“Yeah, but what did you expect me to tell that guy? He’s already seen me in the dungeon. So denying that I had the ability would have seemed fishier than admitting I had it.”
She seems to consider that for a moment, then she sighs. “Ok. You’re right. There’s no way Rothfus would have ever believed you didn’t have some ability after monitoring your dungeon run. Still, if anyone else asks, Hammer Time is the only ability you have.”
“You got it, boss.” Lillian frowns once more at me when I call her boss, but gives me a firm boss nod anyways.
That settled, the two of us make our way to the double door of the party room. Opening the door for Lillian, I note that there’s nothing behind the doors. Just blackness. It takes me a moment to realize that the party room is just another dungeon. Lillian pulls me through the doorway, and there’s a flash of light.
A moment later, I find myself in a large ballroom, music blasting. The sudden increase in sound is an assault on my ears, and I can’t help but wince at the noise. To the left is a large stage where a DJ wearing a red tracksuit and comically large headphones plays music on two turntables. The massive ten-foot speakers on the stage explain the overpowering sound. Still, the group of enthusiastic dancers in front of the stage seem to like the music.
Lillian pulls me away from the doorway as more guests arrive. I note with some satisfaction that more than one of them cringes at the music volume as they enter the room. It takes a minute for my ears to adjust to the music but when they do, I realize that Lillian has been trying to talk to me.
“Follow me. The music is too loud in here.”
She pulls my hand, and I follow her across the room through another set of doors into the next room. The music is more muted here, but I can still feel the bass.
“Sorry about the music. Rothfus has a thing for Asian-fusion techno death metal.”
“Well, at least it has a nice beat.”
Lillian smirks at the joke and grabs my hand. She’s about to say something when a semi-familiar voice calls out, “Well, if it isn’t the fourth Caballero.” At first, I think that Rothfus has found us again, but when I turn towards the voice, I see that it’s a middle-aged man with horn-rimmed glasses wearing a blue suede suit and alligator boots. On his arm is a stunning blonde with a beehive hairdo, wearing white pearls and a baby blue pinstripe dress straight out of a 1950’s movie.
The man with the horn-rimmed glasses holds out a hand, and I reluctantly shake it. I don’t know this guy, but he seems to know me from somewhere. It would be rather impolite not to at least chat with him.
“Hey. I’m afraid I’m terrible with names. Would you refresh my mind?”
The man and his wife laugh together like June and Ward Cleaver. Then the man answers, “Oh, don’t you worry. We haven’t officially met, but my kids have been talking about you non-stop since we picked them up from that zombie dungeon. I just feel like I already know you.”
It clicks in my mind where I saw him. “Oh, you’re Nancy, Frank, and Joe’s parents?”
“Yup, that’s us. The kid’s parents.” The blonde lady laughs, then continues, “I’m Joan, and this is my husband, Harold.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. Your kids were absolutely amazing in the zombie dungeon. They had a broad range of skills and their teamwork was top notch.”
The couple looks at each other for a moment and smiles proudly, “Thanks for saying that. We’ve tried to give them the skills they’ll need, but it’s really good to hear they worked together in the dungeon.”
“The way we hear it, you didn’t do too badly yourself. As a matter of fact, I hear you have some hammer throwing ability you used to save the day.”
Joan places a hand on her husband’s chest interrupting him. “Oh, don’t mind Harold. He works for Ludas Inc., in talent acquisitions. He’s always on the lookout for new Users with talent.”
Harold chuckles and pats his wife’s hand. “She’s right. I have a hard time leaving work at the office. I was just so darn impressed by my kid’s description of what you did in the dungeon that I had to find out who you were, but no one had any idea. Mr. Rothfus wouldn’t give your name when I asked but said he’d invited you and your employer to this party.”
Lillian straightens her shoulders, and introduces herself to the couple, “Yes, that’s true. I’m not sure if you remember me. I was there to pick up Anthony from the dungeon. I’m Lillian Coke, CEO of Monsters Squashers Inc. Anthony is currently in my employ.”
Harold nods towards Lillian, and his expression changes to one of sympathy. “I do remember you Ms. Coke. I didn’t realize you were Anthony’s boss. I met your father once. While I won’t claim to have known him, he had a stellar reputation among the System corporations. You have my condolences for his loss.”
Lillian nods once as if expecting this and quickly answers, “He and my mother passed a while ago. In their stead, I’ve formed my own corporation to continue the work of clearing dungeons. Anthony here is our first acquisition, and we’re quite proud of his work so far.”
Harold’s smile turns slightly predatory. “You should be proud. Such talent is highly sought after. I should tell you that the other corporations will try to poach your prize employee.”
I feel Lillian stiffen, but she forces a smile. “Anthony is a valuable asset and one that my company is very protective of.”
Harold holds out a placating hand, “Of course. Of course. I’m sure you're offering him a lucrative benefits package. Still, that won’t stop the other corporations from trying.” Leaning in he whispers to Lillian; “I know of at least three other firms aggressively recruiting new Users for the upcoming games.” Then in a more normal tone, he adds, “Still, they won’t hear about Anthony from me. That’s the best I can do.”
The couple thank me again for helping their kids out in the zombie dungeon and move off to talk to another group of party goers.
Most of the party is just like that. Talking to power couples; networking with people in the dungeon clearing business, or support industries. Oddly enough, a frequent topic of conversation was how I did in the recent zombie dungeon. Either Rothfus or Harold has been talking about it because just about every group we spoke to at least asked about my ability Hammer Time. I don’t know if they were just gathering intel or trying to confirm a rumor, but it made me glad I hadn’t revealed any of my other abilities.
Apparently, there’s a lot about the business side of this dungeon stuff that I just don’t know. Sure, I’m able to I convince Lillian to dance a few times, but she’s mostly business.
Still, the night is going pretty good. At least until I run into a certain rich asshole.
I’m dancing with Lillian, busting out my best moves. Which if I’m honest, make me look like a flailing fish out of the water. When I a tall blond guy in a white Saturday Night Fever suit cuts in. I’m about to say something when his muscular friend pushes me to the ground. It’s not until I look at the friend that I recall where I’ve seen these two before, and I use Inspect to confirm my suspicions.
Auden Arschloch III
Level 13
Jeremy Dolton
Level 11
Yup. It’s the ass hat that threw the coffee at me and made that mess in the convenience store. I can’t help but smirk when I remember reporting the guy for drinking and driving. He probably had his expensive car towed and lost his driver’s license. The government got pretty strict with recreational drivers once automated vehicles came out and the vehicular death rate plummeted.
Jeremy, the muscle-bound one, is wearing a silver sequin shirt and looks down at me with a disgusted look on his face. “What are you laughing at small fry?”