Chapters 123-124: Fire Sale III and Peanut's Revenge

Authors note:

The second chapter is me trying to apologize. I have a tournament next Saturday and I won't be able to post a chapter. So, this is replacing it. If I can get one done early, great. If not, I'm afraid this will have to stand in. I hope you enjoy the chapter, it's been a long long time coming. (planned it a year ago)

Walker, Virgil, Rimi, and a dozen assorted floating assistants in the shape of items appeared in a large empty room. The entire area was dark, with a notification striking Walker’s overlay as his mind took everything in. 

Hello Jobe, and welcome to the Grand Auction’s Central Auction.

Walker rubbed the top of his head. They are the absolute worst at naming things. 

In just ten minutes, the Central Auction will begin. A few rules are as follows:

All exchanges must be done using Temporal resources.  

To combat any potential problems with violence during the event, as occurred during the time of Rendition 3AC, each room is magically sealed. 

Any attempts to breach these seals will result in the immediate expulsion of the offender, as well as potentially being banned from attending in the future. 

The total tally of purchases must be paid before exiting the Central Auction. Failure to do so may result in extreme fines and judicial punishment. 

After he looked away from the text, Walker looked toward the front of the room. A red curtain sat there, its edges holding a clear cyan coloring. He also noticed something missing. 

“No chairs or couches? Not even a divan?” The tired man said, surprised at the lack of accommodation. 

Virgil’s laugh surprised him, “Rimi floats, the weaponized assistants float, and I am in the shape of a modified gorilla.”

“And I’m a peasant,” Walker said with a sneer. 

“Indeed. Although a little comfort would be appreciated.” 

A nest of leaves and soft branches appeared near the curtain, causing Virgil to laugh again as he settled down, leaving Walker to glare at him. 

This is bullshit

They only had to wait a few minutes, Walker spending the time talking to Rimi about how the monsters back on Symphony were doing. 

“Many of them are growing closer to Sapience, although I’m not sure I like who will reach it first.”

“The Golden Wind?”

“Yep,” Rimi said in the affirmative, “Before we left, she was running from something.”

“Mmm, probably Chipper. Ever since his talk with Runner, he’s been traveling across the breadth of Symphony. I think he sees himself as some kind of Monster-hunting Adventerur now.”

“And you do not like that?” Virgil asked.  

Walker shrugged, “It’s not about what I like, but about what he wants to do. I’m still hopeful he’ll take over the Unending Summit for me, but I’m not about to tell him what kind of life he has to live. That goes directly against who we are and what we’re trying to do.”

They spoke for a few more minutes before the curtain shuddered and slowly began to open. That’s when they all got a good view of what kind of event they were looking at. 

A stage made of glossy wood stood in front of them, a series of lights arranged across the area for maximum visibility. Immediately to the left and right of Walker were other booths, although he felt annoyed that he couldn’t look inside them due to some kind of screen. But while it was frustrating that he couldn’t see them, he was also afforded the same protection. Then he noticed just how many booths were in the room. 

Thousands. 

“Wow.”

“Indeed,” Virgil commented, looking around as well, “Even the Assistant Database did not have any information on the Auction. It is a private event that has occurred multiple times during the rise of each new Rendition. I still believe our wealth will allow us to make multiple purchases; however, I feel we must be smart about what we buy.”

As he finished speaking, someone began to walk across the stage. He stood tall, a long robe wrapped around him. With pointed ears and his gaunt frame, Walker thought he was looking at the salesman from before, but the skin tone was different, a darker coloring to the man who had recently ordered his groin be attacked. 

“Welcome, all of you, to the Central Auction!” He said, the room deathly quiet as each screen held in sound as much as it did sight, speakers above bringing the sound to their hearing, “We will begin shortly, and I’m sure you have all perused the rules already. For those of you in the bottom seats,” He said, sweeping his gaze across the area Walker was located in, “This is your first Central Auction. The more you purchase, and the more you return, the higher your standing. Reach the peak and see an entirely new set of options only presented to our top clientele.” He looked far up into what Walker would think was the sky, “And to those of you with such standing, we thank you for attending our humble Auction.”

The greasy man took a small bow, one leg sweeping out fluidly behind him. It was strange to watch how silent everything seemed, the auctions of Walker’s homeworld being a flurry of voices and activity. 

As the moment ended, the man holding the pose for multiple sections, he stood up quickly, his voice matching his bodies speed, “Today we have an assorted collection from Rendition 4AA and beyond. The newest rendition, one of which whispers have spoken of across the entirety of the multiverse, is exactly what you have heard. It’s eccentric, changing how we view the entirety of our political and power dynamics. And with that in mind, let us get this moving forward.”

A cart was wheeled out by another gaunt, sharp-eared man, a bored expression on his face. Upon it sat a folded card. The presenter thanked him and stepped over, lifting the card high as he read off of it, “First up we have a new system available for auction. It’s called…a moment…ah. This is very funny.” He chuckled quietly to himself, the rest of the room silent, “The Monster system! Developed by Creator Dante of the newest rendition, it’s a power scaling system with a high variability to modification. The first bid goes for Four-hundred Temporal Resources.”

A button that hadn’t been there before appeared near the screen in the front. On the left was an up arrow, and on the right was a down, with the middle screen showing the current bids from the auction. As Walker watched, it had already shot up to six-hundred and fifty Temporal Resources.

“Motherfuckers.”

“Indeed.”

“Yep.”

Walker, Rimi, and Virgil sat there and watched as more than a few of their crafts and innovations came and went. The Monster system sold for eight hundred resources, while the Overwhelming Mana Tree sold for twenty-five hundred, Virgil commenting that the price was far undervaluing the power of their accidental creation. After the sale of something a Creator he’d never heard of had made, something to do with edible glass, the auction continued onward. 

Small vehicles and strange ore popped up, as did some items from other renditions. A quarter of a moon in a popular area was sold in something of a real estate auction, and a talking sword with a foul mouth passed hands at a surprisingly high price. But nothing Walker saw drove him to make a purchase yet. That is until someone else popped up that spelled some real trouble. 

“This fine entity is called a guardian, another creation of Dante’s from rendition 4AA.” The auctioneer called out as a young guardian came to the stage in chain. Only, rather than the white fur he and his assistants were used to seeing, it was pink. 

From the beating it’d taken. 

“These creatures are born with a naturally forming magical locus. They’re initially docile, but as you can see, put up more than a small fight when placed in bondage. My records show that they grow to be a little over five feet tall, to use the new Multiversal scaling system, and pair perfectly with Dante’s Monster system.” He said the last with a pointed look far above Walker’s location. 

Walker watched with gritted teeth as the bids quickly reached twelve hundred, showing no sign of stopping. 

He was trying to be calm about everything. Yes, he was tired. Yes, they were selling things he and his had worked hard to create. But he’d known there was always a good chance the Evolvers would claim his work as their own. He knew that the moment he’d started seeing his systems pop up in the designer. But this, seeing how they were treating such wonderful creatures, put a bur up his backside more than he had ever expected. Guardians weren’t meant to be in chains, they were meant to be free. He felt a large warm hand cover his shoulder. 

“Walker, stay calm, please.” Virgil counseled. But he should’ve been watching the other assistant. 

“Walker…” Rimi said in a tightly controlled voice beside him, “Walker, you need to buy the Guardian.”

“I know Rimi, I know.”

When the bid hit fifteen hundred, Walker upped it to sixteen. It continued for a few moments, going for long enough that the salesman’s voice sounded tired, another pointed-ear man running him a glass of water, before it finally ended. 

“Sold to a lower-gentle person for twenty-two-five.”

Walker felt his chamber rumble, and as it settled, the stage was now further below them, their screened area forced to compensate by zooming in visually. 

“Ah, we move up in rank the more we spend. Logical.”

“Yeah…logical.” Rimi said on Walker’s other side. 

An update struck Walker’s overlay, informing him of where to make the payment and pickup the Guardian, then the auction kicked off again. A rare painting by an obscure artist in the second rendition. A meet and greet with a member of the Bravo Protocol Council. Borrowing a Supreme Assistant for a week went for several thousand resources, before a new creature struck the stage. 

“Although you thought we would wait till the end, this next entity is a rare treat. Sold by her fellow entities in the third rendition, this creature has only reached its two-hundredth year, still a baby by her people's standards.”

The end of the stage expanded several feet as a large rolling machine on wheels came rolling out. Laying upon it, with dozens of dull gray chains wrapped across its body, sat one of the largest creatures Walker had ever seen. One half-opened eye with a slit iris looked around the room, panic clear in its gaze. Multiple scales covering its body were ripped off or dented, showing a series of injuries roaming across the vast breadth of its frame. 

“This beauty is a-”

“Scalebound Dragon,” Virgil said, the tone of his voice now sounding similar to Rimi’s from before, “A Dragon that lives by honor and oaths. But how did they even get it, and why would its family sell it?”

“Who says they did?” Walker replied hotly, “There were plenty of poachers from my world who would lie about how they stole an animal.” Walker rubbed at a pulsing stiffness in the side of his neck. “They probably snatched it up just for the auction, then came up with a story so everyone here would feel better about the situation.”

“But Walker, you do not understand-”

“He understands,” Rimi commented, “Walker…”

“Yeah.”

The sale started at two thousand, and Walker instantly increased it to four to push most of the bidders out. He ended up finalizing the purchase at five and a half, the largest sale of the day, according to the salesman. After their floor moved again, skyrocketing somewhere toward the top, another notecard came out. 

“The legendary evolution, self-regenerating cells. Discovered by the name I believe we all now know, Dante from rendition 4AA! Purchase and application of this evolution can lead to unchecked immortality,” He seemed to grin for a moment, “as long as you maintain your head.”

The pulse in the side of Walker's neck seemed to travel to the back of his skull, a feeling he knew well enough to know where it led. Neither Virgil nor Rimi commented as Walker closed his eyes and performed his breathing exercises. 

The evolution sold quickly, and it was immediately followed by a system invented in the third rendition that purified water through magical permeation, something Walker purchased at a steal of only five hundred resources. 

Just enough to inch them high enough for an update to his overlay. 

Congratulations Jobe!

Due to your purchases, you’ve now been granted access to a seat at the high-bidders club!

All high-bidders gain a preview of the next five auctions to arrive on the public floor and access to a few special auctions known only to those in your position. 

Keep bidding to hold your seat!

As it said, the next five auctions appeared on the sides of the screen, allowing him to move them around and view things from a 3D perspective. Most of the items coming up were weapons and systems Walker could either create or have created. They were low totem-poll items. However, another screen popped up near the bottom, showing the special auction item arriving at the high-bidders in the next few minutes. 

It was an Awakened man, but rather than the standard fleshy head, he had the head of something like a Jaguar. Spinning the representative image of the man, he found notes saying he was captured during the ongoing war with the Awakened, and came with a small family you could do with as you will. 

“How the fuck did they get that man’s family,” Walker said through gritted teeth. 

“War is hell,” Virgil replied calmly. 

“But he had a life before all of this. I mean, he’s a soldier, just like I was. Maybe he was drafted, and maybe he signed up, but that doesn’t matter. What right do the Evolvers have to not only sell this man as some kind of slave, but to sell his family with him? That’s not right. That’s not fair.”

“And what are you prepared to do about it, Walker?” Virgil asked seriously. “Based on the cost of what I am seeing during this auction, and what we have spent already, I am sure you can purchase him. But what if another appears? And another? Are you going to buy them all? What about those who may have been sold before we arrived?”

“I…I don’t know.”

But he had an idea. And after the next two items sold, Walker quickly purchased the man and his family. A new screen appeared, asking where they’d like them placed as they’re not part of the standard auction. Walker directed them to their storage unit, receiving a notification that it would be done immediately after the funds were transferred, with an overlay window appearing for just that reason. 

Paying the total cost of over ten thousand resources, Walker grimaced and accepted. The special auction went dark for a moment, as two new items appeared on the public side. 

“They didn’t,” Rimi said in a quiet voice. 

Walker looked at the next two public auction items and felt the blood in his veins freeze. The fourth item was the Milestone system, with a few notes written about how you could use it to manage and control a population effectively. The fifth item was a Battlefrog. 

The notes said they would be great fodder for any upcoming wars. 

“Rimi…”

“No, Walker. No. Not a Battlefrog. The Guardian was bad enough. Stealing our systems? That poor man and his family? How much can you take, Walker? What if Athena was on sale here? She’s an Awakened, right?”

“Rimi…”

“It’s not right, Walker. Everything about this is wrong.” He floated over to look right at the screen, “Change me back. I don’t want to look like this anymore.”

Walker looked at him, nodding and doing what he asked. Rimi was back in his blue form, a change Walker hadn’t realized he’d done intentionally until now. A moment later he was back to his ten-foot size. A huge black squirrel in a rage. 

“This all needs to end, Walker. And I don’t have the power to do it. I need you to.”

“Rimi, you’re asking me to kill thousands of people.”

“No, I’m asking you to kill the Nobles and the Auction staff. They’re the ones doing this, right? The ones who the Auction bastards knew would find interest in this sick fiasco.”

“Rimi,” Virgil commented, “this could all blow back on us. Walker no longer has his shield. If we attack, and things go bad, that could be the end of everything. As Walker dies, so, in effect, do we.”

“I don’t care,” Another auction ended, the Battlefrog moving up a slot, “This is wrong! Who are they to have this kind of power. Where did they even get the resources to do this? From their families? For what? What’s the point!”

The special auction screen updated. Walker felt time slow down as his eyes traveled to the item.

Planet I4959826

Rendition grouping: 3

Local Designation: Earth

Currently a target of the Omega Protocol, pending completion of stage one interference. 

This planet has had its population greatly reduced recently, and is within a powerful Temporal Displacement field.

Upon purchase, the winning bidder will be granted all remaining residents and resources. 

Starting bid: 25,000 Temporal Resources

Bidding begins in ten minutes…

Just below it, he found an extra note tagged for the planet. 

Rumour says this is where Creator Dante of rendition 4AA comes from! Who knows, you could find another genius mind!

End of 123: Fire Sale III

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Start of 124: Peanut's Revenge

“Genius…”

“Indeed…”

“Virgil?” Walker said, looking over at his closest advisor, still in his ridiculous Donkey Kong appearance, “I want to fuck their shit up. Like, real, real, bad. Maybe, if I do a good enough job of it, I can stop that.” He waved a spasming hand at the screen. 

“Walker, it already plainly states that they are in the midst of the Omega Protocol. I do not think we can fight that, even with all of our power. Kill one of the Omega Protocol, and they will only send a dozen more in their place. They are the Evolver's last line of defense. Creatures with unimaginable power.” 

“Omega Protocol?”

“Consider them a clean-up crew for planets that grow out of control.”

Walker shook his head, “But if I destroy this place, maybe, just maybe, Earth will have a little more time.”

Virgil shrugged, “Perhaps, but we do not really know. We also do not know how many still survive on your homeworld. This could all be for nothing.”

“Who cares!” Rimi screamed at them both, the Battlefrog next on the list, “Just fuck up everything, Walker! Go full Dante on them! Crush them into fucking nothing and leave them only questions about how this all happened. No survivors!”

“Whoa, Rimi, calm down.”

“I’m not Rimi right now; I’m his alter-ego, Peanut! And Peanut wants blood!” 

Walker put both hands on the arms of his friend, “Are you sure about this Rimi? Once we start, it’s pretty much only going to end one way.”

The large squirrel gave a fierce nod, “I cannot attack citizens of the Multiverse, Walker. But I can do other things. I’ll help.”

Walker nodded, looking over at Virgil, who gave a comically large eye roll. 

“Change me back.” A second later, Virgil was back in his squirrelly skin, “Thank you. While I do not have the same provisions applied to me as Rimi, I am not built for combat. But I will help as well.”

Walker nodded again, knowing both of them were behind him. On the stage in front, a bleeding Battlefrog was rolled out onto the stage, one of its legs broken at an odd angle, something that stirred up a feeling within Walker’s chest. He took a deep breath, looking within to find what that feeling was. Words floated through his mind as a sad doot echoed from the stage. 

I will always help those in need. 

Walker separated his soul from his body. It didn’t take a great deal of energy, and it allowed him to roam across an area not protected for this possibility. Thousands of booths sat in the area, and as he peaked inside of a few, he saw scenes that only further solidified his need for vengeance. 

Garish displays of food and drink on a planet that had to offer basic fare for free from those who could barely afford it. 

Laughter and pointing at a poor creature crying out in pain in front of them. 

And on every screen in the high-bidders club, a zoomed in image of his home planet, greed held in the eyes of those who would seek to own it. 

Walker collected himself back and turned around. An assortment of weaponized assistants were arrayed there, holding in place for his instructions. He called over the sword first. 

“Assistant, are you able to attack citizens of the Multiverse.”

“Query response: Negative, peasant Jobe of the Court of Magic.”

“Understood. Another question for you: do you have a database for citizens of the Multiverse? As in, can you tell the difference between a random citizen of the Multiverse, and a Noble.”

“Query response: Correct. All Nobles of the Multiverse are required to have up-to-date credentials, just as all Assistants are required to have up-to-date records from the Assistant database. Is there something I may assist you with?”

“Yes. All Assistants, update your databases immediately.”

A few seconds later, each assistant reported back their compliance. 

“Excellent.”

Walker reached into his abilities and pulled out his Omniversal brand. Stepping forward, he placed his hand on the sword. When he pulled it away, a book with a tree on it, hints of purple within its pages sat on the sword’s hilt. 

“Query…What did you just do, Peasant Jobe?”

Walker walked to each weaponized assistant and continued the pattern until they all held his brand. Each began to talk, questioning him on what he was doing, until Walker held up a hand. 

“I will answer your questions in time. But first, there’s something we need to do. Each of you is disconnected from the Assistant database now, correct?”

A chorus of Correct came back to him. 

“Excellent. I name you Cadre as a group. I will call on you to do something for me in a few moments. I expect you to do it with great accuracy and no delay, is that understood?”

Understood!

Walker nodded, then stepped toward the screen, his two assistants waiting for him. “When this goes down, you’ll want to be out there causing havoc. Use your mental faculties, and as things calm down, come and find me. I’m going to do some crazy shit in a minute, but we don’t have a lot of time.” A sad doot echoed out again as the Battlefrog’s bid was accepted. “And I need to move fast. Good luck, and don’t get caught.”

“Be safe, Walker,” Virgil said as he stepped back.

“Thank you, Walker,” Rimi said, stepping back as well. 

Walker reached into his abilities and gripped Nullification Field.

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As the Auctioneer loudly proclaimed that the Battlefrog’s sale was much lower than expected, his helper already wheeling it out as it flopped around, a woman in the back watched the auction with excitement in her eyes. 

“This is one of the best auctions we’ve ever held. Who knew that such a large group of bidders would arrive this time around. We’ve really struck it rich!”

The man beside her bounced on his toes, “I know! With this funding, we’ll be set up for the next three renditions! I still can’t believe we got that Dragon! How’d you do that!”

“I have a friend in the Psi Protocol,” She said with a grin, “He can get me all kinds of rare entities. You should see the giant…wait what’s that?”

As she said that, a huge wave of sparks splashed out in a massive ring from one of the top booths. As it passed, each screen faltered and turned off. The lights in the auditorium went out, and the Auctioneer’s voice, empowered by the magical apparatus in his hand, stopped working. The woman looked at the man who looked back at her with a confused expression. As she was about to speak, a voice could be heard from far away. 

"I used to think I was a small fish in a big sea. Just another guppie. A goldfish even, with the memory of one. But now I know the truth. I know what you all are. This, all of your excess and waste. Your cruelty and greed. It’s going to fail. To fall. I almost lost myself in it as well, before I truly understood the heart of what you are. Now, I see that you're all minnows, believing you're sharks. This is my sea, and your world is already over."

-System Message

The System Administrator has locked all systems in the localized area

“Did that say the SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR !” She screamed at the man. 

Before he could respond, the gravity in the area changed. What used to be a very comfortable environment for their thin frames now felt punishingly harsh. One of the Gordites in the third-row balcony actually fell through the floor, crushing the group below them in a haze of screams. A flash of light lit the area, and the entire top floor balcony exploded, flames and lightning firing out over the area. 

The voice spoke again, “They were the worst of your kind, but still, there is more work to be done. Cadre, target all nobles within the area. Exterminate them with extreme prejudice, hold nothing back.”

Weakly heard, a group of voices confirmed the order. The woman began to hyperventilate. She looked toward the exit nearby, where her friend was already pounding on something. It was the air. 

“What is this? There’s no forcefield or generator! It’s like the air has hardened!”

“Not air, space. A friend of mine showed me how to do it, " a voice said. As she turned around, the speaker stepped down through the air, floating as if moving down a staircase no one could see. The gravity around him asserted itself more powerfully, making the bones in her legs break as he grew closer. She cried out involuntarily as the god-like being stepped over to her. 

“Cadre, do you have any information on this one?”

“Noble: Lira vu Alsing. Family line: Greystalls. Head of all exotic acquisitions for the Central Auction. They are suspected of stealing resources from multiple planets and bribing officials of the Ipsilon Council. The Assistant database labeled them as important to multiple councils.”

“Alright, that’s enough for me,” He reached his hand up, and a sword fell into it on its own. With a glare in his black eyes, he swung it down with speed before they seemed to swallow her whole.

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As Walker rampaged throughout the Auditorium, Virgil and Rimi were busy on their own. The moment the upper balcony blew, Walker having warned them that would be his first target, they raced through the back areas. After Walker had fired off the Nullification Field ability, all of the screens had gone down, including the back area, where the cleaning crew likely moved through after the auction ended. 

Thus, while they had time, both sped in different directions. While Rimi ran down the stairs with the aim of helping the creatures locked up in the back, Virgil had other ideas in mind. He ran into each room on the top balcony, the previous occupants currently in pieces of gone entirely, and collected every little thing they dropped. 

While Walker had included resource trading as a part of the Omniversal update, most of the Multiverse still used containment spheres to hold their wealth. As such, Virgil had no problem delving into each room and grabbing a veritable fortune of Temporal resources. 

He didn’t feel bad about it. Resources were resources, and they needed them more than their previous owners. 

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Rimi burst into the bottom-floor room, a sign labeling it as containment. A few terrified nobles with pointed ears looked at him. Immediately, he wound up his arm and threw it forward. 

Warning: Assistants may not attack Multiversal citizens. 

You have been warned. 

“Fucker!” Rimi cursed. 

“It-it’s an assistant! An Assistant tried to attack me!”

“What’s happening out there!”

“I wish I knew! Someone call the Zeta Protocol!”

A large amount of tapping at the nearby door drew Rimi’s attention. Dodging around several platforms holding entities chained down, he quickly moved over toward it. 

“What’s that assistant doing!”

“Somebody stop it!”

But they were far too slow. Rimi threw the door open, finding two Cadre sitting outside. The Spear tilted its tip at him as if in salute, then dove through, quickly followed by a pair of daggers. That’s when the screaming began. 

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Walker was tired. 

Pulling on his Elemental strand, he formed it into a fireball and threw it at a group of skinny bastards on the second level. Everytime he asked the Cadre about them, the things they told him always made it plain that they needed to die. At this point, he just assumed they were guilty by appearance. 

A little fucked up? It was, he had to admit to himself. Maybe even stereotyping to some degree. But he was really starting to feel worn out and didn’t want things to get any worse. Then, the sword identified something he didn’t expect. 

“Noble group located: The Arisen.”

“Arisen? What’s that?”

“Query response: The Arisen is a small Noble group who broke away from the Awakened after betraying them during a snatch and grab mission just prior to the first Rendition.”

Those are the fuckers who grabbed Kwaya.

Walker looked over at the group on the first floor, stepping down toward them. Each had purple hair bound up in different types of crowns floating overhead. Their clothing looked like they’d seen better days, with patches and tied-up areas, but still, they were here, meaning they had some kind of currency. He searched back in his memories, finding a name for them. 

“The Umplari? Why? Why would you betray her? She was like your child!”

“Who be you and how you know tha name!” One old woman yelled out, a finger raised as she pointed at him. 

“Who I am doesn’t matter. Why are you here?”

“Wha you mean why we ere?” A man said beside her, “This be a auction we be attending. Who be you to be killing all dees people.”

“Justice,” Walker said with a glare. “Does the name Kwaya mean anything to you?”

“Pah!” The old woman yelled out, “Da fool betray our ways. We know of her well. Legend. Myth. Failure.” She spit on the ground, “She make us like dis. She break da path.”

“She protected you!“Walker screamed, completely unaware that he was defending Kwaya’s actions to these people. “You betrayed her, not once but twice!”

“We no kill her. We no break da way!”

Walker shook his head, “Cadre, spare them. They’re already miserable enough.” As he said that he began to move away, just as the balcony above it collapsed, crushing three of the purple-haired Umplari. 

He looked back, “Whoops.” 

Three souls floated up, causing Walker to reflexively suck in air in his startlement. They entered him through his mouth.

Basic Godeater Threshold met

Empowered souls obtained: Five

Restoring basic functionality.

A huge spread of energy coursed through Walker’s body, washing away his exhaustion and immediately making him feel better, though he didn’t know how to feel about that. 

“What the fuck!”

“Walker!” Rimi yelled out, waving from a recessed section not far away, Virgil beside him, “We’ve gotta go. This place is starting to collapse!”

“Coming! Cadre, come on!”

The group of weaponized assistants flew over, forming a guard around the trio as they ran through the area. When they reached the back, still inside the building, Walker found dozens of creatures and items waiting for him. 

“Jesus, you guys didn’t hold back.”

“That would be Rimi, Walker.” Virgil replied. Then, with two cupped hands, he presented a huge collection of medium-sized metal spheres, “With these resources, I believe we more than paid for our trip here.”

“Uhh-” Walker’s brain short-circuited for a moment, “Okay, then.” 

Reaching into the system administrator window, Walker turned off the system lock. Looking around at the large group of differently abled and injured creatures. Walker had an idea. Reaching into his strands, he lifted the Life strand high above his head and pumped multiple resources into it. 

A large green aura filled the air, dropping like an umbrella upon everyone in the area. As those around him watched their wounds heal in moments, they began to whisper about what was happening. Chains removed, the Scalebound Dragon stood up for the first time, looking around. 

“What is this? What are you?”

Walker smiled at him, “Hopefully, your new landlord. Now, everyone get into the portals. We’ll have to travel twice, but we’ll get to Symphony one way or another.”

Activating the temporary portal system, he placed three in front of everyone, with one very large portal for the Dragon and other large creatures. Taking them directly to the storage area, Walker spotted a smiling Rimi, a newly healed and dooting Battlefrog on his shoulder. Virgil coordinated everyone, and they quickly grabbed up all of Walker’s purchased resources before diving through another series of temporary portals. 

Just as they stepped onto Sonata’s soil, Walker looked around at the curious faces. He scratched one finger against a brown beard. 

“What?”

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Deep in the center of the Grand Auction

The location of the Central Auction was a supreme secret to many. Hidden in a deep and private spot, within the core of the excavated planet itself, it was a crowning achievement for the Multiverse. A wonder of engineering and hard work. 

Well, the hard work of Assistants, that is. 

But today, it stood mostly empty. Silent but for a few wailing voices and shouts of pain. Then a grand cracking sound rang out. 

The top balcony collapsed, driving the second-most top balcony down onto the third, then the fourth. Onward, the destruction and weight built upon itself, breaking the building into pieces of its former grandeur. 

A few purple-haired folk looked around at the utter devastation, worry growing at the understanding that any who survived would be questioned thoroughly. Then, a notification saved them the effort. 

Warning: The planet The Grand Auction is due to collapse. 

Time until total destruction: Five minutes