Apocalypse: Regression

“Sir, I can start sending supplies and people over through the portal. I know a contracting company your grandfather used to use. They’re quite fast and expedient; however, the problem is . . .” Darleen paused for a moment as she brought out her phone and started sending off text messages. “The problem is that they currently don’t have an opening to actually begin construction. The most they can do is send the supplies over for you to do it yourself.”

“That’s not a problem. We can just use the people that did our dormitory recently,” Nick replied with a shrug, looking over to Seo-ah. “I’m sure they can build a wall, right?”

Seo-ah frowned. “Yeah . . . about that . . . I messaged them as soon as we were back through the portal, but it’s a no-go, Nick. They’re booked out for a month.”

“Come on, don’t we have enough money to just buy out the contracts?” Nick asked, feeling a little frustrated at the situation.

“I’d normally try to do that, but you know it’s been illegal to bribe contractors to break agreements for the sake of dungeon construction since the incident at the Rays of Justice dungeon a decade ago. So, unless you want to risk jail time, we can’t hire any of the local contractors. We’ll have to go far out of state to find someone,” Seo-ah explained, since Nick actually didn’t know about that. This was a situation he had never once in his previous life dealt with.

While it was surprising to hear, it shouldn’t have been that surprising to find out. There were hundreds of buildings and street repair projects that needed doing, and every construction company near the city or willing to travel to it was probably fielding calls from people and insurance companies to handle the repairs.

“Well . . . hell.” Nick pinched his brow in frustration. “What are we supposed to do now then?”

“What’s going on?” Allen, clutching his ViVi tightly with worry across his face, asked as he, Maria, and several other concerned Daedalus members began to gather around Nick, Topaz, Seo-ah, and Darleen.

“I’m going to go try to track down a company that can handle large scale construction projects for us,” Darleen said, giving a small bow before excusing herself.

“Oh my God! How did you get so hurt?!” Adele’s voice broke through the growing crowd as she pushed her way past everyone and rushed over to Nick, her hands glowing before she even reached them. She immediately started patching them up.

As she worked, the gathered crowd quickly grew from mostly Daedalus members to nearly everyone nearby as curious folks, wondering what was on the other side of the rift, started to get as close as they could to the returnees. They were the rubbernecking, curious folk who would probably have swamped Nick the moment he returned if it wasn’t for the fact the DOA had initially been there, and they hadn’t wanted to deal with the suits.

There were so many voices asking questions about what it was like on the other side and where the others were that Nick had to raise his hands and use the voice amplification function of his suit to shout, “Ok, everyone, calm down. My brief expedition into the rift was a success. Thanks to the support that the Walters family and the Devil’s Cards provided, we’ve established a foothold and some protection from the monsters on the other side. They’re still there, and I’ll be working on providing support with everyone’s assistance.

“We’re not going to restrict anyone from going through to the other side of the portal, but if you want to join the expedition and see the new world that awaits us opposite the rift,” Nick began, deciding to take Darleen’s advice very seriously, “then just sign up with Kaylee. We’ll organize expedition groups as soon as you’re vetted and your abilities are proven to be high enough to handle the incredibly fierce, tough monsters that await you if you enter that rift.”

While Nick’s offer was good for the city and his guild, as more people in the other world meant a much higher chance of them staving off enemy attacks, he wasn’t doing it completely out of the good of his own heart. He actually was thinking very much about the DOA as he made the offer. If he took over their role as regulators and created a safer environment while giving everyone that wouldn’t die to a Gulo Gulo a chance, then there was a very real probability that he could usurp the DOA’s role in the public’s eyes and make it much more difficult for the DOA to take back the portal. After all, the more people that were in on the operation, the more people the DOA would have to risk upsetting to remove his position.

But just as soon as he made that offer, the annoyingly combative Crimson Crusaders made their appearance.

“What do you mean, you’ll organize the groups? Who says the rights to that dungeon are yours?” Rob, one of the six Crimson Crusaders, protested as he and his cohorts joined the conversation.

“Yeah, I don’t remember the DOA signing off on you being able to use the portal as you choose,” Lassandra added, scoffing at Nick’s offer.

Kyle, the Crusaders’ artificer, acting like he was in charge of the show, looked around at the crowd, and said, “How about you all sign up with us and—”

“Last I checked, you didn’t even beat the adult vulpe that came through, did you?” Nick didn’t let them build any momentum as he immediately shut them down, raising his voice and filling it with as much of his charisma stat as he could. “In fact, if I remember correctly, you just worked really hard at stopping the groups that we had hired to handle the job. Or is your memory and attention span shorter than your sense of civic duty?”

This immediate verbal slap silenced them and caused the entire crowd to turn their heads as the Crimson Crusaders were once more put on blast for their reckless actions during the previous night’s battle at the rift.

“I . . .” Lassandra, her face nearly red and looking like she was about to explode with anger, could only watch everyone stare at her, waiting for her to respond, despite the fact she clearly didn’t have a retort ready.

Figures. She put all her points in offense, Nick thought, smirking as he enjoyed the fact this aggressive verbal bully wasn’t used to being put on the defense. However, as he saw Seo-ah giving him the “we need her” look, he had to relent before he crushed them too badly.

“You what? You’re going to prove you’re the heroes the city has looked up to for so many years?” Nick demanded loudly enough to make sure he was heard over the growing grumbling from the crowd. “I mean, let’s be honest. Even I was disappointed when I saw your behavior last night. I admired you in the past, always talking a big game about how you’d do anything for the city, but when push came to shove . . . how did you act? It was more disheartening than shameful for those of us without esteemed abilities.”

”What are you after?” Rob asked, seeming to sense Nick’s trick in the making.

“I’m not after anything,” Nick answered more sternly. Then, low enough that only the Crusaders would hear he said, he continued, “I’m telling you to prove that those fancy words you built your career and reputations on weren’t a lie. Sign up with Kaylee, go through that portal, and be the first wave of defense for humanity. Because I’m going to tell you all something here, and I’m going to make it very clear: if the forward base falls on the other side of that portal, humanity falls. That much was spelled out clearly in the system messages, and once you reach the other side, and you see the armies waiting to kill us . . . you’ll understand my words are less prophecies than promises. So you can either squabble over who gets rights to the monster parts on the other side, or you can put your name on the paper, walk through the portal, and end the argument over whether you’re greedy or good.”

This left every one of the Crimson Crusaders madder than before except Rob. He seemed incredibly calm as he walked over to where Kaylee was standing, pulled a pen out of his pocket, and asked her, “Fine, where do I sign?”

Kaylee, who couldn’t have known the request was coming, quickly produced a tablet with one of the Daedalus guild’s standard dungeon liability forms and handed it to him

As he was filling out the digital form, Lassandra ran over to Rob and all but shouted, “What are you doing?!” as the onlookers watched the scene.

“He’s Daedalus,” Rob replied. “I don’t like the kid, but there are no predictions he’s made that weren’t true. If he says the fall of that base is the fall of humanity, then that base won’t fall until my own brats and whatever offspring they pop out die of old age.”

Lassandra’s face scrunched up in even more anger, but after a moment, she let out a deep sigh, turned to the panicking Kaylee and said, “I’ll need one too.”

“Thank you, everyone. Thanks for being the heroes I knew you were. The city depends on you,” Nick praised them, giving a small bow in their direction. The city actually would depend on them if a large adult or even an ancient vulpe appeared to attack the forward base, but he also needed their cooperation, so he wanted to help them save face. In the apocalypse, a man could not afford enemies. As much as he was furious at what he saw as their betrayal the night before, grudges were a luxury he didn’t have.

Instead of humiliating them and bringing them down a few pegs socially, he would instead get them to work toward his cause. “Well, if the great heroes of our city can sign up, I’m assuming you can too, right? If you’re strong, powerful, and up to the challenge, that large orange portal will test everything you’re capable of. Prove to humanity that you’re worthy of being one of its champions!”

“Nice speech,” Seo-ah told Nick, patting him on the back as he finished doing his best to rally the people around them. “But it still won’t solve the construction issue. I don’t know anyone at the guild that’s capable of it, and we still need to fill in this hole enough to let people actually walk toward the portal. Not everyone will have a mount like the Crimson Crusaders or be able to jump like we did.”

“Where are Spencer or Clarissa? They have those earth magic spells.” Nick asked.

“That won’t be a problem, I have this covered,” Jason, the head mage of the Branches of Yggdrasil, said as he stopped next to Nick for a moment. “Watch this.” He then extended his hand towards the portal. A moment later, the monster-killing vine trap in the pit stretched out, its thorns retracting, and each of the vines intertwined and twisted to form a ramp that led up to the rift. Nick stepped on the ramp and found that the vines had hardened into a solid, wood-like structure.

“Woah . . . that’s handy,” Topaz remarked, her eyes wide with amazement at the level of control that Jason had over the plants that he grew.

“It’ll also let us return it to its other form should the need arise,” Jason added, a bit of pride in his voice at his plant’s utility.

“Assuming you’re still alive to change it,” Seo-ah reminded them.

“If he’s not alive, I don’t care what happens to anyone here,” Captain Pfeifer said, her nostrils flaring at the idea of Jason dying.

“What our magnanimous and over-caring captain means to say is that if something happens to me, the vines will maintain the form they were at when I was last alive,” Jason tried to smooth over the awkward halt in the conversation, flashing a quick smile.

“Great, then if you guys want to sign up too, that’ll be wonderful,” Nick began, only to notice Captain Pfeifer’s still concerned gaze as she looked over at Jason, “but I’d definitely hate for anything to happen to our amazing mage, Jason,” he added, patting Jason on the back. “The best life mage you could ask for.”

“Alright then.” Captain Pfeifer’s concern for her mage disappeared as she nodded. “We’ll go sign up, but then we need to talk about contracts in the future if you’re going to continue to require our services.”

“Sounds great,” Nick replied before turning to look over at the now-swamped guild receptionist, Kaylee. He knew that she was probably shocked by the fact that Nick had just dumped everything on her, but he also knew she could handle it. She wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill receptionist Nick had just happened to pick up. She was the best one that he could find, and that was with the use of Omni-Trainer’s Insight and a high wage to help snare all the good candidates.

She was a level 15 coordinator when I hired her, he thought, bringing up her Omni-Trainer’s Insight sheet just to see how far she’d come.

Kaylee

Level: 26

Class: Coordinator

Kaylee is a highly efficient and detail-oriented individual, specializing in tasks that require immaculate organization, time management, and multi-tasking. Her class, Coordinator, grants her abilities to streamline operations, manage complex schedules, and ensure that everything runs smoothly, even in the most chaotic environments.

Insight Note:

Despite her reluctance to seek the spotlight, she thrives when faced with tight deadlines and challenging logistics. When working in stressful environments, Kaylee gains a 15% boost to efficiency and a 10% boost to decision-making speed, making her an essential asset in any operation.

Warning: Due to Kaylee’s financial struggles during the period in which she was contracted, it is not recommended that she be used to generate ads and marketing-related campaigns.

Nick dismissed the notification of his skill and moved away from the crowd, intending to deal with the construction issues next, when a hand tapped him. He turned and saw the man that had advocated so hard on his behalf with the DOA, Malcolm.

“Thanks for promoting Kaylee. I’ve known her her whole life, and while it takes a little for her to warm up to people, she’s one of the most capable kids I’ve ever known. She won’t let you down.”

“I know she’s capable, and she’s more than earned the chance to prove it. But I’m the one that has to thank you for stepping in. It would have been challenging to get away from the DOA without being interrogated, and it would have meant time I can’t afford to lose.” Nick glanced around at the half-destroyed city and the floating rift that looked like a pulsing wound above the street. “There’s just too much to do.”

Malcolm nodded, his brows furrowed thoughtfully, and his lips pressed together. “That I understand. The larger the goals, the less time it feels like you have to accomplish them.”

“Excuse me, sir, I have ordered our logistics company to handle the supplies, and I have a lead on a potential construction company as you requested. But it will require your personal attention,” Darleen interrupted.

“Go. I understand that you are busy. I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” Malcolm quickly said.

Nick nodded his thanks and walked away with Darleen, Seo-ah, and Topaz. “So, what’s going on with the construction company? Can’t you handle the negotiations?”

Darleen’s short blonde hair swayed as she shook her head. “Well, normally it would definitely fall within my purview to handle these types of negotiations and just bring you the final contract to sign off on, but in this particular case, the investor insists on you partaking in the negotiations . . . and doing so in person.”

“Why do I not like the sound of that?” Seo-ah responded, voicing Nick’s thoughts perfectly as she leaned against him. “So we have a rich noble to go beat up? You think it’s Roland again?”

“If he wanted to talk to Nick, he could just do so now,” Topaz noted as she pointed over to the ice-cream-eating giant of a man, who was looking between the six ice cream cones he was holding and three kids who were staring at him expectantly. He looked like he couldn’t decide if he was okay with parting with his treat. He also looked incredibly annoyed at being interrupted while snacking, but the kids seemed to just believe that, since he had more than one cone, of course he’d share.

The whole conversation paused for a minute as the group watched, waiting to see what Roland would do. Finally, he cracked, handing each kid an ice cream cone before watching them run off gleefully, their prizes in hand. He looked absolutely devastated at having lost half his ice cream.

Nick chuckled. “I will never understand him.”

“Okay, so if it’s not Roland, who owns the construction company? It’s gotta be some jerk who has beef with Nick for his fast growth, right?” Topaz wondered aloud.

“Well, to be exact, she’s not an heir. She’s the mother of one. It’s Evelynne Gallows, and from your grandfather’s notes, you two should have an amicable relationship. However, given that Rosemary has received the heir title, but not the shares of the Gallows company as the competition promised, I can imagine this is probably related to that,” Nick winced at the thought of having to deal with more family drama, even after his Grandfather’s death.

“Sounds like she wants to steal your entire inheritance with a single construction project,” Seo-ah surmised, looking over to Nick. “You know that’s not worth it, right? We can fly a crew in from anywhere in the world with the money we’ll make in a month with those shares. Don’t do that.”

“Wait, how much money are you making in a month?” Topaz asked, little dollar signs flashing in her eyes as she listened.

“Okay, well, you’re not wrong about that, Seo-ah, but it’s still worth trying to reason with the woman. We need every able body we can get, and if a single conversation gets us those people even a day faster, it’ll be worth it. In the meantime, let’s have our guild members start working on the wall themselves and fortifying the defenses. We already pay their salary, and it’ll be good for their muscles.”

“Alright, I’ll tell Kaylee to take care of it as soon as she’s done signing people up for the rift.

“And I probably need to talk to Allen about having him study the gun drones and see how much of that tech he can emulate . . .” Nick thought out loud, remembering the efficacy of that mode of defense.

“I’ll make sure he goes through the portal myself then,” Seo-ah assured him.

“Do you need to take care of anything else, or would you like me to call the car and set up the meeting with Ms. Evelynne Gallows?” Darleen asked, phone in hand and ready to set things up.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Nick answered. “Let’s go see what pound of flesh she is going to try to carve off me for this deal.”