MM - Chapter 167 - HOPES AND DESIRES

Earlier that day

- Soulgen Laboratories -

As instructed, Mel arrived at Soulgen with bells on at precisely 5:45 AM; being late wasn’t in her blood. The parking lot was empty, except for an old, beat-up sedan and two vans bearing the security firm’s markings. Her taxi pulled up to the shoddy gateway, and the guards on duty let her in with a cheerful wave.

Mel breathed a sigh of relief. During the drive, she worried that Pamalaiha might have forgotten to let them know she was coming. Mel approached the front entrance, and her ARD was pinged by a short-range broadcast keyed explicitly to her. The message appeared on one of the smartglass doors, revealing a 3D layout of the building’s interior. 

Pamalaiha’s voice spoke as a blinking line zigzagged its way through the map. “Mel, the dock entrance is open for you.” 

The map came in a downloadable format that she allowed her necklace to integrate. Every time she used the top-of-the-line device, she was reminded of when Raine clasped it around her neck. Mel’s fingers slid across the expensive jewelry, a light smile pulling at her cheeks. Finding Pamalaiha’s lab through the back door was easy; Mel had come this way once before when first meeting the doctor. 

The lab doors were wide open. Pamalaiha leaned with her back against the nearby wall, foot propped up beneath her butt. She wore the same pristine white lab coat as last time. Seeing the strong, competent woman triggered a round of flashbacks in Mel: working together the first time, a short car ride crammed with tension, sitting together on Raine’s floor before taking ReGen, a sleekly dressed, sexy-as-hell ninja saving her life. The woman was a towering figure of perfection in Mel’s eyes: intelligent, attractive, deadly dangerous, and, as last time, swaddled in an air of overbearing superiority that was too attractive to ignore.

All Mel wanted to do was dash to Pamalaiha and wrap her in a crushing hug. The woman personified unapproachability. Mel may as well have wished to fly by wiggling her toes hard enough. As she approached, the doctor swiveled those crystal-blue eyes in her direction, and she could barely take another step, let alone run up and hug her.

Pamalaiha watched her like a bird of prey. The silence stretched, tension coiling in Mel’s chest. She attempted to break the ice, speaking in a strained voice. “I’m really glad you wanted me to come back. I had a lot of fun last time… and, I… Thank you for saving me!" Mel bent at the waist, bowing with complete sincerity. "I would have died if you hadn’t come. I thought I was strong enough, after everything. As usual, I was in way over my head.” While glancing up, Mel swiped at the hair fallen in front of her eyes. Pamalaiha still hadn't moved or spoken. Her expression was unreadable beneath the surgeon’s mask covering the lower half of her face. Mel panicked, “A-at least I can handle those roots now, no problem!” She snapped up and lifted an arm, flexing a barely-existent bicep.

Please, just say something! Anything!

Pamalaiha gently kicked off the wall, granting Mel’s wish as she entered the lab. “There will be no need for mundane labor this morning; I am out of materials. Besides, all of today's experiments are already underway.” Pamalaiha tilted her head toward three machines that were spinning so fast it would be hard for a normal person to tell what they held. Mel clearly saw the many individual vials within the three centrifuges, each containing slightly different-colored liquids.

Pausing, Pamalaiha glanced back, freezing Mel’s blood with a chilling gaze, “And… you are welcome.”

Mel’s knees felt weak as the tension bled from her. “If there's no work… what are we going to do?”

Pamalaiha stopped at a counter and pulled out two stools. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”

Mel sat. Being told what to do by the woman was far too enjoyable for her brain to consider alternatives. Remembering Pamalaiha could also read Raine's mind, Mel doused the burst of fulfillment with a reminder that she had to be extremely careful. After signing her contract, there were too many things she couldn’t talk about without risking her access to ZionLine forever. Such a thing could not be allowed to happen. That place was magic made manifest. Mel couldn’t imagine living without going back.

Pamalaiha sat too close, as though the woman didn’t share the same physical boundaries as normal people. Mel gulped as gentle, lavender perfume invaded her nostrils. She squirmed in her seat, once more pinned by those damnable eyes.

Tater-tots, but she’s gorgeous. So unfair.

Pamalaiha slowly removed her mask and shook out her hair. Then, she languidly stared at Mel for what felt like an hour. It was clear she was struggling with where to start, but Mel forgot all about that little detail within a second, losing herself in the woman's gaze. 

“Our,” Pamalaiha’s first spoken word caused Mel to jerk in surprise. The doctor continued timidly, voice soft and low, “I wish to discuss our master.”

“M-master?! You mean Raine? I can’t!” Mel blurted the last. She frantically swiped fingers through the air, accessing her ARD to flick a copy of her signed contract to Pamalaiha. Having signed one herself, Pamalaiha was quick to notice the many nuanced differences between them. Instead of speaking further, she read, eyes darting back and forth.

“Ahh. What a clever solution. My first question has become moot. You would not have barred yourself from betraying Master's trust if you were not privy to his secrets.” Pamalaiha waved her fingers lazily when Mel opened her mouth, “You need not respond. I will amend my contract to include the same verbiage. This clause as well. Then, we will be free to discuss the finer points of our unique situation. Hmm. I see nothing here that would penalize you for answering my next question.”

Mel couldn’t breathe, her muscles were wound so tight she could barely move. Addressing her wide-eyed panic with a gentle smile, Pamalaiha continued, “Our Master, you are his woman, yes? You share a bed, as adults?”

“Share a bed? You mean sex?” Mel squeaked, having no idea how a conversation could go sideways so fast. “W-we have. A couple times, yes.” Mel couldn’t believe the words left her mouth. She wasn’t prepared for this, and the response was out in the open before she could think better of it.

Pamalaiha sighed, her relaxation somehow captivating despite everything. “Excellent. I am relieved to be having this discussion with you, and not the other one.”

Other one? What other one? Celeste? Have they—

Mel almost blurted her thoughts, but Pamalaiha, unaware, spoke over her, “My ignorance on this subject is vast. Thankfully, I was spared the matron’s arts during my upbringing. I have never engaged in copulation, nor am I familiar with its nuances. Though I have heard it is pleasurable, I never desired to discover this truth for myself... until recently. So, my questions, as they are: are you open to sharing him? And, do you believe our Master would accept me if I requested this of him?”

Mel’s brain froze. She had no idea where to look or what to say. She knew her mouth was opening and closing like a dolt, yet she was powerless to stop it. Pamalaiha’s awkward, yet forthright approach to such a sensitive subject only made it worse.

Misunderstanding Mel’s tongue-tied state, Pamalaiha waved her hands placatingly, “I swear I shall endeavor not to affect your current routine with him!” Again, Pamalaiha tilted her head toward the centrifuges, continuing to speak in a rush, “I am concocting an elixir that will see him producing seed until it is bursting from his ears. You need not fear him running dry!” Mel’s jaw hit the floor, and she could only thank God that she wasn’t taking a drink right then. Pamalaiha kept right on going, seemingly unable to stop now that she’d started. “That is, if he agrees. Do you think he will agree? Whenever I stand close to him, I feel this energy rushing through my blood. It is… invigorating, and impossible to ignore. Remembering that feeling makes it difficult to focus on matters that are far more important.”

Hearing Pamalaiha babbling, just as nervous as Mel was earlier, brought clarity to all the awkwardness since she arrived. Beneath her strong, icy exterior, the doctor was a wreck and had no idea how to deal with the heady mix of emotions that Raine triggered within her. Mel understood perfectly. She felt the exact same way. Being around Raine was intoxicating, like a drug, and she was utterly addicted.

Realization caused Mel's emotions to spin one-eighty. She couldn’t keep the giant grin from her face as wild anticipation thudded in her chest. The idea of sharing everything she was experiencing with Pamalaiha of all people caused her mouth to go dry and heat to rise across every centimeter of her skin. “I never once considered being able to keep him all to myself, not that I can handle him alone. You probably should scrap the… elixir idea, he does not need it, and I’m too young to die.”

As understanding of what Mel's words meant sank in, Pamalaiha blushed like a blooming flower. The sight caused Mel’s thoughts to grind to a halt, and she only caught the end of the doctor’s question, “... he will agree?”

Beyond excited, Mel shook herself into action and grasped Pamalaiha’s freezing hands in hers. Meeting the woman’s gaze, she responded with jittery sincerity, “I honestly don’t know if he will, but I sure hope he does.”

Raine KongRu

- Silverlight City -

Raine reappeared in Silverlight City fifteen minutes after logging out to speak with Pamalaiha. The streets remained unchanged, nescient of a single man's departure and return amidst the bustle of a rapidly growing populace. Twilight stretched at ever-present shadows, and a calm wind reminded all that so many people in one place was hardly cause for pleasurable aromas.

Before charging off to the auction house, Raine dropped by the nearest trainer, determined not to repeat his past mistake of waiting too long to upgrade weapon masteries. The law of five was in full effect. Each mastery demanded a whopping twenty-five thousand Attunement, an amount that would require over four billion Superiority worth of kills.

[Fists - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Mace - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Knives - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Shield - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Axes - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Staff - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Wands - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Spear - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

[Swords - Beginner > Adept 0/25,000]

En route to his second destination, Raine quickly skimmed two new messages that had arrived while he was outside. The first was from Talerra, who hadn’t contacted him since they finished the raid. “I watched the Astra Infernum broadcast. Things looked rough there for a while. Glad everything worked out. Congratulations! I should have messaged earlier. I’ve been… occupied.”

Raine appreciated that she carefully didn’t imply or ask if it had been him who fought Master Jedidiah. He punched in a response. “I told you there was nothing to worry about from such low-rated assassins.”

In Talerra’s usual fashion, she responded right away. “Right… I should know by now not to worry about you, huh?”

Raine grinned, imagining a scenario in his head. “Make sure you congratulate Damian, too, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to hear from you.” 

Talerra responded with an emoji of a blonde girl laughing hysterically, “He would, wouldn’t he? That’s such a perfect idea.”

Having another message to get to, Raine moved the conversation along. “When’s the next stage of the competition?” 

“It’s been delayed until the end of the month. Don’t ask. I’m not supposed to talk about why.”

Raine nodded, having expected as much. “Gotcha. Astra Infernum will be more than ready by then. Just make sure your wallet is ready too. Was there anything else?”

“No…” Talerra’s response perfectly illustrated the narrow-eyed squint she was no doubt giving him.

Raine snorted, regretting the order he addressed the messages. His good mood was sure to be dashed soon. “All right. Talk to you later. Busy.”

Talerra sent a wave. “Talk to you soon.”

The second message was less a communication and more a demand. It came from the SoulGen board of directors, who were all of a sudden in a hurry to meet Raine. They’d moved up the date of the meeting to tomorrow afternoon, stating some nonsense about emergency fiscal responsibilities.

Such a brazen attempt to take advantage of my injuries. Idiots.

The harsh wording of the message made it clear they would be demanding answers for why he cancelled Soulgen’s research projects, gutted all the departments, and left the building with little more than a skeleton crew. There was no reason to respond beyond a brief acceptance of the new date and time.

Raine cracked his neck, looking forward to showing them just how big a mistake they made. With his first destination around the next corner, he pushed other thoughts aside. As always in a large city, the Auction House was packed. Its location would forever be the focal hub for Travelers, which drew ever more Vaaterrans eager to make a sale or swindle. They hollered from the broad street’s sides, forcing others to speak over them, adding to the lively hubbub. The players gossiped, verbally flexed about heroic victories, and proudly displayed their hard-earned equipment.

Raine had more than a few fond memories of doing the same. Showing off, and especially comparing oneself to the competition, were essential marks of pride for any young warrior. In his opinion, anything that motivated them to return to the meat grinder that was ZionLine’s combat was a good thing. For most, facing death, even if it's not a final death, was no easy feat. A little leniency for their boasting was in order.

These days, Raine desired the opposite. His level of wealth would draw the wrong kind of attention when he had more pressing matters to deal with. Hence, the drab medium armor he wore. Common Grey and level 15, it lacked any notable qualities that might draw the eye. The only exception was his Marvelous Gold Cloak of the Creeper, which blocked identification skills. 

One decent item didn’t set Raine apart from the crowd. He was surrounded by people at the forefront of ZionLine. Many had more than two or three pieces of gear that drew the eye, dazzlingly reflecting the day’s fading light. He forced his way through the throng toward his goal, careful not to push too hard lest he send someone flying: such a display would certainly garner attention.

Despite Raine’s purposeful gait and stern expression, a pair of beggars attempted to bar his path, refusing to move at his gentle prodding. “Please, sir! Spare a coin!”

Raine swiped a hand through the air, dismissing the quest text before it finished populating. While there were a few benefits to forming connections with the Beggar's Union, he would incur a negative impact on his noble’s reputation, which had the potential for significantly higher long-term profits for guild leaders. For the common Traveler, the Beggar's Union offered enticing incentives for buying, selling, and transporting goods. Unlike them, Raine had taxes to pay. Only the Noble's Faction could offer discounts in that regard: discounts that would save hundreds of thousands of gold annually.

Used to the dismissal, the beggars moved on to the next Traveler, freeing Raine’s path to the Auction House proper. Since ZionLine’s release, nearly a month had passed inside. No longer would Raine enjoy VIP kiosks free of lines, though they were still significantly shorter than the others. He waited patiently, shooting a few messages back and forth to Celeste and Richtor—the latter had apparently been nominated as second in command of the recruits.

Beyond a few complaints from people who wanted to take a break already, everything seemed to be in order, so Raine left them to sort out the complainers on their own. Reaching a kiosk, Raine first withdrew the last of the funds from selling wares from the Noble's District. The additional thirty-five thousand and change brought his total gold to forty-four thousand. Raine cringed: it would not be enough for even the first of his many planned projects.

I need to get the recruits leveled and questing asap.

With access to guild quests, each of the remaining recruits would easily earn 5 gold per day. A third of their earnings would automatically be deducted as guild fees, but they would pay with a smile. The income of a typical level 20 player was only 2 gold per day. Since his people would start questing at level 15, they would be well ahead of the competition. And those figures were without counting the quests for the Commerce Alliance. Those tasks were usually completed by groups of fifteen and often required several days, though the payout could easily exceed a thousand gold.

Raine came to the Auction House before the Crafting Hall for two reasons. The first of which was to check if anyone was selling the materials for blast powders (the last item needed to complete the boomsticks). Raine had a plan for acquiring the materials, but it wouldn’t be fast. He would pay a decent sum to shortcut the process.

To Raine’s delight, Gorgon Stones were finally starting to trickle into the market. He deposited a thousand gold back into the kiosk, placing a buy order for any of the brittle rocks that were sold below fifteen copper or fifteen silver per stack. There was only a single Heresy Nettle for sale, sitting at a monstrous fifty-five gold. Just in case, Raine added another five hundred gold in hopes of scoring some for a reasonable ten copper.

The second, and arguably more exciting reason he came to the Auction House first was that it was right next door to Astra Infernum’s under-construction guild hall. The buildings wouldn’t be complete for a few more days, but there was no reason he couldn’t take a peek on his way past.