April 28th 2016 Wilson Redding Park, Brightedge City, 2:00 PM EDT

I showed up first. I'd left early just in case, but I wasn't too upset that I'd beat Jenny here. I had other things I was interested in looking into while I had some downtime. Slipping a hand into my pouch, I pulled free a pair of rocks. Nothing special or interesting, just common J ranked trash. It took me almost no effort and minimal points to merge them.

Of course, that was the point. I had my eyes open, my REAL eyes, and I watched the process, interested to see how it worked through my draconic viewpoint. I watched the way the karmic ties intertwined and pulled together as the two random rocks became a slightly nicer looking random rock.

I tossed it, not bothering to appraise something so useless. No, I just wanted to see the process. I pulled out another two rocks and did it again. And again. Each time I paid attention to the warp and weft of the karmic strings as they intertwined.

Magic. I did magic. I was magic. Always had been. As a dragon, up to this point, I focused more on the latter fact than the former. Still, it was true that I had magical powers, and that I could exert them to cause phenomena and effects. It was like casting spells, it was just a different expression of the same force.

Part of the reason I'd decided to lean towards karma was that the Shears, even through the medium of my power and the ritual, were demonstrably able to effect something like the bond between Trigon and Raven. Trigon, to have a kid of Raven's power, was PROBABLY S rank. A rank even the system wasn't beyond up to this point.

Which brought us to my current project. As I stared down at the two most recent rocks, I set them on the ground and reached up to grasp the karmic strings flowing from the stones. I saw a tiny golden spark jump along my fingers as I came into contact, but I was able to grab them and even pull them.

I tried to repeat the process as I'd seen it. Weave the karmic strands, use my innate draconic magic, and do it in a way that stood outside and beyond what even the system could really quantify.

Didn't work. The strings snapped, and the stones dissolved into dirt. I winced. It wasn't that impressive, they were pretty low level strings, and snapping them wasn't really a big deal. But it proved that the strings could legitimately influence the rocks. Which was pretty nice.

Trying it again, I ruined another pair of rocks. Then a third. As I did, I started to get a feel for it. There was a certain logic. Powerful items were harder to interact with. Their karmic ties were more…solid. I needed to use a commensurate amount of my power to effect them. Render them malleable by imbuing them with my own draconic energy.

However, the karmic ties were weak. The weaker they were, the less power though could withstand. I needed to use enough power to render them fluid without overloading and snapping them. For J ranked rocks, the amount I needed to use was not only miniscule, but variable, meaning I didn't just need a light touch, I had to be able to adjust that light touch infinitesimally.

Finally, after a dozen pairs of rocks, I got a hold of the strings, and I tried to weave them together. It was kind of like trying to play cats cradle with a spool of glass hair. Even once I got the power down, there were certain ways the ties couldn't interact, and certain ways they HAD to interact.

Everything had karma, and lots of it. With most everything else. The most important strands were the most obvious but that still left dozens. This karmic magic I was trying to do required I find my own karmic thread and weave it inbetween the two stones as part of the pattern. I'd disconnect it when I was done, but I was the Greed System holder, my karma was…tainted with that, for lack of a better word.

Still, I had to find the right strands to use for the magic I was trying to do. Seeing it done a dozen times helped, but every rock was different, and every strand was unique. Finally, I managed to complete the weave, binding the karmic ties together into a network that supported the weight of the single strand I was forming before I slipped my own free.

As I watched, the stones blurred and shifted, warping the air before suddenly, they were gone, replaced by a single, smooth stone. I appraised it. An I rank stone. Before getting excited, I closed my eyes to check my exact reservoir of greed points. My mouth split into a massive grin.

I'd done it. Granted, they were J rank rocks and the process had taken me like twenty minutes according to my watch, and it was bound to get harder as I went up. But still, it was proof of concept. Of my ability to merge things WITHOUT the greed system.

Ever since I had started getting closer to A rank, to the other system users (the big ones anyway) I'd started getting a bad feeling. I still didn't know what the system wanted, what would happen when I reached S rank (if I even managed). There were too many questions, too many things that seemed off about the game.

So I'd started taking measures to give myself a bit of insurance. To give myself the independent means to do the things the system let me do. I couldn't do that yet. Not even close. I was a fucking baby compared to the system. It would takes ages to reach that level, but it was an option now, and that had been what I was aiming for.

"You look pretty creepy like that." Said a wry voice. I opened my eyes to see Jenny looming over me where I sat back on the grass. "Just sitting with your eyes shut, smiling. Neat eyes though. Those a dragon thing?"

She 'd pushed down her sunglasses to look at me, and as I took in the rest of her outfit, I was glad I'd chosen to open my eyes. Tight black booty shorts, a tight white tee, and an obvious lack of underwear. As she saw me rake my eyes over her, she rolled hers as the stopped on her pillowy tits for a bit too long.

"Yes." She drawled. "You can see my nipples. They're dark green and it means almost no shirts hide them. I figured you're cute and this is private so I didn't mind showing off a little. I'm a model, I'm not exactly body shy."

I laughed, reaching over to snag the picnic basket and set it down in front of me. "Yeah, I've heard that models usually aren't."

That got me another eye roll as she plopped down. "I doubt we're as…'not shy' as the stories. I get the feeling you're the kind of guy who watches casting couch videos and takes them more seriously than he should."

"Wait." Said, drawing back in horror. "Are you telling me that prospective models don't get convinced to strip naked to prove themselves to producers? I feel so disillusioned."

She giggled a bit. "It's not like no one has tried that line on me. But it doesn't work, especially not for girls who look like me. I've got kind of a brand in case you didn't notice. I don't need to let some skeezy guy dick tap my diaphragm to get a spread." She licked her lips. "Not that I've NEVER slept with a photographer. But I don't do it to get shoots. Just to…celebrate successful ones. And only like…once."

She blushed a bit as she said it, but she was trying so hard to seem disaffected and cool I couldn't bear to call her on it. I got the feeling Jenny was much less experienced than she wanted the studly dragon she was on a date with to think. It was kind of adorable.

Opening the basket, I passed her an italian and a black cherry soda. She opened it, taking a sip and raising an eyebrow at me. "This doesn't have any alcohol in it. I was expecting you to try to liquor me up and try to sleep with me."

"I don't need to get you drunk to try to sleep with you." I said with a wink. "Though I can't say I wouldn't be interested in a different type of lick her." I waggled my eyebrows ridiculously, making it clear that it was a joke when we both knew it really wasn't.

She burst out laughing. "I can't believe you actually just said that." She tittered. "That's probably the worst line I've ever heard in my life." She took a bite of her sandwich, closing her eyes to moan a bit. "Although, this sandwich makes up for how lame that was. Gods this is so good. Where did you get these?"

I took a bite of my own, savoring it. "Not telling." I said with a hum of contentment. "If you know about it yourself you won't need me anymore."

She gave me a slow smile. "I somehow think I can find other uses for you than bringing me food." She blinked. "Damn. I didn't mean to say that, sorry." She chuckled in embarrassment. "I feel…I don't know. Safe with you. Like we have a connection. That sounds like a lame come on, but it's true."

I nodded, enjoying the buzz of contentment and good vibes that connected us through a karmic strand. "I get it. I feel it too. I did back at the mansion. It's part of why I decided to call you."

That got a snort. "You mean aside from wanting to play my ass like the world's most jiggly set of hip bongos." My jaw dropped and she snickered. "Nicky, sweetheart, my tits came in when I was thirteen. I'm VERY familiar with the male gaze. I don't mind you wanting to fuck me, as long as you know it'll happen on my time table."

"I figured we'd try a bed first." I said with a shrug. "But I can be flexible about which furniture we use."

"See." She said with a grin. "You're cute. And kind of a slut. But I don't mind. I like the attention. You still want to have lunch with me knowing you aren't getting your dick wet today?"

I took a purposeful bite of my sandwich. Chewing it deliberately, and her smile became warmer. "Cool. Now, why don't we talk about the elephant in the room. More specifically why you need to see my dad. I don't mind getting you a meeting but it'd be good to know what exactly I'm helping with."

I didn't mind sharing that. Another possible in with Corrigan would be nice, and if it didn't work I had other avenues to pursue. "I need to meet with someone. Someone big in the magic world. I hear your old man knows everybody, so it seemed like a good place to start. Guy named Jim Corrigan."

Her eyes widened behind her shades. "The Spectre? No shit. You sure you want to do that? He's not exactly an easygoing guy. People are scared of him for a reason. I met him once. He's…determined, let's say that."

I shrugged. "I'll see when I meet him. I'll ask your dad for the intro, lets leave it at that." I finished my last bite of sandwich. "In the meantime, I have this pint of strawberry shortcake gelato, which I believe someone mentioned being your favorite. Sadly I only brought one spoon, and I'm not giving it up."

She pouted at me. "You're an unfair son of a bitch you know that?" I opened the gelato and scooped some of the H rank dessert I'd upgraded a bit just to be as unfair as she was accusing me of being. Her pout vanished into a moan as I stuffed the spoon in her mouth. I might not get my dick wet today, but I didn't foresee a long wait, and that sweet green ass would be well worth it.

April 28th 2016 Scott Estate, Brightedge City, 8:00 PM EDT

"I thought this was supposed to happen in a few days." I said cautiously. Jenny had been a blast all day, enjoying our connection and the sandwiches and our date, but once we finished she unilaterally decided to move up my meeting with her dad.

Which was good, I guessed, but also nerve wracking given what a beast the old man was. Alan Scott might be C ranked, but seeing that black tortoise in Hermes room made it clear that linear power wasn't an absolute. I didn't want to end up a lizard in a glass aquarium in the old man's study.

I was only here because Scott had a good rep, and his appraisal made him seem like a decent guy. I didn't think he'd do anything unless I actively threatened him. Jenny snorted. "Don't be a baby. Him seeing you early is a good thing. Means you can ask him your questions sooner."

Of course, standing outside his big creepy mansion didn't exactly make me sure of my first impression. "Ok." I said conversationally. "But what's with the haunted house. I realize that's rich coming from me, but still, can't anyone live behind a white picket fence. You, Zee, it's like you guys all got your houses from Tim Burton."

My own house was fairly creepy too, but it was also a weird merged dimensional nexus that was unfindable by other people, so it kind of evened out.

She shrugged. "Magic aesthetic. My mom is a retired supervillain and she lives in a first floor walk up in Redondo Beach, and I get my taste from her, but my brother Todd is basically the edgiest human being you can imagine. Shadow powers and everything."

"Was you mom…" I trailed off, not sure to ask.

"Green?" She said with a smirk. "No, though she had plant powers.I'm half surprised dad didn't shack up with Poison Ivy." She paused. "Or maybe he did and just never told me, but if so ignorance is bliss."

Gasping at her in faux outrage, I put a hand to my chest, saying. "I was going to say thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. I was just objectifying you. I would never judge a person based on the color of their skin."

"Someone should give you a medal." She said flatly. "Now come on, lets head inside. Let me go first so I can take down the wards. I'd tell you not stare at my ass but I know a lost cause when I hear one."

"In my defense." I said sincerely. "Those shorts are like three sizes too small for you. Nobody wears booty shorts on a date if they DON'T want you to look." She stuck her nose up in the air, but swayed her hips as she walked in to draw attention to those thick green cheeks.

I stopped looking once we were inside sadly, I didn't want Scott to have any more reason to be annoyed than I'd undoubtedly be giving him just by showing up. That was a bad way to get things done.

Jenny led me down a plush carpeted hall paneled in dark wood and hanging with REALLY creepy gilt framed paintings of old timey looking dudes with eyes that followed us as we walked When we got to the end she stopped and knocked softly on a door. "Daddy?" She said softly. "I brought the friend I mentioned earlier. He needed to see you."

I raised an eyebrow at her. Alan had met me, so the only reasons not to tell him who I was either had to be because she didn't want him to know about the date or because she thought he wouldn't see me if she told him the truth. Which…was fair I guessed. I wouldn't see me if I was him.

That made me wonder if she'd EVER told him who wanted to meet up. Had she just said 'my friend' last time she set things up? I was kind of bummed, I figured Scott would at least hear me out after our adventures in evil rock punching.

There was a long silence and then a sigh. "Damn it Jen." Growled a familiar crotchety old voice. "Fine, send him in. Can't very well kick the little bastard out now." Guess he'd figured out it was me after all.

She gave me an apologetic shrug and then opened the door, letting me into a pretty stereotypical study. Big wood desk, thick bookshelves, a globe. You know, study shit. My dad had one of these as a kid, and I swear there must be a checklist. I checked around subtly and sure enough, cigar box, bronze knick knacks.

"Lord." He grunted, not looking up from the papers he was scrawling on with what looked like an actual feather quill. "What do you want. Make it quick, I need to lecture my daughter over who she chooses to spend time with, I thought she had better taste."

"She told me her mom was a supervillain." I said bluntly. "I feel like the 'bad boy/;girl' lecture is a bit hypocritical coming from you."

Jenny giggled. "That's nothing, she also has a split personality. Her other half hates his guts, tried to kill him a bunch of times before I was born."

Scott smiled at her drolly. "Yes. Before you were born. About nine months before."

She looked confused for a second before her pretty green face twisted in disgust. "Gross! I didn't need to know I was conceived in a hate bang."

His smile grew. "It wasn't the first time. Or the last. Though at least I made your mother pick a safe word before I choked HER." I laughed loudly at her horrified expression, and he snorted at me. "Well, at least you have a sense of humor. I didn't see that as much at the manor."

"I was a bit busy, next time I'll tell you a knock knock joke." I said condescendingly. "I know YOUR PEOPLE love knock knock jokes. You know. The olds."

He smirked at me a little. "Well? I'm sure you didn't need to come see me to make my daughter squirm. What is it exactly that you need? Keep in mind I'm not in the habit of granting favors, so tread carefully."

"I need to see Jim Corrigan." I said bluntly. I figured I might as well rip the bandaid off. No way was I going to be able to build enough of a rapport for it to matter in a time period that worked for me, so I might as well just come out and say it. Worst he could say was no. Well…the worst he could do would be try to kill me, but that's life.

He raised an eyebrow. "Well hell kid, if you want to commit suicide there's a gun in the drawer. You don't need to be so elaborate about it."

"Yeah, lot of people seem to feel that way." I said with a grimace. "I do need to see him though. Any warnings you can give me that might help? Assuming you're going to put me in touch that is. I'll find a way to talk to him regardless, but it'd be nice to go in with an opinion to someone who knows him in a friendly capacity."

Shaking his head, he gave a rueful smile. "I'm not friends with Jim, kid. Not anymore. No one is. See, to be friends, you need to be human. You need to care about people. Jim doesn't. He's moved further away from humanity as he's gotten stronger. The more powerful he gets, the more focused his Will. At his current level…I don't know what you call something that exists for a singular purpose at a time, but it ain't a man."

That made some sense, actually. I felt like I could have gone that way if I wanted. It sounded like Corrigan HAD wanted to. Had wanted to change himself into something more than human and not just externally. In some ways, it was the opposite of the journey I made.

"How strong is he?" I said, needing some kind of baseline. He was A rank based on what I knew, since Kyra was A rank and she was scared of him.

"I don't have the words." He said flatly. "He's gotten stronger over the years. Steadily. He seems to just improve based on sheer Willpower. It isn't fast, but it's steady. He'd kill me without breathing hard, and he'd kill you too. At least if you give him a reason."

That told me a lot more than it probably told him. Firstly, the Will system was pretty slow,kind of like the Rage system. Secondly, it sounded like the Greed system was the only one that had jumps and starts. The rest of them seemed to slowly grind their way up. They also did different things, so I had to assume the Will system improved something other than the body.

Based on the name I'd heard people use 'the Spectre' maybe the soul? Did Corrigan even have a body anymore? Did he need one? It also explained why Kyra and him hadn't hit S rank after their respective long lives (longer in her case than his) the ranks got MUCH wider as they went. Having to slowly grind through each of them would take commensurately longer each time.

I wasn't sure if the Greed System was good or bad honestly, I could do without the target on my back, but I liked the power. It seemed like my systems creator had thumbed the scales, and the others had been designed to…what? Balance it out? What made these things? Why? I needed answers, and only knew one way to get them.

"Set it up." I said with a sigh. "I need to talk to him, it's important. He'll know why, I think. Just pass the message and he'll want to take the meeting." He looked dubious, but I was pretty sure I was right.

The thing was, the Greed System's growth in usefulness wasn't sustainable for the others. Gaining access to things or people hadn't been nearly as easy until recently, but with the rise of the internet and easy travel, not to mention all the infrastructure, I was playing on easy mode. The Greed System was broken before, but compared to the others it had seen a huge rise in potential growth speed.

Granted, the others had too in some ways I was sure, but it wasn't exactly the same. Materialism ruled the world, and things like Fear, Love, and Will, they were effusive. More people might mean more emotion, but it didn't scale the same, and I had a higher starting point anyway.

Corrigan seemed like an exception, because from what I could tell the Will system seemed to be driven by his OWN Will, and being able to reach his current level made him an outlier, if Kyra's long life was too be believed. He might just be a lunatic, or this game of ours(or whatever it was) might be on track to end. If things were coming to a head, chances were good he might be more open to working with me.

Not like I had much choice, staying in the dark wasn't an option. I couldn't just be a tasty target fumbling around with no clue what was going on. Scott sighed. "You know, Lord or not, I don't enjoy sending kids to their deaths. But if you insist…I can tell you mean that. That this is important to you." He stood, pushing back his chair.

He gestured for me to follow, taking a book down off the shelf, and Jenny and I both trailed behind him until he stopped and told her to stay, then he led me down into the basement of his house, into a cellar with stone walls and a dirt floor, then tossed me the book. "No point wasting time kid. You want to talk to The Spectre. Might as well give him a call." I took a deep breath and opened the book. Time to find out what the fuck was going on.

April 28th 2016 Scott Estate, Brightedge City, 9:00 PM EDT

I expected a flash of light, or a gathering storm of power, or some kind of tear in reality, but none of that happened when we summoned Corrigan. One second the circle was empty, and the next there was a…a man standing there.

Man in this case was almost euphemistic. He had a head, and four limbs, and a chest, but the term man usually described something human, and Jim Corrigan just…wasn't. All the parts were there, so he should have seemed like a person, but it took me a second to get exactly what was missing.

It was the eyes that did it. Green, with no sclera or iris or even an eyeball, those eyes were just full of lambent green. It was like staring into the green version of a bottomless hole, like I could fall in and drown. Willpower. Pure, undiluted force of personality, in the most alien way I could imagine. No doubt, no fear, just pure monstrous will.

Growing up like I did, being who I was, stuff like this didn't scare me easily. I'd met monsters before and this was just one more. Despite that, Jim Corrigan scared the piss out of me. Because monsters want things, they care about things, pain, fear, blood and death, they have an ego, they have a REASON.

Ridiculously enough though, the first thing that came to mind when I saw the walking nuke that was The Spectre was a paraphrased South Park quote of all things. Jim Corrigan doesn't do what Jim Corrigan does for Jim Corrigan. Jim Corrigan does what Jim Corrigan does because he IS Jim Corrigan. And then I started humming the James Cameron theme under my breath.

Alan elbowed me in the ribs and I stopped, clearing my throat as I noticed those eyes were focused on me. "Love the outfit. Extradimensional medieval male stripper is super in these days." My voice didn't shake at all, obviously. I might be a little scared of this fucker, but I was a dragon damn it. I had an image to maintain. Though I was curious about how fucked I was. I appraised him.

[Appraisal function activated. Treasure detected. The Spectre- A rank instrument of vengeance. Formerly Jim Corrigan, a New York police detective, The Spectre is the result of having the humanity burned from a man and leaving nothing but pure will. A soul without compassion, mercy, or fear, The Spectre acts as the wrath of God in the world of men, a position he accepted in return for the life of a former love.]

Neat. So apparently this guy…what? Sold his soul to God? That was metal as fuck. I'd never do that shit, but to be fair, I didn't have to. I could just wait until I got strong enough to bring people back from the dead. Actually…could I do that now? Could I bring my dad back? I wanted to check immediately, but this wasn't something to half ass. I was going to look into it though.

The endless pools of green focused on me. "Greed" it said in a booming, resonant voice. The stone of the basement shook, dust falling from the ceiling. "You seek me. What do you hunger for, creature? What is the current prize for which you hunt? To be Greed is to want. But be wary, for not all who receive their wants are content."

I almost argued, but…he was right, in a way. "Knowledge." I said finally. "I want to know what the fuck is going on. What I am. What you are. What we're doing here and who the fuck this is all FOR. Can you give me that?"

Eyes boring into me, he didn't answer for a moment. "Truth, then." He sounded pensive. "I say you pay in courage. To call one such as me is no mean feat. You know what we do to those like you?"

"There's no one like me." I responded instantly. "But I know what you do to the Greed Host. You kill us. We're the fastest, the least controllable. Rage already tried. Kyra Arg. But the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I don't know what the game is, but I know that with humanity growing the way it is, this is going to be the last round. It can't have been meant to go on this long."

He gave a short nod. "Truth. The game remains unfinished. But tell me, do you think that is unintentional? Do you think we scrabble and claw to succeed? Tell me what you know. What you've discovered. What you suspect."

Three things, I wondered if he needed to ask like that, or if he just felt like it. How much person was left in Corrigan? Not the time. "I know the Greed System wants more, just like it was always supposed to. I know it wants to use me to get it. That it pushed me to gather more. I THINK theres an entity behind it, and that if I reach S rank, if any of us do, something happens."

"Truth." Intoned The Spectre. "And fact. The systems are, as you have surmised, representatives of a greater force. Each an aspect of an entity. To reach the summit of our power is to open ourselves to that entity. A bargain struck, between all seven, to the winner goes the prize. Freedom. To walk the universe again."

I growled in annoyance. "Shit. I was afraid of that. That's why you and Arg haven't hit S rank. Because if you do the game ends. Can we do anything? I mean, I assume you took this meeting for a reason. Is there some way I can help stop it?"

"Greed." Said the being, almost smugly. "Greed for freedom. For release. For all things. This is the nature of Ophidian. Of the entity of Avarice. Its nature, and also its undoing. Too much power granted, too much risk."

"Why not reach out to me then?" I said as I put things together. "You think this…Ophidian, that it jumped the gun, made me too strong so it could get out faster. Why not track me down and try to use me?"

"You are weak." He said pitilessly. "Not time. Not yet."

"A rank then." I said with a nod. "You were watching to see if I'd die or not. Wanted to know if I'd be useful. What about Arg? Why would she try to kill me if I'm your hope at getting one over on the bastards? I get why it wasn't tried before, the scaling on the Greed System is nuts, so many people, so much stuff, humanity blew the wheels off. But if I could be a weapon her killing me doesn't make sense."

He shrugged, the most human gesture I'd seen him make. "Cowardice. The game ends when one is freed. When one succeeds. I am approaching my zenith. I cannot stop, cannot change course. It will end."

I blinked. "Wait…so she just wanted to kill me off to prevent you from using me to what? Rock the boat? She just wants to play along? Even if the other System Hosts survive the end of the game, you have to imagine whoever comes out on top will tie up loose ends, right?"

"Ion is implacable." He said tonelessly. "Unwavering. It is also the most balanced entity. The power of Will is neither good nor evil. Control is its reason for being."

"And it's not like you can turn the tables." I said with a nod. "I somehow doubt the Rage entity is a friendly dinosaur. So…what now? Are you going to help me? Feed me points to make me stronger?"

"Not time." He repeated. "Not yet. You are weak." I groaned. Because of course the Will entity wouldn't change his plan.

"You want to wait until I hit A rank." I grimaced. "Because why not right? Not like I'm the one holding the fate of the world in his hands right? Are you even capable of changing strategies?" He stared. "Right. Fine, I'll keep grinding away, you fucking psychopath. Can you at least keep Arg off my back?"

"Steps have been taken." He said. "No direct intervention. On either side. Your courage is repaid. Your Truths gathered." Then, just like that, he was gone. Between one breath and the next the bastard just vanished, leaving the same way he came.

"Nice circle." I told the gaping Alan Scott belligerently. "I can see how much good it did, I think he vanished a decisecond slower than he appeared. Kudos to your designer." It wasn't really fair, given how scared Scott was of this guy, but I was fucking annoyed. It was clear I was still on my own, even if I knew more now.

I still didn't really know much though. I didn't know if my body was going to get jacked by Ophidian (though I had a pretty good guess that I didn't like), I didn't know who the other system hosts were, and I didn't know if Arg was going to take another shot at me obliquely, though it was nice to know she wasn't coming head on.

Alan Scott was staring at me. "What…what the hell are you involved in kid?" He said hesitantly. "I've known Corrigan for years, he doesn't answer to anyone. He just…sat there and let you question him. That's like interrogating a tidal wave. Trying to sweat a cyclone. You've got a pair of brass ones on you if nothing else. I almost pissed myself just watching it."

"Incontinence is common in men your age." I said kindly. "If you'd like to keep BEING men your age, I suggest not talking about anything you just heard outside this room."

He scowled at me, green flickering in his eyes, but I just stared him down. Corrigan was a threat to me, but Alan Scott didn't seem nearly as impressive anymore. I was sure he had tricks he could use to trip me up here, in his own house, but I doubted it was going to come to that. Corrigan wanted me out and about, which meant Scott would be pissing on his plans if he locked me up.

"Whatever kid." He said, turning with a huff. "You got your answers, now get your ass out of my house. I'd invite you to stay for dinner, but I don't have any interest in watching you eye fuck my daughter while you eat my food."

I shrugged. That was fair. I almost made a comment about ACTUALLY fucking her soon enough, but I felt like it might be pointlessly cruel. I didn't mind being cruel, but I'd never been one for pointless. Besides, I didn't want to jinx my chance to clap those green cheeks.

He led me back upstairs, and Jenny seemed happy to see us, though she looked concerned when she saw how shaken Scott was. As we headed back out to the car, she shot me a look. "What happened down there? I haven't seen my dad that worked up since I brought home my first boyfriend."

Shaking my head, I just waved her off. "Don't ask. One of those magic things we don't talk about. Suffice to say he heard some things he didn't know."

"Fair enough." She said with a shrug. "Now, how about you head home from here. I told you you aren't getting any tonight, but I don't mind if you steal a goodnight kiss."

Stepping up to her, I grinned and dipped my head to capture her lips. My tongue slipped into her mouth and I grabbed her hips, jerking her against me. I felt out her desires with Eros and Psych, enjoying hitting every button she had slowly and methodically. The feel of her needy little whines against my lips was fantastic, but eventually I let go, stepping back and leaving her panting. Then I winked and climbed into my car. Always leave them wanting more.

April 29th 2016 Hall of Nevers, Brightedge City, 10:00 AM EDT

I slept like total shit that night. I considered just plowing one of my girls until I got tired, but at B rank my stamina was through the roof, and honestly…I wasn't in the mood. That was pretty much unheard of for me, but there it was. I didn't feel like fucking. I didn't feel like doing much of anything really.

Which was good because there wasn't really anything I COULD do. I'd gotten my answers, I knew what was coming, but it didn't really help me at all. I was already preparing for the possibility of possession, and I couldn't work with Corrigan until I was A rank apparently. I had no real leads on how to reach A rank either.

I considered trying to Brand Supergirl. She was A rank and could probably give me the boost I needed, but I didn't feel like I was ready yet. I'd just broken through to B rank, and I had so much learning and practicing to do with my new karmic magic to understand how it worked, not to mention reaching the level of skill with it where I could use it instead of the system.

That was another option too, karmic magic used power but not points. I could theoretically merge myself to A rank without even using the Greed System, but I was years of study away from that point. I couldn't even do H rank shit with my magic. Which meant I couldn't merge fucking NORMAL humans together yet much less a dragon and…whatever I merged with.

Except…I could do more with my magic than merge shit. I could see the threads of karma. There were lots of threads on everything, too many to count if I wasn't looking for specific ones, at least when it came to people, but I knew something pretty interesting. Karma didn't end when you were dead.

So I spent most of my night (other than the two hours of rest I managed) trying to sift through the ridiculous numbers of karmic ties I had acquired over a relatively short life of being a highly effective person.

Karma, unfortunately, wasn't exclusively good. And while being a sociopath kept my emotional ties pretty thin, it didn't do much for my karmic ones, it just meant most of them were pretty negative. Eventually though, I found the one I was looking for. The oldest, thickest tie I had (not that that made things easier, karmic ties don't work like that, they're not all visible at once).

The single black chord attached to the base of my skull was easy to see for what it was once I found it. The tie that connected me to my dead dad.

Despite him shuffling off his mortal coil, it was still connected…and it was going basically straight down. That wasn't a huge shock, dad ending up in hell was a sucker's bet, but if I was connected…I might be able to follow the chord. I might be able to go get him.

So naturally, I called my sorceress to check. She picked up pretty quickly. "Hey there sexy." I said as I slumped back in my bed tiredly. "Hows my brilliant little spellcaster?"

"Well, you didn't reference the bounce, size, or tightness of any of my body parts." She said wryly. "So while you definitely want something, it's not any of the things you USUALLY want. I take it you have a magic question?"

I chuckled. "See, I do want one of your body parts. Your big sexy brain. Does that count as making a size remark? I can't comment on how jiggly your brain is, and while I may technically be a monster, skull fucking isn't one of my kinks."

"And you manage to be both kind of sweet and gross at the same time." She says with a giggle. "Prolonging your streak of managing to keep me relatively confused. So, what do you need? Was the absurd ritual I designed for you not enough? I figured you would be hip slamming your new big titty goth gf for a while. I have more research to do on what I learned from your upgrade."

"I have eternity to take a dip in some infernal goth pussy." I said, trying not to get horny thinking about sex with my busty demoness. "I call in search of a larger truth. I need you to show me how to go to hell."

"I was wondering when our relationship would devolve to this point." She said in a deadpan voice. "But jokes aside, I assume this is a literal thing, and I have to ask…why?"

"My dad." I said bluntly. "I'm going to use my karmic tie to track him down and bring him back from the dead. I'd offer to help you with your mom too but…well, I don't think saintly Sindella ended up where Max Lord is enjoying his afterlife. If you can help though, I can put her on my list for my run upstairs once the kinks are worked out. I have a few resurrections to do for other people anyway."

I owed Sally her kids back. I may have been too weak to manage it at the time, but I promised one of my people something. The new, non sociopath me wanted to help Bonebreaker get back her rugrats. She'd been a big help and had my back more than once.

Zee sat on the other line, quiet and considering. "I…that's a lot to drop on me Nicky." She said finally. "I'd have helped either way but…thank you. You can't know what this means to me. I'll need to know more about the situation. There's more than one hell, and depending where Max ended up it might be tough to get to him, even for you."

I'd foreseen that. Which was why I had come up with a plan. "What if I had a guide? Someone familiar with the area. Someone who OWES me." Karma is a bitch, Not just because of tricksy magic, but because if you can interact with karma, you can leverage it. Being in debt to a karmic magic user is a bad fucking idea, and a certain skanky vampire with a candy ass owed me a life for her part in my dad's death.

Was this a rational thing to focus on? Maybe not. Was it an attempt to distract myself from my doomed state of limbo waiting for forces bigger than myself to drag me into my potential endgame? You could bet Whisper's ridonculous ass. But I was still me deep down. Still a hedonist asshole, and I could deflect and distract with the best of them. Three cheers for escapism.

Besides, if anyone could help me out of this mess it would be my scheming asshole dad. Sure, I'd have to tell him about the system, but the man had died for me, if I couldn't trust HIM what was the point of even having emotions.

Zee semed to finally click to what I meant. I'd mentioned my last conversation with Lilith. "Wait…what? That seems pretty unsafe Nicky. She was a hell of a lot stronger than you last time. I know you upgraded, but do you think you can take her?"

"You bet your tight little ass I can." I said without hesitation."But more importantly I don't need to. Our little meeting arrangement was a tacit agreement of a debt. Not only do I have massic karmic leverage, it's leverage she acknowledged. If I can't wrangle some slutty vampire dommy mommy into paying back a debt, I don't deserve to be an Elder Dragon of Karmic Ties."

I'd done a bit of reading last night while I was up, and most of it had been on karma. Karma was…complicated. A system of debt and reciprocity, both negative and positive, that followed you even after death, karma was inescapable.

Karma could be manipulated, it could be changed, it could be shifted, twisted, and even stolen, but getting rid of karma was fucking impossible. Shit was like the metaphysical equivalent of glitter. Even meeting somebody in the wrong mood could form karmic ties, and a good karmic sorcerer could abuse the shit out of that.

Debt was a huge part of the karmic system. Almost all karmic ties came with some kind of debt, either positive or negative. Repaying those debts could lessen your karma, but even debts already repaid had karmic significance, so it didn't fully absolve you.

Lilith killed my dad. Or at least she was the reason he died. Moreover, she'd come back to life BECAUSE he died. In karmic terms, I had Lilith bent over a barrel of lube with her ass cheeks spread. She would help me get my dad back, because if she didn't I could leverage that debt into a karmic curse that would trigger ALL her bad karma to crash down on her in cascading avalanche of suck that she probably wouldn't even survive.

I hadn't seen Lilith with my karmic vision, but being responsible for the birth of all vampires was bound to have accumulated a ton of really nasty karmic debt. If I set off that motherload (pun intended)...well, the universe would fucking demolish her. She'd become Murphy's bitch, with any possible thing going catastrophically wrong at every opportunity.

"I…can kind of see what you mean." Zee mused slowly. "She took your dad in return for her life, now she helps you get him back in repayment for that death. That would definitely work. In fact, karmically speaking the curse you could slap on her would be pretty much unsurvivable long term. Even without her own accumulated debts."

There was a reason I'd made the shift to a karmic dragon. This was a useful power to have, even without the added benefit of being my backup plan. "Unfortunately." I said with a grimace. "I'm not nearly good enough at reading my ties to differentiate the ones who aren't specifically close to me. I know I HAVE a tie to Lilith somewhere, but I have millions of ties."

"So you need me to find her." She finished with an eye roll so dramatic I could HEAR it over the phone. "I agree, but even with the debt, she doesn't have to bring you there SAFELY. There's too many outs to the wording of a compulsion like that. I want you to bring backup, and luckily you just picked up a new demonic side piece."

I chuckled. "You want me to bring Raven to literal hell with me? I can see the ironic appeal, but I'm not ordering her to come. I'll bring her along if she's willing, but I won't use the Brand. Not for this. Would be pointless to drag one of my girls to hell to leave her behind rescuing the old man. I'd have to go back and get her later. I don't abandon what's mine."

"I think that's the most romantic thing you've ever said to me." She giggled. "At least that you meant. But fine. I don't imagine it'll be an issue. I saw her after you freed her from her father. That girl looked at you like you hung the moon."

Shrugging despite her inability to see it, I just chuckled. "If she chooses to risk it that's her call. But I'm not forcing it. Anyway. Do you thing. Or do I need to speak your love language? Threaten the brave hero slut with untold torment if she doesn't bend to my will?"

"Not unless you're willing to wait an hour or two while I jill myself off a few dozen times." She said sweetly. "Otherwise shut up and let me work you tease." I laughed as she hung up, shaking my head and mentally promising myself to fuck the ability to speak out of her later as a reward. For the moment I was probably going to need to talk to the girls. I had a hundred million points and change. I wanted to do some upgrading before leaving on my trip. Just in case.

April 30th 2016 Club Demonica, New York City, 8:00 PM EDT

"So…how did you find this place exactly?" I asked Raven as I followed her into the club. I'd talked to her about finding Lilith, and she mentioned that she knew some people who knew some people who might be able to help.

We were in line, and Raven had dressed us for the club. I was wearing leather pants and an open french colonial jacket. The red kind with gold tassels. No shirt or anything, but my whole body was basically carved from stone at this point, so who gave a shit.

I could pull off basically anything, and standing behind my goth demoness in her midnight black minidress and stockings let me thoroughly enjoy the half globes of expansive chalk white ass cheeks peeking out from under it. She had panties on, obviously (no way I'd risk anyone else getting a peek, club wear or not) but the view was intoxicating.

"Demons and hybrids congregate in certain areas. In my quest to learn how to escape my father I approached many such beings." She said calmly. "Also, perhaps now is not the time to feast your eyes on my backside. I don't mind, but your desire to pull my dress up and rut me into the wall is extremely distracting to both of us."

I shot her an unrepentant grin as I reached down and grabbed her by a cheek, yanking her against me. "I must have misunderstood something. This is my ass, is it not?" I slipped a thumb under her dress to rub circles on the top of one cheek where the Brand was. "It DOES have my name on it."

My demoness liked to play the serious ascetic, but I knew she loved what I did to her. She shuddered a bit, eyes fluttering. "I submit fully to you. I belong only to my savior, that is the least I owe you. I simply meant perhaps carnal enjoyment can wait until we find the knowledge we seek."

Giving her a peck on the lips and enjoying the faint blush, I reluctantly released the palm full of chalk white booty meat I was groping. "Right as always." I said cheerfully. "I can fuck the sense out of you later. We have business here." I gave that ass a swat for good measure. "I'll come back to this later though, don't you worry."

The way her breathing quickened and she licked her lips would have tipped me to her neediness even if I couldn't feel it. "So, who exactly are we looking for here? I doubt Lilith herself is going to be in attendance. Do you have some kind of lead?"

She nodded. "A balance demon. He uses the name 'Whistler'. He has an unnerving tendency to come upon sensitive and dangerous information, and a bit of a soft spot for those of us with demonic blood and a heroic inclination. I suspect if anyone will be able to find Lilith it will be Whistler, and that if he would share that with anyone, it would be me."

"Can I ask you something?" I questioned as we moved up the line. "Why are you being so formal? If this is just how you are I get it, but it feels like a deliberate effort to put distance between us. Distance I can feel you don't really want."

Biting her lip, Raven looked away, her cheeks flushing. "I…find myself at a loss. My training is to divest myself of emotions and innoculate myself to them. I belong to you now. I knew from sensing your emotions this would be the price for my freedom, and it was one I gladly paid, I just…don't know how to proceed."

"Ah." I said in understanding. "I kind of feel that. You don't blink at the sexual stuff, but that's not something that requires much feeling. Pole in hole is pretty intuitive. You're not sure how to feel about me? Or to let yourself feel? Because of who I am."

She nodded slowly. "You are a collector. I don't wish to let myself get attached and then thrown aside. I'm for your use in either case, but to allow myself to develop deeper feelings…"

"Look." I said, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face me. "I'm only saying this once, so listen close."

"I'm an asshole." I said bluntly. "I make no bones about that. I'm not a good person, and I don't particularly want to be. I see no point in the general concept of morality. It's a series of suboptimal decisions for little to no payoff. That said, I care about what's mine. I'm not going to use you and toss you away. You're MINE. Forever. And I don't let go."

Her face burned, but her eyes were bright, looking up at me from under her lashes almost shyly. "I want to believe you." She said softly. "I've seen some evidence of that. But it isn't consistent. What about Strega?"

I shrugged. "Strega wasn't one of mine to begin with. I fucked her as an in to learn more about Doctor Gotham. I got her out of a bad situation and set her up with power, but I never got really attached. She's basically only with me as a formality and because this is permanent. That isn't me getting tired of her, more that I was never that invested to begin with."

I expected that to upset her, but she nodded thoughtfully. "More an ally of convenience than a loved one. I can understand that. And I take it I am not such an ally?"

"Rae." I said flatly. "Consider how much work I did to get you free. People don't exert that kind of effort for things they don't want." I paused. "Though, I suppose women in general dislike being described as things, but I am what I am."

She actually giggled at that, seeming surprised at the sound as it slipped out. "Yes. I do. Being a beloved object is preferable to being a literal disposable doorway. I've seen how you treat your 'things'. I can think of worse fates by far."

I tipped her chin up, kissing her again, and enjoying the slight rubbing of her thighs I could hear that showed me how much she enjoyed that. Pulling away, I grinned at her. "You're a little brat, aren't you?" My empathic demoness didn't need verbal affirmation.

She pouted slightly, looking away. "Just because I can sense your emotions doesn't mean I can read your thoughts. I might be yours, but I'm still a girl. I need to be reassured." Something about that expression on her delicate face turned me on like crazy.

"I'll reassure you into a drooling coma later tonight." I said with a wink. "Unless you don't want me to bother? Would you rather just cuddle?" Being able to feel her desires I knew what she wanted, but I gave her the chance to say it.

"You can try." She said loftily. "I suppose the uses you put my body to aren't unenjoyable." I rolled my eyes, but didn't complain. Raven had developed a taste for being broken in bed. She liked to put on a disaffected face while I fucked her until her brain shattered and she couldn't resist it anymore. Seeing her image collapse while I pounded the faux indifference out of her was almost as fantastic as her half demon pussy, and I wasn't complaining.

Sadly, the bedroom plans had to be put on hold, because we eventually reached the front of the line. Raven reached into her dark blue short sleeved jacket (I was convinced she was wearing it because it made her dress enhanced tits pop in a way I loved) and produced a tarot card, passing it to the man at the door.

"The Devil." I said dryly. "Really? You couldn't think of a more obvious code. Maybe paint yourself red and stick on some fake horns?" I glanced down at her partly exposed cheeks. "Although…a tail might work for you."

She blushed. "I'm not letting you turn me into a stereotypical demon for sex." She bit her lip and looked away. "But I wouldn't be opposed to a bit of costume play."

I'd expected that to bother her a bit more, but feeling out her desires I understood why it didn't. Raven was her own person now. Well, she was MY person actually, but she wasn't her dads. Her demonic heritage had been cut off from the negative associations and she wasn't uninterested in exploring, especially having sense how much I enjoyed what it brought to our sex life. What a good girl.

Entering the club, I glanced around, not seeing pretty much anyone recognizable. That wasn't a surprise, I wasn't exactly awash with demon buddies. I appraised a few of the dancing club goers, and was surprised to see that I'd walked into a pretty scary place.

No B rankers here, granted, that was the level of a literal god, even if not the peak of divinity. I did see a C ranker or two, which was minor god level, and kind of interesting though. More than a few too.

Specifically, one of them was sitting in a booth in the back sipping a mug of beer. His appraisal told me exactly who he was.

[Appraisal function activated. Treasure detected. Whistler- C rank balance demon. The son of a higher being and an arch devil, Whistler was born with incredible power. Sadly, as a small child, he was captured and enslaved by the children of Destiny, of the endless, to be used as one of their agents. Time and danger have eroded his power as well as his will, leaving him saddened but still hopeful.]

Whistler was…unimpressive. He was short, had a round face, and just generally looked like any random middle aged bookie I could imagine. That description impressed me though, and I made a note to treat him with a bit of respect, though obviously not too much. We slipped into his booth without asking, Raven assuring me he wouldn't mind, and I held out a hand. "Nice to meet you. Nick Lord."

I wasn't going by Mammon here. I was doing this to get my dad back, and anyone with an ounce of sense would figure it out if they started digging. Better to use my normal identity, especially since I was more than strong enough to defend myself against most things.

He raised an eyebrow, looking at my hand like a snake. "Pass." His eyes flicked to Raven, and they warmed, his face curving in a sad smile. "Looks like you slipped your leash kid. Good for you. Not how I'd have wanted it though."

She smiled softly. "I knew what the deal was when I accepted it. Even if he hadn't freed me, I have a feeling I'd have come around. It's not the same as with my father. This was my choice. It's not one I regret."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I could see that. If you're happy that's all that matters. Don't let him turn you into some sleazy villain side piece though. Keep that gentle heart of yours alive." He narrowed his eyes at me. "You might think you're hot shit kid, but if you hurt one of my kids I'll kick your ass." He didn't mean biologically, I knew. But Raven had mentioned a soft spot for demonkin heroes.

I shook my head. "I don't have any interest in curbing her heroic tendencies. Just in making sure they don't get her killed. She's mine, and no dragon worth his salt abides being stolen from."

"Not ideal." He said with a groan. "But I'm hardly the first parent to disapprove of his kid bringing home a punk ass. So. I already know why you're here. You're looking for Lilith, for some fucking reason. Your top heavy magician has been making too much noise to ignore. That said, I'm not in the habit of giving things away." He grinned at me maliciously. "If you want that info, you'll need to earn it."

As usual pat-reon has the advance chapters at that site /malcolmtent hope everyone enjoys the chapter.