Chapter 168: Work Trip.
The spar with Roman, couldn’t even be called a spar. It wouldn’t even really qualify as a proper fight. No, it was a beatdown. We had no chance whatsoever, no matter what we did, he always seemed ahead.
Black Hawk had taken the front, immediately clashing with Roman, only for Roman to block his strike with a shield made of light. The shield rippled, and dispersed the force of Black Hawk’s blow, and what was dispersed was absorbed and sent right back out, sending Black Hawk flying.
I fired bullets, sent grenades. Yet, he met bullets with quick bolts of light that shot from one of his bracelets, explosives were slapped aside by a golden whip. The constructs he made were constantly changing forms. The man was almost a one-man army. With a weapon or method for any and all predicaments.
As the fight progressed, Black Hawk and I began to coordinate. He’d throw his throwing stars, establish the field, and give me space to start setting the stage. Only, it never took. Roman, with his gleaming eyes, saw through my machinations well before I could even get started. In most cases, he’d simply brush aside my attempts to hem him in, or even get him into my rhythm, like he was simply pushing aside gossamer threads.
I couldn’t chain him. Couldn’t slow him. I could do nothing, and neither could Black Hawk. Roman felt like a colossus, a giant that stood well above us. His every strike and move lacked any real intent but made our worlds quake.
He was strong, and annoyingly, it was clear. He was leagues stronger than before, when I saw him fighting beside Black Hawk way back when we were investigating the stray sheep. His constructs were made of magic, yes. Light magic given form, almost like a hologram with weight.
Before, that was all they’d been. Manifestations of light. Nothing too fancy. Now, now I could see something new. Something, I knew Éclair had a hand in. His constructs were covered in skittering lines. Arrays, enchantments, runes. Whatever was needed. Each new construct, had a new enchantment, enabling it to do things it shouldn’t have been able to do. Making them sturdier, sharper, and capable of a myriad of different effects.
His shield, was capable of absorbing and redirecting Black Hawk’s blows due to those very enchantments. Another enchantment let him use it or unleash it in a wave of kinetic energy that blasted us back.
The man was playing with us… No, not with us. With his powers. Like a child in a candy store, no, like a man with a brand-new sports car. Desiring to put it through its paces, and only now finding a venue to let those feelings out. He wasn’t serious, his movements were uncoordinated at times, lacking any real purpose, many of his constructs didn’t quite work as intended, but he had so many new ones to pull out that it didn’t matter.
It wasn’t long before we were beaten to the ground, with little to show for it. And all we received in response was, “You’re not ready.” A simple statement, a cryptic one.
Thankfully, he elaborated moments later. “As of now, neither of you are ready for the circuit. Rather, the tournaments we run throughout the year. You both need to improve.”
We both nod, “Suggestions?” I ask.
He hums. “I’m sure Éclair told you plenty, and really, the best thing that ever happened to our group was working with Éclair.” He gives her a side glance. “Ever since then, she’s been joining our spars and tournaments, and well, we all realized we had quite a bit to learn. Now, for what I can say…” Again, he hums, closes his eyes, likely recalling the fight.
“Your typing is a bit of an issue. You’re a supporting tank type, but you focus on strengthening others. Its… not a great combination, but you would shine in group combat. Even with just Black Hawk here, I noticed you were boosting him quite a bit among other things. My suggestion would be, figure out how you can either bring in allies during a solo fight, or figure out how to make some allies on the spot.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”
“Of course, and you…” He looks at Black Hawk. “We can talk in length afterwards if you’re interested.”
“Sounds good… honestly, I was hoping to get a few extra pointers from Éclair before I finish up tonight.” Was Black Hawk’s answer.
“That’s fine, I’ll be hanging around for a bit if you want to talk with me afterwards.” Roman said.
“I’ll do just that, thanks man!” Black Hawk said, giving Roman a cheerful thumbs up.
Roman smiled, shook his head and left, leaving us with Éclair. There was no breakdown of the fight. Well, not for me. She simply told me to be careful, as the city was getting more dangerous, and that word was that due to the Dragon Gang’s actions, the foxes might be getting more active.
Though she wasn’t incredibly clear with what she said, I understood what she was getting at. Getting caught between the gang and the foxes was not in my itinerary. Even if the foxes aren’t considered an enemy, being involved in a proper fight between the two factions, well, I had no right being there. And if I was there, I’d likely become a casualty of stray fire.
If anything, this little spar just confirmed that. If any of the foxes were anywhere near as capable as Roman, well, we’d all die. And even if they weren’t enemies, whose to say we wouldn’t run into a member of the Dragon Gang? And if they were on par with a fox… well, yeah, same situation.
Luckily, I was only planning one last patrol. With the day ending, and with the next day starting. The final confirmation came through from Diana stating that everything had been sold off. Money had been trickling into our accounts, but today, a larger, final payment hit our account. Marking this as the last bit of cash from our looting frenzy at the end of the third event.
It was substantial. More than enough to keep feeding my craft for months to come. With Talia’s work on her totem done, she finally had time to focus on building the array for the cold storage, and the future workshop. The specifics of what she was doing, escaped me, but I understood the premise.
The array she built was a basic one. It isolated the space and could also expand the space. Making it larger on the inside than the outside. Of course, expanding the space would be costly, but once space has expanded, the upkeep was surprisingly low according to what Talia explained. Even then, there was a limit.
The reason for that, was simply due to how basic the array was. She could have used a more complicated array, but the point of using a simpler one to start with, was to allow room for modifications. Not to mention, even Talia had made a more complicated array, we lacked the necessary resources to take advantage of such an array. The wires I had Lance make were great, but they weren’t the best. Nor was the generator a paragon among its kind.
No, we needed to take this slow.
Safety measures needed to be put in place, batteries, backup power sources had to be established. The wires needed to be tested and stress tested, like how wires could only take so much voltage before frying. There was so much that needed to be done and checked on, that Talia didn’t really have a strong idea of when she’d be done. Not when she has to constantly test and check the core to make sure we’re not over-drafting it. Then there was the uncertainty with how powerful the core was going to be when it finally reaches its potential.
There were far too many variables to make any concrete plans. Not now anyway.
While she worked, I planned. I went back to working on statues, but only because I had the time and it gave me a chance to mull over the project I had been handed. There was a lot of work to be done… and the very next day I started.
To my chagrin, making the project workable was outside of my expertise. As it was, I could probably pitch it, but if the issues weren’t resolved immediately, the project would be dead in the water.
What we really needed though, was a strong headstart on the project, a way to extend our working time, possibly cheat the system, but I wasn’t sure what was available, or if an option even existed.
Luckily, I had a number of contacts. Working through them, I received a number of interesting ideas, but in the end, it was Grim that gave a solid suggestion, no matter how insane it sounded.
I’d noticed, when I was at the port office, that there had been brochures to visit places of interest. These places interest, did indeed exist. They weren’t just there as fluff, or anything else. When I asked why these places existed, Grim told me they existed as vacation, or escapes.
There were, caveats unfortunately. The places advertised in the brochures were rather expensive, not to mention, they could only be visited on or near the full or blood moon. They were costly to visit, but they existed as a means for people to avoid danger whenever the full moon or blood moon hit. On top of that, some of these places offered additional benefits.
There were, a number of magical girls that took full advantage of these benefits, though, Grim did mention it came with a serious flaw. If someone were to visit these places too often, it was entirely possible that they’d be pulled into an event, which, arguably, can be far worse than a full or blood moon, depending on the task.
Some people decided that it was better than being caught as collateral during a full or blood moon. Whether or not it was a good idea, I didn’t really care. I only cared because it presented an opportunity. Since the retreat followed event logic, they tended to have slightly different time scale. A weekend could turn into a full-blown week, with some even offering months of extended time.
Not that I had the money for anything absurd like months of extra time, even with all the money I’d received till now. Not even if I were to trade all of my coins in for cash would I have enough. The pricing was ludicrous for even a bit of extra time.
Even after shopping, looking through my options, only one stuck out. It catered to my exact needs, and really, I couldn’t deny it. Not after this long and not with it being just barely within my price range. Clearly, the mascots were involved, or at least, somewhat involved in each of our lives.
The place in question was a hot spring resort. More traditional, but it catered specifically to larger groups, and business meets. The pricing was good… For what it was. I’d have to take loans out, make a serious effort to make it work, but… it would grant a week’s worth of time, for the price of a single weekend. We’d leave on Friday in the evening and come back early on Monday.
Though, if I could get the project approved, I might be able to get the executive to sign off on the trip as a work expense…
Either way, it was better to make the plans now and seek approval later. After all, I was going to need all the time I could possibly get to make this project work. So, even if it cost me an arm and a leg, it had to be done.
The week went on. Instead of heading to the records room, my time was spent pouring over the document, and with both Liche and Joan’s help, making copies and preparing for the work holiday. Wednesday broke up the monotony with a quick, but dry patrol. Nothing of note really happened, no gang hideouts were found, or drug labs. There were a large number of monsters and a good number of bronze coins, and even a silver coin added to our coffers.
After that, the next day I officially had my proposal ready to go. Which meant, it was time to confront the executive. After confirming with Leo, that yes, I had my project up and ready, I took the elevator up to his floor.
The floor, was much the same as last time. The domineering doors, the fountains, the large desk where the secretary sat. They didn’t even look up at me before buzzing me in, and all too soon, I was once more before the executive.
He was dressed in much the same attire as last time. A well-fitted suit, the skull of an ox, or perhaps a steer on his head, obscuring his face, with only his bronze eyes that pierced through the hollow of the mask’s eye sockets.
He didn’t greet me, merely extended his hand. I said nothing as I handed it over. The moment he had it in his hands though, he paused. It was notable. How his fingers brushed against the manuscript, how he seemed to take his time with it, thumbing through it, page by page.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally placed it down and exhaled. His eyes were focused on the stack of papers and when he looked up, when his eyes gazed upon me, it felt like I was being pierced through by lances.
Despite that, I stood still and tall. Waiting for his words, his judgement. As the seconds passed, I noticed something. His posture, his glare, it felt off. His commanding presence, a presence that had been almost overbearing before, almost felt subdued.
That woman, the one that gave me the file, she had mentioned something, hadn’t she? How this man before me had been a friend of Terada’s at some point? I didn’t think much of it at the time, but… maybe there was some truth to that statement based on his current demeanor. However… this man had also planned to have Terada killed should his division fail.
So, what did that exactly say about him?
Eventually, he spoke, interrupting my thoughts. “Do you know what this is?” He pauses, let those words hang in the air before continuing, “What this represents?”
Rhetorical or not, it was clear he wanted an answer, “Not entirely. I’m aware Terada had some issues back in the day, but I don’t think they’d be all too relevant now.”
He laughed, a short, demeaning chuckle. “Is that what you think? No, you might be correct, but this is more than just that. Terada was rather big back then; the only reason I was even able to get this seat was due to him.” He said, almost in a reminiscing tone.
“However, Terada made a lot of enemies too. He was confident, a genius, and he knew no boundaries. He also had a talent for pissing people off. He had a vision, and he’d see it through at any cost. As you can imagine, that didn’t exactly help him out.” He says and pauses. Even takes a moment to pull out a cigar and light it up. Filling the air with its acrid smoke, making my fingers twitch. After a long, slow breath in, following a long exhale, only then did he press on.
“We used to be friends, I’m sure she told you that much? The woman that gave you this?” He continues, gesturing to the papers.
I nod, not daring to say anything.
“Well, she wasn’t wrong. As I said already, he is the reason I’m even in this chair, but you do you know how that happened?”
Again, all I could do was shake my head and say, “I don’t know, sir.”
“Simple, I took advantage. Seeing how influential he was, and how many enemies he had, I made the best choice I had at the time. I threw him under, used him to elevate myself further up the corporate ladder. Even now, just having him on my roster, under me, gives me a certain prestige that I can flaunt. Perhaps, that gives you a bit more insight?” He says, his tone dripping with some unidentifiable emotion.
Was he angry? Upset? Or was it something else?
“Are you saying I can’t go through with this proposal?” I asked instead. The man took a long drag of his cigar and exhaled.
“No. You can go forward with the proposal, but understand this, if you do go forward with this, you will be making a lot of enemies.”
“I understand.” I say. He looks at me, his eyes once more piercing through me.
“I don’t think you fully do, but… this is a good opportunity to see if you have what it takes to go beyond your upbringing. The deal will remain, the proposed budget will be approved, and you will be allowed to start work immediately. Not only that, but you will be given priority for the upcoming employee draft. So, be sure not to fail.”
“I won’t. Also, did you see my other proposal?”
“I did…” He said, sounding almost amused. “Rather ambitious, aren’t you? Already making plans, and expecting the company to foot the bill?” He continued, almost teasingly.
“Better to act and ask for forgiveness than to sit idly by and wait for permission.”
“True, but you run the real risk of falling flat on your face… What if I don’t approve of this little trip?” He asks as he leans back, taking another long drag of his cigar.
“I’ll pay it.”
He snickered. “Will you now? I won’t ask how you came into so much money, but knowing what you are…” He said, once again eyeing me, “It’s not that surprising.” Another drag of his cigar follows, “Very well, I’ll allow it but understand it will come out of your overall budget.”
“Thank you sir.” I say and bow. He waves me off.
“Just don’t disappoint, I find myself… curious to see how this plays out.” His words were both encouraging and very ominous.
“I won’t.” I reply back and make my way out. On my way out, of all things, the secretary handed me a check, reimbursing me for the trip, along with the paperwork detailing our budget.
It was, fast. I wasn’t sure if it was a flex, or just a show of how much control he had, that he could get this passed within a few minutes of us meeting. Or, it was entirely possible he’d learned that I was going to take the project and even might have heard about my little plan for the trip, despite me not telling anyone yet. Either way, it was highly likely he did much the same as me.
As in, I’m sure he bet on the fact that I’d actually bring this proposal forward and not another. Which made his statement rather ironic. After all, had I come in with something else, would he have fallen flat on his face as well? Or was this yet another test?
Then again, he knew the woman that had handed me this proposal, and that she had it for all these years. Had he made this proposal just to see if I could catch her attention? Was there more to it?
In the end, I couldn’t begin to parse it out, so, I just focused on what I could. The moment I was back at the office, I told Leo that we were approved and immediately brought in Terada to announce our work trip for the weekend.
Admittedly, nobody was happy with it. Nobody likes spending their weekend on a work trip. Even if they weren’t going to be wholly aware of the time dilation that would occur. It still had them losing out on a weekend of rest. Still, they didn’t complain and bit the bullet and planned to attend.
And so, the moment work was over, I went home and prepared for a week-long trip.