Apocalypse Redux

Chapter 4: An offer I can absolutely refuse

The person he’d been on this date in the other timeline would have been disgusted with him, Isaac reflected.

That him, twelve years ago, had been a perfectly normal person, living a normal life without significant scarcity. Crime, serious, organized crime, that was, had been something he’d regarded as universally evil. Now … he still didn’t like it. None of the people he was about to meet were good people.

But they were in an excellent position for him to sell to. Enough resources to purchase his goods, but not with quite enough reach to track him down the way the CIA, KGB or any other alphabet soup intelligence agency did. Those people would love to buy stuff like this, but trading with them would actually be more dangerous for Isaac.

Most importantly though, he knew this guy. He’d met him in the other timeline and they’d gotten into a conversation about the ‘good old days’, which was how Isaac had known how to contact the man.

Even if they hadn’t been friends, hell, Isaac didn’t really like the guy, this was a comparatively safe and expedient method of gaining money and an avenue to get his hands on somewhat … restricted goods.

Yet that was the crux of the situation, wasn’t it? Expediency? Compromising morals for the sake of achieving one’s goals?

People talked about the ends justifying or not justifying the means as though achieving the ends erased the damage inflicted by the means. But it didn’t work like that. Burn down every orphanage on the planet to save the world and you get to still have a planet, but one that didn’t have any orphanages on it and an ocean of blood on your hands.

So, was a vast criminal organization getting their hands on a pair of decently powerful Aspects worth the potential benefits to him?

Well, the answer was yes. But deep down, Isaac knew that the answer would have been different on this date in the other timeline. And that sucked.

He took a deep breath and grabbed a pocket mirror from his jacket to examine his reflection. A face that wasn’t his own stared back at him. Piercing blue eyes that pushed the boundary of what was natural, higher cheekbones and a slimmer skull. He’d spent almost half an hour before the mirror to make this happen, but he hadn’t done a half bad job.

The person he was meeting with could easily be aware of the existence of [Hundred Faces] and have a subordinate who’d chosen it, but then he’d also know how hard it was to properly use it. A natural face was, at least for now, near irrefutable proof that it hadn’t been altered.

Taking a deep breath, Isaac opened the door to the restaurant called Salutation and made his way inside.

“Good morning Sir, do you have a reservation?” the host asked, a middle aged Italian man in a sharp suit.

“Yes, I’m meeting someone. Name’s Holt.” Isaac replied, giving a fake name for obvious reasons.

Yes, he’d named himself after a TV show character, but that was unlikely to be a problem. Only truly distinctive names like Kirk, Picard, or Bond would actually raise any red flags. And you needed to get your fake names from somewhere.

“Ah yes, you’re expected.” the host said, not missing a beat. Clearly, working at a restaurant that regularly held meetings between the owner, who was a mob boss, and the kinds of people someone like that met with was no longer something that fazed him. Or maybe, he’d been chosen specifically for his unflappable attitude.

He led Isaac deeper into the building, past the normal seating area, until they came to a stop in front of a normal looking door.

“Wait here, please.” the host said, slipping inside. And then, nothing happened, causing Isaac to internally roll his eyes. Making him wait was such a basic power play, but what else was he to expect? At the end of the day, he was a complete unknown asking directly for a meeting with a mid-level member of a rather large criminal organization. Or maybe, the man was just busy.

Isaac took this as a chance to review his status.

Name: Isaac Thoma

Class: Rogue

Species: Human

Level: 1

XP: 394/200

Health Status: Healthy

Mana: 120/120

Stats

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Fortitude

12

Perception

12

Strength

10

Agility

12

Magic Power

12

Magic Regeneration

17

Free Points: Stat, 0 Skill

Skills

Hundred Faces I

Stealth I

Power Strike I

Piercing Strike IV

Sundering Strike I

Knives V

Sneak V

Sweeping Strike I

Far Strike I

Aspects

Aspect Skills

Specter

Spectral Shift

Not much had changed there, stat wise, but he’d gotten [Sneak] up to Level 5 with his shenanigans on the train, plus [Piercing Strike] to Level 4 and [Knives] to 5 during his fights against the Specters. He’d used them quite a bit, but the enemies he’d used them on had been easy for him.

Finally, the door opened again and the host waved him in. The room that greeted Isaac was a relatively normal restaurant room, though a little large for one that only held a single table for two.

There were currently four people in the room, Isaac included. The host, Isaac himself, aaaaand a pair of human boulders standing against the far wall, impassively looking at him.

It seemed it would take a bit longer for the meeting to happen. Another basic power game, how lovely. Not wanting to be seen waiting for the person you were meeting, therefore appearing to be the supplicant, all of that had very little to do with actual power, only the appearance of power. Annoying, but this was what happened when one demanded a meeting with a relatively high up person in any organization while being an entirely unknown.

One of the two security guards walked forward and Isaac spread his arms to be patted down, which the man did in a quite professional manner. He didn’t find much, seeing as Isaac had phased most of his belongings into a wall to be retrieved later, including anything that might be construed as a weapon.

Glancing around the room, he noted there weren’t any other weapons around. Perhaps some of the utensils might be able to be used to hurt someone, but they’d only be brought out when there was any food on the table, if any. It was entirely possible that the only food that that table would see was food that did not require utensils to eat, but Isaac doubted it. That would not only be excessively paranoid, it was also something that favored the business owner with his guards.

In the end, however, Isaac wasn’t particularly worried. Precisely nothing here had been set up to contain someone who could walk through walls.

“I don’t suppose there’s a timeline on when this meeting will happen?” Isaac asked, sitting down on the chair closest to the door without it being offered. Then, he pulled out one of the Specter Aspects and put it on the edge of the table. Lastly, he activated the description in such a way that it was visible to everyone, not just him. This was something anyone could do, but the virtual instruction manual included in the [System] was close to ten thousand pages thick and no one would have already been able to read it all already. Finding specific things was rather easy, but you’d have to know they were there.

Aspect of the Specter:

This is the distilled essence of what makes a Specter a Specter. Walking through walls as if there were nothing there, a rather loose relationship with gravity and the power to hunt the living with ease.

Requirements for Activation:

1,000 XP

Open Aspect Slot

Grants:

+5 Magic Regeneration

One of the following Skills:

Spectral Shift

Specter’s Flight

Hunt of the Damned

“This is what I’m selling.” Isaac announced, looking at one of the bodyguards, holding the man’s gaze unflinchingly. Eventually, the bodyguard blinked and broke eye contact.

Isaac just turned towards the host “In case this is going to take much longer, can I order something to eat? You know better than me what’s good here, what would you recommend?”

The host stepped forward and began to suggest dishes until Isaac chose a charcuterie board. While he was a little irritated with the wait, outwardly, he didn’t let anyone see that. Looking nonchalant would make it seem like he didn’t give two shits about these childish power games and as if his position was a great deal stronger than it was.

After another few minutes, a door that had been hidden between the two bodyguards opened to reveal a rather average looking Italian man in a sharp suit. Perhaps not entirely average, he was quite a bit more muscular than your average joe in this day and age, but not someone that would stand out in a crowd. And while the man tried to hide It, Isaac caught the expression of surprise on his face at the visible [System] screen.

This was Francesco Calise, the man Isaac had come here to meet.

On the outside, he presented the appearance of a cliché Italian mobster, friendly until there was absolutely no reason to be. Beneath that was a ruthless businessman, one who did not let the limits placed by the law hinder him. But at his core, he was a ruthless pragmatist.

Someone who always followed through on his word, not necessarily due to a sense of honor, but the knowledge that in doing so, he gained a reputation for this, making his word something worth believing. He might still screw people over, but never, ever, in a situation where that could become common knowledge, his reputation was far too valuable for that.

In addition, Isaac had found him to be rather helpful in the other timeline, towards the end. Calise had seen the writing on the wall far earlier than other people, recognized that while his own personal fortune might be able to make him fairly powerful, it wouldn’t give him the strength to survive the coming calamity. However, spread out among a few others, who would reach almost as high, it might make a difference.

So, Calise had loaned out almost his entire fortune, including rare Aspects and artefacts that had been created since the Initialization of the [System], at absurdly generous terms, the kind that would have any normal loan shark catatonic from shock. In order to make people accept the offer, there had even been a clause included that would forgive the debt in the case of their death against the monster horde.

His actions had provided humanity dozens of powerhouses, most of which had changed the course of several battles on their own. Ultimately, it hadn’t been quite enough, but that hadn’t been his fault. In fact, in the European theater of war, he’d done more than anyone who wasn’t a powerhouse in their own right and more than many who were.

All of this combined to make him one of the better candidates for trading Aspects to. Someone who would play fairly straight with Isaac, all to protect his precious reputation. Someone who didn’t quite have the resources to search for Isaac all the way home if he were so inclined, yet could both afford his prices and give him an in to the expansive black market for mystical goods that would soon come into being.

And most importantly, however, was the fact that Isaac knew the man. Not well, but better than anyone else he might have been inclined to sell to. Besides, amongst the things he knew of the man had been a way to contact him via the dark net. It had been old when they’d met the first time around, but it had been brought online only a couple of weeks ago and shouldn’t have been known to too many people by now. Isaac simply using it should have and had given him an opening.

“Good morning Mr. Calise, thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I know you must be rather busy, given the unpleasantness of yesterday. However, I do believe you’re going to be interested in what I have to sell.”

Isaac gestured to the Aspect already on the table, not getting up to greet the other man. A subtle snub, intended to make it rather clear that he didn’t regard the man standing on the other side of the table as someone he needed to be wary of. And he really didn’t. Literally no one would have any experience fighting Ephemeral foes right now, let alone chasing someone who could walk through walls or drop through the floor with a mere thought. Getting away if he needed to was a near certainty as things stood.

“As you can clearly see, this is something new, something that very few people will have any idea even exists for a while longer.”

“Well, this is certainly rather interesting, Mr. Jacob Holt.” Calise smiled slightly as he sat down and leant back in his chair “Tell me, however, who told you how to contact me?”

The question was asked in an even tone, betraying not even a hint of the curiosity that Isaac knew had to be burning in his mind.

“I believe that particular piece of information is one I will keep close to my chest for now.” Isaac replied with the same slight smile. There really were only so many ways someone could already have known to use that particular method of contact, most requiring a not insignificant amount of resources or connections. Luck was also a possibility, of course, but simply assuming someone had gotten lucky could easily bite one in the ass.

“As is your prerogative, I suppose.” once again, nothing betrayed even a hint of curiosity “Now, you said you wish to sell this … Aspect to me. Something that interacts with this new [System] to grant new [Skills]. I must say, that is a rather unusual offer.”

Before he could say more, the host stepped inside, carrying the charcuterie platter Isaac had ordered earlier. Out of the corner of his eye, Isaac could see the two bodyguards tense as they spotted the rather sharp knife that lay next to the salami.

“Perhaps a demonstration is in order.” he said, smoothly rising to his feet and walking to the host, where he picked up the knife from the platter. In response, the bodyguards visibly readied themselves to intercept an attack, but it had been entirely unnecessary.

Isaac grasped the knife firmly in his right hand, placed the blade against his left wrist and drew it along his flesh. It was a wound that would have bled terribly, been potentially even fatal if he’d cut deep enough, but the piece of razor sharp metal simply passed through pale blue, ghostly flesh.

The fact that Isaac had shifted his entire arm from the elbow downwards, along with the clothes covering that part of his body meant that everyone could clearly see the everything that happened.

“This is what I’m offering you, Mr. Calise.” Isaac announced as he sat back down.

“Color me intrigued, Mr. Holt. Now, I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me how you got those?” Calise asked.

“I killed some monsters. If you get lucky, you can get a little something extra past the XP reward.” Isaac shrugged, not bothering to elaborate past that.

“Sounds like that’s something anyone can get, then.” Calise said

“Let me ask you something, how many Aspects have you gathered to date, Mr. Calise? And please don’t insult my intelligence by pretending you haven’t tried out the Summoning System at least a little. One, maybe two?” Isaac asked, fairly certain that the real number was zero. Aspects dropped at a higher rate from stronger monsters, to the point where even [Field Bosses] were guaranteed to drop at least one. Also, drop rates were quite a bit better if one was fighting enemies stronger than oneself.

Of course, that also ensured that there was one good piece of loot on each [Field Boss] that everyone knew was there, causing quite a few fights even after victory had been achieved. Yet another subtle trap in the Summoning System to encourage humans to fight amongst themselves, one that didn’t even look like a trap unless one was already on the lookout for things like that and aware of the overall purpose of the Summoning System.

“That isn’t exactly something one shares with a new acquaintance.” Calise nevertheless avoided the question.

“Of course. However, in case you haven’t been able to gather an equivalent piece of loot and are interested in this Aspect and others like it, you’ll find my rates to be rather acceptable.” Isaac said, fighting to keep a sleazy used car salesman smile off his face. Now was not the time for stupid jokes, no matter how badly he wished it were otherwise.

“Just one more thing, Mr. Holt. You’ve yet to prove that the object is genuine.” Calise said.

“I’d suggest that the [System] screen is proof. I might be able to lie to you, but I can’t make the [System] lie to you.”

“Is that so?” Calise asked, a dangerous glint in his gaze, causing Isaac to swear internally. The truism of the [System] being truthful was something that wouldn’t come into being for quite some time.

“That is so. People have pored over every piece of the instruction manual and while ways to share one’s screens and make those belonging to objects visible to all are available, there is no way to falsify the information those screens contain.” Isaac said. The fact that said research had been made public in another timeline rather than having been scrounged up by his non-existent minions wasn’t something he felt the need to share.

“You put a lot of trust in something we’ve barely had for 24 hours.” Calise observed.

“Well, everything I’ve been able to verify about the [System] has proven true. And while the only source of information about the [System] being the [System] itself is a bit of a stumbling block, like I said, it hasn’t lied to me yet. A certain healthy skepticism is obviously prudent, but barring information to the contrary, I’m willing to trust in what it’s told me so far.” Isaac explained.

“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” Calise shrugged.

“That it is. But how about we do something a little different?” Isaac picked up the Aspect and placed it on the table, squarely between the two of them “I could just leave this one with you and you can run whatever tests you want on it. Then, when I return tonight, you can chose to either return it or pay me.”

“And if we chose to attempt to absorb it, we’d be stuck with the cost.” Calise shot him a dark look.

“In that case, why don’t I make my offer a little more concrete?” Isaac asked “I’m willing to sell you an Aspect of the Specter for ten-thousand Euros and I have a second one ready right now. In addition, I can get more in fairly short order. So, take that one, do whatever you need to do to confirm for yourself that it is genuine, and decide whether you want to own it. I’ll be back tonight.”

With that, he pushed back his chair and made to stand up, but Calise stopped him.

“You just ordered food, why not stay a little, eat with me?”

“Thank you.” Isaac replied with a slight smile and sat back down.

Breakfast with an Italian mobster was weird, Isaac reflected. He spent half the time looking out for ambushes and the like, even though he was pretty sure that nothing quite so blatant would take place. The two of them talked about “business”, the effects of the [System’s] Initialization and the like with Isaac dancing around who exactly he was working with/for.

Eventually, however, breakfast had disappeared and he made his escape, er … he left through the door like a normal person. But he still felt relieved to have left the room.

Once he’d rounded a corner and left line of sight of the restaurant, he activated [Stealth] and rushed to get further, phasing through a couple of walls as he did so. If anyone was trying to follow him, they’d have the devils time doing so.

Finally, he reached the hiding place of his phone and wallet, which he subsequently retrieved.

Oh. Hell.

Isaac went white as a sheet when he saw the screen. Five missed calls. From his mother.