by L. M. Kerr
"You want to help me out… out of altruism? What?" He muttered slowly in disbelief, gazing at her doubtfully.
"Well, not quite." Sophia gave a small, prim smile,
"The man I work for needs your help. However, he knows he can't just ask for help and expect to get it." Her eyes gleamed as she continued,
"Therefore, he wanted to set the tone for our meeting and wants me to give you these, free of charge." Sophia raised up the plain leather pouch and set it on the man's desk. She then opened it up, revealing a set of 8, faintly glowing pills.
"These are Chrysorium Pills." She looked back up at the man, meeting his strong, curious gaze with a relaxed, calm nod.
"They will completely, and permanently, heal your wife and daughter."
When the Brigadier General heard her words, the man froze, the papers he was holding falling from his hands. His hands trembled as his gaze sharpened, still in complete shock. The air around him trembled as his Ki fluctuated, causing the desk he was at to slide forward several inches.
"What?!"
When Sophia saw the man's reaction, she instantly knew Micheal had been right.
Pedro Almaraz was a member of the First Wave.
By coincidence, so, too, was his immediate family, both his 16-year-old daughter and his wife. All three of them were transported away at the same time. All three of them eventually made Ability purchases and, eventually, were reunited.
Micheal hadn't been sure which Clusters they spawned in at, but knew for a fact that Pedro's wife, Isabella Almaraz, found their daughter, Maria first.
Pedro later went on to successfully find them after helping put together the Old Military Airwing, becoming a very powerful A Ranker in his own right. Stories like his were rare, but not unheard of, largely thanks to the efforts of the Godfather Organization.
Unfortunately for Pedro… his wife and daughter had been afflicted with a very unique and rare disease. The historical records didn't know how or why they were afflicted, except to say that it was caused by someone with the Contagion Curse Type Ability.
These types of diseases were very easy for anyone with the Ki Cultivator Ability to resist catching, at least down on the First Layer. Unfortunately, neither Isabella nor Maria had purchased that Ability at the time.
The disease was known as Whittling Light Disease. It was a magical disposition that caused one's lifespan to whittle away when exposed to light of any kind.
As a result, the two had been forced to cover themselves up and hide in darkness whenever possible. Even the slightest exposure would physically cause them to die sooner. Pedro himself hadn't seen the face of his daughter or his wife in years.
Even with all of that… their lifespans were still slowly being whittled away. It wasn't possible to block out all light forever, even if they hid themselves away in a guarded but stationary safe room while Pedro went on patrol. Human beings needed sunlight to flourish, living in darkness for so long was unhealthy.
Both girls lived a torturous existence.
Whittling Light Disease, at this time, had no known cure on the First Layer. In the future, however, it was discovered that Whittling Light Disease could be defeated, and the whittled away lifespan restored, simply by ingesting a purified Chrysorium Leaf, otherwise known as a Chrysorium Pill.
Chrysorium Leaves were a type of magical plant that grew naturally on certain mythical mountain ranges, and could also be purchased in the Shop for several thousand Points. They gave off a magical glow and were commonly used to help cleanse one's body.
These pills were a project Micheal spent weeks creating back when he was waiting for the Great Bridge to appear. Each one contained a concentrated amount of purified Chrysorium Leaves.
It had taken a great deal of experimentation to figure out how to actually purify the leaves without destroying them, but he managed it in the end. He hadn't actually ever read up on the recipe for Chrysorium Pills before he died and was winging it. At the bare minimum, their Whittling Light Disease would be cured with certainty.
Pedro Almaraz's story wasn't all that uncommon. Things like this happened to families, or groups of people, all the time in the First Layer. Life had become rather treacherous, with danger lurking at every corner.
There wasn't much reason Micheal would even be aware of any random story like this, or know the cures to obscure and extremely rare magical diseases.
However…
In the books of history, Pedro Almaraz was no ordinary man.
In the massive war between the Nightrunners and virtually the entirety of the Main Cluster, the huge battle that lasted for weeks and dragged the conflict on for months, at the very peak of this epic war…
Pedro Almaraz was the man that killed Director Prime.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
While this conversation was happening, around 1,000 meters to the south, a masked figure could be seen crouching down and staring at an excited, barking dog. The figure was clearly male, a man of small, but lean stature.
The number 6 was carved into his white, enamel mask, in a fancy, golden color.
"Ruff! Ruff! Ruuuufff!" The Golden Dog jumped back and forth in excitement as it looked in a direct line at Sophia's location, shaking its tiny tail. It bumped up against the masked figure, as if trying to urge him to move forward.
The masked figure stood crouched for a moment before patting the dog on the head and then reaching over to a Spatial Ring he wore on his right hand.
Instantly, a small smartphone appeared in his hand. He turned it on, scrolling over to a particular forum post on the Godfather Organization's closed network. He typed in a quick message and then reached down, resting his hand on the small dog.
He scooped the puppy up, setting the eager creature on his shoulder as he spoke out loud, in a hoarse, rough voice.
"I've found her."
.
Chapter 42
Director Prime…
This single man had caused Micheal a huge amount of concern.
In the Nightrunners, everyone, even up to Mr 1, was someone Micheal could handle. All of the Numbers members had extraordinary or unusual powers, many of them ones that were unnatural or absurd.
However, with the future knowledge he held and the experience he owned, Micheal was confident that his planning could account for each and every one. Even Mr 1, who, in the future, became the last ranked S Ranker, wasn't powerful beyond all reason.
Director Prime, however…
He was a problem.
Director Prime was not only a tactical genius that could stop time, but the strongest S Ranker in the Main Cluster.
In fact… he was the strongest human in the entire First Layer.
His strange Ability, the Limited World Matrix Type Ability, sounded extremely impressive. After all, the power to stop time was an incredible power that many would be jealous over.
In actuality, this Ability was considered a middling one at best. In fact, it didn't even cost 100,000 Points to purchase in the Shop.
Prime had never been an Irregular. He started out with a small number of Points and worked his way up, reaching the position he held today through sheer determination. The man was obsessed with learning, practice, training.
He wasn't exactly evil. But his obsessions would get the better of him, in the history that Micheal was aware of. He was coldly logical, but also emotional at times.
The World Matrix Type Ability caused time to almost literally freeze. When time was frozen, Prime was physically unable to move.
Instead, the Director experienced a type of magical vision, where the frozen world around him was projected into a mental world.
The Director was free to explore this mental world to his heart's content, all while time continued to remain in a state of absolute stillness, limited only by the strength of his Soul.
Everything within around 50 meters of the man was perfectly and completely replicated into his mental World Matrix.
In that world, he could do absolut
ely anything and everything he wanted. He could read a thousand books, go through ten thousand reports, practice his sword technique a thousand times.
He could move forward and examine the movements of his enemies, able to see exactly what they were doing. Nothing could be hidden from his sight, not even the slightest thing.
When time resumed its normal pace, the world around him would be completely unaffected.
The knowledge he gained from that, however, remained as ever.
Even with all of the forces of the Big 3, and the various other powers combined, killing Director Prime had, in the end, come down to something that was close to sheer luck, possible only because of Pedro Almaraz's unique Limited Type Ability.
Sophia wasn't aware of all of this. Micheal had purposefully left this information out, partly because he felt if she knew, it would only worry her, but also because knowledge could be a curse. There were many mystical, searching Abilities out there, and her knowing the truth could only put her at unnecessary risk right now.
What she did know was that Pedro Almaraz was extremely important to Micheal. She needed to get him to agree to help them, without question.
"This… this can cure my girls?!" Pedro looked at the leather pouch and the glowing pills within it, his voice full of sheer disbelief.
"Yes. I can guarantee it." Sophia replied with a tone that brooked no opposition, her faith in Micheal absolute. If he said it would work, it would work.
The Brigadier General looked at her for a few seconds, the air around him shivering. A tense silence settled as the two stared at each other.
A second later and the moment passed.
Pedro stood up, sending his chair flying backwards with the force of his abrupt rise. His hand blurred as it shot out, snatching up the bag of magical pills.
"If... if what you say is true, Miss K… then I shall forever be in your debt. Anything you ask of me, as long as it is a just act, I will help you." A powerful aura of energy burst out around Pedro as the man looked at her with eyes that watered. The man's right fist was clenched tight, while his left hand delicately held onto the leather bag.
'Yes!' Sophia was ecstatic, but hid her emotions as she calmly smiled back, maintaining her casual disguise.
"What we ask of you will not be unreasonable and definitely just. We just need your help." She continued, nodding her head sharply.
"We can make contact with you again when you have verified the truth of the medicine offered. How about in-" Before she could finish, the man cut her off.
"We will verify it, and then test it, right now." General Pedro stood up, his voice suddenly booming out with authority,
"Captain Sheffer!"
"Yes, sir!" Immediately, the Captain returned to the room, standing at attention with a sharp salute as he burst through the door.
"Ready my escort. We are returning to the main base for a brief respite." The Brigadier General's voice brooked no argument as he gave his orders.
"Yes, sir!" Captain Sheffer replied again, a hint of excitement in his tone as he quickly left the room. In the background, Sophia could hear him barking orders out, gathering up several squads.
"Um." Sophia stared at the Brigadier General, slightly in shock at his abrupt actions.
Pedro looked at her, giving her a warm smile.
"Don't worry. The journey and verification will take a couple of hours at most, we aren't far from where we need to go. If everything you said is true, I will keep my word." He walked around his desk, gentlemanly offering a hand to help her up.
"You won't have any issue traveling with me for that short period, will you?" As Sophia took his hand, she felt the man's fierce, but gentle grip. There was a subtle hint of danger in the man's tone, flamed by the man's obsessive desire to cure his wife and daughter.
"No, of course not!" Internally, Sophia's heart fluttered.
'What do I tell Shin? Wait, how do I even talk to him?! He should know to follow secretly, right..?' Her thoughts were a mess as the Brigadier General escorted her from his office to a much larger gathering room.
Inside, she found dozens of warriors putting on various pieces of armor and equipment. When the Old Airwing Military Alliance members went out, no matter what, they went armed to the teeth and prepared for absolutely anything.
True to General Pedro's word, in just a few short moment, a force of roughly 100 warriors was formed. They all stood on standby as they listened to Captain Sheffler and a couple of other men that Sophia didn't know bark out orders, preparing to leave immediately.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"Man, these windows are tough. They sure lookin' hella rough." Shin poked the large, glass window with his finger as he rhymed, eyeing it suspiciously. All the windows on these skyscrapers looked like regular glass windows, yet he'd never managed to damage one, even with his expanded bullets.
He was currently standing in a room that actually wasn't always unoccupied. The closest had several sets of military fatigues and other outfits stuffed into it. It seemed someone was using this room to sleep in while the Old Airwing Military Alliance was in the area.
It made sense, given that he had teleported into the same skyscraper that Sophia was currently in.
As his grasp of his Limited Phasing Warper Type Ability grew, Shin had grown more and more adept at teleportation. It had rapidly become second nature to him, something that was starting to feel as natural as raising his arm.
The tens of thousands of translucent lines of energy that he saw, tiny ropes connecting one place to another, had become a familiar sight to him. These small ropes held space itself together, keeping reality steady.
With his current experience and familiarity, Shin had found that he could teleport roughly 35 meters in any direction.
Shin used his skills to his advantage as he warped his way after Sophia, stalking her progress through the skyscraper all the way till she moved out of sight.
However, she wasn't truly out of sight to him.
Shin's ability to teleport involved him sending out a line of energy that he warped along, like the tens of thousands of lines of energy he saw thanks to his Ability. His line of energy could connect to anything and anywhere, and he could send multiple lines out if he wished, though they could only last around 35 meters.
He could even, he had discovered, send an energy line out and hook it on to someone. The people he 'hooked' as he called it, couldn't feel his energy line and he couldn't do anything with that line, not that he could tell.
This line, however, would constantly track the person to anywhere within 35 meters.
Shin took full advantage of this as he teleported through various skyscrapers, keeping Sophia within his range.
He had a couple of close calls as he warped into this new territory, including teleporting into a room while a man was showering next door.
But now, he'd found himself tucked below in a private room that was currently empty, waiting patiently for Sophia to move. She had been led in by some official looking men and he hadn't directly seen her since.
"Oh?" Shin's eyes widened as he felt Sophia's energy line begin to move. He walked away from the window, standing next to the doorway as he looked up.
"Woah." He ducked back against the wall as he heard dozens of men running through the hallway right next to him. He could hear excited shouts and yells as the warriors quickly moved somewhere with purpose.
He sent out several lines of energy and tracked a few of them, curious. He watched as the soldiers he was tracking joined up near where Sophia was at. They stayed there for several moments, causing him to frown slightly.
He then watched in confusion as both Sophia and all of the soldiers began to leave, moving upward in a single group till they reached the roof, stretched to the very edge of Shin's senses.
"What on Earth..?" He whispered slowly as he stared at the roof.
A moment later, he let out an abrupt yelp, his eyes widening. Sophia, and the rest of the soldiers, had all shot of
f towards the side, leaving.
"W-wait for me!" His body shimmered as reality around him distorted and he teleported away, chasing after the fleeing group.
"…"
"…"
"…is someone there?" In the aftermath of Shin's yell, the door to a connecting bathroom gradually crept open, revealing a soldier with his pants around his ankles and a magazine, of all things, in his hands, peeking around the corner.
After a few moments, the soldier shut the door, grumbling to himself about rhyming ghosts…
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Meanwhile, while Sophia was traveling with the General and Shin was scrambling behind after them…
Micheal hummed to himself as he sat down on a small, but comfortable, plush bed. Around him, a mid-sized room spread out, with a pair of dressers and a connecting bathroom. The lighting in the room had been dimmed by him, giving it a serene, peaceful appearance.
The spot Micheal had left for was a small, mostly unoccupied skyscraper that lay within the territory of the Godfather Organization. It wasn't directly on the way to anyone at all, but a rather out of the way location. It had taken him quite a bit of time to get here, but the journey had been uneventful.
Outside, daylight had fallen away and it was not only well into the evening, but also gradually approaching nighttime.
Before he went anywhere else, whether to check up on Shin and Sophia or seek out Head Cameron of the Godfather Organization, Micheal had decided on a single course of action.
It was time to break through to the Earth Tier of Ki Cultivation.
'Status.' He mentally called up his status screen.
— - Status — -
Name: Micheal Care
Points: 31,289
Race: Human
Physique: 1 Star
Soul Quality: 1 Star
Age: 18
- Stats -
Strength - 60
Endurance - 45
Recovery - 43
Soul - 23
Abilities - (5/7)
Life Orb Master
Ki Cultivator (Mortal Tier - Peak)
Grandmaster Sword Mastery (1/5)
Impact Release
Ceaseless Mind