“Hold on really quick,” Alex said, raising a hand. “Just one moment, if you would. I just want to make certain of something before you go about distributing anything.”

Shawn tilted his head to the side, peering down at Alex with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. “What is it?”

“The Legacy… if someone actually gets their hands on it, what happens?” Alex asked. “I mean, it doesn’t feel possible for someone to infinitely stack Legacies. That would be completely ridiculous, not to mention probably impossible to keep control of. Is there a limit to how many Legacies you can get?”

“And if there was?” Shawn asked. It was impossible to tell exactly what the giant was thinking. His tone and features were unreadable. “What would you do if you knew you could only have one?”

“Tap out of the race immediately,” Alex replied without an instant of hesitation. “Not that I’m particularly interested in it to begin with. I don’t really see a reason to lie to you. We’ve been pretty honest with each other thus far. Your magic is sweet. I love a bunch of the shit you did here, even if the décor is a bit questionable. But rot isn’t my path. I’m not about to lock myself into this.”

“You do realize what you’re refusing, do you not?” Shawn asked. “Even now, the Starfallen fights the Crestless for this very Legacy. And you would scorn it?”

“Yeah, that just about sums it up,” Alex said. He scratched the back of his head. “I mean, I’m not saying it’s a bad Legacy. I know shitall about it. But let’s be real. What good is the world’s strongest bow in the hands of a swordsman? If something doesn’t fit you, it doesn’t fit you.”

“He’s right,” Claire said. “I don’t think anyone here would ever imply that your Legacy is weak. But if it doesn’t suit us and can’t be replaced or changed… getting it would be a terrible blow to our future progress. It would also mean that your Legacy never truly gets a chance to be properly used.”

Shawn stared down at them.

“Never did I think I would have a group somehow make it to the end of my Ancestry, only to immediately start begging me not to give them my Legacy. This is rather demoralizing.”

“Sorry,” Derek said. “They’ve got a point, though.”

“I am well aware,” Shawn said. “But I was more anticipating… well, fanfare. Renouncements. Excitement. I’ve been waiting for this a long time, and you’re making a bit of a mess of it.”

“We could cheer for a bit now and then ask the questions later if that would help,” Alex offered.

Shawn blew out a long-suffering sigh and shook his head. “No. No, it’s quite okay. I believe the impact of such a thing would be lost at this point in time. What’s done is done. And, all things considered, I would much prefer my Legacy go to someone with the intelligence to actually comprehend what it is they have been given.”

“So…” Alyssa trailed off and cleared her throat. She cast a glance over her shoulder, at the swirling green portal where they’d come from, before looking back to Shawn. “What happens when we get the Legacy?”

“There is not a limit to the Legacies you can control,” Shawn said. He raised a finger into the air. “However, they will merge with your path.”

“You mean one of our Auxiliary Abilities?” Alex asked.

“Yes,” Shawn said. “It will be changed, as will all the powers within that path. The more suitable the match is, the better the changes will be. The opposite is also true.”

Huh. That’s not too different from combining monsters. But of Requiem to the King, Riftwalk, and Monster Medley, there isn’t a single one that I’d want to merge with a rot-based path. That solidifies my decision even more. I don’t want this Legacy.

“Thank you for the information,” Claire said with a small bow. “I withdraw from consideration. I am not a suitable fit.”

“As do I,” Alex said.

“Me too,” Alyssa said. She swallowed, then sheepishly cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. But I love creation. Making new things. Rot is about melting what is back down to nothing. My path does not align with yours.”

Wess scratched the back of his head. He looked from Shawn to Alex, lines of contemplation scrawling across his features.

“Hey. You got a town, yeah?”

“I do,” Alex said after a moment. “Why?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from NovelBin. Please report it.

“You mind if I rock up? Toss my hat in the ring and all that? The whole mercenary shit is getting a little boring. You lot seem more fun. Also, I figure I’ve burned my bridges with the Outworlder families here. Might as well swap teams.”

“That depends,” Alex said. “Are you going to turn on us when someone offers you something better?”

Wess pursed his lips. “Dunno. Maybe? So long as you’re fun, probably not.”

“At least he’s honest,” Claire said. “Would you give us warning before you did turn — should such a thing happen?”

“Course,” Wess said, looking offended at the mere insunation that he would do anything else. “I have to give you a chance to outbid ‘em, don’t I?”

Alex shrugged. “Fair enough. Sure. I’ll take an honest bastard over a lying cheat.”

“Great,” Wess said. He turned back to Shawn. “I’m out as well, big man. Sorry. But half the fun of shooting someone is… well, shooting them. I’m not into the whole rotting away bit. I’d rather just shoot someone a second time. Twice the fun. You know how it is.”

Shawn stared down at them. The giant’s eye twitched.

“You are all ruining this rather effectively,” Shawn said. “Do you have a grudge against me? Or do you just hope to make sure this old man doesn’t get to enjoy the moment he’s been waiting for countless years to see unfold?”

“Sorry,” Alex said. He coughed into his fist. “We don’t mean anything bad by it. But it would be a shame if your Legacy went to the wrong person, don’t you think?”

“Do you really think I would give it to the wrong person?” Shawn crossed his large arms in front of his chest. “Perhaps I resemble a fool?”

“At least a few dozen of you are wearing wigs that don’t fit,” Alex said with a nod to the audience of Shawns in the stands.

The giant paused. Then he let out a harrumph. He crouched down until they were only separated by a dozen feet — which was more than enough to make his face take up nearly half the horizon. “And what of the last of your group? Does he also plan to withdraw?”

Derek rubbed his nose. “Nah. This was fun. And I liked felt the energy of your zombies. Like kindred spirits. The whole dying and coming back thing fits me pretty well. I dunno if that’s inherently part of rot or not, but I enjoyed fighting your monsters. I think I’d like your magic too.”

“How kind of you,” Shawn drawled. “But, of every single person standing in this room, the only one I would ever consider ever passing my Legacy to is you. Nobody else understood the essence of rot. The inevitable approach of death. And killing yourself to open the final door… hilarious. I loved it. That is exactly what I am looking for.”

“Does that mean you’ll choose Derek?” Wess asked.

“I am incredibly tempted to squash you like a bug,” Shawn informed Wess. “Would you all shut your mouths so I can finish my declaration in the dramatic manner in which I have envisioned it?”

Wess winced. “Whoops. Sorry. I’ll be quiet.”

“Thank you,” Shawn snapped. He looked back to Derek. “I have observed those who travailed the trials of my Legacy, Derek. I have watched your every move. The way you carried yourself through my traps, insidiously advancing without any regard for anything but success. You…”

The giant trailed off. A second passed. They all watched him expectantly.

“What?” Alex asked. “Nobody said anything.”

“The energy is ruined,” Shawn snapped. “All the gravitas is gone. Oh, damn it all. Derek, do you want my Legacy?”

“Sure,” Derek said. “Seems fun.”

“Sure,” the giant repeated. “I’m thrilled to find that you’re so excited to receive the culmination of my life’s work.”

“Glad to hear that,” Derek said without the slightest amount of sarcasm. “I’m pretty cool. I think I am, at least.”

Shawn pinched the bridge of his nose. The faintest of smiles pulled across his large lips.

Then He snapped his fingers.

Derek vanished.

“Whoa!” Wess exclaimed. “What did you do with Derek?”

“Calm yourself. He is receiving my Legacy,” Shawn said. “Though I do appreciate the awe. Much more in line with what I was looking for.”

“Well now I don’t feel awed anymore,” Wess said. “You probably shouldn’t say that next time around.”

“Noted,” Shawn said. He rose back to his full height and looked down at everyone. “I suppose the rest of you will be wanting to spend your points, now. It will take some time for Derek to finish acclimating to my Legacy.”

“What about Absolution and Vincent?” Claire asked.

Shawn nodded over her shoulder. “The portal is closed. It closed the moment Derek accepted my legacy. I have no more need of the others. They will find only exits waiting for them.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “They can’t even shop with you?”

“They should have been faster,” Shawn said simply.

Alex burst into laughter. “Oh, that’s too good. They’re totally going to hate us now.”

“As if they didn’t already,” Alyssa said. She blew out a huff. “You mind if I join Wess in throwing my lot in with you? I’ll rip my own eyes out before I go back to the River King.”

“I’m not saying no to that,” Alex said. “Welcome aboard.”

“Hey. You didn’t ask her if she’d betray you,” Wes said.

“That’s because she’s not you,” Alex replied. “And you’re considerably more likely to betray me.”

“Fair ‘nuff,” Wess said with a small shrug. “Sorry, Shawn. Did we interrupt you again?”

The giant glowered at them. “Yes. You did. Are you done?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Feel free to keep going.”

“How kind. Thank you,” Shawn said dryly. “As I was saying… I imagine you’d like to spend your points now. And no, Claire. Before you ask — you still cannot combine your points with each other. What’s yours is yours.”

Claire shrugged. “Figured. I was going to ask, though.”

“I know,” Shawn said. “Then are you all prepared? I am quite curious to see what you will choose after waiting so long to spend so much as a single point.”

“Yeah,” Alex said with an eager grin. Excitement welled in his stomach. This was what they’d all been saving up for. The entirety of the Ancestry, all for this moment. “Show us what you’ve got.”