by L. M. Kerr
"Keep it real, Larry!" They had, coincidentally, taken almost the same path they had arrived on before, even meeting the same two guards that had originally greeted them. Micheal acted natural and kept a friendly demeanor up as he waved at the two original guards they had first met, as well as Jarrod.
"Yes, sir!" Larry waved back, motioning them through.
'Everything seems perfectly normal. Let's keep it that way…' Micheal's eyes flashed.
They crossed over with no issues. The feeling of being tracked, however, never left Micheal, constantly sticking to him.
"Come on." He broke out into a jog as he and Sophia left the area, moving over two more skyscrapers.
At that point, Micheal dragged Sophia forward and practically dove into the shed atop its roof. They immediately raced down more than a dozen levels, in a mad sprint.
"How many are there? Are we going to be attacked?" Sophia, to her credit, kept herself from panicking as she followed Micheal's hurried run.
"None if we can have it my way, and we won't give them a chance to attack." Micheal's voice was cool as they stopped descending, ending up on the 15th floor, his chest only slightly heaving from exertion thanks to his enhanced stats.
Micheal led the way to an open lounge, not encountering anyone or anything. He immediately threw open the door that led to the outside, quickly scanning his surroundings.
By now, they were well into the fading evening, with night fast approaching.
Micheal called out his two Life Orbs, smiling as he mentally ordered them to step next to his feet. He then turned towards Sophia, holding out his arms.
"Up you go. Now that we're this far, they won't be able to catch up." He couldn't resist a smile, relief filling him. The speed at which his Life Orbs moved, plus the unexpected nature of him flying away, made it extremely unlikely any scout would be able to follow them.
He wasn't worried that he would get harmed, but if an ambush dragged out and anyone got near Sophia…
Sophia rolled her eyes,
"I'll ride your back." She stepped forward, waving for him to turn around.
He shrugged, smirking slightly,
"Oh, well, if you insist. A little forward for me but I won't-"
"Ow!" He ducked under a smack as Sophia blushed.
"Alright, alright!" He laughed quietly,
"Let's escape now before they search the building. I'll explain everything while we fly away!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"Lord Brandon! We've received word of the Irregulars that attacked you."
In a brightly lit lounge, a one-armed man sat, a large axe slung across his back as he looked down at a set of papers. A set of glasses could be seen on his face as he squinted, reading over several lines.
A dark mood hovered around this man, a fierce frown on his face.
"Lord Brandon! Sir!" The muscular figure of the Pirate Lord Brandon looked up from reading over the paper, blinking as he lost focus,
"What?" His voice was laced with irritation.
"Sir, one of our men in the Godfather Organization has found the Irregulars that attacked you!" Standing at the entrance to the lounge was a man dressed in a black shirt and grey pants, one of the lower level scouts in the Black Flag Pirates.
"Oh? Where did-, you said attackers? Not attacker?" Brandon frowned,
"Yes, sir! Both Sophia and Micheal, the two Irregulars, were spotted!" The scout promptly replied.
"Huh? That's… that's not possible. What? Are you certain?" Brandon's eyes widened in shock.
"Yes sir, the information report has been confirmed by multiple sources."
The Pirate Lord stared at the scout for several seconds, his face unblinking.
"Give me your report." He ordered, his voice brooking no argument.
"Yes, sir! The duo are now working with the Godfather Organization, and have shared intel that is currently being tested. We lost track of them as they moved through the Cluster, but we know that they, along with several of the higher-ups from the Godfather Organization, are going to all be in the same place in two days."
"Two days." Brandon took a deep breath, his eyes bleeding hatred. His mouth twisted slightly as he clutched at where his left arm had been, phantom pain flaring up. The battle with the Saru Group General Raymen had cost him his entire arm and nearly his life, the most humiliating experience of his life.
For him, the Pirate Lord Brandon, famed for his defensive prowess and ability to roam the Cluster without fear, to be sent fleeing like a wounded dog…
It was infuriating.
"Go, take my word to Byron. Tell him to meet me here." He waved the scout away, watching as the door shut behind the man.
"I don't know how you're still alive… but you will rue the day you cost me this arm." His voice was hoarse,
"You have two days left to live." His eyes gleamed darkly,
"Let us see how you fare against the full force of the Black Flag Pirates and her allies, little man." His voice rumbled, anger coloring his tone,
"The Godfather Organization will die with you."
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"…Yes, there is no risk to your sister. I am certain she is not in this Cluster. I'm a Seer, remember?" Micheal's voice echoed in the dimly lit lounge, looking across a table at Sophia. They had safely managed to fly away, crossing over several skyscrapers till they found an unoccupied haven back in the central zone.
"Okay… That makes sense for now, I guess." Sophia's eyes were wide as she went on,
"But you said that one of their Officers, Cain, is a traitor?!"
"Yes." Micheal's voice was cool,
"And that means everything is about to come to a head." Micheal folded his hands together,
"Pirate Lord Brandon is no doubt incensed. I am certain they will take advantage of our expedition to attack and try to wipe out the leadership of the Godfather Organization here, as well as allow Brandon to exact his revenge." Micheal kept his tone cool and logical as he explained.
"Oh my gosh. Aren't there 2 A Rankers in the Black Flag Pirates?! Will the Godfather Organization stand a chance?" Sophia's tone was worried, though more likely for her little sister than anything else. Anything that would jeopardize her chances of finding Anna was unacceptable in her eyes.
"Maybe, but not if the Black Flag Pirates call upon smaller forces or teams, going all out. Which they will." Micheal sighed, rubbing his forehead. He knew this problem was going to be something he had to face, sooner or later.
'I've got almost everything I need ready for this, I've collected most of the items I'll need…' He nodded sharply.
"We have the advantage, though." He smiled.
Sophia stared at him quizzically in return.
"We know it's going to happen, and they don't know that we know." He held his hand up slowly, open wide.
"The element of surprise is on our side. We have time to prepare, to take advantage of that, so that when the time comes…" He clenched his fist shut, crushing the air,
"We will crush them."
Sophia looked at him and then tentatively nodded her head. Micheal's actions, as well as the mysterious knowledge he had shown over the past week, had solidified her opinion of him. If he said the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east, she would be the first in line to watch that sunrise, her faith in him steady.
"But for now… Let's get some rest." He resisted the urge to yawn, looking out at the pitch black darkness.
"We've got a bunch of things to do tomorrow."
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Two days later...
The final day arrived.
Micheal woke up slowly, the early morning light slipping in through a partially closed window. He blinked as he came awake, swiftly becoming alert.
He slowly smiled, his eyes cold,
"It's time."
.
Chapter 63: Attack
"Boss Shigun! Good morning!" Micheal waved cheerfully at the well-dressed leader of the Godfather Org
anization in his Cluster, smiling. Sophia waved faintly after a moment, eyeing Micheal askance.
"Hello, brat." Shigun laughed out loud as he waved back, an eager light in his eye. Next to him were his two powerful Team Leaders, Bloody Iron Arm Cain and Martin the Hammer, as well as a good dozen guards armed to the teeth. Shigun was holding a cane this time, one he leaned slightly on as he stood.
They were currently standing atop the rooftop of the Godfather Organization's HQ. The morning light was still early, not yet moving to midmorning. Micheal and Sophia had made fast time here, stopping for nothing. They'd encountered a few Morenkai along the way, but sprinted past them.
They began to walk over towards where the Godfather Organization team was waiting, their movements steady.
"It seems that intel you shared on that Dragon Building Liquid came out as you said." Shigun crossed his arms and gave Micheal a stern nod. He then continued,
"We've put in word looking for Miss Morgan's little sister. We haven't found her in this Cluster, but our organization here is just a branch of the main group. When we hear back from the Main Cluster, we will be able to give you a fuller report." Shigun's words were authoritative, spoken slowly. In his mouth, an unlit cigar could be seen, one he seemed to have tried to light and failed.
"I also sent word of your Dragon Building Liquid to the Main Cluster. You've managed to pique the interest of even the Executives, so they definitely won't slack off." He nodded appreciatively,
"What are you going to show us today? If it's as valuable as that Dragon Building Liquid seems to be, the Main Branch will reward you handsomely." As he spoke, he leaned forward, looking at Micheal with interest. His stance was a bit guarded, but friendly overall.
Micheal smiled. It seemed he'd successfully won the man over. That would make everything that was going to follow this much easier. As for taking a reward from the Main Branch of the Godfather Organization, naturally he would turn it down.
It wasn't that he didn't want anything. Rather, all the Executives and higher-ups in the Organization greatly valued relationships. If he accepted any type of monetary or physical reward, they would see this all as merely a trade or physical exchange.
"Like I told you before, it's a method to gain tens of thousands of Points very quickly. And I don't want any reward, beyond helping Sophia find her little sister." He took a few steps forward until he was only around a meter away. From this close, he got a good look at the cane Shigun was leaning on.
'A Thunderbar Cane from the Shop, huh? What is that, 18,000 Points?' It was a durable weapon that allowed its user to send out a small bolt of energy, useful for people that lacked good long-range attacks. It could also be used as a close-range weapon, able to grow roughly twice as thick and long.
'I suppose that's to make up for his Full Transformation Type Ability. If I recall, it's one specializing in close combat.' He mentally nodded. He couldn't quite remember what exactly the Ability had been, but knew his guess was close enough.
"All you guys need to do is follow us!" Micheal gave them all a thumbs up.
Shigun looked at him for a brief moment before nodding and waving his hand behind him,
"You heard the lad, men! Let's move out!" The powerful Boss wanted to see what Micheal was offering with his own two eyes.
Just like that, they set off.
Micheal led them all the way to the edge of their territory, spending a good twenty minutes jogging. Whenever they passed by any patrols or guards, the men would all respectfully step to the side, many of them looking at Boss Shigun in worship or awe.
A lot of the guards were on the younger side, Micheal noted, not surprised. The Godfather Organization took in everyone. There was no time to coddle anyone, not in the middle of the apocalypse.
"Hmm, around here should do." As they passed over a bridge that was a few buildings out from the official territory of the Godfather Organization, Micheal glanced around and then nodded, as if it was his first time here.
He then turned to look at Boss Shigun and his men.
"As I'm sure you all know, this area isn't claimed by anyone and should be mostly empty. There are two ways to use my method of gaining Points. We will show you the first method right now." While Sophia's Fairy Eyes were quite unique, it wasn't like they were the only way to trick Morenkai into seeking out Abnormals and Golden Morenkai. Micheal figured he'd share both methods, in the interests of maximizing the gains the Human Race would make.
He walked over to one of the sheds atop the roof, opening it. He and Sophia quickly went inside, followed by several of Boss Shigun's men, his two Team Leaders, and the Boss himself. While he hadn't brought his entire army with him, Boss Shigun was not nearly as cocky as Pirate Lord Brandon. For an expedition of such note, he had brought a full 20 C Ranked soldiers as well as his two B Rank Team Leaders. Some of the soldiers were close to B Rank, all of them elites in their own right.
The skyscraper was roughly 40 stories high. They moved down it at a fast pace, not encountering any Morenkai or other people. True to Micheal's word, the building was practically abandoned, with no one living in it. It was simply too close to the territory of the Godfather Organization, constantly within range of their outer guards.
'It's close enough that the Godfather group should be fine with it, but far enough that the Black Flag Pirates will likely consider it a fair enough spot to attack.' Micheal's eyes were narrow as he descended into the depths of the building. He had put a great deal of thought and planning into this seemingly random location.
Soon, they arrived at the base of the skyscraper. The floor was made of white tile, bereft of any rooms or decoration. Large, tinted glass windows could be seen all along the sides of the walls, and four separate doors opened out onto the street.
When they stepped on the ground floor, all of the men, and even the Team Leaders and Boss Shigun, looked faintly uncomfortable. The one rule of the First Layer was to never go to the ground floor. Even if everyone here was capable of handling a single Morenkai on their own, none of them could shake that inborn dread.
"Hmm, it's empty." It took only a sweeping glance to scan the ground floor. There were no Morenkai inside.
Micheal walked up to one of the doors. He slowly cracked it open, his movements calm and assured. The soldiers from the Godfather Organization watched him in shock, several of them stepping back. Even Boss Shigun eyed him askance, his eyes narrow.
thud
thud
thud
Outside, shambling Morenkai footsteps echoed out as the freakish creatures moved on the sidewalk steadily. Micheal waited patiently as a few large groups walked by, taking his time.
Finally, when only a duo of Morenkai were in front of his door, he pushed his arm out, causing the door to spray halfway open.
The duo Morenkai automatically froze, slowly turning to look through the open door at Micheal.
"Hup!" Micheal jumped backwards, stepping away from the doorway.
Not a split second later, two normal looking Morenkai lumbered into the room, their great midnight-black bodies shuffling forward.
"Hold on, Sophia." Micheal held his hand out, causing Sophia to pause. She had been just about to activate her Fairy Eyes as they had planned. Micheal didn't see her nod her head, but figured she would listen, moving on his own as he slightly adapted their plan.
Micheal took a step forward, into range of the two Morenkai. The vicious creatures immediately attacked, each one leading out with a brutal punch.
He stepped forward again, moving just under their attack. He could feel wind brush across his head, shivering. The powerful creatures never held back anything with their attacks, directly going for the kill on the first move.
"Hah!" Micheal looped his arm around the waist of each Morenkai.
Then, he flexed his entire body, feeling strength boil within him. All of the increases he had made, upping his Strength stat and enhancing his Physique, increasing his Ki Cultivation, all played together as his ar
ms tightened around the Morenkai waists.
He then picked them up and threw them.
His body twirled as he tossed the two heavy creatures away, sending them flying backwards. He had knocked them both off balance before he threw them, using their own poor sense of balance and the weight of their two punches that had missed to make throwing them much easier.
"Morenkai are not the brightest creatures." Micheal began to talk out loud as the two Morenkai landed in a heap, half a dozen meters away. He turned and ignored them for a moment as he looked at the watching Godfather Organization members.
All of them were looking at him with a sense of newfound respect. His close combat charge and clear skill had won their respect. Even Boss Shigun looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected that.
He also caught an obscure expression appear on Bloody Iron Arm Cain's face for a split second. He wasn't sure what it meant, but knew that Cain had likely marked him down as a threat, not that that mattered.
"As long as you dodge their attacks, leading them where you want to go can be quite easy." He gestured at the downed Morenkai that were just getting up, nodding his head. He looked Boss Shigun in the eyes, his words clearly intended to be heard by him,
"This is something that can be used against them. You might not be aware, but all Morenkai are linked together through some type of neurological or mental energy field. All Morenkai can sense other Morenkai…"
He went off on a speech he had prepared, explaining how Morenkai could sense each other, how that could be used to track down Golden Morenkai, and how that, subsequently, could be used to farm other Morenkai.
Throughout this speech, he threw the Morenkai two more times, relishing his enhanced Strength. When he had just arrived in the First Layer, achieving such a feat would've been literally impossible.
"Sophia! Use your Fairy Eyes."
WHOOSH
The temperature in the room dropped as Sophia activated her Fairy Eyes, bringing the two Morenkai under control.
"See? They are within our control. This is one of the ways to achieve the first method of Golden Morenkai hunting! We can do a full live demonstration and hunt to prove it." He smiled as he looked at Boss Shigun.