Save Scumming

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Five - Fran's Place

Fran stared at me for a very long few seconds, then she reached over and set a cup down before me with a hard, decisive clunk. The ice within clinked into place. "So," she said. "You're finally admitting to it."

I blinked. "Admitting to it?" I asked.

Fran glanced at her guards. "Clive, I think I'll be safe here. Take the evening off, would you?"

"I'll be in my quarters, ma'am," he replied with a stiff bow. I felt him looking at me before the guard slipped out of the kitchen area. The other stepped up behind him, and soon Fran and I--and Mister couchtop, who was sniffing at the air with one paw out of his cage--were alone in her apartment.

"I've guessed for a while now," Fran said. "That you had some sort of ability that let you see into the future, or something like that. I couldn't quite reconcile it with the kind of magic you use. Nature and Dark magic don't lend themselves to foresight so easily."

"Regret, actually," I said.

"Ah... I suppose that might make a bit more sense." Fran grabbed her cup, then took a sip of it while still staring at me. There was a strange, rather annoying tension in the air.

I think... I had come in here assuming that Fran respected me. Liked me, even. Had I been off about that? I mean... we banged. That was good, right? Only Fran was a businesswoman, she was corpo to the bone. Things were often a lot more transactional for a woman like her.

"What's your goal, in the end of all of this?" she asked.

"You know how I've hinted that the city will be destroyed?" I asked. I had spilled that much out, right? I could vaguely recall that much. "That wasn't a joke. There will be multiple breaches at the same time. A-ranks. The corps will be caught with their pants down. Fortress ENE will... maybe the whole thing won't collapse. I bet reinforcements arrive eventually, but it'll be ugly."

"I see."

"And I plan on stopping that," I said. "Or doing what I can to stop it. Maybe make it better. Have the right people at the right place at the right time."

Fran nodded. "Admirable. And after?"

"After?" I asked.

"Once you've saved the city. Then what?" she asked.

I paused. I didn't expect that question. "I haven't planned that far ahead," I admitted. "But I guess... well, by then I expect to be a C-ranker, or close to it. I'll still have my powers, I guess. So... I don't know. I'll pick another cause to fight for, maybe? Or I'll just lay on my ass and do nothing for a few months. That would be nice. Maybe visit France? Get married, adopt seven more cats?"

Fran sniffed, but the edge of her lips was curled up in a secretive little smile. "Fine. I suppose it is rather far away. Most people don't plan more than a few weeks ahead. It's one of humanity's greatest weaknesses. In any case... what do you need now?"

"Right now? Answers, mostly. I'm waiting to see how certain things play out. But I also need to grow stronger. Much stronger. I was hoping you could help with that?"

"How?" she asked.

"You know magic trainers, right? I saw you get better with magic pretty quickly, and I think you mentioned in passing that you had coaches."

She nodded. "I do. Light magic is relatively uncommon. I have been studying a lot to grow rapidly. In fact, I was trying to catch up to you, but now it seems like that might not be possible, what with your rather unfair advantages."

"Ah, yes, my unfair advantage, says the girl in the million-dollar penthouse with the personal trainers and the alcohol that has high magical energy in it," I said as I took a sip. IT burned good on the way down.

Fran chuckled. "I see your point. But also just how little you know. I work hard, even with my advantages... and this penthouse was a lot more than one million." She took a small sip from her glass, then set it down. "Alright. I can't be too upset with you. You saved me... wait, would I have been saved?"

"Oh, the kidnapping thing? You wold have been, uh, fine... ish? You would have snuck out eventually, but not for a few days, and not unharmed. It was... bad?" I winced. I didn't want to get into all of the details and judging by how Fran paled a little, she didn't either. "But yeah. That was a good place for me to test myself. Plus it was a relatively easy portal?"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I see," she said. "Well, past that, you've given me the opportunity to tackle more portals than any ordinary person would have access to. My level of growth in the past month has been startling. At this rate, I suspect that I might be able to hit C-rank before the end of next year if I keep working at it."

"Definately," I said. "Would that be big for you?"

She tilted her head a little, considering it. "Yes. Simply put, yes. There are a number of people with personal power in the business world. A lot of my family and extended family, as well as a larger number of ladder-climbers, at least try to hit E-rank. The health benefits alone make it worthwhile. Longer hours, better health... it's a no-brainer. The number of D-rankers, however, is significantly smaller. We just don't put ourselves in the danger needed to have a breakthrough like that. C-rankers? In business? It's not unheard of, but you could count them number of C-suite that are C-ranked in Fortress ENE on both hands. It's the level of personal power where... well, you are a threat as a D-ranker for your access to magic, but you're still human. As a C-ranker you're above that."

"Right. Don't piss off the person that's a walking bomb with control over the elements," I said.

She nodded. "A C-ranker can still be brought down by conventional means, of course. So there's that."

"That's what I need help with," I said. I downed the last of the drink, then shivered. Why couldn't Fran settle for some nice, fruity girl drinks? This stuff was strong. "I... have a C-ranker I want to fight. Maybe kill? Honestly, it might be best if he doesn't die, but I at least need to kick his ass pretty hard."

"Who is this?"

"Ernest Glover. C-rank Light mage working for Seraph, and all around piece of cat-kicking, self-entitled trash," I said as I crossed my arms.

"I see," Fran said. "Well, I have training with a Light mage couch, they might be able to help. What's the timeframe on all of this?"

"I... guess about a week? I can describe the spells he used. The problem is that I can't really recarve new spells. So I have to figure out a way to beat him with what I have. And honestly, that's not much. I have a few ideas, though."

Becky could cast spells without carving them at all. It was wildly inefficient and somewhat dangerous, but her girl allowed her to do it with ease. That means that someone without that gift could probably do it too, but it would require practice and training.

Fortunately, I had nothing but time for that. I opened my mouth, then stifled a yawn. "Fuck, it's late, isn't it?"

"Very," Fran replied. "Come."

She started walking out towards the back of her apartment, where there was a small gym and her bedroom.

I set the glass down, then picked up Mister Couchtop. I think having him in my arms would help calm him down. Was it possible for me to order a kitty litter thing to be delivered here? Was she even allowed pets in her apartment?

Wait, no, if she was paying multiple millions for the damned place, they'd better have a carve out to allow her an entire zoo up here.

I was just letting my thoughts wander when suddenly Fren spun around and pushed me backwards. I gasped as my back smacked into a wall right next to a painting that bounced slightly from the impact. "Fran?" I asked.

Then she was in front of me, one hand on my hip, fingers feeling like they were searing hot against my exposed side. "Do you remember; the last time you were here?" she asked.

"Yeah?" I tried.

Fran's eyes were this bright green that caught the faint light from her kitchen down the hall. "I remember it very well. They way you took control, what you did to me." Her tongue touched the eyed of her lips, her eyes narrowed. Were they glowing? Fuck. "You know, in all of my... dreams, I was never the one forced to submit. But with you, I didn't have a choice, did I?"

"Uh," I said.

Mister Couchtop wiggled out of my grasp and valiantly ran away.

"Let's try that again. What we did that night. But at my pace, this time."

***