OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 306: A Game For Vez

Chapter 306: A Game For Vez

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The three talked between themselves for a while, but soon it was apparent to even those not listening that no one else had something to report, so they moved on to the fourth phase of

the meeting.

Transactions.

It was time to exchange with the rest while keeping it in 'tune,' as Mr. Player previously stated.

"Well, I'll start again by asking for the same holy relic..."

Mr. King asked, with annoyance seething in his voice, a question that seemed to have been repeated many times in previous meetings.

"Have any of you found leads on one that could clone me, conciseness and all, like those Class-Three Technomancers?"

All chess pieces shook their heads with the exception of Mr. Pawn.

Emir was stroking his chin while looking back at Mr. King as they locked eyes.

It appeared that the man held hope that their new member would've had something.

"Anything specific? Flaw doesn't matter? Give details."

Mr. King nodded.

"Third ability, third upgrade, NanoClone. Flaw mustn't give out my location or sound any alarms; simply put, I need my actions to be hidden and not broadcasted. Money is no object."

After a moment of thought Emir nodded as well.

"I'll see what I can find... Don't expect much though, as most of you have already noticed I don't have much experience in things outside my planet."

While he still held a glimmer of hope, he didn't wish to put any pressure on Emir and his next words indicated that:

"Don't worry about it."

Ms. Knight then interrupted their moment with a smile:

"Not all of us are rollin' in coin like that lad, so don't ye go gettin' all jittery, ya hear? And aye, ye scream space virgin, clear as day."

"Cease your drivel and ask for what you want."

At Ms. Queen's comment, Ms. Knight quietened down like a disciplined puppy and said:

"I be needin' a couple more white Aether cores for meself and me crew. We got hammered hard, and we need that boost if we're to keep up."

Mr. King's bling rattled as he excitedly raised his arms to the air and clasped his hands together like a shrewd merchant.

"Allow me, little miss... I presume you've gained quite a bit of a Valora but I need details. What's your budget?"

"Well, we're talkin' Behemoths here, so I can manage about a thousand Vez a pop, no more." "Hm, for that I can only get you the ten Aether core variety, behemoths with more cores will need much more than just a thousand."

"Ye won't lend a hand here? No friend discount, eh?"

"No, mixing family and business like that is never my policy, you ever heard of the quote, don't shit where you eat?"

"But... blast it all! Ye gold-headed piece of "

Emir stopped listening.

While they went back and forth, discussing the price, or rather, talking smack about each other, he went back on all that they talked about.

Firstly, someone with not much 'coin,' could pay thousands of Valora, so-called Vez, as if it were nothing.

Secondly, Behemoths, monsters that he couldn't imagine fighting any time soon, were being sold like livestock, even those with Aether cores higher than ten. It was most probably the case even for the strongest of them as well, the Behemoths that had thirteen cores.

Thirdly, Mr. King seemed to have difficulty moving around, it fit his name quite nicely. A chess piece who seemingly had many connections but couldn't do much by himself, so it made sense that he needed that Holy Relic's help, to slip through the chains that bound him. Fourthly, Emir figured out a couple of clan names, reaching six out of the total ten, a number he based on the eyes that visited his breakthrough.

He knew his own, Eternal Star, one called Last Wish that housed Ms. Queen, a succubus or demoness of sorts; another called Void Walkers, from which Mr. Board came; an Elf; maybe a transformation caused by an ability, mostly likely a Ranger.

Mr. Rook from Duskmourn seemed to be the same, an ability that caused him to become vampire-like, and with that came the prejudice of him hating 'star's light,' it fit as well since their clan's name implied that they mourned the dusk leaving them.

He mentioned Steelborn, another clan, most definitely where all the cyborgs and cyber- enhanced people reside. Tech junkies and the like would likely be there as well.

And speaking of the dwarf, she, of the Edgekeepers, protected the borders of the known universe with her blade.

But this was where the whole transformation thing lost Emir.

Why was a Knight specialist so short? Dwarfs weren't meant to be knights, were they? Such a transformation made no sense, especially compared to the others.

Was she a Knight or was he wrongly assuming that?

Anyhow, such a dilemma didn't stay in his mind for long as he thought about the fifth and final thing that struck out to him, besides their sometimes weird accents, rather mostly Ms.

Knight's.

The Order was mentioned.

A "Sentinel of their's" Mr. Rook said.

From what Emir knew of them, he expected the Sentinel to be another technological construct, yet from the way they talked about it, it seemed to be something incredibly powerful, matching the status of high-ranking Archons, worth mentioning even in clan

reports.

'Hmm...'

As he began to conclude everything, he couldn't help but inwardly say:

'I'm really way out of my league here...'

But that wasn't something that affected him. In fact, it only increased his already insane drive

to go forward as he finally took a real glimpse at the other side.

"Now, is there anyone else?"

At those words from Mr. Board, Emir's attention returned to the table.

Like the shameless man that he was, he proceeded to ask something no one expected except

the one at the head of the table.

"Yes... I've got many questions and not much money, so am I allowed a few freebies?"

Ms. Knight smiled and lightly tapped his shoulders.

"Aye, and why don't we settle that with a game for Vez? What say ye, Mr. Player?"