Pandora looked at the newcomer and before she even uttered a word, paid 2,435,280 Contribution Points to pay off the town’s debt and also added 5 million Contribution Points to provide basic housing and other structures.

  “Beatrix 17432Alpha, please begin the changes to the town that you see fit with the amount I just sent your way. Best you can do with what you have. After, we’ll see about further improvements,” Pandora said as she completely ignored the blue-skinned man.

  “Beatrix 17432Alpha, I paid for this town, and everyone in it, you will do as I command! As for you,” the blue-skinned man said as he directed his gaze towards Pandora and made a gesture with his hand as if reaching out.

  Pandora felt the energy of an ability or spell wash over her as her absorption ability gained over 200 levels of absorbed levels from the attempt.

  “What the…” The blue man started to say as he switched his action and withdrew an ebony-black magical blade from a hidden storage area that Pandora couldn’t see. In a flash, he was upon her, and the blade stopped dead against her neck. He’d just tried to cut her head off. This time her absorption ability absorbed 148 levels of Magic Levels Absorbed.

  “Pandora reached up, touched the blade, and willfully absorbed it. As it disappeared from her attacker’s hand she checked her combat log.

  Lord Kersor strikes Pandora with Ebony Vorpal Blade. Artifact conditions activated. 100% hit point damage achieved with resultant decapitation condition.

  Pandora Ability Absorption Converts 1480 hp damage to 148 Magic Levels Absorbed, zero damage taken, Decapitation result fails.

  He’d tried to cut her head off, what a dick. While Pandora was thinking that, Lord Kersor was drawing his blade back for another swing when he realized that the sword was gone. He took a quick step back and his eyes glazed over for a moment as Pandora asked, “Beatrix, If I’m attacked within the town, what restriction am I under against others from outside of my town?”

  “None, Pandora,” Beatrix 17432Alpha said as she continued to look through screens and changes began happening around the town.

  Pandora noted that walls and buildings had been sprouting up around the town and fields that were used for farming. Additionally, the barn was separated into two buildings as the individuals within were automatically moved to the building with a giant red cross on it, a medical center if Pandora wasn’t mistaken. As Pandora was watching the changes take fold within the town, Lord Kersor’s eyes focused on her as he smiled with an evil smile, “You took what was rightfully mine! You destroyed my family crest and an artifact! Now you will die!” he declared as he pulled out a black orb and threw it at Pandora.

  Pandora could have dodged the item, but she had kept her situational awareness of her surroundings and knew that there was a very good chance that the children behind her would have been struck by the orb. Instead, she reached out and grabbed the orb as Lord Kersor looked on with glee. Pandora watched as the blackness that touched the orb spread from the orb to her fingers and rapidly moved to cover her whole body. One second she was Pandora, the next she appeared to be an inky blob of blackness that was slowly shrinking as the blob seemed to implode until the only thing seen was an orb floating in the air.

  Pandora knew this was happening but chose to ignore it as her consciousness fled to her Mindspace and then followed her connection to Caspa to try to get away from the sensation of being eaten. That is until every single cell of her body had been converted to whatever the orb had been made of. When it tried to break down that last spec of Pandora’s mass it breached the barrier that surrounded Caspa’s core where her spark of Chaos resided. The Chaos that was part of her had remembered a trick that her father had learned a long time ago. Chaos could exist in a dual state that took up no space, Something Caspa had been doing since she’d come into existence with Pandora’s spark, as they were united forever.

  When the malevolent force that was the darkness of the Eradication Orb broke through the barrier of Pandora’s last physical cell it touched the Primal Chaos that was Caspa/Pandora and was immediately absorbed into and converted by it into Primal Chaos which immediately added to Caspa/Pandora. This process continued for what felt like a very long time to Pandora but was only about 10 seconds.

  To everyone watching, it looked like Pandora had caught the ball then the darkness had flash enveloped her whole body and shrunk like a deflating balloon as the orb hung motionless in the air. Her feet were drawn up off the ground as her extremities were pulled toward her core and then down her right arm to her fingers. The people watching began screaming as Pandora’s head caved in, even though there was no blood. It was the weirdest thing; Pandora hadn’t even screamed as her body was drawn into the small black sphere. Once all of Pandora’s body was gone, those who were paying attention noticed that the blackness kept flowing toward a point on one side of the sphere. After 10 seconds the blackness disappeared, and a silver orbed dropped to the ground and rolled a couple of inches before coming to a rest as a corona of changing lights burst forth and Pandora solidified where she’d been standing a moment before.

  “Well, that hurt!” Pandora said as she reached out a still-forming hand and almost lazily touched Lord Kersor’s forehead with a gentle tap. To late he activated an escape ability that tried to teleport him away only for it to move himself and Pandora through the Multitude to his residence on the home planet of his Sector within the Multitude. Pandora watched dispassionately as Chaos invaded Lord Kersor slowly eating away at his flesh as he began to scream. What he was going through looked agonizing. Intuitively, Pandora knew that the process wouldn’t stop until all of Lord Kersor had been converted to Primal Chaos.

  Pandora edited the screams out of her perception and looked around. She was in a metallic room with a glass door. The rest of the area seemed to be isolated from this room, so she made her way to the door and left Lord Kersor to die in agonizing pain. The Primal Chaos wasn’t even converting him, it was simply eating him slowly and seemed to be converting him into nothing. Right now, she wished she understood as much about physics as her father because she’d love to know what was happening to him.

  The glass door opened easily from the inside. Pandora found herself stepping into a large room with a king-sized bed`

  and three doors. One led to a washroom, the other to a Balcony, and the third to another room. She let the door close behind her and judged that it was going to be a while before Lord Kersor would be truly dead as he was currently lying on the ground thrashing around as the hole in his head continued to expand. Pandora was pretty sure that he’d stop moving as soon as the process started to eat away at his brain.

  Was she becoming heartless? No. She just believed that this Lord Kersor, who’d been willing to kill her, wasn’t worth losing sleep over. She redirected her attention back to the room she was in and headed toward the balcony door. As she opened and stepped out into the twilight light of a setting sun, she could hear the hustle and bustle of traffic both above and below her. She was in a tall building of some kind overlooking a city below her. The buildings looked like other buildings she’d seen but they looked more high-tech and newer, and the air was clean, which her mother’s memories of her father explaining that meant it was probably post-industrial, whatever that meant.

  Additionally, she could no longer hear Lord Kersor screaming. Pandora made her way back inside and looked into the glass room to see a blob of chaos where his head had been which was now quickly growing to encompass his whole body.

  Pandora, go touch the blob, we need to absorb it into ourselves, Caspa said directly into Pandora’s mind.

  I was worried, are you okay, you’ve been quiet since the end of the Classification. Pandora said.

  More like unconscious, whatever the Classification was, stripped me of all my levels, which I didn’t think was possible, though we both still seem to have our attributes. Anyway, touch the blob, and I’ll do the rest. Caspa sent.

  Okay, Pandora said as she moved into the room and reached out and touched the blob which immediately became part of her body and disappeared. A moment later a Notification popped up.

  Planetary Announcement

  An Elite has been conquered.

  Lord Kersor has been defeated.

  All holdings, Properties, and Contribution Points owned by Lord Kersor are now held by Lady Pandora.

  Strength Through Dominance!

  Planetary Announcement? Why did there need to be a Planetary Announcement? A moment later the third door burst open as someone clad in full body armor burst into the room, saw her, and fired their weapon at her.

  It almost felt like a scene out of an anime as individual after individual tried to attack Pandora, only to have their attack absorbed and a moment later to be dead on the floor. After the fourth attacker, Pandora utilized one of her abilities she didn’t utilize very often, and shadow stepped into the Plane of Shadow to take a breather so she could catch up on her notifications.

  Congratulations You have defeated a Level 9 Sector Lord.

  Contribution Points Awarded directly to you based on Sector Lord Level halved, 22.5 billion Contribution Points

  Congratulations! You have become the Sector Lord for Kersor Sector!

  Contribution Points required to increase Sector Lord (Lady) from Rank 0 to Rank 1, 1 billion Contribution Points

  Current Sector Contribution Point Reserve 9,750,458,323 Contribution Points.

  Net Contribution Point income per hour: 11

  Estimated Time to reach 10 billion Contribution Point threshold set by previous Sector Lord at current rate income rate: 2,589.68 years.

  Pandora read the information, then read it again, and pulled up her current Contribution Points. She had, 22,667,131,063 Contribution Points, though she had no idea what to do with that many. She knew she needed to get back to a Contribution Market, maybe she could figure things out there.

  Pandora made her way through the building she was in while still in the Shadow Plane and made it to the ground level before she exited onto a street and started following the foot traffic. Eventually, she came to an area with many people congregating around various tables. Each table had a crystal in the center of it with monitors facing each chair. They each seemed to be hunched over and looking at a screen. She found a secluded shadow around the corner from the shop and made her way into a building that was filled with people from all types of backgrounds. She did get the odd stare but soon the people lost interest and she was able to find a table and sit down.

  She looked around to see that everyone else was engrossed in whatever they were looking at. No one was paying attention to her. Pandora reached out and touched the monitor before her. It seemed that the monitors were tied to the Collaboration Market in some way.

  Welcome Lady Pandora. Note you are still undergoing your Trial for Supremacy, yet you are also a Sector Lord.

  Inquiry Elevated.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Please wait, someone will be with you shortly.

  Pandora looked around and noted where the largest shadow she could flee through was as she heard a soft “pop” and the air shifted beside her.

  Before her, a human-looking woman with golden skin, and blue eyes wearing a very distinctive white two-piece suit with silver stripes on the sleeves and front appeared. Pandora wasn’t overly concerned until she noticed that everyone within visual range of her appearance had stopped moving and was going out of their way to be very still and not move, speak, and in some cases even breathe.

  “Lady Pandora, I am Recorder Qamar. It would seem that you are currently both exactly where you should be and out of place. If you would come with me, we will get this sorted out.”

  “Are you going to try to kill me also?” Pandora asked directly.

  “Heavens no! I should also point out that while you are with me you are officially detained by the Multitude which means that any that try to attack you must first deal with the Multitude’s response to interference. Usually, individuals who do so are not seen again. While you are with me and under review you will be perfectly safe.

  “Very well, I will go with you,” Pandora said, as she stood.

  A moment later they both appeared in a room with a single desk and a huge window behind them that looked out into space and down on a planet below them.

  Welcome to your Administrator Station in orbit around the planet you were just on. This is the Sector Lord’s office, now your office,” Recorder Qamar said as she led Pandora over to a table that had four chairs around it and took a seat. Pandora also took a seat as a sliding door swished open. A Man in a black suit stepped through, noticed the Recorder and Pandora, and then addressed the Recorder.

  “Recorder Qamar, how may I serve?”

  “If you would bring some refreshments and snacks that would be wonderful. Lady Pandora and I have a lot to discuss,” Recorder Qamar answered with a smile.

  “Of course. As you wish, I will be right back,” the man said then hurried back out of the room.

  “Who was that?” Pandora asked.

  “That would be your Administrator. I’ll let him introduce himself later. For now, while we wait would you mind if I read your memories? It will be the quickest way for me to determine what questions I need to ask,” Recorder Qamar asked.

  “Feel free, but be warned, I share my consciousness with another entity. The last mentalist that tried to attack us, let’s just say it didn’t go well for them,” Pandora said.

  “Of course, I’ll just be reading your memories. Does this entity have a name in case I encounter her while I’m in your mind?”

  “Caspa, though she’ll probably just keep to herself since you asked if you could read my memories and I said yes,” Pandora said.

  Recorder Qamar pulled out a blue crystal and placed it on the table, “If you would touch the crystal it will allow the transfer of your memories into me as well as create a copy for future review?”

  Pandora reached out and touched the crystal and Recorder Qamar did. She felt as if part of her was being drawn into the crystal, but the process was neither painful nor overbearing. Less than a minute later Recorder Qamar withdrew her hand as she said, “You may withdraw your hand, I have the memories I needed.”

  “What did you learn?” Pandora asked as she withdrew her hand.

  “That you are very young and quite unique,” Recorder Qamar said, “Also, the fact that you survived the use of an Eradication Orb against you, that alone speaks volumes.”

  “So, you reviewed my life, did I break some rule of the Multitudes, are you going to try to kill me now?” Pandora asked.

  “The Multitude does not destroy anyone, needlessly. My purpose is to determine where you should be right now. You are both a Sector Lord and the owner of a small town in a different Sector that is undergoing a Trial for Supremacy. Technically, you can not be both. As a Sector Lord you cannot directly interfere in a Trial of Supremacy, which your predecessor was obviously doing. Additionally, my purpose was to determine how the previous Sector Lord was beaten and if you were deserving of the rank of Sector Lord. The evidence shows that you were simply defending yourself against a banned weapon. Also, you bested him with one of your abilities which shows that the Rank was earned through Strength. Yes, you earned the Rank of Sector Lord. Still, you are ill-prepared for the responsibilities of a Sector Lord and as you’ve seen, others will try to wrest the rank from you.” Recorder Qamar said as she paused for a moment before she asked, “If you could have anything, what would you desire right this moment?”

  “That’s easy, my friends and family all back under one roof, or at least in the same area. I do have one question, what happened to the little town I took over before Lord Kersor showed up.”

  “Let me check something,” Recorder Qamar said as she pulled out a purple crystal and held it. A few moments later she looked up, “I have been able to locate everyone on your original team. The other five members of your part, Callum, Pythias, Cedrik, Asling, and Robert were all added to the same Trial of Supremacy you were. Your Mother did quite well during her Classification and was diverted to a Trial of Supremacy that had been going on for some time. Currently, she holds domain over a planet in a sector that is at war with another Sector as they vie for resources. Sometimes the multitude likes to shake things up for a Sector Lord and make them work to maintain their holdings. In this case, your mother is a thorn in the side of one of those Sector Lords that, let’s just say, The Multitude does not like certain activities, and she is the corrective measure that was taken. Also, your mom is quite ruthless when it comes to pure survival,” Recorder Qamar said.

  “And the others?” Pandora asked.

  “As for your grandmother and grandfather, both withdrew from the Classification early on and joined the same Trial for Supremacy you did, they’re just on another planet. They’re working in a city earning Contribution Points and pretty much keeping to themselves. Abi and Amanda seem to have a knack for Administration and have been recruited for those duties and are being trained in what those duties entail in the Multitude. Desirae and Clarence are doing what they do best, killing things. It should go without saying that in every comparison your mother and father’s friends outclass anyone near them, as do you. Unlike your friends that were part of your adventures on the Dungeon World, I saw in your memories.”

  “What are my party members doing?”

  “None of them lasted as long as you did, during the Classification. They all did respectably though so they were added to various forces around the various planets. They’re still acclimating to their new situation, though none of them are together.”

  “Why does the Multitude, separate everyone?” Pandora asked.

  “During a Unification, Classification, and Trial for Supremacy, the Multitude wants to make sure no one has an unfair Advantage,”

  “Why?”

  “Because ultimately you can only rely on yourself, and everyone is being prepared for something that threatens us all,” Recorder Qamar said.

  “Is there any way to bring everyone together?”

  “Actually, for you, there is a way for you to bring the members of your party together. As none of them show any unfair advantage and they all performed on average or worse they can be transferred either by request or by choice, it just cost Contribution Points.

  “How much?” Pandora asked.

  “For you, not much, just one million Contribution Points. This is where the problems starts. You can bring all your friends together, no issue. They just can’t come to this sector. So, you can transfer them to the town you claimed. Once they’re all there, you can give up your Rank as a Sector Lord and return to the town as well, or you can designate one of them as your successor as you become a sponsor for that town. I should warn you, that once you become a sponsor you will no longer be able to directly influence what happens there. Additionally, you will not be able to physically visit the Sector until the Trial for Supremacy there is over,” Recorder Qamar explained.

  “How long will that be?” Pandora asked.

  “At least a thousand years, probably closer to 1,500 years. From now.”

  “Will any of us even live that long?”

  “Absolutely. Contribution Points can be utilized to add years of life and youthfulness. The war is never-ending after all. The Multitude wouldn’t want those that it makes work so hard to improve to just up and die of old age, though living forever is not free.”

  “Okay, so they could live that long, and we could see each other again. While they participate in this Trial for Supremacy what will I be doing?” Pandora asked.

  “As a Sector Lord, it’s your responsibility to make sure your Sector remains stable and continues to produce weapons, resources, and personnel for the war effort. This is done by continuing to compete for resources on the fringe of the Multitude. Lord Kersor was a very efficient Lord in this regard. Some Sector Lords do not make sure their Empires have a positive production of Collaboration Points and count on their exploits in the fringe to earn enough to keep them afloat. Others make sure that the empire generates so much that the people are abused and used only for the Collaboration Points they earn. Lord Kersor paid his people fairly and ensured that while he was able to save up Collaboration Points in the Reserve to improve his Sector Lord Rank while also improving his empire.”

  Pandora interrupted the Recorder, “How much does it cost to increase my Sector Lord Rank from 0 to Rank 1?”

  Just then the Administrator re-entered the room with a rolling tray with drinks and snacks. There was a pitcher of water and glasses with ice in them as well as other beverages and glasses. It looked like there were juices as well as something that smelled a lot like coffee.

  “Thank you,” Pandora said as the Administrator placed a glass of ice in front of both the Recorder and her and then poured some water into each. He then put a tray of cheese, crackers, and sliced meats on the table between them and left with the cart. Both took the time to have a drink, Pandora made herself a cup of coffee. Then she sampled some food as they both sat back to continue their conversation.

  Picking up where they’d left off, the Recorder began answering her question, “Sector Ranks are the most expensive Ranks. Lord Kersor was Rank 9 and wasn’t far from getting Rank 10. In fact, had his plan worked with that village he probably would have earned enough Contribution Points to get the 10 billion Contribution Points he needed for Rank 10. To answer your question, it cost 1 billion Contribution Points multiplied by the new Rank. You are Rank 0 right now, to rise to Rank 1 will cost one billion Contribution Points. Rank 2 will cost two billion and so on.”

  “What about classes and abilities?” Pandora asked.

  “It depends on the Class or ability but usually 1,000 multiplied by the new level.

  “That seems expensive?” Pandora commented.

  “Leadership Ranks are expensive because they’re supposed to be ranks that represent your ability to lead people. The Multitude decided long ago that the best way to do that was to make the cost so high that it would require those following that path of a Leader would need to have followers and to invest their Contribution into their Sector to be able to improve those ranks. It seems counterintuitive but one of the fundamental truths discovered long ago was that the more you invest in others, the more you’ll see in return. The Multitude geared its Contribution Point Cost for Leader Ranks on that philosophy. Combat classes, titles, and ranks are cheaper. They also have attributes and Quintessence pre-requisites in most cases,” Recorder Qamar said.

  “So, the Contribution Points I currently have, you’re saying I should invest them into my Sector Lord Rank?

  “Not at all. There are benefits that each Rank grants but there are many Sectors with Lords and Ladies that choose to utilize their Contribution Points for personal gains and still run their Sectors adequately or hire others to do so. Those individuals are usually directly involved in earning Contribution Points for the Sector though.”

  “So how much would it be to bring the five members of my part together in Callum’s Haven?” Pandora asked.

  “Negligible. Only one million per team member so 5 million Contribution Points.”

  “Very well, do it, and charge me please,” Pandora said with very little thought involved.

  “I should note that any Vassals they acquired will be left behind?”

  “If they have vassals, I’m sure they won’t mind that giving them up is part of the price that had to be paid. Additionally, please transfer one million Contribution Points to each of them, from me. I want them to be able to equip themselves as they see fit. Additionally, please transfer One Billion Contribution Points to Callum’s Haven’s reserves,” Pandora said.

  I see that you are a woman that does not hesitate once she understands what she wants,” Recorder Qamar said as her eyes glazed over. A moment later she said, “Done, and Done.”

  “Thank you, the last step is of course to transfer my ownership to one of them. Please transfer Callum’s Haven to Callum,” Pandora said.

  “They must be good friends for you to give them each a million Contribution Points, after spending a million just to move them. Then to add A billion to the city reserve, true friends indeed,” Recorder Qamar said.

  “It’s the least I could do,” Pandora said and then asked, “What now?”

  “Now I suggest that you spend the Contribution Points you have on increasing your Sector Lord Rank or choose a class and start acquiring the Quintessence Abilities you need.”

  “Any suggestions?”

  “I am not allowed to guide your path, but I can say do what feels right for you and remember, Strength through Dominance. While we’ve had a nice chat and I do believe I understand you better now, I must be going. Other people to see, and other problems to solve. Just go have a seat at your desk and pull up your information. There you will see how to spend Contribution Points. Also, you’ll be able to increase your Sector Lord Rank. When you’ve finished the Administrator should be able to help you with anything else you need. Good Luck Pandora.”

  “Thank you and good luck to you,” Pandora said as the Recorder vanished from her seat. Pandora stood, walked over to her desk, and opened the monitor. In a moment she was looking at information about herself as it scrolled down the screen.

  ***

  Callum looked around. He’d been walking out to the fields to work for the day when he’d been teleported to wherever he was now. He was standing in the middle of a small-town square that didn’t look to have too many buildings, much smaller than the town he’d just been in in fact. Also, it was a bit cooler. Not unpleasant but definitely not in the tropics anymore.

  “Callum,” a familiar voice called as he looked over and saw Cedrick, Pythias, Asling, and Robert all looking at him. He quickly scanned the area for Pandora. Of course, she was nowhere to be found.

  “How’s everyone doing?” Callum asked.

  “Better, now that we’re all together,” Robert said.

  “Yeah,” Asling said, “Though I definitely need to go back and find a certain someone that doesn’t think ‘No!’ means No!,” she said angrily.

  “No Pandora,” Robert asked.

  A floating metal ball rapidly left a nearby building and floated over to their group as it spoke, “Lady Pandora has Transferred ownership of this town to Callum,” The eye quickly scanned the group and then zeroed in on Callum, “Greetings Master Callum, I am Beatrix 17432Alpha, your town Administrator, how may I be of service?”

  Cedrick started laughing. Pythias also started chuckling, soon followed by Robert and then Asling. Callum looked at them as the feeling of laughter started to become overwhelming. Before he allowed himself to join in, he asked, “What’s so funny?”

  “I just love that girl,” Cedrick said. “Every time something goes crazy she somehow finds a way to help us.”

  “What do you mean?” Callum asked.

  “Look at your Notifications,” Cedrick said.

  Callum had minimized his notifications because they didn’t make any sense anymore. They didn’t follow any sort of system that he recognized. The only thing he knew was that he needed Collaboration Points to improve and that he had to work hard to earn them. He’d begun to regret not selling the few vassals he’d earned, but they did help him earn Contribution Points, but he also had to spend Contribution Points to feed and shelter them. Sure, he had a bigger pool of Contribution Points but he had to spend more to make sure they remained fed and healthy. Callum put that line of thought aside and opened his notifications.

  Pandora has transferred one million Contribution Points to you.

  Pandora has transferred ownership of the town of Callum’s Haven to you, Current Contribution Point Reserve: 1,003,450,675.

  “What the hell!” Callum exclaimed.

  “Greetings, Again, Master Callum, I am Beatrix 17432Alpha. I am your Town Administrator, how may I help?”

  A thousand thoughts raced through Callum’s head as the others continued to laugh before the urge overcame him and he joined in. He couldn’t help himself, being around Pandora was just so chaotic, but he had to admit, fun at times as well. He laughed long and hard before all of them finally calmed down enough for Callum to look at the Administrator and said,” Beatrix 17432Alpha, it looks like the first thing we need to do is find a nice quiet place where you can inform me of exactly what being the Master of a Town means and also how we can spend our Contribution Points.