MM - Chapter 120 - AN UNEXPECTED GUEST

Raine wasn't the type to jump to conclusions without testing things himself. He landed on Rocky's shoulder and commanded it to run away from the city. A kilometer distant, he looked the rahk glahm in the eye, “Stay here and wait for me. I'll be back soon.”

Raine jumped, sending messages to Richtor, Rhino, and Fizgore to clear up any potential time misunderstandings. Landing softly on a cushion of thickened air, Raine triggered Grace of Nirvana, reveling in the brief moment of returning to his old speed as he rocketed away. He quickly arrived where the group logged out, then swapped to the Fraction of Umbra in case he needed to re-charm Rocky.

[Fraction of Umbra: (Demonic Power +20%) (PTC +20%) Upon command liberate Umbra’s Snare to charm any living entity (Cost: DP equivalent to difference in level and class) (Cooldown: 5 minutes)]

Raine followed his friends’ examples and fell up a tunnel of streaking lights back to his bedroom. He rose feeling refreshed, a slight tingle in his head. His body had slept soundly, repairing itself while logged in through most of the night. Unsnapping his headset, Raine hopped up and took care of business. Dressed, he padded down the hallway into the kitchen. He wasn’t hungry but forced down a cytokine-boosting protein blend anyway. 

So many things I don’t know. The martial families kept their secrets from the world well, maintaining a chokehold on their power. What's the truth behind miracle nutrients? Where do they come from? Why are they so effective at nurturing mental abilities?

Raine sighed, suddenly wearing despite being refreshed. In the open living room, he regulated his breathing and flowed through the most challenging set of Martial Qigong he mastered in the past. Within three moves, he was soaking wet. Each required a significant application of inner force, supreme balance, and perfect muscle control. His organs were blazing hot from the heat being produced by his muscles; the agonizingly slow, three-minute-long forced breaths added fuel to the fire.

Glancing at the time, he stopped there. With a tap of his watch, several messages he didn’t take the time to review yet were displayed on the wall. The most important was from the mayor’s uncle, Bron Stockton—the owner of Galant’s Gym. As the man predicted, no properties were for sale within a block of the city’s five hypernet nodes. Thanks to the unique way ZionLine functioned, those properties would become an order of magnitude more valuable in the future. As far as great investments went, they were on the top of the list.

Since none were actively for sale, Raine had to contact those landowners with offers. As the city champion, he could make them sell by force. However, that would breed significant unrest, which might affect his upcoming recruitment efforts. Checking the most recent messages from the mayor brought a smile to Raine’s lips. Apparently, he'd advertised for the recruitment banquet on Sunday, and the projected turnout was already in the thousands.

Not a bad start, but not nearly enough. I just need to put on a bit of a show.

Knowing exactly what would get the required attention, Raine responded to the mayor, instructing the man to announce that he would briefly demonstrate and teach a martial technique to anyone who showed up. It was still before the hour when most were awake, so Raine wasn’t surprised when he didn’t get a response. He easily imagined the portly man’s heart attack upon reading it. Such an announcement would force a loud and public response from the Coalition of Masters.

It was time the nearby cities learned that Expert KongRu was not a force they could easily trifle with. Raine felt ready to begin making waves due to multiple rationales. First, the moment it became public that the new guild recruiting in Carter City had something to do with Alaric in ZionLine, safety would be a thing of the past. The assassins would flow like water, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The pressure from that upcoming danger was already driving Raine down his martial path at a sprint; the greatest motivational times of his life had always been when a blade was at his neck. He would use this threat, turning it into new strength. Or, he would die.

Second, the combat standards of this age were a joke. The quantity and quality of life-and-death encounters of the current martials were next to zero. Only peak masters and above—with fitness beyond normal comprehension—would be his match. While the world had plenty of those to throw away, they tended to err on the side of caution, not risking their lives directly. After all, who would foolishly chance dying after spending fifty-plus years striving to reach the grandmaster stage?

Of course, Raine wasn’t about to chance that those who came for him were sane. He had received a message from his most crucial countermeasure against Master Torune. Now that it was ready, there was even less reason to remain hidden. Raine wasn’t quite ready to step on the world stage, but if he allowed himself to stop due to fear of those stronger than him, he would never be ready. There was always someone more powerful. The essence of a martial bred within ZionLine was overcoming those hurdles one, sometimes three at a time.

In a habit too old to break, Raine hand-mopped his sweat from the floor before heading to his room to shower. On the way, Morty spoke through the house's speakers, “Master, it would appear we are about to have company.”

Not many kinds of people pay surprise visits in the deepest hours of the night.

“How many, and what class?”

“Two. Thermal estimates one at class three, the other four. The former appears to be heavily sedated.” The lack of snark in Morty’s tone triggered Raine’s instincts. Even if he were bleeding out on the floor, Morty would find a way to goad him. The only times he was deadly serious were when attempting to pull a fast one.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Raine questioned, suspicion coloring his tone.

“I… am unsure what you’re referring to, Master. Perhaps a more… succinct query is in order?”

Raine nodded, heading directly toward Morty’s closet, “Sure, I’ll just pull out your audio receptors right quick and talk directly into them to make sure you hear me more clearly.”

Broken, mechanical laughter trickled through the speakers, followed by a hasty explanation, “That is quite unnecessary, Master. I believe you know both guests. You have directly interacted with the class four. She is the young doctor you tasked me with tracking yesterday.”

“Dr. Pamalaiha Shroufand? I’m not surprised a kunoichi figured out where I live, but why would she bring someone here? Who’s the sedated class three?”

Despite lacking a voice modulator, Morty managed to sound petulant and pleading simultaneously, “Oh, please don’t make me tell you! I have several drones in position to record your reaction. Let me have this moment. I need it!”

Knowing the persnickety AI needed a win now and then, Raine relented, “Fine. If it's Pamalaiha, she shouldn’t be here to cause trouble. Thanks for the heads up. How long do I have?”

“No more than five minutes.”

Since Morty had been tracking the woman non-stop since the day before, the lack of forewarning had certainly been planned. Raine grumbled, eyeing his sweaty, disheveled appearance. Impressing on the creator of ReGen that he was a competent, powerful figure who could protect her from the clan she’d fled was paramount. While he might have her formula and a full vial of concentrated ReGen, reverse engineering it without her help would be a lengthy process. Convincing her to stay and further develop the drug was the optimal outcome.

Whatever. It’s early, and I’m already up and exercising. That’s got to count for something.

While he waited, Raine sent a message to Mel and Celeste, letting them know he would be a few minutes late. That way, they could log in and warn the others to stay in Stealth until he arrived. Morty triggered the front gate for Pamalaiha. She drove to the entrance in a run-down, cheap car with more tire-sized dings than actual tires. Exiting, she paused briefly when Raine opened the bunker-esque front door and stood with his feet apart, hands relaxed at his lower back. Walking quickly, she popped the trunk and hefted out a body bag almost twice her size. With the mysterious class three slung over her shoulder, Pamalaiha approached with light steps.

Raine didn’t say anything, stepping aside to allow her entrance. She was wearing what he would expect from a kunoichi—a dark, skin-tight suit with multiple bulges indicating hidden weapons and gadgets. To his trained eye, the smart-material was not only lightweight and sported multiple stealth functions, it likely also put Shillid’s flaunted durability to shame, marking it as easily worth tens of millions of credits.

Well, that rules out her coming from some backwards, no-name clan…

Despite hearing his thought loud and clear, Pamalaiha showed no reaction as she upended the bag on the freshly cleaned floor. The short, curvy woman dropped to a knee in a traditional pose of supplication. One fist was on the floor, the other behind her back to expose her heart should he choose to take her life, “You tasked me with showing you who I am. This, is who I am.”

Curiosity fully piqued, Raine unzipped the bag, revealing an older man who bore several similarities to a certain red-headed young fireball. Raine’s brows shot up as high as they could go, “Juan Pauel Luu Rahn?” 

Pamalaiha’s head dipped further, “He is responsible for attempting to steal my-your formula. After yesterday's failed theft, he returned personally to try again. I thought you may wish to question him yourself. He is unharmed, and his LinQ has been disabled.”

Damn. Girl knows how to get work done.

“Excellent job, Doctor. I do indeed have several uses for him. You’ve done me a great service without being asked. I’m inclined to give you the secrets of the formula just for this.”

It was Pamalaiha’s turn for shock to overwhelm her usual stony mask. Her head snapped his direction, eyes wide. [He could have pretended this was an unimportant matter to string me along. This man is nothing like my old masters.] 

Her heart was pounding so hard it sent micro-tremors through her whole body. Pamalaiha caught the minute movements of Raine’s eyes, and knew he saw her weakness. For a reason she couldn’t understand, knowing that he knew only made her heart beat fiercer.

Heat spread through her whole body. Her mouth was dry as she swallowed, “I… I am undeserving. I did not bring him for your benefit, but for my own. Had I realized he was so valuable, I would have attempted to bargain.”

“That’s what I would have done, too,” Raine nodded, frowning, “No matter your reasons, you can’t accomplish anything if you're dead. Train someone you trust and have them make ten batches of ReGen that are up to your standards. Then, I’ll give you the final ingredient. What you do after that is up to you. What I said before stands. I’ll give you everything you desire, even if that is only life and freedom.”

Pamalaiha was glad her face was lowered so he couldn't see her worry. [Will he kill me if I ask? Before I do anything else for him, I have to know. I hope I'm wrong.]

Her words were so soft as to barely be perceivable, “How did you know?”

“Raine snorted, “You're going to have to be a bit more… succinct.” He could practically hear Morty turning over in his closet.

Falling back on old training, Pamalaiha slammed her forehead into the hard floor, “Apologies! How did you know the name, and the final ingredient?”

Raine could see the coiling of her muscles beneath her skin-tight suit. She was prepared to fight or flee depending on his answer.

That's a valid concern. For all she knows, I could be connected with whatever clan she's from.

Raine's thoughts had her breathing a sigh of relief before the words left his mouth. “It's the same as another supplement I've taken in the past. I don't know what clan you're from, but I doubt it's one I have anything to do with.”

[So he does have ties to a clan. How did he escape? With his skills, at his age, I cannot imagine how he attained any semblance of freedom. They should have protected him more fiercely than their greatest treasures. Enough weakness! It is now or never.]

Pamalaiha took a deep breath, then closed her eyes and asked the question that would determine the course of the rest of her life, “What would you say if I desired revenge against the Noroji Clan?”

Raine inhaled sharply through his nose, then exhaled with his lips twisted in thought. He knew from her outfit she was from a powerful clan. Still, the Noroji were not simply powerful but ancient and one of the world leaders in clandestine tech. The only people capable of wiping them out were Old Monsters. There was no way such an influential clan got to its lofty position without the backing of at least one Old Monster, meaning they were basically untouchable.

Knowing the Noroji, they should already be making moves in ZL. When the cross-continental portals open, I should be able to cost them a few billion in levels and equipment. If I do it right, they would end up severely behind their local competitors, which could cause untold damage through ripple effects. It's certainly not out of the realm of possibility to put them so far behind that they lose their foothold in ZL completely. In ten years, they would be reduced to nothing more than a puppet.

Hmm. Is our good doctor worth it? Yes. Definitely. In the past, she left SoulGen the minute she got what she wanted. If she had stayed and continued her research, who knows what wonders she would have made next. This woman is a golden goose. I would even go to war with the Phoenix Clan if it meant earning her loyalty. 

Having made his choice, Raine nodded sharply, “You must know destroying the Noroji is impossible. There are ways to hurt them: hurt them badly. Some of which will be within my reach soon, but not yet. If you’ll trust me enough to be patient until I can show you how, then I promise to include you when the time comes to bring them to their knees.”

Having not dared to think he would support her insanity, Pamalaiha was floored. Hearing how highly he valued her was a shock in itself. Added to the impossibility of actually hurting the Noroji, she became so disoriented she couldn't have pointed at the ceiling if her life depended on it. [Again, he does not lie when doing so would further his advantage. My alternative is continuing to run and hide forever. The weaker they become, the less likely the tragedies of my past are to be repeated.]

When she recovered enough to speak, Pamalaiha dipped her head again, voice husky with emotion she hadn't known she was capable of, “I am yours to command.”