Reforming Vex turned out to be the hardest thing I'd attempted yet. The man was genuinely cruel—he enjoyed causing pain. But he was also desperate, drowning in debt to the crime syndicate above him.
[ANALYZING VEX'S DEBTS...][TOTAL OWED: 734 GOLD][INCOME: ERRATIC AND INSUFFICIENT][TIME UNTIL SYNDICATE ACTS: 2 WEEKS]
I spent three days studying his operation. His loans were predatory, yes, but they also served people who couldn't get legitimate credit. The poor, the desperate, the ones banks ignored.
What if instead of destroying his business, we transformed it?
I called a meeting with Vex, Frost, and several legitimate money lenders.
"Gentlemen," I said, "I want to propose a new type of lending organization. One that serves the poor and desperate, but with fair terms. Low interest, flexible repayment, actual support for borrowers."
One of the lenders laughed. "That's charity, not business."
"It's good business if you do it right. The poor are an underserved market. Yes, they're risky, but most want to pay back. They just need reasonable terms." I turned to Vex. "You know these people. You know who will pay and who won't. That knowledge is valuable."
[STRATEGIC PLANNING (RANK F) CREATING NOVEL SOLUTION]
"You want me to be a legitimate lender?" Vex said skeptically.
"I want you to be a bridge. You understand both worlds—the desperate borrowers and the business of lending. Work with these men. They provide capital, you provide knowledge and collection. Fair terms, no broken fingers. Everyone profits."
Frost spoke up. "I'll back this venture. Two hundred gold initial investment. If Marcus believes it can work, I trust him."
[REPUTATION BONUS: YOUR PAST SUCCESSES CARRY WEIGHT]
The other lenders were skeptical, but when Frost committed, they followed. Within two days, we had a new legitimate lending house: "Fair Credit Solutions."
Vex would run day-to-day operations. His old debt? Paid off by the new business as a startup cost. In exchange, he'd work for five years turning the business profitable.
"Why are you doing this?" Vex asked when we finalized the papers. "I threatened to kill you. I've hurt so many people. Why save me?"
"Because everyone deserves a chance to be better. Even sadistic loan sharks."
[VEX'S PERSPECTIVE SHIFTING][HIS KARMIC DEBT: DECREASING]
He looked at his hands. "I've done terrible things. Broken fingers, ruined lives. Can I really come back from that?"
"I don't know. But you can try. And trying is better than not trying."
[QUEST COMPLETE: REDEEM THE LOAN SHARK][REWARD: +10,000 CREDITS][BONUS: ESTABLISHED LEGITIMATE BUSINESS HELPING THE POOR][ADDITIONAL REWARD: +5,000 CREDITS]
[CURRENT BALANCE: -820,390 CREDITS]
Lyssa had watched the whole thing. As we left, she shook her head in amazement.
"You actually did it. You turned a sadistic criminal into a legitimate businessman."
"He turned himself. I just showed him the path."
"My debt is at 2,803,000 now. I've dropped 44,000 credits in two weeks. That's more progress than I made in eight months alone."
[QUEST CHAIN PROGRESS: REDEMPTION OF LYSSA][CURRENT REDUCTION: 44,000 / 500,000 NEEDED][SHE'S LEARNING QUICKLY]
"You're a good student."
She smiled. "You're a good teacher. But Marcus... there's something I need to tell you."
"What?"
"Before I met you, I heard rumors. Other Hosts. Ones who've completely given up on redemption. They've formed a group. They call themselves the Reapers."
My blood ran cold. "How many?"
"At least a dozen. They hunt other Hosts, steal their credits, and don't care about the karmic penalties. Their leader has supposedly killed twenty Hosts."
[SYSTEM ALERT][THREAT DETECTED: THE REAPERS][LEADER: CASSIUS "THE REAPER KING"][ESTIMATED POWER LEVEL: EXTREME][WARNING: THEY'RE LOOKING FOR HIGH-VALUE TARGETS][YOU ARE NOW A HIGH-VALUE TARGET]
"They know about me?"
"They know about both of us. You, because you're the People's Champion with a visible reputation. Me, because of my debt level. They think we're worth hunting."
"When are they coming?"
"I don't know. But Cassius is in the city. I can feel him. His karmic debt is massive—over four million. He's powerful, ruthless, and he sees other Hosts as nothing but resources to harvest."
[NEW QUEST CHAIN: THE REAPER WAR][STAGE 1: SURVIVE THE FIRST ENCOUNTER][STAGE 2: PROTECT OTHER HOSTS FROM THE REAPERS][STAGE 3: FACE CASSIUS][WARNING: THIS IS YOUR MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE YET]
I looked at Lyssa. "Can we beat them?"
"In a straight fight? No. They're killers. Actual monsters. But you don't do straight fights. You do impossible solutions."
"Yeah. I'm going to need to think of a really good impossible solution for this one."