MM - Chapter 131 - FAMILY

Raine left the head clerk's office with the same evil grin stuck on his face. The plan they concocted, if it could be pulled off, would result in outrageous sums of gold. Such a good thing wouldn't be simple; to even begin, he needed significantly more capital than he currently had.

Mel and Celeste were set to pick him up soon, so he hustled to get several balls rolling toward his newest goal. Thankfully, the clerk was able to resolve a couple of the more troublesome tasks, freeing up Raine's time. First, he had used a precious Message Stone to host a meeting with a builder clan. They quickly ironed out the construction style and ten thousand gold cost for Astra Infernum's new guildhall. Then, the clerk created a deferred rental program for both plots of land, neither of which Raine could afford with his current finances. The ‘measly’ seventeen thousand gold in his possession wouldn't even cover the first month. Not to mention the construction fees for the guildhall itself. Additionally, he needed more funds for several subsidiary buildings, like a blacksmith, stables, workspaces, and on-site 'storage,' which would actually house Raine's special projects.

While on his way to the first destination, Raine checked the city's leaderboard and was disappointed that beyond ten outliers at levels seventeen and eighteen, the average player level was still fifteen. In comparison, all ten of the top slots were taken by his people at level twenty-five. Even better, their shiny new guild tags were displayed right next to their names. The sight sent shivers up Raine's spine. That was his guild dominating the leaderboard. Nobody else had a claim to it. After thirty years of slavery, the sight was intoxicating. With a shake, he refocused on his current issues.

I have tens of thousands of gold in items that nobody can use because they're too low level. I could try selling them, but won't get what they're worth. That's an unexpected problem to have. If I pull too far ahead of the general populace, I'll be starved for capital because everything I'm farming isn't usable. Well, eventually, that will balance out, but I don't need gold eventually; I need it now.

To solve that problem as best he could, Raine started with the three general goods shops in the Noble District. The queen's favor was on full display as he arrived at each. The shopkeepers bowed and scraped, bending over backward to appease him. At the very least, he didn't need to concern himself with being swindled. The last shop had a nasty reputation for doing just that and even employed full-time corrupt guards in their schemes. The lot of them started sweating the second he walked in the door.

Like the two before, he cleaned them out of every item players needed for leveling. Beyond the Return Stones, Regeneration Stones, and Travel Scrolls, there were restorative potions, niche-use scrolls, and even mercenary vouchers. Utilizing one of the latter allowed a non-noble to hire an elite Vaaterran for a day; there were few problems a low-level player couldn't easily solve with such a dangerous ally.

As his accumulated seventeen thousand gold vanished, Raine's instincts screamed at him to scoop up the much more valuable guildhall building materials before someone else snatched them. Logically, he knew that was merely the FOMO rearing its ugly head. The chances of there being another player who became a noble already were incredibly slim. Reputation just wasn't that easy to come by. Then, they would have to know exactly where to go and have the funds to buy out the materials they didn't know they needed yet. No matter how convincing his own arguments, purchasing seventeen thousand worth of less valuable goods left him jittery with paranoia. Reselling these would net him at least five times his upfront cost, but the building materials could make a hundred times the investment. 

After cleaning out the three general goods stores, he dropped by the auction house in the noble district. There were a handful of Vaaterrans around. Like the rest, they bowed low the moment they saw him. Ignoring them, Raine set multiple sales for each type of item he bought. He staggered them so a few would appear every hour for the next six hours. After that, they would still post hourly but no longer have a buyout option, forcing players to enter bidding wars that would take a little longer but net significantly more profit. When word spread that valuable goods were dropping hourly, guild representatives would come in droves to try and snatch them first, only to end up bleeding gold into his pockets to outbid their rivals.

Since his meeting with the builders wasn't for several hours, Raine had no reason to stick around. He logged out and fell up a stream of light, appearing in his bedroom.

He hopped up and stretched with a yawn, feeling sluggishly over-rested. It was 9 AM, and long past time for a brisk workout. He pinged Mel for their status while getting ready, then headed to the kitchen for a drink. On the way by, he called out to Morty, “Is our guest awake?”

“Yes, Master. Though, he's quite grumpy after his most recent attempt to escape.”

“I hope you weren't too harsh on him. He needs to be able to talk and use his fingers.”

“I merely disabled his legs. Though, I am now questioning what you want his fingers for… would it be a problem if a few of them were nonfunctional?”

Raine sighed, pouring two glasses of water, “No. One is enough to get the job done; it'll just take longer. Why do I get the feeling you're in a hurry to have another cripple around?”

“Misery loves company, Master,” coming from his robotic, toneless voice, the statement sounded more like a diabolical threat.

Raine downed his glass and brought the other one into the living room. Tapping the wall with his foot was all the hint Morty needed. The temporary wall slid away, revealing the man who tried to have him killed with a flechette pistol, causing a heap of trouble in the process. Juan Pauel Luu Rahn was also responsible for attempting to foil his plans with SoulGen, and ReGen. The man was a nuisance, and Raine couldn’t wait to be done with him.

Juan Pauel was curled in a ball, his pant legs covered in burns indicative of Morty's stun drones. He groaned softly, voice hoarse from thirst.

“Drink,” Raine didn't give him the opportunity to decline. Yanking the man's short-cropped, brown hair, he tilted his head back and spilled half the contents of the glass down his throat.

Juan Pauel was fully coherent in seconds, coughing and spluttering the bits of water that made it into his lungs. “F-fuck, ack! You!”

Raine slapped him hard. He carefully didn't use internal force. It wasn't time for Juan Pauel to die, yet. His words were spoken without empathy, and the gravity of his simple statement struck the man to the core, “I'm going to kill you soon. You have an hour at most. Your niece is on the way here now. You have a chance to say goodbye. I suggest you not spend your last minutes groveling on the floor like a coward.”

“W-what do you want? Why are you doing this? I don't know who you are, but I'm not someone you can afford to fuck with!”

“There’s no point in playing games. You brought too much attention onto yourself with the pistol, and you know too much for me to let you blab. Get it together; put on a brave front for that little girl to pay her back for all the bullshit you've put her through. Then, you'll transfer any shares of SoulGen you own, and that will be the end. I'll make it quick; you won't even see me move. I'm sure I don't have to explain the alternative if you decide not to cooperate.”

Juan Pauel shook his head fiercely, muscles spasming with dread, “You're too late! You can't keep it a secret. I already told them about the drug. If you kill me, you won't know who's coming or when!”

Raine snorted, “Let them come. Anyone who tries to take what's mine will end up right where you are, and just as helpless. There's nothing else to say. Until Celeste gets here, think about how you want to spend the last moments of your life.” Raine snapped his fingers and the wall slid back into place.

Raine packed a duffel with a suit from Shillids, and the girls arrived in Celeste’s sports car not long after. Raine met them outside. Mel was as bouncy and excited as could be expected. She jumped from the car, dashing toward Raine in revealing sportswear. She pumped the brakes a couple meters away, sliding to a stop with a wave, “Hi! So, this is your place? It looks like a pre-war nuclear shelter. Awesome…”

Needing to cleanse his palette after Juan Pauel, Raine pulled her in for a hug. She stiffened in surprise, then melted into him like soft butter while releasing her held breath in a bone-deep sigh. Holding her at arm’s length, Raine ran a thumb along her cheekbone. She adorably nudged into his touch, “Without you, we wouldn’t have beat that raid. You shattered all my expectations. I’ve got two rewards for you.”

Mel’s features turned to putty. She gazed up at him, enraptured and soaking in the praise, “Oh. Uhm. Okay. I reward likes.”

Raine squeezed her shoulder, pulling her past him and toward the front door, “For now, head inside and introduce yourself to Morty. I need to talk to Celeste in private.”

Celeste clearing her throat brought Mel back from the brink of disaster.

[Oh yeah. I’m not supposed to know who he’s talking about.]

“Morty?” Mel asked, head still tilted.

“Just say hi, he’ll hear you.”

Mel glanced back at Celeste, who was still hiding on the far side of the car. With a sheepish smile, she wandered through the front door, “Hellooooo. Mel here, calling all Mortys!”

Raine chuckled, mood vastly improved, though he knew it wouldn’t last. He beckoned Celeste closer. She scowled, then came around the car and approached. She also wore sportswear though it was significantly more modest. Raine didn’t see any reason to keep her in further suspense, “Your uncle is inside.”

Her shock couldn’t have been more complete. She halted mid-step, jaw falling open with a complex mix of fear, trepidation, and disbelief. “How? I… But—”

“You deserve a chance to say goodbye. After, we’ll deliver his body to your father so he can take him to the corpus. I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best to keep your father alive when the grandmaster shows up.”

Celeste stood there for long seconds, trying to process everything. Fat tears leaked from her eyes right before every muscle in her body tensed. She shook with the effort of holding back, head tilted up to face the morning sky. With a shaky breath, she opened her eyes again and nodded. Raine nodded right back, radiating approval.

Good girl. You got this.

With clenched fists and flared nostrils, Celeste stormed inside. Raine pointed toward Juan Pauel’s cell. With a tap, Raine removed the wall.

Juan Pauel didn’t waste a second, throwing himself at his niece’s feet and hugging her calves, “Celeste! You have to help me! He's a lunatic. He kidnapped me and broke my legs. Please.”

Shocked, Celeste looked back at Raine with wide, bloodshot eyes. He shook his head subtly and she inhaled deeply, turning back to her uncle, “I-I can't. I'm sorry, Uncle Pauel. The pistol… I can't save you, I don’t even know if I can save Father.”

Without looking up to see her determination, Juan Pauel rambled, voice brimming with panic, “That's not true! We can escape Amanath, together. All three of us. They're jamming my LinQ. I only need a few seconds to send for help. All you have to do is distract him for a few minutes. Please!”

“I’m sorry. I can’t save you.”

Juan Pauel flopped away from her, his voice changing to a snapped command one might use on a child, “Why are you still standing here?! I told you to distract him! He's just a man; use your body if you have to!”

It was Celeste’s turn to recoil in disgust. A painful tearing sensation had her gripping her chest with a hand as a choking sob tore its way up her throat. A strong, steady hand landed on her shoulder. Its weight was crushing, overbearing, nearly sending her to her knees. Yet somehow, it filled her with the strength that fled her moments ago. Her lip curled as she looked down at her uncle, for the first time seeing him for who he truly was.

Unable to parse the situation, Juan Pauel changed tactics again, “Don't tell me you're already whoring out for him?! I worked so hard to retain your purity. I did so much for you! Your value, everything you are, is all because of my sacrifices! How can you not repay one little favor when you’re already his slut?!”

Celeste shook her head slowly, then turned away and headed toward the door, “Do whatever you’re going to do.”

“Fuck you, useless bitch!” Juan Pauel screeched at her retreating back.

Raine’s towering form obscured his view of Mel chasing Celeste outside. Kneeling, he firmly grasped the hair on the back of the despicable man's head, “How disappointing. Not exactly surprised, but still disappointing.” Juan Pauel opened his mouth but Raine’s fist ensured he had nothing else to say.

It only took five minutes to convince the man to use the smart wall to relinquish the last of his SoulGen shares into the open market. Raine’s buy orders instantly scooped them up. The wall’s electronic display was the last thing the man ever saw.

“Morty, get his LinQ out, then wrap him up and leave him at the Luu Rahn residence.”

Morty's mechanical sneer couldn’t have been more pronounced, “Ewww.”

Raine’s glare as he moved to the sink to wash his hands had the AI singing in a cheery tone, “As you command, Master.”

Raine left him to it, grabbed his duffel, and headed outside, sealing the door behind him. He found Celeste bent over, hurling into the side of the drive. Mel rubbed her back in circles, whispering soothingly into the girl’s ear. Raine waited until Celeste was back on her feet. 

She tried to walk around him, but his hand again landed on her shoulder, its weight as inexorable as gravity's pull, “Sorry. Shittier gift than I thought. Most people can pull it together at the end for the sake of their loved ones.”

Celeste's hair covered her eyes as she gazed at the ground, “It’s not your fault. He never loved anyone other than himself.” She spat the last, then jerked out of his grip and headed to the car, “Let’s go to the gym. I need to hit something.”

Raine’s thoughts burrowed into the back of her skull like a hot vibro-knife.

You’re not alone this time, Crimson Nebula-no-Celeste. I won’t let you face this cruel world on your own. From today on, Astra Infernum is your family: a family that will never betray you.