Parallel: United Front

Chapter 28: Choosing a Scout

Dayle, Raines and Arthur listened to Jack Rifle's speech with bemused interest. The gist of the speech basically centered around one phrase: Do as I say or get kicked out. Thankfully, the loot distribution appeared much fairer in comparison. Any gear obtained dropped by a monster of Nexus bot belonged to the person who dealt the most damage. Their gauntlets calculated damage dealt in real time so there was no chance of cheating.

Dayle, however, smirked when he heard the loot distribution. Although it seemed fair at fair glance, this effectively meant that the top fireteams would monopolize the best loot. However, those same fireteams might not necessarily be able to defeat the stronger bosses without interference/distraction tactics from the weaker fireteams. In a way, they were going to make the weak fireteams work for free.

Jack, as if reading Dayle's mind, then said, "For those worried about we are planning on making you work for free, I promise you this: Any loot below level 50, regardless of rarity, will be donated to the vanguard and scout fireteams. So, if you would like to volunteer, now would be the time." Jack paused, allowing greed to sink into the mercenaries' hearts. When he was satisfied, he raised his right hand, "Those who would like to volunteer to be the vanguard force, raise your hands."

Dayle looked around. Surprisingly, a large number of mercs excited raised their hands. Well, he could understand. The vanguard faced the most danger, but at the same time, fought the most enemies. The more Nexus they killed, the more they stood to gain. Scouts in contrast, were not supposed to engage the enemy, but rather report. Their task was a noble one, but there wasn't much immediate profit.

Jack, seemingly expecting the turnout, efficiently delegated members of his clan to organize the vanguard. He needed to know their specializations so he could tailor future strategies to suit them. The entire process took the better part of an hour, during which Dayle contacted Viper, relayed a set of instructions, and then attempted to get close to the beautiful women around.

Dayle was in the middle of one such conversation when Jack returned to his post and raised his hand. The rowdy crowd quieted down, and then looked at him.

"First, I would like to offer my thanks to the brave souls who volunteered to be the vanguard. I promise that you will be rewarded handsomely for your contributions." Jack smiled and then said, "Next, we need volunteers for scouts. This expedition will be fraught with danger, and possible traps. We need brave folks who will scout ahead to ensure we avoid or bypass as many traps as possible." He paused and then asked, "Volunteers, please raise your hands or step forward."

Unsurprisingly, a sudden silence fell over the mercenaries. Scouts had to go behind enemy lines blind, and often danced on the edge of death by their lonesome. None of these money-greedy mercenaries would willingly risk their lives for minimum profit.

"Sorry, hon. Seems I've been called up."

Murmurs echoed in the mercenary camp as Dayle raised his hand. Nearby, Raines and Arthur followed Dayle's lead and walked to the front.

Jack Rifle raised a brow in surprise as he looked at FireRain. He had assumed he would have to forcefully conscript some people to be spies. He never thought there would be willing volunteers. He thus brightly smiled as he asked, "You are?"

Dayle grinned and then jerked his chin at Gunroy who was fuming a few feet behind Jack. "Your boy knows us well."

Jack's brow rose in question. He turned to look at Gunroy. From the man's red face, he could more or less guess what had transpired. Knowing Gunroy's character, he most likely antagonized the team in front of him, but then somehow got owned. Jack frowned. He felt a headache coming on, but as a leader, this was not the first time he had to deal with an awkward situation.