Barry stood in front of Ged, his messy brown hair damp with sweat and held back by a white headband. He looked like he was about to embark on a long jog, but something about his demeanor didn’t sit right with Ged. Barry had been acting strangely lately, and Ged couldn’t shake the suspicion that he might have moved on to a different dealer. Still, their past dealings meant Ged couldn’t dismiss him outright. Even so, the thought of all the mass he’d wasted on errands gnawed at him. He wanted to return to work and had little patience for distractions.
At Ged’s sharp question, Barry hesitated, his expression briefly sheepish. He glanced to the side, fidgeting with the edge of his headband, before straightening up and forcing a casual tone.
"I was just out for a jog," Barry said deliberately, as if rehearsed. "Burning off some mass, you know? I saw you headed this way, and I wasn’t trying to be weird or nothing. I just so happened to be following behind you."
"I see..." Ged tilted his head, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t buying it. The route he’d taken was deliberately out of the way, meant to avoid attention, yet Barry had managed to tail him at every turn. Coincidence didn’t explain it.
"Is that all?" Ged asked, his voice sharp with impatience. "I’ve got places to be. We can talk later."
"Actually..." Barry blurted out, his head scanning the area suspiciously. "I was hoping you’d help me out with something."
Ged’s eyes narrowed. "In what way?"
"I’ve got a big party coming up," Barry said, his voice brightening. "And I need to score some party favors to make sure the atmosphere is right for it." He leaned in pretending to nudge. "You know how it is."
"You want some stuff?" Ged frowned, folding his arms. "Just order it through your transmitter. Why are you telling me this in person?"
Barry’s face soured. "Actually, a few months ago I had some issues with my orders... After dropping off the mass, I went to pick up my goods, but they weren’t there. I was totally stiffed! That’s why I haven’t been ordering much through you guys lately."
"I never heard anything about this." Ged raised an eyebrow. "I don’t think I can be of much help here, Barry. Did you report this to your contact?"
Barry’s tone turned sharp, the forced smile vanishing. "Ged, come on. We both know you’ve got the real pull around here. Those contacts are all unhelpful puppets. Can’t you just handle this for me? Just this once? His voice wavered as if he were on the verge of tears.
Swinging his backpack around, Barry unzipped it to reveal 50kg of various stones. He placed it on the ground between them like an offering. His voice softened, almost pleading. "Give me your word you’ll personally oversee my next order. That’s all I need."
Barry’s desperation deepened. "This party’s everything to me, Ged. If it falls apart... I don’t even want to think about what’ll happen to me."
Not paying much mind to Barry's current well being and strange undertones of his desperation.
Ged’s gaze lingered on the bag, his mind weighing the risk of accepting his offer. It was tempting, sure, but trust was a luxury he couldn’t afford in this world. Bribes always came with strings, and desperate men often brought trouble. Still to get ahead in life, one cannot only take the path of least resistance. His hand tightened on the bag’s strap as he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder.
"Fair enough," Ged said, his voice low. "Barry, I'll help you out."
Not wanting to linger, he turned to leave. "Don't make me regret this," he added, his tone clipped.
"Ged, you’re invited too," Barry called after him, his voice louder. "The party. I hope you make time for it."
Ged raised a hand in acknowledgment but didn’t look back. Barry remained motionless, watching Ged disappear into the distance. Under his breath, he muttered strange words, as if speaking to his own shadow. Once Ged was out of sight, Barry’s gaze flicked to a nearby spire, lingering on the empty space behind it. He shook his head in disappointment before eventually jogging off into the distance.
Ged arrived at the entrance to his home. The makeshift door he had propped up earlier was still in place, and he gave a subtle nod of approval. Unwrapping the thumb-sized bag of paint, he smeared the contents over the Eagle Drawing etched into the doorway. The blue paint spread smoothly, filling every groove of the design.
The eagle, now vibrant and bright, seemed to come alive. Its wings stretched with graceful precision, and though silent, it radiated an air of majesty. Channeling heat into the drawing, Ged reshaped the doorway. The edges sharpened into crisp lines, and the walls shifted, reforming themselves into sturdy hinges. The metal door clicked securely into place. The faint blue glow that followed signified the house was now locked.
Turning the knob, the Eagle Tattoo on his neck flared to life. Its energy rippled outward, dispelling the blue hue that kept the doorway rigid, and granting him entry.
Inside, Ged scanned the room to ensure everything was as he had left it. Satisfied, he stored the mass he’d brought back from the shops in the fridge, alongside the 50kg he’d taken from Barry. He carefully arranged the plants and animal parts from Resh in their designated spots before heading downstairs.
As he descended to the lower levels, a soft vibration drew his attention. His stone transmitter pulsed with a white light, its faint hum echoing off the walls. A message had come through.
Narrowing his eyes, Ged muttered, “About damn time.”
He picked up the transmitter, and an image of Trevor formed in his mind. Trevor looked disheveled, his eyelids heavy, his face pale. He winced slightly, clearly nursing the hangover from the previous night.
“Fuck, sorry, Ged!” Trevor began, his voice slurred with exhaustion. “I just woke up. I haven’t had a chance to check the transmitters or do the pick-up with the Golden Suns.”
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Ged’s jaw tightened as Trevor continued, “A cave opened up in my home last night, and the noises were unbearable. I couldn’t sleep at all. I messaged Fitch, so he knows. Just go ahead and get the day’s tasks started without me. I’ll be out shortly.”
The transmission cut off abruptly, leaving Ged seething. He placed the transmitter back into the wall, his mind racing. Trevor wasn’t the ideal employee, but he was competent enough to keep things running when he bothered to show up.
Ged exhaled sharply, his anger subsiding into a familiar feeling of powerlessness. Drug dealing wasn’t exactly a desirable profession, and finding reliable workers was nearly impossible. For now, Trevor was indispensable, no matter how much Ged wished otherwise.
Grimacing, Ged turned back to the tasks at hand. “Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, his voice heavy with resignation. Trevor’s mention of the cave stuck with him. ‘Today’s a good day for spelunking,’ he muttered. ‘Maybe I’ll find a cave to clear.’
He smiled faintly, his thoughts drifting to the caves.
On Planet Eagle, caves were far more than just tunnels of rock. They were the single greatest lifeline for all living creatures on the planet.
The planet hosted two kinds of caves: man-made ones constructed with Eagle Paint and natural formations like the Hidden Olympian. These natural caves were unique, drifting through the living planet like subterranean submarines with unpredictable movements.
For the people of Planet Eagle, survival depended on these caves.
The planet’s mass was highly toxic and lethal if consumed. However, the mass found in natural caves was different. These caves acted like cancerous tumors within the planet’s body, rebelling against its toxic nature. To protect itself, the planet neutralized the poisonous properties of its mass inside these caves, making the matter safe for consumption.
Like antibodies, bodybuilders flocked to these cancerous caves, clearing them out to relieve the planet’s ailments while strengthening their physiques and trading the remains to the markets for a decent profit.
This phenomenon made spelunking more than a pastime. It was essential for survival and, for many, a way of life. After a planetary feeding, natural cave formations became more frequent, driving residents to explore and harvest their resources.
Dreaming of the potential windfall from spelunking, Ged entered the details of Gore’s transmitter into his home’s direct line.
Without lingering, Ged set off in great haste to attend to the daily tasks of his drug operation.
Passing Mount Dumbell, he reached a distant ring of mountains. Using a stone pyramid as a landmark, he identified an unassuming patch of land and activated his Digging Hands ability, drilling into the stony floor. He unearthed a buried box secured with an eagle tattoo. Placing his own tattoo against the seal, he unlocked it to reveal a stone transmitter.
Ged checked the device for orders, logged a pickup time and location, and sent a transmission to Fitch, the on-duty pharmacologist, who would prepare the drop-off. Reburying the transmitter, he moved on.
Ged visited a total of six transmitters, each buried in remote, hidden locations to avoid scavengers and the eyes of the authorities.
Only one order had been logged making it an unusually quiet morning.
Reburying the final transmitter, he focused on the subtle vibrations in the ground, searching for a specific pattern that led to his pharmaceutical facility within an abandoned cave system.
Following the trail for a third of a kilometer, Ged arrived at an unassuming clearing. Drilling downward once more, he descended into a dark and dreary cave.
The path Ged drilled open sealed itself behind him, leaving him in near-total darkness. In the distance, a single candle-like light flickered faintly, offering the only guidance. Following the cave’s winding pathway, he eventually reached Fitch.
Fitch, a bodybuilder half Ged’s size but still broad enough to fill out his lab coat and gloves, was busy at a cluttered workbench. The surface was strewn with chemicals, plants, and powdered stone. He worked methodically, though with an air of inexperience, unaware of Ged’s silent presence.
Ged observed him like a specter, watching closely without a word. Fitch was a new employee, only a few months into the job, and Ged wanted to ensure his techniques were correct. He continued to watch in silence, scrutinizing Fitch’s every move.
Fitch cut into plants with furry stems, dropping the pieces into a bowl filled with Blue Water. The stems dissolved into a mushy pulp. He transferred the mixture into a second bowl, then boiled it using the heat from his hands. Steam collected in a separating tray as Fitch worked carefully to isolate the drug.
Once the liquid was ready, he added it to a rolling tray of powdered mass. Using a pestle-like tool, he mixed the liquid with the powder, triggering a small reaction. Plumes of steam rose from the tray, swirling upward as the mixture thickened.
The sight of the rising steam made Ged click his tongue in dissatisfaction. The sound startled Fitch, who nearly lost the precious powder he had painstakingly prepared.
"I'm afraid that Bear Weed Powder you made is of too low quality, the efficacy has already gone to shit, look at all that rising steam." Ged spoke shaking his head, "Start over, we will mix what you made with the next batch.
His voice stern. "I will have to reteach you the extraction method, also your handling of the extraction to the buffer tray needs to be sped up several fold, you still haven't improved at all since I last saw you." He critiqued.
"Yeah, I get it," Fitch muttered, his tone laced with frustration. "I’m shit. I’m trying, alright? You don’t have to remind me every single day how much I suck."
Ged stared at him, his expression utterly devoid of sympathy.
"What more do you want from me?" Fitch stammered. "I’ll do better. But that was the last Bear Weed stalk, and we’re out. We’ll just have to make do with the batch as it is," he said, his head hanging in a half-hearted apology.
Ged’s face darkened further. "Out of Bear Weed? When was the last time either of you went to the depots to pick up?" he asked, his tone dripping with derision.
"Trevor went last week. Did you happen to grab any?" Fitch asked, his voice tinged with hope.
Ged rummaged through the pouch embedded in his abdomen, pulling out various plants and unique vegetation. None had the furry stems of Bear Weed. His scowl deepened as he realized he didn’t have any on hand. His temper flared.
"Fucking idiots. Every last one of you is useless," Ged snapped, his voice rising.
Seeing Ged’s anger boil over, Fitch raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Wait, don’t panic. I’ve got another batch ready. We can mix it with that. It shouldn’t make much of a difference if it’s a little weaker."
"Shouldn’t make a difference?" Ged’s brow furrowed, his voice sharp and cutting. "How the fuck would you know?"
"You don’t care about anything," Ged continued, his tone rising with frustration. "So how could you possibly understand this business?"
Ged stepped forward, forcing Fitch to step aside. "Get out of the way. Stand there and watch. Try to learn even a fraction of what I’m about to do."
"We’re cutting your batch with something stronger," Ged said coldly, reaching into the pouch embedded in his abdomen. He pulled out a pitch-black flower that seemed to pulse with an eerie energy, its glow casting a ghastly light across the room.
"Death Lotus," Fitch muttered, instinctively stepping back. His voice trembled as he added, "What are you doing? Are you trying to kill them?"
Ged didn’t respond. With a calculated precision, he began extracting the Death Lotus. His hands moved like lightning as he cut out a small portion of the plant, working with the ease of years of practice. He processed the material quickly, separating its essence with the deftness of a master craftsman.
In the final step, Ged collected a single droplet of the dark black liquid and poured it into a tray containing a small amount of stone powder. A faint wisp rose as the powder turned charcoal black.
Ged sprinkled half of the processed Death Lotus onto the Bear Weed and handed the tray to Fitch. "Go run some orders," he said curtly. "I’ll handle the rest of things here at the lab."
Fitch took the tray but didn’t move, his eyes fixed on the mixture with a conflicted expression. Death Lotus was infamous, a highly addictive drug capable of leaving lives desolate and ruined. Mixing it into something as common as Bear Weed felt like crossing an unspoken line. Yet, under Ged’s piercing gaze, Fitch found himself unable to protest.