================================
Chapter 104: A Visitor Arrived
================================
News immediately spread in Terroa and in the real world about Lady Brea's rise in the rankings of the King Candidates' Second King's Test.
But while the world wandered and marveled at the sudden violent move Brea showed in the rankings of the King's Test, the members of the Blue Card Legion were far from smiling.
After all, while some of them didn't mind the pay that came from the Blue Card Merchant Group, it was still the main livelihood source of many of the members in it.
There was no time for deliberation.
Why the Enchantment Temple made a move on their Business Group wasn't important. What's important right now was immediately stopping the crash of their company.
Two such people made their move and took out their T-Devices. With a press of a button, the two vanished and appeared next in Mundus, not even wasting time and immediately flying their way to the business headquarters.
On the other hand, there was another group that felt schadenfreude at the downfall of the Blue Card Merchant Group.
They were the Haven Dust Company, minions of The Union in the Southern Isles.
As they gazed on the direction of the Blue Card Merchant Group going up in flames and smokes, the president of operations couldn't help gloating at the fate of his enemy.
Then, he received a call directly from his boss.
His pupils shrank. He picked up the call with a pair of trembling hands then spoke, "B-Boss."
It was a Voice-only call.
Unknown number...
...but the haven Dust President knew that number by heart. He then heard the voice on the other side of the call gave out an order.
{Use any means necessary. Kill the bitch.}
The call ended.
Haven Dust President was bewildered and then he immediately understood. He looked over the video feed in front of him and thought, who's the bitch he wanted dead? Is it the elf or the tall girl?
The man was in a dilemma. But since both women were "bitches", he decided to just kill both of them so that he won't have enough problems when he killed only the other one and had a mistake.
"Send my orders. Kill these two women at all cost necessary, and at the fastest and most quiet way."
"Alright."
From behind him someone answered. It wasn't a subservient reply but rather a reply that came from an equal. After all, the person that gave his reply wasn't an employee of The Union but rather a contracted mercenary through the person called "Kira" that The Union truly trusts... business wise.
This someone, however, was someone familiar to Siva —The Predator whom he met in Dragona.
Back then, Kira contacted The Predator in order to deal with Siva, her reason being that he and Siva had the same "Fighting Style" so he definitely could match Siva at every way. Kira even said in full confidence that The Predator could win with Hagrid whom had defeated Siva before so there's a large chance of The Predator achieving success in defeating Siva.
This was back when the event in Jeremiah had just been concluded; so who could have thought that, through The Predator's search for Siva, he'd land in Haven Dust Company and stop by when he is restocking his supplies?
With shaggy hair and naked upper body that's full to the brim with tattoos, The Predator made only a slight acknowledgement and bid farewell.
Although this wasn't part of the original plan, The Predator had always loved "women" and doing a few things with them as if they were his prey.
He received his "title" due to this, branded to him by those who had come across his path and those who had fallen to his game.
The Haven Dust President clicked his tongue as he glanced at the retreating image of the man.
After that, his gaze went back to the panel window and watched the unfolding scene with the same look of delight on his face.
Moments later, he received an email from some NPC about a video call request.
"What? Who gave him my direct contact?"
As he read the email, he frowned. It said that he had to meet someone and that he had to keep the meeting entirely secret.
The man then thought angrily, a visitor arrived?
But I didn't give the order for any visitor to be entertained in this time of the day!
"What bastards! Don't they know who I am and the consequences of annoying me?" he roared loudly and began to move as well.
The overbearing content of the email was actually alarming. As such, he went to the conference room of their building and met this certain person that the email introduced.
"Who are you?"
The man, wearing elaborate clerical clothes under a set of gold and white armor, did not reply a word and instead pulled out a delicate-looking parchment decorated in golden hieroglyphics. He gave it to the Haven Dust President wordlessly.
The President received the item with big haughty smiles and his attitude and face obviously radiated his annoyance. Yet just moments later... all of his arrogance and his vanity vanished and he was full of sweat as he read the contents.
It was the first line that made him on the edge of his seat. By the time he finished, he was already palpitating and he was looking at the man in front of him with both reverence and fear.
If the contents of this parchment are true, then—
No, the sender, first, is he really...
No, more than that... I've heard the rumours but I didn't expect that there's actually...
Ah! No, before that... if they're really that big and powerful, then... then...
The source of this decree, he thought, it was an existence that he didn't know is actually much, so much bigger than The Union inside the game. If they gave the order, they can destroy them in a single night.
This force, this unknown NPC organization, they called themselves the Theocracy.
...and they gave the order for the Haven Dust to be their iron fist to enact judgement to the traitors of the entire Terran Race.
"If I can get the favor of the Theocracy, then I can not only crush Blue Card Merchant Group, I can even fight against the bastards of The Union!"
His ambition sparkled, he disregarded his dignity.
The Haven Dust President faced the "Paladin of Justice" in front of him and bowed.
"I shall follow as you ordered."
The Paladin didn't answer but smiled and waved him to go.
*****
Siva detected everything that had happened in the Haven Dust HQ and was surprised that there was a part in there that was sealed by a Barrier Spell so he couldn't spy through it. He saw that the reaction of the Haven Dust President when he entered and escaped the sealed space was a bit, no, an entire side different from before and after.
But for a business under The Union, that should have been a given, considering even on their main HQ, they seal certain places of importance as well, and the kind of policy they have that the spies of the Bloody Church cannot enter, it wasn't that impossible if moods will swing whenever they gave certain orders that conflicted to the interests of the pawns they were using.
So Siva only focused on the things he knows.
The Predator —an unforgettable existence— was actually going to make a move against his people.
He didn't know his reputation amongst the women-kind of Terroa, both the NPCs and the Players, but he knew the guy is dangerous. Very.
"Perhaps it's time to take down The Union now?"
Is it too early?
After all, he was yet to visit the Seventh Elder and make a few things clear. It wasn't the right time to mess with The Union but it wouldn't hurt taking an enemy's tentacle down while he's at it.
So, what he did was send the [Destroyer] for a little excursion to meet an 'old friend'.
It was at that moment that he noticed two figures flying at their greatest speeds to their direction.
"Hm? Isn't this Zaza and Redeye?"
Siva's heart felt delight. Of all the people he could meet from The Legion, it had to be them, another 'old friends' of his.
Is this day meant for meeting old friends?
He joked himself. Surprised to realize, in fact, that he can despite the hectic timeframe he had right now. Everything seems to be on a highway track towards his planned scenario and yet, as much as he wanted to indulge himself on this feeling, he knew that the world will never allow a plan to be perfectly carried out without a hitch or two to stop it. As such, he expected the worse.... but not too off a worse that he'd lose his mind in despair.
The two of them were still 15+ kilometers away to the site and with their speed they'd get to the HQ within the next four minutes.
He only knew about their approach because on their way here, he deployed people to spread the Liberty Drones throughout the city. Siva checked the pacing of the cleansing on the locked space of the Blue Card Merchant Group, and knew that with this speed, they'd clean up the area on time as the two visitors arrived.
Although it was okay to sit tight and relax, it wasn't proper and more so wasn't right.
Because if there are things that a plan hated the most, then those are certain surprise variables at the end phase that could foil the entire design.
As such, Siva stayed vigilant and chose to be a bit more aware of the surroundings, thinking over all variables that may affect his plans.
[Boss, Lily has been contacting me many times now for the last 10 minutes.]
Siva's mind perked up.
He forgot.
Cortana reported earlier that during his fight with Ares, Amanda had been on his side, holding his hand the entire time. Siva felt warmth in his heart and flipped his hand to seal the space around him and accepted the call.
<Rex! You're okay! Wait, are you really okay?>
Siva laughed, "I am. Don't worry now. Thank you."
The video call with Amanda's blushing face was a sight to see. Siva felt really glad that he could be with such a woman like her.
Selfless and thoughtful, understanding, kind, full of love, accepting, tolerating, and most of all, she knows what she can and can't do and so sought ways to fill her lacking, accepting her weaknesses and changing, becoming stronger than before as she chose to stand beside him no matter what may and may not happen... the pretty face was an added bonus and Siva loved her obviously visible imperfect side despite her nigh-perfect beauty.
Many may say that she was just a pretty face once they learned of her lack of many things, but Siva knew just she was just that stupid.
She chose to love everything about him, despite the things he could do —and had done— and the things he's capable of doing, the willingness to bet all she had to save his soul from crumbling...
.....Siva understood it all and sometimes couldn't even look at her in the eyes because he felt so ashamed and guilty that despite everything she is capable of doing for his sake, she wasn't the only woman in his heart.
Because just across the half that Amanda is fully occupying, was a place where someone else had already been living. Samantha.
Yet, despite knowing this, Amanda was still willing to tolerate him.
This, he knew, was something he couldn't deny off of her so he did his best to return the love she gave only for him.
Seeing the worried look on her face fade away in an instant, the sighing face, the frowning face, the warm smile she made in the end of her changing emotions, Siva's heartbeat went faster and slower at the same time.
He laughed, "Really, thank you. I'm fine."
Amanda nodded, <Mn! By the way, where are you right now?>
"Mundus." Siva answered and saying the name of the place of his operations where death was very evidently happening, he once again felt the sense of shame at Amanda's tolerance.
Her willingness to hold the hand that're damp with the blood of others —especially now that the two of them knew that "every NPC" in this so called [Game World] was a copied "soul" of real people in the real world, which technically makes them all living people as well— was something that Siva is the most feeling mortified about. As much as he could, if he may perhaps, he didn't want to tell the girl about the places where he's taking lives since he feels that it was too much for a pure and kind-hearted girl like her to forego her morality just for the sake of a butcher like him.
Siva felt that really, he doesn't deserve this girl who had openly declared her love to him in front of her parents.
And yet, in his heart, he knew that without her, he would never be complete as well.
Thus, as selfish as it may seem to others, he will never abandon this girl, no matter what, and will always do his best to return her love in every way and form possible, no matter how much pain he cause her, for he knew that being by his side was her wish —regardless of the costs to herself.
<Are you working?> her expression softened as she asked the question.
They both knew what 'working' meant between just the two of them.
Siva recalled her recent experience and felt the pang of guilt once again. He was between a wall and a truck, he can't budge an inch to escape this because as much as he wanted to spend some time to suite her trauma of being kidnapped, he also can't forgo and compromise Baron's safety.
"I am." He nodded. "I'm sorry. I will come back as soon as I finish. This is important because Baron's safety is being at risk here."
<Ah! Then let me help you. I've recently mastered using a few spells that Pistareen and Gaia taught me... I might become of help.>
Siva hesitated but eventually nodded. Because the sharp look in her eyes told him that she would not accept anything close to a "NO" as a reply.
"Okay... but you will have to listen to me in every instance during this time, got it?"
<Mn! Got it.>
Siva heaved a sigh. Explaining how she could get to Mundus through Jeremiah, Siva sent the Chief Security Officer of The Grand Mansion, the red-haired chick Scarlet Carmine with a few guardians to pick her up, giving them some Liberty Drones and equipment for when they needed them.
After the call, Siva focused his gaze towards the two incoming people of the Blue Card Legion and he beamed a smile.
"Gaia, maintain your pace and take control of this region... we will move the Black... cough, I mean my own Company in this place in the future."
{Are you going to do something?}
Siva stood up and took a step forward, vanishing and appearing 10km away.
"Yep." He answered. "I'm going to greet our two reasons for attacking this place."
{So they've come. I see. You can rest assured, My Lord. I will handle the rest here.}
"Thank you."
*****
Flight wings on their backs, although a little slower than the speed-focused Flight Armor, the Wings are still the main equipment used by majority of all players of RPG: Terroa.
After all, not everyone can handle the shifting G-Force and the control-hungry Flight Armor, aside from its expensive purchase price and ridiculously high technical and material maintenance costs.
But even so, going 50m/s, or 180kph, it could be considered fast already.
Yet for Redeye and Zaza, partners even within the Blue Card Legion, this speed was too slow for their demands, too sluggish to get them to their destination as fast as possible.
They were outstanding players of other MMO and VR-wannabe games before the release of Terroa, but when they were invited to join The Legion, it immediately became the place they wanted to be no matter what.
Because it was a place where they could both be the "people" they wanted to be as well as earn an entire source for a living to provide to their family.
They were the true pillars of its business aspect while the rest of The Legion did their own jobs in order to properly bolster their resources as well as maintain it.
Some, like Mouse and Kira, became spies for The Legion in huge NPC and Player-controlled offices and gathered their 'weapons' against potential enemies; while some, like Hagrid and the others, were tasked to handle their military strength and increase it; and others, like Kladis, dealt with the 'public' side of The Legion, conquering enemies and seizing territories, building the foundations of when they do come into power.
Redeye and Zaza, partners in almost all things, although they have opposite personalities and a lot of differences in their opinions, they do a good job together... most of the time.
—until that job together where they lost their lead to [The Providence Quest] and ended up clashing with the Demon Armada on their own and then all of them falling into a choice of either their avatars perishing for good or they submit to them.
——along with the promise of power and success on their endeavor...
Naturally, they chose the latter and enjoyed all the goods and blessings of these so called Power and Success that the Demon Armada gave them.
After all, this is just a game. Gamers, professional or not, all play the game for the sake of that one true goal everyone has... glory!
Glory comes with fame and fame comes with the shining allure of glittering gems and gold.
Who would have thought that allying themselves with the Bloody Church would bring such copious riches and wealth, even women... even men!!
The Bloody Church had it all.
.
.
================================
Their second meeting will turn into a mess!
================================
.
.
.
.
Next Chapter: An expected development...
.
For latest updates and news regarding my releases, please follow me on Facebook @www.facebook.com/JEReddcliffe, and/or on twitter @www.twitter.com/jereddcliffe; and finally at my blog as well @jereddcliffe.wordpress.com where I will be posting exclusive chapters for some of my stories in the future, including the Mortal King.
Please visit me on my Patreon account @www.patreon.com/reddcliffe for a little help on monetary needs, or directly send your donation to my Paypal account @ nathanreddd@yahoo.com.