Mantle of the Gods

FIVE MILLION ALL.

That was more than… I couldn’t even think of how much that was.

“Where did you get that much All?” I joined the others in pestering him.

“I just spent the last seventeen days farming on the sixty first floor. With five people dragging double spawns to me to constantly be burning down.” Trent started laughing. "Do you know how much a Tier Six crystal sells for?” When none of us answered he continued. "What about over thirteen thousand of them?”

“That’s…” Ether had the page open for the Dispatcher’s crystal exchange rate. “Did you keep all of it?”

“Sipher isn’t going to be using his cut and those other three didn’t stick around to ask for a share.” The old man shrugged. "The most Hye would take was twenty percent. After repairs and stuff, I still had around that much left. Besides, do you know how much new gear is going to cost?”

I leaned over Ether’s shoulder and saw the number she had pulled up. Trent had earned almost half a billion All before it had been separated into shares. Once she saw that I had noted the number, she began looking up new Tier Four gear. I saw why Gesai needed so much more than us. I could get a new spell for between fifty and sixty-five All. For Gesai, that number was between thirty and fifty thousand. So while I could buy seventy-five new spells with the All that I'd been given, Gesai could get a hundred with what she’d just received. She was getting a larger share than the fun money that we’d been given.

“It’s not that much, really.” He looked at Ren and Oz. "I’m not going to leave the two of you out. Leveling up to two by yourselves in just over a week, is no small feat.” He flicked them coins too. “We’ll all go shopping once we get to Tres and get settled in.

“Where are we going to be staying?” Ether had changed the page to look at tank gear while Oz and Justia were helping Gesai to the other booth. The assistant teacher was still in shock. I could imagine why. The sticker price between Tiers was shocking enough, but she had gone up two Tiers at once, which would only make the shock that much worse.

“The Temple, naturally.” Trent had us on the road. Considering there was never much traffic outside the city walls, he didn’t have to worry too much about running into something, but his constant looking back at us still made me uneasy.

“I wanted to stay at the Grant or Arror Hotel.” Aelin frowned. "We might as well be staying in the RV.”

“We could stay in the dungeon if you’d rather.” Trent smiled. "But it’d have to be the Grant, the Arror aren’t too fond of Rix at the moment.”

“Why?” Rix came over and sat down in the passenger seat.

“Do you remember the Caster from the second-year class I was teaching?”

The redhead nodded slowly.

“The one whose throat you slit and would have died if I hadn’t been close?”

Rix nodded again.

“That was George Arror. His mom isn’t the happiest with you right now, so might be best to avoid Ruthia Arror unless we have to.”

“Ruthia Arror?” Oz got up and moved to the front of the RV. "What about Aunt Ruthie?”

“You’re related to the Arror’s?” Aelin gasped.

“She’s dad’s sister.” Oz looked like there was nothing weird about it.

“Are all of you Nobles related?” Aelin feigned horror as she put the back of her hand to her forehead. "Who ever shall I marry?” She did a very bad Aristocrat accent. "Everyone around me is related!” She threw her arms wide open. "Justia save me!”

The brunette Healer rolled her eyes, but didn’t get up from the booth that she was still at with Gesai, Ren and Fray.

“Actually, when there are a limited number of acceptable families in your town, that’s what most Nobles do.” Oz shrugged. "I see her maybe once a year during the Adventurer Games, but otherwise she stays on the other side of the Ward.” The black-haired woman looked us over. "What happened?”

“Rix almost killed your cousin so now we can’t stay at the Arror Hotel.” Aelin grabbed Oz’s hands. "Could you talk to her and let her know that Rix didn’t really mean it?”

Oz looked over at Rix. "Maybe, but we’d need a lot of work.”

“What kind of work?” Aelin let hope fill her voice.

“The kind that RIx is going to hate.”