Gray hesitated, searching his mind for the right words. He needed a way to explain his powers as if he truly understood them, without revealing too much about what he actually did.
"It was all a bluff, wasn't it?" Douglas said, a tad disappointed.
Gray tapped his foot, deep in thought. "I'm the one exchanging valuable information here, and for nothing but someone's 'word.' I think I should be the only one worried about bluffs."
He sighed before taking a seat on the bed.
"I'll give you a quick lecture on some of what I know before I explain my powers. It'll be easier for you to understand this way," he added quickly. He paused for a moment, staring at the smoke from Douglas's cigarette as if contemplating whether to continue.
"There are three classes that champions fall under... or at least that's what your men will be able to tell you," he started.
He wasn't too certain about this number. After all, he didn't fall under either of the three. However, if more classes did exist, they hadn't been listed as requirements in the system shop. So, it was safe to assume they were rare—if others apart from his even existed at all.
Douglas furrowed his brow, nodding as he took another puff.
"Vigour, Agility, and Arcana. The short of it is, vigour enhances strength, agility enhances speed, and arcana—" he paused, looking down at his hands. "Arcana gives access to magic," he finished.
"Magic?" Douglas scoffed.
For a moment there was silence, and his expression shifted. "Oh, you're serious?"
Gray nodded. If asked he wouldn't be able to show proof, what with there being no magical objects around. But the other two were good enough.
"Everyone else is locked in one class. So they are either super strong, super fast, or can use magic," Gray continued. "Me? I'm a mixture of all three."
Gray let that settle in. And for the next minute, Douglas remained silent, occasionally taking puffs from his cigarette while staring at Gray.
"Prove it," Douglas said finally.
"I already proved the strength. What, you want to have a foot race?"
Douglas looked down at Gray's legs, before staring at his cigarette. He had a pained expression, before snuffing it out on the ground. He stood up and gestured for Gray to do the same.
"Enhanced speed means you kick faster right? Show me," Douglas said. "Unless you actually want the footrace," he added.
Gray was no martial artist, and he hadn't tested the effect of his agility on kicks yet. Though even if this failed, he could always ask for the footrace after.
"Where do you want me to kick?" he asked.
Douglas tapped his leg with a half smile. "If I react in time, it means you aren't nothing too special," he added, holding one leg out.
Gray looked at him with a raised brow. Even if his kicks weren't super fast, he sure knew they packed a dangerous punch. After all, normal legs couldn't just launch him off the ground the way his did.
"Are you sure? I'm going to have to go full force here, and I don't want the people outside thinking I tried to kill you afterward," he said.
Douglas laughed. It was the first time he had a full smile on his face. It was a hearty thing, and it went on for a good minute.
"Okay, I'll tell you what—" Douglas moved past Gray and removed the mattress from the bed. "I'll use this to protect myself," he said. "That make it feel any safer?"
Gray shrugged and took a step back. "Just make sure you explain things to your men before I get shot," he said, practicing a kick motion from where he stood. After going over the motion a few times he took a deep breath.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Ready."
He tightened his leg muscles and planted his left foot firmly on the ground. "I warned you," he said, before letting it loose.
It whipped out like a belt, tearing through the air with so much force his entire body was pulled along, before lashing into the mattress with a loud smack.
The mattress ripped where his kick landed, and Douglas dropped it.
"That, yeah... it was fast alright," he said, his voice strained. "You're in. I'll try to organize something for you," he added, before opening the door. "I'll talk to you in a bit, so stick around."
He paused at the door, gripping his side. "That Joshua you were looking for. He from your class?"
"Yeah."
"I'll get someone to bring him here," Douglas said, before closing the door.
Gray looked down at his leg, and then at the tear on the mattress. It hadn't hurt at all, sure there'd been a split second where his leg cramped up, but it went away as fast as it had come.
"That's a bit more than I thought I was capable of..." he whispered, tracing his fingers over the tear on the mattress. ~ I wonder what someone with better stats could do.~
『Safepoint public announcement.』
~What?~
『Note that the murder of safe point property is fineable, and will result in expulsion from the premises.』
~Murder of safe point property? What? Are they talking about the attendants?~
『Property issued to champions, will not be replaced in the event of a murder. Subsequent visits will hence result in reduced facility access.』
『The charged champion has been held at trial in front of a panel of overseers. And has been sentenced to expulsion, with a fine of 2000 coins.』
2000 coins was hefty, and he doubted that the idiot who had killed his attendant had that much, to begin with. They'd probably never be able to use the system shop at this rate, seeing as how coins were hard to come by.
~Besides, why the fuck would you kill your attendant?~ he thought to himself. ~And what's this about a panel of overseers? What, like an intergalactic jury?~
『That is all.』
『We will be watching. May the stars be in your favour.』