I found myself in the carriage, feeling like the country hick I was. The interior decoration was much like the exterior, all classy golds and reds. It was far more muted though, presumably to save the passengers from red overdose.

It was sizeable, so much so that the center seating had four different sets of cushions, all positioned around a central wooden table. It was actually a bit too spacious for a carriage, and I'm not too sure how it all fit inside.

At least the spacious interior spared me from having to sit next to one of the ladies. They too were sitting as far across from each other as possible, the crossed arms of the young princess screaming discomfort, whereas the elder simply sat quietly. Her eyes were closed, hands in lap, and she wore a faint smile.

My arms were crossed, and I was tapping my bicep rhythmically. "How much do you think I'm worth?" I asked the older woman.

"Before that, I do believe introductions are in order," She said, placing a dainty palm to her chest. "I am Yu Liang. "

The younger princess looked to me expectantly. She was waiting for me to introduce myself first, unlike the older one. Maybe manners, or a power play, but I didn't care enough to challenge it.

"Buck Jones."

The princess assumed an air of royal authority. Or tried to. "My name is Ivonne Drache, heir to the kingdom of Wolfbrunn!"

I nodded. "A pleasure."

It wasn't.

Ivonne continued to speak. "I thank you for your contribution against the Carrier, many lives were spared due to your timely assistance."

All of them, more like.

She put on a flawless, saintly smile. "We are on our way to my kingdom, and I hope you would accept my invitation to the castle."

I ignored her, and leaned forward, hands clasped. I truly wished these women would skip the pleasantries, but I suppose this was just the way they did things.

Miss Yu must have gotten the message, for she finally spoke up. "Chips are the currency of the 'system', as it calls itself. It's used for everything, and is synonymous with power," she explained, voice still cool and even.

Ivonne cut in. "Only the ruler of a territory or people denoted by said ruler can use them. The system itself has a market of sorts, for almost anything you could imagine."

I could imagine quite a lot of things, so I doubt that statement was entirely true.

"What could you get with 500,000 chips?"

Ivonne frowned, and Miss Yu did the opposite. "Is that how much you're worth?" she asked.

"Just my head. The rest is extra."

Ivonne hesitated, yet answered the question anyway. "I could buy castle walls around the entire city with that much."

She looked confused, trying to figure out where I got such a specific sum from. Miss Liang could have felt the same but wasn't so transparent. I suspected had some idea anyway. It's not like I plan to keep it secret.

I learned long ago that these kinds of secrets are impossible to keep. On the other hand, it can certainly wait until I have the information I need.

"Who exactly are you, Miss Liang?" I asked. I needed to know since she was supposedly the one actually willing to pay me, and seemed far removed from Ivonne and her posse.

She finally opened her eyes and looked into mine. Her pitch-black eyes were enchanting, even if the rest of her wasn't. "I am the Sect Master of the Liang Clan," she explained. Miss Yu looked thoughtful for a moment, maybe the first genuine emotion I've seen from her. "You may think of us as a very big family, sizeable enough to fill a valley and beyond. Our history and our wealth go back centuries, though our...transition to this realm has almost entirely erased our foundations."

"Is that your way of saying you don't have any chips?"

She shook her head, even that simple gesture oddly graceful. "On the contrary. When I say 'foundations', I am referring to our cultivations, or our 'cores'. In our Sect, your silver core would not have even allowed you to survive the spiritual energy of our valley. The clan was so much more. We could move mountains, summon storms, fly through the heavens..."

She clenched her fists. "Now, we are reduced to battling in the dirt of the mundane world, waving swords around like peasants. We thought ourselves the strongest, yet we were mere frogs at the bottom of the well. I cannot fathom what kind of power could strip us of our cultivations in an instant, yet leave our meridians undamaged, ready to cultivate as mortals once again."

I scratched my chin. "So, here you are, sucking up to a filthy peasant in hopes of his help."

There it was. Her facade cracked for a moment, and I could see a whirlwind of emotions behind her eyes. Rage, sadness, regret... and most of all, crushing shame.

It was gone as soon as it came. "Indeed. Here I am."

Ivonne spoke up, shattering the tension before it could settle in. "We have gone through a similar phenomenon, though not quite as...dramatic. Our most powerful mages could destroy entire battlefields. Now they are reduced to parlor tricks. Our warriors could slay dragons, yet now struggle with something so pathetic as Carriers. It's been...a difficult transition for us all."

I've seen a lot in the past few weeks, but it was finally starting to dawn on me just how far over my head I truly am. "Sounds like you both have quite the selection of personnel. Why do you want me so bad?"

"Do you know how long it takes to form a Silver Core?" asked Miss Yu. She kept talking, as we both knew it wasn't a real question. "Each core has Three tiers, the difference between them growing exponentially. With every tier, you have access to more energy. At the same time, the difficulty grows further. I reached the second tier of bronze mere days ago. You skipped straight to silver."

Something wasn't adding up. "Hold on, then. I just watched your guards slice through dozens of men like it was nothing, how are you still the same tier as when this whole thing started?"

Miss Yu's smile twitched. "We may have lost our cultivations, but our spirits and techniques remain."

Ivonne piped in. "It is the same for us. We still have our spells and skills, but lack the power to use them. You would be capable of far more, with the proper training."

And, finally, we get to the point. Everybody fell silent as the two ladies stared daggers at each other.

I could see what they wanted. Hook me in with wealth and promises of power, and use that to attach me to their respective party. I would be a piece on the board, a gun with someone else's finger on the trigger.

Too bad I had no loyalty left to give. The only person I trust is myself. He may be a bastard, a murderer, and a sad excuse for a human being...but he ain't no liar.

"Thank you for the explanations. Now, no more dodging the subject. Pay me."

They stopped their staring contest, and both turned to me. Miss Yu spoke up. "We are currently on our way to the Wolfbrunn empire, in hopes of an alliance. The creature you killed was a symptom of a larger problem plaguing the region, the emergence of what we call the 'Corruption '."

I scowled even harder than usual. "This had better lead directly to the topic of payment."

Ivonne took over. "It does. The problems started a month ago, after the initial waves. Our scouts found an Orc village. We assembled a war party of a hundred men and marched on it a week later."

Her voice grew strained, and her hands shook. She was just as bad at hiding her sadness as she was the rest of her emotions. "Less than 10 people survived. The survivors spoke of the orcs being gone, and the village turning into a...nest of red flesh. We've been suffering constant attacks ever since."

"We too have found ourselves at odds with these creatures," said Miss Yu. "We cut them down, but more always come, and we have been unable to find the source. Just a few days ago, Princess Drache came to us and proposed an alliance. We shared information, and have come to believe that the aforementioned 'orc' village is the source of these creatures."

I sighed. "Let me guess, you want my help?"

Ivonne nodded, while Miss Yu closed her eyes once more.

The princess spoke up hesitantly. "Unfortunately, neither of us can spare any resources, as every chip goes directly into the protection of our citizens."

She saw the look on my face and quickly finished her pitch. "What I can offer you is all the training and infrastructure I can muster. The Corruption spreads like wildfire, and if we don't destroy it at the source..."

Miss Yu finished for her. "Then this entire 'section' will be lost, including you."

I'm going to have to remember to get it in writing next time someone agrees to pay me.

I thought to myself for a moment. If this story was true, then I truly had no choice but to involve myself. I can't just step aside, dig my head into the sand, and hope that these two could handle things in my absence. Besides, being on the good side of a damn princess would probably be a good idea If i intend to visit her own city.

That just leaves one last concern. "Once the Corruption is gone, what do you two intend to do? I'm sure you both realize that the system expects only one community to be left standing."

Ivonne spoke up immediately, seemingly offended. "We will integrate, of course! No disembodied voice will force my country into war, and a permanent alliance is part of our agreement!"

I'm not sure if she didn't understand what 'integrate' meant, or she was being willfully ignorant.

Miss Yu smiled. "Of course, once the Corruption is gone, we will ally, and take the entire section under our wing."

I sighed. Politics, I hate them. Despite my ignorance, I'm pretty damn certain of one thing.

Yu Liang was lying through her teeth.