Chapter 131: ABLE

Arson and Khalif walked silently away from the headmaster’s office. They would have to meet up with the rest of the Builders soon, and Arson truly needed a moment to think before he shared what he thought the group's next best move was.

Khalif gave him a nod before vanishing into his own shadow, giving Arson a moment to breathe and think. He walked through the enriched environment of Adroit Academy’s Climbing Challenge, beyond captivated that things he’d barely given a second thought had resulted in such an upgrade to the area.

He walked passed students, his mind so sharp that he remembered the faces of many who’d looked drained and on the verge of collapse just a few fortnights ago. Their faces now full of vitality and vigor.

Maybe what I’ve done so far is enough. Should I just stop here?

Even as he walked, watching more students than he’d ever seen before trying the Climbing Challenge, something still felt wrong to him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, until he remembered the Climbing Challenges Almarine had constructed for him as a child.

Some of these students wouldn’t be able to make it a handful of steps through one of Almarine’s obstacle courses, healthy or not… The thought sent Arson’s mind spinning and in that moment he began to realize what he was struggling with mentally.

Do I feel as if I’m letting these students down by not following through with improving the Climbing Challenge to the best of my ability?

At first it seemed like a random and aimless thought for Arson to have. Yet the more he thought, the more he realized that a piece of himself, buried in the depths of his mind was deconstructing the Climbing Challenge, adding details that would train the bodies and wills of any who entered. He had no idea how long he’d been actively working on these improvements mentally, but the more he acknowledged what he was doing, the more he felt unsettled by not giving his all to the opportunity he was being given. His thoughts overwhelmed him while he roamed the paths that wound through the mountainside of flying platforms and classroom filled towers.

By the time he made it to the room he’d rented to meet his guild, he felt nervous at what he’d finally decided to do for the rest of his time in the Climbing Challenge. He entered the room to the smell of Rob’s cooking, and a completely set table and the sound of his friends and even some of his siblings chatting merrily.

He sat at the head of the table and greeted everyone. Xani, Khalif, Rob, Jasmine, the twins, Axis, Auto, Autumn, Aura, Ash, even Alexander was there. All ready to seemingly help Arson do whatever he thought their group should do next.

Arson: Yo, Jazz, you could have given me a heads up that my family would be here soon.

Jasmine: Not even going to lie, they trailed me asking me so many questions that before I realized it they were sitting next to me on the tram that leads to the Realm Traveller’s Branch.

Arson: Am I going to hate this meeting…?

Jasmine: No I don’t think so, but I’ve been wrong before. Just try and be nice, they don’t seem to be here to do any kind of damage.

He had no expectation for his siblings to follow along with his orders, but hoped his guild members wouldn’t have an issue with them being a part of the meeting meant for just the Builders of Godhood.

So while the group ate, Arson spoke in great detail. He spoke on what he wanted for the students. His toxin shops. The Climbing Challenge itself, and even his want to step aside as potential Keeper of the Climbing Challenge, and his thoughts in regard for who should be his stand in. All of which resulted in absolute silence.

“Sooo…” Arson looked around at his guild and wondered what they all were thinking after they heard his plans for the period of time before he traveled to the true Adroit Academy.

“Absolutely spark no!” Xani shot to her feet and looked as if she was going to dart from the room. Everyone looked around at each other, and Arson felt that Xani wasn’t the only person there that didn’t like what he had planned by far.

“I know it is not my best plan, but I didn’t believe that I’d get this kind of reaction.”

“Didn’t think you would get this kind of reaction… are you mad? I’m not meant to be a Keeper at my age,” blurted Xani. Arson laughed at the outburst and tilted her head in her direction.

“What makes you say that, I honestly believe the only two people in the room suited to be keepers are you and Jasmine. You two are the only ones with enough experience directly leading large groups of people. Even I only push myself to be a leader of a very small group,” said Arson gesturing toward his friends, and not his siblings. A detail that none in the room missed.

“Hey now, I’d actually like to be involved in the toxin shops,” started Autumn. Arson looked at her momentarily, and shook his head before he looked back at Xani who glared at him in a way that filled him with more anxiety than even Headmaster Max could have pulled off.

“Don’t look at me like that! You have people here that obviously want to be involved with this rubbish plan and you ignore them to push me into something I don’t want for myself? Come on, Arson, make it make sense!” Xani roared in frustration. The latter half of her statement nearly identical wording to what he himself had stated to her in the past.

“My reluctance to have my siblings do things for me is due to the volatility of our current family dynamic. I appreciate you for wanting to help me succeed Autumn...” started Arson looking away from Xani and toward his eldest sister as he continued to speak.

“The problem is with allegiance, my guild is a group of people that grew alongside me, understand my often unreal expectations and are accustomed to the pressure and unforgiving nature of my own drive toward power. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t doubt that with time that there is chance that many of you may grow to respect me in the same way, but as of now... how can you truly trust a person like me? Someone who’d only just recently decided not to push for an all-out war on your family and friends?” Silence filled the room once more and to Arson’s surprise Alexander spoke up first.

“I don’t know about your friends, but I assume that they are all here for the same reasons that we are,” said Arson’s older brother.

“And that is?”

“You're a sparking idiot,” started Alexander, looking around at everyone gathered, his stare an outright dare for anyone to dispute his words, and he only continued after no one spoke up in opposition.

“Not that you aren’t smart or a bloody genius even, you're just too trusting, and I’d rather see your light go out because you did something stupid, rather than a knife in the back from one of these supposed friends,” said Alexander with a wave toward his friends and guild members.

“Ha, you're funny kid. You may be blood to Arson, but we chose him without the need for blood ties. Can you say the same, little man?” stated Xani, only for Alexander to chuckle.

“Says the girl being handed her dream from what I can tell, yet instead of seeing the wisdom of what is being said and offered, you slap my brother in the face with an outright refusal…” Arson looked between his blood brother and the young woman he felt to be his sister and sighed. He saw both perspectives, yet couldn’t help but acknowledge in that moment that the younger man had a point. He did his best to smile in Xani’s direction, but was semi-relieved when his brother spoke up, pointing out blatantly unintelligent her reaction to his offer was.

“Arson is paying attention to your thirst for knowledge, your need for leadership, and even putting you in a position to grow drastically as a Cultivator. Anyone else wish they were being offered the same?” Alexander looked throughout the room and chuckled at how many people slowly raised their hands. Jasmine, Autumn, Axis and even Auto. Xani slapped the hand of her best friend’s hand down before he could even fully raise it.

“See?” said Alexander. Xani opened her mouth to speak and nothing came out. The young woman realized that her contrarian attitude wasn’t being received well, and maybe was even being seen as entitlement. Alexander saw this, and spoke up further making Xani blush and sit down.

“Why do you deal with this Bookish brat, brother?”

“Because she has a big heart, and her attitude is a defense she grew into rather than letting the world of Cultivation run over her. Now please be kind Xander. This is a place of equals, remember that, if you are going to sit at my table.” Alexander nodded at Arson and closed his mouth, waiting for Arson to speak up again.

“There is more work for us all to complete if we are going to actually be considered worthy enough to take the Keeper position. If we were all to work together, this may end up even feeling minor compared to the work that we’ve done for BlackHole Coliseum.” Xani sighed and sat down, looking around the room at everyone gathered before she spoke up again, her gaze finally landing on Arson.

“I’ll do it, but only if I am given the time to work on the flying pyramid back home while I work here. I also want Auto and Autumn to help me work on the list of upgrades I am assuming you already have…?” Arson nodded giving his siblings a questioning gaze before the two spoke up.

“Not even a question, dude,” said Auto. Autumn nodding along before she had a request of her own.

“If I’m going to help though, I want access to the toxin spas you’ve already started here, an unlimited budget from your manager and help from Moriarty,” requested Autumn with a point toward Jasmine when she spoke in regard to Arson’s manager. Jasmine immediately spoke up.

“Unlimited? Absolutely not... but we can work out you receiving a portion of any of the extra sales that you bring to the table from the toxin spas and the spa back home, as well as an allowance if you join the BHC officially,” Jasmine said, with a glance in Arson’s direction, and his smile was enough for Jasmine to consider her offer as good as official.

“I will join as soon as Arson asks me himself,” extended Autumn, and Arson scoffed, until he realized after a moment of silence that his eldest sister was being completely serious. Arson thought for what he felt to be a fraction of a blink, but realized time must have passed when his unintentional tap of his pointer finger on the table in front of him became loud enough to catch his attention. He finally looked up at his eldest sister.

“Please tell me that that unbearable length of silence we all just lived through doesn’t mean that there is no place for me here?” Autumn’s question hit Arson hard, but wasn’t difficult to answer. He felt the least amount of trepidation when involving Autumn, and trusted his gut, responding to her with an answer pulled directly from his heart.

“You have already done a lot for me, my friends, and our family, so with that in mind will you take the first invitation I’ve ever truly given personally to join both my company as an employee, and my guild as an equal?” Autumn smiled at his words, but before even Autumn got a chance to respond, Alexander also spoke up.

“Are you going to let me join as well, I’d love to help with the lack of security your conglomerate has as of right now and would, of anyone here, probably be the best candidate for this position,” Alexander said, glancing between Khalif, Aura, and finally Arson.

“Both my close friend Khalif, and Aura are already in line for—“

“Don’t dismiss his offer so quickly, Arson. I find myself wanting to return to the fighting arena more and more with every day that passes,” admitted Aura, her cheeks reddening as the eyes in the room fell upon her.

“Yeah boss, I've trained the guards well at this point, but leading a regimen of fully trained guards is no longer as appealing as it once was,” Khalif expressed. Arson looked around the room in search of Micro, but only just realized she was not in the room.

“You don’t feel like Micro would have a problem with this?” Khalif shook his head, smiling in what Arson took to be an odd mix of excitement and fear that made Arson slightly worried about what Khalif had to say.

“Micro has told me personally that not leading a gang of ruffians is the best thing she’d ever done for herself, and her training with Seneschal is the only thing that truly excites her these days.” Arson nodded and looked back toward Alexander still lost in thought, not truly ready to make a decision until his sister Ash spoke up.

“If Alexander hadn’t seen the video of how our mother truly left this realm, you wouldn’t have a coliseum left. That should be enough to show his skills, don’t you think?” Arson opened his mouth to ask, and the scene before him on the table changed. A new hologram showing both Ash and Alexander walking through a long hallway, Alexander retrieving bombs from very clever hiding spots as they walked.

“How did we not catch those on the runic surveillance grid we set up?” Xani asked watching the footage amazed.

“Because somethings are truly invisible, and others are just hidden, and until your grid can tell the difference, you’ll always be at risk…” Everyone in the room looked at Alexander then, and Arson sighed before he spoke.

“Give me a few days, Xander. I don’t need any redundancies internally that would make anyone of you step on one another's toes.” Alexander smiled at his brother’s words, sitting back in his chair comfortably, resting his head in his hands as he leaned back and kicked his feet up onto the table.

“That is enough for me,” Alexander said softly, just before literally vanishing from sight.

I hope that wasn’t a completely bad idea.

Arson was left wondering exactly what other kinds of security issues Alexander had already found or would be able to figure out if Arson truly hired him? His eldest sister’s excited tone drawing him from his thoughts in a flash.

“Sooo, I’m assuming I work the details of joining up with Jasmine and I can start today…?” Arson looked toward Autumn who couldn’t keep how happy she truly was off of her face, and then gave a final nod toward Jasmine, and then slowly rose to his feet, stopping when the twins stood up as well.

“Wait big brother, we also have something we want to talk to you about,” asked both the twins at the same time. Arson looked at his watch, taking in the time displayed above Anastasia’s face and bit his lip in a moment of contemplation before he spoke up.

“I didn’t think this would take as long as it did, but I don’t mind if you two walk with me toward my next stop,” said Arson in the twins direction. The pair shared a look and nodded to one another. Both moving to flank Arson as they once had in his younger days.

“Anyone else need to address anything before I rush off?” Arson received a few shaken heads in response, only for Aura and Auto to try and speak up at once. His older brother let Aura speak first, signaling to her with a waved hand. Aura smiled back at Auto before she looked at Arson and spoke no less excitedly than Autumn just had.

“I want to be the second sponsored fighter for the BHC beyond Troy,” Aura asked, and Arson didn’t even have to think, his answer rolling off his tongue as if he’d expected the question.

“Of course, that is no big deal, but we will have to talk more about this later. Fighting for a guild or company is far more intricate than just being a solo competitor, but I’m sure you are aware of this. Meet me tomorrow outside Professor Lee’s classroom, I’ll be waiting for you in the early morning before my class begins,” said Arson smiling, walking toward the door as he looked toward Auto and stopped. His older brother jutting a finger in Xani’s direction before he spoke simply, making the young silver haired Cultivator blush at his words.

“My lady is hiring me, and if there is space in the guild, I’d also like to join?” Arson chuckled before he responded. Not noticing Ash’s face twisting in envy as he responded.

“Absolutely, glad to have you, Auto. Just make sure she actually sleeps, now that she has someone to support her equally crazy ideas,” commanded Arson, turning his back as the room yelled their goodbyes.

“Okay you two, what would you like to talk about?”

Arson noted the pair glance at one another, before they spoke up, the twins speaking either at the same time or finishing one another’s sentences.

“We want to start a subsidiary company from BlackHole Conglomerate, called ABLE. We think it would help out a lot, but know that without backing we won’t get very far, but honestly we don’t think we will need funding or anything like that, we just need Big Brother to be big and scary as always, and we think that that should be enough. We’ve already saved enough to start the company, we just need what did the lady call it again, oh right, an umbrella, and that is you, we think?” Arson stopped walking the path they were on and turned back to face the twins before responding.

“ABLE, and what is the point of this company of yours? And please one at a time, you two, the back and forth is making my head spin.”

“ABLE, it stands for Against Bullies Learning Evil,” started one twin before they passed the explanation to their sibling.

“We want to stop all the bullying in the orphanages by creating a youth police force,” said the other twin.

“Help Graveyard defend the streets from gangs, and maybe even one day be large enough that Big Brother sees us as his own police force,” finished the first twin to speak.

Arson’s eyes went wide. Thoughts filled his mind in a storm, and he wondered to himself why he hadn’t already thought of something along the same lines.

“Oh my you two! I think you have constructed something incredible here, but you know how things work, you’ll need to get all the details worked out with Jasmine first. There is no way I’m going to let a large group of youths run through the streets either unattended or untrained, so you’ll have to find someone willing to be your group's consistent guardian,” explained Arson. Only for the twins to start speaking at once again.

“We’ll talk to Jasmine, but we already have a guardian we think will help us,” said both twins with nearly identical smiles.

“Oh yeah, who would that be?” Arson looking between the pair as they glanced at one another once more, smiling even deeper before they looked back toward Arson and spoke simultaneously.

“Oscar!”