Atop the roof of a building near the center of Starhold, there was a cafe, overlooking the city, the floating properties above, and the dome covering the sky.
It was much like the many thousands of places for people to publicly meet up. Except this place was catered to a highly specific, but all too common need of the people in Starhold—
A private conversation, in a public setting.
The tables were small—three people could sit comfortably at one at most. And it was quiet. Deathly so. Each table had a sound isolation barrier. Everyone present was wearing a mask, and not one individual had their aura released. Badges were absent from the people’s clothing.
The masks were animal-themed, with only a small opening for the mouth.
Other than that, the people there were clad in plain, loose clothing—primarily black, gray, and white—ensuring that even if someone who knew them happened to be there, it was unlikely they’d be recognized.
At one of these tables sat a thin woman. With her aura restrained, face covered by a fox mask, hair hidden under a black hood, and no badges adorning her chest, it would be easy to mistake her for the average girl in her late teens, or perhaps early twenties. She sat alone, waiting.
Minutes passed as she patiently sipped on her drink, and then, the person she’d been waiting for finally appeared.
Right in the middle of the cafe, a platform rose from the ground, carrying upon it a man. He was so thin as to be borderline emaciated, but his bone structure gave him a wide frame, and his defined, vascular arms betrayed his physical prowess. White shirt, white sweatpants, and black shoes were his footwear of choice. His hair was a little unruly, just on the border between needing a haircut or more time to grow to look neat again.
He turned around, showcasing a wolf mask.
The people there shot him a glance, unable to restrain their curiosity whenever a new mysterious individual dropped by, but with nothing to go off, they simply turned to face whoever they were with, continuing their conversation.
The man looked a little confused as he looked around, unsure of where the person he was looking was seated. He even looked at her a few times, but completely failed to connect her to the one he was searching for.
Smiling mischievously, the woman pulled a small lock of her distinctive cerulean hair.
When his eyes passed over her again, he froze as he noticed the lock. Clearly working to calm himself for a moment, he slowly walked over and took a seat.
His anxiety was palpable.
“Order something. My treat,” Madame offered, gesturing at the screen on the side of the table.
He reached a hand out, selecting a completely random cocktail. At that moment, what he was drinking was the least of the things he was worried about.
“Relax, darling, The sound barrier is up, and as you requested, we’re in public.” She smiled, leaning forward a bit as she twined her fingers and rested her chin on them. “What’s got you so worked up?”
“Madame…” he muttered. “Been a while.”
“Sure has.” She grinned. “And my oh my, how you’ve changed in that time… And yet, you’re still so… Freddy.”
A waiter walked over, pausing right outside the sound barrier for a moment, waiting for them to notice him. As they did, he nodded and stepped through. A drink appeared in the man’s hand, and he placed it right before Freddy. “Here you go sir.”
“Thanks.”
The man walked away, leaving the two of them alone.
Freddy took a deep breath. “Before we get started, I’m going to need something from you.”
Her smile weakened. “Which is?”
“Proof”—he squared his shoulders, meeting her eye—“that what your assistant told me is true. That you didn’t just leave me to my fate… or worse.”
She snorted. A tablet appeared in her raised hand, and she tapped on the screen a few times. Turning it, she showed it to him, pushing for him to take it.
He took one glance at it and immediately tried to hide it from view.
Madame barked out a laugh. “Do you take me for an idiot? The screen has a privacy enchantment. You can’t see the contents from further than you can hold the thing out. Stop worrying and just watch.”
Freddy moved his hand aside and looked down.
It was a recording. And given the people in the frame, he knew exactly what it was a recording of.
“You lied to me, bastard,” the patriarch of the Kraven Clan said as he stared Basilisk down. “Don’t think I will forget that.”
Freddy almost clenched the tablet hard enough to crack it. It would have, surely, were it not made to withstand a lot of punishment.
He watched the situation rapidly deteriorate. They fought. It was one hell of a fight, too. Madame showcased her unique fusion affinity a few times, even using a Stage 4 ability.
And then, just as Matt had said, the snake bastard turned on Madame. He was surprised by the fact that even in a two-on-one, Basilisk and Janhalar still looked like they were going to shit themselves at the sight of the angry Madame.
And she was angry. Perhaps that anger was aimed more at the betrayal, or the loss of reputation, than it was at Freddy being kidnapped, but still. The proof that she had indeed rushed over to fight for him… he didn’t know how to feel about it. “That’s all I needed to see. Thank you.” He awkwardly handed the tablet back to her.
She took it back. “You’re welcome. And I’m sorry. What happened to you was horrible, and I’m partly to blame for it. Had I known the true value of what that man was after, I would have never risked your safety like that.” She bowed her head. “I’m truly deeply sorry for what happened to you.”
Freddy was flabbergasted. He didn’t doubt that the woman was a fantastic actor, but even then, her words sounded genuine enough to shake him to the core. Coupled with the proof that she had truly gone out of her way to save him, he found that… he didn’t really have much reason to hate her, did he?
He cut the chain of thought off before it went too far. He had to remember who he was talking to. This was a woman who could easily manipulate him even now, and no matter how things had played out, he still felt like things would have gone quite differently if she had known about Bloodshed back then.
Not to speak of the elephant in the room—
Freddy scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry if this is a little rude to ask, but why would you believe Basilisk of all people? Sounds like a surefire way to get stabbed in the back.”
She snorted. “Partly because I didn’t have a choice, but you might be surprised to hear that Basilisk is usually one of the most reliable people in the empire.”
Freddy scowled at that. “I… I’m sorry, but I can’t believe that.”
Shrugging, she reached over to her drink, taking a sip through the straw. “Think of him like a devil. If you make a deal, he’ll follow it to the letter. Sure, he might slide a technicality or two into the agreement you’re making with him, but it is your fault if you fall for it. He maintained a pretty pristine reputation in regards to his deals, and people who weren’t stupid enough to fall for cheap tricks could rely on him just fine. Otherwise, nobody would ever work with him.”
Freddy scowled. “And he went back on his word to you? That sounds like a great way to destroy all the work he’d done.”
Madame sighed, and a box of cigars appeared in her hand. “Do you smoke?”
Freddy weighed the possibility of those cigars being tampered with. It was pretty unlikely. “Sure.”
She handed him one, lighting it with a flick of her finger. He accepted it, taking a puff. It was great stuff, strong enough he had to pace himself not to break into a coughing fit.
Madame, meanwhile, pulled on the cigar like it was a cigarette, releasing a veritable cloud of smoke.
“It was a gamble on his part, sure, but a worthwhile one. The Kraven Clan owned a lot of property in the area around the passage to Faralethal. The empire really wanted that property, so they had compensated them with a lucrative expedition license. That thing was a ticket to ridiculous wealth in the right hands, and it would have propelled the Kraven Clan to the highest echelons of the empire if they hadn’t ruined themselves.
“Harold was after the same thing, but despite being the city lord, he couldn’t get much out of the sudden appearance of a way to Faralethal. Ironically, all the concessions and deals he’d made for Pittersville throughout the years made it so he was pretty low on the list of people to compensate. Even I got more out of it than he did.” She chuckled darkly.
“Ruining his reputation might seem silly to you, but you need to understand just how much money was at play here.”
“I worked in those damned mines,” Freddy said. “I know just how much ore they were extracting there. And the numbers they were throwing at us slaves were probably nothing compared to what they were earning.”
“Exactly. Even if people became a bit more apprehensive about working with him in the future, so what? That license alone was worth it.”
“So how did it all go to shit like that for him? He couldn’t have lost his Lordship for no reason. Did you have a hand to play in that?”
Madame smiled at him. “Well, I have a reputation to maintain as well.”
Freddy laughed. “So… Is now the right time to ask why you were so eager to meet me?”
While he had relaxed a bit, he hadn’t forgotten who he was dealing with.
It was one thing to read about the legendary Scorched Fleshmancer in a history book, and another thing altogether to see a legitimate recording of her in action. Even for a Lord, she was a freakin’ menace—if she hadn’t retired, it wasn’t unlikely that she would have become an Overlord. Hell, she might still do it one day.
Her smile grew playful. “Nothing much. Not yet.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. She couldn’t see it under the mask, but that didn’t stop his body language from conveying his intent.
She snickered. “You’ve got a whole lot of soul damage to take care of before you’ll be of any use to me.”
“And what use do you have for me exactly?”
“The interview, of course.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe you.” He stared pointedly at her. “I can’t imagine you get all that much from just having another guest. There has to be more to it.”
She stared at him in silence for a few long moments. “If you had to pick any one thing you believe is the reason the empire keeps growing in power, what would you guess it to be?”
Thrown off by the sudden question, it took him a few moments to consider it before settling on an answer. “The governing system.” While it was unpleasant for the average person, the governing system was no doubt one of the most efficient ones possible, at least in regards to rapid expansion.
“Wrong,” she said with a smile.
He frowned. “What is it then?”
“The progression fantasy.” She took another deep pull of the cigar. “The dream of social mobility.” Leaning over, she stared at him with a kind of intensity. “You, my dear, aren’t just another guest on the show. You’re hope. You were but a common man, and yet, you’ve managed to achieve things most consider to be impossible.” She leaned back. “When you set foot on that stage, countless people will ask themselves a very important question:
“‘If this man could do it, then why couldn’t I?’” Pause. “I’m not just an entertainer. My job is to help this fantasy flourish, to let the common man dream of greatness. And then, well, some might just achieve it.”
Freddy scoffed. “Seriously? So you want to use me for propaganda?”
She nodded. “Yes.” Her tone grew severe. “The people must strive. Ambitious fresh blood is the only way to stop the empire from rotting away.”
“If the empire cares so much about social mobility, maybe they should consider giving the common man more opportunities.”
“That doesn’t work.”
“Have you ever tried it?”
“Sure have. Many times. And while it certainly results in a lot more two-stars and three-stars, the number of people who end up being truly exceptional plummets.” She shook her head. “Humans are lazy creatures. When you give them an easy path to comfort, they grow fat and complacent. We can’t afford that. Two-stars and three-stars are the walls and roof, but Lords and Overlords are the foundation. Without them, there is no empire.
“Without people like you, Freddy, nobody has a future at all. You’ve fought in the war, have you not? Tell me, when that undead giant appeared, what would have happened if you weren’t there? That same situation plays out all the time, everywhere. Do the math—how many cities do you think we’d lose if we swapped those few who make the difference for the many who do not?”
Freddy clenched his jaw. The worst part was that he knew she was right.
Were it not for the hatred of the system, how many would have enough drive to birth a fate? Hell, now that she mentioned it, he couldn’t deny that her talkshow had played a big influence in feeding him ideas about what was possible to accomplish with work and a bit of luck.
Taking a deep breath, he worked to relax. He promised not to dwell on these things too much anymore. He’d do what he could, and the rest, he’d let go. He had a life to live, and he owed it to himself to enjoy it. It all came down to one simple thing: did he want to get on the show? It would certainly make him famous.
And while this wasn’t something he wanted now, what about when he healed his soul damage? When he reached the third star? He had the Umbra Clan to keep him safe now. Fame looked more tempting by the minute. “I understand. Sorry for my attitude, I’m not in the best mood these days.” He took a sip of the drink. Surprisingly plain. “But obviously, I wouldn’t be much fun as I am now.”
“Naturally.” She gave him a predatory smile as she leaned in again. “But I’m thinking a bit bigger than that.”
He cocked an eyebrow.
“Tell me, Freddy… have you heard about my new job?”