Palworld; Rhea's Odyssey

Chapter 05: Lady Zoey

Chloe was unsettled by Zoey's behavior, but answered anyway.

"Of course. I'm the one who found her, or rather she found me. It was the easiest score I've had in a long while. I let Mr. Black know as soon as I confirmed her ability, and I'm sure that's how you found out."

"That right, and if I'm correct, after that, you took that woman to Mr. Black, right?"

"Correct."

"And did you tell anyone else that you did that?"

"Absolutely not. Mr. Black handles the negotiations with potential clients and I get a cut after the sale. It was a pretty large sale. I wouldn't forget the details."

"Exactly, and you've been working with us for a while, now. You know how this all works. When there's high value resources on the market, he doesn't put out the information out to the public. Instead, he notifies VIP clients, such as myself."

"Clients who would pay more to make sure others don't get a chance to bid for said product. Yeah, we've talked about that before. What I don't understand is why we're here." Chloe gestured to her two partners, Dolan and Kalian. "We're slavers. We hunt what you all buy. I don't deal with the other side of the business."

"Oh, I'm well aware...but see, I put in an order to purchase what you most recently hunted...and that delivery is late. Beyond late. And all I can think about is that someone other than my people knew about that exchange. I trust Mr. Black. I trust my treasurer..."

Chloe knew where things were going. Zoey suspected her crew of being involved in the incident, and if she let her continue that line of thinking, things could quickly get out of hand.

"And you can trust us."

There was a long pause in the conversation as Zoey stared at Chloe.

"Can I though?" Zoey began walking to the back of the room where large shadows were cast by the giant pillars in the battle chamber. Within these shadows, Chloe noticed a pair of red eyes staring at the crew from afar. Just looking at them sent shivers down their spines. "Sometimes, I feel like the only one I can trust is Grizzbolt."

Chloe had heard rumors of an insanely powerful pal that fought alongside Zoey. Although the two had known each other for a while, she had never even seen the pal but had heard it was a force to be reckoned with. Considering the circumstances, she didn't want this to be the first time she met the creature.

"...I considered us friends, once upon a time. We don't see each other much, but I still care about you."

It was true. Chloe had been friends with her before she became the leader of the Syndicate, but the power dynamic of Zoey controlling the entire island while being locked away in the Rayne Tower had complicated things beyond belief. She had changed so much in the last few years.

"Friends can stab you in the back as well, ya know, but I'll take your word for it. And since we're such good friends, why don't you guys do me a favor?"

Chloe closed her eyes and took a moment to breathe knowing she'd have to accept whatever Zoey requested of her, even if she didn't want to do it. To refuse helping her in this situation would only heighten her suspicions that Chloe was involved in the incident. Plus, the Rayne Syndicate could make her life a nightmare if she didn't stay on their good side.

"What would you like for us you do for you?"

"If your crew had nothing to do with it, then I want you to find out who did..."

"Forgive me for asking, but is it possible, at all, that you have a mole in your organization?"

"Nonsense. All of my people know better than to cross me."

More specifically, nobody wants to deal with that Grizzbolt of hers. In a one on one fight, Chloe was sure she could take her, but she didn't stand a chance as long as that pal was with her.

"You're right. It doesn't make sense for anyone who knows you to betray you."

"Exactly! And I'm not an idiot. People are afraid of the Syndicate, but I'd never confuse that for loyalty. Someone out there wants us gone and I want to know who that is. Between the order not coming in and my gold farm going down, someone has to know something."

As much as Chloe didn't want to get involved, she did think it was odd that the order had not arrived. She already knew that she'd have to pay Mr. Black a visit and learn what she could about the exchange, but she had already received her payment and thought everything else had went smoothly.

It had also been days since the exchange went down. If someone interfered and stole the slaves, they could be anywhere by now.

"I'll need some time to gather the information, and I expect to be compensated on the backend."

"You have two weeks maximum, and I'll make sure it's worth your while."

"That should be more than enough time. I'll send word of updates as I find new information."

"How are you going to send word? Your crew is so small and you guys don't use pals. What's up with that anyway? You still holding that grudge against pals for what happened to you?"

Chloe didn't want to be reminded of her past, especially by someone from her past who knew more than she would ever want anyone to.

"Some things never change. If I could have it my way, all the pals on this island would disappear."

"Your loss. My pal is amazing." A low growl could be heard from the shadows agreeing with Zoey.

Griiizzzz!

"Anyway, just make sure I don't have to have anyone coming to look for you. Even if you don't find anything, it'll be nice to see you again. Remember...two weeks."

Zoey emphasized the time she was giving Chloe to investigate the incident by widening her eyes.

"Lamont! Open the doors for our guests. They're leaving."

Chloe couldn't wait to get out of the tower and away from Zoey and her pal. These sort of conversations are the reasons why she preferred work in the wild. She hated the political atmosphere of running an organization.

Still, she was the leader of her own crew because she was better at talking than her partners. She had hoped that one day she'd find someone better versed in leadership than her so that she could focus on what she truly loved; hunting pals.

But all of that would have to wait. She had made a pretty hefty amount of coin trafficking humans into the Black Market recently, and it looked as if that hunt would have to continue. Still, she promised herself that her crew would refocus itself on hunting pals once they were able to put this incident behind them.

Chloe and her crew walked out the open doors they had just entered from and breathed a sigh of relief having left a tense atmosphere. Zoey watched them leave standing poised in front of those menacing red eyes until a large smile appeared with a streak of lightning briefly revealing the face of Grizzbolt.