Parallel: United Front

Chapter 37: Dayle's Choice

 Three Choices.

Money, Knowledge, or Power.

The summation of a man's life, in most cases, could be boiled down to a pursuit of one or more of these three pillars. Many speculate that a lot could be gleaned about a man from which of these three pillars they deem most important.

However, contrary to what some might believe, neither of these pillars were more important than the other - at least that's Dayle believed. A knowledgeable man without money and power could not enact any reasonable change in society or even his own life. A man with money but without wisdom and power might live their lives in luxury but would never leave any lasting mark in time beyond their own decadence. Finally, power without money is impotent, while a lack of wisdom is destined for the destruction of either oneself or even worse, those subject to that power.

Due to this reasoning, Dayle was momentarily frozen as he looked at the three choices. With money, many plans he had could not only kick off the ground but also flourish in the shortest amount of time. There was a reason people said, 'money can move mountains.'

Dayle then looked at the core. Viktor must have known that Dayle would gain new powers if he ingested the Queen Wasp core. Although it was not obvious right now, Dayle knew that the Fiendbody he obtained from the Queen Wasp was a tremendously powerful skill. He did not doubt for a second that the core presented would provide at least the same level of power. Power was a fundamental foundation for every growing organization. Without power, one would not be able to prevent vultures from circling and stealing their hard-earned profits. Amassing his personal strength would definitely go a long way in protecting their future operations.

Finally, Dayle looked at the harddrive. Amongst the three options, this was the most enticing and also the most dangerous bet. Knowledge was important, yes. But, unlike the core and cash, it was impossible to gauge the information's importance. It was just as likely to host pictures of a dancing goomba as it was to hold the key to finishing the game and completing their mission. The risk was too great, and hence Dayle's brows frowned in thought.

At this point, Dayle felt a tap on his shoulder and then turned to see Raines looking at him.

"Remember Bolivia?" Raines playfully tapped Dayle's arm twice as she said, "What was it you said then? When in doubt―"

Dayle's eyes lit up. "―Pick the thing with the least chance of recovery." The young man grinned as he then looked at Viktor with confidence in his eyes. "I'll take option two: the hardrive."

"Oh?" A strange light shone in Viktor's eyes as he regarded Dayle. "You are certain?" When Dayle confirmed his choice, the vorg leader asked with a curious gaze, "May I ask why? For all you know, there could be nothing in that harddrive. In comparison, that is thirty million credits worth of cash, and a core that will, for starters give you the ability to control flames."

"Thirty million―" Dayle's eyelids' twitched. Who the hell took out thirty million to test someone? Thirty million credits! Had Viktor and the vorgs been underground so long that they did not realize the monetary value of credits? Dayle thought about it and realized that it was extremely unlikely. Leaving aside the issue of how Viktor amassed the currency of a world he apparently wasn't a part of, the fact that Viktor stated the exact amount to tempt Dayle suggested he was fully aware of its worth.

The fire-whatever, Dayle was not so interested in. Perhaps because he had seen other people's crazy abilities. Take the Singularity for example. What would fire do to that? Unfortunately, at this time, Dayle still had no concept of the abilities gained from these super cores. If he did, perhaps, his ultimate decision would not have remained the same.