I didn't get five steps before the door opened behind me, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Come, let's go see Zues, and I will get your payment sorted out! I am sure we can deal with this like men, right? Nice and calm, right?" Jim asked as he came up beside me, and I gave him a sideways look and then looked at his hand that was lightly holding my shoulder. Veins were popping up.
"Yeah, sure," I said and shook my shoulders free. "Lead the way."
Jim smiled, but I could tell that I had struck a nerve in the room. He was holding himself back, but I was ready if he tried anything. This world clearly saw me as a tool, but they would learn that they were going to have to practice safe handling if they wanted me to work with them.
We headed out into the main office, but the place was so quiet that my footsteps sounded like thunder echoing through the room. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and watched us intently, the tension in the air nearly palpable. It was clear that word of our confrontation had already spread, and now everyone held their breath, waiting to see how this would play out.
As we walked along, I could feel the weight of those stares. Some were fearful, others curious or disapproving. But one thing was certain – my actions had made an impact, and I didn't think that people would be bothering me anytime soon.
Once we made it to Zeus's office, Jim didn't knock and just walked in. Zeus seemed to be waiting for us, and he looked worried. He looked between us until Jim spoke up.
"Remove the damages from the CCS and Pay him out in full," Jim said, and Zeus nodded quickly.
"Yes, right away! Anything else?!" Zeus asked, sounding panicked, but Jim turned his head to me.
"I do, but this is a private conversation."
I thought I was ready. I thought I had prepared myself in case Jim retaliated, but it was clear I was a fool. His fist hit me before I even realized his arm had moved, and I blacked out before I even hit the wall.
---
Jim stared at the hole in the wall that Halberd had just made with his body.
"Do you think you might have overdone it?" Zeus asked in the lightest tone he could possibly muster.
Jim waved his hand, and the hole in the wall started to repair itself as if time had rolled backward. This was Jim's power as Timaeus, God of the Moment. Jim was ranked 4th in all of the Heavenly Realms.
"There is no such thing as overdoing it, and that thing won't die, I can promise you that. Nothing can kill them or hope to stop them. I have no idea why another one even exists or why I was sent on this mission to find him," Jim said, shaking his head.
"Do you really think that Halberd could have drained your Star Power?" Zeus asked, and Jim looked him dead in the eyes.
"Without a doubt. In the very long time that I have existed, I have never felt so helpless, and I let it happen without even thinking. I wasn't even mad at the kid for doing it because Halberd was right. It's just hard to break this system. I only hit him to make it seem like I wasn't that bothered. I am bothered. I was bothered when he took Mi Dong's Star Power and the Greeks," Jim grumbled, and Zeus raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you only seem partially bothered by this?" Zeus asked, then added, "your tone doesn't sound as worried as your words do."
Jim scrubbed his hands over his face. "The only reason that Halberd could exist would be because the other one doesn't anymore."
Zeus stopped breathing.
"I know, but I have something like proof to back up the claim. Look at how many CCS we have seen in the last month? They have been increasing since his birth. Chaos is starting to rise and appear in all the universes, and some of them have targets on multiple worlds. It is only just starting to happen, but mark my word, we are going to need Halberd because Zero Point was controlling the Chaos."
"So we are just going to let him go around taking people's Star Power?" Zeus finally asked after drawing air again.
"Do you know why people get stars, Zeus?" Jim asked.
"That is obvious. They complete the worlds without letting them get destroyed, right?"
"That is the reason when this all started, but things changed," Jim said, walking over to the window. "You are ranked 73rd, right?"
"Yes?" Zeus answered, but he was not sure why Jim asked because he clearly knew the rank.
"You know that certain things you know can't be shared with the lower ranks, right?"
"Yes. That is enforced by the top 20 ranks, yourself included, Number 4," Zeus said, and Jim turned to him.
"In the coming days and months, things are going to start changing. There is already talk of Chaos being summoned within the Heavenly Realm. We need to stay on Halberds' good side. Arth'Bolas, Diablo, Tiamat, Luxarion, and especially, the Succubus Queen are going to start using him, and that is fine, but you have to stay his number one!" Jim said, walking over to poke his index finger into Zeus's chest to drive the point home. Zeus had his hands up, scared and confused.
"You want me, what? How in the Heavenly Realm do you expect me to keep up with those offices?! You know who I am, right?! There are seven more offices higher than me! How do you expect me to compete with names like Virgo, Princess Nebula, Gaia, or even Aphrodite?! And, just so we are clear, I hate that bitch, but there is no way that Halberd is going to keep coming back to me for jobs!"
Jim rolled his eyes and then started to poke Zeus again. "Quit whining! I picked you because you have a reputation for being a pushover while somehow holding a decent dispatch office. I wasn't sure how, but it seems that you go up and above for the client if they have a high star level," Jim explained, and then pushed Zeus right over, causing him to fall back in his chair.
"I don't want to hear your excuses because that was and is typically a good practice, but listen to me. This is wrong. The start system is flawed severely, but for a very good reason."
"What do you mean?" Zeus asked, not bothering to try and get up.
"When we first started sending people out, we found that some people cleared the world faster than any of the three stars could ever dream. The problem was that when they got back, with their title, they never wanted to work. That turned some of the strongest and most resourceful people into couch potatoes. So, Merrill, you know, Number 1, saw this and decided that this couldn't go on. I can't explain how she did it, but somehow, she made it so that the strongest were given the very hardest worlds."
"Are you telling me that Number 1 is the reason that we have so much poverty?" Zeus asked, and Jim nodded.
"Yes, but for a good reason. The only way that we can keep them working is to keep them in debt so we can force them to take jobs. Only the top 100 ranks over 3 stars hold any power, but all of us have special jobs," Jim said and then offered Zeus a hand up. "This is why I need you to kiss Halberds and do whatever he says or asks of you, no matter what. That means breaking the law and disobeying me and anyone else if that is what it takes. Halberd might be the only way that we ever get this place sorted out. Either that, or he is going to suck us all dry and kill us all when he finds out everything."
Zeus hesitated for a moment before taking Jim's hand and getting to his feet. He could feel the weight of this new responsibility settling heavily upon his shoulders, but he knew that he couldn't back down now.
"I'll do my best," Zeus promised, his voice firm despite the uncertainty swirling in his mind. "I won't let you or Halberd down."
"Good," Jim replied with a nod, releasing Zeus's hand. "But remember: no matter what happens, we can't let Halberd find out the truth behind this system. If he does, there's no telling what kind of havoc he could wreak – both here in the Heavenly Realm and within the countless worlds we're trying to protect."