Assault, page 13
“I went to check on the girl and did a life magica examination. I discovered the toxin in her foot, which was the likely spot of contact as she had open-toed sandals. After I told her father to bring her to a professional healer—as I am a novice in that field—he brought her to this Ben fellow, who did what any normal life magica would do, which is infuse life mana into the host. He found the toxin and attempted to heal her. I believe it back-flowed into him and strengthened in her. In my attempt to get him off her to stop the spread, he attacked, likely because of the toxin affecting his mind. So I used lightning to stun him, and then you arrived and escorted me downstairs to that lovely room. Sorry about the burn marks, by the way.”
She has one hand on the sword on her waist and the other on a dagger on her other side. If she goes for them, I will flatten her, but I think it is just an intimidation attempt. Or it might be habit. “You seem to know an awful lot about it, Mr. Vic. What if this whole thing is an attempt by you to cripple the guild? You were here today and are not even a guild member. What were you even doing in the rear social courtyard? And why aren’t you infected too?”
“Would you like me to attempt to heal these people, Ms. Boss Lady? If not, I will exit the premises and call for a quarantine. Any attempting escape will be terminated.”
She looks at me and asks, “Who the hell are you?”
“Last chance, Ms. Boss Lady. I happen to really appreciate the Hunters Guild. Please don’t force me into a bad situation.”
After a few seconds of staring at me with angry eyes, she snaps, “Fine!”
I smile at her. “Excellent. Where is Ben?”
She points. I walk over, grab a nearby grav stool, and sit by his bed. He looks nearly dead but is still strapped down with beast leathers.
“Sorry, old man. This may not feel too good.”
Chapter 23
I touch him and try the first thing that comes to mind; I send in death mana. It is an irony that when I look through the eyes of death, I see life. I see it glowing like the light of creation, and it disgusts me. But this time I am looking for a specific light. I don’t want this man’s light of life; I want the other in his body. A flood of dim light throughout his entire form appears before me, and I take great joy at the ending of it. I absorb all but the brightest of him. And it gets brighter as I keep absorbing the dimness. All that life ending . . . It. Is. Glorious. I end it all. Every last bit and start to go for the brightest light when I stop myself and take a shuddering breath. I open my eyes to see the woman standing on the other side of the room gripping her weapons tightly, looking at me like I’m death incarnate. In some ways, I am.
I look down at Ben still strapped to the bed and find his coloring much more natural. Healthy, even. “How fascinating. Ms. Boss Lady, do you have any with death affinity in the guild?”
She blinks at me and shakes her head no.
I ask questioningly, “You don’t have to check?”
She glares at me. “I’d remember a death magica under my supervision.”
I sigh and nod. “I believe you. Well, it’s all on me then.”
Of course. Death magica are something everyone wants to keep track of. Those who don’t experience it have no idea of its capabilities and especially its weaknesses—mainly how damn slow it is to work. Worse of all is the addiction. The desire and ecstasy of snuffing life are quite . . . distracting while seeing through death’s eyes. I clear my throat.
[I wonder how long that poison stone was there to have tainted so many creatures. Or perhaps not long but it spread quickly. We have no way to know. I hope it doesn’t lose too much essence in my [Inventory].]
Inspecting it is the only way to know . . .
Later. I move to the next person and suck all the life from the toxin.
[Can you remind me we never tested the time delay on either my Inventory or Aria’s storage collar? We should do that.]
Affirmative. . .
By the last person, I am almost completely in control of myself when using death magica. It is so much easier than the first time and that direbear.
I stand up, take a deep breath, and look at the woman. Given everything that was going on, I never really had a good look at her. She has long, wavy violet hair, a freckled face, and is rather attractive. Likely, in her thirties, she is quite fit but has a number of scars on her face, hands, and forearms that show her real-life hunting experience.
“Well, that’s everyone, Ms. Boss Lady. I need to return to your backyard to collect and dispose of all those poisoned carcasses in the ground. While I do not believe it will spread anymore, could be wrong and I’d hate for a repeat or to destroy the ecosystem. Cleaning up something like that would be a huge time suck. Have a pleasant day.” And I stand up and walk out.
***
I am kneeling in the dirt, trying to collect all the poisoned bodies when I am, yet again, interrupted. I sigh and turn my head. It’s Ms. Boss Lady.
“Mr. Vic. You did not just happen to pop by today, did you?”
I turn back to my work. “No.”
“Did you know what you would find?”
I shake my head with my eyes closed. The earth is so stubborn. “No.”
“But you believed you would find something.”
I nod. “Yes.”
“And you did not come to the guild officially because you have no proof.”
“Correct.”
“I don’t know if you will find value in this, but you have a friend in the Sea Saddle City’s Hunters Guild.” Then she turns around and walks away.
[I do value it.]
I know, Vic. I’m so sorry about the girl. There was nothing you could do. If you fought them, she and likely everyone else would have died. You did the only thing you could . . .
Tears are absorbed by the earth beneath me as they fall from my eyes. I just keep working in silence. Mission first.
Eventually, I have a huge pile of worms, rodents, and insects in the dirt.
[Can I [Inventory] this whole pile?]
No. Too much variety for your available space, even with the new growth . . .
I change the earth’s shape to house the pile in a bowl, and I compress that bowl until the dirt is nearly like solid rock. I appear the mole rat’s carcass on top of the pile and take a short breather. After my mana refills sufficiently, I get back to it, putting something of a lid on the bowl with a small hole in the center.
With my palm holding the fire rune over the hole, I summon a torrent of white-hot plasma. I leave it fluid and formless and it fills the bowl. All the tainted carcasses are incinerated as a substance as hot as the surface of the sun vaporizes everything in the space. Once it cools enough, I collapse the earth and turn to leave.
[I need Aria.]
I know, Vic. She is aware of our ETA . . .
[Thanks, Jo. This was a lot less . . . difficult with you here.]
Of course, Vic . . .
[Send a report providing all the details to Honor and Shield.]
Affirmative . . .
I climb on Grace, and we head home.
Message sent . . .
***
When I get home, Aria is there waiting. She takes my hand, and we walk through the bedroom, into the bathroom. She has the bath ready. She helps me strip and climb in, follows, and just holds me. I put my head into her hair and just breathe. Maybe for an hour we stay that way, with her on my lap just holding me and me just breathing in her scent, reminding me she’s here.
She speaks. “Will you tell me what happened?”
“A little girl died.” And my body shakes a little as I cry into her hair.
“I’m so sorry, Vic.” She squeezes me tighter and rubs her hands on my back as I sob and shudder because of a child I failed. Another child I killed with my failure.
Aria holds me for the rest of the night until I fall asleep, tears still streaking my face.
***
I wake to the sun reflecting off Aria’s hair.
[Hey, Jo.]
How do you feel, Vic?
[I’m better. I apologize for my breakdown.]
Everyone gets to break down every now and then. Even you. Or maybe especially you . . .
[Well, thanks for being a friend. What are our alerts?]
Before that, I rescheduled Ms. Owings to tonight. I told her you were working on an emergency mission to prevent a biological breakout and that is the only reason you had to move it. She seemed to understand . . .
[Thank you.]
Of course. You used quite a bit of mana manipulation yesterday . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Death Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 6 to 9 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Earth Mana Manipulation] is now level 8 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Magma Mana Manipulation] is now level 4 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Metal Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 1 to 3 . . .
Skill updated. Passive skill [Plasma Mana Manipulation] has leveled from 0 to 4 . . .
[We did say we wanted to expand beyond fire. This is a start.]
True. Let’s keep pushing that path. Those sorts of things lead to saturation . . .
[I’m heading into my mini-world. Be back soon.]
My [Living Inventory] is visibly different this time. The first thing I notice is that I actually appear on a rock. I got that right at least. I had a large flat rock materialize where I appear so I don’t enter buried to the ankle in dirt anymore. Small victories.
I did a pretty okay job of putting rocks where I wanted them. My huge pile of gravel is off the side, and I head there. I mostly successfully laid a stone walking path to this location. I follow it and make some adjustments moving the stones here and there. Then I put my hands in the smooth, pleasantly moist soil and give the earth a big smack and a shove. I use it to sink and compress an area a thousand meters in diameter and a hundred meters deep at its center with a mostly sharp and quick decline. I compress it until it is hard; then I need to rest. Gah, earth is such a pain in my ass. I have no HUD in here and no Jo, so I am guessing based on how I feel when I regenerate my mana.
When I think I am recovered, I give the earth a kick in the ass and have it raise, tilt, and dump all the gravel into my pit. As it falls, I have the earth roll and shift to move the gravel around. It doesn't work that well, but it doesn’t totally suck either. In any case, I have to spend two more mana cycles just moving the gravel around so it is evenly distributed, then another three to compress it down even further.
I’m exhausted from the filling and emptying of my mana pool, but I still have a few things to do. Walking ten feet away, the three extra stones I purchased are there. They are full of holes, cavities, and hideaways for fish. I infuse every part of my muscle structure with earth mana and cycle it around. It fills up, and eventually I feel the strength of my body explode. I pick up the hideaway stone and dump it at a deep area in the future lake. Then I do that for the others at different depths.
I release the mana and fall over as I feel myself weaken. Ugh. Slower next time. Looking at my future source of freshwater, I am happy with today’s work. Now I just need to find the water in enough mass. I wish I had a way to aerate it, but one step at a time.
I open my eyes to the real world to find Aria kissing me. What a great way to wake up. My hands wander a little, and we end up welcoming the morning together to the point of missing our workout time. Ah, well. Sometimes you just gotta put your spouse first.
Chapter 24
Sitting on the balcony, I am alone with Jo prepping for the day. Aria is at the dojo or range; I’m not sure which.
[I know I have Ms. Owings at 18:30. Is there anything else today?]
Mr. Cannon has acquisition documentation for you regarding the Greenfield Construction Company . . .
[Seem like the right deal to you?]
At slightly higher than market price, it seems fair since your purpose isn’t to profit from the acquisition . . .
[Approved. Buy it and arrange a meeting to discuss their first construction project, today if possible. The transport?]
It passed inspection and was purchased at the end of the day yesterday . . .
[Move it towards the Greenfield facility. Next?]
You know I am not technically supposed to pilot it myself, right? . . .
[Yep. Don’t care. You’re probably a better pilot than most of the humans out there. Next?]
I won’t argue. Still nothing from your gunny . . .
[That makes me nervous. Is there a way you can try to trace his whereabouts?]
I can try but it is unlikely given current access limitations . . .
[Ask Shield if she can spare a resource to track him down. He is critical to running this shitshow.]
Confirmed . . .
[Delay the other lawyer—Franks, I think his name is—until I talk to Ms. Owings. If I hire her, she’ll be in charge of hiring lawyers.]
Confirmed. Message sent. I have a number of facilities that sell plants and the like available . . .
[What kind of flora should I put in my world? Will it start to rain after I add water? There are so many unknowns.]
I cannot help you with any of it. I’m sorry, Vic . . .
[It’s fine. I think I need a way to move water. Stagnant water is a bad idea.]
Elevation? . . .
[Hmm. Perhaps. That gives me an idea. Let me think on it.]
Uh-oh. Now I regret my comment. Onto something else that hopefully won’t end the world as we know it; you can meet with Greenfield in two hours . . .
[What do you mean “uh-oh” and ending the world? My ideas are great! And let’s do the meeting. Be prepared to buy a load of construction materials fast. Start prepping.]
Not responding to the first comment. Otherwise, that is all until your meetup. Tomorrow night is the start of your staff training . . .
[I’m going to rest and start planning for my next crazy. And no, it won’t end the world. Hopefully.]
***
Meeting the Greenfield family is only slightly awkward. I just bought their family business that they sweated and bled to build, but I also saved their asses. So it’s a bit weird at first, but once we start just talking it becomes better. Even relaxed. I like the elder Greenfield; he’s hysterical. He’s called me brat at least four times and I love it. Reminds me of an old comrade.
Transport will arrive in ten . . .
[Hold it at the edge of the facility until I call.]
Once we are relaxed, I bring up the reason I am here. “So I need to build something. And I’m hoping you make it all happen with your big machines, lifting heavy things, banging really hard and such.”
The elder pipes up. “Listen, brat, it's the big machines that do the lifting and banging. Honestly, how did you get so rich with that brain?”
I respond dryly. “Well, an old codger like you thought I was pretty, so I sold my body and inherited his fortune.”
The old codger is silent for a few moments, nods, and says, “Smart.”
I pull up the map and show a detailed view of the lake valley. “I need this valley to turn into a mining town housing all races. And I need it as soon as you can safely make it happen. Budget is open season on poor Vic’s coin bag.”
Silence. The old man then asks, “How in the dragon’s backside are we supposed to get everything there and back?”
“Ahh. I’m glad you asked. Let’s go outside.”
[Send it.]
We step outside, and just as they wonder why, the massive construction transport flys in, hovers above the facility for a second, then settles in an open area.
“That’s how, gentlemen.” Smiling I continue. “Buy however much of whatever you need and build me my mining town. As soon as you can fucking do it.”
The elder son asks, “Do you have an architect?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Do you have one you trust?”
He nods. “My wife is an architect; that is how we met. She was going to join the family business when everything went bad.”
“Offer her a full-time job. I’ll pay fifteen percent more than she is making now.”
He just blinks at me. “Did you really sleep with an old codger to get rich?”
The old codger next to him breaks out into hysterical braying laughs.
I turn around and go home.
***
Ms. Owings is a tall woman (taller than me) with dark skin, dark curly hair, dark eyes, and the hugest, brightest smile I think I’ve ever seen. I’d hire her right now just on the first impression if I could get away with it.
“Ms. Owings, thank you for joining me. I have a private room reserved at the restaurant. If you haven’t eaten, food is on me. If you have, dessert is on me. If you don’t want either, drinks are on me.”
Her voice is boisterous and mighty like she is proud to speak with it. “That is the kind of welcome any lawyer appreciates and is suspicious of.”
I need this woman in my company.
We sit and enjoy a friendly meal when I start the negotiation. “Ms. Owings, I need a head lawyer. Someone who will run my entire enterprise’s lawyery stuff. You will be responsible for hiring, organizing, and managing the entire legal staff as you see fit. I don’t know the right way to make a law office, and I don’t want to. Your job is to make it so I don’t have to.”
“How involved in the legal decision-making do you want to be?”
“I will make the big decisions. I don’t give two shits what all the legal mumbo jumbo is. If you tell me I need to open a subsidiary company, I just don’t care enough to argue. Do you understand the trust and responsibility I am placing on your shoulders?”
She lets out a breath and leans back.
I continue. “This company is going to do huge things. We are trying to save the human race and its allies. We are going to be using our military licenses and connections to kill a lot of Invaders. And some others that really deserve it, like slavers and such. We are going to go into difficult situations and rescue people. We are going to send in protection and medical teams to help people in dire circumstances. We will kill and save as I see fit, and together we can serve the greater humanity.
