren’t you going to ask me?”
“What developments, grandmaster?”
“Hm… A grandmaster is not supposed to reveal secrets easily. A father, on the other hand…”
“What secrets, g— father?” Melinda asked, her annoyance displayed in a discreet roll of eyes.
That relationship is worthy of a full season of Korean drama.
“Calling me father is music to this old man’s ears. A Bounty Hunter took out headmaster Moon and four of his people. He calls himself Impulse."
"M-moon? But he was—"
"Rank seven, nearly eight. Spirit, but a sword champion. The assassin slayed him and his apprentices in seconds by pulling out their cores with his bare hands."
"The Fist of Death?" Melinda gasped.
"The supreme Rogue technique. And he Shadow Stepped."
"But how? The Rogues are no more. You killed them all."
"And yet, they seem to be. And it becomes even more interesting. The survivors swore they couldn’t detect a core on the assassin.”
“It’s impossible!”
“Maybe not. Even Wild Mages can become powerful if they train. I believe one or more old Rogue masters escaped, went into hiding, and started training people for the Cartels. If this assassin is from the Second Floor, he had enough time to train by now. If he’s from the First, as I hope, he’s a prodigy."
"But why go after Moon? What did he do to them?" Melinda turned her hands upward.
"He killed three of his students, himself, to keep the bounty money. A stupid, greedy bastard… And where is Moon's college?"
"Mexic…" Melinda whispered.
"One of the students must've been related to someone in the Cartels. A few hours later, the assassin destroyed a covert human base that was financed with drug money. He comes here, takes revenge on Moon, then blows the competition. Two stones, one bird. And he bragged openly on one of those human social media platforms.”
“There was a hidden human base here?” Melinda exclaimed. “You think the Traders helped them?”
“Of course. They were likely smuggling medicinal or drug plants from Floor Three.”
“How long will you allow them to—”
“We can’t eliminate them yet; our economy depends on them. But that doesn’t mean we cannot cull a few," the cultivator grinned. “Don’t you think it’s strange that Impulse advertises his hits?”
“It is,” Melinda nodded.
“He’s auditioning. Here I am, ready to take on the hardest challenges. He wants to move on from the cartels and play in the big league. Working for us.”
“You seem excited by the prospect,” Melinda leaned back, scrutinizing the cultivator.
"I am. This… Impulse is powerful and untraceable, the perfect tool. And frankly, I like his style. We’ll speak more of this later, my child. I have to go now. Know that I have ordered the rewards for the dragon to be sent to your college.”
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"F-father?" Melinda blurted. He couldn’t see everything, but a noise of creased fabric told Peter she had grabbed the man's sleeve.
"Yes, my child," the Grandmaster whispered.
“Thank you for modifying the rules of the tournament.”
"You’re welcome, Melinda.” The man exited without any more words and disappeared into the sky.
“Yeah…”
“The what?”
“Shit! Li really wants me to work for him…”
“Is it ready?”
“I get it… OK, let’s play along."
“Wake up!” Melinda shouted, amplifying her voice. The call finally extracted Regina from her slumber. “I have an important announcement.”
“What does she want now!” Regina complained.
Melinda waited for the students to gather and announced: "There are some changes in our schedule. Starting Monday, there will be an Arena Combat Championship. It’s a sports event involving students from all the schools, and there will be safety wards; no one will be hurt. Participation is voluntary, but watching is mandatory. You have until Sunday evening to register for the competition.
“Soon, transportation totems will be installed here and on the campus. You can use it to travel between this base, the college, and the Arena. You can use the latter for training. Our martial teachers will be happy to help. The official matches will begin on Monday. That's all."
“What’s happening?” Regina asked after Melinda retreated to her tent.
“We need a meeting,” Peter said. “Our communication strategy has backfired… or not. Depends.”
“What?”
“Can you call Ariana and Naomi? I’ll take care of Marius.”
“You can use the System or the chat.”
“Oh, true… System, can you—”
“He has been on night shift,” Regina said. “He’s a heavy sleeper… ”
“Runs in the family,” Peter smiled.
“What do you mean?” Regina puckered her lips.
“Err… I’m not sure, but I meant it in a good way,” he evaded a direct answer. “I’ll take care of waking him up. Where should we meet?”
“That hill?” Regina pointed to a higher vantage point, a little further than their usual meeting place. “That would allow us some space.”
“Great. See you soon.”
Marius’s military tent was at the other end of the camp, and he shared it with seven more guards. As Peter approached, the snores became louder. Inside, they reached a plane’s take-off noise, albeit only Marius and Daniel were there.
“Geez… are all old men so snory?” Peter shivered.
“Shut up, I don’t want to think about it! Actually, I do. I’ll love her no matter what.”
“Wake up!” Peter shook Marius’s shoulder. Startled, the veteran threw a fist in the younger man’s face and reached for a gun lying on a nearby chair. Peter had to punch Marius in the chin to stop him. And now, Marius was not snoring anymore but was unconscious.
“Fuck!” Peter gasped, realizing he was dressed only in his boxers and a sleeveless undershirt.
Forty-five minutes later, they finally arrived at the meeting place after a short walk and a Warp. Ariana and Naomi laid a blanket on the grass and offered cookies and sandwiches. Peter and Jack’s doppelgangers’ arrived five minutes later, with a buggy they left at the foot of the hill.
Presenting the news took half an hour because Peter was peppered with questions he tried to answer as best as he could, and often, the System had to intervene.
“This opens possibilities,” Marius said, rubbing his hands. “It’s the heist of a lifetime. First, you have a perfect alibi. Him,” he pointed to Peter’s double. “Each time you kill someone, he can cover for you. Like in the novels.”
“Mate, this is not about the job; it’s about getting the ring,” Peter from Two said. “The tournament is perfect for that. That guy, Li, will be in the public, right? I’ll equip a rogue class and pickpocket the ring from him.”
“What about those guys who teleport us every time,” Ariana asked. “They don’t look strong. What happens if we kidnap them or steal their staves?”
“We’re stuck with my plan for now,” Marius sneered at Peter’s double. “Peter gains Li’s trust, and we find a way to steal the ring later.”
“You’re talking like it’s easy. I’m supposed to kill a headmaster we know nothing about. Right, Naomi?” Peter asked.
“Only that his name is Wu, rank eight, and he’s the one who came up with the culling plan.”
Peter shrugged, turning his palms upward. “You get what I’m saying?”
“It’s risky?” Ariana asked.
“That’s not the point. I can retreat or be rezzed. Failing to kill the headmaster is failing the recruitment test.”
“If we go all in, I’m sure we can take him out,” Marius said. “We hit fast and hard.”
“I’ll scout the camp first,” Peter said. “If I think it’s possible to kill the bastard, I come and get you. If there’s a chance to take out the previous target, I’ll do that anyway; at least that’d be something. Meanwhile, you can think about what other things we should do. You’re the brainiacs; do some brainiacking,” he loosely waved his hand at Ariana and Naomi.
“Hey, I’m a brainiac too,” Peter’s doppelganger objected.
“Melinda,” Naomi said.
“Say again?” Peter asked.
“We make sure she and Ari get back together. When the ring is attuned, Ari asks Melinda to invite her father over for dinner, you know, know her family stuff, and we steal the ring.”
“I don’t like the idea of manipulating Melinda,” Ariana objected.
“It’s not manipulating if it’s for the greater good,” Naomi insisted.
“But what about Kos—”
“He’s obnoxious, fat, and snores every night. Do you think she’ll keep him for long?”
“Maybe we can nudge her in the good direction,” Peter said. “System, could you hack Kostel’s phone and find something to use against him? Porn, or whatever?”
“Whatever,” Peter sighed. “Naomi’s idea is better. If Li asks me to kill good people, I won’t be able to do it.”
“I could take your place,” Peter’s double said.
“Dude! That doesn’t make it better. We don’t hurt innocent people, point.”
“Smart!” Marius exclaimed.
Peter nodded absently. His eyes were attracted by the two persons who were not participating in the discussion but played together with Shredder, talking vividly. Regina and Jack’s doppelganger. A short burst of jealousy made him shiver, but he tried his best to chase it away.
“We better do some normal chores while Peter scouts that camp,” Ariana said. “It’s kinda weird we’re all slacking.”