Page 173 of Code Bound
Note:This battle requires you to participate in a series of mini-games before battling the Minor Boss.
Vesper glances at Locke. “What does that mean?”
I roll my eyes and move over to the wall to lean against it. This should be good.
The Wolf of Wall Street is a hulking creature in the center of the room. The moment we step inside, the trading doors behind us slam shut, initiating the battle. Ticker tape rains like confetti around the room, making soft clicking sounds as it runs. The Wolf rises from the central dais, adjusts his cufflinks the same as always, and smiles with too many teeth at us.
“Welcome, investors!” he declares, opening his arms wide. “Some of you will profit. The rest will become nothing more than a statistic.” He snaps his teeth. “Are you ready to trade?”
To unlock the Wolf of Wall Street’s true health bar, these two are going to have to survive three puzzle rounds and identify the stock designed to preserve the wealthy at everyone else’s expense. I’d lost the first couple of times and ended up having to rush from the building through a smashed stained-glass window to avoid death. Here in New Babel, the bosses don’t follow you. Not the same way as others do. Simply leaving the building ends the battle and resets it. I don’t tell Vesper and Locke any of that. Let them figure it out on their own.
“Okay,” Vesper starts, tucking her weapon away. “Looks like we’re doing this one differently than the rest.”
Locke nods and gestures to the Ophanim. “You know anything about finance, Steve?”
The Ophanim’s rings spin rapidly and stop. “I’m more of a fashion icon than a finance bro. Sorry, Lockey Poo.”
The Wolf of Wall Street watches their exchange greedily, sizing them up. When they all look at him again, he straightens, adjusting his three-piece suit and gesturing toward the broker windows.
“Round one!” he calls. “The opening bell is about to ring. There are four broker windows that will open across the trading floor. Each of them offers one stock. Choose one to invest in, but choose wisely.”
A bell rings, and NPCs rush into the large room, running to look at the ticker tapes raining from the ceiling. Vesper and Locke tense, staring at all the NPCs rushing toward the Ironhold Utilities stock broker. They fight and scramble over being first in line, pushing each other, growing violent.
My eyes go up to the elevated private balconies above the floor, watching as the silent investors look at their own ticker tape, different from the ones the public gets.
“Looks like we should be choosing that one,” Locke says, pointing to the Ironhold Utilities where everyone fights over choosing their stock.
I scoff under my breath. “There’s no way these two made it this far on anything but luck,” I tell Cipher.
The system laughs. “Watch closely, Havoc.”
I frown, focusing intently on the two players. Locke goes to move toward the Ironhold Utilities broker, but Vesper latches onto his arm, stopping him. It’s only then that I realize her eyes are on the investors on the private balcony. She’s watching them closely as her fingers clench onto Locke’s arm.
“Wait,” she says.
Surprisingly, the Bone Breaker listens. He doesn’t complain or argue. He just stops and waits, following her gaze.
“They are dressed differently from these NPCs,” the praying mantis says. “More expensive.”
Vesper nods. “And they move with more confidence.”
Together, they watch as the investors pick up a phone, and the phone at the Direfang Holdings broker’s desk starts to ring.
“That one,” Vesper growls and rushes Locke toward the broker window.
I watch, surprised, as she slaps her hand down on the broker’s desk before he can pick up the phone.
“We’d like to purchase this stock,” Vesper declares.
The broker stares at her. “That will be ten Harrow Coins.”
She hesitates and Locke procures his own and plops them on the counter. Ah, they’re sharing. He’s already a Tier Two. He’s making sure she’s able to level up next.
“They’re already a guild,” I whisper in shock.
“In all but name,” Cipher agrees. “They cannot see each other’s stats.”
“That’s fucking stupid,” I growl. “He’s a Bone Breaker!”
