The Gamer Chapter 1124 – Back in Black 7 – Wentworth (Patreon)

Ashcroft was a prestigious private school and the primary preparation place for local rich kids for university. Consequently, the fenced-off grounds of the institution were in pristine condition, from the plants that covered swathes of the courtyards, to the condition of the flagpoles, the flags themselves, the walls of the multi-story building complex, all the way to the polished state of the windows. All of it was as flawless as the tuition fee would indicate. Only reason why John had been able to enrol in it had been because the headmaster owed his father a few favours.

To John, the façade had always been exactly that: a nice front to hide that, inside those walls, every student and teacher was every bit as prone to the shortcomings of humanity as the rest of the world. Perhaps, given the little adversity many inside this elite institution had faced early in their life, even more so. What he didn’t remember were the eye-shaped wards attached to several segments of wall across the school.

“I think it might be best if I head in on my own,” John told his harem, while they were still in the car. “Neither Wentworth nor the mundane authorities will be particularly trustworthy of a group this large coming in.”

“Keep your phone on,” demanded Scarlett, before anyone else could say anything. “So the non-familiars here can follow what is happening.”

“Will do,” John nodded and waited for any other complaints from his women. A couple of them grumbled about the situation, but nobody voiced anything that was a proper objection. Five minutes and a couple of temporary goodbye kisses later, he left the jeep. His phone was in his breast pocket, camera poking over the edge.

He walked towards the front entrance and went straight in. While the school did have a security guard, they were not bothered by a well-dressed young man entering the property. Likely, their job was keeping hobos and other unwanted elements away, not someone like the Gamer who looked like he belonged to the clientele.

Still, he did attract attention. It was the break between classes and, despite the cold, a lot of students were out and about. It was the first time in a while that he was uncomfortable with being the target of stares. The environment and the fact that he recognized some of these faces combined to create unwanted emotions. Keeping his back straight and his shoulders back, he maintained a disciplined walk. Whether his former tormentors recognized him or not did not matter. Even less mattered those that had been permissible of the bullying. A couple of students took their phones out and snapped photos. Undesired as that was, he couldn’t do anything about it.

With each step he took, his usual confidence consolidated a bit further. This dreaded building was just that: a building. Nobody inside it had any authority or power over him. There was no use to being afraid or uncomfortable. He had prepared himself for this moment. With a final breath, he accepted the past and let it go. He stopped on the walkway.

Directly, he stared into one of the wards on the school wall. He maintained contact for several seconds, hoping that the woman that had placed them would realize either who he was or that he wasn’t just randomly looking. This whole thing would be easier if she met him halfway.

‘Maybe I should have brought my old uniform, just for nostalgia’s sake,’ John joked to himself, as he walked into the building. ‘I think the teacher schedules were on the second floor. Let’s see if that’s still the same.’

It was the same, albeit he had no chance or need to check on where Miss Wentworth was supposed to be at this hour. The teacher waited in front of the schedules, likely having tracked his movements.

John hadn’t seen Wentworth since before he had gotten his powers and his memory of her had been correspondingly flawed. However, her looks were about as he remembered. Victoria Wentworth was a woman in her fifties, with dark brown hair, glasses, and a long, fairly wrinkly face certainly past her prime. There was still the hint of a person that had been gorgeous under there, but for John her cheekbones were too sharp and her chin too pointy. The annoyed, stern look with which she looked at him did not help the impression.

“I expected you to make your way back here eventually, John,” she addressed him, unafraid.

Which, given that even John’s passive Observe bounced off her uselessly, she most likely had every reason for. Only the Horned Rat had showcased the ability to mess with his intel gathering that much, which meant that she, at least in this field, was close to the god’s prowess. “I only heard that you were important enough to meet yesterday,” the Gamer confessed, his hands in his pockets. “Which speaks to your low profile. May I have a moment of your time?”

“We have fifteen minutes.” Miss Wentworth created an Illusion Barrier and John followed inside. Then they moved to one of the empty classrooms. Now they could talk in relative privacy. “Are you recording this?” she asked, pointing at his phone.

“A livestream to my girls,” John responded, while he sat down at one of the desks. Miss Wentworth naturally moved to the table in front of the class. Teacher and student, they stared at each other. “Let’s keep this short: one way or another, I intend to conquer the Order of the Golden Rose.”

“Do you want my support?” Miss Wentworth asked, her expression spelling out that it wouldn’t come cheaply.

“I want to know what I am dealing with,” John answered and shook his head. “You are in opposition to the Order, or so I heard, and if I know for what reason, I can estimate whether you will be in opposition to me as well.” He shrugged. “Strikes me as an opportunity to save both of us a lot of headaches.”

“My plans are none of your business.”

The Gamer and Miss Wentworth stared at each other for a few seconds. Tapping on the table, John said, “The people of this area will become my subje- people. If you come to threaten my people, that is my business.”

“Then there are no issues as long as I don’t threaten your subjects, correct?” the disguised Abyssal asked.

‘That’s what you get for slipping up, you egomaniac,’ John chided himself, biting back the correction over which term he wanted her to use. It would lead to nowhere but mockery or indifference. “If you cause no harm, directly or indirectly, to my people, then we wouldn’t have any issues, no.”

“Fusion would not meddle in my affairs?”

“Fundamentally not, and certainly less than the Order.”

“Then we wouldn’t have reasons to clash,” Miss Wentworth stated. “I’ve been peacefully chasing after my project for decades. I will continue to do so after you take over – should you take over. Just keep your lapdogs away from me and that will be all you need to ensure peace.”

John had moderate doubts about those statements. Regardless, without a crime pointed out to him, he had no justification to add. “As long as you remain peaceful and law-abiding, you have my word that Fusion won’t meddle.”

“As long as your laws remain a non-issue, you have mine that I won’t sabotage your project,” Miss Wentworth responded. “That will be all, then?”

“I suppose so,” John nodded and got ready to leave.

“Oh, right,” the witch stopped him. “If you want to take revenge on Vanessa, keep it moderate. I need the girl to function in the future.”

John raised an eyebrow. “…Sure,” he responded, and then left for good. He spawned in a partially occupied classroom. Thanks to the lingering effect that prevented mundanes from getting a shock each time an Abyssal left an Illusion Barrier in front of them, he managed to leave the classroom before anyone could wonder what he did there. Swiftly, he left the building and soon was back in his car.

Metra poked her head out between the seats of the front row. “Want me to go in there and make her bow?”

“I don’t think that would be wise,” John responded, turning the key. The engine of the jeep came to life with an efficient tremor. Massive as the car was, the fuel usage was understandably high, but the actual motor was state of the art. “I have no idea how strong she is – only that she is really strong.” He looked over his shoulder and through his mind. “I don’t think there is anyone save Romulus who could take on our entire group here on their own. I also don’t think it’d be worth it to expend that kind of firepower, not to mention violate Krieg’s contract, over her. If she’s true to her word, she’ll just be one of several handful incredibly powerful people within Fusion.”

“Ultimately there’ll be a lot of people like her,” Scarlett said to the haremettes still not entirely convinced. “Anyone between, let’s say, level 100 and 900 will be someone that could create massive issues. Taking care of all of them preventively means that you incentivize those people to go into hiding or just outright organize into a rebellion.”

“Annoying as uncertainty is, it’s the best move to just let her be and deal with her if she ever does do something wrong.” John grabbed the gear stick and put the car in reverse. “I’m certain that we won’t have to worry about exactly how strong she is five years from now. We’ll outgrow her.”

Obviously, Miss Wentworth was not a morally upright individual. With all of these wards around, she must have sensed what had been going on when John was attacked in the school. Yet, she hadn’t chosen to intervene. That showed either complete callousness or great care to keep her powers hidden, even if her person was somewhat known around these parts. Whichever it was, whatever she was aiming for, the Gamer didn’t have the time to investigate.

John looked at Ashcroft one more time. This was where it had all begun. His first encounter with the Abyss in the form of Moira, him getting spotted by Herman, then later getting attacked by that gang of bikers, Moira, Rave and Travolta coming to his rescue. That choice they had given him on the roof, whether to join the Order or Collide. One whose echoes rippled all the way to the present.

He wondered what sort of person he would have become if he had gone with the Order. Life with them would have been safer, at least initially, no doubt. More resources to use in training, sponsored equipment, help from Moira and Lorelei would have doubtlessly spurred his initial growth. Probably, they would have encouraged him to pursue a more knightly powerset, probably even virtues. Enveloped in an organization like the Order of the Golden Rose, he would have picked up some of their mindset. Probably not enough to rob him of his harem dream though. John would have liked to say that he would have maintained his current stance on justice too. Looking at himself honestly, however, the most fundamental aspect of him that had existed before all of this was that he was a horny man. Everything else was shaped and molded by his experiences since.

Some things wouldn’t have changed. Travolta still would have died. He would still eventually have broken into the bunker of the Bloodfallen. Would Eliana have been set free if a proper raiding force went in there? Most likely not. Which would have doomed her to a crawling death. Paths would have truly diverged from there. No debt to Lydia meant that he had no reason to go to Europe. He would have never met Romulus. The Order likely would have unified the continent by now.

And beyond those questions John felt nothing of note. A faint sense of nostalgia, a mild, bitter taste, and a vacancy of meaning. Ashcroft meant nothing to him. Like he had wanted, he had managed to turn the dreaded place of his bullying into nothing more than a place. That was then, and now he sat in his giant car, surrounded by his loves, able to go wherever he pleased.

“Alright, that was the final stop,” he declared in an exceedingly good mood. “We still have two days to kill. Anyone got anything they want to do?”

There were a number of suggestions, mostly focused around either some additional sightseeing, having a productive grinding session with their excess time, or returning to the bus to work, fuck, and game the time away. Since it became obvious that not all haremettes were interested in the same activities, the first order of business was to return to the bus. There, they broke up into various groups.

John, sensing that this would be the best time to go after it, declared that he would take the vintage car and drive around the city for a bit. There was no greater purpose to it than him wanting to fulfil a small fantasy he had been harbouring ever since the idea of returning to Springfield had first surfaced. The streets were fairly empty at this hour too. Rave and Aclysia decided to join him.

While he stood up, he felt a tug on his shirt. Eliana was holding onto him, her face raised but her eyes down cast. Obviously, she wanted to say something that was difficult for her. Taking her hand in both of his, he kneeled down and patiently waited. “…Can you drive me to the train station?” she asked quietly. “And give me enough money for the ticket to Franklin?”

Franklin was the name of the large town that the Bloodfallen had operated in. “I could drive you there,” he offered instead.

“Fuck no.” Despite her strong choice of words, her tone was still timid. The contrast was adorable and John had to prevent himself from cuddling her intensely. “I have to do that shit on my own… you understand?”

“I think I do.” John nodded and took one hand away to pull out his wallet. “The barrier might not be there anymore. I don’t know what Gaia did with it after she granted me complete control of it for a moment. Besides, it’s been a while. You still want to go?” Her head bobbed up and down. “Hey, look at me, Eliana.” Hesitatingly, she raised her gaze until she could see John smiling at her. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered and took the card John offered her.

“Remember the PIN for that one?”

“4478.”

“Correct. Alright, let’s go.” There was no reason to draw out the goodbye or test her resolve. “Your phone is charged, yeah?”

“I never fucking use it, so it better be,” the blood mage said and checked.

It was and so they went on their way.